Odds ‘n Sods:

I prefer using 20-round magazines in ARs, so that I can get in a comfortable low prone shooting position. (Prone shooting is the most accurate and also the least likely to get yourself killed, because you present a small silhouette to your opponents. But when prone, I’ve never liked the sensation of going “high center” on a long magazine. Not only is it distracting, but it also detracts from accurate shooting.) In my opinion, 30 and 40 rounders are only apropos for sustained firing when shooting from behind cover, such as from a sandbagged position or from inside a masonry building. For those who want long magazines, MagPul recently introduced a 40 round magazine. They retail for less than $20 each. They reportedly function just as well as MagPul’s 20 and 30 round PMAGs, which needless to say are almost universally lauded. I checked with MagPul and they told me that they only plan to make the 40 rounders in black, but these can of course be spray-painted with some flat green or brown paint, to match your rifle’s camouflage. One strong caveat: If you buy any 40 rounders, then buy only PMAGs or some of the very scarce Sterling of England 40 rounders. (Most of the other 40 rounders on the market are unreliable aftermarket junk!)

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DIY Hacks & How To’s: Laser Tripwire Alarm. (Thanks to R.L.H. for the link.)

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Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) liked this piece: A Former Cop Explains How To Avoid Getting Arrested

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Also by way of Mad Mike (and also mentioned by Tam at View From The Porch): 21 AR Grips compared

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Currently available free at Amazon, the Kindle book: Fish & Game Cookbook, by Bonnie Scott. It has more than 150 recipes.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“It’s the same old story. We’re told guns are responsible for murders and the ‘sour economy’ is responsible for a surge in robberies. Get real. Murderers are responsible for murders. The press likes the phrase gun violence. There are violent people but no such thing as violent guns. Likewise, robbers are responsible for robberies. It’s what they do. The economy, sour or otherwise, doesn’t commit robbery. Simple truth can be wrapped in delusions but it can’t be made complicated: criminals are responsible for crime. Hence the term ‘criminals’. Why suggest otherwise? What is society’s gain in these misdirections?” – Ol’ Remus, The Woodpile Report

Notes from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 49 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The $8,500+ 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, and I.) VPN tunnel, DigitalSafe and private e-mail annual subscriptions from Privacy Abroad. They have a combined value of $265.

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 FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 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 23 of the books published by PrepperPress.com. This is more than a $210 value, and G.) Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

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.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security., F.) A MURS Dakota Alert Base Station Kit with a retail value of $240 from JRH Enterprises , and G.) A Nesco / American Harvest Gardenmaster Dehydrator with an extra set of trays, and the book The Dehydrator Bible, from Mayflower Trading. (A $210 value.)

Round 49 ends on November 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

War Games, by Phil S.

The United States Military tests its capabilities and preparedness by exercising its systems, soldiers and supply chains in war games. [These include field training exercises (FTXes), Command Post Exercises (CPXes), and Mobilization Exercises (MOBEXes), Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercises (EDREs) and more.]  These war games are used to ensure that their personnel is trained and fit, that the hardware of every sort works as it was intended to work and that in times of duress their supply chain will provide the fighting men at the front what supplies they need in order to be victorious.  I have extended my preparations for what the future might hold by exercising my personal set of war games.

I have been preparing for surviving a variety of events for a little over a year. Living in a rural area in eastern Oklahoma we are in an area prone to tornados and wildfires.  Beyond natural disasters I am very concerned about the effects of geopolitical decisions our government has been making.  I have read numerous articles and books on what to accumulate, how to store what you collect, how to do it on a budget, what kinds of defensive arms and skills to accumulate etc. etc. etc.  I have used this information to formulate my own lists of needed supplies; food, shelter, hardware, knives, guns and so on.  I have broken it down into lists of those things absolutely essential, those things that would be great to have and those things that may not be essential to survival but that would make surviving more comfortable.  What I am about to share with you is as essential as anything on any of those lists!

If you are not mentally, physically and spiritually prepared to deal with survival situations all your supplies will only help you temporarily, if at all!  Sociologists have researched human behavior in disaster situations and have found that immediately after an event 75% are in a daze, 10% are even worse, crying and wailing, while only 15% start working on a solution to alleviate suffering and provide for human needs.  Not surprisingly they found that these 15% were also the ones that were trained and had practiced what to do and how to deal with survival issues (shelter-food-water).  In other words, they had participated in some form of war game prior to the event they were thrust into.  Preparation time is never wasted time.

My War Games consists of testing your personal readiness to deal with the physical and mental challenges we might face in the future.  I’m talking about testing your readiness to deal with off-grid living by regularly practicing those skills and preparing your body physically by wilderness backpacking.  Preparation time is never wasted time.  I’m talking about backpacking into wilderness areas as if you were “bugging out” and using the things you would use, both hardware things and skill things.  You will learn what things you can live without and therefore lightening your BOB and also you’ll learn what things you really need to have.  Just like when you started collecting your cache of prepping supplies you will learn slowly at first and grow in wisdom and ability, with time you will find out where your weaknesses are and also your strengths.  Backpacking as a recreation is not only a good war game to test your survival supplies and skills but you will be preparing physically for the challenges of post calamity survival, whether its days or weeks without power because FEMA is inept or even longer because of political, financial or petrol disaster on a nationwide or worldwide basis.  Surviving off grid will take skill, will take good preparation and will require a person to be healthy and fit.  I suggest that backpacking not only tests your ability and resources but also helps you continue to improve and prepare in all these areas.

Now this is an area of prepping that I have been working on for a lifetime, I just didn’t label it as such!  I teach backpacking and wilderness survival skills to Boy Scout Troops, Royal Rangers, VFW Halls, church groups and wherever people are interested in learning how to spend time safely in the outback.  A personal aside here, my goal is to reacquaint today’s youth with outdoors skills that sometimes have not been passed down from father to son as in the past.  My teaching is based on 40 years of outdoors experience, packing into remote areas on foot and horseback, sometimes to hunt and fish where others haven’t had the gumption to go; and other times just to get far enough away from civilization to test myself, hear from God and just think.

I divide wilderness skills into four categories; pre-trip planning, gear, skills and physical fitness.  I will cover each one specifically as to how it relates to survival preparedness.

Pre-trip planning:  Any trip to the wilderness requires planning, and planning means decisions and choices.  We have three basic needs, water, food and shelter.  Planning any trip, whether it’s recreational backpacking or planning to be ready to bug-out means evaluating where you will be going and making choices.  Is there water available?  In this day and age we can assume all water needs to be treated, learning to treat water on a backpacking trip will give you confidence in the case you might have to bug out and treat your water source.   Will you be able to carry 100% of the food you need or will you be able to supplement your supply by hunting and gathering.  Sure you can carry a weekends worth of food, but wouldn’t it be a good time to practice your hunting, snaring and gathering skills in case you have to be away from a grocery store for an extended period of time.  Is there firewood available where you’re going?  I own some pretty awesome lightweight stoves but in a long term situation you will probably run out of fuel so now is a good time to learn how to build a fire under any conditions, use it to cook and to heat a primitive shelter.

Gear-As I said earlier in the area of gear, backpacking will help you evaluate things that you can get along without, what gear provides more than one use (always a good thing) and what gear you absolutely have to bring, usually in duplicate.  Another value of backpacking is finding out if your choice of gear is dependable and durable.  If a necessary piece of gear breaks or fails to perform on a camp out it may mean discomfort or a problem until you get back home and can replace it.  Once you bug-out, if it fails, you can’t return it to the store for a replacement or refund!  You will also find out what gear needs to be duplicated.  I need reading glasses, so besides the ones in my pocket, needed for map reading and such,  I usually have two pair in my pack, one in the first aid kit.

Skills- This is the real crux of the matter!  You can read about how to build a shelter and where, you can read how to navigate with a compass, build a fire, cook with a fire, find your food et cetera. But the best education is practice.  By using your backpack and actually going into the wilderness you will be practicing survival skills and gaining confidence.  Training and confidence is what separated the 15% from the 85% in the scenarios that the sociologists studied.  Have you ever spent the night in your backyard with just a blanket and a canteen?  Most people never have.  Most people have no idea of what being alone at night anywhere is all about. Try it sometime,  it’s not as easy as it sounds!  Think about what the same night would be like if you were in the wilderness with only you and coyotes howling, or wild boar rooting around you, or someone looking for you that is not looking to “rescue” you.  How about building a fire?  Daylight, no wind, no rain, matches, -sure you can build a fire.  But what if you fell into a creek, its cold, you need a fire, it’s windy and raining? Now can you build a fire?  These are skills that need and can be practiced before you actually have to have them.  A soldier doesn’t learn how to acquire a target, identify it and squeeze the trigger the day he gets sent into battle, he learns the skills ahead of time and is tested in war games.  First Aid is another important skill-both to the weekend backpacker and also to the person trying to survive off grid.  It needs to be acquired ahead of time.  Learn how to bandage burns, how to control bleeding, take a CPR course, better yet take a complete First Aid course.  This skill will be a little harder to practice war game style but education and training will build confidence.  When the poop hits the ventilation system is not the best time to be learning essential skills.  It is not the best time to find out how far you can’t walk with your bug-out bag, or how much weight you can’t carry, and that brings me to my final category-physical fitness.

Physical Fitness-We live in a comfortable society, we have remote controls, we heat our houses by turning up the thermostat, we get a drink by turning the tap or reaching into the fridge for another bottle of purified, distilled water.  It hasn’t always been like this.  My grandfather heated a five bedroom house with wood, in northern Wisconsin, without a chain saw or log splitter!  He used a tractor driven 36” saw and a splitting maul.  He and my grandma had a large garden that they hoed by hand, no rototiller.  They were both physically fit because their lifestyle both demanded it and also contributed to it.  Any off grid lifestyle whether its short term because of natural disaster or long term TEOTWAWKI will demand that we be physically fit, and waiting until it happens to get fit is a recipe for disaster.  I’m 62 and still backpack on a regular basis with scouts and also a men’s ministry I’m a part of.  The boys (ages 12-16) often comment on my fitness.  Many times during a rest break on an outing I will forgo removing my pack or sitting down,  I’m fit, they’re not.  There are different types of fitness.  A weightlifter can seldom run a marathon,  a jogger usually won’t play the line in a football game.  In my opinion backpacking is a great way, probably the best way, to get the kind of fitness needed to survive off grid.  If you need to grab your BOB and go, all those miles jogging or lifting weights at the gym will help, but the best way to prepare the legs and back for your BOB is to carry your bag ahead of time, especially up and down hills not in the park or on a sidewalk.  Part of fitness is weight as proportioned to height. Too thin, no muscle is almost as bad as too fat.  Especially since many of today’s maladies are weight related.  Diabetes, High Blood pressure, even headaches can be weight related.  By getting physically fit now you may reduce or eliminate medications which will be at the very least, difficult to obtain off grid.  Essentially, the better shape you are in, the higher your level of fitness will translate into longer success in a survival situation and backpacking on a regular basis is a great way to get into survival shape. 

Wilderness backpacking will get you fit, get your skills refined, give you confidence in yourself and your equipment and the best part is that it can be done as a family, a couple, an individual or a group.  It doesn’t cost much (National Forests are open to free camping) and is healthy spiritually, mentally and physically.  So if you’re serious about survival-why wouldn’t you?  My intention in this article was not to get you trained, there are countless books and articles, whole shelves in most libraries, that can train you.  My intention was to show you why you want to get your skill level increased and your fitness improved.  Wilderness backpacking, with its accumulation of skills and physical challenges is an excellent test of your readiness for survival situations.

The military uses war games to test its readiness for battle.  Serious backpacking can be the war game equivalent that tests your readiness, hones your skills and improves your chances at survival.

Letter Re: Why Is Utah Not in the American Redoubt?

James,
All your points regarding Utah being unsuitable [for inclusion as an American Redoubt state] are well taken, I would add only a few items and clarify one statement;

The plain fact is the Mormon [LDS] church controls the political and economic conditions within the state and they have always wanted to expand that control to a national level. The majority follow (in my view) a completely wrong religious doctrine, in that they practice the corporate teachings of their church, which has very little to do with the Bible. I would also say when push comes to shove 99.9% of the elected officials will do exactly what the gray suits at the [LDS] temple in Salt Lake City tell them to do.

I, not being a native [to the state] nor a Mormon, have found there is what I call The Mormon Ceiling in employment here, meaning most upper level and higher paying jobs are very difficult to come by and seem reserved for those of a proper standing [within the LDS Church.] Especially in the public service jobs (local and state government) there is only so far up the ladder that a non-member can go. I have noted that in difficult times the employees let go are predominantly not members of the mormon church in both the private and public sectors. In fact are still some cities that actually require a temple recommend to even get an interview (all in the shadows of course).

To be perfectly blunt, given the class system ingrained in Utah society and even within their own religion, Utah is not a good choice for survival unless you become a cog in their system, but even then you will be treated as an outsider.

My observation is the people here are also pretty racist. It seems that it may be due to ignorance, lack of contact with other races and brainwashing from those very same powers that be. Sadly, they are blissfully unaware of it, denying it vehemently, even after it is proven to them.

The error I noted is (unless the law has changed in the last year since receiving a CCL permit) that Utah residents can open carry anywhere in the state as long as it takes two mechanical actions to fire the weapon. [Further, anyone carrying a gun] must leave a private business or home if asked and apparently schools, churches and public buildings are weapons free areas or free fire zones as some call them.

I have visited quite a few parts of the state and besides very small pockets of Utah that have [favorable] microclimates, most of the state is not viable in a total collapse, although this is probably true in most any [other western] state. Given what I have observed and living here for the last 20 or so years as a Lutheran, I can honestly say a move to the north west of here, would be a prudent choice for long term survival. Otherwise it is a decent place to live. I just wish we had continued north years ago. – Jordan

JWR Replies: Thanks for mentioning the clarification on open carry in Utah.

The folks at US Conceal and Carry posted these details on Utah’s strange open carry law:

“Utah allows for open carry of unloaded firearms without a concealed firearm permit. “Unloaded” as it applies here, means that there is no round in the firing position, and the firearm is at least two “mechanical actions” from firing. As carrying the firearm with the chamber empty, but with a full magazine, meets this definition (the handler must chamber a round, and then pull the trigger), this is a common work around for Utah residents who do not wish to acquire a permit. Without the permit, the [unloaded] firearm must be clearly visible.

(Emphasis added.)

It is sad that open carry of fully loaded guns without a permit is not legal in Utah.  Unless you have a CCW permit, you cannot legally openly carry a loaded revolver or an autopistol with a cartridge in the chamber. The alternative, Condition 3 carry (that is, carry with an empty chamber–commonly called Israeli Carry), is slower and cumbersome, since it requires two hands to ready the gun for firing. If you have only one hand available (for instance when grappling, or when injured), then you may end up dead.

For anyone who lives in Utah without a CCW permit but who wishes to open carry, I recommend that you skip carrying revolvers altogether. (They are too slow to load, even with a speedloader.) Also skip carrying a Glock (or a non-thumb safety version of the S&W M&P autopistol), because without an external safety lever they probably wouldn’t meet the “two mechanical actions” test of the Utah law. For open carry of other autopistols, be sure to practice a lot in drawing and slide rack chambering from Condition 3 (“Israeli”) Carry.

As for Mormon politics and clannishness in Utah, I don’t consider that a major issue or impediment for anyone who is considering relocation to Utah or to southern Idaho. I’ve observed that there are are lots of non-Mormon small towns throughout the United States where newcomers get the cold shoulder socially, and where there is a de facto hiring preference for locals. That is just basic social dynamics and the We/They Paradigm in action. To illustrate: I’ve been a landowner living year-round in The Unnamed Western State for eight years, and faithfully attending the same local church for all of that time. But I’m still considered a relative newcomer. Many of my neighbors have lived here for three or four generations. So I can’t expect to be “instantly integrated.” That is just the way it is.

As for LDS doctrine, I’d rather not open that bucket of worms in detail in this venue. That would go far beyond the scope of SurvivalBlog’s raison d’être. Just suffice it to say that I have some irreconcilable doctrinal differences with the LDS Church. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t get along with Mormons, socially. I’ve met some fine individuals who are Mormons.

For anyone who is curious about LDS doctrine, I would recommend that you read both the LDS Doctrine and Covenants tome (available at almost any used book store and also available on-line) and a great evidential book by an outsider, titled Letters to a Mormon Elder. I find the history of changes to LDS doctrine over the years is fascinating, just in itself.

Letter Re: In Extremis, Compunctions Dwindle

Sir,
I know that seeing this attitude is not news to you, but I read this article and thought it may be helpful for the SurvivalBlog readers as reinforces what you and others have long said: that all bets are off in regards to morality and standards by the average Joe who has gone without food for a few days. This tale of post-Typhoon Yolanda includes the gripping quote: “I am a decent person. But if you have not eaten in three days, you do shameful things to survive.” 

In any event, I thought you might find the link useful. Thank you again for all your wisdom and the good company you keep us in.

In Christ, – Michael W.

Economics and Investing:

Reader Mark J. mentioned a Silver and Gold Payment Calculator. This is a very handy site for calculating gold and silver coin transactions

Starved of gold, Indians may import record volumes of silver

IEA: Shale Boom is Only Temporary, we’ll Soon be Relying on Middle East Again

Items from The Economatrix:

Jim Willie:  Gold Fever: Coming Global Currency Reset Will Double Gold Overnight!

10 Facts About The Growing Unemployment Crisis In America That Will Blow Your Mind

We’re in a worse position than in 2008: Marc Faber

Odds ‘n Sods:

Since Toronto’s Mayor Ford is such an out of control individual that I recommend he be nominated for honorary membership in Mayor Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns Gang. He would fit right in.

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Safecastle is continuing their last Mountain House cans sale of the year, with maximum allowable discounts, free shipping, and some special loyalty reward bonuses for buyers club members. The sale ends on November 20, 2013.

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Michael Z. Williamson (SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large) spotted this: Dressed to not kill: Garrison Bespoke’s bullet-proof business suit

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Saudi nuclear weapons ‘on order’ from Pakistan

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Another corroborating voice from the mainstream media: Apocalypse: Threat of massive grid shutdown increasing in face of terrorism, natural disasters

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"Not he alone, nor the family that gathers at his table –
But all men everywhere, fighting for Freedom’s cause,
Are richer for his work.
For the food he does not buy is theirs to have…
In camps, in ships on every bloody sea,
On battle fronts where food is life itself….
And in those dark and hungry lands now being freed –
Where food is more than life…
Where food means tyranny’s long hoped for end.
The seeds of Victory are planted in his garden…" – An unattributed poem engraved on statue dedicated to World War II Victory Gardeners

Notes from JWR:

The central Philippines have been completely devastated by typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda. I heard from a reader there that even some islands that were a hundred miles away from the path of the center of the storm may be without power for several more weeks. This will surely trigger a major public health crisis. Please pray fervently and give generously.

Oh, and I didn’t see this political spin coming, but this news article from Disarmed Old England certainly fits in with the globalist/statist agenda: Typhoon Haiyan: gun culture of the Philippines hinders relief efforts. (Thanks to reader J.B.G. for the link.)

Your Retreat’s Privy, by Stephanie M.

Have you considered an outhouse/privy as part of your preparedness plan?
If you could no longer flush your toilet because you were having plumbing problems,   or your commercial water supply was cut off and you didn’t want to use your water stores for flushing, do you have a good backup plan,practical even for long term?

Going in a bucket with a toilet seat attached to it in your bathroom is one option, but then you have to keep dumping it somewhere. This doesn’t seem like a good long term plan to me.

Now, if you happen to have a good independent water source and a way to get it pumped where you need it when you want it then you may not need to worry about this. But then again, if you happen to have an overcrowded house for a while, or maybe after a long term disaster or economic collapse your septic system has filled up and you do not have time at the moment to empty, it then an outhouse could really come in handy.

An outhouse is a simple, low cost, practical, long term, back up plan. Not the modern plastic port-a-johns that have to be hauled away and emptied when they are full, but the old-fashioned kind that have been used for hundreds of years (and still are used by lots of people all over this country) before we had modern septic systems and city sewage.

If you have some basic carpentry skills and can dig a good sized hole then you can build an outhouse.

We lived for five years with an outhouse and no indoor toilet. The outhouse was approximately 35 feet from our door and was not at all a nuisance. In the hot summer time you would get a whiff of it from time to time but it certainly didn’t permeate the yard or anything.  During those five years a baby in our family was born at home  and we potty- trained two toddlers  so sometimes we kept a potty chair in the house  so it would be more convenient and we dumped the bucket in the outhouse.  I know some families who have outhouses attached to their houses by roofed walkways.

First off you need to choose a good location  in relation to your shallow well, spring, pond or creek  if you happen to have one or more close by, you sure don’t want sewage seeping underground and contaminating them and you don’t want your outhouse to get flooded and contaminate a good water source in that way either. Where? 100 ft. from surface water, 4 ft. above the water table, and 150 ft. from a drinking water source is enough enough distance away, according to this web site. But there may be specific regulations in your area concerning this, so be sure to do some checking! 

In sandy soil the sewage will drain away faster and heavy clay soil  won’t drain as well, you don’t want it to be like a pond and hold water a long time. Do not put it in a place  where rain water will drain into the hole.

The next step is digging the hole.
For big double outhouses a back-hoe or track-hoe will help get the hole dug quickly but for one outhouse you only need a hole a few feet across so a back-hoe bucket would be too big. If you end up digging the hole with hand tools a shovel and post-hole-digger will do the job and a pick and grubbing hoe will help loosen up the soil  if the ground is hard but when the hole gets a couple feet deep it gets hard to swing them. You can use a bucket to help haul dirt up out of the hole and you can pile some of the dirt up around the hole and pack it down if you want to and it will help direct rain water away, but then you might need to build a step up into the outhouse  over that dirt so you don’t track mud in on a rainy day.

You can pile the extra dirt behind the outhouse, then it will be ready when it’s time to cover the hole.
I recommend the hole be at least 3 ft. deep and I would rather have one deeper than that . If the hole is too shallow then the outhouse will have to be moved too often, but a hole 5 or 6 ft. deep will last many years, even if it is used regularly. You might need to reinforce the sides of your hole to keep it from collapsing, we never had to do this but different soil types might be more prone to collapsing. If you dig your hole square you can put plywood  against the walls and use 2” x 4”s  cut to length braced tightly from side to side and front to back and nailed in place.
 
Now it is time to build the outhouse structure.

You can build it any size you want but 4′ wide and 6′ deep and 7′ tall will be sufficient in size. Use treated lumber.
It is best to build the outhouse on skids of some kind so that when the hole is full you can pull the outhouse to a new location. 4” x 4” posts will work fine for this.
 The dirt from the hole should not be sealed up around the bottom of the outhouse, if there are a few inches between the bottom of the outhouse and the dirt then the decomposing sewage will be able to ventilate easily and won’t just be ventilating up through your toilet opening.  The 4”x 4” skids will help accomplish this 

We used 2”x 4”s for floor joists and the walls  and bench were also framed with 2”x 4”s. Build the bench against the back wall approx. 1 1/2  ft. high and 2 ft. deep and as wide as the outhouse.  Use plywood or OSB for the floor and the front and top of the bench. After you have put plywood or OSB on the floor and front of the bench, before you have covered the top of the bench, you need to put a shield of some kind  on the inside front of the bench to shield that piece of wood from urine. A piece of tin or metal roofing will work good for this. It doesn’t have to be as wide as the whole bench, 2 ft. will be wide enough,  put it right in front of where the toilet seat is going to be. Make sure the shield is long enough that it hangs down below the floor at least 1 inch. Now you can cover the top of the bench. 

Get a toilet seat and lay it on the  bench where  you want the hole to be, mark around the inside of the ring, drawing it onto the plywood. Remove the seat and cut out this circle. You could do this before nailing the plywood down onto the bench frame if you think it would be easier that way. Now you can use a toilet seat and lid and bolt their hinges down onto the outhouse bench just like they were screwed to a toilet and you’ll have an easier to clean, more comfortable to use seat than just a hole in the plywood would be.  

Another toilet option that will eliminate the need to  build a bench is buying an outhouse toilet pedestal/toilet cone from www.farnorthfiberglass.com they cost around $150. There may be other places that sell these too.

We used  plywood to cover the outside of our outhouse  but metal or siding or any exterior  paneling would work fine also. One thing you might want to consider is the insulating qualities of wood versus metal, a metal outhouse sitting in the sun on a 100* day would be very hot inside. Use any standard exterior door or you can build a custom one for your outhouse.

The roof needs to be slanted with the front higher than the back by a few inches, so water won’t stand on the roof and it won’t run off onto your head if you are standing at the door.    If you make the roof big enough that it overhangs 6 to 8 inches on either side and at the back and about 1 foot or more in front  it will help keep the water from trying to drain into the hole and also when you run to the outhouse on a rainy day and someone is already in there you can stand up against the front of the outhouse and be out of the rain. 

You don’t need the tops of the side walls to be slanted along  with the roof, just make them as tall as the rear wall and then you will have ventilation holes up there that will also let in a little bit of light during the daytime.

Now your outhouse is ready to be put into use, but you don’t have to leave it in this state, you can finish the inside if you want to.    Linoleum is especially nice to have on the floor, it makes it a lot easier to clean. 

If you give all the wood on the inside two coats of white paint it will be much brighter and nicer in there.
If the outside is covered in wood you could paint it too, to help protect it from the weather. 
An ice-cream bucket or coffee can with a tight fitting lid to store the toilet paper in will help keep it from getting damp from humidity in the air or condensation  that might drip from the ceiling.
 A laminated sign on the door reminding everyone to wash their hands might be needed too.
You can also put a bottle of hand sanitizer in there.
You can even run an electric line to it and put in a light if you want to,  to use as long as you have electricity.
You will need to regularly clean the outhouse to check for wasps nests and spiders.
Put a trash can in there too because anything that is not decomposable should not be put in the hole.
Powdered lime or sawdust or ashes sprinkled liberally into the hole every couple of days will help keep flies away and help  keep down odors.  If the outhouse is being used infrequently  then this won’t be as necessary but if it is your main toilet then this helps a lot and a 5 gal. bucket full of one of these products sitting in the corner with a scoop in it is handy.

You might think that an outhouse draws swarms of flies but although there were always a few flies in our outhouse during warm weather we really never had a big problem with them. Whenever your outhouse gets filled to within 2 ft. from the ground level, you can pull your outhouse to a new location with a truck, tractor or horse. Or if it’s not too heavy a group of people could pull it.
You need to immediately fill the old hole with soil. (Otherwise someone or some animal might fall in it.)   Mound the dirt up a little bit and pack it firmly, because after the sewage has decomposed the dirt will probably settle.

Don’t let little children use the outhouse by themselves even if they can use the indoor toilet on their own, as you don’t want them to fall in.  You can put a protective grid in the outhouse under the toilet seat fixed to the inside of the bench. Something like a cattle panel, with holes small enough that a child couldn’t fall through but big enough that they won’t get clogged up. We put a latch on the outside of our door  high enough that a little child had to have help opening it. A child-size potty seat that you can set on top of a regular toilet seat will help children feel safer if they don’t like the outhouse. 

If you need more details on how to build, here are some web sites that should help:

If you are wondering if it is legal to have an outhouse, you will need to check your local regulations where you are because they vary from place to place. But even if it is presently illegal to use an outhouse in your locale you could build one and use it for a tool shed until it is needed.    

In Deut. 23; 12&13  God told the Israelites to have a place without the camp to bury their sewage.  If God thought this was a suitable method then I don’t know why it wouldn’t work today. 
After a long term grid-down collapse or catastrophe an outhouse may be the most sanitary solution for some people. –   D.P.C. in Arkansas

Letter Re: Advice on Buying Legislatively Resilient Guns

James,
As a daily reader of your blog, I’ve read over and over again about how Pre-1899 guns are legal. The Internet is full of such advise dating back a long time. However, I still fail to see how that would add much protection against confiscation. The ATF has seized Airsoft guns and police confiscated muzzleloaders from one home in my area after one resident (who was not the owner of the weapons!) was arrested there. The list goes on from there and contains nothing that shows that law enforcement makes any distinction between antiques and modern guns.

I believe that if we ever face full-blown gun confiscation, the people on the streets sent out to collect guns will simply take everything they can find, no matter if it is pre-1899 or not. They will grab things because they look like a gun, just like the assault weapons ban went after scary looking guns. Considering the price of a pre-1899, quality of manufacturing, age and wear, and often now hard to come by calibers, I’d rather spend my money on two modern rifles. “Use one and stash the other” seems safer than hope that law enforcement will correctly identify an antique.

Am I missing something? – Peter A.

JWR Replies: What you may be missing is going to jail and a felony conviction that could cost you your right to vote and your right to own any modern gun for the rest of your life. When a gun is seized outside of jurisdictional authority, then the owners almost invariably get their guns back, and they are not charged. But if there is ever a confiscatory ban, it will be under color of law, and most likely with a felony penalty attached. At least for the owner of pre-1899s, unless the law changes you will be able to openly possess, use, carry, and hunt without fear of being arrested and convicted of a felony.

I don’t guarantee that hedging into pre-1899 guns will be a panacea. But I’m fairly certain that the pre-1899 exemption will remain in place in the U.S. for many more years. The law hasn’t changed since 1968. After all, the available pool of pre-1899 antique guns gets smaller with every passing year, so their regulation will probably continue to be a “non-issue” in the eyes of politicians. Granted, there is the small chance that a highly-publicized criminal event might draw attention to pre-1899 antiques and initiate new legislation that would restrict them. (Such as a political assassination using an antique gun.) But that risk shows us the nature of all hedges: They are a form of insurance based on actuarial odds. I still predict that they that pre-1899s will prove to be worth buying. Doing so will hedge our bets on new legislation or executive orders.

Letter Re: Remembering Dear Aunt Flow

Dear Editor,
I really do appreciate Kali for bring up our Dear Aunt Flow because is something I don’t think a lot of women have thought about. I did want to bring up a concern I have about using tampons and menstrual cups that I don’t think has been brought up yet which is the risk of toxic shock syndrome. From what I remember learning in nursing school it’s basically when bacteria gets introduced into a dark moist place in the body is allowed to grow and gets into the bloodstream  through thin skin and becomes life threatening. I’ve heard of this happening not only with women using tampons that are too big for them but also with individuals who used a tampon to stop a nose bleed. Our OB instructor told us a few things to do to avoid toxic shock are to make sure to change tampons at least every 4 hours, don’t sleep with them in, wash hands before putting them in and just avoid the super-absorbent varieties all together. I have personally know one woman who experienced toxic shock, it almost killed her and did enough internal damage to leave her with fertility problems years later. I personally wouldn’t want to take the risk in a grid down situation. Even though toxic shock is rare it can require a lot medical interventions which probably won’t be available in such a situation. Just as a side note, I am not an OB nurse nor do I have expertise in that area of medicine, I just vividly remember that class discussion from nursing school and thought I would share what I remembered. See the Mayo Clinic’s web site more information on the subject. – Marie

Economics and Investing:

I noticed that spot silver just took a dip to below $21 per ounce. For those who don’t dollar cost average, this would be a good time to make a purchase.

From OSU’s Socratic Club: A couple of good illustrations of the perils of socialism.

G.G. suggested: Larry Kotlikoff Asks “Is Hyperinflation Around The Corner?

By way of Ol’ Remus (who is now back to regular weekly posts): 36 Times Obama Said You Could Keep Your Health Care Plan

Items from The Economatrix:

Huge Cracks In US Financial Fortress, Petro-Dollar Final Death Throes

U.S. Unfunded Liabilities: The Coming Big Squeeze on Your Wallet

IMF Proposing 10% Supertax Bail-In On All Eurozone Household Savings