Category: Survival Mindset

Letter Re: The Little Things, by Claymor

Hello Hugh, In the recent post entitled “The Little Things“, writer Claymor mentions the importance of water and of providing for a means of treating non-potable water. I certainly agree with this, however he goes on to assert “If you’re lucky you’ll die from dehydration before giardia takes claim.” This may not be the case. Every reputable survival school in the country teaches the same thing– if faced with the choice between drinking questionable water and suffering the effects of serious dehydration, you should (almost) always err on the side of drinking the water. The reasons for this are several: …


Letter: Mastitis

HJL, Mastitis nearly killed me. In a more primitive country, I could have been another maternal death statistic. Mastitis is just one path of infection and death for new mothers. Mastitis cannot be downplayed. Nor can the value of breast feeding “support” be over estimated. While my response to the excellent and informative article by Dr. Goscienski is intensely personal and private, perhaps in the future it may save a baby or mother’s life. I come from a comfortable family, in the socio-economic sense. It would not be correct to just say we are advocates of breast feeding. Simply, everyone …


Survival and Prepping in a Homeowner’s Association, by M.B. – Part 1

As federal, state, local, and county governments reel under the weight of reduced tax revenues, declining productivity, and impossible “unfunded liabilities” (pensions, entitlements and health–welfare services), many communities are only able to continue to operate and maintain their facilities and infrastructure due in whole or in part to self-governed Homeowner Associations (HOAs). “The fastest growing form of housing in the United States today is Common-interest developments (CIDs), a category that includes planned-unit developments of single-family homes, condominiums, and cooperative apartments. Since 1964, homeowner associations have become increasingly common in the USA. The Community Associations Institute trade association estimated that HOAs …


Guest Article: Evil Exists, by L.A.

When I was young, it was a whisper you heard in the school hallways or some television news story that you overheard your parents talking about. As children, we still played outside, rode our bicycles or skateboards all over town, and only came home right as the streetlights were coming on. There wasn’t really anything to be afraid of. Whatever evil there was back then, it at least stayed hidden in the shadows most of the time. Not anymore. Today’s world is something completely different. Evil is rampant and is increasingly seeking notoriety. More and more children are going missing, …


Guest Article: Tornado Survival Tips, by Matthew Stein, P.E.

Darden describes a family of five who lived on a farm outside of Higdon, Ala., a small community in the northern part of the state. They had no storm shelter, but they did live in a home that he says was well built. On Saturday, Darden and a partner visited the family. “The mother and three daughters were there at the time,” he recalls. Looking at the wall-free ground floor—all that remained of the home—”I introduced myself and said: Thank God y’all were not home. “Her response? “Oh, we were here.” With no storm shelter and nothing but a slab …


Three Letters Re: Ideas Concerning A Post-Collapse World

Hello HJL, I would like to add my two cents to this discussion. The picture of collapsing society is complex and in some cases is a combination of worst case scenarios in a short period of time. The idea of united survivalists, as a base for a new American nation emerging from the ashes, is attractive, but it might not be the case if nuclear contamination on worldwide scale (nuclear war), nuclear winter (due to eruption of super volcanoes or nuclear war), airborn mutation of viruses like MERS, Ebola, or others coincide with the economic SHTF on a global scale. …


Beans, Bullets and Band Aids, by Studioman

I have been involved in “prepping” for just under eight years. I received a rude awakening in ’07 when the housing market crashed and my house equity went completely upside down in a matter of days. I discovered my nest egg (my house) SUDDENLY was NOT such a great investment. Also, up until that time, we had been riding high with second trust deeds, earning upwards of 17% at times, using the equity from a HELOC mortgage to buy short-term trust deeds. Needless to say, trust deeds are a very, very high risk investment, so much so that the laws …


Sometimes a Journey Begins Due to a Bad Experience, by Jeff L.

I would like to start off by telling you about something that happened to me at a fairly young age. What I experienced made me look carefully at how truly exposed and vulnerable I was. That experience also led me to make changes in my life that were truly transformative. What follows was very emotional for me, and it shook me to my core when these events transpired. In 1990, I was at deer camp with some college buddies in Upper Michigan. We were staying at a family cabin, situated deep in the Pere Marquette Forest system. The evening we …


Letter Re: Preparedness For Teenagers

Hello, In response to the terminology used in firearms, I would like to relate an interesting use of a politically correct term that is being used by the FBI. I attended a citizens academy sponsored by the FBI. The day came when the participants were taken to the range for a live “Fam Fire” or firearm familiarization. All of the participants were briefed on the different types of firearms used by the FBI to include Semi-auto pistols, shotguns, MP-5 sub machine gun sniper rifles, and the M-4. After a safety brief, and with the assistance of the firearms instructors, the …


Two Letters Re: Preparedness For Teenagers

Hugh, Preparedness For Teenagersjust once again brought to my attention a matter– we should ALL get a vocabulary change in place. He states getting a shot gun.. then to ‘graduate’ to rifles and ASSAULT rifles (emphasis mine). Please, can we STOP calling them ASSAULT rifles. They are DEFENSE rifles. This is NOT directed to A.H. It is directed to ALL OF US. Stop playing the gun control crowd’s games. Terms and words DO matter. DEFENSE rifles (as opposed to what the “crowd” considers HUNTING rifles, yet WE know any firearm, be it a 306, a 30.30, or a .45, can …


Guest Article: Ideas Concerning A Post-Collapse World, by M.S.

In thinking about the results of a total collapse of financial institutions in the United States, some conclusions can be drawn to identify events that would unfold immediately following the collapse. Following these conclusions, however, it becomes increasingly difficult to theorize how the subsequent future of society would look once order is restored. The collapse will obviously be violent and downright depressing. The cities will see conflagrations, mass killings, and famine, similar to what is seen in urban warfare. Because of the violence and difficulties living in the cities, there will likely be a migration of survivors into the rural …


Preparedness For Teenagers, by A.H. – Part 2

The next part of my personal development of a preparedness-based lifestyle started with acquiring goods. Whether you are living with your parents, in a dormitory, or on your own, you have the ability to stock up on preparedness essentials. The main areas I have found easiest to begin with include information, food, water, and medical/sanitation supplies. Some areas that followed include tools, heat/light sources, communication, and firearms. Remember: Don’t get overwhelmed; it can take awhile to acquire various goods, but they will provide comfort and help you survive in the future, no matter what stage you are in. Something is …


Preparedness For Teenagers, by A.H. – Part 1

As our world and economy continue to change, I can’t help but wonder what is in store for my generation in our years to come. Interacting with my fellow peers, I realize many of them have no idea about what is going on in our world. Only within the past few years have I realized how under-prepared a majority of teens my age truly are. Whether it be a lack of education of world events or simply a matter of non-interest, it saddens me that my generation, “the leaders of tomorrow”, have little to no sense of preparedness. The world …


Why We Make Certain Decisions, by J

So, I wanted to chat about something a bit different. It’s been really helpful for me, and I hope it will be for you, too. It’s about why we do certain things, about why we make certain decisions. I’m starting to get a little older now, and for many of you, you are as well. You can look back at your life and see certain things about yourself and, maybe like me, can see choices made by you or others that had big implications. I’d like to talk about something that I learned about how people work, and I hope …


Home On The Range, by Rustic Barbie

When I first began this experiment, I must admit, I was under romantic ideologies. Can 21st century people step back in time and homestead like our forefathers? Whenever I passed an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere, I would dream of the chance to do this. Then the chance was presented. Here is the scenario. Take a California Valley Girl to “Green Acres”, and see if she and her friends can do it like their forefathers. Granted, I have had modern luxuries, such as running water and electricity (sometimes, depending upon the weather). Still, even with the modern luxuries, …