Odds ‘n Sods:

Bruce Z. suggested a free and fairly comprehensive wiki-like source for PDFs of U.S. Army electronics manuals: Radio Nerds. Seeing the RC-292 and “Turkey Thirty” antenna manuals brought back some fond memories. (By the time I left the ASA, we were using the fairly advanced Watkins-Johnson AN/PRD-11 with an H-Adcock antenna.) I was also thrilled to a see page dedicated to my all-time favorite HF receiver, the R-390A. To start, SurvivalBlog readers should all save copies of the TA-1 and TA-312 field telephone manuals.

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Filipino policemen feel powerless against the of waves of Tacloban looters.

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Ilana Mercer: BHOCare: Wealth Distribution From Red States To Blue

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Rick D. suggested: Survival Kit for Kids

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A reminder: On November 16, 2013, I will be a featured guest speaker (via teleseminar) at the Charlotte, North Carolina Back To The Basics convention. (Formerly known as Charlotte PrepCon.)

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"One of the most dangerous errors is that civilization is automatically bound to increase and spread.  The lesson of history is the opposite; civilization is a rarity, attained with difficulty and easily lost.  The normal state of humanity is barbarism, just as the normal surface of the planet is salt water.  Land looms large in our imagination and civilization in history books, only because sea and savagery are to us less interesting." – C.S. Lewis

Notes from JWR:

Today is the birthday of USMC Sergeant Major Daniel Joseph Daly (born 1873, died April 27, 1937.) He was one of only nineteen men (including seven Marines) to twice receive the Medal of Honor.

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This is also the birthday of Corporal John Alan Coey (died 19 July 1975.) He was the first American volunteer killed in Rhodesia’s Bush War.

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Today we present a guest article from journalist Chuck Holton. SurvivalBlog readers will recognize Chuck’s name from the recent segment that he produced about The American Redoubt, for The 700 Club, on CBN.

My Experience in Expatriating to Panama, by Chuck Holton

Our family moved out of the United States in January of 2013, and so JWR’s novel “Expatriates” has been a particularly interesting read for us.  The kids are enjoying it, too. I want to share some of our experiences as expats which I believe will be helpful for your readers.

The water got too hot for us on November 6, 2012.  I’m a reporter for the Christian Broadcasting Network, and was in Detroit covering the election.  What I saw there was the last straw in a long series of insults and injuries.  
 
Detroit is the poster child for all that is wrong with this country.  Progressive policies have taxed and spent the city into oblivion.  Over a hundred thousand homes and businesses stand empty and crumbling.  Industry has been driven away by confiscatory tax rates, to be replaced by criminal gangs who pay no taxes on the drugs they sell to whomever is unfortunate enough to still be stuck there.  Almost 50% of the population is functionally illiterate, and the number of folks on public assistance is eclipsed only by the number of fatherless homes.

I travel to nearly twenty countries each year in my work as a war correspondent.  The only place I’ve been in the past twelve months that was worse than Detroit was Mogadishu.  To paraphrase the ineffable Mark Steyn–Detroit has become Dependistan.  I believe Detroit is simply a premonition of the future of America.

On election night, I watched the uneducated masses lining up to vote for more.  More welfare.  More government.  More dysfunction.  And I realized something.  I’ve been paying for all this.  That giant check I have to write every year to Uncle Sam is being spent on programs  which are actively destroying the country I love.  This is more than unacceptable.  It is profane.  

Mark 9:43 says “And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:”

Verses like that tell me I must be willing to take drastic action to put things right that have gone wrong.  This applies to many areas of my life, including where I live.  My wife and I had a long conversation after I got back to the hotel on election night, and we decided voting at the ballot box wasn’t enough.  It was time to vote with our feet.  For us, then, moving was less of a prepping/survival decision than a moral one.

The pacific northwest was one option.  But two problems arose with that scenario.  One was Obamacare.  There are few ways to avoid paying for this monstrosity inside the United States (Medi-share being a notable exception).  [JWR Adds: It is notable that the Affordable Care Act contains a special exemption provision for members of healthcare sharing ministries.]  I refuse to pay for abortions and Bradley Manning’s sex change.  The other thing keeping us from heading to the American Redoubt was this annual phenomenon known as “winter”.  Let’s just say when Momma isn’t happy, nobody is happy.

Fortunately, there was another option for us:  Panama.  I’d first visited during my stint in the Army, and have returned many times with my wife and family since then.  We know the country, the language, and the people well.  So from November 6 to January 1, we packed, rented our home in the US and bought plane tickets.

Panama is a first-world country of only three million people.  It is most known for the Panama canal, which is the largest contributor to the country’s GDP.  Most people have an idea that the rest of the country is mostly deep, dark jungle and home to drug lords and bugs the size of your hat.  While there are parts of Panama where this may be true (like the Darien), there are plenty of less-steamy and less-buggy places to be found.  Crime is typically only a problem if you are somehow connected to the drug trade or fail to take commonsense precautions in heavily populated areas.  Pretty much like the U.S. in that regard.

As much as my wife hates winter, I hate oppressive heat.  Fortunately, we were able to find a happy medium in the mountains of Panama.  The town we moved to is one of many oft-overlooked mountain villages found across the country.  Ours has about 5,000 people in a small valley 2700 feet above sea level.  The climate is like West Virginia in late spring–temps between 70 and 85 degrees year round.

Captain Rawles has done a great job pointing out the perils of expatriation:

• Maintaining contact with family in the U.S.  
• The challenges of being the “expendable new guy gringo.”
• The potential for restrictive gun laws.
• Difficulty maintaining a deep larder.
• Language and cultural differences.

These are all very valid issues and moving to a foreign country certainly isn’t for everyone.  I would add a few more items to that list:

• Where culture and paperwork intersect–like getting your car registered–can make you want to drive your car off the Bridge of the Americas.  Fortunately some of these hassles can be avoided by paying someone twenty bucks to take care of them for you.
• “American” foods and products are sometimes hard to find and can be more expensive, and changing one’s tastes to local fare takes effort.
• Different concepts of time can be frustrating–you’ll come to hate the word “Mañana.”
• Getting a job in Panama is problematic for a foreigner.  So you must either start your own business, work remotely, or develop passive income in order to pay your bills.
• The justice system works differently here, so on the off chance you are suspected of a crime, you might find yourself “guilty until proven innocent.”  Fortunately corruption is not as much of an issue here as it is in other Latin American countries. (like Los Angeles).
• Schooling options are somewhat limited in the countryside if you aren’t prepared to homeschool.

For us, the choice was less about what would be easiest for our family and more about what we felt called to do.  We felt it our duty to take drastic action to “starve the beast” of a corrupt government, though we don’t yet feel compelled to fully renounce our U.S. citizenship.

Drawbacks notwithstanding, Panama has many advantages as a get-out-of-dodge location.  Let me enumerate a few of them here:

• A year-round growing season–Panama is the land where your houseplants come from.  Only here, they are the size of houses.  I’ve sometimes said one could probably grow cars in Panama if they could be buried deep enough.  Rain in Panama is measured in feet, not inches, and the tap water is sweet and gravity-fed.  Our four-acre property has a constant supply of fruit and vegetables.  We have oranges, lemons, mangoes, bananas, plantain, avocados, beans, pineapple, and even sugar cane.  Canning is almost unheard of here because it only takes a few weeks to grow just about any vegetable you like.  Think about how much easier your preps would be if you never had to worry about winter or air conditioning!

• A socially homogenous populace–One of the biggest challenges America faces today is what some call “the great divorce.”  That is, there exist in the States two deeply-divided groups of people with mutually exclusive world views.  Panama does not have this problem.  Political correctness is a completely foreign concept.  Boys bringing their machetes to show-and-tell in third grade are not a reason to call out the SWAT team.

• High quality, low cost medical care–Expats are exempt from Obamacare for the time being, and we are easily able to self-insure here, seeing as how a full triple heart bypass costs around $13,000 as opposed to $150,000 or more in the U.S.  It’s easy to find well-trained, English speaking doctors and dentists here and you won’t have to pay off the lawyers to get in the door.

• A small, stable, democratic and business-friendly government–Panama’s economy is growing at a rate north of 10% per year, and its government is the most capitalistic of any in Latin America.  They have lowered business tax rates and the government is constitutionally limited to borrowing no more than 47% of GDP.  Contrast the US, with liabilities exceeding 500% of GDP.  Income earned outside of Panama (for those who can work remotely) is not taxable in Panama, and may qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit in the U.S., which allows some U.S. citizens to pay no tax on the first 95,000 of earned income.

• Low cost of living–The average day-labor wage here is $15 per day.  Many things contribute to this.  One is a culture that does not indulge frivolous lawsuits, which run up the prices of everything.  Another is more realistic expectations–people are content without a 72-inch-high-definition television and a car that cost more than my first house.  Most people do just fine without TV or a car.   This society is not built on a mountain of debt, and people typically pay cash for everything, including their homes, which usually get built a little bit at a time as money allows.  Imagine what your neighborhood would look like if nobody took on debt!

• Adequate gun rights–Panama’s gun laws are better than some states in the US and worse than others.  To own a gun one must take a blood test, drug test, eye exam, criminal history check and mental health exam.  Passing those, one is issued a gun permit which allows  you to purchase and own most kinds of firearms (no fully automatic weapons or suppressors) and to carry them concealed.  The “castle doctrine” here is very strong.  Actual gun ownership is low (due to the cost relative to average income) and that means if you get a gun you’ll likely be the only person in the neighborhood who owns one.

• A deeply religious and moral culture–This one was huge for us.  In Panama, prayer is still required in schools.  Abortion is illegal.  Gay “marriage” is all but unheard of.  Actually, our little pueblo feels, to me, like America did when I was a kid.  My children ride their bikes all over town.  Crime is extremely low outside the city.  Pornography is rare as few have internet access at home and it isn’t sold in stores.  By and large, Panamanians are a humble, peaceable people.  They like Americans.  While they are primarily Catholic and our family is Protestant, this has never caused problems.

• Self sufficiency as a way of life–The people in our little valley mostly live on what they grow or raise in their front yards.  Everyone has chickens or rabbits.  They grow loads of beans, yucca, plantains, and rice.  While Panama uses the U.S. dollar as it’s official currency, which in my opinion is a bad thing, these people already function in a barter economy and if the whole world fell apart tomorrow, they’d hardly notice.  Our remoteness in the mountains means we are outside of the “golden horde” lines of drift that may one day come from the cities and our neighbors will likely go on as they always have, raising their food and trading for what they need.  Electricity here is reliable, but less so than in the states.  It probably goes out every other week for a couple of hours.  In a way this is good, as most are quite accustomed to functioning without power.  Because of the mild climate here, you never need to cool or heat your home, which dramatically cuts down on power usage.  The average electric bill is around $10 a month.
 
• God lives here, too–We’ve worked hard to overcome the “expendable Gringo” syndrome by plunging into the culture with both feet.  Because we are Christians and are fluent in Spanish, we found family from day one at our local Christian church.  Getting to know its membership has been one of the most enjoyable and rewarding parts of living here.  We found there are lots of mutually beneficial ways for us to interact with these locals, from ferrying a bereaved wife to the cemetery in our car to learning from them how to grow fruits and raise rabbits.

These benefits are just a few of the reasons we chose to come here.  Many other Americans are following suit–our real estate agent tells us he is getting dozens of calls each month from Americans looking to relocate.  There are estimated to be four to six million U.S. Expatriates worldwide, and with the “death of distance” allowing people to work remotely over the Internet, thousands more are leaving every month.  Here in Panama there are about 50,000.  That number looks likely to double within a decade or less.

Much of what we’ve learned moving to Panama could be very helpful to anyone looking to move to a new location.  In a follow-up article to this one, I’ll lay out some of the strategies we employed to integrate into our new surroundings and quickly gain “ground intelligence” that will make us safer in the event of a “failure of civility.”

Though we felt compelled to “go Galt” for moral reasons, it’s sad to feel like I’m more free in Panama than the country of my birth, which I once fought and bled for.  But if by leaving for a time we can hasten the day when our government is forced to confront its immoral choices, then perhaps moving away was the most patriotic thing we could do.  If by sharing our experiences with you we can make it easier for some to make similar decisions, so much the better.  

A few people have criticized our decision as “cutting and running” on America.  For us, it isn’t about seeking comfort or safety.  It’s about doing everything in our power to stand for what’s right and withdraw our support from what’s wrong.  
 
May whatever hardships are to come be a catalyst for our nation to return to the God of our forefathers.

American Liberty at the Crossroads: Do We Sit By and Watch, or Do We Show Up and Fight?

SurvivalBlog reader B.B. suggested this piece by Mark Steyn: The Drift toward Despotism. And joining the chorus, even more stridently: The Creeping Police State. Soon after sending those links, B.B. sent this brilliant essay from Daren Jonescu: The Progressive Degradation of Freedom.

Reading Jonescu’s cogent words crystallized a nascent theory that had been nagging me for a decade. It is this: America’s systemic reaction to the unspeakable horror of the 9/11 attacks was to “protect” ourselves by planting the seeds for a police state that will eventually strangle the freedom that we grew up cherishing. Each incremental step seems toward tyranny so “logical” and so “justified” to the minds of the statist Powers That Be. The citizenry, mimicking the Germans of the 1930s passively goes along with each of these baby steps, never quite chafing to the point of outright rebellion. The end result is a society that has made itself voluntarily monitored 24/7, agreed to centralized background checks just to exercise a Constitutional right, that has agreed to being either fondled or x-rayed by blue glove-wearing half-wits at airports. With our own tax dollars (annually self-assessed, of course) we have equipped an army of steroid-pumped henchmen who are ready, willing, and able to not just Taser us at the slightest sign of noncompliance, but even willing to arrest and drag us to a hospital for multiple rectal examinations because of the mere suspicion that we “might be hiding something.”

Unless we individually and collectively develop some backbone, right quick, then it will be too late. The chains will be too solidly forged. The web of surveillance will be too complete. And the cross-correlated list of malcontents will be small and easy to round up. Unless we get active politically and forcefully stand up to tyranny, then we’ll become outnumbered.

Benjamin Franklin presciently wrote: “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

You were right, Ben.

So…

Here is it folks, the challenge for our generation, most likely to be answered in this decade: The next time there is another Ruby Ridge or Waco-style “standoff” with “extremists” happens, We The People will have two choices: We can passively sit by, watch it all on high definition television, wringing our hands and just muttering “That’s so awful.” Or, will enough of us grab our gear and drive there and set up a perimeter around their perimeter. Once in place, we’ll show some backbone and take photos, take video, take names, and if need be be prepared to take lives. The choice is yours, America. Are you going to show up to the event and do what is right, or are you going to let the ninja-jackboot-thugs simply haul us off to the gulag one by one?

I’ll leave you with another quote from the brilliant mind of Benjamin Franklin: “We must hang together, gentlemen…else, we shall most assuredly hang separately.”

– J.W.R.

Two Letters Re: Refurbishing Dead Gasoline

Jim,
Here are some additional thoughts in regard to the letter, “Refurbishing Dead Gasoline”, from my perspective as an oil refinery chemist:
 
Gasoline is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons, and there are many different flammable materials that can be blended to achieve the desired specifications.
 
In regard to vapor pressure of U.S. gasoline blends, a mixture resulting in about 15 psi Reid vapor pressure is ideal for winter conditions, and a mixture resulting in about 7 psi Reid vapor pressure is ideal for summer conditions.
 
The gasoline blend should exhibit enough vapor pressure for ignition to occur while not over-pressuring and causing vapor lock.
 
Butane is superior to propane as a gasoline additive mainly because it has a higher octane value and a lower Reid vapor pressure, giving it properties that more closely resemble those in the desired gasoline blend.  Reid vapor pressure is about 50 psi for pure butane and about 150 psi for pure propane.  Although some winter gasoline blends may contain as much as 10 percent or more by volume of butane, much less propane would be needed to achieve the same vapor pressure in the gasoline blend.  Keep in mind that vapor pressure does not blend linearly – one-third the amount of propane would not give you the same vapor pressure as butane. 
 
In addition, propane has more value as a petrochemical precursor than butane so refiners typically blend butane to add vapor pressure to gasoline while selling propane as a separate product.
 
Pure ethanol or isopropyl alcohol (distilled with no water), acetone, paint thinner, or other flammable chemicals added in small amounts can also help add vapor pressure without overly affecting the other qualities of the gasoline blend.  
 
Without a gauge for measurement, I would recommend adding just enough propane or butane to hear a bit of vapor release when opening the container, but not enough to bulge the container.  A little butane or propane will go a long way in restoring the vapor pressure of old gasoline.  Ventilation and the absence of ignition sources is absolutely essential when mixing, of course.
 
Thanks for your blog.  It’s still the best out there. – Michael S.

 

Mr. Rawles;
First off, I need to state that I am a physical chemist who works with mostly inorganic chemistry, so I know far less than a petroleum chemist would, but I suspect that the fuel industry uses butane over propane for three major reasons.

First, we could approximate that gasoline will obey Raoult’s Law, and a heavier hydrocarbon (like butane) will “self-distill” out of the rest of the gasoline more slowly than a lighter one (like propane).  If they are trying to keep the gas viable as long as possible, using butane would be a better choice, of course.  In very cold climates, refineries might add some propane to keep the hydrocarbon vapor pressure as high enough for cold starts, but that is pure speculation on my part.

Second, there is a significant market for propane, less so for butane.  It makes economic sense for the refinery to use the butane that they would have a harder time selling.
Third, for storage concerns, propane vapor will effuse out of plastic containers even faster than butane, per Graham’s Law of Effusion, so if one must try to refresh gasoline using propane, it should be done at the point of use.

Personally, given the danger of working with gasoline, and given this idea likely won’t be of much use until after all the Hospitals, with their high-tech burn care, have ceased working, I would not try this.  Frankly, I would never have thought of this and it seems to be a very clever idea, but I think the dangers outweigh the benefits.  I think we would be better served learning to exploit fuels that will be available for the long-term: wood, coke, peat and coal.  Burning oil is a silly thing to do anyway (given all else that oil is good for). – The Tennessee chemist who belongs in Idaho

JWR Replies: I concur. It is much safer to use “dead” gasoline as-is, and simply get engines started with the aid of ether-based starting fluid. (Although even that has its own set of hazards.)

News From The American Redoubt:

Kyle T. mentioned that he found on Craigslist: “…a complete business for someone to buy in Idaho if they are interested in blacksmithing.  The listing is entitled  “Blacksmith, wheelwright shop complete (Nampa, Idaho)”  Things like this don’t come every day!”

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I recently heard some details from a reader about Obadiah’s Woodstoves, in Troy, Montana. They have great prices, a huge selection, and top notch customer service. They sell nationwide.

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With friends like this, who needs enemies? New Jersey governor coming to North Idaho.

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Although it obviously comes from a strident leftist with an axe to grind, it is interesting to see the delineation of The American Redoubt’s western border so distinctly in the map accompanying this article: Up in Arms. (Thanks to J.M.A. for the link.)

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Some troubling news from Gongaza University, in Eastern Washington: A rock and a hard place: Students fend off intruder with legal gun; face potential expulsion for school violation.

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Atlanta (Idaho) residents worried they could be snowed in this winter. (Atlanta is a tiny town with just 32 residents.)

Economics and Investing:

Whopping 932,000 Americans Drop Out Of Labor Force In October; Participation Rate Drops To Fresh 35 Year Low

Congress Passes Bill To Remove Derivatives Regulations That Were Just Put In Place

Why The U.S. Dollar Is In Trouble

Items from The Economatrix:

Which America Do You Live In? – 21 Hard To Believe Facts About “Wealthy America” And “Poor America”

October Mortgage Purchase Applications Collapse To Decade Lows

Congress Sells Out To Wall Street, Again

Odds ‘n Sods:

More bad news from the P.I.: Typhoon that smashed houses to smithereens: Full horror of destruction in Philippines revealed as rescue workers says two thirds of dead are children. We also read: The Chaos After the Super Typhoon. And the president has declared a national calamity amid widespread looting. If you want to help with the relief effort, please don’t send contributions to the bloated, top-heavy charities like the Red Cross. Instead, please send your donations to any of the dozens of small charities that have had a long-established presence in the country.

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Reader M.P. in Seattle found a link to the UK version of the fictional “Blackout” that was created by the same production company.

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I recently heard about a new Christian retreat community that is being planned for 150+ acres in North Florida.

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Woolsey warns of EMP threat: Inside the Ring: North Korean missiles deemed a serious threat to U.S.

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I heard that Hidden Hybrid Holsters is offering a 10% off coupon for the month of November, 2013. Customers can enter coupon code jdubs1113 at checkout to receive the discount. Oh, and speaking of hybrid holster makers, I noticed that Crossbreed Holsters has further expanded their product line.

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World’s First 3D Printed Metal Gun Manufactured by Solid Concepts

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New homeowner opens shelter sealed since 1961. (Note the still very practical Zenith Transoceanic multi-band receiver. If the new owner is wise, then he will re-stock the shelter with lots fresh food supplies and plenty of ammunition.)

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.

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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.