Keeping Honey Bees for Survival by The Bee Whisperer

Why Keep Honey Bees?
Wandering into the woods and staying lost for months is something I love to do. I have been an survivalist for 24 years, and have been keeping bees for more than 10 of those years. With these experiences under my belt, I have begun to teach people how to be a survivalist, and one subject I focus on is the art of beekeeping.

Before I tell you the benefits of having bees and some cheap ways to keep them, I suggest that you find a book about beekeeping to help you understand the terms I use and show you more details on how to keep bees for the long haul. One of the best books I have read is The ABC & XYZ of Bee Culture. I also suggest that you try to find some beekeeping courses in your area—not only to learn more about it, but to connect with peers and mentors. For my disclaimer, you should also research your local and state laws on beekeeping.
 
Apis mellifera, more commonly referred to as the honey bee, is one of the most beneficial insects in the world. Did you know that we have the honey bee to thank for one third of all the food we eat? Why, without the honey bee, we would mostly eat rice, wheat, and corn instead of the wonderful variety of fruits, vegetables, and nuts we enjoy every day. Not only do honey bees help make more food from pollination, they make a wide variety of products as well.

The most recognizable product, honey, a sweet food made by bees from the nectar of flowers. Aside from its common use in sweetening teas, honey is used to treat burns, alleviate allergies, and use in IVs (intravenous) for blood transfusions. It is also well known as a key ingredient in king’s mead, honey wine and man’s first alcoholic beverage. It is great for cooking in place of sugar, and has more nutritional value than cane or corn sugar. Honey has an endless shelf life when stored at room temperature in a sealed container. Most raw natural honey crystallizes, providing the survivalist with an endless supply of sugar that never goes bad.
 
Bee pollen, or pollen from flowers that is collected by bees during pollination, is harvested and used to fight allergies and treating mild cases of hay fever. Medications that use pollen include Claritin (loratadine), Benadryl (diphenhydramine), and chlorophrenamine. Pollen is a great source of carbohydrates and is used to provide athletes energy boots.
 
Propolis, a resinous mixture that honey bees collect, relieves inflammation, viral diseases, ulcers, and superficial burns or scalds. It is also believed to promote heart health, strengthen the immune system, and reduce the chances of cataracts . Old beekeepers recommend that a piece of propolis be kept in the mouth as a remedy for a sore throat.
 
Beeswax, a natural wax produced in the hive, has long been called the ancient man’s plastic, and is used as such today. Common products you see beeswax used in include body creams, coating for  cheeses, cosmetics, fine candles, furniture and shoe polishes, modeling materials to create jewelry and sculptures, pharmaceuticals, among hundreds of other items. It is often mixed with other ingredients such as olive oil (sweet oil) and sometimes paraffin. For hundreds of years, beeswax was used as a sealant or lubricant for bullets in cap and ball, and firearms that use black powder. Beeswax was also used to stabilize the military explosive Torpex, before it was replaced by a petroleum-based product.
 
Apitherapy is the medical use of bee products—most commonly associated with bee venom therapy, which uses bee venom in the use of health conditions. The active component of bee venom is melittin, which has a powerful anti-inflammatory action. Bee venom is a complex mix of a variety of peptides and proteins, some of which have strong neurotoxic and immunogenic effects. The most well-known bee venom therapy is for autoimmune diseases and multiple sclerosis. Bee venom therapy is also used to treat arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, dissolving scar tissue (keloids), and herpes zoster, among other illnesses. Just a little sting and you have just been to the doctor.
 
As you have just read, the benefits of keeping honey bees for products and pollination is infinite. Not only can you use these products yourself, you can sell them to make money at local farmers markets or boutiques, or barter with clans around the woods. I recommend keeping three to five hives at your home or survival camp. The benefits of the honey bee can not be matched for the survivalist.
   
Now that I have told you some of the many the benefits of having bees, I am going to tell you the basic style of beekeeping and some cheap ways to keep bees. Again, my focus is on survival beekeeping, or “off the grid” beekeeping. I will give you a list of what you need, and then tell you how to make some of the items, or find them cheap. Once again, I suggest that you find a book about beekeeping to help you understand the terms I use and the different kinds of hives available for beekeeping. You can find books everywhere—used book stores and yard sales are the cheapest, and you may even find used equipment there as well.
 
As a beekeeper you must have protection. Beekeepers suits can be expensive—cost of protective gear ranges from $100-$200, depending on what you get (hoods and gloves, full body suits, etc.). Suits can be found online, in beekeeping stores, swap meets, or yard sales. However, if you’d like to take a thrifty approach you need to have:
 
·          High rubber boots, which can be found at farm supply stores or retail centers such as Wal-Mart. Make sure you own a pair that you can get in and out of quickly and can go over your pants.
·          Pants that can be tucked into your boots. I like to use duct tape to tape the boots onto the pants so your legs and feet are completely protected.
·          Long-sleeve shirts than can bed tucked in to your pants.
·          Hooded jackets, which can be cinched tightly around your face, so only your face shows.
·          A ball cap worn under the hood—the starting point of a screened hood. To make this, stitch screen over the top of the hooded jacket and then use duck tape all around the screen to keep the bees out. The cap pushes the screen away from your face.
·          Welding gloves that you duck tape the ends to the jacket sleeves so you’re all sealed up.
 
Another cheap way is to use a rain suit that you can duct tape your gloves, boots, waist, and stitch a screen over the face. Now that you are protected from head to toe, let’s focus on where you will keep the bees, or the bee hive. The most commonly used hive is called a Langstroth hive. It is made as an open top hive and holds frames that can be removed to inspect brood (aka baby bees or larva) and to pull honey out of the hive. You can order a pre-built hive or find plans to build your own hive from the internet. There are also many books on how build and use the Langstroth hive. I will repeat myself again: find a book and use it as a resource. And take any classes you can find in your area. I have been keeping bees for more than 10 years, and have lost hives over my learning experience. But just like any thing, you never know until you try.

          Now that you have your protective gear, a hive for the bees, and a book to reference, you are ready for the bees. There are nearly 20,000 species of bees—honey bees represent a small fraction of the species with between seven and 11 species and 44 subspecies—and they come from all around the globe. Bees can be ordered online, and from local bee clubs—most are shipped via UPS.  A package of bees can cost around $80-$200, depending on the species that you decide to purchase. The package weighs between three to four pounds, and has around 10 to 20 thousand bees inside, which is a good number to start building your hive. Bees can be installed into the hive in a manner of minutes—and if you take your time, you can watch them get to work in the hive immediately.
 
            Naturally, my favorite bee is the free bee. Free bees can be found when bees swarm, which happens when the queen bee leaves a colony with a group of worker bees in search of a new hive. They often gather in trees or the eves of houses, which leave them in harms way by people who do not want them around. By offering to collect swarms, you can get free bees for your hive. Put an advertisement in the newspaper, or local listing, that you are willing to remove swarms. When the swarm first settles down and forms a cluster, it is fairly simple to capture. Swarms normally last no more than 24 hours, so you must be ready. To capture a swarm, you’ll need: 
·          A box or a bucket with a lid. I use five gallon buckets that have a hole in the top laced with screen so the bees are able to breathe until you can put them into a hive.
·          A soft brush and a wide scraper. These help to move the bees, if needed.
·          A ladder to climb on to get to the bees so you are not reaching up in the air swatting at them—sometimes they are  high in the trees, or the roof of the house.
·          Your protective gear—you do not want to get stung when collecting a swarm of bees for your hive.
 
When collecting a swarm of bees in a bush or tree, put the bucket below the area the swarm is in and give the branch a good shake. Let the nest fall into the bucket. Use the brush to sweep the remaining bees into the bucket, and then place the lid on the bucket. If the swarm is on something that you cannot shake, take the wide scraper and place it so you can scoop the bees and place them into the bucket. Use your brush to sweep the bees on the scraper and drop them in the bucket as well. When you have nearly 90 percent of the bees in the bucket, place the lid on your bucket and look to see if the remaining bees start landing on the lid. They will start to land on the bucket and fan, which tells the bees that the queen is inside the bucket and they are moving. Let the bucket set for 30 minutes and let the bees inside and outside of the bucket collect on the lid. Then pop the top of the bucket so all the bees drop to the bottom of the bucket and take the lid off. Flip the lid and brush the bees on the lid into the bucket. Then replace the lid and take the bees to their new hive.
 
When you get to the hive you’re going to place the bees in, open it and remove four to five frames, or top bars, out of your way. Pop the bucket on the lid once more so the bees fall to the bottom of the bucket and open the lid. Then shake bees in the bucket into the hive. Once you have the swarm in the hive, replace the frames or top bars and cover the hive. You have successfully placed your bees into the hive. Be sure to check the bees in one week to see if they are building comb.
 
Now you have your bee hive. Read your book and if you have any questions, feel free to contact me at ABEEFriendlyCompany@gmail.com. I would enjoy reading about your experiences and looking at photos of your work. If you reside in Wyoming, I often offer courses through my company, A BEE Friendly Company—details can be found on my business Facebook page.
 
As I said, I am a survivalist and love the outdoors and keeping bees will get you outdoors more. Like gardening, the work you put in makes great rewards. Keep your Head up and your powder dry.

Letter Re: Is There Utility in Melting Silver for Ingots?

Hello,
I am a fairly new reader to SurvivalBlog.  I must say I enjoy reading it and have found a ton of useful knowledge here. I have a question If you have time to answer.  I have a large amount of old U.S. Coins and would like to refine the silver out of them myself.  Is the possible for a do-it-yourselfer? If so, what is the best process for this?  I am also considering melting down some old silverware and jewelry.  I would want to cast my own mini bars or silver coins for ease of storing and bartering.  I have reviewed  Coinflation.com and have determined that I have a lot of coins in the pre-1965 range that contain 90% silver. (Which of course is worth about 25 times more than the face valve of the U.S. currency itself.)
 
For WTSHTF,  I want to be prepared as much as I am able to for my situation at hand.  I have already been stockpiling ammunition and canned goods. (I’m still a long ways from where I would like to be but I’m working on it one paycheck at a time.) – Trey H.

JWR Replies: I do not recommend melting any recognizable U.S., Canadian, or Mexican coins to cast into ingots. Here is my reasoning: First and foremost, coins have a known, well-recognized purity and value, which makes them ideal for barter. But privately-cast ingots will ALWAYS be treated with great suspicion, and the buyer may demand that they be assayed. Second, U.S. pre-1965 dimes, quarters and half dollars are 90% silver, alloyed with a hardener added, to give them sufficient durability for the rigors of day-to-day circulation. In contrast, silver ingots are typically cast as .999 fine (virtually pure) silver. So creating your own ingots would require a lot of time to not just melt the coins but also require adding nitric acid and extra time to skim away the hardener, which would be set aside as “dross”. Why risk chemical and heat burns and spend your precious time and your expensive fuel to melt coins to make them into something LESS recognizable, for barter? That simply makes no sense. Unless you are an expert artisan that is making jewelry, there is no point in melting silver coins. For barter, even silver jewelry is better left in “scrap” form — just “as is”. Furthermore, silver chains can be cut into incremental lengths with diagonal cutters or a cold chisel, to facilitate small barter transactions. This is much more difficult to do with thicker ingots, at least with any precision.

If you have a large quantity of scrap silver, them you are better off trading it to a well known reputable coin dealer. You can ask for either pre-1965 (90% silver) coins or .999 fine one-ounce silver “rounds”, in exchange. In the next few years, as silver advances past $50 per try ounce, I predict that 1/4-ounce and 1/2-ounce coins will be made in larger numbers than today. (A one ounce coin is simply becoming too valuable to be used for small transactions.)

Economics and Investing:

J.B.G. mentioned a recent piece by the ever-cheery Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: Fear gauge enters the red zone.

Bama Man sent this: Chicago Tower Year’s Largest Muni-Bond Default

Rhonda T. sent this sign of the times: Spam Turns Serious and Hormel Turns Out More

From The Washington Post: World Market Fall Sharply After Fed Action on Bonds (Thanks to Linda U. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

Peter Schiff On Obamanomics:  “There Are Not Enough Open Minds In The Capitol To Keep This Ship From Sinking”

S&P Downgrades Italian Sovereign Debt Rating; Fear of Contagion Spreads

Implosive Fusion of Global Financial Assets

IATA Says Airline Profits For 2012 to Drop 29%

30 Signs that the US Economy is About to Go into the Toilet

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader W.E.P. mentioned this: Feds tracking articles that include “zombie apocalypse”. [JWR’s Comment: Of course “zombie apocalypse” is often used as to describe other disasters. This leads me to ask: Are the spooks looking for clues or cues for socioeconomic collapse?]

   o o o

Reader D.V. and Stephen F. both recommended this article over at KK* Cool Tools: Homesteading Alone. (It is three book reviews, in one.)

   o o o

F.G. flagged this bit of bureaucratic nincompoopery: OTC inhalers to be phased out to protect ozone layer

   o o o

Greg C. mentioned Reason # 948 to Leave California: Orange County Couple Threatened With $500-Per-Meeting Fines For Home Bible Study

   o o o

Steve G. pointed me to an interesting piece on low-level encryption for generating passwords for web sites. 

Notes from JWR:

My current publisher (the Atria Books Division of Simon & Schuster) asked me to create a few instructional videos, to help promote the upcoming release of “Survivors: A Novel of the Coming Collapse”. The first of these is already available on YouTube: Do-It Yourself (DIY) Rotary Hand Awl. Sorry that the video looks a bit amateurish. And I couldn’t keep a couple of our roosters from crowing in the background. I’m an absolute greenhorn at this.

By using tight close-ups, the pretty scenery at the Rawles Ranch was not shown–for the sake of OPSEC. (Some of the mountains that could be seen would be recognizable.)

Shooting the first video, editing it, and adding the titles turned out to be much more time-consuming than I had anticipated. But it was a great way for my family to learn some new video and editing skills. I will make more of these videos as time permits.

—

Today we present another entry for Round 36 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) 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 B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) 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, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

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

Round 36 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A Survival Battery and Gear For a Prepper Family of Four, by Irish-7

I am writing our family’s security preparations, specifically the weapon selection and breakdown per family member. I will also describe our “Battle Rattle” (web gear) and survival kits.
  
First, a little background and base information. I am a retired US Army First Sergeant with over 30 years of military service. I have performed multiple jobs of my lengthy career, mainly in the Combat Arms. I was a Mortarman and Automatic Rifleman in the Airborne Infantry. I was a Unit Armorer, Supply Sergeant and Rifle Platoon Sergeant in the Mechanized Infantry and a Scout Platoon Sergeant and Cavalry First Sergeant in a Brigade Reconnaissance Troop. Those were all active duty positions. I was also a Military Policeman for two years in the US Army Reserve. I retired in late 2010.

My family began preparation for crisis, disaster, TEOTWAWKI in March of 2011. Our efforts have been adversely impacted in that the Veterans Administration has not yet paid my award for Service Connected Disability. I have been waiting almost a year. But, I collected and saved some things over three decades in the Army. I believe that this military equipment will be very valuable in any survival situation. I owned several guns before we began preparation for the pending tragedies. We have purchased multiple weapons specifically for WTSHTF. We have four members of our “Nuclear Family” as Jerry Ahern defines in his book Survive!: The Disaster, Crisis and Emergency Handbook. I have a wife and two teenage sons. I wanted each family member to have both “stand off” and short range firing capabilities. I consider “stand off” to be a rifle or shotgun with slugs and short range to be a pistol.

I will carry a Bushmaster M4 Carbine. This is the civilian version of the U.S. military’s main assault weapon. It is a 5.56mm (.223 Remington) rifle. I also have a Colt Gold Cup Series 70 M1911A1 Cal.45 pistol for a short range weapon. I built my web gear using the vest type suspenders (as opposed to the old LC-1). I kept the two small arms ammunition cases on the pistol belt so to free up the ammo pockets on the vest for a hand held radio, GPS and some survival supplies. This set up holds a lensatic compass, 2 one-quart canteens, a canteen cup, pistol holster, fixed blade knife and a small buttpack. The web gear is a complete survival kit containing all the basic necessities for shelter (poncho and emergency blanket), water storage/purification, First Aid, sanitation items (toilet paper, baby wipes, soap), food procurement (fishing kit), plus several pocket knives and multi-tools (pliers and hammer types). The web gear holds about 200 rounds of 5.56mm ammo for the M4 and 50 rounds for the M1911 pistol.

My oldest son is assigned a Mossberg Model 88 12 gauge pump shotgun and a Smith & Wesson Model 19-4 .357 Magnum pistol. His web gear was built using the LC-1 suspenders and a cotton-web pistol belt. I attached a larger buttpack on this Load Bearing Equipment (LBE). It essentially hold the same survival items as my set up, with the addition of wire saw and a snack bag containing trail mix, Slim Jims, Beef Jerky, Nutri-bars and Jolt gum. He has the same 2 one quart canteens, canteen cup and 2 ammo pouches as me. With the addition of a shotgun bandoleer, he can carry 100 rounds of mixed 12 gauge ammo (slugs and “00” buckshot), plus about 80 rounds of .357 Magnum (6- in the cylinder, 4-speedloaders + a box).

I am giving my wife a Savage Model 24J over/under .22 LR/20 gauge combination rifle/shotgun. She also has a Walther PPK .380 handgun. She purchased one of those tactical vests that the SWAT teams use. We hooked the vest on a civilian fanny pack, the kind with the Nalgene water bottles on both sides of the zippered pouch. The vest / fanny pack combination is also a complete survival kit. Combining the sling on the rifle/shotgun and a sleeve on the buttstock, there is 20 rounds of mixed shotgun slugs and numbers 3, 4 & 6 shot. I inserted a prescription pill bottle in one of the shotgun shell loops on the sling. It holds 27 rounds of 22 Long Rifle. She can carry about 40 rounds total for the shotgun, 200 rounds for the .22 rifle and 74 pistol cartridges (3 x 8 round magazines for the PPK .380, plus a spare box of 50 cartridges.) Granted, the Savage over/under is not a great defensive weapon. But, it is a diverse tool for hunting food.

Since my youngest son is somewhat leery of rifles or shotguns with strong recoil, I have assigned him my Henry AR-7 Air Force Survival Rifle. As with the Savage 24J, it would not be my first choice for security. I will point out that the magazine holds 8 .22 LR cartridges. I purchased three additional magazines (to supplement the two that come with the rifle) and affixed a small pouch to hold the magazines on the inside of the buttstock. In very short order, he could put out a hail of .22 LR rounds. I also gave him a [Hi-Standard] Sentinel 9-shot .22 revolver. His web gear consists of the fanny pack with the two Nalgene water bottles.      

In addressing the rucksack / backpack assignments, I will open with stating that I am still using my large frame rucksack that I had as a paratrooper in the early 1980’s. It may be more than I should be carrying with my current medical conditions, but I believe that I am mentally strong enough to push myself into bearing that weight. Periodically, I will “Ruck Up” and go for a Forced March to prove that I can still handle the weight. I have always subscribed to the theory that “It is better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it”. On the outside of the military ruck I attached an entrenching tool (small, folding shovel), a 24” machete / saw, a 2 quart collapsible canteen and a small hatchet. I won’t go over all the contents of the rucksack, but I will say that it holds similar provisions as the web gear survival kit, but in greater quantity or more elaborate spread. For example, the first aid kit in the ruck is larger than the buttpack. Where the buttpack contained a $2.50 Space Blanket, the rucksack has the military version of the $12.95 All Weather Blanket. I will credit John D. McCann’s book Build the Perfect Survival Kit for helping me choose the contents.

My wife and kids have smaller backpacks. They are using the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) camouflage pattern medium rucksacks that Army National Guard Recruiters give out as enlistment perks. They are frameless packs with multiple, zipper-closed compartments. They hold complete survival necessities, including ponchos, poncho liners, folding saw or hatchet, mess, sewing, fishing, fire starting and first aid “kits”. There is also space for emergency blankets, Mountain House or MRE entrees, Datrex Rations, toilet paper, baby wipes and a waterproof box holding insect repellant, sunscreen, Chapstick, water purification tablets, baby powder and a small tune of Curel hand cream.

Our packs are more “Survival Kits” than full “Bug Out” Bags”. We each have a separate bag with clothing, more rations, personal hygiene items and a few manuals such as Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties: and JWR’s How to Survive the End of the World As We Know It. We also carry an assortment of other books on wilderness survival, first aid, prescription drugs, and home remedies.

I carry a versatile hand truck in my SUV. The cart will hold our Bug Out Bags, a case of bottled water, 1 case of MREs and a milk crate with auto items (larger First Aid Kit, tow rope, folding shovel, field shower, roll of garbage bags and camp toilet seat). This ingenious item is lightweight, but strong enough to hold 400 pounds. It can be set up as a cart on four wheels and be pushed/pulled down any hard ball road. Or, it can be stood up as a hand truck on two wheels and be dragged through the field. (My plan to affix a police ballistic riot shield to the cart has not yet been fulfilled).We also have a collapsible hand truck for any last minute, additional items. Of course, we would only be using these hand trucks and carts if we were forced to walk to our “Bug Out Location”. Our intentions are to “Bug In” at our home. One quick note about storing weapons in my truck: I do not carry all these weapons and bulk supply of ammunition around with me during routine use of the vehicle. In my mind, such practice would not be very reasonable. I do keep the AR-7 Survival Rifle and the Savage Model 24J over/under .22 LR/20 gauge in the truck for most travel within our region. My wife and I both have concealed weapons permits in our home state. At any given time, I have the Colt .45 Auto and she has the Walther PPK .380 or Smith and Wesson .380 Bodyguard. We each purchased at least four extra magazines.

In closing, I feel compelled to state that we prefer a “Bug In” over “Bug Out” scenario, if we are to face any type of crisis or disaster situation. I am confident that we have covered the required security considerations with the mixture and breakdown of weapons on hand. The topography of the land surrounding our home allows us to engage potential threats with all four “Stand Off” weapons: M4 Carbine, AR-7 Rifle, Mossberg Shotgun and both barrels of the Savage over/under system. The handgun calibers: .45 ACP, .357 Magnum  and .380 Auto are ample defense in protecting us in the odd event that robbers penetrate our perimeter. I have plans to enhance our capabilities with the purchase of additional weapons: Ruger Mini-14, Remington 870 20 gauge Pump, Smith and Wesson Governor .410 gauge/.45 Colt, S&W Model 686 .357 Magnum (4” barrel) and Springfield M6 22 LR /. 410 Gauge. My oldest son questioned why I am looking at new revolvers instead of new automatics. I reminded him that a revolver has less moving parts to lube, higher potential to break/jam/malfunction and does not have to be disassembled to clean. I also reminded him that an $1,800 Kimber .45 Auto is reduced to single-shot by a broken magazine spring.

JWR Adds: Instead of buying a Ruger Mini-14 as you mentioned, I’d instead recommend buying a second M4gery. This will give you commonality of training, magazines, accessories, and spare parts. I’d also recommend a .44 Magnum revolver, rather than a Smith and Wesson Governor. Both .410 buckshot and slugs are poor man stoppers, and most factory .45 Colt loadings are very mild. (They are loaded that way with liability in mind, since there are large numbers of Colt single-action Peacemakers still in circulation, and some of these date to before 1896, when Colt switched from iron frames to steel frames.) Furthermore, .44 Magnum and .44 Special have a wider rim than .45 Colt. Most revolver extractors can “miss” the scanty rim on .45 Colt brass, causing a very slow-to-remedy “extractor over rim” jam. This sort of jam is a nuisance at the range, but in the midst of a gunfight it could prove to be either indelibly memorable, or tragic.

Three Letters Re: Beans, Bullets, Band-Aids and Hygiene

I was just rereading the original posting about “beans, bullets and hygiene”. The author wrote to be sure to check out the discount bins for after season sales on holiday soaps. He wrote that while the soaps may be strongly scented “nobody will care after TEOTWAWKI what they smell like”. But actually, it may matter. 
 
We live in the country. We’re not daily assaulted by the highly aromatic city folks wearing their cologne, perfume and scented body washes. So when we do happen to come in contact with them, we can smell them coming from quite a distance.
 
Its sorta’ the same as noise. Today’s world is so full of the noise of cars passing by, planes overhead, radios and television playing (not to mention those things people stick in their ears) that you don’t even notice some neighbor pounding a nail or running a chainsaw.
 
But after all goes quiet, and after daily showers become much less common, folks’ hearing and smelling will become much more sensitive. You’ll hear saws running and know “someone” has heat and gas. If a neighbor appears cleaner than anyone else, and especially if they smell “fresher” (that is, perfumey/smelly/soapy) than the usual, you’ll guess that they have more water, more soap, and therefore maybe more “other stuff”. This is not good OPSEC.
 
We believe that when going out to community meetings, or on other occasions of contact outside your immediate group, it may be well to wear older, dirtier clothes so you don’t attract notice. It may also be well to keep in mind that the person who smells 21st Century will be extraordinarily noticeable when everyone else is living 19th Century.
 
Our suggestion is that in a dark world, don’t show your lights. In a world of no gas, don’t be the only one to advertise having fuel for generators and saws. And in a world without instant hot and cold water, don’t smell like Paris Hilton. – Jim in N. Ohio

Mr. Rawles,

I wanted to call to your reader’s attention to the use of soap nuts in place of traditional laundry soap.  We first discovered them when looking for a chemical and fragrance free alternative for cloth diapers and baby clothes.  We now use them for all of our laundry and for many other cleaning jobs around the house.  They are all natural, economical, versatile, and easy to store – taking up much less room than traditional laundry detergent.   They can be reused several times and then composted.  They also work as a natural fabric softener. which is great for line drying.  Soap nuts are fine for septic and gray water systems. 

Other uses include:

  • Hand soap
  • Dishwasher soap
  • Window cleaner
  • All purpose cleaner
  • Shampoo
  • Pest and mosquito repellant
  • Carpet cleaner
  • Pet shampoo
  • Jewelry cleaner

Soap nuts are already very economical.  To get even more for your money, I recommend:

  • Buy in bulk and split the order with friends and family 
  • Don’t buy the “whole” soap nuts.  I prefer breaking them anyway to better release the cleaning agent –  The suppliers don’t always list the pieces on their web site, but if you call them they often times will sell the “broken” soap nuts at a largely discounted price, especially if you are buying in bulk. 
  • Grind your own powder and make your own liquid.  It’s easy to learn and there are many instructions and recipes to be found on the Internet. 

There are various ways to can and preserve the soap nuts liquid, so you can store it in quantity and have it readily available.  We store our soap nuts in a five gallon bucket with a lid, and this lasts our family of four a very long time.   Soap nuts make a great barter item to keep on hand, since they store easily, take up so little space, and have multiple uses. – WoodsyMama

 

James,
I wanted to add something to the recent hygiene article and responses that I have read and that is dental floss.  Dental floss is one of the single best tools for not only healthy teeth but, just as importantly, healthy gums.  Gum disease and tooth decay has been shown to affect overall health and contributes to heart disease and possible brain trauma due to infection.  Dental floss is compact and easy to store and it lasts forever (you might need to check that regarding the ‘flavored’ varieties), there is no reason not to pick up a couple extra packs every time you replace toothbrushes and toothpaste because it could be the difference between saving your teeth and having to learn to survive on broth.
  I also wanted to add a hearty endorsement for using a safety razor, as per the article posted on learning to shave like grandpa.  I started using a safety razor a year ago and I will never go back.  The shave is smoother and easier on the skin, the razor is cleaner because there is less tendency for a single blade to get ‘clogged’, and the blades are indeed cheaper as well as lasting longer since they are double sided.  I don’t have an abundance of facial hair so I have only gone through one pack of double sided razors since started shaving this way.  Its better for your face, less expensive, and more durable – the perfect set of features for a prepper\-friendly shaving kit. Regards, – Doug W.

Letter Re: Everyday Carry Items

Dear Mr. Rawles,
In reference to J.C.R.’s article on Everyday Carry Items, I have a rather nondescript looking purse that I found at a thrift store that I use for Everyday Carry (EDC). I keep using that purse to carry because it is so handy with it’s numerous compartments inside. I have found nothing like it! In one of those compartments, I keep a “Mini Survival Kit”. I saw this at the SurvivaLogic web site. It fits in an Altoids breath mints tin. It’s the handiest thing ever. SurvivaLogic recommended matches, fishing hooks and line, flash light, compass, knife (high quality with file, toothpick, scissors, tweezers), and a mirror.
 
In my kit, I put a small picket knife, just a boring old knife I had; maybe someday I will move up to a better one if I find one. I also put in a flint with striker, a small flashlight with AAA battery (not stored inside, to prevent corrosion), fishing hooks, a small compass, a small whistle, a saw, a bobbin of thread, a needle, and one lanyard that came with one of the “Key ring” size accessories listed above. My thought is that, if need be, I could put almost all of my little kit on the lanyard and carry it around my neck. The thread could be used for fishing, mending, or stitches (in skin). The Altoid tin is sturdy, so it keeps the stuff from getting beat up and dirty in my purse. It fits perfectly in a tiny little compartment. I just can’t keep it in my purse to fly.
 
A first aid kit in an Altoids can: Tiny bottle of essential oils: 3 parts lavender oil and 1 part peppermint oil. This is good for pain of many kinds, sunburns, etc. Band-Aids, gauze. Tube of Burt’s Bees’ lip balm with essential oils; the bees wax is good for many skin ailments. Witch hazel: good for insect bites. Body thermometer. Safety pins. Aloe Vera gel. I am no expert on wilderness survival, but there are many tricks that can be used to utilize the materials at hand. I suppose that Boy Scout training would come in handy. In the absence of a bandage, cotton fabric could be torn and tied around a wound. Certain wild plants (bark for aspirin) can be used for healing– I need to educate myself.
 
In the plethora of credit card slots in my purse, that I don’t hardly fill up, I have lots of information in little business card size books or laminated cards. It would be perfect to keep a small phone book or small first aid book. I like to make up small books in Publisher in the size of a credit card to fit in those slots. They are also a good place to keep a small mirror and/or a flat magnifier. – Anita L.

Economics and Investing:

I’m sure that you saw the many screaming headlines on Thursday, the global markets are melting down, and the pillars of the EU are crumbling. There were two notable oddities amidst Thursday’s panic for those of us that hedge with precious metals: 1.) Spot silver saw a $5 per ounce selloff. This big dip of 12% in one day represents a great opportunity to either convert some of your cash into silver, or ratio trade out of gold into silver. The silver-to-gold ratio now stands at (48.2-to-1.) In just a few years the ratio will likely be 30-to-1, or less. 2.) The price of platinum is now $50+ below the price of gold. With these two aberrations in mind, it is presently wise to swap out of gold and into platinum or silver. You should always take advantage of brief windows of opportunity when markets are aberrant. Do not hesitate!

IMF a Little More Worried About China. (Thanks to K.A.F. for the link.)

Recession’s second act would be worse than the first

And John R. sent these cheery news links:

Welcome To The Collapse Of 2011 (Karl Denninger)

The Fed Disappointed… The Great Collapse Is Here (Graham Summers)
 
Debt crisis: live—Markets tumble after the Fed warns of downside risks, World Bank chief Robert Zoellick says he is losing confidence in recovery and European central bank report questions whether euro can survive. – UK Telegraph
 
Morgan Stanley’s Exposure to French Banks is 60% Greater Than its Market Cap… And More Than Half its Book Value (Tyler Durden)

Items from The Economatrix:

Dow Drops 500 Points on Fears of Another Recession

Mixed Impact On Consumers From Fed’s “Twist”

Fewer People Applied For Unemployment Benefits

Fed Moves To Lower Interest Rates

World is on the Verge of a Devastating New Slump: IMF

The Redline:  A Tale Of Collapse (Fiction)

Depressed as a Nation?  80% of Americans Believe We are Already in a Recession

The End of the Phony Express; Or, The USPS Goes Postal on Our Economy

Rash of Bank Downgrades Signals Return to “Danger Zone”

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Rick B. wrote to mention: “The most important factor in determining when to plant a certain type of vegetable in your garden is the ‘Last Freeze Date’ in the spring, and the ‘First Freeze Date’ in the fall for your area. See the state-by-state charts of these dates, with city specific data, collected over a 30 year period by the National Climatic Data Center.”

   o o o

F.G. flagged this: Why Middle-Class Americans Are Turning to Dumpster Diving

   o o o

K.A.F. mentioned: Extended Interview with Fast and Furious Whistleblower

   o o o

Did you cancel you OnStar contract? Sorry, but they are still tracking you.

   o o o

“Sarah Connor?” A future for drones: Automated killing

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"I stood in the Roman Forum, and I found out that they had a Senate in Rome long ago. That’s why Rome declined. 
Boy! If they declined with a Senate, what will we do with a Senate and a House?" –  Will Rogers, January, 1927

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 36 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) 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 B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) 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, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

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

Round 36 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Small Scale Alternative Energy in Suburbia, by David J.

The range of topics in prepping pretty much covers the spectrum of life, and all aspects tend to be connected, however, this article is mostly limited to my strategies to power my grid dependant, difficult to defend, suburban home when the grid is down, all the while on a limited budget.  No new, earth shattering, break through here, just a plan that uses lots of basics.

My circumstances probably reflect a sizable demographic of the folks who are attempting to prepare for hard times in the suburbs.  A middle class male, married with 4 kids, living in a stick house, in a small town, near a small city, in the crowded northeast.  Fortunately we do not live on a main line of drift. We have no bug out locale.  I have with no military background or engineering experience beyond home handyman.

Several main ideas have guided my strategies, some of the ideas are related and inter connected:

Finances – my budget is stretched, as I am working on reducing debt, prepping, saving and still trying to maintain a modest, comfortable life style.  My energy solutions need to be affordable, or at least let me add to as my budget permits.  This is not the same as cost effective.  Nothing is a cheap and easy as getting electricity from the grid.

Flexibility – I pretty sure I don’t like what is coming down the road, but I don’t know what it is, or when it’s coming.   May not even know that its arrived till is been here for a while.  My preps have to be able to accommodate as wide a range of circumstance as possible, from no power for a few hours, rolling black or brown outs, to maybe no electricity for a year or more.  I also need to consider TEOTWAWKI, may not occur in my lifetime.

Utility – I would like to be able to get some use of my preps during relatively normal, grid up times.

OPSEC – OPSEC is key.  I cannot draw attention to my self and family.  We must blend in.  Our survival could very well depend on keeping a low profile.  We are well armed, but would very much like to avoid any confrontation.

Portability – I may have to relocate, hopefully not as a part of the Golden Horde, but possibly to relatives, neighbors or friends in a more easily defended section of my town.  It could be planned and orderly, or I could be quickly putting gear in the back of my truck, or even a garden wagon or bicycle trailer.  My preps must be modular and not too heavy to carry.

Redundancy – Same concept as “Two is one and one is none.”

Efficiency – Efficiency is not fully on the list. Of course, I would like all my preps to be efficient, but not at the cost of robustness.  I feel that the drive for efficiency has put the nation in a precarious spot.

With these ideas in mind, my main energy strategy has been to simultaneously lower my energy needs and to meet those needs with small photovoltaic (solar) panels and limited use of wind generators.  It has taken a few years and is still a work in progress. It also requires a change in thinking.   Life will not be the same without grid electricity.

A small system will not power my fridge, microwave, toaster oven, furnace or air conditioning. at least for not very long.  I can, however, power fans, lights, sump pumps, alarm system, security cameras, battery chargers, and laptop computers.

A gas generator could meet my immediate energy demands and is affordable, but it violates too many of my guidelines, especially OPSEC. I wouldn’t mind getting one eventually, but see it mostly as a convenience.

A large solar installation is more than I am ready to spend, and also conflicts with my guidelines about portability and poses serious, although quieter, OPSEC problems.  It would probably work nicely in a remote rural area.

Goal: Lower my energy demands by finishing the basement and using DC power.

The reality is, that the only way we can stay in our home, with a long-term power outage during the winter, is to “camp” in it.  There will be a major downgrade in our standard of living.  My goal is to keep us as safe as possible, out of a FEMA shelter, and to cushion the fall as best I can.

The safest place in the house is the basement; it provides some protection from things that could accompany no electricity, like radioactive fallout, severe weather, and gunfire.  Concentrating our living in the basement also lowers our energy usage and makes light discipline a lot easier.  Essentially, we may need to live in the basement during part of the year and the rest of the house will be a large closet.

Previously my basement wasn’t a place one would want to spend much time. After cleaning the cobwebs, my first step was to add cross bracing to the ceiling joists for support.  I studded and partitioned with insulated walls, added some more insulation to the ceiling and put down inexpensive rubber puzzle mat flooring from a discount store.  I made removable, interior, plywood shutters with radiant foil backing for the windows.  We made two rooms, a utility room and a work out room.  There is a small alcove for a potential camping toilet bathroom.  I added no electrical wiring; only utilizing what was already in place. Neither room draws attention from visiting neighbors.  Both are well insulated and partitioned so as to be livable with little energy. 

While the focus of this article is on electricity, I’ll stray a little bit to heat.  Making heat from electricity, especially from low voltage systems is a non-starter; it’s way too inefficient.  Unfortunately we do not have a fireplace. I have some concerns about the smell of wood smoke drawing attention, but future plans include retrofitting the basement for a wood stove.

My extreme cold weather plan is to drain my pipes to prevent bursts and flooding.  There are numerous Internet resources on draining pipes and preventing burst pipes. 

Heat is from a pair of Mr. Heater portable propane heaters.  Mr. Heater runs off both 1 pound and 20-pound propane canisters.  I have extension hoses, filters and a protective box for the 20-pound tanks.  To conserve we will have to run Mr. Heater intermittently, but I don’t think we will freeze to death.  I am afraid to set Mr. Heater on the rubber puzzle mats, so I built plywood stands.  Mr. Heater is designed for indoor use, but be sure to understand the directions before using it and be careful because it gets hot.

For safety, both rooms have dual battery powered CO detectors two different brands) and a smoke detector.  Propane is my stored energy of choice, because it stores well, and no smoke or smell when using it. I know that the 20-pound tanks tend to be under filled, but it is a manageable weight for my wife and kids.  I keep adding to the cache of tanks under the back deck, keep them chained together to make theft more difficult.  My eventual goal is to cache enough of them to supply our needs for two winters.  We never run out of propane when we barbecue. 

The workout room would be a bedroom, and I have inflatable air mattresses and sleeping bags for the family and the inevitable guests.

In summary, the workout and utility rooms give us a relatively safe, comfortable, easy to heat and light shelter, as well as use during “normal” times.  I did most of the work myself, it took a few months. 

The other aspect of decreasing demand is to utilize 12 VDC appliances.  A quick explanation is that most solar panels store their energy in 12-volt batteries.  Converting the power from batteries to AC to run corded appliances loses a significant amount of energy in the [inefficient] conversion from DC to AC.  Deep cycle 12-volt batteries are designed to be charged and discharged repeatedly.  They are rated in amp hours, which are how long they could run an appliance of certain amperage, at some pre-determined rate of discharge, usually 20 hours.  A 30-amp hour battery could theoretically run a 1-amp appliance for 30 hours.  To preserve the life of the deep cycle battery, they are not usually discharged below 50%, so the 30 amp hour battery, realistically gives 15 amp hours of service.

Some 12 VDC appliances are easy to find; air compressors for inflating tires and mattresses, fans, battery chargers, laptop power supplies, car DVD players and lights, and so forth.  Other items take a little work, like finding a DC power supply for my alarm system and router.  I am still using cigarette lighter plugs and receptacles, but will make the switch to the preferred Anderson Power Pole connectors some day.  Using 12 VDC appliances lowers my electric bill during normal times, and has made road trips more comfortable, as all this stuff can be powered from the receptacle in my truck.  When I see 12 VDC items on sale, I often stock up, for redundancy as well as potential barter items.

When folks start talking about needing an air conditioning unit when the grid is down, it’s hard for me to not roll my eyes.  All of our ancestors survived long enough for us to be here without the benefit of air conditioning.  Air conditioning units are energy hogs and OPSEC disasters.  I get just as hot and cranky as the next guy, but it hasn’t killed me yet.  If your health is such that no air conditioning will indeed kill you, then your survival preparations are going to be complicated [and expensive].

Refrigeration is a tougher problem, and I have taken several steps to mitigate it.  The first is that we do not store lots of frozen food.  We try to keep a good amount of ice in the freezer, increasing the supply if we think there may be a power outage coming.  Our canned and storage foods tend to be packaged smaller, so we don’t have to worry about leftovers spoiling.  Smaller packages are also more portable.  I am learning about root cellars, but haven’t constructed one yet.

Finally, I have recently purchased a 12 VDC cooler, the Koolatron Krusader Cooler.  I haven’t had it long enough to deliver a final verdict, but I think it will be handy.  There is a wide range of DC-powered refrigerators, freezers and coolers.  The smaller ones at least, are different than a traditional kitchen refrigerator because the keep the contents about 40 degrees cooler that the outside temperature, and can also be set to heat the contents instead of cooling.  Many are marketed to the tailgating and RV crowd.

Even though its DC, they still use a good bit of power, drawing about 4 amps per hour, so may be needed to run intermittently.   I am still evaluating it, but at this time, I would rather have several small coolers as opposed to 1 larger one, in keeping with my guidelines.

Providing The Power

I have been using small solar panels and portable power supplies to provide back up power as well as supply some of my day-to-day needs (like my router and alarm).   It is an ad hoc system that has slowly grown as my budget and developing expertise allowed.  Unfortunately, most all of the solar panels and components are made in china, but I try to purchase American made whenever I can.

When I started getting involved in the providing the power part of my plan, I initially purchased a Sunlinq foldable 12 Watt solar panel and Black and Decker Electromate 400 portable power supply.  The Sunlinq was purchased through Amazon.com, while I found the Black and Decker was less expensive at Wal-Mart–after figuring in shipping.

The Sunlinq uses standard SAE connectors that makes a nice tight connection and allows for easy modular additions.  It’s the same type connector as used with the Battery Minder chargers. (I think that the Sunlinq may be made by Sunforce or vice versa.)

The Black and Decker Electromate 400 has an area light, a built in inverter with 2 AC outlets, 2 DC outlets, an air compressor, and attachable jump-start cables.  It’s sturdy and has a nice handle.  It was a good intro combination and very portable. 

The next addition to my collection of solar panels and batteries was the Sunforce 60-watt solar power kit, which I coupled with the Xantrex Xpower power pack 1500, to provide power to the utility and workout room. 

The Sunforce system is four 15-watt panels, a mounting frame, a 7-amp charge controller, a small inverter, and connecting cables.  It uses the same SAE connectors as the Sunlinq.  I have since purchased several more of the kits, via eBay, Amazon and Costco. 

Prices can vary considerably.  Purchasing the complete kits, instead of individual panels has given me modularity and spare parts.  Sometimes the kits are bundled with small extras like a crank flashlight or small battery maintainer solar panel.  The included charge controller is only rated to 7 amps, so if more than 7 panels are linked together, a larger charge controller is needed.  Charge controllers connect between the solar panels and the battery to ensure that the batteries are not overcharged and damaged.  Low wattage panels do not require a charge controller.

I am not sure I would purchase the Xpower power pack 1500 again.  I initially chose it because it is a very convenient package.  It has a 60-amp hour battery, inverter with 2 AC outlets, 1 DC outlet receptacle, and can handle loads of 1,500 watts, with surge to 3,000 watts (I haven’t taken mine anywhere close to that).  It weighs about 60 pounds and has solid rubber wheels.  You could assemble all the parts for less money, but it’s hard to beat the Xpower’s portability.  The first one I ordered from Costco arrived with its plastic case broken, as did the replacement!.  After returning the second one, I waited till the spring and bought one from Amazon.com, at a better price, which arrived with a very tiny ding.  The Xpower  1500 comes bundled with a very nice AC battery charger.  The Xpower’s batteries are pretty easily replaced, as opposed to the Black and Decker and other various power packs that I have acquired.  As with the Sunforce solar system, prices vary considerably for the Xpower 1500.

I regularly shop around for deals on small solar panels, like the Sunlinq or the Sunforce and smaller portable power packs, like the Black and Decker.  I will use them as spares and barter items.

Goal Zero seems to have a nice package of systems well assembled, but pricey.  The Goal Zero connectors are hard to find unless purchased directly from them.  I like the Goal Zero Guide 10, which is an AA/AAA battery charger, that also is also a light and a USB power supply. 

In a moment of weakness, I bought the Harbor Freight 45- watt system on sale.  I think the Sunforce is a better value.  The Harbor Freight folding 13-watt panel does work well, although the connections are flimsy.  It is a good value when on sale or even better when combined a 20% off coupon.

I have several of the Sunforce 60 watt kits discreetly mounted the south side of the house. The power cables enter into the basement utility room, and via the Xpower 1500 provide most of the power to the room, and makes up for my lack of additional wiring when I finished the basement.  The kits are connected with Powerlet SAE “Y” splitters, which are a little expensive, but well made and tight.  You can also make you own SAE connections; I buy my components at Solarseller.com

I purposely mounted the panels in locations that had solar exposure, but that were less than ideal, so as not to be very obvious from the street.  In an unstable Schumer hits the fan (SHTF) situation, my plan is to take down the solar panels, and use them intermittently in the back yard to charge up batteries.  If things seem stable, then I may remount them in ideal, non-esthetic locations to get maximum benefit.  I may deploy the reserve PV power kits as well, or save them to barter. 

I have recently added on to my system with the purchase of some deep cycle batteries.  In keeping with my strategy of modularity and portability I used 35 amp hour UB12350, batteries wired in parallel, instead of single larger battery, to add depth to my energy storage, and provide additional power to the basement.

I keep the various power packs charged with the solar panels, and during power outages, like Hurricane Irene, where we lost power for five days, we placed the smaller power packs in different rooms in the house and either used area lights, or plugged in a lamp and turned them on and off as needed.  Irene was a good test drive of my preps.  There was a time that my main panels were busy charging the xpower 1500 and the ub12350 battery bank.  We recharged the smaller power packs with small solar panels in the back yard and it worked out well.  Having the security cameras and alarm running at night helped the family sleep a little better.

For holidays and birthdays, I have given small portable solar chargers to family members to keep phones and other personal portable electronics charged.

If my vehicles are operational, I have a 1,000-watt inverter that can be connected to the car battery. I can get some short-term power from via extension cords, as long as the engine is running.  This is noisy, but probably less conspicuous than running a generator.

It is important to purchase power packs that can be charged directly via DC power due to the efficiency issues.  I have seen at least one packaged solar power system advertised on the Internet that uses a Xantrex power supply that can only be charged with AC power.

My experience with wind turbines has been mixed.  They are not as easy [to install] as photovoltaics, and to get real benefit, the turbine needs to be mounted fairly high, so it’s an OPSEC problem.  I bought a Gudcraft 300-watt unit and mounted it atop a volleyball net post in the corner of the yard.  It is a clunky unit, that doesn’t produce a lot of electricity where it sits, but is also inconspicuous has not caused any problems.  I have helped friends set up various other brands with underwhelming results, due to lack of wind in our area.

I have had some experience with an eBay vendor, USAWindGen.com.  They essentially make simple home-made units.  They are only suitable for intermittent use, but are inexpensive and have helped to keep my batteries charged.  I mount them on 1-inch conduit; about 5 feet high and only deploy them when needed.  Over all, I can’t strongly recommend wind turbines for alternative power in the suburbs, but you may find then a useful adjunct.

There are no doubt that larger arrays, ideally placed would be make for a more efficient power, but my ad hoc system seems to work and meet my needs as far as “camping” in my home.  When using small alternative energy products, you need to budget electricity just like any other scarce resource.

Summary

Essentially, my strategy has been to make it possible to decrease my “energy footprint” so that I can camp in my home if needed, in a way that doesn’t mess up my home while the grid is up and running.  I attempted to develop a plan I can afford and is flexible, portable, conducive to OPSEC, has redundancy, and if possible, useful during “normal” times.  The electrical power requirements for camping are not large, and growing an ad hoc system over time can meet these needs.  Although not as efficient as a well-designed system implemented at one time, this incremental approach has been affordable and allowed me to learn about alternative energy at my own pace.  Your mileage will vary.

I feel that if every family should have a small photovoltaic panel and portable power supply, either as their main source of emergency power, or as back up to their generator or larger alternative energy setup.  I know that if things get very bad, these steps and my other preparations may not be enough, but that doesn’t mean that I have to quit, and I hope that anyone reading this doesn’t quit either.

Start-up Techniques for Investing in Silver and Gold, by D. V.

Investing in silver and gold is a hedge against potential inflation and monetary devaluation; it is a way to keep high concentrations of wealth portable and off-grid and it can be fun and profitable.   Gold and silver has been a way to grow and preserve wealth since wealth has been defined.   The downside is that silver and gold are expensive and becoming more so, there is a typically a specialized group that you must deal with to see return value and it is not at all edible.

I have been a coin collector on and off throughout my life.  As my anxiety about the world shifted me into full scale preparation; my coin collecting experience was easily transferable into hard asset investments.  However even with my experience, I still made mistakes and learned a few lessons. 

With all things in my life, I am about setting goals with milestones to achieve them.  The goal of this article is to provide a novice a quick way to start gathering a heavy metal horde without getting burned. The milestones within are those that I have crossed myself to share as guideposts to the beginner.

The first goal is to determine how much you are willing to invest.  My personal goal was to reduce my 401(Mk) contributions and put it in a separate account in order to save up to buy a larger quantity.  It is also a good strategy to have a couple dollars for any investment that may come along that is worthwhile. Typically you can get a better deal with gold by buying larger amounts if you are buying from a retailer.  A retailer (such as a coin or jewelry store) will add a profit.  Thus a 1/10th ounce gold coin is a bit more expensive by weight than a full ounce.  However, you have to judge whether the changing price of gold and silver is worth the extra cost now versus buying later.  For example, if you wanted to buy an ounce of gold in the beginning of 2010, it was a bit above $1,100.  A rational plan of putting a hundred dollars away a month to buy an ounce would be ideal, except for the fact that by the end of 2010 the gold was $1,350. Therefore, buying 1/4th of an ounce on a quarterly basis would have been a better investment even with the additional costs. There is no crystal ball to identify if gold will go up or down and that is a risk factor that you have to decide upon as you view the markets. 

Understanding your markets is very important.  There are many useful resources on the Internet.  Kitco is a great site with historical charts on various metal prices.  Coinflation.com is wonderful for knowing the melt value (price for the metal value only).  My second recommendation is to follow the spot market regularly.  Look at silver and gold spot at least weekly, if not daily.  Check out Coinflation.com and know the melt prices of US coins.  This is basic information and until you master it, you will never be more than a rookie.  Read the investment guides both positive and negative and develop your own judgment. All metals derive their value from the limited quantities available and demand.  Demand is determined by the amount mined annually and usage which involves investors and industrial uses.  Both gold and silver can be purchased in a variety of ways although I am going to focus solely on in-hand methods and not stocks, funds or “paper” ownership.  Hard metals can be sold as coin, bullion or jewelry; all of which have value.   By personal choice, I have not purchased jewelry as an investment and therefore my information will be bare on this subject and emphasize coin and bullion.  If you have a spouse (especially female) who is not interested in establishing a gold and silver reserve and may have issues with prepping in general, buying them jewelry occasionally could help on several fronts.  Fortunately, this is not my situation.  So when investing in coins and bullion you need to know the current spot price.  Reputable companies should charge the going spot price for plain bullion.  Plain bullion will fluctuate with the market and is fairly easy to resell.  The difficulty with bullion is that it usually requires a dealer or an educated buyer for a transaction.  Bullion is a specialty market and there have been countless efforts in history to fake or short bullion exchanges.

Coins tend to be safer but are more expensive.  There is a collector’s [“numismatic”] value to coins.  If you are interested in purchasing coins, then you must review the standard references for coin buyers.  There are two books, the Standard Catalog of World Coins (commonly called the Blue Book) for the average consumer and the Red Book (the purchasing price) for dealers.  It is strange that the industry has published a two tier system, but this is how professional coin dealer’s estimate buying and selling prices.  My second piece of advice is to get some practical knowledge and establish contacts.  People react and trade better with those whom they know.  Identify the places where they sell coins (more about this later) and visit it at least once a month.  Regularly purchase yourself a silver dime (pre-1965), quarter or bullion coin of choice.  I recommend dimes due to their inexpensive nature and currently averaging between $2.75-$3.00 on the spot market (see Coinflation.com).  However, if you are comfortable dropping $20 a month for an educational experience, then buy a quarter.  Enter at your comfort level but remember this is for intelligence only and should not be the bulk of your investment until you have gained some knowledge.  Talk to the store owners and ask questions.  It is my experience that people who work in coin stores love the trade and will tell you all kinds of things.  I’ve learned many valuable pieces of information just talking with people and hanging out at such places.  After you become regular and more knowledgeable they tend to make a better deal with you when you come in with a bigger wad of cash.  The positive aspect is if you are purchasing a dime a month instead of buying a Big Mac, then you are following a primary tenant of investing, which is to buy regularly [a strategy known as Dollar-cost averaging.]  It is a low impact way of creating a silver stash.  You also have a better chance of buying on a dip. 

So where do I buy coins and bullion?  I will buy gold and silver wherever I can find it reasonably priced.  While I do like to frequent certain stores regularly, I don’t want any single place to understand my inventory of precious metal.  So here is a listing of where I bought precious metals over the last several years with the pros and cons.

Retail: Coin, jewelry and other retail outlets are fair places to purchase coins.  You can be fairly confident that while priced fair to high end, you are buying exactly what is described.  They are also good places to determine values for goods as well as getting knowledge.  Retailers are also ideal places for trade.  Most retail outlets are not coin specific and will take newer mint coins at book value, baseball cards, comic books and other stuff that you may have from an earlier life or that you might stumble across.

Auction: Coin and bullion auctions are fairly common and are relatively safe when going through a reputable auction house.  Local estate auctions can be a great way of getting coins at or below market price.  Auctions are advantageous because most are going for coin value and ignore melt value.  I have bought gold coins below melt value because collectors were valuing off the Blue and Red book and had no idea that gold had a recent run up spike or that they simply may not wanted to part with that much cash.  Auctions are one of the reasons I like to have some cash always set aside as they tend to be good opportunities.

Pawn Store: Like in the show “Pawn Stars” gold and silver is pawned routinely.  Many pawn shops, if they have been in business for a while, deal gold and silver like the retail establishments.  What is unique about pawn stores is that if you have anything of value that you no longer need or want you may be able to trade and thus acquiring gold and silver without cash.  They are much more flexible that traditional retail establishments in this aspect. [JWR Adds: Beware that markups vary widely. Do some comparison pricing before you commit to a purchase or a trade. Use the telephone to minimize your legwork.]

Antique Stores: Antique stores are an interesting place to purchase coins.  The majority of the time these places are overpriced and they are selling junk coins at a markup.   Sometimes, there is a big jump in spot prices and the antique stores are not diligent in updating their costs.  This is one of the few places where your knowledge of the changing spot market can be very valuable.

Internet:  There are many places to purchase gold and silver over the Internet.  I have done this several times.  I dislike it every time.  I cannot judge the purchase before I see it and with even the most reputable dealers I have had very long waiting periods.  The other downside is that this is a very documentable transaction. So this eliminates one of the positives about owning metals–the privacy.  Still, it is relatively safe and if you do not have access to other options, it can be an easy way to purchase metal.

Through the Internet I have also bought coins off Craigslist and other avenues, meeting with people at gas stations and fast food restaurants and exchanging coins for cash.  While it feels a bit like a drug deal there are some good deals.  It is important to understand that it is rare to find “a steal.”  The Internet allows people to research their goods and expect a fair price.  If you are willing to deal fairly you can avoid middle man mark up and occasionally find something good.  Your knowledge will help you negotiate better prices as well.

Private Collectors: Aside from the aforementioned Craigslist, I have not purchased coins from private collectors.  This would require some solicitation on my part and at this time I do not have the funds or the free time to do so.  However, if you have both, this could be very advantageous once you are comfortable in your knowledge of the market.

The value of gold and silver is not a mystery and with a bit of time, you will understand the lingo and feel comfortable dealing with the pros.  The last thing I would like to share is that collecting coins and bullion is fun.  Coins have a sense of history both in the US and around the world.  I’ve come across coins dated from the Roman Empire, Spanish coins from the initial conquest of the new world and many other historical items. I am amazed at each time I hold one in my hand.  It is something that you can share with your children (and that they can inherit), family and friends.  It is profitable and a traditional method used to invest and save.  While metal prices may fluctuate, coin values can be fixed due to the limited quantity. 

Furthermore, armed with a bit of knowledge you can make easy money just sorting through circulated coins.  Over the last year, there have been two US silver coins that entered my collection through general every day transactions.  There is a certain amount of pleasure finding a silver dime in your change and knowing it is worth a whole lot more than the ten cents they thought they handed you.