S.W. Florida Bomb Shelter, interesting look back. – JRN
It may be a look back, but it still sounds interesting to me for future use…
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By way of Infowars.com: Bundy Family Treated as Terror Suspects by TSA
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Sipsey Street Irregulars: There will be raids. – B.B.
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More reasons to home school: Allah in the Classroom — the ABC’s of Forced Conversion. – B.B.
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‘Entire villages disappeared’: Ebola deaths in Sierra Leone ‘underreported’ – K.D.
“For libertarians, freedom entails the right of people to live their lives any way they choose, so long as their conduct is peaceful. For conservatives, freedom entails the right of government to do just about anything it wants, even if its conduct is violent.” – Jacob Hornberger
Just a reminder about SurvivalBlog’s Contest: If you have submitted an article and it did not win one of the top three prizes, you can still submit another article to the contest this year, even if you won an honorable mention. If you submitted and won one of the top three prizes over a year ago, you can submit again and be eligible now. If you have been putting it off, get busy and get that article in. Who knows, you could be one of the winners of over $12,000 worth of prizes.
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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:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:
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.
One January when I was a Boy Scout, my troop and I went camping in Missouri to participate in an event known as “Trappers’ Rendezvous,” an annual gathering of around 6,000 Boy Scouts to trade (almost) anything, from folding knives and rabbit pelts to books and video games. This was an experience I’m very grateful to have had, as I learned not only a lot about bartering (something every serious survivalist should learn) but also a lot about caring for my extremities in cold weather. The thing about Missouri in the winter is…it’s cold! Now that I live in Colorado, I laugh at myself for thinking -6 degrees Fahrenheit at night is bad. (Where I live it gets down to -17 at night in January.) However, back then that was the coldest weather I’d camped in. That weekend our campsite was covered in several inches of snow and I (contrary to the Boy Scout motto) was not prepared for it. I had enough layers––long underwear, a couple of breathable shirts, a jacket, and a heavy coat––but for footwear I only had a pair of canvas hiking shoes that were water resistant but, as anyone who has gone hiking in water-resistant shoes or boots already knows, they were not waterproof. Water resistant pretty much means that if you step in a puddle and quickly step out of it your shoes won’t be completely soaked.
In addition to being unprepared in regards to footwear, I had only one pair of thin, acrylic gloves that I had bought from Walmart for a few dollars. Acrylic is not a bad material. (It’s actually pretty comfortable, and it’s great for spring hiking and camping.) However, for winter camping, something a bit more heavy duty, like mittens or two pair of gloves (a thin inner pair and a thick, polyester or neoprene outer pair, if you decide to wear gloves) is ideal.
After setting up camp that night, my hands and feet were, understandably, quite cold. Luckily, I had on wool socks, so I guess I did do something right. That night, I climbed into my mummy bag, shivering, and tried to go to sleep. My feet were, as one might expect, frozen. I had packed a few hand warmers (air- or shake-activated packets which produce heat), so I dropped one in each of my socks and, within a few minutes, my feet had regained feeling and warmed up to a comfortable temperature. The next morning my feet and hands were cold again, so I used two more pairs of hand warmers––one in each sock and one in each glove––to get me through the morning. Anyone who has been camping in the winter knows that you’re coldest in the morning when the sun has not risen yet; your hands and feet are stiff and numb. You haven’t eaten yet, so your body is burning fewer calories than usual, resulting in a lower amount of heat production, and your sweat has frozen to your hair during the night. If I haven’t made myself clear, I highly recommend that you keep hand warmers in your bug out bag. They’re small, lightweight, and a lifesaver when your hands and feet are numb and you need feeling in them fast.
By Sunday I was out of hand warmers, and my shoes and socks were drenched. We had loaded up our trailers with our gear, including my duffle bag, which contained my only dry pair of socks. Being the twelve-year-old boy that I was, I didn’t ask for help, thinking that asking for help would somehow be a “weak” thing to do. Frankly, this was really stupid of me. If you need help and have the ability to get it, by all means get help! There was no point in putting myself in danger when I could have easily asked for a dry pair of socks from one of the scoutmasters.
My feet became increasingly colder until I felt a very strong burning sensation. Based on my knowledge of frostbite, I had the feeling that if I didn’t get somewhere warm ASAP I was going to lose my toes. Instead of asking for help though, I (foolishly) decided to wait the few hours until we left camp. This brings me to another very important principle to remember: Do everything you can to insure your survival; don’t wait on others to help you. For me that would’ve been as simple as asking to go inside one of the cars to warm my feet up. In a SHTF scenario, that usually means relying on your skills and supplies instead of waiting for FEMA or the National Guard to assist you. If help comes, great, but don’t count on it. If you have to wait on someone else to save you, you’re as good as dead.
To conclude my story, after we left camp my feet regained their feeling in the heated car. I hope none of you ever get into that situation, but if you do remember to quickly remove your socks and shoes; if you don’t already have frostbite, warm your feet up. Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes and take the following precautions to protect your feet in a SHTF scenario.
This one’s pretty obvious. If you’ve ever picked up a book on hiking or camping, you’ve probably run into a paragraph or two on keeping your feet dry. It seems pretty simple to do––just don’t step in any water, right? Well, not exactly. Your feet are more likely to get wet from your own sweat– something you’ll be producing a lot of if you’re hiking much– which is quite probable if it’s TEOTWAWKI. Sadly, there’s nothing you can do to keep your feet from sweating. However, you can keep the sweat your feet produce from sticking to your skin (something you definitely don’t want, as wet feet are much more likely to get frostbite and form blisters). You should wear wicking fabrics that “wick away the perspiration from your body to the outer layer of the fabric where it can easily evaporate, helping you to stay dry and comfortable.”1 For socks, the best wicking fabric is merino wool, which you can buy from any Army Surplus or camping store.
That’s great that wool socks wick away your sweat, but how do you keep water from the outside (like rain and snow) from getting your feet wet? Your best option is to buy waterproof boots. Just remember that “waterproof footwear will keep the moisture out as long as the water doesn’t spill over the top edge,”2 so your feet will still get wet if you decide to go wading through water that is over your boots. Another option is to use leather boots that have been treated with moisture repellent. In addition to that, you could use waterproof boot covers, which are kind of like ponchos for your hiking boots.
If you find yourself in a situation like the one I was in, where you are unprepared for the elements, you can always improvise. One thing that I’ve done to keep my feet dry is wear plastic bags over my socks. The down side to this is it tends to make your feet sweat more, but if you’re wearing wool socks this shouldn’t make too big of a difference. You could also make your own boot covers out of a couple of trash bags; just be sure to cut a place for the sole of your shoe or boot to stick out to retain the grip of your footwear.
It’s equally important to keep your feet clean. Wash them at least once a day and remember to properly trim your toenails. You do not want to have an ingrown toenail during TEOTWAWKI!
Socks get wet. It just happens. That’s why it’s necessary to have several pairs of socks that you can change into throughout the day. Don’t wait for your current pair to become drenched in sweat; change your socks frequently and be sure to wash the dirt and grime out of your used pairs. Store all of your socks in ziplock bags (or other waterproof bags) and keep an extra pair of socks with you (in a coat pocket or in a day bag) so that, if you’re separated from your gear, you won’t lack clean socks.
At night, if you’re camping, throw your wet socks in the bottom of your sleeping bag. Your body heat will dry them out by morning.
Besides wearing footwear that will keep water out, you should make sure that your boots are well-fitted to your feet. There are a lot of factors to take into account when buying hiking boots (i.e., climate and terrain of the area where you’ll be hiking), so here are just a few essentials to consider:
There isn’t any “one-size-fits-all” formula for finding the right pair of hiking boots, so the best way to discover what works for you is to go to your nearest outdoors store and try walking around in several pairs. If you don’t like it in the store, you won’t like it when the SHTF and you have to hike 25 miles to get to your bug out location. Buy a pair of boots that work for you and remember to break them in. Don’t put your boots on the shelf until you need them. Use them now. They won’t do you any good if they’re too stiff to use when the time comes.
Below is a list of inexpensive clothing and gear that I recommend you add to your bug out bag:
I’ve found that it’s more fun to read or write about guns or turning your home into an impenetrable fortress than it is to write about taking care of your feet, but sometimes it’s necessary to discuss the little things (like carrying an extra pair of socks) that can make the difference between life and death. Most beginning preppers want to get right to the “fun” stuff– guns, hunting, building a bug out location, et cetera–, but, as any experienced survivalist will tell you, it’s more important to learn how to start a fire or use a knife properly than it is to learn how to fight off an army of gang members. If you don’t know the basics (how to filter water, for instance), it doesn’t matter how many guns you have, you’ll die. I encourage you to examine your preps and make sure you’re well-rounded in each area of preparedness. Remember, it’s the little things that will kill you if you let them, so don’t let them.
Hi HJL,
I need some advice on what I should do next, and I am sure that many of the young college graduates who are reading your site are in a similar predicament. Here is the back story. I graduated from a university with about 80K in student loans– 52K in state and 28K in federal. I was very blessed to get a great job out of college working for my alma mater as a researcher making about 47K (pretax). I live at home and commute to work (1.5 hours each way), and now I am going back to graduate school for almost free. The federal loans are deferred and I am making the minimum payments. I am also trying to actively build my supply stockpile. My aim is to have a minimum of 6 months worth of supplies of basic food, ammo, medical supplies, and some comm equipment. I know that having such high financial liabilities is terrible, but I also know that I need to have some supplies for the coming crisis that will certainly occur.
I have four options for the road ahead, as far as I can tell.
I think (and here is where I would like some guidance) that Option 4 is the right path and is my current choice, but what do you think? Do you put a higher value on getting supplies first or financial freedom? Is there another option I have yet to think of? Thanks for any and all advice.
Respectfully, Patriot in Occupied NJ
P.S. And of course knowledge is free, so I have gotten many of the suggested books and plan to start reading through them in and around my graduate studies.
Hugh Replies: The college debt bubble is one of the largest and most damaging debt bubbles on the horizon. While it’s too late for your situation, others may learn from your situation. I highly recommend several resources for folks who are thinking about debt as an option to fund education:
These three resources give you a plethora of information about how the college system is financially rigged as a money maker for universities and how they enslave young people who might otherwise have avoided the debt/slave paradigm that has a stranglehold on the world at the moment. Having spent a good portion of my career as a high school teacher of Physics, I saw first hand how the “god” of higher education was pushed upon all students. I personally hold two engineering undergraduate degrees, one masters degree, and a number of “certificates” from extensive schooling. I did get caught up in the debt tangle and spent many years untangling myself. However, in all that time, in all the positions I have held, not once did anyone ever look at one of my transcripts or degrees (except for the FBI in their background checks, but that is another story) and not one job has ever been dependent on anything other than what I learned on my own.
For those who are considering college, know that nobody cares where most of your schooling occurs. The prestige is based upon where you graduated from. Take as many credits as you can at a local community college, CLEP test out of anything you can, transfer into the school of your choice as late as possible, and if nothing else, avoid the debt at all cost. If you are not sure what you want out of college, the answer is simple– don’t go! Don’t spend the money, at least not until you have a clue what you want out of it.
As you have realized, that $80,000 of debt is like a millstone around your neck while you are trying to swim. You will not be able to discharge it either. I think you answered your own question best: Get out of that debt as quickly as possible! You can still prep on a smaller scale, but I would put the bulk of my resources in eliminating the school loan debt.
An interesting look at Ebola: Math Just Is. – K.H.
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SurvivalBlog’s Field Gear Editor, Scot Eire, is curious if any readers have had a time-keeping device like this Dipleidoscope. If you are aware of this product or a similar product, shoot us an email.
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What a surprise: State of Maine Document Reports Kaci Hickoxâs Roommate in Africa Developed Ebola. – T.P.
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Another reason I don’t use smart phones: Somebody’s Already Using Verizon’s ID to Track Users. – G.G.
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For those following the Sharyl Attkisson ordeal, a video has now been released showing the computer being activated and used by “unknowns” to delete information.
“Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.” – Luke 2:29-32 (KJV)
November 1st, 1923, was the birthday of science fiction writer Gordon R. Dickson (born 1923, died January 31, 2001). Many of his novels and short stories, such as Wolf and Iron, have survivalist themes. November 1st is also the birthday of economist Martin A. Armstrong. For many years he was a prisoner of conscience, in part because he refused to turn over his proprietary trading algorithms to Federal prosecutors. After seven years in prison without a trial, the longest Federal incarceration for contempt in American history, Armstrong was finally put on trial in a proceeding that was branded as a sham. He was convicted on securities fraud charges based upon some marginal testimony and given a five year sentence. He was released from prison in September of 2011. Notably, Armstrong continued to write his economics newsletter while in prison, producing most of the issues on a prison library typewriter.
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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:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:
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.
No, this is not an article on weight loss, though it should be; I need to take off a bunch of pounds. It’s more about how I readjusted my lifestyle and budget after a loss of a paycheck. Both my wife and I have been working steadily since our teens, and I consider us to not be rich, per se, but in the comfortably middle class. We have been married for the past 10 years, and we both met each other at work. That is when I first heard the moniker, DINK– Dual Income No Kids.
As I stated, we lived comfortable though it wasn’t lavish. We tried to just live off one paycheck, while the other one went into savings. We bought most items in full and tried not to get into more debt, as the mortgage is more than enough! That being said, I wasn’t out buying a new car every year or having caviar for lunch, but I was afflicted with the man disease of “if it’s sharp, shiny, or goes boom then I must have it”!
Then last year we got blessed with a baby girl. Now, by itself having a baby is a budget changer, but also having a spouse stay home and raise that baby is a different twist altogether. We made lists, rewrote budgets, prayed, and contemplated what we should do. We made the decision to have my wife stay home and raise our child instead of throwing money at a daycare. This was the best decision we have ever made, and my wife is absolutely loving her new job title of Mother!
Now comes the slimming down part. How does one cut back on a lifestyle that you are so use to? How does that effect your prepping? I did what most people probably have done many times before; I cut back on the most frivolous stuff first. I got a library card and cut out the hundreds of dollars going to Amazon for books and movies. I took more “brown bag” lunches to work, instead of going out to eat so much. Then I looked at one of my other big bills– ammo.
My current career field has me wearing a pistol, and within my career I worked my way into becoming a Firearms Instructor. So, needless to say, I shoot quite a bit. I’m a very firm believer that shooting is a perishable product; I can really see that when I compare all the people I qualify who take it seriously and practice versus the others who don’t take it serious and are just there to barely qualify in order to keep their job.
So, I crunched some numbers and figured that I shoot roughly a 1000 rounds a month through both my AR and Glock, which equates to about $600 a month. That being said, I don’t really feel that I’m practicing enough. So, a while back I purchased a SIRT pistol from Next Level Training and used it for dry fire practice at home. Pat did an excellent review of the SIRT and so I’m not going to try to elaborate more on the subject, but I want to reaffirm how the SIRT pistol and AR bolt are excellent training tools. Now that I’m looking at finances, it occurred to me that I really wasn’t using my SIRT pistol to its fullest potential. This is what I did.
I came up with drills that I did on the range and incorporated them into drills in my garage with targets taped on the back of the garage door. I now have a 7 yard, 4 lane, indoor range for my SIRT pistol. Here are just some of the pistol drills I did regularly on the range:
These were the core drills I would do, adding a few others when I can due to my limitations of using a public range. It seems that the old days of going down a forest service road and shooting at the old gravel pit are long gone. So, a lot of dynamic drills of moving and shooting, engaging from the ground, and shooting around awkward covers are not allowed on my range. These core drills I did on the range easily translated over to the SIRT, with some exceptions, like the SIRT pistol slide can’t be manipulated.
If you look at my core drills, you may see a pattern. I believe it was Clint Smith that said, “If you’re not shooting, you should be loading. If you’re not loading, you should be moving.” That has stuck with me, and I try to ingrain it into my training. Now, here is where I think the SIRT pistol shines. You can do these drills and more, without having local range limitations and safety issues. Speaking of safety, make sure all other weapons and ammo are locked up or inaccessible. You don’t want to pick up a live weapon when you are doing dry firing exercises in the house. Also, if you set up a “back yard range”, make sure to know who is watching. I’m lucky that I don’t live in an urban environment, where everyone can see my backyard. Just imagine what your neighbor would think, seeing you in your full battle rattle, running around your house like a Tier One Operator at Osama’s compound. You might end up meeting your local SWAT team in their full battle rattle!
Now that I have a pistol that fires just a laser, my training has expanded throughout the house and more. It’s not just a dry fire tool, it’s an active shooter trainer. I’m sure lots of people have thought of what they would do if someone was in the house. Well, with the SIRT you can! Have your spouse set up a target somewhere in the house and practice clearing room by room. Get intimately familiar with your home; it is where you spend most of your time, so you should know how to defend it. How would you react if, while you are sitting in your lazyboy watching football, someone kicks in your front door? Where is your weapon at? How do you approach the door? Where are your cover and/or concealment locations?
I’ve also added the SIRT AR bolt to my collection, and the nice part is that you get to use your own personal AR. It’s a drop in bolt that not only shoots a laser out your bore but auto resets your trigger. So, again not only am I using this as a dry fire trainer but also in active shooter drills. Putting this all together with two different components, you get to train with your rifle and incorporate pistol transitions. Again with my previous limitations, I couldn’t shoot my AR and do pistol transitions on the range.
I’ve just scratched the possibilities of what you can do with the SIRT line of products. During my lifetime I have always kept my eyes and ears open to new things to learn. I love going to YouTube and seeing if any good training ideas come up. One interesting trick came from the CEO of Next Level Training and inventor of the SIRT, Mike Hughes. On his video he talks about using the SIRT pistol and confirming your correct form by videotaping yourself. How about taking this a step further, setup your camera, iPhone, or whatever you have next to your target and see how you react or expose yourself while engaging it during your house clearing drills.
SIRT products are an awesome set of training tools, but they are not a replacement for live fire practice. Even Mike Hughes will mention this on his videos and website, be sure to look at his Next Level Training website and his videos on YouTube. He has lots of great training info for both civilians and police. I still go out a couple times a month to get in live fire time, but this had an affect on my budget. I saved about $400 to $500 a month, with an investment of about $600 in the SIRT products I purchased. The best part is that I have increased my training at least by ten fold.
Two years ago I buried cash and silver coins on some property I own as an experiment to see how well the cash and silver would fare. Oct 31st 2014 was the day it was recovered.
The vessel was a white plastic PVC pipe about 6” round and about 1.5 feet long capped and sealed with PVC Glue. The cash was placed in standard zip lock sandwich bags and a moisture absorber pouch was placed in each. The silver was placed in the standard coin tubes you receive when buying 20 coins at a time. No absorbers were placed in the tubes of coins. Also, no absorbers were placed in the general compartment outside of the zip lock bags.
Any comments and suggestions are very welcome.
UK finance ministry says takes orders for first renminbi bond. – G.G.
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Slowly but surely. The pace seems to be picking up though. China puts a new nail in dollar coffin as it begins direct trade with Singapore. – A.H.
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Items from Mr. Econocobas:
Greenspan: Fed Can’t Exit Without Turmoil
Several Readers sent in this link to the Paratus Familia Blog: The Benefits of Islam
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I’m terrified of my new TV: Why I’m scared to turn this thing on — and you’d be, too – T.P.
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Ebola protection report. – K.H.
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FEMA Pandemic Exercise Series. – P.M.
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“Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3 (KJV)
October 31st is Reformation Day.
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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:
Second Prize:
Third Prize:
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.