Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

This week, I had a project in cleaning out the accumulated lint from our clothes dryer’s under-floor ducts.  I had always presumed they were a bit gunked with lint when I bought the ranch house, 18 years ago.  But by this year, the ducts were pretty well sclerotic with lint — so much so that the dryer was having a hard time actually drying clothes without repeating drying cycles. Cleaning out the ducts required a lot of time and effort under the house and under our front porch. To obviate full removal of the 4″ ductwork from between the floor joists (running through fiberglass insulation that is held up with stapled-on chickenwire) I jerry-rigged a 6-foot extension to our ShopVac’s hose. I dd so, using some 2″ Schedule 40 white PVC pipe. That way, all that I had to remove were a couple of 90-degree elbows – not the entire duct runs.

I just hope that I don’t have to do this same job more often than once a decade.  (It was NOT a fun job.) Well, I did have some fun quoting the Terry Gilliam movie Brazil.  (“I want to talk to you about ducts.”) But at least now it is done. And our dryer will be working much more safely and efficiently. It also means we’ll be spending less on propane each month. So it was a “win-win.”

Now, Lily’s part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“In those days there was no king in Israel: and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought them an inheritance to dwell in; for unto that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.

And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their coasts, men of valour, from Zorah, and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land, and to search it; and they said unto them, Go, search the land: who when they came to mount Ephraim, to the house of Micah, they lodged there.

When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite: and they turned in thither, and said unto him, Who brought thee hither? and what makest thou in this place? and what hast thou here?

And he said unto them, Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me, and hath hired me, and I am his priest.

And they said unto him, Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.

And the priest said unto them, Go in peace: before the Lord is your way wherein ye go.

Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man.

And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye?

And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land.

When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure, and to a large land: for God hath given it into your hands; a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth.” – Judges 18: 1-10 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Friday — November 14, 2025

On November 14, 1908,  Albert Einstein presented his quantum theory of light.

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On November 14th, 1985, the Nevado del Ruiz Volcano erupted in Colombia, killing over 20,000 as nearby towns are buried in mud, ice and lava. Scientist studying the volcano believed an eruption was imminent and had recommended an evacuation of the area which was largely ignored, resulting in the high number of casualties.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 121 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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),
  2. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  3. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  4. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.
  5. Harvest Guard is providing a 200-Piece Bulk Mix Pack of their Regular and Wide-Mouth Reusable Canning Jar Lids & Gaskets. This is a $161 + shipping value.

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 TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is offering a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.
  4. 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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $970,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 121 ends on November 30th, 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Bullet Drop: It’s About Time, by Mr. Wobbet

This article gives another perspective on understanding ballistics charts.

Introduction

I am not much of a hunter. Over the past five years going up to my in-law’s place, I’ve taken about a dozen shots at the feral pigs that root up sections of their land. I have zero hits on running pigs. If you line up a handful of soda cans filled with water at 25 yards, I can go town on those. But with the pigs out at 200 yards, I am about useless, even when the neighbor has lent me his really nice hunting rifle.

A few weeks ago I was up there and had the rare opportunity to miss twice in a single session. After my first shot they started running and I had about 100 yards of open field before they hit the tree line so, ever the optimist, I lined up and tried another shot. Nope.

Later that evening I was asking myself the question “How far should I lead them at that distance?”

Those of you who are actually proficient hunters will be chuckling and saying to yourself “About that much.” Because you’re already good at this and those things are just part of who you are. Me? I have to think about and do the math first.Continue reading“Bullet Drop: It’s About Time, by Mr. Wobbet”

Economics & Investing Media of the Week

In Economics & Investing Media of the Week we feature photos, charts, graphs, video links, or occasional news items of interest to preppers.

The map image below, showing Unemployment Rates, By County is from Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, posted for unrestricted use by the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank. It is click-expandable.

For a detailed and zoomable view, see: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?m=1wm8j

 

 

 

And here is some related data that explains some of the gray-shaded patches seen in the otherwise low-unemployment western states: Native American Labor Market Dashboard.

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Reader T.M wrote to recommend the book The Great Silver Bull: Crush Inflation and Profit as the Dollar Dies, by Peter Krauth.

Other Links of Interest

Economics & Investing Media Tips:

Please send your economics and investing media link to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Thanks!

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — November 13, 2025

On November 13, 1789, in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, Benjamin Franklin wrote: “…in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”

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Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, was born in Scotland on November 13th, 1850.

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And on November 13, 1861, a letter was written by Reverend Mark R. Watkinson petitioning the Treasury Department to “recognize Almighty God” on American coins. The department eventually decided on the motto “In God We Trust”.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 121 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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),
  2. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  3. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  4. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.
  5. Harvest Guard is providing a 200-Piece Bulk Mix Pack of their Regular and Wide-Mouth Reusable Canning Jar Lids & Gaskets. This is a $161 + shipping value.

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 TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is offering a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.
  4. 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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $970,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 121 ends on November 30th, 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Dakota Power Bank and PV Panel – Part 2, by Mike in Alaska

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

The Dakota Lithium Power Bank can supply up to 2,400 watts by itself and can supply you with 4,800 peak AC when needed. This is according to their user’s manual that comes with the unit. That 4,800 watts is a rating given when a second power bank unit is set up in parallel with the first unit. The bank came with the necessary connector to link it with a second bank, and I am planning to buy a second unit to add to the setup I have now.Continue reading“Dakota Power Bank and PV Panel – Part 2, by Mike in Alaska”

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 Russia’s new hybrid mechanized warfare.

Putin’s “Mad Max” Infantry

In the UK Daily Mail: Putin’s “Mad Max” Infantry.  (The screenshot above is courtesy of Kanal 13 Television.) The article begins:

“Haunting footage has emerged showing Russian troops advancing through thick fog in a convoy of wrecked cars, many missing doors and windows, in scenes likened to Mad Max.

The video, shared by the Kyiv Post, shows soldiers clinging to battered vehicles and motorbikes as they roll down a debris-strewn road. A broken drone lies by the roadside as the column disappears into the mist.

The clip surfaced as Moscow’s forces claimed new gains near the Ukrainian city of Kupiansk, where Russian troops say they have seized a string of railway stations and an oil depot on the city’s eastern edge.

A commander using the call sign Hunter said units from the 1486th Motorised Rifle Regiment had pushed deep into the city and taken control of stops along the railway to Kupiansk Vuzlovyi, around four miles south of the centre.”

Manipulated Chatbot Propaganda

From the UK Telegraph website: The cottage industry quietly manipulating chatbots’ replies.

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — November 12, 2025

On November 12, 1900, the Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair) in Paris closed after receiving 50 million visitors. Art Nouveau style dominated the World’s Fair.

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Today is the birthday of USMC Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph “Dan” Daly (born 1873, died April 27, 1937). He was one of only nineteen men (including seven Marines) to twice receive the Medal of Honor.

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November 12th, 1950 was the birthday of Corporal John Alan Coey (died 19 July 1975). He was the first American volunteer killed in Rhodesia.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 121 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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),
  2. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  3. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  4. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.
  5. Harvest Guard is providing a 200-Piece Bulk Mix Pack of their Regular and Wide-Mouth Reusable Canning Jar Lids & Gaskets. This is a $161 + shipping value.

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 TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is offering a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.
  4. 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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $970,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 121 ends on November 30th, 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Dakota Power Bank and PV Panel – Part 1, by Mike in Alaska

As the saying goes “One is none, two is one, three is two …. and if you are building your preparations with only one back up then you have failed to prepare.”

Disclaimer: I purchased the system with my own funds. I am not being paid by the company for this article.

We live in the Arctic area of Alaska. Our winters here are long and dark, and they can be brutal. For us it starts in mid-August when the sun begins to set earlier and rise later in the day, and the truth be known, it starts June 21st at the point where the sun doesn’t set but just circles around overhead and starts its journey below the horizon from that day on. That is why our home area is called the Land of the Midnight Sun. For those of us living here having electric power can be the difference between life or death if a person wasn’t prepared for an outage, and that can happen on a regular basis any time of the year.

I have had a “prepper” mindset for as far back as I can recall, my grandparents survived the Great Depression of the 1930s, and they instilled in us the need to always be ready for disaster be it weather, or political. Growing up I had the opportunity to work on my grandfather’s farm doing chores as they arose. I remember one chore grandpa gave me to do; he had somehow come into possession of an old barn that had been torn down, and had what was to me, a huge pile of boards full of nails that he wanted me to pull those nails and sort out the boards. It seemed crazy to me at the time but in retrospect I see now the true value of what grandpa saw. I was paid the incredible sum of $2.00 a week for my various chores.

He always gave me a silver certificate bill and told me “Don’t you ever trust that paper. It is no good, you take it to the bank when we go downtown on Saturday, and you get the silver for it.” Then he would add “someday those thieves in Washington are going to take away the silver and that paper will be useless because it will have no value.” I just couldn’t imagine such a thing happening and even more couldn’t understand how the government would ever force us to use money that would be worthless.Continue reading“Dakota Power Bank and PV Panel – Part 1, by Mike in Alaska”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our 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.

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Version 1.0 of Elon Musk’s AI-generated Grokipedia has gone live. At first glance, it appears to be a far less biased alternative to Wikipedia. The mainstream/statist Le Monde of France had this report:  ‘With Grokipedia, AI will be trained using the world as Elon Musk describes, perceives and desires it. JWR’s Comments:  Without a doubt, all AIs inherit the biases of their programmers. Based on what I’ve seen thusfar, Grokipedia appears to lean mildly Constitutionalist, anti-statist, and quasi-libertarian. It also seems somewhat pro-corporatist and pro-Republican. We’ll see how long those leanings persist. With 885,279 articles (as of November 9th, 2025) there already seems to be a bit of intentional obfuscation. I assume there was a calculated path taken to avoid controversy, in the choices of the topics that are covered and those that are not. For example, when I last checked, there was a glaring lack of a Grokipedia entry on the short-lived Department of Government Efficiency.  And there was an article on National Debt of Pakistan, but not one on National Debt of the United States. Interesting. – JWR

o  o  o

Farmers’ Almanac announces final publication after 208-year run.

o  o  o

SurvivalBlog Editor-At-Large Mike Williamson spotted this news: Hunter found alive in California national forest 20 days after he disappeared.

Mike’s Comments: 

Luckily, God was looking out for him. He did lots of things wrong:

  • No travel partner.
  • No concrete route/itinerary shared with others.
  • Insufficient communication methods (needed a shortwave, or at least a CB with extra antenna, not just a phone).
  • Needed better emergency shelter supplies and some backup signaling method such as flares, reflectors.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Awake, my soul, and with the sun
thy daily stage of duty run;
shake off dull sloth, and early rise
to pay thy morning sacrifice.

Lord, I my vows to Thee renew.
Disperse my sins as morning dew;
guard my first springs of thought and will,
and with Thyself my spirit fill.

Direct, control, suggest, this day,
all I design or do or say,
that all my pow’rs, with all their might.
in Thy sole glory may unite.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise Him all creatures here below;
praise Him above, ye heav’enly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”

– Thomas Ken (1637-1711), Morning and Evening Hymn (aka, in short form, The Doxology“)

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — November 11, 2025

Today is of course Veteran’s Day. If you value your freedom, then thank a veteran.

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Today is also the birthday of General George S. Patton, Jr..  He was born in 1885 and died December 21, 1945.

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Today is the birthday of Hugh Everett (born 1930, died July 19, 1982), the American physicist who first proposed the many-worlds interpretation (MWI) of quantum physics, which he termed his “relative state” formulation.

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November 11th also marks Rhodesia’s Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI), in 1965. Remember Rhodesia.

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Today’s feature piece is a brief update from JWR.

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We still need some entries for Round 121 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $970,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 121 ends on November 30th, 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.