Category: Fuel Storage & Distilling

Letter Re: One Man’s Approach to Preparedness

Sir: Just to let everyone know, I am new to the prepper lifestyle, and new to the kind of changes one must make in one’s life to begin saving as opposed to spending, or maybe a better way of saying it is to say “ changing what your spending your money on ”   where before it may have been a new dirt bike, man toy,   or flat screen television, now my extra cash (after my tithe and savings) is going to preparations.   My change in spending habits quickly brought about a realization , that some items that …


Preparedness: Asking the Right Questions, by Grace T.

In the last year my husband and I have been blessed to be able to sell our house and move to our bug out location (BOL) in the mountains.  It is a learning experience!  We have been watching the signs of these times.  It seemed prudent, for us, to prepare for emergencies – be they natural disasters or an economic meltdown.  About four years ago we began our journey to learn as much as we could and fumble our way through obtaining supplies and equipment to become self-sustaining.  What follows are lessons we have learned and questions we have asked …


Returning to My Retreat After a Three Year Absence: Lessons Learned, by C.J. in Montana

My wife and I own  a 50 acre place in Northern Maine that was originally intended to be a home-building site.  It is remote, quiet  and off-grid.  Along with an outbuilding/bathhouse I constructed,  there is also a 40 foot shipping container I set up as a  secure storage building/shelter.    The land  has  plenty of water nearby  and the entire property is wooded in White Cedar (weatherproof/rot-proof) Balsam Fir , Birch and Spruce.  Unfortunately over the years the location has became less ideal for us.  The  political climate (until very recently) is unfavorable ( taxes, government regulation, overall policies).   The economic …


Firewood on the Homestead, by Grouse Mountain

As energy prices soar and the dollar loses value, people are purchasing firewood for the future. Heating oil is a grade of diesel, propane is an oil by- product and with the rise of over twenty cents a gallon in just a few weeks, people are planning ahead where there may not be any fuel to warm their homes. Those with electricity are starting to look at any solar power possibilities, meanwhile, the big oil corporations have bought up many of the solar-panel producing companies! Firewood providers in our area are getting orders to bring customers as much firewood as …


Letter Re: Mobile Fuel Storage System

James, Let me introduce your readers to propane and the many possibilities it offers your planning and TEOTWAWKI preps, that you will likely never have thought of before. Over the last number of years I have carefully thought out and planned a “system” if you will of key pieces of equipment which all operate on a single, inexpensive and highly efficient and large mobile fuel storage system. Naturally, I have the standard wood stove and gasoline operated family vehicle(s), but what is most interesting is some of the items I have been working on and extensively testing/ using on the side.   …


Letter Re: Better Than Sterno

Dear JWR: I have used Sterno alcohol gel fuel when camping or hunting for years. About a dozen years back I discovered a better product than Sterno for about one tenth the cost. My local Sam’s Club sells a hand sanitizer under their Maker’s Mark label. A two liter jug of this with a hand pump sells for as low as $5.50 when it is on sale. It has a built in hand pump and I always have one in the shop. I started using this as a substitute for Sterno when I was packing for a fishing trip and …


Building a DIY Generator From Salvaged Parts, by David N. in Tennessee

I have long wanted my own generator, but a $500 and up price tag kept me from purchasing one new.  After some internet searching and sleepless nights I found a good tutorial online.  What I liked best about the tutorial is that Brian at epicenter has already worked out the kinks and sells the materials.  I have no connection with epicenter, and the only things I have bought from them were for this project, but what dealings I have had with them were fair and honest.              A co-worker gave me an older Craftsman brand lawnmower for this project. It …


Letter Re: A Firewood Sawing Reality Check

Hello Jim;   In reference to the recent letter on using a muscle-powered crosscut saw:   For about four years now, I’ve been doing much of my wood cutting with a DC to AC inverter (AIMS 5000) that I purchased for $299 back then – they are now listed at $399.  I hook it to a used deep cycle battery that was given to me by someone who works setting up remoted gas wells.  I throw the battery, inverter and either a Husqvarna electric chain saw (for deadfallen trees) or an old Skilsaw (for old pallets) in the van and go foraging for …


Letter Re: A Firewood Sawing Reality Check

Dear Mr. Rawles: As a devoted prepper, I have been trying to be diligent in practicing what I preach.  This past weekend was a bit of an eye-opener for me and should be for most of my fellow travelers.  In anticipation of future gas shortages and the impossibility of maintaining reasonable security while running a chain saw, I recently purchased a one-man, 36 inch, made in Germany, crosscut saw.   Saturday morning, I spent a couple of hours building a sawbuck.  Then the education began.   At this point, I need to interject that I’ve been burning wood for the past …


Force Multipliers for Retreat Groups

In the past 60 years military organizations of First World countries have often dominated their foes in combat because they’ve taken advantage of Force Multipliers. These are technologies or tactics that dramatically increase (“multiply”) their combat effectiveness. These multipliers are typified by electronic communications, aerial bombardment, intelligence gathering, rapid troop transport, electronic warfare, force concentration, and the use of precision guided “smart” munitions. Similarly, I suspect that in a post-collapse world, Constitutional law and order will best be reestablished by those who stand ready to employ force multipliers of their own. These will likely include: Uninterrupted radio communications to provide …


Two Letters Re: Building a Dryer Lint Stove

Sir: I have made something similar and would agree it is and easy and cheep way to make a reliable stove.  In my instance I have used Altoid cans and I personally like the size and having the lid attached.  I like that there is no “where did I put that lid” problems. – Jason H. Hi Jim and readers, Brian C. mentioned his stove. I was  fascinated with the dryer lint stove idea,  I do it a little different, many many years ago, and a long long time ago, I learned a similar way of making a stove, but we …


Building a Dryer Lint and Wax Stove, by Brian C.

This easy to make tool has been in my inventory for 30-plus years. It has come in handy while camping as a scout, serving in the Marine Corps and even on the ground in the Gulf Coast as a First Responder after Hurricane Katrina and during Hurricane Rita. Once assembled it is primarily a stove, but a bit of its contents can be cut away and used as a fire starter, and–if the area is properly ventilated–a heating device. That’s right, a single, self contained, water proof unit consisting of just three materials of which many of us have and …


Two Letters Re: Tactical Movement in a Post-TEOTWAWKI World

Sir: The author mentioned odor control: Do not use deodorant or “foo foo” water. Use rubbing alcohol to deal with odor-causing bacteria. it evaporates leaving no scent. It can be used as an antiseptic and as a fire starter. My family carries a quart of isopropyl alcohol in each of our “git kits” Keep the Faith. – Bill in North Alabama James: The writer has some great tips but I have to disagree with one thing he says. As for sleeping in old tractor trailers and old railroad cars, I say nay. These may be dry enclosed places, but they …


David in Israel: Off The Grid Cooking

David in Israel Re: Off The Grid Cooking James: Since storage food for us is just our daily staples bought and stored in bulk we use pressure cookers for most stovetop cooking instead of a regular pot to save time and fuel. There is no reason to waste hours of fuel simmering or stewing and evaporating that heat into steam when you can keep that thermal energy in your pressure cooker and also be done in under an hour by raising the cooking temp to around 250F. I have had the chance to use a Fagor brand pressure cooker and …


Off The Grid Cooking, by Chino

I have seen numerous articles dealing with the type and quantity of food that one should have for long term survival, but I have yet to see anyone address survival cooking. I have been prepping for a few years and I have a pretty good supply of “stuff” including a Svea backpacking stove, a Coleman stove & fuel, camping grill & 1 lb. propane bottles, a butane stove with butane canisters and a wood stove that could double for a cook stove for cooking beans in the winter time.  I thought I was pretty well set to go it alone …