Category: Survival Mindset

Building Skills While Paying the Bills: Carving Time to Hone, by Scouter Dad JEB

The Greek philosopher Aristotle– teacher of Alexander the Great (a title given later in life and probably not while he was a student)– is quoted as saying, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” This statement applies in many areas in life, but perhaps it rings most true with the prepper/survivalist community. As a budding prepper/survivalist with three young children, the most valued commodity in our family is time. Hours of dedication spent skipping lunch breaks at the corporate office to stay employed, followed by the children’s after-school activities, make time for …


Letter Re: Single Mom prepares

Hugh, I just had to respond to this dear woman’s story. I don’t remember the last time—if ever—that I have been so moved by the example of another person’s courage, grit, and determination. This lady has the inner toughness that once belonged to the quietly heroic pioneer women, without whom I doubt that this country could have been successfully settled, and without whom our country’s history would be far less colorful. Lucky are those who are M.B.’s friends and neighbors; when the challenging, chaotic days arrive, she will be a true asset—as will her daughter through her tutelage. I wish …


Single Mom Prepares, by M.B.

I am a single mom with a ten year old daughter, a Christian Constitutionalist, and a prepper. I grew up very poor, both physically and emotionally. However, my grandmother gave me a tremendous spiritual foundation for which I am forever grateful. Life is about making choices– choosing to put one foot in front of the next and keep going, regardless of the circumstance; choosing to prepare for whatever comes; and choosing to trust in and follow God in all ways. Establishing a Mindset to Survive The first eighteen years of my life reads like a bad dime store novel. It …


Letter Re: Insta Fire

Scot, Great review on the Insta fire product.I just ordered some and will test and report back. Thank you. I’d also like to comment on the Dakota fire hole you discussed. We were told by our SFQC survival course instructors that the hole was used by the Dakota Plains Indians, as the terrain is flat and windy, and needed a way to get a fire going, and keep the smoke signature down. I do not know if that is true or not, but I do know for a fact that it was taught to us, and we used it quite …


Some Notes on Remaining Humble, by Marine in Missouri

One of the many great lessons I have read over and over in this blog is that practice makes perfect. This can apply to any skill set one wishes to consider. I would like to stress the word “read” in the last sentence; reading does not equate to learning, and often in our human hubris we decide that if we think about it, we know it. I think one of the most potent sins the father of lies enjoys tempting us with is the sin of pride. Without going on a diatribe of theological concepts on pride (and I’ve heard …


The Mindset and Experience of a Single Competent Female Prepper, by Skylar

For the majority of my adult life– 34 years– I have taught, lived, worked, and recreated in wilderness settings. I appreciated JMS’s call for articles from single female preppers, as it has been a frustration of mine for many years. My early years were spent trying to prove that women can be effective and competent in a survival setting without having to become “one of the guys” or Rambo-esque. It took me a couple of tries before I found an organization to work for that shared this view. I spent the next 10 years working for Outward Bound, and I …


God and Guns: Your Biblical Right to Self-Defense, by J.B.

You have a biblical right to self-defense. In a life and death situation, you should know that God says it’s okay. This can prove extremely difficult for Christian believers that respect life so much that they don’t want to take it, even when it means it’s necessary to preserve it. The Natural Right to Self Defense Boiled down to its simplest level, every creature on the planet has the natural right to use whatever means necessary to defend itself. Life feeds on life. Nature is brutal and doesn’t show mercy. Wolves eat their larger prey hind end first while the …


How Will YOU Get the Family Together When the SHTF?, by T.W.

If you’re like most of us, your family is very often spread out over a fair-sized area during the course of the day. It’s not unusual for my immediate family of four to be spread out over an area spanning around 30 linear miles. I travel about 15 miles in one direction to work, with my wife traveling about 15 miles in the opposite direction. The kids are usually somewhere between my wife and me. This is by design on my part, although as my son gets older I am relying on him more and more as part of my …


Challenge of Prepping, by R.W.

How My Insights Have Changed With Time I became interested in prepping and survival 12 years ago. It wasn’t so much an event or reading about survival, it was what I believe was a message from God. I was 49 years old and had just finished leading a Bible study in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota. On the way home, my wife and I stopped at a Dairy Queen for our usual weekend treat. It was a beautiful, summer day with lots of white summer clouds floating by. As we finished and were sitting there enjoying the beautiful downtown skyline …


The Real Threats, by R.S.

There is a lot of conjecture as to what the event will be that “ends it all” and sends the world into complete chaos, causing Americans to go into “survival mode”. Every corner you turn you hear another theory about how it’s “going to go down”. People’s answers include terms like E.M.P., H.E.M.P., nuclear, biological, chemical, economic meltdown, foreign invasion, global natural disaster, space alien invasion, zombie apocalypse, or all the above (for the real dooms dayers). So, what is the more likely or more plausible scenario or scenarios for having to go into real survival mode? Let’s look at …


Letter Re: Fishing for Survival

Good morning. I’m an avid Survival Blog reader. I live in bush Alaska and live a largely subsistence life. I read this article with interest and would like to make a couple of suggestions in regards to fishing for survival. In my part of the country, I can legally use a gill net for subsistence purposes. This can either be done as a set net and checked later, or as a drift net, or seine. They are very efficient. Next would be a fish trap. This is a simple device that can be submerged in the water. The fish swim …


What Retail Might Look Like At The End of the World As We Know It, by Jacob

In most TEOTWAWKI scenarios, one of the first things to fall is the “kanban” retail system used by big box retailers, such as my place of employment. While I think that there is some truth to this notion, there are a few important things about “big box” store policies and customer trends that are important to know in the event that it all hits the fan. My background is in communications, and I have worked on and off in various positions that involve “crisis management” since high school. Most recently I have worked as a manager in retail at a …


Flying The Coop, by E.A.

The dog days of summer are here, and the start of a new school year is fast approaching. For many, our sons and daughters will “Fly the Coop” and begin another chapter in their life as a freshman in a college far from the nest they grew up in. Their nest, our home, felt safe. They had us for guidance, to prepare meals for them, to do their laundry, to nurture and teach them, and above all to keep them safe. Now, they’re off to explore the world. Both the student and the parent(s) are naturally nervous, apprehensive, and maybe …


Letter Re: An Essential Prep, The Outhouse

Mr. Hugh, The post about outhouses is very good. Living in a rural area, I’ve seen many homes that still have outhouses, even though they have “indoor plumbing”. They are very handy in emergencies. I’ve followed this blog for many years. I have a plan in mind that I’ve not seen posted here. I have a septic system installed at my home. It is the older version that has a concrete tank, and “field lines” that are buried in washed gravel to allow the “treated water” to be absorbed into the ground. This system does not require power to operate. …


Letter Re: LEO Medic

Dear Hugh, I thought someone would have commented by now, so allow me then to chime in. I thought that LEO Medic’s five part series was outstanding. I’d say it was one of the best series ever on Survival Blog. It was very well written and informative. I especially liked the offering on canine medical care. I can’t imagine how much time it took to put that together, including all the helpful links to the products recommended, so I just wanted to say how much I appreciated the offering to us readers. Consider this a vote that you found a …