Fabric Choices in Survival Clothing, by Emma C.

Textiles surround us every day, yet they probably aren’t the first thing to come to mind when gathering survival gear. A quick web search gives lackluster results, focusing more on what kinds of tactical gear would be appropriate than the fabrics and types of clothing to look for and why. Obviously what to look for is based on several things. Do you live in a hot or cold climate? Will you be staying in your home, in a bunker, or traveling around? What’s your budget? And most of all, what makes you comfortable? If you live in cotton, a tight lycra jumpsuit under your clothing may be too much to get used to, spur of the moment.

I’ve been sewing for ten years now and have learned a lot about what fabrics are appropriate for certain garments. There are some commonly known rules, like wool will keep you warm and cotton will cool you down but there are myriads of textile choices beyond those. Clothing is very personal and what works for one person may not for the next so I’m going to provide several suggestions for what to look for in terms of fabric and functionality, starting from the bottom and working our way up.

Shoes:
Footwear is integral and wearing them in beforehand will prevent pain and blisters at a most unwelcome time. I’m not an expert in the materials used to make footwear so I will share what I know from experience. The most common of all footwear is the sneaker but picking one out can require some research. For a ton of walking or running, running shoes would be the best choice. It is important to learn whether you experience overpronation (high arch), underpronation (flat foot), or neutral pronation to reduce foot pain and provide proper support. I experienced a lot of foot pain in my old running shoes before I learned that I have severely overpronated feet. Now I have such a good pair of sneakers that I don’t have to use insoles for cushioning like I used to. Cross trainers are another choice of sneaker for people who may be doing a lot of jagged movements, jumping, or climbing. Keep in mind that running shoes last for about 300 miles before they should be replaced (up to 500 miles if you have a low body weight).

Boots are another option with multiple choices. Combat boots would be a tried and true boot. My husband, who is in the military, finds his issued ones to be uncomfortable but there are plenty of people who find them to be comfortable. I would definitely suggest trying on all types of footwear that you are interested in before making a purchase. Waterproof shoes, commonly referred to as ‘wellies’ [short for the Wellington brand name], would be a great choice for areas with a ton of rain and water or as a spare shoe. Snow boots or boots with wool insulation are excellent for cold areas. I have a pair of men’s leather boots with wool insulation that I wear while shoveling three feet of snow and they keep me just as warm as my Carhartt overalls. And they were purchased at JC Penney, so you don’t have to spend a ton of money to get a quality shoe, just do your research.

Last but not least are sandals. Some of you may think I’m off my rocker for that suggestion, so bear with me. If you live in a warm climate you may want to avoid boots and sneakers all together. Or maybe you want a second pair of lightweight shoes in your backpack. Or maybe you love the freedom of a naked foot. For whatever reason, a pair of sandals may work for you. Look for one with grooves on the bottom for traction as well as wide straps- no flip flops. Also be sure to bend the shoe before buying. If you can bend it in half it doesn’t offer enough cushion or support.
And don’t forget to stash some extra shoelaces.

Socks:
Chances are you are going to need some socks to go with your shoes, even with sandals. For socks you’ll want either CoolMax or wool or even both. At the very least look for synthetic fibers (which you may want to look for in a lot of the clothes) because they wick away moisture and increase breathability. Avoid cotton, especially if you don’t think you’ll be washing your clothing often, because it collects moisture and increases your chance for fungal infections. CoolMax is a polyester blend that wicks away moisture and dries quickly.

Besides synthetics, wool is going to come up again and again primarily for its ability to both repel and attract moisture as well as heat retention. Wool does take more care than other fabrics in that it should be washed in cold water and lay flat to dry. However, it doesn’t need to be washed as often as cotton or polyester. Which may be a moot point, depending on the state of the world. If you live in a place where cold days outnumber warm you may want to invest in both wool and synthetic blend socks, wearing the lighter CoolMax type socks as the inner layer and wool as the outer for extra warmth and, depending on your footwear, comfort.

Pants:
I’ll break this one down by three different geographical locations: (A) areas that often receive a lot of snow at one time from October until March with much less precipitation the rest of the year, (B) areas that receive fair amounts of precipitation throughout the year and middling temperature, (C) and areas that receive little precipitation with temperatures regularly over 100 degrees. I realize this doesn’t cover all the climate variances- it’s meant to be more of a jumping off point.
(A): Wool pants with polypropylene long johns/tights are going to be your MO. Columbia makes a quality wool pant that comes in camo (which I’ll touch on more later). Avoid a nylon pant as nylon, if it catches on fire, will likely fuse to your skin since it is petroleum based and highly flammable. In comparison, wool is slow to catch fire and is often used in fire blankets.  Polypropylene long underwear is very lightweight allowing for a large range of movement while providing warmth in subzero temperatures. It has little water absorption and acts as a barrier to water. Though it isn’t very flammable it can melt in temperatures over 320 degrees Fahrenheit. Polypro also retains odors without consistent washing but dries the quickest of any fabric. A polypro pant or leggings during the summer months with a wool pant over it in winter would be a strong choice for the area.
Cotton would be a poor choice in this scenario due to its water absorbency, flammability, and slow drying time. If it gets wet in the winter you’ll need to seek shelter and warmth immediately since it will no longer insulate you. The adage “cotton kills” is appropriate in area (A). Other fabrics to avoid include tencel, rayon, neoprene, silk, and bamboo.
(B): Lightweight wool or nylon will serve you well. With all the wet weather the lightweight and waterproof qualities of nylon outweigh risk of flammability. (Water repellant jackets are made from nylon.) LL Bean makes a quality cargo pant that converts into shorts and comes with insect barrier ingrained in the fabric. When it comes to clothes, loose layers will be helpful in keeping mosquitoes at bay, as opposed to skintight that allows the bugs to get closer to your skin and penetrate through the fabric. Lightweight wool is also great- it won’t weigh you down as much as thick wool while still providing the benefits of it.
With all the precipitation you’ll especially want to avoid the same fabrics as area (A): cotton, tencel, rayon, neoprene, silk, and bamboo, among other synthetics including polyester/cotton blends.
(C): Cotton, linen, and silk will all keep you cool in the sweltering heat though they also have their disadvantages. Cotton will absorb sweat easily which can make some people uncomfortable. You can always moisten the fabric to help keep cool and stave off feelings of griminess from sweating. (Not advisable if you’re trying to conserve water.) Linen is porous as well as absorbent which allows heat to escape between the fibers. It is stiffer than fabric so it won’t cling heavily to the body when wet like cotton will and is a common pant textile. Silk is very lightweight, thin, and soft which women like myself can appreciate. However, the sun will break down the fibers quicker than with cotton or linen, so silk pants aren’t the best choice for long term wear. CoolMax type blends are also available.
Lightweight wool can also be a good choice depending on how hot you get. I have a pair of wool shorts that I wore around Hawaii that, depending on how hot it was, would become itchy and uncomfortable despite the lining.

Undergarments:
Cotton, cotton, cotton ladies (and gents)! Moisture collecting in your nether regions from synthetic fabrics is far more likely than cotton to become a sweaty breeding ground for bacteria. And avoid anything too tight. You’ll be better off going commando than sporting too-tight underwear. Don’t forget about extra bras as well, Wacoal makes an amazing underwire sports bra that goes up from an A to an H cup. I wear them quite often and have always felt comfortable (and I wear an H, so I understand how hard it is to find a supportive sports bra).

Shirts:
Once again the fabrics you want are going to reflect the area in which you reside. The rules for pants pretty much transfer over to shirts. Wool/cashmere tops, including turtlenecks, make for a nice layer below a coat or jacket in the cold. Personally I can’t wear turtlenecks or cashmere and find that this is the one area that I have to go against my own advice, living in a cold climate. In a survival situation I plan to find myself in three layers of shirts: a tank top, a tee shirt, and a long sleeve shirt, all made from cotton or lightweight wool. I’ll place a lot of reliance on my coat (which is waterproof and windproof, made by Gersemi) to protect me from precipitation. I keep a spare 100% wool one made by the fashion company Nine West. There is a very limited range in temperature that I find comfortable so the layers will allow me to have more flexibility. I’ve had good experiences with cotton and wool shirts from Banana Republic, the Gap, and JC Penney among others.
The same thing goes for area (B) residents. Cotton layers can work if you are careful about staying dry and preserving layers in cool temperatures. Wool or nylon are still great choices as well. Those in area (C) can still benefit from a long sleeve shirt despite the heat if it has UPF, especially if you burn easily and don’t have access to sunscreen or other protection. Otherwise cotton, linen, and silk once again.

Accessories:
Here I’m going to cover hats, belts, and gloves but keep in mind there are plenty of other accessories to consider including umbrellas, sunglasses, scarves, watches, and jewelry (useful for bartering on the go). When it comes to headgear the balaclava can’t be beat in terms of versatility and size. Balaclavas work for every climate; a knitted wool balaclava will protect from the winter’s cold while one with UPF will help protect delicate skin from sunny rays. They come in a variety of materials and colors, can be worn several ways, and take up little space.
Two types of belts that can be useful depending on your needs are paracord belts and tactical belts. Paracord belts work just like the bracelets, being made from 550 paracord that unravels to function in numerous survival capacities. They can be made or purchased. Tactical belts come in different materials, typically leather and webbing, and are generally useful for attaching weaponry. There are also cartridge belts to hold ammunition.

For gloves, look for leather in the palm and fingers. A really padded glove can be useful in moving and carrying large objects or heavy outdoor work but can make manual dexterity difficult. To achieve a wider range of movements, like in shooting for instance, I recommend a shooting glove made with leather and thinsulate.
First impressions could be vital so I’m going to spend a moment on image before getting to sewing and purchasing fabric. Camo and earth tone clothing are generally safe bets and, if being deserted or lost is a concern, a bright colored flag could be thrown in a pack or sewn into a coat. Keep in mind that being decked out in the best of gear can attract unwanted attention from people who would like what you have or give an impression of skill that you may not possess. Women may want to dress in more manly clothing and consider a short, pixie type haircut. In a chaotic, desperate situation people may do things they wouldn’t in normal society and women and children, being seen as a whole as weaker than men, would be automatic targets. (Unfair or not, it is what it is so I myself plan to chop off my hair to gain as much of an advantage and become as anonymous as possible).

When it comes to sewing, once you know the basics it really is not difficult to master. If you are just trying to make basic clothing you don’t need to have spent months learning techniques you won’t need. The first garment I ever made was a pair of pajama pants with an elastic waist. I taught myself how to sew them by reading the instructions on the pattern. Granted, it took me three times as long as it would now, but the pattern and instructions were so simple that any kind of extra assistance from the internet or books was unnecessary.

There are a few things you should collect if you do plan to sew your own garments. If you are going to get a sewing machine, no matter how tiny, learn to use it before you stow it in a basement or bunker, even if you only use it for a minute. Patterns for every type of clothing can be purchased. Easy Stitch ‘N Save by McCall’s and It’s so Easy by Simplicity are two collections by big pattern makers than can often be found for .99 cents or $1.99 at JoAnn Fabrics. (Just check the flyers for sales.) The garments are simple, taking only a few hours. However- and this is important-cutting out the patterns is sometimes more time consuming than making the actual garment. To save time and help yourself become familiar with clothing construction I’d recommend cutting out the patterns ahead of time. There are also plenty of unisex patterns and patterns for children along with ones for household items, shoes, and gloves.
As far as fabric goes, it can be purchased by the yard or in bulk by the bolt. Prices vary widely. I usually purchase any 100% cotton fabrics from JoAnn Fabrics, fabrics.com, or various local quilting shops. For wool, I try to purchase it from the Dorr Mill Store and Pendleton’s Woolen Mill store but that can be expensive. Some Wal-Marts sell fabric but their selection is rife with polyester and rayon blends so be sure to check before you buy. And don’t forget about notions. You’ll need needles (both hand and machine if you have one), pins, several spools of thread (a half to one spool per project is a fair estimate so you can do repairs later as well), extra bobbins if you have a machine, dressmaker’s chalk, scissors, buttons, zippers, elastic, belt buckles, and no-sew glue. Check each pattern for specific needs; they’ll also tell you how much fabric you’ll need to purchase for each size.

[JWR Adds: Be sure to check your local thrift store regularly. You can often find wool blankets, sweaters, and even Scottish kilts that can be used as-is, or re-purposed. (Traditional kilts have eight yards or tartan wool!) It is not unusual to find genuine Pendleton wool shirts and merino sweaters for less than $5. One trick is to run your hand down the racks, feeling the textures of the sleeves as you walk by. With some practice you can learn to detect wool with just a touch. Once you’ve developed this skill, there is no need to read labels except to confirm what your sense of touch has already told you.]

Overall you need to consider what’s best for you. If you strongly believe you’ll be out on the road don’t go out and purchase a sewing machine and bolts of fabric that won’t see use. Focus that money and time on finding pieces that will last a long time and provide you with protection and comfort. Also don’t settle for a blend of fabrics that you find unsuitable just because it is a great price or you like the color. And don’t be overwhelmed by the choices out there. Ask friends and family about their favorite coat brands or where they purchased their new wool socks. If you just plain out hate shopping ask your shopping-friendly spouse, friend, or second cousin if they’d like to swap expertise. Just be sure to give them a list of what garments you’re looking for, along with sizes, colors, possible brands, and fabrics. Making sure to write down the details, including what percentage of which fabrics you want, will help your assistant narrow down the search quickly. If you are, say, a vegan and do not want leather on your clothing at all, be sure to write that down too. And once everything is hung or folded neatly next to your Bug Out Bag, take yourself out to a nice dinner, knowing that you’re ready to withstand the elements.

Letter Re: Lessons Learned From My Elders

James:
As a five year old I lived with my grandparents in a small isolated village in the foothills of the Austrian Alps.  This was about 1953 until 1958.  Rural life had its own rhythm which now seemed more akin to the 19th century.  Small family fields were plowed with the milk cow which was also used to bring in the hay and the harvest.  Everything planted had a use.  Each tree on these small family farms bore fruits or nuts.  Ornamentals were for the well to do- perhaps the village doctor who had a more secure source of income.  Each farmstead depended on a variety of fruit and other crops.  If one thing did not do well that year, then other harvests such as the chestnuts or the pears and apples for hard cider might be plentiful.
The grain keeping body and soul together was polenta, a new world crop, along with the potato.  Corn grew well and would be eaten as mush with pork cracklings, sour milk, or coffee mornings and evenings. Each farmer’s wife was also capable of making hearty loaves of bread seasoned with herbs along with the obligatory home churned butter. Besides working in the fields alongside her husband, the women also had a kitchen garden with vegetables and savory herbs.

The other mainstay was the pumpkin which is still harvested for its seeds and the superb oil the roasted seed produces.  Oils and fats are always at a premium and never ever thrown away.  I have had many a pork fat sandwich with garlic, salt, and pepper. Anything left over was given to the hogs which were slaughtered in the fall and processed, smoked and hung on rafters in the pantry or preserved in a tub of lard.   The root cellar like the pantry was built of stone, being cool and moist. It held barrels of sauerkraut, pickles, and perhaps of eggs which had been covered with a solution of lime and water.

In the evenings, kept warm by the ceramic wood & coal stove, stories were told about surviving WWII and the Russian occupation.  Some were very funny, some not so much.
During the war everything was rationed. Towards the end of the conflict, people in the city would get on the train for the country with their fur coats and oriental rugs and anything else they thought they could trade for a sack of potatoes. Many a farmer’s wife could be found with finery. If you had extra food you kept a very low profile as not to arouse anger or envy of neighbors.
If you were fortunate enough to live in the country, then hunger was not a problem because you grew what was needed – most had the skills, experience, and land needed. Organic methods along with long established permaculture were the norm.  Small livestock such as chickens and sometimes rabbits and doves were part of the living larder. Everything depended on composting and the farmer with the biggest manure pile was considered rich.  Of course humanure was part of recycling necessary nutrients for a successful harvest season. 
Several stories which contained significant life lessons were told by uncles who had to serve on the front.

One uncle was a medical doctor and he told of a pampered young man who came in with a shoulder wound and he hysterically thought that he was mortally wounded.  The team of doctors assured him that he would do just fine, all to no avail.  This young city boy did die unnecessarily.  Later a farm boy came into the medical facility with a very serious stomach wound.  He walked in carrying his intestines in a newspaper.  He was not expected to live but he had the right mindset and he recovered.

The second story about serving on the front came from a different uncle who was in a Siberian prison camp for seven years.  He was a very tall man and as all those with him lost a tremendous amount of weight because of a terrible diet.  Every meal consisted of a cabbage soup with a few chunks of potatoes thrown in.  After a time the men were no longer able to eat this soup, and even though they tried, they threw it up. Fortunately there was a doctor in their unit who told them to take anything of value that they had, cigarette lighters, cigarettes, belt buckles and trade it for hot peppers when they went out on work details.  Each meal they were to cut a little of the peppers into their soup so that their gastric juices would start up again.  This is how I learned about appetite fatigue.  My uncle would say that the peasants in Siberia were as poor as the prisoners and really did not eat much better.

The last story about the Siberian camp had to do with going home.  The trains were loaded with prisoners and they were to depart but for some reason the last car was uncoupled and left.  This caused such great disappointment and loss of hope that many men in that last compartment killed themselves.  Without a solid spiritual foundation our “men’s hearts will fail them” (Luke 21:26) when faced with desperation.

And then there was the third uncle who was a survivor.  His very hard life had honed his instincts. Somehow he would have an inkling when the next attack at the front would occur and he would work his night patrols either before or after.  Several men in his unit caught on to this talent of being aware and sensitive to his surroundings, they started to stay close to him.  Most Austrians were conscripts that wanted to get home to their families.

Hearing such stories and more made a great impression on my mind and these stories have been told to the next generation.  Better to learn from another’s life lessons, the personal cost is less if one listens well.

Sincerely, – U.E.

Economics and Investing:

R.B.S. recommended this article: A trip back to 1964 proves Silver creates wealth. (BTW, this has a nice correlation with the current opportunity to acquire nickels at face value.)

Linda U. sent: World on track for record food prices ‘within a year’ due to US drought

13 States Now Considering Gold and Silver as Money. (Thanks to R.B.S. for the link.)

Where Does Money Come From? The Giant Federal Reserve Scam Americans Do Not Understand

Items from The Economatrix:

Deutsche Bank Issues A Terrible Warning on the Health of the Global Financial System

Unemployment Rates Rise in Half of US States

Jobless Rate Rises in Five of 10 U.S. Campaign Swing States

QE3 Won’t Help Consumers or Jobless

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader George S. mentioned: “Galt’s Gulch” city planned in Honduras

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Here is one early review of Founders. OBTW, speaking of reviews, two of the most critical reviews of Founders posted at Amazon’s site appear to be from people that have never read the book. There was even one reviewer who falsely implied that I am a racist. To set him straight, I posted this link.

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Reader H.L. suggested this piece: Germany’s Wind Power Chaos Should Be A Warning To Everyone

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Bill J. came across an article on the emergent SARS Corona virus. What makes this news of such concern is in the last paragraph: “Saudi officials said they were concerned the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage next month, which brings millions of people to Saudi Arabia from all over the world, could provide more opportunities for the virus to spread.”

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Over at Mac Slavo’s SHTFPlan blog: Education After The Collapse:  School When There Is No Classroom

 

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“The issue is not the National Debt in terms of trillions of dollars.  The issue is actually the National Debt in terms of thousands of abortions; it’s the National Debt in terms of thousands of unwanted pregnancies; it’s the National Debt in terms of the epidemic of AIDS; it’s the National Debt in terms of moral promiscuity; the National Debt in terms of the destruction of family life – That’s the issue!” – Pastor Alistair Begg

Notes from JWR:






Today is release day and “Book Bomb” Day for my latest book, Founders: A Novel of the Coming Collapse. In anticipation of strong sales, my publisher (the Atria division of Simon & Schuster) has already printed 44,000 copies of Founders. You can now order it as a hardback book or as an unabridged audio book, or as a Kindle e-book. A Nook Book version is also available.

Here is an update on the novel’s Amazon rankings, which I will update during the day. (Overall rank, of 4 million+ listed titles, as well as its rank among Action & Adventure titles.)

#217 overall and #49 in Action & Adventure at 3 p.m. Sunday, September 23rd.

#139 overall and #19 in Action & Adventure at 3 p.m. Monday, September 24th.

#105 overall and #17 in Action & Adventure at 11 p.m. Monday, September 24th.

#83 overall and # 13 in Action & Adventure at 6 a.m. Tuesday, September 25th.

#6 overall and # 7 in Action & Adventure at Noon Tuesday, September 25th.

#4 overall and # 1 in Action & Adventure at 5 p.m. Tuesday, September 25th.

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Today we present another two entries for Round 42 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 $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $300 value), F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo. and G.) A $200 gift certificate, donated by Shelf Reliance.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training. Together, these have a retail value of $589. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 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.) A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

The queue for Round 42 is full but Round 43 begins on October 1st, so please start 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.

Let’s Talk About Calories Per Dollar, by Mississippi Girl

With the current economic climate and the recent drought, there is a lot of concern about an impending increase in food prices.  As I browse through homesteading blogs and review comments from recent news articles, more and more people that have not been a part of the “prepper  movement” in the past are now starting to open their eyes and see a need to increase their food stores.  When you first begin to build your pantry, it is helpful to think about the purpose of food storage:  The true goal of storing food is to be able to provide enough calories to sustain life. 

Everyone has a basal metabolic rate (BMR) which is the number of calories that you burn a day at rest with no digestion occurring.  Your BMR is based on your gender, age, weight, and height.  A quick online search will yield links to multiple BMR calculators, so that you can figure your individual BMR.  For sake of an example, let us assume that you are a 40 year old 175 pound man that is 5 feet 10  inches tall.  Your BMR is approximately 1,700 calories per day.  Remember, this is how many calories your body burns doing nothing at all, not even eating.  If you lead a sedentary lifestyle with little to no exercise, you multiply your BMR by 1.2 to get your daily calorie requirement.  In the example above, this would give a calorie requirement of  2,055 calories in the setting of little to no physical activity.  If you have a high level of activity with exercise 6-7 days per week, your calorie requirement would jump up to 2950 calories per day (BMR  times 1.75).

For those of you who have looked into long-term food storage, you see advertisements all of the time for a “year supply of food.”  One popular web site offers a premium year supply which contains enough food to supply one person with approximately 1,600 calories per day for a year.  As you can see from the above example, this would not be enough food to support the basic metabolic functions of a large percentage of  people, much less provide the needed energy for daily activities.  In a post-SHTF scenario [without the benefit of power tools, most water pumps, and gas engine vehicles], the general activity level of the populace will most certainly increase, so most people can expect their current calorie requirement to go well above their BMR.

There are other prepackaged supplies of food that supply around 2,000 calories per person per year.  One such example at Emergency Essentials provides 2,000 calories per day for 371 days for $2,700, as of today.  If you do the math on a package like this, you will figure out that you are getting 275 calories per dollar spent.  That sounds pretty good, but how does that compare to other items that you can purchase?  And, what if you don’t have three grand to drop on food and just want to get started putting food by?  How can you see if you are getting your money’s worth with regards to total calories purchased?

I have been a prepper since 2006, but honestly, the money spent per calorie of food never crossed my mind until recently when we starting making regular purchases for a local food bank.  The first few donations included cans of vegetables, namely corn and green beans.  I had purchased a few flats of each of these around Thanksgiving when they were put on sale for $0.50 each.  Each can had 3.5 servings of food according to the label, but as you will see, “servings” are not all created equal.  Although the serving size of each was the same (one-half cup), a serving of the corn contained 60 calories, whereas a serving of the green beans only had 20 calories.  That equates to 210 calories in a can of corn and 70 calories in a can of green beans.  So, with the corn, I was able to buy 420 calories/dollar but only got 140 calories/dollar with the green beans.   That is a big difference!!

Being cognizant of the number of calories I was getting for the money spent made me reevaluate my food bank purchases. I wanted to be sure I was getting the most for the money that I was donating.   Not only did this change the way that I looked at the purchases for the local food bank, but it also changed the way I looked at the purchases for my own pantry with regards to both long-term and short-term storage.  I began to think about the #10 cans of food that I have purchased over the years without true regard for the calorie density of their contents.  On my shelves, I have cans of freeze dried green beans, spinach, broccoli, and mushrooms.  I am happy to have them to provide variety, but in a post-STHF scenario, these cans will be useless in terms of providing energy for me to work around our compound.  Before now, seeing these cans on the shelf provided a sense of “food security” because they are indeed food, but what I am really looking for is “calorie security.”

That can of freeze dried green beans has 21 one-half cup servings with 30 calories per serving.  So, if I ate the whole can, I would only get 630 calories!!  That same can of green beans costs $14.95 right now which means I am only getting 42 calories/dollar spent.  Consider a #10 can of dehydrated carrots that contains a total of 3,710 calories and costs $11.50.  You are getting 323 calories per dollar in that can.  It is easy to see which is a better purchase if your goal is to provide calories.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  There is nothing wrong with spending the money on products that have fewer calories.  I personally love dehydrated mushrooms and use them all of the time when I cook.  I will continue to buy them as long as I can although they have basically no calories.  Nonetheless, the concept of the total calories you are getting for each dollar you spend is important to consider, especially when the money available for building your food storage is limited.

For those that are just beginning to build their short term (3 month-2 year) food storage, what are some of the more cost effective items to buy in terms of the number of calories you get per dollar spent?  Well, if you have ever been on a diet or have read about a diet, this should be pretty easy to think about.  Those items that are high in carbohydrates are usually going to have the most calories per unit cost.  These would include rice, beans, potatoes, wheat, pasta, corn, etc.  These groups of foods are the ones that everyone tries to stay away from when trying to lose weight.  Right?  Why is that? Well, it is because they are calorie dense, meaning you don’t have to eat much volume to get a lot of calories. But since in a post-SHTF scenario most people will not get to continue to be couch potatoes (or desk potatoes) and the level of physical activity will dramatically increase,  we will be less worried about eating low-cal.  You will need those calorie-dense items (that we all try to avoid currently)  in order to sustain a higher level of physical activity.

Conversely, the items that cost more per calorie are usually those things that you are allowed to eat without consequence on a diet.  These would include spinach, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.  Like we saw above, you can eat a whole 14 ounce can of green beans from the grocery store and only get 70 calories.  You would have to spend all day eating green beans to get enough calories to live and would have no time left over to work.  🙂

Okay , so let’s get down to the nitty gritty.  Let us take a look at specific foods that you may consider for short or long term storage and see how many calories they provide per dollar spent–you can also see how that compares to the 275 calories per dollar that we would get purchasing that prepackaged premium year supply of food.  The prices that I am quoting were looked up online at my local warehouse club this morning.

1.  Long grain white rice:  50# bag for $16.86.   There are 1650 calories per pound which gives 82,500 calories in the bag.  So, you get 4893 calories/dollar spent.

2.  Potato flakes:  3.2# box for $5.76.  There are 65 one-half cup servings with 80 calories each giving 5200 calories in the box.  So, you get 903 calories/dollar spent.

3.  Dehydrated hash brown potatoes:  2.06# box for $5.98.  There are 60 one-third cup servings with 70 calories each giving 4200 calories in the box.  So, you get 694 calories/dollar spent.

4.  Pinto beans:  25# bag for $20.49.   There are 1440 calories per pound of beans, giving 36,000 calories in the bag.  So, you get 1757 calories/dollar spent.

5.  All purpose flour:  25# bag for $8.00.  There are 1600 calories per pound of flour, giving 40,000 calories in the bag.  So, you get 5,000 calories/dollar spent.

6.  Angel Hair pasta:  6# box (wrapped in 1 pound bundles) for $5.76.  48 two-ounce servings with 210 calories per serving, giving 10,080 calories per box.  So, you get 1750 calories/dollar spent.

7.  Tang powder:  4.5# container with 88 servings (to make 88 cups) with 90 calories per serving, giving 7920 calories per container.  So, you get 1135 calories/dollar spent.

Now, I know that these items don’t qualify as long term storage products,  in the manufacturer’s packaging, but they are ideal staples for a short-term pantry.  Also, with a little extra work, all of them except the flour could be placed in long term storage by sealing them in mylar bags inside of buckets. This does add to the cost but it may still be more reasonable than buying the pre-made super pails from an emergency supply store.  Example:  If you had to pay $11 for storage supplies (bucket, lid, mylar bag, and oxygen absorber) to put away the bag of rice, you would still be getting 2,961 calories per dollar spent on that bucket of rice. A 44-lb pail of white rice from Emergency Essentials is currently selling for $57.95, giving 1,239 calories per dollar spent.  This is much more cost effective than the 275 calories per dollar in the year-supply package we discussed earlier, but you can definitely improve your calorie per dollar ratio by packaging the rice yourself.

I consider all purpose flour a great item for a short-term storage pantry since its shelf life is listed as 8 months to 1 year, but whole wheat is certainly preferred for long term storage.  The wheat can then be ground into flour when it is needed, but it can also be used without grinding to add some variety to food storage meals.  Where I live, wheat is not available for bulk purchase, so I end up buying pre-made super pails of wheat for my long term storage.  Currently the 45 pound hard red wheat super pail costs about $47.  This contains 385 one-fourth cup servings with 180 calories per serving, giving 69,300 calories per pail.  So, you would get 1,474 calories per dollar spent buying that super pail.  For those of you who are fortunate to live in areas where you can buy wheat in bulk, I am sure that you could package it yourself and increase the number of calories you are getting for your money, just as we saw with the rice. 

Overall, the number of calories you get per dollar spent is much higher with the bulk foods from the warehouse store than in the long term storage year-supply packages.  Because of this, I recommend that you first make sure that you purchase some of the more cost-effective items initially to build up a short-term pantry before you start spending lots of money on the items packaged in #10 cans and super pails.  You will be able to build up your calorie reserve much faster on a smaller budget starting with your short-term storage.   

Short term storage isn’t limited to bulk items from the warehouse stores.  Don’t forget about the goods in your local grocery store.  Most canned goods can be kept in the pantry for at least 2 years.  Creamy condensed soups usually contain more calories than their ready-to-eat counterparts because you are storing less water in the can.  One brand of cream of chicken soup on my pantry shelf has 300 calories per can, which is fantastic.  If you can find it on sale over the holidays for $1 per can, you are getting 300 calories per dollar.    Starchy vegetables such as beans, corn, and sweet peas are going to have a higher calorie density than green beans, asparagus, and tomatoes–so for cans of similar price, the starchy vegetables will add more calories for your buck.  And, remember the ever-favorite ramen noodles.  At our local grocer, you can get a 12-pack of ramen for $2.44.  Each individual pack contains 380 calories, giving 4560 calories in the box.  So, ramen yields 1,869 cal per dollar spent.  Pretty impressive!  No wonder college students live off of it.

Although I advocate shopping wisely to make sure you are getting plenty of calories for the dollar spent, I do not recommend buying empty calories.  Yes, you could purchase 10 buckets of white sugar and have lots of calories, but these calories provide little nutrition, meaning there are no vitamins and minerals, no protein, and no fat.  Although you need calories to live, empty calories alone won’t keep you healthy.  Make sure you are familiar with the USDA recommendations for protein and fat intake.  On average, individuals should consume around 50 grams of protein a day, but the amount needed will increase if you are doing heavy physical labor.  It is also recommended that you get about 30% of you daily calories from fat.  Knowing this, you will need to have variety in your food storage–don’t stock up on one item alone just because it provides adequate calories.

When protein is mentioned, people often get discouraged thinking that they need to purchase expensive meats to provide adequate protein.  Remember, proteins are found in lots of foods other than meat, including grains, nuts (and nut butters), powdered milk, and beans.  Examples:  One-fourth of a cup of wheat provides 7 grams of protein, one-third of a cup of rolled oats provides 6 grams of protein,  and 3 tablespoons of dry pinto beans provides 8 grams of protein.  The high protein content of these high carb items make them even more attractive as core staples in the pantry. They are a relatively inexpensive way to add calories and protein.

I honestly could go on forever discussing different foods to store or not to store, but entire books have been written on that.   The concept that I want you to take with you from this discussion is that you need to THINK about the PURPOSE of the food you are buying.  Don’t base your purchases on the number of servings per container or on someone else’s concept of a years-supply of food.  Understand how many calories you and your family need to survive and buy food accordingly.  Build your short-term and long-term storage up around items that cost less per calorie until you have an adequate supply of calories, and then use your extra money if you would like to add in items that provide different flavors but may not give you much in the way of energy.  If you buy wisely, you will be able to meet your requirements by spending less money than you would expect based on browsing emergency storage web sites.  Remember, it’s not about the food itself, it’s about the calories!

Tatume Squash For Your Survival Garden, by John D.

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When most people think of post collapse survival, one of the major topics that first comes to mind is food.  The internet is full of articles and forums dedicated to canning, hunting, gathering, and of course, gardening.  What I don’t often find, are articles specifically dedicated to a particular item of food to be grown in a garden, explaining perhaps why it would be a beneficial plant to start growing now.  For me and my own gardening, I have gone from complete and utter newbie, to successful builder of soil and harvester of many delicious edibles.  Through out this period of trial and error, I just selected at random packets of seasonal and organic seeds from the local nursery, and while hoping for the best, I would continually return to the net for tips on how to deal with this pest or that fungus.

Having suffered more failures than successes, and now with several growing seasons under my belt, I have narrowed the field of which species I plant in my various garden beds.  One species stands out as a new favorite of mine, and this species will be the focus of this article.  It is a summer squash called Tatume. 

I live in Austin, Texas and basically have a year round growing season.  This past winter was mild, so by mid-March I had summer and winter squash already planted and sprouting in the garden.  Like most people, I planted the usual suspects; zucchini, yellow crookneck, acorn, and sugar sweet pumpkins.  After a nice early harvest began at the outset of summer, the dreaded squash moth arrived.  Leaves began to wilt and turn yellow, and I started spending more and more time on my hands and knees wiping the moth’s small red eggs from plant stems.  Worse still, I started finding my self more and more often having to use a razor blade to cut small windows into the squash vines so I could exorcise the chubby, white grubs from within.  Of course, my chickens loved the vine borers, but I was growing frustrated with fighting a losing battle.  Even carrying a fly swatter and striking down the moths themselves when I could was not enough to prevent my entire planting from finally succumbing to the borers.  What had been a great spring where I was pulling large quantities of squash every week, became a depressing summer of empty beds where so much green had once thrived.

In conversation with a fellow gardener, I mentioned my loss, and she clued me in to the Tatume squash.  She had recently planted some herself after a similar loss of her own plants.  According to what she had read, the vines of the Tatume are thinner and denser than those of most other squash, and make traveling within them more difficult for vine borers.  She also had read that Tatume re-rooted themselves from their vines frequently, providing auxiliary points along the plant where nutrients could be drawn from the soil should the central vine be lost to pests.  I had to try growing this wonder plant for myself after she ended the discussion by stating, “I hear the problem with Tatume isn’t keeping them alive, it’s controlling them!”

About a week later, my seed order from Baker Creek Heirlooms came through, and I had several packs of Tatume seed.  As it was not (at the time) available at the local nursery, I figured I would make a large order for my personal seed bank, should the species prove to be as resilient as my friend claimed it to be.  I went outside and pulled together several mounds of soil in three different garden beds, and in each mound I planted three seeds.  The results have been nothing short of extraordinary. 

First, the vines do indeed grow long and fast.  Assuming an infestation of vine borers was inevitable, and knowing that they can decimate the primary vine of a plant quite quickly, I wanted to make sure these plants laid roots in several places.  I buried the nodes of each vine in several locations with rich soil, and watered these areas just as I watered the central vine.  While I believe this practice helped, it may not have been specifically necessary, as the plants seemed fairly interested in re-rooting themselves of their own volition. 

I noticed that the squash moth did still lay eggs on Tatume plants, but interestingly enough, they didn’t seem to lay nearly as many eggs as they were laying on my hubbards, my acorn squash, or my remaining (and struggling!) zucchini.  Out of the fifteen Tatume seeds I planted, I still have fifteen living and healthy plants, and I only had to cut two vine borers out of the entire group.  This was early in their development when I noticed a bit of frass on the central vines.  The borers I removed were small, and had barely damaged the plants, which I believe was in fact due to the tighter, denser nature of the vine structure.  Most of the suggestions one finds on the Internet concerning how to deal with squash vine borers revolve around covering plants with netting or using some form of pesticide, including BT injections.  For anyone planning a survival garden, relying on anything that needs to be purchased from a store is unacceptable.  It makes far more sense to be finding workable solutions now, and that includes the selection of the most reliable and defensible plant species.

Of course, so many fecund and spawning squash plants in one area will draw in another pest; the squash bug.  My own garden began to attract squash bugs once my Tatume were sprawling over many square feet of space and producing fruit.  Early detection is not only key, but it’s quite easy for the observant gardener.  These little insects come in droves, colored an orangish red as young nymphs, then growing into large gray stink bugs if left unattended.  Walking around with a jar of soapy water to knock them off of the plant and into, hand squishing, and a light coat of flour sifted onto the plants (and washed off three days later) was enough to rid me of their nuisance in under a week.  I also suggest keeping various insect repellant herbs planted throughout the garden as well as members of the daisy family which will attract assassin bugs to your aid.  I know of one gardener who makes a Tansy tea (Tansy is a flower in the Aster/Daisy family) which he then sprays directly onto his food plants, bringing the assassin bugs to live upon them in full force.  The only drawback is that assassin bugs can kill pollinators such as bees, so use with discretion.

The fruit of the Tatume plant has the color and flavor of a zucchini but is shaped like a small pumpkin.  Native to Mexico, the Tatume is used in a dish called “calabacitas” and is itself often referred to as “calabacita” (meaning “little squash.”)  We are suffering a hard drought here in central Texas, yet my Tatume thrive.  I credit this primarily to my regular watering, but also to the possibility that being a native of Mexico has granted Tatume at least a moderate drought and heat tolerance.  As temperature zones are shifting, with warmer weather sustaining for larger portions of the year further and further north, as well as the extension of drought conditions, and even the possibility of water supply disruption due to collapse related events, having seeds in your survival arsenal that can handle such conditions is a must. 

Falling under the Curcubita Pepo grouping, this would mean that Tatume can cross pollinate with all others in this category, including zucchini and crook neck squash.  As seed saving is crucial to those planning a survival garden, this means either not growing other C. Pepo, separating them by large distances, or hand pollinating.  Personally, not wanting to deal with the pest issues associated with these other squash, I would elect to only grow Tatume as a summer squash.  It should be noted as well, that C. Pepo can in fact cross pollinate with C. Maxima (Buttercup, Hubbard) as well as C. Moschata (Butternut) requiring the above mentioned precautions.  Like all squash, the seeds are large and plentiful, so collecting, drying, and storing them for the next season’s crop is extremely easy.  I would imagine preparing the seeds as one would pumpkin seeds, would also yield a tasty snack.

The summer is now waning, and I’m seeing squash moths less and less.  In the past week, I haven’t had to make my regular rounds of plant inspections, obsessively removing moth eggs from the undersides of leaves.  As I walk through the garden with my watering can every morning taking in the beauty of those bright orange flowers open to the rising sun, inviting in bees and ants, I am thoroughly rewarded for such diligence.  I bend over to gently pull apart the still ever expanding network of dark green vines which are engulfing my garden beds to find softball sized, evergreen globes waiting for me.  While I still struggle at times with other food plants, these struggles are a reward as well.  While the grocery stores are still open, failure isn’t critical, and these failures inform us of what plants we can reasonably expect to rely on when a crisis does arrive, and which will ultimately sap us of more energy than they will give us.  After a wonderful and productive season, I cannot recommend strongly enough that you too begin experimenting with Tatume squash in your home garden and kitchen.

News From The American Redoubt:

Keeping track of trends in The American Redoubt, it appears that both Idaho and Montana will follow Wyoming’s lead and will enact Constitutional Carry (unrestricted concealed carry) in the next sessions of their legislatures.

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Guns galore draw enthusiasts to tactical expo. (And here is a link to their web site. I predict that it will be a much larger event, next time.)

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Teton County hunters quick to grab wolf tags. And in other hunting news, the top prize for a Stating The Obvious headline goes to: Wounded grizzly bear in Eastern Idaho could pose danger.

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Emergency-preparedness company moving to Boise

Economics and Investing:

p>Deustche Bank: Western Economies Are Screwed, And Investors Face A ‘Disturbing Paradox. The article begins: “In a new report entitled Gold: Adjusting For Zero, Deutsche Bank analysts Daniel Brebner and Xiao Fu paint an incredibly dark picture of the bind the global economy is in right now. Brebner and Xiao are pretty frank about how levered up the financial system is at the moment, and they warn that the next shock will be totally involuntary and unexpected.”

John Mauldin: QE Infinity: Unintended Consequences

Those pesky derivatives again: Deriving the True Size of U.S. Megabanks Is Far From Simple

Items from The Economatrix:

Draghi And Bernanke’s Worst Nightmares Are About To Unfold

Fed’s Fisher Says U.S. Inflation Expectations Rising

The Trouble With Printing Money:  QE3 Reflects A Colossal Failure To Address Our Predicament

Odds ‘n Sods:

Lyme Disease Hits Big in Australia. (Thanks to F.G. for the link.)

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SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson spotted this: Pre-Peeled, Re-Wrapped Bananas Are the Most Wasteful Sign of the Apocalypse Yet

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File under Emerging Threats: Police: Serial burglars used Facebook to find victims. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.)

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Some great commentary by Enola Gay in the Paratus Familia blog about living in wildfire country: Identifying Hazards

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The folks at Directive 21 are now offering Mountain House freeze dried foods packaged in food grade buckets.

Note from JWR:

Please wait until tomorrow (Tuesday, September 25th)–which is also our planned Book Bomb day– to order your copies of Founders: A Novel of the Coming Collapse. Thanks!

Note to book dealers: For ordering case lots of the new hardback (20 copies per case, 23 lb. shipping weight per case), contact Simon & Schuster’s wholesale order desk.

My Once in a Lifetime Accident: SUV vs. Puma Concolor

I try not to bore my readers with the minutiae of our day-to-day life here at the Rawles Ranch. It is largely a fairly mundane annual rhythm of planting, harvesting, calving and lambing, wood cutting, huckleberry picking, hay hauling, and so forth. But I recently had driving mishap that was noteworthy: I was driving our SUV and hit a mountain lion, in broad daylight. I must first mention that deer collisions are all too common here in The Unnamed Western State (TUWS), and that elk or big horn sheep collisions are quite a bit less frequent. Even more rare are moose collisions, and those never end well. (Moose are so tall that they often go over the hood of a pickup truck and through the windshield.) But to hit a mountain lion is about as common an occurrence as getting struck by lightning or winning the mega lotto. I did a web search and found that the popular press tends to spill a lot of ink over these rare occurrences.

Here is what happened: I was driving down the highway minding my own business with the cruise control set at the speed limit and listening to an MP3 of Taj Mahal singing “Queen Bee” (part of my collection of favorite air checks from KFAT.) Suddenly I saw a full-grown cougar bounding out of the tree line, at speed. It ran into the highway in front of me. I didn’t have any time to react. I heard it hit our deer bumper and then felt it go under the two driver’s side tires. So now the large predator population of TUWS has been reduced by one. In doing so, I probably saved the lives of hundreds of deer. It was a little sad to see a pretty kitty get squashed, but so be it.

By the way, I should mention that extra heavy duty “deer guard” bumpers are de rigeur, in this region. These are available commercially and are also often custom fabricated, locally. To give you a sense of their size, these make typical Ford or Chevy pickup factory “brush guards” look flimsy, by comparison. Typically, real deer guard bumpers weigh 300 to 900 pounds. In TUWS, we even see these mounted on a few passenger sedans. That is indicative of how many deer collisions take place here.

I’m sure that some readers were disgusted by the foregoing while others will be ready to send hearty congratulations. (As with other large predators, I’ve noticed that perspectives on the Puma Concolor tend to vary widely, depending on whether or not someone has personally lost pets or livestock to these land sharks.) I’d characterize my own reaction as muted. I felt fortunate that my vehicle wasn’t damaged (and with our bumper, it would probably take an elk to do any damage.) I also felt good knowing that I’d eliminated a predator that is presently a bit over-populated. But in a way I felt cheated. I’d much rather take a mountain lion in season after a long still hunt, from 300 yards, at 9X magnification. Or, better yet at spitting distance from beneath a snarling treed cat that has taken me and the dogs all day to chase down and tree. Somehow, just a heart-stopping glimpse and “whump-whump-whump” was just too easy.

I doubt that you’ll be reading about any other animal collisions from me in the future, unless I have another rare one. (I don’t even bother mentioning deer collisions, which we have every year or two.) By the way I did once almost hit a bald eagle, but thankfully a tragedy was avoided by the margin of just an arm-span.

So now I’m praying that some evening soon I encounter a horribly confused pack of wolves that stands transfixed in my headlights. But somehow I don’t think that is very likely. Bummer.

Pat’s Product Review: The 180 Stove

If many of you are like me, and are from the old Army school, you know all about canteen cup cooking. The old-style canteen cup had a locking “L” handle, that made it perfectly suitable for heating water in your canteen cup, as well as heating meals, or even cooking in that little cup. Today’s canteen cup that the US military issues has dual folding wire handles, that are not conducive to placing it on a fire – the handles are too close to the heat source. Sometimes “newer-er” doesn’t equate to “better” in my book. When you have something that works, and works well, you leave it alone, but the military isn’t like that for some reason.
 
I’m always looking for a way to lighten my backpack, and the older I get, the wiser I get – at least I believe so. It wasn’t that many years ago, when I could hump a CFP-90 pack, fully loaded, with a sleeping bag, and all the gear I needed for survival, and plenty of gear I didn’t need. Today, my CFP-90 sits in the back of my closet in my office. I’ve gone to a lighter and smarter pack for my survival and bug out purposes. And, if there is anything I can do to lighten my pack, and still maintain all the gear I need , I’ll do it. I’ve carried a small “stove” in my pack for a lot of years, only problem with this little stove is that it takes those little fuel tabs that the military used to issue – I don’t know if these tabs are still an issued item or not. But it was a hassle to have to carry enough of these fuel tabs for cooking on, for more than a day or two.
 
Enter the 180 Stove from 180 Tack, a Colorado-based company. The 180 Stove is a compact, folding, put-it-together camp stove, that is small enough to even fit in your rear pants pocket, yet large enough to provide an ample cooking surface for large cookware, as well as my trusty old-style canteen cup for heating water for coffee, tea or hot chocolate. What makes the 180 Stove a great backpacker companion is that you don’t have to haul any fuel for it. You can use twigs, sticks, dried grass, etc., for your fuel to cook with. Now, unless you’re in a barren desert, or the Arctic, finding some form or “fuel” shouldn’t be a problem for you. Heck, you can even use dried cow chips for a fuel if need be.
 
The 180 Stove takes about 30-seconds to assemble, and you don’t even need to read the instructions to put it together, it’s “that” simple. I like simple – simple is easier and usually fool-proof, too. The 180 Stove is made out of quality stainless steel, with interlocking components, so that there are no moving parts, hinges, welds or rivets that would normally cause a product like this to fail you in the field.
 
Unfortunately, the 180 Stove arrived during the heat of the summer, and we have burn restrictions in place – no open fires, period. However, I was able to test the 180 Stove in my covered carport, that has a gravel floor and is exposed on the front and the back ends. For fuel, I simply gathered some twigs and pine needles, and put them under the cooking surface of the stove and lit it. Inside of a minute or two, I had a flame hot enough to boil water and cook a burger. I needed to add some more fuel during the cooking process, but it only took a few seconds to take care of this chore. Very little fuel is need for cooking.
 
The assembled 180 Stove is 7″ long 6″ wide and 3.25″ high, the folded stove is 7″ long 3.25″ wide and 0.6″ high – we’re talking pretty compact. And it comes in a heavy duty plastic carrying case, so when you are done with the stove, and it has cooled, you simply disassemble it, place it back in the carrying case, and store it in your backpack ready for use once again. The stove only weight 10.4 oz and that’s a big plus. The less weight I have to pack, the better I like it.
 
Here’s some more of the pluses for the 180 Stove. It is truly a “green” stove and does not use toxic fuels. It’s light-weight since you don’t have to carry fuel, and it is super-strong (and made in the USA). The ease of assembly is another big plus in my book. Simply put the stove together, push a little soil along the sides or use gravel (as I did) then cook, douse and store the stove for another use. I don’t care if you live in the city or out in the boonies like I do, you can find some form of fuel to cook with, which makes this stove one of the best choices for cooking in the outdoors in a camping or emergency situation. The 180 Stove comes with a 2 year manufacturer’s warranty.
 
Hunting season is coming up, and if I can find the time to get out this year (didn’t make it last year) the little 180 Stove will be in my backpack, or in my rig. Should I find myself stranded out on a lonely logging road, I’ll have a stove to cook on, as well as providing some life-saving heat that can make the difference between life and death. In the past, I’ve resorted to a camp fire to cook on and keep me warm. The 180 Stove will eliminate the need for a big camp fire.
 
I wish I could write more on the little 180 Stove, however, because it is sooooo simply, and very effective, I find I’m limited as to what I can say about this outstanding product – other than, “why didn’t someone come up with this great product sooner?” Sure, there are some other similar stoves out there, but they aren’t as well-made as this one is, and many of them also take some kind of canned fuel, which is bulky, expensive and messy to carry with you.
 
Full-retail on the 180 Stove is $46.95, and it may seem a little bit spendy, but when you stop and think about the quality materials that are used in the stove, and that the thing actually works as advertised, and it can and will be a lifesaver, you are making an investment in your future survival. On top of that, you will be lightening your backpack and assuring yourself of a hot meal when time comes to eat. Yes, you can eat MREs cold – but who likes doing that? If you have a fishing pole and some hooks, you can catch a nice trout and cook it up, using the 180 Stove and nothing tastes better than a hot meal when you’re hungry and cold.
 
I’m gonna see about getting a couple more of the 180 Stoves for my wife and daughters, I know they’d like ’em in their backpacks, just like I do. And, its always nice when you can lighten a pack, and still have all the gear you need. Sure, a camp fire is nice, but it takes a lot of wood, and it honestly isn’t all that much “fun” cooking over a large fire…the 180 Stove will take care of your cooking needs in an emergency, like nothing else can. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio