Category: Self-Sufficiency

Fully Practicing Your Preps, by A.C.

In our world of unpredictable emergencies, from natural disasters to personal crises, a common saying always holds true; “You don’t rise to the occasion, you revert to the level of your training.” This isn’t just my cynical view of human nature; it’s a powerful call to action, especially to us self-described preppers. It emphasizes that true readiness isn’t about spontaneous heroism or “hoping for the best”.  Instead, it’s actually about the deliberate, often unglamorous work of turning preparation into an ingrained, automatic response. When the “stuff” hits the fan,  our carefully laid plans are only as good as our ability …


The “Come as You Are” Collapse–Have the Right Tools and Skills

Introductory Note From JWR: This article is an update and small expansion to a succinct post that I made back in February, 2008. When the Second World War broke out in September, 1939, the United States had nearly two full years to ramp up military training and production before decisively confronting the Axis powers. In the mid-1970s, looking at the recent experience of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, the Pentagon’s strategic planners came to the realization that the next major war that the US military would wage would not be like the Second World War. There would not be the luxury …


A 2025 Assessment: The Emerging Artificial Intelligence Threat

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has been alarmingly rapid since 2022. Before then, AI was considered little more than a plaything or a novelty.  But now it is transforming businesses, wiping out entire categories of office jobs, and threatening human liberty. The first practical release of the Claude AI code-writing tool just by itself has completely transformed the global software industry. I’m talking about a Buggy Whips level of industry transformation. As a personal illustration, I should mention that my youngest son is now in his third year at a university here in The American Redoubt, studying for a …


Sanitation for Preppers, by A.C.

Okay, folks. This is it: The unavoidable conversation that every prepper just pretends isn’t important; we’re going to talk about your poo. In the world of survivalism and prepping, the conversation almost always revolves around a predictable list of essentials: food, water, shelter, warmth, and weapons. These are the “sexy” parts of the apocalypse, the elements we see glamorized in movies and books. But in a real, long term grid-down situation, a far more mundane and devastating threat looms large, one that is almost never discussed and rarely planned for; sanitation. The truth is, without a proper plan for managing …


Scrabble and Prepping – Part 3, by St. Funogas

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.) Our prepping will be easier, and we’ll be more comfortable if the S ever hits the F, if we use all the resources available to us. When stocking up on necessities, we’ll refer to books, articles, YouTubes, and prepping and self-reliance groups. Visiting places like Jamestown, Old Plymouth Colony, and Sturbridge Village, or attending festivals where things are done as they were in pre-technology days, can be fun activities and educational, as well. They not only teach us things and open our minds to the possibilities, but can also inspire some to …


Preparedness Primer for an Uncertain Future – Part 5, by Single Farmer

(Continued from Part 4.) Most survivalists tend to concentrate on their area of expertise and interest. The majority of survivalists I know are men and we tend to accumulate guns. It is just part of the nature of man that we like tools and guns are at their most basic level tools. I know of no survivalists or preppers without at least one gun unless they are just starting out. Over time, gun collections have a tendency to grow. Gun control for a survivalist is as the joke says means “buying just one gun instead of five.” One major problem …


How Do You Define an “Emergency Situation”?, by A.Y.

An emergency, as Webster’s Dictionary defines it, is: “…an unforeseen combination of circumstances or the resulting state that calls for immediate action, or an urgent need for assistance or relief.”  Throughout our lifetimes we may see many types of emergencies not just the Schumer Hits The Fan (SHTF) types of emergencies such as nuclear war or economic collapse that we should be prepared for. I have found that in my life choosing the prepper lifestyle has aided me in many such emergencies.  Once, for instance, I found when I was laid off from work that my preparedness and stringently frugal …


Stihl MS261C Chainsaw, by Thomas Christianson

With a magnesium-alloy crankcase, captive bar-nuts, a decompression valve, and a host of other premium features, the Stihl MS261 is its various forms represents a well-designed and well-constructed professional chainsaw. But it is the light weight and the outstanding power-to-weight-ratio of the saw that secures its place as one of the most popular chainsaws in the world. With a manufacturer-suggested retail price of $709.99 at the time of this writing for the C-M version with a 16 inch bar, the saw represents a great value for high-volume wood cutting. If you only cut a few cord or less of firewood …


Preps Starter Kits for Reluctant Families – Part 1, by A.F.

For years, my father and father-in-law would tell us that they had everything under control to handle the natural disasters common to their areas. Healthy pantries, stored gasoline and propane, plenty of firewood, tractors to clear debris or snow, four-wheel drive vehicles for movement and most importantly generators for their wells and freezers. Yet, after each big weather event both of them would tell of what they didn’t quite have ready or of supplies that they should have had. I got into the practice of calling them before inclement weather to ask if they had water and fuel ready or …


Prepare For The Consequences, Not The Disaster, by 3AD Scout

Many Preppers are often asked “what are you preparing for?” The responses are anything from a simple weather event to an extinction-level event. Having been in the field of disaster planning and response for 24 years, I cannot tell you the number of times someone from the public would call looking for our tornado plan, or flood plan, chemical spill plan and on and on. The reality is, many entities do not have disaster specific plans but rather general emergency operations plan that address the similar consequences of several different disasters. With that said, there are exceptions such as entities …


Success and Loss: Hit Twice by the Same Hurricane – Part 2, by PrepperDoc

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Resolution and Improvement Plan Finally, the clouds lifted, more sun arrived, and our power problems dissipated. From that point, we did fine waiting for the utility power to be returned. Eventually it was returned. But I had learned an important lesson: I started hunting for a better charger! Much later, I learned there was a chance that my gasoline “inverter generator” could provide steady enough power to pass for “utility power” and directly power my 48V inverter/charger systems with far more power — but that hasn’t been figured out (yet). What I …


Success and Loss: Hit Twice by the Same Hurricane – Part 1, by PrepperDoc

Intro Note:  In the interest of operational security, some details are missing or slightly altered, without obscuring the learning points we experienced. The Hurricane’s First Approach Our family is very familiar with southeastern USA hurricanes from living in a “hurricane state” for many years. Somewhat inland, we generally have high winds but not significant structural damage. Usually, there are many, many trees/limbs down, causing havoc with roads and power systems. As usual, the US Weather Service and the news media hyped Hurricane Helene to the max, threatening the usual utter destruction. We have learned to look at the National Weather …


Coolfab Flaretop Rocket Stove, by Thomas Christianson

Coolfab is a custom metal-fabrication shop in Zeeland, Michigan. They are putting out some of the most innovative rocket stove designs that I have seen anywhere, at quite reasonable prices. I recently had a chance to test one of Coolfab’s Flaretop stoves. It is a real beast of a rocket stove, with its cooking surface standing 27.5 inches above the ground and weighing in at 52 pounds. The flaring at the top of the stove allows for a respectable 12 by 12-inch cooking surface. This larger surface area enabled me to simultaneously roast hot dogs and boil a half gallon …


Prepping: Things That I Got Right – Part 1, by 3AD Scout

In a recent SurvBut ivalblog article, I shared with readers the things that I wish I could re-do in my preparedness journey. It only seemed logical that I also share some things that I got right in that journey as well. Starting the journey Number one has to be that I started the journey into preparedness. Many people write about preparedness being a lifestyle but I think it starts with a particular mindset. I can tell you the event that started me on my journey. It was one Spring in the early 80’s when I got home from middle school …


Life With Propane Freezers and Refrigerators

Via an e-mail from reader Richard T., I recently had a special request to write an article.  His request: “From a 1975 The Mother Earth News magazine, I found an obscure reference to the Crosley “Icy Ball” refrigerator and a search found it mentioned in a SurvivalBlog article from 2009. I followed the link in the article which led me on to research it some more. Using “Crosley Icy Ball refrigerator” as a search phrase in Youtube I found several short videos on it. I then discovered this was not a lost technology but this is how RV and propane …