Category: G. O. O. D.

Escape From (Fill in Your City Here), 2009, by Bill in Chicagoland

I think as a boy my favorite stories were always about epic journeys or quests. I always saw myself as the lone hero; bravely making his way through a barren landscape overcoming impossible obstacles and having fantastic adventures along the way. As preppers I think many of us still believe that WTSHTF our trip to “Get out of Dodge” will be an adventure such as those we read in books. I’m afraid however; the reality will be much grimmer than we can imagine. I fear that it will be more like The Road by Cormac McCarthy or the recent novel …


The Anti-Bug Out Bag, by Jason C.

Have you heard of a Bug out bag (BOB)? If you have read even a few articles on urban survival then you have heard of this mysterious thing. Loosely defined, it is a bag packed with supplies and equipment for a few days to a week. It is intended to be something handy to grab, if you have to get out of where you are quickly. The thousands of items that could possibly be packed in a BOB are often a source of great debate among people building, packing, and storing their own bag. But what about the times when …


The Information Junkie, by Dan H.

I’ve been working on getting prepared for about 20 years now. During that time, I’ve collected a large amount of information. Let’s face it, there’s a lot of information out there, and to this day I’m still collecting. I currently have four sets of encyclopedias (including 1947 and 1954 editions). I have a fairly good library of books that encompasses a wide variety of topics and, of course, I have lots of information from the Internet. First, I’d like to tell you why I collect it (and why you should too) and then the “what and how”. One reason why …


Letter Re Advice for College Students Living Abroad

Hi, I’m a student from Singapore studying overseas in Australia and I’m also a Christian. I have been following your blog for quite awhile, and there are some things I would like to ask. First, what advice can you give to students studying overseas? As a student, I stay on my own in a rented place, and probably will have to move every six months or so, so stockpiling food and goods are only feasible for about a month or two worth of food, as I will have to shift everything I own on my own to my new place …


SurvivalBlog Reader Survey: Conveniently Bypassed Areas

When working with my consulting clients, I often discuss channelization and lines of drift. Most major routes out of major cities will become very dangerous places to be in the event of a massive involuntary urban exodus. Imagine the situation WTSHTF in small towns on either side of the Snoqualmie Pass in Washington, or near I-80 across the Donner Pass in California, or on the Columbia River Gorge (that divides Oregon and Washington), or virtually every other stretch of interstate freeway that is within 150 miles of a metropolitan region. These channelized areas (also called “refugee lines of drift” by …


Letter Re: G.O.O.D. Advice for College Students

James, Our family recently found your book and blog. We are working diligently to prepare. One question I have not seen addressed: What do you think about sending a child to college? We are a conservative, Christian, home schooling family. Our daughter has been looking forward to attending a small Christian college that is about 1-1/2 hours from our home. Now that we are awake we are feeling that keeping her close to home as we prepare to relocate is best. Any thoughts? – S. in Southern California JWR Replies: A college that is just a 1-1/2 hour drive is …


Six Letters Re: Bicycles as Bug-Out and Utility Vehicles

Six Letters Re: Bicycles as Bug-Out and Utility Vehicles James Firstly I wish there were at least as many bicycle articles and questions on SurvivalBlog as gun posts. As a gun maker, gunsmith, firearm owner, and combat user I still put a fancy semi-auto combat rifle below a decent bicycle for most people’s survival purchase priorities. Let me offer a contrarian viewpoint on the priority of complete firearm battery in your survival shopping list. Obtain some snares, a quality .22 semi-auto, and a few thousand rounds of ammo, a few months of food and cooing fuel, basic camping/shelter gear and …


Letter Re: Bicycles as Bug-Out and Utility Vehicles

I read SurvivalBlog almost every day. I see lots of folks talking about bug out vehicles, going to great lengths to describe storing fuel long term, stripping down vehicles and even planning on parking them out of the way when fuel runs out. But I rarely see much mentioned about one of the best long term, low tech tools out there for transportation: The bicycle, the cargo bike and the adult tricycle. Bicycles are inexpensive, ubiquitous and take only a pair of legs and half a brain to use. People in Third World countries haul huge amounts of stuff with …


Letter Re: Tidal Waves of Urban Refugees

Jim, I was stationed on the DMZ in Korea with the 2nd Infantry Division. One of the big concerns the US army has is all of the millions of refugees that will be on the roads going south, if the North Koreans were to invade. We would be moving heavy equipment, and needing to move it fast, and the roads would be very congested. The US and the ROK army now have an agreement, that the ROK army would be responsible for clearing the roads, and believe me, they will. The US does not want to be responsible because, without …


Cooper’s Color Codes and Bugging Out Before the SHTF, by H.I.C.

Colonel Jeff Cooper once wrote that he was born in another country. Born and raised in the US before the Great Depression, the country of his youth was no longer. It had been hijacked by pointy headed socialists with academic degrees and not a trace of common sense. At 50 years of age I not only agree, but maintain that the “New America” based upon a globalized economy, Federalized powers, and an Urban-centered society is dying. Our great country is dying and our great cities will burn in the funeral pyre. Most Americans know that survival in our great cities, …


Letter Re: Offshore G.O.O.D.–Do You Have Your Papers?

We all know that many Jews saw the handwriting on the wall in a pre-WWII Germany, but failed to leave, or could they not leave? There was obviously a window of opportunity for most to leave but why did so many miss it? Some were not wealthy, but were able to escape. Some had the money, so why could they not leave? If one only has a few moments in which to leave a foreign country, is the house in order? My sister dwelled on this problem and then looked at her own family. She was the only one with …


Letter Re: Viability of Central America Retreat Locales?

Hi Mr. Rawles, I thank you sincerely for all of the great information that you have made available to us all, for all your years of experience and knowledge. I have what I hope will be an interesting question for you. I am young, 25, and currently work for an NGO in Nicaragua and previously did the Peace Corps work here as well. I have been pondering over how reasonable Nicaragua would/could be as a retreat location, for numerous reasons, such as, in any given area: Rich topsoil and annual rains Extremely low population density (lowest in Central America) Low …


Two Letters Re: Backpackers of the Apocalypse: Selecting and Ultra-Lighting Your Bug-Out Bag

Hello Mr. Rawles, Thanks again for this blog; it’s my nightly reading before bedtime. Regarding the letter from John the Midwestern Hiker, here are some other possibilities/opinions about bug-out bags. Naturally, edit as you see fit, should any of this merit mentioning…. Because I live in a large metropolitan area in the eastern US, I try to remain prepared for just such a bug-out event. I know approximately how much time I would need and how much fuel I would need in order to arrive in “Free America”–my fuel tank is never less than 3/4ths full. I have at least …


Backpackers of the Apocalypse: Selecting and Ultra-Lighting Your Bug-Out Bag, by John the Midwestern Hiker

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary to get out of Dodge, a decent respect for the integrity of one’s spine demands that every item in your bug-out bag be submitted to a candid evaluation. Forgive me for cheekily paraphrasing the Declaration of Independence, but it does make a point that every preparedness minded individual needs to consider: if and when you need to get out fast with only the items you can carry on your back, what are you going to take, and what are you going to carry it in? The first major consideration that …


Letter: Re: Storing Emergency Supplies in Plastic Tote Bins for Rapid Evacuation

Dear Mr. Rawles, R.D. of Wyoming mentioned a very practical way of storing supplies – in 22 gallon plastic tote bins, each with a good variety of items to last about one month. Perhaps this is a basic system for many, but I hadn’t thought of it myself and plan to rearrange our storage items in a similar manner as soon as I can. Presently, I am laid up with a broken leg so am ‘dead in the water’ for working on our storage program. My darling husband is tolerant of my ‘hobby’ but is definitely not one to work …