Category: G. O. O. D.

Packing The Vehicle G.O.O.D. Bag, by Ryan S.

This is a brief outline for preparing a vehicle-borne Get Out of Dodge (G.O.O.D.). bag or Bug Out Bag (B.O.B.). We are all hopefully suitably prepared at our homes or retreats, but what if you find yourself away from your retreat WTSHTF? Recent events and some blog readers have mentioned the importance of having a G.O.O.D. bag in your vehicle. The floods in the midwest as well as the wildland fires in my neck of the woods, speak to this necessity. what ever the situation you are facing you should be able to get back home or at least remove …


Letter Re: More About Recent Flooding in the US Midwest

Jim, I’m sending a follow-up to your link on the historic flooding in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Typical issues: Roads closed or collapsed, bridges flooded or swept away, traffic jams for miles, power and gas outages, water shortages, businesses closed, forced evacuation of 20,000 people included the local jails and a hospital. Cleanup will take months, and there will be shortages of construction material. Heck, we had shortages of lumber and sheetrock in Iowa during the Florida and Louisiana hurricanes. And what has become typical – jurisdictional disputes. Local law enforcement has its own issues, but FEMA doesn’t play well with …


After 10 Years–Some Observations and Lessons Learned by a Y2K-Era Prepper

It was June, 1998. Y2K was a salient topic of conversation. It got my attention. When the electricity went off and there would be no water to drink, and no fuel to move food to the JIT grocery stores, I could see things getting very ugly. I had been willing to fight for this nation as a member of the US Army. Now it was time to fight for my household. I bought a Springfield Armory M1A. I bought a safe to store it in. I bought another M1A (for the spousal unit of course!) I bought ammo. Lots of …


Two Letters Re: Some Observations on Recent Flooding in the US Midwest

James, I got this from a friend in Indiana: All is well at our house but the town is suffering. Here are a few comments for your edification. – Small rivers come up fast with 10 inches of rainfall. Unknown to me, but if I had delayed another 30 minutes in going home, I would not have been with my family where I was needed. – This was the first time other than snow events when I could not leave town. All roads underwater, including interstates and state highways. – My Chevy 4WD pickup will go through deeper water than …


How To Adapt To High Gas Prices, by Joel Skousen

In one of the most outrageous examples of price gouging ever witnessed, fuel prices have risen almost 10 cents per gallon per week now for more than a month. The American consumer is being held hostage to an economic and personal lifestyle that was established a century ago based upon an abundance of cheap oil and is now locked into our economic infrastructure. Most people have no ability to escape what is now upon us and getting worse. All of our cities are developed around the commuting lifestyle, allowing Americans to live in rural or suburban openness to escape pollution …


Letter Re: Resources on Packing Lists and Procedures from Expedition Planners

Dear Editor:: I have followed SurvivalBlog for some time now and find it very interesting and helpful. I believe your readers may be interested in the two following listed [PDF] articles about planning and execution of “expedition” type bicycle travel and motor vehicle travel. While not specifically “SHTF” planning, both go into great detail on selection, supplies, planning, and actual execution of trips in (or “on”, in the case of bicycles) both forms of travel and are not the typical “give me my bullets ‘n beans” articles so prevalent on other web sites. Desert Expeditions [This PDF was already mentioned …


Homestead Fuel Storage and Rotation, by NC Bluedog

Given that liquid fuel costs are climbing dramatically, and likely to continue rising, I would like to share some of the practices for fuel storage we employ. For our homestead, liquid fuel equates to four items, namely: Propane, diesel fuel, kerosene and last but not least gasoline. For each fuel, there are specific uses, distinct storage requirements and longevity considerations. Let me discuss each in order: The primary furnace in our house runs on propane. Currently, we use electricity for water heating and cooking. Our annual propane usage is between 500 to 800 gallons per year depending on the weather …


Letter Re: Retreat Locales in the Eastern United States

Mr. Rawles: I see that [in your Recommended Retreat Areas page] you only list information for retreat selection in 19 western states. Do you not think other states are worthy of retreat locations? We live on 300 acres in southwestern Missouri (Polks County). Not totally ideal I am sure, but it is home, children and grandchildren are here and more over we feel placed here by our Lord over 35 years ago. I would be very interested in hearing your thoughts pro/con on the state of Missouri so that we might be better prepared. — Paulette JWR Replies: I consider …


Letter Re: Fuel Rationing as a Deciding Factor in Activating a Remote Retreat

Hi Jim, Something that has come to mind as someone with a bug out location and bug out vehicle is that specter of fuel rationing. Now, my Bug Out Vehicle has a ~60 gallon diesel capacity which gives me approximately a 1,000 mile cruising capacity – depending on load. I keep my tanks full at all times and stabilized. As someone with a remote “country home”–that requires fuel to get to–I’m very concerned about having enough fuel to make it to my location. Fuel rationing is a new “breakpoint” that I’m adding to my bug out SOPs, as a trigger …


Three Letters Re: Preparedness Considerations for College Students

Dear Jim: A suggestion for storing preparedness supplies while in college: Get a small self storage unit at a local self-store. I had one all through college, which made it much easier to move from apartment to apartment, as college students often do. It was very reasonably priced. I made sure it was in a storage facility that actually locks and closes at night. The unit was on the north side of the building, so it did not get as hot as other units. Nowadays, many cities have indoor, climate controlled facilities that are even more secure. The advantages are …


Preparedness Considerations for College Students, by Sam

I am presently a sophomore at a small, private, liberal arts college, in the northeastern United States. First, I will start with the important criteria [for survivalists] in choosing a college (after the decision of a major and program you want to be in), which I followed in High School three years ago: 1. Do not choose a school in a heavily urbanized/suburbanized area. 2. Choose a school in a small city or town, ideally with less than 50,000 people and ample farming in the region. (places like Ithaca New York, Burlington Vermont, Amherst Massachusetts, and other small-city sized college …


Two Letters Re: Getting from Point A to Point B

Mr. Editor, First, [E.I.D. presented] lots of good hints. I like the idea of getting good trail bikes and using them regularly to keep them and your self in shape. But I have long though the best comprise for distance, energy cost, and speed is a four cycle “road/trail” motor cycle. I emphasize four cycle so you don’t have to go looking for two cycle oil. Most get well over 200 MPG and have 2 gallon or larger tanks. That is a long ways. Most of the moped type things he suggests are two cycle engines. Not a good thing. …


The Precepts of My Survivalist Philosophy

In the past week I’ve had three newcomers to SurvivalBlog.com write and ask me to summarize my world view. One of them asked: “I could spend days looking through [the] archives of your [many months of] blog posts. But there are hundreds of them. Can you tell me where you stand, in just a page? What distinguishes the “Rawlesian” philosophy from other [schools of] survivalist thought?” I’ll likely add a few items to this list as time goes on, but here is a general summary of my precepts: Modern Society is Increasingly Complex, Interdependent, and Fragile. With each passing year, …


Letter Re: The Survivor Mindset

Dear Mr. Rawles; I love the SurvivalBlog. It is fun and interesting, yet it is even more, it is educational! I believe that a lot of people are over looking the biggest part of the equation when it comes to survival. It is mindset. When going thru [US Army] Ranger school I knew from the start there was no way I was going to quit. I had the mindset they could “DQ” [(disqualify)] me and send me packing but I was not quitting. In a true survival setting one has to know in his heart and mind he is going …


Getting from Point A to Point B, by E.I.D.

You’ve got your Bug Out Bags (BOBs) all packed. You’ve prepped your house for whatever reason you’re leaving. You’ve made contact with what family you could, and you trust the rest to meet you at your designated meeting place, whether it’s your retreat or just a spot along the way where your two paths converge. Everything is set. Or is it? Points A and B are ready, but how do you plan to make the trek between them? Walking is always an option, but probably a last resort. Most people aren’t in good enough shape to walk ten miles, let …