Note from JWR:

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.

Converting a Standard American Home Into a Hardened Retreat, by CentOre

Not everyone can find or afford a solidly built brick home with fittings to hang bullet-proof shutters and doors.
We agree with the bulk of the writings we have read concerning the ‘non-defensibility’ of the average United States home.  Our group has choices as to which house will become ‘The Retreat’ for the entire group when the SHTF.  Our group’s consensus is our ‘Primary’ retreat will probably be a 2,600 square foot triple-wide ranch style manufactured home.  It has three bedrooms, two and a half baths, a living room and family room.   There is an adequate kitchen with a totally inadequate pantry.  Two of the three outside doors have glass panels in them, and there are the normal large windows throughout.  While designed for up to six persons, we figure we can bunk up to fourteen before hot bunking or spreading out to one or more buildings may have to come into play.

Weather is a constant factor.  We may have snow on the ground for up to seven months of the year, but generally only four or five months.  The accumulated depth of snow is more important that the ‘total inches per year’.  Roof snow loads are taken seriously here with most homes having at least one ‘snow rake’ for roof snow removal.  We look at snow as a definite defensive plus.  It’s cold outside, but we have collected all the wood stoves we will need just by offering to haul them away where people put them in their front yards.

Background
We are a group with many and varied backgrounds.  While three of us are retired military, and another couple of people are military brats, none of us have training in on-the-ground defensive and offensive strategies and/or tactics.  Therefore we expect there are many holes in what I write here today.  We welcome and look forward to constructive criticism.  Our general situation is we live in a rather remote area.  The local town boasts a population of over 1,000.  That must be at the height of tourist season on a particularly warm and sunny day.  Our area’s population is spread out over an area of about forty square miles.  That forty square miles includes quite a bit of State, Federal (both Forest Service and BLM) lands intermixed with homes on private lands.  As much as pre-planning will allow, the group has made the decision the house above will become our primary home/retreat.  The primary is situated in a section (one square mile) of privately held land. Surrounding this section on three sides are empty sections owned by the U.S. Government.  The fourth side is bounded by a small river with water that carries cold mountain run-off.

Existing house attributes
There is a two and a half mile long ‘private’ drive from the county road with no through traffic.  House spacing in the area is 300 feet or more.  There are only about 100 homes with a total of 225 lots in a full section of 640 acres.  Most of the homes are occupied by retired couples who ‘snowbird’, leaving their homes empty four to seven months out of the year.  Some of the homes are vacation cabins owned by people in our nearest metro areas.  Metro areas are two and a half or four hours away depending on which metro we talk about.

The particulars of Primary are: a total linear dimension at eve line = 240 feet, with a cement side walk on all but one short side.  Sidewalk length = 180 feet.  The three foot wide sidewalk is set out from the building foundation three feet creating a flower bed.           

Existing shop building attributes
There is a steel clad ‘shop’ building within thirty feet of the Primary with an overall perimeter length of 190 feet.  The shop building is three story structure.  The third story is a 21′ x 24′ ‘apartment’.  The lower two stories are lined with built-in, very sturdy shelving that is 24 inches deep and three feet of height between each shelf.  This shelving is continuous the full length of two walls and full height of the walls.  The shop building will sleep sixteen people with no modification. Therefore we have an immediate ability to sleep up to thirty persons.

There is a 48” wide concrete side walk between back door of house and side door of shop.  Over half the perimeter of the house and shop buildings is gravel, and or scarified pumice/sand ground from 0 to thirty feet out from the perimeter walls.  There is very little vegetation immediately adjacent to these walls.   Looking 30 to 60 feet out, there is moderate vegetation all in the form of Jack Pines that are 30 to 50 feet tall. 

Reasoning: Needs of the group           
Security of group versus ability to observe outward must be balanced in such a way that neither is compromised.  We needed to find a way to ‘harden’ the buildings while maintaining our ability to observe our surroundings from inside the structures and lookout points.  In addition we felt we needed a separate medical and/or ‘stranger’ quarantine area for up to 5 persons.

Anticipated size of the group
 While our planning is for up to 30 people one never knows what the real number might be until TEOTWAWKI actually arrives.  Therefore our pre-planning includes bedding up to fifteen additional persons during times of transition.  Such as a) TEOTWAWKI; b) Cross-training with other groups; c) Housing transient members of other groups.  This would put a strain on our logistics manager and staff.  We only anticipate and pre-plan for this large a number for very short periods of time.

Lay of the Land out 500 yards
Our area is basically flat with no topographic features except lots of trees for at least a mile in every direction.  Local topographic maps have contour lines at fifty foot intervals.  The contour lines can be from a half a mile to as much as a full mile apart in this area.  Even though the terrain is flat, it is elevated and there is no possibility of flooding.

Lay of the Land 500 to 1,000 yards
Area is basically flat with the area north-westerly beyond 700 yards falling away to a small barrier river.  Most of this area, while wooded, has been thinned to reduce the possibility of forest fires spreading.  This significantly enhances visibility for look-outs.

Lay of the Land 1,000 yards to one mile
Area is basically flat with the area west-northwesterly beyond 700 yards including the barrier river and a large area beyond the barrier river.  This zone includes thinned areas and many dense patches of timber that remain un-thinned.

Materials:
Local Materials available
The primary local, natural building material consists of Jack Pine, and Lodge Pole Pine, lots of Lodge Pole Pine!  It is the dominant vegetation for many miles around our location with Jack Pine a close second.  For the purposes of this paper I will lump the two species together and just call them ‘pine’.  When one is handed lemons one should make lemonade.  We have decided that pine will be our primary ‘hardening’ material.  Also, we have an unlimited supply of pumice sand.  Both the pine poles and the pumice are easily transported as neither are heavy.  Another local material, although not naturally occurring, is barbed wire.  We have in excess of six miles of barbed wire within a mile and a half radius centered on our primary.  While not razor wire, properly positioned barbed wire can still put a dent in someone’s day.

We see a need to create lanes of fire to channelize attackers into kill zones we are doing this through the selective removal of pines.  We are leaving ‘wedges’ of trees between our fire lanes.  By immediate appearance these will be ‘safe areas’ for attackers.  Upon close arrival anyone who plans on using the wedges as cover will find broken glass, nail boards, and barbed wire used concertina style.  The work is pretty well done on the land we control, and, we are in position rapidly to extend them when TEOTWAWKI arrives.

Another consideration in our area is forest fire.  We withstand one or two forest fires nearly every summer within a twenty-five mile radius of our retreat.  Through our selective removal of trees to enhance and/or create fire zones relative to fire points, we will also be greatly increasing our fire survivability.  We deal further with fire fighting below.

Plans and Methods:
The need to create and place obstacles dovetails nicely with our need to accumulate fire wood.  The majority of pine poles will be up-rooted.  The root balls are needed for strategic obstacle placement.  Root balls of the pine are generally three to four feet in diameter and usually extend down into the ground no more that 24 inches, with the exception of the tap root which may go down much further.  When pulled from the ground and with the main stem trimmed as closely as possible to the root ball these units become quite stable when turned 90 degrees.  Further, the remaining roots are tough twelve to twenty-four inch projections that become very hard when exposed to air.  When trimmed at an angle with loping shears at about the ¾ inch diameter mark they become formidable obstacles.  Further, when tied down into rows they become a people tight obstacle that provides no offensive cover.  That is, we can see and shot objects that attempt to conceal behind root balls.  The primary trunk will be cut to a length of 12 to 14 feet, with an average diameter of 5 inches.  The balance if the tree [tip] will be set aside for now.  The poles will then be set in the dirt along the outside edge of the side walk, with their upper ends leaning against the outer wall of the retreat at the soffit.  Any poles deemed unfit [twisted trunk, woodpecker nest holes, etc.] will be set aside for fire wood.  Entrance areas will have layered logs that resemble the fence and gates in a bull fighting arena.

We estimate the need for 660 poles averaging 4 to 6 inches in diameter to completely ‘stockade’ the retreat house.  We suspect we will be processing about two thousand trees initially for firewood and firing lanes.  Once the stockade is completed we will begin to make firewood in earnest.

To augment our firewood collecting, the surrounding government lands hold many ‘burn piles’.  These are piles of cut and broken tree material deemed not usable commercially.  An average burn pile contains around six cords of wood.  We can, with minimum effort glean a cord or two of very dry firewood off of each pile.
All firewood will be ricked inside the stockade and against the outside of the primary’s walls in the area earlier referred to as the ‘flower bed’ area.  Ricked firewood will be cut in 16 inch lengths.   If we rick to only six feet the retreat perimeter will hold over seven cord of wood.  We anticipate needing up to six cord per year for heating and cooking.  We will make a minimum of ten cords per year just in case our calculations prove wrong.  Additional firewood will be ricked on the first two tiers of shelving in the shop building.  There will no visible [outside] change to the shop in doing this.

The lower three feet of the stockade will be bermed with the pumice sand for added stability and projectile ‘catching’, and to slow any attempts to remove them.
All in all we have a layered defensive perimeter of 5 inch pine poles, separated from the ricked wood by about four feet of dead air space.  The 16 inches of ricked wood will in turn is backed by the 6 inch wall of the primary structure. Our 16 inches of wood will be accepting lead donations end-on.  Research supports our common belief [but still possibly wrong] this should stop run of the mill rifle and pistol rounds of up to .50 caliber.

Once this defense is finished we will turn our attention to the pine pole tips we set aside earlier.  Their size will be approximately 5 inches at their butts, tapering to 0 at the tip.  Loping shears and hand saws will be used to trim limbs from this main stem tips, leaving 12 to 16 inches of each limb attached to the main stem.  These limbs will then be trimmed to create sharp points.  When the main stem diameter reduces to around two inches the stem will be cut and turned into pine sap rich kindling. Some of the larger cut of limbs will then be reserved for individual sharpened sticks, with the balance turned into more kindling.

The sharpened ‘group sticks’ will be 8 to 15 feet long.  They can be laid out randomly, or with the small end of one stick overlapping the large end of the next stick, wired together to make a continuous barricade as long as is needed.  We have completed a little more than a dozen root balls and ‘sharpened tips’.  They have cured out to be very tough and remain quite sharp. A couple in our group have a 30 foot Class “C” motor home.  They have ceded its use by our group as a stranger/visitor, or ‘quarantine space’.  It can be strategically parked and be in full view at all times of the person manning the OP/LP.  The motor home can berth and support five people. Well, perhaps six, if they are very good friends!

PSYOPS
We have completed two PSYOPS ‘kits’.  They are ready to deploy at TEOTWAWKI.  To deploy before then would only rile up the sparse neighborhood. It is my task to be keeping the contents of the kits current with the times between now and ‘then’.

‘Tank’ Traps
Our primary defense against a motor vehicle supported assault is, and will continue to be, the strategic management of standing timber.  While we are hardening our retreat we will remain constantly aware of which trees to take and which trees to leave.  We recognize there will not be sufficient timber to totally stop a vehicle.  However, it is anticipated the combination of standing timber and other ‘directional aids’ such as root balls, etc. will slow most vehicles or channel them into prepared traps where  they may be dealt with on a prioritized basis.

Tools on hand or available:
Saws, axes, pruning saws and loping shears have been and will continue to be our primary tools to perform this work.  Axes, saws and shears all require different tools and methods to make them and keep them sharp.  Not only does a sharp tool perform better than a dull one, but a sharp tool is less likely to contribute to accidental injuries. Files, whetstones and other hand held tools are generally quite small and, therefore, easily misplaced.  A file ‘misplaced’ and left outside for even one night’s morning dew will effectively end its useful life as a sharpening instrument.  You cannot have too many sharpening backup options.  The old ‘three is two’ argument applies here quite well.

Use of Water:           

Installed roof sprinkler system
Living in a very high risk forest fire area, combined with my personal background search and rescue and fire fighting we are very conscious of fire control.  We anticipate that fire prevention is out of our control since all of our fires seem to start on nearby National Forest or BLM Land.  Therefore, we are concentrating on control.  First, land clearing created by the stockading of the retreat will greatly increase the horizontal retreat-to-timber distance.  Next we have installed farm and ranch grade pulse sprinklers [one maker of these sprinkler heads is Rainbird] on the roofs of the shop building, the main house, and the greenhouse.  The three sprinklers are strategically placed to provide overlapping coverage to keep all roof surfaces wetted, as well wetting surrounding trees and ground covers.  By extension, they also keep our defensive works wetted.  When placed at an average roof height of about sixteen feet above ground level, and at normal water pressure from our own well, we create an 85 foot ‘wetting radius’.  These ‘fire preventers’ have been installed on the Primary’s dwellings for many years, and tested at least annually.  There is a gasoline fired generator tied in via a cross-over switch so we are not reliant on our public utility district for firefighting water.  The generator is tested monthly.  In addition only alcohol free gasoline that has been ‘Stabil-ized’ is ever used in the generator.           

Creation and placement of “portable” ponds
We live in a semi-arid area.  Some people call it an actual desert.  Water is generally at a premium.  However, we are fortunate to have good drinking and plant water 13 to 18 feet below the surface.  Therefore, we have figured water into our defenses.  Through the creative use of barrier materials we expect to have some control over approach paths that attackers might use.  We believe in stockpiling to quite a degree.  Some of the items we stockpile are 100 foot by 50 foot rolls of 10 mil clear and black plastic.  When you keep the unopened boxes away from temperature extremes and sunlight this type plastic will store for years.  Taking advantage of our very flat terrain the use of some shallow ‘ponds’ figure in our defenses. 

Using pine root balls, pine sharpened sticks, smooth and barbed wire, we will funnel attackers into narrow defiles that have “wading puddles” that are about a foot deep, and too broad to jump across as the only path of advancement.  So, what use is this?  Well, according to the National Weather Service we only have thirty ‘frost free’ nights per year.  Most nights will give our ponds at least skim ice.  A lot of the time our ponds will be mini skating rinks.  Getting wet in this terrain and altitude will most likely contribute to hypothermia at the very least.  So, by combining our defensive works to funnel attackers into certain, narrow areas, insuring those narrow areas are centered on firing lanes from our positions, and causing attackers to meet a water barrier at the time we are able to increase our effective fire may act as enough of a deterrent to cause people to think twice about coming closer.  We hope so, but are not counting on it.           

Garden hose use in fire fighting
Garden hoses are usually shunned when firefighters talk of structure fires.  While most of my personal fire fighting has been confined to ships, aircraft and oil field structures, I offer the following:  A garden hose with normal household water pressure equipped with a nozzle that creates a solid stream can be quite useful.  The solid stream is needed to get the greatest range.  The water stream is directed to the base of the fire just as one should do using a CO2 extinguisher.  When the stream comes in contact with the burning material the water will flash to steam and rise.  This conversion from liquid to steam pulls the heat out of the fire, cooling the fire and, therefore, reducing its rate of spreading.  This can gain you valuable minutes while you wait for additional help to arrive.  Others recommend a fine spray type nozzle based on what a firefighter would use.  Firefighters use the spray pattern quite often.  The difference is, they are using firefighting equipment that is probably delivering at least 60 PSI at 60 GPM.  Their spray nozzle can project water about as far as you can with a small solid stream from your garden hose.  It will still gain you time.

Conclusion
Finally, one must keep everything in proper perspective.  One of our group is always coming up with things like,”Yes, but what if they fly in and hit us with napalm?  We’re all gonna be dead.”  Our response is generally to concede that enough napalm will in fact ruin our day.  But then we point out that all we are doing, and all we can do is attempt to increase the odds of survival in any given situation.  A more realistic problem in our area involves the numerous one ton, four wheel drive, jacked up trucks.  Our goal for them remains to slow or delay their progress within reasonable shooting distances. We are a group of like minded preppers who strive to be as ready as possible when TEOTWAWKI descends upon us.  We feel one of our greatest strengths lie in understanding there is much information out there that we don’t know.  We continuously strive to explore new subjects and hold regular training and “Table-Top Scenario” sessions for all members.

Some Ground Truth on Intellectual Property Rights

I recently received an e-mail that perturbed me. In reply to my e-mail releasing the right to re-post an article from SurvivalBlog, a gent (who shall remain nameless) mentioned:

“Personally, I don’t believe in copyrights because nobody can truly own ideas, thoughts or words…”

To which, I replied:

Do you really believe that?  Let me politely set you straight:  When I write a novel, that is my intellectual property.  Each book that I write represents the fruit of my intellect, and is the end result of thousands of hours of my work. 

Without a limited-term copyright, strangers could rob me of part or all of the livelihood that my books generate. Writing is not just a hobby for me. My novels are in fact my main source of income.  I cannot feed my family on just kind thoughts and repeated verses of Kumbaya! 

Further, what good is my current contract with Simon & Schuster to write two novels over the course of 25 months, if anyone could immediately circulate pirated copies (in either hard copy or soft copy), just after they are released? 

My intellectual property is just as much “mine” as the land that I own and live on–the same land where I grow my garden and where I raise my cattle. In essence, I look at book pirates the same way as I do cattle thieves.

You really think that I cannot hold the right to call my written works “mine”, just because they are books, rather than your car, your house, your invention, or your factory?  Property is property, regardless!

Economics and Investing:

Monday’s headline at the The Drudge Report proclaimed: BARACKALYPSE NOW. On Monday, following a losing week, stocks on the Dow dropped another 631 points. The spot price of gold jumped 3% to touch an all-time intra-day high of $1,720 per ounce, and then $1,723 in after-hours trading. And since silver is considered more of an industrial metal than gold, it drifted downward to just $38.65 per ounce. These atypical disparate moves in silver and gold brought the silver-to-gold ratio to a whopping 44-to-1. In my opinion, this is now a great time to ratio trade out of gold and into silver. And, FWIW, I’ve been taking my own advice on that, since Friday. (I was a busy boy at the gun show last Friday, buying guns and ammo as well as swapping several gold American Eagles for pre-1965 dimes, quarters, and halves.) If you’ve been dawdling, now is the time to get your family preparations squared away.

Over at Lew Rockwell’s site: Greenspan Comes Clean and Endorses the ‘Zimbabwe-Weimar Solution’

K.A.F. flagged this: Bank of America: S&P May Downgrade US Again in November

Sue C. sent this: Dollar to drop on S&P, flows seen to safe assets

The Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB) continues to grow: Fannie Mae to Taxpayers: We Need Another $5.1 Billion. (Thanks to K.A.F. for the link.)

I smell even more MOAB coming: USPS posts $3.1 billion loss in Q3, warns of default

Sam H. sent this: U.S. Debt downgrade doesn’t mean what you think.

Pierre M. sent this: Beneath Jobs Report Surface Lie Some Ugly Truths

Courtesy of Sue C.: Gas prices expected to fall in coming weeks

Items from The Economatrix:

Food Stamps Use Surges By Most In Years as Alabama Food Stamps Recipients Double in May

Gerald Celente:  “Economic Martial Law Will Be Declared”

D.R. sent this: Bank of America is Just the Start of Paulson’s Problems: Behold…. Citigroup. D.R. ‘s comment: “This article notes that several of these large financial institutions are now getting clobbered and are also big holders of gold. They may be forced to sell rapidly, thus the warning of short term 20-30% losses in gold (and possibly silver). If this happens it could be the last big ‘buy the dip’ opportunity before everything hits the fan.”

Sue C. recommended some commentary from Steve McCann: The Bitter Fruit of Insolvency

Fed Takes Spotlight as Recession Fears Loom

Investors Resigned to More Portfolio Pain

Treasury Prices Jump as Stocks Plummet

US Debt Downgrade Could Mean Rate Hikes For All

Dow Plunges More Than 600 Points After Downgrade

Odds ‘n Sods:

This piece from Switzerland has SurvivalBlog written all over it: Turning army forts into private homes. (OBTW, see the photo links at the bottom of this post in our archives. Fascinating, clever camouflage!)

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Some great commentary from Patrice Lewis: Man the lifeboats!

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Freeze Dry Guy has an August special on original military rations including Granola with Milk & Bananas and Granola with Milk & Blueberries, packed 60 Mylar pouches per case , at $119 per case, with even deeper multi-case discounts available.

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No doubt this abuse of power will result in a Streisand Effect boost in viewership: Cartoonist Targeted With Criminal Probe For Mocking Police

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Joshua pointed me to an awesome web page for pickling and canning

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Patents and copyrights are the legal implementation of the base of all property rights: a man’s right to the product of his mind. Every type of productive work involves a combination of mental and of physical effort: of thought and of physical action to translate that thought into a material form. The proportion of these two elements varies in different types of work. At the lowest end of the scale, the mental effort required to perform unskilled manual labor is minimal. At the other end, what the patent and copyright laws acknowledge is the paramount role of mental effort in the production of material values; these laws protect the mind’s contribution in its purest form: the origination of an idea. The subject of patents and copyrights is intellectual property. … Thus the law establishes the property right of a mind to that which it has brought in existence.” – Ayn Rand, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal

Note from JWR:

Please hold off until October 4th to order my new novel “Survivors: A Novel of the Coming Collapse”. By concentrating all of the orders on the release day (the “Book Bomb Day”), I hope to help propel the book into Amazon’s Top 100. Thanks! OBTW: Yes, at $15.98 it is priced higher than “Patriots“, but this is because it will first be released in a hardback binding. I’ve seen the cover artwork, and it is stunning. (The publisher should soon be releasing the cover art for promotional purposes. I’ll post it then.) The Kindle edition will sell for $10.99. I should also mention that Reggie (a.k.a. “DEMCAD”) has already posted a narrated review of the novel on YouTube.)

Jim’s Product Review: Taylor Freelance Pistol Magazine Extensions

One of the drawbacks of owning an HK USP Compact .45 ACP is that the largest standard magazine for it holds just 10 rounds, and to date, none of the magazine makers produce anything larger. This puts the HK at a disadvantage to guns like the Glock Model 30. (Which can of course accept the longer Glock M21 magazines that hold 13 rounds.) Sadly, since they use substantially different frame form factors, the HK USP Compact .45s cannot accept the fatter HK full-size USP .45 ACP magazines, which are made up to 12 round capacity.

But now, after a bit of gentle prodding from your editor, Taylor Freelance in Washington now makes a 4-round “Rawles Special” magazine extension for the 10-round HK USP Compact .45 ACP magazine. These are precision machined from solid aluminum and provide 14+1 capacity. The prototypes that Taylor custom made for me have functioned flawlessly. Installing them took just a couple of minutes, per magazine. No modification to the magazine body is required. Since the HK 45C uses the same magazine, these extensions will also work with the HK 45C pistol. Also note that they will not work with the eight-round magazine, since it has a different method of floorplate attachment.

At $55 each (with a long spring provided for each), these extensions could be considered “spendy”, especially when you consider that the HK factory 10 round magazines that these fit on cost around $45 each, just to start. However, when your life is on the line and you need couple of extended spare magazines as backups for your USP Compact, then these could put you in that in omnia paratus comfort zone. They could also be very useful for competitive shooters. (Among other things, their bit of extra weight makes fast, positive magazine ejection a certainty.)

See the Taylor Freelance web site for their magazine extensions and other products for Glocks, SIGs, CZs, S&W M&Ps, and Beretta CX4s. (For example, their “+4” extensions for Glock 21 magazines are very popular.) Note: The 4-round “Rawles Special” extension for the HK USP Compact .45 ACP 10 round magazine is not yet a cataloged item, so call them at: (360) 733-5649 for ordering details. Since these are special order items, you can expect a two month lead time.

Proviso: Installing one of these on a 10 round magazine in California, or in Canada and in many other hoplophobic magazine-deprived locales could land you in a heap of legal trouble.

Disclaimer (Per FTC File No. P034520): Taylor Freelance is not a SurvivalBlog advertiser. They have not solicited me or paid me to write any reviews or endorsements, nor have they provided me any free or reduced-price gear in exchange for this review, nor will I receive any remuneration from their sales of the product. (I paid full retail for my mag extensions.)

Knives, Blades and Needles, by Dr. Bob

There are some things in life that you just can’t go cheap on, and there are others that you can. This is an area that is mixed. As many other posts and reviews will tell you, a good survival knife is an invaluable tool that you absolutely cannot go cheap on. Going to Wal-Mart and buying the “Made in China” cheapo knife is going to potentially hurt you WTSHTF. Don’t do that, please don’t. But, with medical equipment, price does not equal performance. Most medical equipment is dirt cheap because it is nearly all disposable these days. That’s okay, medical equipment tends to get medical goop on it which you want to throw away rather than recycle. Let’s backtrack a little bit and do some explanations. Knives are for hunting, fishing, and cutting. They are not for medical use. They are too big, too thick, and too dangerous for medical work.

Blades [of the sort that I use] are for medical use. Most blades are also called scalpels, but I prefer the term blade because of the numbers assigned to them in medicine. An 11 blade is pointed and quite useful for incision and drainage of abscesses. Even without any numbing medication, and 11 blade can be one quick, painful stab towards a cure. A 10 or 15 blade has a rounded edge and is best for actually having to “cut” a person for a variety of medical reasons. Making incisions, operations, cutting out infected tissue, to name a few. Both types of blades are readily available online through places like Amazon.com (nice picture of both types found on this page) or farm supply stores.

Any good craft store also has replaceable blades like X-acto brand that work perfectly well as medical blades when sterilized with any decent flame. Needles in TEOTWAWKI need to be job specific and in the hands of those that know how to use them. It does you no good at all if you have all the needles and supplies for IVs, infusions, and anesthesia without anyone that can actually do the job. [From a liability standpoint,] I cannot actually tell you that the veterinary needles available easily at your local farm and ranch supply store are as good as the ones actually made for human use. But they can’t be worse than the Chinese junk we use daily at clinics and hospitals across the United States.  

So, the final word is this:  for survival, you need a knife and a great one at that.  For medical uses, disposable is perfectly acceptable just make sure you have enough for your group for a duration of time.  Put the medical instruments in the hands of the best “surgeon” available just like you would put the best knife in the hands of the best hunter available.  Spend your money wisely and plan well and you will find yourselves much better off WTSHTF.  Stay strong, – Dr. Bob

JWR Adds: Dr. Bob is is one of the few consulting physicians in the U.S. who dispenses antibiotics for disaster preparedness as part of his normal scope of practice. His web site is: SurvivingHealthy.com.

How I Test and Evaluate Firearms and Knives, by Pat Cascio

Over the years, I’ve had a lot of folks ask me how I got into writing about guns and knives – I also wrote for American Survival Guide magazine for quite a few years, on survival-related topics. I also have folks ask me what my methods are for testing knives, guns, gear, etc. So, I thought I’d take this opportunity to give you all the skinny on this. I’m no expert on anything – I only consider myself a serious student in many things, guns, knives and the martial arts come to mind. Remember, you are getting an opinion from me, and nothing more in my articles. We can agree to disagree at times on my findings, I don’t have any problem with that.

I don’t try to present myself as an expert in my articles, either. Nor do I make any attempt to write at a level that is more than required to get my point across. I hope my articles are informative, as well as entertaining. I just e-mailed a SurvivalBlog reader a little while ago, that I like to have fun in my articles, and when it stops being fun, I’ll stop writing. As to my writing talent, or lack thereof, I don’t claim any special skills. I quite high school when I was only 16 years old, and believe it or not, one of my worst subjects in high school was English literature. Today, I can claim a Doctorate Degree – in than the Divinity field. That took much hard study and is a long story in itself.

I didn’t start out writing about guns and knives, rather, I was a reviewer (of books) for a trade publication, that sold Christian books to Christian book stores. They would send me the newest Christian books for review, I’d read ’em and give my thoughts on the books. It was a great way to build-up my Christian book library, I specialized in Youth Ministry books. My “pay” was, I got to keep all the books I reviewed fro my own reference collection.

I’ve always had a deep interest in guns and knives, and I still remember the first knife I ever got, and my first gun that I purchased. It has been a wonderful love affair for more years than I care to admit. Guns and knives, in and of themselves are not evil, as the Liberal press and politicians would have you believe. Instead, they are tools, and when used properly, they are great tools – they can provide fun as well as being used to defend yourself or your loved ones. So, don’t let the left-leaning media and politicians try to make you believe one gun is “good” and another gun is “evil.” It’s a lie.

When I was working for Col. Rex Applegate about 20 years ago, on a full-time basis, I learned a lot from the good Colonel about guns and knives, and he was impressed with my knowledge on the subjects as well. It was at the insistence of Applegate, that I started writing magazine articles and books, and when the Colonel told you to do something, you did it! I made many contacts in the firearms and cutlery fields as a result of Applegate introducing me to them. One of my best contacts was Chuck Karwan, a fellow gun writer (now gone) who helped me tremendously with my writing. When I first started writing, I was too technical, and I couldn’t sell an article. Karwan was my personal coach and editor, and he told me to just write the same way I spoke, easy-going. Chuck edited many of my articles before I sent them off to magazine editors. And, I will forever be thankful for all the help Chuck gave me, as well as the pushing and prodding that Rex Applegate gave me.

When it comes to testing firearms, I don’t have a laundry list of things I go through. Instead, I look at the intended purpose of a firearm. First and foremost, in my book, a firearm has to be reliable – if the gun isn’t reliable, I’m not interested in it. Secondly, a firearm has to be reasonable accurate – only accurate guns are interesting. Third, a gun has to be well-made – if they are junk, I have no interest. And, a firearm has to be a good value in my book.

There are custom firearms by any number of custom gun makers, and I’ve owned some custom guns in my life. Let’s take a good old M1911 .45ACP as an example. I just recently wrote about the Springfield Armory Range Officer. The gun is more accurate than I can use, and it’s been totally 100% reliable, too. The gun comes from a well-known gun company, and it’s an excellent value. I’ve had custom 1911s from some of the big names in the 1911 field – and some of them cost two or three times more than my Range Officer retails for. The custom 1911s might have been finished a little better, and maybe they were a bit tighter and they have the “wow” factor because they come from a custom gun maker. However, the Springfield Armory Range Officer can do everything the custom 1911 can do, and maybe more – for half or a third of the price of a custom 1911 – that’s value in my book. I have no fight against custom 1911 makers – they are great guns. I’m only using this as an example.

I heard from an industry insider, from a big-name ammo maker, that many gun writers fire an average of 64-rounds during their testing of a gun for an article. I don’t question the statement from my source, he knows what he’s talking about. However, the gun writers I know, are only getting warmed-up at 64-rounds. I don’t torture test firearms for my articles – the factories have already done that for me, and I wouldn’t have the time or ammo to torture the firearms I get for articles, compared to what the factories do to the guns before they put them on the market. I know, I know, there are some gun writers who are famous for doing 5,000 and 10,000 round torture tests. Guess it makes for good press and sells gun magazines. But what are they really accomplishing in their tests? They haven’t done anything the gun company didn’t already think of.

When it comes to accuracy, I like to think a good full-sized handgun, like the 1911, should be able to place 5-shots inside of 4″ or so, at 25-yards on a good day – for self-defense use. Some folks will scoff at that – and think that if a gun can’t put 5 rounds inside of an inch, the gun isn’t worth having. You have to carefully read what some gun writers say about their accuracy testing – and you’ll find many put their guns in a Ransom Rest for their accuracy tests. That’s not a bad thing, however, when you buy the same gun, and stand on your two legs and only get 4″ groups, you don’t understand why your gun isn’t as accurate as the one you read about in the gun magazines. I like to do two-legged testing, and when I want to squeeze a bit more accuracy out of a handgun, I’ll rest if over a sleeping bag, across the hood of my car. When it comes to testing rifles at 100 yards for accuracy, I’ll either go prone, or use the hood of my car again, with a sleeping bag.

I attempt to use different types of ammo for my testing, whenever possible. You’ll read that I shoot a lot of Black Hills ammunition, Winchester ammunition and Buffalo Bore ammunition in my articles. Yes, I get a lot of promo ammo from them for my articles, and so do other gun writers. Without getting promo ammo, we honestly wouldn’t be able to conduct the testing we do. It would be too expensive if we had to purchase ammo out of our own pockets. And, I’ve never given any ammo maker a free pass – I report my findings as they are – just the way the ammo worked in the guns I tested ’em in. The same goes for firearms – gun companies rarely give gun writers free guns – as most of you think they do. I’ve never had a gun company offer to give me a free gun, if I would only give their gun a good review – it’s never happened to me, and I don’t think it has happened to any other gun writer, either – you can believe it or not. Back in the day, I used to get a lot of gun companies allowing me to keep the samples they sent me – they just didn’t have a use for a used gun back in their inventory. Today, it’s a rare thing to get a freebie “keeper” firearm. Gun companies usually give us a discounted price on the sample if we want to purchase it after testing, and the prices we get usually aren’t discounted as much as you might think.

Look, I’m not rich, so I can’t afford to buy all the guns I want. Instead, I’m a habitual gun trader – I’m forever at the local gun shop trading guns for something else that catches my fancy at the time – and I’m sure a lot of you are like that, too. Sure wish I could buy all the guns I want – but I’m a middle class American, like most of you are – I have bills that have to be paid, and buying all the guns I’d like to buy just isn’t in the budget. However, over the years, I’ve probably owned several thousand guns, so I’ve had the opportunity to test and evaluate a lot of shootin’ irons in my lifetime.

Some readers of gun magazines are always saying that gun writers never say anything “bad” about the guns they test. Well, if you read my review articles closely, you’ll see that they can usually find something they didn’t like about a gun, or something they would prefer was different. And, let’s be honest here, if gun magazines started publishing articles and they said all the guns they tested were junk – just how long do you think a gun magazine would stay in business?  I’ve never had an editor tell me to change anything in my articles – never! They accept them the way they are submitted. (Other than editing my poor grammar and spelling.) But what the heck, that’s why we have editors, to make us wurthless gun ‘riters look better than we are.

I’ll be the first to admit, that no matter how great the quality control is at any gun or knife company is, some lemons slip through. I understand this, but many gun buyers don’t. If I get what I believe to be a defective gun for an article, I like to give the gun company the benefit of the doubt. I return the gun and give the company the opportunity to either repair or replace the sample. Then, if the gun is still having problems, I’ll report that in my article. I think that’s being more than fair. I don’t think it’s fair when readers jump all over a gun company when they get a “bad” gun – without giving the gun company the chance to correct the problem. And, let’s face facts, if gun companies intentionally put defective guns on the market, how long do you think they would be in business? No long, that’s for sure. And, some gun companies have better warranties than others, and some have better customer service than others – it comes with the turf.

When I’m testing firearms for articles, I like to fire a reasonable amount of ammo through them whenever possible. Like I said, I don’t torture test firearms, but I think running at least 200-500 rounds through a gun is a fair test of how the gun will perform. Oftentimes, depending on my ammo locker supply, I can fire more rounds through a gun simply because I have more of that particular caliber on hand. Other times, I might only have a few hundred rounds of ammo on-hand for my testing. I try to stay ahead of the ammo supplies whenever possible – oftentimes, I can’t get all the ammo I’d like to shoot for an article because of an editor’s deadline.

I actually carry the guns I write about – at least the handguns. I won’t tell you that a 1911 from gun company “X” was easy to conceal and was comfortable – unless it actually was comfortable.This is where the holster makers come in – they send me samples of their products so I can report to my readers (and back to them) how a particular holster worked for its intended purpose.

Honestly, I make every attempt to be fair in my firearms testing, and I report my findings to my readers. There’s no hype in my articles – I don’t have to impress anyone. There was one gun writer, a couple years ago, who did an article on a custom 1911 – he was able to put five rounds inside of  1/4″ at 25-yards, without using any sort of rest. Now, if you put pencil to paper, you know you can’t place five .45″ bullets inside of a 1/4″ hole period! And, this Bozo continues to make these claims and his editors either don’t read his articles, or just publish the lies. I don’t have an ego, and I could care less if my name appears on an article – my editors can just put that my articles were written by “John Q. Public” if they want. All I care about is if, they spell my name halfway right on my paychecks – which, at times, are far and few between, but it comes with the job. [JWR Adds: Pat Cascio is a volunteer editor for SurvivalBlog, so he deserves even greater credit.]

When it comes to writing about knives – again I have a few things I look at. First and foremost is, is a knife sharp out-of-the-box? If it isn’t, we have a real problem, as the number one thing a knife should do is – cut! Believe it or not, I’ve had quite a few custom knives come into my hands that would have a hard time cutting through warm butter. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I believe that Lynn Thompson, who operates Cold Steel Knives, set the standard for factory sharp knives with his introduction of the tanto – when Cold Steel did this, all the other factory knife companies had to jump on the super-sharp knife bandwagon or get left behind. Today, it’s a rare thing to find a factory knife that isn’t shaving sharp right out of the box. We’re talking about big name knife companies like: Benchmade, Kershaw, SOG, CRKT, and others. The cheap, no-name Chinese imports from some companies are junk and you don’t want to mess around with them.

I look at how well made a fixed or folding knife is made. Things have to fit together as intended – loose or sloppy tolerances don’t make it with me. I also look at the blade steel being used in a knife, and all the big name knife companies are using top-notch steel in their knives their days. Some steels are better than other – and you pay a higher price for higher quality steels. One of my favorite knife steels is 8USA, it’s a stainless steel, that holds an edge a good long time, and it’s easy enough to re-sharpen, too – plus, it’s an affordable steel to use – I like it. If you want a higher-quality stainless steel, like S30V, you are gonna pay a lot more for the knife.

A knife has to have value, if it’s not a good deal, I’m not interested in writing about it. I used to collect custom knives, and you pay a lot more for a custom, hand made knife than you do for a factory made knife. You are paying the artist for his efforts, not just for the materials he uses. And, you are also paying a custom knife maker on the popularity of his knives. Some custom knife makers demand thousands of dollars for a single knife. I’m glad that they can get it and have a following. However, for most of us, a good factory made knife from one of the big name knife companies will get the job done for us. For others, the pure joy and investment of collecting custom knives is what sets their hearts to racing – I have no problem with that. Just don’t think that Joe Schmo’s custom $3,000 fixed blade knife is gonna cut any better than the factory knife from a big name knife company that sells for $150.

I actually carry and use the knives I write about, too. I like to carry a folder for a couple weeks in my pocket and use it for everyday cutting chores, as well as testing the cutting ability in meat from my freezer, too. Fixed blade knives – I used them around my small homestead for various chores. So, I don’t just sit down and write about a knife without first using it. And, just like firearms, a knife has to have a good value in my eyes – remember, I’m not rich, I have to watch every penny I spend, so I’m careful how I spend my money.

I hope this gives SurvivalBlog readers a brief look at to how I test firearms and knives for my articles. And, how and why I got started doing this: I enjoy writing about guns and knives, and other gear. I hope I’m able to give you a leg-up on products, so that when you are looking at purchasing a particular gun or knife, you know what you’re looking for and looking at. As I said, I don’t consider myself an expert, but I hope my many years experience allows me to pass along my knowledge to you, perhaps making your next purchase easier, or at least well-informed.

So, you all know where I’m coming from, and where I’ve been when it comes to guns and knives. It hasn’t always been an easy road, especially when I first started out – getting samples was a bit difficult, but I built-up my contacts over the years, and that has helped. However, just like most writers, I still have a difficult getting samples every now and then – it is frustrating at times, and you’d think I learn to live with it – but I haven’t!

I have learned that SurvivalBlog readers are a very intelligent bunch, I hear from many of you all the time. I can’t answer all the e-mails I get, however, I do read them all. On average, I get about 200 e-mails a day, so I can’t answer them all. However, when you have a question, I do my best to give you an answer – and I hope I’m giving the right answers. When I don’t have an answer, I will call one of my buddies in the industry or another writer and see if they have the answer to your questions.

I hope that you all continue to enjoy my articles on SurvivalBlog.   – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

JWR Adds: I’m honored to have a writer like Pat Cascio on our masthead. Please send him a word of encouragement, from time to time. Manufacturers, importers, and major wholesalers should keep him in mind, as a recipient of sample products. Pat receives no compensation from SurvivalBlog, beyond a few free books.

Economics and Investing:

I couldn’t help but notice that the spot price of gold jumped $30 per ounce at the opening bell in Asia on Monday morning. (Which was Sunday evening, Rawles Ranch time.) Get ready for a very scary ride in all of the markets this week!

Reader J.D.D. sent this: World Financial Officials Hold Emergency Call to Discuss U.S. Credit Downgrade[JWR’s Comment: “Call in the tailors for an emergency meeting!” cries Les Empereur Sans Culottes.]

Four links from G.G.: Two bank closures on August 5th bring total for 2011 to 63 banks. (One of them was inside the American Redoubt.)

Marc Faber: Brace for a Global ‘Reboot’ and a War.

What a difference a week makes: ECB says will “actively implement” bond-buying. (A tip of the hat to Marilyn R. for the link.)

FY2011 deficit tops $1 trillion, with two months to go.

When Dollar Stores Are Too Expensive You know the economy is in bad shape when customers can’t afford to shop at dollar stores anymore.

Catherine Austin Fitts at The Solari Report: Federal Budget 101 & Catherine’s Response

France and Italy stand by to bail out biggest banks as euro crisis worsens (Thanks to J.B.G.)

Items from The Economatrix:

“Sudden And Unexpected” Burst of Downsizing Causes Layoffs to Explode Nearly 60% in July

US Recession Fears Grow as Consumers Curb Spending 

Euro Money Markets Freeze as Crises Escalate in Italy and Spain

Europe on Brink of “Major Financial Collapse”:  Guggenheim CIO

Odds ‘n Sods:

Over at Off The Grid News: One Man Living His Off-Grid Dream. (He relocated from New York to Montana.)

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F.J. spotted this over at LifeHacker: Make an Emergency Candle Out of a Tub of Crisco. (Don’t miss the humorous comments with a description of a bacon grease candle.)

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For just one day, Monday August 8, 2011 Backyard Food Production is offering a 38% discount for SurvivalBlog readers on their DVD Food Production Systems for a Backyard or Small Farm. (Amazon.com has notified them that they have to reduce my inventory – so they are selling these at a great discount.  This DVD is the fastest way to learn to grow food and the most comprehensive tutorial on home food production available.  You will learn how much water you need, how much land, highest efficiency gardening systems, home butchering and small livestock, orchards, and more – all with the focus of how to do it when the stores are closed.  SurvivalBlog readers will get a 38% discount by purchasing the DVD tutorial on Monday August 8th by using this link to their Amazon store.

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Villagers go all “Magnificent Seven”: Russian Village’s Self-Defense Underlines Failures of Police. (Thanks to Jonathan B. for the link.) Meanwhile, reader “Typeay” sent this headline from Oaxaca: Mexican villagers attack alleged crooks, killing six. “The confrontation took place after a town assembly decided to arm 90 villagers and send them to threaten the group allegedly behind cattle thefts, rapes and murders, Oaxaca state’s public security chief said in a statement.” Typeay’s comment: “When there no longer is any police department, you are the police department.”

 

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Steven M. sent this: Latest Global Crisis: Solar Storms Are Set to Hit the Earth. And Michael W. sent the related news story: Power companies prepare as solar storms set to hit Earth. And Scott R. sent the total Gloom and Doom view: Severe Solar Storm to Create Global Chaos and Complete Darkness

Note from JWR:

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.

An Unconventional Training Opportunity: Short-Term Missions, by Nate C.

When it comes to training, there are many good avenues. Some choose (or are drafted) to serve in the military and take advantage of the training there, ranging from basic to advanced. Others get involved in Scouts. Some piece together opportunities like firearms training, wilderness survival and emergency medical courses. Still others learn through travel. There are many types of travel, and each teaches in a different way, if we choose to learn. A cruise with touristy ports-of-call probably isn’t much of an education, except in the gustatory sense, but foreign military service clearly can be. Not all of us are wealthy enough to take cruises, of course, nor young enough to serve in the armed forces, but there are good opportunities between these extremes. One of the best, in my mind, is short-term foreign missions. Here are a few reasons:
           
Immerse Yourself in a Foreign Culture

This is the most obvious.

In a TEOTWAWKI scenario, there’s a good chance you’ll be dealing with new and different people outside your social circle. Placing yourself in a foreign country forces you to encounter and deal with new people, as well as a whole new set of customs, foods, climate, language, etc. You can study all you want about being adaptable, but nothing compares to being forced to do it by dropping yourself into such a situation. You may learn, as I did, that live flying termites aren’t a bad snack.

The strength of short-term foreign missions is that much of it is done in developing countries (though that is changing somewhat as Europe and other historically Christian areas have abandoned the faith). You’re not going to be sitting at a café in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, eating croissants and reading SurvivalBlog over free Wi-Fi. More often than not—if you seek out appropriate opportunities—you’ll be experiencing a way of life that we haven’t known in the West for over a century, possibly a millennium.

Practice Traveling Light

This is not required, of course. The tendency is to “be prepared” by having a bit of everything with you. By choosing to travel light, however, you learn to be prepared by making do with what you have on you and what’s available along your journey.

Bags get lost. Not always, but often enough to plan for it. Traveling with only carry-on luggage is liberating. Not only do you not have to worry about your bags being lost, but you’re also more maneuverable, faster through airports and less obviously a tourist. I’ve been to Africa twice. I was in both urban and bush areas and stayed in modest guest houses but also camped in remote and wild areas. I also took extended layovers in European cities on the return trips. Both times I fit all my personal belongings in a convertible carry-on backpack/suitcase. I use Rick Steve’s Convertible Carry-On, but there are other good options. It’s light, low-key, well-thought-out and meets both US and international carry-on guidelines. The US Customs agent was baffled when he looked at my passport when I returned. “Kenya, Uganda and the UK. With just that backpack?” Yes.

There are plenty of resources for learning how to travel light, so I won’t go into too many details, except to mention a few favorites:  synthetic liner socks (good ones are comfortable and dry overnight, unlike thicker athletic or boot socks), Campsuds (concentrated and washes yourself, your clothes and your dishes), a sleep sack or REI’s Travel Sack (one’s basically a sleeping bag made out of a single layer of whatever material you choose—silk, cotton, synthetics, blends—folded over; the other’s a lightly insulated bag with a hood—both are very compact) and polypropylene long underwear (goes nicely with the previous item when things get chilly and are great for layering in cooler places, like Europe for longer layovers and even the higher altitudes on the Equator, where you may not want the hassle of carrying bulkier cold weather clothes).

Deal with Discomfort

Most Americans live a life of comfort. All but the poorest live at a level of ease and safety well beyond much of the world. But in the event of a short-term disaster or longer change in our way of life, we’re going to face discomfort. Knowing how we cope and how to cope can go a long way in preparing us.

I recall lying in a tent in eastern Uganda with the temperature in the 90s, heavy rains revealing every leak in the tent and a tent door zipper which wouldn’t close for the last 18 inches to the floor. Water, insects and animals were free to come and go at will (thankfully only water and insects took advantage, though both can be just as deadly as animals in that part of the world). Sometime during the sweltering storm, one of my tent mates began vomiting profusely. It was one of the most uncomfortable experiences I’ve had, and it was one I simply had to endure. There was nowhere for me to go, no way of alleviating my discomfort. I just prayed and waited.

While I wouldn’t seek out misery, having experienced it on multiple occasions has helped prepare me psychologically for handling it again. I know I can do it, because I’ve done it.

Test Your Gear

You can read all the gear reviews you want, but until you actually use your gear, you won’t know how it performs. A short-term missions trip is a great way to field test. See if your Gore-Tex really “breathes” in hot, rainy weather. Find out if that collapsible water bottle is really the perfect answer you were looking for—mine wasn’t. Figure out if that tiny LED flashlight will get you safely to the bushes and back to relieve yourself when there’s no light for miles except for the stars. Try assembling your high-tech tent by the lights of a Land Rover. You get the idea.

Get Super-Vaccinated

Most of the vaccinations I received when traveling to Africa were for diseases that are either not seen in the West or ones that we’re generally not exposed to due to better sanitation, vaccinations, etc. Either because they were required or recommended, I’ve been vaccinated against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, yellow fever, meningitis, typhoid, and H1N1, and received boosters for polio, mumps, measles, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus. Not only am I up-to-date on my boosters, but I’m also vaccinated against several diseases which we currently avoid but which we could easily see a resurgence of in the event of certain natural disasters. This can be an expensive proposition, but some insurance will cover portions of the vaccines and it certainly prepares one health-wise both for the immediate trip and for unforeseen circumstances to come.

Learn the Value of Water & the Environment

This may sound trite, but you really can’t appreciate the value of water and the environment until you travel to a developing country and can’t drink the water straight out of the tap. Or maybe you don’t even have a tap. In countries like the US, we have many buffers between us and nature. While we may be inconvenienced at times when extreme weather strains our systems, we often aren’t in touch with our environment as we drive our climate-controlled cars from our climate-controlled homes to our climate-controlled workplaces. Manicured, watered and fertilized lawns may mask a dry spell. Efficient and invisible waste management hides the consequences of being poor stewards or resources; we simply don’t see it unless we go looking for it.

In both Kenya and Uganda, water was not a guarantee. And even when it was available, it was necessary to boil it before drinking, a truly tedious task on a hot day. At home I can fill up my bathtub with potable water and soak in it for leisure. In many parts of the world, such a thing could only be accomplished by women and girls lugging multiple jerry cans to a bore hole a mile or more away, then returning them and heating the water using a wood fire.

Adjust Your Needs and Wants

For me, this was the biggest lesson learned. We take so much for granted and can’t fully grasp just how much until we say how the poorest of the poor live. When I came back from east Africa, I walked into the kitchen. “Snacks! Why do we have snacks?!” Then I walked into the bathroom and felt convicted about our bubble bath. Despite the heat, I went without A/C in my car for a time. Gradually, the convictions fade, unfortunately, but I still have a radically altered view of what are needs and what are wants.

There’s an anecdote I’ve heard a couple of times about a seasoned missionary greeting a new missionary in the field. The new missionary begins to ask about how to obtain certain necessities when the seasoned missionary replies, “You tell me everything you think you need, and I’ll tell you how to live without it.”

Necessity is the mother of invention. People in developing countries have to be resourceful. There is no Social Security, no welfare. If you want to eat, you have to get up and do something. Just being around this kind of productivity is inspiring. Are there lazy people, crooks and addicts in every kind of country, rich or poor? Absolutely. But a poor person in America looks nothing like a poor person in the slums of Nairobi. We sometimes look to history to see how people lived in simpler ways, but we don’t need to. Millions live that way right now.

The applications for preparedness are pretty clear. Having your mind transformed helps you streamline your life, live more simply and be a better steward of all that you have. This does two things: 1) It makes you better able to prepare, in terms of having resources and knowing what’s really needed. And, 2) In the event of a lifestyle-altering disaster, you won’t be nearly so impacted.

Practice Charity & Faith

Lastly, although I’ve described what you can get from short-term foreign missions, what you give is every bit as important. So much of survivalism and preparedness tends to be self-focused. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s like the in-flight instruction to don your oxygen mask first in the event of an emergency, so that you can help those around you. Figuratively speaking, we sometimes forget to go beyond donning the mask. And, let’s be honest, we often prepare for eventualities of varying likelihood while ignoring present certainties—disasters in progress for others. Short-term missions give you an opportunity to practice charity.

As anyone who’s ever planned, raised funds for and gone on a missions trip will tell you, both the preparation and the trip itself will test and grow your faith. You are willfully going against your self-preservation instincts for the benefit of someone else and relying on God to do it. Done with a humble and willing spirit, this exercise in faith will stand you in good stead if and when the hard times come for you. I challenge you to consider it.