Two Letters Re: Dan Fong Vindicated: The Toyota 4×4 That Wouldn’t Die

JWR:
I have to concur with Mike Q. I have a Toyota pickup (22RE) with 310,000 miles that doesn’t burn any oil and runs perfectly. You cannot kill these trucks. For a bug out vehicle (BOV) you can’t beat these trucks. – Larry

 

Captain Rawles.
I have owned two Toyota trucks since 1995. I thought I would share some knowledge I have gained on Toyota truck platform with your readers if any are interested in owning a Toyota truck.

First, the most reliable and maintenance free Toyota truck model is the 1989-1995 22 RE 4-cylinder engine with five speed (manual) transmission. This is a fuel injected engine. If maintained well, 500,000 miles on the engine is very possible. I recommend adjusting the valves on this engine with a feeler gauge every 20,000 miles. The no.4 exhaust valve is prone to “tightening up” due to heat. This can be done by the amateur who is “willing to pay attention to detail’ but a good mechanic is recommended. I know many owners of this model of truck who never have adjusted the valves, so it may be optional, I’m just a stickler for performance.

The base model for this truck weighs only 2,700 pounds, and has gets 25 miles a gallon at 55 miles per hour on flatland. (Yes, 25 miles to a gallon if you are careful.) The transmission can be used to downshift almost to at least 10 MPH without brakes if engine RPMs are watched, and the parking brake can be applied to bring truck to a dead stop.

The 4-wheel drive version is almost impossible to get to get stuck if care is taken, and due to its light weight, being “pulled” or “winched out” of a bad spot is easy.
One other quark of this truck is access to the fuel filter. I recommend pulling the passenger side front wheel off to get easy access to the fuel filter behind a plastic flap.
The truck I had was the most “Caveman” of the modern trucks. I only had an air conditioner and heater, no powerlocks, no modern computer screens or other electronic garbage. This truck is fuel injected and unfortunately I do not think it can survive a EMP attack or solar storm.

On parts availability, millions of these little trucks were imported, some parts of the country are saturated with these trucks, some are not. Parts are found at (or ordered easily) at most major parts stores or from the dealer at a premium. Used trucks are selling in my state for $2000 to $5000 each depending on condition. In a collapse, I think the fuel would run out before parts would get wore out.
A word of Warning to most would be owners on this truck, this truck is so lightweight that it bounces around on rough roads and at speed you may “hit your head on the headliner’ when you bounce around on the bench seat. So wear your seatbelt!

Cleaning is easy, on the rubber floor of the truck, there are two rubber “grommets” that can be taken off and a hosing out the floor of the truck is possible, just avoid the dashboard, fuse box etc. (I have even hosed down the bench seat) The dirty water will drain right out of the cab of the truck through the grommets (remember to replace the grommets, if your drive through a creek, you may live to regret it)
I had the same truck for 12 and half years, now I drive a newer (2002) Toyota truck with the six-cylinder engine. My mechanic has the exact same truck, with the same six cylinder engine and transmission and his truck has 527,000 miles on it and he still drives it everyday!

On the six cylinder engine: Replace the timing belt every 90,000 miles.
This 527,000 mile engine has never been rebuilt, the heads have never been off and the same automatic transmission has never been rebuilt! (this 527,000 mile Toyota truck has had five timing belts replaced)

As per JWR’s recommendations I would not own any vehicle newer than 2002 due to [their profusion of] electronics. Some of the newer models may be okay, however, I like old things that are not so full of electronics.

The 2002 Toyota truck I currently own should last at least 20-25 years with proper maintenance. I’m 45 years old, so this may be one of the third to the last or second to the last vehicle I own in my lifetime. Regards, – E.M.

News From The American Redoubt:

One bad bit of news for a Redoubt state: No Consent: Your Child Can Now Be Sterilized In Oregon For Free

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Feds prepare to end wolf protections in Wyoming. (Thanks to R.B.S. for the link.)

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This is interesting: United States Peace Index 2011: Violent Crime Ranking. Once again the American Redoubt states plus the Dakotas and Utah have a good showing. BTW, the Infoplease web site has some more detailed statistics.

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Another spectacular video from TTabs: A Evening Flight to Troy Idaho

Economics and Investing:

Italy’s tax hunters target super-rich and their yachts off the Sardinian

This was mentioned in SurvivalBlog about a year ago, but bears repeating: USA National Gas Price Heat Map. (Thanks to Ben N. for the reminder.) You will note that portions of the American West perennially have some of the lowest gas prices in the country. Also note the map’s red shading for California. The high prices are in part attributable to a recent refinery fire in Richmond, California, but they are mostly indicative of one of the many ways that California is attempting to balance its budget: on the backs of motorists.

Glenn Beck talks some serious economic gloom and doom. (Among other things, he mentions the $7 Trillion in G-10 debt and $700 Trillion (notional) in derivatives).

Items from The Economatrix:

Welcome To The Third World, Part 7:  Bye, Bye Public Services

Data Points To Lackluster Economic Growth

Wal-Mart International Growth Slows, Shares Fall

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Until recent times, every child had a rifle of his own as soon as he was old enough to understand his father’s instructions. With it he hunted game and birds, killed snakes and protected himself against the dangers of rural life. When he was grown, he passed knowledge of the rifle down to his own son.
 
The rifle was honored in the home. It graced the mantel, the wall, or rested above the door. It was near at hand, clean, loaded, accurate as a fine watch, ready for service. The tradition of arms is an American tradition born of generations of self-reliance, self-sufficiency and independence – independence not in theory, but in fact; independence that rested upon individual shoulders of each member of society; independence bought of self-denial, sacrifice, and personal courage. It was not permissive. It was not necessary to ask if it were legal, or all right, or moral; this was an independence that rose out of the man himself and was of himself alone.
 
Such was the tradition of a free society. A society free to guard its own possessions and protect its own kith and kin; free to rush from humble dwellings to restore law and order, to exact justice, or to stop an invader of the homeland. In this, the rifle was the key. It was part of America; it was part of the man. It stood beside him. The rifle was a part of the saddle of the Western cowboy, and it is still there. The rifle was in the possession of every weary wagon in the long trains that plodded slowly across the plains and prairies. It was in the California gold fields and beside the thin blanket of the prospector as he slept on the icy ground. It was in the canoe, the longboat, the paddle-wheel steamer; it was on the rafts that drifted down America’s broad, muddy rivers. The rifle was known and loved by the Indian, who did not meet it soon enough. It was the tool of the buffalo hunter and the cook of the range camp, the rustler and the claim jumper and the highwayman.
 
The rifle was the symbol of life, and of death. It was a symbol of the law and the lawman, and it was often the judge and jury from whom there was no appeal. Other than the rope, the rifle was the most important single factor in American life for many generations. Together the rifle and rope stood for justice until towns and cities brought the compassion of the church and the court and the psychiatrist’s couch.
 
The rifle and rope kept men and cattle and horses and homes and wagons and industry and the nation together in a day when the enemy was sometimes behind the nearest tree – and the nearest neighbor was a day’s ride through virgin forests.
 
The rifle is still the steadfast friend of the American. He has not forgotten it. Its cold royalty courses through veins of men who have never touched its warm stock, or felt its reassuring slap against the shoulder. When these young hands – these hands that do not know the good and loyal friend – grasp it in introduction and feel its weight and see its efficient build and handsome profile, there will be a meeting of minds. These friends, they will recognize each other as Americans, old Americans, trustworthy Americans of great heritage.
 
Should there be another war, and should there be only two men left, it will be the rifle that decides who has conquered the world and who shall be able to retain it. And if there should be another war and the world is engulfed by forces that overwhelm men and reduce them to slavery, it will be the rifle that breaks their chains and restores human dignity. For the rifle is the force of the common man, as the bow and arrow were in earlier times, and the spear and the rock were in the beginning. It is the voice of the endangered, lonely man with his back against the wall and his whole future before him. With the rifle, Americans defeated the most powerful nation of the world and became free. With it, they will retain freedom.” – T. Grady Gallant, On Valor’s Side

Notes from JWR:

Today is the birthday of Congressman Ron Paul. He was born August 20, 1935.

This is also the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Tenaru River, on Guadalcanal, August 20, 1942.

Pat’s Product Review: Family Grain Mill

I learned to cook out of necessity – I was raised by my grandmother, and she was one of the worse cooks, ever! However, she managed to raise 9 children and myself, but her cooking ability was lacking. So when I was quite young I started experimenting in the kitchen and learned to cook on my own. Of course, over the years, I learned a lot from other folks along the way. And, being from Chicago, and being Sicilian, I learned to cook some great Sicilian style Italian meals. My pasta sauce is next to none. Now, with that said, I can’t bake for diddly! That’s my wife’s department. So, when I received the Family Grain Mill from Internet Prepper,  I turned to my lovely wife for her assistance. She was raised on a ranch, and knows quite a bit about baking and cooking from scratch.
 
The Family Grain Mill can be had in different configurations – you can have a complete “system” with the right attachments. You can set-up your Family Grain Mill as a stand alone set-up, using the hand-crank for those times when the power is out. Or, you can use the optional stand alone electric motor attachment. If you have some other kitchen appliances, like the Bosch or Kitchen Aid mixers, you can attach your Family Grain Mill to those for faster wheat grinding with an adapter attachment.  And, it’s very easy to alternate between using the hand-crank or the electric motor. What my wife really liked about the whole thing was that it was extremely quick and easy to set-up. She’s not mechanically minded, and doesn’t enjoy having to read through a long list of steps to put something together.
 
The quality of the Family Grain Mill is outstanding – made by Messerschmidt in Germany, for the past 27 years. This is top-notch in all respects. However, this mill isn’t nearly as expensive as some other mills on the market, in fact, it is quite a bit less expensive – and I enjoy saving a buck whenever I can, while still getting the best quality I can afford. These days, we all need to spend our hard-earned money wisely. Any more, if something isn’t a “deal” in my book – I’ll just pass on it. I’ve got to get the most and best I can afford. Made from premium Lexan and hardened surgical steel burrs, and BPA free, the mill is capable of a lifetime of dependable service.
 
Fast, light, and easy to use, this was important to my wife (and, “no” I still don’t know how to use it– I just watched my wife). A cup of fine flour is produced in approximately one minute from wheat grain, with the electric base installed and just two minutes with the hand-crank installed. More importantly, the hand-crank base turns easily, even a child can turn it. The large 5-cup open-top hopper allows for continuous grinding, too. Another feature the wife liked is that clean-up is fast and easy, and dust-free. Everything removes easily and quickly for cleaning. The Family Grain Mill is one of the quietest mills on the market, too.
 
Some of the things the Family Grain Mill is capable of grinding are: wheat, oats, corn (not popcorn), rye, spelt, barley, rice, most beans, coffee, flax seed, sesame seeds, dried herbs, dried peppers, dried peas and other foods. My wife ground coffee beans and  lots and lots of wheat. This was a “difficult” test and evaluation period for me,  for the past month and a half – hey, someone had to test and evaluate all the different types of freshly baked breads that my wife made – yeah, a “dirty” job, but I was up to the task. And, other than pizza cooking in the oven, there isn’t anything better smell in my kitchen, than fresh bread baking. I made a lot of “sacrifices” for Survival Blog readers, doing all these taste-testing, but I was up to the task. There is also a meat grinder attachment, and that would be great for grinding-up some venison during hunting season.
 
Oh yes, you can also get a variety of additional food processing drums for the Family Grain Mill, that will allow you to grind nuts and larger seeds such as pumpkins seeds, sunflower seeds, hard cheese and baby food. There is another drum for Julienne for soups, one for slicing for dehydrating veggies, one for grating, and yet one more drum for making mash potatoes, squash and pumpkins – great for souffles.
 
There is also a flaker attachment for the mill, that will roll and flake: oats, wheat, rye, spelt and flax seeds. You can make your own oatmeal at home or even cream of wheat. My wife experimented with quite a few different recipes and dishes, and came up with some very cool things for us to eat. One of my favorite breads she made was a wheat bread, almost flattened, with Jalepeno peppers cut-up small, inside the bread itself, and in the final few minutes of baking, she added sliced Jalepenos on top the bread with cheddar cheese – mouth-watering good!
 
Quite frankly, I never once gave any thought, to storing buckets of whole wheat – I just figured that we could use white flour – and we have hundreds of pounds of it stored-up, for making bread, pancakes and other things during hard times. However, to be sure, pre-ground white flour won’t last nearly as long as whole wheat will. On average, if whole wheat is properly stored, and the buckets left unopened, the whole wheat can last 25 years or longer. Try that with a bag of white flour – ain’t gonna happen. We found some great buys on whole hard white wheat and hard red winter wheat at the local Wal-Mart. We only rarely shop at Wal-Mart for a number of reasons, one is, we don’t especially enjoy supporting the Red Chinese economy in the least. We have found, that Wal-Mart is carrying a small section of freeze-dried and dehydrated foods in #10 cans, as well as 26 pound buckets of wheat – priced under $15 per bucket – and that’s a deal. Needless to say, we have a good number of buckets of wheat in our stores now – and as soon as the local Wal-Mart restocks their shelves with more wheat, we plan on buying more. However, for the most part, we prefer to take our business to other local stores, whenever possible – just a personal thing with us.
 
Now that we have the Family Grain Mill, I’m wondering, how we ever got along without it for all these years? Any more, in the local grocery stores, the cheapest white or wheat bread is $1.50 on-sale, and there really isn’t any nutrition in this bread, and for the most part, it is pretty tasteless. My wife hasn’t hardly made a dent in one bucket of whole wheat, and she has baked quite a few loaves of bread and other things. Now, if you could buy this same bread in the local grocery stores, it would easily cost you $5 per loaf. For less than $15 for a 26 pounds of whole wheat, we will make dozens and dozens of loaves of bread – fresh-baked bread, with nutritional value as well. For the little bit of time it takes to grind-up your wheat, and put it in a bread-maker, and let it bake, it’s hard to find any fault at all with the Family Grain Mill, and the ease to use it. Of course, during the times when there isn’t any electricity available, you can still bake bread a number of different ways, and you can still use your Family Grain Mill with the hand-crank attachment, to grind-up your wheat or other foods.
 
Notes from my wife:  Finding a recipe for 100% whole wheat bread was difficult.  Most recipes called for regular flour with just a small amount of whole wheat.  This is a basic recipe she found that is light and easily adapted for variations; and can be kneaded by hand and baked in the oven or done in a breadmaker. It is for one loaf of 100% whole wheat bread.
     1 1/2 cups warm water
     2 Tbsp. powdered milk
     2 Tbsp. margarine or oil
     2 Tbsp. honey
     2 Tbsp. molasses
     1 1/2 tsp. salt
     3 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
     1 1/2 tsp yeast or l pkg.
 
Some optional variations to the recipe:
1. 1 1/2 cups water and powder milk can be replaced with all water, all milk, or a combination of milk and water.
2. 2 Tbsp. honey & 2 Tbsp. molasses (total 1/4 cup) can be replaced with all honey, 1/4 c. brown or white sugar, 1/4 c. maple syrup, or reduced to about half the amount of sweeteners for variations in tastes.
3. I also understand part of the whole wheat flour can be replaced with other flours like rye, bulgar, cracked wheat, etc.
 
She also found some tricks that make 100% whole wheat bread lighter.
1. Run the grain through the mill twice for a finer, lighter flour.
2. To minimize gluten with the same effect for light bread, shake whole wheat flour through a wire mesh strainer and even dump in the bran or coarser pieces that don’t sift through.  It does NOT work if you sift through a crank sifter. (for whatever reason this works -I can’t explain.  I tried it and got nice light bread.)
3. Knead bread for 20-30 minutes.
 
There are various options you can add to your Family Grain Mill. However, the basic mill starts at only $139.95 with free shipping – making it one of the least expensive grain mills on the market. However, I highly recommend adding some options to your grain mill. If you have any questions, contact the Internet Prepper, and they will be more than happy to help you in your decision making, or answer any questions you might have. They are selling a quality product, at a great price and the free-shipping only makes the deal that much better if you ask me.
 
If you’re serious about long-term survival, then you need to look at the Family Grain Mill, and start turning out some of the best home-made breads you’ll ever taste. Store bought breads just don’t cut it for us any longer.
 
Note: This article was co-authored by Mary Cascio

R.J.’s Book Review: Rhodes: The Race for Africa

Rhodes: The Race for Africa, by Anthony Thomas
Copyright: 1996 St. Martin’s Press
ISBN 0-312-16982-5
(This book was the basis for a Masterpiece Theater mini-series.)

Cecil John Rhodes may be the most important man you never heard about if you were educated in the United States of America. His death in 1902 at the age of 48 was followed by the largest memorial every recorded on the continent of Africa. He expanded the British Empire more than any other man; adding almost 1 million square miles (2.6 million square kilometers). His achievement was so great a country larger than most of Europe was named after him. Yet, less than one hundred years later many came to vilify him. His namesake countries has become Zambia and Zimbabwe.

How does a sickly preacher’s son rise to his levels in politics and business? His legacy at de Beers still controls world diamond prices. Rhodes: The Race for Africa looks into these issues with one of the most objective views possible.

Rhodes: The Race for Africa can be a challenging book to read. Most people will be looking up definitions on a regular basis. In addition to the challenging vocabulary, the differences between an American writer and one of British decent are awkward at times.

The book uses many citations in its 352 pages. The bibliography is an excellent resource for anyone wishing to delve more deeply into Cecil Rhodes and the events around his life. Thankfully the citations are just a superscript number and not a longer traditional author/title, page format. This helps the flow for those not immediately concerned about the source material.

The author Anthony Thomas gives us a very well researched and unbiased look at Rhodes. He points out clearly where his information comes from, mostly first hand accounts (primary sources), and what bias the source may have had. On occasion he will look at the opinions of other bibliographers who wrote about Cecil Rhodes. This was interesting to see how attitudes and opinions changed based on the time period and how more was found out about Rhodes. After reading this book you will feel like you have an honest look at Rhodes and what transpired around him.

Nicely dispersed throughout the book are many pictures and a few sketches. It’s a pleasant surprise to turn the page and see a picture of the mining camp or what Jameson’s Raiders looked like at the time. What would have been nice it to have more maps showing the different stages of his expansion. This would be especially helpful for those not intimately familiar with southern African geography.

Chapters are divided into themes or events. Generally easy to follow but a departure from the normal timeline based history (chronological). To Thomas’s credit, where important events overlap in different parts of the book his gives you page references. Also, he writes a brief sentence or two to refresh your memory that is very helpful.

“Every man has his Price,” as Cecil Rhodes was fond of saying. This is something he proved time and again in his quest. Money alone did not put him in a position where he could dictate to the British Crown. No, it was his ability to talk with anyone regardless of class, race, or religion and get that person to see things his way. The book covers several examples where he would engage with people for days. Upon his leaving they saw things Rhodes’s way.

Rhodes, despite his great successes, said on his deathbed, “So little done. So much to do.” Over the years he came to believe in the expansion of the British Empire. In his mind and that of many other people of the period British rule was good for the “savages”. It is easy to see why in their minds. They would educate, convert to Christianity, give them a common language, and show them modern ways of production and trade. As the reader progresses through the book they will be presented with events that question the magnanimity of the empire builders.

Rhodes’ South Africa evolved into what was known for as apartheid. A small minority of whites ruled over the indigenous black population. As common sense will tell you, the few cannot control the many without the threat or use of force. Understanding the series of “harmless” injuries to freedom can turn into near slavery is not the theme of the book. It will be what many patriot readers can take away from reading this book. No, the bigger ideas that should worry the SurvivalBlog reader are the corrupting influences of power and the world will turn out another like Cecil Rhodes.

A PrepperNurse Book Review: Emergency Preparedness the Right Way

Emergency Preparedness The Right Way, by Howard Godfrey
ISBN:  1-4392-4478-2

When the author set out to write this book on emergency preparedness skills, he wanted it to be “not overly complicated”.  He has had many years experience in fire skills, law enforcement and the military, has taught preparedness skills and helped organize preparedness shows. With this background, he found that many of the books available were either incomplete, or attempted to be too comprehensive. He elected not to write about firearms, self-defense, nuclear, biological or chemical warfare, or medical care in detail—not because these were not valid and important subjects, but because he felt there were numerous books dedicated to these subjects already available.  Instead, his purpose was to prioritize basic emergency items needed, suggest ways to improvise whenever possible and provide a healthy resource list of suggested reading/web sites/suppliers, etc.  In other words, this is a great book for those new-to-the world of emergency prepping!

His chapter on water is an excellent overview of all things that need to be addressed when planning for this important need.  He distinguishes between environments—suburban vs. rural, desert vs. mountains, etc.  He delves into different sources for water, such as wells, springs, swimming pools, rainwater, hot water tanks, etc. He addresses the contamination and water-borne diseases issue, along with many different types of disinfecting processes, including chlorine dioxide and iodide tablets, solar water disinfection (SODIS) and various types of filters. One thing I found to be very helpful is that he frequently discusses some “reputable brand names”, which serves as a good jumping off point for a newbie looking into these types of purchases.

He discusses the question we have all asked; “how much food do you store”? His answer, while emphasizing that the final decision has to be based on individual needs, is three months of food you would normally eat every day, backed up by enough “long term food” for a year. He discusses the pros and cons of purchasing the “one-size-fits-all” food packages, and, in addition, writes at some length about the basic grains, legumes, oils, salts, sugars, honey, etc.  He explains the basic difference between freeze-dried and dehydrated foods, and the processes used to make them.  This should help someone new decide how they wish to store their food.

In the chapter on “Cooking, Lights and Fuel”, the author is assuming there is a non-functioning electrical grid and the reader is dependent on their own resources.  Generators, solar ovens, and different types of stoves and fuels are discussed.  He includes pictures and diagrams along with some comparison charts, which I found to be very helpful.

While he does not go into any great detail in his chapter on “Medical and Sanitation”, he does provide a basic first aid list, along with important over-the-counter medications to have available. He especially stresses the importance of good sanitation and hygiene practices. He addresses how to improvise sewage facilities and properly dispose of garbage and rubbish.

One of the last chapters is devoted to the “72 Hour Kit”.  He feels each member of the family should have their own kit, and it should be individualized accordingly. He is a big believer in improvising whenever possible and buying from garage sales, thrift shops etc, if necessary.  The bottom line, he says, is that the kit must meet your 3 most important needs:  food, water and warmth.  Food choices vary from MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) to canned tuna and protein bars.  Water choices depend on many personal factors, including ability to carry at least 2 quarts of water and have a method to purify more.  Different types of fire starters, including how to simply make your own is also explained.  Multiple types of back packs and sleeping bags along with pros and cons to different styles are discussed.

The chapter on Miscellaneous Recipes was most interesting.  I never knew, for example that there was an actual recipe for hard tack, or a use for acorn flour!  But, the last chapter, which focuses on how to make or improvise equipment could prove to be extremely helpful.  Included are the plans for an iceless refrigerator, solar oven and rocket stoves.

Threaded throughout the book are many observations, “random thoughts” and tips from the author.  All are useful and thought-provoking.  For example, I have never thought of using a now non-functioning car as a place to dry vegetables—but, it would work!  His tip about “keeping a pair of shoes by your bedside, as one of the most common injuries in an earthquake is cut feet” also makes a great deal of sense.  The author has emphasized that preparedness is paramount for any number of potential disasters, from nuclear explosions and Electromagnetic Pulses (EMPs) to floods and other disasters.  His list of recommended reading and web sites will prove invaluable for anyone, either a newbie or a seasoned survivalist.  At 141 pages, the book is concise, and very readable, and, as Mr. Godfrey wanted “not overly complicated.”  Anyone who is a serious prepper will obviously have a more complete library, but this is a great jumping off point for someone just starting out.

Letter Re: Dan Fong Vindicated: The Toyota 4×4 That Wouldn’t Die

JWR,
I know that you advocate American made cars and trucks for BOV purposes based on availability of parts, but I would like to share with you a three-part video series demonstrating the abuse that a Toyota 4×4 pickup truck can take and still be driven. All with only a mechanic using no specialty tools and no replacement parts. This truck was driven down stairs, lost in the Bristol Channel at high tide, driven through a shed, had a camping trailer dropped on it, hit with a wrecking ball, set on fire, and put on the top of a high rise apartment building while it was demolished. Spoiler alert…the truck still started up and was driven after all this.

Video 1 of 3
Video 2 of 3
Video 3 of 3

Regards, – Mike Q.

JWR Replies: The Toyota 4×4 pickup truck was the first BOV choice of my Chinese-American friend D., upon whom the fictional “Dan Fong” in Patriots was based. I often talked down his choice (mainly because of parts availability), but I must concede that these videos vindicate him.

Letter Re: Shipping Containers — A Retreat on the Cheap

James, to follow up on the recent article, here is some additional info your readers might find valuable on shipping containers for storage and housing….  We have over a dozen at our ranch that we use for storage, so I’ll share a bit about that use for containers.  These containers are the cheapest space you can “build”.  They are weatherproof, earthquake proof, will probably make it through tornados and hurricanes, in short, they are excellent all around space.

If you can afford them, you should stick to the “one trip” containers because they will be in near perfect condition — you can always convert these to housing in the future, too, because they will be in the best condition.  Even if you bought a new container from China, they would still have to ship it to you — therefore these are also “one trip”.  When you first get the container, you should inspect it to be sure it wasn’t used for hauling some bad chemical or nasty smelling thing.  You should also check for dents and dings and even punctures from fork lifts.  The vendor we used would allow us to return the container and swap it out (we’d have to pay the freight charges.   You can also go to the dock and inspect them prior to delivery, but this isn’t always practical.

It’s also possible to get containers with double doors, though you might need to special order these.  Color selection is usually limited to gray, tan, olive drab (OD) and occasionally blue and red.   We’ve opted for the darkest green we could get and in fact had to paint most of the containers with a spray gun setup as they were tan or gray, the most common one trip colors.

If your roads are at all windy or steep, you might not be able to get a 40 foot container into your location.  We could probably get one up there with some extra work, like using a backhoe to move the tail end around the corners, but we haven’t tried that yet.  You can also helicopter these things in, but that’s just prohibitive and puts on quite a nice show for your neighbors to see what you’re doing.

We built flat pads for containers with roadbase gravel prior to setting the containers in place.  Be careful to choose your 1-2% grade for drainage as to where you want the water to go, but also be mindful that rollable items will move inside the containers.  A single backhoe operator can easily move around an empty container and place it within 1 inch or less of where you want it to go.  Make sure you also include a pad in front of the doors to keep the mud under control.

New containers should be painted on the outside, if you want to change the color, and then aired out.  We usually leave the container open and empty for 30-60 days before doing any modifications to the interior, you might also want to seal the wooden floor as it can be quite attractive when finished.    Cargo containers aren’t the most attractive thing in the woods, so paint and location, or camo netting are recommended…  Lately, we’ve been getting dark green factory painted containers, so we don’t have to paint them, but you’ll still need to peel off the numbers for aesthetics.  In our area, a new, one trip 20 foot container runs about $4,000 delivered.  Doors on both ends are a bit more and for some purposes like housing, you may want to consider this option.  That’s definitely a special order item.

If you are using containers for food storage, you will need to insulate the inside of the container with 4 inch foam panels and metal ducting tape to get a good seal on the corners.  This keeps a container comfortably below 65F in the summer even when it’s over 100F outside and above 45F in the winter in the temperate climate we have here.  Your mileage may vary based on the interior thermal mass provided by whatever you are storing and your local weather conditions.

We’ve also installed sliding doors on several of the containers so we can leave the metal doors open and keep critters out.  I highly recommend this, especially for containers that the ladies need access to, say a pantry or nice walk in “closet”.  Some of the doors can be “tight”, so it’s an issue for people who aren’t used to wrangling heavy items to open the doors, but my 13 year old daughter is getting pretty handy with these.

Lighting and some power outlets are also a good idea, depending on what you’ll be using them for.  You can also install a fan controlled by greenhouse type controllers to blow in cool or warm air to keep the container close to a certain temperature.

Be sure to check your county’s zoning ordinances.  The collectivists won’t want to miss a single chance to tax something or issue a permit that can be revoked at some time in the future for any reason.  Even though they are considered “temporary”, some counties don’t allow them, others charge a per year permit fee (I’ve seen $75 in one place), while others have zero restrictions.  If you are concerned about this, paint the containers to match the environment, place the containers under tree cover and/or cover with camo netting, which makes them nearly invisible from the air and also keeps them much cooler.  It’s a little extra work to put a pad under the trees, but it’s worth the effort as it will provide mud free winter access and keep the container from rusting, as water will drain away.  In the trees you could have a fire issue, so never store flammable items in these containers. Best, – C.K.

Recipe of the Week:

Jackie and Brenda’s Venison Chili

1 ½ pounds ground venison
2 cans light red kidney beans, drained
1 Six ounce can tomato paste
1 Twenty eight ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 onion, diced
Chili powder and ground red pepper, to taste.
 
Brown venison and onion together in large pot or Dutch oven. Add all other ingredients and cook on low heat for 1 to 1½ hours or 1½ to 2 hours if using dried beans.

Chef’s Notes: Dried kidney beans can also be used but be aware that red kidney beans require longer soaking than other beans to reduce the risk of red kidney bean poisoning. Consuming as few as 4 or 5 raw or improperly cooked red kidney beans can cause severe, rapid-onset food poisoning characterized by nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Red kidney beans have a high concentration of phytohaemagglutinin (or lectin), which is toxic unless destroyed by high temperatures.
Red kidney beans should not be cooked in slow cookers, which do not achieve sufficiently high temperatures to destroy the phytohaemagglutinins and might actually increase their toxicity. Red kidney beans should not be sprouted.

The beans should be left to soak in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours (preferably overnight). Drain and rinse before cooking. Be sure to boil the beans for at least 10 minutes and stir periodically. Cook chili with dried kidney beans for 1-½ to 2 hours.

Useful Recipe and Cooking Links:

Best Chili Recipes from Big Oven

The Chili King

Currently Available as Free Kindle e-Books:

Fifty-Two Sunday Dinners A Book of Recipes

Free Cookbooks For Kindle: Linked List of Over 100 Free Classic Cook Books

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

Economics and Investing:

Reader R.B.S. sent this: Schools Pass Debt to the Next Generation

M.E.W. web-wandered into this: California Doesn’t Exist—It’s Now Two States

Debt bubble amnesia – 40 percent increase of Americans with accounts in collection in the last decade. System still heavily reliant on extreme consumption.

Items from The Economatrix:

2012 Gas Prices Head For Record

Factory Output In U.S. Climbs As Prices Remain Tame

22 Stats That Show How The Emerging One World Economy Is Absolutely Killing American Workers

The Portuguese Run Out Of Gold To Sell

Odds ‘n Sods:

In keeping with our well-entrenched philosophy of redundancy, we now have five ways to cut firewood at the Rawles Ranch: 1.) A reliable (but noisy) Stihl 024 gas engine chainsaw with a 20″ bar, 2.) An assortment of felling axes and mauls, 3.) an early-1900s vintage 1-1/2 man saw, 4.) A Makita electric chainsaw that can be powered by quiet a Yamaha 2.8 KW inverter genset carried in the back of our utility ATV, and 5.) An even smaller Black & Decker 18-Volt cordless electric chainsaw. (The latter lacks the muscle for anything more than cutting saplings or for limb cutting. I bought an Ultimate Battery backpack battery to give it three times running time per charge. And BTW, this same battery can also be used with my Dewalt brand 18 VDC cordless tools, when using a different battery pack adapter.)

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Citizen Shooter Saves Officer with Amazing Shooting: A 66 Year Old Texan Vic Stacey Puts Four 357 Magnum Pistol Rounds into a Killer Rifleman at 165 Yards

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F.J. suggested: Make Shingles from Aluminum Beverage Cans

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Cat parasite that worms into humans’ brains can drive victims to suicide. (Credit to Pierre M. for the link.)

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I noticed that our SurvivalRealty spin-off web site now has more than 120 active listings, including our first one in Ecuador.

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H.L. sent: Living in a 70 square foot floating cabin.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"They will live a long time, these men of the South Pacific. They, like their victories, will be remembered as long as our generation lives. Longer and longer shadows will obscure them, until their Guadalcanal sounds distant on the ear like Shiloh and Valley Forge." – James Michener, Tales of the South Pacific