Category: Contest

Post-TEOTWAWKI: Groups and Retreats, Pt. 1, by E.M.

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There are many articles on the internet concerning the benefits of forming a group of like-minded individuals who could support each other when times get “spicy” for months or even years, either in their own neighborhood or at a remote retreat.  These groups are sometimes referred to as mutual assistance groups. These articles are based on the premise that choosing a “lone wolf” approach after TEOTWAWKI is unsustainable in the long run, and that even expecting a single family to live and thrive on a remote mountaintop after a societal meltdown is unrealistic and ripe for tragedy in the long …


Preparing for Everyday Life, by D.W.

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This article doesn’t address When The Schumer Hits The Fan (WTSHTF). No, this is just about preparing for everyday life, and everyday hazards to your property. Life will always be a higher level of importance than property. However, in this article we will be discussing property and how to mitigate its loss. When we think of being prepared, we think about the worst things imaginable happening, EMP blackout, Nuclear war and civil unrest are just a few. But more likely than not, our individual lives can be affected more frequently by smaller-scale incidents that can have a huge impact on …


Are You Building Capacity or Capability?, by 3ADScout

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First let’s define “capacity.” Capacity is how much of something we have. Think about your “capacity” in terms of beans, bullets and band-aids. For food, your capacity might be 72-hours’ worth of food in a bug-out-bag, or 1-year supply for 4 people. Your capacity for bullets might be 1,000 rounds for rifles and 500 rounds per pistol. For band-aids, you might have 10 boxes of 4×4 gauze pads, 2 boxes of gauze rollers and 2 rolls of tape enough to dress one small wound for about a week. When your capacity runs out, you have no more unless you somehow …


4H Shooting Sports, by Zoe Harris

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All across the nation, youth are getting exceptional training in firearms and archery. They are being taught how to be safe, responsible hunters. They are interacting with nature and learning about conservation. And all of this is through the 4H Shooting Sports Program and the generosity of sponsors such as Browning, Midway USA, Hornady Ammunition, CZ-USA, Bushnell, The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP), Savage Arms, White Flyer, Champion Traps and Targets, Archery Advocates Association, SCI Foundation, National Shooting Sports Foundation, Hodgdon, NWTF, Whitetails Unlimited, Vista Outdoor, and Federal Premium Ammunition. Youth shooters are taught by instructors that are educated and certified …


Surviving a Move to the Middle of Nowhere, by Ozarks S.

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One women’s view on leaving the city behind and enduring tough lessons of love in training to become a “warrior mom.” The Move Moving from the city to the middle of the woods has done a lot to change my thinking on preparedness. I have studied survival training, read all the JWR (James Wesley, Rawles) novels, and practically majored in understanding the preparedness movement, from the reasonable to the extreme. However, reading and living are two very different things. My dear husband and son have been helping me to improve in areas that I have less exposure. They have both …


Perimeter Defense Part 2, by L.K.R.

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(Coninued from Part 1.  This part concludes the article.) Defensive Equipment – Each capable team member should have an AR, AK, or similar rifle — plus a handgun. It is useful to have at least one shotgun for close in firepower and an accurate, scoped bolt action rifle if you have longer range potential threats. While handguns and shotguns are useful in or immediately around the house, perimeter defense will depend on your rifle skills. Assuming you are capable of safe, accurate and reasonably fast target engagement with your rifles, then here are a few additional considerations: Sights – While …


Perimeter Defense Part 1, by L.K.R.

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Unless you plan to live off the land in the middle of nowhere, then you will have some type of shelter. Regardless of location, your homestead can be threatened and you need to plan for security.  Some key security considerations include: Physical Barriers Surveillance Communications Defensive Equipment Tactics These elements need to be considered for three layers or rings of defense: Perimeter (property boundary) Structural (building exterior) Interior (within the structure) In a true SHTF situation, controlling your perimeter is the most critical. We normally think of security in an orderly society where people are living independently, utilities are functioning …


Prepared Off-Road Motorcycle Riding, by Jeff Hower

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Riding an off-road or crossover motorcycle into parts unknown can be an exhilarating experience. But these off-the-beaten-track areas can also lead to catastrophe if one is not prepared to deal with failures of body or equipment. Preparing yourself and your equipment prior to an expedition for any of many possible malfunctions is only common sense. Most of common sense is having experienced or seen it happen before, and learning from it. Zip Code riders–that is, people who never ride out of their zip code, will probably not need much of the information presented here. But if you are one of …


Our Wildfire Evacuation, Part 5, by SoCal9mm

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(Continued from Part 4. This installment concludes the article series.) OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT: Make sure you wait until the last moment to do your Christmas shopping – seriously, I never have to worry about “rescuing presents” when I procrastinate. Stupid “get-stuff-done-early”… Laundry – have enough clothes so that you don’t have to go commando next to the washer, waiting for your lone pair of choners to get clean. Trust me, not cool. Air – we worry about food, water, shelter, protection, etc., but we rarely worry about preps for air. Dust and ash are (relatively) easily removed from breathing air …


Our Wildfire Evacuation, Part 4, by SoCal9mm

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(Continued from Part 3.) LESSONS LEARNED OR THINGS THAT WORKED OK: Priorities – again, having a to-do list for the day really helped us, even one that we just made up on the fly. I really wanted to ensure there was no firearm left in the house, and I really wanted to get the flammable materials out of the shed. We took the diesel cans with us, and we left the propane tanks in front of the house at the street (per fire department recommendations). We really wanted to clear our fridge before everything spoiled, which would have ruined it. …


Our Wildfire Evacuation, Part 3, by SoCal9mm

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(Continued from Part 2.) OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT:  Radios – both Motorola radios AND handheld ham radios were left behind that would have helped us stay in contact between our 2 cars. Cell phones worked (thankfully), but I noticed bad connections nearly every call. NOTE: if we had a better means of communication, W. could have taken her car to the other neighborhood exit to see if traffic was flowing better and reported back to me to either follow her or stay where I was (oh well, hindsight and all that). Scanners, or even scanner apps – having access to information …


Our Wildfire Evacuation, Part 2, by SoCal9mm

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(Continued from Part 1.) So we put this plan together on paper, that’s all that we needed to do, right? Um, no. Practicing an evacuation drill is probably at least as important as having an evacuation plan. After I had revised our plan into the checklist format, I knew that we needed to practice it to see if the timeframes were correct (i.e., could we actually do all the stuff that I’d written down on the 1-minute checklist in 1 minute?). Shortly after the Tubbs Fire (in October, 2017) we did a walk-through of the house and pointed out all …


Our Wildfire Evacuation, Part 1, by SoCal9mm

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Editor’s Introductory Note:  At nearly 10,000 words, this is one of the longest multi-part articles ever to appear in SurvivalBlog. It will be presented in five parts, concluding on Saturday. Despite its length, this is some fascinating and detailed reading. The author’s insights and “lessons learned” are quite valuable, and they go far beyond just the particular concerns of wildfire evacuation. — On the evening of December 4, 2017, the Thomas Fire started in Ventura County, California. By the time it was over, about 440 square miles had burned across Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, more than 1,000 structures were …


A Gravity-Fed Rainwater System, by Tractorguy

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(Standard Disclaimer: Use the information given below AT YOUR OWN RISK. The author accepts no responsibility for any negative outcomes of the application of the following information.) We are all familiar with the axiom that we can live thirty days without food, but only three without water. We are indeed fortunate that, in most locations the Good Lord rains it down on us once or twice a week — all we have to do is catch it in something. Much has been written and many ideas forwarded about rain water collection. However, most of these fall short after the water …


Perennial Vegetables: A Must Have, by D.P.

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In this article, I’ll explain why I consider perennial vegetables a “must have” for my self-sufficiency garden. It was during the time I lived in Kamakura, Japan, a once short-lived capital of Japan about an hour southwest of Tokyo, the place where both of my sons were born, that I learned to garden. Fell in love with it really. At that time my wife and I lived in a small duplex. All rooms were floored in tatami mats (straw mats). You couldn’t wear shoes on them, one of the few customs which the Japanese wouldn’t allow under any circumstances. The …