Category: Retreat Logistics

Hospitality in Exigency: Opening Your Home, by Jonathan Rawles

The tragedies of the wildfires in eastern Washington and on Maui, followed by hurricanes and flooding in California and Florida brought a secondary topic to mind: hospitality in exigency. It’s often alluded to, but it’s worth exploring the practicalities. How can a prepared household effectively support friends and family who have to leave their homes? If you successfully make your household productive and resilient, it will assuredly become a refuge to others at some point. It’s wise to consider what this might look like now. Types of Scenario Let’s start with considering the cases where you might have to offer …


The Death of the Incandescent Lamp, by OhioGalt

I was recently walking through the local Amish hardware and noticed a variety of 12 volt LED lamps with power tool battery adapters for Dewalt and Milwaukee tools. So it seems the Amish have been moving away from the old Aladdin kerosene lamps (which we have a house full of) and more towards modern electric lighting. Along side of the 12volt LED lamps were standard 120v LED and Incandescent lamps. I remembered at that moment our Washington DC administration had quietly banned the sale of Incandescent lamps as of August 1 of this year. My guess is the Amish probably …


Long Term Storage of Household Batteries, by OhioGalt

Several years ago, I began purchasing Lithium Batteries in AA and AAA sizes for long-term storage in case of some event where batteries were not readily available. I was also using them in several trail cams around the property because they would last roughly 10-to-12 months before replacement. I recently went to buy another couple of 48-packs and found the price had significantly increased. The cellular cameras I use offer a rechargeable lithium pack and comparing to lithium AA I found I could pay for the rechargeable pack in less then two sets of AA lithium batteries. Unfortunately, you cannot …


Countering Rampant Food Price Inflation, by SaraSue

When one of my daughters, who has a good job, starts complaining about how insane food and supply prices are, I pay attention.  She has started shopping at Walmart searching for the lowest possible prices.  Her recent cart rung up at $450 and she didn’t buy hardly any food – mostly toilet paper, paper towels, dog and cat food, a few household items, and enough food for a few good meals for her family.  She exclaimed, “This won’t even last us a week!”  I keep telling her to shop Costco for certain items – you get way more product for …


The Time It Takes, by SwampFox

I work as a truck driver. That means I spend a lot of long, boring hours driving from state to state. I have a regular route, covering the same roads each day. On good days, not much happens that is new or exciting, and to pay attention to my job I need a bit of entertainment in the background. So I listen to a lot of audiobooks. A handful of these have been survivalist fiction or preparedness-oriented. I have discovered that many authors and readers may possess some unrealistic ideas about what a prepared life looks like, or what life …


Getting Ready For Winter in a Northern Climate, by Hollyberry

It may now be summer but it’s time to think ahead to those cold weather months. It has been said that in Maine there are only two seasons: winter, and getting ready for winter. Winter is beautiful in Maine with the white snow, blue sky, and evergreens. Winter is also dreaded by most people but a little preparation can go a long way in making it easier. It’s also a great time to get outside and enjoy the crisp, clean air (as snot freezes to the side of your face). Its soooo tempting to just forget about winter and head …


Fiocchi .38 S&W Ammunition, by Thomas Christianson

Recently, I have been working with a couple of old Smith and Wesson top-break revolvers. One is an exposed hammer Double Action Second Model from about 1882. The other is a Safety Hammerless Fifth Model from about 1940. Both are chambered in .38 S&W. The original .38 S&W cartridge was designed for black powder. When it was first loaded with smokeless powder, the loads were light, intended to be used in firearms designed for black powder pressures. Later on, from 1922 to 1963, the British armed forces adopted a version of the .38 S&W cartridge as their standard revolver cartridge. …


Bugging Out: Some Realities, by Mr. Zipph

I recently relocated from a rural suburb in a purple state to a much smaller community in a very red state. I had long-term plans to make this move, but an unexpected career change enabled me to move sooner than expected. While my new home is not a compound deep in the woods, it does provide me with more security, more privacy, the ability to expand my gardening efforts, the option of raising some chickens and/or rabbits in the future, abundant wildlife, and a smaller community where people go to church and value their freedom. When making our relocation decision, …


Mutual Assistance Group Planning – Part 2, by Survivormann99

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Post-SHTF, a survival group will be dealing with issues that are certainly more important than occasional potholes. What happens if individuals within the group begin dragging their feet and refuse to help with group projects or refuse to spend time on security and common defense? From a pure expediency perspective, what can actually be done about people in a group who don’t help with projects or participate in security and defense efforts? Should a group sit idly by and allow a gang of marauders to loot the recalcitrant member’s home nestled in …


Mutual Assistance Group Planning – Part 1, by Survivormann99

I have been involved in the preparedness movement, at least to some degree, for a very long time. I became involved in preparedness when all like-minded people were classified as “survivalists,” although there was never a universally accepted definition of exactly what a survivalist is. There still isn’t. When that term became tainted because of certain bad actors, many of us were then classified as “preppers.” It sounded less threatening, less “Unabomber cabin.” Again, there was no universally accepted definition of exactly what a prepper is. There still isn’t. The television series Doomsday Preppers almost always seemed bent on finding …


For Love of a Troy Bilt Horse, by MZee

During my life, I have had plenty of experience with horses of the four-legged variety, acquired mostly while raising horse-loving daughters. Generally speaking, I found them to be expensive, messy, occasionally dangerous, and by the way did I mention expensive? My daughters have grown up so we no longer have horses on the property but the experience gained from this time may prove valuable should society or our infrastructure deteriorate. I have chosen to write today about a horse of a different color namely red Troy Bilt Horse rototillers which have become an interesting part of my life in recent …


A Retreat for Aging Preppers, by Barbara H.

Addressing the problems facing aging preppers. Start early! Our initial problem was two-fold: Finding sustainable land while still trapped until I was retirement-eligible. Two years before retirement, we began our search for viable land approximately 100 miles from any major city. Our initial search was for about 20 acres, a nearby small town, and off of well-traveled roads. The land had to have a water source with a full-year-running creek. Remember moving to an unknown rural community places you at a disadvantage of finding appropriate skilled help and unscrupulous persons who will overcharge you based on your lack of knowledge. …


Simple Home Logistics Planning Tips, by Kevin C.

One of the puzzles for people starting out in the business of being prepared is “How much?” How much sugar, flour, rice . . . do I need to have on hand? There are lots of sources that will provide planning figures for this, and in the absence of any other guidance, following them – at least partially at first – is a good idea. I did so. But these one-size-fits-all guides, as useful as they are, may not reflect your specific tastes and usages. Here is a method for arriving at a figure somewhat associated with your needs – …


Get Started With Scratch Cooking – Part 2, by SaraSue

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Batch Cooking This is what I’ve heard over and over from young moms, working moms, professional working parents, older adults, and all kinds of people: We have no time to cook from scratch. We’re barely keeping our heads above water on the daily. I can’t keep up with the dishes! Groceries have gotten so expensive!! Here is my advice: start small and involve the whole family. Meal plan together. Hey, it’s fun! You can talk about it over a meal – pick one when you’re all together. In another chunk of time, …


Get Started With Scratch Cooking – Part 1, by SaraSue

A question that came up recently in conversation with friends and family, is how in the world can a person provide food for their families without relying on processed foods? – every day of the year, 3x or more a day? It’s actually a really good question. And in doing so, how can one afford it? Where does this food preparation time come from? These are practical questions that modern families face daily. I honestly would much rather solve a problem I can solve than worry about all the big problems in the world. Are we going into a civil …