Project Management for Preppers- Part 1, by B.F.

Project management is the art of getting things done.

“So what?” you may ask, “I have been getting things done all my life!” Well, that’s probably true, but the use of project management techniques can help ensure that you get things done on time and at the cost you allocated for the work. We all have more demands on our time than we have time available to accomplish those demands. Sometimes there are also external factors, such as weather, expiration of permits, and others, that can impact our need to get things done in a timely manner and to get them done right the first time.

The use of project management techniques can help you mitigate the impact of these external factors. The truth is you are probably using project management techniques today. Things like making to-do lists, scheduling delivery of materials like concrete or fencing, creating a planting schedule for your garden, and so on are all examples of what we group into project management techniques. Learning more about project management will provide you with a broader set of tools that can make things easier for you.

Project management is not a cure-all. Various studies that look at the success of projects come up with numbers for the percentage of projects that fail, ranging anywhere from 40% to 80%. You do need to read a little into those studies to understand better. Some of them are true failures, but some of them count failure as a change of the project deliverable. For example, if you started a project to build a barn and during the project realized you really needed a tool shed, then some studies would call that a failure, even if you built the tool shed.

I always like to address why am I am qualified to write an article. In addition to using project management techniques during the time I spent in the Army as a Combat Engineer officer, I have been a project manager, program manager, and portfolio manager in the business world for over 25 years. For a while, I also taught project management to MBA students as an adjunct professor at a local university. I am currently managing several Information Technology projects with resources in five U.S. locations as well as Costa Rico, Singapore, and two locations in India. Just scheduling a conference call across all those time zones can seem like a project in and of itself!

What is a project and how does project management apply to prepping?

The Project Management Institute (PMI) defines a project as “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result.”

The key here is that a project is “temporary” in nature. For example, a project may have as its goal building up a one year supply of food for a family of four. The project would not include maintaining, using, rotating, and routinely restocking that supply. This is not to say that project management techniques can’t be used in routine day-to-day work, just that such use does not make the activity a project

Whether or not something is a project can also depend on the related infrastructure. Two of the IT systems that I work with currently store data for analytical purposes. One is a data warehouse, the other an operational data store. Because of the design, loading new data into one of them is a routine activity; loading new data into the other requires a project.

A similar prepping analogy might be filling a cistern with water for the first time. If the cistern is connected to a well with an electric pump and has controls to stop, or an outlet to redirect, overflow, then filling it up is routine. If you, instead, need to use a vehicle with a water tank or other means of physically (manually) moving water from one or more sources to your cistern, that is more like a project.

Some ideas where Preppers can use project management include:

  • Building up a supply of food and medicine,
  • Building or major repairs to retreat structures,
  • Designing and implementing a retreat defense plan, and
  • Building and upgrading a class of prep, such as weapons, tools, vehicles, barter supplies, et cetera.

Let’s start with learning some project terminology.

If you want to, you can jump ahead to the section on project management techniques and just refer back to this section if I use a term you are unsure of.

We have already defined the term project. Let’s talk about some other terms you will need to understand. I’ll try to give examples in terms of a project that is designed to build a storage shed. Other terms are:

Deliverable – what the project is intended to do. For example, a project to build a storage shed has as its deliverable a completed shed. Projects can have more than one deliverable. In addition to the shed, you may want a cold frame on the south wall for starting plants early. The cold frame is a second deliverable for the project. If instead the cold frame is something you will build next year after the shed is completed, then it is not a deliverable of this project but is a part of a new project.

Requirements – the list of needs that the project is to address. For example, how much do you want to store in the shed? How big do the doors need to be? It is important to express the requirements in terms of the need and not the solution; saying I need the door big enough I can drive the garden tractor through is better than saying I need a door four feet ten inches wide. Knowing that the door needs to support a garden tractor driving through it allows you to consider solutions that include double doors or a regular door for people and a roll-up door for larger implements. You can also consider whether or not you may acquire a larger tractor in the future. Separating possible solutions from the true need can be one of the hardest things to do. I frequently have to remind folks that it is hard to solve a problem before you know what it is.

Assumption – a baseline decision that the project design and estimate is based on. Sometimes I like to document an important requirement as a (frequently wrong) assumption so that we can be sure that it is addressed. For example, in building a storage shed, we would document the assumption that it is one story with limited room in the rafters for storage. If the sponsor was unsure whether or not there was a need for attic storage, then this is the opportunity for them to change the assumption. Changes to assumptions will likely result in a change to schedule, cost, and/or quality.

Customer – the people or organizations that benefit from or use the deliverables. Customers are frequently broken down to different levels or roles and can include the project sponsor, stakeholders, users, and others. This will be talked about more below, when we discuss the RACI chart. Customers for the shed would likely be anyone living at the retreat, although perhaps to varying degrees.

Constraint – rules or other limitations on resources or project components. A constraint for a shed may be the county permitting and inspections board regulations, or possibly the time available for construction due to the weather.

Task – pieces of work divided into meaningful sizes of work activity. For building a shed, the task called “build a shed” may be overly broad, just as a task “nail two boards together” would be too granular, particularly if broken down to the detail (or granularity) of “pick up a 16d nail with your left hand, hold it at the spot where you wish to drive it, using a 22-ounce hammer with your right hand, repeatedly strike the nail until it is flush with the surface of the board, repeat”. A challenge is that the work needs to be broken down to the level that is meaningful to the consumer of the project plan, thus a task may be “build the south wall” for one level of consumer, while it may be more along the lines of “cut studs to seven feet, measure and mark top and bottom plates at 24 inch centers, nail wall together, sheath, and erect” for another consumer.

Critical path – once the project plan is developed, the series of tasks that will delay the entire project if any one of them is delayed. For example, you have to pour the foundation before you can build the shed. You also need to acquire materials. Although both of these are important activities, a delay in pouring the foundation and letting it cure will delay the entire project, while gathering materials can be done at any time up until the materials are needed. There will be more on the critical path later.

Risk – something that might happen that would potentially impact the project if it did happen. A risk relating to the shed we are building might be that the county has a new building inspector who may substitute his or her opinion in place of the actual regulation. If risks are substantial, then you may work out a mitigation plan to minimize the possible impact of the risk, for example acquiring a printed copy of the building guidelines from the county department of inspections. You don’t need to document every bad thing that could possibly happen as a risk, just those that in your judgment might happen, and that if they did happen could impact the project.

Issue – a risk that occurred. You now need to address the issue and either resolve it or accept the impact to the plan and move on.

Estimating Risk – the risk that the estimate for a task or series of tasks might be wrong. Usually, it results in a degree of “slop” being added to the estimate. For example, if you truly believe it will take 20 hours to apply felt and shingle a roof and you estimate it at 25 hours, then the extra five hours is the estimating risk. This is not a bad thing in and of itself, however the PM needs to know that you did it. There are numerous examples of several levels of management adding estimating risk to a task “just in case” without knowing that the manager below them already did the same. This could result in something simple like a ten-hour task being estimated at 100 hours by the time the estimate finally made it back to the PM, who might be also inclined to add some estimating risk. Not having an accurate understanding of what makes up an estimate, including estimating risk, can result in bad decision making about scope and project changes.

Project Lifecycle (waterfall, iterative) – Projects progress according to a lifecycle. One of the most common is called the “Waterfall” lifecycle. You can visualize this as a stream flowing down hill, going over a series of waterfalls. Each waterfall represents a stage of the project, and the water only flows one way. Another common one is the Iterative lifecycle. In this one, you deliver smaller pieces of the overall project, and you deliver more than once at each stage. Building a storage shed is normally considered an example of a waterfall project. You start with the foundation, build the walls, put up the rafters, sheath the roof, shingle, hang doors and windows, and paint. If you were building a group of four storage sheds, you might want to follow the iterative approach, especially if you were fairly inexperienced at shed building. In this approach you would build the first shed, see how it turned out, and apply any design changes or lessons learned to the second shed that you build next.

Project stages – Typical stages that make up a project are:

  • Pre-initiate – coming up with the idea, selling it to decision makers, acquiring funds. Usually the project manager is not involved at this point.
  • Initiate – enlist the project manager, begin to assemble the project team, conduct formal requirements gathering.
  • Planning – now that you have the requirements, decide how you will solve the problem or meet the needs.
  • Execution – do the work according to the design. Also includes testing.
  • Monitoring and controlling – runs through the entire project and includes the work the PM does as well as sponsor and project team status meetings.
  • Closing – usually includes turning the deliverables over to the customer and may include training.

Milestone – a task that has no duration. It may be a marker for a certain event. A birthday is an example of a milestone.

Objective – a clear statement describing what the project is supposed to achieve. This should be written from the user’s point of view. A project normally has several objectives. In the case of the shed, objectives may include:

  • Provide storage out of the weather for garden implements,
  • Create a work station for potting plants, and
  • Allow for the separation of flammable supplies from other important items that are currently stored together.

Program – a grouping of projects that are related to each other, while being large enough for each project to be managed separately. A program usually has one sponsor and may have a program manager in addition to project managers. Programs are frequently multi-year activities. Projects do not have to be part of a program. In the example used so far, the project is building a storage shed, the program may be building a retreat location. There would be other projects in the retreat program, such as start a garden, create and implement a defense plan, build housing, et cetera. However, each of those can be executed as a separate project.

Project charter – a document that is produced during the pre-initiate phase. It provides instruction on what the project is to deliver and is the authority for the project manager to kick off the project and begin spending resources.

Scope – A list of clear, easy to understand items that the project is to deliver (or in the case of out-of-scope not deliver). One of the biggest responsibilities a project manager has is to defend scope. This should not mean the project manager is saying “no” to requestors, although it often does, rather it should mean that the PM will ensure that a person requesting a scope change cannot do so without obtaining approval from the project sponsor, ensuring that additional resources are funded and that any impact to the timeline is understood and agreed to. A scope change to our shed project might include adding a basement and fireplace. Both of these can be done, however they will increase the cost and extend the delivery date, so the sponsor must agree to the changes.

Change Management – the process of moving users and their acceptance from the old way of doing things to the new way. Depending on the change, this may just include training or it may require using the full host of CM tools available to obtain and manage buy in, including communicating clear messages, creating a sense of ownership, dealing with cultural expectations, et cetera. It’s probably not a major consideration for our shed project, although things like letting children who are living at the retreat pick the colors for the paint can help get them involved and excited about the new shed. On the other hand, change management may be exactly what is needed to help convince a reluctant spouse to embrace preparedness as a way of life. Thinking of that. I may have to break out my old manuals from when I went through CM certification the next time I talk to my wife about prepping.

Stakeholder – groups or people who have a stake in the outcome of a project. This need not include everyone touched by the project; for example, the county building inspector is not a stakeholder for our project, even though he or she is involved. Stakeholders are often the people you need to meet with to gather requirements. One problem that frequently arises on projects is having one stakeholder speak for another. You may have a manager who used to be a sales agent wanting to speak for the agent because the manager used to do that job years ago. That is one of the surest ways to the wrong results. Insist on the person who will be the actual user giving you the requirements. For the shed, I would not want to determine the work surface height for the potting station myself, since my wife will be the one using it.

Sponsor – the person who has ultimate authority over and responsibility for the project. A large project (or program) may have an executive sponsor who provides funding and resolves issues that arise across organizational lines. The executive sponsor may delegate to a project sponsor the authority to deal with the project on a day-to-day basis. For our shed building project, the sponsor, stakeholders, project manager, carpenter, and chief cook and bottle washer are all probably the same person. That does not mean that applying project management techniques and principals don’t apply; it’s just that it may be easier (maybe too easy) to change scope.

Schedule (or work plan) – a document that lays out the tasks to be accomplished and the timeline and resources needed to accomplish those tasks. A work plan is frequently shown as a Gantt chart (see below).

Now that we have a common understanding of terminology, in the next installment we will get into using project management techniques.

Letter Re: Bug Out Bags for Dogs

SurvivalBlog reader K.D. wrote in to question the need for a BOB for a dog in TEOTWAWKI, believing that most dogs will be more of an OPSEC liability than anything else and envisions large packs of roaming dogs fending for themselves as they are abandoned by their owners.

HJL’s Comment: While I might agree with your sentiment if it were to apply to the family pet (easily the vast majority of dogs today), it most certainly does not apply to what I would term “working” dogs. Working dogs are readily used by both police and military to handle dangerous situations. A well trained dog has capabilities that even the best of humans lack. I have personally observed a multi-million dollar project that attempted to replace a simple bomb sniffing dog with technology, and after five years of work it was retired as impractical. It was easier and less expensive to train a dog, and the accuracy of the dog was far higher than the tech.

Working dogs extend into the non-police/military/security realm as well. A “hearing” or “seeing” dog may be the only chance a deaf or blind person has during a TEOTWAWKI situation. A working dog is much better at discerning diabetic emergencies than continual BGL tests.

A well trained working dog will not damage your OPSEC but will enhance it and will be the exact opposite of a liability. Even in the case of “protection”, if the “one bullet” is used against your dog, that’s a few extra moments of warning that you gain than without the dog. Shooting a well trained security dog is not as easy as it sounds either.

Because of the various laws that ensure any dog can be considered a working dog, you will have many that cannot perform the function and do become a problem. But very clearly, a properly trained working dog performs its intended function, enhancing safety and security.

Not planning to take care of your working dog is planning for failure and guaranteeing that you will not have that force multiplier (or medical/physical help) when you need it most.

Economics and Investing:

United abandons ObamaCare in most States – P.S.

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How Mainstream Econ Promotes Socialism

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Items from Professor Preponomics:

US News

Obamacare Latest: Insurers Flee Exchanges, Uninsured Rate Projected to Rise, Co-ops Failing (Townhall) Excerpt: “Let’s take a quick spin through some recent Obamacare-related headlines, shall we?”

Another Payout for Obamacare Cronies (Government Waste Fraud and Abuse) Excerpt: “Contemporaneous documents show industry officials terrified they would miss the Obamacare train and eager to lock in favorable terms by sidling up to the negotiating table first.”

$1.35B of Counterfeit Goods Seized in 2015 (Washington Examiner) Excerpt: “The number of goods that violated intellectual property rights spiked 25 percent from 23,140 in 2014 to 28,865 in 2015, indicating there were more items of all prices trafficked.”

International News

Saudi Arabia Warns of Economic Fallout if Congress Passes 9/11 Bill (The New York Times) Excerpt: “…the threat is another sign of the escalating tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United States.”

Saudi Arabia Says it can Flood the Oil Market with Over 1 Million Extra Barrels Right Away (Business Insider) Excerpt: “I don’t suggest that we should produce more, but we can produce more….”

G20 Worried by “Modest” Global Growth, Commodities Weakness (Reuters) Excerpt: “…G20 finance ministers and central bank governors repeated their pledge to refrain from competitive currency devaluations, but offered no new initiatives to keep growth from stalling.”

IMF Could Break Away from Greek Bailout if Debt Deal is not Agreed (The Telegraph) Excerpt: “He added that there was a “menu of options” available on debt relief – including increasing the lifespan of the debts and locking in low interest rates for longer – and that it could be achieved without a “haircut”, writing off the amount of debt owned by Greece.”

Personal Economics and Household Finance

Phony Locksmiths Ripping People Off with Bait-and-Switch Pricing (Clark Howard) Excerpt: “Any job $20. Guaranteed arrival in 20 minutes or less.” Sounds great, right? Wrong!”

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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:

Feds building massive database of genomic data. Using the data pulled in by medical procedures, your right to privacy will be forfeited. Sure, the government protects your information…right up to the point where a hacker steals it or the alphabet agencies decide they want it. – P.S.

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More Illegal Immigrants Convicted of Crimes At Large in the U.S. Than The Population of Pittsburgh – Sent in by B.B.

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Another interesting property over on SurvivalRealty.com: The Family Prepper Inn

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A great example of how Ham Radio is supposed to work: Radio Amateurs Asked to Keep 7.060 MHz Clear for Ecuador Earthquake Emergency Traffic – Sent in by RBS

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Remember, these are the only people that progressive/liberals think should have firearms: Officer In D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Pointed Unloaded Gun At Head Of Another Officer And Dry Fired The Gun On Orders From His Sergeant – H.S.

Notes for Wednesday – April 20, 2016

On April 20th, 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, leased by BP, killed 11 workers and began spewing an estimated 200 million gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico for nearly three months, creating the worst known offshore oil spill.

April 20th is also the day that we remember the victims of the Columbine High School tragedy, where two students stormed into a suburban high school in Littleton, Colorado in 1999, at lunch time with guns and explosives, killing 13 and wounding dozens more in what was, at the time, the nation’s deadliest school shooting.

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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.

Bug Out Bags for Dogs, by James from upstate NY

Bugging out is a plan during a disaster situation for most preppers, and most spend numerous hours planning out what items to put into their B.O.B (bug out bag). In the area of prepping, it seems that the natural focus in on having a bug out bag. You can picture in your mind the last disaster, whether it be natural or man-made, that you watched unfold on your nightly news and then envision you and your family leaving ahead of the undoubtedly numerous people who waited too long. Having a bug out bag for you and your family members is only logical.

Now if you are a responsible owner of the more than 137. 2 million pet dogs in America, then you’ve probably thought of the logistics of caring for your dogs’ needs in an emergency bug out situation. A logical solution would be a bug out bag for your dog. These bags/packs are capable of most if not all of your dog’s needs. With a bug out bag for your dog, you can ensure your dog is as prepared in any disaster situation as you are. If the dog is not large enough, then you will need to make an allotment in your own bug out bag. If the dog is large enough, then there are numerous bags/packs on the market, depending on whether you want a more tactical set up, like the One Tigris tactical MOLLE dog vest or the Caliberdog K-9 tactical MOLLE vest, both of which allow you to purchase MOLLE pouches to customize your pet’s vest, or a more urban saddlebag type pack, such as the Ruffwear pack or the Mountainsmith model, which comes in three sizes up to approximately 32 liters. Saddlebag type packs usually consist of two or more large pockets or saddlebags. These saddlebags will usually have zippers or some other form of fasteners and can even be waterproof. Either way, the larger the dog the larger the bag/pack, therefore the more stuff you can fit in them.

Before purchasing a bag/pack, you will have to measure your dog. To do this, you will need a tape measure. Measure the circumference of the dog’s chest to determine the size of the tactical vest or saddlebag type bag or pack. Once you have purchased the bag or pack, you will need to fit it on the dog. To do so, place the middle of the backpack or bag on your dog’s back. The straps will fit around the waist and chest of your dog. Clamp the plastic buckle, which looks like a small seatbelt, in the middle of the dog’s chest. Make sure there is no fur caught in the buckle. Adjust the strap coming out of the plastic buckle to tighten the bag or pack. Pull the strap until you can snugly fit your pinkie finger in between your dog’s chest and the buckle. This will allow enough room for the dog to move and to breathe, all while keeping the pack from slipping off. Repeat the above with the other strap and buckle on the rear of the dog.

Now that you have purchased a bag or pack and properly fitted it on your dog, it’s time to fill the bag or pack with what supplies your dog will need. Let’s take a look at the basic prepping items you would need in a bug out bag– food, water, shelter, and of course protection. Most of the items are the same for a bug out bag for your dog. A word of caution: be sure to keep your dog’s bag or pack weight as evenly distributed as possible.

Water and Food

First, let’s cover water and food. When packing water, it depends on the breed of your pet, but the rule of thumb is one half gallon per pet per day. Water storage is all about preference. There are numerous types of bladders, canteens, or water bottles on the market. When packing water, consider using several containers so that you may adjust the distribution of water as it is consumed. Again, with the topic of food, it’s about preference. Some will want to try all sorts of combinations of things to reduce weight, but remember if your dog is not used to the food then you run the risk of the pet getting an upset stomach resulting in digestive issues. So, go with the old standby kibble. Pack about three days’ worth of food, much the same as you would in your own bag or pack. Again, as you did with the water, consider dividing the food into several meal-size portions for easier weight distribution. Another consideration is to pack two or more tubes, depending on the size of your dog, of Nutri-Cal concentrated dog food. This is a good source of food for a sick dog that won’t eat. Giving one teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight will help keep your dog alive, if you run out of food or as a supplement to help stretch your dog’s food supply. This is a good standby to have. One tube will keep a small dog well fed without any additional food source for approximately four to five days. To go with the water and food, you’re going to want to include a collapsible bowl. As with bags and packs, there are many varieties on the market.

Shelter, Clothing, Protection, and Hygiene

We will not cover shelter, as your dog will most likely be with you in your shelter. The topic of clothing is relatively easy for most dogs, but in some special cases it may require that you pack or outfit your dog with a sweater or in extreme situations a jacket. Another consideration is a relatively new product on the market called a Thundershirt. A Thundershirt applies gentle constant pressure, similar to swaddling an infant. It is used for all types of anxiety, fear, and over excitement. Protection will also be disregarded, as it is not really needed. However, a few things that do need to be added to the bag or pack are a leash, muzzle, nail clippers, and doggie waste bags. In place of doggie waste bags, you could just include several Ziploc baggies. Ziploc baggies prior to being used for waste disposal can be used for other purposes as well. These are all things necessary for your pet’s safety and hygiene.

Safety

Speaking of safety, let’s cover a few safety additions for the dog’s bag or pack. Every bug out bag needs a first aid kit. You have one in your bag, so why wouldn’t your dog have one in their own. Like bags or packs or collapsible bowls, there are numerous first aid kits on the market such as the Alcott Explorer. Some people will prefer to make their own first aid kit instead of purchasing one. If you choose to build one, then there are a few things you should include: scissors, several gauze pads or medical cotton squares, alcohol wipes, instant cold compress (cold mud works in a pinch), medical and adhesive tape, tweezers, a small tube of antiseptic cream, 10 to 20 cotton balls, vet wrap (like an Ace bandage for animals and it sticks to itself, which is very handy), 12-hour emergency bright sticks. (Hang one on your dog at night.) Be sure to pack these items in Ziploc baggies to water proof them. Also, If your pet is on any special medication, it is important to keep a supply of medication in the bag or pack, much the same as you would for yourself. In areas where poisonous snakes are, it is also recommended that you include a snake bite kit. Also, in a disaster situation, the terrain could get rough so throw in a set of doggie booties. Most animals do not like things on their feet, so be sure to occasionally place them on your dog’s feet for familiarity.

Comfort and Options

Lastly come the optional things or comfort items. You could pack some treats or even a toy, whether it be a chew toy or similar type toy in the dog’s bag or pack. A bug out scenario is very stressful on you as well as your dog, so they will appreciate a treat or toy at the end of the day. You may want to include a few extra items in your dog’s bag or pack, such as a tie out approximately 10 to 15 feet, for making sure your pooch does not wander off. A leash, which not only will provide you with the ability to maintain control over your dog, could also be used to tie your dog out at night. A muzzle would be useful in case you encounter other dogs. Also, be sure to include an “admin pouch” (a Ziploc bag containing your dog’s vaccination records, their name, and pertinent identifying information). You could also include, if room is available, some redundant items like a compass, a small flashlight with extra batteries, water purification tablets, 16-hour hand warmers, and a mylar blanket. Last, but not least, several companies make a collapsible canvas dog crate. While this is an option, it also should be stated that they are bulky and weigh a substantial amount, so it may not be a consideration for many.

Much like you would do with your bag or pack, take your dog along with his bag or pack out into the great outdoors and give the bag or pack a test run. Practice your survival tactics and make minor adjustments to this bag or pack as you may see fit.

Letter Re: Comments on Savage Bolt Action Rifles

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The Savage I tested has a detachable magazine, and in the past Savage Arms has had some problems with these types of magazines simply falling out of a gun. I believe that Savage got it right with the AXIS II XP that I tested for this article. I had no problems with the magazine falling out of the gun. However, you are comparing apples to oranges when you talk about the Savage rifles with the built-in magazine. I have never had a problem with any Savage rifle with a built-in magazine in loading all the rounds into it without any problems. If you are having problems with the “runners” being sharp, might I suggest taking a piece of steel wool or extra-fine emery paper and with a few swipes take the sharpness off the edges?

I don’t know of any “paid testers” that are on the Savage payroll, and if Savage employees are reporting everything is fine and dandy when they know there is a problem, they are doing an injustice to their employer. Quite honestly, when I first started writing about firearms, back in the early 1990s, I believed that gun writers were paid by the gun companies to say good things about their products. If that is the case, I missed the boat. No gun company has ever offered me any incentive to say good things about their firearms. It’s quite the contrary; I have been threatened with a lawsuit by a major gun company in the past because of an article I wrote on one of their firearms, and I did give them three tries to repair a gun I had. They failed. Obviously, I must have been correct in my findings. That gun hasn’t been in the line-up for many years now.

We can discuss the merits of the push-feed over the Mauser claw feed in bolt action guns until the cows come home. Both are proven methods, and if someone prefers one type of feed over another, I have no problem with that. If the push-feed wasn’t reliable, the gun makers wouldn’t produce them. I refuse to get into a debate over which method is more reliable. The debate has no end, and we are all entitled to our positions on these things.

I can only report on the guns that I test for my articles, and the Savage AXIS II XP had no serious flaws. If it did, I would have reported my findings. I have no vested interest in Savage Arms or any other gun maker; I simply report my testing results on one particular sample, and in this case, it was a gift. It wasn’t received from the factory, so I didn’t have a “ringer” of any sort.

According to the Savage Arms website, they have been building guns since 1894. If their guns had so many problems, they would have been out of business many years ago. To be sure, every gun maker eventually drops the ball on a new design. The Remington Model 710 comes to mind, and they make every attempt to correct any glaring design faults. When that can’t be done, the gun maker will drop that design and move on to a new and improved version. Some gun makers will make an attempt to deny there is a design flaw and will do everything in their power to hide it, to wit the Remington Model 700 and the trigger flaw that sometimes leads to the gun firing if dropped. It took a lot of years for Remington to admit this problem (after some law suits) and recall the guns for a fix. Other gun makers jump right on the bandwagon when there is a problem and readily admit it and correct it.

Thanks for taking the time to write…

Pat Cascio

Economics and Investing:

Items from Mr. Econocobas:

Silver Heads for a Bull Market as Prices Rally to 10-Month High

“This Will All Blow Up In The Fed’s Face,” Schiff Warns

Peter Schiff: The Winter of Discontent

Items from Professor Preponomics:

US News

Pensions for Public Servants to Force Government Failures (My Gov Cost) Excerpt: “The problem is surprisingly simple: States and cities overestimate returns on their pension fund investments, while systematically underfunding them.”

Peabody Declares Bankruptcy, Could Leave Clean-Up Costs to Taxpayers (Taxpayers for Common Sense) Excerpt: “The company has a total of $2 billion in outstanding mine clean-up or reclamation liabilities, $1.4 billion of which is held in unsecured “self-bonds.” PBS News Hour is also following the story: Nation’s Largest Coal Mining Company Files for Bankruptcy Protection

Congress Hits Brakes on Puerto Rico Debt Crisis Bill (Fox News) Excerpt: “…the committee soon canceled a vote set for Thursday amid internal divisions – even as the island’s leaders warned it might have to default on an upcoming bond payment without help. “

International News

Deutsche Bank Settles US Gold, Silver Price-Fixing Litigation (Reuters) Excerpt: “The plaintiffs accused Deutsche Bank of conspiring with Bank of Nova Scotia, Barclays Plc, HSBC Holdings Plc and Societe Generale to manipulate prices of gold, gold futures and options, and gold derivatives….”

The Big Four Banks Have a $3 Billion Exposure to Recent Corporate Collapses (Business Insider) Excerpt: “Australia’s big four banks have an exposure of more than $3 billion from a handful of recent high profile corporate collapses.”

Policymakers Fret as Storm Clouds Gather Over World Economy (Reuters) Excerpt: “World financial leaders sounded a sour note on the global economy on Thursday, pointing to Britain’s possible exit from the European Union as a serious threat alongside China’s bumpy growth path and dissent over interest rates in the euro zone….”

China’s Economy Could Be In More Trouble Than We Think (Business Insider) Excerpt: “Which is precisely where things stop making sense: rail freight volume plunges 10.5% in 2015, and the economy still increases 6.9%? I mean, come on.”

Personal Economics and Household Finance

9 Money-Saving Tips to Help You Avoid Overspending (Clark Howard)

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

Readers’ Recommendations of the Week:

SurvivalBlog reader T.D. writes in: “My family and I love watching the Hallmark Channel show, When Calls The Heart. It’s full of cheesy humor, Christian themes, and a fantastic old-time feel. Some may think it campy, but our whole family loves the show, and I’d imagine that many of your readers would enjoy it, as well.”

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Faith-based movies recommended by DMS: Moondance Alexander, A Matter of Faith (evolution vs creationism), 90 Minutes in Heaven (true story), Alone Yet Not Alone (true story). Expecting a Miracle (hard to remember in these times. People south of our border have faith, love, and God too).

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Reader C.C. states: Andrew J. Bacevich was, until his recent retirement, a history professor at Boston College. But he was more than an ivory tower history professor. He graduated from West Point (USMA) and later Princeton with a Ph.D. in International Studies. …Oh yea, after 23 years he also retired as a colonel from the US Army prior to his Boston College gig. One very smart guy.

He is well published (check Amazon for his other books) and brings an amazing insight to his historical writing(s) and analysis. Bacevich’s observations on U.S. “militarism” are unparalleled.

His most recent book was published on April 5th, 2016.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Readers in North Idaho, take note: On Thursday April 21st, there will be a free Jordan Page concert, sponsored by My Patriot Supply. It will be held from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m., at the Sandpoint Events Center, 102 S. Euclid, Sandpoint, Idaho. Jordan Page is a lyrical American artist known as a leading voice of liberty, who performs a mixture of rock and folk music that has captivated American audiences. This free event is open to all ages, and it is a family friendly concert; My Patriot Supply will be handing out a free sample of their Macaroni and Cheese product.

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Obama Allots $19 Mil to Register Immigrant Voters – B.B.

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Your phone number is all a hacker needs to read texts, listen to calls and track you – Submitted by P.S.

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Surging Gun Sales Created Nearly 25,000 Jobs in 2015 – H.L.

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We Have A Thug Culture Problem, Not A Gun Problem – B.B.

Notes for Tuesday – April 19, 2016

April 19th marks the multiple anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord, known as “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World”. This first battle, leading to our nation’s independence, was the then-dictator’s (United Kingdom King George III’s) failed attempt at “gun control”– an act being carried out in too many parts of our USA right now. This first gun control of the colonies was a failure, because of the will and determination of a small part of the population (about 3% actually fought for our independence actively, with many others supporting) to stand up to an oppressive, controlling government (England). Without the sacrifice by those few Patriots, we could very well still be “British subjects” rather than independent citizens.

It also marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising against the Nazis in 1943, the BATF’s costly raid on the Branch Davidian Church in Waco, the gun turret explosion on the USS Iowa in 1989, the capture of the Boston Marathon bomber in 2013, and very sadly also the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.

April 19th is also the birthday of novelist Ralph Peters. Coincidentally, Ralph and JWR both have the same literary agent, Robert Gottlieb.

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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.

The Side of the Road Is Not Just for Emergencies, by B.A.

I see many people on the side of the road. Many times it is as simple as a flat. Other times it is something that the driver cannot fix. What many people do not know is that your car is designed to shut down automatically should certain things go out of tolerance. This is to prevent damage to your engine or vehicle. Many of us are pre-programmed, too, to think that the car is a special device for which only a select few of us can open the hood and work our magic.

That is not the truth. Sure, if you decide to fill your oil reservoir with water you will void your warranty. What most people never do is read the owner’s manual. It has a list of all the proper fluids for your car and tells you whether to put Dextron II or III in your transmission or if 15W30 or 15W20 is for your crankcase. The different brands of oil will not hurt; that is your choice, but the weights of the oils make a big difference. Do not use non-specified oils in your vehicule. For example, should you use motor oil in your brake reservoir, it will expand the seals and you will not come to any kind of stop except painful. Lucky for us, the dipsticks on the vehicle generally have the proper oil marked on them.

Sometimes you just need to check the levels and top them up. Of course, before you do that or start your engine, you should check to see if there is a puddle underneath your engine. If it looks like you have just oiled the ground, leave it for a shop. But a lot of the time, it is neglect that has let your levels go down. I have seen this day in and day out, where smart people bring their cars into the shop complaining. Then, when I check the levels they are very far down and thousands of miles past the last oil change. There is a reason you change your oil and filters every so often. Once the oil filter is plugged, it just bypasses and the crud sits in the oil and starts to burn ever so slightly. As the time passes, more and more oil burns off till the crankcase gets low. This happens with new engines too, so keep up your maintenance.

More often than not your brakes or clutch will never need topping up or touching at all. You can do more damage than not, if you have no idea what you are doing. If you do, pump the peddles several times to get the fluids back pushing in the lines.

For checking oil levels, all you need is a clean rag and a long reach funnel. Your transmission will require specific oil and specific steps to check it, as most vehicles have their own methods. Only do this if you know your steps, as overfilling can damage it. The same is true for your power steering. If you let your car warm up when it is cold for a few minutes, you will have less problems with your power steering. The biggest problems with the power steering comes from the people who just start their cars and take off. The cold fluid creates too much back pressure on the lines and they leak. Warming up your car is a good idea any time, but give it an extra few minutes in the cold.

Your radiator is a special thing. You can severely burn yourself if you open a rad cap too fast and it is hot. So open it slowly. Most newer vehicles have separate reservoirs; however, even if it looks empty, the pressure inside could be very high and when you pop it you can get splashed, and that is a burn you do not need. Again, try to match the fluid you put in there to the recommended type. Universal works fine though and in an emergency water will work well. I once had to put a case of beer into my radiator when I broke down on a remote road and repaired a line that split and had nothing else to put in. It got me home. I have also used bars leaks in the bottle to plug pin holes or ground black pepper to do the same. Just do not run your heater, as it will plug up your heater core badly. When the cooling fins were split or punctured, I used my vise grips to fold them over and stop the free flow of coolant, this will ruin it and you will not get a core exchange, but I am talking emergency field repairs not shop proper.

In my emergency stuff, I keep tie wire and duct tape. It works for many things.

Next I am going to tell you something I was told years ago and had to do it myself. I had a main line split of my radiator, and being away from a shop I wiped everything down so it was dry as I could make it. Then I wrapped it heavily in duct tape six inches past the split. Then I wrapped it in tie wire up and down past the break. Then I wrapped it in duct tape again. I filled the radiator to see if it would hold. Then, when it did, I went home. What could be worse; I was already broken down?

You have a spare tire and check the air levels, right? Those cheap little donuts are not made to go long distances and need very high pressures. What do you do? I keep a little 12-volt compressor that will go up to 80 lbs. It may take awhile, but having one can mean the difference. You should know where your jack is and how to use it and where your spare is and how to get it out. Many times the low air alarms on new cars just mean low air, so keep your tires up on pressure. I do not have any aluminum rims on anything I own. Steel rims tend to not buckle or split the same. Yes, they rust and look uncool. However, while the rust is outside, it tends to not go inside. Aluminum rims oxidize along the edge, and it goes all the way through inside and lets air out.

Should you get a nail or something in your tire and you do not run it off the rim, a simple $10 patch kit that you can put in your pocket can get you back on the road. Pull the nail, ream the hole, plug the hole, and then trim the plug. Fill your tire and check for a leak. Just spit on it. If new bubbles form, try again. I managed to talk a non-technical person through this kind of tire repair over the phone.

A wise accounting teacher once told me, “When your sled don’t start, it’s usually fuel or fire.” That also goes for your car. Many times you will have corrosion on battery posts or even loose clamps. You can pull them off and scrape them clean or sandpaper to get a better contact. Better contact means better voltage and also better charging when your car is running. I have found many problems that are traced back to loose cables on starters and battery clamps, even on new vehicles.

In older vehicles, the distributor can become a problem. Sometimes it’s moisture sometimes it’s corrosion. With moisture, you can spray WD-40 inside then dry it out or use brake cleaner. Wipe it clean and let it dry, as you do not want anything flammable in there. With the corrosion, you can scrape the contact points with your knife or sand paper. They should be shiny. Just like the points on your spark plugs. If you do not know, leave these alone.

While we are talking electrical, I should mention lights. Many people like to add after-market lights. Don’t. The electrical system in your car or truck was made with a certain amount of load in mind. When you cut into wires, you are making potential shorts in the lines. As well, unless you are sealing the joints, you are leaving things open to new corrosion that can cause problems as well. Leave that stuff to people who know what they are doing.

Regarding fan belts, unless you find those adjustable emergency ones, you are better off finding a real spare at an auto parts store. Usually it does not take a rocket scientist to change one. Again, it pays to read your manual for how to weave it. However, your vehicule should have a diagram on the frame under the hood. I like to check mine for cracks or shiny spots. If you have strings hanging from your belt, change it before you loose it. Your engine will not stay running without one. I do know a woman who used her nylons tied tight to jimmy rig a fix till she got into town.

I worked in a major retailer auto shop for a while, and it was a very enlightening experience along with a lifelong habit of trying to fix my own. I do not say that all of this is what you should do. I do think that you should be ready to help yourself, because not always does help come. If you have to help yourself you should be ready to do the minimum.

Things I keep in my car:

There are many things you can add. These are not get out of dodge stuff but things I keep as my car’s emergency kit. What you add to take care of yourself is up to you, but I think that you should be prepared to take care of your car, as it is an important part of many people’s bug out plans. As a member of your team, don’t let it let you down.

Letter Re: Comment on Savage

Mr. C,

I’ve enjoyed your reviews and was interested in your recent Savage rifle review. While Savage has some things going for its offerings, one big weakness (well, two– the other is their denial of the first) is their built-in magazine in the Savage M11. Two sharp runners are presented when the bolt comes back. To load cartridges, the cartridge must be precisely placed between the two runners and pressed down to enter the magazine. The runners are sharp and fairly inflexible, but the real issue on loading is if the loader misses the runners and the cartridge goes past the entry point to the magazine, it lodges in the left side of the receiver between the runners and the left side of the receiver. Since most rifles are scoped, a low-lying scope or rail is over the receiver opening and that prevents easy access to the lodged cartridge. Solution: turn the rifle on its side and shake the cartridge loose, possibly dropping it into snow, mud, grass, et cetera. Now figure your fingers are large, cold, or numb and you can see that precise manipulation is problematic.

I wrote Savage about this glaring weakness in their rifle and got back the standard blah blah about how we tested it and it’s wonderful since our paid testers said so. Ruger (M77), Winchester (M70), and many other working rifles have Mauser type followers but not Savage, and I wondered if they have learned anything that improves this problem with the rifle you just tested.