Letter Re: Sources For Sand Bags?

Hi Jim, Do you know a good place to buy sand bags? Here in Florida there is plenty of sand, but I need to buy some sand bags to put it in. Thanks. Joe JWR Replies: In the U.S. there are several good sources, but prices vary widely, so shop around.  (From as much as $3.75 each in small quantities to as little as 38 cents each if you buy in lots of 1000.) For example, see: http://www.1starmy.com/products.asp?subCategory=490&parentCategory=486 http://www2.rangersurplus.com/long.asp?tgs=5144548:8550080&cart_id=&item_id=2290 http://www.preparedness.com/floodprotsan.html (The lowest price I’ve found on small quantities–around $1.80 each.) If you want to buy in quantity (perhaps a group …


Letter Re: Safecastle’s Pricing on Mountain House Freeze Dried Foods

Mr. Rawles, I just wanted to let you know about the smokin’ deal I got on Mountain House foods from Vic at SafeCastle. I bought a 150-can kit for HALF of what I would have paid buying directly from Mountain House. I just had to tell him I was a SurvivalBlog reader. If anyone is looking for Mountain House food, March is the month to buy. I don’t have any connection with Vic or his business. I just wanted to pass on the info. Thanks, – Rich in Louisiana JWR Replies: Thanks for your letter.  I’m always glad to hear affirmation …


Letter Re: REI’s Members-Only Sale

Jim: Thought your readers might benefit from this deal: I just noticed that REI has a special member’s only ‘20% off 1 item’ sale right now…no shipping charges too if you pick it up at your local store.  Excludes their pricey mountain bikes, boats, GPS or ELBs. But that still means a big discount on many top quality high buck survival items like Katadyn water filters, MSR MIOX purifiers, lightweight tarp shelters, Bug-Out packs, ETON hand crank radios, Thule and Yakima roof racks. Their sale ends 4/02/06. http://www.rei.com/rei/coupons/member_reward.jsp?cm_re=lq*lq*member_rewards_coupon&vcat=REI_HP_LD – Gman


Odds ‘n Sods:

Some interesting country rankings:  http://www.aneki.com/lists.html    o o o Rumors have started full scale salt and sugar hoarding in Russia: http://english.pravda.ru/russia/economics/20-02-2006/76194-salt-0    o o o SurvivalBlog reader Lyn recommends: http://www.boatuscom/goodoldboat/pressure.htm (“A link about pressure cooking, good for newbies, that has a section at the end on how to make a water distiller using a pressure cooker. Also, 15 pounds of pressure is the minimum needed to sterilize hospital equipment. Plus of course food cooks quicker, saving fuel.”)    o o o I’m pleased to see that the Firefox browser has become so popular. The Secret Squirrels tell me that it is …



Note From JWR:

The following non-fiction article describes an abortive grid-up bug out made by a SurvivalBlog reader, in response to several articles (thankfully erroneous) that were posted on www.arcticbeacon.com between January 22 and January 26, 2006.  The author’s experience is not unique. Several of my friends bugged out to their retreats in late 1999, only to return to the Big City early in 2000, when Y2K turned out to be a non-event.  I also have an aquaintance–incidentally upon whom the John Thomas Rourke character in Jerry Ahern’s The Survivor paperback book series was based–who bugged out to a retreat in a remote …


Our Grid-Up Bug Out — January 22nd Through February 4th, 2006 by Larry in Kansas

On January 22nd my wife had been on the web site www.arcticbeacon.com and ran across the following article http://www.arcticbeacon.com/22-Jan-2006.html. The article covers a nuclear attack and a financial collapse in America within 90 days. (sometime in March of 2006). This got our attention, BIG TIME. On January 25 the following article was posted on Arcticbeacon http://www.arcticbeacon.com/25-Jan-2006.html. An attack was imminent in 9 days for Texas City-Houston area. On January 26 the following article was posted http://www.arcticbeacon.com/26-Jan-2006b.html. Houston police running nuclear disaster drills. I did my best to checkout the articles and the sources, however, I felt really pressed for time …


Letter Re: Recommended Truck Modifications?

Dear Jim: I recently purchased a 1991 Ford F350 diesel truck. I had read previously on the Blog site of your recommendations on how best to outfit G.O.O.D. vehicles. Unfortunately I have been unable to find that post. I would appreciate it if you would re-post that information. Also I have a few other questions concerning this topic if you don’t mind. 1.) What type of winch do you suggest? Manufacturer, size & power, etc. 2.) Is it necessary to EMP-proof the glow plug switch? And, if so, how is that to be done? 3.) Do you suggest light assemblies …


Letter Re: Economic Survival on the Personal Level

Hi JWR, Keep up the good work as always. I thought I’d share a couple of ideas that I’ve had. A “money” emergency, ranging from losing your job temporarily to a full-scale depression is one of the most likely things to happen to all of us. I know you’ve talked about this before, but I’d like to share a few things. I would advise anyone to get at least one marketable backup skill or trade. The local community college is vast resource for learning practical skills. Here are some possibilities: -Auto Mechanics. Think of this for self-sufficiency and employment. People …


Odds ‘n Sods:

A “must read” article: Global Credit Ocean Dries Up by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard. In this piece, Evans-Pritchard asserts that the global economy is reaching a dangerous tipping point. See: http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2006/02/24/cccredit24.xml&menuId=242&sSheet=/money/2006/02/24/ixcoms.html     o o o Some quiet Asian Avian Flu planning is going on in England. See: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2095-2058244,00.html    o o o FEMA is making plans for a major earthquake on the New Madrid fault.  See: http://www.surfingtheapocalypse.net/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=128430      o o o A paper on the Asian Avian Flu and the Grocery Industry: http://www.amrresearch.com/avianflu/H5N1PotentialImpact.pdf



Note From JWR:

After 25 years in the mail order business, I finally got “modern” and created a web page for my mail order wares. See: https://survivalblog.com/catalog/ Up until just recently, I only had a an e-mailable catalog.  Now I have a proper web page catalog.  I just have to remember to keep it up to date, as items come and go. As time permits, I plan to add photos of some of the more expensive items. Thanks for all of the recent “10 Cent Challenge” contributions. My special thanks to R.M. and R.K.E., who each donated $100. I appreciate your generosity!


Letter from David In Israel Re: The Survival Mindset and the Holocaust

Last year I met with Eline Hoekstra Dresden. Among the things she gave me along with her book “Wishing Upon A Star, A Tale of the Holocaust and Hope” was a bookmark that I will quote: [begin quote] During my years of public speaking, I have been asked repeatedly, “how did you live through the Holocaust?” I usually answer “I don’t really know.” However, the following list provides examples of things that worked for me (along with luck). Tools for Survival * Be alert, not paranoid * Be optimistic, but realistic * Find strength in faith (whichever) * Recognize hidden …


Letter Re: Freeze Dried Foods Versus MREs Versus Air Dried Bulk Storage Foods

James: I am considering making a sizable purchase from one of your advertisers. I have enjoyed your site a great deal and would value your opinion. Would you stock Mountain House foods for your own needs? I am not familiar with mountain house foods. What is your opinion of their products? How do they compare to MREs? I would like to get about a year of food put aside. I am sure you are very busy, so a detailed response is not necessary, as I said though I value your opinion. Thanks in advance, – K. JWR Replies: Mountain House …


Two Letters Re: The “Field Kit” Approach for Organization, Preparedness, and Survival, by Christian Souljer

Mr. Rawles, Reading the great post on preparedness kits I noticed a couple things that I do differently with my vehicle. I’ve got a spare tire mounted on a homemade bracket on the front of my truck. this took an hour tops with an iron pile and a welder. It’s not meant for pushing but it sits there comfortably mounted to the existing bumper and the metal near the hood latch. I would think also that with some forethought it could be incorporated into a big frame mount push bumper. its a classic ‘country’ configuration which clears up room in …