Category: G. O. O. D.

Letter Re: As Simple as Changing a Tire

Hi  JWR:           Just a quick addition to the comments about changing a tire from an earlier blog article. In a real disaster, natural or military/terrorist, the roads will likely be covered with debris, much of which may cause your Bug Out Vehicle (BOV) tires (that’s plural) to get punctured. I would certainly recommend several cans of some kind of Fix-A-Flat [or aerosol Slime] and a tire repair kit. But, even more important for us preppers who want to be ready for everything possible, we know that our vehicle’s trunk will be filled with all kinds of  emergency supplies.   Recognizing …


An Adequate Bug Out Vehicle (BOV), by Ed in Kentucky

A really tough Bug Out Vehicle (BOV) can be quite expensive, and possibly beyond most people’s ability to acquire and prepare. One also needs to ask how “serious” of a BOV can he/she actually afford to buy, maintain, and insure ? BOVs can be viewed as being on a scale of 1 to 10 .. a Yugo being perhaps a 1, and a specially designed “escape” vehicle being perhaps a 10. It’s probably true that situations most likely to happen, can be handled by a BOV in the 4 – 6 range on that scale. These would be some things …


The Art of the Cache, by James C.

I am sure many of you have planned for the possibility of a wide scale disaster, but you cannot carry all of your equipment when you get out of dodge. So caching is the best option however your cache cannot just go anywhere. Obviously certain locations experience heavier traffic, so in time of natural disaster, large scale riots, or terrorist attacks, it is good to choose locations away from this traffic. These caches also need to be on your bug out route, so if you have not prepared an escape route, do not plan your cache locations yet. These locations …


Bugout Base Camp: My Solar School Bus, by T.K.

In a true breakdown scenario, one of the most crucial survival advantages, if not the most, has to be mobility. Pandemics or violent gangs that overwhelm congested populations can be escaped. More fertile land — wilderness with wild edible plants, big fish in the lakes, and game in the woods — can be reached. And if you can carry your shell on your back, along with an independent source of energy, you’ve got the ultimate survival advantage. An RV qualifies if you have at least $60,000 to toss around in this economy, but a more affordable, challenging (and fun) solution …


Two Letters Re: My Deuce and a Half – The Ultimate TEOTWAWKI Bug Out Vehicle

Dear James, It is heartening to see enthusiasts for the military M35 series of trucks, but I must take issue with some of the comments made by Tom E. in his recent post. My Background: I have been working in the automotive industry for over 35 years as a consulting design and testing engineer for both civilian and military builders. Specifically, I worked for AM General in the 1980s on the M998 HMMWV problems, the M35A3 proposal, and the FMTV proposal (the LMTV version was the replacement for the M35, the contract was won by Stewart and Stevenson) and currently own …


My Deuce and a Half–The Ultimate TEOTWAWKI Bug Out Vehicle, by Tom E.

I have been an avid follower of SurvivalBlog for several years now and you and I want to thank JWR and my fellow readers for helping me to get prepared.  I am not nearly where I want to be yet, but thanks to your books and your blog, I am leaps and bounds better prepared than I was even two years ago. I am writing this article to help others discover what took me some time and research to figure out – what would be the ideal kind of vehicle in a TEOTWAWKI bug out situation?  You’re ready.  You have …


Letter Re: Christmas Ideas for the Prepper

Every year I seem to be caught in the same dilemma. What to get the kids for Christmas. Being the divorced father of three kids presents many challenges. First I am always upstaged, which does not matter to me, I am not trying to buy my kids affection. Second, today’s kids get almost whatever they want, if they have a job to save for that Ipod touch or new Blackberry then all the power to them. This year however I am taking a different approach. I have a 20-year-old daughter living in the big city. An 18-year-old daughter living with …


Outdoor Survival–The Basics, by Alan B.

Your car broke down on the side of the road, miles from help. You didn’t even bring an heavier jacket, because you figured you wouldn’t even be getting out of the car. Your cell phone batteries dead or has no signal. You have no choose but to walk for it. It’s only 50 degrees out there. That 50 degrees is now going down to 30 as the night comes on. In the morning they found you all huddled up in a ditch, trying to get out of the wind. They took your body off to the morgue and they called …


Letter Re: Evacuating Wisely — With Livestock

James, Growing up and living on the Gulf Coast, for about 50 years, has given a lot of evacuation experiences to me. The most educational evacuation for us was Hurricane Rita. We thought Rita was coming inland way south of us. A family had evacuated to our house. Got a early morning call, that Rita had grown and was heading right at us. Visitors were sent on their way and we began loading up. Now loading up is a major logistics operation, as we have a farm. We successfully evacuated 4 equines, 3 dogs, 3 people and 3 vehicles. 7 …


A Bug Out Bag Reality Check, by Stranger

I thought I would share some thoughts on my weekend bug out bag guerrilla camping trip. My purpose was to use my BOB in the manner in which I expected to have to use it in an emergency. My general plan has been to get away from people, camp with stealth, and wait for the dust to clear.  With this in mind I mostly want to put my gear through its paces and get my body used to the rigors of backpacking. I live in central Connecticut.  I am a man in my 40s and have a dropped foot in …


Suburban Survival Revisited, by The Suburban 10

In April 2010 I submitted “Suburban Survival”. a set of ten steps I was going implement in order to get ready for TEOTWAWKI. Boy… did I underestimate the power and importance of survialblog.com! First and foremost I thank all of you who responded and gave a cold slap of reality. I thought I was going to be in good shape, but now my view and attitude are vastly different. How did it change? It really started when I bought and read Jim’s survival book. It offers solid fundamentals and interesting insight that I am adapting to my particular situation. My …


Get Me Home Gear for Commuters, by Jeff J.

Lately, I have been preparing my work location and my commuting routes for the unthinkable “If the SHTF.” I figure that unless I am at home sleeping or on my weekend off of work, there is a great chance that I may be at work and or commuting when the Schumer goes down. This being said, I believe those of us who work away from home should be prepared for a possible workplace G.O.O.D. scenario or trying to get home to our families to G.O.O.D. with them. I have a bit of a head start or advantage over many of …


Lessons Learned From a Suburbanite, by Battle Ax

I am your typical thirty-something suburbanite that lives in a cookie cutter house (on the grid of course) in a nice little subdivision, with a wife, 2.6 kids, a dog, and two cats.  I have a steady job, pay my taxes, keep my lawn manicured, and chat with the neighbors out front.  I try to keep up with current events, and I believe things are going to get worse before they get better.  Not being pessimistic, but realistic. My roots in preparedness go back to my childhood where my step-father was a military man, and subtly assigned each one in …


G.O.O.D. Planning–Did You Remember Everything?

Over the past few years there have been numerous very useful articles submitted regarding bugging out or Get Out of Dodge (G.O.O.D.) as they say, if a major regional or national disaster occurs. The articles focus on a number of issues such as the problems/hazards relating to simply getting home from work, making contact with the spouse who may be shopping or getting the kids from school. Then the writers cover the need for a ready bug-out bag “BOB.“ There are suggestions about having the vehicle already (at least partly) packed with enough supplies for either a few days or …


Letter Re: Aviation-Style Checklists for Survival, by Andy W.

In the 1940s, the accident rate among aircraft in the United States was horrendous, especially for small private aircraft. Many lives were lost and airplanes mangled due to often preventable causes. By the mid-1950s, the accident rates had dropped by 30-50%, depending on what numbers you look at. What happened to make such a dramatic change? The answer is the prevalent use of checklists for all phases of flight. Every aircraft today, from a tiny Cessna to a giant airliner, has checklist for every procedure from preflight inspection to securing the aircraft after parking. Checklists are important for a few …