Category: Survival Mindset

Letter Re: Prepping for Missionaries and Other Long-Term Foreign Workers

Jim: The NGO Security Page Safety & Security Resources for Humanitarian Organizations page is a great site with lots of free NGO Security Manuals in PDF. These may be relevant to both Aid Workers overseas and civilians without military experience. The International Committee for the Red Cross Manual Staying alive: safety and security guidelines for humanitarian volunteers in conflict areas is particularly good at explaining the effects of military weapons to laymen who’s ideas about their effects come from watching too many B movies. In my experience what gets foreigners in trouble overseas is cultural arrogance and doing reckless things …


Letter Re: Prepping for Missionaries and Other Long-Term Foreign Workers

Hello,  I have been a regular reader of SurvivalBlog and am very grateful for your efforts in maintaining such a great resource for those of use concerned with survival-related topics.  I would like to make mention of a recently-published book that is one of the best I have read in this field: Everything That Follows Is Based on Recent, Real-Life Experience That Has Been Proven to Work: Professional Survival Solutions, by James Shepherd-Barron  Here is a description: “James Shepherd-Barron has worked in more than 26 countries, including the conflict zones of Iraq, Kosovo, Croatia, Central Bosnia, Burundi, and Rwanda. Once …


Converting a Standard American Home Into a Hardened Retreat, by CentOre

Not everyone can find or afford a solidly built brick home with fittings to hang bullet-proof shutters and doors. We agree with the bulk of the writings we have read concerning the ‘non-defensibility’ of the average United States home.  Our group has choices as to which house will become ‘The Retreat’ for the entire group when the SHTF.  Our group’s consensus is our ‘Primary’ retreat will probably be a 2,600 square foot triple-wide ranch style manufactured home.  It has three bedrooms, two and a half baths, a living room and family room.   There is an adequate kitchen with a totally …


Letter Re: Plan B–Call Them Your Hobbies

JWR: Some of us don’t always have a spouse that is 100% on board with prepping.  So I thought I’d send a list of some hobbies that help with prepping in a SHFT situation, and have a non-SHTF function too.  Most have worked out well for me, some my wife has become more avid than I, the remaining she tolerates. Flower Gardening – Allows for purchase of gardening tools, composting, development of good growing beds, fertilizer, books on growing and seeding, and pest control products. You will have to pay attention to vegetable safe products, but in SHTF you will …


The Prepping Imperative, by A.L.T.

Three years ago, my husband and I had never heard the terms “prepper”, “survivalist” or “bug out”.  We were blissfully unaware of our country’s and world’s dire circumstances and didn’t know how to do much of anything truly useful.  This is a chronicle of the journey that brought us to where we are today, and I have included some of the specific books, resources and equipment that are the fruit of much research and thought.  We didn’t have much to spend on equipment or commercially packed stores of food, but through providence and thrift, we are much better able to …


A Prepper Goes to College, by S. John

In this article I intend to give the prepper some Christian perspective on what is valuable in an education. First, a couple of quotes: “Youth is wasted on the young.” – George Bernard Shaw “Education is wasted on the youth.” – Michelle Hanson Many people are considering college and advanced education this year, especially with the unemployment at record highs. They believe that having a college degree will help them get out of the economic slump they find themselves in. They imagine a high-paying job in a new field, and economic prosperity. Unfortunately, college is not what it used to …


Planning for Multi Family Cohabitation, by J.B. in Idaho

There are many situations where multiple families may need to live together under one roof.  These can range from retreats for a SHTF scenario, economics such as job loss, ill health of an older family member, to a multi-family vacation.   Recently, I had the opportunity to spend two weeks in Mexico with my husband’s family where a total of seventeen people shared one house.  In addition to sharing the house, a city-wide water shut-off occurred for three days.  Also, I spent the last seven months sharing my home with a parent that had health problems and did not have means …


Raising Children to Be Ready for Life, by P.J.G.T.

It is my observation that many children are not being raised ready to live a real life. I can speak as a full time teacher for ten years and as a stay-at-home mother for the past 17 years. Here are my suggestions for how to improve your children’s education so they will be ready to think and succeed. Please do not think that our children are perfect and always wonderful. They are not! However, they are respectful, tidy and courteous to everyone. We have been told numerous times how “lucky” we are to have such delightful children. No, we are …


Prepping From the Ground Up, by N.V.

As a newcomer to the survivalist game (and by newcomer, I mean that I haven’t planned for anything bad to happen in the future except for my daughter reaching dating age), I thought it would be interesting to detail how I came to be reading this web site at this point in my life and the steps I have taken so far as a “virgin” survivalist.   I became interested in it recently due to several factors. The first is I have always found literature regarding end of the world scenarios to be fascinating.  I have read everything from On the Beach …


Lessons from Life on The Edge: The Evolution of My Go Bag, by Tim K.

I was stranded on the streets of Los Angeles because my so called “friend” stole my rent money.  Down and out, with no one to help, in a state where I knew nobody, I started out with nothing but the clothes on my back.  I started out grabbing odds and ends in an attempt to get by and make do.  I got some give-away matches from a corner convenience store and used a coffee can to cook whatever I could find.  After some finagling, I came up with a thick black garbage bag which held my supplies: Rain poncho I …


Letter Re: Hunter-Gatherer Mobile Survival

Hi, Jim, It has been two years since I first wrote you about discovering your books and web site.  I start every day by reading the posts on your SurvivalBlog, without fail.  You have provided an invaluable tool and gift for readers.  What a blessing you have given so freely to others.  Thank you and God bless you for all that you do.  May you always have dry ammo and socks.   In the last week there have been several posts and subsequent replies that have really caught my attention, “Hunter-Gatherer Mobile Survival by Blue Sun” and “Lessons From Life …


Letter Re: Morality and the Prepper Movement

James Wesley; I came into the prepper movement (without being aware there was any such movement) by degrees, through religion, a few years ago.  As an old “Latin Mass” traditionalist Catholic, there is a tendency amongst our ilk to look with suspicion upon that which is trumpeted as “progressive” or “liberal” or even “modern.”  Not that we are against real progress in some area, or resist modernity for its own sake, but because a real Catholic ought to be a spiritual man, who rejects much of what the modern world tells him is “good,” since these same things so often …


Bug In, or Bug Out?, by H.C.

I am a double transplant recipient who is 50 years old and in fairly good health but with restrictions as to what I am physically able to do.  My household consist of myself, my wife, and our 8 year old son. I also have a grown daughter that lives three hours drive to the west but she is not a major factor in emergency plans. I don’t say this to be heartless or imply I love my daughter less but,  from my standpoint, she is now on the periphery of my planning as is any other family member who is …


Getting Out of Dodge: High Time to Relocate to a Rural Area

This post will be brief, and pointed. I’ve written on this topic before, but I feel convicted to repeat the warning: The time to relocate to a lightly-populated rural region is now. SurvivalBlog reader Larry C. recently sent this web page link: Congressman Roscoe Bartlett Warns: ‘Those Who Can, Should Move Their Families Out of the City. That article includes a link the excellent two-hour Urban Danger documentary. It correctly identifies the nation’s power grids as the lynchpin. Please watch that documentary, and pray about relocating to the American Redoubt. If you feel convicted to move, then don’t hesitate. Move …


Preparing Kids for Disasters, by J.B. in Montana

Consider this possible scenario: Let’s imagine for a moment that nuclear fallout or a tornado is approaching your home. If you said to your child, “Stop what you are doing- go to the basement right now!” – would he obey without question or hesitation? Would he even pay attention to your voice if he were deeply involved in a video game or a text message? Would he whine “WHYYYYY? Do I HAAAAVE to? It’s not faaaair. Bubba got to play longer than meeeeee!” Would your daughter pout, glare at you, and sulk if she had planned to go to a …