Category: Field Gear

Pat Cascio’s Product Review: UV Paqlite Mule Light

As a rule, I very seldom test prototype products, for a couple of good reasons. One is that the finished product is quite often quite a bit different than the prototype. Secondly, at times, the product never even comes on the market. Over the years, I’ve seen more than one firearm prototype covered in a magazine article, and the gun never came out. I covered one such handgun from Taurus some years ago, when I was the editor/publisher of a rag called Police Hot Sheet. My readers weren’t very happy to read my article on the gun that never came …


No Way!- Part 1, by J.P.

This is a letter to my fellow Americans. My heart is to help Americans see that which is coming. Okay, take a breath, slow down for a moment, open your eyes, and take a good look. What do you see, what do you hear, and then what do you feel? Something isn’t right. What happened to safe streets, children playing outside alone, and walking downtown to the movies on Saturday afternoon. Why are all of the house doors locked all of the time. Where did our America go? English, who speaks that language? When are we saying the Pledge of …


My Favorite Materials for Clothing, by B.A.

Not being a survivalist, nor being flush with cash, I am constantly amazed at the number of times people are told to buy the newest and greatest items for their family’s welfare. Sure, if the money was available for the average person to buy the newest “gee whiz” items all of the time, we would never have to worry about TEOTWAWKI, because by the time we have finally gotten through all the fancy gear once, we would be dead of old age. In response to an outdoor sports catalog that I brought over, my mother said to me, “American’s will …


Letter: Long Question About Eotech Lawsuit

James and Hugh, A while back I was reading The Reluctant Partisan from John Mosby. One of the suggestions was getting an optic on your AR or battle rifle. (The whole book is really good info from someone who was special forces, so I respect what the guy was saying!) Long story short, I went out and picked up a Eotech for my AR and another one with magnifier for the PS90 carbine, well because the FN sight on the PS90 is a joke. so yeah I have about $2000 tied up in optics on my two weapon systems. Just …


The Survival Battery- Part 2, by B.F.

On to the firearms batteries. I am a big fan of used guns. Most of the time, a used gun has not been shot much and you can pick it up for a significant savings over a new one. Right now is a great time to pick up trade-in police department handguns. Police trade-ins make an especially good deal for the person who is buying a gun to use rather than to show off. Even though the finish may be worn and the grips in need of replacement, they may only have been shot 100 rounds per year at annual …


Are We Prepared?, by Michael G.

We heard a medical doctor issue a warning before the dawn of the new century that we needed to get prepared. All of the engineers interviewed in IEEE Magazine at the time said we were in trouble. I did not want to face my family at the dinner table regretting there was no food because I did not heed qualified warnings. I had to act. We considered what we might need and went out and purchased what we could afford by priority. We prepared as though we were preparing for war and assumed we would have to make it on …


Letter Re: Rocket Stoves

Hi Jim and Hugh, I have appreciated the rocket stove articles. If one has the funds and is less mechanically inclined or adept at welding, I have purchased a Stove Tek rocket stove and am very pleased with it. They have upgraded it some from the one I bought. I think probably from your website a few years ago someone suggested that a Saratoga Jack ‘slow cooker’ would work well with the rocket stove, and wouldn’t you know it does. There is an interior removable stainless pot that fits nicely on the rocket stove. I boiled water using leaves and …


Why You Need a Rocket Stove And How To Build Three Types- Part 2, by Charles Fockaert

How to Build a Rocket Stove From Tin Cans Prep Mode Two types of cans can be used for the main body of your tin can rocket stove– a #10 can or a metal paint can. I much prefer the metal paint can for two reasons. First, it has a lid. Secondly, it has a built-in handle. I will explain how to build a rocket stove out of a paint can. The process is basically the same for the #10 can. Let’s start by taking a look at what the finished product looks like. This is a photo of a …


Occupy Wall Street Versus Occupy Malheur: Clear Cases of Selective Prosecution

This news headline makes it clear that the BHO Administration is widening their net:  Nevada Standoff Indictment Names Bundys, Five More.  These “add-on” indictments are quite troubling. I believe that the assessment by Brandon Smith’s (previously mentioned in SurvivalBlog) may be correct:  A Warning To The Feds On Incremental Prosecutions Of The Liberty Movement.  There may be dozens of more indictments of people who attended the Bundy Ranch protests in 2014 that filter out over a the next six to nine months. Let’s draw a comparison: There were overt and quite visible physical threats and considerable actual violence in the …


Letter Re: Know Your Limits

Dear Sir, Regarding the article in SurvivalBlog by “Molon Labe” titled: Know Your Limits: The thing is to also know your real personal limits.  Too many people think that if “I have this gun and this ammo then I can hit anything.”  I recently tried to talk some sense into a guy who was looking at a $3,000 .338 Lapua Magnum rifle with a $5,000 scope in a sports shop.  He was looking at it as his first firearm. I tried talking him out of it.  He insisted that he had friends who were snipers so he knew what to do. The …


Ghillie Up, by Molon Labe

From a young age, I’ve been fascinated with hunters and snipers alike who stalk the wilds with a bushy cloak that conceals their location, like a ghost who conforms to his terrain and disappears in plain view. And so since an early teen I’ve researched, constructed and eventually refined the art of personal camouflage by way of the ghillie suit. The truth is that nothing can make you truly invisible and that even the best camouflage can be compromised with movement. However, through constant research and development both for myself, friends and eventually building ghillie making into a side business, …


Letter Re: Winter Survival

HJL, One point to consider regarding use of water filters in cold weather: Both Sawyer and Lifestraw warn that once their filter have been used, they should not be exposed to freezing temperatures. Ceramic filters are not as susceptible. From the Lifestraw web site: “If your LifeStraw has been used, and is then exposed to freezing temperatures, water inside can freeze and crack the filter. You may not see these cracks, so we recommend never letting it freeze once it’s been used. When camping at high elevations or freezing temperatures, be extra careful not to let it freeze.” From Sawyer …


Winter Survival- Part 3, by R.C.

In Your Home In the first two parts of this series, we talked about how to survive on foot and in your vehicle in winter weather conditions. In this third part, we will discuss some plans to survive in your home during a cold weather event. The two worst fears for many of people who read this blog is that “the event” happpens in the winter and the grid goes down. The easy answer would be, I’ll get in my car, use mass transit, or fly somewhere that’s warm. During this past storm, we saw the shut down of all …


Winter Survival- Part 2, by R.C.

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In Your Vehicle In this part, we will discuss how to survive in your vehicle. We have all seen the news of cars stuck in a trafic jams or abandoned on the side of the road. Then we listen to the mayor or some emergency management guy telling us to stay off the roads, not to abandon our vehicles, or please not walk down the middle of the plowed street because the sidewalk is now shoveled. As a former snowplow operator and first responder, I would have to agree. Stay home, and keep your kids home if it’s a bad …


Letter: Safety of Military Surplus DU Round Containers

Hello, I’ve recently bought a M833 artillery round storage/transport tube at a Canadian store known for buying US DOD surplus. I had just opened the tube and dumped out the pressboard packing tube when it struck me that this tube may have contained a DU projectile. A clothing removal, thorough hand washing, and quick web search later proved that the M833 is in fact a DU round. Aside from M833 and M900 tubes I’m guessing that 20mm transport containers would be available on the surplus market and may have held DU rounds. Do you or others you may know have …