Category: Traditional Skills/Fieldcraft

Attaining Food in Urban Locations (From Land and Sea)- Part 1, by Cracker Makk

If it has hair, feathers, or scales, it is edible. In the desperate times that lay ahead, people are going to have to make a choice. They’ll either become self-sufficient and revert back to the practices of our ancestors (the hunter/gatherers) or stand there with their hand out and wait for something that isn’t coming. You need to learn how to keep your body nourished and feed the ones you love. The truth is there are food sources everywhere around us that are easily obtainable with a little patience and technical know-how. However, many people in this country have become …


Survival Trapping: The Efficient “Hunter”- Part 2, by J.C.

Basic Sets: Leghold traps have a few basic types of sets. The main one is referred to as a dirt hole set and is by far the most common and popular for this style of trap. A depression slightly larger than the trap is dug out and the trap is set down into it and “bedded”. This means to solidly seat the trap to reduce any movement at all. Most animals will immediately leave the set area, if they feel the trap move as they step on it. Once the trap is bedded, then use the screen to sift fine …


Internet Auction Sites for Preppers, by B.F.

I suspect most of us who are interested in self-reliance are preparing on a budget. While it would be great to order a year’s worth of food at a time, and rotate them by donating them to the local food bank, that is just not practical for most of us. Likewise with equipment, tools and other survival needs. It would be easy to just go to Amazon and order whatever we want, but I for one will need to wait until I win the lottery first. The Internet is full of places you can buy supplies, tools, food and anything …


Survive the Drive – Vehicle Survival Preparedness, by Prepper Ray

Where will you be when the SHTF? You need to consider that you may not be at home when the world around you begins to fall apart. You are very likely going to have to travel to get home or a bug out location. You may be at work out shopping or even on vacation. No matter where you are the problem is going to be just being able to get from point A to point B. The type of vehicle you have and the equipment you have in that vehicle may in fact determine your ability to get to …


Gun Show Tips and Tricks, by Prepper Ray

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By now, many of you reading this should have attended a few gun shows. If not, you should go to one. All across the country these shows are meccas for shooting enthusiasts, survivalists, and gun collectors. Gun shows are great places to pick up items that you just can’t find anywhere else. But be warned, you won’t always get the best deal at a gun show unless you have the right tools and information before arriving at the show. Here are a few tips and hints along with a little insider information so that you can get the most out …


Letter Re: Traditional Hand Tools

Dear Editor: Here are some observations on non-power tools: Get lots of can openers because they all fail. Older US-made ones from yard sales will last longer. Also stock US-made government issue “P38” openers as backups because they always they always work. Egg beaters and hand drills with an idler gear on the back side are more durable, not just from the support but because they are better quality to begin with. Antique shops are high $ place to shop for hand tools, estate sales are best, next generation often has no clue about grandpa’s “junk”. I found a quality …


Case Preparation: A Building Block for High Quality Reloads, by T.L.W.

Author’s Introductory Disclaimer: I am not a professional reloader. College degrees have only taken me so far into reloading for personal use and formal education cannot replace personal study, experience and common sense–probably true of just about everything these days. Reloading can be dangerous and expose you to toxic metals and chemicals, so please take precautions when dealing with them. The steps below are for informational purposes and are meant to add to the growing conversation on loading your own ammunition in good times and bad. Please use caution at all times! This discussion will center on case preparation to …


Reality Checks for a Grid Down Scenario, By Blueleader

I sometimes hear misguided individuals who repeat the statement going around that if the grid goes down we will be thrown back to the days before electricity: The 1880s. The prevalent thought is that folks back then did fine so it wouldn’t be so bad for us to simply revert to that level of technology. Well, what if we examine your day in a post grid failure scenario? Here is a reality check for you to consider: Let us say you get up ‘the day after’ and you’re cold. Bummer. Well, in the 1880s if you got up and you …


Traversing the Hinterlands – Part 3, by Iowa Farm Boy

Dangerous Areas It will be extremely difficult to cross this region while avoiding some major cities. For example, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City are very close together. You all know as well as I do what happens when people get desperate. How far away from the cities this will effect the countryside, I don’t know. Cities to avoid specifically are the ones with major prisons, like Fort Madison or Anamosa. There are several prisons or minimum security facilities across the region, and someone coming through Iowa needs to do their research and avoid them, if possible. I have spent the …


Traversing the Hinterlands – Part 2, by Iowa Farm Boy

Weather As with all situations, it depends on how long it has been since the SHTF. If it is Spring when you set out or Fall, you will be in pretty good shape temperature wise, although Spring can be quite windy at times. In the heat of the summer with high humidity, I’d suggest traveling at night. You will bake out in the open on a day with no wind. Even if there is a strong wind, it may hit you like a blast furnace. The night may not necessarily bring respite. The heat will become oppressive at times, and …


Traversing the Hinterlands – Part 1, by Iowa Farm Boy

I have lived in the Midwest all of my life, 90% of which was spent in the Central Iowa region. I’ve traveled the roads and byways from Toledo, Ohio to Denver, Colorado and from Minneapolis, Minnesota to St. Louis, Missouri, and more. Most of this was via the Interstate highway system, so I can’t comment too much about what is too far off of the main road, except in my immediate region. It must be noted that there is a specific reason why the original Lincoln highway (Hwy 30) and Interstate 80 go right through the center of this part …


Letter: Zippo Lighters

HJL, It has been mentioned that Zippo lighters tend to dry out. While this is true, the effect can be minimized by cutting a piece of bicycle inner tube to slip over the case, sealing the joint where the lid and the body come together. The lighter fluid is simply naphtha, and you can purchase that in quarts at WalMart much less expensively. – S.F.


Bugging Out “Alone”, by Professor Prepper

There have been many articles written about the folly of bugging out into the wilderness in a TEOTWAWKI event. However, if you want to see what it will be like to bug out alone in the wilderness to try to survive, then you need to watch the History Channel’s new show Alone. The concept of the show is to drop 10 survival experts off on Vancouver Island alone, with minimal supplies. The last man on the island wins $500,000. You can read the ten men’s bios and the list of the 10 survival items that each chose on the History …


Letter Re: The Importance and Art of Fire-Making

Hugh, I’m in agreement with pretty much everything in N.P’s excellent article; everything except his repeated reliance on a Bic lighter, especially in the sub-zero conditions he described. Butane lighters become useless below about 15°F, at which point butane won’t vaporize. A better choice would be the tried and true Zippo lighter, which will light at any temperature and is wind-resistant. The only downside to the Zippo is that the fuel in it will evaporate over time and will need to be periodically refilled, whether it’s used or not. If you find yourself in the conditions N.P. described and a …


The Importance and Art of Fire-Making, by N.P.

Obviously, being able to make a fire in a SHTF scenario is of utmost importance. In addition to providing warmth and cooking capabilities, fire also provides a psychological boost. As an avid outdoorsman, who is originally from Canada, I’ve got a lot of experience and training, but I’m by no means claiming to be an expert. I just want to share some of my findings that may prove useful to others. I have several stories about the importance of fire-making. Here’s an example: I was in the Boreal Forest in Canada and noticed a large billboard containing the writing “Nature …