Updated: Opportunity to Live on a Secure Kansas Family Farm/BOL

Late last year a consulting client asked me to help him find potential members for a retreat group membership at his family farm/bug-out location (BOL) . That opportunity is still open and his family prays to be able to find a like-minded family soon. Please read the entire post as the retreat owners have opened up their search to include many more families and that may potentially include your family to have a safe place to retreat.

After much prayer, the farm owner has decided again to open up his request concentrating on families who are able to move to the farm and potentially for one member of their family to become a member of his family through marriage. If the entire family cannot move, then sufficient supplies could be pre-positioned for the rest of the family if the retreat needs to be activated. The farm will eventually belong to a successful young man who also lives full-time on the farm. The retreat owners believe in God’s providence and that there is a quality family out there with a like-minded single young woman in their family.

This opportunity could be good for a family who wants to leave an area that is deteriorating and move to a large farm in a safe conservative state. The family does not need to move immediately, but it would be ideal if the family could move to the retreat owner’s farm sooner rather than later as it is unknown how long the preparedness window will stay open.

I spoke with the young man and asked him for a wish list for a spouse. He mentioned that everything he is looking for was normal years ago when his parents married, but today finding a young woman with these qualities is rare. He has been praying for his spouse, so maybe his family considering adding another family to their retreat will open up this opportunity for him. Here is his wish list:

  • Christian
  • 21 to 32 years of age
  • Conservative
  • Wants to be married and have children
  • Single, never married and does not currently have children
  • Physically healthy
  • Average height and normal weight range
  • Non-smoker
  • Good personality
  • Domestic skills such as cooking and sewing or has an interest in learning

He also wanted to mention: “We have all of the modern conveniences (power, water, phone, internet) that people in the city have including backups of everything, but without all of the problems of a polluted crowded city. We are not that far away from retail shopping including all of the major stores.”Continue reading“Updated: Opportunity to Live on a Secure Kansas Family Farm/BOL”



How to Prepare to Counter Sovereign Cryptocurrencies

Today, in place of my regular Friday column on Economics and Investing,  I’d like to address an important monetary issue. This article expands on a piece that I posted in SurvivalBlog back in July, 2022.

During the recent COVID pandemic, multinational corporations stayed open for business via the Internet, and grew larger. People cocooned at home, watched movies on Netflix, and ordered many of their household supplies via Amazon.com. But meanwhile, millions of small “Mom & Pop” businesses that dealt face-to-face with customers were forcibly shuttered and ruined, during the protracted lockdowns. When viewing national and world affairs, always ask: Who benefits? (Cui Bono?)

I can see that the World Economic Forum (WEF) and other globalist groups have clearly established a modus operandi for their brand of “transformative change”. They accomplished a lot of their goals through the COVID crisis, with surprisingly little pushback from the public.  I suspect that they probably have other pandemics, wars, trade embargoes, and assorted crises already planned.Continue reading“How to Prepare to Counter Sovereign Cryptocurrencies”





Preparedness Notes for Thursday — January 18, 2024

On January 18, 1943, at the height of the Second World War,  the United States banned the sale of presliced bread. The move was intended to cut down any ancillary charges, following the recent increase in the cost of flour — thus lessening or preventing increases in the retail price of bread.

The German Empire, forged as a result of diplomacy rather than an outpouring of popular nationalist feeling, was founded on January 18, 1871 in the aftermath of three successful wars by the North German state of Prussia.

January 18th 1813 was the birthday Joseph Glidden, who invented barbed wire.

Kevin Costner, who starred in Open Range, was born on this day in 1955.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. 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).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $305 value),
  2. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  3. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

More than $870,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 110 ends on January 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.

But first, a special announcement on the 2005-2023 blog archives sticks. These things are better than sliced bread!



Our Practical Uses of Amateur Radio – Part 2, by Mr. & Mrs. Alaska

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

For my husband’s volunteer work with Civil Air Patrol, joint service MARS (military association radio system) and SHARES (a program of homeland security), we have quite a bit of copper wiring strung high in the birch and spruce trees of our property, as well as a large log periodic antenna attached about 70 feet up the metal power tower he built at the highest part of our land to hold the wind turbine, solar panels, and satellite dish.

Our location has several advantages for HF radio use.  Obviously, we have no HOA out here in the boonies to put the kibosh on such installations!  We also have little radio frequency interference that plagues urban and suburban transmissions and reception.  Finally, Alaskans are so far from locations in the Lower 48 states, that we can hear many transmissions from the other volunteer locations that closer radio stations cannot.  This may sound counterintuitive.  The gist is that radio skywaves bounce off the ionosphere, and if two nodes are close, the transmission can “bounce” over those nearby, but will reach remote stations, like ours. This means that Alaska hams confer a benefit to others far away.  For example, if a station wishes to report a wildfire, flood, avalanche, or lost hiker in a location without cell service, the closest other amateur radio operator stations might not receive the message, but a more remote station, like ours, could relay it to those near the epicenter of the problem who can respond.  Then, we can relay a message to the radio operator on site.Continue reading“Our Practical Uses of Amateur Radio – Part 2, by Mr. & Mrs. Alaska”



Details on The 2005-2023 SurvivalBlog Archive USB Sticks

The new batch of 32-gigabyte waterproof SurvivalBlog archive USB sticks is pre-selling very rapidly!  Many readers are ordering 2, 3, or 4 sticks.

I’ve had some folks write to ask about what is included in the new 2005-2023 SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick. There certainly is a lot!

These sticks of course have everything that has ever been posted in SurvivalBlog, dating back to its launch in August, 2005, and up to December 31, 2023. In my humble opinion, these feature articles, product reviews, columns, and quotations just by themselves are worth the price of the archive stick.

But then there is also a veritable mountain of carefully curated bonus material from the public domain.  Many of these are rare pre-1928 books from my personal library that I had professionally scanned, at considerable expense. Many of these books are not available online. Here is a partial list of what is included:

The pre-1928 bonus books that were recently scanned to include with the new 2005-2023 edition sticks are:

  • Good HouseKeeping’s Book of Menus, Recipes, and Household Discoveries
  • The Lincoln Library of Essential Information — Parts 1 & 2 (a compact encyclopedia: 2,174 pages!)
  • John Brown’s Body, by Stephen Vincent Benet
  • Dr. David Roberts’ Practical Home Veterinarian
  • Practical Muskrat Raising, by E.J. Dailey
  • Anyone Can Bake, published by The Royal Baking Powder Company
  • Stories of Classical Fables — A Wonder Book for Boys and Girls, by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • The Junior Game Book, by T.S. Denison & Company Publishers
  • The Oregon Trail, by Francis Parkman
  • With Lawrence in Arabia, by Lowell Thomas

Also included are all of the great bonus content from the previous years’ editions, including:

King James Bible
English World Messianic Bible

Food Books, including:

  • Preserving Game Meats
  • Preparing and Canning Fermented Foods and Pickled Vegetables
  • Food Storage: Use It or Lose It
  • Canning Principles
  • Culinary Herbs – Their Cultivation, Harvesting, Curing and Uses
  • The New Butterick Cook Book
  • Uncooked Foods and How to Use Them, by Eugene Christian
  • Boston Cooking-School Cook Book by Fannie Merritt Farmer
  • Milk and Its Place in Good Cookery by Mildred Maddock Bentley
  • Nine Hundred Successful Recipes, by Lulu Thompson Silvernail

Information on Homesteading, including:

  • Backyard Composting
  • Basic Knots
  • Concrete and Masonry
  • Carpentry
  • The Practical Poultry Keeper
  • Farm Knowledge – Volume 1 (Farm Animals)
  • Farm Knowledge – Volume 2 (Soils)
  • Farm Knowledge – Volume 3 (Implements)
  • Nut Growing, by Robert T Morris
  • Pioneering Knots & Lashings
  • How to Feed the Dairy Cow
  • Orcharding, by Victor Ray Gardner
  • Practical Plant Propagation, by Alfred Hottes
  • How to Make Baskets, by Mary White
  • Construction and Repair Work for the Farm, by F. Theodore Struck
  • The Complete Works of Thomas Dick, Volume 1

Several Medical and First Aid books and military manuals.

A wide range of U.S. and Allied military manuals, including:

Basic Visual Tracking Australian Air Training Corps
Incendiaries FM31-201-1-20
Infantry Patrolling (Canadian Army)
Map Reading & Land Navigation FM21-26
OSS Simple Sabotage Manual
USMC Martial Arts
USMC Winter Survival MWTC
Survivability FM 5-103
Combatives FM 3-25.150
FM 3-22.68 Machine Guns
Grenades and Pyrotechnic Signals (2009 edition) FM 3-23.30
Navy SEAL Sniper Training
Nuclear War Survival Skills 1987
Ranger Unit Operations FM 7-85
Telephone Set TM 11-5805-243-13 (TA-1).pdf
US Army Special Forces Medical Handbook
USMC Survival FNM21-76_MCRP 3-02F
Camouflage FM 5-20
Camouflage of Vehicles FM 5-20B
Explosives and Demolitions FM 5-250
Field Hygiene and Sanitation FM 21-10
Fire-Fighting Operations FM 5-415
First Aid FM 21-11
Improvised Explosive Devices or IEDs TM 31-210
Infantry Rifle Platoon-Squad FM 7-8
NBC Decon FM 3-5
NBC Protection FM 3-4
Ranger Handbook SH 21-76
Special Forces Unconventional Warfare TC 18-01
U.S. Marines Close-Quarters Combat Manual
Soldier’s Handbook for Individual Operations and Survival in Cold-Weather Areas (1986)
Survival Evasion Resistance Escape (SERE) Operations
Military Mountaineering
Arctic And Sub-arctic Operations
Arctic Tent, 10-Man Manual TM 10-8340-222-10
Physical Security FM 3-19.30
Basic Communications Rules
Canadian Military Fieldcraft B-GL-392-009/FP-100
Civil Disturbance Operations FM 3-19.15
First Aid FM 4-25.11
Mufti-Service Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures for Kill Box Employment
Visual Aircraft Recognition FM 44-80
Special Forces Use of Pack Animals FM 31-27
Scouting, Patrolling, and Sniping FM 21-75
NBC Protection FM 11-9
Mao Tse-Tung on Guerrilla Warfare FMFRP 12-18
Management of Dead Bodies After Disasters
Internment and Resettlement Operations FM 3-39.40
Special Forces Communications STP 31-18E34-SM-TG
Special Forces Tracking TC 31-34-4
Engineer Field Manual FM 5-34
Mountain Operations FM 3-97.6
Engineer Field Manual FM 5-34
Mountain Operations FM 3-97.6

Various Firearms Books and Manuals, including:

  • Amateur Gunsmithing, by Townsend Whelen
  • M16 and M4 Marksmanship
  • AK-47
  • FN-FAL 7.62mm
  • Mossberg 500
  • M24SWS (M700 Remington)
  • Beretta 92FS
  • Glock Pistols
  • Remington 870
  • M1/M2 Carbine
  • Colt 1911 Series 90
  • HK 91
  • Ruger 10/22
  • M1 Garand
  • Colt AR-15
  • M1A
  • Ruger Mark II

Anti-Intrusion Devices (Multiple manuals)
Meteorological Equipment (Multiple manuals)
High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (Multiple manuals)
Radio and Communications (Multiple manuals)

And a panoply of other useful books and manuals, including:

Nuclear War Survival Skills (1987)
Winter Survival Course Handbook
Wilderness Survival Guide – Military. Abridged EditionTerrain Analysis
Soldier’s Handbook for Individual Operations and Survival in Cold-Weather Areas (1986)
The Individual’s Guide for Understanding and Surviving Terrorism
How to Start and Train a Militia Unit
The Effects of Nuclear Weapons (1957)
Sun Tzu on The Art of War
CIA Lock Picking Field Manual
Basement Fallout Shelter
The Nameless Island – A Story of Some Modern Robinson Crusoes
Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
Western Europe in the Eighth Century and Onward
History of the Fall of the Roman Empire Vol 1
History of the Fall of the Roman Empire Vol 2
Forensic Spoorology
Counter Insurgency Lessons
Civilization During the Middle Ages, by George Burton Adams
Games, Contests, and Relays, by Seward Charle Staley
Sports and Pastimes, Young and Old, by Mrs. Grace Townsend
The Guardians of the Columbia, by John H. Williams
The Science of Everyday Life, by Edgar F Van Buskirk
Hoyle’s Games
The Book of the Sailboat – How to Rig Sail and Handle Small Boats
18,000 words often mispronounced; William Henry Pinkney Phyfe
Famous paintings of the American Revolution
Beyond Khyber Pass, by Lowell Thomas
Great Poems of the English Language (1,502 pages!)
The Practical Book of American Antiques
The Royal Road to Romance, by Richard Halliburton

And even more books that are not listed individually, here, for the sake of brevity…

USB Stick Specifications

The 2005-2023 sticks are now available for pre-ordering. It is loaded on a 32 GB stick, which also allows plenty of extra room for you to load your favorite e-books, scans of all of your important documents, and your treasured photos on this waterproof, vibration/shock-resistant, and highly EMP-resistant stick. Just as with previous editions, it is mounted in a threaded alloy case with an o-ring seal. So it is great for your bugout bag, or for caching at a secure site. We recommend passing along your older-edition sticks to family members. This new edition is engraved “SurvivalBlog.com 2005-2023.”

Note: This year for the first time we opted for more expensive USB 3.0 sticks so they will be faster to load, if your laptop, desktop, or smartphone is USB 3.0-compatible. But these sticks are of course also backward-compatible with USB 2.0.  Note that with some operating systems, it may take up to one minute for the stick to initially load.

They Will Sell Out Quickly!

Last year’s edition of the archive stick sold out within five weeks, so be sure to order yours, soon! 

USB stick mailings should begin by February 5th, but with the expected rush of orders, please allow up to four weeks, for delivery.

As usual, all U.S. orders are shipped in the sequence of their order numbers. So the sooner that you order, the sooner that yours will arrive. This is truly a  “First come, first served” situation.

To order, see the 2005-2023 SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick ordering page.

Again: This year the stick capacity is 32 gigabytes and we upgraded to the faster USB 3.0. We had to raise the price from $29.95 to 30.95 due to increased product costs. The postage is flat rate, so you’ll pay just $7 postage for your order whether you buy 1 stick or 100. Deliveries will begin in the first week of February.

Note: Orders must be made through our automated ordering system. 

Stick mailings to customers should begin on or before February 5th. Allow up to four weeks for delivery. Thanks for your patience.

These sticks sell out quickly each year, so order your sticks soon!

– JWR



The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, we look at some predicted risks in 2024, and personal threat remediation steps taken by some billionaires.

Billionaires Prepping for Doomsday

Over at Daisy Luther’s The Organic Prepper blog: What Do All the Billionaires Know That Has Them Prepping for Doomsday?

January-March Temperature Outlook: Returning to a Mild Winter?

From Weather.com: January-March Temperature Outlook: Still Mild Across The Northern Tier.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”



The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The defeat of the enemy . . . . presuppose[s] great physical or moral superiority or else an extremely enterprising spirit. . . . When neither of these is present, the object of military activity can only be one of two kinds: seizing a small or larger piece of enemy territory, or holding one’s own until things take a better turn.” Thus “two kinds of limited war are possible: offensive war with a limited aim, and defensive war.” – Karl Von Clausewitz, On War



Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — January 17, 2024

On January 17, 1995, a large-scale earthquake struck the Ōsaka-Kōbe (Hanshin) metropolitan area, killing an estimated 6,400 people and causing major damage.

30 years ago today, (January 17, 1994) the 6.7 magnitude Northridge Earthquake struck Los Angeles. It caused about $20 billion in damage and killed 61 people.

On January 17, 1920, the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution went into effect, establishing Prohibition. By one account, 286 distilleries, 992 breweries, and more than 300,000 bars and saloons were closed.

And today is the anniversary of the Battle of Cowpens in 1781. This small battle was the turning point of the American Revolution in the South.

A new listing in North Carolina at SurvivalRealty.com: Fishing Camp Move in Ready.

And in Florida: A True Prepper’s Paradise.

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. 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).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $305 value),
  2. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  3. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

More than $870,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 110 ends on January 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.



Our Practical Uses of Amateur Radio – Part 1, by Mr. & Mrs. Alaska

For nearly two decades, SurvivalBlog has featured many excellent articles about ham radio, written by authors who were very knowledgeable about the engineering of radio communication. The following article is far less technical. The intended audience is people who have not explored the value of radio communications because they are not sure why or how they should.  Maybe some old amateur radio equipment languishes, dusty and ignored, in a corner of the attic.

My husband and I utilize walkie-talkies as well as local, regional, and national radio communications every week at our remote home in Alaska.  We have gained friends, allies, mentors, equipment, lessons about weather spotting, check-ups after earthquakes and wildfires, resources and emergency contacts through local, regional, and national emergency response organizations.  Our ham radio experience has absolutely enhanced our confidence of continuing self-reliance in a grid-down situation, and informed us about the local and regional plans for emergencies – of whatever cause or form.

In this article, we outline how and why we use various radios for communication, their benefits, and how we gain and maintain our skills with them.Continue reading“Our Practical Uses of Amateur Radio – Part 1, by Mr. & Mrs. Alaska”



SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

National Park Service Plans to Remove William Penn Statue From Philadelphia Park. JWR’s Comment:  This trend of politically correct historical revisionism has completely escaped the bounds of rationality.  While they are at it, they should just as well rename their state “Fettermansylvania”.  They could erect a bronze statue of John Fetterman, complete with his signature short pants and hoodie.

Update: William Penn statue will not be removed from Welcome Park, says National Park Service in sudden reversal.

o  o  o

An interesting map: Life Expectancy in the U.S., by County.

o  o  o

Victor Davis Hanson: A Culture in Collapse. (Thanks to H.L. for the link.)

o  o  o

My buddy Pete in Switzerland sent this: Building Autonomous, Off-Grid, Encrypted, and Solar Powered Communications Infrastructure.

o  o  o

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”



The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“[T]here seems to have been an actual decline in rational thinking. The United States had become a place where entertainers and professional athletes were mistaken for people of importance. They were idolized and treated as leaders; their opinions were sought on everything and they took themselves just as seriously-after all, if an athlete is paid a million or more a year, he knows he is important … so his opinions of foreign affairs and domestic policies must be important, too, even though he proves himself to be ignorant and subliterate every time he opens his mouth.” – Robert A. Heinlein



Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — January 16, 2024

The Persian Gulf War, triggered by Iraq‘s occupation of Kuwait in August 1990, began on this day in 1991 with a U.S.-led air offensive against Iraq that continued until a cease-fire was declared on February 28.

On January 16, 1556, Charles V, Holy Roman emperor and king of Spain, renounced his claim to Spain.

The Persian Gulf War, triggered by Iraq’s occupation of Kuwait in August 1990, began on this day in 1991 with a U.S.-led air offensive against Iraq that continued until a cease-fire was declared on February 28.

The Space Shuttle Columbia launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 16th, 2003. STS-107 would explode on re-entry 15 days later, killing all seven of the crew members on board.

SurvivalRealty.com has released a new downloadable guide addressing many of their most-asked questions about bunkers and bomb shelters, including their uses and limitations, where to find one, and important considerations if you are building or buying one. It’s available free for anyone who signs up for their e-mail newsletter, here: Survivalrealty.com/bunkers/

The volume of pre-orders for the Waterproof/EMP Resistant 2005-2023 SurvivalBlog Archive USB sticks on just the first day was huge. Many readers are placing orders for 2, 3, or 4 sticks. This year, the stick capacity is 32 gigabytes and we upgraded to the faster USB 3.0. (Though it can still be read with USB 2.0 devices.) Deliveries will begin in the first week of February. Orders must be made through our automated ordering system. These sticks sell out quickly each year, so order your sticks soon!

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 110 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  5. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. 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).
  3. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $305 value),
  2. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  3. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

More than $870,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 110 ends on January 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.

 

 



Let’s Go Ice Fishing!, by Hollyberry

Back when I was living in New Jersey when reading about ice fishing in the colder states, I would shudder and say “not for me!” Well, now that I live in one of those colder places — Maine — I am one of the crazy people out there on the ice that I used to think were nuts! Ice fishing is fun and gets you outdoors. It feels good to be outdoors and moving around. People may stop by and see what is biting. We can usually spot deer and moose on shore. Eagles are perched in trees near the lake. Pick a sunny day and pay close attention to the wind, especially if you don’t own an ice shelter. The weather may seem tolerable while you are standing in your driveway but even a small breeze out on a frozen lake can make you miserable.

Make sure the ice is stable and thick. This is not something you want to take chances on. Keep an eye on the weather while you are on the ice also as snow squalls pop up and they can reduce your visibility quite a bit. If a squall occurs and you can’t see, just hunker down and stay put until it passes. You don’t want to be wandering around on a frozen lake and not know where you are headed.Continue reading“Let’s Go Ice Fishing!, by Hollyberry”



SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today’s news: Snow and cold weather belatedly returns to the Inland Northwest.

Idaho

Snow day in Boise!! Kids hit Camel’s Back Park to sled down the hill.

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Regulators restrict medical license of Idaho health official who spread COVID-19 disinformation.

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It seems like yesterday, but it has been nearly 14 years since his passing:  Vernon Baker, the only living black World War II veteran to receive the Medal of Honor. 

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To file under “Perps From Outside The Redoubt”: Missouri man arrested in Nampa for suspected homicide.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”