News From The American Redoubt:

Radio Free Redoubt will be broadcasting live on Wednesday, December 11, 2013. They will be broadcasting a concert in Cocolalla, Idaho featuring patriot singer-songwriter Jordan Page, kicking off his Northwest Liberty Tour.

   o o o  

Church plans fruit orchard in Boise’s North End

   o o o

Tim in Missoula liked this site: Made in Montana Products Directory

   o o o

Who says Idaho has no culture? A company in Cascade, Idaho proves that there is an active culture! In fact they have cultures from all around the world. (Thanks to Terry H. for the link.)

   o o o

Beware of lengthy eviction process if on more than five acres in Idaho!

   o o o

Reader Harold C. spotted this interesting news: Billionaire brothers buying Montana ranches

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader F.J. sent this evidence of preparedness penetrating the techno community: Survive An Apocalypse: Setting Up A Complete Emergency Survival Kit

   o o o

SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson and his wife Gail wrote a family-friendly short story included in this anthology: Elementary (All-New Tales of the Elemental Masters)

   o o o

Also from Mike: RF Safe-Stop shuts down car engines with radio pulse. See also: Radio-beam device can disable car and boat engines from 50 meters. Of course it would also zap the heart pacemakers of anyone in the vehicle, but what’s a little collateral damage, when there is “important police work” to be done!

   o o o
 
Nelson Mandela the Myth and the Reality

Notes from JWR:

December 9th is the birthday of Maximo Guillermo “Max” Manus. (Born 1914.) He was was one of the few Norwegians who frequently put his life on the line, fighting the Nazi occupiers. (There surely would have been more active resistance fighters, but fearing widespread reprisal executions by the Germans, King H7 asked the civilian populace to stand down.) Max Manus passed away in 1996. His exploits are fairly accurately shown in the movie Max Manus: Man of War

—

Today we begin with a guest article:

The Benefits of a Homesteading Approach to Preparedness, by Chaya

We all have our own personal style at preparedness, and the style seems to mature with you the longer you prepare.  I have noticed this in others and myself; that we all gravitate towards the preparedness hobbies that best fit our personal inclinations—homesteading skills in the traditional sense just might not be your gig.  I get that—it is another great reason why a close knit community of prepared people is a super idea.  Let someone else make homemade candles if you just cannot get kicks and giggles out of dipping string repeatedly into a burning wax. (Tactfully)  Identify others, identify their skills sets, and build out from there.  However, I do not think that the “It’s not my fave” excuse will really be a luxury you can afford when it all goes down.  That works in a modern everyone’s-a-specialist society, but not in the real world of hunger and hard work.   If homesteading does nothing else, it builds the “somebody’s gotta do it” grit in yourself, your spouse, and your children—as I was reminded this week when I had to eliminate an animal that was born with spinal cord problems.  As solemn as that moment was for me, I took my place as steward of land and animal, also taking the opportunity to reflect on just how homesteading is a beneficial  crucial part of a prepared lifestyle.   

  1. The animals and structure are already in place.  Let’s face it: freeze dried food runs out eventually.  A steady diet of it (even the best of it) will leave your body hurting for a fresh egg fried up in some tallow or lard.  Just when do you plan on purchasing your livestock?  There will be many, who in a panic, will not reserve enough breeding stock to supply for themselves and others too.  Pack animals and livestock will be a true commodity.  So will fencing and shelter.   If you get it in place now, it will be life as usual for you later.
  2. You will learn your land.  You will learn its flora and fauna.  Before homesteading, I did not realize that I had such a mess of chokecherries down by the overgrown creek bed or that those Siberian Pea Bushes attracted the deer.  Knowing your land is key to protecting it from others and to surviving off of it in lean times. 
  3. You will develop a sense of stewardship.  You will feel a loyalty to the land that provides for you and will become better at maintaining it properly with a long-term perspective.  Sure, you could spray that nasty field of weeds this year, but you’ll lose a valuable cattle field for a season; so perhaps you’ll choose to cycle goats through it instead.  They will eat the weeds, fertilize the land,  keep Monsanto off your property, and provide meat or milk for your family.  This is a singular example of how creating an active polyculture on the land will create a sustainable yield for decades to come.   This mentality does not generally happen overnight; it is a seasoned approach developed through trial and error. 
  4. Frugality.  No one is as poor as a homesteader.  But then, we homesteaders measure wealth in different ways.  The bleating of animals, the rustling of the fruit trees, this is wealth to us.  When it comes to recycling and repurposing, we become masters by necessity.  Broken pots string together to scare the birds away from the garden, serve as plant markers, or work really well to provide drainage in the bottom of other pots.  You never throw a glass jar away;  broken furniture can serve as a chicken roost, a potting station, or a gate to a pasture.   You get the idea.  As a former rich kid, believe me when I say that this is a learned skill and an altered mindset that come only from practice (not Pinterest).
  5. Time Management.  You will learn to live seasonally based upon the season’s chores and food availability.  You will focus on the indoor stuff in bad weather, outdoor stuff in good weather.  This sounds trivial, but if you are accustomed to a consistent career in which your to-do list has a line of checkmarks at the end of the day, well….homesteading is not usually that.  You planned something that got rained out, or you fixed a broken fence instead of the original day’s plans.  You will learn to appreciate the successes along the way and to relax about the diversions.  Eventually.  In either case, you will make the most of the moment and learn to “make hay while the sun shines”.
  6. You will be healthy and strong.  I pounded fence posts for the first time in my life this past summer; I was unable to do it when I tried six months earlier.  The time I spend in the sunshine has altered my overall mood, appearance, and contentment.  I breathe deeply, I eat well, and feel  good. 
  7. Your children will receive a practical life education.  Most kids in modern America have a connection to their food, their land, or even to hard work.  If anything were to happen to our societal structure, how have you incorporated self-reliance into your child’s upbringing?  Problem-solving skills, tenacity, hard work, a sense of priorities, the ability to face unpleasantness, the list goes on.   
  8. Healthy Psychology.  Tied to number 7, it is not just the harder stuff that builds your child (or you), but the fun stuff too.  We have developed intrinsic motivators wholly unconnected…literally.  No plug, no batteries.  We reward ourselves for a hot day on the homestead with an icy dip in the mountain stream.  We reward ourselves on long wintery homeschooling days with a family game of Monopoly.  We know how to work hard, but we know how to have fun too.  We do it “off grid”…homesteading style. 
  9. Water.   A lot of preppers store plastic jugs of it “just in case”.  That is not a bad idea, by any means.  But is it the best idea?  When searching for our homestead, we knew the land had to have some type of water on it.  This is not possible everywhere, I understand, but it makes things easier now while trying to irrigate crops or water animals during a drought.  We use a Berkey Water purification system for our daily drinking water and I know—if it came down to it—the bucket brigade at the creek means that I never have to worry about clean drinking water in an emergency. 
  10. A rural environment.  This is the modern era—guys get pedicures and women get bicep tattoos.  Likewise, homesteading is no longer confined to rural America.  Goodness no—apartment dwellers can get into beekeeping and gardening, food preservation and other homesteading skills.  I hope that we can foster that self-reliant attitude no matter what type of geological environment you may occupy.  With that said, though, someone actively homesteading now will ultimately seek the place to stretch out.  Like-minded neighbors are usually the result.  If you are living out of the city limits with the hope of having livestock, your immediate (or even sprawling) neighbors are likely to have either the same tendencies or sympathy towards them.  I must make a caveat that I know firsthand this is not the case everywhere.  If you have yet to purchase land but are looking, talk to the neighbors.  Wilson and I, when initially searching for land in Montana, came across land with so many covenants on it that you could not have more than a single family pet.  The irony was that the land was originally Amish land in the mountains of Montana.   As an aside, that land has been for sale for over two years now…but still.   Find out about covenants, meet the neighbors.  You will find kindred spirits in most rural areas far more effortlessly than you would in metropolitan ones. 
  11. A physical connection to the Creator, which will serve as a moral compass in hard times.  This isn’t hooey about how you do not need fellowship because fishing on a Sunday morning meets that need; that excuse is contrary to Biblical counsel.  Still, there is something to it that when life hits me hard and I step out into the unforgiving snowstorm to check on the animals, I glance up long enough to see the deep hues of the pink and gray sky and think…for just a frozen moment…about my miniscule stature in light of an awesome God.  And then I hustle my tail back into the house.  The Heavens declare his firmament…not billboards, not the latest mobile app…the Heavens. When it all comes down in the end and you have the opportunity to help others in need, your long-term perspective of your smallness and your utter dependence upon God will guide you to do the right thing, should such a moment ever arise.  And it will arise. 

In the meantime, Wilson and I at Pantry Paratus hope that you will keep learning & working to produce, prepare, and preserve your own harvest.  – Chaya

Pat’s Product Review – Infidel Body Armor Goes Soft

One of the best pieces of kit for law enforcement, military and civilians, in the 20th century, has been, in my humble opinion, body armor. While many believe body armor to be a fairly recent invention, it is not! I know body armor – the type that stops bullets, has been around since the 1920s – armor for stopping swords and arrows has been around for centuries. I had my first experience with soft body armor in 1980, when I owned a gun shop, and bid on a contract to provide soft body armor to a fairly large police department in 1980. I won the bid!
 
Some months back, I reviewed Infidel Body Armor and I came away quite impressed with their hard body armor – it easily defeated many high-powered rifle rounds, including .223 Remington, .308 Winchester, 7.62×39 and even an armor piercing round of .30-06 – it took more than 100 rounds from an AK – and all handgun rounds and 00 buckshot were no match for this hard armor. However, with many things in life, there are always compromises – in this case, AR500 steel body armor plates and a carrier weighed about 20 pounds – and toss in your gear, and we are packing some serious weight around.
 
Enter Infidel Body Armor’s new Trauma Max Level IIIA soft body armor panels. Over the years, in my law enforcement and security career, I’ve worn soft body armor while on the job – while is was comfortable, and gave me the confidence I needed on the job, it was bulky and one had to purchase uniform shirts one or two sizes bigger in order to wear the soft armor under your shirt. Still, it was worth the extra effort. Soft body armor has continued to evolved over the years, and what Infidel Body Armor has come out with is the lightest and thinnest soft body armor I’ve yet to see.
 
Each soft armor panel weighs about a pound – yes, you read that right – one pound, so a set of two panels is a mere 2 pounds in weight. Additionally, they are approximately 1/4 inch think (thin?) – again, you read that right – soft body armor, that is rated and certified at threat Level IIIA is only about a quarter inch thick. Each panel is 10×12 inches in size, and taper towards the top of the panel. This is stand alone soft body armor. I know that some manufactures who produce ceramic hard body armor, provide soft panels to wear behind their ceramic panels, to soften the blow from a high-powered rifle round – not a bad idea at all. The Infidel Body Armor – this new Trauma Max is designed to be stand-alone level IIIA soft armor.
 
Threat Level IIIA is a step down from the protection of Level III. It designed to stop most common handgun rounds, .32 ACP, .380 ACP, 9mm, .45ACP, .38 Special, .357 Magnum and even .44 Magnum rounds. Additionally, these soft armor panels are certified to Military Standards to stop fragmentation from grenades. I know what Kevlar is, it’s been used for many years and was, at one time, the only type of material used in soft body armor – and it works quite well, however it is bulky and it takes many layers to stop handgun rounds – it’s thick! The Trauma Max is manufactured out of Kevlar KM2 and Goldflex – a combination that makes this body armor thin and lightweight, and effective enough to stop all of the above handgun rounds.
 
I’ll be the first to admit that, I’m not an expert when it comes to body armor. Different types of materials have been used over the years to produce soft body armor – some works better than others – some are more expensive – a lot more expensive – than other vests, while some are reasonably priced. The Trauma Max provides up to 40% blunt force reduction, too.
 
I’ll relate a story, at one time, I was a distributor for some soft body armor, that was one of the lightest weight body armors around at the time – it didn’t fit into a traditional soft body armor carrier, instead a special, heavy-duty t-shirt was designed with pockets inside the T-shirt – front and back – that the soft armor panels fit into. Now, according to the maker of this armor, it was rated to stop a Winchester 9mm Silvertip JHP round. I was training a small, rural police department in SWAT methods, and I decided to see if they were interested in purchasing this body armor. I took a soft armor panel, taped it to a phone book, and placed a 1-inch wooden board behind it – and at 25 yards, I had one of the officers fire at the body armor panel. The 9mm Silvertip JHP round not only complete penetrated the soft armor, it penetrated the phone book and the wooden board behind it. Needless to say, I didn’t get a sale that day – and I cut ties with that company in short order. Their armor didn’t even come close to stopping one single round that they claimed it would stop! Was my testing scientific? Of course not, and any testing I’ve done since then, hasn’t been scientific – but neither is getting shot on the street a scientific test. What happens – happens!
 
I received two Trauma Max soft armor panels, and a carrier from Infidel Body Armor – the Trauma Max Threat Level IIIA panels do not come with a carrier – however, you can purchase outside the shirt carriers from them – they have many different styles, or you can purchase under the shirt soft body armor carriers from any number of sources. I’m hoping, in the very near future that, Infidel Body Armor will offer concealable under the shirt carriers for this armor.
 
Not everyone needs to wear their soft armor under a shirt, and they choose to use a carrier that fits over their clothing, where they can have MOLLE webbing for attaching other gear, like spare magazine pouches. Not all SWAT teams wear hard body armor – they can be seen wearing an outer vest, that has soft armor panels inside of them – just like Infidel is offering. In any event, you have a couple choices here, you can purchase an over the clothing vest from Infidel or just purchase the soft armor panels from them, and look for an under the shirt armor carrier from one of many suppliers. And, if you purchased any of the Infidel hard body armor from them, these panels will fit right behind the steel plates – giving you additional blunt force trauma protection from taking a hit from a high-powered rifle round – a darn good idea if you ask me.
 
On to my non-scientific testing of the Trauma Max soft body armor – and I’ve used this same method for many years, when testing soft body armor. I placed one panel in the front pocket of the carrier, and put a phone book behind the carrier. And, at 25 feet, I fired different types of handgun rounds into the carrier with the soft panel inside of it. I fired 9mm FMJ as well as JHP rounds, and .357 Magnum rounds, as well as FMJ and JHP .45ACP rounds into the test panel. I didn’t fire all the rounds into the same spot – I fired at different areas of the panel, in all, I fired six rounds into the test soft armor, and there was no penetration. Now, without a doubt, you are going to get some serious bruising and possibly a broke rib when you take a hit from something like a .357 Magnum round, but it beats the alternative – penetration of your body! Some pages in the phone book were “broken” from the impact of the rounds – but once again, your body wouldn’t have been penetrated, as the rounds were all stuck in the Infidel Body Armor Trauma Max panel.
 
Due to the FedGov shutdown, I wasn’t able to access the NIJ web site, in order to see how many rounds are used to test the various types and threat levels of body armor hits they will take during testing. I don’t think they fire more than a few rounds into soft body armor panels in their testing, though. I was very impressed with the way the Trauma Max IIIA panel stood-up. I know I could defeat this armor – and I will get out for some more testing, to see just how many more rounds of handgun ammo this panel will take before it fails – and all body armor will fail if you shoot it enough times. But just for fun……..
 
Now for the good news, if you purchase one Trauma Max panel from Infidel, it’s only $160 and if you purchase two panels they are $305 and this is a special right now – they normally cost more. And, you can find outside the shirt armor carriers for as low as $100 from Infidel, too. Check out the various carriers they have, they are all slightly different from one another. And, if you already have an armor carrier/vest, you’ll only need the Trauma Max panels by themselves. If you’ve purchase the Infidel hard armor with a carrier, then the soft panels are really a good thing to add – to no only reduce blunt force trauma, but for those call outs where you might only need protection from common handgun rounds. There will be times when hard armor might be too heavy, or too confining, and soft body armor will get the job done alone!
 
Infidel Body Armor started with an idea and concept, and that was to produce affordable hard body armor, for the Prepper and the Survivalist – and they accomplished that goal. And, their armor was not NIJ certified when they first came out with it – it’s a very expensive testing procedure to get body armor certified by NIJ. However, they had numerous requests from police officers, who wanted the hard body armor, but couldn’t use it on-duty, if it wasn’t certified by NIJ. So, Infidel went through the expensive process of getting their hard armor plates certified – and then they set about to produce soft body armor panels, and once again, they are certified to NIJ standards, and Infidel is living up to their goal, of producing affordable body armor – soft and hard – that is NIJ certified for civilians as well as law enforcement. So, before you lay down a thousand dollars for a big-name soft body armor set-up, do yourself a favor, and check out the Infidel Trauma Max Threat Level IIIA line.   – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

Letter Re: A Conversation with a TEOTWAWKI Survivor

Jim,
I’d like to add a couple of thoughts to the recent Appleseed/Libertyseed post.  While I have been involved with Appleseed and really appreciate the history and message that is presented, we need to correct the misconception that: “The spirit of liberty was alive and well in the hearts and minds of Paul Revere and his fellow American colonists in the 1770s…”  The notion of “3 Percenters” lives today based on the rough statistics that only 3% of the colonists actually fought the Revolutionary War, another 10% actively supported the war effort, and another 20% supported the war in spirit but did nothing substantive. 

Only 13%(ish) actively supported liberty and the war effort, against 66% of the colonists that opposed it.  Within this two-thirds of opposition, there were spies, traitors, and some who even fought along with the British soldiers.  While these percentages are subject to debate, and the numbers surely changed as the war unfolded, it is at least obvious that the spirit of liberty was opposed by an overwhelming majority. 

I also don’t appreciate the author’s pessimistic perspective on America today. She wrote: “As you look around in your family, your neighborhood, your city, your state, and your country, do you see the spirit of liberty alive and well? Quite frankly, I don’t.” and, “Perhaps it’s too late to save America. Perhaps the ship has already sunk too far…”  I don’t know about the rest of you, but I see the spirit of liberty alive and growing!  Every week it seems that more and more people are waking-up to the tyranny and injustices perpetrated by our government, and are joining, both formally and informally, the liberty movement.  I see it nationally, in my state, and even in my neighborhood.  The birth of the Tea Party, our first real alternative to the corrupt two party system, is a prime example. 
 
What is the percent of Americans today who stand ready to defend liberty and our Constitution?  Your guess is as good as mine.  But I take solace in knowing that a 13% minority was able to stand up and fight against overwhelming odds and win.  I have no doubt that we have at least the same percentages today, if not greater.  If even 3-13% of our 308 million populace stands committed, then we are 9-to-40 million strong!  Let that number sink in, especially relative to the size of any army or government agency on the planet. 
 
I believe we are as strong today as ever, and to the RWVA’s credit, I have no doubt they are making a difference.  As long as there remains a core of Americans who will continue to educate themselves on the Constitution, and continue to raise succeeding generations appropriately, then America will survive. 

Recipe of the Week:

Connecticut Tim’s Home-Canned Hot Pepper Relish

This recipe makes a big batch (approximately 22 pints) of Hot Pepper Relish that can be home-canned.
 
   4       lbs      Jalepeño peppers
   4       lbs       Long hot or cherry peppers
   7       lbs       Green sweet  peppers
   4-1/2  lbs     Onions
   5-1/2 cups   Sugar
   9        cups   White vinegar
   3        Tbsp  Salt
   1-1/2 Tbsp   Cinnamon
   9        Tbsp   Alspice
 
Chop peppers and onions to desired size.
  
Add balance of ingredients and boil for 20 minutes
   
Pack hot in boiled jars
 
Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:

Relish Recipes

Pepper Recipes

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

Stronger Passwords for the Masses, by Michael Z. Williamson

This article should be of interest to anyone who is cyber security conscious–which should be everyone, in the present era:

Kill the Password: Why a String of Characters Can’t Protect Us Anymore.

Now consider the pointed lesson of the XKCD site.

Are you now concerned? …then use:

Diceware

and

Truecrypt

The main features of Truecrypt:

  • Creates a virtual encrypted disk within a file and mounts it as a real disk. 
  • Encrypts an entire partition or storage device such as USB flash drive or hard drive.
  • Encrypts a partition or drive where Windows is installed (pre-boot authentication).
  • Encryption is automatic, real-time (on-the-fly) and transparent.
  • Parallelization and pipelining allow data to be read and written as fast as if the drive was not encrypted.
  • Encryption can be hardware-accelerated on modern processors.
  • Provides plausible deniability, in case an adversary forces you to reveal the password:
  • Hidden volume (steganography) and hidden operating system.

Take the time to increase your password security and your general computing security. Someday you may be very glad that you did!

Thanks, – Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large)

Letter Re: Endgames for the Federal Budget and U.S. Dollar

Mr. Rawles:
Can you tell me in simple terms how will the current Federal budget crisis and the credit market turmoil play out, in like the long run? How can I protect my savings, in all this chaos? Which are the safe currencies? Thanks, – S.G.

JWR Replies: Physical gold is presently heading to China in huge quantities, month after month. (Roughly 1,000 tons of gold per year!) At some point in the near future, the banksters of the West will run out of gold and be left with nothing but a paper-based house of cards. Following the current period of deflation, the end game for Dollar-based debt will likely be: hyperinflation domestically and a concurrent partial debt default, internationally. Mass inflation is the ultimate stealth tax and bail-in. There is no "safe" currency. Your only escape from all of this will be in the form of tangibles. First get your money out of banks and the stock market. Then parlay most of those funds out of Dollars and into practical, barterable tangibles.

Economics and Investing:

B.B. sent: 1929 Analog

Pierre M. spotted this: Coming Soon: The Coming Global Wealth Tax

Axel Merk: Is the Fed increasingly monetizing government debt? (Thanks to G.G. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

Strong US jobs report keeps markets in check

Top 10 Percent of US Households Control Nearly 75 Percent of All Wealth – Average Americans Pretend to be Temporarily Embarrassed Millionaires by Going Further into Debt.

Inflation Since 2000 is “Not Contained”

Odds ‘n Sods:

F.J. suggested: Foraging For Edible Weeds

   o o o

A reminder that Ready Made Resources is running a pre-Christmas sale on Mountain House foods until the 13th of December with 25% to 42% off free shipping, and on request they are willing to mix and match varieties in six-can cases with the varieties that they have on hand.

   o o o

Directive 21 (a long-time SurvivalBlog advertiser) has begun offering Survival Cave brand canned meats. (Chicken, turkey, pork, and ground beef.) If you use the discount code “survivalblog” at checkout, you will get a 5 percent discount.

   o o o

File under TIA: Thousands [of Christians] seek refuge [from machete-wielding Muslims] at Central African airport

Notes from JWR:

Last day! Camping Survival’s Mountain House storage food sale ends today, December 8th, 2013. They are offering 25% off cases of #10 cans, 25% off cases of retort pouches and 15% off buckets. The sale is for full cases only.  They are only selling stock on hand, but they bought a substantial quantity in advance.

—

Today we present another entry for Round 50 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $9,400+ worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate, good for any one, two, or three course. (A $1,195 value.) B.) 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, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), F.) A $300 Gift Certificate from Freeze Dry Guy. G.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo. H.) A roll of $10 face value in pre-1965 U.S. 90% silver quarters, courtesy of GoldAndSilverOnline.com. The current value of this roll is at least $225, I.) Both VPN tunnel and DigitalSafe annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad. They have a combined value of $195. J.) 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. and K.) APEX Gun Parts is donating a $250 purchase credit.

Second Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589. C.) A FloJak EarthStraw “Code Red” 100 foot well pump system (a $500 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. D.) $300 worth of ammo from Patriot Firearms and Munitions. (They also offer a 10% discount for all SurvivalBlog readers with coupon code SVB10P.), E.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials F.) A full set of all 24 of the books published by PrepperPress.com. This is a $240 value, G.) Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value). H.) EP Lowers, makers of 80% complete fiber composite polymer lowers for the AR-15 rifles is donating a $250 gift certificate, and I.) Autrey’s Armory — specialists in AR-15, M4s, parts and accessories — is donating a $250 gift certificate.

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) 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, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security., E.) A MURS Dakota Alert Base Station Kit with a retail value of $240 from JRH Enterprises. F.) Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances, and G.) Ambra Le Roy Medical Products in North Carolina is donating a bundle of their traditional wound care and first aid supplies. This assortment has a retail value of $208.

Round 50 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.