Notes from JWR:

Today is the 68th anniversary of the end of the battle on the Vercors Plateau, and the sad end of the short-lived Republic of Vercors. (July, 1944.) No fewer than 600 Maquisards were killed there by the Germans and by their Milice lackeys. Much like at the Battle of Glières a few months earlier, the Vercors Plateau was well-defended by the Maquis. At Vercors, rooting out the resistance defenders required the use of some seasoned paratroops, inserted by glider.

It is noteworthy that a surprisingly small percentage of the French population (about 2%) was actively in the resistance. (That figure according to historian Robert Paxton.) They were in fact vastly out-numbered by collaborators. But if you listen to their bragging children and grandchildren, you would think that the ratio was reversed. The national false memory in France of widespread resistance somehow reminds me of Woody Allen’s Schmeed Memoirs (“Hitler’s Barber”), on a grand scale. (“Once, toward the end of the war, I did contemplate loosening the Fuehrer’s neck-napkin and allowing some tiny hairs to get down his back, but at the last minute my nerve failed me.”)

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We are in need of some more recipes to feature as SurvivalBlog Recipes of the Week. Please e-mail us your favorite recipe. Thanks!

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Today we present another two entries for Round 41 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), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

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.

Round 41 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

How to Make an Old-Fashioned Utility Quilt, by Jean P.

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Quilters tend to be perfectionists.  However, quilts have been used to keep our poorly-furred bodies warm for centuries.  When you just need warmth, and not a perfectly crafted heirloom, a quilt is just the ticket.  Utility quilts can be made from discarded items around the home, as long as you have a needle and some thread.  A quilt is merely 3 layers, fabric/insulation/fabric, stitched together to keep you warmer.  In a perfect world we all have our Wiggy’s, but in a real-life situation, especially with the economy these days, that perfect scenario may just not be possible.  Also, remember that we will always be surrounded by folks who have not prepared as well as we have.  My grandmother told me that during the depression, she and her friends would frequently get together and make a quilt for a neighbor who was sick.  Knowing how to make a utility quilt is a good way to help out with a low budget. 

In the “old days,” quilts were highly valued, often being listed in the inventory of homes in early America and Europe.  In the days before abundant fossil fuels, people knew that the warmer they could stay at night, the less fuel they would require to heat their homes.  A few quilts on top of you, and a feather bed underneath, and you had luxury.  Also, the elder women, who could no longer work in the fields, could make simple quilts and contribute to the family welfare, especially if there were children around with good eyesight to thread the needles for them.

“Quilting” is actually the process of stitching the various layers together to make one thing.  Quilting is not creating the top of scraps, it is the part where you put the layers together and stitch them to hold them into a useable object.  For instance, the knights of old wore quilted doublets, garments fashioned together in layers to protect the upper body.  The “quilting” was the process of putting the layers together and stitching so that they stayed together, and the insulation stayed put.  People today tend to think of quilts being complicated affairs of designed colors blended into a beautiful top, but actually there are many beautiful quilts made from a solid piece of cloth, called whole-cloth quilts.

First thing you need is some kind of fabric for the top layer, or “top.”  When the word “quilt” is mentioned in conversation, someone invariably mentions denim, like the stuff jeans are made from.  Now, don’t get me wrong, denim quilts have been made, and they are rugged.  They are also heavy.  And when you want to stay warm, heavy is not what you want.  To properly insulate yourself from the cold, you need trapped air, and if the top layer of the quilt is of a heavy fabric, it squishes down the insulation and just doesn’t keep you as warm.  Lightweight is the key here.  Old t-shirts work fine, but the best choice would be a lightweight woven, similar to a man’s dress shirt fabric.  Old sheets work well.  Quilting perfectionists insist on cotton, but in a TEOTWAWKI situation, we would not be able to be that picky.  Fabric made from a partial percentage of polyester has the advantage of being extremely durable, but remember please that it melts in a fire.  If you do have cotton, try to rip a section of it to make sure it is not rotten.  Rotten cotton rips very easily.  Save that stuff for the insulation layer.

I tend to think of making a utility quilt top similar to construction of a butcher block.  First you need blocks of fabric to make strips, then you sew the strips together.  It is easy to see that the bigger the pieces of fabric you have, the less sewing you are going to have to do.  However, if we are reduced to making the best of what we have, there is no better way to use small pieces of fabric than to make a quilt top.  Take a shirt, for example.  “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without” was my grandmother’s mantra.  When the elbows wore out of a shirt, or the cuffs, she made it into a short-sleeved shirt.  When the neck wore out, she would make it into a dish-drying towel by cutting and hemming a large piece of the back.  That left the buttons, and some smaller sections of the front.  These smaller pieces, she made into quilts.  Every scrap was used somewhere.  Smaller long strips she saved to tie up her tomato plants.  After she passed away, we found a box of fabric strips for this purpose up in the top of her closet.

So, say you have some pieces of fabric at least 8 inches tall, but of various widths.  Cut them into tall rectangles, each one 8 inches tall, and as wide as you have enough fabric to make them.  Sew these blocks together, right sides of the fabric together, keeping at least a 1/4 inch seam allowance.  If your seam allowance is bigger, you can trim it to 1/4 inch, to allow for easier quilting.  If you have access to an iron, you can press the seam allowance to one side.  For those of you who are sewing-challenged, here is a picture.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Parts_of_a_plain_seam.png

If you have access to a sewing machine, you can do the piecing on it.  However, many beautiful quilts were made using just a needle and thread, and I find that sewing by hand calms my spirit and relaxes my soul, as well as helps me pass long winter hours when I cannot garden.  One of the most complicated quilts I have ever seen is the one made by Jane Stickley of Vermont, in 1863, during the civil war.  I think that perhaps Jane wanted to make the quilt as complicated as possible to help her pass the maximum amount of time making it.  The entire thing is hand pieced.  You can see a picture and read about it here.

For your simple utility quilt, it is okay if one strip is, say 10 inches tall, and the next strip is only 4 inches tall.  As long as each strip is consistent all along the length, that is all that matters.  Your quilt top will not lay flat, however, if you do not keep the edges fairly square and straight.  On the quilting forum, linked below, there are quilters who are extremely careful about seams and flatness and cutting, and you can find help there if you are so inclined.  For our purposes here, finished is better than perfect.  I made my first quilt with a pair of scissors and a piece of cardboard for a straight edge, and it is still one of my daughter’s prized possessions.  Now, I use a rotary cutter, special clear plastic rulers, and a measured cutting surface, but fancy is not what we are aiming for here.

After you have your strips pieced together as wide as you want your finished quilt to be, you can sew the strips together, right sides together, along the long sides.  Keep up this process until your quilt is as long as you need for it to be.  Ironing between each strip is helpful to maintain flatness, and will show you where the problems are.  Most seamstresses have to rip out a seam every now and then, it happens to the best of us, so don’t get discouraged if it happens to you.  Do make sure all the seam allowances are on the underneath side of the fabric. Trim the whole thing straight.  I find that laying it out on the floor helps here, and I measure it and make sure it is square using the linoleum tile in my kitchen.

Second, you need some kind of insulation for the center layer.  Many things we have around our home will do, anything that traps air molecules.  I recently tore apart an old quilt from my grandmother’s house because I was curious as to what she used for the center layer.  Much to my surprise, she used whatever she had around the house.  There was part of an old, but tattered quilt in there, as well as part of an old blanket, part of an old towel, and one patch where it looks like she took some stuffing out of an old pillow and spread it around.  She just spread the stuff around making a layer of insulation.  You will need to be able to stitch through it, and it needs to be washable and free of bugs.  Other than that, pretty much anything goes.  Keep in mind that if you use loose insulation, say, hair you have brushed from your dog, you need more quilting to hold it in place.  If you use something that is already in a layer, like an old blanket, not much quilting is needed to stabilize it.

Third, you need a bottom layer.  An old patched sheet works well here, and actually cheaper sheets are better than expensive ones with a high thread count.  The higher the thread count, the more tightly woven it is, and it is a little harder to quilt through.  If you just have smaller pieces for the back, you can sew them together to make a bottom as big as you need, but it is more difficult to quilt through seams, because of the extra layers of fabric.  If you plan on tying your quilt, as described below, it is not a problem.  The bottom layer needs to be at least an inch wider and longer than the top layer, all the way around, so you can turn it up and make the edge.  Two inches would be even better.

As an aside here, my grandmother once told me that during the depression, it was not shameful to patch a sheet, but if you got to where you had to put patches on the patches, it meant you were poor.

To layer your quilt together, clear a spot on a clean floor as big as your bottom layer.  I prefer a hard floor, and not carpet, as in the basting process it is easier if your needle hits something hard and you don’t end up with a quilt sewn to a carpet in your living room.  Spread your bottom layer, or “backing,” out smooth, no wrinkles, with the right side of the fabric facing the floor.  Now, in present times there is a temporary fabric adhesive that quilters use for this next step, normally referred to as “505.”  They just spray a light coating onto the backing, lay down the insulation layer (batting), spray another light coating of adhesive, then lay down the top, and at that point they can quilt to their hearts content knowing that their layers are going to stay put until they get done.  However, in a TEOTWAWKI situation, I’m assuming that this product will not be available and we would have to revert to the “old way.” 

So, after you lay down the backing, you lay down your insulation layer, making sure you don’t have any empty spaces (they will be cold spots).  Then lay your top down, placing the side with the seam allowances facing the insulation.  Smooth out all the wrinkles.  You then take a needle and some long strands of thread, get on your hands and knees, and “baste” the layers together.  To baste, take one stitch through all 3 layers about every 3-4 inches in a running fashion down the quilt, and every row of this basting needs to be about 4 inches apart.  After the thing is actually quilted, these stitches will be taken out, so any kind of thread is fine here, even dental floss.  If the thread is too large, you will have trouble getting the threaded needle through the fabric.  So a finer thread will make your job easier.  It only needs to be strong enough to hold the layers together while you do the quilting.

The actual quilting of the layers is much easier if done in some sort of frame.  My aunt who taught me to quilt had a makeshift frame that worked quite well.  Her frame consisted of 2 1x2s that were covered in some old mattress fabric.  These have to be longer than the quilt is wide.  She pinned the end of the quilt to the fabric on the boards, but you could do just as well by stitching the quilt to the boards with some dental floss, or anything that would hold the quilt onto the boards.  Even staples would work in a pinch.  She rolled up each board from the end, rolling the board to the underside of the quilt, until she had about a 2 foot section of the center area of the quilt showing.  Then she used c-clamps to attach these boards to two more 1x2s that were only a couple of feet long, making a large rectangle.  At this point, the frame can be propped up on anything, sawhorses, backs of chairs, or hung from the ceiling.  I quilt alone, so I prefer to hang the frame from the ceiling at an angle so I don’t have to bend over my work.  In my grandmother’s house, she hung the frame from her living room ceiling, and it was on pulleys so that when not actually quilting, the room could be used normally.

If you can’t make a frame, the quilting can also be done in a large hoop, or merely in your lap.  It might not end up being quite as tidy, but would certainly make a serviceable quilt.

Now the quilting can be done in one of two ways.  The first method, and also quickest and easiest, and warmest, is to merely “tie” the quilt.  My grandmother tied all her utility quilts.  Tying uses a heavier thread, traditionally 6-strand embroidery thread, but any heavy thread will do in a pinch.  Every 3-4 inches, take the threaded needle and go straight down through all layers of fabric, holding one hand above the quilt and one hand below.  With the hand below, take the needle and come back up through the layers about 1/8 to 1/4 inch away from the initial stab.  Pull the thread so that you have two threads sticking out, then tie them in a good knot.  My grandmother always used a square knot.  Make sure here that you do not pull the thread tight to bunch it up.  You will be warmer if you do not compress the insulation.  Cut the thread so that you have about 1/2 to 1 inch ends sticking out above the knot.  Continue over the whole quilt, rolling the quilt from one long arm of the frame to the other as you progress by loosening and removing the clamps holding the frame together, and replacing them when you have it where you want to work.  Typically this process is done from the center of the quilt to one end, then from the center to the other end.

The second method of quilting, normally used on fancier quilts, uses a running stitch through all layers of fabric, with the rows of stitching being very close together (no farther than 2 inches apart, and sometimes as close as 1/4 inch apart).  If my grandmother was using carded cotton as the insulation layer (cotton straight from the field and home-carded into “batts”) she used this stitch on her quilts, because when the quilt was laundered the cotton would shift and create cold spots if not held into place.  Here is a link to a good explanation of a running stitch.

After the quilting part is finished, remove the quilt from the frame.  To finish off the edges, fold the bottom layer toward the top for 1/2 of the width, then fold the bottom layer again up and over the top, and stitch down using a slant hemming stitch, as shown on this page.  When you get to the corners of the quilt, you can fold the corners into miters if you want, but any corner will do for our purposes here.  The point is to cover all rough edges of fabric, to prevent excessive wear and raveling.

It is important to remember that I am not trying to teach you the quilting perfectionists’ method of quilting.  These instructions will merely make a serviceable quilt, not a family heirloom that is going to be worth any money to your grandchildren.  My grandmother made hundreds of these utility quilts, and when she died we found them on every bed in her home, covered in each case by a fancy bedspread or a fancier quilt on the top.  We also found one in the dog’s bed, one covering up an old car, and one insulating the storage shed window. 

If you want to create a thing of beauty and value, you can read more at The Quilting Board.   There are thousands of members who daily discuss the ins and outs of every aspect of quilting, from the perfect fabrics and color combinations to how many stitches per inch constitutes “good quilting.”  There are also discussions of machine, or “long-arm” quilting as well as different styles of hand quilting.  Here I just wanted the average person who doesn’t have any sewing experience to be able to stay warm if things deteriorate to the point where we no longer have access to factory-produced goods.

As a final word, please remember that anything that is produced for children’s bedding or sleepwear nowadays is required to be non-flammable or treated chemically to be non-flammable.  If you intend to make a covering for a child to sleep under, all of the ingredients of the quilt would have to be such treated materials.  Given the choice of flammability or freezing to death, I guess I would opt for my children to be warm, but it would be up to you.

Practical Pointers to Ponder for Pistol Performance, by Ski






“You’ve got to work on that draw Ski,” barked my friend Tom.  He was already an experienced shooter and competitor in IPSC and KPDL (Kentuckiana Personal Defense League).  There are benefits to competing in IPSC events including emphasis on safety, accuracy, speed, and identification of “good guys” versus the bad guys.  It had to be painful for him to watch a “newbie” in shooting struggle along.  He was patient and persistent.  We became shooting buddies competing against each other in these organizations.  Tom is not only a natural shooter, but he works on each phase of competition and is ever looking for ways to save seconds in his style and performance.  As we practiced together he imparted many of his skills, not all though.  He had to maintain an edge on his new rival.

This article will discuss some practical skills for pistol performance regardless of competition or personal defense.  Grip, stance, draw, sight picture/sweet spot, cadence/transition, and mag changes are the areas I will attempt to address.  I will also try to include some sites that will give you a hands on look at some of these skills.  These skills can be applied to all handguns; however, I have done most of my practice and competitions with 1911 style .45 caliber single stack and double stack weapons.

A prefatory note regarding my holsters.  I use a CR Speed for competitions and for my concealed carry a Blackhawk Serpico retention holster.  So, regardless of holster, the same basic skills will be used.  In addition, if you are shooting on your own you will always be thinking safety.  Make sure the range is “clear”.  Think of the commands used during competitions….”Load and make ready”(pull your unloaded weapon from the holster and insert a loaded magazine.  Charge the weapon, put the safety on, and place back in your holster).  “Shooter ready” (at relaxed or surrender position), then the buzzer sounds.  Even shooting alone, I follow mentally the commands typically used in a competition: unload, show clear, slide forward, hammer down, holster.  In a self-defense situation what you have practiced is generally what you will do.  So, you want to have your muscle memory trained well in order to respond without having to think about what you’re doing when it comes to firing your weapon.  This doesn’t mean you won’t have to use split second judgment regarding your particular circumstances.  The 71 year old gentleman in Florida recently showed us that regardless of great skills, he was successful in preventing bloodshed by using his quick judgment in his intervention of an armed robbery.

GRIP:
When it comes to gripping your weapon, do be sure to forget as quickly as you can anything you have seen on television especially shows or movies from the 70’s thru the 90’s and beyond.  Actors typically are seen resting their shooting hand on the weak or support hand and firing.  You absolutely need to drop that style if you’re using it.  From a “surrender” or “relaxed” position, you will move your hand (for me my dominant hand is my right, so I will make reference accordingly) to the handle of the weapon.  On my .45 I make sure the web between my thumb and index finger ride high on the beaver tail grip safety.  The reason for this is to provide the best support as the weapon discharges and ensures proper extraction, ejection, and reloading of the weapon.  A weak grip can result in “stovepipes” in which the expended brass gets stuck in the ejection port and sticks up like a stovepipe.  Once the weapon is drawn the left hand is moved to the grip with the fingertips of the right hand butted up to or into the meat of the left hand just below the thumb.  The fingers of the left hand then wrap over the fingers of the right hand. Make sure to have a tight grip but not a ‘death grip.’

STANCE:
There are different stances that shooters make use of.  A couple of the better known are the Weaver stance and the isosceles stance.  I suppose I use a hybrid and you will have to develop the stance that fits your personal tastes.  In my relaxed or surrender position, I typically will have my feet right about shoulder distance apart and the left foot about 6 inches forward of my right foot.  Knees have a slight bend and weight is leaning slightly forward.  This gives me not only stability, but support for the recoil and reacquisition of the target.   If you’re a lefty, everything just goes in reverse.

DRAW:
Regardless of whether you are doing your draw from a surrender (hands up just slightly higher than the shoulders) or relaxed (hands relaxed at your side), you will still grip your weapon the same.  Now, upon moving the right hand to grip your weapon, you will be simultaneously moving your left hand to right in the middle of your torso.  As you remove your weapon from the holster, moving toward your left hand, you will now join the left hand before your arms are extended.  With the weapon maybe a foot away from your torso, both hands now gripped with the weapon, the weapon is extended.  You will not lock out your arms when you extend your weapon, but will leave a slight bend.  Your finger is NOT inside the trigger guard on the draw.  You will be moving your trigger finger to the trigger between the full gripping of the weapon and extension. So far, this has not been rocket science.  Do work on your grip, stance, and draw.  Compete and watch others as well as ask questions.  Watch various matches on YouTube and learn those basic techniques.  As you progress, do be sure to do “dry fire” practice.  The more you work on your draw, the more your muscles will “remember”.  You will increase in your speed and competence.

SIGHT PICTURE-SWEET SPOT:
This might be part of your draw; however, I have chosen to make a separate issue of this.  As you prepare to draw you weapon, you will have your eyes fixed on your target.  Once the weapon is drawn and you are linking up right hand and left hand, you are going to bring your arms and weapon and sights up to the plane of your eyes.  You bring the sights to your eyes.  You are not watching the draw or grip.  That is automatic.  Your eyes are riveted on your target and you bring the sights to where your eyes are looking.  This is the sweet spot and as you look down range thru the sights, with sights aimed at the target, this is your sight picture.  You are always bringing the weapon up to the spot where you’re looking (sweet spot).  You are seeing the target thru the sights (sight picture). 

CADENCE and TRANSITION:
My friend Tom pointed out the idea of cadence to me and showed how a smooth cadence versus the typical “double tap” is faster.  He put up four IPSC targets arranged in a circle type configuration…i.e. the first target on the left at 9 o’clock position, second target at 12 o’clock, the next at 3 o’clock and the last at 6 o’clock.  He had me double tap and timed my performance.  Not bad.  Then he showed me by his example to eliminate the double tap (two quick shots in rapid succession) and pull the trigger in a more calculated and deliberate manner.  Instead of looking like: bam bam……bam bam…..bam bam.…bam bam…..it would look like: bam..bam..bam..bam..bam..bam..bam..bam.  See the difference?  So, I shot the same targets in a more consecutive, repetitive type of pattern without the distinct “double tap.”  I felt like I was going slower and was astonished to see that my time improved substantially.  I shot the stage once again using a double tap to the best of my ability to beat my non double tap time.  Not a chance.  So, Tom said try the way I showed you again.  I did and to my amazement the time was once again, unquestionably faster than my best “double tap” time.  This is cadence.  Give it a try and work on it.  The transition part is moving from target to target with your eyes moving to the next target as you polish off the previous target.  You have fired your first round and just as you’re firing your second round, you’re moving your eyes to the next target. You follow with your weapon movement to the “sweet spot” on the next target and so on.  So, in this manner you are “transitioning” from target to target in a smooth, but fast manner versus robotic and jerky movements.  To each his own.  You may find this doesn’t fit your style and that is all right.  In competitions, cadence and transition are areas where the competitor can pick up time.  Fractions of seconds are important and the difference between winning a stage and match and the alternative.  In real life situations those fractions of seconds could translate into life and death.

MAGAZINE CHANGES:
Changing your magazine is critical in competition.  In life or death scenarios I suspect a magazine change is going to be critical as well.  IDPA incorporates the use of the “tactical” magazine change or “retention” magazine change.  One would not be wrong to develop this style and skill.  This type of magazine change simply requires that rather than just dropping your empty mag, you retain it while placing a full mag in your weapon and tucking the empty or nearly empty mag in a pocket or your mag pouch.  IPSC rules do not mandate this particular style.  For me the situation will have to be the determining factor.  If it were a hot situation, I’m dropping the mag to maximize my speed and ability to continue to firing.  I can get that mag later.  The enemy is my main concern and I want to neutralize the bad guy and worry about the mag later.  If the situation were such that I could grab or retain my empty mag I would do it.  My double stack mags with extended base pads are expensive.  I suppose this could be an argument to go back to a single-stack M1911. 

Okay, your mag change is going to take practice and lots of it.  Here goes with the basic mechanics of the mag change.  As your slide locks open with the last round being fired, you will keep your weapon arm extended while pushing your mag release button.  Your right arm and weapon are going to be close to the position of your sweet spot.  Your left hand is already reaching for a mag once the last shot is fired.  The mag drops from your weapon or you can give it a slight flick, but ultimately you will rotate your weapon to a 1 to 2 o’clock position.  The weapon is angled for the insertion of the full magazine.  Upon inserting the mag and reacquiring your grip, operate the slide release which allows the slide to come forward and chamber a new round.  The ideal situation is to change mags before running dry.  This way you won’t have to waste time with the slide release.  Remember, seconds matter!! 

These practical pointers when practiced will help you develop your skills with a pistol.  With increased skill development and muscle memory comes confidence.  Hopefully none of us will be confronted with a situation that demands an armed response, but the next time you’re at the “movies”, you’ll be ready, if the situation arises.  Think of the different type of outcome if there was just one individual carrying a concealed weapon in the theatre in Aurora.  The following are a few videos that you may wish to access to get a visual of the skills I have just mentioned:

 

Letter Re: Getting The Most Out of Ethnic Markets

JWR,
I just thought I’d pass the word on some shopping options people might not think about too often. My wife is originally from Vietnam and we often go to an asian market for food supplies. I assume the following is true for other non-western stores, but you might want to check out what is within driving distance. These places are a preppers oasis.

There are a few major advantages to shop at these stores. Please note I am talking about small stores, not a place like the asian mega-marts in California.

First is money. Not just that they are usually less expensive, but more important they are less dependent on a cash register working. I’d expect if there are issues, wally-mart wouldn’t be able to sell anything without a cash register working. In these places, that would not be much of an issue.

In addition, cash is king here. Bring cash, buy in bulk, and talk to the owner. You might be surprised to find that you can get 10-20% discount just by asking, or by getting 10 instead of the 2 you planned for. Try haggling over a price at the local supermarket and see what success you have. But in these small, mom and pop stores, it is not only allowed, it’s almost expected.

Second, foods tend to focus on non-refrigeration items. (Asian market focus)

25-50 lbs sacks of rice – it’s common to see from 50 to 80 sacks of rice at the front of the store. Note that brown rice is usually in smaller sizes due to a cultural tendency to serve that to the elderly, and not for general consumption.

Store bought vacuum packed brown, white rice – long/short/medium grain.

Dried everything. Squid, beef, fish, mushrooms.. everything. Not sure what it is? ask.

Pickled everything. Vegetables , fruits, meat.

More dried noodle options than I ever knew existed.

Candy and treats designed for long term storage – i.e. hard candies, hard cookies, etc.

Spices for everything and in large quantities. In countries where meat might not be of the best quality, there tends to be a focus on cooking with enough spices to cover the flavor of the meet. In TEOTWAWKI, you might just need to make that days hunt taste a little better.

Third, electricity independent food preparation tools.

Remember, many of these countries do not have a stable electric grid, so non-electric cooking tools are very common in these stores. Butane cooking stoves are very common, and you won’t have the price markups that you will see in a camping store.

Fourth, experience

Remember, many of these stores are owned by first generation Americans. They know what keeps best when there is no power, or unstable power. What rice keeps longer, what tool works better. They know it first hand. Don’t be shy to ask.

Yes, sometimes you might have to put up with a different cultures approach to standing in a line (or lack there of), and you might have to have a little patience with a language barrier, but for me it’s well worth it.

Remember, these stores stay alive by having personable relationships with their customers. If you go out of your way to be friendly, you just might find that if Stuff hits the Fan, they will sell items to you (store open or not), where other places will be boarded up.

As always, thanks for your blog. For me, its one of the most valuable web sites on the Internet. – Robert B. in North Carolina

Economics and Investing:

Debt crisis: Greece to run out of money by August 20. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link.)

Doug C. recommended this: Failing to Break Up the Big Banks is Destroying America

Santelli Rants: “Ditch The Duct Tape; The Problem Is Insolvency”. He says in summary: “We need pro-growth policies and spending cuts, right now.” (Thanks to B.B. for the link.)

Economy: The U.S. Retail Collapse Accelerates

Items from The Economatrix:

The War On Silver

Everything You Need To Know:  The Economic Collapse For Dummies “Micro Documentary”

Europe Is Sleepwalking Toward Imminent Disaster, Warn Top Economists

Global Economy In Worst Shape Since 2009

Odds ‘n Sods:

H.L. liked this piece at Alt-Market: Off-Grid Refrigeration

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Dick Morris Reveals How Obama Will Kill The 2nd Amendment On July 27

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Not particularly preparedness-related, but this collaborative music video site is amazing: The Johnny Cash Project

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Peter S. recommended two new e-books: The Survival Doctor’s Guide to Burns and The Survival Doctor’s Guide to Wounds

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The United Nations will convene next week for agreement on a “Small Arms and Light Weapons” Treaty. Please contact your Senators and insist that they do not ratify the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). It is plain and simply a civilian disarmament scheme.

Note from JWR:

Today we present a lengthy entry for Round 41 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), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

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.

Round 41 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Living With Photovoltaic Power, by D.P.

So, you’ve been wondering if you should be buying some photovoltaic (PV) panels to avoid the darkest of ages? And you have some specific questions:
– how many panels do I need?
– which type of panel do I need?
– what’s it going to cost?
– what about an inverter?
– what can I actually get done with my energy?

In this post I will try to answer these questions, having gone through the process myself in the last few years. My hope is that by relating my journey, it will help some of you make the right decisions for your situation. My main goal is to be able to collect and store enough energy that my life can continue without being totally thrown back into the 19th century. ‘Little House on the Prairie‘ may be nice to watch but I am not sure I would enjoy every aspect of that lifestyle. Example: I do have a woodstove with built-in oven but would really rather use my breadmaker to bake a loaf of bread. On the other hand: our house has electrical heat and the kWh it consumes on a winter day can only be delivered by a fully operational power grid (even rolling blackouts could be a disaster), so drastic measures are required.

I decided to go with solar energy because PV panels make no noise, need no gas and are maintenance free. Three plusses over a generator when you find yourself in the dark age. They have downsides as well in the comparison: up-front cost per kWh for panels is much higher and you will need more batteries. What tipped the balance for me is that I do not know how long the grid will be down, so I do not know how much gas I have to store, or if I can get gas at any price if I run out for that matter. As J.E.B. pointed out in his letter to SurvivalBlog (published July 17, 2012): a worst case scenario will be measured in years, not days. A second consideration for me is that if everything works out I may go off-grid voluntarily. In that case the system would pay for it self rather quickly.

Having said that, creating a system for collecting/storing/using solar energy does not come cheap. If you cannot set aside $1000-$2000 without seriously compromising your prepping budget, my approach may not be the correct one for you. Let me first explain this figure a bit more because
it may strike many of you as too much or too little.

First of all: you do not have to plan on spending much more. If you can that is great, but installing $10,000 worth of panels on the roof of your retreat is asking for trouble IMHO. It may give you a lifestyle similar to what you have today, but in a situation where law and order breaks down,
this display simply says: Hey guys, I have got the goods here, come and get me first. Personally I am not a gunslinger trying to attract targets, so keeping a (very) low profile is my first line of defense.

Secondly, if you can’t afford that much money, you will need to adjust your expectations and priorities because very inexpensive components are expensive to run in that they are usually less efficient and therefore leave you with much less useable energy. I will give you some ideas of what you can do for $100-$250 at the end of this post.

As a side note on budgeting: if you are in the lucky circumstance of being able to set aside some money and save (or have saved) it in the form of dollars, please stop doing so, take that money and start buying the goods that you will need soon enough. The US dollar is being pushed out of its position of global reserve currency day by day. When that process reaches its inevitable tipping point, the dollar’s purchasing power will evaporate and the only official notification you will get is a message from your friendly neighborhood ATM that it is currently out of order. This comes from someone who, up until a few years ago, spent decades saving for a rainy day. Which has now arrived … and so I feel I have no choice but to convert a good chunk of my savings to goods that I expect to be able to put to good use.

While on the topic of budgeting:
If you don’t have or plan to purchase an over-the-top system, you will need to get used to an energy budget. You know: supply and demand. Like an old farmer, you will have to make hay when the sun shines [modern farmers can’t afford to wait for the sun so they make haylage instead]. Supply can be increased by buying additional panels; demand can be lowered by energy conservation measures; you can do both until you find your happy or affordable middle ground.

Starting with demand, how can we keep it low? What are the things you really want electricity for? Here is my list:
– lighting (LED type uses the least energy and is long lasting)
– walk-in cooler to store food, seeds, etc. (our house has no basement)
– monitoring systems
– water pumps
– communications (radio, 2-way radios)
– small kitchen appliances (mixer, blender, breadmaker, etc.)
– security (keeping wildlife out of the garden and the chicken coop)
– laptop, e-reader, battery powered flashlights
– handheld power tools (drill, saw, angle grinder, rotary tool)

No washer? Nope, grandma got the job done with a few hand tools and so can I.
No dryer? Hot air from the woodstove will do just fine.
No dishwasher? Never had one.
No plasma television? What are you going to watch when the grid is down?
No entertainment center? I can watch DVDs on my laptop.
No microwave? I would use it if possible, but I am not budgeting for it.
No air conditioner? I do have a small (500W – 1 room – fits in a window)
air conditioner but don’t plan on using it unless I really have to. I prefer to sit under a tree beside a brook when compared to the air conditioner’s noise. As for heating rooms and/or water with a solar panel: don’t even think about it; that is a job for wood or coal. Yes you can use a solar heat exchanger for that, but what if it breaks down and you can’t get the repairman to come over? And the wind chills are around -40?

When determining the feasibility of solar power to run a tool or appliance, you need to keep in mind it’s power rating and the time it’s actually on. For instance if you need to cut a 2×4 your saw may be rated at 1200W but if your cut only takes 10 seconds, the energy used is 10 * 1200 / 3600 = 3.3Wh / 12V = .28Ah. Not worth talking about if your batteries are full. A 50W solar panel will generate 3.3Wh in about 4 minutes on a sunny summer day.

On the other end of the scale: let’s say you want to bake loaf of bread using an automatic breadmaker. The appliance is rated at 600W and the process takes 3 hours. About half an hour is used kneading dough and 1 hour to actually bake the bread. Its energy usage amounts to:
.5 * 100 = 50Wh for kneading
1 * 600 * .67 = 402Wh for baking at 2/3 duty cycle
Total = 452Wh over a 3 hour period, which equates to a 150W demand.

The numbers above are pretty close to what I have observed personally: I can use my hand-held power tools all day and only need a 30W – 60W panel to maintain battery charge. My breadmaker tests showed that on a sunny summer day I need 180W worth of rated panel capacity to maintain battery charge over the entire baking cycle.

Another item that can take up a lot of power is pumping water. This year I have put in a small aquaponic garden with 4 grow beds just to see what it takes to grow veggies that way. It’s an ebb and flow system that uses a 1000 gallon/hr bilge pump with a 1″ outlet. Though the pump is rated for 5 Amps, it draws only 3.5 Amps and runs 20 seconds every half hour. As a result a 15W rated panel keeps up with it with capacity to spare. But if I want to warm up the water quickly after a cool night by using an small aquarium pump to push water through a heat exchanger, I need to go to a 60W panel because that second pump draws 1.3 Amps continually. Lesson for water pumps: try to use big lines and low working pressure and lift.

Because I don’t want to be tied down too much by carrying around a ton of documents, I keep most everything in electronic format (mht or pdf) on hard drives and DVDs. That means I need something to read them with. Laptops tend to take 50-60W (or more depending on CPU/graphics card in it). So running it for 8 hours a day to play solitaire, …err study documents, will set me back 8 * 60 = 480Wh. Sigh! Just ain’t gonna happen on a cold winter day… A small tablet or e-reader would work much better under the circumstances.

For those of you wondering about getting enough juice for your tablets and smart phones to continue life in the cloud (Facebook, Twitter, on-line gaming and data storage): don’t worry, by the time you really NEED your solar panels, in a grid down situation, cell towers will cease to function within 24 hours as their batteries run out and (access to) the cloud will simply disappear like a morning fog.

Phantom Loads
You will waste precious amp hours to run your systems. There is no way around that because no appliance or battery is 100% efficient, but with some advance planning we can keep the leakage to a minimum. Biggest single issue is your inverter. Don’t buy one unless its idle power draw is less than 250 mA. You do not want to waste 1 or 2 amps on heating your inverter while its idling. This is not much of an issue for a 100W inverter that you use only to run your electric shaver because you can turn it off when you’re done. However for large inverters that you leave on all day to run your power tools on-demand you do not want their idle draw to exceed 250 mA and the lower that number the better. I learned this the hard way a few years ago when I left a 300W inverter on thinking only its LED was drawing power. After two days the new 120Ah battery was run down to the point where the inverter’s low voltage alarm went off … at 3AM …

Second inverter issue: do not leave appliances that use standby power plugged into the inverter because that draw will keep the inverter revved up continuously costing a few amps in the process. This may not sound like much but look at it this way: if the inverter uses 2 amps for 12 hours, that is 24 AmpHours. A 60W panel will generate about 3 Amps (averaged over an entire sunny day), so it needs to run 24 / 3 = 8 hours to make up for that loss. At current prices that 60W panel will cost you around $135 (+ S/H & taxes).

As an example: I once kept a yard light plugged in overnight with only its infrared sensor active and it took about 10% of my battery bank’s capacity in the process. My inverter was luke warm that morning whereas it stays cold even if I use it all day with my power tools. Another lesson learned and BTW I am running most of these tests on purpose right now, so I will know what to expect when it counts.

Third big cause of energy leakage: bad cells in your battery bank. I have dealt with this extensively in another post called ‘battery life extension’ and won’t repeat that now. Sufficeth to say that if your bank discharges itself from 12.6V to 12.35V overnight, you have a huge power drain on your hands.

Now, let’s assume you have dealt with all three biggies above; what is there left to do? Actually quite a bit, though exactly how much and what is a bit dependent on your handyman IQ. I am now referring to a couple of specific items on my list: lighting and monitoring systems. By their very nature they have to run many hours, some of them 24/7. The nice thing is that you can get a 12V (or lower voltage) version of pretty much any item you need.

Let me give you some examples:
– The 110V yard light I talked about earlier can be replaced with a 12V infrared sensor connected to a 12V LED flood light. Yes, if you get the right parts it can be as simple as connecting 4 wires.
– The walk-in cooler I mentioned needs to have its temperature monitored and regulated 24/7. Thermistors (temperature sensors) are a dollar a dozen and 12V computer case fans @ $5 each move enough air to get the job done.
– My primary heat source is a woodstove in a rather small work space. To avoid problems the space is outfitted with a dual fire/smoke alarm and carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide alarms. You can get these in 110V AC or 5V, 9V or 12V DC versions.
5V versions tend to come with a “wallwart” power cube, 9V versions run on a battery and 12V versions intended for RV use. If you can’t get them locally, try to find a supplier on-line. [JWR Adds: I have found that Camping World is a great source for 12 VDC appliances and gadgets.]

LED Lighting:
Despite candlemakers waxing nostalgic about the power grid being down, LED type should be used to cover your basic lighting needs due to its simplicity and longevity. In essence: put it in and forget about it; I have wrecked some LEDs by putting too much current through them but never seen one fail due to old age. There are many 12V LED lights available these days, though some are still pricey. I took a different (= less expensive) route by getting a bag full of UFO lights (the type you can put in tents) from China and using those. There are 2 types commonly available as of this writing: one with 60 LEDS and the other with 20-24 LEDs. I have used them both and there is not a lot of difference in the total amount of light they produce for the same current.

These units are designed to run on 4 AA batteries (= 5-6V), so you will need to solder 2 pieces of wire into the battery compartment. If you only need 2 or 3 units, you can connect them in series and then directly to your battery. [2 units may need a small series resistor if LEDs get hot.] I put 4 or more per room (very even lighting throughout the room) by connecting all units in parallel and then putting a ‘circuit breaker’ in the wire that connects them to the negative pole of a 12V battery. The ‘circuit breaker’ is a 555 timer chip that switches a MJE3055T transistor on/off @ 120Hz and about 15% duty cycle. This runs the lights flicker free @ 2.8V which leaves the LEDs cold to the touch but produces ample light. You can adjust the lights’ output by changing the duty cycle of the ‘circuit breaker’.

DC-DC converters:
These do what their name implies and convert one DC voltage into another. Use them to run devices and/or monitoring devices directly from a 12V supply. You want to avoid running an inverter to run a wallwart to run a monitoring device that draws 150mA at all cost. Some DC-DC converter examples:
– a laptop power supply that runs off your car battery (produces 18V-22V; should have no problem charging cordless tools)
– a AA, AAA, 9V battery charger that runs off your car battery.
– a 12V desktop computer power supply (this replaces your standard PSU)
– generic DC-DC step up/step down converters in all shapes and sizes on eBay
– for those with a soldering iron: 78xx voltage regulators are hard to beat and can generally be run without heat sink for loads of less than 250mA.

Try to take advantage of your environment:
This example applies mostly to northeners, mountain and desert dwellers. I built the walk-in cooler that I mentioned earlier because at my location we mostly have cool nights [think morning temperature lower than 60 degrees Fahrenheit] (>340/year). The idea is to use a differential thermostat to start the fans whenever the outside air is colder than the air in the cooler and simply flush out the hot air that accumulates during the day. This approach does a decent job of tracking nighttime lows if you can inhibit air flow throughout the day. The cooler itself is a 7’x5′ room that is also 7′ high. It is completely lined with 2 layers of 1″ thick styrofoam (this allows me to overlap joints to achieve lower air leakage). There should be no wooden or metal breaks in the lining as this will seriously lower the cooler’s overall insulation value. The door is currently sealed by weather stripping, but I may replace that with a magnetic seal like the ones used in a fridge. Your best location is against a north wall on a lower floor. If you can’t avoid a sun baked wall, try to incorporate a layer of aluminum foil on the outside of the styrofoam. That construction needs a small airspace between the wall and the the foil (shiny side out) but is worth its weight in gold. I should point out that in the winter I have to blow hot air from the woodstove into the cooler every now and then to prevent its contents from freezing solid and you may need to provide for that as well.

Inside my cooler there is a separate box that is double insulated. Even on hot summer days it’s temperature rarely exceeds 60 degrees F. The outer part of the cooler may get up to 70 degrees at the end of a hot summer day, cooling down to 55 degrees by morning on most days. I can expect to see these temperatures from the middle of June through the middle of August. Before and after that nights are colder and so is my cooler. So in the summer it emulates a good basement and the rest of the year its more like a fridge. This is plenty good enough to provide additional storage life to whatever you put in there for a small energy footprint.

And so I don’t have to budget for a fridge, but what about a freezer? I would like to have a freezer but haven’t run any tests yet to see how much power it really takes. The good thing about using a freezer is that it requires the most power just when it is most readily available. The problem I see is that I will need to make a custom 12V control circuit to determine when to turn power to the freezer on and off because I do not want the freezer to keep my inverter active 24/7. Apart from that I do not consider a freezer critical because there is always the art of canning to preserve food.

To summarize:
It may sound strange but based on what I discussed above I have decided that if I have enough solar panels to be able to bake one loaf of bread each day year round, I will have enough capacity to run everything I need to run. The catch is in ‘year round’ (I don’t live in the Arizona desert) so let’s look at the supply side of my budget.

Supply:
The calculations above reflect the situation in mid summer, say, from the middle of May till early August. By the end of August the sun is so much lower in the sky that the solar panels’ output is noticeably dropping and of course the days are shorter. This trend accelerates as you go into fall and by late September I need to use 2 60W panels where I need only 1 in June. The darkest part of the year is in November before we get snow on the ground and on a cloudy fall day I have to use 3 60W panels to produce roughly the same AmpHours a single 60W panel produces in the summer.

A solid cloud cover tends to cut power production 50%-70% compared to a sunny day. Light cumulus cloud cover (a few fair weather clouds) isn’t much of an issue. Cirrus clouds (high feathery clouds made of ice crystals) on the other hand can drop the panel’s output 30% even though it still looks ‘sunny’ on the ground. If you are in a situation where there is frequent fog or smog around a city, you will probably need to make an allowance for that too, but I have no experience with it.

Above all, avoid the situation where your panels are shaded part of the day. This may sound strange but my setup doesn’t have any fixed rooftop panels as most commercial installations do. Such a setup would make it hard to do all the tests that I have run but I also consider it inefficient. Even if the rooftop panels’ alignment is properly adjusted for your location you will have only 2 times a year where they are perfectly aligned with the sun’s rays hitting them at a 90 degree angle. But what is worse is that every morning and every evening the sun’s rays hit them at very low angles or not at all (assuming they are facing due south).

A mono-crystalline 60W panel measures approximately 2′ x 2.5′ and weighs around 12 lbs. So its easy to handle and move. Its also a lot sturdier than I thought (I can assure you that those ‘tests’ were unintentional) Some of my panels are hung vertically on the inside of doors. If the door is closed the panel is safely stored inside. If the door is open it faces the sun, which can be tracked from southeast to west. In the summer time when the weather is quiet, I usually tilt those panels upward as well. In winter time they stay in a vertical position to take advantage of light reflected off the snow on the ground, but can still follow the sun from southeast to southwest.

Other panels are completely detached and follow the batteries where-ever they are needed. Those panels get repositioned a few times during the day to track the sun. Lots of work? Not really: I only adjust the panels’ positions when I happen to be around anyway. Besides when the grid is down, your kids will be home and can’t play video games …

But is it really good enough?
Yes, I started out skeptical too; not really wanting to put down $x000 on something that might not meet my needs. So I started small with a 30W panel and a few not so great batteries and built the system from there. Nevertheless right from the start of the work on my ‘retreat’ I have run all power tools off that little system. Granted if I needed to rip a bunch of 2x4s lengthwise, I had to do it on a sunny afternoon or the inverter would kick out due to low battery voltage. But for those of us that grew up and/or live in the countryside, to go with the weather is just a normal way of doing things. The system has been up for more than a year now and it has never left me without enough power to do the things I wanted to do.

At present I have 270W of rated generating capacity and my batteries are in good condition. Last month we had a stretch of 5 cloudy days where we didn’t see the sun at all. None of the batteries fell below 50% capacity even though I didn’t hold back on any planned activities. That is how I am building the confidence that I am on the right track.

Now the math:
150W (for the breadmaker) * 3 (for year round use) = 450W. Based upon what I have seen so far I am confident that this is enough generating capacity for my setup. Making a loaf of bread takes only three hours, so even if my minimum usable day length would be no more than 6 hours there are still 3 hours (~400Wh assuming panels produce at 30% of rated output) left to run all other devices, lights, etc. And if the batteries run low after a stretch of dreary weather I just won’t be able to use my laptop or power tools for a while. Keep in mind that running low means the batteries are approaching the 50% charge level, there is plenty of power left for lighting, emergency repairs, etc. During most of the year 450W generating capacity is too much for my immediate needs but this is partly absorbed by running more water pumps, power tools, freezer, etc. than in the winter. And I can always store unused panels till I need them again.

450W worth of panels @ $2.50/W (includes shipping/taxes) will set me back around $1100. A good inverter $250 and another $250 for batteries add up to $1600. And I was lucky because I was able to purchase good used deep cycle batteries for 10% of their retail value. New they will set you back around $250 apiece. I purchased my solar panels and inverter via the Internet. I can get them locally but for 2-3x as much money. Depending on your situation, you may want to get them on-line too, but only order from a supplier in the country you live in. Getting these items straight from China will probably get you B-grade and that is not what you want on high priced goods. And.. your warranty would be a nightmare at best.

Pricing:
As of the time of this writing (July 2012) the prices that I have quoted are available on eBay from North-American suppliers.

Types of panels:
I am getting the best performance from mono-crystalline panels that are rated at 16.5-17.5% efficiency. Poly-crystalline comes in just under that at around 16% efficiency and is sometimes a bit less expensive per watt. Amorphous type panels are still less expensive per watt but have only 8-9% efficiency and therefore have almost twice the surface area for the same wattage. They also seem to deliver power at a lower voltage.

Inverter size:
My inverter is rated for 2500W with 5000W surge capacity. This sounds like a lot but you should take the ratings with a grain of salt. I tried to run a 2 h.p. industrial motor off it but that didn’t work because the inverter shut itself down after a few seconds on each attempt. On the other hand I have no problems running a 1200W circular saw, a 1500W vacuum cleaner and a 15A stick welder. So my inverter probably delivers close to 2000W in real life. Its a big box which means it runs cool and that is a good thing. Its fans only come on when I am baking bread on a hot day or when I put it in the full sun because its outer shell is used as heat sink. Given my experience I doubt you will be happy for long if you try to use an inverter rated for less than 2000W as your main inverter. Since you probably want a backup unit as well, its worth considering to get a stackable inverter. Those units allow you to connect them in parallel in a single system effectively doubling your capacity.

System building note:
If you buy an inverter you will most likely see in the instructions that it should be grounded. I suggest you ignore that instruction because it will seriously compromise your system without adding safety for people that use it. Here is why: Your system’s common ground is the minus side of your battery bank. Assuming your batteries’ casing is intact it is isolated from the earth you walk on, so its impossible for you to be the switch that closes the loop (i.e. get electrocuted if you touch a hot wire; and yes, I personally tried it and am still writing…). The downside of tying your system to earth was pointed out by J.E.B. in his letter: your system could get fried just when you need it most. He is entirely correct in his assertion. The earth is a large capacitor and when excited by externally induced currents, it rings like a bell. As with any capacitor the rise and fall times of the currents are very small compared to the current’s size leading to near vertical ‘walls of energy’ that are fully capable of destroying a system through its ground connection alone. Exactly what size of external event is required to take down a given system depends on many factors but why take a chance? For that reason my solar powered system is not grounded to earth.

How about the $100-$250 setup?
If you have been reading the entire article you may be able to guess where this is going:
– Forget about using 110 VAC tools and devices. This will save you the expense of an inverter. Definitely skip a charge controller in this setup.
– Buy a 40W or 50W mono- or poly-crystalline solar panel (=$100 to $125). If you live south of 40 degrees latitude, you can probably get by with a
30W-40W panel. I do not recommend using panel sizes below 30W for use with deep cycle and marine batteries. 15W is the minimum for car batteries and 5W for garden tractor and motorcycle batteries. The reason is that small panels cannot generate the power required to charge a large battery to
100% capacity. It may charge to 75% or 80% of capacity but that leaves a lot to be desired capacity wise and will at some point lead to quicker deterioration of the cells inside your battery. Rule of thumb: if your battery never reaches 13.6V in full sun around noon time, your panel is too small (or you have a bad cell in your battery).
– Try to get 1 or 2 used batteries that measure 12.3V or higher at rest. If that doesn’t work, buy 1 with 100Ah (or more) capacity. Deep cycle is great, but marine type is okay too and less expensive and easier to get. Car batteries will work fine but they cannot be discharged as deeply and won’t last as long (but still at least a few years) due to their different grid construction.
– If you can no longer use your car (for any reason you can think of) its quite alright to take out its battery and use that as free additional storage capacity, but you shouldn’t mix new and used batteries in a single battery bank. Perhaps you can even round up some additional batteries in the neighborhood, though I strongly suggest you ask the owners’ permission first.
– Connect panel to batteries and point panel at the sun. Depending on your panel’s connectors, you may need to get or make an adapter for this.
– You now have a system that can provide you with light, a radio and the ability to charge flashlights, 2-way radios, small rechargeable batteries, some gadgets and, likely, your cordless tools year round.
– Since you operate on a shoestring and want your investment to last:
* buy a (inexpensive) small voltmeter and make sure your batteries never drop below 12V (12.2V for car batteries).
* buy a gallon of de-ionized water (it is still inexpensive and easy to get) and keep all cells in your batteries topped up.
* cover the battery terminals and connections with a layer of petroleum jelly (a.k.a. vaseline) to avoid corrosion.
– Best of all: your system is portable. If you have to leave you can take it with you, maybe not on a bicycle but definitely in a car. And so you will be in much better shape than if you had nothing at all.

Letter Re: American Redoubt Relocation Climate Questions

James,
My question is on the American Redoubt.  It’s late in the game, but I’ve got to get out of Southern California.
 
What do you think of eastern Montana as a place to settle down?  Are the snows as bad as the Western part of the state?  My parents used to have a place 7 miles outside of West Yellowstone, and they said it was the coldest spots in the continental U.S.  Is the eastern part of Montana like that?
 
I’ve been watching what’s going on in America, and even I’m getting shaken.  I need to go where they won’t allow Obamacare, where they won’t allow Obama to take our guns, and where land is dirt cheap.

Let me ask:
 
        -Montana?
 
        -Wyoming?
 
        -Texas?  (In the North, I don’t like the demographics down south)
 
        -West Virginia?
 
        -Vermont, was it Vermont that nullified Obamacare?
 
        -North or South Dakota, or perhaps Idaho.
 
I think I’ve got a few friends convinced to move with me, so we can be each other’s backup.
 
I’ve been reading your blog for years; you and Karl Denninger are the two I rely on for this crisis. Thanx for your time, – Tina F.

JWR Replies:

To begin, West Yellowstone is fairly high elevation, so that makes it atypical of the region.

Eastern Montana has some problems:

It is plains country, so it is prone to drifting snow.
The winters are brutal.
It is DOWN WIND of the Malmstrom AFB missile fields.
It is DOWN WIND of Yellowstone and the potential supervolcano. (Yes, I know, “Once each 10,000 years”, but…)

I prefer Northwestern Montana and north Idaho, because they are WEST of the Great Divide, and hence have a milder climate.

My book “Rawles on Retreats and Relocation” has my detailed locale recommendations.  That $28 book will save you a couple of hours of phone consulting time (at $100 per hour.)  But some of that data is also available free, here.

My top choice is the vicinity of St. Maries, Idaho.  That valley has a much more mild climate. And there is great shopping just an hour away in Coeur d’Alene and Spokane is another 40 minutes beyond.)

Economics and Investing:

The hindrance of global debt – Spain accelerating to major bailouts and bond markets react. Eurozone stock markets in major decline.

David B. sent this: Fed Plans Dollar Devaluation, New Evidence; Why Now?

G.G. suggested this: David Stockman: “The Capital Markets Are Simply A Branch Casino Of The Central Bank” (Includes a link to an insightful video interview of Stockman.)

Also from G.G.: San Marino falls victim to the eurozone crisis

Items from The Economatrix:

Greece Now in “Great Depression,” Says PM

Is Vegas Signaling the Consumer is Folding?

Europe’s Systemic Collapse…And What it Means for Us and You

Wall Street Falls As Europe Hits Earnings

Odds ‘n Sods:

H.L. sent this profile of delusion: 55 Percent Of Americans Believe That The Government Will Take Care Of Them If Disaster Strikes. The article includes this frightening statistic: “53 percent of all Americans do not have a 3 day supply of nonperishable food and water in their homes.”

   o o o

G.G. flagged this: A Nation That’s Losing Its Toolbox. Thankfully, SurvivalBlog readers are regaining forgotten skills, with plenty of hands-on experience in our gardens, in our wood shops, and under the hoods of our vehicles.

   o o o

How to stop a massacre

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K.A.F. sent: Freezing Tomatoes to can at a later time

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F.G. mentioned that there has been a bit too much “privatizing”: The Terrifying Background of the Man Who Ran a CIA Assassination Unit. [JWR Adds: For some further reading, do a web search on the phrase “JSOC Kill/Capture Team.”]

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Our character is best revealed by the decisions we’ve made and the impact of these decisions on ourselves and others. Over time, the decisions we make–large and small–become the legacy we leave behind.” – Erwin Lutzer

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 41 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), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

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.

Round 41 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Buying Inexpensive Groceries in Small Towns, by Sarah in Texas

The “extreme couponing” movement is fascinating. In larger communities than mine, people can combine coupons, sales, and store policies (like double- or triple-coupon days) to walk out with free or dirt-cheap groceries, hygiene items, and other goodies. When you’re trying to build a survival stockpile, every dollar matters; it’s great to get a years’ worth of toothbrushes for the entire family for just a few dollars, for example, and to stock up on canned vegetables for twenty cents apiece.

However, I live in a small town. This rural part of Texas includes a Wal-Mart Supercenter, a local grocery store, and a small supermarket. All have sales, and they accept coupons (no doubling or tripling allowed, though, and they won’t accept most online/home-printed coupons), but it’s difficult to get fantastic deals like twenty-five-cent tubes of toothpaste or fifty-cent bags of flour.

This doesn’t mean that Mom and I pay full, retail price for most of our groceries and other essentials. Mom and Dad are living on his Social Security retirement, which doesn’t go very far. Also, we’re still building our survival stockpiles, so we end up spending the same amount of grocery money—we’re just coming home with a lot more these days, a good chunk of which is stored for later.

Our process is a bit time consuming, but we’re motivated to make the investment, especially with recent word that drought conditions in Indiana will affect food prices. We have to eat no matter how expensive or scarce food becomes in the future, so we figure that having a buffer now, when the biggest pain is investing time in the stocking-up process, is best.

We’re Wal-Mart Shoppers
For ninety-something percent of our grocery shopping, we go to Wal-Mart. Regardless of how anybody might feel about that corporation—we can all agree, I’m sure, that they don’t have a perfect track record—they’re the go-to source for groceries where I live.

Why? Wally World honors competitors’ sales ads. Each store has its own policies, which you can check out by calling or visiting the customer-service desk. In most cases, a local competitor’s sales circular is acceptable as long as an actual price is printed; Wally World won’t generally honor sales like “Buy one, get one for a penny” or “Twenty percent off X item.”
One huge advantage is that Wal-Mart substitutes its own, store brand for generic or store-brand items in circulars. The catch is that they must be the same item as far as weight and contents are concerned. I can’t get a fifty-pound bag of Ol’ Roy dog food (Wally World’s brand) if the advertised, store brand is forty-four pounds. I also can’t get Neufchatel cheese for the sale price if the advertisement is for cream cheese.

However, because most Supercenters stock a large selection of groceries and other goods, finding a comparable item in the store isn’t difficult. Wal-Mart also carries quite a few national brands, which often go on sale somewhere. It’s rare for me to find something I want in a sales ad that I can’t find on the shelves.

Finding Ads
On Wednesdays, I get online and look at the sales circulars for other stores. If the supermarkets are nearby, these ads will show up in the mailbox. That applies to the supermarket and local grocery store I mentioned earlier; the other dozen-plus stores don’t mail us anything, as we live too far away, so I use the Internet.

My Wal-Mart honors ads from stores up to sixty miles away, which includes a very-large, well-populated region. The sprawling metropolis has supermercados (Hispanic supermarkets), which tend to have excellent sales prices on meat and produce. They’re also good for deals on paper products, various soaps, and cleaning items.

I visit the supermercados’ sites first. That’s where I find sales like:
Tomatoes: 5 pounds for a dollar (Wal-Mart price: $1.98 a pound)
White or yellow onions: 5 (sometimes 8) pounds for a dollar (Wal-Mart price: at least $1.49 a pound)
Cantaloupe: $1 each (Wal-Mart price: $1.98 each)
Boneless, skinless chicken breast: $1 a pound (Wal-Mart price: $2.99 a pound)
Eggs: $1 a dozen (Wal-Mart price: $2 a dozen)
Other supermarkets also have great sales. Mom and I like McCormick’s Grill Mates seasonings for some cooking. They’re $2.50 apiece at Wal-Mart, but we have a few dozen of them in storage. They were $1 apiece at one grocery store about fifty miles away, so we stocked up by “comp shopping” at the local Wal-Mart. (Try the Montreal Chicken next time you grill chicken breasts; it’s delicious.)
Also, we can combine sale prices with coupons. When that happens, we do our best to stock up on those items. Coupons aren’t easy to find out here unless we buy the newspaper—people aren’t interested in setting up a coupon swap, for some reason—but we do what we can.
Since we started doing this more than two years ago, Mom and I have learned that ads run in cycles. The first week of the month, for example, is not a great time to go stock-up shopping; stores tend to have fewer sales, or worse sales prices. That, I suspect, is because lots of people are paid around the first of the month (retirees, for example). They’re going to do the bulk of their shopping that week, so why offer them the best sales prices when they’re going to show up to buy food no matter how much or little it costs?
Sales cycles run throughout the month and, in some cases, by seasons. The third week of the month, for example, is a good time to stock up on toilet paper and paper towels, as this is when stores tend to have the best sales. Why? I have no idea. All I know is that the pattern is rather consistent, so Mom and I buy our paper products for the month (and for the long-term stash) that week of the month.
Making Menus and Lists
When I’m finished writing down sales prices for items or printing the pages of ads that we want to use, Mom and I plan the weekly menu. Most of what we make around here is based on what we found on sale, at least for fresh goods like meat and produce. Even perishables like vegetables and meat are preserved—we have a Food Saver, food dehydrator, and freezer—but some of the fresh food goes into this week’s meals. Basing food on what’s inexpensive this week saves money and, because Mom and I have loads of recipes that we all like, there are few complaints about the menu. Fresh, homemade meals can be inexpensive but nutritious, especially if you don’t pay full, retail price for the ingredients.
Using my ads or notes, Mom makes the grocery list. She’s shopped at the local Supercenter so long that she knows exactly where to find each item, so she writes the list in that order. We hit the pharmacy first, so those items are at the top. We hit the produce section last, so those items are at the bottom.
Mom’s list, usually on notebook paper, includes several columns titled “Item,” “Description,” “Store,” “Price,” and “Other.” For example:
Item: Canned corn
Description: Store brand, 15 oz.
Store: Dave’s Fiesta Mart
Price: 50 cents
Other: Limit 5
This way, she doesn’t have to go through a stack of ads, which we regularly see other shoppers doing. Why not spend some extra time, while we’re at the house, to organize the list into one, neat page? (Mom writes on the front and back side of the paper; it’s rare for her to need a second page, but it does happen.)

The Shopping Trip
The entire trip to Wal-Mart, from entering to exiting the front doors, takes an hour and a half to two hours. That seems like a long time, but we’re shopping for both the week and our stockpile; it’s common for us to push two carts full of goods out to the truck.

When we first started, trips took longer—up to four hours in a couple of cases—because we weren’t as efficient as we are these days. We’ve learned, mostly through trial and error, to plan things before we leave the house so that we aren’t wandering up and down the aisles, spending what seems like forever trying to find one stupid thing we need.
While we’re in the store, we separate sale items from the rest of the things in the cart. Sometimes, Mom and I both push a cart: one for sale items and the other for the rest. Either way, staying organized while we’re going up and down the aisles makes things go faster when we get to the cashier.
The main problem with shopping competitors’ ads at Wal-Mart is the extra time involved with checking out. Mom and I have cut time from that process by keeping everything separated while we’re in the store, but that does only so much.

We have to tell the cashier where that item’s on sale and how much it costs. He or she might have to verify by looking at a copy of the ad, which management puts at each register. The cashier must manually override the computer every time he or she scans a sale item which, even with an experienced employee, eats up time.
When I’m pushing two Wal-Mart carts full of purchases out the door, after paying all of $200 for them—including non-grocery items like pet food, laundry soap, and the like—I’m fine with the extra time spent on all this. We don’t have much money around here, but we have extra food and other essentials because of comp shopping. If I have to spend thirty minutes looking ad ads and then an hour and a half shopping for those goods, that’s what I’ll do—and keep doing as long as there’s money to spend at the store and items on the shelves to buy.