Category: Outdoor Survival

Letter Re: AR-7 Type .22 LR Survival Rifles

Jim, Regarding the Henry [AR-7 pattern] survival rifle, I feel it is important that readers be made aware of the front sight – in case anybody is considering ordering one before actually handling one. The front sight blade is a piece of plastic which is easily bent slightly with side pressure, and can easily be moved side to side with thumb pressure. I almost purchased the Henry survival rifle to carry in a backpack, in case a disturbance required me to walk a significant distance home. But without reliably accurate sights a firearm is worthless, and I have no confidence …


Letter Re: AR-7 Type .22 LR Survival Rifles

The debate on firearms manufacturers and caliber are endless, so each person must in the final assessment decide what works for them and theirs, having over 50 years of shooting, gunsmithing experience, and having taught firearms safety, I would like to offer a insight on a wonderful .22 rimfire rifle that is available from Henry Arms Company.  It is called the U.S. Survival Rifle .22. (A very appropriate name, for current conditions in this world).   I first owned a variant of this little rifle back in the 1980s when it was called the AR-7 and enjoyed the unique shooting and storage …


Video Contest Winner: Five Edible Plants in Your Yard

The winner of the 2011 Ready Made Resources Preparedness Video Contest has been announced. The winner is: Birdbath for his video on Five Edible Plants in Your Yard. Birdbath will receive a brand new Rock Rivers Arms (RRA) Elite Comp M4 (AR-15 series compatible ) complete Barreled Upper Receiver and a Trijicon Reflex sight with a combined retail value of more than $1,400! Congratulations, Birdbath! OBTW, Birdbath also submitted another great video, on P.A.C.E. Planning.


Lessons from Life on The Edge: The Evolution of My Go Bag, by Tim K.

I was stranded on the streets of Los Angeles because my so called “friend” stole my rent money.  Down and out, with no one to help, in a state where I knew nobody, I started out with nothing but the clothes on my back.  I started out grabbing odds and ends in an attempt to get by and make do.  I got some give-away matches from a corner convenience store and used a coffee can to cook whatever I could find.  After some finagling, I came up with a thick black garbage bag which held my supplies: Rain poncho I …


Two Letters Re: Hunter-Gatherer Mobile Survival

Hello, I’d expected Blue Sun’s letter to get some responses. I feel that Blue Sun mixed fact and fiction with his/her email, and I’m sure others had that impression. There will always be someone faster or stronger or a better shot. The best anyone can do is prepare for the worst and hope for the best. In earlier days, when regional populations were much smaller, nomadic cultures subsisted fairly successfully. (Many Mongolians live the same way today, albeit now with satellite television.) Such a strategy for WTSHTF is fine, but honestly even the historical hunter-gatherers had larders from which to …


Letter Re: Hunter-Gatherer Mobile Survival

Hi, Jim, It has been two years since I first wrote you about discovering your books and web site.  I start every day by reading the posts on your SurvivalBlog, without fail.  You have provided an invaluable tool and gift for readers.  What a blessing you have given so freely to others.  Thank you and God bless you for all that you do.  May you always have dry ammo and socks.   In the last week there have been several posts and subsequent replies that have really caught my attention, “Hunter-Gatherer Mobile Survival by Blue Sun” and “Lessons From Life …


Three Letters Re: Hunter-Gatherer Mobile Survival

JWR: I just read Blue Sun’s comments and feel I too must comment. I believe that he has the beginnings of what I envision as a End of the World scenario, inasmuch as the ‘friend’ from yesterday is the enemy of today. But we part company when he is suggesting that deep woods is the location for survival. I see no room for the weak or infirm nor women and children. I see only a Jeremiah Johnson-style survival thing for a lone male that is young and in good health and very good shape. How long one expects to be …


Letter Re: Just How Bad Can it Get?

JWR, I will preface by saying that I have a much different opinion on the aftermath of a significant long-term or permanent collapse of the economy and the power grid leading to a collapse of the social structure.   I have read numerous studies that indicated that, in any long-term absence of modern technology, the sort of defended retreat with family and friends, not to mention the exposure you will get bartering and dispensing charity with third parties, will be only the initial phase of a total breakdown of a functioning society.  Some say the further degradation of what we now …


Resourcefulness: How to Survive Without Supplies, by L.W.

Be prepared. This is the core logic of the survivalist movement. We work to be prepared for a variety of situations, from the common natural disaster to outbreaks of disease to TEOTWAWKI. We conduct thorough research, create organized lists and plans, shop while scrutinizing the fine print, test the products we buy, and then carefully store it all away for possible use in the future. A great deal of control and independence is involved. These steps we take to prepare, at a minimum, provide us with a sense of comfort and security. They can also save lives in an emergency. …


Letter Re: Beyond Outdoor Survival

James,     As someone who has taken multiple week-long backpacking trips in the Rocky Mountains, I noticed a couple of things in this article that I would like to address.  The first is the author’s advice on mountain shelters.  First of all, if you do decide to pick a cave for shelter please be aware that mountain lions are plentiful in the mountains and one may have already decided to make that cave its home.  I have literally walked within feet of a mountain line that was laying in its den in the middle of the day, a very unnerving …


Beyond Outdoor Survival, by Sarah M.

As a homeschooler, I enjoy reading books about survival techniques. I have to admit that I have never been in trapped in the jungle, stuck on Mount Everest, or lost in the desert (sometimes we homeschoolers do tend to get a little rambunctious and we wish we could just get lost for one day, just to test our knowledge). Nevertheless, I do know of many stories I could tell. But, that’s not why I am writing. I am writing to help homeschoolers (or other people who have some time on their hands) realize that they have an opportunity to prepare …


Helping Friends and Family Gear Up, by L.D.L.

As I sit here this evening, I am watching the aftermath of recent Missouri and Alabama tornadoes, Midwest flooding and western fires on television.  In the southeast, hurricane season will be upon them and there is always the possibility of an earthquake throughout the US. The news carries stories of our county’s continuing financial decline and overwhelming debt. I watch as the value of gold, silver and other precious metals climb and the value of our dollar continues to drop. The next segment of the news has reports of increasing gas prices, increasing taxes and increasing crime. The growing unrest …


A Guide for the Herbal Medicine Closet, by Heather F.

So you stock up on a year’s supply of medications. What then? There comes a tremendous sense of confidence when you know how to find and grow your own “medicines”. I have to begin with my very favorite herb and actually most common “weed”; though, weed is a dirty word in my vocabulary! You will find that most of the plants we consider nuisances are some of the most beneficial herbs for healing. This article has an emphasis on herbs for respiratory ailments. Herbs You Can Find Growing Wild: Plantain can be found virtually anywhere in the United States and …


Pareto’s Law and How I Survived a Real Disaster With a Survival Cache: Learning How to Learn, by David H.

In cold weather climate emergencies, one does not have the luxury of bumbling around with unfamiliar, time consuming, or downright questionable strategies for securing shelter, food and water. One’s gear must not be delicate or high maintenance, and one’s plan must be founded in strategies that have been thoroughly tested and improved upon. If one is ill-prepared or caught off guard, the cold will quickly strip away heat, water, and life.  Among some friends, there is a yearly tradition of heading to Quebec, over in Canada, where we go winter camping for about 2-3 weeks or so. Childhood friends now …


Desert Survival, by Amy H.

Every year, a group of my friends go on a week-long camping trip in a Nevada desert.  Sounds silly, right?  No trees, plants or animals, no running water. Not even roads–usually the nearest hospital is well over an hour away, sometimes two, and that’s if you don’t get lost by trying to cut across an impassable part of the desert trying to get to it.  But, it’s a good test to see if we can be self-sufficient for even just a week.  Also, in a bug out situation, some people may just find themselves having to cross through barren desert …