Category: Field Gear

Letter: Just Don’t Call Me 4-Eyes

Hugh, While doing my bi-annual “Earthquake Bag” check (the politically correct term in the People’s Republic of Kalifornia for a “Bug Out Bag”), I stumbled across a fundamental demonstration of my own personal Normalcy Bias. I discovered one of the key tools of survival I had been skipping for years– back up eyes. As we age, we are almost all faced with the problem of correcting the vision of our aging eyes. Without this correction, most of us would have a hard time even identifying the contents of our BoB, much less using some of the contents. It could certainly …


Hurricane Preparedness Experience- Part 4, by N.K.

I recommend more gas cans so you’re not constantly refilling the same two. I won’t say how many NATO cans I now have, but I won’t have that problem again. If you get NATO cans to avoid the spillage common with now-mandated CARB cans, get several extra NATO vented spouts; nothing else fits them. An assortment of funnels is handy, too. For vehicle filling, extend the NATO spouts with 1/2” steel or brass press-on nipples (the galvanized steel is less expensive and works fine and I’d avoid the plastic versions) from Lowe’s plumbing department and about 16” of 5/8” ID …


Hurricane Preparedness Experience- Part 3, by N.K.

Cooking was interesting. I had a propane gas grill with two spare 20-lb cylinders, a dual-fuel Coleman camp stove, a couple of single-burner butane units, and the ability to build a fire in the backyard. The gas grill got used, because it was easiest. It did take a couple of days to learn how to cook more than simple camping meals on it. We have an old style coffee percolator for camping, and getting the heat to it correctly on the grill took some learning. Cooking on the grill was something we should have practiced before we needed it. A …


Propane as an Energy Source- Part 1, by JB

Propane, or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), is an excellent energy source for several reasons. It stores easily and has a great shelf life. It’s portable and can be adapted for use in internal combustion engines. It can also be used as a refrigerant, and in some situations a viable weapon. Long after the grid goes kaput and gasoline has turned to varnish, propane will still be usable. Basics of Propane There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of full grill bottles stacked in exchange racks throughout the country. In addition, there’s a multitude of medium and high volume tanks …


Prep Your Ride- Part 2, by J.U.

3. A Generic Car-Emergency Kit: Most of these car emergency kits come with a basic tool set (that usually borders on worthless), but most have jumper cables, reflective triangles, a good bag to use to carry your own custom kit, and a cigarette lighter powered tire pump (which can prove useful if you’re not going to spring for the Powerpack or a unit of similar capability.) I bought my car-emergency kit for the bag and then built my own kit into that bag. The useless tools from the original kit make great presents for your brother-in-law. What To Put Into …


Letter Re: Inexpensive Perimeter Security for Your House in the Suburbs

HJL, After reading this in the blog from “KL”, I too went to Harbor Freight and purchased several units. To offer some further information, each box contains one sender and one receiver. Each box has a small oval sticker on the front identifying the channel. All of my units utilize the same tone. So even if I purchase units with different channels, they all sound the same when they go off. I wish the manufacture offered different choices of alerts per unit. The receiver can utilize an optional 6 volt, 200 mA power adapter, but the manufacture doesn’t offer it …


Letter Re: The Get-Home Cache, by The Feral Farmer

Hi Hugh – With respect to the recent article about buried caches, burying an igloo-type cooler sounds like a great way to lose an entire cache of stuff. First, the suggested six inches of soil covering provides nowhere near enough protection from a vehicle over an otherwise unsupported area the size of a cooler lid. With no earth-arching over the flat lid, I suspect (but can’t prove) that it would fail if a heavy vehicle tire went directly over it. Second, and perhaps a more valid concern, is that if placed anywhere other than a hillside with great drainage, it …


Letter: Fat wood Firestarter

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The fire starter recommendations are all good, and they do work. This article is not intended to take away from those talented writers, but I did want to write something that may provide an alternative that takes little prep time, zero storage considerations, is light weight, works in wet conditions, and can be started with one strike of a ferrocerium rod. If you are familiar with Fat wood and building a good pyre, skip down to the 4th paragraph. I have started fires with a Bow and Spindle, Cotton Ball and Petroleum jelly, char cloth, 9-volt battery and steel wool, …


Selecting Footwear and Foot Care Basics, by K.B.

Even the best of weapons, flashlights, knives, bugout bags, et cetera are practically useless if the user has become immobile due to an unnecessary foot injury or footwear related problem. It all starts with selecting the right boots for the job and having a good working knowledge of how to care for one’s feet and then doing it. From the simple Roman (or Ho Chi Minh) sandals to the newest synthetic lined mountain boot, dependable footwear has been an essential for covering rugged terrain, or even not-so-rugged terrain, by foot. The comfortable, lightweight boots that are popular with the military …


The Get-Home Cache, by The Feral Farmer

Bugout bags are a popular topic, and the content lists are long and varied, sometimes reading like a LRRP combat loadout. However, they have a couple of obvious problems, including that you have to carry it and keep it handy. It takes a good degree of conditioning to carry a load any distance and a great degree of determination to do so while injured or frightened. Additionally, (unless your kit looks like a baby carrier and diaper bag), your chance of hitching a ride plummets the larger your bag appears to be. Any situation that requires a bugout bag automatically …


Letter Re: Motor Oil

Dear Editor and SurvivalBlog Readers: I have a question about motor oil, because of an incident going back years ago when I had a discussion with a neighbor about changing oil in gas motor yard equipment, lawn motors in this case. I’ll never forget how the neighbor bragged how he never changes oil in his lawn mower. Year after year, it is pulled out in the spring with the old gas and old oil, and away they go. I’ll never forget hearing the screeching sound of that lawn mower motor seizing. Since then, I have heard numerous opinions on oil …


Letter Re: Fire Starters

Mr. Latimer, I have read many fire starter “recipes” lately on SurvivalBlog. I have tried a few of them and have had a short-lived flame with which to start a fire. Some lit easier than others, and some burned a little better. Last year in the spring I bought some Fire Starter logs that were on sale for half price. I took one log out and began cutting small cubes from the end, about the size of sugar cubes. I then wrap each cube in enough dryer lint to cover it completely. Lint adheres pretty well to the cube which …


Giving Ourselves As A Gift During The Holidays, by Sarah Latimer

The Judeo-Christian community is celebrating Christmas and/or Hanukkah this week and getting ready to bring in the new year 2017. Many people are off work and spending the week with family and friends. Some of you may be traveling, and some of you are at home. Many are not alone, but some of you are. No matter where you find yourselves and whether you are alone or not, you have something of value to give during these holidays– yourself, time, and knowledge, and in sharing these you can practice a little prepping for the future, too. I have a few …


Letter Re: Getting First Aid Supplies Tax Free

Hi Hugh and/or JWR- I’ve been a long-time reader, but this is my first time responding to a post. I just wanted to clarify one point that was made in reply to the “Letter: Getting First Aid Supplies Tax Free” thread. I am a practicing physician and a fellow patriot/prepper. I have also been self-employed for the past two years after leaving hospital employment, which is when I had to start investigating the best insurance options for me and my family. Keep in mind, I am not an accountant or IRS agent, but most of these facts can be found …


Letter Re: Bugging Out With Children

Good Day SurvivalBlog Editor, I have been reading SurvivalBlog for years. I enjoy the articles and often learn various new ideas or approaches to survival. I am not the target audience for this article, since my children are 13 and 18; however, when they were younger we dragged them along on family hunting and camping trips and involved them on extended hikes, packs, canoe trips, et cetera when they were infants, toddlers, and small children. The one caveat I would say is that we always had two parents doing this and both were motivated to make it happen and to …