Category: G. O. O. D.

Another Get Home Bag Approach – Part 1, by G.P.

Three fine articles have gave been posted in SurvivalBlog lately on the subject of Get Home Bags. First, J.M. addressed the question of getting back home if stranded at a distance by using exact planning. Second, St. Funogas described a more general plan that focused on the basics of minimal equipment and keeping up calorie intake. Last, J. Smith advocated for good-quality clothing and equipment and aligning priorities with resources. J.M. approached the problem as an ultralight (UL) or super-ultralight (SUL) hiker. The problem set was narrowly defined: maximum distance, various possible routes and start points, range of weather conditions, …


Bugging Out Between Civilizations – Part 2, by N.C.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) While trawling through the SurvivalBlog archives I came across a 2015 two-part article: Six Prepping Principles Derived from One Year as an Expat- Part 1, by G.L. Six Prepping Principles Derived from One Year as an Expat- Part 2, by G.L. I really liked his approach to layering. To that, I added researching “carry-on only travelling”, backpacking, and general bug out bag/survival kit principles. I put this reading and learning together to make a “civilization-centric” approach to bugging out. Fair warning: This is simply my thought experiment. Thankfully I haven’t been in …


Bugging Out Between Civilizations – Part 1, by N.C.

I was talking with an old friend and the subject of the ongoing war in Ukraine came up. He asserted that he would have acted to leave Ukraine sooner, if he had been there. Frankly, I don’t think he would have, and I told him that. I based that on the fact that during the recent Antifa rioting, he point-blank denied that there were riots within an hour of him. When he could no longer deny that riots were occurring, he opined that it was “basically a different world” and again, made no preparation. If he could deny all that, …


One Bug Out Bag Approach – Part 2, by J. Smith

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) For a 3-season blanket, I have a Snugpak Jungle Blanket. It is a modern version of the “woobie” poncho liner that is loved by American soldiers. It is anti-bacterial, windproof, and water-resistant. If you prefer the good-old woobie, then go for it. For an emergency blanket, don’t bother with the cheapo ones. Get an SOL (Survive Outdoors Longer) emergency blanket. Its construction using metalized polyethylene instead of mylar makes it much stronger, quieter, and will not shred apart. For a poncho, I suggest the US Style Helikon-Tex poncho. It is waterproof and …


One Bug Out Bag Approach – Part 1, by J. Smith

I would like to share my thoughts on the creation of a Bug Out Bag. (Or “BOB” for short.) I have refined my BOB based on my own camping experience, and the experience of others, especially survivalists and wilderness campers on Youtube. (The real ones, not phony Bear Grills types, LOL.) I will give credit for their ideas where it is due. A BOB is a personal thing, it should fulfill your short-term needs and, if you can spare the weight, a couple luxury wants. Additionally, you also have to consider the people you are bugging out with, such as …


Wheel Estate For Survival, by Pat Cascio

As a lifetime Prepper, I’m always looking at ways to improve the odds of surviving, whatever may come my way. I readily admit that no one, no matter how rich they may be, can prepare for every circumstance that may come along, that demands survival. I remember back in school, in the early 1960s, when we practiced “duck and cover” as a way of surviving a nuke going off in our city. Even back then, it was silly to believe that by  ducking under your desk while in school would add to your survival chances. Our school was huge – …


Get Out of the Cities – Part 2, by SaraSue

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) In Part 1, I discussed the primary reason for getting out of the big cities: It is just not safe. The main reasons I have been told that people hesitate on moving to a rural location is not knowing what to do for a living – getting a job. The money thing. Secondarily, the inconvenience of being far away from customary activities. Thirdly, fear of the unknown. There are many reasons why people can’t fathom moving away from the big city. Making money If you can’t “take your job with you”, for …


Get Out of the Cities – Part 1, by SaraSue

If you’re on the fence, then please get off of it and make your move. I realize how scary that sounds because I’ve done it. I realize how insane it sounds to walk away from a job with really good benefits and a retirement account. Again, because I did it. I did it for health reasons several years ago, but the current situation is no different – there is a need, a demand, a situation at hand (unconstitutional mandates?), that requires finding a spot far away from the madness and its influences. I was scared spitless at the time – …


Equipping Your Vehicle For Emergencies, by C.J.

A recent mechanical problem had me stranded beside the road for several hours and made me think about possible bad scenarios and what I would want to have in my car in order to survive these situations. My vehicle was stranded on the off-ramp of a major interstate, but the remoteness became apparent when I realized I only saw four cars get on or off this exit in three hours. One of those cars was a sheriff and he didn’t stop to see if I needed help. I was able to use my cell phone, but in many places, especially …


Realistic Team Training Events, by Joe Dolio

When talking about survival in a Without Rule of Law (WROL) situation, you are going to need a team. This can be a dedicated preparedness group, your family, a collection of friends, or whomever. But you absolutely need a team to survive in the coming chaos. This team needs to train together in order to be effective. The problem is that most training events go something like this: On Friday night, everyone meets at the location, has a big BBQ dinner and hangs out around the campfire. Tents and shelters are placed in a wide-open area, spread out over a …


Training Yourself For Preparedness, by Joe Dolio

So many of the people in the preparedness community build massive stockpiles of supplies, including food, camping gear, backpacks, weapons & ammo, and all that ultra tacti-cool stuff. The problem is, they rarely get off the couch and train, and they rarely get out and use their gear. It does you no good to have a cool backpacking tent, but have no idea how to set it up. Having an ultra-light backpacking stove is great, unless you have no idea how to use it. Your 70 pound “bug out bag” may very well be well-stocked, but unless you’ve trained on …


My Perspective on Bug-Out Field Gear, by H.H.

You can throw a couple of items in a backpack and say “I’m prepared”, but are you really? For everything you do to prepare, think through all the things that can go wrong. My wife says I’m too pessimistic, but being an engineer, I’ve been trained to think about what can go wrong. You don’t want the plane to fall out of the sky or the bridge to collapse. The first rule is always have more than one way of doing something. I had heard (maybe attributed to Army Rangers or SEALs) “Two is one and one is none.” If …


Lessons Learned from My First Bug Out Truck – Part 2, by H.J.

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(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Using one side of my mechanic friend’s two-car garage, the gasoline engine was removed and the 4BT was prepared for test fitting by pressure washing the engine and scrubbing down with degreaser. One of the top killers of diesel engines is high exhaust gas temperature (EGT), which can occur under hard use and heavy loads and can melt the pistons and cylinder rings. To monitor this temperature, the turbocharger was also removed, the exhaust manifold was drilled and tapped for an aftermarket pyrometer, and the turbo re-installed. It is important when monitoring …


The Great Conservative Migration, by Brandon Smith

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This article first appeared under the longer title: “The Great Conservative Migration And What It Means For The Future”, at Brandon Smith’s excellent Alt.Market web site. It is reposted with permission. — The signs really began to become visible at the end of January, 2020; there was an exodus of people brewing, and it was galvanizing fears on both sides of the political spectrum. The pandemic situation is cited by the mainstream media as the primary cause, but in reality the migration had started at least 3 years earlier. Americans were leaving certain states and cities behind by the tens …


Abandoning Home, by Francis

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This essay is not about survival skills in their basic form. Rather, this is a gedankenexperiment about abandoning suburbia and getting us somewhere safely in the event of TEOTWAWKI. This is often called “Bugging Out” in the current parlance. Thus, I consider us not preppers but semi-preppers. I’ve previously written in SurvivalBlog about our preparations for survival. Because of recent events, we are concerned about our extended family’s safety. I could kick myself for not purchasing the SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick that was offered back in January. Because of the most recent events of the riots (the mainstream media would …