Category: Retreat Logistics

Building a Versatile AR, by Bulldog

Living the prepper lifestyle for many decades has fas its perks…well, sort of! It typically means there are mounds of extra supplies, boxes of spare parts, jars of both home and commercially canned foods, dry-canned foods, buckets of grain and beans in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers, and shelving anywhere it can possibly be built. Yeah, I’ve probably left out a few things, but you get the idea. It also generally means you are often versed and proficient in tasks the average person has never even considered. This of course can be a hindrance when you and your wife are …


Vacuum Sealers: For More Than Just Food, by 3AD Scout

We have had a Vacuum Sealer for over two decades having received it as a wedding gift. Although we originally used it for food storage over the years we have found other things to vacuum seal for survival. Here are some of our thoughts and experiences on vacuum sealers For Prepper Food Storage When we first got our vacuum sealer I started sealing up white rice. I did packages with two cups of rice and then placed them inside a five-gallon food-grade bucket. As time went on we started to seal up five cup packages as well. The two-cup packages …


Solar Powered Water Pumps: The Shurflo 9325, by Tunnel Rabbit

This article is in response to a question that I received from another blog reader, that was forwarded to me by the SurvivalBlog staff. Reader O.S. had written, to ask: “I would like to ask a question regarding your Aug 4th, Survival Blog article in the water section.  You mentioned an “inexpensive Shurflo model number 9325″.  I would like to confirm that the model number is exactly the one you are noting.  The reason is, the best price I can find online is $895 at this location: https://thesolarstore.com/shurflo-9300-submersible-solar-water-well-pump-12-24v-model-9325-043-101-p-500.html Other dealers have even higher prices.  When you noted “inexpensive”, it led …


Bartering in a Post SHTF World – Part 1, by D.K.

What is Bartering? Bartering is the exchange of goods and services between two interested parties that does not utilize the current U.S. fiat monetary system, or any national currency system for that matter. Movies and television have presented numerous visuals that help people conceptualize what this might look like on a large scale like “The Hob” in the movie The Hunger Games. In lay terms, incorporating barter items in your preparedness plans is an attempt to anticipate the future needs of those near you or at your destination if bugging out. Words of caution when it comes to bartering: Anyone …


What is Old is New Again – Part 2, by 3AD Scout

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Keeping warm will be another area where we revert back to old ways. I see lots of prepper articles and YouTube videos about sawing wood for heat. Back in the bygone days, one of the daily chores of children was picking up “sticks”. Many of us may remember the old nursery rhythm with the line “five, six pick up sticks”. These sticks were used for cooking. Heat from the daily food preparation was just an added bonus in the colder months. We may want to lower our expectations of post-TEOTWAWKI comfort. Trying …


What is Old is New Again – Part 1, by 3AD Scout

As consumers, we are bombarded with new and improved devices and other consumer goods constantly. Buying something to make our daily work and tasks easier has been ingrained in our psyche over the centuries. As I prepare for the end of the world as we know it (TEOTWAWKI), I don’t look for the “new and improved” devices that have electronics, require power (either AC or DC), are made of plastic or that are made in China. That does not mean that I don’t have a Ham (amateur) radio, flashlights, solar panels, and plastic items made in China. What I mean …


Letter Re: Prepping and Squaring Away Rifles

Reader M.M. sent this letter, in response to the two-part article titled Prepping and Squaring Away Rifles, by Tunnel Rabbit: I would like to add my opinion to the recent article by Tunnel Rabbit (TR): I do not know how anyone [in the U.S.] can live on $5,000 per year. I understand that the purpose of the article was for an example of “getting by” on low income. He is making the best quality equipment he can on a low budget which shows that it can be accomplished. Let’s start with the AR rifle design. It is not perfect but …


Prepping and Squaring Away Rifles – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

I am not writing much for SurvivalBlog these days, since I am busy preparing for the worst. This is fortunately my lifestyle, and I am constantly prepping. Currently, I’ve been working squaring away three old Mauser rifles for long-range work. They all need scopes and I had to wait until I could afford to get that done. I am an aging man with many physical limitations. My income is less than $5,000 per year. I receive no regular check from any source and so I am forced to operate under austere conditions and a super tight budget. If I cannot …


OGRE Enviroclean FA Gun Cleaner, by Thomas Christianson

OGRE Manufacturing Enviroclean FA is an effective, versatile, low-odor gun cleaning solvent. It is made in the USA, and competitively priced at the time of this writing at $10 for a 4-ounce bottle from www.ogremfg.com (by way of comparison, a 4-ounce bottle of Break Free CLP was priced at $11.99 from safariland.com ). If you plan to use a lot of Enviroclean FA, you can get a whole gallon for $90. The low level of odor that Enviroclean FA produces while it is being used to clean firearms at the kitchen table is valuable for helping to preserve the domestic …


How to Install a Woodstove in an RV or Small Cabin, by Tunnel Rabbit

As the collapse occurs, slowly or suddenly, friends and family will need to be provided housing at a retreat location. Most retreats are not large enough to adequately house all the family and close friends that you’ll want to help with security and food production. They can park their recreational vehicle (RV) on your property, or perhaps locate a large storage shed that is converted into a small cabin. In either case, in all but the southeastern United States, these shelters will need a wood stove installed. This discussion focuses on installing a wood stove in an RV as that …


Improving Local Security – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 1.  This concludes the article.) Using military field telephones as our primary communication method solves a number of training issues. And they are the most sustainable communications technology for an austere environment. Most importantly, field phones defeat several significant threats. And take note that using the same inexpensive insulated wire, we can operate remote transmitters, a P.A. or intercoms at gates, hard-wired trip wire alarms, and low voltage DC lighting as a part of our security operation in a fixed location. Low-cost and durable WD1A wire can also be used as tanglefoot, anti-vehicle, to construct HF antennas, …


Improving Local Security – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

In anticipation of a worst-case scenario that is well depicted in the Bible’s book of Revelation, I fortunately relocated in 2005. I live on the edge of the wilderness in a mountainous and heavily forested part of western Montana. Simply being located in this remote region of the country, and given its terrain, greatly increases my  odds of surviving The End Times, if that is possible at all. When Will the Country Explode with Violence? The debate over a slow decline versus a fast decline is now academic. We are indeed seeing a ‘quickening’, a higher frequency of attacks on …


Shelving: Storage Projects – Part 2, by A.F.

Back to building cabinets. A cabinet is only a box built from materials the same width having smooth parallel sides. For wall hung units, the depth is usually around 12 inches. If you subtract for the thickness of face frame material (approximately ¾ inch) then the plywood panels can all be cut at 11-1/4 inches. You can make them which ever width you want, but an advantage of this size is that each full sheet of plywood can yield four sections eight feet long. If you are brand new to woodworking, keep in mind that a saw blade eats somewhere …


Shelving: Storage Projects – Part 1, by A.F.

We never have enough storage, do we? Be it a lack of dry coverage for equipment and gardening tools or pantries that are packed so full that first in first out rotation becomes a full contact sport. I enjoy working with my hands and trying to solve problems. In this two-part article, I hope to share some insights, ideas and projects that have helped us with storage for food, preserving supplies, and household items along our self-reliance journey. When we purchased our home, the property included a 24-foot by 30-foot dirt floor metal building, a derelict house, and the most …


Sentry Tuf-Cloth Cleaner/Dry Lubricant/Protectant, by Thomas Christianson

Sentry Tuf-Cloth provides a conveniently-packaged, non-toxic, lint-free cloth for cleaning, lubricating, and protecting cutlery, firearms, tools, and other metal objects. It is made in the USA, and is available in vapor barrier foil pouches or in plastic jars in either a standard version or in a marine version that is designed for more corrosive environments. The Tuf-Glide CDLP (clean, dry-lube, protectant) solutions that impregnate the cloth are also available without the cloth in pen applicators or in spray bottles of various sizes. At the time of this writing, the standard and marine Tuf-Cloths in the foil pouch were priced at …