Category: Contest

One Bug Out Bag Approach – Part 1, by J. Smith

I would like to share my thoughts on the creation of a Bug Out Bag. (Or “BOB” for short.) I have refined my BOB based on my own camping experience, and the experience of others, especially survivalists and wilderness campers on Youtube. (The real ones, not phony Bear Grills types, LOL.) I will give credit for their ideas where it is due. A BOB is a personal thing, it should fulfill your short-term needs and, if you can spare the weight, a couple luxury wants. Additionally, you also have to consider the people you are bugging out with, such as …


The Stagflation Trap Will Lead To Universal Basic Income And Food Rationing, by Brandon Smith

This past week during a conference discussing Biden’s “Build Back Better” scheme House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was confronted with questions on skyrocketing inflation. After referring to higher gas prices as the “Putin Tax”, she went on to offer perhaps the dumbest (or most insidious) denial on the causes of inflation that I have ever heard. She stated: “When we’re having this discussion, it’s important to dispel some of those who say, well it’s the government spending. No, it isn’t. The government spending is doing the exact reverse, reducing the national debt. It is not inflationary.” Anyone with a basic understanding …


Repeater Down? Use Simplex Amateur Radio, by A.S.

Grid electricity down, WiFi down, Internet down! What to do? What kind of storm is coming? Are the stores open? Is my mother safe? Normally, you would tune into your local ham club’s repeater to communicate with fellow hams. A repeater is a dedicated radio (or set of radios) and antenna located in the highest spot available, such as a mountaintop or a building and can reach around 25-to-75 miles — depending on terrain. Repeaters receive signals from one frequency and transmit to another frequency using tones and offsets. They usually have a backup power system that can last a …


Nuclear Fallout: The Inverse Square Law, by Don Shift

What if I told you that it may be possible to survive radioactive fallout from a nuclear war without having a shelter? Bottom line up front: get inside, into an uncontaminated environment, and stay at least 10 feet away from the outside and your radiation exposure will be approximately 1/100th of the dose outside. Such a strategy, combined with the low likelihood of fallout for many Americans, could give those without basements, underground shelters, or ways of making improvised shielding a higher chance of survival. Radiation protection is achieved by time, distance, and shielding. Shielding we all know; dense stuff …


Tornado Preparedness, by SwampFox

You’ve been asleep for about an hour. The fan you keep on in your bedroom turns off, causing you to wake unexpectedly. You glance at your alarm clock on the nightstand and notice that the red numbers aren’t illuminated. Power outage. Unable to get back to sleep, you shuffle down the hall to the kitchen, and light a couple of candles. In the dim light you notice your housecat sitting on a chair, with wide eyes and twitching ears. She’s alert and disturbed. A strong wind is blowing outside, but then you hear something else. An unmistakeable, dull roaring, rushing …


Addictions: Now and During TEOTWAWKI, by Mrs. G.

It’s taken me a long time to write this, but I do so with complete understanding and enormous empathy. No judgment. It’s a plea to address some of the things that may cripple us should, as seems imminent, The End of The World as We Know It occurs. Things that can be very addictive include caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, sugar/carbs, prescription drugs, and miscellaneous unhealthy habits, some unholy, and others seemingly innocent like social media. I can honestly tell you that at one time or another I was addicted to all of the above, so I’m not just preaching at y’all. …


Using 10 Basic Knots – Part 3, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.) 11. NECK CORD KNOT This isn’t one of the 10 basic knots but since it’s nearly impossible to untie, it’s useful for tying a cord to hang around your neck for carrying a small ferro rod, hand lens, compass, or anything else small you don’t want to lose. The interesting part is that it’s just two intertwined overhand knots. I don’t know the real name of this knot and it’s not well known but I learned it many decades ago after reading a story in Newsweek about a new knot discovery (Photo …


Using 10 Basic Knots – Part 2, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 1.) 6. FIGURE-EIGHT KNOT I use this knot mostly as a “stopper knot” but occasionally for other uses as well. An overhand knot makes a good stopper knot but if it’s too small for the hole size, a figure-eight knot is the next step up. It’s similar to an overhand with one extra loop. Stopper knots are called that for their use on preventing a rope or cord from passing back out of the hole they’ve been pushed through. I use stopper knots to put handles on various items I make including the gift crate seen in …


Using 10 Basic Knots – Part 1, by St. Funogas

Several articles posted in SurvivalBlog in the past year have mentioned various cordage, knot books, and knot tying. But as far as I know, nobody has actually demonstrated how to tie the ten most basic knots and how to use each one around the homestead. For those who can’t afford the books but would still like to learn, here are the ten most basic knots I use on a regular basis. When I was a sprout my interest in knots began when my grandfather gave me a copy of the 1943 Boy Scout Handbook. There were three requirements to become …


Red Shirt Versus Gray Man, by Elli O.

This article was written a bit “Tongue in cheek”. I will compare two types of preppers- the Red Shirt and the Gray Man. The Red Shirt Although I am neither a science fiction fan nor a Star Trek Trekkie, I live with several who are. When I watch these shows, there is quite a bit of explanation given so I can follow the plot. But something I have learned is that when danger arises in the original Star Trek series, it is generally the team member that is wearing the red tunic who gets killed. This is called the “Red …


Plant-Based Diets For Preppers, by H.E.S.

Intro: I’m 73 years old, pragmatic, conservative on most issues, Purple Heart Vietnam veteran, and a prepper for ten years. That’s me. — After retiring from flying a news helicopter eight years ago, I decided to move to a rural, more prepper-friendly area and subsequently bought an off-grid log home in a very remote area. There is no mail or package delivery, trash pickup, or even cell service up here. Two sides of my property adjoin National Forest. You do get beaucoup more property for your money when you move out of the big city. I’ll admit that I’m a …


Using Effective Encryption, by ShepherdFarmerGeek

So much has been written by greater minds than mine about secure communication in a crisis. There are many publicly available resources and information on SurvivalBlog and elsewhere. Shifting letters in a message a certain number of characters is nothing new (Caesar Cipher, used in the last century B.C.). Using the SAME count to shift letters is a guaranteed way to have your encryption broken. Using different numbers to shift each letter in a message (a One Time Pad) – when your recipient has the same list of numbers to decrypt the message – is theoretically unbreakable, if you do …


Silent, Secure Communication – Part 3, by P.J.

(Continued from Part 3. This concludes the article.) TACTICS FOR DELIVERING A DROP To place a drop without someone noticing that is what you are doing takes practice. You will need to practice like mentioned prior, as sleight of hand skill goes a long way to placing a drop. Gently setting a rolled-up newspaper into a trash can where another person picks it up just walking by might work when everyone’s head is buried in their phones, but certainly will get you found out if someone is observing you. Here are some cardinal rules for prioritizing drop tactics, if you …


Silent, Secure Communication – Part 2, by P.J.

(Continued from Part 1.) Option 4: The live drop: A person-to-person message drop can be performed as well, but it has the highest level of risk for someone to intercept or notice. You have probably seen a live drop in movies where a briefcase changes hands in a crowded terminal or something, very observable for those paying attention and not overly discrete. It is absolutely critical that, if it can be avoided, the two individuals performing a live drop have no discernable connection with each other or readily identifiable groups! If known club member A passes by known club member …


Silent, Secure Communication – Part 1, by P.J.

Today, we see a growing vulnerability of our communications and how they impact our short term, and long-term lives. With hacking on the rise, electronic protection systems growing more and more complex, Social media nannies, and increased reliance on foreign components (that may have embedded spyware) …Americans are starting to wake up to the thought “maybe what I am saying isn’t private anymore”. You would be correct, and this would hint that a total loss of freedoms of speech and of security of your person has occurred or isn’t far away. Our liberties are eroding around us in America, and …