Category: Traditional Skills/Fieldcraft

Preparing For The Post-Apocalyptic Economy – Part 3, by 3AD Scout

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.) Location, location, location So you assemble enough barter goods to open a small general store, where, when and how do you trade these goods? Living in a rural area with lots of Mennonite, Amish, and Hutterite families, many of whom own and operate their own small businesses now each one of these small businesses is a potential location for commerce or barter. There is value in forming business relationships now and maintaining those relationships in a post-SHTF world. Being a familiar and trusted neighbor before the SHTF will put you in a …


Preparing For The Post-Apocalyptic Economy – Part 2, by 3AD Scout

(Continued from Part 1.) Service with a smile Besides hard goods for barter, I have several “services” that I can provide. The key to being able to provide these services is to have the required tools and supplies on hand. Although I have several types of saws, I know that many people still have a rusty hand saw hanging up in their garage. Perhaps it was their grandfather’s but it has not been used since the cordless tool craze started. Those saws may need cleaning (rust taken off), sharpening, and perhaps even teeth resetting. Cleaning up the rust means sandpaper …


Preparing For The Post-Apocalyptic Economy – Part 1, by 3AD Scout

One of my survival planning assumptions is that regardless of my stored goods and planning, “Murphy” will appear with the proverbial monkey wrench in hand. At some point, my food stores will wear thin and, something will break along with its spares. Amazon and the local Acme hardware will long be a thing of the past. What is a Prepper to do? Well, like everything we do for our future survival, we ponder, plan and prepare for those contingencies. Bartering is probably about as old as the Earth’s soil. Even with all our economic advances through the centuries, bartering is …


Anevay Frontier Stove, by Thomas Christianson

Originally designed for use in humanitarian aid and disaster relief efforts, the Anevay Frontier Stove provides a simple, rugged, and reliable wood-fueled cooking and heating solution that is safer and more energy efficient than an open fire (Anevay indicates that the Frontier Stove is 8 to 10 times more efficient than an open fire). The stove is easy to assemble, easy to ignite, and easy to operate. Suitable for use in tents, huts, yurts, and the open air, the stove can be quickly and easily disassembled into a compact package suitable for transport by vehicle or pack animal. The stove …


A Prepper’s Carpentry Toolkit – Part 2, by A.F.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) In the upper-right corner of the essential tools photo there is a stack of quick grip clamps. In particular, these are Irwin brand heavy-duty models in maximum working lengths between six and twenty-four inches. A couple of these models have head release slides that allow the user to quickly convert the tool from a clamp into a spreader. When it comes to pulling tightly cut framing into position, aligning materials until they can be fastened or holding the end of a long timber while working alone, these clamps can do it. I …


Post-TEOTWAWKI Refrigeration, by 3AD Scout

My Amish neighbor, who recently moved into the neighborhood, was telling me that he was going to build an ice house from a kit.  I told him to let me know when he was going to assemble it and I would give him a hand.  I have some historical knowledge of how ice used to be harvested, stored, delivered, and used before modern refrigeration, so I was very interested in how the Amish store and use their ice today. The Component kit The ice house kit consisted of 14 large pieces of styrofoam that were one foot thick.  The kit …


Why I Still Have Dairy Cows, by SaraSue

I have been a milkmaid now three, going on four, years.  Of all the things I’ve tried on the farm, the dairy cow is one I hope to have until I am so old I can’t carry a bucket of milk.  I don’t have any cows “in milk” right now, as a planned winter break.  I have two cows pregnant with Spring calves, and one heifer (a young cow who has not yet been bred back or calved).  This is the first time I’ve taken a milking break in three years and I’m having dairy withdrawals.  I tried purchasing milk …


Putting Down My Dog, by SaraSue

I had no sooner sent in my positive update to the blog last week than a near catastrophe occurred. I am sharing this, even though it hurts to write about it. I’m doing so because I think it’s important to recognize that country living has pitfalls, as does self-sufficiency. Your preps and relationships become very important and not just for the obvious reasons. In this case, I needed plentiful first aid supplies, a clear head, and neighbors I could call in an Emergency. I will tell you the story. Warning: This is a graphic heart-wrenching story. Please skip over it …


Making Dosa the Old School Way, by E.P.

I have been making dosa — an unleavened fermented Indian bread — for more than 30 years. It has been a staple part of my diet. Years ago my sister-in-law, who lives in India, brought me two wet grinders that she purchased in India. Back in 2020 I wrote an article for SurvivalBlog explaining how these work and how to make dosa dough using them: Making Dosa – Indian Fermented Bread, by E.P. Since they have an electric motor, and because of the way they are designed, they are not usable without electricity. I began to think about a way …


Lessons From Hurricane Helene – Part 3, by A.F.

(Continued from Part 2.) Other than cutting the fallen trees off of our state road to gain access to the greater community, the only additional sawing we did was to clear the brush from our access to the larger hen house. Seeing that a massive white oak was bearing down on the fair-sized pine resting on the chicken run, I used two adjacent stacks of 12-inch block tied together with lumber and ratchet straps to pick up the load until I could remove the tree.   I want to give a huge shoutout and thanks to Thomas Christianson for his …


Cleveland Kydex Axe Sheath, by Thomas Christianson

I have a Cleveland Kydex Axe Sheath for my Fiskars X27 Super Splitting Axe. The sheath does an excellent job of protecting the blade from damage. It also protects surrounding objects from being damaged by the blade. The sheath is tough, has stood up well to a year of hard use, stays on the blade well, and is easy to slide on or off. The primary advantage of a Kydex sheath over leather is that Kydex does not attract and hold moisture as leather is often prone to do. It is also more wear and weather-resistant than leather. Cleveland Kydex …


Chainsaws for a Decade of Service – Part 4, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 3.  This concludes the article.) Critical Replacement Parts for the Long Term The single most common reasons small engines fail to operate at all or correctly is attributed to their fuel system that include water in the fuel, old fuel, or cracked fuel lines. And number one for chainsaw problems: old, dry and brittle fuel pump diaphragms inside the carburetor.  At one time the only affordable way to correct these problems was to install a rebuild kit.  However, there are other causes that make a carburetor less able to function such as fine deposits and internal corrosion. …


Chainsaws for a Decade of Service – Part 3, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 2.) We will also need a narrow flat file, preferably one with a smooth side so as not to dull the chain teeth.  This file is need to set the rakers for the depth of cut.  A raker gauge is expensive, but you will need at first to help make sure than enough material is removed to lower the raker height and allow the teeth to take a big enough bite of the wood to cut efficiently.  If you file the raker too low, then the chain will cut too aggressively and may  slow the saw engine …


Chainsaws for a Decade of Service – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 1.) Aftermarket Saw Parts While original equipment is preferable, because of the dominance of Asian manufacturing, name-brand components are now often made in Asia and no longer in the country from where brands go their start. This is a sad fact.  A more happy fact is the increasing quality of the aftermarket parts. While somewhat inconsistent in quality, the aftermarket parts are also sold in the U.S. under different brand names. Thus, they have raised the bar of the quality needed to compete in the aftermarket. The quality of Chinese parts in certain sectors has improved.  And …


Chainsaws for a Decade of Service – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

I believe this could be an important article. Few preppers in my region in the cold Intermountain West possess an adequate supply and ability to keep their chainsaws in operation for more than a year or two.  This area of prepping is overlooked or underappreciated.  I suspect that as many folks will freeze to death during the first winter after a collapse as those who die of malnutrition. In the cold north, the risk of dying from hypothermia is greater than the risk of being killed by a gunshot or a bacterial infection.  This is a huge hole in the …