Economics and Investing:

The spot silver price dropped more than $1 at the opening bell November 30. This may be the buying opportunity you’ve been looking for.

o o o

Look at the property tax “debt” already accumulated on the Brown’s property and listen to how local officials in New Hampshire refer to that debt… as “our money”. I’m telling you, we live in a country packed with apparatchiks and collaborators. The Browns were chained to a tax treadmill, were slaves in every sense of the word – by dint of their attempt to “own” real property in America – long before they were issued life sentences by the federal court. -D.W.

o o o

The Road to Zimbabwe is Paved With Central Bankers’ Good Intentions

o o o

Ten Commandments for Buying Gold and Silver

Odds ‘n Sods:

CNN is lying when they say Ferguson protests were ‘peaceful’. – T.P.

o o o

KnifeRights’ First Annual Ratings of Worst Anti-Knife Cities and Best States for Knife Owners. – G.G.

o o o

Christian beliefs put student in danger of expulsion. – D.S.

o o o

Vaccines Will be Made from Human Cancer Tumors. – RBS

Even if you weren’t previously anti-vaccine, this should make you pause. Human tumor cells!?! Human embryo cells!?! Has the FDA lost its collective mind?

o o o

What a Single Nuclear Warhead Could Do. – T.P.

Notes for Sunday – November 30, 2014

Today, we present another entry for Round 55 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 hardcase 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 1 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.
  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. Ambra Le Roy Medical Products in North Carolina is donating a bundle of their traditional wound care and first aid supplies, with a value of $208, and
  7. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  8. SurvivalBased.com is donating a $500 gift certificate to their store.
  9. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack. (a $379 value).

Round 55 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

How To Obtain Protein From Alternative Sources Without A Firearm, by Rockvault

We, Americans, like our protein, and in a prolonged hunker-in-place situation one of the many inconveniences we will be faced with will be the difficulty in enjoying our nightly beef, pork, chicken, or fish, let alone finding enough protein to maintain the health of ourselves and families. Sure, vegetarian-based diets can keep you alive, but even in a TEOTWAWKI situation why go without meat when it might not be all that hard to source and may be local to your home, camp, or hide-out, too.

First, let’s go over some assumptions. Let’s recognize here that we’re at least six months into a TEOTWAWKI event and that all of the larger game animals in your area, including deer, bear, elk, antelope, and similar wildlife have already been harvested for food. Secondly, your stocks of canned or frozen meats are nearly exhausted. Furthermore, let’s also assume that you…

  1. either have lost your firearm and/or ammunition or for some strange reason chose not to include a firearm in your survival kit,
  2. have very little ammo left from defending your homestead in the first few days after the event, or
  3. do not want to discharge your firearm out of concern for alerting others of your location.

So you are left to harvest your meats with other methods. Finally, you will see that this “how to” article is written from the perspective of living in the eastern United States.

Techniques

The techniques for catching or killing the animals presented here are simple and require only basic preparation, in most instances. Most importantly, you do not need to be a survival specialist to have these few methods work for you. This is why techniques, such as snares, dead falls, and trap lines, are not discussed here; it is my opinion that they are not going to prove effective for the novice. Also, it is not the purpose of this article to provide you with skinning or meat preparation instruction or recipes for your harvest. Those instructions can readily be found elsewhere.

For most of the animal species covered here, live box traps of various sizes are your best bet for gathering a meal. Be sure you have more than one, and have different sizes– at least two. I like the traps from Havahart and Tomahawk. Forget the wooden traps, as you’ll want a metal frame so that you can lock the trap to a tree. As for a cable lock, there is no need to go overboard here. You are not going to stop the guy with a pair of bolt cutters as he could always just cut the trap apart. Cheap cables and locks from Home Depot or Lowe’s are what I use.

Animals

Squirrels

Squirrels are at the top of my list, because they taste good, are abundant, and are also relatively easy to prepare, once you’ve tried it a few times. Live cage traps work very well. Just this summer my father trapped and relocated 12 gray and/or fox squirrels from his backyard using a live box trap. Peanut butter or sunflower seeds are my bait of choice; squirrels are not picky.

Rabbits

I’ve found rabbits to be difficult to live trap. However, if you know where they frequent, trails to their dens can often be located and a small leg hold trap can be used, such as a #1 muskrat trap. Just don’t forget to stake the trap down, as I did with my first trapping experience. If you don’t stake it, you’ll be out a meal and a trap. Another proven method is to use a sling shot. This requires practice, a lot of it. However, this is a fine opportunity to involve your children in the food gathering process. Leave the slingshot work to them. Slingshots are cheap, as you can see here and here. Rabbits will be the easiest target to start with, based on their size and the ability to stalk them without scaring them off.

Groundhogs

Here is another animal that will easily fall to a box trap. Also, if you locate the chucks hole, a leg hold trap may be effective. Every woodchuck I’ve ever dealt with has had a lot of insects in its rough hide, so be sure to keep them outside when skinning/butchering. The meat is somewhat tough. Apple cores and sunflower seeds are my preferred and proven baits for groundhogs.

Raccoons

This is the only animal I’ve never eaten myself, but I’ve caught them in box traps before. They will eat just about anything, and since they will eat just about anything, I imagine the meat is a lot like bear meat in that it depends on what the animal has been eating that will heavily influence the taste. Raccoons are nocturnal animals, and any raccoon wandering around during the day should most likely be avoided, due to the risk of it carrying rabies.

Chipmunks

Once your young ones get good at hitting a rabbit with the slingshot, they can test their skills on the ubiquitous chipmunk. If they are good with a BB gun or air gun and that is an option, chipmunks will make good targets for them. Also, a small box trap baited with peanut butter or any seeds will make it a lot easier. Butterfly the little guys and grill them whole on a stick or with a basket. Spend your time wisely; the return on investment is very low here.

Fish

I’ve long thought than a commonly overlooked item missing from many of the disaster-preparation supply lists I’ve seen is fishing tackle. The species targeted here don’t require expensive or even sophisticated tackle or much skill. Instead of by species, I’ve broken this section down by type of habitat, as the local habitat you have available to you will dictate the type of fish and fishing you’ll be doing.

Wild Trout Streams

Depending on where you live, an abundant food source could be very nearby. In large sections of the rural and even not-too-rural east, thousands of miles of streams are inhabited by naturally reproducing trout, typically native brook trout or wild brown trout. If you are lucky enough to know of or find one of these waterways, it could provide a steady source of nourishment.

Naturally reproducing trout streams are the key, because state wildlife department stocking trucks that dump trout into streams and rivers will be long gone. Many out there would likely be surprised at the little unnamed trickles that wild brook and brown trout will inhabit, especially brook trout, as they are the only trout native to the eastern United States and can be found in most mountainous and forested locations from Maine to Georgia. These trout often live in relatively infertile, freestone streams, which means they can’t be too picky about what they eat, so passing up a meal is usually not an option. Plus, recreational fishing pressure won’t be a problem, which could be good or bad. Blue-ribbon trout streams will likely draw the attention of many looking for a meal. However, the out of the way, nameless runs may be overlooked and contain enough small brookies to provide steady meals. Keep in mind that a ten-inch fish in these streams would be considered a trophy, but a half dozen six-inch fish could realistically be harvested in less than an hour.

As for tackle and techniques, simple is best in this situation. A spinning rod and/or fly rod, appropriate reels to match, line, leader, hooks, and a few simple fly and spinner patterns will be all you need. As a kid, we would catch countless brookies four to seven inches long on a small hook tipped with a piece of night crawler. Now, I use dry flies and can usually do the same. Any live bait will do. Artificial lures– tied flies or spinners– will eliminate the need to gather bait, but they may not be as effective for gathering a quick meal, at least without a moderate level of knowledge on fly fishing.

Farm Ponds

For bluegills, large mouth bass, catfish, and similar fish, small ponds dot the landscape of much of North America. Fortunately most of these impoundments contain at least some type of fish life. Chances are the inhabitants will be accustomed to seeing people, farm animals, and farm equipment moving along the banks, and they will not be easily spooked. The easiest and fastest way that I’ve found to harvest pan fish from a pond is using a fly rod. No reel is even required if you can see the fish from shore. Just tie a leader of at least eight or nine feet to the last eyelet of the rod, and tie on a rubber spider or foam fly on the line. These fly patterns are nearly indestructible and there is no need to gather or store live bait. In the summer, pan fish and bass are on their nests, or redds, and become aggressive. These are usually the biggest (adult) fish and can be coaxed into an “aggression strike” by dragging any lure, bait, or fly in or near the redd. Pulling too many fish off the redds will inevitably lead to less young fish next year though. For catfish, any bait on the bottom is good. Animal hearts and livers from your previous harvests can be used here.

Other waters

Finally, find any river, lake, creek, run, brook, or swamp that you can get to; it should be able to provide the opportunity to harvest some type of fish. Pan fish, small mouth bass, creek chubs, suckers, carp, and other species that most consider today to be “junk fish” for eating and that, if caught, are thrown back could one day– after TEOTWAWKI– be viewed as a delicacy. (A quick note on carp: They are big and easy to spot, but they are notoriously shy and will spook if they see you or if you present your bait too overtly. Remember, if you can see the fish, the fish can see you. Some don’t care (think bluegills) but most do. Be stealthy if you are after them.)

Birds

Since we’re working under the assumption that we don’t have a firearm or don’t want to use it, birds are going to be difficult to provide us with a food source. Three notable exceptions exist.

Eggs

Harvesting any bird eggs could be done from either cavity-nesting or platform nesting birds. However, you’ll need to harvest the egg within four days of it being laid, to insure minimal embryo development.

Trapping

Trapping cavity nesting birds in their nests is a second method to avian protein sources. Again, your efforts may be limited by the size of your quarry. To me, a dove isn’t worth the hassle to hunt, since it is so small. However, I’d likely feel very different if I was hungry. That said, trapping a sparrow in a bird house isn’t going to satisfy your cravings for protein. The bigger the better, so try to locate duck, owl, kestrel, or large woodpecker nests within reach. This source is most likely going to be a “target of opportunity”.

The Goose

The “highlight” of the bird section is the Canada goose, which is plentiful year-round in the central and northern United States. In fact, it is hard to find a pond or stream without one or multiple pairs of geese in the breeding season. In the nesting season, Canada geese will not abandon their nest with eggs, which are found on the ground, near a body of water. In fact, they will fight you or any other threat that comes too close to the nest. This is a two-fold win for you if you come across an active nest. First, kill the geese and then gather the eggs. I’ve never raided a goose nest, but I can attest that goose bites do hurt a bit, but it should be a quick fight. Approach the nest when both birds are nearby and you’ll double your goose meat supply. Finally, as mentioned above, it is best to get to the eggs soon after they are laid, before much embryo development has occurred.

Other Sources

There is a reason I’ve listed this section at the end, as these would all be an equal last resort for me and my family’s protein supply.

Frogs

If you have any body of water near your location, such as the farm ponds mentioned above, frogs might be an option during the warmer months. The bullfrog, leopard frog, and pickerel frog would generally serve as the largest and most common sources. The easiest way to harvest frogs in my experience is during the breeding season and at night. For the bullfrog in the east, that is June and July. A spotlight or flashlight will stun them and a frog gig, net, your hands, or two-by-four will do to catch them. As you probably guessed, the legs are the edible part. Many rave over the taste, but I’m personally not as impressed.

Crayfish

Almost every moving waterway and even some ponds in the east contain crayfish. When I was a child, on camping trips we would catch them in an acid-mine-drainage stained, farm runoff filled, and muddy little tributary and boil them over the campfire. They are not exactly gourmet, but considering the environment they were sourced from they were not all that bad. Look for crayfish by turning over rocks. Crayfish swim backwards, which you’ll quickly figure out. A net or seine might help you catch them, The tail/abdomen is the edible part, just like a shrimp. Be sure to remove the carapace (shell) before eating.

Freshwater Mussels

One particular stream near where I grew up contains 27 different species of freshwater mussels. Once you’ve found a supply, it is as simple as picking them up. Freshwater mussels themselves are not poisonous, but chemicals and algae in/on them might be. So consider a few preventative measures before eating. These include letting the mussel live in clean water for a few days before consuming them, cleaning off the outside of the mussel with a stiff bristled brush before cooking them, and only cooking mussels that are closed tight. Open shells mean that the mussel is dead or dying, and these should not be harvested.

A note on eating fish, crayfish, mussels, et cetera: Your local environmental conditions will determine how safe aquatic life is for you to eat over the long term. Looking back, those crayfish from that little sulfur-stained run are probably not a good idea to consume every day, but one time didn’t seem to hurt me.

Conclusions

Hopefully, the ideas and techniques discussed above will be a benefit to you and your family, if the need should arise. Preparing and trying these non-traditional food items could be a good source of family fun. I know that this coming summer I’ll be making an effort to try frog legs again. My hunch is that frog tastes like the water body it lives in, and since the little creek I tried frogs from before included the effluent from more than one broken septic field, I might like it better this time.

If you have to start from scratch and purchase (new) two box traps and locks, a fly rod, or spinning rod and reel, basic tackle, a leg hold trap, and a slingshot, the total on the “budget plan” should come to no more than $300. Chances are you already have some of these items or can acquire them used for less. With a little preparation and reasonable cost, you can be well prepared for making sure that your loved ones have access to protein sources in case of a TEOTWAWKI event.

Letter Re: Light Tactical Trailer– The M1102

Hugh,

D.A. is correct in that the HMMWV trailers are awesome. However, to clarify, DOD is selling off all the M1101 trailers, which were purchased beginning in the mid 90s for use with the M998 series HMMWV. When the addition of armor and additional load capacity required modification to create the Heavy HMMWV, DOD also created the M1102 trailer. The only difference between the M1101 and the M1102 is the data plate (which allows and additional 800lb of payload). No, I can’t explain why DOD couldn’t buy new data plates rather than new trailers.

For info on the trailers see this site.

The relevance? If you go looking for a M1102, you won’t find many since the DOD is still buying them, but there are many M1101 available. It’s EXACTLY the same trailer, and they are great. Most are new or near new. Few have bows/canvas tops.

You can buy DOD surplus direct at auction from the DOD contractor www.govliquidation.com (who recently lost the contract). The new auction contractor is at www.govplanet.com, who just started last week. Govplanet.com is to auction all rolling stock (wheels or tracks). Everything else will still be govliquidation.com. Read the terms and conditions closely. The purchase price is bid + the auction surcharge.

Other great deals at present are hundreds of M923 series 5t 6×6 trucks. There are great units selling in for under $5000. They’re diesel, automatic with air brakes, but you must have Class B CDL. There are indications that early HMMWV are going FINALLY to be auctioned off (vs scrapped). Transfers to Fire Dept (with title) just began. There are hundreds of M998 (early HMMWV) presently listed at the DOD/GSA surplus site. In the next few weeks they will start to show up at govplanet.com, if they will actually be auctioned to the public.

For general advice/assistance on repairing/operating DOD surplus vehicles, a great collector/enthusiast site is at: www.steelsoldiers.com

-R.S.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17 (KJV)

Notes for Saturday – November 29, 2014

Today is the birthday of Clive Staples (“C.S.”) Lewis, who was born in 1898 and died 22 November 1963.

o o o

Today, we present another entry for Round 55 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 hardcase 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 1 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.
  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. Ambra Le Roy Medical Products in North Carolina is donating a bundle of their traditional wound care and first aid supplies, with a value of $208, and
  7. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  8. SurvivalBased.com is donating a $500 gift certificate to their store.
  9. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a Locking Rifle Rack. (a $379 value).

Round 55 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Light Tactical Trailer– The M1102, by D.A., DVM

Bugging out? Got a pickup or big SUV but not enough room to carry everything you want to take with you? Consider the military’s solution to the limited cargo space in their HMMWV (Humvee), the M1102 Light Tactical Trailer.

Our government (i.e. using our tax money) purchased a LOT of these all-aluminum trailers for our military, and they are built to last and take a beating. A local man had two of these for sale, tied down on a bigger trailer and parked on a busy corner with a sign on them. I called him, and he was asking $2,500.00 each. The original sale price was $8,954.00. I bought mine for $1,800.00, cash, and it is like new. I’m sure people are buying these surplus trailers from government liquidators and reselling them in many states.

The primary contractor is Silver Eagle Manufacturing Company– a subsidiary, located in Portland, Oregon, of Electrospace Systems and Chrysler Company. There are a lot of new open trailers available for less money, and used open and closed trailers, too. A good two-horse trailer would be fine also, but few “civilian” trailers can withstand the rough-road or off-road punishment that the M1102 can. The fat, high tires are great for off-road travel, and they are like new, showing hardly any wear.

The unitized body or hull of the trailer is made of aircraft grade aluminum and chromoly steel. It’s really thick, heavy-duty aluminum, and therefore rust-free. It was designed to carry 2,840 pounds but will probably take more, and mine came with a woodland camo canvas top with attached tubular hoops. A very nice, lockable fiberglass top is available from Amtech Military Products for about $4,000.00, new, plus nearly $1,000.00 for shipping from the factory in Washington to the northeast U.S. It weighs 370 lbs. but can carry an additional 500 lbs. on its roof! I’m not sure if they are available through military surplus sources, but if so, they would be a lot less!

If the canvas top deteriorates, it would be simple enough to buy a camo tarp to tie down over the hoops. Without the hoops, an aircraft cargo net would work well to keep things from bouncing out or being blown out. The trailer is rated for 55 miles per hour on primary roads, but who’s checking?

The interior of the bed is about 80″ wide by 85″ long, and the sides are 22″ high. On the floor of the bed are twelve heavy-duty, flush, swivel “D”-ring tie downs, and there are 1″ strap tie-down positions all around the top edges on the outside, which the canvas top’s straps loop through.

The trailer is complete and ready to pull, if you have a Humvee, that is. This is not the standard trailer hitch that hooks to a ball on your vehicle. Military trucks have a pintle hook that connects to a big steel donut on the trailer. It’s kind of like making a circle with your index finger and thumb of one hand, then putting the circle over your other thumb and “locking” them together with your other index finger. Pintle hooks and 2″ hitch adapters are readily available online.

The harder part is the fact that the trailer lighting is 24 volt. It’s simple enough to switch out all the bulbs for 12 volt models, but the electrical connector is a 12-pin NATO item. I solved this problem by ordering the mating plug and making a jumper cable with a standard flat pin 7-way commercial connector. The wiring connected as follows: Red wire, left turn signal to NATO pin B, stop light. Brown wire, right turn signal to NATO pin J, stop light. Green wire, running lights to NATO pin E, tail lights. White wire, ground to NATO pin D, ground. Military vehicles also have convoy lights, blackout stop lights, and other sockets/pins on their connector that are not used.

I have the jumper cable clamped to the removable 2″ hitch adapter and pintle hook, so that when I need to hook up the trailer I simply plug one end into the existing socket on the SUV and the other to the trailer’s NATO plug. There’s a bracket on the tongue in front of the box to hold a standard Army Jerry can, with a belt strap to hold it down. The running lights are also recessed to prevent them from getting smashed.

The trailer is equipped with huge 37 X 12.5R 16.5″ low-pressure (17 lbs.) tires with 30-mile run flat inserts. The hitch is connected to hydraulic surge brakes with automatic breakaway, and independent lever-operated left and right mechanical parking brakes. Two stanchion legs are carried on the front of the trailer. These are inserted in sockets on the rear corners to stabilize the trailer when disconnected and leveled by using the tongue jack. This creates a very stable platform for loading and unloading. A Marine I know used one of these trailers for sleeping quarters during Desert Storm!

Four thick “D”-ring tie-downs are on each corner– two in front and two in the rear. Everything about this trailer is heavy duty, including the safety chains. The drawbar hitch eye is fairly high, at 29.5″, but the pintle hook hitch adapter plate has several height positions. The deck height is 34.5″ and ground clearance is 16″. The suspension is unusual, incorporating fully independent progressive rate trailing arms. The springs are actually torselastic rubber chords, and there are two shock absorbers. Wheels are the same as on the HMMWV, with eight lugs.

In order to get it registered and licensed, I had to run it over a certified scale and get an official weight slip. I was issued a plate, but I haven’t put it on, nor does it have a plate light. I’ll make a license plate bracket to slip over the tailgate, if I need to move it over the roads, but if the SHTF I don’t think anyone is going to be worried about plates or if it is legal.

I’ve pre-loaded my trailer with non-perishable, weather-resistant supplies, including tents, camouflage canopies, sleeping bags, a military surplus stove, LP gas canisters, cooking equipment, a shovel, an axe, and a pick. The Plano 1819 XXL storage trunks hold most bigger items, with 3.7 cubic feet of storage, and they provide protection as well. They have built-in brackets for tying down, and I used bungees to anchor them to the “D”-rings in the floor. They also nest when stacked. The smaller Plano 1619-00 56-quart tote tub is handy for stowage alongside the bigger trunks and also nests when stacked.

The boxes are numbered, and a complete inventory of each one makes it easy to find just what you need during unpacking. No, I didn’t pack like an assault landing ship, last on, first off, but you could. Pack the tent last. About one-fourth of the space at the rear of the trailer is left open to throw in last-minute things, like perishables, water, ammunition, and high-value items. Large volumes of water are not necessary, if you are in an area with small lakes, streams, or rivers. The LifeStraw Personal® water filter and LifeStraw Family 1.0® water purifiers allow you to safely drink from just about any outdoor water source.

The center of balance is about ten inches in front of the axle, so loading heavy items, like ammo and fuel, in this rear area will help balance the trailer. I plan to add a row or two of hickory rails to the inside of the canopy hoops to protect the inside of the canvas cover in case things shift around during rough travel. That’s really the only other modification I can think of to make this beast more perfect for the job, other than that hard top.

My driveway extends around behind part of our house, so I keep the trailer back there, partially hidden from the street. The woodland camo really works with the backdrop of a blue spruce and various bushes. Those who’ve noticed it and asked what it’s for, I respond with, “I use it for camping”. It would make a perfect camping trailer, too, and basically that is what bugging out is going to be about. That is, unless you have a cabin or Redoubt location ready to go to. We have some major national forests within an hour’s drive of home that I have already checked out for retreat.

Just about every survival or prepping item I had stored in my basement is now in the trailer, freeing up more shelf space for freeze-dried and dehydrated food, peanut butter, honey, sugar, and salt, et cetera. The boxes are also packed with some redundancy, such as fire starters in nearly all of them, knives, paracord, and ponchos (remember “Rambo”?). In case I have to abandon the trailer and grab just a couple boxes, I should have some essentials in whatever I take. Using the trailer also gives me more space in our SUV or pickup to carry high-value supplies, including guns, ammo, and food. If there’s an EMP, however, the trailer won’t be going anywhere unless I can get a pre-1980 vehicle to pull it. I have a 1975 Honda CB200T to get my wife and I out of Dodge if that’s what happens.

I love my “TRAILER, CARGO M1102,” and hope our country doesn’t go down the tubes, but I feel a lot better about my preps knowing it is ready to hook up and head down the road.

Letter: Stomping Laundry Clean in TEOTWAWKI

HJL,

My grandmother lived in a small village in Vermont at a time when there was only one washing machine in the village. The lady who owned it made her living taking in other people’s wash.

My grandmother mostly did her own, in the big farmhouse kitchen sink. I remember the corrugated washing board and seeing her scrubbing clothes on it.

During TEOTWAWKI we will be in a similar situation, but there is a much easier method of washing clothes, which I have adapted from traditional methods of pressing grapes to make wine.

It involves a bathtub, soap, water heated on a stove, and hopefully, some active and energetic children. If no children are available, any size adult will do.

Especially dirty spots in the clothes should be moistened, soaped, and left to sit for a few hours. Then, place the dirty clothes in the bathtub, which should be full of fairly hot (not painfully so), soapy water. Add children, who have first had their feet and legs scrubbed. Begin singing, preferably a marching song, or something with plenty of rhythm to it.

Have children (or adults) stomp, march, stomp, and dance on the laundry. Installing a grab bar all around the tub will help avoid mishaps. This will get the dirt out, and works best on heavy work clothes, which are the hardest to wash by hand. (Do not use this method for delicate silks and laces; however, they are easy to hand wash.)

Continue stomping for five or ten minutes, and then drain water out of tub. Bathtubs are perfect for this, as they are designed to hold soapy water, have slightly sloped bottoms, and have a drain at the lowest point. Buckets do not, and have to be carried and dumped, which makes a mess.

If you have a wringer, wring out laundry. If not, you can wring the wet laundry out by hand, which is probably a teen or adult job. You can also use the roll and squeeze method. For this, tightly roll up the item of clothing, put it back into the empty tub, and stomp slowly back and forth on it, squeezing most of the water out with your feet.

Then refill the tub with fresh hot water, rinse, and repeat. Also, the children will now be clean, and they’ll be tired. Hmm. Maybe this would be a good pre-bedtime task.

The legs have the largest muscles in the body, while the arms and hands are much weaker, especially for most women. The old saying “She’s built like a washerwoman” was no compliment. This method uses your largest muscles, plus the whole weight of the body, to wash clothes with minimal effort.

In TEOTWOWKI, conserving energy, whether human or otherwise, will be a prime necessity. The scrub in the tub method of doing heavy laundry is not only far easier and more efficient, but with a certain amount of singing and stomping can even be fun. – J.W.

Economics and Investing:

What happens when 100 million Americans are not in the labor force? More pressure is being added on the one-third of working Americans supporting two-thirds of the population.

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PONZI: Treasury Issues $1T in New Debt in 8 Weeks — To Pay Old Debt – G.P.

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Items from Mr. Econocobas:

Video: Gold Will Rise Faster Than Rocket Ship – Peter Schiff

The Federal Reserve Is At The Heart Of The Debt Enslavement System That Dominates Our Lives

“There Will Be Blood”: Petrodollar Death Means A Liquidity And Oil-Exporting Crisis On Deck

Odds ‘n Sods:

It’s not strictly survival related, but an inspiring story nonetheless: This tribute was almost lost to the ravages of time but even in its less than HD format it bears striking witness to what one man can do even when they are given less than a fair shot at life. – RBS

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Homeless woman’s stun gun spurs 2nd Amendment case. – G.P.

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Footage shows elderly man attacked with his own oxygen supply and carjacked by protesters in Ferguson as a third night of protests take place nationwide. – T.P.

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From the “Say What?!” annals: US student gets mugged at gunpoint then writes incredible piece saying he deserved it. The brainwashing is obviously complete. – T.P.

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If you don’t want to give your hard earned money to MS or others, here is a free word processing program. It is very easy to use and employs many if not all of the features of expensive WP programs. All you have to do is download it. It works great. – RBS

HJL adds: Because a for-profit organization (Oracle) that has a history of “unfriendliness” to open source software actually owns the rights to the software, I use a spinoff: LibreOffice. For those interested, there are several articles on the net comparing the two. Both come from the same codebase and are very similar.

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Don’t forget the Black Friday sales of SurvivalBlog advertisers JRH Enterprises, Ready Made Resources, and Safecastle. All three companies have great deals going on right now. It’s a great time to grab that field gear you’ve been thinking about, or stock up on the freeze-dried food!

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” Genesis 28:15 (KJV)