Two Letters Re: Diesel Engine Vehicles

Hi Guys, Even if those who are skeptical read your blog, they will come back for more. I am very impressed and moreover grateful! Quick comment on G.O.O.D. Diesel Variants: You have pointed out the great benefits to Diesel power plants,…it is very important to know that you are looking at a SUBSTANTIAL weight increase on the front axle [versus gas engines]. This should be known not only for adjusting the way you execute a maneuver, but the huge disadvantage that you will have in soft, or bottomless soil, (i.e.- sand/mud). If not weighted sufficiently equally on both axles, you …


Letter Re: Wind Generators

Hi James, First of all, chalk me up as another Patriots fan. It truly is the definitive work on preparing for just about anything. When I found out that you had started the blog, I was ecstatic! I found this site on wind power today, and thought you might be interested. Scroll down about halfway and look for the section on home built wind power. They detail building an alternator from scratch, carving your own blades, and control circuitry. I don’t have a retreat or anything like it just yet (I’m stuck in the city with a 300-1000 mile bugout …



Sales Tax as a Criteria for Choosing Your Retreat Locale

Sales tax is another important issue if you are setting up a retreat. This generally entails buying a lot of “big ticket” items, such as an AC/DC power generator, photovoltaics, tractors, 4WD vehicles, guns, ammunition, storage food, wood stoves, propane tanks, propane appliances, and so forth. Sales tax can be minimized if you buy via mail order, but that creates a paper trail, which IMO should be avoided. In some circumstances you can travel to an adjoining state with low (or no) sales tax to make major purchases. Keep a low profile when making major purchases–especially ammunition. Pay with cash …


Letter from Swampthing Re: Alan T. Hagan’s Prudent Food Storage Q&A Web Page

Jim; Alan T. Hagan has written for Backwoods Home magazine and a couple of other periodicals, and has written a book. He is a genuinely a nice guy who loves to spread the word about preparedness. He’s very approachable and may make a good candidate for your Profiles page. See: http://athagan.members.atlantic.net/PFSFAQ/PFSFAQ-1.html Just passing it on. Thanks for the mention, – Johnny a.k.a. swampthing JWR’s Reply: Mr. Hagan has a great reputation in preparedness circles, and deservedly so. His Q&A on food storage is a veritable standard reference.


Three Letters Re: Self Winding Watches–Reviews and Sources:

Self-winding watches–I had one of the Russian self winders and it was built like a T-34 tank. You really can’t go wrong with one. Higher-end watches, like Seiko, etc. are available from places like Sportsman’s Guide, Overstock.com, and E-Bay. Regards, – “Doug Carlton” Another reader, Jeff, writes: These things are built like a tank. You can find models from $79 to about $250. Here is a typical model. Excellent in every way and new production. Something to consider. – Jeff Jim The blog is great! and your book was a valuable purchase many years ago. I am a watch collector …


Letter Re: G.O.O.D. Vehicle Advice

Mr. Rawles: In this article you state that “…large crash bars in the front, a removable cable cutter post that is as tall as your truck’s cab,” Do you mean BRUSH GUARDS, because I cannot find any large crash bars! Can you help? JWR’s Reply: To my way of thinking, a proper “crash bar” for a truck is just a very heavy duty bumper + brush guard with the addition of an extra piece of heavy steel stock welded on vertically (parallel with the radiator) in the center of the brush guard. It should extend from the bottom of the …



Note from JWR:

I’m delighted that in just over two weeks this blog has had more than 15,000 unique accesses and a whopping 346,200 page hits. We also now have two advertisers, and a couple of more waiting in the wings. Please continue to spread the word. In particular, I’d appreciate it if you could make brief mention of SurvivalBlog.com on any forums, blogs, or bulletin boards that you frequent. Many Thanks!


Income Tax as a Criteria for Choosing Your Retreat Locale

Taxes are another important consideration when choosing the state where you plan to live/retreat. Take a close look at property, income, and sales taxes before you decide where you might like to relocate. Car registration fees are another factor worth considering, especially if you have several vehicles. (In some states registration fees are a piddling administrative fee, while in some of the more populous Nanny States they are a big revenue source.) If you are retired or nearing retirement age and middle class, property taxes will likely be more important to you than income taxes. Conversely, if you are in …


The BBC Recreates Wales in the 1620s

A tip of the hat to Claire Wolfe’s Blog, for mentioning the non-fiction BBC television series Tales from the Green Valley. It follows historians and archaeologists as they recreate farm life from the age of the Stuarts. They wear the clothes, eat the food and use the tools, skills and technology of the 1620s. There are some valuable lessons learned from these exercises.


Three Letters Re: Diesel Engine Vehicles and EMP

1.) Jim: GM diesel models 1994 or later have an electronic injection pump, and are vulnerable to EMP. Some models made before 1994 will have an electronic glow plug controller which can be easily bypassed. From what I can gather GM also went to “electronic” transmissions around 1994. Before then most diesels had th350 or th400 transmissions. Some pre-1994 GM trucks also had th700r4 transmissions that had minimal electronics, and can be rebuilt with the electronics bypassed. Of course anything with a manual transmission should be safe. I believe most light diesels follow the same timeline because of EPA smog …


Letter from “Doug Carlton” Re: Beretta 9mm Model 92/Centurion Owners — .40 S&W Kits Now on the Market

Jim: Here’s some of my views on some of the questions you’ve had in your letters about the Beretta M92/96 series. My experience with the gun, after use in the Army and use and ownership in the civilian world is they work as well as any gun out there. People get entirely too territorial about handguns, similar to the way people used to put some mystical significance to their sword they would be carrying in feudal times. The fact is that you really aren’t any less or better armed with nearly any of the current crop of service pistols from …


WND Reports: Al Qaeda Nuke Strike in U.S. “Pretty Close to Being Inevitable”

Our friends at World Net Daily just posted excerpts from an interview with Michael Scheuer, the man who headed the CIA’s Osama bin Laden desk. Scheuer discussed Bin Laden’s relentless quest to obtain nukes and the prospects of a nuclear terrorist strike on the U.S. by Al Qaeda. He said: “I don’t believe in inevitability. But I think it’s pretty close to being inevitable. …Yes, I think it’s probably a near thing.” Read the entire article. This is some serious FFTAGFFR, folks!


From David in Israel: On Zippered Boots

It seems obvious to anyone who has worked in a fire department or EMS but even now that I am not directly in this field I still keep my clothing ready to go instantly. We are almost useless without at least shoes. I keep my zip off boots (tongue zipper kits are sold by Red Wing shoes), pants and shirt from the previous day next to the bed. That means I don’t have to think about having a cell phone, flashlight, or pistol when it is needed. In just 10 seconds I am ready to go.