Category: Survival Mindset

Five Letters Re: Storing Whiskey For Barter

Howdy Captain, Reading the other remarks about storing whiskey for barter made me chuckle, I’ve got a different take on this subject. We’re a dry household, always have been, just no need for that stuff. Life is pretty amazing when you’re sober, why miss a minute of it under the influence of anything. But, I’ve kept two bottles of Jack Daniels stored very prominently in our pantry for many years, and they’re located in a place that makes them impossible to overlook. We live in out in the sticks, and the idea is that if anyone breaks into the house …


Letter Re: The Clueless Hordes

The first snow of the season fell a few weeks ago at my location. It wasn’t much, about 2 inches of heavy wet snow in the course of half a day and another inch expected to fall in the evening. Toward the end of the afternoon my sister dropped by for a visit and shortly before she arrived she noticed a couple of kids leaning on their bicycles at the side of the road. She stopped to see if everything was okay and mentioned to them they could stop by at our place it they needed help. A little later …


A Conversation with a TEOTWAWKI Survivor, by Rachel M.

It’s not every day I get the chance to visit with a TEOTWAWKI survivor – but when I do, I listen up. That opportunity presented itself yesterday, when I was privileged to interview Paul. An individual of small frame yet sizeable strength of mind and determination, Paul experienced the end of the world he knew and lived to help create a new one. Not only did he survive the collapse, but he proved to be a key leader and connector in his community as it struggled through the extended period of political upheaval, economic failure, widespread violence, and nefarious pillaging. …


We, Who are Left Behind, by M.D.L.

I’ve seen many articles and entries on how to deal with various forms of property, power and safety issues in a TEOTWAWKI situation, as well as the proper means of dealing with disease and the disposal of bodies. But I have seen precious little on the psychology of being the survivor of those losses.  The horrible events in the Philippines have led me to address this. Let me state here and now that I do not have the type of education that would make me “qualified” to address this.  Just experience.  I must also state that I have never lost …


Consider The Little Things, by R.P.

I hope some of you know most of these things, but I’m sure most of you won’t know all of these things. I took a camping trip not too long ago where I made one of my favorite childhood camping dishes, the hobo dinner. I’m sure those of you who camp have had it a few times. Put some potatoes and veggies in some aluminum foil and throw it right on the fire. Easy enough. Tastes great. Don’t even need a plate. I, however, am not your average cook. I like to try new things, and I don’t eat plain …


Anticipated Traumatic Stress in TEOTWAWKI, by F.B.

Have you been able to sit quietly and thoughtfully imagine what your world would be like at TEOTWAWKI?  Your world? Your new and untried world? There are so many lists on the Internet, and so much information available that it would seem to be impossible to miss this point, but mentally and emotionally we will be all over the map!  Anyone aware of extreme threat situations knows about physiological factors impairing wise judgment.  Body chemistry does strange things during life and death encounters.  In St Paul, Minnesota, an elderly lady was robbed at gunpoint.  She could not tell the police …


The Philippines: The Stuff Has Indeed Hit the Fan by G.V.R.

I have been thinking about writing an article on what is going on in the Philippines since I first saw the news last Friday.  There is so much that I saw I realized that I would need to write far too many pages to explain it all.  But I will write a few.   I saw the news of Typhoon Yolanda, as it is called in the Philippines, live from PI.  They called it Typhoon Haiyan elsewhere.  I am married to a Pinay (a Filipina lady) and we get several of the Philippine television networks right here at home via …


War Games, by Phil S.

The United States Military tests its capabilities and preparedness by exercising its systems, soldiers and supply chains in war games. [These include field training exercises (FTXes), Command Post Exercises (CPXes), and Mobilization Exercises (MOBEXes), Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercises (EDREs) and more.]  These war games are used to ensure that their personnel is trained and fit, that the hardware of every sort works as it was intended to work and that in times of duress their supply chain will provide the fighting men at the front what supplies they need in order to be victorious.  I have extended my preparations for …


Letter Re: In Extremis, Compunctions Dwindle

Sir, I know that seeing this attitude is not news to you, but I read this article and thought it may be helpful for the SurvivalBlog readers as reinforces what you and others have long said: that all bets are off in regards to morality and standards by the average Joe who has gone without food for a few days. This tale of post-Typhoon Yolanda includes the gripping quote: “I am a decent person. But if you have not eaten in three days, you do shameful things to survive.”  In any event, I thought you might find the link useful. Thank …


Remembering Dear Aunt Flow, by Kali

It is a reasonable assumption that most SurvivalBlog readers are already going to be in the preparedness mindset. Whether you’re preparing for a natural disaster, economic collapse, zombie apocalypse, or something in between you must always have each and every family member’s needs in mind. Most of us start with the ‘generic’ items that everyone needs such as water, food and standard medical supplies. While that is the absolute best starting place for all families, after the basics are accounted for you should then consider any unique or special needs that you may have to provide for. Many of us …


Preparing Your Body and Mind, by Michael P.

The Body There are two primary tools used to in every situation ever encountered; the mind and the body. Despite the body being such a crucial aspect of survivability, preparing the body for the unknown remains one of the least addressed topics in survival books and on-line forums. It is also one of the areas of survival that necessitates the most maintenance, and requires the most amount of dedication and consistency. Though most survival manuals fail to address the importance of preparing the body, the fact remains that there are no military units in the world that do not have …


Lessons Learned as a Military Civilian Contractor in Iraq, by Robert S.

I started my journey much to the dismay of my wife and family, in December, 2007. Not ever having been in the military or anything closely resembling it. Without having a clue of what I was doing I headed off to good ol Houston Texas where my journey began at an old shopping mall with portions of it still active selling goods. This was the “processing” phase of me getting ready to deploy as a US DOD contractor to the war effort in Iraq. My life was about to take a very drastic turn and I jumped head long into …


Resolve: The Ultimate Survival Attribute, by Talon Flyer

Ask yourself this question:  “Do I really think I could use deadly force against someone to protect my family?”  Most, (if not all reading this) quickly respond with a resounding YES!  In fact, you may even have fantasized about scenarios where that might happen; usually in the context of “what would I do if…”   One has to plan for every contingency, right? The thing is, these fantasies are usually on the same level as a Hollywood movie—contain some sense of bravado—and almost always leave you feeling like somewhat of a hero.  There are those who are unnerved about this and …


From Just Surviving Life to a Life of Survival Preparedness, by Michael B.

From Just Surviving Life to a Life of Survival Preparedness, by Michael B. I was born into the percentage of Americans,who statistically don’t make it to the American dream. I was Born 1980 in Modesto, California. The third child of a young mother and father hooked on Speed, KJ and any other number of drugs they could get their hands on. By 1983 we found ourselves 140 miles south in Visalia Ca. That year my father was shot point blank range in the lower abdominal area with a .22 Long Rifle hollow point. It was the neighbor in the next …


Letter Re: The Blackout Docudrama

First of all: The creators are in the "Hollywood way" so they live there, their friends are all there, They are not going to go build a bunker, they are already working on their next project about an Alien invasion or something like that.  So from my perspective, they did pretty good over all considering the source. Over acting, oh yeah.  I have seen some pretty tense situations and there are many men who show no emotion at all.  they are deep in their thinking and in this video, we have simply lucked out that all the characters are highly …