Category: Retreat Architecture

Letter Re: Some Preparedness Lessons Learned

James, The need for usable skills in tough times, goes without need for embellishment. The grand question is: which skills are the most valuable? In any situation the basic needs are obvious – food, shelter, and clothing. Choosing what I would concentrate on learning, became predicated on what I could do, and what the community could provide in stressful times. I moved some time ago from the gulf coast to Tennessee to retire and begin preparing for the coming events. I moved into a community which is pretty much self sufficient, mostly by religious choice. Livestock husbandry ranges from cattle …


Letter Re: Real World Observations on Fighting Crime and Criminals

Hello Sir! While visiting your site this morning, I read a letter by someone talking about residential break-ins. While I don’t wish to contradict anything stated in the letter, there are a few points that should be made. 15 years ago, I made the decision to train as a Locksmith. I have my own locksmith business is in it’s 10th year and going strong. I’ve worked in banks, with police and even the DEA. I’ve been at the scene of scores of break-ins, assessing the damage as well as repairing and fortifying the sites. This brings me to the point; …


Letter Re: Real World Observations on Fighting Crime and Criminals

Greetings James, The recent article by Eli was very informative but I would like to ad one comment regarding his section referring to burglaries. I believe what I’m going to mention here is commonly overlooked as I was guilty of it myself. Eli wrote: “Go and look at your front door. Find your lock plate. When a door is forced, this is the part to give, with the plate coming loose and breaking the trim. Get a screw driver, and remove one of the screws. Realize that this is what is securing your front door. Now go buy longer screws, …


Letter Re: Hardening a Home Against Small Arms Fire

I found a product called Grancrete, that when laid down with a trowel and embedded with multiple layers of fiberglass can be made bullet proof. I was originally investigating this stuff because it was invented for nuclear waste encasement I thought it could be used for a little extra protection. After talking with a very knowledgeable staff I found out that it has never actually been used for nuclear encasement but they have completed ballistic tests and it was resistant up to a .30-06 with just a two-inch layer. I do believe that people could easily retrofit a house [with …


Real World Observations on Fighting Crime and Criminals, by Eli

I sat down to see what I could offer to share with other SurvivalBlog readers. Many topics have already been covered, so I will attempt to go somewhere new. I am a law enforcement officer by trade, and hope to provide a unique perspective as such. I have seen shootings, stabbing, burglaries, robberies, etc. I have served both search and arrest warrants. I work in the southwest US, and have worked in very affluent areas as well as very poor areas. What follows are some observations of my time on the job, relating to a few different areas and crimes …


Letter Re: Hardening a Home Against Small Arms Fire

Sir, I wish to inquire about hardening a home .I n a firefight, when in a “normal” home, shots would traverse the walls. Being a simple farmer here in southeastern Idaho I am a little concerned about the current turmoil and possible Golden Horde. I know that when I was in Rhodesia, we built earthen berms around the home like big flower boxes along with 2″x4″ mesh wire to stop RPGs. We also had built two perimeter fences and placed crushed white stone inside the two fences ([each] nine feet high). Also I am interested in how to pump water …


Letter Re: Finding Like-Minded Folks

Hello, I’ve read your novel “Patriots” and I feel compelled to mention that it was the first book I ever defaced. I’ve always loved reading, but I read (and in some cases even re-read multiple times) books but never highlight or mark up the books. I don’t know why, I just don’t. It was almost immediate, like a lightning strike… that I needed to change what I was doing when I started reading Patriots. It even occurred to me that I needed a couple different colors to distinguish separate types of information. I absolutely loved the story line, not because …


Letter Re: An Inexpensive Alternative to HESCO Bastions

Jim Hello! Some time ago, I read a post on SurvivalBlog about the HESCO bastions. Very interesting. I follow another blog here [in Brazil] , and one of the bloggers tell me about the huge fertilizer bags that he uses at his farm. (It is a [large scale] soy bean farm). Each bag is of one of one ton capacity. And he tells me that this bags are thrown away after use. Well, I think it´s a good source of almost free HESCO bastion equivalents. – The Werewolf (SurvivalBlog’s correspondent in Brazil)


Letter Re: Victorian Era Farm Skills in the UK

James, Thanks for your continued efforts in continuing to bring the right thinking to a troubled world. I have one heads up and one question that you might be able to help with. 1. Heads up : For UK-based readers (and those who have access to UK IP address) you might like to point out to them a series currently running on BBC 2 : Victorian Farm To quote from the BBC site: “Historical observational documentary series following a team who live the life of Victorian farmers for a year. Wearing period clothes and using only the materials that would …


Letter Re: Colonial New England Community Blockhouses as a Historic Precedent

Hello Jim, Mosby’s description of defense tactics was common all along the frontier in the 18th Century including western Pennsylvania. As defense against indian raids, a small blockhouse was built on a farm in a central location. A spring [or shallow well] for water was a necessity. When news of local raids spread, people would gather as many possessions as possible and head to the blockhouse for the common defense. This is an instance where much can be learned from history. While these small forts where rarely overrun, the abandoned farms were wide open to burning and pillage. Destruction of …


Letter Re: Choosing Between Roughly Comparable Retreat Locations

Jim. To follow up on your response E.G. in the southeast who has such good neighbors. This reminds me of the small town in Maine where I grew up. Back in the day[s of early pioneer settlement]. this community, like so many agricultural ones in the region, hosted homesteads that were spread out much like E.G.’s friends in the southeast. At the time, raids by indian parties were the norm as relations fluctuated between harmonious and deadly. As it was more than obvious that a homestead family alone could never hope to hold out against a band of forty warriors …


Letter Re: Home Invasion Robbery Countermeasures–Your Mindset and Architecture

Hi Mr. Rawles – I’ve been reading, and enjoying, your survival blog for some time now. There has been a recent thread on home invasions, which has gotten me to upgrade my home door security. While surfing the web reviewing door frame reinforcing products, I came across a link to an interesting article on the techniques used by firemen to breach your doors and gates. While the steps I am now taking would defeat most “kick in” assaults, stopping a determined crook with a [police or] fireman’s “Hallagan” tool seems unlikely. Thanks for your Blog, and Happy New Year. – …


Letter Re: Choosing Between Roughly Comparable Retreat Locations

Dear Jim, Thank you for the web site, it has been a great source of info. I first read your novel [“Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”] in the 4th quarter of 1999. It was very helpful for preparedness for Y2K. I read it again 1st quarter 2008 and am now re-reading with the high lighter and pen. For the folks who have not read your book, they are missing one of the best preparedness manuals out there. I have never been a Boy Scout, but my personal creed has always been to be prepared. If you have any skills at …


Letter Re: Home Invasion Robbery Countermeasures–Your Mindset and Architecture

Jim, After reading the recent letters about home invasion robberies, I’ve gotten a little paranoid about the idea of someone kicking in my front door in the middle of the night. It would be incredibly easy to do and it’s unlikely I could retrieve a firearm quickly enough to defend (I have a toddler so all guns are locked up except a pistol, which my wife doesn’t know is in Condition 3 in a drawer too tall for my daughter to reach). The Strikemaster II is out of budget (I need three of them) so I looked into having similar …


Two Letters Re: Home Invasion Robbery Countermeasures–Your Mindset and Architecture

Jim, I have not yet seen mention of “air locks” as a security layer for entry doors. Many years ago I managed a software project that included doing installs at armored car companies. The visitor entrance had you go in one set of doors to a small holding room. Here a security receptionist behind thick glass and gun ports could identify you and hold you until they were ready. Only then could you enter a second set of doors into the main facility, which would be analogous to an inner courtyard in a residential estate (i.e., an open area surrounded …