James Wesley, I thought some of your other readers might like this. It is a conversion kit that turns your Ruger 10/22 into a takedown rifle. It is also is available in a short-barreled rifle (SBR) configuration. [This requires a $200 Federal Transfer Tax, for U.S. residents.] Either of these configurations could easily fit in a gym bag or backpack. – Adam P.
James, Thank you for your excellent web site and the forethought that has gone into making it so successful. I wanted to make a brief comment on the “Adaptation to Cold Environments, by D.W.” piece which appeared 11/24/11. One of the best ways to maintain internal body heat is by increasing specific foods in one’s daily diet. During extreme cold conditions, there are few foods that improve thermoregulation better than fats — specifically, animal-based fats. Fat is an easily digested, readily utilized metabolic heater that “stokes the furnace” to help maintain body temperatures during extreme cold conditions. Although our culture …
This time of year we have a lot of hides on hand – deer, elk, and even cow hides when we are butchering. We’ve tanned them, traded them for gloves, given them away to others, but usually we just dispose of them. Not anymore. This last year we’ve been experimenting with using rawhide, and after a year, we are convinced having rawhide on-hand is one of the more valuable items for regular or emergency use. It is quite easy to process, unlimited in its use, and readily available to most of us. Hopefully some of our experiences get others thinking …
James Wesley: As trees go dormant, you can look for saplings to transplant and seed to germinate. In the southern US, right now is the time to look for persimmon fruit to get seeds. Persimmon grows on the edge of fields and as an understory tree. About the time of the first frost, the fruit loses it’s famous sour taste and becomes sweet like an apricot. At this point,the fruit is wrinkling and starting to look spoiled but it isn’t. Look for 1″ orange fruit hanging on bare branches in moist areas, roadsides, and power line easements. Animals eat the …
James, Excellent article on the Field-Test Improvements to a Go Bag by Todd S. A couple of suggestions for your readers. First, as an experienced backpacker, I agree with the assessment about the socks. Athletic socks just don’t cut it for backpacking. In fact, no cotton socks will work effectively. Two moisture-wicking pairs of socks is sufficient for several weeks at least. I have learned, however, that the moisture-wicking performance is lessened with each day of use unless the socks are washed with soap and dried. The sweat from your feet contain salts and oils that will degrade the performance …
In September of this year I took my JanSport Trail Series external frame backpack, aka “Go Bag” into a controlled field test. It was a 2-day, 1-night, hike and camp excursion into a rainforest in the Olympic National Forest in Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula. The purpose of my trip was to test my Go Bag as thoroughly as possible. What I learned surprised me and two days worth of practical experience greatly enhanced my previous two years of “theoretically” planning. The concept of a Go Bag for me is not “bugging out” or leaving my home for greener pastures. A …
Jim: F.J.’s BOB article was dead on – Kudos! We tend to approach things head on as opposed to tackle out problems at angles. Why do I say it this way? I challenge any of your readers that have issue, first, in a calm environment to take a pleasant – stress free hike in both the summer and the winter. Leave on a Friday afternoon, and come home on a Sunday. Be somewhat adventurous – Hike in Friday night, set up camp, then Hike 10 to 12 Miles Saturday. Then Sunday Hike out another 6-8. Pick a date …
My family is the most important thing in my life. I sometimes ask myself, what will I do if there is some event that will leave me stranded away from home? Maybe the event is minimal and my vehicle works, I just drive home. What if it is something more serious like an EMP disables my vehicle and I have to walk home, would I be able to make it home to take care of my family. This is why I have a Get Home Bag (GHB) and I try to keep myself physically fit. My main concern is the …
Greetings to you Mr. Rawles, Thank you for the blog, which is much appreciated here in the UK. I wanted to share just a few lines on the matter of bug-out-bags (BOBs) in the light of my recently re-established contact with some friends in Libya. A discussion of the politics there would not be appropriate for your site, though I would ask you and your readers to consider the possibility that they may have been lied to by the mainstream media and their bankster chums. My friends, decent, middle-class people (an engineer and two doctors) had no involvement with politics …
James, I have to take issue with the last post concerning the contents of a persons B.O.B. The writers experience of humping large loads up mountains under fire notwithstanding, I have to say that the majority of bags and packs being prepared today aren’t for natural disasters,even though they certainly would suffice for that situation. I live in a Hurricane Zone and survived Katrina, although without having to relocate. And I agree with the writer that I didn’t know of anyone starving to death .I also have read the latest figures showing FEMA is broke and aid to impacted …
Dear Editor: The unanswerable question becomes what constitutes the absolute needed contents within the much discussed and dissected “Bugout” or “Bail Out” Bag (BOB). The generally accepted definition of a BOB could be summed as providing the carrier with seventy two hours of life supporting kit. While the initial attempts to define its necessity would likely center around the need to displace due to such things as hurricanes, earthquakes or extreme civil strife I am not convinced this would constitute the apocalyptic SHTF scenario so many individuals seem to envision when compiling their BOB contents lists. I do support the …
Dear SurvivalBloggers: I’d like to thank J.C.R. for his article on the survival kit tins. I have been meaning to put mine together for a while his article definitely gave me some more things to think about. However, while I have not completed my tin build, I have been thinking about the different aspects. I have seen various articles advising that we prepare for what is most likely first (power outage, snowed in for a few days, etc.) up to however far you want to take it (up to a total apocalyptic event). With this in mind, I feel you …
As hunting season begins to kick into high gear here in central North Carolina and I begin to drag out my gear and go over it like a child on Christmas morning, I thought of something. The thoughts of a basic survival kit came to mind. As I replayed a situation many years old that could have gone badly, I made up my mind to look seriously into putting together a kit. Several years ago while deer hunting in eastern North Carolina, me and my hunting buddy wandered off into a marshy swamp and spent all day trying to get …
Dear Mr. Rawles, I just began reading your second novel and in some ways find it even more fun to watch the beginning of the action knowing some of what lies in store in terms of “future history.” But the purpose of my e-mail today is to describe a simple container I’ve been making to transport a variety of items including doses of medicine and fire starters. As many of your readers know cotton balls saturated with vaseline make really good fire starters. But how to transport them and keep them fresh? This is my method: Get two plastic 20 …
Hello, I recently read the insightful article about a Senior Citizen’s take on prepping. She mentioned that she had her grandson join the Civil Air Patrol (CAP). I am a cadet member of the Civil Air Patrol, and have been for three years. The Civil Air Patrol is the auxiliary of the United States Air Force, and performs Emergency Services, as well as Cadet Programs and Aerospace Education. There are quite a lot of opportunities in CAP; everything from learning to fly, roughing it in the wilderness, and looking for downed aircraft. I strongly recommend the program for anyone interested in …