Letter Re: Making Our Bug Out Bags Work: Shaving Weight

CPT Rawles, In reference to the article Making Our Bug Out Bags Work: Shaving Weight, I applaud the efforts of Joshua H. taking the opportunity to hike 22 miles in three days, however, without any other information, his resulting experience is not surprising.  As a fellow Army officer, you can attest that ruck marching is essentially a practiced art.  One builds up to those distances and weights.  Cutting weight is good, but only those items not deemed necessary.  Don’t cut weight because of a lack of practice carrying a weighted down backpack.  Practice carrying that weight, and build up the weight …


Four Letters Re: Coban Wrap a Must for Medical Kits

JWR, Thank you for all your efforts. I pray they are never needed but fear otherwise. We run a safety training and supply company specializing in custom first aid/survival kits for various customers. We agree that Coban is wonderful stuff. A hint for the budget minded preppers use a vet supply house or feed store and buy “vet wrap”– same stuff at lower price. – A.K.S. Jim: Coban is not a panacea for your wound dressing needs.  While it does offer self-adherence,  ease of use, durability, availability, selection of sizes and colors, etc.  There are a few flaws with this …


Economics and Investing:

Income tax will exceed 50% in California, Hawaii, and New York City R.B.S. sent: Why You Might Only Be Able to Get Part-Time Work in 2013 Kevin A. sent: Double Your Money Selling Old Pennies by the Pound 109-Million Private Sector Jobs Paying for 88-Million Government Jobs/Welfare Items from The Economatrix: The European Threat To The US Recovery The Fiscal Cliff Is A Mirage, But A Real Cliff Is Ahead Most Accurate Forecaster Sees Lethargic U.S. Expansion


Odds ‘n Sods:

Marilyn R. sent this: Fed-up Homeowner Catches Thief in the Act with Homemade Security System.    o o o I just heard that until December 31st, the complete set of the excellent Homesteading for Beginners DVDs is currently being offered for $30 off retail. FWIW, we use a couple of their large clothes drying racks here at the Rawles Ranch, and we love their videos.    o o o Chuck keeps flinging around more legislative Schumer: Charles Schumer Makes A Move In The Senate To Deny Veterans The Right To Own Firearms . (Thanks to Jon E. for the link.) …


Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock [that] is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, [and] a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given [me] the heritage of those that fear thy name. Thou wilt prolong the king’s life: [and] his years as many generations. …


Notes from JWR:

Today we remember Pearl Harbor Day. The sacrifices made that day were great (2,402 lives), and the sacrifices that followed in America’s involvement in World War II, even greater. We are still indebted to that generation. — Today we present another entry for Round 44 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, 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 …


Survival Bikes, by Banjo

Lots of people are getting out of their cars and onto bikes these days, because of the high cost of gasoline , parking hassles, and concerns about staying physically fit. When natural disasters or terrorist acts strike, people repeatedly find that a good bicycle is a fine thing to have. On a “bang for the buck” basis, the bicycle is one of the finest travel machines Mankind has devised. When the motor vehicle was still in its infancy, armies the world over were putting their troops on bicycles. The armies knew they could move a lot of soldiers, with gear, …



Letter Re: In-Extremis Travel; Red Light, Green Light, Yellow Light

JWR: Regarding the recent article by “Will Prep”: The otherwise well written article with lots of good information overlooked mentioning amateur (ham) radio as the very best mode of communications when he asks: “What will I do for Communications?” Any General or higher class ham with a few radios that he/she uses on a regular basis will have no problems with communications! “Will Prep” must have lots more spare cash than the average person to even mention satellite phones! Thanks again to JWR for this great site! Keep up the good work. – Ken M.


Economics and Investing:

The Coming Derivatives Panic That Will Destroy Global Financial Markets. [JWR Adds: I’ve been warning you about derivatives since 2006.] R.B.S. sent: Obama Slaps States That Don’t Comply With Obamacare Also from R.B.S.: More Signs of Silver Shortage Items from The Economatrix: Shopper “Fatigue” Hurt Retails Sales Last Week Home Prices Up 6.3% In October From Last Year. [JWR’s Comment: It is remarkable what hundreds of billions of Dollars created out of thin air and the fantasy land ZIRP can create, in the short term. ] “We Are In The Midst Of The Keynesian Depression” US Households Already Went Off …


Odds ‘n Sods:

You gotta love Texas: Burglar calls 911 to save himself from gun-wielding homeowner (Thanks to T.J. G. for the link.)    o o o James C. sent this sign of the times: Missouri Farmers Fight Rise In Hay Thefts    o o o File under: Jackboot Mega Overkill: FBI and State Police Conduct Massive Manhunt and Raid Against Prepper Who Was Angry Over Obama Reelection    o o o Sasol to Build the First Ever Gas-to-Liquid Plant in the US    o o o I just heard that Ready Made Resources now has the PS-24 FLIR Scout thermal imaging scope …



Notes from JWR:

Jenny of The Last Frontier blog has reported the tragic death of her husband, in an accident. Please keep Jenny and her two young sons in your prayers. She mentioned that they are moving back to their homestead for the rest of the winter. I’ll post word if I hear about a memorial fund. (She hadn’t been posting to her blog much in the past couple of years because of the high cost of flying in propane for their genset. She and her husband built their Alaska homestead on a limited budget.) — Today we present another entry for Round …


Arctic Survival Footwear, by Richard M.

In a survival situation whether this is a crashed airplane, lost on hunt or a collapse scenario where normal items become scare, inexpensive or both knowing how to construct your own arctic survival footwear could be the difference between life and death, comfort or pure agony! I was reading this old book called “THE ARCTIC SURVIVAL GUIDE” written by Alan Innes-Taylor for the Scandinavian Airline System in 1957, it has a lot of good info in it, and I believe most of it is the same info that is in some of the old US AIR FORCE Arctic Survival Manuals …


Letter Re: Coban Wrap a Must for Medical Kits

Dear James: I’m a long time reader and love the SurvivalBlog site. I really wanted to point out one little thing that  I think is a very important item in any kit: Coban Wrap. (Sold under several brand names.)   I’m a former medic and now live in the northeast on the water. I have young kids and we do some of boating and spend a fair amount of time on the remote rocky beaches of the area. When we got here earlier in the year I put together a little first aid kit focused on multi-use items and scalability …