Category: Contest

Stalking the Night- Part 1, by Mark B.

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I remember as a young man I spent a considerable amount of time hiking, backpacking, and camping in the mountains, usually by myself. Getting away from it all and honing my skills of self-reliance at the same time has always appealed to me. Maybe it is something, on a primal level, relating back to my cave man ancestry. Senses Go Into Overdrive It has been my experience that anytime you are completely alone that your awareness and senses go into overdrive, bombarding you with all sorts of new stimuli. At times, this can become overwhelming, and I would be lying …


Thermal Headset for Under $250, by Ricky B.

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I’ll bet my step-mama’s grave that anyone visiting SurvivalBlog either has a thermal headset or night vision device or would really like to have one. I was never able to emerge from the latter category until this year. I simply couldn’t afford to plunk down a thousand bucks or more on a limited family budget. That was the case, until now. Smartphone-Mounted Thermal Camera I recently discovered that a small, smartphone-mounted thermal camera can be had for about $200. Flir1 and Seek are the two competitors in this arena. Their cameras come in versions for both android and iOS devices. …


Long-Term Preparedness for Your Baby or Toddler Part 2, by K.F.

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Sustainably Diapering Your Baby or Small Child in a Long-Term Emergency In an emergency situation, one has to consider how you are going to diaper your child for the duration. If you choose to store disposable diapers and wipes, you must have an action plan for how you will dispose of them properly. Obviously, this is not a sustainable option for an emergency with an undefined length of time, but many prefer this method. Most people would call me a “crunchy” mom. I gave birth at home in our bedroom, I avoid big pharma, and I am a huge proponent …


Long-Term Preparedness for Your Baby or Toddler, Part 1, by K.F.

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Feeding Your Baby or Small Child Consider feeding your baby or small child in the midst of tropical storms, flooding, and with threats from nuclear testing. As world events are painting an increasingly grim picture, my husband and I have felt the urgency to set aside some backup resources in case of a long-term emergency. My husband is the “must-have-a-plan-for-everything” kind of guy. Therefore, he has excitedly mapped out our emergency storage space, along with the details of its contents. He is an avid “outdoorsman”, so many of the items that we would need for long-term preparedness are either already …


Homestead Design from a Practical, Tactical, Agricultural Survival Perspective, by C.F

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Let’s talk about practical, tactical, and agricultural survival principles and details that pertain to developing land in a way that will facilitate agricultural productivity, sustainability, and security. Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house. Prov. 24:27. Assessing the Land The Land First of all, we are likely to be constrained by property boundaries. Therefore, in selecting property, what are our priorities? Not everyone has the same priorities, and priorities change as the world around us changes. For example, a property that is perfectly usable today may become untenable if …


Wandering in the New World- Part 2, by JMD

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Yesterday, I began writing about the post-SHTF conditions that may make a wandering nomad type lifestyle much more practical and reasonable. We are talking about considerations for this and continuing with this further today. Situational Awareness – You need to always be aware of your surroundings, where you are and where you can quickly get to for cover and concealment. Medical If a medical emergency occurs, you probably won’t have anyone to rely on but yourself and/or your group. You’ll need to learn how to handle common injuries and illnesses with what you have available. Bushcraft Since you won’t have …


Wandering in the New World- Part 1, by JMD

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Let’s explore the concept of wandering. If you’ve been involved in the world of preparedness for any length of time, you’re familiar with terms like “Bug-Out Location” (BOL) and “Bugging-In”, and you have probably read or participated in discussions about ways to go about securing your house/neighborhood/compound/town. Humans as a species tend to be social animals, and gathering in fixed locations in large groups has always had many advantages, including security, stable relationships, sharing of labor, farming, et cetera. But there have always been individuals and small groups who prefer (or are forced) to minimize their interactions with “society” and …


Sweet Spot For the 21st Century With Calibers Beating .308- Part 4, by Alpine Evader

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Today, I’ll wrap up this series by writing about fire teams and our planning and training regimen. Also, I’ll outline some of our desires for the future. Fire Teams of Four (or Three) In SHTF, two fire teams of four would be absolutely fabulous, but we practice with one less person. This factors in SHTF reality, when we’ll suffer injuries, illness, homestead security, et cetera, into our planning and training regimen. A command element of four people– a squad leader, radio, two NCOs– would round this fantasy of a full-strength fire team out. We aren’t into fantasy, but that’s what …


Sweet Spot For the 21st Century With Calibers Beating .308- Part 3, by Alpine Evader

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Yesterday, in part two of this “sweet spot” series, I moved beyond telling about my high altitude survival group and our plans and I began telling about my loadout long-term results and recommendations. I’ll continue with this by recommending some ammo. 115 Grain 6.8 Ammo You’ll find that 115 grain 6.8 SPC Sellier & Belliot (S&B) ammo just got undercut by 115 grain American Eagle; both are about $0.62 per round. 6.8 ball ammo will crush cinder blocks within 200 yards far more effectively than any 5.56 ammo. That’s true even if you include green-tip SLAP rounds out of either …


Sweet Spot For the 21st Century With Calibers Beating .308- Part 2, by Alpine Evader

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Yesterday, I began writing by telling the summary up front. I said we recommend against adopting the beautiful, survival standard of .308/7.62x51mm caliber semi-automatic rifles. Instead, I stated, “The least expensive and best upgrade to any existing AR-15 fire team for high altitude blended threats is to purchase standardized barrels and stock up on single-use, heavier bullets.” I also shared about our survival group’s location decisions. So, who am I to make these statements and recommendations? Author’s Relevant Background I climbed my first 14,000+ foot peak at the age of 12 in a summer camp located smack dab in the …


Essential Survival Tips From A Hurricane Irma Survivor, by C.S.

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At the time I began writing this, Hurricane Irma had hit only eight days earlier. From it and other hurricane experiences, I have learned some valuable lessons. The first is, use your head. No, do not use it to hammer the shutters down. What I mean is, use some common sense. Demonstrating a Lack of Reasoning Here are some things that happened here in South Florida that demonstrated a lack of reasoning: A guy burned down his house because he wasn’t careful while pouring gas in his generator that was running. The spillage later caught on fire, torching his entire …


Memory Longer Than A Gold Fish, by NavyVet_77

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While some people get frustrated over short-term memory issues of the aged, others wonder if young Americans have a more serious issue with their absent memory of history that seems to last no longer than that of a gold fish. Many of those we see participating in the Antifa/BLM movements are between the ages of 16 and 25. Other age groups are involved, but the clear majority of participants are from a younger demographic. So many people ask themselves, “What is going through the minds of these protesters?” and “Why?”. Communism/Marxist Ideologies Seeping Into Children’s Lives Communism (which is based …


Triggers, Tipping Points, and Black Swans, by Coast Ranger

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Letting Others Know The Status Quo Won’t Hold The purpose of this contribution is to indicate how one might approach letting others know that the status quo will not hold. It is based upon my own efforts. There is a tendency for people to focus upon “big picture” or mass hysteria items, like North Korea and now Nazis, that might impact the future to the exclusion of the many other things that are less transparent or obvious but still extremely important. The following list of triggers, tipping points, and black swans is based upon a handout or a lecture I …


My Recent Experience Bugging Into A Disaster- Part 2, by J.W.

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Travel Prepared- Non-Lethal and Sidearms I always travel prepared for whatever may happen. I am older, and while still in good shape, my fight rounds are probably down to less than a minute before I get worn out (comes with age), so I travel prepared to personally defend myself and those with me in any situation. As always, situational awareness is first and foremost. On short trips, I prepare by carrying both non-lethal protection and sidearms. On long trips (my long trips average 2500 miles round trip), I carry additional long guns that are purpose minded and a reasonable amount …


My Recent Experience Bugging Into A Disaster- Part 1, by J.W.

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I had a recent experience of traveling into a situation where everyone else was leaving due to Hurricane Irma. I learned some valuable lessons during the process. Homes in Both Florida and Midwest My home is in Florida, and my bug out location is in the Midwest. I spend most of my time during the summer at the BOL due to the climate, the gardening opportunities, and most of all the simple peace and quiet living. Two weeks ago, Hurricane Irma was seven days out in the Atlantic and on a track that may bring it closer to Florida. When …