Category: Survival Mindset

Getting To Your Children and Keeping Them Safe: Help For An Absentee Parent- Part 1, by J.C.

The United States has nearly 1.2 million divorces* of married couples. There are an estimated 25 million children* living in single parent households, and many parents travel long distances for work, spending nights away from home. Setting aside for a moment the reasons for these situations, the fact is that a large portion of children are away from either one or both parents for extended periods of time. If you are a parent who spends time away from your child, how do you plan to save them in a SHTF moment, or more importantly, get to them in a crisis …


Lessons From the Oklahoma Ice Storm of 2006, by Dr. Prepper

What I have found most useful from many useful articles on SurvivalBlog are the ones that honestly deal with personal experiences of stressful events, for example, those who have gone through hurricanes, floods, other natural storms, or man-made events. While it is useful from a planning perspective to speculate how things might be in an event that changes the world for us, there is nothing like learning from other’s experiences and what they thought went well and not so well. My family and I discovered first hand the value of preparation as well as the cost of the lack of …


The Trusting Type?

I just received this e-mail: Greetings, I know you will be surprise to read my email. Apart from being surprise you may be skeptical to reply me because based on what is happening on the internet world one has to be very careful because a lot of scammers are out there to scam innocent citizens and this has made very difficult for people to believe anything that comes through internet. My name is Capt. Kate Carr Lee. I am a member of the US ARMY medical team deployed to Iraq because of the current ISIS problems. I discover 2 trunk …


Two Letters Re: Prepper Axioms

Hugh, I wanted to reaffirm a couple of points from these excellent, objective observations and guidance: CPR – I fully concur. I am 0 for 2 performing CPR. Optimism. My mother, still alive at age 83, has been through the following: Bedridden for over a year as a child with rheumatic fever Mentally and verbally abusive husband (Sorry, Dad, but it’s true) 10lb tumor removed at age 47, full rounds of chemo, full recovery Still a Democrat and liberal, in the face of all the facts Lesson: Optimism trumps pessimism. Fight first, treat later. I fully concur; been there, done …


Budget Planning- Part 3, by Sarah Latimer

Goals and Self Discipline Before we jump into the section on budget expenses, I want to emphasize the importance of self discipline and getting a handle on what money should be used for. I realize I have spent a lot of time writing about money already, but to properly utilize and manage our money requires the proper perspective of what it is, whose it is, and how we are to view it. Getting a handle on it is just as much about this intellectual understanding and psychological perspective as knowing how it is being utilized and making concerted choices about …


Letter Re: Prepper Axioms

HJL, It is most certainly true that people should not choose to bug out in certain situations unless they have a sustainable location prepared in advance. However, many SurvivalBlog readers work far from home (well over 2,000 miles for me) and we absolutely must have detailed plans in place to get back to our families in a TEOTWAWKI event. This will become more common in a severe economic downturn. In that case, you’d be wise to have those packs prepared the author of this article speaks against, just in case your primary mode of transportation doesn’t get you home. And …


Letter Re: Prepper Axiom #5

Dear James and Hugh, Your writer of the day for June 20th brought a smile to me when I read his comments on the fallacy of “bugging out”. This topic is one that is near and dear to me, both personally and professionally as the design director for Hardened Structures and as a former infantryman and Boy Scout. Even with my training and experiences (or especially because of this training) it’s really inconceivable to me to think of providing 2,000 calories per day, every day for my family of four indefinitely, out in the boonies, with only a pack and …


Two Letters Re: Prepper Axioms

Hi Jim, It’s been a while, but I thought I’d comment on this two-part article. This guy really nails it! A total realist. I like his understanding regarding the fallacy of “bugging out” for the average survivalist, along with other realities. His emphasis on physical fitness is locked-on, just for starters. Arguably, I even have to admit that in my efforts to be a Gray Man, I’m even standing out a little bit, at present (with a flat-coyote truck, and coyote and OD green clothing). I haven’t archived anything from the site in a couple years, due to the storehouse …


Prepper Axioms That I Find Puzzling- Part 2, by N.B.

(SurvivalBlog Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SurvivalBlog, its editors, or its advertisers.) Prepper Axiom #3: “Grey man” I cringe every time I hear these words. It sounds so reasonable, but it isn’t. In essence, the idea is to make yourself so nondescript that no one pays you any notice. In theory, if they don’t notice you, then they won’t harm you. In certain situations this could work. However, I think it is very dangerous to apply it all the time. …


Letter Re: Prepper Axioms

Dear Editor, I have to comment on the recent article on prepper axioms. The author suggested oats were not part of his daily diet due to the preparation time. I was introduced to cold oats with fruit and nuts by an old girlfriend over 25 years ago. I have been eating cold oats for breakfast every day since then primarily to the taste but also for the quickness of the preparation. I make a large pot of oats. I boil 4 cups of water, then add 2 cups of oats with some ground flax seed and cinnamon. I stir the …


Prepper Axioms That I Find Puzzling- Part 1, by N.B.

(SurvivalBlog Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SurvivalBlog, its editors, or its advertisers.) My situation is not yours, and what works for me may not necessarily work for you. Only you can decide the best course of action for yourself. This article contains my opinions, which you may find useful. You may also find them bizarre or even shocking. Luckily, in accordance with natural law, you are under no obligation to accept my opinions. All that said, there are several prepper …


Escape from New York- Part 2, by Ragnar

Evaluation In the after action review, I realized there were a lot of things I learned and will do differently in the future: The small almost empty bug out bag approach worked great, but there were a few items I had room for that would have been game changers in the event something happened. In the event I have to survive with just the bag and its contents, I have since added a few items. The first thing I added was a small water filter (like a Sawyer mini). Water is key, and this was a big thing to have …


Letter Re: Monitor Your Preps!

HJL, When it came time for the 6 month change-out of my emergency water, what a surprise to find how light the jugs felt! Both of my Reliance Products Desert Patrol 6 Gallon Traditional Jeep Style Rigid Water Containers had sprung leaks. Slow leaks, so I didn’t notice in my dry cool basement, but both were half empty. Okay, out they go! Then checking my Reliance Products Aqua-Tainer 7 Gallon Rigid Water Containers, one of them was light too, having sprung a leak some time in the not-too-distant past. One had a leak near the top from having the other …


Escape from New York- Part 1, by Ragnar

There you are, in your off grid solar powered survival complex somewhere in the Redoubt, in a very carefully selected location, stocked to the rafters with every conceivable supply and armament. You are completely prepared for literally anything that might happen. ”Bring it” is your motto. Happy and confident that you have reached the pinnacle of prepping, you sit down at the keyboard to take care of some work e-mail. You open the first email and find, congratulations, you’re going to New York City! New York City? For those of us who have not moved to the middle of nowhere …


Letter Re: Moving to Alaska

HJL, A recent contributor had a great letter about their move to rural Alaska. I wish them the best of luck. Living in rural Alaska myself, though off the road system, I can only hope they fair well here. My family are in the process of doing the reverse move from Alaska to the Redoubt. Interestingly enough, I had a letter posted on Survivalblog about eight years ago about my move from the city to rural off-road system Alaska. Alaska has some distinct advantages, mainly the lack of people outside cities and available subsistence in some areas. But everything else …