Category: Survival Mindset

A 1911 Dinosaur Turns Over a New Leaf — Switching to XD Polymer Frame Pistols

I have been shooting M1911 steel-framed Colt .45 ACPs for more than 35 years, and up until now, I’ve always considered myself a M1911 die-hard. But through those years, I’ve seen the price of Colt pistols and spare parts radically escalate. My first M1911-series pistol was a slightly-used Colt Commander that I bought in 1981 at a San Jose, California gun show, for $160. (In those days, you could pay cash for a pistol from a fellow private party, and walk out the door with it, sans any paperwork. Sadly, things have changed in California–and that was one of the …


Dress for Survival Success by George Haystack

”Wherever you go, there you are.” And hopefully so are your clothes. Therefore it is vital to think of your wardrobe as part of your survival gear on a daily basis. It’s not good enough to have a closet full of BDUs and a piles of high-tech gear if they aren’t near you when you need them. Most of the crises that people face do not rise to the level of TEOTWAWKI and these emergencies don’t come at convenient times. Events like building fires, car wrecks, or muggings come at you when your just out living your life. A firearms …


Letter Re: Riots in Greece Illustrate How Quickly Things Can Get Schumeresque

Hi James, I have found so much value in your site, I have contributed to the 10 cent challenge multiple times. I have also spent several thousand dollars with your advertisers. I believe in supporting a site that provides so much value to me and family. I’m passing a couple items along you might find interesting. First, here’s a news item about riots in Greece. It just shows how a variety of things can trigger TSHTF and things can turn on a dime: Also, here’s an interesting personal story about always being prepared and testing your gear: The other night …


Two Letters Re: Getting Your Loved Ones on Board with Preparedness

Dear Mr. Rawles, I am new to your blog (a real treasure chest!) and happened to read your post concerning the Pollys in our lives. I have also spent many of my days what seems like shouting out of the bottom of a barrel to raise people’s awareness of the potential issues that surround us. I did note that you mentioned [the television series] Jericho as a means of raising people’s awareness concerning survival, etc. Our family has been able to share our DVDs almost like a lending library all summer and had many, many friends and even acquaintances not …


Getting Your Loved Ones on Board with Preparedness

Roughly 10% of the e-mails that I receive from SurvivalBlog readers come from people that mention they have a relative that refuses to get prepared. This is usually because they refuse to believe that anything could ever go wrong beyond a localized and short-term natural disaster. (“Order and commerce will certainly be restored within a week!”) This is what I call the Pollyanna syndrome. How someone could have witnessed the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina so well-documented on television, yet still maintain a “Polly” attitude astounds me. Convincing Pollys to to get prepared can be frustrating, especially when they stop listening …


Letter Re: Food Storage Versus Expecting Manna Falling from Heaven

Dear Sir, Thank you so much for your insightful and educational blog. I highly respect your opinion and I am e-mailing you today to ask for your advice. My husband and I are both conservative Christians who are totally committed to being prepared. Our problem is that we have encountered other conservative Christians who believe that manna will literally fall from Heaven if famine comes upon the land. I was personally told by my former pastor that I was “stupid” for storing food and owning guns. He also told me that by being prepared I was demonstrating a “lack of …


Two Letters Re: Finding Abandoned Properties, Post-TEOTWAWKI?

Sir, First let me say that I agree with the sentiments of D.O.’s reply to the original post. However; In a situation even less drastic than another depression, I believe there will be ‘abandoned’ properties everywhere you look due to foreclosures and displaced persons that can no longer find viable employment and have moved in with family or on to ‘greener’ pastures. The homeowners that lived in them, built them, and called them home, will not own them anymore. These homes will still have an owner, that would be the ‘bank’ that held the note, and also in some cases, …


Letter Re: Finding Abandoned Properties, Post-TEOTWAWKI?

Dear Mr. Rawles, I recently became a fan of your blog and wanted to commend you for your work in educating the masses. While I don’t have a retreat, I’m using a different strategy and hope for your input. I live in western Maryland. Historically we are fairly disaster-proof from natural disasters enjoy all four seasons. My plan is to prepare (as best we can here) and after a disaster, claim a better vacant property. Two other thoughts: I recently purchased David Blume’s book “Alcohol Can Be a Gas” and intend to fuel my own flex fuel vehicles and have …


Letter Re: Peakniks Need Better OPSEC

James, Regarding those who gave their street addresses in the Peak Oil article that was recently mentioned: Indeed, it boggles the mind when people appear to have absolutely no concept of OPSEC. It betrays a mind that apparently has little or knowledge of the human animal, which the substitute for which must necessarily be a fantasy of some sort. If giving your address isn’t enough, how about these folks providing a full set of downloadable tactical maps for your retreat? Understandably they’re running an operation that provides for open visitation, for which the cartoon of the hippie village layout would …


The Foundation of Basic Preparedness, by Doc Gary

Much has been written on The Blog concerning the 4 G’s, getting right with God, Ground, Grub and Guns. I believe that another “G” exists for most, if not all, of us and that is “Group”. The family unit is the original group and the most basic. This is not to say that individuals cannot go it alone. Man, however, is a social creature and survives best (biology aside) with others. We have faced the challenge of preparedness as a family. The issues are, of course, the same as for anyone like-minded. Most issues have to do with mind-set, some …


Letter Re: Survival is About Skills–Practice Makes Perfect

Mr Rawles, You’re regularly posting first hand stories about the need to test gear. Imagine my surprise when my arrogance that that didn’t apply to me proved false! You really do need to test equipment and skills! Unused tools (both physical and mental) are useless tools! I store gas for my lawnmowers in two five gallon plastic containers. I figured that I’d pour what was left in them into my car when I put the mowers away for the winter. I know you always recommend being able to relocate more than one tank of gas away, so I figured I’d …


On War, Gardening, and Cooking for Bad Times, by Elizabeth B.

Wars are forever. The memories seem to never end for families. They are passed on from generation to generation.The Civil War, World War I, World War II, Vietnam, Iraq. What remains is not even so much who won or lost, but rather the memories of war center on beloved family members that died and the foods of these times… I’m only in my 50s, yet our family oral traditions date back earlier than 1860, but that is where I will start. My great-grandfather’s two brothers marched off to fight in one of the major Civil War battles that no one …


Two Letters Re: Adapt to Survive, by Elizabeth B.

Mr. Rawles, I can understand Mrs. B’s reasoning from a long term standpoint. But, what I believe she is missing is that most of what is trying to be conveyed to people on this site is to stock up on articles such as food stuffs, hygiene supplies, bartering goods and such for the period of time that will exist from the point that the realization of a SHTF time and the time when all the skills and knowledge will be needed to sustain life. For an example, lets say that it’s October or November and everything has just fallen apart. …


Five Letters Re: Prisons and Other Institutions Amidst a Societal Collapse?

Mr. Rawles- I just finished reading the letter sent in by the correctional officer regarding his prison’s security infrastructure and keeping the prisoners in during a SHTF scenario. I think he’s missing an important element regarding keeping prisoners in the prison: He assumes the prisoners will be attempting to get over or under the fences unaided. Prisoners have families and social connections on the outside. During a true SHTF breakdown, some of those outsiders will take risks on behalf of their incarcerated loved ones. The fences that should be an obstacle could be breached with a vehicle from the outside …


Letter Re: Your Next Career in the New Economy

Dear SurvivalBloggers: So, you’ve prepped and developed skills but what if you actually need to work through the depression? What if the depression lasts longer than your preps and the ‘new economy’ isn’t amenable to your current job which requires factories, computers and shipping etc? You can either learn a useful trade like being: A Veterinarian or Doctor, but there probably isn’t enough time to go to school for six years. You can learn another useful skill like plumbing, welding, carpentry etc. But then you’re competing with other plumbers, welders, and carpenters. Or, you can have some kind of cottage …