Category: Retreat Logistics

Four Letters Re: Preparedness Through Tapping in to the Craig’s List Culture

Sir; By way of profession, I am a CPA (M.S. in Taxation), economic survivalist by persuasion. One thing you may want to caution readers about is the Internal Revenue Services’ position on bartering income. Always, always, always talk to a competent tax advisor regarding your particular situation. Under the current administration, self-sufficiency activities such as bartering with others for services or goods may be considered a reportable and taxable activity on the part of both parties. Just a “heads up” to all, we all want to stay within the letter of the law. Thanks for the listen – C.   …


Preparedness Through Tapping in to the Craig’s List Culture: Doing Well by Doing Good, by D.S.

I do not consider myself an expert on Craigslist.org. However, I do cruise our local Craigslist several times a day as I am fascinated with what people are buying, looking for and selling. It helps me keep a pulse on our local economy that I don’t get through the Mainstream Media. To that point, I have noticed a strong uptick, since the New Year, of people selling anything of value that they can. This tells me people are really starting to hurt from this incipient Economic Depression. On items I have an interest in I call or e-mail to enquire. …


Retreat Building Lighting Systems, by The Old Yooper

Lighting systems in a retreat home (not connected to the grid). My home does not fit the definition of a retreat. I built it about 30 years ago in the UP (Upper Peninsula of Michigan) when the idea of a retreat location was not on my radar screen. Only by coincidence has my home worked out to fit a retreat definition, better situated them many, not as good as some. It is quite secluded, the only house at the end of a dead end dirt road. It has never had grid power run to it. The utility company wanted as …


Letter Re: Looking at Preparedness as a Challenge

Jim: My mainstream friends feel sorry for me. According to them, I live in a world of fear rather than hope. What they don’t understand is that I enjoy the preparedness lifestyle. While they are out shopping for shoes and designer jackets, I’m buying fruit and nut trees and learning how to graft and manage an orchard. While they are at home watching millionaire athletes compete on television, I’m doing 100 reps up and down my stairs with kettle weights building my stamina. While they are watching a movie, I’m learning how to fix my car, weld, set up a …



Letter Re: Do-It-Yourself FIFO Canned Food Storage Bins–Made From Cardboard

Sir; I thought that your readers would be interested in this link to a blog where this woman’s grandfather engineered plans to make canned food storage bins out of cardboard! She says they are going on 13 years of use. She has the free PDF of plans for them on her site .I’m having my husband make me a few of these! Thanks for all that you do! – A. in Texas


Letter Re: Survival Gardening: Growing Food During a Second Great Depression

Hi Jim, Regarding the recent article on Survival Gardening, another useful reference is [the book] Gardening When it Counts; Growing Food in Hard Times, by Steve Solomon, 2005, New Society Publishers. This wonderful book is very practical and comprehensive. It contains ratings regarding how difficult particular vegetables are to grow. Root systems, seed quality and selection, homemade organic fertilizer, tool selection and care, composting, irrigation, and pests and diseases are among the many topics covered. The author has decades of experience in growing his own nutritious food, and it shows. Reading this book can help one to avoid many gardening …


The Inauguration Factor: What Will Happen to Battle Rifle and Magazine Prices in 2009 and Beyond?

There is much conjecture in shooting publications and online forums about BHO‘s upcoming inauguration. Some (myself included) have predicted that the new Administration will unleash a flurry of executive orders in their first few week. Among these will likely be a ban on semi-automatic firearms and so-called “high capacity” magazines. This may be followed soon after by the permanent re-enactment of the 1994-to-2004 Federal “Assault weapons” ban. Alas, probably too late, HK plans to build and sell their “416”-style uber-railed MR556 and MR762 rifles in the United States. The scheduled release date is “sometime in late 2009” That is the …


Hurricane Lessons Learned and Some Advice on Getting Prepared, by Ken on the Gulf Coast

Sometimes it is not an option to relocate so you have to get prepared wherever you are located. I am located on the Gulf Coast 60 short miles from New Orleans, Louisiana. We were ground zero for Hurricane Katrina, so I have a first hand experience of what can happen I will describe some things that I did right and some things that I did wrong. We were unable to relocate to a place like Idaho as we had elderly parents who could not and probably would not relocate to a more appropriate survival area. My mother was born in …


Letter Re: Waste Vegetable Oil for Fuel in Diesel Engines

Sir, I purchased a 1982 Mercedes 240D diesel. These old diesels will all run on used cooking oil [also known as waste vegetable (WVO)]. I have run mine for more than a year on 100% used cooking oil with no modification other than a larger fuel filter. You do not have to spend hundreds of dollars for a large capacity diesel filter. I bought a large water filter at the hardware store for around $30. I use the wound rope or string insert that you can buy for less than $20 per pair. It works great for a fraction 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 …


Field Gear on a Shoestring Budget: Ten Project Examples, by George S.

The following are some hopefully useful field expedients, substitutes and spares, all of which can be had for a buck to about ten bucks each: #1: Drywall Saw: if you don’t have one of those all-purpose $49.95 survival knives or field shovels from Gerber or Glock with the accessory root saw, or you’ve found that the finger-length saw blade on a Swiss Army folder leaves a lot to be desired when cutting a 2×6 [board] down to size? A bow saw or flexible survival kit saw are a couple of possible candidates that may be up to the task, but …


Letter Re: Advice on Storing and Recharging Hearing Aid Batteries

JWR, Thank you so very much for what you do! Your blog is the best resource on the net for preparedness info, news and views that I know of! My 8 year old daughter wears hearing aids in both ears,. How long can I reasonably expect hearing aid batteries to store? In the event of TEOTWAWKI, I would be heartbroken to see my little girl unable to utilize one of our most precious senses. I imagine many elderly folks may have the same problem. What a very dangerous predicament to be in, the world falling apart, and you can’t even …


Life On the Road Presents Preparedness Dilemmas, by Wandering Will

As I sit in the front seat of my motorhome looking out at the beautiful hanging Spanish moss, feel the warm breezes and know that all I have to do for breakfast is walk five feet and pluck a fresh grapefruit from the tree beside my campsite, I once again know how blessed I am. However, as idyllic and normal as the situation appears, I know full well that it can all come crashing down at a moments notice. I have always been a preparedness freak to some extent and even finished up my career as an emergency management specialist …


Letter Re: Observations on Preparedness from a Gulf Coast Hurricane Veteran

Mr. Rawles, I just wanted to let you know how much I have enjoyed your site. I had no idea that there were whole survivalist communities out there until I stumbled on a link by accident. In fact, I didn’t really know that I fit into that category myself. My wife and I live on the Gulf Coast and we discovered the hard way during Hurricane Rita that a bag of trail mix and a bottle of water, was not preparing to evacuate. Eighteen hours in traffic in a hundred and fifty mile traffic jam taught us to find the …