Category: G. O. O. D.

The Little Things, by Claymor – Part II

Accepting the probability that eventually Patriots are going to be reduced to the bare necessities of survival, I am reviewing seven “little things” to be considered by all preppers in a bug out situation. Part one looked at the first four items. Part two will finish off the seven with the last three items. Fire Starter. Sooner than later in any survival situation you’re going to need fire. Beyond the obvious, like keeping you warm and cooking food, a fire is comforting in a hostile bug out situation. A little comfort will likely go a long way. The warm glow …


The Little Things, by Claymor – Part I

We’ve all seen the YouTube videos, watched the TV shows, and read the latest articles on prepping and survival that show stocked food pantries, high tech gear, arsenals of guns, and stockpiles of ammo, which are all necessary for an ultimate survival situation where you’re held up in the comfort of your home. However, considering the fact that ultimate survival in a real-life scenario will likely be short lived, these means will be abandoned, reducing one to the mere little things they can carry on their person and in a backpack. It doesn’t take much consideration to conclude that bugging …


Bug Out Bag Strategy, by S.G. – Part 2

Vehicle Bug Out Bag You’ve just headed out the door after being told to evacuate and driven a short ways. All of a sudden, whamo!, you’ve blown a water hose, and you lose all your engine coolant. It’s late in the day on Highway 88 near Silver Lake, California, or some other similarly remote area, and you realize that the normally light traffic is nonexistent today. You’re probably stuck overnight. To make matters worse, it’s very cold, with rain that’s starting to look more and more like snow. Are you and your vehicle prepared? If you’re like a lot of …


Bug Out Bag Strategy, by S.G. – Part 1

It’s the middle of the night, and you get a call from the local authorities that a mandatory evacuation has just been ordered because of a major fire. You’ve been given 10 minutes to evacuate because no one expected the fire to turn your way so soon, and you have no time to do anything but grab what you can and jump in your vehicle to head out for parts unknown. What’s a BOB? Let’s start with a simple definition of what a bug out bag is. It’s some form of bag or backpack you’ve prepared that you can grab …


How To Choose A Bug Out Bike, by B.B.

Many of us plan to use bicycles for transportation during TEOTWAWKI, or we’ll use them as bug out vehicles in the event that roadways are snarled. The need to take the bike off-road will necessitate that you have mountain bikes. Not only are mountain bikes best suited for off-road travel, they have the ability to pull a light trailer. In addition, the rider sits a little more upright on a mountain bike than on a road bike. This gives the rider a wider range of vision to look for threats, as well as giving the ability to wear a backpack …


Tracking the Plume: Dodging the Toxic Cloud When Deciding to Bug-in or Bug-out, by B.H.

Someone just told you about the Boston Marathon bombing. You are combing the interwebs looking for more details and view several videos of explosions and subsequent swirling brownish smoke. What was in that smoke? Did anyone die from just that smoke? Was it cancerous? Was it filled with botulism? Mustard gas? Alpha particles from a dirty bomb? While people either ran away from the explosion, sought cover, or were moving toward the explosion to help victims, most people probably did not worry about what was in that smoke. I, on the other hand, was primarily concerned about the smoke wondering …


Letter: Staying Put in a Chicago Apartment?

Hello, I love the website but having difficulties. I live in an urban environment, in a good town but near a rough section of Chicago…which causes crime to seep into our borders (theft a huge problem). I live in an apartment, with limited storage space….limited space in general. So much seems geared to those who live in a bit more suburban or rural communities. I want to be prepared but overwhelmed is an understatement, as well as feeling stymied by many factors outside of my control, i.e. space and lack of land. I have looked through the archives, perhaps not …


Letter: Lists

Hi. I just found your blog. God bless you! I am seriously interested in protecting my family and have been organizing and preparing for whatever may happen even though I’m stuck here in the NYC area for now. I never found a blog describing a perspective on possible events that mirrors my own so closely before. Look, I am practical, and was a good Boy Scout. “Be prepared,” always made a lot of sense to me as a motto to live by. We might have to be self-sufficient for two days, two weeks, two months, or two years (in the …



Preparing My First Bug-out Bag, by TK4

HJL Adds: TK4, age 13, wrote this as a homeschool project. In this article I am going to teach readers how to prepare a bug-out bag. This 13 year-old has had a bug-out bag for two years, and every year it grows better and better. I have put this article together with five main steps that are essential to any bug-out bag. I have listed the items that I have put into my bag and put them in order of necessity. Survival Essentials Here I am going to list the things that I deem are essential in my bag. However, …


Letter: Railroad Bugout

Hi Jim, Here’s an Interesting video from Cambodia, which triggered a series of thoughts on bugging out. You have used railroad tracks and trains in your books to speed along movement away from roads and people. This video shows how anyone who has tracks near them and need an escape route when the roads are blocked could be so very simple. The parts to put this together should be cheap and, depending on location, readily available just to have in the garage as a back up back up plan. I am sure enough readers can also tweek it in such …


Two Letters Re: Route Security

Route Security by Chuck S. was a good article, but I would add a few things:   –          Newer cars will have daylight running lights and some basic tools may be needed to disable them for real covert night travel. –          If you can afford them, and practice using them, NVGs are great for covert night travel. –          Relying on Fuel en route is a gamble. Ideally, carry the fuel you need to get to your destination. For that, you should have a fuel supply stored and rotated. Use proper storage containers and procedures for safety. Use fuel stabilizer to …


Two Letters Re: How to Travel as a Prepper When You are a Road Warrior

Dear Mr Rawles, I would like to comment on the letter entitled, “How to Travel as a Prepper When you are a Road Warrior.”   I commend him for trying to be prepared when traveling, however I think he can easily be better prepared.   When I travel I carry the following in a backpack.   1) LifeStraw portable water filter. This is for emergency use only. 2) Bottle of Polar Pure water disinfectant. Polar Pure is based on Iodine Crystals. Polar Pure never expires. It can purify up to 20,000 gallons of water. Note however, that you only want …


Route Security, by Chuck S.

Much has been written regarding bug-out bags, vehicle choice and maintenance, weaponry and retreat locations but the one issue missing is how you are going to get there. There are numerous issues to consider in selecting your primary and alternate routes to your bug-out location and hopefully the following will assist in your route selection and maintaining security en route. Route selection can depend on numerous decision points such as fuel locations, traffic load, choke points and law enforcement roadblocks / checkpoints.  Do the highway entry / exit points already have gates on them to close them off during inclement …


How to Travel as a Prepper When You are a Road Warrior, by S.S.

I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska and remember spending many afternoons in the basement due to tornado warnings and watches. Several times a year, we saw homes across town destroyed by the tornados. Seeing homes destroyed up close as an eight year old made an impression. After our first winter blizzard, Mom started prepping and established a corner in the basement with our food stuffs, books, toys, radio, flashlight, water and a mattress for us to sleep on.   About two years ago, I gave up on living in the suburbs and moved 20 miles away in a rural area …