Another gent beats feet for the American Redoubt: Why I’m Moving West
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Paul Venezia: Your privacy is a sci-fi fantasy. (Thanks Mark P. for the link.)
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Pierre M. sent this: DHS Purchases Bullet Resistant Checkpoint Booths Amid Large Scale Ammo Buildup
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This upcoming film seems to be more about romance than survivalism: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
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Real wrath of God stuff: Raging downpour leaves Texas town covered in giant piles of hail stones.
“At the beginning of the dynasty, taxation yields a large revenue from small assessments. At the end of the dynasty, taxation yields a small revenue from large assessments.” – Ibn Khaldun, Maghreb historian (1332-1406)
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Today we present two more entries for Round 40 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:
First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.
Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and E.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).
Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.
Round 40 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.
Those of us who have considered the terrible option of having to leave our homes, our main domicile and primary place of normalcy and safety due to civil unrest or worse have had to ask the question of, “What do I take with me?”. Eventually this question comes down taking that hike to …. wherever we feel is best, a better chance for survival environment. Why hike? Because any rational consideration of events that could occur all lead to fuel being no longer able to be obtained, roads blocked, normal travel impossible. Furthermore, the roads themselves may not be the best option for travel for reasons we can all imagine as to why. So we mentally move on to the ‘Bug Out Bag’, that pack, frame and its contents that we hope will see us through to a place of peace and security.
The novice, the out-of-shape, the inexperienced all begin by assuming that they can fill their pack with everything that they’ve read is necessary and still perform a prolonged panic hike of some 20+ miles per day. Day after day; perhaps, week after week. Possibly even night after night as well. Packed is food, water, first aid, sleeping and/or tent gear, campsite needs such as utensils, axe, knife, machete, saw, rope and all the rest of those things deemed absolutely necessary. And should violence and the need to protect oneself be an issue, firearm(s) and ammunition.
Water alone weighs 8.34 pounds per gallon. And the average needed daily amount for an adult is 8 – 8 ounce glasses of water per day. In other words, your daily water weight load is right at 4.2 pounds (a gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds). Having at least two days worth of water is not an unreasonable amount to expect to be carrying. The rest of the weight math is subject to what is in the pack, in your pockets, pouches, bags…..; in other words, the traveler who’s trekked knows that weight carried is the one crucial factor in what is to be carried. The value of each item is scrutinized as to that factor and its worth, utility, need and multi-purpose potential.
Consider the weight of an AK-47, a set of web gear, and 120 rounds of ammunition loaded in magazines. Having actually weighed them, I’ve found that they come in at just over 20 pounds. I assume that most rifles of a similar purpose, with the same number of rounds, would be of a like measure. So, just water for two days and your rifle and a minimal amount of ammunition alone add up to almost 30 pounds. How’s the old back feeling now? And let’s not neglect the weight of clothing, shoes/boots, pocket and belt gear. Easily another five pounds if you’re carrying a good knife, binoculars, compass, mini-first aid kit, some ready-to-eat packets of food, then…
Anyway it goes, anyway you go – if on foot, the load quickly adds up. Many an Old West wagon train movie illustrated a trail dotted with belongings discarded when times got hard, animal power to haul having sickened, weakened or died or other trail hazards and dilemmas arose. That ‘sleeps 4 dome tent’, or extra foam rubber ground pad sure seemed to be ‘the thing’ when you bought it; until that is, you had to haul it for 5 days on the run. That axe or spare shotgun, handgun or two and their respective ammunition needs also seemed perfect for a last-stand home defense; but prove just too much to carry too far.
As I prepared by both reading and studying, and then actually packing a Bug-Out bag (or two, or three….) I came to the conclusion that it would sure be nice to be three people with 21 year old strong backs. I began to consider just how to beat the weight and transportation problem. Seeing an old street woman pushing a shopping cart reminded me of the movie The Road and the hero/father’s shopping cart. Supplies and the means to move them for him and his son were trudged along like that poor old lady that can be found downtown in any city. Like the old woman, there is plenty of room for all the necessities and even some ‘luxuries’ (everything is relative don’t forget.) in a stolen grocery store cart. But, a shopping cart makes a poor vehicle for overland use. Whereas those carts are fine on pavement and sidewalks, the tires are too small and easily fouled, not easily maneuvered on broken ground. Not wanting to reinvent the wheel, I looked around for an off-the-shelf vehicle people already use for valuable cargo that is highly maneuverable, light-weight and adaptable to many terrain types.
What I found was the everyday 3 tube-tired baby stroller. The more ‘upscale’ model with two 12″ diameter tires and a pivoting smaller tire. A load capacity between them of over 50 pounds for usage as a human baby conveyance. The stroller features I would recommend would be similar to the Baby Trend Expedition LX Travel System, Millennium
And this stroller, or such of a like type, can be found at virtually any thrift store for less than $20. I was fortunate and literally found one broken (the tray cracked, some of the upper pipes bent, and all the canvas shredded) being discarded by a neighbor. As in the picture above, there is a small triangular shelf above the front pivoting wheel (which you may discover can be locked in a straight ‘run’ position). As the stroller was damaged, I was able to salvage and saw off the rear axles, brake and wheels; as well as the front fork with the pivoting wheel and ‘table’ above it. This buggy originally sold for around $180.
As I looked at my parts with the eye to it becoming a ‘Bug Out Buggy’ and taking some quick measurements, I found that the pipe/tubing used was almost exactly the same outside diameter as high-pressure 1″ PVC water pipe internal diameter. Literally a perfect fit. To the sketch board!!!
What I did was design around what I had on-hand, the former baby stroller gleaned from my neighbor’s discards at the curb. The first consideration was to reverse the original wheel layout due to this vehicle being drawn rather than pushed. The second consideration being the main cargo area which consists of a large denim bag 18″W x 16″L x 12″D (which corresponded to the approximate size of 2 average day-backpacks. A table or platform area over and extending rearward from the axle of 18″W x 12″ L and the pair of forks to extend the length and stride of the puller – in my project this was 40″. The necessary 45 degree sloping run to the rearmost point consisting of the original front triangular table/foot platform added another 20″. This sloped area was in part determined by my decision to ‘fit’ a previously-purchased OSHA First Aid kit in that location – the slope toward the pivot wheel platform – where it would be quickly accessible. The overall length depending on which pair of forks is being used is roughly 5′. What needs to be pictured is a vehicle with the main load structure being pulled by a pair of poles and terminating in a small triangular platform at the rear with an average height from the ground of a foot and a half. From the rear to the front the shape from a side view would be of a triangle over the pivoting wheel, an open-bottomed square with vertical supports connecting to the axle, another square that is the cargo area and finally the poles extending forward from the main cart body.
A couple of bags of PVC fittings – ‘Tee’s’, Elbows, 45 degree elbows, caps, and some threaded adapters for the fork handles, some 15′ of PVC pipe, PVC cleaner and cement, some eyebolts, heavy cable ties to affix the upright sections to the remaining buggy axle, a couple of linchpins, a piece of fiberglass reinforced plastic and for aesthetics – some spray paint – all told no more than $60 worth of hardware; and, I had my frame built and fitted in about four hours. A technical note – PVC is easily molded and bent by gentle and careful heating of the material with a heat gun. This allows for curves of any radius or direction you may wish for your project.
I own a sewing machine and had many a pair of cast-off and no longer wearable jeans that were easy to convert into denim cloth to make a hanging bag with button-on straps to sling it off the pipe rails. I can see others may use zippers, velcro, snap fasteners or the like for the same purpose. I prefer buttons over those as replacement can be done with many available materials; whereas, the latter-mentioned all take specialized tools or are not obtainable in the field. A button only takes a pierced disk or toggle and a needle and thread to replace. It all depends on the desired configuration of the cart, the builder’s preference and what and how much is to be carried. I do recommend planning on being able to remove any bag for cleaning purposes as assuredly will become necessary. In addition, having a large canvas bag for future uses independent of the cart cannot hurt. Just think of opportunistic harvest needs. A large bushel-sized bag would come in handy.
The power I intend to use is my own motive power and strength to pull this cart like a rickshaw style (with pipe insulation handgrips). But…. a major alternative ‘power source’ that I’ve made are two additional forks/tongues that can be interchanged for the angled handles in order that my dog can pull it when I desire him to. As the owner of a large German Shepherd weighing some 130 pounds, it was a case of “why not use all my resources?” Initial experimentation with him in the traces/harness I rigged and on leash went well; though, I do counsel anyone considering this option to engage in a multiple exposure and training sessions with your mutt. Some dogs may not readily take to becoming harnessed ‘sled’ dogs. And thus, that is why there is a second/spare set of forks with threaded adapters/couplers on the ends of the forks to mate to the forward ends of the cart bag frame. I took the liberty of color coding the left side with red tape to insure that the threaded adapter fittings for the two fork pulling options were always installed on the correct sides and aligned with the linchpin holes drilled through the threaded adapters to prevent any accidental fork rotation while in use. The linchpins are secured to prevent loss by two nylon lines from the pull-ring to conveniently placed eyebolts just behind the threaded adapter fittings. Additional eye-bolts are installed on the dog-forks and in the center of the upper ‘U’ pipe forward of the bag compartment for dog harness attachment (or to be used as ready-to-hand lash down points).
Remember, if you will, that I reversed the original buggy design direction of travel, with the smaller pivoting wheel being to the rear. This allows for far greater maneuverability and affords the larger tires to surmount obstructions easier than would a forward-most small tire. In addition, the formerly front triangular shelf is perfect to sit on with feet on the axle while the dog pulls; or, for a 5 gallon water carboy, ammunition separation and availability – whatever purpose you deem this platform is to be used for. If you consider this cart is designed to be pulled not pushed, it will make better sense.
I load tested and found that the cart as built easily handles over 140 pounds of weight – with an estimated maximum of 180 pounds – while pulling easily and smoothly. As a precaution, I emptied the air out of the tubes and replaced same in all three tires with ‘Fix-A-Flat’ for some puncture hazard resilience.
The load I used on the initial build, pre-painting or threaded adapters for the alternate forks, was, as stated above, of two average-sized backpacks, one medium duffel and an ammo pouch containing over 400 rounds of 7.62 x 39 caliber rifle ammunition on the rear ‘deck’. It is easy to picture how at least 2 long-guns and more cargo could be placed on top of the hanging bag and following fiberglass-reinforced plastic table behind it. The packs and pouch were loaded with over 90 pounds of gear and supplies and the cart pulled easily and ‘lightly’. I tested the now-rear shelf with a filled 5 gallon carboy of water – some 42 pounds – lashed to 3 eye-bolts installed for that purpose and hardly noticed the extra effort needed to pull the cart.
It is an enjoyable project, a quick week-end affair to accomplish, inexpensive and as designed above; or however you may wish to configure it for your own needs, a thing that it easy to do. The big plus is a man on the move can still carry a pack, a rifle and pockets goods on his person while pulling this; effectively quadrupling the normal load if need be. Many things too bulky or weighty to be conveyed by one’s own upright strength – such as 5 gallons of water on the rear shelf – can now be moved with ease. I consider it to be sort of an automatic cache if the need to be free of longer-term needs must be abandoned due to hazardous circumstances arising. All that would be needed is to find cover for the cart and move off already packed out with a short term needs regular pack arrangement and/or defensive weapon.
I’ve not completely explained many of the design considerations. Some important ones are why no bag compartment is behind the axle – in order to lessen the accumulation of mud, dirt and debris on the canvas. Another thought is to make the cart as well-balanced see-saw-fashion fore and aft of the axle. The height of the fork handles to pull – either human or canine – is crucial for comfort and ease of use. Good heavy-duty cement rather than the weaker strength compounds is a must. The entire cart should be able to be picked up with little strain when unloaded/empty with one hand. The ability to remove the forks allows for ease of transport in a pickup truck, van or on a car roof, giving the owner the ability to take it in a ‘bug-out’ situation on and then off a fueled (or just ran out of gas) vehicle and move away from a hazard or traffic situation readily by paring down its overall length initially. The poles/forks too can be used for temporary tent poles and other campsite uses. The overall length of the cart cargo platform including the bag area should be approximately that of an adult body – around 3-4′ – with the knees bent at the aft over-axle platform so that in an emergency you have a wheeled gurney at hand.
There are many other design parameters that could be included ranging from sewn-on pouches on the sides of the bag, rain cover fabrication, mud-flaps and more. It is all a matter of what the builder wishes to include. But as I began this essay with – weight, weight, weight and the consideration of that is what is crucial.
I am not sure on when it happened, or how it happened, all I know is that it happened. I woke up one morning and realized that I didn’t have a plan and I didn’t know what I needed a plan for. Something inside of me was tearing at my chest, not in the form of fear, but in the form of urgency. I started to react instantly and in an almost frantic way because I knew that there was something very important I needed to do. After a couple of weeks I stopped myself and took two steps back to figure out what I was doing and the reason I was doing it.
As a Warrant Officer in the United States Army with four tours overseas in support of the Global War on Terror, I understand the importance of being prepared. Like many others out there, I have read numerous articles on how to be prepared and articles on what to prepare for. I have noticed that everyone has a theory, plan or a way of doing things for short or long term, but I have never come across an article on how to sell this to others that don’t believe. I hope this helps.
We have all heard the saying “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink”. The same goes here. No matter what you may believe will eventually happen, it is getting others to believe the same thing that will hopefully save them one day. In combat, the easiest way to get a young soldier to understand the importance of being prepared is to just sit and wait. Once that first round or mortar comes any where close to him, he’ll get it. Now don’t confuse this tactic on the inherent responsibility of a leader to force preparation on a solider, this isn’t the point, the point is the icebreaker that causes someone to want to believe in something. So, how do we make the horse drink the water?
In any writing, speech or sale, it is the primary goal of the author, speaker or sales man to believe in what they have to say and to get others to believe in what they are saying. There are many way of doing this within the article or the speech, but to be successful at this, you need to be coherent in both writing and speaking and have the most substantial facts on your topic. In reality, not many of us are in that boat, to include myself, so here are some steps and methods that I have chosen to enlist to help sell the truth.
Step One: Zombie Apocalypse Humor
I always break the ice to non-believers, people who live with rose color glasses thinking nothing will ever happen, with the most outlandishly humorous thing out there, the Zombie Apocalypse. First, I go into greatly exaggerated details on all substantial proof that zombies will take over the earth, like the Center for Disease and Control (CDC) posting preparedness steps for the Zombie Apocalypse. The $25 billion in revenue that Zombie movies, video games and artwork based off of the 444 movies made since the early 1900s or the 60 million people that practice a religion that believes in Zombies. Now on that note, I don’t believe in Zombies. Second, I start talking about the arsenal I am building along with the 1 year supply of food, water and first aid that is buried in a bunker that I built out of recycled 18 wheeler trailers. At this point, I have broken the Ice. I can now make light of the whole situation and I am usually joking and crying right along with the person who makes light of any bad situation that could happen.
Step Two: Walk Away Power
I have coined this phrase from Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace Class on how to walk away from something that you really want. Walk away power is the ability to remove yourself from a desire so you do not make an impulse decision that could not be in your best interest. In this case, we really want someone else to believe in the importance to be prepared. After you break the ice, end it there, just for now. You had a good time; you planted the seed and now just wait. This is especially hard because you so desperately wish to continue your goal. While you give it some time, it is ok to prod the fire, and I highly encourage it, by occasionally making joke of the whole conversation. You can do this in passing, before a meeting or even during lunch. A smart move is to do it around others. Imagine that if you over hear someone talking about an investment, do you think that you might be intrigued to find out more? Most would not interrupt a conversation between two people, but rather they might be more likely to pull one of the two to the side and make the inquiry of the over heard conversation, just think, it could be you. If you are the chosen one questioned, guess what step we are back to?
Step Three: Real Life
This opportunity could come at any moment or it could take days to weeks to present itself, but it will, I guarantee it. We live in a sad and destructive world and I do not make light of any horrible situation in which human life is loss or is put into a state of suffering. We have all heard of the saying “History has a way of repeating its self” and it does. These are times where it is key that we use these situations to learn from and to prepare for it possibly happing to us. Lets use Tornados for this example. Tornados happen time and time again and each time life is lost and everything is destroyed. When we turn on the television and see reports of people being interviewed, it seems that same old thing is said by the victim, “Every thing is gone, we have nothing left, and we don’t know what we are going to do”. When a situation like this arises, use it! Open up a dialog on how sad this is, how bad you feel and then ask the non-believer “What would you do?” Let it sit for a few moments, but do not let him or her answer. Interrupt their thought process with what you have done, but it is curtail that you only pick one thing. I cannot stress this enough, one thing and one thing only. Their senses are currently in a overwhelming state and their body is stuck between flight or fright, so you do not want to overwhelm them into remission of doubt with what you have to say. For example, “I have put together an Emergency BUG out Bag that has a week of supplies in it, you know something I can grab on the way to the closet ”. Here is the second most important part of this step: Refer to Step Two, Walk Away.
Step Four: The Follow Up
You can do this step in one or two ways, go to them or let them come to you. I will mention both, but I will talk mostly about you having to go back to them. When a person comes back to you for more information that you might have, you know that the hook is set and it is time to start reeling them in, but sometimes you need to cast back out to try to get another bite. These methods are once again a waiting game, you don’t want to go to soon and you don’t want to sit around for to long waiting on them. This can cause you to be too pushy, or they could loose interest. If you feel that it might be best to pursue them, bring up the same disaster, use a different angle but most importantly, use the same plan that you are using. For example, “Hey man did you hear? FEMA can’t get food out to those people that were in the tornado. That is why I have a week of food in my Bug Out bag”. I hope that you have noticed that I have referenced a not so common term, “Bug Out Bag”. I do this to deepen the curiosity of your non-believer. Best-case scenario is when they come to you. More than likely they will come bearing more questions, “Hey man, what’s a Bug Out Bag?” or they will come to you with answers, “Hey man, I checked out those Bug out Bags you where talking about, pretty cool, I might get one.” Once you know that step four has been made, move on to the final step.
Step Five: The Believer
I opened this article on my own personal account of what happened to me when I realized that something needed to be done to prepare my family and myself. I want you to notice the date, 2011. I have just gotten on this train of thinking against the grain of society’s mindset of the government is here to take care of me, so I have a lot to learn. I guess that I got lucky and figured it out on my own, but there are many others out there that you know and love that won’t have that privilege. Step five is still a very delicate phase in your new believer (trust me, I have heard some crazy stuff out there and I have been turned off on a few things) so it is important to use moderation on your particular beliefs. The purpose of the Web Site Survivalblog.com and many others like it, is to create survivors. For people like us, strength in numbers is what is going to make all of us successful, no matter if our theories come into play or not. Your new believer will find out a lot of information on the web, don’t be afraid to steer him or her away from the garbage and let him or her learn from your mistakes. The most important thing I could say about this step is that you need to be there in their time of doubt, encourage and reinforce the reasons on why they choose to make this very important move in life.
You can use this technique for just about any thing that you want to and please feel free to modify it to fit your personality. I cannot guarantee that this is 100% effective for anyone, not even myself. I have been using this format for years, but never noticed it. To date, I have only created just a few new believers, but in my efforts, I have met just as many, if not more believers and new believers. With that said, the word is out, lets take the time and focus on the bottom line up front, new believers, a stronger community, and most important a country that is prepared.
Jim,
There seems to be a lot of debate on ‘should I head for the hills, post-SHTF‘. In my opinion, what most people miss is: Yes, it is a bad idea to head for the hills with no firmly established destination. Either move now or establish a place you are welcome to before the SHTF.
I doubt a small town will be welcoming strangers in that situation. As for the fantasy of ‘living off the land’, you and 85 million other people? Ever try to bag a deer during hunting season with the limits in place today? – Ross
JWR Replies: I agree wholeheartedly. The whole “Batman in the Boondocks” all-I-need-is-a-backpack-and-a-rifle-and-a-big-knife shtick seems to be promulgated by dreamers who have never actually tried it. For all but a few Herculean backpackers, it is indeed an unrealistic fantasy. If you leave your home with only what you can carry on your back or what can push in a cart, then you’ve shortchanged yourself and have positioned yourself just one notch above a penniless refugee. So consider this a last ditch contingency plan, not Plan A, or Plan B, or even Plan C.
By far, the best solution is to relocate well in advance of any disaster to a small town, with your larder fully intact. You need to become fully part of a community, to overcome the We/They Paradigm. The small town relocation concept was first advanced by Mel Tappan in the late 1970s, and it was crystallized in the 1980s by Joel Skousen. He dubbed it Strategic Relocation, and wrote an excellent series of books on the subject. I too, advocate living at your retreat year-round, and my family lives that life here at the Rawles Ranch. We only make occasional trips into cities, primarily for stocking up, or to broaden the horizons of my homeschooled children. (We visit museums, zoos, arboretums, libraries, and major book stores–like Powell’s— to enrich our at-home teaching curricula.)
There are some who advocate establishing a well-stocked retreat, with the hopes of getting there at the 11th Hour in the midst of a crisis. I do not recommend this, as there are lots of things that can go wrong. Not only is there a high risk of not making it safely to your retreat, but there is also a substantial risk that burglars will clean out your carefully stored tools and provisions. This approach is also suboptimal in terms of “working the kinks out” of your self-sufficiency plans. Unless you practice independent living day-to-day, it can be daunting–whether it is the peculiarities of growing a productive garden in your micro-climate, establishing fruit and nut trees, building up flocks and herds of livestock, or just learning the quirks of cooking on a wood stove. That all takes time and practice. Granted, you could have just one member of your family live at your retreat year round to “hold down the fort”, but that is inferior to having everyone in the family living there and working the land. In closing, I must state that I recognize that for many SurvivalBlog readers that have work or family obligations in the cities and suburbs, that this may be your only practical solution. It is not the best, but make the best you can of it.
In case you missed this: MIT Predicts Half of Humanity to Be Culled in Post-Industrial Crash
Debasement ahead! Treasury to Cut Costs by Remaking Coins, Replacing Paper. Have you got your nickels stacked up? (A hat tip to Sue W. in Idaho, the first of several readers to send the link.)
Items from The Economatrix:
The Dollars Demise: Has It Arrived At This?
A Wicked Financial Storm Descends On America
Dueling Economic Banjos Offer No Deliverance
US Expects Drivers to Pay 24 Cents More for Gallon of Gas this Summer
K.A.F. sent this news headline from inside the American Redoubt: Where should the buffalo roam? Tribes, ranchers battle over bison relocation
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SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson sent this: The ugly battle between rural residents and alternative energy mandates in California
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Government Surveillance Crackdown on Internet Goes into Overdrive
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Jonathan B. sent this tale of a bad day in Nashville: Man allegedly commits 10 felonies in 9 hours. Is this a little glimpse of what will happen in a grid-down Crunch, when hardened criminals recognize a vacuum in law enforcement?
"…a national revenue must be obtained; but the system must be such a one, that, while it secures the object of revenue it shall not be oppressive to our constituents." – President James Madison
Today we present two more entries for Round 40 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:
First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) a $300 gift certificate from CJL Enterprize, for any of their military surplus gear, E.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), and F.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.
Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A FloJak FP-50 stainless steel hand well pump (a $600 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and E.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).
Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206, C.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, D.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and E.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.
Round 40 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.
Apocalypse: en route or ongoing? I won’t argue whether something terrible will happen. It’s a flawed premise. Something terrible is already happening, just not where your computer is plugged in. It is not necessary for the entire planet to be threatened for a single region to be thrown into chaos. It wasn’t necessary for the whole state of Louisiana to be in peril before New Orleans turned medieval after Katrina. The mistake in logic occurs with the base assumption that a survival scenario is the end game. If that’s your assumption, there’s no need for extensive preparations. All you can hope to do is postpone the inevitable. For the rest of us, disaster will bring about a dire, though temporary state of more primitive living conditions. It’s temporary because we are working to make sure it doesn’t last. Everyone’s survival objective should be to rebuild and sustain. Adapt does not mean devolve.
Civilization is usually restored in a matter of months after the most catastrophic disaster. Push that period of primitive lawlessness out to several years and you’ll get no argument from me. What I’m talking about is realigning your survival paradigm with the realm of the probable. You will never be prepared for everything possible, and you will probably never hunt feral cats with a bow in a radioactive ash storm. Even if you do, I submit there is no conceivable way to prepare yourself for that eventuality while maintaining a tolerable existence in the pre-apocalyptic world. It makes more sense to concentrate on the remaining 99-point-something-percent likely scenarios which, combined, will take 4,000% less preparation and worry. This paradigm shift takes about as much time as reading this article.
Still not sold? Well, I still won’t argue. Please see Robert Heinlein’s quote about teaching pigs to sing. But let’s assume you recognize the benefit in an approach based on overwhelming probability. I’m going to reward you with the single biggest life saving strategy you will acquire this year, and it costs nothing. In fact, it’s going to save you money. Ready? Stay home.
You heard me. Don’t go anywhere. Metaphoric pause inserted here to allow for knee jerk reactions. Someone exclaims, “I’m not staying in this city!” Another asks, “Why should we listen to this guy, anyway?” And that’s a reasonable question.
As a rescue technician, I’m qualified in high angle (dangling from a rope), trench, excavation, and underwater environments, as well as vehicle extrication, wilderness search and rescue, confined space safety and response, unexploded ordnance (bombs), mine fields, and HazMat operations. There are very few rescue scenarios I have not trained on, drilled on, commanded, or otherwise participated in. The rescuer’s creed is simple. I am the most important person on the scene, my partner is second, and the victim is third. This means I am primarily trained to keep myself and my team safe while we do all we can for someone else. Or, survival, for short.
What I am not: I may be the only survival expert who was never associated with the Naval Special Warfare Development Group. Quite frankly, if you are getting all your survival tips from a SEAL Team member or any other individual whose primary qualification is combat experience, then you fall into the threat category for the rest of us. I dig special ops as much as the next guy, but they are trained to kill people. At night. With suppressed automatic weapons, helicopters and Zodiac boats. Is killing really that big a part of your overall plan? Or, do you envision saving yourself and your loved ones from the perils of a disaster-stricken city or suburb when additional resources may be hours or even days away? Because that’s what I do on a regular basis.
What I don’t often get a chance to do is speak to people before trouble finds them and explain how to best avoid becoming a victim in the first place. This information is hard won, paid for in some cases with life itself, and not the product of idle web surfing. I hope it strikes a chord with someone. I hope never to see you in need of rescue. That’s a result that benefits us both.
Here, I’ve enumerated the reasons for staying in or near your home (what we call “sheltering in place”) as opposed to immediately fleeing to an alternate location when disaster strikes. Do not lament any bug out preparations you have made or might be in the process of making. Survival is first and foremost a matter of options – having them, realizing them, and implementing them. If you can afford a subterranean bunker and it makes you sleep better at night, knock yourself out. Can’t hurt, right? I’m simply saying, in the most probable survival scenarios, the greatest number of us stand the greatest chance of helping ourselves by shifting the bug out option down the list a bit. For the vast majority of people who do not have bunkers, piling into the truck and heading for the hills is a very bad first option. And here’s why:
1.) The more familiar you are with your surroundings, the better your chances of long-term survival. All else equal, meaning your immediate surroundings aren’t grossly contaminated, you will live longer in the neighborhood where you’ve spent the last ten years than you will in the forest. Yes, this takes into account roaming bands of armed thugs. Yes, it’s true even if you’ve found the last virgin wilderness where the ground is fertile and game abounds. There is no substitute for, nor any advantage that trumps a thorough knowledge of your surroundings. You can “feel” when something is not right in your neighborhood. That’s because it is your habitat. In the best of conditions, animals struggle outside their habitat
2.) You will need support. Because you can’t anticipate every eventuality, you will not know from whom, or from where, aid might come. When you flee the worst of human nature, you also hide from the best. Okay, you may discount completely the kindness of your neighbor, but are you going to ignore the benefit of trading with him when supply caches are lopsided? And what about when your interests align with his? When, for example, those armed thugs show up, they won’t be coming just for what’s in your house. They’ll be going door to door. You will suddenly discover allies all around you and it will have nothing to do with philanthropy or humanitarian principles.
3.) Have you ever heard, “Train how we fight, and fight how we train”? It’s an accepted strategy by now, from athletics to the armed forces. You will perform in the same manner you practiced. This holds true for your environs. Football isn’t practiced on a soccer field just as jungle warfare techniques aren’t honed in alpine forests. The better you know your surroundings, the better able you are to use them to your advantage. Near your house, you already know which streets are dead-ends, which drainage and choke points to avoid, where the nasty dogs are, and you know all routes from there to everywhere else in a 20 mile radius. Unless you are at least that familiar with your bug out location and spend at least half your time there, you are safer at home. Note: companies like onPoint Tactical offer urban survival courses customized to most metropolitan areas. Check for one where you live and improve upon your turf advantage instead of trying to learn new terrain.
4.) After shelter and food, your psychological well being is the most important factor in your survival. I cannot overstate the importance of your surroundings on your psyche. All of those familiar, comforting belongings that you cannot pack in a go bag will make the difference in morale when things get really tough. These morale stabilizers will translate to poise in the face of extraordinary circumstances, when every decision matters. But let’s say you’ve adopted the Spartan lifestyle and everything you own already fits into that go bag. My question to you is, why defend any ground at all? Find yourself a mule and go nomad. Most of us social animals, however, need our territory. And the psychological benefit we derive from home territory – the home field advantage, in other words – is no myth. It reminds us what we’re struggling to preserve.
5.) If you have put any thought into a remote shelter, you have grappled with the problem of supply. Everything from food to first aid and farm implements must be transported there and stored there. You probably already have all this stuff at home. Consider how much easier it would be to simply increase your stores in that one location. You can maintain equipment in your garage. Rotate fuel and food into consumption before it expires and replace it with fresh goods. Keep your medicine and vitamins in the refrigerator that’s already running and extend their shelf lives. Yard not good for growing things? Let the dog poop somewhere else and rehabilitate your soil. Take the money you would have spent driving to your remote shelter on a monthly basis and construct some raised vegetable beds. Start a compost heap. Raise fruit trees and perennial crops now instead of depending on your ability to learn this skill under life and death pressure.
6.) There will be an “after”. There may be several. Hollywood is largely responsible for our warped vision of a post-apocalypse world. They share the blame with unscrupulous fear merchants and a several religious sects. Disaster and ruin are not end states. Ever. Populations regenerate and societies rebuild. That means that there were more than a few people left after every catastrophic occurrence in history, and there have been some big ones. What has happened before will happen again, including the healing process. What kind of shape would you expect your property to be in after you abandoned it to looters and the elements for a few months? What if, instead of a single big bang Hollywood style disaster, a much more likely succession of smaller disasters strike? You have the option to weather them one at a time and rehabilitate in between, or isolate yourself at the onset and forsake your home. The latter could well prove to be an irreversible decision.
There are more reasons than I’ve given here – some technical, some the lesser of two evils – but I’m hoping this is sufficient to compel many readers to pause and consider the basis for their assumptions. If something about your plan of action is troubling you and you can’t quite get a handle on it; if every problem you attempt to solve creates two new ones; if the amount of money, worry, and time you’re spending on this somehow doesn’t make sense, it’s because your premise is flawed. It’s likely you inherited someone else’s premise and didn’t ask the right questions of it. There’s time to do that now. Take another look at what you already have before buying anything new. Then get some qualified advice on how to maximize it.
The latest economic recession was, for thousands of people across our nation and millions worldwide, apocalyptic. Vast numbers of those people are still in survival mode. One of the benefits to being less severely impacted by this disaster is the unbelievably cheep expertise available to us on the open market. Security consultants, architects, builders, fire fighters, self defense specialists, farmers and firearm instructors (to mention a very few) are scouring the want ads for any kind of employment. Offer them a day’s wage to help educate you and your family. It’s money wisely spent because it helps you and it helps a skilled individual without a job. We will need those skilled people nearby when the worst comes to pass. This is symbiotic, community recovery without going all Kumbaya around a campfire. It is practical, sustainable, and it will serve you much better than an individualist approach. I promise.
So, my advice reiterated is this: ignore the microscopic possibilities and concentrate on some solvable problems. Learn to separate practical survival from movies and video games. Go back to the beginning and question everything. It’s not hard. It will make you feel better. It will save you money. It will save your life and possibly many others. Be safe out there.
The most common reason given for not having preparations in place is lack of financial resources. Considering the recent economic downturn combined with the large amount on consumer debt held by the average American household prior to the economic downturn that is not a surprising response. For the past several decades Americans have burdened themselves with more and more debt. We have fallen prey to the “buy now, pay later” mentality. Each and every day we are inundated with marketing messages designed to make us feel like less of a person if we aren’t living in the right neighborhood, driving the right car or wearing the right watch, shoes, clothes or cologne. Carrying yesterday’s cell phone? How embarrassing. Technology is literally moving faster than we can pay for it. Buy the latest computer, cell phone or flat screen television and it is virtually obsolete in less than six months. If you financed that must have purchase, six months later you haven’t even paid off the interest, let alone making a dent in the principal balance itself!
Planned obsolescence or the replacement buy cycle is being designed into the products we buy today like never before in history. How long do you expect your flat screen television to last? Compare that to how long your grandfather expected his television to last. And there we are, buying it hook, line and sinker. We never quite get the old item paid off before we take the plunge and buy (finance) the new toy. We continue to dig ourselves deeper and deeper into debt until we reach a point where we are spending the bulk of our income merely servicing the debt on yesterday’s, now obsolete, purchases. Sound familiar?
And then one day it happens. While watching the news or chatting with our friends or co-workers the big picture just doesn’t make sense anymore and we realize how blind we have been and how easy it would be for the world as we know it to get turned upside down. You experience your survival epiphany. You are suddenly awake, aware, concerned and ready to start preparing. But you don’t have the money to buy the essentials we need to survive. So what can you do?
Well, if you are absolutely convinced that a world changing disaster or economic collapse is imminent then it’s hard to argue with a plan to whip out the credit card and immediately buy everything you need to survive. Don’t worry about the payments, after all, who will be around to collect on that debt? But on the off chance that everything is business as usual next week and you will have to pay up, then your first step towards preparing needs to be to get your finances under control.
Step 1. Discovery. Make two lists, one for income and one for expenses. Look at your bank statements and credit card statements for the past several months and determine, really determine where your money is going. As simple as it sounds, this step is the hardest step for most people. Very few people want to do the work and face the results of such a detailed discovery. This step can be especially hard when it includes a spouse or partner. Be prepared to face avoidance, denial, fear, frustration, anger or even depression. But you cannot skip this all important step. This step is the very foundation that your entire plan will be built on. There are only two ways to significantly improve your finances, make more or spend less. Finding out exactly where you are on the income verses expense scale is essential to creating an Action Plan.
Step 2. Create An Action Plan. Once you know where your money is going, create a realistic plan for making financial progress. Are you going to earn more or spend less? How about both? Can you skip the Mocha Frothy Latte on your way to work? Can you make your lunch at home and bring it with you instead of eating out? Could you do that just two days out of five? Do you really need 350 High Definition television channels or can you get by with 150? Can you work an extra shift, fill in for someone else or take those holiday hours no one else wants to work? How about a part-time job? Think small, start small. Try to earn a few extra dollars here and cut a few dollars there. It all adds up and before you know it you have an extra $50, $100 or more to work with each month. Properly apply these found dollars and you will be amazed at how much progress you can make.
So what is the best way to apply these found dollars? Are you going to use these dollars to immediately fund your prepping or are you going to take a longer view and eliminate all consumer debt and free up even more cash flow so an even larger sum can be redirected towards putting preparations in place? If you decide to pursue a debt reduction plan, Suze Orman prefers you pay off the credit card with the highest interest rate first. Dave Ramsey teaches the “snowball” method where you pay off the debt with the smallest balance first then roll that monthly payment over to the debt with the next lowest balance “snowballing” your way into making large monthly payment towards the targeted debt. Both of them agree that you cannot borrow your way out of debt. You must either make more or spend less. An essential step in creating a plan will involve researching different strategies and philosophies to determine which method fits you best.
Step 3. Put Your Plan Into Action. Creating a plan is great, actually putting that plan into action is the only way to see results. Old habits are hard to break. Be diligent but patient. You are going to stumble but stick with it. Accessing tools like direct deposit and auto draft might be a way to force yourself to remain disciplined. Set aside specific days during the month when you are going to sit down and make payments, shift funds or whatever your plan calls for. Make this a routine, a planned event and it will become a new habit.
Step 4. Pay Attention. Because old habits are hard to break, you have to regularly revisit Step 1 to make sure your Action Plan stays on track. Many banks, credit unions and credit card companies offer free tracking tools to help you organize your expenditures into categories and generate reports that help you quickly see where you are spending your money. Some people accomplish the same goal with a small notepad they keep in their pocket and write down everything they buy and how much that item costs. Here again, find a method that works best for you.
Step 5. Treat Yourself. Once your Action Plan is in place and you have diligently followed the plan for several months, give yourself a small treat. Skip the debt reduction plan for one month and make only the minimum payment due for that month. Take the extra money you have been channeling towards debt reduction and buy that survival knife or high tech flashlight you’ve been drooling over, then get back to the plan.
Step 6. Be Wary of Windfalls. Are you expecting an Income Tax Refund or other periodic windfall? Plan carefully in advance on how you are going to handle this windfall. Having a large amount of non-recurring cash can make you feel rich. A few unplanned purchases and it can disappear quickly. In some cases, it can even lull you into buying an item on credit in advance of receiving the windfall with the intention of paying off this debt with the windfall then spending all of the windfall on something else and having the debt leftover. Remember, you can only spend money once, even windfall money.
Step 7. Review and Tweak. Once you have an Action Plan in place and follow it for a period of time you will have to regularly review and change that plan to accommodate the progress you are making and life changes that come up along the way. The process never stops. Businesses review their Year End Financial Statements and create new Budget Projections each year, you should too.
Insider Tip: The Internet can be a valuable resource. There are numerous blogs pertaining to personal finances and debt reduction. Yahoo Finance, MSN Money, AOL and other popular sites regularly publish articles pertaining to personal finance. Your public library has dozens of books on the topic as well. Personal Financial Coaches are becoming more popular and easier to find, some are even faith based and connected with your local church and offer their services for free.
Whether you want to buy more non-perishable food or buy that rural land up in the mountains, you need cash flow to turn that dream into a reality. Make taking care of your personal finances your first step towards your survival readiness.
Mr. Rawles,
I’d like to throw in a different angle on SHTF-oriented fitness and martial arts. A little over two years ago I felt the need to get back in shape, I remembered what I could do as a Marine in my early 20s (I’m in my mid 30s) and wanted to at least get within shouting distance of that. Going to the gym solo just never worked for me. So I started doing some research and came across Japanese Kendo — the modernized Samurai sword fighting sport. The pros are many. You don’t have to start in great shape or be flexible. After the initial cost of equipment, it’s cheaper than any gym. It’s a very long road to competency, even after two years I’m considered a beginner; in some strip-mall karate dojos I’d have a brown or black belt by now, this dynamic keeps the “yahoos” away and is really only attractive to serious people (I prefer serious people to yahoos any day). You will get in great shape, especially after you start practicing in armor, I never got a workout like Kendo in the couple “hands and feet” martial arts I have done in the past. The armor and uniform are heavy, and you’re swinging a bamboo sword (shinai) constantly. My dress shirt sleeves stop a full inch short of where they did when I started Kendo, that’s attributable to gaining that much shoulder and back muscle. Your abdomen and legs will get stronger too, all good core muscles. I had poor wrist/grip strength from a previous sprained left wrist and a sprained right thumb and now I can shake hands with the best of them. You’ll certainly need this muscle tone and endurance when the SHTF.
There are some cons of course. Your body won’t be conditioned to run long distances from Kendo, you won’t add five inches to your biceps either. You won’t learn five simple techniques to take someone out with your bare hands. You’re not fighting in street clothes. You will lose weight if you’re overweight, but it’s not the primary focus of Kendo. It’s very traditional and the pace of learning will seem slow to most Americans. Buying all of your equipment can easily be a $500-$700 one time cost. You probably won’t find a Kendo dojo outside of a city. Everything is with a sword which is probably not above rifles, shotguns, and handguns on your SHTF weapons list. With that said I’d rather have a knife, sword, fireplace poker, etc than my bare hands and feet in a fight, plan accordingly!
One more plug: If you live in the Seattle, Washington or Prescott, Arizona areas, then check out American Combato / Jen-Do-Tao. This is one of those “5 simple techniques to take someone out with your bare hands” martial arts I mentioned above, it’s oriented specifically to real world situations. I have not checked out the DVDs but did attend classes for over two years, it’s a fantastic self-defense oriented martial art. – J.S.
James,
As a long time martial arts student and instructor (28 years) I would like to welcome Dimitri G. back into the ranks.
Dealing with students both old and young always poses challenges but the real challenge comes in dealing with students that studied when they were young and then return with older bodies.
The main challenge is attitude. I do not challenge Dimitri’s attitude and sincerely respect him for his decisions and driving commitment. What I want to point out is how attitude changes with older students that may have had a bad experience while being the younger student
As I have learned and observed from witnessing myself and other students we all get old, our bodies break down, and we want to recapture the bravado of our youth.
The biggest lesson I have to keep learning as I age and keep teaching are the basics.
For me my basics fall in to three categories’ physical, mental, and skill.
These represent a foundation for me to age gracefully, grow old, and not be a grumpy old tough guy.
To help define how I look at each section:
Physical – “I also call these the three hardest things you will learn in the martial arts”
How to walk
How to fall down
How to breathe
Mental
How to realize I don’t have all the answers
How to learn that education is a two way experience between teacher and student – we both learn and we both teach
How to stay in touch with my peaceful side but still let my need to kick butt side lead when necessary
Skill
Learning how to kick, block, punch, fall… are basic skills and need to be reinforced on a continues basis
My physical fitness level will change with age and health so I must be willing to change my perspective, ways of training, and styles of striking to one of mastering the situation via mental and other skills.
Education comes best from having someone play the leadership role; e.g. one man does not an island make – you can trade leadership roles within a group but the student teacher relationship is very important
Unfortunately Dimitri post alludes to the “colored belt factory” industry that is so prevalent in our U.S. culture. While good schools do exist they are fewer by number and are getting harder to locate. His recommendation to find private instruction is a good one to help someone who is coming back into the arts.
Another method is to locate a local martial arts store in your area and have a chat with the owner. They can be a wealth of knowledge in locating good teachers. And remember, you don’t necessarily want the teacher with all the stripes on their belt. Rather, you want the one that doesn’t care about all the stripes. – Old Man Karate
Those derivatives again: JPMorgan’s massive CDS index position
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: Gold crash on Fed tightening and euro salvation looks premature. (Thanks to J.B.G. for the link)
Penny Wise, or 2.4 Cents Foolish? (Thanks to Michael W. for the link.)
Northwest Territorial Mint (one of our advertisers) has announced very unusual special pricing on their own minted silver rounds and bars: Just 65 cents per ounce over spot. (That is about 1/2 of their normal markup.) This includes their Northwest Territorial Mint brand, the Pan American Silver Corp. (silver hammer), or the Stagecoach pre-scored divisible silve rounds and bars. This sale end on April 20th, so don’t delay.
Items from The Economatrix:
Gold Bugs – Keep an Eye on the Canadian Dollar to Keep Confidence
US Economic Crisis: “Subtle as a Train Wreck”
The latest Range Rover Defender 4WD features a snorkel and fording sonar. (Thanks to James K. for the link.)
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The Swiss Jet Man gives a TED Talk. (I know, I know, it isn’t survival-related, but the am erstaunlichsten factor is off the scale.)
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Over at gCaptain: Big City Emergency – How to Bug Out at Sea
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A new preparedness discussion forum that looks useful: AlwaysPrepared.info. (Of course, all the usual privacy provisos for using forums apply.)
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F.G. mentioned a fascinating collection of Civil War photos.