Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"What we do in life echoes in eternity. " – Russell Crowe (as Maximus), Gladiator (Screenplay by David Franzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson)

Notes from JWR:

In recognition of Veteran’s Day, I must mention this article: World War II’s surviving Doolittle Raiders make final toast.

—

My book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” is now available in a Romanian translation (“Ghid De Supravietuire“) from Editura Paralela 45 in Bucharest. I was pleased to hear that it was translated by Ioan Es. Pop. (Mr. Pop is a famous poet, translator, and academic in Romania.) So now the book is now available in seven editions: American English, British English, German, Spanish, French, Bulgarian, and Romanian. Translations to several other languages are in progress and should be released in 2014. The book has a been a perennial bestseller for both Penguin USA and Penguin UK. My next book from Penguin is titled “Tools for Survival.” It should released in the summer of 2014.

T.M.’s Book Review: The Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson

This is actually three books telling one story that is pertinent to preppers.

An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943
© 2002  ISBN: 0-8050-6288-2    681 pages

The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944
© 2007  ISBN: 0-8050-6289-0    791 pages

The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945
© 2013  ISBN: 978-0-8050-6290-8    877 pages
All three volumes have excellent maps, indexes, bibliography, and a flawed endnote system.
All three volumes are published by Henry Holt and Co. in New York City, NY
All three volumes are available at your favorite bookseller in paperback, e-book, or hardback.
The author has also created a web site at www.liberationtrilogy.com to complement the books.

The Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson is the story of World War II in the Mediterranean and Western Europe. It took fourteen years for the author to write the story, and it is a good read for any military history buff and preppers. I purchased the set as they were first issued since 2002, set the first two on the shelf, and did not begin reading until a few months ago when volume 3 arrived. Reading the entire story at one time helps to maintain the flow.
I found the books to be well written, interesting, and informative to me as an historian and a prepper. Although I have been reading about WWII for fifty years, I learned a great deal from these books. The author does not shy away from criticizing the well-known generals and highlights their personality disorders and their genius.
I dislike the authors’ choice of endnote style. The endnotes are bunched by page numbers, and partial quotes leading to the actual source. I found it difficult to navigate when looking for a reference and in some cases the reference for a quote is missing. The author also likes to use uncommon words. Examples are “a crepuscular gorge,” “a lunatic tintinnabulation”, “a pellucid day,” “a bells deep, fatidic toll,” have you ever been “gobsmacked,” or seen any “vitrified clinkers.” Keep your dictionary handy.
In spite of those problems, if you like military history, I recommend you purchase the boxed set and enjoy yourself.

If military history is not your first choice, there is a ton of good information in these three books for anyone interested in prepping and using history as a learning tool. Read this with pen and paper nearby for note taking. The author spends a lot of time relating logistical difficulties on both sides of the fight, and for civilians caught in the middle. When war comes to your neighborhood, the first thing you lose is physical safety, and then food and water. Cats and dogs rise to the top of the menu within days. All other animals follow quickly. Foodstuffs and personal weapons are immediately seized by the military forces. Firewood is scarce due to a lack of tools and manpower. The American forces needed one million cords in the winter of 1944-45, but could only obtain 36,000. That is a huge deficit that lead to frostbite and hypothermia on a large scale. Even General Eisenhower slept fully clothed at times. Allied forces used 50 million rolls of toilet tissue per month. How is your supply? The Allies used 40 billion rounds of small arms ammunition in thirteen months just in Western Europe. The city of Cologne, Germany had no food, fuel, water, gas, or electricity for almost eight months. If you wisely left town you did so on foot. The trains were not running. Socks used by American soldiers lasted three washings before disintegrating. During combat, they were sometimes worn for weeks at a time between those washings due to a lack of replacements. Boots and uniforms lasted just about as long. In short, everything a combat soldier required on a daily basis had to be transported from the USA. Without that supply line, they would starve. The civilians were on their own until arrangements could be made by the military. Civilian authorities were out of business. Hunger was normal. Cannibalism was not unknown. The Dutch ate cats, dogs, nettle soup, and tulip bulbs. Can you live on 600 calories per day?
That said, I pray the USA will not suffer such a tragedy again, as we did in our civil war, and the people of Europe suffered twice in one century. Remember, not just wars bring chaos and hunger to a nation.

My suggestion is to be prepared to be totally on your own. This trilogy relates some harsh realities for people who do not prepare for bad times. If you are a prepper, read and take lots of notes.
I recommend this set of books.

Pat’s Product Review: Eberlestock F4M Terminator Backpack

When I was young – quite young – I had a serious thirst for adventure, and I was always undertaking something dangerous – many called it “stupid” or “foolhardy” as I recall. I was very independent (still am) and many also used the term “hard-headed” to describe me and some of my exploits. It’s okay, I believe everyone should follow their heart and their dreams, when possible. Which leads me to my youngest daughter, who just got out of the US Army – where she served as a Combat Medic. Now, those who know me, especially from the past, know how hard-headed I was back in the day. However, my youngest daughter easily has me beat in the “hard-headed” department.
 
As I write this article, on Nov. 7, 2013, my youngest daughter is in New Zealand, and is undertaking a 2,000-mile trek across that country – on foot – all alone! She wants to experience life, and not just live it. Okay, I can understand that, I really can! But being a parent, one naturally worries about their children – no matter how old they are – and want them to be safe and protected – if anyone ever wonders why a father has so many gray hairs – like I do – look no further – our kids give us gray hairs! My youngest daughter has been planning this trek for about 5 months, and even though I was (still am) against it – especially by herself – I promised her I’d help get the best gear available for such an undertaking.
 
Much of the equipment and gear she purchased was very good, still it was (is?) meant for weekend camping in my humble opinion – not for an extended 4-6 months trek in the boonies of New Zealand. The pack she had, while a nice commercial one, simply wouldn’t hold up for that kind of long-term use and abuse. I mentioned this to the nice folks at US Tactical Supply http://www.ustacticalsupply.com/ and they insisted that my daughter come in and pick out any backpack she wanted for her adventure. And, to be sure, US Tactical Supply only carries the best of the best when it comes to all the products they sell. After visiting the US Tactical Supply walk-in store, and checking out their backpacks, my daughter decided on one made by Eberlestock called the F4M Terminator backpack – go to that web site for a video of the features of this backpack. And, here is a link to the pack, that is sold at US Tactical Supply. Now, to be quite honest, I couldn’t have picked a better backpack myself – I’m proud my daughter took the time to exam all the packs, for the best features, to help serve her needs for this trek. BTW, in New Zealand, they call what she is doing “tramping” around the country.
 
I was totally impressed with the F4M Terminator backpack when I checked it out at US Tactical Supply. However, I didn’t get a chance to fully exam all the features of this pack, until we came home. To say I was totally blown away with all the features this pack offers, is putting in mildly. To start with, the pack is called dry earth in color – a very clay-like color that blends in no matter where you take it – it also comes in other colors, too.  And, I honestly lost count of the number of pockets this pack has, but if my public school math is correct, there are 12 different pockets for carrying your gear. Plus, what I really liked was that this pack has a top opening and front opening pocket – with heavy-duty zippers for getting to the main compartment – really sweet!
 
The carrying capacity of the F4M Terminator is 5,000 cubic inches, and the empty pack weighs in at a little over 8 pounds if our bathroom scale is correct. All loaded-up, with the gear my daughter will be carrying, the pack weight about 35-pounds – a bit much, however, she has it down to the absolute bare essentials she’ll need on her trek – and she will be adding some freeze-dried foods – which will add a little bit more weight to the bag. The carrying straps/system is worth mentioning, too. There is a heavily padded lumbar support on the back of the pack, as well as several more padded areas, to help keep the load from cutting into your back. Also, the adjustment straps – there are several – allows you to carry the F4M Terminator higher or lower on your back – super cool – as well as being able to adjust the main shoulder straps for the size of your body – moving the straps inward or outward with Velcro adjustments, and my daughter spent a lot of time getting the pack just right – however, once out on the trail, more adjustment will probably be made to keep the pack just where she wants it on her back.
 
On each side of the Terminator, there is a long side pocket – one on each side – for carrying more gear. My daughter placed her walking sticks on one side and they fit nicely. There are several other pockets on the outside of the pack, the bottom pocket held her tent, sleeping bag (a light-weight one – wish she had gotten a heavier-duty one) and her inflatable mattress and inflatable pillow – they all fit in there like this pocket was made especially for them. Again, the pockets are secured by heavy-duty zippers so nothing will fall out.
 
The top of the pack deserves mention, as it is a small pack itself, that you can remove from the pack. My daughter is using it as a fanny pack, during her flight, for carrying her ID and other stuff she’ll need. And, while in Auckland, New Zealand, for several days before her trek, she will use it as a purse of sorts. The pack can be fastened around your waist like a regular fanny pack, or used across the front of your body like a courier pack. And, in an emergency, if you had to bug out and run like the wind, and the F4M Terminator was too heavy and/or bulky to carry, you could place survival items in the removable top pack and run with just the gear you have in there.
 
The F4M Terminator is manufactured out of 1000 Denier Nylon – super heavy-duty material. All pockets on the pack have tensioning straps, for snugging down each pocket – if you’ve ever gone hiking or on a long range patrol, you know the importance of having your pack and everything in it, nice and tight, so nothing rattles around, and nothing moves around causing a hot spot on your body. There is a waist belt, and it can be removed if you don’t need it – I suggest you always use the waist belt of a more secure fit – and there is a chest strap there if you need it – once again, I’d use it. All straps attaching the F4M Terminator to your body are nicely padded and thick – heavy-duty in all respects. On top of it all, the Terminator also comes with a rain cover – for nasty weather.
 
There is PALS webbing all over the outside of the Terminator, for attaching more pouches if you feel the need for carrying more gear. And, there is also PALS webbing on the inside of some of the pockets – for carrying even more gear. You can also add a hydration bladder to the pack. And, to top it off, you can purchase rifle scabbards if you desire to carrying rifles/shotguns in the Terminator. And, depending on the size of your rifle, if it’s a folding stock model, you can actually fit the rifle inside the pack and no one would be the wiser that you were carrying a rifle.
 
I tested the Terminator for comfort myself, and found it to fit nicely, after a few pulls on the carrying straps to make it fit my body – large! My daughter also tested the pack, fully loaded, on her back, and the fit was just great for her. She was against getting another pack, she liked the one she had, but I explained the benefits of a military-grade backpack, over any commercial hiking backpack, and she is glad she visited US Tactical Supply with me and found this pack. I wanted my daughter to have the best of the best for this trek, and without a doubt, I think she has some great gear, and I have no worries that this pack will ever fail her. And, as I’ve mentioned before, about the nice folks at US Tactical Supply, they are great to do business with – they donated this pack to my daughter (no charge) for her trek – asking nothing in return – they just wanted her to have the best pack available. After checking out this pack, I wanted to let SurvivalBlog readers know about it. I’ve mentioned before, that some Preppers feel they need the biggest pack they can find – and then stuff it with everything they can – including the kitchen sink – only to discover, that they can’t walk even a mile with those monster packs.
 
The Terminator isn’t too big, nor is it too small – you can easily make this your BOB and never look back, knowing you have a pack that will last you a lifetime. And, just before my daughter left for New Zealand, US Tactical Supply got word from Eberlestock, that the New Zealand Defence Forces, adopted the Terminator backpack in an open competition. What’s the odds, of my daughter picking a backpack that she will carry in New Zealand, that the New Zealand Defence Forces will be using?
 
As I’ve said many times, quality never comes cheap – you can buy all the junk you want – and you will be buying it over and over again. If you buy quality, you only have to buy it once. The F4M Terminator retails for $399 as it comes from US Tactical Supply – however, you can add rifle scabbards if you wish, and other smaller pouches to the pack, too. If you are looking for the best pack around, then save your money and get the Terminator – it will be money well-spent, and you wont’ have to worry about this pack failing you. Then load the pack up with the gear you need – and just remember, you don’t have to fill the pack completely – take what you need for bugging out purposes…
 
If I were looking at getting a new BOB, I would, without a doubt, save my money, and get the F4M Terminator and never give it a second thought – I was “that” impressed with this pack.

If SurvivalBlog readers are interested in following my daughter’s trek, you can do so at her blog site. Of course we are all hoping she can make the 2,000-mile walk. But one never knows what may happen along the way, injuries and illnesses can stop a trek like this, as can severe weather – luckily, in the Southern Hemisphere, it is Spring right now, and as I write this, it is Fall in the USA. However, I’ve been told that a person can experience all four seasons in one day on certain parts of New Zealand. So, I ask all SurvivalBlog readers to keep my little girl in your prayers, as she undertakes this adventure. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

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

Dear Mr. R.:
Why don’t you include Utah in your American Redoubt states? I’m asking because we’re right next door [to the Redoubt region] and Utah seems so much like the Redoubt states in so many ways. Just curious. – L.W.J.

JWR Replies: Although Utah’s crime rate, taxes, and insurance rates are low and family food storage is quite popular there, the state has several distinct drawbacks. They include:

  • Utah is is not an open carry state. A government-issued permit is required to carry a fully-loaded gun openly. I find that abhorrent.
  • Utah is a predominantly desert state. In the event of a grid-down situation, nearly all of the irrigated farmland in Utah will quickly revert to desert. Even with electrically-pumped irrigation water, the state would be hard-pressed to feed itself if it became economically isolated. (Most of their groceries are trucked in from California.)
  • Utah’s annual precipitation is generally low, quite regionally isolated, very seasonal, and much of it comes in the form of snow. By comparison, most of the Redoubt has more evenly distributed precipitation, annually. (One exception is eastern Oregon, which is also fairly arid.)
  • Utah is a net energy importer. By comparison, the Redoubt states are all energy exporters. (In Utah, coal is used to generate about 90 percent of the state’s electricity. In 2010, Utah imported 3.3 million short tons of coal to make up the shortfall for its power plants.) This is not an issue in Idaho, eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, and Montana, which are powered predominantly with hydroelectric power. Wyoming gets most of its power from coal and natural gas, but unlike Utah, Wyoming is a net exporter of coal, oil, and natural gas. Virtually all of Utah’s coal is used for either electricity generation or by local copper and steel industries. The bottom line is that the state has insufficient coal production to meet its growing needs, and its production is gradually decreasing. But at least its natural gas supply appears to be improving.
  • Utah’s population density is fairly high compared to the Redoubt counties, and rapidly growing. (It now has 34.3 people per square mile–a substantial jump from around 28 per square mile when I first formally evaluated the state, six years ago.) Most of the Redoubt counties range from 3 to 10 people per square mile, and most of those counties are seeing much more gradual growth than in Utah. (Take note that the Redoubt region does not include the more populous western halves of Oregon and Washington.)
  • Given the tight-knit family bonds of Mormon families, I predict that the population of the state would at least double in the event of any “slow slide” nationwide disaster. (It is safe to assume that their large extended families will immediately “flock back to the nest,” as long as highways remain passable.)
  • Utah has fairly strict home schooling laws, with mandatory registration.
  • Utah has a growing criminal gang problem which is unheard of in most of the Redoubt counties. (Although there is some gang activity in southeastern Washington.)

So all in all, I don’t believe that Utah has enough plusses to qualify it for inclusion in the Redoubt region list. But of course my qualifications for inclusion in the Redoubt are subjective. They are also skewed toward survivability in the absence of grid power. If the grid stays up, then parts of Utah would probably be quite viable.

Letter Re: Refurbishing Dead Gasoline

JWR,
The shelf life of gasoline is one of the lurking problems with the prepper community. With this short article I will show you a simple process to take that lifeless gas and make it usable again.

One of the issues with very old (several years) gas is the formation of deposits and gum via oxidation. Ethanol doesn’t help either, except to line the pockets of the Ethanol Lobby.

Another issue is water absorption over time.

Gasoline is not one cut of hydrocarbons, but a mixture of light and heavy fuels. Over time the lighter elements [“fractions”] evaporate, leaving a fuel that can’t start an engine.

I’ll show you how to deal with all three major issues. Always be outside and downwind of any dwellings – and of course, no nearby ignition sources or flame.

The first step in refurbishment is filtration. Depending on the amount of gum and deposits, you first should filter through a rag placed in a funnel. Then pump it through a standard fuel filter – the kind found on a car. I’ve used a Mr. Gasket 12 VDC fuel pump for years without problem.

Water in gasoline can be nullified by Gumout. Keep plenty on hand.

The final step is adding in the volatiles that have evaporated away. An interesting fact is fresh gasoline is around 1% butane – that’s what leaves the storage tank first. You can safely and easily add butane or propane back into the gasoline without owning an oil refinery.

WARNING: What is described here are actions to take in extremis, a TEOTWAWKI situation. Only add butane to gasoline outdoors and downwind of any ignition source or dwelling!

Winter gasoline has a higher percentage of butane than summer products. The refinery does this to keep the vapor pressure higher on cold days.

The process to add butane / propane to gas is simple. Take a 1 lb. propane or butane container with regulator. Attach a gasoline-rated hose to the regulator which can reach to the bottom of your gas can. Slowly bubble the contents of the propane tank into the gas – the gasoline will readily absorb the butane / propane. The mixture ratio is 1:100, or a 1 lb. propane canister to 18 gallons of gasoline. A 20 lb. propane tank can refurbish over 270 gallons.

My friends and I did some experiments to validate this. The first was bubbling a small 2.5 oz butane lighter refiller into a gallon of gas in a clear container. I noticed that the butane bubbles hardly made it to the top level of gas; the gasoline hungrily absorbed the butane.

The second experiment was with four year old gas that was stored in a black tank. A large riding lawnmower simply refused to start with this old gas – a great opportunity to try the new recipe.

Propane from a 20 lb. container was bubbled through the gasoline to get to 1:100. After draining the lawnmower tank and refilling with the refurbished gas it started right up. There were no issues with how the engine ran, either.

If you are storing gas for prepping I would suggest these tips:

1) Use gas that does not have ethanol in it 2) Always use PRI-G in recommended dosages to pre-treat the gas, and also treat it every year thereafter 3) Keep the gas in a cool spot in a metal container. I use surplus stainless steel drums but carbon steel could work as well. (Plastic containers allow the volatiles in gas to leak out.) 4) Have a water absorber additive around as well.

Good luck! – Hugh F.

JWR Adds: Use extreme caution when handling gasoline. You will need to work in open air, well away from all structures and take precautions against static electricity sparks or other sources of ignition. (This includes any wands that you might try to use for injecting butane. And you will of course need to protect yourself with gloves from skin contact and protect your lungs from anything more than brief and incidental contact with vapors. Quite importantly, a couple of helpers should be standing by a short distance away with Class B or ABC-type fire extinguishers.

Do not attempt to bubble butane from a butane lighter into a container of gasoline unless you have first completely removed the striker wheel mechanism! As Hugh mentioned, using butane lighter refiller canisters and a wand would be far more practical and safe.

Older gasoline that has lost its butane and other highly volatile components (do some research on Reid Vapor Pressure) will often fail to start an engine, but that same gas will often run an engine, once it has been started. So be sure to stock up on several cans of ether-based starting fluid.

I’m not a chemist, so I don’t know whether propane will stay in solution in gasoline as long as butane does. But I suspect that butane must be superior in some way, since that is what the petroleum industry uses as a gasoline additive. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable can chime in.

Letter Re: Remembering Dear Aunt Flow

Dear SurvivalBloggers,
I have used folded up cloths as pads for years for my monthlies.  As long as you use a cotton cloth at least as big as a bandanna, bleed-through of a pad is surprisingly not that likely. 
 
Have several, that way you always have a dry one and they can hand wash and hang dry in shifts.  There is no reason why they can’t be as sanitary as the commercial ones.
 
To wash one, soak it in soapy water.  Once it’s soaked a bit (like 10 minutes), rinse it and wash it again with soap until it’s clean.  It doesn’t take a lot of water if you do it that way, and it takes most of the work out of it too.  At the end of the period, put the clean ones through the laundry for real with very hot water. 
 
I suppose one could make a plastic shield out of a piece of a trash bag, and fold it up in the pad near the bottom.  That would help with bleed-throughs.
 
The only thing that is truly inconvenient about cloth pads, besides that they like to migrate more than the ones with the stickum, is if you are traveling and have to use public rest rooms, you’ll probably have to stick the used ones in a Ziploc bag until you get the chance to wash them in private.   I just use commercial pads when I am traveling, that way I don’t have to worry about it.
 
Back in the day, the commercial pads didn’t have stickum.  We had special underwear with straps to hold the pads on, or we would safety pin them on. – Penny Pincher

Avalanche Lily Replies: One of our writing contest sponsors, Naturally Cozy, makes hand-sewn washable cloth menstrual pads as well as incontinence pads. Buying these is a great option for anyone who isn’t handy with a sewing machine. (Or for those of us who are handy, but who don’t have the time to sew because of a busy schedule.)

Recipe of the Week:

Old Kimber Girl’s Pear Honey

12 pears (14 if they are small) 4 large apples
2 large oranges
3 pounds of sugar

Peel apples and pears. Remove core and seeds.  Grate orange rind and set aside. Peel orange-remove excess pith, remove seeds.

Grind pears, apples and orange.

Add sugar and cook 20 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add orange rind. Cook until thick.

Process a you would any other jam.

Yield:  Approximately nine ½-pint jars

Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:

Pear Recipes

Spiced Apple and Pear Pie Recipe

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

Odds ‘n Sods:

Bad news from the Philippines: “Super typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) destroyed about 70 to 80 percent of the area in its path as it tore through Leyte province on Friday…”

   o o o

James C. mentioned that an important piece to print out for your reference binder was recently re-posted over at Preparedness Advice Blog: Chemical Names, A List Showing the Older Names vs the Modern Names. [JWR’s Comment: Credit for compiling most of this list (nearly verbatim) should be given to Kurt Saxon. He was the first one I know of to have published an earlier edition of this list, back in the late 1970s.]

   o o o

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 buyer’s club members. The sale ends on November 20, 2013.

   o o os

Some good news for Ayn Rand fans: Atlas Shrugged Part III is now in pre-production and is scheduled for release on July 4, 2014.

   o o o

H.L. sent this headline from Colorado: “We have established a beachhead for secession” [JWR’s Comment: A point of clarification: I often see journalists and a few patriots tossing around the word secession when they are really talking about partition of counties into a new state under the existing Union. There is an important distinction!]

Notes from JWR:

I see that we’re close to logging our 60 millionth unique visit. SurvivalBlog is now averaging more than 320,000 unique visits per week. It is remarkable that we are still holding such a strong market share, even though there are now more than 50 competing blogs. Our archives are continuing to grow, and now approaching 10,000 pages if you were to print it all out. All in all, I’d say that we are doing just fine for a little niche blog.

—

November 10th in the United States is remembered in the United States as the “birthday” of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Coincidentally, the 10th is also the birthday of Mikhail Timofeyevich Kalashnikov, born in 1919. He didn’t design a lot of different guns, but one of his few designs was the prototype for what turned out to be the world’s most widely-produced assault rifle. Once an iconic symbol of international communism, the AK’s curved magazine profile has in more recent years become just a symbol of citizens being well-armed.

—

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.

Remembering Dear Aunt Flow, by Kali

It is a reasonable assumption that most SurvivalBlog readers are already going to be in the preparedness mindset. Whether you’re preparing for a natural disaster, economic collapse, zombie apocalypse, or something in between you must always have each and every family member’s needs in mind. Most of us start with the ‘generic’ items that everyone needs such as water, food and standard medical supplies. While that is the absolute best starting place for all families, after the basics are accounted for you should then consider any unique or special needs that you may have to provide for. Many of us have groups we are planning for which often include extended family or close friends which are expected to show up if stuff starts going from bad to worse. Quite often those loved ones will arrive with little to no supplies of their own. Or perhaps you are just planning on hunkering down to ride out the ‘storm’ with your immediate family. Either way, if there’s even one woman of or near reproductive age expected to end up in your home or retreat, it is imperative that you do not forget to prep for Aunt Flow’s inevitable visit (aka a woman’s menstrual cycle).

Many sites have covered the multiple uses of tampons beyond the ‘traditional uses’, most notably and comically the Art of Manliness’ “Why yes, that is a tampon in my mouth” but not many ‘prepping lists’ on survival sites include them or if they do, it is a box here and there. There’s even plenty of urban legends about our military personnel carrying tampons in their med/survival kids (while this seemed hard for me to believe, one military member of my extended family who is a veteran of the Vietnam War insists that he knew some service members that carried them). With households where a male member is the one purchasing the family preparations, this very important item may be overlooked or significantly understocked depending on the time frame that the family is planning to be self-sufficient for.

Before I go further, it has been suggested to me before that, ‘women in the old days used an old cloth that they washed and reused’. While this is true, I would point out that toilet paper as we know it today is a relatively new invention. ‘Splinter free’ toilet paper was not even advertised until 1935!  Modern products are more sanitary and have their obvious advantages. As a family that has made the decision to start preparing to be self-sufficient should a crisis occur, the ‘old fashioned’ rag should only be considered a last resort. So if you’re stocking modern conveniences like toilet paper, there really is no good reason not to stock feminine products for the women in your life.

It is expected that many if not most males likely think that all tampons or menstrual pads are the same. While the concept is obviously consistent across all brands, the shapes and sizes are not. For example, some brands of tampons are longer which contrasts with other brands that are shorter but ‘flower’ out to make a bowl shape when in use. A woman’s body comes in different shapes and sizes thus most women will find a brand or style that works for them and stick with it. Not because of the name on the box, but because that product does the job effectively for that particular woman. There’s significant peace of mind that comes with being comfortable that the product you are using will be effective and not leak. Especially if the Schumer hits the fan, we may not be able to wear a fresh set of clothes every day or have the convenience of washing our clothes often, so not leaking will be priceless to the women in your life not to mention more hygienic.

I imagine that some readers at this point may have the blank ‘deer in headlights’ look. So where do you start?
Ideally the females in the household are involved in family preparations or are open to discussions so you can simply ask what brands/sizes/amounts they use each month. However, some women are not comfortable discussing these things as would likely be encountered with a family that includes a teenage daughter who is more concerned with social media than the end of the world as we know it. If this is the case, you may need to resort to more covert ninja-like tactics to obtain the necessary information. Your best bet will be to tear the top off of a box of products that she currently uses and go buy that particular brand/style.

Most women use different sizes of products depending on the point in the cycle since the flow ramps up and then back down. When looking at the boxes that they use, note the larger of the products and focus on that size when stockpiling. It is always better to have too much absorption than too little regardless of the point in the cycle. The larger size will also aid with the speed at which the products are used since they will not need to be changed as often during the lighter part of the cycle.

During a quick Internet search, I found a study that said 70% of women in North America use tampons monthly and will use an average of 11,000 tampons in a lifetime. So naturally the next question should be, how many of a particular item do you need to store. If the lady is not willing to discuss this matter with you, just watch the boxes as they get used each month and you’ll get an idea. Then do the math and add some padding (pun intended) to that number.

On average a woman has a 28 day menstrual cycle. She will be menstruating for 2-7 of those days and it is recommended to change the product every 4-8 hours. Again, every woman is different so just watch the usage of the products to get an idea.

If your family is on a budget and cannot afford the particular brand she uses to stock up on, then there are plenty of relatively inexpensive options at discount chain stores and also generic store brands. Any product will be better than no products when going to the store for a resupply is no longer an option. Make sure to check the big box stores and online retailers first for cost effectiveness. Like any item, watch for sales or coupons and stock up. If going the generic brand route, it would be best to have the woman test out the effectiveness of various store brands for reasons stated previously before making large purchases.

Keep in mind that while these products are paper based, their purpose is to absorb therefore they must be stored appropriately just like toilet paper or medical gauze. A cool dry place out of direct sunlight and humidity is required. If the products have become damp, it is best to just discard the products and replace.

The obvious problem with products such as menstrual pads and tampons is that they are disposable and the supply is finite. Therefore when the supply runs out, an old cloth may be the only option. There are, however, some alternatives to disposable pads/tampons.

Products exist that are reusable which are called menstrual cups. Menstrual cups are as old as modern applicator based tampons although they are not as popular. The most common menstrual cups on the market are medical grade and hypoallergenic silicone however latex cups do exist so those with sensitivity to latex should make note of the materials. These products have a suggested use-life of about 5-10 years and can hold significantly more liquid than a tampon so they do not need to be changed as often. When it is time to change them, simply boil to clean. Pretty easy. One of the most well known brands is the Diva Cup and you can buy them at most all grocery and drug stores. Menstrual cups do cost more than tampons or pads but since they are not one use/disposable they are more economical and pay for themselves after only a couple of months of usage. It needs to be noted that just like tampons, some women have good experiences with them while others find them uncomfortable. Some women even modify them by cutting off the extra ‘stem’. A plan to go this route really requires that a woman would need to test out various brands for themselves to determine the comfort and preference before a SHTF event requires usage.

Further alternatives are noteworthy such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) that have time released progesterone which act as a long term (5-10 years depending on brand) birth control and has a common side effect of reducing or eliminating the monthly menstrual cycle. However these options are beyond the scope of this article and should only be considered after significant research and consultation with a medical professional as everything comes with potential negative side effects.

The best part of prepping for ‘Aunt Flow’ is that she will always visit the ladies in your life even if the Schumer never hits the fan so the products will not go to waste. And if you really want to score extra ‘brownie points’, don’t forget the chocolate!

Economics and Investing:

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Items from The Economatrix:

The Top 6 Reasons Why Everyone Needs a Second Passport

We Are Close to The End: “The Con Job Is Up”

AP Estimate: At Least 3.5 Million People Have Had Their Health Insurance Canceled