Category: Survival Mindset

Reality Checks for a Grid Down Scenario, By Blueleader

I sometimes hear misguided individuals who repeat the statement going around that if the grid goes down we will be thrown back to the days before electricity: The 1880s. The prevalent thought is that folks back then did fine so it wouldn’t be so bad for us to simply revert to that level of technology. Well, what if we examine your day in a post grid failure scenario? Here is a reality check for you to consider: Let us say you get up ‘the day after’ and you’re cold. Bummer. Well, in the 1880s if you got up and you …


Occupying Your Community- Part 2, by B.S.C.

Occupying An Assembly Area Well, my decision to stay put in the next crisis brings me to the title of this article. The word “occupy” is very powerful, and that’s why the U.S. Army has been using this term for as long as there has been a U.S. Army. For example, when a platoon is establishing a defensive posture, it’s called “occupying an assembly area.” This is just a fancy way of saying “this is mine, and if you want it, come and take it!”. Did you know that you always have a 3:1 advantage by staying put and defending …


Letter Re: Vehicle Fences

HJL, I wanted to make a comment about this great letter. I think it may bear mentioning that in an emergency situation the weak point in the fence is the concrete. Having watched one get hit and seen many more that were hit, I can say that the concrete set post will give way before the cable. This being said I can’t for sure say the best way to knock one over but bumper up to it at a 90 degree angle and the post should give way then the slack between the posts should allow you to drive over …


Occupying Your Neighborhood- Part 1, by B.S.C.

Let’s face it folks, this past decade has been chalk full of so many major disasters affecting the world, that it’s hard to keep up. From one day to the next, we are bombarded by stories about hurricanes, earthquakes, terrorists, radiation, shootings, market turmoil, droughts, wildfires, tornados, meteors, and you name it! Throw in government corruption and nonsensical rules encroaching on your family’s well-being and freedom, and you’ve got the recipe for a well-founded case of narcissism or worse! Why do we worry so much about all these events that not only can we not control but don’t even directly …


Letter Re: Living in Small Town America

Hello, Since we moved from Front Range Colorado to Western Slope Colorado in 2010, it has been a learning experience. Even though I was raised in rural New Mexico and my husband in rural New York, we had forgotten that city folk were mistrusted in rural areas. Some of our neighbors that we share irrigation with were great. But others equally close in the neighborhood were wary and did not respond to my gifts of fresh produce. Of course, people are busy. We took care of our property. Maybe they were worried we would be noisy, collect junk, or let …


Hidden Groundwater Sources in Urban/Suburban Settings, by ALP

If you are ever find yourself in an urban or suburban setting and need water badly, there is a source of water you probably never thought of as accessible: groundwater. In my day job as an environmental technician, I frequently have to supervise contractors who are drilling observation wells in all sorts of urban and suburban settings. Sometime after drilling, I take samples from the wells and submit them to labs to test if they are contaminated. Basically, almost every transaction of a commercial or industrial property, and many residential properties also, will have several surface groundwater wells; so, you …


The Aging Prepper, by R.H.

If you are reading this article, then you are aging. Obviously, the only way to escape aging is to pass on to the “other world”. So assuming that you are not reading this while comfortably seated in a recliner in the Happy Hunting Ground, let us have a discussion of aging and how it relates to the activity of prepping. First, aging usually brings forth some diminished mental and physical abilities. Those past the age of say forty have probably noticed changes in eyesight and perhaps lessened strength and endurance. Balance and reflexes are probably not as keen as they …


Letter Re: Killer Survivalism

Dear JWR: I would add a thought to the advice from the writer of “Killer Survivalism“: Don’t neglect your current responsibilities in favor of your preparations for TEOTWAWKI. A relative of mine had a “prepper” mindset but was not very stable financially. He had chronic problems with credit card debt, could have used a better automobile, and constantly put off repairs to his house. Upon his sudden death from a heart attack, I helped dispose of his estate and found that although he was chronically short of funds, he had spent a large amount of money on stored food and …


My Long Lesson, by D.D.

As an engineer I make my living by solving problems efficiently and with an eye toward the future. I can be stubborn in technical things, which bleeds into other parts of my life. This article is a about how that failed to serve me. Perhaps, it will ring true for you. I remember the day I became a prepper. I was living and working in southern California. One morning in my office, after a discussion of current events a fellow engineer quietly and kindly said to me, “You know, gasoline stations only have about one day of fuel in their …


The Thorough Planning and Orders Process- Part 2, By J.E.D.

2. Arrange for Reconnaissance: The best way to describe this portion is with a story. Let’s say you’re looking to buy a new house with some property. This new place is going to be your retreat, so you really want to make sure it’s going to be the right place for you and your family. You found a place you really like by looking on the internet, but it’s on the other end of the state from you. So, the first thing you do is find the address to the property. Then you’ll probably MapQuest or Google map it, and …


The Thorough Planning and Orders Process- Part 1, By J.E.D.

After reading articles on this site and many other similar sites over the last few years, it has surprised me that no one has written about the planning process itself. I have read quite a few well written articles that have contained very good information about planning for tasks such as defending your home, bugging out, and other activities. In this article I would like to address the overall planning process that can be used for everyday life. During this piece, I will be throwing a lot of acronyms at you. My goal is to make this as easy to …


Letter Re: The 20% Solution, by Redoubting Thomas

Hi Hugh, Regarding Redoubting Thomas’ article, in Missouri, we have more Amish than any state west of the Mississippi, not to mention a whole lot of Mennonites. It is true that they are good neighbors, and they do rely on “English” neighbors for a great deal, but I can’t imagine them ever wanting manual labor from an “English”. On the contrary, growing up in large families of 5 to 12 children without modern conveniences means that they can outwork most non-Amish with one hand tied behind their back. They do, however, provide excellent labor for someone establishing a new homestead …


Killer Survivalism, by Faith Believing

Do you read the news and start to worry? Do you lie awake at night gripped with fears of the future? Do you bolt awake at midnight and stave off the panic by making lists of preps to buy? Have you talked to your doctor about this? Don’t get me wrong; I think survivalism is a good thing. However, I think that there is an under-addressed subject that survivalists would do well to contemplate: the emotional stress brought on by worry about the future can be as deadly as the things you’re worrying about. It can work the other way, …


The Least Expensive Way Out – Part 2, by L.J.

5. Tools Tools are a great help in a lot of situations, like building or bartering, they can even be used as weapons! If you do end up buying tools, make sure you know how to use them so you don’t injure yourself. First, get basic hand tools, like a hammer, nails, screwdriver, screws, scissors, saw and a hacksaw, different sizes of wrenches, and files. Keep these in a safe place but not out of reach. Then there are the bigger tools, which are hard to forget because they are really useful, like shovels, spades, rakes, and hoes. Be sure …


Letter Re: The Least Expensive Way Out

Hugh, The article reminds me of a fellow I met on an American Heritage Girls camp out. He melts down his wife’s defunct candles placing the wax in Dixie cups that are half full of chain saw shavings from fire wood cutting. He just covers the saw dust and lets it solidify. Top half of the cup serves as a wick now that I think a little more. It provides the little extra that the fire needs to get going without the danger of accelerants. They are small and light. RV