Category: Retreat Security

Our Community-Wide SHTF Contingency Plan, by T.M.

We are located in the Southeastern United States. There are nine families in our “block”, with the next neighborhood or community more than two miles away. I refer to it as a block because a major highway runs through it. The only dwellings on the major highway are three houses and one country store. The rest are on a “U” shaped secondary road that starts across from the store on the main highway and ends, back on the main Highway, 1 mile east, at a cross road. We are all contained in one square mile within that “U”. I should …


Retreat Security Myths, by Grandy

The following are some of my thoughts about our planning when it comes to preparing retreat defenses.  Some will work, others maybe not as well, but I intended it to be motivation for SurvivalBlog readers to start thinking about these issues.  This is written mainly from a TEOTWAWKI standpoint and not your typical short term SHTF event.  But some of these concepts apply to both situations. #1:  The Location Myth More often than not, our retreats are in a somewhat secluded location.  Rural areas are typically the norm and the further away from built up urban areas the better.  But …


Home Security, Inflation Hedge, and Liquidity, All in One, by Scott in Wisconsin

I’ve been prepping for about five years now, and I thought I’d share a little “trick” I discovered, to cover three very important prepping problems, all at once. We all want a more secure home, of course.  If the SHTF, we may well need to hunker down and be self-sufficient for a while.  But no matter how much stuff we’ve put aside, it’s meaningless if we can’t hang on to it.  So home security is very important. We also want a hedge against inflation, which seems sure to come.  The way the Fed is printing money, and the government is …


Initial Experience With a Slide Fire AR Stock

Courtesy of one of my consulting clients, I recently had the opportunity to shoot more than 120 rounds through an AR-15 equipped with an SSAR-15 SlideFire Solutions stock. These are legal “bump fire” stocks that slide 1/2-inch, allowing you to very rapidly re-press the trigger, under recoil. The effect sounds just like full auto. It takes a few minutes to get accustomed to controlling the length of bursts. The trick is using a slight forward pressure on the foregrip. As with full auto, don’t expect much accuracy after the second shot in a burst. (I was able to keep two …


Survival Security Tactics–In All Locations, by Roy K.

I see little difference between a SHTF situation and a TEOTWAWKI situation in terms of self defense. The mission is identical; protect our family from predators whether it be for a month or years. Same challenges, same tactics, same end result. I will concede that the longer chaos prevails, then the greater desperation and violence we could expect. But, may I submit that if forced to use lethal force, a bullet doesn’t know the difference between a killer, rapist or looter. The end result is the same. No matter where you live.   The variables and subsequent permutations of survival …


Letter Re: The Disappearing Road Quandary

Mr. Rawles: I own a pretty densely-wooded 40 [acre property] in the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) [of Michigan]. The land on 2.5 sides of ours belongs to a timber company, and the land across the road belongs to the state. We live in a typical “stick built” house. It was built in the 1980s, with lots of big windows and two double-glazed sliding [glass] doors. We are four miles out of a town (about 2,000 population) but our house is only 60 feet from a somewhat heavily traveled county road. So our house is what you would probably call a tactical …


Two Letters Re: Confronting Those Who Plan to Rob Others, Post-Collapse

JWR: I read with interest the recent letter that included this: “I  fully realize what a hungry man will do to feed his family and have even been told by a law enforcement officer that he don’t need to store food. He said that he could take it for his family so they don’t starve. I know he has a large arsenal and I get his drift.” This fallacious and frankly un-Christian belief that the writer encountered is not unique.  I was discussing the need to obtain an emergency food supply with a couple of  lads who work at the …


Letter Re: Steel Cables as Road Obstacles for Rural Retreats

Hello,   I bought and read your book (“How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It”) and have read several sections of your blog, but I’m having a lot of trouble finding an item you mentioned several times – “defensive road cables”. I have Googled this exact term and all I get is your article quoted over and over. Can you please send me a link or two or three where I can buy these or other info that will help me find them. Thanks.   – M.B.V.  JWR Replies: To block vehicle traffic from roads, …


Letter Re: Observations During a Group Nature Hike

Hello James, I wanted to pass along an observation from this weekend that I thought everyone could appreciate. This gave me some good insight into what it would be like to travel by foot with a large diverse group of people. Our local nature center had a nature walk through a historic woodland valley down to the river. The total walk was 3 miles down and back. The beginning of the walk was through pastureland and the second half followed an old road grade through the woods. There were five naturalists assisting on the hike and about 30 guests. The …


The Married, But Solo Prepper – A Woman’s Perspective, by M.G.

The Married, But Solo Prepper  – A Woman’s Perspective, by M.G. Waking up to the realization that my safe, comfortable world as I have always known it to be was not the result of watching any “end of the world” movies or documentaries, or from reading something about it or from a friend convincing me.  I feel it was a gift, a freebie wake-up call from the heavenly powers that be.   I can’t help but think that I am supposed to be a survivor…..at least long enough to keep my children alive and healthy until they are grown and can …


Predator-Proofing Your Property, by John L.

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It was a morning in January, 2007 here in the Northern Rockies, a place far removed from what most folks call civilization. My wife, children, and I had lived here for thirteen years since escaping the now people-overwhelmed State of Colorado. We had searched for “The Last Best Place”, and to us, there was no difference between the State of Idaho and the State of Montana where that alluring slogan comes from. The “Last Best Place” isn’t actually defined by some line on a map; rather, it’s where you have chosen to be and living in a place that fits …


Seven Common TEOTWAWKI Misconceptions, by Brian T.

Predictions are like, well, you know what, everybody has at least one.  Many or most predictions made are wrong and the content here is no exception.  I am not a modern day Davy Crockett or Daniel Boone but I have spent a few days in the woods, and hopefully after reading this you will not think I am still lost in them.  I did not fight in any war but had my share of the military experience and the same can be said for law enforcement.  I never bugged out but did backpack and still am a gym rat who …


Prepper Turnout Gear, by Vincent H.

When I use the term turnout gear what does that mean to you?  If you’re a fire fighter this brings to mind the boots, pants and coat you don before you battle a fire.  If you’re at your retreat, or even your home, this is the gear you quickly throw on to address an unexpected problem.  In this post I hope to cover some gear I have decided would be beneficial to have under these circumstances and what I have acquired to use in this situation. The best example I can use to reference this problem to everyone is well …


Letter Re: Low-Light Tactics and Options

Officer Tackleberry’s recent article was a rarely touched upon subject in the tactical world. People like to train what they are good at and not what they aren’t so good at. Low-light takes a lot more work for a variety of reasons. I hope to add a bit to Tackleberry’s very useful article. I will attempt to not be too redundant, as Tackleberry did a very good job of describing techniques and principles… perhaps we can overlap in a beneficial way. When activating your tactical light, be it handheld or weapon-mounted, always have the light pointed at, or nearly at …


Low-Light Tactics and Options, by Officer Tackleberry

I have had some people ask how I as a police officer can defend the concealed carry rights for citizens and private gun ownership as a whole along with personally teaching firearms and self-defense to citizens.  To me the answer is an easy one.  I believe all of us have the God-given right to defend ourselves and our loved ones and firearms are a very good option in doing so.  I also believe that if there would have been citizens/students at the tragedy at Virginia Tech and other venues who were armed, trained and willing, then the death/injury tolls wouldn’t …