Notes for Saturday – December 27, 2014

Camping Survival is offering a Mountain House with 15% off pouches and 25% off of #10 cans. Check it out if you need to replenish your stores before the new year. (Price increases by Mountain House are expected January 1st.)

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Today, we present another entry for Round 56 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 $448.95) 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 $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  7. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 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 Instituteis 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,
  9. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  10. 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).

Round 56 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

How to Study Your Bible Without Electronic Tools, by A.A.

For the purposes of this essay, I am going to assume that you have done two things in your life. First is simply this; you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior. If you do not know what that means, I would recommend you stop reading now and find a solid pastor who can explain it to you, because none of this will really make any sense to you. Second is that you have gained, at the very least, a rudimentary understanding of the Bible.

That being said, it is very likely that today day you are using the Internet, your computer, or most likely both as a Bible study tool. That is fine. There are a lot of really good programs and web pages out there to help you along the way. I would caution you to know your sources, though. Just like medical information, there is also a lot of bogus information out there. That being said, in a TEOTWAWKI event, those tools will be taken away from you almost overnight. Also, keep in mind that you will likely be cut off from your local church. Most of us, 85% of us, drive 25 minutes to church. How far out of reality is that after a crunch?

As you prepare your 3B’s– beans, bullets, and bandaids– perhaps we should add a 4th B– the Bible. We can all agree that in a TEOTWAWKI situation part of what we do, in getting as prepared as possible, is aimed at helping others. That concept is straight from James 1:2-4

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Have faith, be prepared, rejoice in times of trouble and care for widows and orphans. Without a working knowledge of scripture it is far too easy to lose our moral compass. So what do we do if you have never really studied the Bible for yourself? First, don’t feel bad! You are not alone. According to researcher George Barna, only 45% of Americans read their Bible in a given week. (barna.org) As a pastor, I talk about this all of the time. People seem to think that because I have a degree and an office, I somehow have special insight into the Bible. The truth is… I don’t. Like a mechanic, I just have a better set of tools than you and a little more training on how those tools work. Here is my take on low-tech Bible study:

  1. Just start. Don’t be intimidated! The truth is that God is not trying to hide from us. God, by definition, must self-reveal; we can’t understand Him, so He chose to make Himself understandable. When we celebrate Christmas, what we are really celebrating is God becoming man. Put another way, it’s God assuming a form that we can relate to. Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd. Why? It’s because we are His sheep. I have spent some time studying this and have come to the following conclusion. God calls us sheep for a reason. Sheep are stupid! Cows don’t need to be tended because comparatively they are geniuses! My point here is not to make you feel bad; it is to encourage you. Shepherds love their sheep; there is a special bond between them. God is not trying to hide from you. His Word is there to show us who He is! So take the plunge and dive in. One word of caution here; use a good MODERN translation. If King James were alive today, he would have ordered the New Living Translation to be written. As an aside, the “Charles Ryrie Study Bible” is a great choice. Another would be the “Life Application Study Bible” in New Living Translation.
  2. Pick a book. Just pick one. I know that sounds simple, but just pick one to start with. The gospels– Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John– all tell the story of Jesus from a different point of view and make a great starting point. You could also pick all of the books by one author, say Paul. The value of studying in sets, like this, keeps us from isolating a single verse and building a belief on that verse. We need to look at the totality of scripture to ensure we are keeping to good theology. There is more on that later in the peer review section. One point to keep in mind when picking a book is knowing what type of literature you are reading. Psalms are poetry. We read that differently than Revelation, which is prophesy. Jesus teaches in parables– stories with a meaning– so they are open to interpretation and not meant to be taken as doctrinal statements. The Bible is full of rich content. Read it all, and enjoy it as God intended you to! He is a diverse God, the heavens declare His glory. He means for our experience of Him in Scripture to be rich and diverse as well. Pick a book and jump in. The water is fine!
  3. Pray first. 1 Corinthians 2:6-13 reminds us that God will impart wisdom to those who seek Him. All serious study of God’s word should begin with a knee bowed to Him in prayer. Without that, we are dependent only on our own understanding. That stands in direct opposition to Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding”. I find it interesting to hear responses to my sermons sometimes. Aside from the usual thank you very much response, occasionally I will get a specific, “Pastor you said XYZ, and that really touched me!” The funny thing is I very rarely ever actually said, “XY or Z” at least not in the way they heard it. So what is the explanation? It’s simply this; the Holy Spirit gives insight to scripture! He speaks to willing hearts! His job, amongst other things, is to enlighten Scripture for us. We are totally dependent upon His insight to rightly understand God’s word. That is not to assume that every thought that pops into your head is a new revelation from God; we must also depend upon the guidance of God and a solid community around us to determine His will. That is the reason Scripture has historically been studied in community. Keep in mind that prior to 1493 (the advent of the printing press) the idea of owning a Bible for personal study was laughable for the common man; it was just too expensive. Scripture was always read and studied in a group. The Bible was not written to be studied in isolation. Notice many books start out “To the Church in ____ “. The New Testament was written in letter form to entire communities. These letters were read to the community at large, then hand copied, and passed around to other communities. Living in community matters. Community has been God’s design from the very beginning. Notice that Adam was incomplete without Eve. Community is even reflected in God’s nature; He exists in community with Himself– Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Strength of community can not be underestimated, especially when isolation becomes the norm by necessity. Historically there has been a marked rise in cult leaders during times of crisis. The next crisis will prove no different, I fear.
  4. Here are a few practical tips:

  • Read the ENTIRE book first. I realize that sounds simplistic, but it matters. I would advocate reading the entire book three to four times before you start to dissect it. Why? To better understand the whole at the start. Scripture, as a whole, far exceeds the sum of its parts. Scripture enlightens our understanding of Scripture.
  • Seek to answer three questions every time you open God’s Word– What? So What? And Now What? In short, we want to look at these three questions to add to our understanding. What did the original author intend as a purpose in writing this letter? For example, was it to encourage? 1 & 2 Timothy were written to Paul’s young protege at the end of Paul’s life to encourage him. Was it to correct a specific problem? 1st Corinthians was written to address a specific problem in the church at Corinth. Or was it maybe to add a comprehensive manual on basic beliefs? The book of Romans was written to a church that had no real leadership at its founding, so Paul was writing to give them the basics of faith.

    We must know the original intent to rightly answer the second question… So What?

    So what does this mean for me? Am I in a similar situation? Do I have a similar problem? If we understand the author’s intent, I can begin to see how this affects me?

    So now what? The last question we want to ask is this… What do I do with this knowledge? ALWAYS be on the lookout for application! Knowledge gained but not applied will only serve our pride. Our study of scripture MUST lead us to action.

    Finally, you will need tools. Just as in any other situation, the right tool makes all the difference. Have tools available to understand the answers to the questions– What… So What… Now What. These tools might include a good commentary. Ask your pastor, priest, or rabbi to recommend one that speaks to your denominational theology. A Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words and a good Concordance are also good tools.

The truth is that, in a crisis, people of faith will be held to account for how we operate. We must be prepared to step up, step in, and lead like people of faith, serving the King of kings!

Letter Re: Armor Plate

Hugh,

Let me say that at one point I was the sole North American distributor for the German Wiesel 1 AWC. I never sold any, so that and a ten spot will buy me a cup of coffee at Starbucks. However, it did afford me an education in lots of bits and bobs.

First, figure out what your engine is rated to haul. Then halve that number to be able to haul it around under harsh conditions. Lots of early armored cars and tanks suffered from a fine automobile engine being stuffed into a vehicle at the upper edge of what the engine could carry. There were lots of overheated vehicles, and in some 1930’s reports you could follow an armored column doing peacetime maneuvers by following the broken down tanks and armored cars.

Second, look at layers of armor vs. a single monolithic block. To give an example, the side armor on a WW II M5 was on average 1 to 1 1/8 inch thick or 40 to 45 pounds per square foot. This was considered sufficient armor to stop all light arms and artillery splinters. This is using RHA or rolled homogeneous armor, which is still the standard that everything else is tested against. The current generation of armor, such as is used on the LAV-25, can provide the same protection using 1/4 inch of armor at just over 10 pounds per square foot. It does this by alternating layers of ceramic armor, modern alloyed metals, and spall liners. Considering that each side of a bus is roughly 40 feet by 10 feet or 400 square feet this is the difference between 18,000 pounds per side and 4,000 pounds. For the whole bus, this is the difference between 81,000 pounds for RHA and 18,000 pounds, and that is just the armor. It’s 9 tons vs. just over 40 tons.

If I were to be working on hillbilly armor I would use AR500 plate steel, design it so that it is sloped radically, only protect part of the vehicle, and then spray it down with Rhinocoat hard coat. Rhinocoat prevents spalling …

A 1/4 inch AR500 plate with Rhinocoat hard coat weighs roughly 9 pounds per square foot and will stop non-AP .30 caliber rounds. You are still going to end up with adding close to nine tons of weight to the bus if you armor it all over.

Your average-sized 55 passenger bus is designed to hold roughly 7 tons of people and gear. So empty of people, you are two tons over its weight capacity already. Reduce the armor on the top and the bottom of the bus, and only armor the driver’s area and maybe the first 1/4 of the bus. This should be enough room for 12 people or so. – H.D.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Police stress “need” for social media data-mining upgrades. – T.P.

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SurvivalBlog Reader P.S. writes in about some interesting research:

I’ve always had many questions about the U.S. crime rates. Examples:

Are crime rates increasing? Are some areas becoming more violent than others? What has been the influence of gun control?

I’m starting to look at the data available from the Uniform Crime Reporting website.US_crime_rates

Here is some very early analysis. Note that all metrics are per-capita rates (per 100,000 people) such that they account for national and regional population changes. Also, data is only available through the end of 2012 at this time.

Nationally, many of the crime rates are down to 1970-1971 levels. The murder and rape rates are down too; they’re just not as visible in the chart given the other data points on the vertical axis.

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Say What?! Driver Wanted for Obama Motorcade. Novice Welcome. – P.M.

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Italian police discover stash of 500,000 CHINESE made, fake Euro coins. – T.P.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, and told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not. And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived: and Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.” Gen 45:25-28 (KJV)

Notes for Friday – December 26, 2014

Camping Survival is having a one-day sale on Lifestraw. There are only a few Lifestraw sales per year, so don’t miss your opportunity.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 56 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 $448.95) 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 $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  7. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 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 Instituteis 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,
  9. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  10. 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).

Round 56 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The Road to Ultimate Self-Reliance, by M.R.

When I was only 5, my father reached down and rubbed my head and said, “I wish times were always joyful and peaceful like this, but they won’t be. In fact, in your lifetime, you are gonna see some horrible things. You’ll probably see financial hard times and maybe even have to see all of your freedoms, well-earned freedoms, stripped from you, and you will have two choices: fight and risk everything in order to restore those freedoms, or conform and lose that famous American Dream.” Of course, it went in one ear and out the other, to a little boy, like I was. In fact, I was just glad he was rubbing my head, but those words were kind of stored away for later. It was one of those statements that dads make where they tell you something extremely important and profound and you wish you’d listened then.

Years later, I was going through some of my dad’s old stuff and found a book called, Patriots; it’s a novel of survival in the coming collapse. The combination of this being a genre of reading I had never seen before and the interesting title tempted me to open the first page. Though I was still quite young, I became captivated by this distopian future idea, which had never been exposed to me before. This idea was so interesting and unreal at the time. However, a few Google searches later, I realized this distopian future was not so distant at all. I finished the book quickly and decided more research on the subject was prudent.

I soon found that there was an entire community of preppers online and that some of them were already living the lifestyle that Todd, TK, Jeff, and the group were living in James Wesley, Rawle’s book. With a little more research, I found that these preparations were not simply paranoia put into action; this lifestyle and these fears are very real. The balance that America, in particular, is reliant upon is quite fragile, and there are various possible SHTF scenarios that could bring that balance to its destruction. Financial collapse, a pandemic or epidemic, EMP, or natural disasters are just some possible situations where prepping and self reliance comes into play.

Also, as the years have gone by, I realized that even if no major catastrophic events take place in the next couple of decades, America will tear itself down eventually at this rate. I soon came to the conclusion that prepping was the obvious solution to the even more obvious problems. I was almost ready to start prepping when my dad’s words floated back into my head. I remembered them and figured that was what he was saying all those years ago. I was close to understanding what he meant, but I wasn’t quite on the money yet.

I then dove head first into prepping and majorly face planted. I knew what prepping was, and I knew why also. However, I had no idea HOW to go about it! I began prepping by making a very common mistake; I just started buying stuff. Some, if not most, preppers begin by doing this, and it really negatively affects you to start off on the wrong foot. The problem lies within the fact that prepping and self-reliance is indeed a mindset and an idea, not a hobby. As long as it is treated like a hobby, then you can never really be an effective prepper.

I was rewarded for my mistake with a rude awakening. I realized, “I’m simply out of money!” This was when I started looking up YouTube videos to see where I had gone wrong, and that is when I had my revelation about self-reliance being an idea and mindset. I also realized that no amount of stuff will get you through TEOTWAWKI. Only skills, technique, and willpower can accomplish that. So, I then realized what my father was saying while I was on this train of thought. I also realized that the “provisional government” in Patriots was not much worse than our current day government. They take away our freedoms and force things upon us also. Maybe it just isn’t as apparent as it is in Patriots. You must always be ready to stand up against an unjust government. You see, the government wants us to respect them and honor them and be obedient. However, they claim to be the U.S. Government, which is the same government that said almost 250 years ago that it is the duty of the people to stand up to such a government when it takes away these freedoms.

That is what my dad was telling me, along with prepping for an uncertain future, but I finally had it figured out. He was saying that things will get bad. Now the government takes away our well-earned money and freedom and justifies it by saying that they will rule us and protect us. This is unconstitutional, and our founding fathers would be ashamed of it. The worst part is that it’s not getting better! Things are constantly getting worse! Also, financially, our country is teetering on the edge of a fatal cliff. From there, I had the right mindset and started practicing skills. I worked hard to become an advanced prepper.

Obviously, guns and knives are some prepping necessities, but another mistake people make is that they buy too many of those. Preppers are always buying way too many guns and too much ammo but not enough water purification systems and so on. They thrive in one aspect, while being way low in another aspect. After yet another revelation, this revelation, I realized that I had way too many knives, as this had become a hobby for me, so I quickly sold them and started spending the money earned to buy new preps. I made up my mind to be as equally and mathematically prepped as possible.

On the skill side of the prepping, I soon found that my dad had been teaching me skills for years to prepare me for the SHTF. He aught me tactical driving techniques, tactical fire arms training, hunting, trapping, fishing, along with life skills. He taught me to do things myself. All of these things were taught to me to prepare me for when the “Murican Dream” goes down the toilet.

I recently decided that I needed some specific self-reliance skills, because I was still lacking in those. So the solution was to go to New Vision inc. in West Virginia, which was quite a long trip from my house. I went there to learn about renewable energy and Aquaponics gardening. I soon found that, eventually, gear will run out or break, leaving you with nothing, but renewable and reusable preps are likely the most helpful.

In my climate, I decided to have an ebb et flow aquaponics system, which grows almost anything you can think of and utilizes my channel catfish also, and to use silicon solar panels in order to make good use of the sun and to also provide me with a fair amount of electricity. These preps, if treated with care, could theoretically sustain you and your family for years!!! After that camp, I had a huge advantage, and yet again I felt like a real bona fide prepper.

Over the next few months, I did more studying and put my recently acquired preps into action. The amount of vegetables that can be produced through my garden, along with nearly unlimited catfish, proves to be one massive asset that should not be overlooked by anyone. As I have said previously, prepping for me is an everlasting learning experience, It can overwhelm you if you let it, but I realized that you prep in order to be in control, and if prepping controls you then there was no reason to do so at all.

All of these skills, along with the self-reliant mindset, and with all of the cool preps and gear I have, I am now one self-reliant and prepared son of a gun. Of course, organization and planning is also one of the most important preps, but that was one aspect that I had gotten right from the beginning. I now stand before you an entirely different person than the boy who found a book in his dad’s room. I now stand before you someone who craves the self-sufficient lifestyle and likes being independent. I’m the type of person whose dream car is not a Lamborghini; instead I crave a 1980’s Ford Bronco. My dream yard doesn’t consist of having a luxurious swimming pool and a football field; I substitute that for an aquaponics garden and an underground bunker. My priorities have changed! I would rather live in Southern Montana in a remote log cabin hidden in the mountains than in a multi-million dollar beach house.

Prepping changed me. I have come a long way and become a real prepper, but that also transformed me. It made me be more satisfied with the simple ways of living. All of these major experiences, all of these mistakes, all of these changes, started when the genre of reading I had never seen before and the interesting title tempted me to open the first page.

Letter Re: Armor Plate for a Bus

Hello,

I’m looking at putting plate steel inside the walls of a bus that I am converting, and I was wondering how thick of steel I should put in there for effective armor from rifle fire up to something like .30-06. Can you provide any guidance in this area? Thank you – T.K.

Hugh Responds: If you are talking mild steel plates, there isn’t any thickness that I would recommend. Mild steel (the most common plate steel) is so soft that thicknesses of greater than 1” may be required. Many today use abrasion resistance steel (steel intended for large earth moving equipment) with AR500 being the most common, but it is still less than optimal. 3/8” seems to be about the thickness for standard .308 (not armor piercing). To have true ballistic armor, you are going to have to do some research and find plate rated for such use. A word of warning: It will be pricey.

Economics and Investing:

This article is a must-read: World in a Box by John Rubino. The article begins: “Of all the problems with fiat currency, the most basic is that it empowers the dark side of human nature. We’re potentially good but infinitely corruptible, and giving an unlimited monetary printing press to a government or group of banks is guaranteed to produce a dystopia of ever-greater debt and more centralized control, until the only remaining choice is between deflationary collapse or runaway inflation. The people in charge at that point are in a box with no painless exit.”

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OPEC Calls For Widespread production Cuts

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Can Money Printing Cause Deflation?

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How to Play Weakness in Oil and Russian Stocks into 2015

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“You’ll beat this. I know it doesn’t feel like it, but you will. You’re a survivor.”

“I don’t want to survive it.”

“I know that, too,” Nell had said. “And it’s fair enough. But sometimes we don’t have a choice…” ? Kate Morton, The Forgotten Garden

Notes for Thursday – December 25, 2014

Today is celebrated as Christmas, all around the world. December 25th is of course a seasonally convenient time for celebration, just after the Winter Solstice. The birth of Christ was and is cause for great celebration. May the love of Christ, our Savior be with you all. May your Christmas be Christ-centered and truly joyous.

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Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large, has a new release: Wisdom from my Internet. This is a collection of snark and satire, in which he attempts to poke fun at every position of every issue. It’s been hitting #1 for Political Humor on Kindle and almost made the top ten on the combined print and Kindle list. Of course, it comes with a language, subject, and politics warning.

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Today, we present another entry for Round 56 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 $448.95) 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 $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  7. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 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 Instituteis 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,
  9. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  10. 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).

Round 56 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A New Kind of Bucket List, by C.W.- Part 2

Now that I have explained the advantages and disadvantages of using a bucket system for storing preparations, allow me to share a few other ideas that may also be of interest, should you decide to attack your household with buckets.

I believe that families who have homes that are kept clean and organized will be much better prepared for whatever comes at them. We all know friends or relatives who have lots of stuff (a.k.a. chaos), yet they have little idea of how to find an item when they want it or need it. So, off they go to the store to buy another one. Can you imagine how they will react in an emergency?

The following ideas may help you and your family to keep your home more organized and easy to clean:

Laundry

I had stored up a number of packages of laundry soap– the individual, 55-60 use count variety. I simply opened each package and dumped all of the individual packs into a bucket. I can get twice as many into a bucket that way. They are dry and stored for future use.

If you make your own laundry soap with borax, washing soda, and Fels Naptha, you can eliminate the packaging and make a bucket full of ready-to-use detergent.

Young Children

Young boys can fill buckets to their heart’s content with small toys–matchbox cars, blocks, Legos, Lincoln Logs, action figures, military fare, games, sports paraphernalia, and collections of all kinds. Young girls will also find that buckets are a useful way to store their favorite dolls with accessories, games, dress-up or costume items, stuffed animals, and more. If desired, the girls and moms can put skirts on the buckets and pad the lids. They become extra seating and storage with a decorative touch.

By the way, if anyone is concerned about the fact that I assigned certain types of items under certain genders, well, get over it; the kids can decide what they want in their buckets. Just give them the buckets, and let them do the sorting.

Middle and High School Age Students

Now this is where you can really avoid conflict. These kids have so much on their minds at this time in their life. Whether they attend public or private schools or are homeschooled, you can give them a super advantage by introducing them to this organizational idea. These buckets will show them how to organize their things and keep them organized. They can fill them with extra school supplies, sports gear, books, memorabilia, et cetera. They may even toss a few dirty socks or a sports bra in a laundry bucket. For a small investment in buckets, who wouldn’t love to help their teenagers find a way to keep their room tidy and avoid the hassles?

Kids off to College

These kids can also use a helping hand. Dorm rooms and apartments are generally pretty short on space, AND often the kids are sharing this same space with a roommate. In addition, they are moving frequently. Buckets are great for “grab-n-go”, whether it is returning home for a weekend, summer break, or moving to new digs.

In addition, you can help in another way. Those of us who know the value of preparing for uncertain times find it troubling when our college students go off to school with no preps to sustain them in an emergency situation. Even the basics are hard to come by at times. By sending a bucket filled with non-perishable food and bottled water, they will have something to fall back on if needed and can easily be taken with them in an evacuation type of event. Another bucket could provide a good flashlight with batteries, a can opener, a multi-tool and/or basic hand tools, first-aid kit, mini-survival kit, work gloves, and whatever else you deem helpful. The kids deserve a fighting chance whether they are in lock-down mode, forced to evacuate, or simply enduring finals week. If they have a vehicle with them, help them build a get-home-bucket with maps and emergency-useful items. I know most campuses restrict the types of self-protection the kids can possess. Help them come up with some alternatives for self-defense.

Camping with the Family

Buckets are truly wonderful when transporting gear to and from the campsite. Also, when you get there it is so simple to set up camp. If the camping essentials are stored in buckets, it is a case of grab-and go, with less chance of forgetting needed items. As stated earlier, I have buckets labeled “outdoor kitchen”, which contain most anything a cook could want or need while camping. A “sanitation” bucket keeps all the toilet paper, hand soap, paper toweling, garbage bags, clothesline and clothespins, et cetera at the ready. Give each kid a bucket to store their favorite toys or games for rainy day time. Have the kids pack their clothes in a bucket. Use buckets for carrying food items and snacks for the trip. Bring wet swimwear or dirty shoes/boots home in a bucket. They keep a campsite neat and help avoid leaving things behind. They are also easy to clean when you get them back home. Just be sure to replace used up items before storing the buckets away for the next camping adventure.

Road Trippin’

I have already touched on several ideas in the camping section that would also work when doing a road trip, but here are a few other ideas. Are you taking your pet? Use a bucket for pet supplies and pet food. Hey, when you are settling into your hotel room or campsite after a long day of travel, would you like to mix a drink? Build a mini-bar with a couple of your favorite bottles of alcohol, tonic water, a shot glass, bar glasses, bar towel, and other special touches. Take a “beach bucket” with your sunscreen, bug spray, beach towels, and toys. Label each bucket, and make it easy to travel in style!

Gardening

During gardening season, I use buckets for hauling and storing everything. However, at the end of the season, it is also nice to be able to clean up your small tools, gloves, small seed pots, and other items to store them. Just make sure everything is nice and dry before putting on the lid. Come spring you will be ready to get out the buckets and begin anew.

“Fun Buckets” for the Grandkids

Have you ever had your grandchildren arrive for a visit, only to hear “I’m bored” or “there is nothing to do”? Well, have a surprise waiting for them! Make up a few buckets to keep them happy and content. Fill one bucket with arts and craft supplies and another with cards and games, such as checkers. These can be made to suit the age(s) of the children and their interests. When they are finished or going home, clean-up is easy! The fun buckets can also be taken along when traveling or camping.

Vehicles

We all know how important it is to have a collection of tools and gear that we can use when traveling to/from work or traveling for pleasure. I made the choice to place my get-home-items in buckets. Not only can you keep these emergency items organized, but easy to access when time could be of the essence. If need be, the buckets can be emptied and lined with a garbage bag for use when someone gets sick or for an emergency toilet. You can also use them to haul water. A bucket can be used to protect your car from messy items, if the need should arise, and as mentioned earlier, I can carry two 20 lb. buckets versus one 40 lb. duffle bag.

Garage and/or Workshop

Have you looked in your garage or the workshop lately only to turn away with a sigh? Yes, you know you should get it cleaned up and organized, but the idea just seems so daunting. Well, head to the store and purchase a few buckets to get you started. Just think how neat your special area will look when everything is tucked away neatly inside labeled buckets and placed on shelves built by you or purchased for the purpose.

Gifting

At Christmas or a birthday of someone special, you may want to make gift-giving a little easier. Make it so much easier by buying a bucket and filling it with items you feel would be appropriate for the one on the receiving end. Putting a bucket together is fun and could be a lifesaver for someone on your list. You don’t have to make a big deal out of the fact that the bucket filled with useful items is in preparation for TEOTWAWKI. Call it a “care package” or “a kit”. I am pretty sure the college kid on your list would love to get a bucket of non-perishable foods (including snacks) to take back to school, saving them a midnight-run to the vending machine. Also, what about good old Uncle Harry? He’d love to get a “traveling mini-bar” in a bucket. Your wife or husband will be safer and thankful if their car should break down. In some cases, you may want to add important instructions (laminated, if you like) placed inside the bucket. You can build a bucket for absolutely anyone on your list.

Important Notes To Consider:

One word of caution! You will notice that each bucket usually has a warning sticker cautioning against the possibility of a small child drowning should he/she fall into a bucket filled with water. Please use caution. I generally remove these stickers for a cleaner look and easier to read content labels.

My son is a firefighter and has assisted with removal of items from burning homes when possible. He has mentioned that plastic tubs filled with family photos or memorabilia can sometimes be saved from fire and water damage. However, it is my opinion that the lids on tubs are not always secure and that some tubs are quite large, making them difficult to carry. Wouldn’t the five-gallon buckets with handles be easier to grab?

Also, the lids on buckets may not be completely water tight, but they are usually difficult to remove unless you have the specific tool to do it. Be sure to get one.

Buckets work quite well when boating. If the buckets should go overboard or the boat should go down, the buckets will generally float for a period of time and can be retrieved without too much trouble.

Just in case you have been wondering, I have no financial gain in recommending the 5-gallon bucket.

In conclusion, I would just like to say that every family needs to decide how they want to prepare and manage their preparations and/or household. Organization plays a major role in being better prepared in our daily lives and for the difficult times we are facing. For me, the buckets work for a number of reasons. I truly wish I had come up with this idea years ago, even prior to the onset of my “prepping” days. As a busy wife, mother, and teacher I could have used buckets in untold numbers of ways. It is a system that is easy to use and helps people of all ages with organizational needs. It isn’t an expensive system, given the fact that you can start out one bucket and lid at a time. Give each bucket a label, and fill it with items of importance or items for fun. Then tuck them away under furniture, along the side of a closet, behind the sofa, in a vehicle, or in your storage area.

Now that’s my new version of a bucket-list!

God bless…

Letter Re: DIY Desiccant Packs

Hugh-

Many preppers (those that are going for the long term) use moisture absorbers in their food, ammo, and other storage containers and caches.

I recently re-discovered an old technique for DIY desiccant packs that is much less expensive than purchasing them complete and outright, even when one makes bulk buys.

As background, the actual desiccant medium used for moisture absorption is Silica Gel. Now one can look at places, like Amazon, and confirm that this stuff sells for upwards of $15 per Kg (2.2 pounds). Even then one is faced with the task of packaging it in suitable sizes to fit in their containers. So many people just buy the prepackaged size they need at the time, resulting in a lot of wasted funds over a good DIY method.

A great redeeming feature of Silica Gel is that it can be “re-activated” simply by placing it in a 250 degree oven for an hour or two, thus it can be reused indefinitely. (I always save and reuse/repackage the desiccant packs that are sometimes packaged in electronics and other things I buy, as I am sure others do also.)

Bulk Silica Gel can be reasonably purchased LOCALLY if one knows where to look. It is widely used by florists to dry and preserve (mummify) freshly cut flowers. Your local florist may sell you some on the cheap, especially if you intimate that you are a dried flower fanatic who wants to preserve some especially nice home-grown ones, or if you are experimenting with making home-made potpourri.

However, the quickest way is to just buy it from Hobby Lobby, or sometimes Walmart. At Hobby Lobby it is sold under the trade name “Dri Splendor” in 5-pound bags for $14.95. Look for a a blue/lavender sealed plastic bag with bright yellow flowers near the top. It says “Silica Gel” right on the bag. I find that many store employees don’t even know they have it, so just wander around their collection of dried flowers until you spot it. It’s there; believe me. This silica gel has “indicator” beads dispersed in the white gel beads. When it is new, the beads are blue. When they turn pink, they are much less active and it’s time to renew them by simply placing them in an oven for awhile.

Most Walmarts have it, also. Just visit their crafts section and look around.

Here’s how to repackage it for individual use.

I use two methods. The simplest is to use small 2X2 oxygen-stripped paper packs, like are commonly sold for DIY tea/herb bags. The ones I use are heat seal-able using a standard iron on the cotton setting. Here is an example. There are many more examples, and if you are lucky, you can find them and many other sizes at your local health food store, or an ethnic food store.

There is a second method. Sometimes one needs a larger or different shape/size bag, especially for ammo storage in ammo cans, or say 22LR in small lots. For this, I use old, freshly laundered cotton sheets, T shirts, or other cotton fabric; I cut it into pieces that can be used to form or fold into the properly shaped bag. The odd-shaped cotton trimmings can be re-purposed into cleaning patches for your guns.

Again, at Walmart, Hobby Lobby, and some other stores, you can buy this wonderful material that is heat sensitive cloth adhesive. It’s typically used to seamlessly repair rips and tears in clothing. You can also buy the equivalent as liquid in a squeezable tube. The heat-sensitive tape can be trimmed with scissors into very narrow strips and used to seal the cloth bags you have made, and the liquid simply spread along the seams. Either is sealed with a hot iron.

In any case, one side of your bag is left open until filled with Silica Gel, and then is permanently heat sealed.

Some ways I use them–

For barter storage, I find that the very small 3-ounce mason type jelly jars are ideal for holding 50 rounds of 22LR and a desiccant bag, and if the metal ring is coated with two coats of clear krylon and placed in a ziploc freezer bag, it is suitable for even direct burial. The half pint jars store 20 rounds of .223, 7.62 or .308 reasonably well also. The pints are great for shotgun shells.

The larger size mason jars can be used for all sorts of dried food storage, such as beans, as well as repacking large cans of mountain house stuff into smaller portions, A vacuum-style food sealer system is used to evacuate air from the newly made packages of mountain house, which I arrange to purposely be a “serving”. I vacuum seal the stuff in plastic bags separately because of cross taste/scent contamination, and then I put a home brew desiccant bag in the jar.

In this way, one does not have to use the entire large can of beef stew every meal for 2-3 days in a row. You can also package together, in a single jar, portions of different entrees/veggies/deserts together and have your own complete multi-course meal in a quart jar, with zero waste or loss of taste quality. It’s a kind of homemade MRP– Meal Ready To Prepare. Regards – Bob