Tracking Dogs- Part 1, by D.D.

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I had read an article some time ago about tracking dogs, and I didn’t get to respond to it then. However, here is my experience. It’s not the dog you are trying to beat; it is the handler.

I have a lot of experience with tracking dogs. I used to guard the copper pipeline in Indonesia. The copper mine (also containing some gold) was on top of a mountain. Once the material was taken from the ground, it was mixed into a slurry and pumped miles through the jungle to the port. This pipeline was under constant attack. People would cut into the pipe, fill some buckets, and run off into the jungle. We would have to track them with dogs, in the hopes of arresting them. Usually it was the military or police doing the cutting, so there was plenty of incentive to get away.

I spoke to most of the dog handlers about how to get away if a person were being tracked. They were adamant that there was very little a person could do to cover their tracks or fool the dogs. We had people climbing trees and jumping from tree to tree in order to break the trail. Some would run through rivers, ponds, and swamps or even climb and descend cliff faces.

You also have to understand that when the authorities decide to put on a manhunt, you are not coming up against just dogs and handlers; you are coming up against entire departments. They won’t send a couple of guys and a dog into the woods after you. They will set up a command post that sends and receives constants updates, as professionals coordinate the search for you. They can put up helicopters with heat cameras. They will drive along roads or get ahead of you and/or send other teams from another direction. They can seal off huge areas and blanket it with searchers or just wait you out. Even if you could take off at high speed into an endless woods, you would eventually run out of supplies.

Many times when someone is on the run, they don’t even use dogs to find them. Almost all of them are caught and caught quickly. The dog tracking team is gravy. If they see that you have only one way to go or few options, they’ll just high-tail to those spots and send fast chase teams after you without a dog.

Understanding Dogs

These dogs are multi-thousand dollar pieces of equipment. All professionally-trained dogs are certified regularly on their ability to do what they are trained to do. All handlers are certified and trained on not only their ability to handle a dog but to handle specific dogs. Both the dog and the handler have training requirements, records, and certifications. Any department worth mentioning is going to have a well-maintained team. Just like any other equipment, these dogs will be regularly evaluated for serviceability.

Some are good at some things, and some are good at others. For instance, drug dogs range widely on their ability to find certain drugs. Some will be good at finding cocaine, while others excel at finding marijuana. If the authorities know what they are looking for or suspect something specific, they will pull out their heavy hitter for that specific thing. If a dog fails, they will use another.

Finding you is a game to the dog. They work for rewards, and that reward is usually a few minutes with a favorite toy. Just like any other trick, the dog is taught and rewarded for doing well. The dog is eager to please and is fairly simple minded in its pursuit of you.

It is not a relentless machine hunting you down. Think of a dog that enjoys playing fetch rather than the “Terminator”.

There are generally four kinds of law enforcement dogs: Attack (Bite), Drug, Bomb, and Tracking. Of course, there are many more specialties, such as agricultural, cadaver, money, et cetera. All of these dogs specialize in finding something.

Most dogs are single purpose, but you will occasionally find one that is cross trained. When dogs are cross trained, they are usually primarily trained in one of the nose-oriented jobs and then taught to be a bite dog. Cross-training is more likely to happen in departments with smaller budgets or K9 facilities.

Tracking dogs are very similar. Some dogs excel at finding people under different conditions. Some do better at finding people in the forest or jungle. Some are used to locating a scent, and others follow it. Some are slower and more reliable, while others are runners and will bolt in the direction of the scent trail and then reacquire it. You may come up against more than one kind of dog. For instance, they may use their sure-fire slow and steady dogs to negotiate difficult terrain or an area they think a runner is using counter-measures. They then may switch to fast dogs over terrain where there is limited choice of direction or to finally run someone down when they see him. You may get tracked by a tracking dog, and then upon seeing you they may release the bite dogs.

Tracking dogs can be of any breed. I’ve seen mixed-breed mutts taken from shelters and trained to sniff out one thing or another.

Bite Dogs

These are the dogs you will most likely encounter at the end of the chase. They are the ones most likely not to be on a leash when you do. They can be used to flush you out of a bush, attic, or any other hiding place. If the tracking dogs come to a stop and are going nuts barking at a bush, cave, et cetera, it’s the bite dog coming in after you. A bite dog is normally released when a target is in site and distinguishable to the dog by the handler.

Almost always the dog will latch onto you and hold you until the handler arrives. Bite dogs are trained to grab you in a specific way, usually by an arm or a leg. I saw one dog that was trained to grab a person by the ankle and rotate in circles until the handler got there. This caused the victim to fall down and be spun around. This is so that the victim cannot kick at the dog.

If available, or if they think there will be trouble, or if a dog is having a hard time, or you are attacking the dog, they will release another one or just shoot you (with a bullet or taser). No matter what you do, once a dog has been told to stop you, you are going to be seriously hindered as far as escaping any further. The handler and the rest of the team will be right on top of you, either way.

Bite Dog Training

There are several things that make up a good bite dog.

  1. Its ability to bite you, when commanded to do so, and where/how trained to do so.
  2. Its ability to firmly hold that bite as long as necessary.
  3. Its ability to reacquire a bite, if it loses it.
  4. Its ability to let go and back off when commanded to do so.

The following problems may occur:

Problems with #1– The dog bites without command. It may bite other officers, or the handler, or you. It may bite you in an “unauthorized” place, such as the crotch or throat.

Problems with #2– The dog bites but does not grip. This may cause the dog to repeatedly bite you over and over again, causing injury.

Problems with #3– Sometimes once a dog loses the bite, it will not bite again, which is bad for the officers.

Problems with #4– The biggest and most common failure (in my experience) is #4. With an aggressive breed and after a chase, the dog just will not let go. The handler constantly yells commands at the dog, and the dog doesn’t listen. This causes a rush of officers on the victim to pin him while the handler physically removes the dog from the person, sometimes injuring him at the same time. I’ve seen dogs bite officers at this point or rush back and bite the victim once he’s in handcuffs.

Most bite dogs are larger, aggressive breeds that have the body weight to seriously challenge a full-grown man. Once it has you by a leg or an arm, you are not lifting 150+ lbs and dragging it around, especially when it doesn’t want you to and is actively fighting you. Even if you could do this, you’re not going to be able to move fast enough to avoid the tracking team.

The Bloodhound

This dog is better at smelling things out, because of the shape of its head, ears, and posture. The of the way the dog is built, it has its head low to the ground and level. Its ears are out and actually catch and keep the scent in its face, keeping a kind of pocket around the face and nose of the dog. On top of this, it has a very powerful nose. In my experience an actual bloodhound is rare. They excel at smelling things, and any department that put money into a bloodhound will always train it to locate something. I’ve never seen a bite trained or cross trained blood hound.

Letter Re: Sanitation Issues

Dear Hugh

Some years ago I severely injured my back and could not access the bathroom, which was on another floor.

I took one of those lightweight home hospital potties, put a plastic bag into the bucket part, and put a bag of loose pine sawdust kitty litter next to it.

You use the bucket, sprinkle a cup of loose pine litter over it, no smell, no problem. And I do mean no smell. I had to sit right next to it for weeks.

Do not use standard clay kitty litter, which is made of bentonite clay. Yes, it will work, though not as well with the odor.

The problem is that bentonite clay is very durable. While it absorbs pee well, it does not want to dissolve, it wants to clump up and stay that way. This is fine in a litter box but not when you want to biodegrade the mess in a hole in the ground. The clay will not mingle with the dirt. It will encapsulate the pee and the poo.

The loose pine type of litter absorbs moisture very well, and biodegrades easily. It is also acidic. I don’t know what that does to the bacteria in feces, but bacteria generally don’t like acidic environments.

If you run out of pine litter, you can use sawdust. Do not get the pelleted pine litter, it will not work. It will stick on the poo like sprinkles on a cupcake.

On a separate note, you may want to keep the pee and poo separate, with a potty for each, and some water in the pee pot. The pee is not only fairly harmless, but if mixed with ten parts water to one part pee, it is a good source of nitrogen for your garden, and will not burn the plants. Doing this also greatly reduces the total bulk of what you need to dispose of.

I have a question: Has anyone tried taking the poo and simply tossing it into a hot outdoor fire? I presume it would be a bit smoky, being damp, but it seems like burning the poo would totally get rid of the disease risk, contamination, and disposal problem, leaving only sterile ashes which could also be spread on the garden.

I did look this up in the past, but could only find references to it being done along with a lot of other types of garbage, which caused chemical pollution problems. This would not happen if it is burned by itself.

Best wishes JW from NY

News From The American Redoubt:

‘Deeply troubling’ Senators say mineral withdrawal would protect local economy – RBS

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Eastern Washington: State reports a new wolf pack, located near Sherman Pass

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Actor Shia LaBeouf hitchhikes through Wyoming and Montana

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Video: At a conference in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho in 2015, Pastor Chuck Baldwin describes the significance of The American Redoubt. (Scroll forward to the 12-minute mark for his comments about the folly of modern American corporate churches, and to the 43-minute mark for his comments on the American Redoubt and God’s sovereign will. The Q&A portion–mainly on the Second Amendment and Romans Chapter 13–begins at 57:50.)

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Muslim Migrants Sexually Assault 5-Year Old In Idaho – RBS

Economics and Investing:

Silver Price Forecast: The Alignment Of The Dow, Interest Rates, Debt and Silver Cycles Will Deliver A Fatal Blow

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Americans Are Now The Top Silver Investors In The World

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What Brexit Could Mean For Your Money And Your Business

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Video: Beyond the Turmoil, Central Bankers Dread Brexit’s Shadow

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SurvivalBlog and its editors are not paid investment counselors or advisers. Please see our Provisos page for details.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Court lets stand law banning some semi-automatic assault weapons. This is not good news folks. This is what we can expect when they pass a national “assault weapons” ban, and hi-cap mag ban; the Supreme Court will let it stand if challenged! – Pat Cascio

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Because “You never know.”

US Army Technical Manual 31-210 Improvised Munitions Handbook – dated 1969. There are lots of “Poor Man’s James Bond” and “Anarchist’s Cookbook” type reads around. But this one differs significantly in that the US Army evaluated and tested the items in this manual and considered them feasible, effective, and reliable enough for publication.

Versions may be had in plain text, Kindle, and EPUB formats and are free to download. I suggest keeping a backup copy in plain text. Because again, “You never know!”

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From the religion of pieces– Muslims Behead Four Year Old Girl – Force Her Mother To Soak Her Hands In Her Daughter’s Blood – While the story has not been confirmed, it matches other reports where IS has mistreated, tortured, and killed young children. – Sent in by M.R.

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A bill to melt 100,000 1911 45s has passed the senate. Call your representative to get this stopped in the House. The pertinent verbiage is at section 331. – T.H.

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Venezuela is now so bad that the main stream media is finally picking up the story: Venezuelans Ransack Stores as Hunger Stalks Crumbling Nation – MtH

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“If you are in a church where the pastor refuses to teach the truth and take a stand, why do you stay there?” – Pastor Chuck Baldwin on churches having the answer to our current moral decline.

Notes for Monday – June 20, 2016

June 20th is the birthday of Audie L. Murphy, born in 1925. (He died in a plane crash on May 28, 1971.) This is also the anniversary of the death of novelist Vince Flynn (born April 6, 1966, died June 19, 2013). His death at age 47 was a loss to the literary world.

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Reader D.S.V. sent this: Gun Shop Sells 30,000 AR-15s in Week Following Orlando Attack. And, BTW, SurvivalBlog advertiser GunMagWarehouse.com (a much smaller company) tells us that they shipped about the same number of magazines in the same week.

Be sure to stock up before the Democratic National Convention in July, folks. That is when the real buying rush will begin, and supplies of most black rifles and nearly all types of full capacity magazines will be depleted!

Pat Cascio’s Product Review: Leatherman Skeletool RX

I’m not exactly sure where the dividing line is between some disorders, like genius, driven mad, sheer genius, tortured mind, losing your mind, and other similar diagnoses. There are creative minds, like that of the novelist Stephen King, and I’m not sure if he has creative genius or a very tortured mind, after watching many of the movies that Hollywood created from his novels. I tend to think that, perhaps, just perhaps, he has a tortured mind. In any event, I’m sure I’ve lost my mind many years ago; just ask my own family! LOL

Now, I’m not saying that any of the terms I listed are necessarily something bad; it’s just that many of us think differently about some things and can put this to good use in life. So, I’m not at all sure about the creative minds who work at Leatherman Tool who come up with the different variety of muli-tools and knives. Are they working on the premise of tortured minds or sheer creative genius? I don’t really know, but I do know that we all benefit from what comes from their minds. No one is making more different types of multi-tools that Leatherman. They are the originator of multi-tools, and in my humble opinion they still produce the best products along these lines.

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I’ve carried a Leatherman “Blast” multi-tool since they first came out, and I was saddened to learn that this particular multi-tool has been discontinued. I’ve found it to be the perfect compromise between the size and the various tools it has. Still, to each his own, and I’m always open to test something new and different from the good folks at Leatherman. With this goal in mind, I requested the Leatherman Skeletool RX to test for our readers, and to be sure, we have some of the most intelligent readers out there, who want to know about the newest, coolest, and best tools available for survival purposes. Keep in mind that survival covers a lot of different definitions, from surviving on the mean streets of a big city, to wilderness survival, to just making an attempt to get through your daily grind.

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The Skeletool RX isn’t the smallest multi-tool that Leatherman produces, and it isn’t one of the largest; Goldilocks might say it is “just right” for many needs. A quick look at what various tools the RX has is in order. We have needlenose pliers, regular pliers, hard wire cutter pliers, and wire cutters, plus a serrated knife blade made out of 154 CM (which is some great knife blade material), a carabiner/bottle opener, and a large bit driver with an added bit with different sizes on it for various screws. The RX handle material is stainless steel and Cerakote coated in blaze orange, so it’s not easy to lose sight of if you lay it down. To be sure, I’m guilty of this– using a knife or other tool on my small homestead and then laying it down in the grass and not being able to find it until I mow the lawn with the riding mower. Yikes!

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The Skeletool RX does not come with a carrying pouch or sheath. Instead, it can be clipped to the inside of your pants pocket with the attached pocket/clothing clip, or you can use the carabiner to attach it to a keyring you might have hanging on your pants belt, so it is readily accessible. The knife blade can be accessed and opened without opening the folded multi-tool. I like this feature a lot. You don’t have to go to all the effort to actually unfold the multi-tool in order to quickly, one-handed open the knife blade, and it does lock open, too, with a liner-type lock. Nice!

The various pliers on the main portion of the tool has all the pliers combined into one, including the needlenose, regular, hard wire cutter, and wire cutter. Just move the plier portion up or down on the material you wish to grip or cut, until you find the one you need to use, easy as pie. The bit driver has a bit locked in place, not magnetically; you need to push on a release to remove that bit and exchange it for the other bit, which is stored in one of the handles of the Skeletool RX. This is my only minor complaint. The extra bit is a little bit difficult to access, but it is very secure and won’t fall out of the handle.

Quite often I can be caught carrying two folding knives in my front cargo pants pockets. One knife will most likely be my favorite EDC folder, and a second folder, on that I’m testing and carrying for an article, will be in my left front cargo pants pocket. At times, I leave my favorite EDC folder at home, when I have several new knives I’m testing and carrying. It’s not overkill but just the way I operate, when carrying new products.

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I found the Skeletool RX easy to pack, clipped in my left front pocket. The only problem I had was accessing my house and car keys when carrying it in my left front pocket. It’s not a gigantic problem, just a little bitty one. With several vehicles in our family and a couple houses and other things that are locked, I have two keyrings in my left front pocket, so there is always something there.

Almost daily, FedEx, UPS, or the USPS bring me packages that must be opened. Some are cardboard boxes and others are large envelopes that need cutting into, and to be sure I’m one of these people who is always finding a loose screw. I just can’t let it be, so I pull out my Leatherman Blast and tighten it. This is a real “problem” for me, at the gun shop I haunt three or four days per week. It is also a pawn shop, and I’m always finding a loose screw and can’t let it be, especially when I run across a loose grip screw on a handgun or on the stock of a long gun. I gotta pull out the Leatherman and tighten it. So, I found a lot of uses for the Skeletool RX to practice on, mostly tightening loose screws.

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Now, the Skeletool RX isn’t a super-heavy duty multi-tool, but it was designed for many of the everyday tasks you might run into. I noted one comment on the Leatherman website with a user complaining that it didn’t have a tool for opening an O2 bottle. In another life, I worked on an ambulance and for the life of me I never had to look for the tool to open an O2 bottle; it was always attached to the bottle, period!

Now, you can find Chinese-made multi-tools all over the Internet for a couple bucks, and when you look at the pics of ‘em they do “look” nice. However, most are pure junk and not worth the shipping to get ‘em, let alone use them. Leatherman is the originator and still the best makers of multi-tools, and they are made in my adopted home state of Oregon, right outside of Portland, OR. I’ve been invited up to Leatherman for a hands-on personal tour numerous times, but I just have a hard time trying to find the time to make the drive up to that part of the state. Oregon is also home to many knife companies. Ditto for them, who are always asking me to come up for a tour of the new plants and/or offices. Sooner or later, I get up that way. I’ve never toured the Leatherman operation, but I will, one of these days. I live a very rural lifestyle and honestly hate going to any big or bigger cities, even though I was born and raised in Chicago, IL. I’ve learned to love rural life and small town life.

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The Leatherman Skeletool RX doesn’t come cheap. It retails for $102, and they do produce similar but different models that you might want to check out before laying down your hard-earned cash. Every Leatherman product comes with a 25-year limited warranty, too, which is something to keep in mind as well as the Made In The USA, which counts a lot in my book, too. So, check out the Skeletool RX. It might be exactly what you are looking for, in a light-weight everyday multi-use tool, for most of your daily needs. The sheer genius minds who design the multi-tools at Leatherman are to be congratulated for all their efforts, giving us so many different multi-tools to choose from!

– Senior Product Review Editor, Pat Cascio

Seeking Reader Input: SurvivalBlog’s Orwell Awards

The recent news about how the FBI filed a lawsuit to block disclosure of surveillance camera locations because it would “violate the privacy” of those surveilled has prompted the editors of SurvivalBlog to start a new awards contest for the most egregious examples of Orwellian Newspeak in the past year. This is in part to remind our readers of the prescience of George Orwell, in his novel 1984. We intend to issue these awards annually (like the Darwin Awards) each July 4th, and post descriptions and links for the top three examples, as well as for several Dishonorable Mention awards, with links.

To give you an idea of what we are looking for, I’ll start out with some examples that we’ve spotted in the news from recent years:

  • Affordable Care: Commentator Victor Davis Hanson pointed out how the much-touted Obamacare legislation that promised that we could “keep your health plan” (when many could not), “create four million new jobs” (when it did not) , and “save you $2,500 a year in premiums” (when premiums actually increased, repeatedly.) Now that gives new meaning to the word: “Affordable”!
  • Presidential Memoranda: When an Executive Order might garner too much attention, Presidents can now slip them quietly out as a “Presidential Memorandum.” (This is not quite as good as Orwell’s “Memory Hole” to make something completely disappear, but it’s close.)
  • Soçial Justice: This new term outwardly sounds so wonderfully benign. But the real meaning in the modern context is: Forcibly taxing people who are productive and handing it out to those who are unproductive. Our individual liberty, which is celebrated each July 4th, is under concerted attack.

Please send us examples of where the English language is being twisted with Newspeak in ways that degrade our liberty, our dignity, our heritage, and the truth – in the past year. Be sure to include links to the original news sources. On July 4th, we will publish our first list of Orwell Award winners.

Many Thanks! – JWR

Recipe of the Week: Family Favorite Meat Loaf

Ingredients:

  • 2 beaten eggs
  • ¾ cup milk
  • ¾ cup fine dry bread crumbs
  • 2 tbs grated onion
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp ground sage
  • 1½ lbs ground beef.

Sauce:

  • ¼ cup catsup
  • 2 tbs brown sugar
  • 1 tsp dry mustard
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:

  1. Combine eggs with milk, bread crumbs, onion, salt, sage, and meat.
  2. Mix well and shape into 9×5-inch rectangle or oval, or about 6-inch round.
  3. Carefully place in slow-cooking pot.
  4. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
  5. Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl and pour over meat.
  6. Cover and cook on high for 15 minutes.

Slice and serve while hot or use cold slices for sandwiches. Makes about 6 servings.

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? Please send it via e-mail. Thanks!

Odds ‘n Sods:

Oh, the irony! Ex-Calif. State Sen. Leland Yee, gun control champion, heading to prison for weapons trafficking

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The NRA’s answer to the White House and Hitlery: The AR-15: Americans’ Best Defense Against Terror and Crime – MtH

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Daniel Defense Cuts Ties with Academy Sports For Pulling AR-15 from Shelves

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Obama Increases Importation of Syrian Refugees After Orlando Terror Attack – B.B.

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When everything else fails, amateur radio will still be there—and thriving – P.S.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“It is sadly ironic that Americans are presently rushing to buy battle rifles, not so much because they fear terrorist attacks on their communities as much as they fear the depredations of our own legislators–our supposed ‘representatives’–in the District of Criminals.” – James Wesley, Rawles

Notes for Sunday – June 19, 2016

June 19, 1834 was the birthday of Charles Haddon (C.H.) Spurgeon, who died 31 January 1892. He was a British Particular Baptist preacher.

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Don’t forget that Safecastle is still running their “Storage Now or Forage Later” sale. All Mountain House freeze-dried foods–in #10 cans and mylar pouches–are on sale at discounts of up to 46% off. They are also discounting fresh (May 2016) military surplus pasteurized whole eggs.

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Oregon, Washington, and Idaho Patriots,

First, Happy Father’s Day (if you’re a father). And even if you’re not, don’t forget to call yours. If you’re still mad at him for something, maybe this could be a time for healing and restoration.

Secondly, most of you know about the God & Country Celebration in Marble, WA next weekend (24th, 25th, and 26th). You are all invited, just so you know.

Gates open at Noon on Friday and the first session will begin at 7pm at the big (beautiful and memorable) Marble barn.

Friday @ 7pm: State of the Nation (round table discussion) with Rep. Matt Shea (WA), Rep. Heather Scott (ID), Assemblywoman Michele Fiori (NV), Pastor Barry Byrd (Marble), and John Jacob Schmidt (me).

Lots of additional speakers throughout the weekend (Pastor Shahram Hadian, Jordan Page music, Cope Reynolds from the SW Shooting Authority, and more!

A packed weekend with multiple sessions and speakers. Get informed, get trained, and get in the fight for Americanism! – JJS

Using Canning Jars For All Food Stores and More-Part 1, by Sarah Latimer

Those who have been following my writings probably have figured out by now that I have a great deal of respect for efficiency and resourcefulness. It is my nature to pursue these. With the garden growing and an abundant surplus of fruits and vegetables just around the corner, the preservation of these is on my mind, as it has been annually this time of year since I first began gardening long ago.

The process needs to have high quality results but be done efficiently and use as little precious storage space as possible, too. In the past, we’ve tried every known method for preserving and storing our homegrown and home-raised fruits, vegetables, eggs, and meat as well as our bulk purchases of grain and staples, and several years back we determined that we were fully satisfied with our current system, which I’ll touch on in this series of articles. (Of course, there are some exceptions to what will be listed below, but that is because of our personal preferences rather than necessity.) Maybe some of this will be helpful to you as well.

Why We Use Jars

Efficient Use of Space

When looking at efficiency of storage space, the quart and half gallon Mason or Ball jars are not round; they’re shaped as rounded cubes rather than perfectly round, and they minimize wasted air space between jars packed together, unlike perfectly round buckets that have quite a bit of air space lost between them. Sure, the wooden boxes Hugh has built to hold vacuum-sealed mylar bags of grain are more efficient users of space, but they are too heavy for me to handle, so those are designated for the longest term storage. That alone certainly isn’t much of an argument in favor of jars, but when they are filled with heavy contents, as a woman I’d much rather carry a 3-gallon box of filled half gallon jars than a 5-gallon bucket of grain for any distance or up and down cellar stairs.

Can Be Sterilized and Reused Indefinitely

Unlike other forms of storage that seem to involve plastics, which decay over time, or sealed mylar bags, which must be cut open and then can’t be used again (or at least not many times), jars can be sterilized and used repeatedly for decades and even centuries, if handled carefully. My in-laws are using some of the same jars they used 50 years ago. Of course, the lids must be replaced, but I find that they don’t have to be replaced every time the jar is refilled. This is particularly true when using the jars for vacuum sealing dry goods rather than in traditional canning. I carefully inspect the lid’s seal; if I find that the rubber seal doesn’t have any sign of deterioration and lid’s rim is still smooth, it usually works without any problem. To verify that it will hold long term, after vacuum sealing jars I set them aside for at least a day or two, and usually a week, to ensure the seal holds the vacuum before they are put in our long-term storage area for rotation. Also, there are now the new Tattler lids that last a long time with repeated use, so those of us preparing for a time when some manufactured goods can’t be easily obtained will have lids that can be reused for traditional wet canning too!

Cost

Because we use jars for the majority of our food storage and many other things also, we buy them by the pallet. Yes, we have bought multiple pallets of multiple sizes, because our goal has been to create a deep larder for our family of necessities and produce most of our own food or freeze-dry, dehydrate, and wet can what we buy in bulk and to also have things stored that can be used for bartering, if need be. When purchased by the pallet, jars are much less expensive than when purchased a half dozen at a time at the store. If, however, you can find quality ones at garage sales or in your area on Craigslist at reasonable prices, you should buy them! I prefer the wide mouth over the regular mouth, because it is easier to reach my hand or a measuring spoon or scoop into the wide mouth jars for dry goods, cleaning, et cetera. Also, I believe in standardizing on the mouth size in order to use lids that work on all of my jars. Wide mouth jars come in sizes as small as half pint. For the amount of grain, vegetables, beans, fruit, and so forth that we store, jars are more economical than buckets and mylar bags, especially since we actually eat out of our larder and need to restock (and refill) regularly rather than just purchase buckets of food that we let sit until SHTF. We do have some food stored in buckets and appreciate those we have very much, but we have found that it is better for us to use the jars for a bulk of our everyday food items.

While we haven’t purchased a pallet recently and prices of almost everything have increased this year, I see that it is possible to buy 312 wide mouth half gallon jars (icluding lids and rings) for about $1.75 each and 720 wide mouth quart jars (including lids and rings) for about $1 each. However, you have to add shipping to the purchase figure, and last time shipping cost us about $250 per pallet, as they were shipped from Jarden on the east coast by freight truck. For that price, we had to use our tractor to lift them off the truck, too. Still, it was worth it for us! Half gallon jars were still only about $2.50 each, even after paying for pallet shipping. So, five gallons of grain could be stored in clear, washable glass for $15 without the purchase of additional mylar bags, mylar bag sealer, or anything else. Furthermore, when it is time to bake some bread, I don’t have to lug a whole big bucket into the kitchen or cut open a mylar bag and then figure out how to seal it again. I can just carry my half gallon jar into the kitchen, open it, pour the amount of wheat berries I need into my grain mill straight from the jar, and put the lid back on. It will sit quite prettily on my pantry shelf or counter top until I am ready to bake again in a few days.

When ready to order a pallet of jars, we always make calls to check not only on the jar pricing but to compare shipping costs, too. We usually use Goodman’s website. There are other companies but you have to watch the shipping costs. Many will charge you as much to ship a pallet as what you pay for just the jars. Goodman’s has a flat fee of $150/pallet as of this writing. It does take a couple of weeks for delivery as it is dropped shipped directly from Jarden and your delivery will depend upon what stock they are currently manufacturing at the time of the order. Amazingly, the trucking companies have only broken 1 jar in shipping to us.

No Pest Worries

Inside glass, the contents are not accessible to mice, rats, squirrels, and insects that would gnaw their way into many other types of packaging. Furthermore, glass with quality lids enables vacuum sealing, which eliminates the oxygen required for development of any insect larvae that might be in your grain, so insects within are destroyed and kept at bay also. As long as you keep the jars where large animals, including the unwanted two-legged variety, can’t get into them, you have good protection of your stores. However, I will note here that it is important to include the rings on your jars and not just the lids. In the event that there is heat or something that causes your jar to lose the vacuum seal, you should have the ring on to protect the contents. You will still be able to see that the lid has popped up and is without a vacuum (and may not be safe to consume), but those pests mentioned above will not be able to enter your jar and make a mess.

Can Be Opened, Used, and Resealed

Unlike some packaging, jars can be opened for partial use and then sealed again, or you can just screw the lid on, if it is a dry item that will be completely used soon. I have many items that I store in jars, such as herbs, spices, and teas as well as household items that are not vacuum sealed because they are “in use”. The items like them that are still in our long-term larder are stored in a vacuum-sealed jar to retain freshness. Like I said earlier, these jars are attractive and uniform, so they look nice set on your pantry shelf or on your counter top.

Transportable

The biggest concern with using jars for storage is also part of their attraction– glass. Glass is clear and cleans easily, but it is somewhat fragile. Fortunately, Mason jars are made of soda-lime glass, which is reasonably hard. I have dropped more than one jar without it breaking or cracking, but it will break. We have traveled with boxes of filled jars on long trip multiple times without any trouble whatsoever. The quart size jars of freeze-dried meals are perfect for adding a cup of hot water from our thermos, putting the lid back on, laying the jar on its side, and rolling it around for a few minutes until our meal is ready to eat. There’s no need for the expense or hunt for a Mickey D’s when you can have homemade Chicken Alfredo and Pasta or Chicken Fried Rice and vegetables for two in about the same amount of time and far more healthily. On some occasions, the jars were packed together without any divider or cushioning. Most often, we have put them in boxes with cardboard strips between them to prevent them from rattling and bumping together as we traveled down the highways and dirt roads of our journey. They aren’t lightweight though, so they are not suitable for backpacking, in my opinion. They need to be pre-positioned at your bugout location and/or transported in your vehicle when SHTF. When backpacking, we take dry contents, such as freeze-dried meals, out of jars and package them in Ziploc freezer bags, because their life requirement is very short at that point.

Serve Many Purposes

Like I’ve said before, they are useful for both dry and wet canned foods, but they are good for more than food. They can be used as vases for flower arrangements and for rooting plants. The quart and half gallon jars have cup measurements along the side, so they can be used as measuring/mixing “bowls”. They’re used for rooting plants and storing all kinds of household items, including hair clasps, clips, and decorations. They can also be used as glasses/mugs, candle holders, and soap/lotion dispensers.

Come in a Variety of Sizes

Whether we are storing grains and need large half gallon jars or are making face cream and need a half pint jar, there is a Mason jar just the right size. We mostly use quart and half gallon jars, but pint and half pint jars are used also. Some things, like the saffron spice, just are not in such abundance that we need a quart jar to store it. In this case, a half pint is adquate. Saffron is what I consider “culinary gold”. I have some to enjoy, but I can’t afford nearly as much as I want, and there is such a thing as “fool’s saffron”; I like the real thing, of course. It’s one of the few things Greece has going for it these days. Maybe some day I’ll need a quart jar for “my holdings”. I also like the quilted jars for jams and jellies, but they are purely a luxury and not necessary. Sadly, these jars don’t come with a wide mouth option. They do make pretty gifts though. The jars are so pretty that some people use quart or pint jars as drinking glasses. I remember growing up with a neighbor who used quart jars as drinking glasses. It now doesn’t seem so strange, and some come with handles or in colors.