Notes for Thursday – July 17, 2014

Today we present another entry for Round 53 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ 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. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  5. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value),
  6. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  7. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  8. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $180 postpaid),
  9. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  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. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  12. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

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. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  9. Dri-Harvestfoods.com in Bozeman, Montana is providing a prize bundle with Beans, Buttermilk Powder, Montana Hard Red Wheat, Drink Mixes, and White Rice, valued at $333,
  10. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  11. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  12. RepackBoxis 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. A MURS Dakota Alert Base Station Kit with a retail value of $240 from JRH Enterprises,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. 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
  8. SurvivalBased.com is donating a $500 gift certificate to their store.

Round 53 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

LED Grow Lights for Indoor Food Production, by J.H.

Lighting products based on Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology continues to improve. Not only are lights getting cheaper, but the individual LED components are getting more higher powered and both efficiency and lifetimes/longevity are improving. Over time, LED technology is poised to replace the problematic and often loathed Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) as the preferred alternative to traditional incandescent light bulbs.

However, this article is not about ordinary lighting applications but rather LED lighting specifically used for indoor growing applications. The benefits of LED lighting for plant growth, particularly as the technology advances, are truly revolutionary and will change the way indoor food production is done in the years ahead.

These advances are useful to know for those interested in self-sufficiency or survivalist technology. Food can be produced with greater efficiency indoors, whether due to the desire for discretion and security or due to seasonal restrictions.

Existing plant growing technology now consists basically of large incandescent lights, either High Pressure Sodium (HPS) or Metal Halide (MH) bulbs. These are basically large, elongated bulbs capable of operating at powers up to 1000 watts each. They cannot be driven with ordinary A/C power but need a special transformer, called a ballast, to drive the individual bulbs. There is some power loss at the ballast, as well, so the power needs for a 1000 watt bulb can be in excess of 1000 watts. The HPS bulbs and the MH bulbs produce slightly different spectra, with the HPS bulbs producing a redder spectrum and the MH bulbs producing a bluer spectrum, to accommodate different growing needs of plants in their life cycles. The HPS and MH technology also require different ballasts to run, although some ballasts today are switchable and can accommodate both technologies. A bulb of this sort typically costs about $70-$100 and can be expected to last for 6,000 – 8,000 hours before needing replacement.

A quick point to be made here is that indoor grows can be either based on ordinary soil (pots of plants) or hydroponic (soilless) technology. I won’t get much into the specifics of either, except to say the hydroponic grows tend to be more efficient, but they add some complexity to your system. According to some viewpoints, hydroponic grows can double the production of plant products for the same energy input into them. However, either technology still needs light to provide energy for the plants, so either will benefit from more efficient light production.

The main advantages of LED grow lights are efficiency of power use, longevity, and ease of powering. (They can be driven with DC sources.) In addition to these main points, LEDs have some secondary advantages as well.

If you’ve read any information on LED grow lights (especially the ads), you will hear them indicating that LEDs provide the same equivalent light for one-third or even one-tenth the power. So, for example, a 100 watt LED light provides the same benefit to the plant as a 1000 watt HPS. I’m not sure I’d believe those claims, but if you had two lights of comparable power, the LEDs would definitely be more advantageous. It’s hard to quantify exactly what the advantage is, but something like 2X or 3X is probably not out of bounds. To date, LEDs still have had limited impact with growers because costs are still high, and, perhaps more importantly, overall wattage is still on the low side. Whereas HPS and MH lights top out at 1000 watts apiece, it’s hard to find an LED light that’s more than 200-300 watts. This is slowly changing, and larger units are becoming available.

The reason for the greater efficiency is twofold. First, the LED lights themselves produce light more efficiently. Second, since LEDs can produce narrow bands of wavelengths of light, by selecting the correct wavelengths that plants respond to the most (the red and blue light bands), one can build a light that only uses energy for the wavelengths that plants like. In general, plants make little use of light in the green area, which is why plants tend to be green, as the green light is reflected back to our eyes. So, a light that avoids those bands not only saves energy but avoids bombarding the plant with light energy it can’t make use of energy. For this reason, LED grow lights tend to produce a reddish-purplish hue. An example of this (May, 2014) is NASA’s Veg-01 growing experiment to grow lettuce on the ISS.

[A brief aside on light wavelengths: Ordinary white light is made up of particles (or photons) each with an individual wavelength. The visible light spectrum consists of light with wavelengths of 400 to 700 nanometers (nm). The visible light colors start with blue or violet at 400 nm up through green, yellow, and orange and ending at red at 700 nm. Outside of our visible range is ultraviolet light at shorter wavelengths (below 400 nm) and infrared light at longer wavelengths (above 700 nm).]

The main energy gatherers in plants are structures known as chlorophyll. These exist in two main varieties– chlorophyll-A and chlorophyll-B. Both have absorption peaks in the blue range, about 450 nm. Chlorophyll-A has another narrow peak in the red range at 660 nm. Chlorophyll-B has another narrow peak in the red range at 630 nm. So any lights you use or buy should have all of these wavelengths covered. Any light that does not specify their wavelengths should be avoided! Some lights have additional bands, which are probably okay, and the ratio of the different colors can vary. Any lights that do not have the 660 nm wavelength should be avoided, as some plants cannot flower, or grow poorly, without the 660 nm light. In terms of ratio, a proportion of 30% blue (450 nm), 50% red (630 nm) and 20% red (660 nm) is not a bad mix. Opinions on this vary.

So, to summarize (and get us back on track), the fact that individual LED elements can produce a narrow bandwidth of light means that grow light systems can be tailored to provide only the light that the plants need, which saves energy as unneeded spectra are not produced. So LEDs are more efficient with energy use compared with broad spectrum light sources, like HPS and MH lights.

LEDs are VERY long lived. Longevity is typically 70,000 – 80,000 hours at nominal current draw. Even then, that is only the timeframe when output has dropped by some specified value; for example, its output may be 30% lower than nominal “new” values, but the LEDs are still operating. LEDs can operate, with reduced performance for 100,000 hours or more. Given 12-hour growing days, this is a lifetime of more than 20 years’ worth of growing days. This compares with a HPS bulb, which has a nominal lifetime of about 8,000 hours, but is typically replaced after 6,000 hours due to lower performance.

This isn’t to say an LED light won’t break. There are other components in the light (electronics, fans, etc.) that could be subject to failure. These would have to be repaired, but as long as the LEDs are not subjected to extreme heat or excessive current, they should be fine and live a long, full life.

The third advantage to LED lights is their ease of power. HPS and MH lights need an A/C power source which feeds a ballast to provide the needed voltages to the lights. There is some power loss in the ballast, and if power is suddenly lost, some lights require a 30 minute cool-down before they can be re-lit.

LEDs, on the other hand, can be powered from DC sources, can be turned on and off at will, and have no ballast requirements. They are a perfect light source for power systems that have either a DC supply, such as solar panels or battery banks. Of course, most LED lights for the market are not DC powered and plug into the wall, but the underlying power driving the LED lights is a direct voltage. This all translates to added efficiency of LED lights when used with a system with DC power sources.

These are the main advantages of LED lights for use in self-sufficient living systems. In addition, there are secondary advantages to LED lighting systems as well. I will touch on them a little bit, in the context of self-sufficient living situations.

LED lights produce heat, but they do not project heat.

If you work with LED lights, they are kind of strange beasts. Unlike an ordinary 60 watt light bulb, which would burn you if you touched it, LED lights project almost no heat. As a result, plants are not subject to burning on LEDs the same way plants under incandescent HPS or MH lights are. Also, evaporation due to heat is reduced in plants grown under LEDs. Finally, plants grown under LEDs do not have to expend energy “fending off” unneeded light and heat sent to them by incandescent lights. This results in faster growing and reduced water use.

This is not to say that LED lights do not produce heat; they do. The heat is just not projected out to the plants. Instead, the light itself heats up. Larger LED lights often have built-in fans, like computer cases, to keep them cool.

This leads to an interesting opportunity for self-sufficient living systems. Wintertime living in northern climates can be challenging, from a fuel perspective, as residences need some form of heating. Many self-sufficient residences opt for baseboard heating, as they have access to some electrical power sources, such as wind turbines and (reduced) solar energy. Instead of dumping that power into heating modules, why not send some of it to grow lights as well? The residence still benefits from the heating, and there is food production, as well.

Plants grow differently under LED lights.

There are enough environmental differences when using LED lights, that the plant themselves grow a bit differently. Mostly, this seems to be in the area of water use, but there may be some other changes as well. The plants benefit from the reduced heat stress. By turning on just the blue lights, you can enhance plant bushiness. By turning on just the red lights, you can get the plants to stretch further. (This requires lights that have selective control on their red and blue spectra, of which many do NOT have.) In general, it’s a somewhat different (but more productive) growing environment that might need a bit of effort to get used to.

Summary

For self-sufficient living, you need food. Ideally, you can just grow it outside, but seasonal and security considerations might make this not feasible all of the time. If the decision is made to grow food indoors, LED grow lights are the clear choice to use for your light source (barring the sun, of course). They offer energy efficiency, longevity, efficient water use, and the ability to work with a DC power system. No other lighting technology should be given serious consideration. Good luck and good growing!

Letter Re: Arming Your Neighborhood in a World Gone Feral

Hello,

While I agree with a lot of what was written, I strongly object to the writer’s defensive philosophy. He’s taking a modern strategic approach and applying it to SHTF firefight scenarios. In my opinion they are not similar.

In small unit combat, the attacker has the advantage. The attacker can choose the time, the place, and if the defenders are dug-in and cannot pursue (counterattack), the attacker can choose when and under what circumstances to withdraw. If it’s going poorly they can withdraw and regroup for the next try. In short, the only scenario in which the defender wins is if they wipe out an attacker that either chooses to not withdraw or cannot do so for some reason. This is usually because the defender counterattacks or maneuvers to cut off withdraw (an envelopment). Both involve the defender turning into an attacker.

That 3-1 ratio is what’s needed against a layered, strategic defense. A QRF (quick reaction force) on radio standby along with a few people walking around with rifles and shotguns for security is hardly a layered defense. A determined force that’s done some intelligence gathering, is armed to the teeth, and attacking at the break of dawn can easily overwhelm a numerically superior defender on a tactical (small) scale. On a strategic scale, the element of surprise is very difficult, and it’s simply who can punch the hardest, the longest, and the farthest. – J.S.

o o o

In “Arming Your Neighborhood in a World Gone Feral” by E.M., we get treated to another “arm your neighbors” point of view for an extraordinarily unlikely “end of the world” contingency.

E.M. says if you can’t trust your neighbors with the guns you provide them, he suggests that you should move. However, people who aren’t gun owners generally aren’t gun people. Even “gun people”, untrained, aren’t the most effective when it comes to defensive rifle- or pistol- craft.

At Appleseed shoots, for instance, we do an initial skills assessment and a majority of shooters aren’t even effective out to 100 yards. Many aren’t even “on paper” and excuses for a lack of competence with their rifles come freely and abundantly, sometimes muttered quietly, others not so much.

In fact, giving acquaintances who aren’t gun owners their first gun for self-defense may prove a liability to everyone’s health and well-being. Think negligent discharges or firing off rounds inappropriately and inadvertently shooting a friendly before properly identifying a potential threat.

I can’t help but find myself asking, “What is he thinking?”

Don’t get me wrong. May God bless E.M.’s plan to repel hordes of smelly, unshaven, mutant, biker mauraders with crooked teeth alongside of his neighbors, but I’d like to offer an alternative scenario and still yet another more likely scenario.

The first rule of winning a gunfight I teach in my gun classes is simply not to show up. You live every time that way. If something bad happens suddenly, you make the best of what you’ve got, of course.

However, 99 and 44/100ths percent of the time, you will have an opportunity to make yourself scarce before things go so badly that you find yourself in a position to be lawfully pointing a gun at other people.

As an example, if you’re at Denny’s while two groups engage in a fight over maple syrup or some woman’s honor, this is a time when you should make yourself scarce, instead of ordering up some popcorn and videotaping it on your iPhone.

Your car is your escape pod, and it’s usually always nearby. Keep your car fueled, and keep basic supplies in your trunk. Keep things like an MRE or three (or Heater Meals, if you want to blend in with the sheep), water, flashlight & batteries, work boots, and gloves, warm clothes, a hat, and winter gloves, some basic tools, and so forth.

You should already have an emergency evacuation plan in place. (Google “Listening to Katrina” for a great, albeit not yet finished, guide) to leave your home in short order in case of fire or other emergency.) That plan will help you protect your health, wealth, and ability to earn an income, while not losing all of the aforementioned, defending the indefensible.

I live in a pretty decent neighborhood today, and in a stroke of luck, live within a block of one of my team of instructors (which happened by accident, not by design) and also a former student.

I recognize that neither my home nor my neighborhood is defensible, if there are more than a few desperate or violence-prone individuals prowling nearby. I’m not going to pull a Don Alejo Garza Tamez True Grit suicide mission defending my home. No, I’m getting me and mine the heck out of dodge, if things are getting that bad, and you should too.

And because of relationships I’ve developed, I’m lucky enough to have the right sort of friends who will come move us out if it’s really getting bad, as I’d do for them.

Most of my neighbors in that unlikely apocalyptic mayhem scenario are on their own. Life’s full of choices. Those who chose to take golf lessons instead of shooting lessons? Let them accept the consequences of going up against violent predators with a five iron or a putter.

All of that aside, the localized emergency is more likely such as a tornado, earthquake, or massive winter storm or maybe a hurricane for those readers within a couple hours of the coast.

You’re probably not going to need your guns or your tactical skills, if you have those emergencies, certainly not right away. Instead, you’re gonna need a pair of work gloves and boots, a decent flashlight, and the willingness to help close friends, if they need you. If they are fine, then you’ll look out for your immediate neighbors.

In my case, this might mean shoveling some snow, so the frail old woman who had a bypass last year doesn’t have to. Or making sure my neighbors have a working flashlight or two and anything else they might need if the power goes off or perhaps a warm place to stay for a time if the power is out in the wintertime. Tip: Offering a Thermos of hot chocolate or hot soup to the old couple next door unsolicited will further cement your reputation as a great neighbor, and they’ll go out of their way to look out for you in the future.

No, most of the SHTF we’re likely to encounter is not going to involve guns, marauders, or thugs preying on sheep. It’s not going to involve a crash course in teaching non-gunowners to use that double-barrel coach gun for home defense. It is, though, going to involve being a good neighbor for those less fortunate or prepared.

Don’t get me wrong: My family comes first. However, because I’ve planned ahead and prepared, most emergencies that are commonly encountered won’t be for my family, and we’ll have the luxury of being able to help our friends first, then our neighbors.

Hopefully, readers of this will also have made preparations for emergency scenarios and built relationships with like-minded folks, so they can work together to overcome adversity as a group and assist those less fortunate.

That’s the American way. – J.B.

Economics and Investing:

America’s Biggest Scam: The “Free Market”

o o o

We are absolutely in a stock market bubble: Corporate equity valuations now higher than peak reached in 2007. Crestmont P/E of 26.3 is 90 percent above its average of 13.9.

o o o

Big Banks Look To Cash In Using D.C.’s Revolving Door

o o o

Obama’s economic “recovery”: fewer than half of US adults have full time jobs. – B.B.

o o o

Federal Reserve’s Dual Mandate Disappointment; Will Private Investment Clean Up Slack?

Odds ‘n Sods:

This might be just what the doctor ordered for the old BOV. Teardrop Trailer . – MKP

o o o

Journalists will face jail over spy leaks under new security laws – T.P.

o o o

More information emerges about the young Muslim woman who sparked a passionate response from a panelist on the Benghazi Accountability Coalition hosted by the Heritage Foundation. It puts the whole conversation in an interesting light. Muslim Student Who Ignited Media Firestorm at Benghazi Panel a ‘Family Friend’ of Convicted Terrorist. – P.S.

o o o

You’re most likely to be wiretapped in this U.S. state. – D.S.

o o o

MS-13 Member Arrested in La Grulla. – P.M.

Notes for Wednesday – July 16, 2014

July 16th is the anniversary of the death of Hugh John McCall, in Rhodesia, in 1979.

o o o

Today we present another entry for Round 53 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ 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. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  5. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value),
  6. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  7. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  8. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $180 postpaid),
  9. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  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. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  12. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

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. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  9. Dri-Harvestfoods.com in Bozeman, Montana is providing a prize bundle with Beans, Buttermilk Powder, Montana Hard Red Wheat, Drink Mixes, and White Rice, valued at $333,
  10. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  11. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  12. RepackBoxis 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. A MURS Dakota Alert Base Station Kit with a retail value of $240 from JRH Enterprises,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. 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
  8. SurvivalBased.com is donating a $500 gift certificate to their store.

Round 53 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Preparedness and Practice… RV Style, by A.S.

A few years ago two different activities came into the life of my family. First, we started prepping. We began the process of preparing ourselves, physically and mentally, for whatever potential disaster we might face in the future. Second, we purchased a camper and started taking regular weekend camping trips during the summer. Sometimes these trips were three-day weekends, and a couple times per year these trips are extended to four-day weekends or an entire week vacation. The topic of “practicing your plan” and being familiar with your supplies and equipment has been covered many times. It occurred to me that we were doing exactly that, just by doing our normal camping activities. This is a breakdown of some of those activities and how they can be helpful to overall preparedness.

At first, I wondered why more people weren’t looking at RV’s as a prepping tool. My first view of the camper was as a self-contained, short-term living quarters in case of emergency. Whether this be due to the loss of primary housing from fire or natural disaster or the result of one willingly abandoning the domicile or “bugging out”. Our camper stays full of supplies necessary for survival. The on-board water tank holds 60 gallons of fresh water, and we store additional bottles of water. We store plenty of food of the non-perishable variety that requires no immediate rotating for freshness. Tools, spare parts, and outdoor tools are kept ready for wood cutting and other necessary work. Solar panels keep the 12-volt batteries charged and ready for use. If needed, we could get in at any time and be ready for a weekend trip or to live for a couple weeks, with no additional supplies needed. This would be seen as a temporary survival tactic, due to the RV’s light skin being less than optimal for defensive purposes and also its small size making it a challenge to live in for any extended length of time.

However, during our weekend trips, I really started seeing the benefit of our camping activities. We were exercising skills and learning things that fit right into our preparedness mentality. Once this became apparent, I started making a conscious effort to pick activities that would bolster our preparedness and help everyone in the family practice these skills, even if they weren’t aware of it at the time.

We prefer to choose sites that are rural, wooded, and somewhat secluded. Being in the woods gives us a chance to practice skills such as wood gathering and fire starting. No matter where we camp there is a fire pit that allows us the opportunity to try different methods of fire starting and fire building. We can build a fire for cooking, or we can work on the technique of building a fire that will last all night. If you have different tools for fire starting in your bag or supplies, this is a good time to get them out and make yourself familiar with their operation. Hiking through the woods is a great physical activity that helps with cardio fitness and gives us a chance to wear our packs to get a feel for the balance and location of items attached to the pack. If you’ve never done any activity carrying an extra 20 or 50 pounds on your back, it will be a shock to your body just how strenuous it actually is. A simple hike up hill from one area to another suddenly becomes a breath-taking, back-breaking trek, but you’ll be better equipped physically if you ever need to carry everything you own on your back. Hiking also presents an opportunity for land navigation skills, such as map and compass reading. We enjoy not having a cell phone and teaching the kids how to use a compass for direction and navigation. Even the most basic skills of being able to travel in a general direction without traveling in circles is beneficial. We also try to use this time to work at being able to identify different plants and trees. Once we are able to identify different plants, we can then learn about their benefits in the wild. We learn which ones are edible and which ones are poisonous. It’s good to know what tree in our area is best for making a shelter and which one can provide vines that could be used as thrashings or bindings.

I always take a day, during our trips, to get out my Bug Out Bag and sort through the contents and familiarize myself with their location and use. My primary bag stays with us at all times. The contents of the bag, along with some of the different tools that I keep available in our vehicle or in the camper, are items that need to be used, so that when we “really” need them we will be familiar with how to use them efficiently. This gives me the opportunity to make notes about items that I need to add to the bag, items that need to be replaced or removed, and prioritizing items when I reach the point that nothing else will fit. A couple of times per year I need to change the contents of the bag that are season specific. If SHTF comes during the summer and it’s 100 degrees outside, it won’t be very beneficial to discover that your bag contains heavy winter gloves and a heavy weight balaclava; conversely, if you’re bugging out during the winter months, finding insect repellent, mosquito netting, and sun screen in your supplies would be frustrating too. I would recommend getting a note pad to keep notes of needed supplies or just ideas for future additions or activities. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had an idea that seemed important at the time, only to not be able to remember what it was after the trip. It seems that once the wheels start turning and the juices start flowing that the ideas seem to come in multiples, or maybe it is just a “guy thing”, like my wife has claimed all along. I have found the notepad invaluable in keeping up with our needs for the RV and our prepping supplies in general.

A good knowledge of basic mechanical skills will be helpful for many situations, whether it be working on a vehicle, trailer, motorcycle, or any other mechanical device. It seems like there is always something that presents itself as an opportunity to practice these skills, whether it be electrical wiring or to change a flat tire. If you have an electrical system, such as solar or a mechanical generator, you’ll need a working knowledge of the system to be able to keep it operational in case of a mishap. Frequently, we take trips with another couple or maybe a few families. It seems that during each trip there has been an opportunity to work on something. We’ve re-wired trailers, changed oil, added or removed accessories to vehicles and campers, built a small wood shed from scrap wood, and tons of other hands-on jobs. With hands-on activities often comes the opportunity to practice first aid. Whether one of the kids falls and needs a wound cleansed and dressed, or it’s something more serious, like a cut, head injury, or extremity injury, being outdoors will inevitably present a chance to practice these skills. My wife and I are both licensed healthcare workers, so this is our opportunity to share our skills and knowledge with others.

We have found another fun activity in knife sharpening. If you are good at this invaluable skill, then congratulations! However, I’ve spent a lot of time practicing this important skill and find it very challenging. To make sure we can take care of our needs in this regard, we keep an assortment of sharpening tools from the basic whet rocks and stones to some of the pre-set angle holding sharpening tools. I really think this is a skill that could be invaluable and what better way to spend some time around the camp fire than teaching the kids how to use a stone or having a friendly competition with a buddy.

When possible, we also try to get some trigger time and do some firearm training and shooting. We have to be careful, as some states have government-owned or funded parks that do not allow firearms. However, many of the places that we visit have outdoor ranges within short driving distance. I find it helpful to practice shooting in as many different environments as possible. Going to the same range all the time and shooting from the same bench won’t help at all if you are forced to shoot to defend yourself. You won’t be able to set up at the range to defend your family. If we can’t go shoot, then going over gun maintenance or practicing field stripping different guns can be a fun activity. Depending on the time of the year, we can also go get a little hunting in on nearby Forestry Department land. If we happen to score a couple of tree rats, then we’ve practiced hiking, shooting, land navigation, game cleaning, and then cooking, so it provides for a large range of skills. If it is not practical to shoot a firearm, then we try to get some archery practice. Sometimes this can be done in areas where a gun can’t be shot.

Speaking of cooking, camping is ALL about having great meals. We eat better and with fresher ingredients when we are out camping than we do at home. Have you practiced cooking with your food stores at home or at your bug out location? If your food stores consist entirely of canned food and longer shelf items that you use as a rotating pantry, then these are items that you are used to cooking with every day. However if your emergency supplies consist of a supply of dehydrated food or bulk stored staples, it is imperative to learn how to use these items. Learning how to grind wheat when you are suddenly dependent on figuring it out or going hungry isn’t the best time to learn. We have used these items to come up with some tasty recipes that everyone in the family likes. For us, personally, we have found rice to be our favorite staple. We can mix it with other food or flavor it as a stand-alone dish. Learning how to use what you have on hand and then figuring out how to incorporate other ingredients that might become available will keep a fresh look and taste to your nutritional requirements.

Being able to camp with other families always gives us the chance to learn from others. Being able to share information learned and glean tips and tricks from someone who is more of a veteran outdoorsman is fun and invaluable. It is truly the definition of getting what you can’t learn from a book. Being with other like-minded people is beneficial, also if they are part of your group or your long-term plan, if the SHTF. You can’t expect everyone to be on the same page, if you only see someone two or three times a year. You can place all the importance on being self-sufficient and learning every skill you can, but nothing can compare to the knowledge of the collective.

While this list is certainly not exhaustive of skills that can be practiced while camping or RV’ing, and each topic could (and has) had entire books or articles written about them, I hope you see the connection. If you are someone who likes to camp or has an RV, I hope that you use that time, as we do, to better prepare yourself. If you have been thinking about getting a RV, maybe you will now have a different perspective of the skills that can be learned and the benefits of having a mobile bug out home.

Letter Re: Storage Without a Basement

Hi, Mr. Hugh! I live in the hot, HUMID, deep South and have a couple of things to add to the conversation. 1) If you have a spring, dig it out and box it in with cypress wood or some other wood that should last in water. We did that back in ’75, and added shelving on the inside of the box, at just under water level. Our spring water is very cold and should keep milk and milk products nice and cool. I have to admit that we’ve never had to use it for that; we just pump the water up to the house to use normally, but in a grid down situation, it’s there and works nicely. The old folks call it a “Spring Box”. 2) If your house is up off the ground, you can keep your potatoes and onions under the porch in the cool sand. My folks have done it for years, as did their folks before them. Hope this will help if someone is planning a home/looking for land in preparation of off-grid situations. – Dixie

Hugh Replies: Length of storage is another item to think about in this discussion. In the prepping circles, we commonly banter about terms like 30 year food storage life or 20 year storage life, and we sometimes don’t want to look at something that has a 10 year life or less, but that may not be the best strategy. I have quite a few LDS friends who purchase their supplies in #10 cans and put them in the closet for their time of need. Unfortunately, I have seen many who have had to throw out large amounts of food because it had degraded past the point of being edible, especially in hot environments. The prepping philosophy “store what you eat; eat what you store” is very well applied in a situation where controlled temperatures and humidity are not available. For example, if you store MREs and actually eat MREs on a regular basis, an extremely shortened food storage life span of one year is still okay. Three years of food would be better, but not many people have a three year larder. Most canned goods can easily survive one year in an environment that has temperatures approaching 100 degree F for a couple of months of that time frame. If you have a one year larder, you don’t have to worry about the damage that five consecutive years of high temperature would produce. You will simply eat it by the end of the first year. Your colon will also appreciate the fact that you are not drastically changing your diet, should you start eating out of your larder, and you don’t have to worry about throwing old food away.

Economics and Investing:

This week’s Woodpile Report is a “must read.”

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There’s debt, Then There’s Debt, Then There’s U.S. DEBT. – J.W.

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The mega-Rick Rant returns! – P.M.

Last time, Santelli accidentally created the Tea Party, so what happens now?

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People Are Going Broke & It Will Get Ugly

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Items from Mr. Econocobas:

Fed Fears Risks Posed by Exit Tools; Plan Almost Done

Yellen Says Fed Easy Money Needed Even After Recovery: Report

Japan Economics Minister Warns of Premature QE Exit

Odds ‘n Sods:

Microsoft to undergo biggest layoff round in company’s history. – T.P.

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The 5 Most Dangerous Guns in America

See Why Rolling Stone’s List of ‘Most Dangerous Guns’ Is Being Called ‘Maybe the Worst Piece of Journalism of All-Time’. – JBG

Is Rolling Stone serious, or is this sarcasm? If it’s sarcasm, it’s out of character for the left-leaning rag. If it’s serious, it’s the worst piece of reporting I have ever seen. The comments, however, are priceless.

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Video: Reporter stopped by TSA agent who didn’t know District of Columbia is in US. – T.P.

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Germany’s plan to take on NSA: Block eavesdroppers with classical music, and use typewriters. – D.S.

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What I Don’t Like About Life in the American Police State. – B.B.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“For Christians to influence the world with the truth of God’s Word requires the recovery of the great Reformation doctrine of vocation. Christians are called to God’s service not only in church professions but also in every secular calling. The task of restoring truth to the culture depends largely on our laypeople.” – J. Gresham Machen

Notes for Tuesday – July 15, 2014

Today we present another entry for Round 53 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $11,000+ 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. Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear,
  5. A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value),
  6. A $300 gift certificate from Freeze Dry Guy,
  7. A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo,
  8. A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com, (currently valued at around $180 postpaid),
  9. Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad (a combined value of $195),
  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. APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit, and
  12. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $300 gift certificate.

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. Two cases of meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value),
  9. Dri-Harvestfoods.com in Bozeman, Montana is providing a prize bundle with Beans, Buttermilk Powder, Montana Hard Red Wheat, Drink Mixes, and White Rice, valued at $333,
  10. TexasgiBrass.com is providing a $150 gift certificate,
  11. Organized Prepper is providing a $500 gift certificate, and
  12. RepackBoxis 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. A MURS Dakota Alert Base Station Kit with a retail value of $240 from JRH Enterprises,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. 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
  8. SurvivalBased.com is donating a $500 gift certificate to their store.

Round 53 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.