Category: G. O. O. D.

Letter Re: Dan Fong Vindicated: The Toyota 4×4 That Wouldn’t Die

JWR, I know that you advocate American made cars and trucks for BOV purposes based on availability of parts, but I would like to share with you a three-part video series demonstrating the abuse that a Toyota 4×4 pickup truck can take and still be driven. All with only a mechanic using no specialty tools and no replacement parts. This truck was driven down stairs, lost in the Bristol Channel at high tide, driven through a shed, had a camping trailer dropped on it, hit with a wrecking ball, set on fire, and put on the top of a high …


Two Letters Re: Simplify Now, Before TEOTWAWKI

JWR: I try to find a good compromise between comfort and simplicity, and have come to the conclusion that preparedness is like dressing for cold weather; it is most efficient to do so in layers.  Working from a level of maximizing comfort at one end of the scale to maximizing simplicity at the other end, I can gauge my response to conditions as they are encountered.  Beginning with a robust supply and security source at my primary residence, I have layers of response that I can work down through as the conditions dictate.  If I have to bug out, I …


The Bug Out Trailer, by  Allen A.

If things go bad do you bug in or do you bug out.  This decision will probably be made at the time depending on the expectations of what the emergency will be and just how bad you expect conditions to become.  Are you expecting a hurricane or other disaster sizable enough to worry about?  Will you be gone for a week then return and open the house back up?  Are you expecting a Katrina size event or might it unexpectedly turn into a long term emergency where the only things you have will be those things you take with you. …


Letter Re: Effective Small Team Tactics for the Coming Collapse

Mr Rawles, I have a few comments after reading the guest article by Max Velocity on small team tactics. I realize the author’s perspective is colored by his time in Afghanistan and Iraq, but there are some issues I have with his article. The first is the Explosively Formed Penetrator (EFP) is not the same IED he described in the Off-route section. The EFP is formed by the Miznay-Chardin effect, not the Munroe effect. The EFP (Miznay-Chardin) is a solid slug or can be fragmented by various means, but is not a molten jet of metal (Munroe). The Munroe effect, …


Letter Re: Avoid Becoming a Refugee

Dear Editor: The “off-road” gear carriers described in Avoid Becoming a Refugee are neat, but check out this fascinating article about the Chinese wheelbarrow. Its wheel is dead center (instead of at the end like European barrows) enabling it to carry three to six times more weight. Frequently passengers with luggage would be transported by just one person. These were the primary freight movers of their day (much like tractor trailers are used today) but had the advantage of being able to negotiate extremely narrow “roads.” I really enjoyed reading this history and have tucked this knowledge in the back …


Learn a Little by Taking a Walk, by Bill H.

I am a pretty avid reader of the survivalblog.com site. I also follow many of the other sites on prepping and survival that are out there. After a few months, it becomes pretty obvious which sites lean towards sensationalism, conspiracy theories, couch prepping, and even sales and marketing. The problem lies in the fact that with the mainstream media is piling onto the prepping bandwagon and this increases the amount of information available. Some of the information available today is of little use and some of it is outright dangerous. With that in mind, I will make the suggestion that …


Letter Re: Avoid Becoming a Refugee

Hi Jim; To tie in with your recent comments, the excellent Western Rifle Shooters blog linked to an article on refugees. Though the article was brief, it had some good information. While the goal is to never become a refugee in the first place, in some cases it cannot be avoided and it pays to know what to do in such a case. I was particularly inspired by the links to some “off-road” gear carriers. The first is a home-built model and is quite simple while the other is a German-engineered commercial model. I have given a good bit of …


Letter Re: Lessons From The Colorado Wildfires

Dear Editor: Wanted to share my evacuation experiences and lessons learned while they’re still fresh in my mind.  Although it wasn’t a 5 minute evacuation, it was pretty stress-free.  Fortunately, I started serious preparations early this year, or it would have been a whole lot more work.   My house is (was?) within about five miles of the starting point of the fire.  Not far at all, but fires don’t burn that well downhill, so it was ok.  But the wind picked up big last night and sent the fire into the houses within about three miles of me.    I got my pile of “definitely …


Letter Re: Don’t Stockpile, Get Global — Conversations with a Rhodesian Expat and Being Financially Global

Dear Jim, My mantra has always been “In a world of uncertainty….Diversify!”  Sure, it does make sense to stockpile (only to a rational degree) at one’s primary location and at one’s primary retreat.  However, this stockpiling should not be done beyond the optimal level such that it would disallow planning for other contingencies.  You are correct that “other” countries may be worse off than the US in the event of, for example, a financial collapse….but that does not preclude these other countries being a better option in the event of other sorts of problems.  Other more localized issues might include …


Preparing for a Bug-Out by Motor Vehicle, by N.P.B.

“One must Hope for the Best, but Prepare for the Worst.” – Book of English Proverbs We’ve all rehearsed it many times. A newsflash report comes on, reporting widespread chaos what appears to be the total, spectacular collapse of society. Food stores are empty. Gas station pumps are dry. All remnants of any social order have toppled, and panic has ensued. The next-second response to survivalists is second nature. Grab the kids, the AR-15, the Bug-Out-Bags, and head for the hills! To most survivalists, the most effective bug-out is clean and simple, requiring no transportation and just the pack on …


For TEOTWAWKI, Do The Easy Stuff First, by Dale Martin

There are a lot of things to be fearful of in this old world.  But, for most of us Joe Average North Americans, there are things we believe that are likely to happen, and many other events that are a lot less likely. Most of us are not all that worried about a magnetic pole shift, the Mayan calendar ending this year, the Yellowstone super volcano, or an alien invasion from outer space.  It’s not that all those things are impossible, but there are threats that are simply a lot more probable. Mr. and Mrs. Joe Average (the people that …


A Secure Compound, Off Grid, by Steve R.

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Listed below are mandatory needs, issues and items needed to successfully survive and weather any major natural disasters, deadly germ outbreaks, or government invasions such as martial law. This is a basic outline and your needs may differ according to location, elevation, and of course finances. Money is the root of all evil, but you will definitely need some to accomplish your survival goals. Land and water are virtually priceless. The first and foremost thing needed to build a survival compound is water and land. Land as far away from large cities is ideal. Either find a piece of land …


Two Letters Re: Your Get Home Plan

Dear Editor: This is in response to Your Get Home Plan by J.A.F.:  My commute is only one hour by train (about 25 miles.) This is a considerable distance to travel on foot.  I wear a suit while I’m at work, but I commute in jeans, button down shirt and hiking boots.  My suit goes into an Eagle Creek garment folder, and the shirt, pants and jacket come out of the folder looking pretty good, with few, if any, creases.  My dress shoes and belt stay in my office.  I use a CamelBak BFM bag that works year round, as …


Your Get Home Plan, by J.A.F.

If you work outside the home, or go to school, or have responsibilities that take you away from home on a daily basis, you need to be prepared for crisis situations while you are not at your home base.  Before you can Bug-In you have to get home.  Even if you plan to Bug-Out, you may have to get home first because you need to coordinate with others in your family, or because you need to pick up supplies that you can’t take to work each day or because there are pets at home that must be cared for or …


Two Letters Re: Cycling into TEOTWAWKI

Good Morning Jim, I would like to add my wholehearted support to the article “Cycling into TEOTWAWKI” by Mine T. I have been an enthusiastic Cyclist for many years, and consider a well set up bicycle to be an excellent option for bugging out, when staying where you are is not an option. I also believe a bicycle will give urban preppers a considerable advantage to those attempting to get out of dodge on foot, or even by four wheeled vehicle. A bicycle can go just about anywhere, so the option of riding out of a city along footpaths, railway …