Notes From JWR:

Thanks to the graphics talent of my #1 Son (age 13 and home schooled, naturlich), you can now order SurvivalBlog logo T-shirts, sweat shirts, hats, mugs, tote bags, and bumper stickers. This serves two purposes: Showing our URL will help spread the word about preparedness, and it generates a little cash to pay for the site bandwidth. Wearing a SurvivalBlog T-shirt is a great conversation starter and is the height of fashion at the range, at gun shows, or anywhere on the Gulf Coast! Tacking up a SurvivalBlog bumper sticker in your cubicle is sure to make your liberal co-workers …


State By State – Kansas

Kansas: Population: 2.6 million. Population Density: 31.7 per square mile (Rank 10 of JWR’s top 19 states). Area: 82,000 square miles (rank 14 of 50). Average car insurance cost: $688/yr. (rank 36 of 50). Average home insurance cost: $593/yr. (rank 8 of 50). Crime Safety Ranking: 23 of 50. Boston T. Party’s State Firearms Laws Ranking: 68%. Per capita income: $27,374 (rank 27 of 50). ACT & SAT Scores Ranking: 4 of 50. Plusses: Minuses: Little crop diversity. Few local firewood sources. Tornado prone (ranked #2 out of top 20 States). High car insurance rates. High home insurance rates. The …


Letter Re: Knife Selection

In the area of knives: I carry a Swiss Army Knife with me at all times, along with a Gerber Multi-tool. When I go into the field (Hunting, camping, whatever) I carry a fixed blade knife from Anza Knives. I’ve owned a lot of knives and used even more and I have sold every sheath-knife I owned and bought Anza’s. These things are sharp as razors, tough as nails, and as easy to sharpen as any knife I’ve ever had, and at $60 or less for each of them they are on of the best bargains I’ve ever run across …


Letter Re: G.O.O.D. Gear

Mr. Rawles, do you have a list of gear that we should all have say on our persons or in our cars at all times? I finished your book, and more recently Boston [T. Party]’s Molon Labe and with what is happing down South, I need to prepare. JWR’s Reply: I think a workable baseline is the list that is recounted in my novel Patriots, where the Doug Carlton character appears for the first time, and he is searched. I encourage readers of this blog to e-mail me their suggested G.O.O.D. Kit / Bug Out Bag (B.O.B.) packing lists. I …



Letter Re: Veterinary Antibiotics

Here is a hot topic. I’m not sure how a person is to post it on the blog with the liability issues. (Please don’t mention my name) Disclaimer: The following is for veterinary use only. See: http://lambriarvet.com/Antibiotics.php This company had the best prices I have found for antibiotics, the last time that I checked. These are the most useful for human use. They don’t sell the really expensive cipros or i.v. antibiotics to mere mortals like us. During the three years before we moved we were on a microscopic budget and without insurance. Using veterinary antibiotics saved my wife three …


Three Letters Re: California’s Retreat Potential

Dear Mr. Rawles, I’m a CA resident and a CA high school history teacher, and just read your retreat observations regarding my state. My experience with out-of-state critics of CA is that they often exaggerate wildly about conditions here as well as frequently blame voters here for the conditions we have (I’ve voted against all aspects of the present socialist nightmare but look what we have). In your case, however, I can honestly say that your analysis and summary are 100% accurate and spot-on. I regret only that your summary isn’t printed in the Op-Ed section of the Los Angeles …


Letter Re: Blood Transfusion Equipment Available

Reading your blog for 9-10-05, I was reminded of what I read in your book Patriots a few months back about transfusions. In Patriots blood is drawn off into a sterile bag with no mention of anticoagulation. There is a huge risk here IMO. I am a director with a major university hospital . Here are some things to consider and what I plan on doing for transfusions WTSHTF. You are correct that person to person transfusion is too risky. Depending on vein size and the size of the needle / catheter you could have a flow of 1 ml …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Sad are the eyes, yet no tears. The flight of the wild geese brings a new hope–rescue from all this. Old friends, and those that we’ve found. What chance, to make it last? When there’s fighting all around, and reason just ups and disappears. Time is running out. There is so much to be done–Tell me what more, what more, can we do? There are promises made, plans firmly laid. Now madness prevails, lives will be ended! What more can we do? What chance, to make it last? What more, can we do?” – Theme to the motion picture The …


Note from JWR:

Today, I’m covering Idaho, the fifth of 19 states in my rankings of states by their retreat potential. I rank it as my top choice for buying a survival retreat.   Be Ready for the September 11th Anniversary (SAs: Emerging Threats, Disaster Preparedness, EMP Protection) The Al Qaeda terror network tends toward maximum psychological impact for their attacks, so it stands to reason that there is a higher than usual likelihood for an attack tomorrow– September 11th. (9/11/2005). Be ready. Although the statistical chances of Der Tag are very low, I still recommend that you do the following today: Put …


State By State – Idaho

Idaho: Population: 1.3 million (and about 2.1 million cattle.) Population Density: 15.5 per square mile (Rank 15 of JWR’s top 19 states). Area: 83,437 square miles (rank 13 of 50). Average car insurance cost: $608/yr. (rank 48 of 50). Average home insurance cost: $326/yr. (rank 50 of 50). Average Home Price in Clearwater County: $112,725 Average Home Price in Idaho County: $109,500 Average Home Price in Kootenai County: $112,849 Average Home Price in Latah County: $118,325 Crime Safety Ranking: 9 of 50. Boston T. Party’s State Firearms Laws Ranking: 97%. Per capita income: $23,727 (rank 41 of 50). ACT & …


Letter from John Adams Re: Foraging

Last week Abigail and I were out picking elderberries. After harvesting all we could find at our place we stopped and asked the neighbor if we could hunt for some on their farm. My neighbor’s’30 year old son, who has spent a lot of time in the woods, sent us to one spot his Dad to another. When we got to the son’s spot we indeed found a huge batch of berries, but they were pokeberries, definitely not what we were looking for! Lesson learned: Make sure you know what you are picking and eating. It did get me to …


Letter Re: Blood Transfusion Equipment Available

James, I am a fan of your work and am glad that you are now doing a regular blog. I found something that might be of interest to your readers while going through my regular slew of catalogues in the mail today. I remember reading in your novel Patriots about how one of the characters jerry-rigged a person-to-person blood transfusion setup. I noticed that Deutche Optik, a militaria surplus dealer, is carrying a new in the box German surplus person-to-person blood transfusion device. I went ahead and ordered one, on the off chance I may need it one day and …


Letter Re: Silver Coinage and Ammunition for Barter

Dear Jim: I am thoroughly enjoying your web site and appreciate very much all of your quality information. Recently you had an article about storing coins and ammo for barter and trade purposes. I would like to ask several questions about this subject. 1.) You mentioned pre-1965 silver dimes, but what about silver quarters and half-dollar coins? 2.) Do you recommend gold coins? I understand the inherent problems with gold bars and bullion, but what about .10, .25, and .50 ounce gold coins for barter? 3. What types and quantities of .22 ammo do you suggest? Stingers, hollow points or …


Letter Re: Relocating to Arizona

Hi, Jim, Just adding some thoughts on your assessment of Arizona. There are two Arizonas, the lower half at an average elevation of less than 3000 feet, and the half up on the Colorado plateau at 5000-8000 feet, and the two are totally different. You are absolutely correct about Southern Arizona being too populated, too close the border, and too much crime, almost all of which is in metropolitan Phoenix. If ones does their research (and I am not going to spell it all out here), there are some locations that come in very high. First check your groundwater availability, …