April in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran of Gainesville Coins

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, by Steven Cochran of Gainesville Coins where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover the price action of gold and examine the “what” and “why” behind those numbers.

What Did Gold Do in April?

Gold started the month under $1,220 an ounce and went on a roller coaster ride. Luckily, there were more ups than downs. Gold prices spent the last week of the month bumping up into the $1,290 range, a thirteen month high.

Silver woke from its slumber and got down to it this month. Silver started April barely above $15 an ounce, before blasting up more than 17% for the month.

Factors Affecting Gold This Month

Deflation Fears In Europe

A blanket of anxiety still covers Europe, as negative interest rates and expanded QE from the European Central Bank seems unable to lift the EU out of the economic sickness that has been gripping it. A good way to see how negative interest rates do the opposite of what central banks want is this graphic at the Wall Street Journal. With all the evidence that NIRP hurts economies instead of helping them, you have to wonder why so many central banks keep using it.

Austrian Bank Bail-in

A big sign that the European banking system is worse off than they pretend, is the news that the Austrian government has declared a bail-in of Heta Assets Resolution. This is the “bad bank” formed from the non-performing loans held by failed bank Hypo Alpe Adria. Senior bondholders, who are first in line for reimbursement on a bank failure, just had a 50% haircut applied to them by Austrian financial regulators. At the stroke of a pen, the value of the bonds they hold was cut in half. We explained the whole tangled mess of this “bad, bad bank” in a news article soon after the bail-in was announced. Unlike some other banks that have failed due to overexposure to risky trades, the Hypo executives were accused of all sorts of wrongdoing.

Brexit

April 15 was the official start of the campaigning over the EU referendum in the UK, otherwise known as the Brexit vote. The question for British voters is simple: does the United Kingdom remain in the European Union or leave? A vote to leave would throw global markets into turmoil.

The unofficial campaigning has been going on for months. It has split Prime Minister David Cameron’s Cabinet; Brexit has split families and friendships. The “Leave” side is accused of wearing rose-tinted glasses when declaring that there will be little economic hardship from severing ties with Britain’s largest export market. The “Remain” side is accused of scare mongering and acting as pawns of the elite and Big Banks.

The “Leave” side got a morale boost early in April when Dutch voters vetoed an EU treaty creating closer trade and defense ties between the EU and Ukraine. In a shocker for the establishment, the “No” votes outnumbered the “Yes” votes two to one. Any agreement between other nations and the EU as a whole have to be approved by every EU member nation.

And just because Brexit passions in the UK just weren’t high enough, U.S. President Barack Obama flew into London to threaten Britons if they voted to leave the EU. This put the “Leave” side into a frenzy over this blatant interference by a foreign head of state in domestic British affairs and only fanned the flames against outsiders dictating laws to the UK.

Even some in the “Remain” camp thought Obama’s actions were heavy-handed and intrusive. At the end of the day, the “Leave” side may have gained more support than the “Remain” side. Thanks, Obama!

Fed Whiffs Rate Hike

The Federal Reserve did not hike benchmark interest rates this month, just like everyone expected. They are running out of time if they still think they are hiking rates this year. Any talk about a June hike is ridiculous, because the June Fed meeting is only eight days before the Brexit vote. That really just leaves September and December as the only remaining months where the Fed can hike rates.

Oil Glut Talks

Saudi Arabia, the rest of OPEC, and Russia all played the “make vague statements about cutting production so oil prices go up” game in April. The big con came from a meeting arranged in the Qatari capital of Doha to agree on a grand bargain to cut production. Everyone presumably was on board with the notion that Iran would be allowed to get its oil exports back to normal levels before freezing production. However, Saudi Arabia sucker punched everyone the morning of the talks by insisting that Iran freeze output at current levels.

The Saudis immediately began blaming Iran for the failure of the conference, but Russian energy minister Aleksandr Novak was hearing nothing of it. “How can Iran be the reason for the talks’ failure, when it wasn’t even here?”

Shanghai Gold Fix

China, tired of speculators in the West setting the price of gold, has opened a Shanghai gold fix. Twice a day, a yuan-denominated gold price will be benchmarked using only physical gold transactions. This removes the distortions caused by speculators betting with COMEX gold futures with no intent to ever deliver.

Contracts are for .9999 fine gold 1 kilo gold bars, quoted in yuan per gram. Some analysts believe that this will put more pressure on the COMEX to clean up its act or, at the very least, steer more focus to the disconnect between paper gold and physical gold prices.

On the Retail Front

Russia is in the gold news again, but this time the gold is going out instead of coming in. Russia’s second-largest bank has begun bullion shipments to China. VTB Bank says the first shipment was for one metric tonne. It plans to ship between 800 and 1000 metric tonnes of gold to China per year.

Gold and silver sales at the Perth Mint continue to rise. Year on year sales of gold bullion rose 40% in March, while year on year sales of silver bullion rose a giant 175%.

American investors aren’t sitting on their hands. At press time, the U.S. Mint reported that over 4.07 million American Silver Eagles had been sold in April. That’s slightly lower than March’s 4.1 million but just under 43% higher year on year.

The Mint sold 105,500 ounces worth of Gold Eagles in April. That’s 177% higher than last month, and 127% higher year on year for Gold Eagles.

The India Times notes that the average Indian household spends 8% of all daily consumption on gold. This is nearly the same percentage as medical expenses.

Last month we told about the spike in demand for safes in Japan, as citizens react to negative interest rates by keeping their cash at home. This month, we see it isn’t just fiat money being hoarded. Japanese gold demand in the first quarter increased 35% due to NIRP.

Market Buzz

With gold entering a bull market, the mainstream press can’t ignore the performance of precious metals any longer. Even CNBC is buying a clue. They interviewed George Milling-Stanley, the man behind the world’s largest physical gold ETF– the $33 billion SPDR Gold Trust (GLD). Asked for a gold forecast, he says he sees gold at $1375 by Christmas.

He shoots down a favorite crutch of the anti-gold crowd, that gold doesn’t pay interest, by noting: “For 40-something years, since I first got into gold investing in the 1970s, people have been saying it doesn’t pay a return. Well, guess what? Not much else does these days, either. People are charging you to store money. GLD costs less at 40 basis points [0.40%] annually than holding Swiss francs.”

John Browne at EuroPacific Capital, chimes in on how negative interest rates take away the fiat cheerleaders’ barb that gold doesn’t pay interest. He also notes that negative interest rates could end up killing banks instead of helping them.

Another news story that got the mainstream financial press’s attention was that of the anonymous trader who placed a $2 million bet on GLD options. His bet is that the price of gold will go up by 10% by the end of July. Looking at gold prices above $1,280 an ounce right now, he is already almost there!

Perhaps the biggest news for physical gold investors is that Deutsche Bank has admitted to gold manipulation. In an out-of-court settlement, the bank will not only give the plaintiffs monetary compensation but will roll over on the rest of the gold manipulating banks by turning over correspondence and records between DB traders and those at other banks.

James Rickards talked to MarketWatch this month on the subject of “To Big To Fail” banks getting even larger and the risks of another financial crisis. He says that another 2008-style event will cause the collapse of the global monetary system, and only those nations with large gold reserves will be the ones to dictate the new monetary system.

Speaking of nations hoarding precious metals, SRSrocco asks, “What’s with the huge stockpile builds of silver in China?”

Eric Sprott reminds readers that in a world of negative yields, bonds have no hedging power against a falling stock market. What does? Gold, of course.

Stepping off into Fantasy Land, Casey Research explains how the mainstream media is being used by central banks to float the trial balloon of “helicopter money.” Let’s not be naive and think this money giveaway will ever end up in our pockets. Once Congress gets a taste of truly free money to fund graft and corruption, it will never let the Fed stop the printing presses.

A surprising editorial from Harley Bassman at PIMCO suggests that the Fed will find that not even negative interest rates will save America from another downturn. Instead of buying Treasuries from the Big Banks to fight deflation, the Fed should instead change its Quantitative Easing policy and go on a gold buying spree instead.

John Mauldin says that Congress should change the Fed so that the next round of stimulus goes to improving the broader economy instead of bank balance sheets. His idea is to have the Fed issue bonds to cover fixed duration infrastructure projects that can pay the bonds off.

Looking Ahead

Well, there’s no Fed policy meeting in May, but the airwaves will be full of Fed officials giving opposite forecasts and stressing the markets out. The European Central Bank and Bank of Japan both are forcing negative interest rates onto the system, but their currencies are going up, not down. What kind of desperate scheme will they inflict on their people next?

My Defenses- Part 2, by Sarah Latimer

  • Be secure and uninviting. Keep your gates, doors, and windows locked and secure as much as possible. Limit access to your property and home to one or two main entrances and keep those well guarded, monitored, and locked. Be sure to keep shrubs and trees trimmed so you can exit and see what is in the yard around your home. You don’t want to walk up to the front door with keys in hand and have someone jump out from behind your tall shrubs and push you inside and lock the door behind you to isolate you and do whatever evil they intend! You need good visibility and low shrubbery! We grow thorny rose bushes in front of our windows to deter anyone from standing right outside the windows. Then, small evergreen shrubs are grown between and forward of those and kept trimmed below three feet tall. Trees are trimmed tall, and no large-trunked trees grow right up beside the house to obstruct views or enable a hiding place near entrances.

    Exterior lighting is used in addition to porch lights, and these can be turned on and off remotely. LED bulbs are used to reduce electricity drawn throughout our home and property, as we intend to rely upon our solar power for all key operations if the grid goes down. Even small solar path lights can be easily purchased and used to help light walkways without investing in a complex full-house solar system, and we use these for our camping/bug out retreat quite well, too.

    The audio/intercom/video system enables me to speak with delivery personnel or visitors without having to open up to them. Even if you live in town, having a means to communicate without opening the door is valuable. A solid glass outter door that locks can be easily broken, but it is better than having nothing between you and an unknown person, and it gives you a second to get the main door closed and locked and then determine your next course of action, whether that is calling 911 and/or getting your self-defense weapons in place. (We keep weapons strategically located throughout the home.) Also, having an audio/video system in play alerts them that you may have other electronic systems in place, such as alarm systems and possibly recorded/remotely observed video. Of course, an alarm system with monitoring and the signage to advertise its existance may be useful if you have a responsive police force in close proximity to where you live. Most of us in rural areas know that we won’t be able to get help out to us within the critical seconds or few minutes that are usually required to stop a violent crime from happening, but anything that can make our place less desireable is a plus. We’ve had far less vandalism or theft than any of our neighbors, and I believe it is because of our security systems and measures that make us an unattractive target.

    Ladies, on your person, in how you dress, take a look to see what you are inviting there also. If you are dressing like a woman for sale, then why would you expect to be approached and treated differently? If you are dressed in a dignified, covered way, you will more likely be treated like a lady and respected. I rarely go out that men of all ages (even teens) don’t open doors for me. Yet, I’m well covered. I wear long, denim or flowing skirts and shirts that do not show cleavage and have more than thin straps. Usually my shoulders are covered. I don’t wear much makeup, yet men smile at me and give me courtesy and I’m told that I’m beautiful. There is no doubt when glancing my direction about which restroom I belong in, as the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments tells us that men should not dress as women and vice versa. All throughout history in many cultures, it was customary for slaves to be stripped in front of potential buyers for their bodies to be examined and valued, while royalty was dressed in dignified manner in beautiful robes before the people. I choose to look like a royal “lady” rather than a “slave girl”. Now, hear me! I am not saying that if you are raped it is because of what you are wearing. Oh, no!! There is no justification for rape, ever! A woman, no matter what she is wearing, has the right to say “No!” to anything and be respected as meaning just that and for the man to stop whatever he is doing with her.

    As an aside, ladies, on the subject of dress, be sure you aren’t giving mixed signals and participating by being a stumbling block for mens’ wandering eyes and lustful hearts. I really believe this is critically important not just to your physical safety but spiritual walk and relationships. What I’m referencing here is generally a separate matter from assault and rape, which is most often not about lust but rather about anger, gang initiation, emotional instability, and/or desire for control. I’m talking about how we present ourselves to decent men, Christian men (our brothers). Even decent men get confused by the messages our culture sends out through many of the fashions. God gave men a special sensitivity through their eyes to be drawn to the opposite gender. We want them to be attracted to us but respectfully so. The greatest physical attraction, even a visual one, should be protected to be between a husband and wife rather than between a woman and many men. The clothes worn by many women today say to men that they are loose and ready for whatever, when that may not at all be what a woman intends and wants, yet she is following fashion trends. If the trends are of an immoral culture, do not follow them! In my younger years, I was a runway and photography fashion model many decades ago, yet I said “no” to some fashions and opportunities. My faith dictated it. I didn’t see this as a career but as a stepping stone to help pay for my college education and expenses. Through my strong convictions and strength to say “no”, I was able to be a witness to the other girls and even some big time beauty queens whose identities were wrapped up in their ability to manipulate people through their beauty. That isn’t godly! We are to be a holy people, set apart. We are not to do anything that would tempt men in the faith to stumble. Sure, it is ultimately their decision how they behave, but if you are tempting them then you are a co-conspirator and not respecting the struggle they endure to be holy men. Be aware of this.)

    Be sure to take a good look in the mirror and secure what you intend to secure by being consistent in your physical appearance. Do you dress for respect or are you inviting disrespect? A strong, confident, modestly-dressed woman looks like a bigger challenge to a criminal than a physically and emotionally weak, complacent one who is showing so much skin and/or form that she couldn’t possibly has any hidden weapons on her body. You can choose what kind of image you want to project and decide if you want to be an easy target for a criminal or not. It doesn’t guarantee your safety, but I want to apply every defense available to me and this is one I am sure has helped me in the past. I’ve seen the angry, crazed eyes of the man heading toward me and seen him turn away when I stared into his eyes and walked confidently while reaching into my purse. In my gut, I’ve known a number of times that something was about to happen and then didn’t. I thank God for the change in course, for whatever reason.

  • Never be/look alone. If you are going to the mall or into town shopping, try to take a friend, husband, or older child with you. If you have to drive a long ways to work, look for a carpool situation, if you can find several trustworthy companions with similar schedules. Having a second person will make you less desirable to a predator. If, however, you must go alone and you think there are untrustworthy people watching you leave your home, stand outside your car door and wave back to your house as if you are waving goodbye to someone you left inside. They won’t know it is unoccupied then. They may also think you have someone keeping close tabs on your whereabouts. Even if you don’t have someone on the phone or anyone checking up on you, if you think someone is watching you as you are walking in the parking lot then pretend to talk to someone on your cell phone until you get to your car and look that someone straight in the eye as if you are talking about them to whoever is on the phone. Have keys in hand with the cell phone ready to quickly get in the car and then lock those doors immediately and get out of there! Have the other hand on your concealed weapon inside your vest, on your hip, or in your purse, and ready to draw if need be. I’ve heard testimonies from violent criminals that lead me to believe that just having your hand in your purse (or on your hip) and your eyes on them alerts a would-be offender that you might be armed and ready to draw, and this may cause them to back down. It’s also a good idea to have someone who knows where you are and when you are supposed to arrive where you are going. I know of single women who call and check on each other every evening and have the phone numbers of each others’ neighbors and/or close family members in case they can’t reach their phone buddies when they have a scheduled check in. If something has happened, they will be missed and someone will be looking for them. You don’t want to be missing long without someone looking for you and contacting authorities.
  • Carry multiple weapons. Recently, the family was at a restaurant and I was laughing about making room for my purse between Hugh and me on the booth. He jokes that I carry everything but the kitchen sink and then reminds me that one time I actually carried a camp shower in it. (It’s really not that big.) However, I not only carry three ways to make fire in my purse and bandages, but I carry a way to make fire that propels a chunk of metal at high velocity, and I carry it in my purse all of the time! In my purse, I carry a subcompact pistol because of its lighter weight, but on my waist holster I carry a full size pistol. I keep a weapon that is ready to fire within reach during the night also. I own and shoot everything from the subcompact pistols up to the AR and other rifles. While I have multiple men in my household currently, I never know when some may be gone, the one with me is wounded, and I find that it is up to me to defend both of us. I need to be ready. I can’t rely on them to do all of the defending, and I suggest you don’t rely on your men to do it all either. I highly, highly recommend that every woman go through concealed carry training, purchase at least one pistol and a large supply of ammo, get a concealed carry (CC) license, and then carry.

    My purse is attractive with snake skin trim, exterior zippers, two large sections with pockets and internal zippered sections for personals, pens, lipsticks, cell phone, wallet, and a velcroed section between the two large compartment for my holstered pistol. No one has ever asked me if it was a CC purse, ever! I have had several people ask about my purse though, because it is pretty, functional, and sturdy. There are some CC purses that are ugly, and there are some that fall apart, and there are some that are beautiful and outrageously expensive. Go with good quality and then carry in it! In my purse, I also carry my Cold Steel JWR SurvivalBlog limited edition survival knife and a small Swiss Army knife also. If I’m working out on the property, I usually carry at least a large folder knife (and have my shepherd dog, of course). Sometimes, I wear a waist holster on my belt with my skirt. (I almost always wear long skirts rather than pants.) I have a custom thigh holster on order that I am anxious to try. I have tried them on, but I understand that wearing one long term is considerably different than short term wearing. We will see. I’ll let you know how it goes. Regardless of what weapon(s) you choose to carry, practice using it/them. You need to be very comfortable with your weapon and drawing it. Practice holding it, carrying it, and firing it. Get good at aiming and firing it under pressure, too, because if and when that day comes that we need to use our guns to defend our lives and possibly also the lives of those we love, we will be under a lot of stress.

  • Be prepared and willing to use weapons. Most of us, as mothers, are “momma bears” to some degree. Don’t threaten my child or you’ll see what fierce anger looks like. When one of our children was repeatedly bullied, we initially told our child to try to avoid it. That didn’t work, and I went to the adult in authority over the group of children. That adult didn’t take responsibility to do anything at all, even after the bullying escalated to assault. So this momma bear took action. It wasn’t pretty. My child was given authority and instruction to fight back and ultimately was removed from this adult’s (lack of) supervision when the situation continued. I was so angry! It was a righteous anger, too. Because my child was smart and dressed well, he was picked on, extorted, threatened, and punched. The adult in charge felt sorry for the underprivileged child who was doing the punching and insulting and so the adult turned a blind eye. Oh, no! That was unacceptable. That’s only one situation where I turned into a “momma bear”, and it is relatively mild compared to a few others. Now, I’m not one to think my children can do no wrong or that it is always someone else’s fault. They aren’t, and I don’t. I have high standards for my children and their behavior and readily take them to task when they misbehave. However, when there is a serious threat to my child’s life or that of my grandchild, that threat better step back!

    So, if someone is threatening the lives of you and your children, do you have what it takes to stop them? Again, having the ability to stop someone who is running at you with a deadly weapon is invaluable, because once a man (or woman) with greater strength reaches you it is difficult to get away and overcome them. However, you must have the mentality and determination to live and to protect yourself and your own if you are going to carry a weapon. You must be prepared to use that weapon, know how to use it, have practiced doing so, and have it available to use when that moment you hoped would never come actually comes. At that point, it’s too late to try to figure out how your weapon works. If your life is seriously in danger, you had better be ready to fight for your life with whatever tool you have. A rifle has the ability to get out further away than a pistol, but if that man is on top of you, you grab for anything you can and use it as a weapon, whether that’s a can of hair spray or a pencil.

    The LORD loves life. It is our obligation to protect it. If someone is assaulting you and threatening to take away your life, that person is the one who is violating the LORD, not you! How do you know that he will stop with you? He may rape and kill you and then go on to your daughter and son. It is up to you to defend your life with whatever resources are available to you. Make up your mind now whether you can do it, and then mentally and emotionally prepare to do it. When the threat to your lives comes, call upon the LORD to give you strength and then remember the training that you either already have or are going to get right away to stop evil from taking what the LORD has entrusted to you– your life and the lives of your family!

In the end, I use all of these tool, hoping to keep confrontations to a minimum and preferably prevented altogether. I pray and I pray for discernment and guidance. When I sense danger, I call upon the name of the LORD and ask for guidance in what to do. Then, I apply my training and trust Him with the outcome.

So, dear survival sister, be strong and courageous, but be a lady– one that commands respect and knows how and when to fight and shoot in support of life!

Two Letters Re: Velcro On Tactical Gear

HJL,

You asked about the use of velcro. This is more in the way of everyday carry, but my cover vest has a large velcro panel that the holster for my BUG hangs from. The pocket that this panel is inside of has a velcro closure. I don’t care for the noise of the velcro for tactical reasons, so I have placed a strip of loop on about half of the velcro (hook & loop) to reduce the sound and yet maintain the closure. The gun is a Kahr PM9 so it is light weight. A number of velcro covered holsters are available, and I have two varieties.

The idea of a BUG is as a secondary weapon. If I am in a firefight already, the velcro rip will be of little consequence. The placement of the gun allows for an easier draw while seated. If I am seated in my vehicle the noise of the velcro rip should be of little consequence. If I am seated in a restaurant or other public venue then I am concerned about the noise. I hope this helped.

Thank you for your many articles. – A.A.

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Hugh,

I have more or less abandoned velcro for closures on tactical gear, preferring instead the old-school lift-the-dot fasteners. While these are a little more expensive, they are silent and very easy to manipulate. I do find velcro useful as an attachment method however, where a pouch will be more or less permanently affixed in a position, such as the tear-away IFAK mounting panels. Noise is a factor, real or imagined. (How much hearing will you have, or anyone else within hearing range, after discharging 20-30 rounds at 160= decibels?) Still, quiet is better, discretion being the better part of valor and all. This is just my $3.85 worth ($0.02, adjusted for inflation, before taxes). Keep the Faith. – H.

Economics and Investing:

SILVER & SILVER STOCKS: Top Performing Assets In 2016

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Lies, Lies And Omg, More Lies. The government continues to report absurdly low rates of inflation, making their economic polices look good. The truth is considerably different.

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The latest from Brandon Smith: One More Casualty Of The 9/11 Farce – The Petrodollar

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1% savings, 2% 5 year cd,low but better than others…GS Bank – Sent in by P.M.

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IRS Can Track Your Cell Phone, but Leaves Billions in Taxes Uncollected – Submitted by B.B.

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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:

How Islam Erases Christianity from History

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Super Survival Kit: 15 Lifesaving Essentials in One Tiny Box – Sent in by G.G.

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Obama vows to ‘speed up’ efforts to admit Syrian refugees – The last push for absurdity is upon us. – B.B.

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All Belgian residents issued with iodine tablets to protect against radiation – This is a preventative measure. The pills are actually being distributed to the local pharmacies with priority for distribution given to pregnant and nursing mothers in the event of a nuclear catastrophe or dirty bomb. – B.L.

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Preschoolers should be educated about gender and same-sex marriage: academic – The truly frightening thing is that these university-trained academics are so powerful because the general population sees nothing wrong with this thinking. We live in very dangerous times. – A.S.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 (KJV)

Notes for Saturday – April 30, 2016

Today is the birthday of sci-fi novelist Larry Niven (born April 30, 1938). Along with Jerry Pournelle, he co-authored the survivalist classic Lucifer’s Hammer. April 30th is also the birthday of Ed Yourdon, who was born in 1944.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 64 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value),
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul PMAG 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating an AquaBrick water filtration kit with a retail value of $250, and
  10. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  3. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  4. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  5. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  8. Safecastle is providing a package of 10 LifeStraws (a $200 value)
  9. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A $245 gift certificate from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  3. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 64 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A Holistic Approach to Packing a 72-Hour Bug Out Bag- Part 2, by C.T.

Water. Though you may die after three days without water, that is most likely in ideal conditions with low exertion. If you have ever gone hiking before, you know that after an hour or so you are pretty parched already, and by the end of a single day you will be pretty much functionally depleted of water and in desperate need of rehydration. Especially if your bug out happens to be in the summer or a very hot time of year, water is going to be the most important element you need to keep going effectively.

This is where knowing your bug out route is essential. If there are going to be places you could refill from natural sources, you don’t need to carry enough water to get you all the way from Point A to Point B. If you have a short (under three day) bug out route that crosses or follows rivers or free standing water, carrying a lightweight water filter should meet most of your needs. If you are planning on traveling with a larger group and will need to supply water to multiple people, it may make sense to carry a higher output water filter designed for hiking, such as the Katadyn Hiker Pro. Depending on your length of trip and general murkiness of the water in your area, you may want to pack a spare filter and a few coffee filters that you can place over the front end tubing (and use a rubber band to secure it) that goes in the water source to minimize the amount of work your internal filter needs to do. If you want to go really light weight or have redundancy in your water purification options (a very good idea), using iodine tablets is probably your best bet.

Water is absolutely essential to survival and keeping yourself in peak condition. If you will not be able to refill as you go, you need to pack all of the water you need to get to your destination. This is where understanding the amount of weight you can carry is essential. The amount of water you will need is dependent on your physical condition and the climate and terrain you will be covering. A safe bet is 0.5 liters per mile you need to travel. Since water weighs about 2.2 lbs per liter, you can see how this can add up quickly.

A 10 mile route will require 11 lbs of water. If you can only comfortably carry a total of 30 lbs, you need to plan on carrying 1/3 of that weight in water! Even longer routes will require more. This is why, if possible, you should plan a route that has access to water refill points so you don’t need to carry everything all at once.

How much water should you carry if you plan on refilling? A safe recommendation is to have at least four to six liters of water on you at all times. Try to fill up at all available water sources.

The question becomes how do I store all this water? The inexpensive and easy way is to set aside some 2-liter soda bottles (that you have thoroughly cleaned and filled with fresh water) with your bug out bag. Smaller plastic bottle sizes can also be used and packed in free places in your bag.

More “professional” water bottles include Klean Kanteen (a metal bottle that is strong enough that you can boil water in it if necessary) and Nalgene bottles. If you plan on hiking extensively in your free time, an investment in a water bladder could be a good idea. These require a little more maintenance than a water bottle, but they have the convenience of a straw attachment so you don’t need to stop to pull out your water bottle every time you want a drink.

Food. Last on the list of basic necessities is food. For many this may be surprising. The human body is capable of surviving for about a month without food. Of course, your physical and mental capabilities will degrade significantly during this time. Anyone who has spent time with a woman who easily gets “hangry” without snacking through the day knows the importance of food for morale and to keep your body going in prime condition.

Food is an area where weight is a great concern. Different types of food have different types of preparation requirements. You need to find the right food type for you that balances weight, preparation time, and calories.

There are four major types of food we will look at:

  • Wet Foods
  • Dry Foods
  • Freeze Dried Foods
  • Meals Ready To Eat

“Wet Foods” are meals that already have moisture added to them. These include canned soups and most canned goods. A can of pre-made soup will require no effort to prepare or eat other than opening the lid. However, wet foods usually weigh a significant amount. If you have a very short trip planned, wet foods may make sense for you. By choosing foods that don’t require any preparation resources you can make up for the added weight by not needing to carry a stove or cooking pots. Just make sure to pack a light weight can opener and utensils.

“Dry Foods” include foods that do not require any water to be added but do not have large (or any) amounts of liquids in them. These are items like trail mix, beef jerky, and granola bars. Since these don’t have any water added, you need to make sure you drink plenty of water when eating them to aid in digestion. You end up carrying the water for them anyway, when you think about it.

While they are not ideal as a sole source of food for a hiking trip, there are a variety of high quality hiking bars that pack nutrients and calories. Clif Bars are a great brand, which packs energy in a bar and actually tastes good. Other brands include Power Bar, which also have protein and energy. Carrying some dry food in addition to other types makes sense, since you can snack throughout the day so you aren’t starving by the time you stop walking.

“Freeze Dried Foods” are popular for camping and hiking. Basically these are dehydrated meals in a serving packet. You heat up water and add it to the packet, stir, wait a few minutes, and presto you have a tasty hot meal. The advantage of these is that they are low weight on their own. The downside is that you still need water for them, and you will still need to carry that water with you. So the weight savings can actually turn out to be negligible, if you don’t have a source of fresh water near your camping site. The other downside is that in order for them to work, you need to be able to boil water. This requires a fire and a pot. This is all weight that could be avoided by picking a different type of food.

If you do choose to carry Freeze Dried Food, a small camping cooking set makes the most sense for heating water. The JetBoil system is a low weight option for quickly bringing water to a boil. You could also try making a Penny Stove, but remember to pack enough fuel and you will need a separate pot for boiling water. In a bug out situation, making an open fire to boil water will probably be very difficult and draw unnecessary attention. I recommend that you plan on not making any open fires until you arrive at your Point B. If you are using a stove, make sure you pack a Lighter to start the flame. A backup source of flame that will not get damaged if it gets wet (say you fall in a stream on your bug out route) also should be packed if you will be dependent on fire to heat your food. The Light My Fire system makes sense for this. They even sell their striker in a package that fits inside a Mora Knife, if you are looking to hit two birds with one stone.

With either wet or dry foods you need to make sure you have utensils for eating them. Use your primary knife for any cutting needs, but bring a spoon and fork for eating. Or better yet, bring a spork!

“Meals Ready To Eat” (MRE’s) are pre-packaged meals that are, surprise, ready to eat! Devised by the military to answer the same questions we are struggling with here, MRE’s are meant to keep deployed troops fed when they are away from supply lines or on an extended mission. A MRE will usually consist of a primary course with some sides. A heating packet is included so you don’t need to worry about boiling water to warm the food. Taste on these is not usually top notch, but the advantages of not needing separate water or cooking supplies make them a very good choice for a bug out situation.

MRE’s are available both in military surplus styles or in “civilian” versions. The military ones are to military specs, but the problem is that you have no idea where they have been. They may have sat in a shipping container in Afghanistan for a year at 130 degrees Fahrenheit before they made it to you, in which case they will have a drastically shortened shelf life. A safer option is buying a freshly-made version from a reputable source. Sure-Pak sells MRE’s by the case or individually. Make sure you get MRE’s that have the flameless heaters included.

Now that you have the essentials of air, shelter, water, and food covered, it is time to think about the unexpected. There are a few more areas that it is wise to pack for.

Medical Needs

Health problems may be both expected or unexpected. If you have any chronic illnesses or issues, you need to plan for them. Diabetics should have extra insulin and injectors packed in their bag. If you suffer from asthma, it is essential to place at least one extra inhaler in your bag. People with severe allergies should carry an EpiPen, and if you are taking any medications on a daily basis you should have at least a month’s worth stored in your bag to account for the trip and any time you spend at your destination until things calm down.

In addition to planning for expected medical needs, you should also have a medical kit that can handle most smaller emergencies. You shouldn’t plan to do a root canal on your trip, but at least think about cuts and scrapes. A pre-packaged medical kit, such as the Adventure Medical Kit Day Tripper is a good start, since you get a pouch and most of the basic supplies you need. A kit like that can then be customized to your expected needs by supplementing in additional items like sun screen packets, hand sanitizer, bug spray, chap stick, and moleskin.

Don’t forget basic hygiene items as well. Simple things like a toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant can make life seem somewhat normal, yet they don’t add much weight. Plus, if you keep your bag in your car you will have them on hand if you need them during normal times.

Specialized Equipment for your Route

Depending on the route you have picked to get to point B, you may need some specialized tools. If there will be multiple chain link or barbed wire fences, pack a pair of mini bolt cutters to help get through. (Just don’t get shot cutting someones fence, and I recommend paying for repairs once the emergency is over.)

On a more extreme level, if you don’t see a way around crossing a river on your route, consider packing an inflatable boat that could get you across and then be ditched. What you will need depends on your route; think critically about any obstacles you will face!

General Tools for Your Bug Out Bag

Up to this point, we have talked about tools that fulfilled a specific purpose within the “rule of three” philosophy. In this section we will look at more general, common sense tools that you will also want to have available. These go without saying. Hopefully, you can figure out the use for each of these:

Once you have all your gear assembled to make your trip, you need somewhere to put it. Naturally this is the “bag” part of “bug out bag”. Now many people get all excited at this point and buy some sort of tactical bag with Molle attachments for all of their accessories. I think we can all agree the Molle type bags look awesome and are very functional. If you just have to get one, then do it. However, if you are really thinking tactically, any advantage you get from being able to attach items to the outside of your bag will be far outweighed by the negative perception it forms in many people’s mind. I instantly go on alert when I see someone with military gear, and I assume they are carrying concealed. Is that how you want everyone you come into contact with to treat you? It makes more sense to have a normal camping style backpack in earth tones that will not stick out like a sore thumb.

Either way you go with the bag, just having a 72-hr Bug Out Bag of some sort puts you ahead of 90% of the population.

Good luck getting from A to B.

Letter Re: Velcro on Tactical Gear

Hugh,

Concerning your request for information, I have never had issues with Velcro on my dive gear. (It’s found on Buoyancy Compensator pockets mostly.) However, on tactical gear, snaps or magnetic clasps are the most silent and easiest to use without issue. With Velcro there is always the possibility that a second, third, or fourth “tear” will be needed if all the hooks haven’t disengaged. With snaps or magnets, it’s far easier and undeniably quieter. If I’m changing mags in a hot zone, the last thing I want to telegraph is my current position by a “riippp” of the Velcro releasing. – J.D.

Economics and Investing:

America’s Pension Problem – A story of two ants.

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China Is Hoarding Crude At The Fastest Pace On Record

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Apple reports first revenue decline in 13 years – Sent in by RBS

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Costco likely to raise annual membership fee – They still rate higher than their rivals, but they are obviously feeling the squeeze of this non-recession recession. They did, however, leave the door open to not raising the fees if they need to avoid it due to the competition.

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Dollar Stores Defy Retail Headwinds – In the meantime, Dollar stores are beating Walmart at its own game– importing and selling cheap Chinese junk– but doing it in neighborhood stores rather than mega-stores. But if Walmart is propped up by the government (via welfare), how much more so will these stores feel it?

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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:

A Photo Gallery of a Super Survival Kit: 18 Deer-Camp Essentials. I’m not sure a snore guard makes my list, but each to his own. – G.G.

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RBS sent in the link to this article on Canada’s Proposed Gun Law. (No centerfire rifles allowed)

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National sheriffs’ group, opposed to federal laws on guns and taxes, calls for defiance. Sent in by W.C.

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From the Desk of Mike Williamson: The Fourth Amendment and the Fruit of the Poisonous Tree

Even if this is outlawed, it’s easy enough to RFQ for publicly gathered data from a company in say, China, who furnishes it, and for enough money, will hack our networks under laws legal there but not here, and then sell the USG your data, likely cheaper than they can do it themselves.

Or, people will just give it to them in the form of all the social media postings they make.

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Several readers sent in the link to this article. It’s good to know there are still some adventurous souls out there. Experience: I am 16 and live alone in the wilderness

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Thus saith the Lord God; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock. As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the Lord.” Ezekiel 36:37-38 (KJV)

Notes for Friday – April 29, 2016

Don’t forget that Safecastle’s Mountain House food sale ends this Saturday, April 30. Both the 30-year #10 cans and the 12-year pouches are seriously discounted, up to 46%. Get in on the sale while you can.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 64 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Tactical Self-Contained 2-Series Solar Power Generator system from Always Empowered. This compact starter power system is packaged in a wheeled O.D. green EMP-shielded Pelican hard case (a $1,700 value),
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 20 Magpul PMAG 30-rd Magazines (a value of $300) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt; (an equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package (enough for two families of four) plus seed storage materials, a CD-ROM of Geri Guidetti’s book “Build Your Ark! How to Prepare for Self Reliance in Uncertain Times”, and two bottles of Potassium Iodate (a $325 retail value),
  8. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  9. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating an AquaBrick water filtration kit with a retail value of $250, and
  10. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Second Prize:

  1. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  2. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  3. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  4. A Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 value),
  5. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  8. Safecastle is providing a package of 10 LifeStraws (a $200 value)
  9. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A $245 gift certificate from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  3. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Precision Rest (a $249 value), and
  8. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).

Round 64 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A Holistic Approach to Packing a 72-Hour Bug Out Bag- Part 1, by C.T.

A 72-hour Bug Out Bag (a.k.a. Get Out Of Dodge bag) is a pack filled with the necessary items to sustain you while you walk from an unsafe location to a safe location. Usually the scenario is that “home” is no longer safe and you need to go to some predetermined “bug out” spot. This could be either a friend’s or relative’s house, a family cabin, or a government shelter. Basically, you are going on a hiking trip with an expected start and end point on a pre-planned route during what will most likely be a time of great personal and local stress. The objects you put in this bag are to help you make this trip. They are not intended to allow for long-term survival or to help you restart civilization when you get to the other side, as thinking for the long term in this situation will distract or potentially cause you to fail in getting from point A to point B.

This article will go over three main topics– 1) Picking a bug out location, 2) Picking a bug out route, and 3) Packing for the journey.

Picking A Bug Out Location

As the saying goes, failing to plan is planning to fail. The most important part of having a 72-hr Bug Out Bag is having a pre-planned destination. This idea of having a set A to B distance to travel is what separates a 72-hr Bug Out Bag from a Refugee Bug Out Bag. Before you start throwing camping supplies into an old backpack, it is absolutely essential that you know where you are going. The distance and obstacles between you and your destination is what determines how you will pack your bag.

Where should you go? This depends on your unique situation.

A safe haven in a crazy time should:

  • Be populated by people you trust,
  • Have resources available to support you when you get there, and
  • Be within a walking distance that is achievable with your current level of physical fitness.

Some people have family members that they get along with great that live within walking distance. Others have a friend that meets this requirement. Maybe you have a cabin where you plan to ride out a storm. Pick the place that is right for you.

If you do not own the location that you plan on going to, it is essential that you ask the people who live there for permission to come there in a time of emergency. The last thing you want to do is survive a harrowing journey and get turned away at salvation’s door because you weren’t as good friends as you thought you were.

By asking ahead of time, you get the idea on the other person’s radar and allow opportunities to make the second requirement of a safe place happen. If they are fine with you crashing at their place, they will probably be okay with you leaving a container with some food and supplies at their house so you wouldn’t be a burden if you showed up unannounced.

In this case, it’s a good idea to stock a sealable storage chest with food and other supplies that you can store at your bug out location. If there is an emergency and you get killed on the way to your bug out location, at least they are your friends and someone you like will be able to use your stuff.

When I was looking for a bug out location, my in-laws seemed to have the perfect setup. Located near a clean lake, rural, and with a tight knit community. I asked my father-in-law if I could store some food at his place so we wouldn’t be a burden in case we had to crash at his house in an emergency. Initially he said I should just pack up my own stuff and bring it with me if it was necessary. So I built a “to-go” food crate that I stored at my apartment. The next time we saw each other, he asked if I had done my part. When he learned I had, he realized I was serious, and after some research of his own he ended up buying a full year’s supply of dried food to prepare for an emergency and be ready if my wife and I did show up someday.

Finally, it is unrealistic to pick a primary bug out location that is a 30 day walk away. If there is an emergency going on that forces you to take such a trip without a vehicle, the odds of you making it are realistically slim.

If you plan on bugging out with a your super zombie apocalypse jeep and can’t imagine leaving it, you have already failed. Disaster planning is about planning for worst case scenarios. The odds of a disaster happening where you need to leave your house and head out on your own where all roads are still passable is highly unlikely. Having an ideal location a few states away is fine, but don’t neglect to plan for an emergency where you will be forced to travel only as far as you are willing or able to walk.

Picking A Bug Out Route

Once you have selected a destination you would go to if an emergency forced you to leave your house and normal infrastructures, like hotels are not available, you need to look at the route between point A and B.

Google Maps can prove to be invaluable for this task. Here are some questions to ask as you look over route options between points A and B:

  1. Are there any natural obstacles? (rivers, mountains, deserts, valleys, et cetera)
  2. Are there any man-made obstacles? (bridges that may be closed or blocked, containment walls, natural choke points where traffic will stop, et cetera)
  3. Are there any major cities or towns to pass through? (more people, more problems)

Pick a route that will have the least resistance. It makes sense to plan a few different routes, both for foot travel and vehicle travel, if you are able to take your car. Ideally, if you leave from your house early enough you may be able to beat the rush and take your car and have the luxury of being able to bring more supplies than just what you can carry on your back, but make sure you consider which routes will be better for walking or driving.

Once you have at least three routes to your location picked out, print out the step-by-step directions on Google maps with the pictures for each step. You can pack these in your bag.

Try driving or hiking each of the routes, once you pick them; you may be able to notice shortcuts or potential problem areas that you couldn’t see on Google.

Packing For The Journey

Now that you have selected a bug out location and identified the route you want to take, it is time to start thinking about what you need to bring on your trip.

The 72 hour nature of the bag is entirely dependent on how long you think it will take you to walk from point A to point B. If your destination is going to take a week to reach on foot, guess what? Your 72-hr bag just became a 168-hr bag. It’s only a short trip across town? You probably don’t need to carry three days worth of supplies (though better safe than sorry, especially if you don’t have anything pre-positioned at your point B location).

The Bug Out Bag has received almost a mythical status in preparedness communities, but in reality all you are doing is going on a hiking trip. When going on any hiking trip, your destination, length of journey, and obstacles you face obviously dictate what you pack.

When you are packing your bag, you need to think about a few things:

  1. Weight,
  2. Basic needs, and
  3. Needs unique to your route

Weight

Talk to any long distance hiker about their gear and all they will rave about is how they were able to optimize their pack for the lowest weight. The amount of weight your pack contains will dictate how much energy is required to get you to point B. The bag is there to help you make the trip not vice versa, and over packing can be just as deadly as under packing.

Before you even start picking items to bring, you need to understand the limits of what you can carry. Ideally everyone would like to bring their grandmother’s wood stove and a year’s worth of food and ammo, but you can’t do that. Try filling a backpack with different amounts of weights and walking around your living room. Then walk three miles. How heavy does it feel now?

No, you probably won’t do this important step. It’s your funeral, if you don’t.

Basic Needs

Your 72-hr bag needs to have the items necessary for basic human survival. The items here will build upon what you already have available in your Every Day Carry kit.

There is a well known rule about three, which you may have heard: You can’t live three minutes without air, three hours without shelter (in the harshest elements), three days without water, or three weeks without food.

Air. Most likely the air will be clear for your journey, and unless you are really paranoid you probably won’t need to worry about packing a full out Gas Mask or air purification system.

What could come in handy though are some N95 Masks in case there is heavy smoke you need to cross through. These are very low weight and won’t take up much space in your pack. A multi-purpose (but not as effective) alternative would be to include a bandana that could be used for a variety of purposes, including a large particle breath filter, which is better than nothing.

Shelter. The first level of shelter you always need to think about is your clothes. What you should pack here is the same as what you need in a Get Home Bag. Plan on having multiple layers that can be removed if not needed. Clothing items you need include:

Your top layer of clothing is especially seasonally dependent. In the summer, an extra t-shirt or two may suffice. In the winter, you will want to make sure you have access to multiple layers, in case you need to survive a frigid night outside.

When packing clothes, please don’t have military grade camo. Dress like a normal person. If you look like a threat, people will treat you like a threat. If you show up at someone’s door looking like an extra in a Rambo movie, you will be much less likely to get help than a normal person with a camping backpack.

In addition to clothes, make sure you have skin protection, such as sun screen and chap-stick. A bandana can also be used around your neck to keep it protected.

That covers the immediate shelter offered by clothing, but the next step is looking at additional items to bring that can help you if you need to plan on staying the night outside. One way to minimize weight and the size of your kit is to plan on packing a hammock instead of a tent and ground pad. This is, of course, provided that you have lots of trees in your area.

There are some great camping hammocks on the market. Just make sure you get one with a built-in bug net. Instead of spending money on a purpose built rain fly for your hammock, just buy a tarp instead and invest the money you saved elsewhere. Don’t forget hammock straps to attach your hammock to the trees.

If you dislike the idea of sleeping suspended in the air, a more traditional camping setup may work better for you. Most campers will have a ground mat, bedding, and some sort of environmental protection.

A ground mat is a must have, it insulates you from the earth and helps provide some cushion. A sleeping bag or even emergency bivvy should be good enough bedding to keep you isolated from bugs and other critters. But unless you plan on getting a waterproof bag, you need some sort of shelter. A tarp can be used as a makeshift tent or shelter, if you don’t want the weight of a single person tent.

When planning your route, keep an eye out for natural areas that offer shelter. An overhanging rock or abandoned house could provide much better protection than an open field.

Another element of shelter is fire. As we will discuss in the food section, for a short-term bug out you should try to avoid drawing attention to yourself, and fire certainly draws attention. If at all possible avoid starting fires, as the smell and smoke are sure to draw people’s gaze. Nevertheless, you should have the resources available to make a fire if need be. Pack a simple Bic lighter as your primary fire source. A good backup that works, even if it gets wet, is a firesteel. Just make sure you practice with the firesteel beforehand so you know what you need to get a fire going.

Last on the idea of shelter is personal protection. Try to plan your route to avoid unnecessary encounters with people, but prepare for conflict, because wherever people are there are problems. A nice non-lethal defense option is mace. You should already be planning on carrying a survival knife, which could be used for intimidation or protection, and the last place to look to is a firearm. A personal defense firearm is a lot of weight to carry but very useful if needed. A small pistol can be tucked away from sight so you don’t look like a threat from a distance. If you are traveling through what you expect to be a very hostile area, you may be able to carry a rifle, depending on the severity of the situation. Just remember that many states don’t allow open carry of rifles, and just because your world may be collapsing doesn’t mean that you won’t get arrested or shot for looking like a threat. If at all possible avoid open displays of weaponry unless absolutely necessary.