Letter Re: Getting Home When TSHTF

Hi James,
I had to send a note regarding this article. As a former outdoor professional I can’t take the chance that someone reading the article would walk away from it with the idea that it’s okay to tie your pack or bundle to you when crossing a body of water.  No! Never!  That is potentially deadly.  I don’t care if you have practiced it a hundred times without a problem.  The 101st crossing could be the one that gets you.  I have lost 8 friends over the last 20 years that were world class mountaineers, elite back country skiers, professional river guides, etc.  They died in the pursuit of their craft.  It really hammered home that accidents do happen and it only takes once.  One was a world class mountaineer that fell to his death because his rope didn’t clear the gate on his carabineer.  He had clipped in thousands of times over the years.  It only takes once.
 
You should never never tie your pack or bundle to you when crossing a body of water.  When carrying a backpack across a river or stream always unbuckle the waist belt and sternum strap.  If you were to fall you want to be able to get out of the pack quickly and kick it away from you.  You don’t want to have anything like strings or straps that can wrap around you and impede your ability to swim or float.  If you do fall and can safely grab a strap that’s okay.  But don’t hang on to it if it is acting like an anchor and pulling you down.  Let it go if it is pulling you uncontrollably in the current.  Better to lose your stuff than your life.
 
Most river guides will be wearing a knife, usually attached to a web belt in a sheath.  They do this for a reason.  They can pop a tube of the raft if it’s wrapped around a rock, cut the straps of gear in a capsized raft, free entangled people and so on.  It is one of the most important anything when dealing with rivers.  In Flasher’s article it was even mentioned the dangers of “getting tangled up in the cord”.  This should have been the red flashing light…danger, danger.
 
Most river professional use strapping like the ones sold by Northwest River Supply (NRS) and not cord to tie down gear in a raft or canoe.  There’s a reason for it.  One being that the knot on cordage will tighten greatly when wet and pulled on (such as flipping in a rapid and being pulled by the current downstream).  There’s not a chance of untying those knots, they have to be cut, thus the knife readily on hand.
 
If you are going to cross a deep river where you are going to have to float your gear across then you would want to ideally have it out in front of you, not on either side or behind you.  If you are going to use your gear as a floatation device then you can either put it under your trunk and kick with your feet or hang onto it with it in front of you.  If in a current, then point your feet downstream and loosely hang onto it at one side if having it in front of you is not possible.  Mostly you want to keep yourself in a situation where you can let go of it and get away from it if need be.
 
I would only cross a body of water where I had to swim or float with gear as an absolute last option if there was any kind of current.  Ideally, you want to choose a crossing where you can wade across.  Use a stout stick for maximum stability and to probe for holes or rocks on the river bottom.  Face upstream at an angle using the stout stick to brace yourself.  Move deliberately, one foot at a time.  River crossings should be made on a diagonal moving upstream.  If with others, link arms and have your strongest in the lead.
 
Apologies for the lecture but this isn’t something to take lightly.  I have crossed a 100+ streams and rivers while backpacking and have taken a couple of falls.  Even with all the skills and know-how, accidents do happen.
 
The other thing I noted pertained to eight days to go 40 miles.  Even with a full pack and out of shape it should only take maybe four days.  If it is taking longer than you are carrying way too much gear or stopping too often.  Scale it down.  Ideally, you want to get there fast.  If you are walking around with a full pack or carrying a number of smaller packs then you are a moving target.  You want to be as inconspicuous as possible. Take care, – Skylar

JWR Replies: With regard taking eight days to cover 40 miles, I believe that that author was referring to slow, cautious, tactical movement. This involves travel primarily in hours of darkness, with frequent halts for observation and “listening halts”, especially in locations where ambushes are likely.

Economics and Investing:

R.C. sent this troubling bit of news: America Again Drops in Global Ranking of Economic Freedom

Here is an article penned by Pat Buchanan: “Last May, Ron Paul filed his financial disclosure form, and The Wall Street Journal enlisted financial analyst William Bernstein to scrutinize his investments. The article includes this:

“Paul’s portfolio isn’t merely different,” said an astonished Journal, “it’s shockingly different.”

Twenty-one percent of his $2.4 to $5.5 million was in real estate, 14 percent in cash. He owns no bonds. Only 0.1 percent is invested in stocks, and Paul bought these “short,” betting the price will plunge. Every other nickel is sunk into gold and silver mining companies.

Bernstein “had never seen such an extreme bet on economic catastrophe,” said the Journal.

“This portfolio,” said Bernstein, “is a half step away from a cellar-full of canned goods and 9-millimeter rounds.”

[JWR’s Comments: Hooray for Ron Paul! The interesting thing is that Mr. Bernstein didn’t mention atually seeing Congeressman Paul’s basement. It probably is full of canned goods and ammo. Though I doubt that Ron Paul is a 9 milly kinda guy. He’s strikes me as more of a red, white and blue .45 ACP shooter.]

Items from The Economatrix:

German Exports Fall / Rumors of French Downgrade / Huge Gold Imports Into China / ECB Deposits Of Euros At Record Levels Again

Gold Hits 1-Month High, Breaks Ranks With Euro

Retail Sales Weak, Jobless Claims Up

Oil Prices Rise on Nigeria Supply Concern

Odds ‘n Sods:

I was recently interviewed by Doug Belkin, a reporter with The Wall Street Journal for an article that he is writing about the growth of the preparedness movement. He mentioned that he is interested in hearing from preppers that are in unusual “outside the box” careers such as chiropractors and midwives, to ask them about why they are preparedness-minded. Send him an e-mail, if you are interested. For your privacy, I would recommend that you use a pseudonym.

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I heard about another nice review of my novel “Survivors”.

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Frequent content contributor F.G. notes: Yes, .22 LR tracers do work! Tracers are a good training aid, but keep in mind that they work for target spotting in both directions, so use them sparingly, in defensive shooting!

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SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson sent the link to an interesting video: Operation PLUTO (Pipe-Lines Under The Ocean) 1944

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Rick B. mentioned a handy centralized source of links to suppliers of garden seeds, transplants, and bulbs: The How Do Gardener.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, [and] the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed [is] in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.” – Genesis 1:11 (KJV)

Letter Re: Sanitation Concerns for Grid-Down Disasters

Dear Mr. Rawles,
I have an indelicate question that I’d like to ask you and your readers:  In a Schumer Hits the Fan (SHTF) situation, literally, what happens to the aforementioned waste products in our sewer?  If a sewer plant loses power, does it all back up and exit through all our residential toilets connected to that pipe?  Does it back up and enter nearby streams and rivers that we would be relying on for water?  Once trapped in a backed up sewer drain, could explosive methane gas be formed to further complicate the disposal of waste and even be a danger to city dwellers – particularly those in high rise apartments?  Your thought and advice in this matter would be appreciated.  Thank you, – Rod McG.

JWR Replies: I addressed that issue in my reply to a “hunker down in the city” letter from a reader, posted in 2007. Yes, there will be a public health crisis in the cities just few days, especially if the onset is during summer months. I strongly recommend getting out of urban areas as soon as possible, in a disaster.

Notes from JWR:

A reminder that Sunday, January 15th is the last day that Safecastle is offering the maximum allowed 25% off on in the their two week sale on all Mountain House can varieties. Order soon!

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Today we present another two entries for Round 39 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, 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 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), and E.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A FloJak F-50 hand well pump (a $349 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and E.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, C.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and D.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 38 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Getting Home When TSHTF, by Flasher

I’d like to start off by expressing my appreciation for this blog – I’ve learned a lot from everyone here. I’m fairly new to prepping and I am by no means an expert. In this article, I will be putting together some of the things that my group and I are doing to raise the odds that we will get home when the Schumer Hits the Fan (TSHTF) and referencing other articles that I found helpful.

Like most people, I commute a long distance to work. I do this because there are few to no jobs in my field that pay a wage that I could live on close to home – just like everyone else. I am fortunate in that my commute is just less than 40 miles, but that is still a long way to walk – especially if I’m walking through the woods and avoiding towns and roads.

Why would I be walking? Several reasons. Although it is stated in this article that there is a fairly good chance that my vehicle will still be running when TSHTF (assuming the event is EMP related), everybody and their dog will be trying to get out of Dodge, and the roads will be backed up. See this article for more information. Even the back roads. I am under no illusions that I’m the only one who knows these roads.

Another reason is that the roads will become traps fairly quickly. There will be plenty of goblins out there whose survival planning involves robbing and pillaging those who had the foresight to prepare. I intend to increase my chances of not meeting any of them, and getting home safely in spite of them. The most successful survival strategy is to avoid a fight, rather than try to survive one.

Where Are We Going?
First, credit where it’s due: this idea was adapted from this article. What I did was to go to Google Maps, and find several different ways to get from the area where I work to home. I then downloaded the USGS maps for those entire routes. It may take some poking around, but you should be able to get contiguous maps for the whole route. It’s best to lay out more than one route. More on this later.

Here’s a tip for working with these maps. They are in PDF format. If you can get your hands on a computer with the full version of Adobe Acrobat installed on it (not just the reader), you can export the map as a JPG image. In version 8, it’s File/Export/Image/JPEG, but that may vary, depending on your system.. Once you’ve exported the image, you can then edit and print it using your favorite image editing software. I use Photoshop, but you can use less expensive (or free) image editing software. The idea is to be able to read the map on the go.

I generally cut out a lot of the extraneous area that I’m not likely to be traversing in my travels. That being said, I usually leave a good amount (several miles worth) around my intended route as I have no way of knowing what conditions will be like when TSHTF, and I want to keep my options open. I leave especially large areas surrounding towns and natural barriers (rivers, cliffs, steep mountainsides, swamps – you get the idea). The more you can cut out of the map, the larger the features in what you’re printing will be.

If you end up with a lot on a single map, you can cut it in pieces and print each piece, or just print detail maps (a zoomed-in section) of the areas of interest (like towns or river crossings, for instance). I have more than a dozen maps for my 40 mile commute. One of the nice features is that the USGS maps show where there are houses and other structures. However, you need to be aware that the structures shown will be those that were there in the year that the survey was done. Just be aware that if the date on the map that you downloaded is 1984, there is a high likelihood that there are far more houses and businesses around now.

Once you have your maps to your satisfaction, you will need to print them. I prefer to use a color laser printer. Color, because it’s easier to read the map, and laser because inkjet tends to smear very easily with the slightest amount of moisture.

I highly recommend purchasing (or borrowing if you’re lucky enough) a laminator. A fairly decent one will cost around $100-$150 and the pouches around $30 for 100 (don’t get the cheaper ones – they’re really flimsy and they don’t seal as well as the heavier ones). This may seem like a lot of hard-earned cash to lay out, but these maps could mean the difference between making it back to your retreat or not.

I typically lay out my maps by route (see Options below), and pair them up. If I have a large map with a detail map of something on the large map, they will go together. If not, then I pair them up in the order that I will likely use them as I’m working my way home.

When I laminate them, I put 2 maps in each pouch – like a printed book, you can see a map on both sides of the page. I then 3-hole punch them and put them in a 3 ring binder in the order that I will be traveling. Take care how you orient the maps when you laminate them – they should all face the same direction. When flipping through the book, you should not have to turn it more that 90 degrees and back to see all of the maps upright.

This book stays in my vehicle at all times. If I’m out with the family in my wife’s vehicle, I put the book and my B.O.B. in there. My wife has her own “emergency kit” that stays in her vehicle all the time.

Options
Once again, credit where it’s due: This came from this article.

I have several routes that I can take to get home from where I work. Unfortunately, they all involve major roadways – one major interstate and two State Highways. However, all three of my main routes home can be (mostly) through heavily forested areas and State Game Lands. This is a big plus in avoiding ambushes and just generally keeping a low profile.

One major problem that I will have is that I have to cross a major river (and possibly a smaller one, depending on which route I’m forced to take). There are two main bridges over this river that I will be avoiding like the plague when TSHTF. I can’t help but think that bridges will be nothing more than shooting galleries: you can only go forward or back, there is no cover for you and the goblins likely have a lot of cover. Not good.

Using the USGS maps (and my knowledge of the area), I have identified at least seven good crossing points on the major river – two for each route. One route actually has three good crossing points. Depending on the time of year and recent rainfall, I may have even more.

The subject of river crossing brings me to my next point:

G.O.O.D. Bag
There are many outstanding articles here regarding G.O.O.D. kits and I don’t want to re-invent the wheel. Keeping in mind that there are many more, a few good recent ones can be found here, here, here and here. As you can see from the selection of articles, I liked the ones having to do with the medical aspects of the B.O.B.

So, I’ve come to the river and I’ve scouted it out and am ready to attempt to cross. How do I keep my gear from getting soaked? My solution is rather simple: garbage bags. I use the big 30 mil, 50 gallon industrial sized bags. I’ll simply put my gear into several different garbage bags and tie them to myself. I have a couple of hundred feet of paracord packed in my bag that I’ll be doing the tying with. Each bag will be tripled – three bags, one inside the other inside the other. This has several advantages. First, it will (hopefully) keep my gear dry. I have actually used this method on canoe trips, and it works pretty well as long as you tie the bags well and don’t snag them on anything. Second, they can be used as flotation devices. When I pack the bags, I put a little bit of gear in a bag, blow some air in it and tie it up, leaving a bunch of the top of the bag free above the knot. I then put this bag inside another bag, leaving some air space between the two bags. When I tie up the second bag, I pull the top of the first bag (above the knot) up into the part of the second bag that I’m going to tie, and then I tie a knot in both bags, leaving a section of the bags above this knot to do the same with the third bag. This way, if any of the bags gets ripped, you don’t risk losing the contents. Depending on how bulky the gear is in each bag, you may not have enough of the inner-most bag left to tie into the third knot (the third knot will be rather big if there is 3 thicknesses of garbage bags in it), but that’s not a huge problem.

The next trick is to be lavish in your use of the cord to tie the bags to yourself. If you tied the bags as I explained above, you should have the outer knot near the end of the bags, and two more knots further down towards the contents. Tie your cord around the lower-most knot – the one on the inner-most bag. You will be tying all of the paracord knots on the outside of the outer-most bag. Now, take the long end of the cord, and wrap it tightly around the bags between the first and second knot (the first knot is on the inner-most bag, second knot on the middle bag, etc.), and then tie it here. Do the same thing between the second and third knots.

I have a “duty harness”. It consists of a webbed duty belt with heavy padded suspenders with many attachment points. This is what I will be tying the bags of gear to – NOT to my belt loops on my pants. In the event that I get tired to the point that I’m struggling to stay afloat because I’m stressed out, I’ve been attacked, the current is too strong, I’ve been hiking for longer than I’m accustomed to or a combination of these, and I want to use the bags as flotation devices, it would be nice if they held my head out of the water, rather than my other end.

I recommend practicing this now as trying to figure it out under the stress of TEOTWAWKI probably won’t give good results. Some of the things that will take some figuring out are how much cord to use between the bags and yourself, how much gear to pack in each bag, how much air to put in each bag. You’ll also want to practice swimming with all of these bags tied to you – they WILL interfere with your movements. When choosing your crossing point, keep this in mind. I found that using a modified side-stroke/breast stroke to be the most effective and the least noisy. Using a crawl-type or any other stroke that takes your hands and arms out of the water generates a lot of attention-getting noise and tends to get you tangled up in the cords. Your bags of gear will tend to keep gravitating towards you as you settle lower in the water or make headway. If you use longer lines, or tie them to your belt, they will interfere less with your movements, but will not work well as floatation devices. This would work for smaller creeks, but not a larger river.

One point: when you put the gear in the first bag, it should float easily on its own. Don’t pack so much in the bag that it barely floats (or doesn’t float at all) and try to make it up on the outer bag(s). If the outer bags get ripped or leak, your gear can become an anchor, which tends to be counter-productive. Having several bags holding you up can be a good thing – especially if the river you have to cross is very wide or has a strong current. The down side of having a lot of bags is if the current is strong they tend to drag you down-river. They also make you a bigger target. I think that I would prefer to cross at night for this reason.

I actually tried this on the major river that I have to cross this past summer. I went to one of the swimming beaches with my gear already packed up in several bags as described above. It was a hot day, and there were a lot of people around swimming, partying, hanging out, etc. I got out of my truck, donned my duty harness, walked down to the river and started tying all of these bags to myself. To say that I attracted a lot of attention would be an understatement. However, I did find out that the amount of gear that I intend to carry, packed into several packages as described above will support me with my head out of the water, but will also slow my progress across the river appreciably. I think that I will probably use a smaller number of larger packages as I don’t intend to spend too much time in the river, if I can help it.

Preparation
This is a very broad topic, so I’ll just touch on a couple of points. First of all, if at all possible, I recommend taking the time to try and walk your route(s) home. Or at least, parts of them. Practice the skills you think you may need. Can you reliably build a fire with only your firesteel and whatever is available wherever you happen to be? Under stress? In the dark? Do you have an alternative method of making fire? Two? Can you navigate from your maps (whatever type you decide to use)? If you have to cross a river, can you without losing or ruining your gear? At night? In the rain? Or freezing weather? How long will it take you to pack all of the gear in your B.O.B. into plastic bags to get across that river? Can you do it silently? In the dark? How long will it take to re-pack it into your B.O.B.? Can you do that silently? Where will you build the fire that you will need to dry-out/warm-up after being in the water? What are the OPSEC considerations of building a fire near where you crossed? What will you do with all of those wet plastic bags? Try to think your scenario through. Better yet, walk it through.

Although my home state is part of America, where citizens have 2nd Amendment rights, I work in a state that doesn’t allow citizens to carry guns (and the requirements for ownership are onerous – especially for those of us who live elsewhere). If your state is similar, how will you defend yourself if that becomes necessary? Will you carry a weapon even if it’s frowned upon? Where will you keep it? How will you get to it when TSHTF? How much and what type of ammo will you carry? This is a highly personal decision, and I’m not making a recommendation one way or the other. That being said, it’s definitely something you need to think about now – most likely, the goblins will have weapons.

One of the problems that I think I may have is that I can’t carry enough food, clothing, etc. for the entire trip. Especially if it happens in winter as I’ll need to carry even more food and clothing. I’m thinking that under ideal conditions, the trip will take about 8 days. Under less than ideal conditions (and we all know that TEOTWAWKI will occur at the worst possible time, in the worst possible weather), it will probably take a lot longer. I’ve decided to use the buried cache to get around this. I had a source for 8 gallon plastic drums with lids and metal snap-rings. Sort of like your standard 5 gallon pail with a snap-ring lid, only bigger. I’ve buried three of them – one on each route. In each one is two weeks worth of MREs, several pairs of socks, soap, underwear, first-aid supplies, vitamins, insect repellent, garbage bags, a sweat-shirt, t-shirts, a pair of jeans and a few other items (yes, it was expensive putting them together). They are located away from homes, roads, businesses, etc. on public lands where few are likely to go or stumble upon them. With the 8 days of food that I have in my B.O.B. and the 2 weeks worth buried, I will have 22 days of food for myself. Considerably less if my friends didn’t bring enough with them, in which case we’ll have to hit more than one.

I am the only person who knows where they are and how to find them. This is important. No matter how well you think you know someone, if they know where your cache is and they get there before you do when TSHTF, you will most likely be out of luck. There are three friends of mine that I will (hopefully) meet up with to travel home, and they don’t know where they are. They’ll find out when we dig one (or more) of them up. Yes, I’m paranoid… But am I paranoid enough?

Communications
I mentioned that there are three friends of mine that I will be meeting up and traveling with for mutual support. They are all further away from home than I am, and I’m not going to hang around where I work waiting for them to show up (it could take several days for them to get there). We will be using hand-held radios with selectable output power levels to communicate. We will have specific frequencies and times that we will be broadcasting on to contact each other.

One of the things that we decided on early on was to stay away from CB radios. They are simply too common and you never know who is listening in. One option that we have considered is Marine Band radios. These require a license to operate, but in a true SHTF scenario, I don’t think that anyone will be enforcing that. With that being said, there is the possibility of a “slow decline” type of scenario, where there will still be some law enforcement out there and we would be putting ourselves in jeopardy needlessly. We’re still working through this one. The selectable power levels are a must, though.

 

OpSec
Now we come to security. The maps that we all will be using are very readable. If one of us should lose our maps, whoever finds them will know whatever we write on them. Therefore, my group has agreed that nothing gets written on the maps. No X’s, Town names, road names, marks, scribbles, doodles, nothing. We have come up with our own names for potential meeting places that would make no sense to anyone but us. If anyone leaves the group for any reason, those of us remaining will change all of the codes and pick new meeting places.

Each person has his own maps for getting from his place of work to the next person’s, in addition to his own routes home, in case we don’t meet up. No one knows anyone else’s exact route, although we’re all going the same general direction, the three routes I came up with are vastly different. The river crossing points on the two that are furthest apart are more than 20 miles distant from each other.

We will be using short, low power transmissions at set times. We won’t transmit from a meeting point. Just because we’re paranoid, it doesn’t mean that they’re not out to get us (and our stuff), and so we will be playing it out as if the goblins can hear everything we say and will attempt to use it against us.

No one will be staying within a half mile of our meeting places. At certain set times, we will make short low-power broadcasts to let the others know we are near using our code names for the meeting place. Once one of us gets to a meeting place, if circumstances dictate that we need to move on, we have mutually agreed upon signs that we will be using to let the others know that we were here and moved on, when we left, which meeting place we’re going to next and possibly why we had to leave. We decided to let each other know when we left so that those following will know whether to try to catch up. If you’re more than a day behind, it’s probably not worth it. If we left because of something dangerous, it would be good to let those following know so that they don’t waste time hanging around there, needlessly putting themselves in danger.

In my opinion, your best bet is to travel in groups if you must travel.

So there you have it – my plan for getting home when TSHTF. I welcome comments, criticisms, suggestions, rants, whatever – I’m still learning, and would like to get others’ views on my plan.

Keep your head down, your powder dry and avoid confrontations.

Intelligence Preparation for the Intelligent Prepper, by L.R.

Preppers consciously devote a great deal of time and resources toward their families or groups, preparing to defend themselves, building better stocks of supplies, creating communications links, and planning for contingencies. It’s not a coincidence that these all mirror elements of a military staff; they’re the essential elements of surviving and operating, whether under the best of circumstances or the worst. In normal life, they can be fulfilled without much conscious thought. Your personnel (J1) are your family, coworkers, neighbors, and friends. Your daily operations (J3) are your work or other activities that you build your day and life around. Your logistics (J4) are filled by the gas station, grocery store, highway department, and Wal-Mart. Planning, such as most people do (J5), is devoted to vacations or preparations. Communications (J6) is filled by the cable guy, Geek Squad, or cell phone store.

If, however, these externally decided and performed functions break down, you have to do them yourself, and some knowledge of the fundamentals of each is an essential part of preparing for the worst. The careful reader may have already noticed, but I have only named functions 1, 3, 4, 5, & 6. The J2 function is intelligence, and in my opinion, many preppers are leaving serious consideration of  that essential function out of their plan (there is not an “Intelligence Techniques” category listed between “Home Schooling” and “Land Navigation” on SurvivalBlog, for instance). Normally, people get their actionable information as easily as breathing; press a button and a news radio or television program will tell you if a natural disaster is developing or gangs of mutant zombie gerbils are roaming the prairie. However, obtaining good information after a breakdown of communications and order could be as difficult as obtaining gasoline or batteries. In other words, you need to plan to fill your information needs as carefully as you plan your logistical needs.
Intelligence as a function (as opposed to a trait- can’t help you with that one) is the collection,  analysis, and dissemination of the information needed to make a decision. Notice that there is no mention of laser beam watches, martinis, or code-breaking supercomputers in that definition. For your purposes as a prepper, gaining intelligence in or after a crisis is simply a matter of replacing the information flow that you enjoy today. However, since there might not always be a global network of reporters, analysts, and bloggers flowing the data to your car or home via cable or satellite, you need a plan to collect and analyze for yourself. You also need a plan to get that intelligence to those in your group that need it.

For preppers, there are really two categories of preps: those you can stock up on now, and those you have to produce or perform in or after a crisis. Intelligence is the same. The military uses the term Intelligence Preparation of the Operational Environment (IPOE). You can learn more about IPOE in Joint Publication JP 2-01.3). IPOE is a continual process in four parts: 1. Analyze the operational environment, 2. Assess the effects of the operational environment, 3. Analyze the adversary, and 4. Determine adversary courses of action (COAs).

In step one, you define the area in which you will operate. This means bounding the geographic space where you will live and work in order to limit your analysis to where it matters. Then you research all of the physical, meteorological, social, legal, and informational aspects of that area. You collect maps, census data, weather information, lists of radio stations (don’t forget ham frequencies), lists of important people, and anything else you can think of that you need to know about the area itself.

In step two, you analyze the effects of that environment on the operations that you intend to conduct. If you need to disinfect water in Alaska, the weather report for January should be a good indicator that solar disinfection isn’t going to work. If you are planning to go about your business armed, researching weapons laws in your area is essential to building that plan. If you intend on moving around, you need to assess what the effect of local roads will be on your vehicle.

In step three, you look at your potential adversaries. In this step, you determine who might do you harm and conduct the same sort of analysis as in step two. Who are they personally? How many of them are there, and how are they equipped? From what do they draw their strength (centers of gravity or COGs)? As an example, if you are considering relocation to an isolated ranch near the US/Mexico border, you might include drug trafficking gangs among your potential adversaries. Their centers of gravity could include the lucrative sale of illegal drugs, weapons, reputations for ruthless violence against their enemies, and wide networks of group members. Under normal circumstances, if you are conducting IPOE to harden your home, your adversary might be the common burglar, and his COGs could be darkness, knowledge of your personal schedule, and simple willingness to act. Try not to mirror your   adversary; remember that they likely will not think or act the way you would in the same circumstances, and try to get into their shoes. Don’t limit this analysis to just one threat; consider the full range and spectrum and complete the process for each.

In step four, you try to come up with your adversary’s most likely and most dangerous courses of action (COA). In the case of the general threat of a burglar, if you have made your home a hardened target with lights, spiky bushes, and a noisy dog, the most likely COA might be to move on to an easier house down the block. His most dangerous COA might be to switch tactics and attempt a home invasion as you arrive home from work or just after you have left. As in step 3, conduct this analysis for each potential threat. Refine your own actions in response to your analysis of the threat’s courses of action, and realize that as you change your posture, you need to update your analysis.

Once you have completed all four steps, store all your information in a place where you can always get to it, just as with stocks of beans and toilet paper. A hard copy binder containing all of your relevant maps, frequency lists, weather charts, and other information would be invaluable if the power went out and you couldn’t use Google Earth to find the best route to grandmother’s house. Update this binder regularly; just like food, information gets stale with time.

The second broad category of prepping is that which has to be procured or done in a crisis. Unfortunately, you can’t stock up on bullseyes at the range for the day the zombies show up; you have to take your shots in the moment they’re needed. The same rule applies for some information that can only be gathered in relatively real time. Since preppers assume that they can’t always rely on the normal systems of daily life, they need a systematic approach to collecting that intelligence. Collection of intelligence is generally divided into categories, or disciplines, and each helps provide a potentially essential element of information. The most important disciplines for the prepper are open source intelligence (OSINT), communications intelligence (COMINT), human intelligence (HUMINT),  and imagery intelligence (IMINT).

OSINT is what we do every day when we turn on the news and watch what is prepared for us by the networks. It is the collection of information of intelligence value from the openly provided media. Reading the newspaper can provide essential information that can drive action: yard sales, weather approaching, volcano erupting, etc. However, the consumer of that information needs to realize that it is being provided in order to benefit the broadcaster; that is, that it is produced by people who know it will be consumed and used to drive decisions. In the event of a crisis, you may need to consider that traditional sources of OSINT could be unavailable or that the people deciding what to broadcast may be trying to shape your decisions in a way that you would otherwise disagree with. As an example, after the Chernobyl disaster, Soviet news broadcasts sought to minimize public relations damage more than to urge people to evacuate. 

COMINT is a sub-division of signals intelligence that focuses on communications between people, as opposed to other data. This is analogous to eavesdropping on a conversation in a restaurant. In order to do this for yourself, you need a means of monitoring a wide swath of radio broadcasts. A simple AM/FM radio is a start, but that only lets you gather what is broadcast on the traditional dial; that is to say that it contains mainly OSINT. A CB radio can pick up conversations among ordinary people that can be very useful, especially to travelers. A scanner or ham radio that can receive a wider range of signals can enable you to hear weather reports, emergency responders coordinating their actions, other ordinary people, or broadcasts from outside your local area or country. Importantly, remember that if you can hear people talking on the radio who aren’t talking to you, other people can hear you when you broadcast to your own selected audience as well.

HUMINT focuses on that information gained from other people. If your friend who runs the electronics store tells you that they’ll have a big sale on Saturday, you have gained actionable information via a human source (trench coat, hat, and sunglasses optional). Preppers should build their network of sources now; get to know people who work in important places or who otherwise have access to information of value. In the event that you need to ask a question of your source, be discreet so that you don’t ruin that source of information by getting your source in trouble. Also realize that people who are telling you something might have their own agenda and that it might not be the same as yours.

IMINT is basically the use of photographs or video for intelligence purposes. If you use Google Earth to find sources of water around your house for fishing, you are conducting IMINT analysis. Imagery provides a powerful tool for surveillance and reconnaissance of an area of interest; a camera can be your eyes in places that you cannot always be. For instance, if you want to watch a feed plot for a huge buck, you can place a camera there and leave it for analysis at your leisure. The same applies for watching your driveway or neighborhood with a security camera. Kits are even available to turn model airplanes into video camera-packing drones that can observe an area from above for hours without needing any control.
Each discipline of collections provides raw data. In some cases, this could contain attempts at deception (your source at the electronics store may just want to see you again) or require interpretation (as in the case of police calls using 10-codes). In every case, raw data requires processing and validation before it can be rolled into your ongoing IPOE. If you receive an indication through one discipline, try to verify it with another: check the newspaper (OSINT) for sale announcements if you’re unsure about what your source (HUMINT) said. Ask a police officer (HUMINT) to explain what a term you heard on the radio (COMINT) meant. Look at your security camera (IMINT) to verify what the nice man on the other side of the front door (HUMINT) has to say about his identity. 

Once you have your intelligence, you need to [analyze it and] disseminate it to the people you care about, or at least coordinate with. Normally, this would mean a telephone call, text, or e-mail. In the event of these services not working, you need a means of passing the word that is not reliant on that infrastructure and that provides some security. Some information has value inversely proportional to its distribution outside of its intended audience. For instance, if you know that a certain highway out of danger is clear while the interstate is packed, you obviously want those you care about to know and be able to act before everybody else finds out and clogs that route too.

 Amateur radio is an obvious method of communicating over long distances, as is the humble CB radio. Neither is secure, but you can obtain some level of communications security by using obscure frequencies or other methods, as Mr. Rawles describes in some of his books. Few media are as secure as a runner with a memorized message, but they are also very slow compared to radio. Satellite phones will work whether the local service does or not. The bottom line is to make a plan now and share it with those with whom you need to communicate. It would be horrible to learn of danger approaching and be unable to warn your loved ones.
In summary, intelligence collection and planning are as essential to your preps as beans and bandages. Store and rotate data the same way that you do food and other supplies. Figure out what your needs are for information today and then figure out how to obtain the same data in a crisis. Build a systematically analyzed and arranged set of essential information to store in case it’s needed, and build a means of collecting that same data if your normal methods are lost due to a crisis. Create a plan to disseminate valuable information in such a way that it doesn’t lose its value by being intercepted by others.

Letter Re: A Safe Way to Carry Extra Gasoline in a Vehicle

I’ve been struggling with an age-old problem trying to find a safe way to carry gasoline in my vehicle. I found a way I would like to pass along. Typical five gallon plastic or metal cans don’t cut it. I’m a former EMT, so I’ve seen what a collision does to a vehicle carrying a five gallon can in the trunk, and it’s not pretty.

I want a metal shell around a plastic bladder filed with aviation foam.  Paranoid?  Yes.  Possible? Absolutely! It turns out you can get fairly low cost racing fuel cells from several sources that meet the bill – and two of them will fit in the trunk of my Prius or back of my Jeep. See this at Amazon: RJS Racing 32 Gallon Fuel Cell. These sell for $269 including shipping. You can get the same fuel tank without the metal shield but with aviation foam for about $150.

In my Prius, that gives me an un-refueled range of 3,330 miles, allowing a coast to coast run with gas to spare or dash and back x2 from Northern California to Northern Idaho.

Which gives me more options than the average bear. – Michael M.

Economics and Investing:

Reader RBS mentioned this great piece in Coin World: Strangeness in the 1960s–1964, 1965 like day and night

SurvivalBlog’s own Pat Cascio sent this: Hungary Folds, Ready To Change Its Laws To Get European Bailout Money

A reader sent this: Food inflation done quietly: Same store, same shelf, same price. Smaller package.

1.2 Billion Indians signing life away for biometric ID cards

 

Items from The Economatrix:

Fed Officials Signal More Action May Be Needed. (Warm up that helicopter and monetize, Ben!)

Crude Nears $103

$9 Gallon Gasoline Will Crash World Economies if WWIII Starts

Odds ‘n Sods:

K.A.F. suggested this: How to Plan a Vegetable Garden

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A reminder that Safecastle’s Freedom Awards Finalists are now posted on Safecastle’s blog site for public viewing and voting. One of the finalists is K.M., for his article “What is a Well-Stocked First Aid Kit?” (that appeared in SurvivalBlog.) Please post your vote on your favorite article or video before January 20th.

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Folks in Northern California will find this of interest: Nevada County’s 2nd Annual Sustainable Food and Farm Conference will be held the weekend of January 21st and 22nd.  The conference will be in Grass Valley, California. (A town about an hour’s drive from Sacramento or two hours from Reno, Nevada if the roads are clear of snow.) They will have some great guest speakers. See their web site for details. By the way, I’d recommend wearing your SurvivalBlog or Bennington flag hat or T-shirt there, to help you link up with like-minded preppers.

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The Top 25 Most Hacked Passwords. “If you are using any of these, maybe it’s time to rethink that strategy.”

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Not surprisingly, many Ron Paul supporters sound like they are preppers.

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Tim Tebow visits The American Redoubt. (Thanks to “Rev3” for the link.)

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 39 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, 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 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), and E.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A FloJak F-50 hand well pump (a $349 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and E.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, C.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and D.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 38 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The TEOTWAWKI Tool Guy, by K.D.C.

I have been prepping for over two decades now, although some would say I have been prepping my whole life. Both sets of grandparents instilled into my parents the need to be prepared, and in turn they did the same for my siblings and me. I am the only one of my siblings who has taken it to this high a point, even though they are probably more prepared for a major event then 99% of the rest of America. My definition of prepping is, I think, a little different than most. I define my families prepping as being prepared for anything, not just TEOTWAWKI. What I mean is if we had a hurricane, tornado, a major illness causing loss of income, or whatever the world has to throw at us, we are ready for it. Now I know you can be ready for everything, but you can be prepared to handle the aftermath!

Both of my grandfathers were true craftsman. My maternal grandfather lied about his age to get into the U.S. Navy at age 16 during World War II; he was a mechanic on the USS Texas, after the war he stayed in the same field working on large diesels for the railroad then for Ryder Trucks. My patriarchal grandfather worked for the railroad from the age of 17 until he retired as a carpenter. He had a back injury from a car accident as a child that caused him to be hump backed, disqualifying him from the war; however he was an avid hunter, fishermen, and a phenomenal carpenter. My father is a structural engineer, self-employed, and a Vietnam Vet. I grew up around all of these strong Christian men to grow up around, spending alternating summers in the hills of North Carolina and the woods of East Texas staying on the gulf-coast of Texas during school.
The women in my life were also very influential I remember my grandmothers praying over me when I was sick before ever calling a doctor or getting me a Tylenol for a fever. They also taught me to “put up” food, when I was younger I loved being in the kitchen with them after taking in a bushel of something from the gardens. They would put a side what would last without spoiling and start whatever process was need to store the rest. They always taught me, “Whether for us or others God has a plan for this food.” I learned to make homemade biscuits and other breads, how to grow spices and dry them, and most of all how to make what you had last. It still amazes me to think back at the huge family meals we had, all from their cupboards.

It has been my family’s goal to never have the worry of need. If the worst where to happen we would not need to go to a store or barter for close to three years at this point. And then includes my family of 5, our parents 4, and our siblings their spouses and children 10. We do have some long term freeze dried food, but at least half of what we have is canned or prepared by my family.

Now in our version of prepping we are not talking about just food, we all know the “Bs” I would say three but there have been so many added to the original trinity of prepping “Bs” that I cannot even remember them all. We have enough medical supplies to stock a nice hospital emergency room, enough arms and ammo to keep all of our family from being liberated of our items, and we are currently building our retreat including a completely off grid setup.
In everything we store, stock, or purchases for our lives we try to find things that can be truly multi-purpose and last for a long time; for example we stock large quantities of grain alcohol as it can help clean for medical reasons, help start fires, and help warm the soul if need be.
Now to the point of this whole thing, I have read Survival Blog for years now, and have seen small articles or quick mentions of tools here and there, and I wanted to go into a little more detail and thought into prepping your tool shed.

First and foremost, buy quality! Yes you can go pick up four screwdriver sets a Wally World for what one quality set cost you at Sears, but truth be told most of us would not pick up four sets, and when you are on a roof, under the car, or even under fire and your tool breaks, it doesn’t matter you could have picked up four sets. All that matters then is you have a broken cheap tool.
Don’t judge quality by a life time warranty. There are a lot of tools out there that come with a “life time” warranty, but most of those do cover our stupidity of using a screwdriver as a chisel, and most of those require you mail the broken product off and wait 90 plus days for them ship you a replacement. We all know the Craftsman hand tool warranty, bring in the broken tool and they will give you a replacement. I do have to warn you though there are some poorly made Craftsman tools out there, so be sure you handle the tool and check it out. I have even been known to do some research online to check out the reviews before purchasing.

If it is important, get more than one. Like I said earlier if you are on the roof and your hammer breaks, it would really bite to have to go to the store, if you can, to get another one. Even though modern tools are more durable than they use to be, they can still break. Put enough force on those modern fiberglass handles and they will break. I broke a shovel handle, by having a cinder block fall two stories on to it. The falling cinder block is a whole other story, but the point is the shovel handle broke. I have multiple shovels, hammer, screw driver sets, chisels, wrenches, pliers, etc. I even have extra handles for my tools, and some quality lumber stored that I could turn into a handle if need be.

Figure out what you are going to do when the power is out. When buying power tools be sure you don’t have to fully rely on plugging them in. First with hand power tools, if you are without power you are pretty much out of luck. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have them, it just means you should be ready to be without them. Be sure you have a couple of different handsaws, hand drills, hand planes, pretty much any powered hand tool you get be sure you have a backup. I was lucky to inherit both of my grandfather’s tools; it was amazing to find tools from my great-great grandfathers tools mixed into these that still worked and sometimes did a better job than any new tool. As for battery powered tools, these can be a good alternative, but not the only backup. You could setup a fueled or solar generator to power the tools or charge the batteries when need be, but the system could break down, so don’t have these as your only backup. Be sure you have plenty of extra batteries and extra cells. By cells I mean inside of each battery pack there is a group of smaller cells, which most look like C-Cell batteries, but note they are not. Do a little work on Google and you will find the replacement cells for your battery pack. When one of the batteries fail it usually only a single cell or two inside the pack that have actually failed; it is a simple thing to replace one of the cells if you know how to check them and solider in the new one.  When it comes to power tools, both plug in and battery powered try to stay in the same brand. Sometimes there are parts that could be interchangeable if one breaks down, and if you stay with the same battery types it will save you a lot of headaches of dealing with multiple chargers and batteries. It is so nice to only worry about one battery. Finally stand tools. There is nothing nicer than having a good table saw, band saw, chop saw, and drill press, but what are you going to do when the power is out? During my summers in North Carolina, there was an old water powered mill. It was the most fascinating thing to see all these pulleys and belts humming all over the place. This has always been in my head when buying stand tools. Be sure the system is a pulley and belt and not a direct drive type; if need you can convert the power source from the electric motor to some alternative input. I have done a little experiment with a windmill and my table saw. After figuring out the gearing and going a little slower that I am use to, I was cutting ¾ inch plywood smooth and clean. Buy extra brushes, cords, and any other serviceable parts for all of your power tools. As with in other prepping put some thought into, so you can get the life you need out of.

Figure out what else you can do with it. Multi-purpose should always be thought about. One of the best examples I could ever give is back to my shovel. We were about to dry our clothes, when we found a wind storm had broken one of our clothes line poles the night before. For a quick fix, since we had wet clothes. I stuck the shovel in the ground and tied the clothes line off to it. Don’t ever look at anything as a single purpose item; of course this doesn’t mean miss use a tool, like a gun butt does not make a good hammer, but always be aware of your tools how they work, and what else you can do with them. Clamps have a 101+ uses, maybe this will be my next letter, screw drivers in a pinch can be used a wedge, pliers can go from the garden to the car to your mouth if need be. A drill can power things from a coffee grinder to an ice cream maker, or a meat grinder to a water pump, I have even powered a chicken plucker with a hammer drill before. There are even now power tools that have interchangeable heads. The one I purchased has a drill, jig saw, electric hammer, socket driver, sanding pads, and cut-off blade; there was also a battery powered version that used the same batteries as my other tools. So with two tools I have 6 tools both plug-in and battery powered so really 12 different tools.
If you can’t find your tools you might as well not have. You shouldn’t be without is a good toolbox. Now I am not talking about a little portable hand tool box, which you should have a few of as well, I am talking about a large multi-drawer/cabinet toolbox. Have a nice place to put your tools. Be sure to keep some desiccant in the drawer to try and keep moister down. I know the cost of these can be high, but a good quality nice looking toolbox, make you proud of your tools, and in turn helps you want to keep them organized, clean and put away.

Take care of them and keep them clean. I remember my grandfather taking is air-tools apart cleaning, greasing, and oiling them. I also remember him wiping down and oiling his hammer, screw drivers, wrenches. I know some of our tools today are made of products that will not rust, but most just have some coating or covering on them and when scratched can start to rust. A simple wipe down with oil will help the metal will last for a lot longer. Furthermore if you are storing some tools stock, just like your guns, keep them oiled, when you go to use them it could be the difference in a quality tool and a wrench so rusted to slips around the nut. In the tools I inherited from my grandfather there where some of the first Craftsman power tools, the old chrome ones, which still worked! There were hand tools with their original boxes that if the cardboard wasn’t yellowed you would have had no idea they were well used. A good tool taken care of will last several life times.

Don’t forget the big guys. Now let’s talk about a few big items I don’t think we should be without. One of the most important big tools, in my humble opinion, is a diesel welder/generator. This item covers so many bases I think there are too many list, but luckily I also think it is self-explanatory. Now the welder/generator should not be your primary generator, but a backup one that can also weld. Next would be a compressor. A single compressor can power a huge amount of air tools, as well as just having the high pressure air to clean, feel tires, and more. With the compressor be sure to have extra hoses and fittings. I also love the Shop-Smith multi-tool; however I do not own one. I have recently used a newer one and was very pleased with its performance, my only two complaints were one it was a little cumbersome to switch between tools and two if it breaks down all your tools are out of commission. For the amount of room it took up compared to the tools it replaced I think it might soon be an addition to my shop. As for the compressor and Shop-Smith they both can be powered by alternative power from wind and water, to solar or fueled generator, so be sure you have a backup to power them.

Know your tool, know your environment. Make sure you have the proper place to use your tools. A lot of tools create a lot of dust or fumes, be sure you have a well ventilate place to use your tools. Be sure you have a secure safe place to use your tools. And most important be sure you know how to properly use your tools. I have watched so many “reality” shows that by the end I am amazed the people are still alive. Read the manuals, know when and what to oil, how to sharpen, how to change accessories, what and how to wax, and most important simply how to use it.

In my opinion all of what I have said is just common since, but sometimes you just have to hear it or see it, for to sink in. Being prepared for anything includes being able to fix a squeaky door, level a floor, or performing a head job on your truck. Whatever it is you will need the right tools and in working order. Put some thought into and the end game will be just that much easier. 

Survival Fishing 101, by Captain T.

Many of us have, within our Bug Out Bag some kind of basic survival fishing rig (like those sold at Ready Made Resources or Camping Survival) be it a simple hook, line, and sinker tucked away in a plastic case, in the handle of a survival knife, a pill bottle, plastic pack or metal tin, or a slightly more elaborate setup that might include a small fishing reel and telescopic rod or a small Yo-Yo fishing reel.  Regardless of what rig you possess at the time TSHTF, it is important to have some general knowledge and ability in order to accomplish the desired outcome while fishing—and that is catching fish.   Let’s face it, those of us that have never fished for anything with the exception of the remote control between the cushions of the sofa, could benefit from some tips to increase our chances, especially if it means the difference between a much needed meal or going hungry for yet another day.

Introduction
For the sake of brevity, the focus of this discussion is going to be on the simplest of fishing transactions.  There are an overwhelming variety of fishing styles (sport, spear, bow, nets, etc.), methods (bottom, top water, drift), types of equipment, locations, environments, etc. that can be included in the discussion, but the scope of this writing will be limited to freshwater, a simple fishing setup such as what is found in a typical off-the-shelf or homemade survival kit and what is typically available in terms of the live bait. The goal will be to increase the basic familiarity of it to the prepper  or the  persons in a G.O.O.D. situation that has little to no knowledge about the act of fishing and may be forced to act in that capacity to generate sustenance to survive.

Contrary to what you may think, successfully fishing to the desired outcome is not necessarily easy and likely one of the more difficult foods to get from the water, but it’s certainly not impossible.  There are many considerations and factors that go into a successful fishing event and some of them include, fishing equipment being used (rod and reel, net, archery, spear, trapping, etc.), weather conditions (heavy rain, full sun, snow), body of water being fished (stream, pond, lake, river), bait available, time of day (dawn, noon, dusk), and season (spring, winter, summer), clarity and depth of water, temperature of the air and water, and the amount of cover in and around the water just to name a few.  Many of the negative factors, some more than others, can be overcome with experience and knowledge.   The argument can be made, that for the time and energy invested, fishing is not the best plan to procure a meal (I’ve gone home on more than one occasion with an empty stringer)–but given a particular situation it just may be your best opportunity at that moment.

Equipment
The typical survival fishing setup provides the bare essentials to fish– a hook, line and possibly sinkers—and doesn’t involve legalities such as licenses and other regulations.  If you are going to practice your skills please make sure you comply with all federal/state/local laws—or get the permission of the land owner if you are going to practice on a private pond or lake.  The line and sinkers are designed to get the bait and hook down to where the fish are at.   It is important that you inspect your fishing line and the knot at the hook.  Don’t wait until you need it to find out that the heat has weakened or frayed your line to the point that a slight pull would result in it snapping—that is the last thing you want to happen when your next meal is on the other end.   Monofilament lines (common type of fishing line typically used in survival fishing kits) will breakdown over time and that effect is accelerated with the addition of heat.  It may be worth your while to invest is a small spool of high quality 8-10 pound test braided fishing line available at any sporting goods store or section in one of the big box stores.  This braided, or multifilament line has greater strength and durability when compared to monofilament, but it is more expensive and not without its unique issues.  If you can’t keep the entire spool in your BOB, create a mini spool using a small piece of cardboard and wrap as much as you can (space permitting) around it.  Consider (safely) including a couple of larger sewing needles in with your fishing line—this can help stitch tears, mend other items during the course of your travels , and provide you many other uses should the need arise.

Your knot on the end of the fishing line is just as important as anything else.  If this is the weak link then you can say good bye to a hook and your dinner.  It is essential to know how to tie a good knot and one or more that meet the needs of your applications.   Animatedknots.com , Realknots.com or Netknots.com are just a few good sources of animated/pictures of knot tying examples.  Additionally, there are several resources (such as knot cards) concerning knot tying for your BOB available at Camping Survival.   Knowledge of knots in a practical or an outdoor survival situation can’t be overstated.  Some of the considerations, other than fishing requiring knowledge of knots include:  lashing/securing/binding items together, climbing, creating a loop, splicing ropes, tying bandages, are just a few.

It may also be in your best interest to invest is some additional hooks.  They are light and don’t take up a bunch of space and it is almost assured you will lose some in the course of fishing.  There are a wide variety of hooks for different purposes.   In this case we want to stick with bait hooks.  These type hooks are designed with small barbs on the shank of the hook to help hold the bait in place.  From my personal experience the size of the fish I wish to catch and the bait I’m using determines the size of the hook.   In my kit I carry #12 to #8 sized hooks because my primary target will be the pan fish family, a plentiful and easy to catch fish such has bluegills, sunfish, and crappies.  A smaller hook is a good compromise because not only can you catch small fish, but also larger fish. The reverse is not always the case.  My goal is to obtain as much food as I need, as fast as I can, with as little effort as possible.  This family of fishes has very rarely let me down over the course of 30 years of fishing.  Now if I catch a good sized Trout I will certainly be better off in terms of the amount of total protein, but I am relatively sure I can catch more bluegills in the same amount of time (if at all) than it would take me to catch a 4-5 pound trout or bass with a survival rig.

Fishing with a bare line is not impossible but adding that line to a moderately thick green branch can: aid you in getting that hook and bait closer to your next meal, allow you to hold that bait over the target longer, give you access to additional areas that require additional reach (working around a muddy river bank keeping you from slipping in, working in and around cover, placing the bait into a quite pool, etc.).   Select a limb that will withstand a significant amount of pull from the top one-third of it without snapping, rigid is good but you want the limb to flex some (absorb moderate pull) without snapping.   Keeping your line far enough from the tip of the stick, using a pocket knife or something similar, bevel in a smooth notch into the wood all the way around the stick (must be very smooth to ensure the line does not get accidentally frayed or cut by a rough spot on the wood).  Make sure you don’t go in too deep into the wood and unintentionally make it too weak in that area.  If the limb is thick enough, it should easily withstand a 1-5 pound fish–but take the extra precautions and test it.  This beveling will keep your line from sliding off the end of your makeshift “pole” (if you have one, you can also use an eye screw attached to your pole as a fastening point too).   Tie a sufficient length of fishing line for the depth and distance you will be fishing (using a hitch knot or something similar) around the notched area.  Make sure that it is tight enough that it will not fall off or be pulled off when a fish is hooked.  Add your fish hook on the other end of the line and sinkers if you have them (these help get your bait down to the level where the fish are).  Here again, use a good knot, as it would be a bad thing to lose both your meal and a hook at the same time. Not that you have too, but if you want to add a home-made bobber, try this.  Simply find a twig, ¼ inch or slightly thicker, about 1-3 inches long and trim all the bark off of it (contrasting color in the water).  Then bevel evenly around the circumference of the stick, like you did with your fishing pole, but more toward one end, not exactly in the middle.  Determine the level you want your bait to be at, based on how high the bobber will be on your line—high is deeper, lower is shallow.  Once that is known, you can attach the bobber to your main line.  Take the main line, place it against the bobber.  Using a small length of extra line (or small wire, rubber band, etc.), simply wrap it tightly a few times around bobber and main line forcing it into the beveled area (toward the bottom) of the bobber and tie off with a tight knot.  A rubber band would make this process even easier and allow you to quickly adjust the depth if needed plus they are helpful for other things as well.  With a little ingenuity you can make a bobber with just about anything that floats.  This is just one variation of a home-made/survival fishing pole set-up.  There are many interesting creations out in YouTube to give you some idea on how to create your own.  Find one you like, build it, experiment, try it out and share it with others if it works.
Bait
The next component to a successful survival fishing undertaking is bait.  Here again, the focus will be on the natural side of things or what might be available in and around the body of fresh water where you would be fishing.  Yes, you can fish successfully with artificial lures, flies, and plastic imitation baits but that will likely not be in your standard kit unless you supplemented it with those items (and if you did that, then you are likely proficient in this skill and will find this article to rudimentary for your purposes).  When searching for bait, look into and around the water for sources of food that the fish consume.  If you see tadpoles in the water, mussels, or crawfish, that would be a good bait to use.  You might see grasshoppers or other insects floating in the water or around the shore—if they can fit on your hook those would also be great bait items.  A general rule of thumb:  big bait, big fish, small bait, small fish.  Some suggestions for bait include:  tad poles, small frogs and toads, fish eggs, grubs, beetles, millipedes, crickets, worms, crayfish, larva, freshwater crabs, minnows, fish fry (young fish), caterpillars, fresh water shrimp, mussels, etc.  Look in or under rotten logs or stones, high grass (for hoppers), around the shore line, under rocks in streams, or under plies of leaves–but always use caution.  Take some time to explore the area and don’t be afraid to try different baits out.  Sometime fish can be as finicky as people in what they choose to eat.  Also—word of advice:  if you are not sure what it is, don’t take a chance on getting bit or stung—you can’t afford that in a survival situation!  Move on to something safer and surer.  Always keep your situational awareness in active mode.

Setting the hook, especially in sport fishing, is a very import part of the “catch”.  Since this discussion involves a survival situation the focus is on catching food not sport.  For the most part, when fishing with live bait, many fish will quickly ingest the bait since it is real and something they recognize and regularly feed on.  In a situation such as this, the fish will likely swallow the bait and hook itself—what is often called a gut hook.  This significantly increases the mortality in a sport/catch and release situation (hook removal).  In a normal situation you will want to avoid this and can do so with a quick hook set.  There may even be legal requirements in your area on how to handle a “gut hooked” fish—so be aware.   However, in a survival situation hook setting is another important step in securing food.  Once you feel the weight of the fish (tug), simply snap the rod (or line) in an upward motion and to the left or right. If the hook sets, you will feel the fish fighting (pulling) on the other end.  The goal is now how quickly you can get that fish safely out of the water.  Remember different fish species have different biting patterns, some are aggressive and some light biters.  Here again, practice and learn from your experiences.

After you catch your first fish, you can cut open the abdomen, and remove the intestines and other organs.  Cut open the stomach and examine the contents and that will tell you about the fish’s diet.  Examples of this can be seen at the Hi-lakers web site. These parts of the fish can also be successfully used as bait as well.  When using “live” bait the goal is to keep it that way.  Hook the bait in such a way that it appears natural (hook hidden) and that it will stay alive as long as possible.  For example, if you are using a minnow as bait, you want it to be able to swim around; therefore you hook it thru the tail, or the lips, or under the spine (from the top of the fish). No, it won’t be hidden but it will stay alive longer.  If you bring the hook too close to the spine, you will kill the fish or at a minimum paralyze it.   The same can be said of frogs, crayfish, or freshwater shrimp, hook them in a way that they will stay alive longer.  With crickets, grasshoppers, grubs and worms their life span is significantly limited in the water—unless they have scuba gear.  With these baits the important thing is to secure the bait and hide the hook!  Of note, it is an important fact to point out that many times the bait you may collect can also double as food for you.  So if you can’t catch a fish, at least you can eat the bait.  Frogs, toads, crawfish, worms, crickets, and grubs in sufficient quantities can provide substance.  Just do your homework so you know how to identify the good stuff and ways to safely consume it.

Location, Time, Temperature, Weather, the Moon, and Seasons
Finding the best location to fish can also mean the difference between a full stomach and an empty one.  Generally speaking, fish need cover for protection and to provide them sources of food.  Cover comes in a variety of forms both in the water and out of the water.  Some examples of cover in the water can be a sunken tree, a bank of lily pads or aquatic weeds,  large rocks, bottom drop-offs (underwater ledges), or an undercut river bank (safety first—don’t stand on it if it could collapse).  Out of water cover includes overhanging trees or bushes that shade the water or fallen trees.  These are all areas where you would want to place your bait.  Water patterns and formations can also provide successful opportunities to get to fish.  Here you need to look for quite or still pools of water (in rivers and streams) behind rocks and fallen trees , feeder streams into lakes or rivers (these provide cooler water, oxygen, and food), or look for deep holes in rivers or streams where fish might “hole up”.  Often, in clearer water, you can spot fish.  In these situations you want to present your bait up stream (if there is current) and allow it to drift into the area where the fish are waiting.

Remember:  your approach to the fishing location should be done slowly.  Limit any vibrations that you might send in your advance to the area.  Fish are very sensitive to vibrations and will spook easy.  Also if the water is clear your movement or shadow, if you cast one, will likely be seen by them.  While fish do have the ability to see, the distance and definition of what they see depends on the species and environment.  Rule of thumb:  walk slowly, tread lightly, and watch the shadows.  If you do spook them, give it a few minutes as they might return to their feeding area once they feel (no pun intended) the perceived threat is gone.
Along with location and cover– time, temperature, lunar cycle and weather also work with you or against you.   Knowing the best time of day to fish often depends on the family of fish you are going after and the location you’re fishing.    Much like us, they need to replenish their food banks after an evening of rest. Commonly, fish start to get hungry and feed just before dawn and into the first hour.  White Bass, for example, at a certain period of time in the wee hours of the morning, will simply go crazy chasing (feeding on) shad and then just stop.  It’s really an amazing event to be in the middle of and quite illustrative of feeding times and it brings up another good point—an obvious sign that fish are feeding is that they are breaking the surface of the water going after food or their food (as in this case) is breaking the surface of the water trying to get away from the predator.  The other optimal time for most fish to feed is just after sunset.  That doesn’t mean you can’t catch fish during the day, it just means it might be more difficult and require more effort.  You might have to fish at different location (in cover), run your bait deeper, or use different more appealing bait, or a combination of all three.

Here is something my grandfather taught me at a young age:  just before a storm, fish increase in their feeding.  I’m not exactly certain why, but I have been told that fish sense the change in barometric pressure and this is one of their reactions to it.  This may be due to experience and the lack of or difficulty in the fish locating food during or after a storm.  Regardless, it is indeed a good time to fish.  However, it can be a very dangerous time to which I can attest first-hand.  Two near miss lighting strikes during separate events (one shore fishing, one on a boat), convinced me that it’s not worth it.  If there is a thunderstorm in the forecast, I stay indoors.  Again, you have to weigh the risks—hunger pains versus possible death—it doesn’t take much convincing on what to do in my book.  But then again, maybe the rewards outweigh the risks in a certain situation.  You will have to make the call.

The lunar cycle also effects the feeding cycle of fish.  When the moon is full and when it is waning (illuminated surface as seen from Earth is decreasing), is another good time to fish.  Again, depending on other conditions, temperatures (water and air), weather, season, it can certainly affect your outcome.  Likewise, if you have the majority of positive possibilities on your side you increase your odds but there are no guarantees.
Seasons play a part in the successful outcome of fishing.  Keep in mind that most of the freshwater fish families spawn in the spring (exact times vary).  Spawning occurs in the shallows (bedding) and often around areas that provide cover in the water (logs, aquatic plants) for protecting the young fish and to also keep food in close proximity.  Also, shallow water provides warmth while coming out of the winter season.  Because of the energy it takes to spawn and the warming effect, a fish’s appetite increases.  Also in the fall season is a good time to fish as well.  The temps (water) have to drop significantly enough to signal the fish that winter is coming.  This tends to spur the fish into action—to put some extra calories on before the slower feeding season of winter.  During the winter months, fish tend to go into deeper (warmer) waters.  For more information on the topic of when to fish, take a look at this free PDF resource that you can download and/or print.

Preparing the Catch
For additional information concerning the preparation of your recently caught meal, take a look at these diagrams.  The process is fairly straight forward:  scale it, gut it, skin it (depending on the fish), cut/fillet it, and then cook it.  Here are two guides (one and two) to help you through the process and another with a good diagram.  There are also numerous videos on YouTube, some quite entertaining, that can give you an idea of how to prepare and even cook your fish.

Precautions
In a SHTF scenario you will certainly need to take any necessary tactical considerations while fishing.  Watch your back.  It’s hard to concentrate on catching your next meal while making sure that you don’t become a victim or another predator’s next meal.  As it has been said, safety (and security) is paramount!
Take the time to put the knowledge you gain into action.  Practice knot tying, rig preparing, finding and using different baits, locating good fishing areas, and actually do some fishing now, while things are relatively normal.  Then take the time to clean, prepare and cook the fish you caught.  Fishing is a fun sport and most kids enjoy it as well–so bring them along.  Fishing, like any sport requires practice and is a diminishing skill.   Through your experiences, you can better define what works for you, as well as the gear you will or won’t take with you in your G.O.O.D. kit or Bug out Bag.  Remember always obey the laws that apply in your area, respect property owners rights, exercise any needed precautions and safety requirements (weather, equipment, situational/threat awareness, environment, etc.), and if you need any licenses or tags make sure you get them as required.   Please also respect the areas that you fish in and leave them in better condition than you found ‘em!  Best wishes on catching those fishes!