Odds ‘n Sods:

With the onslaught against your constitutional rights and the example of the Malhuer arrests, now might be a good time to seriously consider the “what if”. 10 Things to Know When Facing Criminal Charges

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Bill introduced to go after anonymous “burner phones”. Reader S.P. does contract work with a large mobile carrier and says these prepaid phones are the device of choice for drug dealers, hookers, pimps, and more. It is BIG money for the mobile industry, too. Get some popcorn and watch the lobbying begin. The chains of tyranny grow stronger and more numerous with every passing year.

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Belgian nuclear plant guard is murdered and has his security pass stolen. – Submitted by DSV.

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Reader A.M writes in: Mark Levin had an excellent interview with Dr. Peter V. Pry on Levin TV on March 25th. Dr. Pry is an expert on EMP risk and has a couple book titles out available through Amazon:

Blackout Wars: State Initiatives to Achieve Preparedness Against an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Catastrophe (2015)

Electric Armageddon: Civil-Military Preparedness for an Electromagnetic Pulse Catastrophe (2013)

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North Korea nukes Washington… in its propaganda video, anyway Wishful thinking propaganda from the King of crazy, but they get closer to this capability every year. – DMS

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2 (KJV)

Notes for Saturday – March 26, 2016

Today, we present another entry for Round 63 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 both 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)

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 63 ends on March 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.

How Two People Can Build A Fully Functional Bug Out Cabin For About $10,000 In Just Two Days, by S.T.

There are many builders of sheds that are available all over the U.S. I picked this builder as an example because their products are available in my area and I have seen their products in person. This builder also offers free delivery and setup in my area. Make sure that the exterior paint color and roof color you choose will blend in with the area where your cabin will be placed and will not stick out saying “I am here, so please come and get me”.

First, pick your size of ***LINK to http://www.backyardoutfittersinc.com/products/treated-buildings/lofted-barn-cabin-playhouse/***shed. Some options are:

  • 12′ X 28′ with a metal roof for $6,820.00 + approx $500.00 for a workbench & shelves
  • 12′ X 32′ with a metal roof $7,695.00 + approx $750.00 for a workbench & shelves
  • 12′ X 36′ with a metal roof $8,640.00 + approx $900.00 for a workbench & shelves

For this estimate, I used the 12′ X 28′ with a metal roof at $6,820.00 + approx $500.00 for the workbench & shelves.

Supplies Needed

Now, move on to my shopping list, which includes the following:

  • Laundry sink, $95. Get one or two? I would purchase two; you will see why later on.
  • Curved shower curtain rod, $56.
  • One Shower curtain (fabric), $5.00
  • 12” square ceramic tiles (quantity will depend on which size cabin you picked), under $100
  • Roll insulation (quantity will depend on which size cabin you picked), approx $200
  • 1/4” birch plywood (quantity will depend on which size cabin you picked), approx $1,000
  • Bag of nails, $10
  • Composting toilets, $20 (5-gallon buckets with toilet seat lid)
  • Additional 5-gallon buckets, free
  • Six each Plastic 55 gallon drums, $20 each (minimum quantity), or if available the 250 gallon totes.
  • Six each No freeze faucets $42 each for 55 gallon drums (not needed if you are using totes)
  • One each Drum pump $20, optional
  • Ten yards of 100% cotton fabric. Be sure to pick something colorful and fun, plus one yard of quilt batting, total of $60.
  • Eye hooks $5
  • 100′ para cord $10.
  • 12 each Pallets (free)
  • Two gallons of paint or varnish $50
  • 24 to 30 concrete blocks, $30

Building The Cabin

Now, let’s start building your bug out location. This is a simple but very functional bug out cabin. This cabin does not have any electricity, running water, or sewer. However, as you will see, you will be able to do without these.

Once you have your building delivered and leveled, you are ready to turn the empty shed into a very usable cabin.

  1. Set out all of the purchased materials, supplies, and any equipment and future supplies you brought from home or made, after the delivery people leave. Sort them in to piles of like items.
  2. Clean out the 55-gallon drums or totes and add the frost-proof faucets to each of the drums. Set each drum or tote on top of two or three stacked pallets. Set one at each corner and one in the middle of each long side of your cabin. Because the building I chose has a metal roof, it is perfect for a rain catchment system.
  3. Add the rolled insulation to the walls and roof. If you live in very cold winter area and have the extra funds, I would also add foam insulation board over the rolled insulation for extra R-Factor.
  4. Add the birch plywood over the insulation.
  5. Tile the top shelf of the work bench. (Use the large 12′ X 12” tiles to keep the grout lines and costs to a minimum.) This will now be your kitchen counter. You now have enough room for a camp stove and food prep and a 5-gallon water jug over the future laundry sink. The shelf under the kitchen counter is for the everyday food storage and storage of your dishes. If you have the funds, I would also tile this shelf using the same 12′ X 12” tiles. I would also add some peg board and peg board hooks over the counter as storage for holding equipment, such as large utensils and pots and lids, out of the way.
  6. Add one of the laundry sinks next to your new kitchen counter. Add a 5-gallon bucket under the sink to collect the water for disposal as needed. Use this sink for dishes and hand washing and winter weather laundry.
  7. Next to the laundry sink, install the curved shower curtain rod and the fabric shower curtain, and then install two composting toilets behind the curtain– one toilet for liquids and one for solids. (As a special note, urine can be poured around your cabin to repel wildlife.)
  8. Measure and cut the fabric to cover the kitchen counter lower shelfs; make sure to include enough extra fabric to the height to make a channel. Measure and cut the fabric to cover the back wall storage shelves, making sure to also include enough extra fabric to make a channel to hang the fabric from. If there is any leftover fabric, I would use it to make cloth napkins, dish towels, and window quilts. For the window quilts, just use cup hooks and grommets to hang them.
  9. Using the cup hooks and paracord, string the paracord just under the kitchen counter. Using the cup books and paracord string the paracord in front of the storage shelves. String the paracord through the channel in the fabric, to hide your new storage areas. Instead of sewing a channel for the paracord, you could insert grommets in the fabric.
  10. Paint or varnish the floor, as not only a way to protect the floor but also to protect your feet from potential splinters and to give your cabin a more finished look and feel.
  11. If you purchased a second laundry sink, place it outside on the back wall of the cabin. This will be used for laundry in good weather and for processing game and fish in the spring, summer, and fall. Remember to add a 5-gallon bucket underneath the sink. A folding work table or a hand-built table should be placed next to the outdoor sink to add extra work surface and a place to set a 5-gallon jug of water. If you are in a cold weather area, please remember to bring the water jug inside at the start of winter to prevent the jug from breaking.
  12. Take the concrete blocks and build a square using two to three blocks on each of the four sides and then three to five blocks high. Fill the hollow blocks with soil or sand. Place metal screening material, then a heavy duty metal cooking rack over the top, and you now have a burn box, an outdoor cooking stove, an outdoor canning stove, or even an outdoor dehydrator.
  13. Use the leftover paracord outside to build a clothesline.

The back wall of storage shelves inside the cabin will be used to store all of your LTS foods, supplies, and clothing.

Estimated Cost to Build Your Bug Out Cabin

The combined list of supplies, including the shed but not the land comes to an approximate total of $10,000.

Depending on the area of the U.S. where you live, you may want to and need to add a small pot belly stove and the necessary bricks to set the stove on. A small wood stove is available for under $300, plus the cost for the stove pipe, and it will heat this square footage very well. These types of stoves have a flat top so you can cook a meal on it or make a pot of coffee with an old time percolator. Just a personal note that I think coffee made in a percolator is better than a drip coffee maker or any french press, but I am a Folger’s women and think Starbucks and other designer coffee is swill.

Depending on what you have available on hand, you may be able to reduce the costs. For example, as I already have the fabric, quilt batting, paracord, cup hooks, buckets, nails, shower curtain, paint, and some other supplies, so my costs go down. Furthermore, you may be able to obtain some of the items, such as blocks and bricks for free. The items you have on hand will assist in completing any upgrades.

It only took two days and two people to turn this once empty shell of a shed into a 336 square foot completed bug out cabin.

Now, it was time to stock the new cabin. That meant adding the LTS food stuffs, a Coleman camp stove, camping dishes, cooking utensils, pots and pans, clothes, cots, folding camping chairs, bedding, medical supplies, 5-gallon water jugs, oil lamps, water filter, et cetera. I suggest adding some homemade small hand-braided rugs around the cabin for more of a home feeling and to keep the feet warm during the winter months.

Extra storage space can be obtained by adding some screw in coat hooks along the walls for coats. Add some reusable grocery bags on more of the hooks to hold things like gloves, scarves, homeschooling materials, books, sewing supplies. Even more extra storage can be added by using fabric boxes to store clothing, such as socks, underwear, and dirty laundry. Additional hooks could be placed on the outside walls for storage of items such as extra buckets, gardening tools, fishing equipment, snow shovels. Because the cots are folding, they can be folded up and stored during the day.

Optional items I would add over time, as money permits, include the following:

  • Fold up TV tray tables
  • Inflatable mats for the cots
  • An outhouse to dispose of waste from the indoor bucket toilet and for use during the warm months. (This would be my very first project) after the cabin was completed. If you have additional helpers, it can be completed at the same time as the cabin.
  • I would add some type of brace to the inside of the door and a dead bolt.
  • I would also add some very heavy window quilts to not only keep heat in during the winter and the heat out during the summer, but will also keep out any prying eyes.
  • I would also add a folding laundry drying rack for use indoors during bad weather. To protect wooden the floor of the cabin, place a heavy rug and then old towels on top of the rug, before setting the drying rack on top of towels.
  • Picnic table, for good weather eating outdoors and homeschooling.
  • If there are children. If you have children spend the extra $500 to $600 to get the loft space for use as an extra sleeping area and storage space.
  • If you are planning on getting a 12′ X 36′ or larger, some builders offer a loft on each end. Just add some homemade curtains for privacy and noise reduction.
  • The only thing I have not covered is a shower. As this bug out cabin has no electric or indoor plumbing. I live in an area where we get lots of cold and snow during the winter season; so for spring, summer, and fall I would take a hard-sided kiddie pool outside and using a ice pick add two or three rings of holes in the bottom of the pool, add about 2” or 3” of pebbles, then place on the ground add a 4” X 4” post on each side of the pool, then top the posts with another 4” X 4” post and add some eye hooks and a shower curtain. Add some additional hooks on the underside of the top post to hang sun shower bags. There is also, in the PAW fiction book Lights Out, a description of an outdoor shower using a 55-gallon drum. For winter use, I would purchase a stock tank and use heated water indoors.

This project would lend itself to future upgrades, such as some solar panels for a future limited amount of electricity, say for a chest freezer that could be located outside. Also, more water storage and roof gutters would be nice.

If you have a large family, more than one of these cabins can be constructed and placed in a circle with the doors facing inside the circle and the outhouse outside of the circle.

If you are in a state, such as Oregon, that thinks they own the water that falls from the sky which you and I call rain, you can complete everything but adding the rain catchment water barrels before SHTF. Then, later, add the rain catchment water barrels after SHTF.

Disclosure: I have no affiliation with any of the links that are posted. These links are for instructional and pricing purposes only.

One final thought is that if you have additional money, you can have a basement dug and built; then set the shed over the completed basement. Just cut out a 4′ X 4′ section of the floor and then re-attach the cutout floor section with hinges and add a ladder for easy access, and cover it with a rug so you have hidden access to the basement.

Letter Re: Sharp Shooter 22LR Reloader

Dear Sir:

While looking through a magazine the other day, I came across an advertisement for the Sharp Shooter 22LR Reloader tool. According to the ad, this kit includes everything you need to reload spent 22 shells. Due to the unavailability of 22lr in my neck of the woods, I thought this might be a good option. (I have large amounts of empty shells that I have been saving for another project.) My question is: Have you, or any of the SurvivalBlog readers, had any experience with this tool and kit? Is it an easy process? How reliable are the reloads? Is there a high rate of duds? The price for the tool and kit seem reasonable. I don’t mind putting in the work to load a couple thousand rounds. (It beats watching TV.) Perhaps this would be a good topic for a product review. I would really hate to waste my money on something that doesn’t work or cranks out garbage ammo. The website for the product is www.22lrreloader.com. Any info, insight, or experience you have or know of would be greatly appreciated.

Sincerely, Iowa Farm Boy

HJL Replies: I purchased one of these almost a year ago. I picked up the basic kit and the die. What I found is that it does indeed produce usable ammo. The only misfire I had was due to the firing pin hitting the exact same spot that had hit originally (a pretty slim chance but possible). Given that it is 22lr, the concept of reliability for self defense didn’t really bother me.

Time is another thing entirely. I do reload most of my own ammo on a couple of Dillon presses. This was entirely manual, and I didn’t really care for it. It can be done, but when 22lr ammo is so inexpensive, I have to wonder about the current viability. If there wasn’t any supply, I would consider it, but for now it’s relegated to the bottom drawer as a nice tool to have in a pinch but not very practical right now. The kit did seem to be well made. I would not consider it junk at all.

I did not try to obtain chemicals independent of the kit to make the primer; I just used their kit.

Economics and Investing:

Reader DSV suggested this: Bagfuls of Pocket Change… Handfuls of Heritage – Shanghai Metals Market.

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Japan Goes Full Krugman: Plans Un-Depositable, Non-Cash “Gift-Certificate” Money Drop To Young People – G.G.

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Items from Professor Preponomics:

Professor Preponomics’ Reading Recommendation

Going for Broke: Deficits, Debt and the Entitlement Crisis by Michael D. Tanner

US News

Commentary: The GOP and Social Security (Cato) Excerpt: “…Social Security’s unfunded liabilities approach $26 trillion. That’s not because of waste or administrative glitches; it’s because of shifting demographics.”

Southern Tennessee Medical Center, LLC to Pay $2.48 Million to Settle False Claims Act and Overpayment Allegations (Justice.gov)

21st Century Oncology to Pay $19.75 Million to Settle Alleged False Claims for Unnecessary Laboratory Tests (Justice.gov)

Tennessee Children’s Food Program Under Scrutiny (Government Waste Fraud and Abuse) One word comes to mind immediately. Despicable. Excerpt: “…a subsequent investigation by The Tennessean, which found unscrupulous contractors in some cases were pocketing funds intended for hungry children. In one instance, a contractor spent money on lavish bonuses, home improvements and on-demand movies in hotels.”

International News

Central Banks are Already Doing the Unthinkable – You Just Don’t Know It (The Telegraph) Excerpt: “A catch-all term, helicopter drops describe the process by which central banks can create money to transfer to the public or private sector to stimulate economic activity and spending.”

Personal Economics and Household Finance

Snapchat, Seagate Among Companies Duped in Tax-Fraud Scam (Clark Howard) Excerpt: “A major phishing scheme has tricked several major companies — among them, the messaging service Snapchat and disk-drive maker Seagate Technology — into relinquishing tax documents that exposed their workers’ incomes, addresses and Social Security numbers.”

Watch Out for this New Tax Scam (Market Watch) Excerpt: “The IRS says it has begun receiving reports “in the last few weeks” of phone scams that use a slightly different tactic: They don’t ask for money, and instead request personal financial information, pretending they need to verify it.”

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

Odds ‘n Sods:

This is an older YouTube posting, but it is fascinating. Bullet impacts on steel, glass, corners, and both full penetration and non-penetration are included. It is particularly interesting to see solid metal flow like liquid under the extreme pressures produced by the impacts. 1 million fps Slow Motion video of bullet impacts made by Werner Mehl from Kurzzeit

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If you are a Verizon customer, you may need to pay attention to this one – Breaking News: Massive Verizon data breach – customer info stolen! – DSV

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Islam is not the problem #BrusselsAttacks – I would also add that Islam is somewhat more than a set of beliefs. It is a political power structure masquerading as a religion.

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Hope for the Dead. Excerpt: When America was in its infancy and struggling to find a culture and frustrated at governance from Great Britain, the word most frequently uttered in speeches and pamphlets and editorials was not “safety” or “taxes” or “peace”; it was “freedom.”

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Embedded within the heartbreak of the story of the missing, injured, and killed is the exchange that reflects what happens to people who are traumatized. This is instructive for all those of us who prepare… We need to recognize this in ourselves and in others in times of crisis or emergency. “Frustrating” search for family of U.S. couple missing in Brussels – A.M.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“…but this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.” – Jeremiah 7:23-24 (KJV)

Notes for Friday – March 25, 2016

March 25th National Medal of Honor day is officially observed on March 25th of each year.On March 25 1944 RAF Flight Sergeant Nicholas Alkemade survived a jump from a Lancaster bomber from 18,000 feet over Germany without a parachute. His fall was broken by pine trees and soft snow, and he suffered only a sprained leg.

This is the birthday of English film director David Lean, (of Doctor Zhivago fame), born in Croydon, England in 1908.

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You Better Pray You Never Meet America”: NRA’s New Charlie Daniels – Sent in by J.H.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 63 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 both 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)

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 63 ends on March 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.

My Favorite Materials for Clothing, by B.A.

Not being a survivalist, nor being flush with cash, I am constantly amazed at the number of times people are told to buy the newest and greatest items for their family’s welfare. Sure, if the money was available for the average person to buy the newest “gee whiz” items all of the time, we would never have to worry about TEOTWAWKI, because by the time we have finally gotten through all the fancy gear once, we would be dead of old age. In response to an outdoor sports catalog that I brought over, my mother said to me, “American’s will all starve to death, but they will look good while they do it.”

Of course, I was raised poor. I knew it, because there is plenty of people in this world who are more than happy to remind a guy of it. You did not ruin stuff; because if you did that, you then did without. Hopefully, your older cousin was changing out his wardrobe, so you had more than socks and underwear that were new. I remember having to do gym class in high school in boots, because my shoes were worn out. Yes, I eventually was kicked out of class for supposedly damaging the floor with my hard heel boots. I grew to have a very healthy respect for clothes that did not wear out.

Being Canadian, I also grew to have a healthy respect for what real warm clothes meant. If you have ever been so cold that your hands feel like they are made of broken chicken bones for hours after you are thawed out and the feeling returns, then you understand. Cheap work gloves and nylon snow suits that rip, exposing the lining in those large v-rips that never can be repaired, are things that I now refuse to even contemplate enduring.

That being said, at the risk of insulting readers, my favorite clothing materials are cotton, wool, and leather. I want clothes, not to survive the zombie apocalypse, but to survive the longest time available and to keep me in the most comfortable condition possible, without paying with my eye teeth. Think about it. There are no patents on cotton, wool, or leather. There are no material royalties that go on top of the production and sales cost. It’s like the wheel; it does not cost one cent more for a company to use this invention, because the intellectual property laws and the new science people are not trying to get more money for repackaging an old item, i.e. clothes.

Once upon a time I had the chance to wear Canadian-issue Arctic gear. The coldest it got that winter was -67 degrees Celsius with the windchill. I lived. I also learned a thing or two. The first thing I did was take my arctic mitts home and have my mother look them over and make my own copy of them. She went to a dollar store and bought an old wool overcoat, cut it up, and made both my brother and me a pair complete with the soft nose wiper on the back. She was also kind enough to knit us both toques of wool and regular wool gloves, and years later I convinced her to make me a 6-foot double knitted scarf. That is my accessories. I have all of them still, even though I changed up and bought an actual pair of Arctic mitts from Egli’s Sheep Farm in Ontario. This being the present day, I also bought a pair of shearling wool boot liners for winter boots and several full sheep hides from them to make more later. (I may have more money now, but I am still cheap.)

For my feet, I always wear wool work socks. It’s a habit broken into me that stuck. My foot wear are leather. I only have one pair of steel-toed boots. If you want to loose a toe or two, wear only steel toes in winter. Everything else in soft toed. I prefer Kamik’s boots; it is nice to be able to change out your liners every day, so that they can dry out over night proper. I work outside and hunt in them. I have walked all day in brush and swamp without twisting my ankle into a hospital visit. I get some stares in winter when I go into town, but I don’t care. I am warm, even when standing still or sitting in the cold, and they keep me going.

For my coat, I looked at buying a surplus coat, but the cost was too much. Years ago when I tried my hand at construction while freezing one day, I talked with one of the contractors and asked what he was wearing, as he never seemed to be too warm and was never cold, even as the wind ripped through the site. He was wearing Tough Duck work gear. It is a company that specializes in cotton canvas outer gear in Winnipeg. The parka I chose only cost me $100, and the lined overalls only $90. This was 18 years ago. That parka was a good civilian equivalent. I have worn that thing everywhere and done everything. It has kept me warm in -45 degree Celsius, while I sat for hours waiting for deer to say “hi”. It has kept me dry while I chained up my truck in the Rockies, and it has held every kind of tool in its pockets while fixing everything mechanical in my life. I love that coat, and its matching overalls. Everybody I know on the farm or in the workforce has one, or one like it. There is a reason. They last forever. You almost cannot destroy it. Cotton canvas, when walking through brush or over a barbed wire fence or working on machinery with sharp edges, does not tear itself to pieces. If by chance you do damage it, most likely you tore the edge where the sewing was. Even I have fixed cotton canvas by sewing my pockets back together. While cotton is flammable, it is usually treated, so you will not go up like a Roman candle, and as an added bonus, unlike synthetics, if it burns it will not bond with your skin. I had to replace my parka this winter, not because it no longer is useful, but because my wife, whom I love, is too embarrassed to be seen in public with me in it. So I went back and bought the exact same coat from the same company. Its price was $124. They do ship to the U.S. The quality is still there.

I grew up in t-shirts. Eventually, I decided that I needed something a little more. Usually that means I put on my surplus wool shirt, but sometimes I wanted something not so warm. What does a guy do? While at the farm I sucked it up and borrowed one of my dad’s shirts. You know the kind– heavy cotton in horrible plaid. That thing was comfortable. I never wanted to wear them. If my dad was wearing them, I thought they are not for me. I went and bought six more of them for myself and a couple for him to thank him. Sure enough, that summer I was sitting there sweating in a t-shirt and got to thinking about my dad’s shirts. In the summer he wears the light cotton t-shirts, in plaid of course. This time I did not even wait; I just went and bought four of them. Sure enough it was light and comfortable and inexpensive. After the clingy t-shirt, it was like I was wearing my own air conditioner. Who would’a thunk it? Our dads were onto something!

As for pants, well I only wear blue jeans. That’s simply because they are just so solid. The only concessions are cotton long johns underneath when it is too cold outside, or the canvas bib-overalls worn when it is really cold. Durability is the key. I never buy the “cool” jeans. Stone washed ones may be comfortable, but they are half worn out before you even buy them. Buying ripped jeans for style is a special kind of stupid in itself. That same pair of jeans has to do a roof, walk through thorns, and keep my legs covered. Extra pockets would be nice, but that’s why I have a jacket.

I may not be much to look at, but I am comfortable. I know that my clothes that I wear everyday are the same clothes that I will be wearing years from now. Sure it is nothing like fancy stuff out there, and when it comes down to how something will wick 2 ml of moisture at 10 degrees, the high end stuff has me beat everyday. I walked into a sports store before Christmas and everyone was wearing fancy clothes. The sales staff did not even want to talk to me. Maybe it was that nothing I wear has a logo. I don’t look like much, but I can buy double what they could, or buy the same amount and use the other half of my money on food. I think too many people are looking too far and too intensely at problems that are not really there.

Letter Re: Observations of An Old Alaskan Bushrat

Hi Mr. Rawles,

I just ran across your site and have been browsing it. Your Precepts of Survivalist Philosophy are superb. Best is that you are a 100% sold out Christian.

You may find a few observations of interest, from one who has lived extensively off the grid. First, some background. I grew up in a tiny community with the surf out my front door and a thousand-year-old forest that stretched for miles in back. My father grew up on a homestead and trapline among the Sarcees of the Alberta Rocky Mountain foothills. He never had a pair of shoes on until twelve, only Sarcee moccasins. My mother was raised in a sod-house and half dugout on the New Mexico plains, when Pancho Villa was raiding nearby. With such parents to form my youth, when in 1963 my employer left me with no food for ten days on my first job in Alaska as a 20-year-old, not only did I not starve but I couldn’t even get hungry. It took me no more than a half hour to an hour daily to secure all the food I could eat. Since, I once lived in a tent year-round for two years, lived four years in an 8 X 12 shack, and have put in a winter in a tent far north, where the temperatures commonly hit 40-50 degrees below. I have also dwelt extensively in a log cabin 100 air miles off the highway without electricity or running water.

Observation 1: When I think about really prepping, I think about not just setting up for the long haul but the permanent long haul. If the survival situation never gets better, you’re set. If it does get better, you can always move back to more modern life. All of the reliance on mechanisms that run on fossil fuels and use of technologies, like welding and so forth, are fine, as long as supplies last. However, if the collapse goes on long enough, survivalists will have to live with technologies of an earlier age. So here’s my take: I am not saying immediately abandon all newer technology before you are forced to, but put most of your preparation effort into reverting back into 1870’s to rural 1920’s technology. You do not want to be forced into Stone Age technology by lack of tools. I have lived a lot without electricity and running water in the ways of the turn of the 1900’s bush. It is totally comfortable and easy to slide back and forth, losing 150 years or gaining them back.

Observation 2: When you put a premium on living places, like down in America, where there is lots of sunlight to run solar generators and nice, deep, rich soil with plenty of clean water, you are looking to set up in digs that will be super attractive to the inevitable raiders. Places down there that seem rather rural and thinly populated will get populated (overrun) when the millions upon millions of city dwellers scatter out of Dodge. Hunger, and their kids going hungry, will change many into savagery, and some will be have Swat team-quality training in law enforcement and Special Forces-level military training that allows them a huge advantage in assaults on the amateur fortifications of most preppers, no matter how well laid. I don’t want to be anywhere hordes of that ilk are likely to be attracted to or have the bush and sea travel skills to reach. I don’t want them to be able to drive or even bicycle or ride a horse to my family.

My area, instead of banking on rich farm land, allows me to tap the richness of the sea. Not only from the depths but from the inter-tidal zone, where “when the tide’s out, the table’s set.” Summer or winter, it doesn’t matter. And when fuel is spent, no raider types are likely to want to row, paddle, or sail across perilous waters as far as my chosen area is from the nearest population centers, which the nearest three at 50-75 miles distance number but 50-200 souls. By the way, I won’t be totally dependent upon seaweed and forest edibles. A greenhouse will supply vegetables.

The native tribes that inhabited the area had the easiest life/highest standard of living of any in North America. It took them so little to take a living from their surroundings that they had leisure time to develop their religion, art, housing, trade, and warfare to a high standard. In their great cedar war canoes of 40-60 feet, they raided for slaves as far north as Cook Inlet and south to the Columbia. Their weaving technique is one of the world’s most complex and beautiful. This is all because the living was—and is—easy there.

Keep up your outstanding ministry,

In Him, – Rod

Economics and Investing:

Uh oh! The growing economic case for ‘helicopter money’ – P.S.

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Record Breaking Silver Factors In 2015 Can Make 2016 Quite Interesting

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‘Rich Dad’ author says the 2016 market collapse he foresaw in 2002 is coming – G.G.

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It’s Official: Canadian Bank Depositors Are Now At Risk Of Bail-Ins – G.G. Excerpt: “Earlier today, Canada’s new Liberal government unveiled a stimulus budget meant to revive slumping growth with a surge in infrastructure spending and said it would run a deficit nearly three times larger than promised during last year’s election.”

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Yellen, Draghi, Kuroda: Deranged Lab Rats

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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:

All of the recent talk about the BHO Administration opening up to Castro’s Cuba and doing the Twisted Tango begs a few questions: When do we get our plane hijackers and escaped convicted cop killer Joanne Chesimard back? (There will, of course, be an extradition treaty… Riiight!) And when do we get to see all of those Cuban FAL and AR-10 parts sets arriving on our shores? Or will we only get additional boatloads of impoverished immigrants? – JWR

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Some interesting maps showing net population gains and losses: The U.S. Population Is Swelling in Almost Every State

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Roger Simon’s latest editorial: James Comey and Loretta Lynch Hold the Whole Country in Their Hands

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NASA appears to be planning/assisting with the use of large drones in US airspace. – P.S.

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7 Strange Questions About The Brussels Terror Attacks That The Mainstream Media Is Not Asking – B.B.

Notes for Thursday – March 24, 2016

March 24th is the birthday of Dr. Art Robinson, who was born in 1942. Also, today, the 14th day of Adar II, starts Purim, the Jewish holiday that commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman (boo!), who was planning to kill all the Jews.

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Round 63 of the Writing Contest is coming to a close in only a few short days. Make sure you get your article finished and submitted for this round!

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Today, we present another entry for Round 63 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 both 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)

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 63 ends on March 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.