Notes from JWR:

A news item of particular note: Effort To Create New State Called ‘North Colorado’ Grows. Some 10 counties are now involved! Needless to say, if they succeed I will expand my definition of The American Redoubt! — Today we present another entry for Round 47 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted …


Dehydration and Rehydration Solutions, by M.A. in Washington State

I would first like to thank you and all of the previous posters on this blog. I have been an avid reader for a few years now and I have learned immeasurably from you all. Dehydration can be a problem for individuals in the first world today, and a massive problem for those in the third world. In a post collapse situation, life for us in America and the rest of the first world countries could look more like the latter. There are many causes for dehydration, from working outside in the heat and sweating out fluids to a serious …


Letter Re: Old Military Physical Fitness Manuals

Hello, I’ve been lurking around your blog for a while now and I love it!   I’d like to share this link with you: the Iowa Health and Physical Readiness Alliance web site.   This online library has several old military physical fitness manuals (dated 1892, 1914, 1917, and 1946).  I think that your readers would really love the 1946 manual, FM 21-20.  Not only does it have an extensive calisthenics routine, but also has guerrilla drills on carrying wounded comrades, running and swimming instructions, and even brief sections on wrestling, boxing, and hand-to-hand combatives.  All are in PDF.   Enjoy! – Tom …


Economics and Investing:

The global derivatives bubble continues to inflate. According to the BIS there are now $564 Trillion in over the counter derivatives, which includes $441 Trillion in bets on small moves in the direction of interest rates. If and when interest rates spike (and they will!), the counterparty risk will be huge, and spectacular derivatives implosion could bring down the global credit market. Vince W. wrote to mention a new vehicle that is going to be made here in the U.S. at an old GM plant in Louisiana. They claim it will get 84 mpg, and have an 8 gallon gas …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Brian M. sent this: Couple discover 7,500 machine gun, shotgun and pistol bullets in their back garden while weeding their pond. Now, to illustrate a world of difference: Last year one of my consulting clients discovered 5,500 rounds of .22 ammo and six boxes of shotgun shells stored in dusty ammo cans in the crawlspace of the house that he had bought eastern Oregon. He called the previous owners and asked if they wanted the ammo. (They had moved to Arizona.) They told him to just keep it. He expressed his heartfelt thanks. Note that he did not become …



Notes from JWR:

Today, July 10, 2013, is the last day of Freeze Dry Guy’s extended 25% Off Special on All Mountain House #10 Cans. — This is also the birthday of British novelist John Wyndham. He we was born in 1903 and died March 11, 1969. Harris was a good friend of fellow novelist Samuel Youd (1922 – 2012), who wrote under several pen names, including John Christopher. Both men were famous for writing what are often called “cozy catastrophes.” Several of Wyndham’s novels and short stories have been adapted to film, with varying degrees of success. One of the best of …


Lessons from Hiking the Grand Canyon, by Andy in New England

A successful trek is “won or lost” before it even begins. Having the right quantities of food, water, and first aid, proper gear and adequate physical fitness will determine if a hiker is able to complete a trip as planned, and respond to the unexpected along the way. This past June, my wife and I hiked the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim. Over the course of this four day, thirty-mile hike, we learned many valuable lessons that can be applied to a grid-down scenario where long-range foot travel is needed to bug-out, explore, or patrol large land areas. I’m thankful to have …


Letter Re: Advice on Travel to California

Captain Rawles, I have to go to the Socialist Republic of Kalifornia later this week to rescue my sister and her husband (helping them move household goods) and in doing so must surrender my right to be able to defend myself due to their draconian gun laws.  Living in Utah I know that my permit is recognized only as far as the Nevada border, but I can transport and possess my Model 1911 albeit in a separate locked container from the corresponding ammunition.  I was wondering what advice or opinions you could offer as I leave on this little trek.  …


Economics and Investing:

E.S. suggested this at Zero Hedge: A Historic Inversion: Gold GOFO Rates Turn Negative For The First Time Since Lehman Marc Faber: China Puts Global Markets at Risk. (Dr. Doom discusses China’s credit bubble and recommends selling stocks and buying gold, citing $1,222 as a quite reasonable buy price.) Mike T. sent us this: Here’s how much your carrier makes selling your data to the Feds. No wonder they are so consistently complicit, when implementing tyranny is a profit center… Items from The Economatrix: Too Many Workers Hate Their Jobs, And That’s Hurting The Economy Sequestration Forces Cuts To Long-Term …


Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Greg S. sent us some news of Nanny State hand-wringers, run amok: Geolocating “Dangerous” Guns and Gun Owners. Wait! I can make it easier for them: Click here. (Each tiny green pixel dot represents a privately-owned gun. And yes, they are “dangerous”–dangerous to criminals and dangerous to would-be tyrants.) We also have some of the lowest crime rates in the country. I wonder why…    o o o G.G. sent some news from the Land of Lincoln Obama: Elderly man who picked dandelions for food gets $75 ticket. And speaking of Chicago: More than 1,000 shootings so far in …



Notes from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 47 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 …


Prepping Through Yard Sales: by DCN in Washington

Having been brought up under unique circumstances I hope that I can bring yet another perspective to the world of survival.  My mother as a single mom, a real taboo in the day, chose to go to Mexico chasing after a life that was difficult and unrealistic; however for me it was the beginning of survivalism to say the least.  I have learned that no matter what life tosses your way it should always be kept as a learning moment.  If it is a bad experience you will learn what not to do and hopefully overcome, and if it is …


Letter Re: Recommendation for the Classic Book Alone in the Wilderness

James, The public domain book Alone in the Wilderness is available free online at The Open Library web site. In 1913 Joseph Knowles went into the woods buck naked. His 295-page book details his experiences. It is funny how he mentions that he “wonders if modern man could survive in such a situation.”  I had to laugh at that thought because here was a man still very close to the land and yet he wonder if he could do it. Just think how many people in the present day could cope. I’d like to believe that I could but it …