Category: Survival Mindset

Some Advice for Newbie Preppers, by Jillie

Around two years ago, I was sitting at my friend’s house visiting and he tells me about the supposed end of the world on December 21st, 2012.  At first I thought he was feeding me a line of horse manure.  He went on to tell me that he was going to buy the car of his dreams that he wouldn’t be able to afford, rack up his credit cards, get a big loan and live it up.  He wasn’t going to have to pay it back anyway, the world was going to end and we were all going to die.  …


Announcing Writing Contest Prize Winners and a New Grand Prize

We ‘ve completed the judging for Round 44 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. But before announcing winners, I have a special announcement: The Gunsite Academy–The first and best of America’s large scale shooting schools–has kindly donated a Three Day Course Certificate (good for any one, two, or three course with a value up to $1,195) for Round 45 and subsequent writing contest rounds. This course certificate is being added to the First Prize package. This brings the value of the First Prize package to $3,090 and the combined value of the top three prize packages to $7,485. (Note that …


What Made Me Begin Preparing for TEOTWAWKI, by Elizabeth in the Northeast

I woke up a few months ago. Literally, I woke up one day and realized if TSHTF, I was toast. In a big way. It all started with Hurricane Sandy. I live in a coastal town in the Northeast. The beach is a comfortable twenty minute walk from my home. Three streets behind me is Water Street, so named because not only is home to various Marina’s and marine supply stores, it has a tendency to flood every high tide. I woke up the morning Sandy hit to an eerily lit sky. Even though a hurricane was heading our way …


Rules For Living and Rules For Staying Alive, by Arizona Slim

Survival can certainly include situations that are a bit short of, and a bit more mundane than TEOTWAWKI. And as much as we wish it were otherwise, I know a lot of us are in a suburban or even urban environment. We find ourselves in a great many situations with the potential to become survival scenarios on a smaller, more personal scale. We are also subject daily to a million ridiculous rules and laws and prohibitions and warnings and  statutes and such that most of our rural brethren can go for long periods of time without even having to consider. …


Bangladesh: Lessons Learned and Brought Home, by K.G.

A few months ago, work requirements took me to a country where I’d never been before, and where, frankly, I never dreamed I’d go: Bangladesh. I’d venture to guess that few Westerners (and even fewer Western women) have had the opportunity that I recently did, and so I’d like to contribute to readers some of the experiences I had and some of the lessons I was able to bring home. Before writing further, let me say that less than two weeks in any country does not make an expert of any visitor – myself included. I can’t and won’t pretend …


An Accidental Prepper, by C.J.

Last year I read JWR’s novel “Survivors” and discovered, We Are Preppers!   I did not know there was a name for it or a whole culture surrounding it.  The discovery has triggered a lot of discussion with my now adult children, my elderly parents, and my siblings.  I’ve done a lot of reading on the subject and I’ve tried to understand how and why we could get to this point by accident.   Six years ago my husband and I bought a place, expecting to retire there in 6 to 9 years.  We looked at places in a vacation area that …


The Po’ Mans TEOTWAWKI Guide, by R.B.

Useful tips and advice for the rest of us. Don’t have lots of money? Just started prepping when it hits the fan? This guide is for you. Free of charge! Tip #1: Bug-in Chances are that you won’t be in such immediate danger (dirty bomb, lava about to engulf your house, spiders like in that Arachnaphobia movie) that you actually have to leave your home. Most likely the government will stop functioning or the power grid will be down for a long time. Of course, there is always risk of civil unrest, but that is not likely to effect your …


Letter Re: Four-Tier Survival for the Newbie

James, Thanks so much for all you and your family do to keep survivalblog.com going. It is a daily read for me. Upon reading “Four-Tier Survival for the Newbie,” I reminisced about what my father would say to me while I was initially preparing my bug-out bag:  “Son, you are preparing for luxury. Back when I was a boy during the Depression we used to go out camping with just the clothes on our backs, our pocket knife and a potato in our pocket. We took a potato ’cause we generally couldn’t ‘find’ potatoes.” Being in my mid-fifties now, I …


Letter Re: Voting With Our Feet

Captain Rawles, In response to your mention of people voting with their feet – I believe this is much more prevalent today than people realize.  According to the best data I can find, there are currently more than a million Americans leaving the United States each year.  And while the vast majority will choose to retain their US citizenship, and their reasons for leaving are varied, the net effect on the American economy will be great.  Here’s why:  The people who are leaving are, almost to a family, high income earners.  Many of those replacing them in the US are …


The Calling of the Christian Prepper: Faith and Survival, by Axgrinder

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This article will have little effect on the scoffer, whether a survivalist or not, but is directed toward the Christian who is also conscious of the value of preparation and the duty to provide for family in survival circumstances. It may also be effective for the mind a person who knows little of God but is open to investigate His existence. It is what God has laid on my heart as I read through the great articles and letters here in this forum. Keep up the good work. What I sense though, myself included, is that we, as humans, sometimes …


Occam’s Razor, by K.Z.

Occam’s Razor is a notion that among opposing hypotheses, the one that makes the fewest assumptions should be selected as most likely. For example, if you come home and find that next to an open window your floor is wet, it is a better assumption that it rained while you were away then the conclusion your neighbor came over flung a bucket of water in your house. This same concept applies not only to beliefs, but also our actions, and should be considered pre- and post-TEOTWAWKI. Bear with me for a moment as I set a baseline. If I had …


Letter Re: I Thought I Was Prepared

Hi Mr. Rawles, It is a bit embarrassing to share this account with you, but maybe, just maybe someone will learn from my errors. I guess we’ve always been ‘preppers’’ of some sort.  We’ve always had a fruit-cellar and extra personal hygiene items along with bandages etc. on the shelf.  When I found this site about 4 years ago, my husband and I took a long, hard look at where we were and where we needed to be.  The two of us are not just looking at helping ourselves, but my sister and her family.  So we dug in and …


How to Talk to Your Spouse About Prepping: The Sliding Scale of Possibilities, by Mr. Reasonable Ohio

I’d like to thank JWR and all of you for providing such a mountain of good information!  I am in my 30’s and have a family with several small children in the suburbs, and just started prepping about 18 months ago.  I don’t remember the details of why I got started exactly.  It just came up in conversation with a couple of friends of mine and we got serious about it. I do remember, however, some of the events and conversations that took place to get my wife involved (I mean…at least get her permission!) and so I thought I …


Is the Average US Soldier Prepared for TEOTWAWKI? by S.A.

They are not personally prepared at all. The average soldier is no more prepared than the average civilian. If this is a concern (you live by a military installation), a curiosity (you have a relative that serves), or if you just want a glimpse of military life, let me tell you why the average soldier is not personally prepared.  I must first establish my credibility.    I have a BA degree from a major university, and various civilian job experiences under my belt, mostly in food service and then social services.  I am an older soldier, low ranking on the …


Letter Re: Origin of the “13% of People are Leaders in a Crisis” Statistic?

Captain Rawles, I have seen this statistic of “13% of people are leaders, 74% are followers, and 13% shut down during a crisis”. I have seen this stat mentioned on Dr. Koelker’s blog, on your blog, and it was even mentioned on a NBC Dateline program covering the Costa Concordia cruise ship accident. Despite seeing this stat mentioned in a variety of places I have yet to see who created the stat. I have never once seen where it was cited from and I can not seem to find any citation of it on the internet. Have you ever come …