Category: Fuel Storage & Distilling

Is Prepping an Insurmountable Task?–The Beginner’s Primer, by Gary T.

Once you realize the importance of being prepared for coming hard times, you may ask yourself, “How can I possibly prepare for any scenario?  This is an insurmountable undertaking.”  The more you ponder this, the more the reality of this seems to be confirmed.  Let not your heart be troubled.  As with almost any endeavor, the road to success begins with the first step and continues one step at a time.  Consistent, prioritized, careful preparation over a period of time, preparation built around what your personal situation (budget, job, family, medical needs, etc.) will allow, can get you in a …


Letter Re: Grub and Gear–Lessons Learned from an Alaskan Trapper

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James, Going through some old gear last month, I found my food supply lists and notes from 1976-79. I thought the old list might be of interest and the lessons I learned during the first three years in the remote Alaska bush may be helpful to a few of your readers. I do not recommend Alaska for a TEOTWAWKI retreat but the lessons I learned the hard way may be helpful to any one in a cold climate. I grew up in California listing to stories from my grandfather about Alaska and the Yukon. When I graduated from high school …


Real-Life Inspiration for Preparedness, by K.P.

Background Information: My interest in preparedness started in earnest really just a few months ago.  Before that, I had been an avid backpacker, rock climber, and other sports which require self-sufficiency and forethought.  I am also a Red Cross volunteer.  I was at hurricane Wilma, and I have done local search and rescue, amongst other things.  This February I was dispatched to the south-western region of Kentucky for the Ice Storms.  What I learned there changed me in a lot of ways. I was aware of the pending economic collapse, but hadn’t really thought of practical things to do until …


Letter Re: Preparedness for Living on a Chesapeake Bay Island

Mr. Rawles, I am just now (pretty late in the game, I know) becoming aware of the impending collapse and have begun reading your blog regularly (it is the first thing I read in the mornings now). I realize now that I must prepare as much as I can and have a question about my current location. I live on an isolated (no bridges, ferry and airplane transport only) Island in the Chesapeake Bay. It is somewhat densely populated for its size, but everyone knows each other and most residents hunt and fish and have their own boats. Many residents …


Letter Re: Viability of a Well-Stocked Suburban Retreat?

Good Morning! Thank you for the info you provide for all of us in your web site. I live in the Kansas City Area in a beautiful suburb which is one of the nicest cities in the country. till doing okay in the depression too. My work is secure and I do well and I own my own twp-story with basement frame home and have been making it a retreat for the past five years. I have no debt and am 60 days ahead with my mortgage and insurance and utilities. Am I absolutely crazy to try to stay here …


Preparedness Beginnings, by “Two Dogs”

I am a retired Marine Corps officer and Naval Aviator (jets and helicopters), commercial airplane and helicopter pilot, and most recently, an aircraft operations manager for a Federal agency. I graduated from numerous military schools, including the U.S. Army Airborne (“jump”) School, U.S. Navy Divers School, Army helicopter, and Navy advanced jet schools. In addition, I have attended military “survival” courses whose primary focus was generally short-term survival off the land, escape from capture, and recovery from remote areas.  Like most Marine officers, I attended The Basic School, an 8-month school (only five during the Vietnam era – my case), …


Letter Re: Propane Tank Refilling Options

Jim, I read the article regarding BlueRhino and Amerigas (“Companies are now shorting (cheating) on propane tank refills“). I guess one could argue both sides of the issue. My personal opinion is that while the practice is sleazy, there’s nothing illegal going on, as the canisters are marked with the amount of propane they contain. It’s not unlike potato chips or breakfast cereal sold “by weight not by volume”. Manufacturers all over the place put their product in packaging far larger than the actual contents would require. Like I said, it’s sleazy, so except for one or two barbecue “emergencies” …


Survey Results: Your Favorite Books on Preparedness, Self-Sufficiency, and Practical Skills

In descending order of frequency, the 78 readers that responded to my latest survey recommended the following non-fiction books on preparedness, self-sufficiency, and practical skills: The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery (Far and away the most often-mentioned book. This book is an absolute “must” for every well-prepared family!) The Foxfire Book series (in 11 volumes, but IMHO, the first five are the best) Holy Bible Where There Is No Dentist by Murray Dickson “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation” Making the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook by James Talmage Stevens The “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course Crisis …


Net Producer-Net Consumer Equations for Self-Sufficiency: Getting Out of the Pit

In a recent phone conversation with one of my consulting clients, I was asked why I placed such a large emphasis on living in the country, at a relatively self-sufficient retreat. I’ve already discussed at length the security advantages of isolation from major population centers in the blog, but I realized that I’ve never fully articulated the importance of self-sufficiency, at a fundamental level. In a societal collapse, where you are in “You’re on Your Own” (YOYO) mode, it will be very important to be a net producer of water, food, and energy. This will mean the difference between being …


Letter Re: How Do I Transfer Propane Between Tanks?

Sir, You mentioned the liquid propane dual-fuel vehicle, and said “…if you have a large home LP tank”. So, how do I get the gas from the large tank, to the vehicle.” Is there a pump or some sort of device? Thanks, – Brad S. JWR Replies: There is no need for a pump. Draining liquid propane from a tank, is a self-siphoning process. Talk to your propane delivery man. Tell him that you want to be able to refill your barbeque’s 20-pound tank from you main tank’s liquid withdrawal valve. The adapter fittings are made of brass, and fairly …


Letter Re: Some Thought on Dual-Fuel LPG Vehicles

Dear Jim, I don’t know if this applies to folks in the US, but it may be something for UK readers to consider. My main vehicle is equipped with both petrol and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) tanks, and I will also be installing an LPG system on my secondary vehicle. There are two main advantages to this: 1. LPG is less than half the price of petrol, and although you get a third less mileage than you do using petrol, it still works out cheaper – in fact, in the UK, you can get the installation costs back in around …


Letter Re: Home Heating Oil Price Fluctuations–Time to Buy Low

Hi Jim, Some older neighborhood houses [in the Pacific Northwest] have large oil tanks for heating under driveways, in basements, and buried under yards. Last winter, we saw our neighbors run dry during a rare 2-week snow/ice event that even chained fuel trucks couldn’t get around in. Portland and Seattle are notoriously under-prepared for ice/snow on roads, and actually have a “intentional neglect policy” of letting it melt without salt/de-icer rather than clearing the roads. Prepare to walk on uncleared pavement and stay around home! If the predictions of temporary global oil over-supply are correct and fuel oil drops to …


Letter Re: Escape From (Fill in Your City Here), 2009

Dear James Regarding Matt R.’s letter, I have been a survivalist and self-sufficient minded person most of my adult life. I live at my retreat in a prime western state. I have been reading your site for the last 18 months. I have learned some new useful information (never too late to teach old dog new tricks) from your site. I have also purchased quite a few supplies from your advertisers. For most scenarios my home/retreat is a perfect place to be if the SHTF and I can just stay home. However I do not like to have all my …


From Mike Williamson: Some Useful DIY Home Power Technology Web Links

The following links will be of interest to anyone interested in do-it-yourself (DIY) power generation and 19th Century technology. Most of these come from Lindsay Publishing. [JWR Adds: They are also one one of my favorites!] : Generator and Inverters Wood into Charcoal and Electricity (although the generator design is at best a temp make-work design while you scrounge to build a better one). Gas Engines and Producer Gas Plants DIY Wind Turbine Power Plant (The best DIY design out there, although you might find a cheaper copy elsewhere). DIY Machine Shop (This is a Gingery design, not suitable for …


Letter Re: Pros and Cons of Propane Storage

James, Having a lot of propane on hand has some serious issues. Homeland Security via “Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act” (EPCRA) requires anyone that has more than 10,000 pounds of virtually any hazardous material (except for explosives and radioactive materials that have their own unique requirements), to report that quantity to the State Homeland Security Office, the local Fire Marshal, and the Local Emergency Management Manager yearly. These reports are open to anybody that wants to see them. (Now you know how the bad guy knows where the stuff is, all they have to do is ask and the …