Category: Traditional Skills/Fieldcraft

Letter Re: Two Snowbound But Prepared Elderly Sisters

We are sisters, age 67 and 73  and live in Southeastern Connecticut near the shore on several acres.  We were fortunate that we grew up on a 100 acre Connecticut farm where we grew our own food, farm animals, had a smoke house, three freezers filled with what we raised, three ponds, learned to shoot, trap, fish, and had very capable parents.    Until several years ago, we lived as most Americans do, on the grid with only a week or two provisions in the home.  I had moved to West Virginia in 1990 (retired early) and lived alone with …


Some Great Depression Lessons, by Kristi N.

By now, many of us have heard, and perhaps even put into practice, that old adage of practicality: “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”  I think of it as the wisdom of the Great Depression.  When so many people had so very little, the best use was made out of every single resource – be it a sock, a newspaper, a swatch of fabric, or any number of little things I take for granted every day.  Perhaps I should restate that last sentence – that I used to take for granted every day. Since …


Incorporating Preparedness into Your Everyday Lifestyle, by Mike M.

My foray into prepping began over a decade ago after I became hopelessly lost in the Adirondack Mountains.  My birthday falls on October 24th and on this particular year, the day was uncharacteristically warm.  I felt the urge to take advantage of my good fortune by scouting out some new area for the upcoming deer season.  Telling no one of my intentions that day, I jumped into my four-door beater sedan that I fondly called “The Kevorkian” and resolved to boldly go where no man had gone before.  I went off the beaten path and drove the Kevorkian down some …


A Primer on Harvesting Iron-Rich Sustenance, by Dr. R.

Introduction My family has harvested food from our farmland for generations. I would love to say that since I was a child, I had gone into the fields with my father and grandfather and learned the ways of hunting and ethical harvesting of animals for food and resources, but unfortunately, I made very few decisions which I consider to be wise until I lived to be around 26 years of age. It was around that time that I formally accepted Christ in my heart, and around that time the seeds of becoming a true skeptic were planted. As a young …


Returning to My Retreat After a Three Year Absence: Lessons Learned, by C.J. in Montana

My wife and I own  a 50 acre place in Northern Maine that was originally intended to be a home-building site.  It is remote, quiet  and off-grid.  Along with an outbuilding/bathhouse I constructed,  there is also a 40 foot shipping container I set up as a  secure storage building/shelter.    The land  has  plenty of water nearby  and the entire property is wooded in White Cedar (weatherproof/rot-proof) Balsam Fir , Birch and Spruce.  Unfortunately over the years the location has became less ideal for us.  The  political climate (until very recently) is unfavorable ( taxes, government regulation, overall policies).   The economic …


Letter Re: Archery Equipment for Those Living in Gun-Deprived Locales

Hi Jim,  I’d like to make a short response to the blog regarding “Archery Equipment for Those Living in Gun-Deprived Locales”. As a lifelong archer and hunter myself, there are a couple of things I think should be pointed out in so far as archery relates to survival.  One of the biggest advantages an archer brings to the table in a confrontation or survival situation is stealth and camouflage.  By necessity, we have to be closer, better camouflaged, and more stealthy than when hunting with a firearm as we are now pitting our skills against an animal with physical senses …


Supplementing a Survival Larder with Fresh Seafood, by Randall S.

I grew up in South Louisiana, so seafood was a staple of the family diet. Shrimp, Crabs, Fish, and Oysters were easy to come by, or at least it seemed that way as a kid because we ate seafood two or three times a week. Fried Shrimp and Oysters, Crab Stew, Shrimp Gumbo, baked Flounder or grilled Redfish, it was all good and those meals made for many a great family memory. However, as much fun as we had watching our mothers and fathers and grandparents cooking those great Cajun dinners, as kids we had infinitely more fun catching as …


Firewood on the Homestead, by Grouse Mountain

As energy prices soar and the dollar loses value, people are purchasing firewood for the future. Heating oil is a grade of diesel, propane is an oil by- product and with the rise of over twenty cents a gallon in just a few weeks, people are planning ahead where there may not be any fuel to warm their homes. Those with electricity are starting to look at any solar power possibilities, meanwhile, the big oil corporations have bought up many of the solar-panel producing companies! Firewood providers in our area are getting orders to bring customers as much firewood as …


Letter Re: Archery Equipment for Those Living in Gun-Deprived Locales

Jim,   I just want to add a few comments on Archery as a means of self defense from someone who is no overwhelming expert on the subject, but has had a hand in Archery since childhood. So I put something together to assist those forced to use a bow in self defense. Bows can be swift, silent, accurate and deadly, and in the right circumstances, may be preferable to a firearm.   Let me state at the very beginning that shooting wooden arrows out of most modern compound bows should not be done and usually will result in the …


The TEOTWAWKI Information Hunt, by Ed P.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a survival book that tells you how to get gasoline out of an abandoned gas station with no electricity? (Why do people keep looking for the key?) Or how about a way to take a propane powered car and convert it so that you can attach one of those canisters stacked outside nearly every retail or convenience store?  Or, that a piece of cigarette pack plastic wrapper can be used to stop a sucking chest wound? And, of course, how about an illustration of how to use that ink pen as a tracheotomy tool? …


Paper or Plastic? — That is the Question, by D.D.L.

A couple of years ago I was watching a commercial on television that showed two young men as they stood in a check-out line at a grocery store with a 6 pack of beer, a bag of chips and a package of Toilet Paper…when the young men found that they had only enough money for two of the three items, they chose the 6 pack and the chips. When asked by checker “Paper or plastic?” the decision was unanimous, “Paper!”  This stark reality of such a simple decision led me on a journey that would involve many years and begin …


Preparing for the Aftermath–Lessons from the 1930s, by J. E.

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It’s one or two years after an EMP attack and you are safely tucked away in your retreat somewhere in the middle of nowhere.  Your storage foods have mostly been used and your high tech electronics is useless.   The really bad stuff is mostly past.  Now it’s try to stay fed and alive and pray that civilization as you know it is coming back.  You’re going to have to work your environment to live.  Ever wonder what life might be like?  What would it really be like to have no running water, electricity, sewer, newspaper or Internet?  No supermarket or …


Letter Re: Do It Yourself Kydex Sheaths and Holsters

Mr. Rawles,   As a concealed carry permit holder I have a thing for gun holsters, being a big guy, I spend a lot of time making sure that my holsters are comfortable and work well with the clothing I wear.  Something I have noticed with holsters and “gun guys” is that we all end up with a box of old holsters we never use.  Looking through my collection I see that the majority of holsters I use on a daily basis are either Kydex or combinations of both leather and Kydex.  That is no surprise when you look at …


Letter Re: A Firewood Sawing Reality Check

Dear Mr. Rawles: As a devoted prepper, I have been trying to be diligent in practicing what I preach.  This past weekend was a bit of an eye-opener for me and should be for most of my fellow travelers.  In anticipation of future gas shortages and the impossibility of maintaining reasonable security while running a chain saw, I recently purchased a one-man, 36 inch, made in Germany, crosscut saw.   Saturday morning, I spent a couple of hours building a sawbuck.  Then the education began.   At this point, I need to interject that I’ve been burning wood for the past …


Letter Re: Protection From Falls

Mr. Rawles, I have often thought about the dire situation a fall may bring in a sans medical treatment facility scenario. In the western novel Jubal Sackett, by Louis L’Amour, Jubal finds himself in the wilderness with a broken leg and cursing himself for not being more careful. Though the article references falls from structures, I thought the ability to tie a Swiss seat may help an individual in either an urban or wilderness environment. ITS Tactical puts out a great knot tying series on YouTube, and the Swiss seat may be a quicker and cheaper alternative to purchasing a …