Scot’s Product Review: Laser Ammo Shooting Practice System

I have mixed feelings about electronics and prepping. There is always that sense of dread that someday I might not be able to get electricity to run electronics, plus there is the chance of an event that will disrupt them. On the other hand, electronics are extremely useful. I wouldn’t be able to get this article to you without them, for example. My compromise has been to try to avoid buying electronics that don’t fulfill some real purpose on the road to building a self-sufficient life for my family.

One of the electronics items I’ve been wanting to try has been a laser practice shooting system. These systems give you a laser cartridge that fits into the chamber of a weapon and fires a brief flash of light at a target when the weapon is “fired.” Most of them have a small target device that beeps and counts the hits. There are also systems that use computer software and a webcam to record and score hits.

Dry fire, by the way, is a key component of shooting excellence, but it lacks the feedback of seeing where the shot hit. The beauty of the laser systems is that you can confirm your hits and diagnose your misses. This equipment really shines when ammunition is hard to come by or expensive. Another benefit is that you can have quiet practice. I can imagine situations where you wouldn’t want the noise of live fire, but you would still need to maintain competence. Mind you, this doesn’t eliminate the need for live fire practice. You don’t get noise or recoil nor can it accurately simulate rapid fire. The distances are limited too. Nonetheless, it can reduce the need to burn ammo or reveal your position for practice. I also think this stuff would be fantastic for new shooters, since they could get familiar with a weapon without noise or recoil to contend with.

The folks at Laser Ammo http://www.laser-ammo.com/ have been kind enough to send me some of their gear for a review, and I will have to say it fulfills a real use, so it meets my criterion for electronics. It actually allows you to accomplish more in the way of training than I expected. I expected to like the concept, and I do. I also like the Laser Ammo products. The first component I found in the box was the SureStrike Ultimate LE Edition. This is probably their nicest kit. It includes the 9mm Parabellum SureStrike laser cartridge. That’s what goes into the chamber of your weapon. It has three parts. The first is the laser emitter. You drop in the battery (part two) and then screw on the activator/simulator cap (part three.) This part has a little switch that is struck by the firing pin causing the laser to pulse once. You can easily see where the shot would have gone, though it is bad for follow through to focus on the target after the shot breaks to see the flash. We will get to solutions to that problem in just a bit. The 9mm cartridge isn’t all you get in the kit. There are adapters for the manly .45 ACP as well as the popular .40 S&W and .223 Remington/5.56mm NATO. There is also a sort of extension rod that can be threaded through the barrel of a pistol onto the laser cartridge. You can then attach a red safety nut to the assembly that is outside the end of the barrel. This does a couple of things. First, it reminds you that you have set your pistol up as a laser trainer, which is a good thing to remember. Second, it seems to help stabilize the cartridge in the barrel, which means more consistent accuracy. There is a set of reasonably clear instructions, and you get a battery for the unit along with some small reflective targets to shoot at. Lastly, you get a nice little pouch to hold it all. Before I get into target practice, I want to mention a cool extra trick you can do with the cartridge. It can be set to emit a steady laser beam for bore sighting your weapon, which can save some range time and ammunition. I tried it in four pistols in .45 ACP and 9mm Parabellum and an AR-15 in 5.56mm. It worked fine in everything I tried it in. Assembly of the cartridge with the various adapters was simple, but you do have to pay attention when putting it together. If you don’t, the similarities between the 9mm and .223/5.56 adapter can trip you up, despite the fact they are clearly marked. You can guess how I know. Note to self: “Read the markings!” My other assembly foibles included putting the battery in backwards, but thankfully this didn’t destroy anything. I also over tightened the rod that goes through the barrel the first time, which meant I couldn’t get it apart without disassembling the pistol. It wasn’t a real problem but was slightly annoying. I mentioned accuracy above. While one might think a beam of light would be perfectly consistent and hit in the same place every time, remember that you are hammering it with the firing pin with each shot. If it fit the chamber perfectly, it would be quite hard to get in and out of the weapon. They also have to allow for variations in chamber dimensions from one weapon to another. That means it has to have a little bit of wiggle room so it does move a bit as you shoot. I was getting my shots to stay within about ½ to ¾” of the point of aim at seven yards, which is pretty close to what I might get with live fire with these weapons, so I’m pretty happy with it. I did find the rod and red safety tip helped accuracy, especially when the tip was snug against the muzzle. For repeat shots, I thumb cocked the 1911’s. A slight pull on the slide of the Glock makes it ready to go while retracting the operating handle on the AR-15 cocks it. The laser cartridge has no rim, so running the bolt or slide will not pull it from the chamber. If you have a Glock, they sell a reset trigger, so you can just pull it as rapidly as possible for repeat shots. I didn’t test this, so I can’t speak of how much trouble it is to install. It appears to be a pretty handy accessory at $200, though a bit pricey for many of us. It would be a great training tool for an organization or group, though. When you are done with laser practice, you can use a pencil to push it out of the pistol barrel or a cleaning rod on a long arm. It was a bit tight in my AR but easy to remove from all of the pistols. The only thing that I don’t like about it is the small and specialized battery it requires. There is just no way around that, given the size of the cartridge, but it isn’t something that you can likely find at the local store. The battery life is supposed to be several thousand shots, but I lost count after I let my nine-year-old son try it. (I had trouble, in fact, getting it back), so I can’t speak to this accurately. I know we have gotten well in excess of 1,000 shots, and the battery is still going strong. Laser Ammo does recommend that you remove the battery pack when you aren’t using the cartridge. This whole package runs about $197 from Amazon. You don’t need to buy the whole kit at once, though. You can just buy the individual cartridges. The 9mm Parabellum kit http://smile.amazon.com/Laser-Ammo-SureStrike-Cartridge-Practice/dp/B004F1D48K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402343614&sr=8-1&keywords=laser+ammo is about $140.00, and you can then add adapters for other calibers. In addition to the handgun adapters I received, Laser Ammo offers adapters for 10mm, .357 SIG, .38 Special/.357 Magnum, .44 Special/.44 Magnum and .45 Colt. For the rifle, they add .308/7.62 NATO and for shotgun, you can get 12 and 20 gauge adapters. All of these work with the same laser cartridge. Up above, I mentioned that watching for your laser to flash on a target to see how you did is bad for follow through. Most of us have trouble with follow through, and anything that encourages us to look at the target rather than the front sight is going to aggravate it. I learned that shooting steel in matches. Your eye REALLY wants to go down range to see the steel fall. Oops. If you see the steel, it means you have done something to jerk the weapon out of your line of sight so you can see the target. This does not help you get hits! You are usually rewarded with an image of steel majestically standing there, mocking you. The same principal applies with the laser, and since a miss with a laser seems less “expensive” than looking stupid in a match, you don’t have as much incentive as you should to do it right. In other words, you could build bad habits if you don’t apply some discipline.

Enter a solution, deus ex machina, stage left, the LaserPET Electronic target. This is a neat little gizmo on a cute folding tripod that has a sensor about 2”x2” that sees laser pulses. Not only that, it can count them and beep when it sees one. You set this up across the room and take your Laser Ammo loaded weapon and shoot at it. Hear a beep; you got a hit. Hear silence; well, try again. Even better than that, it has two more modus operandi. Mode one is what I just described, a beep with each hit and a counter to keep tabs on your shots. Mode two gets more interesting. You get a start signal. It starts the clock, stopping when you get a hit, so you can measure your reaction time. You could do it from a holster, a ready position, or perhaps time a reload. Mode three is a par time. You get four seconds to get ready, and then you have to hit the target within five seconds.

As well as the target gizmo, they give you a pair of AAA batteries for it and some little targets that slip over the sensor to increase the difficulty.

Besides of the little folding tripod, which secures to the target by a standard photo tripod mount,) there is a hole in the back so you can hang it on a wall as well as standing it on a shelf or table.

I was concerned with how well this would work in different lighting conditions and at what ranges. I was very pleasantly surprised. I first tried it in our living room, and it worked quite well. It also worked well in the kitchen under bright fluorescents. This was at seven to ten yards. I then tried it in our sun room, which has windows on the length of one long and one short wall. There was no problem out to ten yards. I then set it outside on a cloudy afternoon and again there were no problems. I even faced the sensor up so it had to deal with even more light and it had no problems. I’m impressed.

I do find that about four to five yards is the practical maximum range for me, though. With the laser shooting a 1.5” group at seven yards and only having a 2”x2” hit zone, it starts getting a bit dicey to consistently hit it even if you are doing things right. This still provides excellent practice, even at close range because, remember, you are hitting a very small target. As the man said, aim small, miss small.

The one problem I have is that the sensor is essentially black, so lining up black sights is a slight strain. Using one of the slip in targets helps as they are light grey and provide some contrast to help locate the sights. It’s not a problem using a red dot sight on a carbine, but you do have to remember to allow for the fact that the bore (and laser) are lower than your sight. You have to aim high to get a hit at close range. I really liked this and my son loved it to the point of driving my wife nuts with all of the clicking. I was pleased that he was good with muzzle control, though I had to stifle his urge to fan a 1911. Sometimes, when you’re nine, rate of fire is too cool. It clearly improved his precision and I hope that translates to live ammo.

The LaserPet is about $110.00 on Amazon.

A huge leap up in ability comes with the L.A.S.R. Professional Software. Laser Ammo sells the software which was written by Centrolutions. It was probably the most exciting part of this package for me. The basic idea is that you have a webcam attached to your Windows computer and it sees the laser flashes and times and records them. You hang a target on the wall and draw a scoring circle or box on the picture of it that appears on your computer screen. The scoring area can be as small or large as you desire. You then start the session and shoot at it. It records hits and the time for each one. As with the LaserPET, you have a selection of modes. You can just have a basic shoot and count the hits or you can have it provide a go signal and the time to each shot. You can also set par times that will give you a start and then time how many hits you make in whatever time you choose. Your hits in all cases remain visible on the target until you clear them. You can also record them to a log so you can monitor progress.

This is pretty powerful stuff and allows you to do some very serious evaluation of your shooting. Since you aren’t limited to a 2”x2” target, you can get back a bit further. You can also create a target that works better for self-defense practice. You can have multiple targets and the software will call which one to shoot and score you. There is no reason you can’t set up matches with other shooters.

You do need a separate camera. The built-in cameras found on many laptops and some monitors aren’t likely to be pointing where you need to place the target. I have an IPEVO Point 2 View documents camera, and it worked surprising well. You can, however, get by with a considerably cheaper camera. It needs to support at least 320×240 resolution at 30 frames per second. The support folks said higher than 640×480 resolution really isn’t necessary, so you don’t need an expensive camera.

I initially set the camera up about 18” from the wall I taped a target to. Since it is a USB camera, I was limited in computer placement by cord length. That meant walking back and forth to start and stop it. That didn’t work so well with random starts, so I decided to try moving the camera back. I was really surprised to find that it worked quite well from five yards back. The quality of the image was rather poor, but it still recorded the shots perfectly. The screen quality actually doesn’t matter as you can setup and then evaluate your targets easily even if it is blurred.

They advise that it works better in lower light, but I found normal room lighting worked fine. Bright windows or lights can cause issues. Lighting needs to be pretty even accross the course of fire. I suspect that camera quality matters and the better the quality camera you have, the more it will tolerate bad lighting. My camera, being designed to image documents in a classroom probably wasn’t the best choice, but it worked fine.

I had a few lighting situations that led to false hits being recorded, but changing the lighting or shifting the camera easily remedied the problems. The program does warn if there are likely lighting problems. It really didn’t like it when I tried the Streamlight I have mounted on a carbine to illuminate a target, but that’s hardly a fair test. The light completely washed out the target in the video, and the program called foul.

A nice feature is that you can hang most anything up to use as a target. I started with a standard bull’s eye target and switched to a white sheet of paper to make it a bit easier to see the black sights on my weapons. I then tried an International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) tan cardboard targets, which worked extremely well. I also used some photos.

I used a laptop, which allowed me to move my laser range around easily. I’m sure you could make it work with a desktop, but it is more flexible on a laptop.

I can imagine setting up courses of fire in a room and then taking turns running through them. If you have more than one laser cartridge, you can also pit shooters against one another on their own targets. You can even tell it to require a certain number of hits to down a target, if you are using one of those Glock triggers that allow repeat shots without having to run the slide or cock a hammer. A revolver could be nice, too, but you would need enough lasers to fill the cylinder.

Additional possibilities are intriguing. I experimented a bit with projecting photos onto cardboard. I found that if you darken the photos enough and they were fairly even in brightness across the target area, the camera could record the laser flashes. It was easiest to do with one computer projecting the targets and a second running LASR. You should be able to do it with one computer, but it would be a hassle to coordinate the screens. You could setup a slideshow with threat and non-threat targets mixed together and check a shooter’s judgment. By inserting a blank image between slides, you could allow the shooter to ready for the next one. I am, needless to say, getting very geeky and involved at this point, but I wanted to see what is possible. It would take a fair amount of time and energy, but it could be worth it, especially if you are training multiple people. I almost forgot that you have choices for sound effects for starts and hits.

The software goes for $125.00. I’m saving for it, along with the rest of the system.

Safety

One concern I do have with any dry fire is safety. Be sure to clear the weapon. I say again, BE SURE TO CLEAR THE WEAPON. With the laser cartridge, you have to insert the laser into the chamber, so clearing the firearm is, thankfully, part of the process. You can’t chamber a round with the laser in the weapon– another safety plus. What I worry about is doing some practice, readying a weapon for carry by reloading it and putting it down. A littler later, you decide to do a bit more practice and forget where you were with the weapon. That’s one reason why I try to make a habit of not using my primary carry weapons for dry practice. I have similar ones that I use instead. It would be ideal to have dedicated trainers for lasers, but that’s not practical for most of us. Regardless, you still want to obey the safety rules. I like them the way Lt. Colonel Jeff Cooper (USMC) put them:

1. All firearms are loaded.

2. Never let the muzzle of a firearm point at anything you are not willing to destroy.

3. Keep your finger off the trigger, unless your sights are on the target.

4. Be sure of your target and what is behind it.

If you use these rules during all handling of firearms, whether live or dry fire or simply handling them, you will have to stack mistakes to cause a tragedy. The big ones for dry practice are number two and four with a lot of help from number three. We ALL make mistakes, and the person who hasn’t had a negligent discharge (ND) probably hasn’t lived long enough. If you use these rules, especially rule two, that ND will probably only cause embarrassment rather than tragedy.

Conclusions

This stuff isn’t cheap. If you can afford it, though, I think it can really help your shooting. It is also a lot of fun and a great way to start new shooters. You would have to balance your preps to decide whether it fits into your plans or if something else should take priority. I’ve decided that it fits mine, and I need it. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Scot Frank Eire

Recipe of the Week: Scotch Irish Stew

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds extra-lean stew meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 small pieces bacon, finely chopped
  • 8 small brown cooking onions, peeled and cut in half (leave in halves, not separated)
  • 8 to 12 small white and/or red potatoes
  • 2 large carrots, thinly sliced
  • 1 large parsnip, thinly sliced
  • 2 big packages mushrooms, sliced (try assorted mushrooms for interest)
  • 1 12-ounce bottle Guinness Stout
  • As much non-fat beef broth as necessary to fill a crock pot
  • Black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

  1. Brown the stew meat and bacon in a frying pan, using PAM if possible.
  2. Put in the bottom of a crock pot. Add three or four grinds of black pepper. Layer in the veggies. Add the Guinness first, and then the beef broth.
  3. Set on high and cook for 4 or 5 hours. Then turn on low until serving time.
  4. Serve with good, fresh bread. To be authentic, serve with a good brown bread, but this also goes well with sourdough, olive oil/rosemary, marble rye, or pumpernickel bread.

As a variation, try serving with rice or noodles.

o o o

Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? Please send it via e-mail. Thanks!

Letters Re: Militarization of LEOs

HJL,

I am a Peacekeeper, otherwise known as an LEO. I am a firm believer in being part of the solution, not part of the problem. I teach my children “dont fuss, fix it.” The first step to fixing it is understanding the problem. I will do my best to not respond with bluff and bluster. I took this job by choice. I do not expect nor look for sympathy or a medal for my career choice.

There are a few issues at work here. I will highlight a few recent incidents that will shed some light on part of the problem, as I see it.

First, realize we, as a nation, re-elected Obama. That means that a majority of our fellow citizens like and want more of nanny statism in our lives. A majority of our fellow citizens want the federal government involved in more aspects of our everyday being.

To highlight this, after the recent tragic shooting in Santa Cruz, the media and public were calling for laws to make it easier for police to detain people for mental evaluations. This is frightening. Again, this is people calling for the government to take care of them, because they feel we are incapable of doing it ourselves. In all 50 states, families can petition the court to have loved ones checked in for a 72-hour evaluation against their will, but why would someone take responsibility for a family member when we can call the government to do it?

With the recent shooting of the two Las Vegas police officers and the concealed carry holder who died in WalMart, the vast majority of media coverage talked about how this brave citizen “wasted” his life, and he should have left it up to the “professionals.” Again, we are declaring ourselves incapable of protecting ourselves and our loved ones, which is the most basic human right, and they’re asking the government to do it for us.

I can’t count the number of calls for service we receive for children who won’t go to bed or who won’t get in a car at the mall or for a snake in the yard. People are relying more and more on the government for everyday needs, usually ones that should be handled by the head of the household.

My agency had DoD M-16s. (We gave them back.) After the north Hollywood bank shoot out, DoD offered them out. We, as a local agency, did not have money to purchase patrol rifles, so we took them and issued them out. Our government was being fiscally responsible and recycling things (and not in the Lois Lerner hard drive way!). We got some six digit serial number A1’s that were beautiful, as a side note. Our helicopter pilots fly with surplus NVG’s at night. I can’t tell you how many missing hikers have been rescued by the glow of a cell phone at night in night vision. We always lambast the government for wasting money. We waste so much money; it is absurd. So what starts out as a pretty wise idea turns into sending MRAPs to towns of 5000. I want people to realize the dichotomy of this. I would rather re-use what we can of what our taxes already bought. There is a right and a wrong way to do this.

Fire departments do an excellent job of making use of their down time. When not fighting fires or going to medical calls, they routinely train or do outreach at schools about fire safety. When police are not responding to calls, we write tickets. Communities want stats. They want their money’s worth, and a full 10-hour shift of it. We have a hard time paying for what we might use if that makes sense; we want to see results. It always amazes me when we receive numerous calls about speeders in an area. When we go to run radar, one of the people who gets stopped always says, “Oh, I was one of the ones who called about the speeders.” We, as citizens, want results and stats we can see on paper; the end result is we are turning peace keeping into law enforcement. It should be okay for police to be bored. It means you live in a nice place. The public does not want bored police, so we have cops in nice areas writing window tint tickets.

So to the important part. What can we do about it? How can we combat this?

First, get to know your neighbors. Help each other. The more you can solve yourself, the less you rely on the government. Have a snake in the yard and you are scared of snakes? Call your neighbor. Is there a dog in the road? Stop and get it. Keep a fire extinguisher in your car. Put out small fires before you have to call the fire department. Keep a tow strap with you. When you get stuck, call your buddies, not the police. That being said, report crime. Crimes are tracked. If someone has broken into your car three times and you have not called, police have no way of knowing to increase patrol in the area.

Get to know your local police. If it’s a big agency or city, find your local precinct. Go for a ride along. I’m serious. See where your tax dollars are going. It’s a lot more impressive when you call a complaint in and can say “I rode with your agency”.

Go to community meetings the police hold. We hold meetings once a month. No one comes. When they do, it is usually far left activists. The conservative silent majority has been silent too long. We need to speak up. Hold your elected officials accountable. If your town is getting surplus gear, ask about it. See what they turned down. See if there are other ways to pay for it.

If you are a LEO, talk to your fellow officers. My squad has talked. We know what our line is. We know when we will walk away from the job. Dirty cops disgust me more than you; believe me.

Lastly, if you come in contact with the police, remember one phrase. Am I free to leave? If they say yes, leave. If they say no, request a lawyer and do not talk.

God Bless. – A Peacekeeper.

o o o

Sir,

I have been following your column for quite some time now and have responded to a few articles, but this one in particular needs to be addressed.

To 15fixerI would like to ask what has made you so fearful of LEOs? You say that you have had several run ins with LEOs over the years, so is it safe to assume that you regularly and habitually break the law? I am asking this because I am a current LEO serving in a mid-sized town in central Texas.

I can tell you that as a BIBLE-believing, GOD-fearing Christian that I am a minority in the law enforcement community, but THAT does not mean that I am corrupt! I am also a member of my department’s SWAT team, and I am a former Army Ranger with 20 yrs of service.

What gives you the right to say that ALL LEOs are corrupt? Have you ever spent a day in our shoes? Have you ever stopped a vehicle for a minor traffic infringement and had to worry if you were going to be shot or not? Have you ever responded to a domestic disturbance only to be attacked by the very person you were there to help? Have you ever been “sucker” punched by a drunken tourist when you were trying to do your job in maintaining the peace for the rest of the “law abiding” patrons? I would say that the answers to all of these questions are “no”.

I can also tell you that as a member of a SWAT team, 100% of the search or arrest warrants that I have served were against violent offenders with multiple felony convictions. I can also tell you that we never use a NFDD device (flash bang) in a location were young children are present. Does that make me corrupt that I serve search/arrest warrants on these individuals? – M.C.

o o o

HJL,

War surplus is nothing new to local law enforcement. Some police armories still have old “tommy guns” from WWII!!!

At least one coastal town here has a few surplus army trucks for emergencies, like flooded roads, so it’s not all bad.

Sadly, there are other departments that do promote SWAT-like tactics, but it’s up to us as the citizens to curb this mentality amongst our local police.

The Feds are another story, but it’s still up to us to let our elected officials know being pushed around by government bullies will not be tolerated as by evidence during the recent incident involving that Nevada rancher.

Something may indeed be afoot with ammo stock up and militarization of our police, which means it’s even more important to have an open dialog with our police instead of trying to further alienate them.

The police are our neighbors, and we have to remind them of that. – U.G.

o o o

Hugh,

While reading your comment today concerning the recent letters about LEOs on the site, I found myself mostly agreeing with you in your overall assessment and counter-argument to some others, but I absolutely cringed at one comment that you made, to wit:

“If it is hard to find a civilian that will always tell the truth, and LEOs come from the same population pool, it’s obvious that LEOs are going to have the same problem.”

Yes, I understand. LEOs are people, too. I agree. But I am getting really, really impatient with people, and particularly law enforcement officers, themselves, who differentiate cops from non-cops by using the word “civilian.” Law enforcement officers are civilians. We have a civilian law enforcement structure, not a military one. The only people who are not civilians are people in the military.

I say again: LEOs are civilians (unless, of course, they are on active duty with the military, such as military police). Otherwise, civilians.

Please help to stop perpetuating this improper use of the word, so widely and incorrectly used by the media and by the cops, themselves. Remind them that they, THEY, are civilians.

Two Dogs in WV Lt.Col. USMc (ret)

Economics and Investing:

The Fed’s Illusion of Prosperity is Breaking Down

o o o

Oddly enough, Obama’s bungling and greed over collecting tax dollars may be what finally collapses the dollar as the world reserve currency. This law basically tells foreign banks that if they have U.S. customers or transactions in U.S. dollars, they must share all information with the IRS or completely divest themselves of U.S. dollars. Secret Tax Could Collapse Dollar – B.B.

o o o

16 Reasons Why We Are Collapsing As A Nation – D.B.

o o o

Items from Mr Econocobas:

Gold Jumps Most in Nine Months as Silver Soars on Fed

Odds ‘n Sods:

Gun Shop Alleges July 1st Shutdown Due to Political Stance. – B.B.

HJL notes: While it is certainly sad to see a business fall on hard times, I’m not entirely convinced that the situation “Tactical Firearms” is in is as politically connected as they would have us believe. Upon reading the article, it seems that there is an internal squabble from one of the owners. The banks refusal to renew the loan may be more related to this squabble than the political targeting of the business.

o o o

This link takes you direct to Federal site. Note that the bid was issued in January, 2014. One more lie from the politicians and the White House. They knew this surge was coming. The irony is that they are treating illegals better than our veterans. DHS issues request in Jan/2014 to assist with 65K unaccompanied alien children – P.S.

o o o

Shortage Of Saline Solution Has Hospitals On Edge – R.G.

HJL Adds: It’s not just Hospitals. Our County EMS is running short as well. We are now told “Only start an IV when necessary”. We used to regularly start IV’s on anyone transported to a hospital.

o o o

How to Anonymize Everything You Do Online – G.G.

o o o

Border Patrol Stations in Dire Need of Medical Help and Supplies – H.L.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“Equality, rightly understood as our founding fathers understood it, leads to liberty and to the emancipation of creative differences; wrongly understood, as it has been so tragically in our time, it leads first to conformity and then to despotism.” – Barry Goldwater

Notes for Sunday – June 22, 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.

Family Disaster Planning, by N.J. – Part 2

Resources

Food and water, everyone needs it, and everyone will be looking for it. Remember the “six P’s” mentioned at the beginning of part one of this article; plan and prepare. Store as much food and water as you can, but do not rely on this to get you through the disaster. If organized groups come around passing out food and water, send someone (or several people) to get some. Even if you have to stand in line for hours, it behooves us to send someone. Do all that you can to NOT create a security issue by putting the thought in someone’s head that you have enough resources that you do not have to go stand in line to get some. They will come to you to take yours.

If the plan is to meet at a central location, have enough supplies in that location to take care of those who are designated to meet there and maybe a bit more. If you have a pantry in your home, consider rebuilding by installing insulation to keep the room even cooler, thereby extending the life of your stored goods.

Water. Store at least one gallon of water per person per day. Keep at least a two week supply. The longer your supply lasts the better. The immediate plan should not be to ration. In an emergency, your water heater can be used as a source of water. Make sure the heater switch (and gas supply, if a gas heater) ) is turned off. FEMA recommends that you turn off all incoming water, so as to not contaminate your water supply in the event of broken pipes. Know how to turn off your incoming water source and have the tools required to do so available. Caution: Carbonated beverages, caffeinated drinks and alcohol should not be used in the place of water. Carbonated beverages do not meet the bodies need for water and caffeinated drinks and alcohol dehydrates the body increasing the need for water.

Food. Store at least a two week supply of food. Select foods that require no refrigeration, preparation, or cooking and little or no water. If you must heat food, plan on using sterno heat. Select food items that are compact and lightweight. Include a selection of the following foods: ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits and vegetables, canned juices, staples (salt, pepper, sugar, spices), high energy foods, vitamins, food for infants, and comfort/stress foods. Note the expiration date on all products. Do not use food in cans that are bulged or swollen, even if it seems good. Remaining healthy is paramount, and you would not want to do anything to jeopardize that.

Freeze dried foods. This is its own category for specific reasons. Care must be taken in its storage. Rodents will come after your stock, if they smell it. In areas of high heat, the shelf life of your food is diminished (see chart below), but all in all they are a great source of food, but it does require water and may not taste like what you are used to or even expecting. It is best if you dedicate a cool location in your home for storage. If you want to get some, I recommend that you buy a meal or two and actually eat it to determine if it is to your liking. Again, while we eat for sustenance, it actually has to be something that you will eat. This is particular true with children.

MRE’s. These have their own category as well. Many companies that sell MRE’s are selling from surplus. If you intend to buy them, make sure you know if they are surplus or not as this reduces the shelf life. They are especially vulnerable to high heat. If you cannot designate a place inside you home that is cool, you may want to reconsider how much of your emergency supply is dedicated to this option. If you decide to use them, you should rotate your supply at given intervals by eating some of it and replacing what you eat at a given interval, preferably replacing what you eat at intervals. (Don’t stock what you will not eat.)

MRE Storage Recommendations

Temperature (F)

Months Storage

120°

1

110°

5

100°

22

90°

55

80°

76

70°

100

60°

130

For storing at 60° or lower no data was collected. projections are that the 130 months will be extended.

Cooking. While it is best to store items that do not require any preparation, that may not be what you end up doing. Camping equipment works well in this regard. A camp stove using either propane (see the section on Power Supply in Part One of this article) or white gas is good. Bunsen burners work well too. While barbeque pits/grills sound like a good idea, they should only be used in the early stages or in extreme emergencies. If you are barbecuing three weeks into a disaster, and your starving neighbor around the corner smells your food, they may not like that one bit. Do all you can to not create any security issues.

Utensils. Break out the paper cups and paper plates. Do not spend water for cleaning, if you do not have to. A non-electric can opener is a must. Try your best to maintain control of the amount of trash you generate.

Other items. Include matches in a water proof container, aluminum foil, plastic storage containers, and plastic bags.

Clothing. While many people do not consider clothing, when it comes to a disaster, you should have something set aside for this. Depending on your climate, clothing for each season would be good. In the case of extreme weather, water proof boots, hats, gloves, thick socks, and rain gear should be kept. A good pair of comfortable shoes is a must.

Cleaning Supplies. Your surroundings should be kept as clean as possible. Prevent the spread of germs by cleaning up as often as you need to. Cleaning is an excellent way to keep busy and keep your mind off of what is going on around you, too, so be sure to have cleaning supplies stored away.

Security

This is by far the ugliest of all the categories. No one wants to deal with security. There is a lack of understanding of what is required to secure our homes as best as we can. The fact is that if someone wanted to get into your home, they could and they will. What we want to do is to make it as hard for them as possible and/or give the impression that entering would not garner any benefits and may very well end in a loss (their loss, not yours).

Remember, loose lips sink ships. Do not share your plan with anyone who is not a part of your household. While your friend may want advice in developing their own plan, do not give out specifics on what you have setup.

You want to secure your home so that it is hard to get in but easy to get out. It’s true that no home is burglar proof, but if we make it not worth the effort, then we stand a better chance of not being robbed. To this end, bars work well. Alarm systems are good, if you can afford them and have power.

A good disaster plan includes a defensive strategy. A good defensive strategy has everyone on the same page. By this, for example, I mean that everyone is using interchangeable or standardized equipment.

While you may not believe in guns, please believe that the person coming to rob you does. Give your family the best chance to survive by doing those things that you have to do and even the things you don’t want to do. Everyone over the age of 12 should take a handgun safety course. Many local shooting clubs offer them at low rates. While it may not seem useful, a hunting safety course is a worthwhile expenditure as well.

Guns To Grab (by Gary Sr a2ace@cox.net) has a great discussion on what types of guns to maintain. The discussion is mainly on caliber and goes into why those particular calibers are chosen. Please read it carefully.

Each hub should be protected by a defensive plan as exemplified below: Long Range– greater than 300 yards; Medium Range– 100 to 300 yards; Short Range– 5 to 100 yards; Point Blank– less than 5 yards; and Hand to Hand– in your face.

It will be almost impossible to determine from what distance an attack will take place. In most cases, you will not know until the attacker is in your face. Still yet, have a plan. It is better to be prepared for an attack that does not take place than to be attacked and not be prepared.

Hand to hand combat is a situation you do not want to get caught in. Most laymen fall victim in this category. Everyone should be familiar with simple techniques and points on the body to quickly disable an attacker. In hand to hand combat, use everything that you can, especially your teeth. All in war is fair. There are lots of low-cost classes (especially for women) that will teach you the basics.

Stay on top of security bulletins. This will help you stay out of areas of high risk security and avoid situations where the police don’t care what you are doing and if you are where you are not supposed to be. Do not carry illegal weapons. Look for safety in numbers instead. Avoid travel at night, especially foot travel. Know your surroundings and if you can’t do that, at least know your route.

Transportation

Creativity is a must. Keep all options open. Some of the things suggested here will seem outlandish, but the idea is to cover the needs to get around, moving resources and or people.

Automobile. This is by far the mode of choice. However, you have to consider fuel availability, as was the dilemma with Hurricane Katrina. Keep your car tuned, filled with as much gas as you possibly can all the time, with a locking gas cap, and secured with a club that you actually use. Keep extra gas in storage containers at home away from your house (possibly buried in another container near the back fence). Keep extra items in your car– a change of cloths, comfortable shoes, food, water, a small first aid kit. An off-road vehicle or two can provide a great service during a disaster. They normally have higher ground clearances, improved shocks, tires geared towards improved traction on unimproved roads, better hauling capacities, and decent gas mileage. If you can afford one, get one. By off-road vehicles, I do not mean your normal urban SUV with 20-inch wheels. I mean a real off-road vehicle, like a Jeep Wrangler.

Motor home. Being what it is, it is an excellent choice. If you have one, know where local and several non-local facilities are to get needed services. Keep your motor home in good running condition. If your home is damaged and your motor home is not, it can serve as your first option for temporary housing. A motor home can be used as a staging/way point to a hub site. It can also be placed at a hub site to provide added shelter. As such, it is a valuable resource; protect it.

Motorcycle. While this is a great option, it has limitations. Not that the limitations should deter you, you simply must use the right tool for the right job. If the right tool is not available, improvise. In some cases where road conditions are not great and you may have to travel across unimproved ground, a dirt bike would be a great choice.

ATV. This is actually a good vehicle to have. While there may seem to be no urban application for this vehicle, you will thank yourself if you have one.

Bicycle. It’s a great way to get around. They provide a means of exercise, can get through tight spaces, can be carried when need be, are easy to maintain, are better than walking, and can be used as a power source with a generator attached to it. Mountain bikes are better because of their ability to use them on rough terrain. Remember, this is a resource. Protect it by keeping it locked up at all times.

Horses. While this seems outlandish, horses are agile, can go long distances, carry a lot of weight, and get places where other forms of transportation cannot. Say goodbye to gridlock. The downside being they are expensive to house and will not be in close proximity of you in the event of a disaster, if you are a city dweller, but they are still worth mentioning.

Walking. Yes, it’s the last choice, but we must do what we must do. If this is the only mode of transportation and one must move from one location to another, have some comfortable shoes.

Canoe. As we saw with Katrina, getting around with flooded streets is a nightmare. Having and knowing how to use a canoe can save your life and that of your family members. Canoes are a great means of transportation, but make no mistake about it; they are not easy to use when getting started. Their limitations are the number of people and amount of equipment they can handle, but their strengths are their agility, strength, and mobility. They can be easily mounted to a car and moved to a desired location.

Boats. Again Katrina showed us the importance of having the ability to get around during a flood. This category is for smaller boats with larger capacities than canoes.

Ultra light. One of those items is more of a luxury than a need. However, if there are family members in locations that are not easily accessible via other modes of transportation and they need resources, an ultra light can be used to drop those resources until help can arrive. While most ultra lights do not require a license to fly, lessons should be taken nonetheless. One ultra light for a given region, say Northern California, should be sufficient.

GPS. While traveling, a GPS may become your best friend. Even if you are walking, a GPS can get you there and back. There are several different kinds. The most basic one is for hiking and has no road maps or directions, but you can add waypoints that will help you get to where you are going and back. This requires a decent supply of batteries and should be used each and every time you leave your place of housing. Even if you know where you are going, if you end up somewhere else unexpectedly, you will be able to find your way back.

Emergency Services

The most fundamental of this category is medical services. We should not rely on the assistance of government-sponsored services or organized medical groups. There could potentially be hundreds, if not thousands, of people in need and vying for the same medical assistance.

Wilderness First Responder. This is a great training certification. While the name says wilderness, it can be used in an urban setting, as well. Each hub should have at least one certified WMT/EMT. If possible, this person should train others to assist in the event the need for such abilities arises.

First Aid/CPR certificate. It is vital for members of every household to have this training, particularly homes with children.

First Aid Kit. This is also a must. Determine what the needs of your family are, and keep a kit at home. You should keep a kit in your car, as well, containing items not normally found in a first aid kit. Each hub should have a trauma class first aid kit. In addition, it would be great if someone designated to be at a hub is qualified in the medical field (an EMT or WFR is great).

The Avian Flu is real. Several companies make kits just for this. While the costs of these items do add up, many of them are worth getting. To get world-wide information on the bird flu, check out this site http://www.sfcdcp.org/index.cfm?id=87.

Some other important information for preparing for a disaster is available at: http://72hours.org/

SF area has a warning network that you can subscribe to. Alerts are sent to your registered wireless device. Go to http://alertsf.org/index.php?CCheck=1 to register. Research if the area you live in has such a network. See if your area has something similar.

Fire is one item we do need to depend on government agencies for. While each household should have a number of fire extinguishers and smoke detectors, when it comes to a fire, let the experts handle that. Do what you have to do to keep your family safe and get them to a safe point. Have regular checks of things which could be a fire hazard; train your family on things not to do (like pouring gas down a drain), and run fire drills.

Miscellaneous

Please do not discount this section. This has many important items which did not fit neatly into another group. While some of these items are listed to keep in case of an emergency, many of them should be obtained and used as often as you can.

Entertainment. We have to maintain our sanity. With that, have an entertainment scheme to keep people engaged and to relieve tension.

Sanitation. In many disasters you will not having running water. While bottled water takes care of one end of the spectrum, you still have to supply an outlet at the other end. A port-a-poti works really well for this. In the event that you ever needed it, this is the one item you will really wish you had, if you don’t have one. Other items include toilet paper, towelettes, soap, liquid (preferable biodegradable) soap, feminine products, personal hygiene items, disinfectant (a must), and chlorine (bleach). There are different sanitary needs for men and women. Keep both handy.

Board games. These are great. They require no power, and people interact with each other, which is great. Cards are also included in this category. These include Monopoly, Life, Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, and whatever you think would be enjoyable for your family. Let your imagination run wild.

Mind games. These help you stay sharp. Trivia Pursuit, crossword puzzles, Scrabble, Battleship, chess, checkers Majahong, and such games are great to use.

Physical games. Our bodies play an important part of our lives as well. Not only do these games assist in team building, but they allow us to exercise our bodies. Several good games to keep around include volley ball, soccer, football, baseball, softball, tetherball, badmitten, and frisbee.

Music. –There will be a desire by many to listen to music. This takes a lot of batteries. Please consider the consequences of such usage of your resources. In addition, please be considerate of the likes and desire of all when you put together you musical selection. Kids may not like blues; adults may not like rap, and while gospel is a really good overall choice, some may not want to take part. Poll the members of your household to determine what is best to keep.

Computers. They tend to hold a lot of our important information. Backup your files, if possible. These days, two gig USB drives are pretty cheap, and they hold a lot of data. Consider backing up to this and keeping this with your ID information (on you at all times). Use your own discretion in determining what is important to backup and what is not.

Movies. There should be a schedule for movie entertaining. Projectors work really well, because they take up so little space, can be moved around, to create dual-use spaces (dining room as a movie theater as well), and connect to a number of pieces of equipment (computers, VCRs, DVD players, stereos, etc). If in a situation where power is a limited resource but you have the ability to supply some power, schedule several hours a week as an essential item for power consumption and sit everyone in front of the TV for movie night. Activities that get the family together in one sitting are worth the use of limited resources.

Children. They are our most valuable resource. We really need to keep their minds and bodies active. Family-oriented games are great, but sometimes they need their alone time as well. Activities that your children like to do on their own should be considered according to your budget and space to store these items.

Medicine. If you need them, or someone in your household needs them, keep enough so that you don’t run out. Some over-the-counter medications are great to keep around anyway. You never know when someone might get a headache or need cold medicines. Always review purchase and best used by dates on items you buy.

Time. Synchronize watches and stick to schedules as best as possible. Keep appointments, make deadlines, and stay in touch at designated intervals.

Fire extinguishers. These are excellent items to keep around. Not only are they good to keep in your home but in your car as well. If you store extra gas at home, keep a fire extinguisher close by, just in case.

Website. A secure family website is a great way to keep tabs on each other and share information, plus it would go a long way in coordinating efforts around any group endeavor. Not only would it benefit people in the region, but others could feel at ease knowing we are all safe.

Utilities. Everyone in your household should know how to turn off the utilities. They should also know when to turn them off.

Utility items. There are several items that fit the bill. Decide what’s best for you, but the following are suggested: Rope, (real) work gloves, duct tape, safety glasses, safety helmet, a signal flare, a good tool bag (with tools you will use/need), work cloths would be nice, and a map of the area is always a great idea.

Insurance. While it may seem like a “nice to have” thing, protect your family by having it. If you rent, get renters insurance. If you have a car, get car insurance.

Chainsaw. It is one of those items that will seem like a life saver. You can quickly clear downed trees and poles and cut through other debris as needed. As they require gas, store enough to keep your equipment running.

Family Business

Having your own business can actually help you in a disaster. Who would’ve “thunk” it. Having certain established businesses is a great thing in the event of a disaster, for many reasons. Depending on the nature of the business, it can help you, as well as others, get through the disaster.

Commerce. The government is always looking for businesses that can bring needed goods to a disaster area. If we have an established Import/Export business, and even if we are not established but licensed, we can possibly land a government contract to bring supplies to the affected area. Several members of the family have trucks. These trucks can be licensed to be used for the business, giving the owner a tax write off as well.

Freedom of movement is the main reason for me bringing the Import/Export idea forward. This business gives us the ability to move people, even if a few at a time, while conducting business. When traffic is limited to an area on a “as needed only” basis, this business will be worth platinum.

Security. Yes, a security firm is a good family business as well. In the event of a disaster, several businesses in the affected area will be looking for security beyond what local government agencies can provide. We may be able to land one of these contracts as well, but only if we are established.

Gardening service. This may seem like an unlikely business venture, but people will need services. If we can provide this service, especially watering gardens with reclaimed water, you can make a great deal here. Clientele must be targeted, and a solid business plan must be presented. Rates must not be exuberant but must be enough to cover services. Being able to guarantee services and having the ability to acquire and store the water is essential.

Tree Trimming Service. Many people will require your services. Keep your equipment in good shape and advertise. Perform emergency services 24/7. Again, several people in the family have trucks, and this would be a worthwhile endeavor. Since several people are currently knowledgeable on this type of business, it would be easy to train others and get started.

Fish Fry Services will help generate funds to assist with the funding of our disaster plan. All those that take part in the activity can share in having supplies purchased from the proceeds.

Garage sales will also help generate funds. Garage sales could be done to supply a hub site and/or purchase electronic equipment, such as satellite phones, HAM Radios, walkie-talkies, bike-powered generators, gas or diesel generators, et cetera.

Barter system trading is good to know. Unfortunately, the world is moving away from this system, which is in affect destroying relationships, replacing them with business dealings. In a time of need, barter what you can do without for something you need. Do so in a way that does not present a security problem by exposing your resources to those who may want to exploit/take them.

Again, this is a suggestive piece meant to spark conversation in your family on how to prepare and survive a disaster.

Good luck.

Letter Re: Becoming the Bank in TEOTWAWKI

Hugh,

I am writing concerning the post on “Becoming the Bank in TEOTWAWKI” by J.M. I have followed Survivalblog for the past five years and have worked hard to build a large supply of beans, bullets, and bandages, along with a supply of silver, gold, and cash. The posts over the past five years have been very informative, along with the advice from JWR & HJL. We have read that we need to have enough to be able to share as a testament of our Christian walk, and I hope to be able to do exactly that. We have read that we don’t know what the currency might be in SHTF times. It might be silver, or 22 ammo, or toilet paper. I hope I will be prepared for that time. I go back to the country trading market that JWR described in “Patriots”. The local folk would trade this for that, and it might be a combination of goods and silver. My question to the readers and editors would be about those who are not working at being prepared. Even though JM suggested that we would need an adequate protective force for our bank, those who have nothing other than IPads and video games might eventually decide to gang up and take our bank by force. Even in my neighborhood of 25 houses, I hope those few that are not prepping will not rationalize that since we have so much, they deserve to take whatever they need. I don’t think they will just curl up and die. Assuming a low level of “Rule of Law”, how much do you think we’ll be able to be out there and safe? God be with us all. – F.R.

HJL Replies: If TEOTWAWKI looks similar to what you are imagining, there will be a time of chaos in which no “bank” will be able to operate. The ideas laid out in the article will be necessary when society begins to climb out of the hole but as long as there are marauding brigands, survival will be the name of the game. A close knit community will be of utmost importance and that will be where the rebuilding starts– Not with complete strangers like banking relationships today. I do think relationships will broaden over the following years, just like JWR described in his book Patriots.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Outlawed: The ‘spy’ cars that automatically issue parking fines totalling £300million after protest by privacy campaigners – JBG

I also suspect that “revenue generation” is a significant contributor as to why there is such a rift forming between LEOs and the rest of the population.

o o o

In these Kansas towns, driving a car makes you a potential criminal. – T.P.

o o o

Emails Show Feds Asking Florida Cops to Deceive Judges. – B.G.

o o o

Will You Survive Being Sent To A FEMA Camp? – J.W.

HJL Notes: While I disagree with some of the basic principles that this article is based upon, like the U.S. government’s intention to round up citizens to populate these “camps”, the article presents some good historical evidence from WWII and the Cold War that the reader should be aware of. The “FEMA Camps” will be emergency centers that are initially set up to help people but will be underfunded, undersupplied, and generally inadequate. The people in need will initially flock to the “camps” for help, then find that they are worse off. Think Hurricane Katrina.

o o o

Hillary calls Gun Owners a “Minority” of Americans & says they are Terrorists. – B.B.

Hugh’s Quote of the Day:

“And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” Matthew 21:12,13 (KJV)

Notes for Saturday – June 21, 2014

June 21st is the birthday of Rex Applegate (June 21, 1914 – July 14, 1998). He was the friend and mentor of SurvivalBlog’s retired Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio.

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.

Family Disaster Planning, by N.J. – Part 1

“Poor Prior Planning Produces Pitifully Poor Performance”, or a similar version known as the “Six P’s”, is the mantra of this document. Plan ahead and you can survive most disasters.

Disasters come in all shapes and sizes. In trying to put together a plan, it is best to have a plan that would “basically” fit any disaster by addressing the complications brought on by a disaster. These complications include loss of power, hampered communication, compromised safe location (temporary or permanent housing), limited resources (food, water, and clothing), financial hardship (separated for obvious reasons), lack of security, lack of transportation, reduced emergency services (outside of security), loss of personal data, and a breakdown in our ability to take part in miscellaneous activities (entertainment, stress release activities, and the like).

Several of the suggested items will not be feasible for some. Depending on your living conditions (apartment vs. house), you may not have the space to take advantage of some of these suggestions. While the financial burden placed on each household to prepare is substantial, it is worth it. Remember, once you make a purchase, you should not need to replace most of these items. After you make a purchase, make sure you are ready to use the item in the event that you need to, by using what’s practical to use and reading about what’s not practical to use. Know how to use the item properly.

Keep in mind that these are suggestions. Assess your household needs and let that be the driving force for what you do/get. While the cost of these items will seem a bit much, remember that you do not have to get everything at once. Prioritize and act accordingly. If you are to use a hub site, please stock this site as well with items you will/may need. Keep a list of all items you have and cycle those items which should be cycled to keep fresh supplies as best as you can. Remember, there is no need to stock items you will not use. If you or your children don’t like certain foods, don’t waste your time or energy. While it’s true that we eat for sustenance, we all know that taste plays an important role in what we eat.

Our family plan should be three tiered. The first tier is based on a single family household structure and covers everyone who lives in a particular house. The second tier is based on an assembly at a hub site. There should be more than one hub with members designated to go to a certain hub. The third tier is based on a backup site. If you are unable to make it to your primary hub, a backup should be designated as part of the plan.

Those members who are designated to use a site as a primary hub are responsible for storing resources (pitching in to keep resources) at the hub. Family members should not be responsible for keeping items at the secondary/backup hub. In addition to this, the primary occupant of a designated hub should not shoulder the responsibility to care for all the needs of all those designated to use their home as an assembly site. As they are volunteering the use of their home, they would coordinate how it is used and have full authority of what goes on in their home.

In all that you do, be mindful of the environment. Do not dump waste into drains, leave trash to blow around the neighborhood, create unhealthy sanitary conditions for yourself or your neighbors, or create conditions that could cause a fire. Keep your home and surroundings as clean as possible to prevent the spread of germs. Take part in activities that build relationships with the whole family as well as your neighbors. Know your neighbors. Stay in touch with family members, even if you don’t like them. Together we stand; divided we fall.

Relocation, Evacuation, Extraction

The best plan for any disaster is to not be in the location where the disaster takes place. While technology has given us the ability to foresee some natural disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes, chances are you will be caught totally off guard in the event that one strikes. Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

Relocation is the best plan one can have in the event of an imminent disaster. The plan should be to relocate until the danger has passed. This could be a hotel out of the danger area, a hub site, a friend’s home, or whatever you designate in your relocation plan. The important thing is to have a plan. With relocation, you have the time to take whatever you deem necessary. Think of it as taking all the same steps you would take if you were going on vacation.

Evacuation plans are a must. You should not only have a plan, but you must practice it once or twice a year. With an evacuation, you take only the essentials. You may only have time to secure your home (see security), taking what you need and going. In the event you have to evacuate, remember, everyone in your area will be doing the same. The sooner you get started, the better off you will be.

Included in your evacuation plan should be instructions on how to evacuate your home and where to meet. There should be two (2) designated places to meet in your plan, both near the house. If your home is more than one story, have evacuation ladders in the bedrooms and practice going out the window. This is very important with small children who may be too scared in the time of an emergency to go out the window. If you practice, this should ease their fears. Keep a fire extinguisher in the master/adult bedroom to assist getting to your child’s room(s).

Extraction is a last resort, and it requires that someone risks their life to come in and get you out. Yes, there should be a plan for this as well. With this plan, you take what you can easily carry and nothing else. Your hands must be free to maneuver. Your body weight should not be more than what you carry on any given day. In the event that the extractor has to physically assist the extractee, do not burden them with added weight.

Each of the above plans should include taking your personal data. An ID, SScard, and birth certificate should always leave with you when you have a disaster take place. If you can get a passport, that is even better. Place these items in a water tight bag and keep it on your person, not in a bag or backpack, but literally on you.

Relocation, Evacuation, Extraction Plans should be written as a detailed subset of a Disaster plan and should be written for each household. Each member of the family should have everyone else’s plans so you know what and where people should be. Extraction plans should have a team designated to perform the extractions. This team should meet and train regularly. This may seem like it’s way out in left field, but if the need ever arose, you will be very happy that you covered the whole field and not just the bases.

You would be surprised at the types of activities which would qualify as training for other activities. Fishing actually helps an extraction team with navigation, teamwork, and battling the elements (depending on the weather when you go fishing). Camping will assist anyone with outdoor living.

Financial Hardship

Financial hardship can arrive in a number of ways, one being the loss of a job. If your place of employment is effected, and you are out of work, government assistance will be initially hard to come by. It all boils down to money. What you can and cannot do depends on how well you have planned and how you have budgeted for your plan. Do yourself a favor– have a budget and stick to it. If you spend wildly in everything you do, at least save for a rainy day.

If you put money away for your disaster plan, do not spend it on other items. Research the best products to spend your money on and make every cent count. Even if you budget 3% of your earnings (that’s $3 out of every $100 you make), you are way ahead of most people.

Start with the essentials: three days of food and water, a first aid kit, a crank radio/flashlight combo and candles. Build upon this by getting a little bit more as you are able. Soon, you will have most of what you need. If you can pool resources to raise money (see Family Business) do so. Sacrifice, what you can do without, to get what you need.

While not everyone can afford to stay at a hotel during a disaster, at least have some money set aside to offer to whomever your plan calls for you to stay with. Don’t wear out your welcome by being lazy and not contributing. Pitch in, and that means more than just financially.

It is very important to have some form of money available for immediate emergencies. This could be a credit card, a prepaid card you only have for this reason, a debit card tied to an account you only use for emergencies, cash, or travelers checks. If you put something aside, make sure it does not expire, lose its value, or becomes stale. Most check items are considered stale after six (6) months. One should never hold a check for longer than it takes to cash it. That includes company checks. You never know when those funds will not be available. If need be, cash the check and get a cashier’s check or money order. If you are really concerned about an emergency fund, remember that cash is king.

Loss of Power

This is probably the most prevalent outcome of any major disaster. It is also the easiest to rectify. Remember the “Six P’s”.

What do we need power for? It keeps food fresh, runs our entertainment items, and keeps the car going, lights on, et cetera. First things first. Have a backup to replace your lost power source.

It is imperative that a portion of your power be dedicated to essential items. With that, your power grid should be segregated. It is also important that you reduce your power consumption to an absolute minimum, in order to conserve this very valuable resource.

Create a list of all items in your home and how much energy each item consumes. Segregate that into what’s essential and what’s simply desired. Use your good judgment to determine what’s best for your needs in what should be powered and what should not. Design your power grid with a source or sources that best fit your needs and budget. The possibilities include any combination of the following:

Power Generator. This has to be big enough to run your essentials for an extended period of time. This includes enough propane, gas, and/or diesel fuel. Multi-fuel generators are a good idea.

Propane. This is a good power source, but you run into the issue of storage. Most people will only have small bottles, which will have to be refilled often. This will become a problem over time, as the ability to get propane decreases with the length of the disaster.

Batteries. While many items run on batteries, one has to store a lot of them to keep the power on for any length of time. For larger power needs, marine batteries work well. They are built to be used in this capacity. Provided there is a means of recharging them (see below), you can’t really go wrong with this option. Again, make sure the essentials are taken care of before you move on to the non-essentials.

There are several different categories with several types of batteries per category. We discuss a few battery types here:

  • crank (for starting motors, i.e. your car battery),
  • deep-cycle (for actually running equipment). It is very important that you use deep cycle batteries, as you are looking for a sustained power source.
  • gel cell and flooded acid batteries differ in the consistency of the acid in the battery (very basic description of the difference). Gel cell batteries have several vulnerabilities, that and the fact that they are more expensive make them the lesser desired choice of the two.

Crank. There are very few items running on a crank, with flashlights being the most prevalent. However, a crank generator can be built out of an old motor, a bike, and batteries. Having the plans readily available with the parts is a good idea; having a built generator is a great idea. Building it and testing it every now and then is a wonderful idea! (Take a look at this site for small basic unit: http://www.econvergence.net/electro.htm .)

Solar. This is a great power source but requires a bank of batteries for extended use (after hours when there is no sunlight). A basic setup can cost under $500.

Wind. Here’s another great power source, but it requires a bank of batteries. Although wind power is normally available in many locations, it should not be relied on as an exclusive power supply unless you live in a very windy area. You’d do better to couple it with solar power, if possible.

Candles. These serve as a great replacement for electric lighting. They should be kept in ample supply. There are some extended life candles, which last at least 100 hours.

Glow sticks. These lighting replacements have lighting applications that extend beyond those of a candle and sometimes even that of a flashlight. Also keep in mind that they are expendable. Place them far off and leave them there to illuminate an area for surveillance, mark off distance, or even find your way back. They can be used by a child to enable the child to see and be seen without risk of burn or fire, especially if carrying his/her lighting.

Communications

This will be one of the biggest items of concern. No one can or should attempt to live in a vacuum. It is imperative that family members stay in touch to coordinate shared resources and movement, while keeping each other informed of opportunities and dangers. Care should be taken in what is discussed on any telecom device or in public for that matter.

A phone list should be developed and maintained. At least one (two would be best) out-of-state person(s) should be designated as the contact for everyone. In most disasters it is easier to make long distance calls than it is to make local calls. Have everyone contact this person with their whereabouts and plans. The hubs should call this person (people) to make and get updates daily.

Using a HAM radio is by far the best option. HAM radio is basically free, and with it you can communicate with people all over the world. As long as you have power, you can communicate. (Your HAM radio certainly qualifies as an essential item for power usage!) All you need to do is search the dial, like tuning in to your favorite radio station, and start talking. There are rules and protocols associated with the use of such equipment. This requires several people learn how to use the equipment. For best results, it should be placed in a central location.

Satellite phones are a great source of communication. You don’t have to worry about traffic on the air waves as sat phones use a different system. Even if HAM Radio is used (and especially if it is not), sat phones should be kept at each hub. They are extremely economical these days. One thousand dollars will get you a good phone with a $600 min/yr plan. If you are only using it in the event of an emergency, it is well worth the investment.

Cell phones are the communication device of choice, but everyone will be on them jamming the air waves and wrecking havoc on this particular choice. If you have one and it’s all you have, use it. If you have other options, go with the other option.

Land line phones are there. Almost everyone has a house phone, and everyone has a phone at work. If it’s all you have, use it.

Walkie talkies have a number of usages. They can be used in conjunction with HAM radios or as the primary mode of communication for your household. These days the cheap ones ($70 per unit) have a 16 mile range. If possible, an investment should be made into high end units with security features. If this is not possible and you do use them, make sure you do not discuss sensitive information on them.

Housing

Housing will be a major concern in any disaster. Temporary housing in central locations is a must. You should have what your family needs to make it through the ordeal. Not just tents, cots, and blankets but a plan. The first thought (after a disaster has occurred) is to stay where you are if you can. If that cannot take place, the next step is to get to a designated location.

Local temporary shelter. Have a tent, cots or sleeping bags, blankets, portable stove, fuel, eating utensils, and so forth to cover each member of your household. Know how to use your equipment. Consider using your equipment and staying in your own yard, if your home is uninhabitable and your yard is not flooded. Have a map handy, in case you have to relocate to locally/government-sponsored temporary housing and to be able to find your way around in general. Locally-sponsored housing raises huge security concerns. Avoid it, if at all possible. It is probably better to be extracted than to go to one of these facilities. If you must go, stay in large numbers (especially true for women and girls). Even if you don’t know the people you are gathered with, stay together for security reasons.

Relocation housing. Plans should have a designated place to meet, and each member of your household should know this place. In the event the family is split up, know your meeting place. Locally-sponsored shelters setup on the fly should be your last resort. There are far too many security, logistical, and sanitation issues associated with them.

Hub temporary housing. Have enough equipment to house those members of the family designated to use the hub as an assembly point. It is not the responsibility of the person living at the hub to supply those who will be using the hub. Store your own supplies there in the event of an emergency.

A great way to test the living conditions is to have those who are designated to use the hub (or maybe a few extra) stay the night. It’s probably best to try this over a holiday, when the family is at the house anyway. This is actually an excellent reason to move holiday functions from one house to the next, testing our ability to live together. While it is over a shorter period of time and tempers are not flaring, like they would in an emergency, we should try a test as best as we can. A test is necessary.

Backup Hub. In the event that you are unable to make it to your primary hub, the backup site is now your destination. As is always the case, communication is the key. Keep people informed of your whereabouts, what you are doing, and where you are going. Once you have made it to your backup hub, you may be able to be transported to your primary site.

We must do our best to keep families together. Children should not be split between hubs, if we can help it. Please keep in mind that these actions, if taken, are the result of an emergency. There will be a lot going on, so please try your best to get along with each other and alleviate any issues as quickly as possible.

In the event someone has to use a backup hub site, please be understanding and share your resources. Again, if transportation can be secured to get people to primary sites, that would be great. If not, please act accordingly.

Letter Re: Salve Making

Dear Mr. Latimer,

S.T.’s article on salve making was very interesting. I’ve been making them for several years now. Because I gift and sell them to other people, I buy different size amber and cobalt blue jars to pour the final product in.

A great muscle balm salve (which I sent to soldiers’ in Afghanistan who liked it a lot!) is to use oils infused with arnica, meadowsweet, comfrey with a little added coconut oil to the melting beeswax. My favorite lip balm is “baby balm”, made with calendula, chamomile, and roses. It’s also great for diaper rash. A friend used it on her surgical incision and another friend on her baby’s circumcision and raved about the rapid healing. The pediatrician was amazed at the baby’s healing and asked her what she was using.

There are so many herbs out there, with so many applications. I’m surprised every day at how God has provided for us, right in our own backyards.

Add more beeswax and you’ll make “lotion bars”. They are “hard” balms. Use molds (I use old ice cube trays) to make a firm bar that you can rub on the skin. They’ll stay together better in the heat. You can use any recipe, but they’re particularly nice with herbs that repel bugs or have some inherent sun protection. You can also use other ingredients, like shea butter, cocoa butter, et cetera.

Finally, you can use just the infused oils for the same applications; they’re just a little messier, but if you find yourself without beeswax or lard, just infuse the oils. Use oils safe for human consumption, as they will be absorbed into the skin, and apply to affected areas. – N.P.