Notes for Tuesday – March 17, 2015

March 17th is the birthday of Józef Franczak (born 1917, died 21 October 1963), who was a Polish Army Corporal fighting in the World War II resistance against the invading Germans. He then carried on after the war, fighting against the occupying Soviets and their Polish communist stooges. Eventually, he was one of the last of the Cursed Soldiers resistance in Poland. His nom de guerre was Lalek.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 57 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $12,000+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course (a $1,195 value),
  2. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be 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,
  3. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper with a hammer forged, chromlined barrel and a hard case to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR type rifle to have quick change barrel, which can be assembled in less then 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),
  4. Gun Mag Warehouse is providing 30 DPMS AR-15 .223/5.56 30 Round Gray Mil Spec w/ Magpul Follower Magazines (a value of $448) and a Gun Mag Warehouse T-Shirt. (An equivalent prize will be awarded for residents in states with magazine restrictions.),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  7. A Model 120 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $340 value),
  8. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  9. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  10. KellyKettleUSA.com is donating both an AquaBrick water filtration kit and a Stainless Medium Scout Kelly Kettle Complete Kit with a combined retail value of $304,
  11. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate, and
  12. 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 FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100-foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com,
  3. Acorn Supplies is donating a Deluxe Food Storage Survival Kit with a retail value of $350,
  4. The Ark Institute is donating a non-GMO, non-hybrid vegetable seed package–enough for two families of four, 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,
  5. $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P),
  6. A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials,
  7. Twenty Five books, of the winners choice, of any books published by PrepperPress.com (a $270 value),
  8. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate, and
  9. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. 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,
  3. *Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  6. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack (a $379 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 57 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.

PVC Survival Gear: How to Make It – Part 1, by J.H.

In this article, we will be examining why PVC may be one of your best choices for crafting usable, durable items at a fraction of what you’d pay to buy the items from a store. I will also be providing simple steps for you to follow to easily create five different, unique PVC survival items identified as five projects. The survival tools and gear that I have chosen for this article are all items that I have personally made and have used and tested repeatedly. Some of the methods and ideas that are listed I have learned from other people and some are of my own creation, in which case some trial and error came into play. As with any survival task, there is more than one way to skin a rabbit (I’ve never skinned a cat). So, if you find a better way, use it. These are simply the ways I currently think work the best for me. Your imagination is the key into how and what to make; so be creative.

Also, it is important to always use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) while heat forming or painting/staining any of the pieces you create. I use a respirator, safety glasses, and wear work gloves while heat shaping and forming. When I am painting or clear coating the items, I switch out the leather gloves with latex gloves. Working in a well-ventilated and well lighted area is important as well.

One noted downfall of PVC gear that must be mentioned is that in cold weather PVC can become brittle. When the item you have made is exposed to certain elements and temperatures, you may find it weak. For a piece, like a bow, where the integrity of the structure is paramount to its use, a compromised item is useless. Now, there are ways to make the item more structurally sound and efficient for cold temperatures. For example, you can double the strength and integrity of a PVC bow by fitting a PVC pipe into another. For example, a 1/2” diameter pipe will fit into 3/4” diameter pipe when the larger diameter pipe is heated, thus reinforcing the bow. There are also products that you can use to coat an item after it has been painted that will increase its durability as well as its “function-ability” in cold temperatures.

Another thing to pay attention to with a PVC item that is generally a good rule for most pieces of gear is to keep it away from fire. Also, you don’t want to set these PVC items on a heater or any heat source that may soften the item, thus rendering it weaker or misshapen. All that being said, I have only had one item fail in the three years I have been testing them. It was a take-down bow that had too many thin parts. I have since rectified the problem with the take-down design. I have made at least 30 items out of PVC, and I regularly use the majority of the pieces that I kept. (I gave several pieces to friends and family who have all loved them and have used them.)

The projects that I will be writing about are mostly heat based. However, there are many PVC survival items that can be made without heat.

You will need a heat source. A stove burner, camp fire, heat gun, or space heater can be used. I prefer to use a heat gun, as it seems to be the most versatile and controllable. There is a heat box that can be made for PVC bow making. The tutorial video for it can be found on youtube on BackyardBowyer’s channel. I am a subscriber to his channel, and he has many great tutorials. PVC is a thermal plastic and therefore can be heated and “sculpted”. There are some other items you will want for shaping and polishing as well. A rasp or file, a coping saw or other thin blade saw, and sand paper are good to have on hand for working PVC. As you make more PVC projects, you’ll find what tools work best for you. I only started with a couple of hand tools, and now I have a full tool box devoted to my PVC projects. With each project below, there will be a materials and tools list of what I used for the given item built. We’re starting with the most simple project of the five included in this article series.

PROJECT 1: A Simple Survival Cache

This one’s easy, back to basics, and it requires no heat; however, it is still amazingly useful. You can make several of these of various sizes and put them in different cache locations. For this particular example, I will be referencing one diameter (3”). However, caches could easily be made in smaller or larger diameter or length of pipe. The idea is to decide how much you want to cache and pick the pipe size that best suits the size of what will be hidden inside. These are safe, air tight, water tight, and scent-blocking containers, which may serve to save your life in a TEOTWAWKI situation, when you retrieve whatever precious contents you have stowed away.

MATERIALS AND TOOLS:

  • 3” diameter Schedule 40 PVC pipe
  • 18” length 3” diameter Schedule 40 PVC pipe cap (closed end glue on fitting)
  • 3” diameter Schedule 40 PVC Glue on fitting adapter, with female threads
  • 3” diameter Schedule 40 PVC threaded (male) clean out plug
  • PVC cement(You may also want some PVC Cleaner to use before applying glue, to be certain that it’s water tight.)
  • Two 50-Gallon drum liners
  • Paint and clear coat (These are, of course, optional, but I feel in this case that it might be an important decision. You may want to choose a color that can be easily seen or is high visibility in night time conditions or you may want something the same color as the place you bury it.)
  • I also suggest two or more ranger bands
  • The survival items you would like to put inside the cache

STEPS:

  1. According to the directions on the back of the PVC cement, glue the cap on one end of the pipe.
  2. In the same manner as in step 1, glue the threaded adapter to the pipe. The glue side of the adapter will slide over the end of the pipe, leaving the female threads available to receive the clean out plug.
  3. Place your survival items in the PVC cache for fit. Do not yet include the drum liners. You do not want to cram pack the items in the cache, so be sure to leave room for them to slide out freely as one bundle.
  4. Once you know that your items fit well within it, remove them from the cache and put them in one of the drum liners in an organized fashion. Wrap the unfilled portion of the bag around the contents. Then, put the entire contents in the other drum liner and do the same. Use ranger bands around the package, or wrap it with some cordage to keep it secure. Put the wrapped contents in the cache, and thread in the clean out plug.

    Some would say that the way I choose to package the items is overkill and that the items will be fine without the bags and bands. They are probably right. However, the way I see it, it’s better to be safe than sorry, and it’s always good to have bags and bands, blades and band-aids, bullets and batteries and… Oh, sorry. I got sidetracked.

    A QUICK NOTE: Before putting your items inside to cache and bury, you may want to test the water tightness of the PVC cache container. To do this, simply thread in the clean out plug and place the empty cache container under water, completely submerged, for 30 minutes, give or take. If the inside is dry with no signs of leaking, you’re good to go. If not, glue may be added to the leaky area to create a seal. You can also use epoxy putty (the waterproof variety) to seal any leaks. I haven’t had an issue with leaks in any of my caches. You want to be absolutely certain that your cache will not leak (especially if there are electronics or other items that will be severely damaged by exposure to moisture inside).

  5. Now, having made sure your contents slides in and out smoothly, set the package aside. Paint the cache, and clear coat it. Remember to keep the plug in when you paint it. Secure the contents in the cache and make sure the threaded end is nice and snug. I have been told that you can use petroleum jelly in the threads for better opening in cold weather, but I have not tried this myself.

Now all that is left for you to do is to find a place to hide your cache, dig a hole, and bury it. Just be sure you can remember where it is when you need it.

Letter Re: Firearms Philosophy

I’m writing in response to the discussion about the “narrow, but deep” firearms philosophy. I agree with the author of that post: start with your main rifle, buy quality optics, and then slowly expand your collection. There are several advantages to having guns in lots of calibers:

  1. There is always ammo to shoot. I remember several years ago, when ammo was really hard to find in my area. There wasn’t a box of .223, .308, 9mm, .45, or even 30-06 to be found, but I saw several leftover boxes of .40 S&W and .243 Winchester. They were there week after week.
  2. You are familiar with multiple calibers. This would come in especially handy if you are away from your retreat when the SHFT. It’s a generally accepted principle that in such a situation, if you are without a firearm, you need to quickly acquire one. Chances are, you won’t beat the locals to those DPMS AR-15s. However, chances are you will be able to find a bolt action rifle in a less common caliber, like .222 Remington. While not ideal, it’s better than nothing, especially if you already have a little trigger time with that caliber. This translates over to other situations, as well. Maybe you have to E&E to your retreat as described in Patriots. If you don’t have your firearm, or it breaks, or whatever, you may have to acquire one, or work security at a farm that only has a 25-06.
  3. You can find what works best for you. For your main semi-automatic rifle, .223 or .308 are your best bets. However, for a medium-long range rifle, 7mm may be your “soul mate”. You’ll never know until you try.
  4. In the dreaded long-term collapse, you’ll be shooting longer. My estimate is that after so many years, the common calibers will eventually be all shot up. However, there may still be a couple boxes of 10mm running around, since no one has that gun.
  5. It gives you versatility. If a refugee shows up on your doorstep, and he only has a .44 Whelen, wouldn’t it be nice if you had a box or two to trade or give as charity? Conversely, if he has that .44 Whelen ammo and needs food, you’re now in a position to trade with him without making it a complete loss on your part.
  6. You can use it to hunt. Suppose we’re a few years in and your running a bit low on ammo. If you go hunting, would you rather use some of your precious .308, which you can use for defense, or some 7mm-08?
  7. They’re less likely to be banned or confiscated. As the author of the previous post mentioned, at some time, martial law or just plain old unconstitutional law may be in effect. Perhaps this legislation allows less common hunting calibers, but it bans military calibers. If someone shows up at your door and asks what all that shooting was about, you can pull out your 22-250 and explain how it needed re-zeroed. This would also give you a legitimate way to purchase ammo, whose brass you could then shape to your regular rifle’s caliber.
  8. It makes you less suspicious. If someone accidentally sees your large ammo cache or notices the amount of powder you buy or whatever, you can truthfully say that you have several guns. Subconsciously, they assume that your ammo/powder is divided equally among each gun, not 95% dedicated to one.
  9. They’re an investment. One of the golden rules of investing is diversity. This golden rule means you shouldn’t just invest in gold, or gold and silver. (No, I don’t mean gold and silver and platinum, either.) While gold and silver (sorry, platinum) are excellent investments, firearms are too. If you ever need some extra cash, before or after SHFT, you can sell off one of your oddball rifles.

In conclusion, I’d like to restate that these less common rifles only make sense to buy after you’ve purchased and decked out your main rifle in .223 or .308. Consider these backup guns. Of particular interest is the Ruger American Rifle. For $459, you can have a decent bolt action in any (or all) of four less common calibers. You can also scour local gun shows for old deer rifles. – Dakota

News From The American Redoubt:

Oregon’s Ban on Raw Milk Advertising Could be Headed for the History Books . – RBS

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State House votes to restrict surveillance, drones. – D.H.

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Plan to allow driverless car testing clears Idaho Senate

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Liberty Meeting in Burley, Idaho on March 19th at 7pm at the King’s Little Theater at 2100 Parke Avenue in Burley.

There is no admission charge and the speaker is Arthur R. Thompson, John Birch Society CEO.

The topic is “What is the Real Price of Free Trade?”. Come and learn about the “free trade” agreements with the European Union and Pacific Rim Countries.

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Spokane: Armed 2nd-Amend. Supporters Confront Feds; Feds Back Down. – RBS

Economics and Investing:

White House Floats Bankruptcy Process for Some Student Debt. – B.B.

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Items from Mr. Econocobas:

Currency Wars Threaten Lehman-Style Crisis – This is a good article from, of all places, the Telegraph

If Economists Were Right, You Would Have a Raise by Now – It’s amazing to me how so many intelligent people just don’t understand what is happening…

Why the Fed Is Setting Markets on a Hair-Trigger – It’s all about the Fed, data, and fundamentals only coming into play if it’s perceived it will affect how the Fed will react

Big Question: Will the Federal Reserve Stop Being ‘Patient’? – The analysis in here is not all that great, but what is true is all eyes are on the meeting this week, and it will have big consequences either way.

Odds ‘n Sods:

SurvivalBlog reader D.D. sends us a reminder to use this respite from winter to take an evening, pull the 72-hour bag out of their vehicle, and make sure everything is still as you expect. He did so and discovered that his handheld transmitter was faulty (battery reported charged but would not last), 2/3 of his food was over a year out of date, and most of his meds were over two years “expired”. Also, he still had a 30-pin iPhone connector with his crank charger that won’t work with his newer phone. But, hey, his paracord still looked good!

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Protesters stage anti-robot rally at SXSW. – G.P.

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Dems Push ATF To Ban Bullets Now. – J.H.

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Islamic State blows up 10th century Assyrian Catholic monastery near Mosul. – RBS

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Always good to get back to the basics: How to grow, harvest and preserve herbs for tea

Product Review: Springfield Armory XD-45 Mod.2

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Last month, SurvivalBlog readers got an in-depth look at the Springfield Armory XD-9 Mod.2 sub-compact 9mm handgun, and to be sure, it’s a winner in all respects. However, not everyone thinks that the 9mm round is the best all around caliber for self-defense or other uses. Some of us believe nothing less than the .45ACP will make do, and I’m in that group myself. Yes, quite often I can be caught carrying some kind of 9mm pistol, but if I know in advance that I’m headed into harm’s way I’ll elect to carry a .45ACP of some sort.

Many gun writers jumped on the XD-9 Mod.2 when it came out. Almost all of them received a sample the very same day, and I honestly don’t believe some of those writers even shot the gun because they just were in a hurry to be the first to report on it. Well, I wasn’t one of them; it wasn’t until two months later that I completed my testing on the XD-9 Mod.2 and reported on it here at SurvivalBlog.

I waited for the XD-45 Mod.2 to come out, and it was worth the wait. So, here is a short, “Quick Look” at this gun, and to my knowledge, no other gun writer has reported on this gun in .45ACP. I guess they felt that it was covered in the 9mm version. The XD-45 Mod.2 is very close in size to the XD-9 Mod.2, except that it’s slightly bigger in width and length, which is necessitated by the bigger .45ACP round that it shoots. The XD-45 Mod.2 has a 3.3-inch barrel, and it seems to work well, whereas the 9mm version only had a 3-inch barrel. We have the fiber optic front sight and white two-dot rear sight. The gun weighs in at 26-oz when unloaded with the 9-round mag, and it weighs 27-oz with the 13-rd mag with sleeve on it. The gun comes with both mags. However, I much prefer the shorter 9-rd mag on the gun and a spare on the belt; so I ordered a couple spare 9-rd mags. If I were using this gun for a house gun, I’d install the 13-rd mag in it.

I asked my contact at Springfield Armory about the use of +P .45ACP in this little sub compact .45ACP pistol, and I was told it can take an unlimited amount of shooting with +P rounds. WOW!! Most gun makers will tell you to go easy on +P loads but not Springfield Armory. Also, in case you didn’t know, the XD line of handguns are made in Croatia!

I fired several hundred rounds of various .45ACP through my XD-45 Mod.2 sample, and this included 230-gr FMJ, 230-gr JHP, and 185-gr JHP from Black Hills Ammunition The Power of Performance. From Buffalo Bore Ammunition | Strictly Big Bore – Strictly Business I had their 230-gr FMJ FN +P load, their 230-gr JHP +P load, as well as their 160 and 185 grain loads, topped with the Barnes TAC-XP all-copper hollow point loads, both of which were +P loadings. I had zero malfunctions, not even a hint of a malfunction, and the +P loads weren’t that hard to handle in this little gun, even in rapid fire.

As I reported before and I’ve mentioned to Springfield Armory, I believe they need to include the Pearce Grip grip extender with these guns because it only adds a little bit of length to the height of the gun but gives the pinky finger something to hold onto and it makes the gun feel all that much better in the hand, plus it gives your more control, especially in rapid-fire. The only draw back is that this particular grip extender doesn’t match the grip texture on the front of the grip of the XD-45 Mod.2, but that’s a minor thing.

The XD-45 Mod.2 is now my daily carry handgun. It’s just hard to fault a totally reliable sub compact .45 ACP that holds 9+1 rounds, or if you prefer the longer mag, 13+1 rounds. Plus, the gun easily handles +P loads. What’s not to like here?

– Survivalblog Product Review Editor Emeritus, Pat Cascio,

Scot’s Product Review: Anker 14W Foldable Dual-Port Solar Charger

We have had a number of requests to review ways to make electricity without the need for the grid, particularly for things like cellphones and tablet computers. I’ve been looking into options, and they usually boil down to solar, though I hope to get some products that use other strategies.

There is a huge range of solar solutions out there, from systems that can power a whole house to something that can keep a small battery charged. The whole house solutions can easily hit $40,000 or more when you include the battery backups, while the least expensive small ones can be as little as $10. Faced with this range, we have to decide what we need to do and how much we can afford.

A major problem hits those of us who prefer not to buy Chinese products. Many, if not most, solar products, particularly the small ones, come from mainland China. The one I’m writing about here is Chinese. This is, alas, simply a case of not being able to find alternatives.

Another difficulty is that many of the small solar panels just don’t produce enough power to do much. You will wind up needing to charge things more hours than you can use them.

Watts are the basic unit of measurement for the power produced, and I was very disappointed with a 5-watt folding panel I tried before this one. It was very hard to keep our Kindle Fire tablet fully charged, if we used the tablet more than a couple of hours a day. It also meant that the tablet had to be tethered to the panel all day, which worked best if outside. I also tried the charger that came with the panel for AA and AAA batteries, and I found it took most of the day to charge a set of four and they often still didn’t hit 100% charged. In theory, it was supposed to be able to charge both a USB device and the AA/AAA charger, but it just didn’t have the panache to pull it off. While the strategy was to use their AA/AAA charger to charge cells during the day and then use them to charge other devices later, it just wasn’t enough power to serve our needs.

I figured that I needed to look for more juice, and so I began scrolling around on Amazon. The Anker 14W Foldable Dual-Port Solar Charger turned up for $60, which was only a little more money than the 5-watt unit I purchased a bit over a year ago. Luckily, the price on solar panels is going down.

The Anker had good reviews on Amazon, and there were enough of them to make me feel they meant something. There are several comparable units on Amazon, and while they have similar rating and cost a little less, this one had the most ratings. So, I felt it might be the safest choice.

The Anker only includes a USB charging cable. Unlike the 5-watt unit, it didn’t have a 12-volt output, which I would have really liked. It did, however, have two USB ports rather than the one on the smaller panel. USB will charge most tablets and current cellphones. Additionally, there are a number of USB chargers for AA and AAA batteries, though I haven’t found any that offer rapid charging. While it is better to slow charge batteries, it is nice to have the option to go faster in a jam. A 12-volt output would have provided the option to charge a car battery, a number of other devices, and more sizes of batteries. I haven’t, for example, found a way to charge C or D batteries with USB. I’m sure there are those who could make that happen, but I haven’t located an off the shelf solution for the non-technicians among us.

I picked folding units, because I wanted something that could be easily carried, stored, and deployed most anyplace. You often see these hung on backpacks and used while hiking. It has grommets on each end to allow it to be tied down. This particular unit folds to 11×6.9 or a bit smaller than a sheet of printer paper. It is 1.5 inches thick when folded. It unfolds to 34.6x11x.5 inches, and it weighs 27.9 ounces.

Because solar panels are most efficient when aimed directly at the sun, I discovered that I could lay it on the backrest of a reclining lawn chair and use a clamp to hold it in place. I then moved the chair to keep it aligned with the sun and avoid the shadows that move across my yard as the day goes by. By tilting the backrest up and down, I could better aim it in the early morning and then reposition it for midday.

Anker rates this at 2 amps at 5 volts, but that only gets us to 10 watts. I assume that the missing watts are used up somehow in the charging system. Anker says they use PowerIQ Technology, which allows the charger to adapt to almost any USB device, and that is a very good thing. I’ve had a number of devices that would only charge from the manufacturer’s charger, which was highly irritating. So far, everything I’ve tried has worked with this one.

The USB plugs are located in a pocket that folds up on the inside when you store the charger. It can also hold some USB cords to connect your devices. They provide one that will connect to a micro USB plug; however, since there were two outlets, I added a second one. I was thinking that it might be smart to include a mini USB cable, as there are still a few items that use that style plug. Micro USB was designed for many connect/disconnect cycles as one would use with a charger while the mini size was really intended to just be connected and left alone.

I no longer have any nickel cadmium batteries, so all of the testing with AA and AAA cells was done with nickel-metal hydride cells (NMH). The AA cells ranged from 1,900 milliamp hours (mAh) to 2,300 mAh, while the AAA cells were 750 mAh. I primarily used our Kindle Fire to test charging of USB devices, but I also plugged in an iPod and a couple of cell phones to see if they would charge. All did.

The AA and AAA batteries were charged in a little unit that came with a Solaraid 5-watt panel I bought earlier. If you have charged batteries in it, you can plug a USB device into it and charge the device. This kit is no longer available as far as I can determine, and I was disappointed with it. The terminals for the batteries tend to collapse and have to frequently be bent out or you don’t get contact. At some point, there is going to be fatigue and the contacts will break. I also felt the 5-watt panel wasn’t adequate to do much charging. It was a bit of a struggle to keep 4 AA’s charged every day, and it just didn’t seem able to get the Kindle fully charged.

You can also plug the little charger into a USB port on a computer or other USB charger, and it works pretty well, charging four AA batteries in about five or six hours and AAA batteries in three hours or so. I am going to find a similar product to replace it, since I expect the contacts to pack it in sooner or later.

The Kindle Fire has a 4,400 mAh 3.7-volt battery, which should charge in about three hours on this unit. Initially, it took between five and six hours on the Anker solar charger, but that improved to about three hours. I’m not sure why, unless some clouds came by while I was inside. The 9-watt Amazon wall charger will do it in three hours.

I measured the output on the panel with a $14.00 PortaPow USB Power Monitor while charging the Kindle Fire and the AA battery charger. The Kindle alone drew about 8 watts, and when I added the AA charger to the second outlet, it dropped to about 3 watts. The AA charger was drawing about 3 watts as well. I had expected, of course, for the power to be split, but had hoped the total would be higher.

As with all solar devices, you need a lot of sunlight to make them work well. The Anker charger has an LED that indicates it is making power, which is very welcome. As with any solar panel, it works best when aimed perpendicular to the sun. You have to keep it moving during the day, if you want to get the most out of it. It did produce current when the sun went behind clouds, but the Kindle Fire would usually stop charging. The AA/AAA charger, however, kept blinking its LED’s, indicating that it was continuing to charge.

I have an assortment of rechargeable AA and AAA batteries on hand, but I have started to standardize on the Eneloop brand. They are NMH cells with 2,100 mAh for the AA’s. They offer the huge advantage of being low self-discharge (LSD). Earlier NMH batteries would usually completely discharge if they sat on the shelf for a month or two, which is a terrible shortcoming. Eneloops can hold most of their charge for years. The latest version can be recharged as many as 2,100 times– another critical advantage if one anticipates disruptions in the supply chain. Unfortunately, Eneloops only come in AA and AAA sizes, but they offer holders so you can use them to replace C or D cells. They have less power, of course, than a C or D, but they will work. Several other companies are offering this technology, and I have used the Tenergy 9-volt batteries with success, though I haven’t found a USB charger for them. Tenergy also offers LSD C and D cells, but their products come from China. The Eneloops are Japanese.

The question, of course, is how much you can do with a few AA cells and a tablet, should that be all the power you have. You will have to judge that for yourself, but I have found I can keep an Energizer LED lantern going all night without problems and get at least two to three hours of runtime on the Kindle Fire using the Anker 14W unit. I had to use the holders that upsize the AA’s to D cell size for the lantern, but I was very surprised at how long it ran with the smaller batteries. For my family, having just these two items usable would be a big help. A lot of reference material can be stored on the Kindle that might be invaluable in a crunch. We also have an assortment of radios for AM/FM and shortwave, along with a bunch of two-way radios that can run off of AA batteries.

The biggest drawback is managing the batteries and chargers. The panel needs to be aimed several times a day, and you must remember to put things on the charger. A series of rainy days will cause problems, unless you have enough panels to stay ahead on the charging chores. You also have to be mindful that they are sitting outside and need to be in a secure area lest someone make off with them.

Solar power is, in most respects, the perfect power source for preppers or anyone who craves independence. It is clean and requires little work, other than planning. There is no fuel to store and it makes no noise. The problem is getting enough power. I feel like the bad guy character in the movie Key Largo who just wants “more”. The Anker 14W is going to help our preps and also serve well on camping trips, but we are going to need more power to keep our key systems working. A number of them require 12 volts, so this quest for power is going to be a continuing saga with more reviews to come.

Work Sharp WSKTS Knife and Tool Sharpener Update

I am still getting good use from the Work Sharp I reviewed last September, but I did discover one drawback if you aren’t careful using it. You can round off the tip on your knife. I got in a bit of a hurry and somewhat careless when sharpening some of our kitchen knives, and I began to notice that they no longer had well-pointed tips. I did some research and found that I’m not the only one who has done this. It isn’t terribly hard to avoid, but you must be careful when you pull the knife across the belt as you near the end of the blade. It is pretty easy to continue with a twisting motion, but that will rotate the tip across the spinning belt, which causes the problem. Take some time at the end of the stroke and watch how the tip proceeds through the machine, and you should be fine. I still like the tool, but I wish I weren’t faced with going back and fixing my wife’s knives. Hopefully, if you bought one, my experience will save you some trouble.

– SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor, Scot Frank Erie

Recipe of the Week: Old Kimber Girls Granola Cereal

Ingredients:

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/3 cup water

1 tsp. vanilla extract

5 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup coconut

1 cup raisins

2 cups dried cherries

2 generous cups chopped peanuts

2/3 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup wheat germ

1 5oz. can ice cream nut topping mixture (optional)

Directions:

  1. Combine brown sugar, honey, and water. Bring to a boil, remove from the stove, add vanilla and set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. In separate bowl, combine oats and coconut; pour out onto a sprayed or greased, large, baking pan, and bake in 325 degree oven until nice and toasty brown, stirring mixture every few minutes so it doesn’t burn.
  3. Pour oat mixture into a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients (raisins, cherries, peanuts, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, and optional ice cream nut topping mixture); toss well.
  4. Add liquid mixture to oat mixture; toss well again.
  5. Re-spray your baking pan. Place mixture back into your baking pan and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes. Stir frequently.
  6. Remove from oven and cool.
  7. Place in a large container. Keeps well in the refrigerator for two weeks.

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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!