Category: Reader-Written Contributed Article

Foraging for Fun & Survival – Part 1, by Hobbit Farmer

This article is meant to be an introduction to the world of foraging. My goal is to use my own journey to show how approachable and safe foraging can be and to inspire others to learn these skills. I am not writing this article as an “expert,” but as someone who has gained enough confidence in my skills to regularly gather wild food. A number of the “wild” foods I will mention grow in my yard or garden and I have simply stopped weeding them and started eating them instead. Here is what we are going to cover together in …


Basic Handgun Proficiently Training – Part 2, by Steve A.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) When you practice you need to use the firearm, holster, belt, and clothing that you will use when you are carrying a firearm. This will vary with the weather. Use exactly the firearm holster positioning you will use in the real world. Cover the firearm with an outer garment such as a coat or shirt as you will be wearing when carrying. Ear and eye protection are mandatory at the range. You may wish to include a baseball-type hat to better protect the eyes from things like hot brass during ejection. Unless …


Basic Handgun Proficiently Training – Part 1, by Steve A.

After much thought and research you have decided to carry a concealed handgun. You are of sound mind and have met all the legal requirements to carry a concealed handgun and understand the risks and potential liability. You have some exposure to informal shooting but no structured training. Your decision to shoot or not shoot is a binding decision. The aftermath of even a justified shooting will include at minimum dealing with the police, your lawyer, and almost always a grand jury. There is much more to this decision on many levels. And never forget that you are responsible for …


On Growing Older – Part 3, by A.E.

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.) Adding families into the social mix of the hunting group made socializing more complex. Basically it meant there were three levels: the men who could and did get along, the women who might get along, and the kids who would usually get along with a little parental supervision. There were exceptions. There was the woman who I’m sure had vinegar instead of blood in her veins, another woman looked for things to complain about and make an issue of, and the woman who would drag a hapless family member into their tent …


On Growing Older – Part 2, by A.E.

(Continued from Part 1.) It hasn’t been until recently that I would have called myself a prepper, it was just something that our family always did. My family lived through the blizzard of 1948 in Wyoming because my mother always kept a months worth of food in the trailer house. Between that and harvesting deer, antelope and a couple of cows that froze to death standing up during the blizzard, the families associated with us, part of an oil drilling crew, fared reasonably well. (Yes, my dad did pay the rancher for the beef. The rancher lost over 200 head …


On Growing Older – Part 1, by A.E.

I am growing older and have celebrated the birthdays to prove it. Note that I am not calling myself old…It is too easy to convince yourself that you shouldn’t do something because you are old. No excuses, but there are limits. Instead, I continue to make my to do lists and push forward as best I can, testing my limits and recognizing that the joints are stiffer, the muscles weaker and the stamina slipping. There is no avoiding the slow march of time and the effects on the human body. The most we can hope for is to slow it …


Finding, Buying, and Improving My Bugout Location – Part 3, by Greg X.

(Continued from Part 2.  This concludes the article.) I purchased the property in the winter out of a bankruptcy for a good price. This left me with some money to invest, but I plan to do as much of the repair work as I can. This may take longer than contractors (who are hard to find too) but I also don’t want to appear too wealthy to the neighbors. This is the Grey Man approach. I’ll use the neighbors to source inexpensive local materials and contractors for work beyond my skill set, safety, or time to invest. For example, I …


Finding, Buying, and Improving My Bugout Location – Part 2, by Greg X.

(Continued from Part 1.) My Detailed Search I spent the first couple of years looking at real estate online. I’m trying to find a property that is at least 3 hours away so in-person viewing wasn’t efficient for my initial search. I wanted to get a feel for what was for sale, what were prices like, how much money did I need, and what kind of amenities were in certain areas. I would map driving distances and roads looking at drive times, rush hour constraints, fastest routes and number of alternate routes. Zillow.com and Realtor.com were my favorite search sites. …


Finding, Buying, and Improving My Bugout Location – Part 1, by Greg X.

Introduction In this article, I will describe my search for a bugout location (BOL). I would consider it typical for someone living in the eastern United States. I closed escrow on that property last May and have been working on the place every weekend since then. — If you search the Internet and you will find multiple articles about the perfect bugout location. Most articles will contain a standard list of recommendations that require tradeoffs and sacrifices most of us don’t want to or can’t make while staying within our value systems and life constraints. I would argue that “the” …


Long-Term Survival Poultry, by J.S.

A few years ago, we moved out of the suburbs and onto a farm/homestead with plans to start raising every farm animal imaginable. Lots of friends and family thought we were crazy, but we had spent years researching animal husbandry and couldn’t wait to put our book knowledge to work. We moved in around Christmas and by mid-January we had baby chicks in the brooder and some donated hatching eggs in an incubator. While our farm is not our main source of income, we do run it like a business and each spring we raise a few hundred pullets (young …


A Florida Vacation, or SHTF?, by Z.P. Wilson

Greetings from Michigan, where the summers are glorious, and the winters long and cold. My wife and I have lived here all our lives, and have endured the seasonal cold by hunkering down at home with books and television. During our work lives, I often told her that when we retired, we would travel to warmer places when the snow flies. We retired last year, so this was the first winter to put my idea into effect. I rented a house in Florida for the entire month of February. As we made plans for what to do and what to …


Building A Bicycle Generator, by Ed J.

Being able to generate even small amounts of electricity post-SHTF will be very valuable. A simple, human-powered, 12-volt generator can be constructed easily and for very little money. I started with a used bicycle that I picked up for $50 bucks. I recommend a bike with multiple gears as you are probably going to be using a very low gear most of the time. Single-speed bicycles tend to be geared very high, and it would take a large amount of effort to pedal one of those while powering a generator. To construct this system, at the very least, you will …


‘Aging Out’ of Prepping: I Think Not!, by The Wild Hare

There was recently a request for a SurvivalBlog article on “aging out” of being an active prepper. The article request mentioned: “Things that sounded so doable 20 years ago are no longer possible for us. Looking at TEOTWAWKI from closer to 80 than 50 is a whole different kettle of fish.” (SurvivalBlog, February 23, 2023.) I’d never heard the term ‘aging out’ until JWR thoughtfully lit me up like a Christmas Tree in suggesting this as a writing contest topic. I’ll take the bait, because what this 78-year-old prepper has heard is the relentlessly ticking clock getting louder each year …


Homeschooling Nuts and Bolts – Part 2, by R.B., EdD.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) CURRICULUM—OH MY! This is a truly scary word for beginning homeschoolers, and it really doesn’t need to be. You are the one who gets to decide what is taught. And you need to do that before you look for instructional materials. That means you should know what you’re aiming at. And you DO know, don’t you? Certainly your list at every level should include: 1. Reading and vocabulary. Instruction in reading can begin very early with some children, while others have to wait for reading readiness to develop. That’s absolutely OK. You …


Homeschooling Nuts and Bolts – Part 1, by R.B., EdD.

It is common knowledge that American public education is a failure. We have known for years that our students do not measure up to students in other countries, even very poor ones. For decades we have seen national test scores sink, and employers are constantly telling us they cannot hire workers with basic skills. But most parents still believe their local school is excellent and their children are getting a good education. The schools tell us how good, caring, and professional they are. They have mottos that ooze care and concern that every child should reach his/her potential in every …