Category: Land Navigation & GPS

Get Home Bag Lessons Learned, by Traveling Salesman David

I’ve been seriously prepping for a decade and consider myself a prepared and competent guy.   Y2K got me started, but the events of the past few years have kicked my preps into higher gear.   I’m confidant with my guns and food storage.  I have alternate power and heat sources established at both our home and retreat location.  I have a co-worker who includes me in his prepper group’s  meetings.  My family (immediate and some extended) is on board with our plans for TEOTWAWKI.   Although I’m not where I want to be, I’m know I’m better off than 98% of the …


Letter Re: Unprepared Sheeple in the Wilderness

Good Morning Mr. Rawles!  I had to share this link with you: Maryland Hiker Uses iPhone App For New Year’s Eve Rescue. In brief: a man out hiking on New Year’s Eve Day got lost in the wilderness.  He used his cell phone to call rescuers, and then used his “flashlight” app on the cell phone to shine a light so that the rescuers could be lowered down to him on the trail and lead him out.   My sons, who are both experienced scouters and back country hikers who teach wilderness survival watched this news story in disbelief  last …


“I Can See You” — A Digital View of Your Survival Preparations, by Dave X.

Foreword:  I design and operate databases for a living.  The newest of these are assembled on analytic platforms structured to “draw conclusions” for clients in a wide (and formerly random) variety of scenarios.  One of my developers is an analytic tools assembly expert who also works for some “security, emergency, and enforcement” government agencies in Washington, DC – all formerly separate agencies, and because of advancements in the technologies — now “interoperating”.  I am also a prepper with a Bug Out locale that fulfills my “survival vision” and inherently has most of the natural survival essentials on site, but one …


Letter Re: Planning Alternate Routes

Letter Re: Planning Alternate Routes Sir:  Thank you for your blog, your service to our country, and the info you provide. I recently moved away from the Denver metro area to a more “rural” area in northern Colorado.  There are still lots of people, but we are not surrounded.  I have done my share of preparing and believe my “tribe” could survive for possibly a year or more during a breakdown in society.  After a year I would have to change direction in my quest to remain above ground.   A nuclear attack would be a different story for us.  We …


How To Find a Bug Out Location Without First Going There, by Jen L.

I live about 30 miles north of Denver, Colorado – where there’s a metropolitan population approaching three million.  I own a 4×4 vehicle, but rarely go to the mountains and decided it was time to find a bug out location without having to go there.  Perhaps I should mention that I’m a 60 year old female, and my husband thinks the whole concept of survival is complete rubbish!  And while I own a GPS, I’m going to show you how to do this for free so you can prepare for a TEOTWAWKI situation. The USGS has maps that are scaled at 1:50,000.  The “New Generation” maps …


Letter Re: Lessons from the Road

JWR, I’d like to add just a couple points to the excellent “Lessons from the Road” article by R.W.. One key item that I feel is important is to involve everyone in the planning of your escape route. If you are the primary driver, and end up incapacitated, it is essential one of your other fellow travelers be able to take up the mantle and get the BOV to the BOL. In families, route planning can be a great way to get everyone involved and on-board with the preparations process. It also allows everyone to contribute and point out things …


Electronics for Mobile Self Sufficiency, by Blue Sun

I believe that the ultimate survival strategy for the ultimate collapse of civilization goes far beyond simply fortifying and stocking a retreat and locking yourself into a potential box canyon, I believe that the last resort for survivors is to develop the skills and knowledge to exist for years, or even for the rest of your life, in the most extreme and remote areas as a hunter-gatherer with nothing in terms of equipment except what you can carry on your back. So, here I will present part one of my must-haves for total self-sufficiency: self-contained electronic tools that can be …


Emergency Prep for Travelers, by O.P.

In March I was traveling on business when the earthquake/tsunami struck Japan.  My brother was in Japan at the time on business travel.  My brother finally made it home five days after the earthquake struck.  Meanwhile I was in Israel when the rockets from Gaza started up again, and a bombing occurred at the Jerusalem bus stop.  We both travel considerably throughout the world, and have often discussed preparations during travel for emergencies.  My brother is less concerned about preparations at home, but our experiences have convinced him over time on the need for backup options when away from home.  …


Letter Re: Google Earth — The Double-Edged Sword

Mr. Rawles, Thanks for the extraordinary services you provide and for being so generous with your time. The subject of this letter has to do with a recent article on survivalblog in which the author explained the benefits of searching for homesteads using free, online resources such as Google Earth. I recently bought and moved to a rural property. This was the culmination of over two years’ hunting for good homesteads at a fair price. So when I came across this place, I knew it was a bargain. In my searches, I found other rich sources of information: especially interactive …


Two Letters Re: Maps Can Save Your Life

Two Letters Re: Maps Can Save Your Life Jim, My Topo is a web site where you can get custom topographic or aerial view maps centered on whatever point you want.  The laminated ones are good quality (I haven’t seen their other offerings up close).  Seems like it might be useful. Sincerely, – Colby M. Jim: At http://nationalmap.gov/ustopo/ you can download a digital copy of  maps in whatever scale you want and with whatever information you want for free. You will need to print it out yourself or take it to someone who has a plotter to print the large …


Maps Can Save Your Life, by S.B.

How often have you heard yourself or others along with you on a road trip mutter four letter words when your GPS unit directs you to a road that isn’t there?  Or worse yet, you end up on a trail in the wilderness that your brand new hand held GPS unit does not have on it?  The next question that comes to mind is, where am I and how do I get to where I need to go?  In the best of circumstances there are detour signs and friendly road side workers that can direct you back to a known …


Bug Out and Strategic Planning Aids Using Freeware and Open Source Software, by Josh M.

The following is intended to introduce some free computer resources to use for disaster planning. Topics covered are Bug Out Route planning, neighborhood  resource identification, and offline data back up. My background includes growing up in the Arizona desert. Living forty miles from town and two miles to the nearest neighbors encourages one to be self reliant. Later in life I moved to and still live in the Pacific Northwest. During most of this period I was in complacent consumer mode. After the birth of my two children I began to question my abilities to provide for my family in …


Letter Re: Maps of Caves and Mining Districts

Mr. Editor: I was wondering if you could tell us a resource online where to find the locations of caves/mine shafts, or other underground shelters around the country.  I have tried to do this unsuccessfully, maybe a reader knows?  Thanks. – Robert R. JWR Replies: That goes a bit outside my expertise. I’m not a spelunker. Perhaps some SurvivalBlog readers have bookmarked some good web sites or could recommend a few books.


Incorporating Preparedness into Your Everyday Lifestyle, by Mike M.

My foray into prepping began over a decade ago after I became hopelessly lost in the Adirondack Mountains.  My birthday falls on October 24th and on this particular year, the day was uncharacteristically warm.  I felt the urge to take advantage of my good fortune by scouting out some new area for the upcoming deer season.  Telling no one of my intentions that day, I jumped into my four-door beater sedan that I fondly called “The Kevorkian” and resolved to boldly go where no man had gone before.  I went off the beaten path and drove the Kevorkian down some …


Letter Re: OPSEC Issue: Geotagging on Pictures from Smart Phones

Dear Mr. Rawles, With the proliferation of smart phones, as well as advanced cameras with GPSs installed, people may be giving away more information than they intend to when they snap and distribute pictures. This can be an operational security (OPSEC) issue. Embedded in the Exchangeable Image File (EXIF) data on the picture, the GPS coordinates of the picture location may be stored for anyone to access. This is especially a problem as people post these pictures online (for social networking, emailing to friends/family, or for online sales, etc.). This embedded GPS data can reveal the exact location of your …