Superbugs ‘spread by hospital wet wipes’. – D.S.
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Here They Are: Three Shocking US Immigration Statistics in Three Simple Charts. – B.B.
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Hungry FBI Creating Fake Terrorists
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Russia Determined to Revive Nuclear Armed Trains. – H.L.
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This will get interesting… AFDI Rolls Out New Free Speech Billboard Campaign Featuring Muhammad Cartoon. – P.S.
“As long as enough people can be frightened, then all people can be ruled. That is how it works in a democratic system and mass fear becomes the ticket to destroy rights across the board.” – James Bovard
On June 9, 1954, Army counsel Joseph N. Welch confronted Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy during the Senate-Army Hearings over McCarthy’s attack on a member of Welch’s law firm, Frederick G. Fisher. Welch said, “Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”
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Today, we present another entry for Round 59 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:
First Prize:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:
Round 59 ends on July 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.
Again, this is ***(a southern state)***. Yes, the land gets wet when heavy rains come. All campsites and camper parking areas must be able to be elevated by the owners. The harder the rains, the worse the situation would be. In fact, a very good chore would be scouting and foraging for lumber and then constructing suitable platforms for tents. There is nothing different here than at any scouting campground or other public campsite. The land is protected by a wide marsh on the west with a single narrow track through it to the main gate, which has a natural defensive barrier. There is deep ditching on the north to handle the runoff, some lesser ditching on the south, and the same on the east. There are several ponds, and a belt of woods that pretty much surrounds the entire western half of the site. All of these land features extract water in one way or the other from the central area, but this part of the country is wet. I highly recommend a higher wheel base on any vehicle taken onto the site. I’ve driven out there through two or three feet deep mud holes. My truck is not 4-wheel drive, but I know the roads and where to expect the problem points. A low wheel base would not make it during wet times. Again, what you may cry dismay at, is a plus for the community in regards to security; it’s the harshness of access.
I’d suggest doing so at your local center/group meeting site where you’d depart from. Label individual goods with the family name (plus the family leader’s first initial in case of multiple families sharing the same sir name) and box items for easy loading, stacking, and transporting. At the very least, do so in your home in a dedicated area and in an organized manner. All full members are offered the ability of pre-positioning assets at the site. That’s not available to associates or exigents. A good plan would be for a predetermined, large group of trucks to be dedicated for hauling those labeled goods that have been gathered by your groups in a convoy to the community site. That would serve multiple purposes. A larger amount of goods could be transported at once. The emptied trucks would be useful for work purposes or living purposes; it could be used for recharging 12VDC batteries, scouting and provision runs, and for defensive and offensive purposes. A truck is good for all of these purposes, and the majority of the current membership have trucks or large SUVs for those very reasons. Cars would be unable to navigate the roads leading to the community site during times of extreme wet weather. So, consider joining families with those who have reliable and utilitarian vehicles.
Nothing exceptional is expected. In the extraordinary circumstances that would cause us to gather at the site, we’ve made a proposal to you, people who would need assistance, by providing a place to run to that is safer and more secure than waiting in your city home to be raided and robbed, where the people left in the city are likely to be murdered, raped, assaulted, or taken prisoner and enslaved. I expect those who agree to come here to be willing to work to survive and to offer to “do” more than “want” and “take”. I expect them to be self-sufficient as much as possible and self-responsible, law-abiding, and rule-abiding. They should not expect more than is possible. They should be firmly grounded in reality and willing to go without all of the things that are frivolous and transitory in nature, such are entertainment, luxury, non-essential items, and time-wasters; these things include games, media, communications, and the “desserts” of life.
Basically, I expect adults to be adults and forget, for the duration of your stay, the ways of this so-called civilized, leisurely society and enter into the new way of life for a time, as long as it is required for our survival.
Yes. In addition, all current members have some form of solar electrical generation capability as a requirement for membership. I do, and it is enough to recharge a laptop, my truck battery, or other vehicle batteries. However, your source of electricity will be what you provide yourself. All power requires fuel input to cause the process to take place, even if that “fuel” is merely the food it takes you to stay healthy enough to maintain your system, or it could be the wind or the sun. In addition, strict noise regulations may be in effect at times. Both of those concepts need to be thought through. All people need to understand that, like water and food, fuel is something that must be replenished. Not only does the fuel have to be acquired, but it must be stored as well. Storing power is quite costly; storing fuel is a challenge because it expires and must be rotated. I know your question is really whether there is electricity for you as a family group or exigent group, and the answer is that there is electricity only at or during communal activities, events and gatherings. Otherwise, there is none. The power production capabilities of the community are primarily for pumps, centralized communications, security, work, and food production.
No details of location will be given to the exigent group membership at large. At this time, only certain prospects for full, regular membership have been invited to come out to the site by the community of members for security considerations. Absolutely no one goes out there without such an offer in the works. It is a matter of discretion and good sense to impart to you the reality of what is there only when such an invitation, if ever, is offered to you.
As for “selling” anything, please understand that this is merely an altruistic offer. My goal is to try and give some time to people who I do not know, have not investigated, vetted, or background checked. As is, the community, while a limited number of people, can do fine without anyone else joining us. I’ve worked hard to just get this small exception for all of you and for your groups, but we, the community/group, are not trying to sell anything to anyone. We do see the practicality of having more people for defensive, offensive, supply and procurement purposes, work, or areas of need for personnel. Their issue is a matter of trust. I’ll tell you this; it’s a good spot. That is truth. It is up to you to accept my word or not. Once a prospective member is taken out there, he or she falls under the same instructions to not allow anyone to know about it and its location without prior board invitation. All of this is for security purposes, now and once we are all out there.
You can think of this proposal as a gift, and no one has the right to demand a gift. In that case, it would no longer be a gift, and like any gift you open it when you get it and can choose to either make use of the item or merely be polite and offer your thanks for being thought of.
That’s a good question. I’ll turn it around on you. Where is a place you, as a group, could gather and be ready to travel? Have you the vehicles for persons and things you all think you’ll need for the initial period of time? You, the leaders of your organizations, should take this chore for your people; it’s not my chore. As I’ve said before, convoy is one of the safest ways to travel in uncertain times, but like any military convoy it must be self-equipped and supported along the route from start to end. Once there, multiple trips or solitary trips will be subject to community decisions. It’d be a good exercise wouldn’t it to even fake a bug out by loading trucks with full or empty boxes or containers to see how much and how many people can fit in the vehicles and then practice it. Again, do it like a military exercise, because in the event of it becoming truly necessary that is not a good time to learn what mistakes you are making. As for it being cat-herding, we’ve the time now to learn just what to expect out of all who decide to commit to such a venture. We also have time to think it all through and as leaders to decide who not to include, if need be. Be pragmatic and practical. Again and again, I must say it– stay focused on reality. Be responsible as individuals and as a group. You will be escorted and led to the site, either by me or others who are assigned the task.
No, there is no one you know; there are only individual friends, some neighbors, and some people I know via business who have been approached. However, it is not your business who is being considered or to whom this concept is being proposed. I will state that I am considering some other small groups though. This idea is new. Previously, our group did not wish to take any such risk. All who joined us in the past were invited to do so and each knew the rules and declared their intent to live according to them without questioning. Great care was given in speaking with those who were asked if they’d be interested in joining our group. We all are men, women, and families who realize that if such a crisis does come about that requires such a place and cooperative community to become reality, the world has changed. We know that we will be required to adapt and follow new guidelines and methods of daily life and conduct.
A straight-forward answer is that I proposed all that I have to you and to my group, as I think you personally– you as group leaders– are worth saving. You must decide for your own people who is worth the risk. Who will bring with them skills and the strength we will all need? Do not allow weakness and some sense of “saving everyone” to develop in your hearts. It is impossible to save everyone in such a time. The harsh truth is that we all will be lucky to just make it the first 60 days.
Impossible is what you decide it is. It is possible, when you think, plan, revise plans, and discard unworkable or impossible ideas. Sixty to ninety days of food, ammo, water filtration, meds, and supply for each person is not impossible, unless you wish it to be so. Start off with what I’ve written above. There is no cold storage. That alone eliminates an awful lot of wasted space and effort. Look at dry goods like rice and beans, which don’t require a lot of space really for a 60-day supply. It may be boring, I grant you, but it will get any and all of you through. All things brought out should be of an absolutely necessary nature. Again, no frivolous items should be brought. Leave the make-up, TV guide, and Playstation at home. Food, ammo, medical supplies, water filtering equipment, containers for various items, soaps, toilet paper, minimal cooking gear,and dry change of clothes and shoes. That’s about it to make it. Your “home” will most likely be the vehicle you travel in or what you intend to pitch and pitch in it.
Crops can be grown there and are being grown there now, but supplies are limited. If you don’t work, you have no food or resources. There are many unknowns. Provisional members will either prove their worth or not. Sixty days is long enough for a lot of dying to happen in the city and surrounding areas. That is a lot of time to seek resupply, scavenge, and forage. It is also a time to plan, think, and decide. However, initially, nothing is carved in stone as to anyone being any kind of permanent resident. I’ve offered a breathing space, a time of recouping one’s breath so to speak. It gives you the opportunity to count blessings and get further prepared mentally, emotionally, and yep physically for what would be some very rough times ahead. My hope is that all who want to do so could re-enter the city and its surroundings to try to take up some normal life again. As is, the answer is simply that all of us together will look at our situation when the time comes.
I expect you to get busy doing what you should’ve been doing all along– quit talking, start gathering, figure out how to move 60+ days of supplies into one vehicle with yourself and whomever you travel with as a family group. Also, stop wasting ammo and money. If the fighting comes to us, it will be close up and personal in most cases; mark my words on that. You’ll need every round. You need to think and really accept the difference between what is needed for life versus what is junk, excess, and non-essential. What do I want you to do? Nothing, other than be self-supporting, self-reliant, hard-working, honest, practical, and perhaps brave. I will answer the “recruiting” question simply: We are not recruiting for full memberships. This is an emergency, exigent proposal only. Thus, other than the form for individuals– the roster form– there is no application.
As for a deadline, there is none. If it happened right now, I’d call you or email you and say, “Are you ready to go?” The event is or will be the deadline. How many, who, what you bring, and what you offer the group is up to you. However, the community needs to know what to expect more than you do. What is your job? What do you expect of yourselves? That answer is the first one you need to find out.
I, too, have more questions than answers. So much depends on just what takes place to cause a reaction as we’ve been speaking of. The “grid-down”’ scenario is a common one. Take that one, where there are no cellphone services, no land-line phones, and no Ham or short-distance radio. It’s cute and fun to play in that scenario, but most people either don’t have the equipment nor the know-how. Add in that there are no real standardization or plans in place by any groups in this area. Mostly it’s just those who are Hams or radio aficionados playing at being important. Seriously, that is my view on the whole thing. Like I said, it’s not jumping on the air waves and running mouths; rather, it’s shutting up and listening that is crucial.
That really is a good segue into the real issue– talk versus doing. I’m not a man who really likes to keep banging away talking about anything. I tend to lose patience and just say, “Do it, this way, or get out of my way.” My view about all of this is that I’ve given all I can; it’s an idea– a valid proposal– and I’ve expected some kind of response back.
I know little about your survival plans and capabilities. All who I’ve met are quite sociable people, but being “social” is not the issue. Do not treat this whole idea/issue/possibility as some sort of excuse to have potluck dinners. Instead, start gathering your supplies, and don’t waste time fretting about things we don’t have answers for. Quit wasting ammo for anything other than what’s necessary to stay competent. Quit wasting money on luxuries that have no long-term merit. The fighting, if it comes, will be close up and personal, in most cases, and you’ll need every round. I couldn’t care less about social mores or the dictates of polite company. I see a huge series of jobs that need doing with no one or few really doing them. If it comes time to actually shoot another human being, I will bet the farm that it happens almost pointblank face-to-face. Those who think they are going to sit a 1/2 mile away and be some sort of sniper or sit in a comm-shack in an easy chair and CQ their way to safety had better think again.
It is not going to be a world that folks can expect barter and trade to suddenly appear in a peaceful manner. It is not going to be a place we can hoe the rows and put in our beans and sit back waiting for harvest time. We will not have the luxury of time to melt bees wax into candles, turn wild edibles into tasty gourmet meals, or anything of the sort. It will be a time of loss, a time of great struggles, doubts, and mistrust in our hearts and minds and times when we will possibly at one time or another think of giving up. Some will, and some will do worse. There will be betrayals, defections, losses of control, losses just adding up to where it may seem impossible to go on, but we will need to go on.
No, it will not be some cute time of “where have all the flowers gone” coupled with guns. It won’t be men and women acting like what we today think of as normal. Not one bit. We will be hard-pressed to do our best to preserve our most sacred humanity inside each of us. It will be a time of dealing with all the pain, including what we have inside ourselves.
It’s time we all faced reality and what we are actually coming up to. Your group’s leadership needs to look at this proposal and begin taking action on organization, lists, supplies, and do so with honesty as to capabilities and who can pull their weight and at what jobs. If “it” happens such that some crisis occurs and this all becomes real and not just an exercise in “togetherness”, most all of the people I’ve met are not going to make it, unless they make some changes now.
The first 30 days would be the turning point for so much. At 60 days, the rate of attrition would be awful. Just doing without meds, air conditioning, or any other luxury of life we now expect will be rough. Poor food, sanitation, living in dirt, hard work, lack of sleep, experiencing constant worry will equate to an unkind world. The practical part of me knows that unkindness is the default human condition, like it or not.
Where do we go from here? I have suggestions. I suggest you locate rendezvous point with some real means to meet up. Plan for the worst, and seize any opportunity for the better. Procure and store food and water purification systems for all. Keep the food simple, seriously; buy things like rice and beans or beans and rice. Keep items lightweight. Procure arms and ammunition, as much as is possible for each to accumulate. If anyone does not own or possess the means to defend themself or their own family, or worse, they feel that they cannot ever take such a step to do what it may take, they are out. Store first aid supplies, including bandages, sutures, and disinfectants.
Prepare the methods to transport it all– wagons, travois’, carts, or whatever. Buy bicycles for people close by, if cars can’t run, to assemble in rendezvous points. Cache spots in your homes or other hidden locations– places that won’t be found by intruders or thieves.
I don’t know all the answers, no one does. I don’t know even if I’ve begun to address of all the possible most important questions, but something needs to be done. Change is necessary for all of us, me included. I’m thinking of multiple staging points. Small groups gathering, then gathering again and again with each step bringing more together at different locations with shorter distances for all at each step.
At least we’re still able to think, plan, and take steps while not in a panic.
Dear HL and Readers of SurvivalBlog,
We all know that in a TEOTWAWKI situation, people will panic. After what I saw this week, I believe it will happen sooner and to a worse degree than I previously thought. I live outside a small town in the Midwest. We have one mom-and-pop grocery store, a “milk store”, two convenience stores, Walmart, and Kroger as our choices for local grocery shopping. I noticed the shelves at Kroger were somewhat bare the last two times I shopped. I was wondering why this was the case but just thought the employees were not doing a good job with restocking. This week I discovered the reason for the scarce supplies. When I entered Kroger for my shopping, I actually stopped dead in my tracks. The store was undergoing a major remodel/reorganization project. Nothing was where it used to be. Customers were actually in a panic over the chips on the bread aisle and the pet supplies with the prepackaged cookies. The management claims the new product placement is for the convenience of the customers, but I am keenly aware that the new organizational system makes no sense and is set up for impulse buying. (Go in for dog food. See the cookies. Grab a package of Oreos.) Sorry. Back to the subject. I was unable to walk down many aisles. I was going to get a couple of cans of baking powder, but a forklift blocked the baking aisle. Other aisles were also blocked, making shopping virtually impossible. I heard “What am I going to do?” being said by panic-stricken people. If not being able to get a can of chocolate frosting sets someone in a panic, what will a real emergency do? We need to be even more vigilant with our preparations. When TEOTWAWKI occurs, it will be worse than I thought. The overwhelming majority of the population will be, as my grandma would say, running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Thank you for your blog and helping me to be prepared. – Prepared Grammy
News Video: Flash Floods Devastate Lusk, Wyoming
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Feds release final plan for recovering Snake River sockeye
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Over at Radio Free Redoubt, host John Jacob Schmidt recently posted links to a two-part podcast that related to the need for underground churches in the United States, in the near future:
The Coming Underground Part 1.
The Coming Underground Part 2.
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In The East Oregonian: One man tasked with keeping small town of Ione operating
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Magic Valley Legislators Respond to Refugee Center Concerns – RBS
Gold At $64,000 – Bloomberg’s ‘China Gold Price’. – B.B.
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103 Years Later, Wall Street Turned Out Just As One Man Predicted. – H.L.
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Items from Mr. Econocobas:
U.S. Authorities Say “Uncomfortable” with Strong Currency; Dollar Drops
Experts Worry that ‘Phony Numbers’ Are Misleading Investors – This is far from the only smoke and mirrors in the room…
The Maine and Texas governors are poised to sign open carry bills. The Maine law will be Vermont-style Constitutional Carry (unrestrictive–with no permit whatsoever), while the Texas law will require training and a permit. Despite a couple of recent setbacks in Montana and West Virginia (where their Democrat Party governors both recently vetoed Constitutional Carry laws) freedom is on the march, folks!
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Michigan: ‘Urban’ military training exercise damages downtown building. – JBG
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SWAT team destroys man’s home to capture shoplifter. – M.R.
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$30 Geiger Counter for Android/IPhone – Works! (on Android) – Smart Geiger. – T.J.
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Judge Napolitano: Why the NSA Loves the USA FREEDOM Act. – P.S.
“Socialism, like the ancient ideas from which it springs, confuses the distinction between government and society. As a result of this, every time we object to a thing being done by government, the socialists conclude that we object to its being done at all.” – Frederic Bastiat
On June 8th, 1776, Canadian Governor Sir Guy Carleton defeated American Patriot forces under John Sullivan. After taking heavy losses and the loss of General Richard Montgomery at Quebec, the Patriots were pursued by Governor Carleton. Halfway between Quebec and Montreal, at the Trois-Rivieres, the Patriots turned to fight. The Redcoats and German mercenaries killed 25, wounded 140, and captured 236, but Carleton allowed the rest of the 2,500-man force to complete their retreat. This battle changed the priorities of the Patriots, and Arnold wrote “let us quit and secure our own country before it is too late.”
Over the weekend, by way of the NRA some troubling news spread across the Internet: “Commonly used and unregulated Internet discussions and videos about guns and ammo could be closed down under rules proposed by the State Department, amounting to a ‘gag order on firearm-related speech,'” This stems from an Obama Regime reinterpretation of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). The State Department is updating the ITAR, which implements the Federal Arms Export Control Act (AECA). The net effect of this new ITAR amplification would be to reclassify gun blogs, forums, chat rooms, and firearms “how-to” web pages as “export restricted” firearms technical data. And get this: Per the proposed new rules, “Mother May I” permission must be granted before posting any such data, and failure to do so could result in fines of up to $1 million and prison sentences up to 20 years.
Well, I have a news flash for BHO‘s minions in the State Department: In this nation we have a pesky little scrap of paper that trumps all other pieces of paper, called The Constitution, and it includes the First Amendment, which guarantees our freedom of press.
I must illustrate an important point: With the exception of common law libel restrictions, there are no limits to the freedom of press in these United States. For the purpose of educating the public on that point, I’m posting this little gem of a files link. There, I did it. I’ll see you in court, Mrs. Lynch.
Please contact your congressional representatives and voice any concerns about this proposed ITAR rules change. – JWR
I was very impressed with this $49.95 two DVD set. It was well produced and the material clearly presented. There were perhaps three times I wished for captions to identify some of the gear and once a drawing would have helped me understand a point about knife blade grinds, but those are small nits to pick out of an excellent video. It even explained and showed knots so well that I could make them, which is no small task as I am knot deprived.
I am going to jump to almost the end of the two DVD’s to get a quote about the purpose of the videos from instructor Robert Allen, who talks about a “comprehensive survival ideology”. I think the DVDs effectively address that concept with a focus on what Allen calls the critical needs for survival, shelter, water, fire, and food. He notes that most people who don’t survive in the outdoors die of exposure, and being able to cope with that alone would save many lives. Unlike videos that worry about scenarios and bugging out, this presentation assumes you have found yourself in the wild and need the know how to survive. You could be lost, stranded in bad weather, or have some other problem, but what matters is staying alive and knowing techniques that will cover any event. Allen prefers to teach a few techniques that one masters rather than a potpourri of skills that are then not well learned.
While most of the content is aimed at the first three problems (shelter, water, and fire), the DVDs do cover acquiring meat, which is a key to longer-term survival. One can forage for plants, but meat offers more calories and protein than plants.
I was pleased to see the disclaimers that watching a video does not replace training. Training not only means getting instruction from a skilled teacher, it includes practicing the skills as the teacher offers guidance and corrections. While a good video can impart priceless knowledge, it isn’t the same as having a teacher work with you, which brings me to one of the more impressive points during the video. Allen takes a student (Chad Cooper, the owner of Infidel Armor and a SurvivalBlog supporter) through the process of making a bow drill fire starter kit from scratch. Allen had already shown us how to do it in the prior chapter of the video, but watching him then teach Cooper was very valuable to me, both as to picking up additional points as well as reinforcing the benefit of a corrective teacher.
Before we go further, we ought to check out the two instructors in the videos. The primary presenter is Robert Allen– the president and founder of Sigma 3 Survival School, which offers a wide array of classes, primarily in Arkansas and Virginia but also some in Costa Rica and Sweden. They mention looking for a Florida location on their website. Allen is an Army vet with Middle-East deployments and has a long resume of training, both during and after the Army. He has a direct, clear teaching style in the video that worked well for me.
The second presenter is Josh Hamlin, who has an interesting background of actually living in a primitive manner for two years without modern equipment. He speaks of things like how tasty rats are and shows how to make primitive deadfalls as well as water filters one can create from castoff plastic bottles, charcoal, and pine materials. He presents just as clearly and effectively as Allen, though he has far less camera time. He is the lead primitive skills instructor at Sigma 3.
The 3 hours and 27 minutes of video are well organized. Although they present a lot of information based on having nothing with you, they start with a chapter on suggested everyday carry (EDC) gear if one is spending time outdoors. While one can get caught empty handed, it is a wise person who has at least some gear. Allen calls it “life insurance” and discusses what he thinks you should have at all times.
The first item in his EDC is the knife. He likes Mora knives from Sweden for their cost effectiveness, but he also points out some other more expensive knives. This was one area I would have liked even more information than he gave. For example, he discusses the utility of having two knives with different grinds for better versatility, and having a little more detail and perhaps an image of the two grinds would have helped my understanding. Later, when he demonstrated the use of the knives, it became clearer, but I am not as much of a knife guy as I would like to be and Allen struck me as someone who could teach me quite a bit, so I was left wanting more. They could take this as a hint to do a knife video.
His next EDC item might surprise some; it was a folding saw with a 10-inch blade. He makes a compelling argument that it is more useful than an axe, largely because you burn fewer calories using it. It also helps you make some of the cuts used when fabricating things in the wild. Again, he recommends brands over a broad price range.
Additionally, he suggests having a good multi-tool; an oversized poncho is also high on his list of EDC gear, both to wear for protection from weather and for use making a shelter. A stainless steel water container is another must, since it can be used to boil water to make it safe for drinking or for cooking as well as carrying water.
Allen promotes the time honored concept that two is one and one is none. For key needs, you want to have two ways to do things. For fire starting, he likes ferro rods and the ubiquitous Bic lighter along with some Wetfire tinder, which is a commercial product. The lighter and Wetfire can save time and energy when you are in trouble and have no reserves. For insurance, he then teaches how to make a bow drill for fire starting.
Cordage such as paracord in another must, but he adds that Bank line is good to have too along with some picture wire that can be used for making snares.
Also, don’t forget a flashlight, particularly one with multiple light levels that can save battery life and since two is one, a headlamp is a nice addition since it allows hands-free use as well as a back up to the primary.
Some fishing gear with hooks and line is also smart to carry. He goes into pack rods and reels if you have space in your backpack and discusses Yo Yo reels that can be left unattended and will set the hook on their own. I was unfamiliar with these, and they look like a good thing to have. A minimum though would be some hooks and line.
While feeling the saw is more useful, he does discuss axes, and he notes that he likes to carry one when in the woods.
Navigation and first aid are discussed in terms of the suggested equipment, though he doesn’t really get into how to use it.
A huge point both Allen and Hamlin make is that if you have a piece of gear, then you will save the time and energy required to create it when needed. Time and energy are important in any survival scenario; if you consume energy faster than you acquire it, you are losing the battle.
After covering gear, the video moves into how to get things done. This part of the video is the real meat of the discussion. The first topic is caring for our most important tool– the knife. Allen goes over sharpening them and likes the Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener– a tool I have been using recently and will offer my own review at the end of this article. He also mentions using diamond honing rods and strongly suggests that we wear leather belts as they are so useful for stropping knives.
From tool care, the videos move to shelter. Both cold and warm weather ones are covered using the materials one could find in the woods as well as making them with the cordage and tarp or poncho one might have brought with them. As a resident of the bug laden South, I was impressed with his inclusion of an elevated shelter and a discussion of using smoke to deter insects.
The next subject was water, and I was very intrigued by the sip well Allen and Hamlin used to purify water as well as the discussion of things to avoid, if possible. They made the important point that if you are expecting rescue, don’t worry about getting sick from bad water. Dehydration is the greater danger. You don’t want to get sick, but if the choice is dying or getting sick later, it’s better to get sick later than die now. That equation obviously changes if one expects to be in the wild for a long time. Hamlin had a trick I haven’t seen before that I found impressive; it involved using charcoal from fires and pine needles to filter water.
Fire was the next topic, and Allen showed how to build a tipi fire, which he feels is the most “bombproof method” of fire starting. One could start a fire with the Bic lighter Allen suggests we carry or even the ferro rod he also advocates, but he goes one further. He shows how to build a bow drill kit for fire starting from what you find in the woods, and then he uses it to get the fire going.
One of the big lessons I got from the video is the importance of knowing something about wood and trees when starting fires. You need to know which ones to use for what, particularly when trying to fabricate a bow drill kit from scratch. If you use the wrong materials, you get no fire. Trees vary from region to region, and one would be wise to spend some time to study what you would find in your area and what they can be used for. You get further variances as you shift from wetlands to drylands or change altitude, even within a small geographic area.
Beside the bow drill, the ferro rod was covered. The ferro rod, as most readers probably know, is a metal rod that when struck with a piece of high carbon steel makes hot sparks that can make tinder catch on fire. It is another of the “bombproof” methods Allen advocates we keep available.
Another cool trick I learned was how to build a fire to last by layering wood and dirt. Allen has built ones that lasted as long as 60 hours. As he pointed out, if you can sleep through the night rather than getting up to add wood to a fire, you will be in far better shape. Rest is critical to well-being, and you won’t get it if you get cold and wake repeatedly through the night.
After fire, Allen and Hamlin move into food and how to acquire meat using entirely primitive traps, like the Paiute deadfall trap or with snares made with the picture wire you have in your EDC kit. Allen also tells us about traps we might have been cunning enough to have brought with us. I hadn’t thought of having traps in my bugout kit, but I am now planning to add some. Hamlin, as mentioned above, enjoys rats, and Allen likes beaver, neither of which I have tried. I am a bit more reluctant to go for rat, but rats in the wild probably are a lot cleaner than the ones I used to shoot on the farm we had when I was young.
Once you have your meat, you have to process and then prepare it, both for an immediate meal as well as preserving some for future use. Allen gives us a lot of information on beaver, which is an uncommon animal in my parts. Nonetheless, he does talk about other animals, and much of what he tells us about beaver could apply to most any critter we might care to eat.
I am looking forward to showing these videos to the Scouts I work with. I was very pleased that the language was clean, so that I can use them for that purpose.
The $26.00 WSGFS221 Guided Field Sharpener is, unlike its siblings from Work Sharp, a manual tool that requires no electricity. Besides knives, it can sharpen fishhooks. It weighs slightly less than 5 ounces and measures 6.75 inches long, 1.5 inches wide, and 1 inch thick; its light weight and small size makes it easy to carry in the woods, though the one I’m testing has mainly been living in the kitchen drawer.
It has coarse and fine diamond surfaces as well as a ceramic rod with fine and coarse surfaces and one for fish hooks along with a second small ceramic rod for serrated edges and a leather strop for the final finish on a blade.
A key feature are the guides to help you start the blade at the right angle. The guides are at 20 degrees on the diamonds and 25 degrees for the ceramic. While this doesn’t cover every knife on the planet, it is possible to remove the diamond surfaces (magnets hold them one quite securely) and use them by hand if your knife doesn’t work well with the guides. While you have them off, you can clean them. Work Sharp recommends cleaning with soap and water for the tool, including the ceramic rods.
My biggest problem with the tool was finding the instructions, and it was my fault. They are inside it under one of the diamond plates. Work Sharp cunningly advised where they were in large letters on the packaging I had torn up to get it out and admire it.
The coarse diamond can rapidly shape a blade, so you don’t need to use it very much. Work Sharp advises that you shouldn’t use it unless the blade is damaged or needs to be reshaped.
The one thing I wish is that Work Sharp included a pouch for it. Replacement parts for the sharpening surfaces are available from Work Sharp, which is a very nice touch. I am enjoying using it and find it quick and easy to grab when a knife starts to lose its edge, which is a much better time to sharpen than when it has gotten dull.
– SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor, Scot Frank Eire
One of the most prolific knife designers that I’m aware of is Ken Onion, who resides in Hawaii. Ken actually got started designing and making knives as a result of working on a motorcycle. He knew there was “something” there that he could use. It’s been many years since I interviewed Onion for an article I was doing for Knives Illustrated magazine, back when I was the West Coast Field Editor. Ken and I spoke for more than an hour via phone, and he is an absolute wildman, to put it lightly. It was great fun interviewing him about a new collaboration he was doing with a major knife company.
It seems like every time I turn around, there is a new collaboration between Ken Onion and a knife company. To be sure, when you look at an Onion-designed knife, you know that it was unmistakably designed by Onion. There is a certain flair, style, to all his folding knives. It just continues to amaze me that Onion keeps coming up with more and more new designs that are all different yet all “alike” in some manner; they all scream of the Onion style!
Ken Onion’s custom-made folding knives demand a great deal of money. We are talking thousands of dollars for one knife. Some years back, Onion was going to attend a knife show, and some of his knives were stolen, if I recall correctly, from an airline. I don’t remember the amount, but we are talking something in the neighborhood of $50,000-60,000 worth of knives. Now, one would think that would be quite a few knives. Nope! We are talking only about half a dozen knives. Does that tell you how valuable his custom-made folders are?
I’ve had a very long relationship with the nice folks at CRKT (Columbia River Knife & Tool) and have been testing and writing about their knives almost from the start of their company. CRKT was actually started by two former executives from another major knife company. At present, the company is solely owned by Rod Bremer. Rod and I go way back, and if you ever heard us talk to one another or read our e-mail exchanges, you would actually believe we are bitter enemies. Nothing could be further from the truth. We’re good friends; just don’t tell Bremer I said that, though. BTW, in the 2016 CRKT line-up, they will be featuring a fixed blade, double-edge fighting knife designed by myself and brought to fruition by custom knife maker Brian Wagner. He refined my design and made the prototype that CRKT is working from.
To clear matters, I wanted to mention that the CRKT Hootenanny is manufactured in Taiwan. Some readers take exception to anything made in Taiwan for some reason. However, you get as good as you want. If you want a 50-cent knife, you’ll get one. If you want a thousand dollar knife, you can have one. CRKT has someone from their corporate headquarters visiting the two plants that manufacture their knives in Taiwan every six weeks. Additionally, last I heard, CRKT actually owns one of the plants where many of their knives are made. It’s to their advantage to keep a watchful eye on how their knives are being made, and this– a very watchful eye– they do keep!
On to the Ken Onion, “Hootenanny” folder that CRKT is now producing. The Hootenanny is one of those folders that is hard to fit into one specific category. It’s an everyday carry folder, to be sure. However, one can easily mistake it for a gentleman’s folder, too. Quite honestly, the Hootenanny, can also be used in the field to dress game, too. A close look at the Hootenanny will find a 3.34-inch long blade made out of 8Cr13MoV stainless steel, and this is a blade material CRKT has been using for a while with great success. I like it! The overall length of the knife is 7.94 inches open and 4.59 inches closed, and it weighs 4.8 oz. Rockwell hardness of the steel is 58-60, and that makes it easy to re-sharpen. The blade has a nice satin finish and is described as a Drop Point; however, I’m not sure if I agree with that description or not, but it works if you want to call it that. The edge is a plain edge; it has no serrations. The handle material is glass reinforced nylon, and the lock is a liner-lock. We have a one position pocket/clothing clip, too, for easy carry in your right front pocket of your pants.
Fit and finish on the Hootenanny was perfect. I couldn’t find a single flaw. If one didn’t see the “CRKT” on the blade, one could be led to believe it was a custom-made folder; it’s “that” nicely made. There is no thumb studs for opening the blade. Instead there is a “Flipper” that rapidly deploys the blade, with the help of the IKBS ball bearing system, which makes the blade effortlessly open with no friction to speak of. We are talking butter smooth! There are friction grooves on the top, middle of the blade, and this comes in handy when doing close-up cutting. It gives you a lot more control over the blade. The entire knife design simply “flows” from the tip of the blade to the butt of the handle, and it fits the hand perfectly, and I don’t make that claim lightly. Everyone who held the knife, loved the way it felt in their hands…everyone!
For close to a month, I used the Hootenanny for many chores around the house. One of those chores was opening packages from UPS or FedEx that arrive almost daily. The Hootenanny had no problems slitting the boxes open and, in some cases, cut the strapping on cases of ammo sent for use in firearms testing. The wife used the Hootenanny for some kitchen chores, and she really loved the way it fit her hand. She is very hard to please. If a knife or firearm doesn’t feel right to her hand, she has no use for it. At the end of my testing, the Hootenanny was still sharp but not hair-popping sharp; it was hair-scraping sharp. I touched it up on a pair of croc stix, and it only took a minute to bring the edge back to hair-popping sharp, too. Nice!
I have one very hard to please knife critic. He’s a fellow who works at the local gun shop I haunt, and he can always find something to fault with just about any knife I show him. He had nothing bad to say about the Hootenanny, which said volumes to me.
I note on the CRKT website that it states the Hootenanny will also make a good bird and fish knife. While I didn’t put it to that sort of testing, I guess I could see it being used in that regard. Where the Hootenanny shines is as an everyday carry knife, as one that can handle most of the daily chores you apply it to. Also, the knife can be used as a weapon for self-defense. The way the knife fits the hand, it could make a bad buy wish he were some place else. As an outdoor folder for survival purposes, well, yeah, it could be useful to a certain extent. This isn’t a hard-core, long-term folder designed for hard survival use though. It’s a city knife, one any Gent would be more than pleased to pull out of his pocket for daily cutting chores. Everyone will believe you paid a lot for it, though full bolt retail is only $69.99, and with all CRKT products, you get a LOT for your money. If you shop around, you can find the Hootenanny deeply discounted off the retail price.
I honestly wish I could have found something to fault about the Hootenanny, but try as I could, I loved the folder, that is, until I lost it. It must have fallen out of my pocket somewhere along the line, or maybe I didn’t have it properly clipped to the inside of my cargo pants pocket and it slipped out. This is one folder I plain on replacing.
CRKT and Ken Onion have hit another home run with all bases loaded this time around. I can’t wait to see what sort of collaboration CRKT and Onion come out with next time, but it’s going to be hard to beat the Hootenanny, in my humble opinion!
– Senior Product Review Editor, Pat Cascio
It’s strawberry season, so I am always looking for yummy things to do with our strawberries. Of course, we make jelly, fresh fruit salads, and even make homemade strawberry ice cream and strawberry-banana smoothies, but we also really love these shortcakes for dessert. They are fancy enough to serve company but easy enough for any day with the family.
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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? Please send it via e-mail. Thanks!
Using compressed air to lift water from a well does work as described in the previous article; however, one must insure the compressed air comes from an oil-free compressor. If the air compressor has an oil-filled crankcase, the delivered air will have oil vapor/oil mist in it, which is not something one should have suspended in their drinking water. Do not trust an oil/water separator on the compressed air unit to remove oil vapors; they will eventually saturate and become pretty much useless. To confirm what your compressor is doing, check the condensate drain on the air tank. If it is oily or looks like tan snot, you need to get a different compressor. A diaphram-type compressor, or other oil-free design, should be used. Best wishes to all. – DH somewhere in IA