The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.

Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.

Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground.

And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.

And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.

Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.

But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.

And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb.

And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength.

For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.

Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me,

And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.

Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.

But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.” – Daniel 10:7-21 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — March 17, 2023

March 17th is the birthday of Józef Franczak (born 1917, died 21 October 1963), who was a Polish Army Corporal who fought in the World War II resistance against the invading Germans. He then carried on after the war, to fight against the occupying Soviets and their Polish communist stooges. Eventually, he was one of the last of the Cursed Soldiers resistance in Poland. His nom de guerre was Lalek.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 105 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

On Growing Older – Part 1, by A.E.

I am growing older and have celebrated the birthdays to prove it. Note that I am not calling myself old…It is too easy to convince yourself that you shouldn’t do something because you are old. No excuses, but there are limits. Instead, I continue to make my to do lists and push forward as best I can, testing my limits and recognizing that the joints are stiffer, the muscles weaker and the stamina slipping. There is no avoiding the slow march of time and the effects on the human body. The most we can hope for is to slow it down.

I am better off than most of my peers, and I attribute that to good genes, walking like I have a destination, and also to my chiropractor. In my early years he suggested that I join a health club, lifting weights and riding the bike to equalize my stresses and strengths since we will normally use or overuse one side of the body. The right side of my body, being my dominant side, was developed much more than the left and that caused stresses and pains that most of the time I just ignored. I still follow his advice even thoough, and  I haven’t worked construction in many years.

Now in my 80s, I have thick bone density and blood pressure is 129/79 and a resting pulse of 62. Not trying to brag, a lot of that is due to the walking and regularly visiting health clubs — right up until the Covid problem. If nothing else, walk, ride a stationary or regular bike, swim…If you can’t do any of that, then paddle your feet while sitting, do arm curls with a couple cans of beans in a plastic shopping bag. Anything to get the blood circulating better than when acting as a stationary lump. Move, or something will catch up.Continue reading“On Growing Older – Part 1, by A.E.”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. Most of these items are from JWR’s “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the Federal Government’s rising cost of interest to carry the National Debt. (See the Economy & Finance section.)

Precious Metals:

Biggest bank failure since 2008 drives gold sentiment higher, could hit $1,900 next week.

o  o  o

At Gold-Eagle.com: Gold Forecast – Spreading Bank Failures Could Send Gold Soaring.

Economy & Finance:

A “must watch” interview: Jim Millstein on Restructuring Market, Fed, Debt Limit. JWR’s Comments: Following his soft-pedaling of the gravity of the situation, don’t miss Jim Millstein’s warnings on the impact of higher interest rates on the $31 trillion national debt, starting at the 2:45 mark. Just extrapolate the Treasury Department’s annual cost of borrowing if interest rates go back up to 21%, like they did, in 1980.

o  o  o

Reported Thursday morning: First Republic Extends Plunge as Bank Said to Weigh Options.

o  o  o

Voila! Reported Thursday afternoon: Big Banks Agree To Historic $30 Billion Unsecured Deposit Injection In First Republic Bank.

o  o  o

SVB’s rescue means the Fed won’t hike rates in March, says Goldman Sachs. JWR’s Comments: Here is the Fed’s de facto pivot back toward a loose money policy that I warned about. Be prepared for more inflation, folks!

o  o  o

CNBC reported this on Thursday: First Republic falls 30% as regional bank stocks continue to sink.

o  o  o

More rate hikes are needed, says Fed’s Mary Daly.

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: Beige Book Finds Drop In Inflation Concerns, Expectations For Continued Price, Wage Moderation.

o  o  o

Bridgewater raises over $800m for new ‘Defensive Alpha’ strategy.

o  o  o

Brandon Smith: Get Woke, Go Broke? It’s Time To Talk About SVB’s Ties To The World Economic Forum.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Where, then, is the warrant for the constantly proposed extensions of legislative action?… In a large class of cases, government measures do not remedy the evils they aim at… in another large class, they make these evils worse instead of remedying them… in a third large class, while curing some evils they entail others, and often greater ones; if… public action is continually outdone in efficiency by private action; and if… private action is obliged to make up for the shortcomings of public action… what reason is there for wishing more public administrations? The advocates of such may claim credit for philanthropy, but not for wisdom; unless wisdom is shown by disregarding experience.” – Herbert Spencer

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — March 16, 2023

A Special Note From JWR to SurvivalBlog Readers:  The Credit Suisse collapse has many analysts predicting a general credit market collapse in Europe. The sticking point, at least at the outset of this mess, will be Credit Default Swaps (CDSes.) Those are derivative contracts. The counterparty risk for banks, trading partners, and customers engaged with Credit Suisse is now off the charts. But that may be the case with the majority of European banks, within a few days. (BNP-Parabas, HSBC, Barclays, Société Générale SA, Banco Santander, Deutsche Bank, Lloyds Banking Group PLC, ING Bank, Standard Chartered, UBS, Rabobank, Commerzbank, Svenska Handelsbanken, Bayerische Landesbank, et cetera.)

I don’t want to sound panicky, but as my old friend Bob Griswold is fond of saying:  “Panic early, and beat the rush.” So… If there are any clear signs in the next few days that the European credit market contagion is spreading to the United States, then you should assume that U.S. banks will be put on an enforced “holiday” — and close their doors, disable online banking, and shut down ATMs. Therefore, you should phone in a “personal day off” (or two) and do the following, ASAP:

1.) Pray hard, and pray often.

2.) Withdraw some cash from your bank.  You’ll need enough greenback cash to pay for two or three months of your regular bills — gas, groceries, utilities, and rent/mortgage. (Even if those bills are presently paid via automatic transfers from your checking account.)  If your bank refuses to give you more than a small amount of cash, then ask for a cashier’s check payable to the name of your local precious metals dealer.  You can work out the details of how you’ll spend that after you leave the bank.

3.) Buy some more precious metals, preferably “small silver”.  (Pre-1965 circulates U.S. “junk” silver and 1/2-ounce and 1-ounce silver coin — either generic silver rounds or U.S. Mint American Eagles.)

4.) Top off your fuel storage cans/tanks and top off your vehicle fuel tanks.

5.) Top off your pantry.

6.) Buy a six-month supply of any medications that you need for chronic health conditions — even if you have to pay cash to do so.  (Most insurance prescription drug plans have 30-, 60-, or 90-day supply limits, to qualify for reimbursement.)

7.) Bring home all of the contents of your bank safe deposit box. (There will be no access to those boxes, if there is a bank holiday.)

8.) Contact your local power, phone, cellular phone, Internet, water, and gas/propane utilities, and ask if you can pre-pay the equivalent of the next three months of your expected bills, and have them hold that as a credit on your account. If they are agreeable, then do so!

9.) Make contingency plans to activate your rural retreat, if you have one. Hints: U-Haul and Ryder rental trucks and trailers will get snapped up, quickly. And if you were “planning to”, but have been holding off on buying a cargo trailer or utility trailer, then go ahead and buy it, today.

10.) If you’ve loaned any of your tools or camping gear to friends or neighbors, then make retrieving them a priority.

11.) Identify precious metals dealers and pawn shops in your region that accept payment via credit card.

12.) Start networking with relatives, neighbors, and trusted friends, and work through some “what if” scenarios. I’ve been warning you for many years: “Stock up, team up, and train up.”

13.) Sell any individual stocks or mutual funds that are not recession-proof.

14.) If you depend on an outside supply of coal, home heating oil, or firewood to heat your home or retreat then buy it early, for next winter. Read: tomorrow.

15.) Pray some more. Fervently. Pray for God’s guidance, providence, protection, and a place of hiding.

Again, the aforementioned suggested action items are applicable only if there are clear signs in the next few days that the European credit market contagion is spreading to the United States.

Update, Thursday AM:  Was a contagious credit crisis averted? Headline:  Credit Suisse shares are booming after Swiss central bank backs it with $54 billion loan. (Note that this video segment was posted at 2:30 AM.   Looks like “Crisis Mode”, to me.)

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 105 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Finding, Buying, and Improving My Bugout Location – Part 3, by Greg X.

(Continued from Part 2.  This concludes the article.)

I purchased the property in the winter out of a bankruptcy for a good price. This left me with some money to invest, but I plan to do as much of the repair work as I can. This may take longer than contractors (who are hard to find too) but I also don’t want to appear too wealthy to the neighbors. This is the Grey Man approach.

I’ll use the neighbors to source inexpensive local materials and contractors for work beyond my skill set, safety, or time to invest. For example, I was looking at tractors and talking with the dealership manager. He told me about a good source for locally produced tongue and groove flooring. A neighbor told me a good place to buy a culvert pipe. I had a friend who recommended a contractor who recommended a roofer that he uses that I hired (though the roofer was about 5 months backed up). A neighbor had a relative who hauled in a load of gravel for the road at a good price.

People want to be helpful. At least one of the neighbors has some carpentry and construction skills so I’m considering hiring him for some of the work, or to teach me what I don’t know. He also has access to a skid loader that could be used to fill in some holes on the property. I’ve been spending considerable time getting to know my neighbors and becoming part of the community to the best extent possible as an absentee owner.

For the land, I started a couple compost piles to produce compost to rebuild the soil for a garden. I’m researching where to put the garden based on soil conditions and moisture. A neighbor offered me bedding hay and cow manure to fertilize the garden. I want to expand the forest into the edges of the hayfields, especially where the grass isn’t growing thickly. I’ve been talking with a friend from work who has been reforesting his family farm for about 20 years for tips and best practices.Continue reading“Finding, Buying, and Improving My Bugout Location – Part 3, by Greg X.”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, we look at the risk of a Third World War.

Five Places World War III Could Start in 2023

Posted in January, over at Business Insider: Five Places World War III Could Start in 2023. “These five areas pose the greatest risk for the eruption of what we might be tempted to call ‘World War III.'”

Russia’s War in Ukraine: Insights from RAND

From the statist RAND Corporation think tank: Russia’s War in Ukraine: Insights from RAND.

Is the Biden Administration Late to WWIII?

An opinion piece at left-leaning and statist The Hill: Is the Biden administration late to WWIII?

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“If we have learned one thing from the history of invention and discovery, it is that, in the long run-and often in the short one-the most daring prophecies seem laughably conservative.” – Arthur C. Clarke

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — March 15, 2023

This is the birthday of General and President Andrew Jackson, in 1767. He was the 7th President of the United States (1829-1837.)

—

I’m pleased to report that the ranch caretaker position that I had announced on behalf of one of my consulting clients has now been filled.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 105 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

Finding, Buying, and Improving My Bugout Location – Part 2, by Greg X.

(Continued from Part 1.)

My Detailed Search

I spent the first couple of years looking at real estate online. I’m trying to find a property that is at least 3 hours away so in-person viewing wasn’t efficient for my initial search. I wanted to get a feel for what was for sale, what were prices like, how much money did I need, and what kind of amenities were in certain areas. I would map driving distances and roads looking at drive times, rush hour constraints, fastest routes and number of alternate routes.

Zillow.com and Realtor.com were my favorite search sites. They have maps that show property lines, at least in the areas I was looking. They have tools that let me set minimum property size, min and max price, and other characteristics of the property. They showed pictures of the properties, size of structures, and if there were wells and septic systems. I used these sites to identify and screen initial prospects. For lots that looked promising I would map them in Google, look at the satellite pictures, try to gauge the density of the trees, how much of the properties were open, where were the neighbors, what people were doing with the land around the properties, where were the streams, and google has a terrain feature now that provides some view of topography and elevations.

I mapped distances to home and population centers, I checked on where the nearest big hospital with a trauma center was (not close), how far to smaller medical facilities, how far to find groceries, how far to hardware stores, a lumber yard, restaurants, etc. For properties that I really liked, I went to a USGS site, The National Map – Advanced Viewer, and looked up the properties. The topo map view gave me elevations, streams, where water was going to flow and a relative picture of slopes on the property based on the distance between contour lines. My search area was more than 10,000 square miles.

We found a couple real estate agents we liked, over time. I used the agents to find out additional information on the properties, disclosure statements, maps, deeds (when possible), answers to questions, and to tour the properties. Rarely did the agents find a property I hadn’t reviewed first online. This might be different in other areas. We described what we were looking for, land with a stream, a pond, some slope, good trees, soil for a garden, next to public land for more privacy and places to play. I can build a house, a garage, or a barn but the features of the land are inherent to the property purchased. It either comes with a stream or it doesn’t, it has the contours to fill a pond or it doesn’t, it has trees growing, or planting them now will provide a forest for my grandchildren. I’ve now come to believe the public land would be good in peacetime, but a threat if the SHTF since there is no owner to protect the land. It becomes a place for outsiders to camp in.Continue reading“Finding, Buying, and Improving My Bugout Location – Part 2, by Greg X.”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

—

SurvivalBlog’s Editor-At-Large Michael Z. Williamson spotted this: Oregon man stranded in remote snow-covered road uses drone to signal for help. Mike’s Comment: “He was foolish for getting into that predicament, but he devised a clever way to get out.”

o  o  o

China Warns “There Will Surely Be Conflict And Confrontation” With The US If Nothing Changes.

o  o  o

A new video from Lauren Southern: How True is Farmlands Today? #SouthAfrica.

o  o  o

Over 40% Of Americans Think WW3 Is Imminent. JWR’s Comments: The PLA leadership in China would be foolish to wait until a Republican is back in the Whitehouse, before invading Taiwan. They know Biden is a pushover. Historically, most of America’s wars have been started with Democrats as Presidents, and ended with Republicans as Presidents.

o  o  o

Jeff Charles of Liberty Nation News: Desperate Democrats Get Creative in Implementing Gun Control.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — March 14, 2023

On March 14, 1951, United Nations forces recaptured Seoul during the Korean War.

This is the birthday of fighter ace Major Raoul Lufbery (born 1885). He was shot down and killed in 1918.

This is the birthday of Marlin Perkins. He was a well-known television host (Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom). He was born in 1905 in Carthage. Missouri.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 105 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Finding, Buying, and Improving My Bugout Location – Part 1, by Greg X.

Introduction

In this article, I will describe my search for a bugout location (BOL). I would consider it typical for someone living in the eastern United States. I closed escrow on that property last May and have been working on the place every weekend since then.

—

If you search the Internet and you will find multiple articles about the perfect bugout location. Most articles will contain a standard list of recommendations that require tradeoffs and sacrifices most of us don’t want to or can’t make while staying within our value systems and life constraints. I would argue that “the” perfect bugout location is a myth, that even our personal perfect bugout location is likely to be unobtainable for most, and that what we should seek is the best location we can obtain that balances tradeoffs. What follows is my thought processes, search, and final results. Your results, your analysis of the risks, your constraints are likely to be different and that’s ok because the key is to develop a plan that works for you.

I’ve been a prepper since I was a kid, but I didn’t seriously start thinking about a bugout location until about 12 years ago when I read one of JWR’s books. Prior to reading that book I lived in the Midwest near New Madrid. [Anticipating an earthquake that might make my house uninhabitable,] I kept sufficient survival supplies in the garage to survive for a month living in my backyard.

I was transferred to the east coast. My supplies expanded a bit, but now I was preparing for a hurricane. Both my worst-case scenarios were regional with the rest of the country available to supply aid over time. I just needed to survive on my own until the aid arrived. JWR’s book introduced the idea that the whole country could go down, that there would be no rescue from areas unaffected and my planning needed to expand. At the time my son was in high school, I was being transferred for work, and I didn’t have the income to buy a bugout place. I started with a bug-in plan. I began with accumulating food, supplies, water filters, books, knowledge, tools, guns, ammunition, and a long list of materials that would be useful if the stores closed and commerce collapsed. I read SurvivalBlog, I read books, I read other Internet websites, and I just started thinking, doing “what if?” drills, connecting dots, saving money for a bugout location down payment, and doing the mental preparation and analysis.Continue reading“Finding, Buying, and Improving My Bugout Location – Part 1, by Greg X.”