Category: Contest

A Primer on Backup Power – Part 2, by R.H.

(Continued from Part 1.) 1st Backup Option: The Portable Engine-driven Generator The portable engine-driven generator is the most common tool for power blackouts. It comes in a range of sizes and features with an accompanying range of prices. Often used on job sites where electric power is absent, these can be bought almost everywhere. It will make a very accessible backup for your fridge and freezer, even on a minimal budget. As is demonstrated by the news stories of generators being sold out, and of their theft during weather-related disasters, you’ll also need to think in terms of security for …


A Primer on Backup Power – Part 1, by R.H.

Introduction Our modern world has been built on the copious use of inexpensive energy. Along with motor vehicles, electricity is the major foundation of modern civilization. Because of electricity, our lives are easier and safer. We do things and live in ways that would amaze our ancestors. My father had told me stories of growing up on the farm without electricity, but it took my own experience to make it click and understand how crucial it is to have a stable source of electric power. It was in 1998, and the power had gone out, again. While our local grid …


Giving New Life to an Old Rifle Case, by Iowa Dave

Author’s Note: I have been a daily SurvivalBlog reader since 2005, but this is my first article submission. I sincerely appreciate the knowledge and wisdom provided by JWR and all of the other contributors over the years. I’ll start by stating that don’t know anyone associated with Magpul and I have not been compensated by the company in any way. I am simply a long-time customer who appreciates their consistent innovation in the firearms world. In reflecting while writing this article I was amazed by how many of their products I own and how satisfied I have been with those …


Urban Evacuation Planning: A Medic’s View, by Christian Bahr-Lopez

Urban evacuation is often treated as a logistics problem or a public safety exercise. But for those of us who’ve worked on the street, through blackouts, fires, multi-casualty incidents, and gridlock, the truth is more grim. Collapse in a city doesn’t start when the power goes out. It starts when the system stops answering. I’ve worked as a New York City EMT/paramedic across the boroughs of Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, and Long Island. What follows isn’t theory. It’s what I’ve learned about survival, triage, and movement when the infrastructure fails and panic takes over. The First Fail Point: Roads and Intersections …


An Amish Quantity Shopping Observation, by Richard T.

Recently, as I was waiting for our carts while parked outside of the pickup zone at the warehouse-style grocery store that we shop at our dashcam caught these Amish loading up their purchases. This was a very fascinating 10 minute episode that began before we arrived there. There was a large pickup truck with a hired “English” driver, a large rented cargo trailer and two Amish ladies and one Amish man who worked in a very energetic and organized fashion to load pallets of non-perishable goods into racks and shelving into the trailer. Since I only saw one Amish couple …


A Mobile Device Mounting System, by J.M.

In several previous articles on SurvivalBlog.com (Elements of a Security System, Field Intelligence Collection, etc.) several readers and I have discussed the use of various mobile electronic devices to support field operations in a post-disaster world. These can be anything from wireless cameras for security or surveillance to a simple flashlight to see what you’re doing. One common factor among all electronic mobile devices is that they need to be optimally positioned to provide the maximum benefit.


Beyond Band Aids, by K.G.

Author’s Introductory Note: I am not a licensed medical professional, I am simply recounting an event that happened to me, research I have done on the subject and how it made me think differently about my own preparations. I hope you find this article interesting and informative, but please also do your own research. Recently, I experienced my own personal Schumeresque event. I was competing in a sport I have done all my life when I felt something snap in the back of my heel. It happened as I took a hard step and I immediately knew something was wrong. …


Success and Loss: Hit Twice by the Same Hurricane – Part 2, by PrepperDoc

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Resolution and Improvement Plan Finally, the clouds lifted, more sun arrived, and our power problems dissipated. From that point, we did fine waiting for the utility power to be returned. Eventually it was returned. But I had learned an important lesson: I started hunting for a better charger! Much later, I learned there was a chance that my gasoline “inverter generator” could provide steady enough power to pass for “utility power” and directly power my 48V inverter/charger systems with far more power — but that hasn’t been figured out (yet). What I …


Success and Loss: Hit Twice by the Same Hurricane – Part 1, by PrepperDoc

Intro Note:  In the interest of operational security, some details are missing or slightly altered, without obscuring the learning points we experienced. The Hurricane’s First Approach Our family is very familiar with southeastern USA hurricanes from living in a “hurricane state” for many years. Somewhat inland, we generally have high winds but not significant structural damage. Usually, there are many, many trees/limbs down, causing havoc with roads and power systems. As usual, the US Weather Service and the news media hyped Hurricane Helene to the max, threatening the usual utter destruction. We have learned to look at the National Weather …


Practical Multigenerational Housing, by Hollyberry

Editors’ Introductory Note: Outwardly, the topic of this article might seem tangential to SurvivalBlog. But please consider that a natural disaster, a societal collapse, or even just sudden unemployment might throw some odd groups of people together to live under one roof. It might be relatives, or it might be some close friends. Or it might just be “that guy who you know from church” with the well-honed tactical skills. Take this prospect seriously, and plan accordingly. (The painting above is titled The Bedroom, by Pieter de Hooch, dated 1658.) — JWR Proverbs 16:31 teaches us: “A gray head is …


For Want of a Nail: A Preps Inventory System – Part 4, by J.M.

(Continued from Part  3. This concludes the article.) What I’ve covered so far are the absolute basic things you need to know to use Obsidian for an inventory management systems. There are a number of other potentially useful capabilities you can use to enhance your inventory system that I’ll cover next. Where’s Waldo? Another potentially useful feature of Obsidian is the ability to assign a geographical location to a note. Say, for example, you have a couple of buried caches that you want to include in your inventory and you’d like to be able to include a map of their …


For Want of a Nail: A Preps Inventory System – Part 3, by J.M.

(Continued from Part 2.) For security reasons, the Obsidian folks are pretty strict about letting you install Community plugins. You first have to go into the ‘Community Plugins’ section in ‘Options’ and turn off ‘Restricted Mode’ before you can install any plugins. Then after you install a plugin you have to verify you want to install it, and after it’s installed you have to click the ‘Enable’ slide switch to enable it. When a core or community plugin is installed a new button will usually appear for it at the bottom of the left pane of the Options dialog. If …


For Want of a Nail: A Preps Inventory System – Part 2, by J.M.

(Continued from Part 1,) The Obsidian UI The User Interface (UI) for Obsidian can appear somewhat complicated, but it’s actually laid out pretty well. Here’s a picture of the basic interface:         Starting on the left is the Ribbon, which contains a series of icon buttons that you can press to perform different actions. There are a couple of different core functions, and many of the additional capabilities you can add via Plugins (more on that later) will add additional action buttons here. Next is the Left Sidebar, which can display a number of different views, but …


For Want of a Nail: A Preps Inventory System – Part 1, by J.M.

If you’re a regular reader of SurvivalBlog.com you’ve probably collected at least a few things as part of your preps – canned food, radios, firearms, ammunition, medical supplies, etc. When you first start prepping, knowing what you have and where it’s located isn’t that difficult – you can probably remember the contents of your bug-out bag, the canned food in the basement, a medical kit, etc. But as your preps continue to expand it becomes harder and harder to keep track of what you have, where it is and what you need to do to take care of it. Not …


Writing Contest Prize Winners Announced — Round 118

We’ve announced the winners of Round 118 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The top three prize winners will each receive some great prize packages. The winners for Round 118 are… First Prize Winner: First Prize goes to R.T. for: The Repair Teardown. See Part 1 and Part 2. It was posted April 12-13, 2025.  He will receive as prizes: The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any …