Category: Clothing

Letter Re: Clothing for Long-Term Scenarios

Mr. Rawles, First let me say how much I enjoyed your novel “Patriots“, I have read it three times now and am eagerly awaiting its planned sequels. I just wanted to mention/remind your readers as to the importance of sturdy clothing in a “Grid Gone” scenario. It is my belief our clothing (very taken for granted) will suddenly become an extremely important part of life and not just “frosting on the cake” so to speak. I was reminded of this when I had a yard sale one day and a woman from an ex-soviet satellite country arrived as an “early bird”, she was returning …


Preparedness for Families with Infants, by Carla S.

If you have children in your family, preparing for potential SHTF scenarios requires extra consideration. All children will need additional comfort and entertainment to adjust to a survival situation. Fortunately, if your kids are old enough to walk, talk and perform a few basic chores, your special preps for the young ones in your family do not need to be elaborate. Older children are capable of eating the same food as adults, they’re usually potty-trained, and they can help themselves in many situations (e.g. getting dressed, feeding themselves, etc.). However, if a very small infant will be in your responsibility …


Letter Re: Bargain Prices at Wiggy’s

Sir, I hope this e-mail finds you and yours well. I just wanted you to be aware that Wiggy’s here in Grand Junction, Colorado is offering almost 50% off sleeping bags and clothing if picked up in store. I just bought the Lamilite jacket and wow, it is too warm so far. Everyone knows the quality and comfort a Wiggy’s bag can provide in all conditions. I would hope everyone locally takes advantage of this offer. When I was there yesterday they said it would go to the end of the year or until the economy got better….. Please pass …


Letter Re: Built-in Obsolescence

JWR; This week I bought at a charity resale shop some silk and Merino wool sweaters, as recommended by a contributor. I also bought a La Crueset pan for a buck, blankets and a backpacking frame. Every single piece of my quality camping equipment came from garage sales. Americans buy a lot of stuff and just don’t use it and dump it at garage sales or charity resale shops. Debt-addled Americans so over-bought clothes that they are so cheap at resale shops and garage sales (as low as 25-to-50 cents apiece) that you could buy a lifetime of outfits for …


Built-in Obsolescence, by Margaret G.

I’ve had a very frustrating three weeks. My laptop crashed and as I couldn’t get back the files, it had to go to the computer doctor. I know that I’m not alone and that this has happened to many people but it doesn’t mean that I have to like it. What really made me irritable though was that it is only three or four years old. I was told that three years is “old” for a computer. Pardon me? Fortunately the computer doctor was able to recover my files, but I’ve had to buy a new laptop. It’s not hard …


Insight on TEOTWAWKI from Quilting, by Don L.

Life offers us inspiration in the oddest times and ways. My wife is a third generation rag rug weaver but also has many other endeavors, such as baby quilts. She has a craft show coming up and wanted to finish the three quilts she had started. My occupation stems from working in the operating room and I have developed a fairly fine sewing skill so I offered to help. Little did I know this would give me insight in the preparations I am currently working on. As I was running a fine invisible stitch on the inside of the seams …


Organizing as an Important Part of Prepping, by K.S.

I’ve enjoyed the SurvivalBlog.com site and articles for some time now, but I never thought I would contribute an article! I have been prepping for a few years, and my husband and I have secured enough food, guns, ammo and other necessities to care for ourselves and a few relatives for at least 12-18 months. We live in the country, have spring-fed ponds, gardens and lots of game in our immediate area.  Still, we can never get cozy with the idea that we are fully prepared.  Prepping, I am finding, is a lifestyle and life skill that continues as long …


Letter Re: Low Cost Merino Wool Clothing

Dear SurvivalBlog Readers: I would suggest as an alternative to buying wool clothing is to shop the fabric stores for Wool Fabric and practice your sewing skills. I have found 100% wool on clearance for as cheap as $1.99/yard with the average width of 54 inches In Shopping for wool fabrics, you will find a lot of blends. I recommend not purchasing anything with more than 30% mix of synthetic material (example: 70% wool/ 30% nylon). I also find that blends with natural materials to be completely acceptable (example: 50% wool/50% silk). As a note: synthetic materials and fire do …


Letter Re: Low Cost Merino Wool Clothing

Hello, I am very grateful for your web site/books and thought I could add a little something that I have been doing lately. I am a carpenter and usually end up building outside at some point during the winters, so I have tried a lot of different clothing options to stay warm and comfortable. The best solution for me has been Merino wool. It seems to me that since the mid-1990s that there has been a huge push from most retailers and advertisers to support man made synthetic fibers (recycled plastic fleece, polypropylene, acrylic, etc.) as insulating layers of clothing. …


Letter Re: Family Preparedness: How to Protect Your Infant Child

Good morning Mr. Rawles, In regards to the “Family Preparedness: How to Protect Your Infant Child“, I just wanted to comment that wool diaper covers need to be washed less often, do not smell at all and two is all you need. Plus, they are just more comfortable for infants than plastic, no matter how cute or functional. They also breathe better and keep baby warm even when wet, which is important if you are changing less often than usual. Mother-Ease diapers are handy – no folding, no velcro, and they are one-size fits all. You can also buy doublers …


Family Preparedness: How to Protect Your Infant Child, by Jen J.

When my son was around three months old, I needed to run out and pick up milk and a small tool my husband had on order at a local hardware store.  I anticipated the total outing to be around an hour, and thought I had packed appropriately.  We successfully made it to the farm where I picked up our milk for the week, and placed the glass jugs on the floor of the car.  During the drive to the hardware store, my son woke up and started fussing which rapidly escalated to a full-blown tantrum.  When exiting the freeway, the …


Letter Re: What I Learned on My Summer Vacation

Dear Sir: I believe I represent the younger group of your readers. I’m 28 years old, third year medical student. I have no wife, kids or major responsibilities beyond school at the moment. I have a Facebook account which I mainly use for socializing with classmates of friends back home. Also as a relatively young adult/student I enjoy the long summer vacations many of my contemporaries do not due to work or other obligations. However unlike many of my classmates and friends I was born and raised up to the age of 14 in the former Soviet Union and have …


Advice on a One Man Git Kit, by J.S.I.

Growing up in a family which camped a lot, the family slang for what is now usually called the B.O.B. was “the Git Kit.”  As I am now an ossified old coot, I reserve the right to keep calling it just that. Something I have noticed in most written descriptions of BOBs/Git Kits is a generality of speech bordering on the uselessly vague.  No weights, no measures, no manufacturers, no clues!  It’s enough to give  Horace Kephart’s ghost a ripping case of hives. With that in mind, I dug into my gear with the goal of providing a more detailed, …


Survival Skills and Gear, Part 1: Bug Out Kits and Bugging Out, by E.F.

Introduction If the normal daily routine of our lives is suddenly and violently interrupted by events large and dangerous (such as major riots, natural disasters, or a a terrorist nuke) how prepared are we to “bug out?” If it’s time to leave, and leave immediately, are we ready? What do we take? Important papers? Guns and ammo? Food and water? Clothes? Camping gear? Baby diapers and sani-wipes? Family photos? Medicine? And where do we go? A friend’s farm? A wilderness cabin or campground?A small town? And what direction? Upwind? Downstream? How do we travel? By foot, or car, or bicycle? …


Home Sweet Home on the Range–Bedroll Basics, by D.K.

When assembling your post-apocalyptic, biker zombie, total collapse of civilization kit (or just getting started in camping) one item you should consider as part of your kit is a classic bedroll. History A classic bedroll, not the stuff of Hollywood or television, but the kit of real working men is both comfortable and multipurpose.  They are not lightweight, small, or easy to backpack. Please allow me to share the road I took to get to my current bedroll.  I will try to describe the attributes of a good bedroll, suggest the minimum bits for a good durable bedroll, and provide …