How to Live Longer Now and After TEOTWAWKI, by Kevin D.

Many people take a multi-vitamin.  Some people take multiple supplements.  However, an often overlooked vitamin deserves your closer scrutiny – vitamin D.  New research indicates that vitamin D has holistic effects on the body that cannot be replicated by any other supplement.  These positive effects include, but are not limited to, reduced cancer rates, reduce incidences of heart disease, lower blood pressure, reduced incidences of influenza, and more.  Best of all, for most people, obtaining the proper dosage of vitamin D is incredibly safe, simple, and inexpensive.  In fact, some researchers believe so strongly in the benefits of vitamin D that they consider it “malpractice” for a physician to treat any condition without first determining if a patient’s vitamin D levels are in the proper range. 

As with all information related to healthcare, personal fitness, and nutrition, please consult with your physician before making any changes in your diet or lifestyle.  Additionally, you can overdose with vitamin D supplements.   Watch your intake and have your vitamin D levels tested periodically via a blood test. 

Vitamin D Misconceptions 
Actually, vitamin D is not a vitamin, but a “prohormone” (any substance that can be converted a hormone) produced by the body in the presence of sunlight.  Because vitamin D is actually a “prohormone,” which your body produces from cholesterol, it influences your entire body — receptors that respond to the vitamin have been found in almost every type of human cell, from your brain to your bones.

Vitamin D also differentiates itself from other vitamins because the best source of it is the sun via our skin, not from something we eat via our mouths like most vitamins.   Vitamin D does not exist in appreciable quantities in normal human diets.  While some vitamin D may be consumed by eating some types of fish and drinking fortified milk, the quantity of vitamin D from these sources falls far short of our needs.  We simply cannot obtain adequate levels of vitamin D from our diet.  However, within 20 minutes of full-body sun exposure, most people will generate up to 20,000 units of vitamin D.  To generate even 5,000 units of vitamin D, an individual would need to consume nearly 50 glasses of milk or 10-12 multivitamins – something no one should do!  [JWR Adds: Remember, toxicity is a problem with all of the fat-soluble vitamins, K, A, D, and E.]

With more people working indoors, commuting inside of cars and trains, and, more recently, people using copious amounts of sunscreen in an effort to thwart skin cancer, opportunities to obtain vitamin D from sunlight has greatly diminished.  In fact, many people may be in a vitamin D “crisis” and not even know it!  And, considering how vitamin D affects so many bodily functions, many symptoms and diseases that are being treated with a variety of pharmaceuticals could be greatly reduced or possibly eliminated by simply increasing vitamin D levels. 

Vitamin D – the Superhero Vitamin
While correlation does not imply causation, the following is a partial list of documented events as they relate to vitamin D:

  • The incidence of influenza is inversely correlated with outdoor temperatures (i.e. the higher the outdoor temperature, the lower the number of cases of influenza).
  • Children exposed to sunlight are less likely to get colds. 
  • Influenza is more common in the tropics during the rainy season when people are indoors and receiving less sunlight.
  • Volunteers deliberately infected with a weakened flu virus – first in the summer and then again in the winter – showed significantly different clinical courses in the different seasons.
  • The incidences of influenza are much lower in the months both during and immediately following the summer.
  • Vitamin D deficiency is a major factor in at least 17 types of cancer as well as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, and more. 
  • One recent large-scale, randomized, placebo-controlled study on vitamin D and cancer showed that vitamin D can cut overall cancer risk by as much as 60 percent! This was such groundbreaking news, the Canadian Cancer Society has actually begun endorsing the vitamin as a cancer-prevention therapy.
  • Similar results were shown in another study investigating vitamin D’s impact on breast cancer. It discovered that light-skinned women who had high amounts of long-term sun exposure had half the risk of developing advanced breast cancer (cancer that spreads beyond your breast) as women with lower amounts of regular sun exposure. 
  • When JoEllen Welsh, a researcher with the State University of New York at Albany, injected a potent form of vitamin D into human breast cancer cells, half of them shriveled up and died within days. 
  • The effects of vitamin D were even more dramatic on breast cancer cells injected into mice.  After several weeks of treatment, the cancer tumors in the mice shrank by an average of more than 50 percent. Some tumors disappeared.  Similar results have been achieved on colon and prostate cancer tumors in mice.
  • A study by Dr. William Grant, Ph.D., internationally recognized research scientist and vitamin D expert, found that about 30 percent of cancer deaths — which amounts to 2 million worldwide and 200,000 in the United States — could be prevented each year with higher levels of vitamin D.
  • According to a new report, low levels of vitamin D may double the risk of stroke in Caucasians.  Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States.
  • And for you sports fans, the team physicians for the Chicago Blackhawks credit rigorous vitamin D supplements with improving player performance and being a contributing factor in the team’s 2010 Stanley Cup Championship. 

In the past few years, vitamin D is has finally been receiving the attention it deserves considering its critical role in human bodily function.  Almost weekly, new research is released confirming the benefits of vitamin D.  Unfortunately, pharmaceutical companies prefer to manufacture countless drugs to alleviate symptoms that are often caused by lack of vitamin D.  These pharmaceutical companies don’t like to advocate vitamin D as a valid course of treatment because they cannot patent vitamin D and profit from it.  And, because these pharmaceutical companies advertise heavily in all media outlets (including magazines and online news sites), they may exert influence to suppress articles on homeopathic and natural treatments.

UV Rays and Vitamin D
Similar to cholesterol which has two main types (HDL – the “good” cholesterol; LDL – the “bad” cholesterol), sunlight contains two wavelengths: ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB).  UVB is the winner (the “good” waves), as these are what converts into vitamin D.   However, UVA (the “bad” waves) is the culprit that leads to skin cancer.  Additionally, UVA is not affected by the position of the sun or clouds whereas UVB is dependent on both of these factors.  Ironically, UVB rays are at their most intense at mid-day – the time of day that most people try to avoid sunlight.  Unfortunately, by spending time outside in the morning or late afternoon, you are exposed to UVA rays (the “bad” rays) while receiving virtually no UVB rays (the “good” rays). 
Recently the FDA announced new guidelines for sunscreens.  In the past, many sunscreens only provided protection against UVB rays which cause sunburn, but offer no protection against UVA rays which cause skin cancer (in recent years, more sunscreens have been offering protection against both types of rays).  Insidiously, this combination of UVB protection and no UVA protection is the worst possible combination because the benefits of vitamin D (via UVB rays) is reduced or severely curtailed and no UVA protection is provided (contributing to skin cancers).  In fact, some hypothesize that the advent of sunscreen actually has contributed to the rise in all types of cancer, including skin cancers, because these sunscreens cause a sharp drop in vitamin D levels which is correlated with increased cancer risk.

How Much Sunlight Do I Need?
Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics has doubled its recommendation for daily vitamin D intake in children.  The new guideline is 400 international units (IU) each day.  Many researchers believe this recommendation is still far too low and children should receive a minimum of 1,500 IU per day if they are not exposed to daily sunlight. 
The best “rule of thumb” is enough sunlight to turn your skin the lightest shade of pink (for most people, this will be less than 30 minutes of sun exposure).   Also, keep in mind that exposing just your head and arms is probably not enough, you will need more exposure (e.g. upper body, legs).  Don’t  forget – sunburn is bad!  You don’t gain any additional vitamin D by getting a sunburn and only expose yourself to long-term skin damage and possibly skin cancer.   Another good “rule of thumb” is this: If your shadow is longer than you are tall, then you are not receiving the best UVB rays. 

If your unique situation prevents you from receiving direct sunlight, another option is take a vitamin D supplement.  Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is the preferred choice, not vitamin D2.  The most recent and respected research for oral supplements is 35 IU per pound of body weight.  For a 200-pound person, this would be approximately 5,000 IU; for a 50-pound child, this would be approximately 1,700 IU.  You can purchase vitamin D supplements at most any drug store or health food store.  For children, I give my children “Lil Critters” vitamin D gummy vitamins (purchased at Wal-Mart and Target). 

In the future, if diseases increase and access to physicians and antibiotics are limited, vitamin D can and should be considered an intervention method.  For someone suffering from influenza or a bacterial infection or most any illness, increasing vitamin D levels can and should be considered.  If regular access to sunlight is not possible, increasing oral supplements to 15,000 IU, 20,000 IU, or more should be considered.  Some researchers believe 50,000 IU per day for less than 10 days will not result in overexposure to vitamin D and may help thwart or mitigate infection and disease.  

Warning: You can overdose on vitamin D!  If you receive daily sunlight, most likely you do not need oral vitamin D supplements.  If you need to take oral vitamin D supplements for a long period of time, I strongly recommend that you have your physician check your vitamin D level with a blood test (the 25-hydroxyvitamin D test). 

My Personal Experience with Vitamin D
For several years, I have been ensuring that I receive adequate levels of sunlight during the fair weather months and supplementing with oral vitamin D during the winter months.  During this time, I have had no influenza, virtually no colds, and no other serious health issues.   During the winter months, I take 5,000 IU each day.  If I am traveling on business or not feeling well, I will increase my dose to two to three times that amount.  In the fair weather months, I spend time outdoors in natural sunlight to obtain vitamin D.  Finally, as part of my preparations, I keep plenty of vitamin D in 5,000 IU capsules on hand.  Considering the benefits of vitamin D and the potential increase in diseases during “the Crunch”, vitamin D supplements should be as important as bullets and beans in everyone’s preparations.

Letter Re: The Thinning of The Horde by Matt B.

Dear Survivalbloggers:
I just finished re-reading JWR’s novel “Patriots“. Anyone who has read it knows that in Chapter 21 a number was given on the percentage of the population that perished during the Crunch. This has allowed me to open my mind. There will undoubtedly be a Golden Horde, but as you will read, it will quickly and overtime diminish considerably.  

This last semester I took a human geography course which I found especially relevant to the way that a ‘Horde’ would move. In the course I have learned that in a typical East Coast suburb, there are about 5,000 people per square mile! A choropleth map of the United States shown in class illustrated that almost two-thirds of the 300+ million Americans live East of Tornado Alley. A choropleth map is one method to depict population density. The scale of the choropleth map that I was shown depicted one dot = 100,000 people. I feel that referring to the split by Tornado Alley is easy to remember since I still remember it from grade school. For those of you that don’t recall, Tornado Alley is the string of states (the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas) that are most prone to Tornados touching down due to the plains. The states East of these states are home to 2/3rds of the population.

I read You’re Ready for the Outlaws, But What About the In-Laws?, by Ellie Mae and that made me think as to how the Golden Horde would thin out in a short time. She portrayed her in- laws as the diabetic-obese type. Data released from the 2011 Diabetes facts sheet indicate that 26 million Americans are diabetic and 80 million people have been deemed ‘prediabetic’. Prediabetic means the blood glucose levels are higher than average but not high enough to qualify as diabetes.

When The Crunch strikes, it won’t strike lightly, it will come with an overdue vengeance. The way I understand it, if there is a socioeconomic collapse or some disaster which renders the whole country disabled (which seems fairly easy to do), power would be the first thing to go. People attached to life support or that cannot breathe on their own would helplessly wither away. Dialysis machines would be unable to operate effectively, meaning those people with kidney and liver damage, as well as other people which require regular treatments, would have no treatment. Hospitals would have no way to effectively operate, especially without anesthesia and sterile operating tools. Oh, and good luck if anyone will stay behind WTSHTF.  Most hospitals don’t keep a large supply of sterile equipment so their supply would quickly diminish.

This will be about the same time that citizens begin looting. Most will go for material objects like jewelry, watches, electronics (but no power to use them), while others who have a family to support would raid supermarkets and gas stations, although they would still be looting. Some of the looters may have small arms like handguns, large kitchen or hunting knives, bats, clubs, and some may have hunting rifles, nothing of a substantially large caliber that could qualify as a battle rifle. Many people that don’t own a gun will begin looting gun stores. Most will be inexperienced with properly operating a firearm, which will lead to accidental shootings, thus thinning the horde by internal bleeding and resulting infection, if the initial gunshot wound didn’t kill quickly enough.

Starvation and disease are the next phase toward thinning the horde. With many people unable to fend for their own food, either by physical inability or lack of knowledge, much of the population will be weakened by lack of nutrition which leaves them susceptible to disease. Without running water or access to proper hygiene products, skin infections, dental problems, disposing of ‘waste’, and lack of nutrients, disease will run rampant across the country, especially in areas with a dense population. Dental problems are not fatal in themselves, but when a tooth is pulled, it is prone to infection and a lot of pain. Fecal matter can penetrate over 10 layers of toilet paper, so always wash your hands after going ‘number 2’ and disposing of it.

Children and the elderly are the most at risk for disease. Children are prone because of their developing immune systems and introduction to extremely harmful diseases to an underdeveloped immune system make children most at risk. The elderly are at risk for the same reason with the exception that immune systems weaken with age, especially if their body is weakened by another type of hereditary or age-dated disease.

The absence of medical supplies, surgical equipment, basic penicillin and antibiotics can turn a simple wound, into a fatal wound. Not only that, but a doctor would have to have survived the Crunch until this point and have a sterile facility to operate. Even gaining access to a facility or even a doctor, are really bad odds.

Another aspect of thinning the Horde to consider is that just because our government and economy have collapsed, nature won’t stop giving us grief! When Hurricane Katrina touched down in New Orleans, gas powered pumps were used to prevent over flooding of water to civilian neighborhoods. When the pumps failed, there was no way to prevent flooding and many people and homes perished. During a collapse, there won’t be any fuel for the pumps, there won’t be any way to get fuel to the pumps, there won’t be anyone in control and there won’t be any emergency responders. Not only that, but unless you have lived in the area of your retreat for your whole life and know the weather patterns during the year, you can and will be hit by unexpected weather. Most of us get a weather report from the internet or a news channel. During the Crunch, that will not be an option.

Given the events for the people living along the Mississippi River, that type of disaster can ruin your whole plan to survive TEOTWAWKI. For those who are unfamiliar, the Mississippi River over flooded, swallowing hundreds of homes and businesses along the river and even miles inland. Hundreds of thousands had to relocate, many of them only with the clothes on their backs. The lucky ones were able to drive out in a recreational vehicle (RV) and now there are communities of RVs with refugees. Most won’t be able to return to their homes for months to over a year. Many don’t have anything to return to.

If your area gets a lot of rain in the spring, but nothing in the fall, you will know when to collect and how much to last through the season. Hurricanes, blizzards, tornados and any other natural disasters you can think of won’t stop because our country has collapsed. Just as the pepper’s motto goes “the Crunch won’t wait for you to be prepared, you must prepare now”, Nature won’t wait for us to reinstate a government or emergency responders, you must have contingency plans in place is a disaster is set to strike.

The requirements for working against a hurricane disaster, goes ten-fold for nuclear power plants. I’m not an expert on them, but what I have gathered so far entail that nuclear reactors must be kept at a cool temperature, usually done by using water, to prevent overheating. If a reactor overheats and is unable to be cooled, another Chernobyl can occur. When the reactor melts down, the concrete shell of the reactor is unable to contain the massive amount of radioactive energy. All of this is prevented by people that work the computers. The effects of Hurricane Katrina would be rice cakes compared to the effects of a reactor meltdown. When radiation escapes into the atmosphere, it travels with the wind. There would be little hope for people in the initial radius of the plant, but the radiation could spread across several states, even continents, affecting tens of millions of people that may have survived the beginning stages of the Crunch. When the radiation escapes the atmosphere and reaches the ground, water sources and crops are prone to being radioactive.

Small amounts of radiation reached New York, from the reactors in Japan. Take the information from the news reports and how low levels of radiation have reached the East Coast of the States. If this can happen half a world away with emergency responders, think of the impending disaster with none of the information and no manpower to advert the crisis.

The effects of radiation are worse if a nuclear warhead is detonated close by or up-wind. Refer to the previous paragraph about radiation, but when a nuclear warhead is detonated, it releases an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP). Basically an EMP releases a burst of energy which can literally fry any electronic device within the blast radius [and a considerable distance beyond, via linear coupling through power lines and telephone lines.] Unless you store electronic items in metal ammo cans, then you will be without their use for a long time.

Many of the articles on SurvivalBlog encourage us to gain medical knowledge and stock supplies and medication for our families and member of our group. The spread of disease and starvation have been talked about a lot and are a major portion of the prepping agenda. But other disasters can and will strike even when the Crunch is in full swing. If the contents of this article plus other areas that may have been omitted, the nation’s population of 300+ million citizens would be depleted to a few million citizens. As stated earlier, just because our government is in shambles, nature will still continue to have its depredations. The Golden Horde does exist, but genetics, general stupidity and nature will drastically reduce the numbers. I just hope that any people I come across are ones of sound, rational minds, and the people that reduce themselves to baser instincts of animals, pillaging and murdering, are the first to perish through any means mentioned above. If this does happen, then I may not ever have to raise my rifle.

My Suggestions

  • When scouting a location for a retreat, be sure to take into account seasonal weather, how to prepare for these conditions and take note of typical wind speeds and direction.
  • Get a large map that shows your retreat and mark where potential threats can hinder your ability to live securely. Mark where chemical factories, nuclear power plants, et cetera. Are located and in what conditions would it affect your ability to farm.
  • With recent odd weather patterns in the news, take into consideration event that could happen, even if the threat is moderate to low.
  • On the same or similar map, draw contingency escape routes in case you are overrun, mark off where hordes of people would travel that would affect OPSEC.
  • Create a travel map that would show you how to travel the surrounding areas of escape by avoiding major roads.
  • Have a secondary location and cache if your retreat were to be compromised by the Horde or a natural disaster.
  • If your yearly home and retreat are a distance away, be sure to have several routes to take to your to your retreat and maps
  • Discover if you have any venomous or poisonous plants or animals that you could encounter en route to your retreat or at your retreat. Be sure to abide by laws and research the FDA standards on all medication you are considering purchasing. Remember, we’re thinking of a SHTF scenario where it would be impossible to get access to anti-venoms, which most hospitals will keep on hand if the area has a high concentration of venomous or poisonous animals. But if you’re in an area with a concentration but hospitals have to import the anti-venom, then it would be best to have it on hand before TSHTF.
  • Get elective surgery now. Elective surgery exists to improve your quality of living. Lasik eye surgery which will cancel out your need for an eye glasses prescription. Anything that the doctor says is benign; it could become something later, so it might be good to get it removed. Seek second opinions.
  • Get updated shots, boosters and necessary vaccines as well as dental work. As stated before infection is a major concern of any operating procedure.
  • Get educated on emergency medical care. Especially dressing wounds since once the skin is broken, the wound is vulnerable to disease and infection!
  • Get familiar with performing minor surgery. This can go between patching up a large gash, a non-fatal gunshot wound, or setting broken bones or dislocated joints.
  • Get educated with firearms and how to properly use equipment. A stupid mistake or slip up will make the difference between a completed project and a fatal error.

Letter Re: Economic Solution?

Mr. Rawles:

You, and numerous other hard money advocates–like Ron Paul–spend a lot of time talking about the problems created by the Federal Reserve. You are right in calling it a private banking cartel–because, yep, that it exactly what it is. But what is the solution? Thanks, – Ralph in St. Louis

JWR Replies: In essence the problem is our reliance on debt-based funny money. (Take the time to watch the Renaissance 2.0 video series. While I don’t agree with all of its creator’s conclusions, overall it is excellent.) My emphasis on hard goods (barterable tangibles) and hard money (Nickels and precious metals) is part of the solution for disassembling the debt-based money system. We can bypass and inevitably defeat the banksters by not repeatedly cycling money through their system. An just by seeking private loans rather than bank loans and keeping our bank account balances small, we will deprive them of the “float” that is their lifeblood.

Economics and Investing:

Whispering the dreaded “D” word: Federal Reserve Actively Preparing for the Possibility of U.S. Default. ( Thanks to N.B. for the link.)

Columbus [Georgia] Forms Copper Theft Task Force. “Columbus Police say last year alone $2 million in copper was stolen throughout the city.” (Thanks to F.G. for the link.)

F.J. sent a link to an interesting piece penned by Eric Fry: Investing Ahead of the Curve. Here is a quote: “In 1969, for example, the Argentine government trimmed two zeros off the existing Peso Moneda Nacional to create the new Peso Ley. In 1985, the government slashed four zeros off the Peso Ley to create the Peso. Then in 1992, the government cut three zeros off the Peso to create the Austral, simultaneously linking it to the US dollar, one-for-one. Ten years later, this peg to the dollar ruptured and the Argentine currency swiftly lost 75% of its purchasing power…again.”

Michael W. mentioned a web site of interest to copper and nickel investors: Portland Mint.

Some HKMEx news: Hong Kong Metals Exchange to Open 1,000 Ounce Silver Futures Contract. (Thanks to Chris D. for the link.)

Loyal content contributor B.B. kindly sent several news items:

18 Signs That Global Financial Markets Smell Blood In The Water

Marc Faber on Gold, Silver, Deflation and the U.S. Economy podcast (podcast interview with Jim Pulplava)

Too Big To Fail?: 10 Banks Own 77 Percent Of All U.S. Banking Assets

Bill Clinton: I’d use 14th Amendment

Down but not out: Voices of the long-term unemployed

Items from The Economatrix:

Bernanke’s Nightmare

The Money Changers’ Last Hurrah

The Collapse of Paper Money and The Vertical Move of Gold

Big US Bank:  If QE3 Actually Happens We Could See Gold at $5,000 and Silver at $1,000

Odds ‘n Sods:

Mr. V. mentioned a site of interest in the Onionspace: A movement devoted to anonymity, resilient communities, and free markets. Mr. V. also mentioned: “There is a table of contents viewable from “vanilla” Internet space. For full access, you will need to get set up in Tor .onion-space, then you can access this board.”

More eastern liberal know-nothing feel-goodism: Bullet Tax’ Proposed By Mayoral Candidate. Will someone please explain to Otis the difference between a “bullet” and a “cartridge”? Oh, and while you are at it, please show him the way that many .22 rimfire cartridges come from the factory packed in boxes of 500 or 550, and in cases of 5,000. (Thanks to Robert R. for the link.)

   o o o

K.A.F. recommended the young adult book series Life As We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer, which is reviewed here. (It was also reviewed by Avalanche Lily, back in January.)

   o o o

Two never-finished Navy ships head to scrap heap. (A hat tip to Pierre M. for the link.)

   o o o

George S. suggested: Buford, Wyoming, Pop 1, [ZIP code] 82052

Note from JWR:

Today we present another three entries for Round 35 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 Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 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.) , and B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value.

Round 35 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A Few Words on Bicycles, by Semper Bike

About 17 years ago I realized that I could not do all the things that I had done when I was in my 20s. I use to play pick-up basketball for hours, play soccer, stay up way too late, hike lots of miles, and a lot of other things, and not feel too much pain the next day. Well, I’m 47 now and I can barely run or do anything that requires lateral movement like soccer or basketball due to multiple operations on my ankles, knee and back. About the only things that I can do pain-free is swim and ride a bike. I still walk but it is always accompanied by the ever-present arthritis to remind me that I am no longer 25…but I digress. As I said, 17 years ago I decided it would be cool to ride my bicycle across the US. Now, up until this decision, I had never owned a real road bike and had probably never ridden more than 10 miles but I was determined and left the west coast in June of 1995 and rode until I saw the Atlantic Ocean 52 days later. I’ll describe some lessons learned during this journey.

I realized I could do anything I put my mind to. I also realized the amazing versatility of bike riding. Not only did I get in phenomenal shape, it also taught me about road ‘survival’ skills. Having spent 20 years in the military, I am pretty sure of myself in regard to surviving in the wild but when I road coast to coast, I became much more road savvy than I had ever been. I learned to listen to the sound of approaching cars from the rear and could tell if they were going to come too close or give me a wide berth.  I also learned how much weight you could easily carry on your bike if you needed to. When I started the trip, my panniers (the bags that hang on your front and rear wheels) carried upwards of 80 pounds of gear. During the trip I slimmed down my load but in a survival situation, when speed is not of the essence, you can store a lot of gear in those panniers. 

I also learned to approach a town with caution and decide on an entry point that gave me options to get out quickly. I never allowed myself to get into a position that only allowed me one way out so that if danger came from that direction, I had other places to go.

I also became very adept at bicycle care and maintenance and could change a flat, put on a new tire, true a bike wheel, tighten spokes (even if one broke), and keep the bike running until I could get to a repair shop. I learned how to ride in a neutral position so that my hands and arms didn’t fall asleep. These are basic skills you should develop now so that the first time you need them is not when the SHTF.  Being proficient in all things related to bike travel is a huge advantage and adds another piece to your survival repertoire.

Although I never used one, I saw several long distance bike riders towing a trailer. This would be a very good essential item in a survival situation.  Let’s say your water source is a couple of miles away and you don’t want to walk and fuel is way too expensive to use the truck. The bike and trailer will get you there faster and transport multiple gallons of water. The ancillary benefit is that you are also in ten times better shape if you are biking regularly than driving a vehicle and the beautiful thing about it is, it’s one of those activities that can be done completely under the radar because training in plain sight is no issue.   Just outfit the family with decent bikes and start riding every weekend! Add some adventure to it and have friends drop you off on a rail-trail path and bike your way home. Pack along food and water and you are building your family’s survival quotient ten-fold.

My first trip across country was brainless to say the least. I simply bought a bike at a local store (a Trek 1220), picked up some gas station maps and traced a route and went for it. I spent the first week in the Mohave Desert and knew nothing about what it would take to make it through. I think God certainly had pity on me and put certain people into my path as it would have been impossible to make it without them. I met a guy named Rodney in the middle of the Mohave and he had been biking cross-country every year for the last six years. He probably saved my life or at least some severe discomfort when he gave me the right information at exactly the right time I needed it to make it across the desert.  I can simply say that God’s grace is sufficient for me. Anyway, I don’t suggest you do the same thing as I did and make sure you prepare for any trip longer than a few miles. Do a competent map study, and be proficient at riding before you hop on your touring bike. I only rode my bike twice before hitting the road for my 3,500 mile trip. (Not good, to say the least.)

Ever since that trip I have become a biking enthusiast. I ride mountain bikes and road bikes, although I prefer the off-road version now; I simply hate riding next to tractor-trailers and semis! The mountain bike also offers an additional option of getting off the hardball roads quickly and quietly if the need arises. Although you will not make the same speeds on a mountain bike as a road bike, in a SHTF scenario, speed is not your best option, stealth and versatility are.

The benefits of having a “bike” option are cost, simplicity, exercise and fitness, training under the radar, fuel savings, flexibility and versatility. Since my first croos country trip, I have completed two more cross-country rides and have become that much more proficient in the area of bicycle maintenance but you do not have to do any long distance trips to do the same. Start local, start riding your bike to get the paper or to do an errand. Get the kids involved. Find a rail-trail near your home and start doing weekend trips to ride on them. Plan a biking/camping adventure with them. Do some research and get a decent set of panniers for each bike in your home. Practice riding with a heavier load. Get a full complement of bicycle repair tools and equipment. I have an extra set of tubes for each tire and I also have two extra tires that I twist into a figure-8, then fold in half and stuff in my panniers. The longer you ride the more maintenance you will have to do to keep the bike running but that is its own reward in proficiency.  I always carried two methods of tire inflation. I carry three CO2 cartridges and a nozzle so I can quick fill a tire in a few seconds. I also keep a decent hand pump along as well. Don’t skimp on a hand pump, spend the extra dollars and get a good one that can pump up a road tire to 60 p.s.i. if need be.  Some pumps don’t cut the mustard on this capability so do some diligent research. Also make sure you know the difference between Presta and Schrader valves, and have the capability to pump into each type. Most gas stations can’t fill the Presta valves but a simple $1.50 conversion bit gives you this capability. I learned this one the hard way, don’t make the same mistake. Know the difference and be prepared.

Whenever I ride, I have several dollars in change in my handlebar pouch. I cannot tell you the number of times I pulled into gas stations and stores after they closed and found a working soda and candy machine outside. Having a supply of change is a lifesaver in some cases. I once was riding on route 66 between Kingman and Seligman, Arizona and pulled into an old decrepit gas station that looked like it hadn’t pumped any gas in decades. The only thing that worked was the soda machine and it didn’t have a slot for dollar bills; it was another one of those moments when I knew God was watching out for me.

Another item that is indispensable is tire liners. I use Mr. Tuffy’s tire liners but there are several on the market that should do the trick. Although it adds weight to your bike, they are worth every cent. I biked nearly 1,200 miles before I got my first flat on my first bike trip and have had similar results on all my long distance rides. A cheap alternative to store bought liners is to save your old tires and cut off the wire rims. Insert the remaining rubber into the tires and then put the tubes in and you have a home remedy to help prevent flat tires. This option is really only effective if your old tires are of the smooth variety. A knobby mountain bike tire will not fit snugly into a new one, even with the wire rimes cut off. You should also carry green “slime” which is a quick repair goop that you fill directly into your tubes. It fills the hole from the inside (provided it’s not too big) and allows you to continue to use a damaged tube without patching. Bike stores even sell tubes with the slime already pre-filled in the tubes. Tires can also help in the flat prevention department. Specialized makes an Armadillo tire that is pretty tough against flats. The only downside is that the tire is pretty stiff and isn’t for someone who wants a real smooth ride but if we are talking a SHTF scenario, these are money for preventing flats.

This brings me to my next point; patches. There are now lots of different options than the old standard vulcanizing patches we all grew up with. There are quick fix patches that are a time saver and are very useful to quickly patch a tire without having to wait five minutes before the glue sets on an old standard repair patch kit. The tradeoff is that most quick fix patches will not last as long as the standard patch but I developed a plan when I rode where I would quick fix any flat and then when I was safe in my overnight dwelling, I would re-examine my tubes, replace with new ones and re-patch if necessary. I never wanted to spend too much time on the side of the road patching a tire. In the event someone took notice who might want to do me harm, you want to get rolling as quickly as possible.

Bottom line: If you are looking at a true survival scenario, use as many of these options as you can to keep you bikes running on the roads and trails.
It also illustrates a point about traveling alone. I rode cross country in 1995, 1998 and 2003 and did all three trips solo. If I were to do it again, I would probably find someone who would do it with me. I was packing iron my 1st and 2nd trips, (Mr. S&W .357 Magnum on my first trip and Mr. Colt .45 on my second) but rode the third one without heavy metal since I was more aware of the state by state rules regarding firearms and probably was not riding in accordance with established concealed carry laws. I had a cell phone on that most recent trip unlike the first two but going solo, with or without a firearm, would be ill-advised in a survival situation. 

On my second cross country bike trip, I ran across an interesting individual in Tennessee. I can’t remember his name but he told me that people around the area called him the “can man” because he picked up cans along the roadside and turned them in for cash. He told me he bought his last truck with the money he saved from collecting cans. It took him several years but he was retired and just road up and down the state roads, about 40 miles each day, and did his thing and had a very healthy outlook on life. He had rigged up a rear seat platform with several milk crates which he used to keep his cans in and had a broom handle extension on his handlebars so he could walk and balance his load at the same time. It reminded me of the stories of the Viet Cong bringing supplies into South Vietnam on the Ho Chi Minh Trail but his little broomstick handle allowed him to walk upright while pushing the bike and not hunched over the way you normally do. I thought about this for a bit and realized the utility that this had to offer in a SHTF scenario. Let’s say you have to beat feet off a road or trail quickly to avoid a confrontation. This little set up allows you to quickly and efficiently push the bike through any type of brush or up a hill so you can cover ground that can’t be ridden and get back to a place where you can ride.  I’m not advocating keeping a broom handle taped to your handlebars 24/7, just keep the option open to use if the need arises. You could even attach the handle to you bike frame and use some duct tape to attach it to the handlebars in a pinch. [JWR Adds: With most handlebars, a pair of 3.5″ Aero-seal hose clamps Stainless Steel of Aero-seal style hose clamps would work better than tape.]
  
To make a short story a little bit longer, bikes are awesome and can be fitted to do a ton of stuff in a SHTF scenario. They should be a part of anyone’s survival bag of tricks but the time to get proficient is not after the balloon goes up but as soon as possible to get the family ready and have a lot of fun doing it. Use the internet and get savvy about your bike skills. There is a good online resource by Jim Langley, which covers a lot of the basics of bike repair and maintenance. Good luck and God Speed!

Beans, Bullets, Band-Aids and Bicycles, by Phill in Texas

If you know how to ride a bike then raise your hand.  If you didn’t raise your hand then you are either lying or don’t have hands.  The truth is everyone knows how to ride a bike and everyone at some point in their lives has owned a bike.  If everyone has owned a bike or at least knows how to ride one, then I must beg the question “Why is no one talking more about bikes for TEOTWAWKI type situations?”  Allow me to remedy this quandary.

Possession of bicycles  is highly underrated in topic general.  Additionally, from the lack of information that I have seen I believe that bicycles are a highly undervalued asset when it comes to a TEOTWAWKI type situation.  Many people are unable to look past the obvious use for a bicycle; to ride it from point A to point B.  And although this in itself in extremely useful, there are limitations to this capability which mainly stem from human ability.  The purpose of this essay is to expound upon the many hidden uses for a bicycle.  After all a bike is a tool, a tangible asset, and as preppers we are good at using tools with good skills.  Aren’t we?

So go get that rusty Schwinn out of the garage and let’s begin.  I’m writing this essay under the assumption and premise that you, as the reader, have at least the physical ability to mount, pedal, and ride a bicycle for at least a 30 minute interval.

We can break down the use of a bike into many different categories and within each of these categories we can find different types of bikes that will best suit the needs of that category.  Those categories are; bugging out, bugging in, cargo transportation, unorthodox uses, bike fitness and basic bike maintenance.  There are many different kinds of bikes out there each with its own strengths and weaknesses.  The four most popular types of bikes I will be discussing are; mountain bikes, road bikes, tricycles, and recumbent bikes.  Let’s discuss the types of bikes first.
Types of Bikes

Mountain Bikes
A Mountain bike could be considered the most versatile of bikes when considering a TEOTWAWKI type situation.  They are characterized by their big fat, thick knobby tires which are excellent for gaining traction on non-paved surfaces.  Additionally, they have flat handle bars for optimal control for ideal maneuvering and navigating tight turns.  Most often they will have a front suspension system to soften bumps and do come with a rear suspension variety as well.  Finally, mechanical and hydraulic disc brakes are the most common braking method.  Mountain bikes can also be broken down into three main categories as well; cross country (XC), all mountain (AM), and downhill (DH).

Cross country bikes are light and fast and are going to be the best pick for TEOTWAWKI (if you live where terrain is a bit rougher, then go with an all mountain bike, but stay away from downhill bikes if you have to do any pedaling  at all, they are meant ridden downhill and chair-lifted uphill).  They are meant to traverse rough terrain, but not as rough as all mountain and downhill bikes.  Higher end models can be typically found with extremely light carbon fiber components or even the frame can be made of carbon.  But in a TEOTWAWKI situation we want to stay away from carbon fiber and aluminum components.  We want steel. There is a saying in the mountain bike community, “Steel is Real”.  And for good reason.  It is tough, durable and springy.  Aluminum and carbon fiber components are difficult to replace and repair and can be more costly.  Steel is heavier, but we aren’t trying to trim weight to win a race, we are trying to survive.  If you can’t get steel, aluminum is fine, you just have to take better care of your bike.

When looking to purchase a mountain bike shoot for mid range pricing $300-$600.  Bikes in this range are of good quality and have components that are durable, but not made of the feather light, highly breakable stuff.  Do not go to box store to purchase a bike (i.e. Wal-Mart, Target, etc.).  These bikes are built with poor quality materials under the philosophy of “planned obsolescence.”  In other words, they are designed to break after a short time.  A few good suggestions are; Giant Boulder, Trek Police Series, and Specialized Hardrock.

Two final notes on mountain bikes.  Mountain bike come in three different wheel sizes.  26 inch, 650B and 29 inch wheels.  The most common size is the 26 inch and would be the easiest size to find repair parts for.  Also, mountain bike tires can be fitted with special “slick” tires that offer less rolling-resistance on pavement.  This gives them an additional  use in an urban environment.

Road Bikes
Speed is the name of the game with road bikes.  If you have to get from point A to point B fast and there is pavement between point A and point B, then road bikes are your weapon of choice.  Road bikes are super light weight and are characterized by their thin, smooth tires (which have less rolling resistance on a road), curved  handle bars and rim brakes.  Road bikes also have a higher gear ratio that mountain bikes.  That means that every time you push down on the pedal the back wheel spins around more times.  You get less torque, but higher RPMs for your pedal stroke.  This translates into a higher top speed on the road but a lower rate of acceleration.  You could possible take road bikes onto hard pack dirt, but it is not recommended that you ride them anything more extreme than this.

Road bikes are best suited for city environments with off-road conditions are almost non-existent.  They are more physically demanding to ride due to the more hunched over position they put the rider in.  I would recommend that if you are not capable of putting your body into this position for long periods of time that you look at getting a recreational/commuter, which blends many of the elements of comfort of a mountain bike with the speed elements of a road bike.

Road bikes also have their many varieties as well.  You can find them in competition race bikes, time trial bikes, track bikes, or recreational/commuter.  The best pick for a road bike would be a recreational/commuter type bike as this will have the most versatile of uses.  It will not have as fast of a top speed as the other bikes, nor will it be as light.  It will however be durable enough to withstand daily use and will make traversing pavement easier and more efficient than using a mountain bike.

When buying a road bike consider the guidelines above for buying a mountain bike to be just as valid.  A few suggestions for a pure road bike are; Specialized Dolce, Giant Defy, Trek 1.1 Series.  If you require recreational/commuter  then consider these models;  Trek Soho S, Specialized Vita Sport, or Giant Via.

Recumbent Bikes

Recumbent bikes can be considered the ultimate recreational bicycle.  They come in three main varieties, 2 wheel (least stable), tricycle and quad (most stable).  The unique hallmark of recumbent bikes is that you sit reclined on the bike in a seat, not on top of it in a saddle.  The advantage to this is that you get more bang for your buck per pedal stroke.  Each stroke is a highly efficient use of calories when translated to raw power.  The disadvantage of this is that you are limited mainly to paved surfaces and possibly dirt roads. 

The is another big disadvantage to recumbent bikes is that they have more parts.  More parts equal more chances for something to go wrong and break.  Some of these parts are very specialized too, meaning you will have a harder time replacing them.  Recumbent bikes are also much more expensive than their road and mountain counterparts.  This is due to the fact that they take more labor to make and have more moving parts.  Expect to pay as much as 10-15% more for a comparable road or mountain bike.

Recumbent bikes have their advantages too!  Recumbent bikes have excellent capacity for towing.  If you can attach a light weight bike trailer to a recumbent bike then you have the capacity to tow and carry large amounts of good and supplies over a long distance without tiring as quickly compared to a mountain or road bike. 
                   
Categories of Use

Bugging Out

Utilizing a bike for the purposes of bugging out can be either a very smart move, or a very costly mistake.  The duality exists under this simple observations.  Bikes are faster than walking, but slower and more vulnerable than motor vehicles.  Let me elaborate.  Cycling can get you from point A to point B at almost triple or quadruple the  speed compared to traveling on foot, but there are some major drawbacks.  First, you will need to carry with you every tool and replacement part needed to repair your bike on your back. Secondly, unless you have a towing trailer, your ability to carry large amounts of weight is extremely limited.  There are options for bike panniers that can be used to carry more weight, but this combined with a bug out bag or 72-hour kit will make your every top heavy on the bike thereby reducing your ability to maneuver.  Additional weight will also reduce your ability to climb hills on a bike.

The best  use for bugging out with a bike would be a scenario similar to this one.  First, it would be advantageous if you were solo or only had 1 dependent.  Organizing an exodus on bikes for multiple riders on the fly would be difficult to coordinate at best.  Secondly, it is recommended that your point of destination be already predetermined to meet up with a group of people that you can gain secondary support from.  Don’t expect to be able to carry enough supplies on a bike for a SHTF scenario unless you have a tow trailer. 

Your destination should be no more than two days away from your starting point and your path of travel should be in the least populated area as possible.   You should ideally live on an urban edge where you can get away from populated areas and avoid being seen as much as possible.  On a bike you are a very easy target.  You are easy to knock over and highly unprotected.

Ultimately, I do not recommend bugging out on a bike unless it is absolutely necessary.  The truth of the matter is that you would have to use your best judgment depending on your situation and location and path of travel to your destination.  I would, however, recommend as my bike of preference a mountain bike outfitted with hybrid tires.  These are tires that are designed to function both on road and rough terrain conditions. 

Bugging In

A bike can be an extremely valuable tool in bugging in situations.  In addition to the obvious uses there are many unorthodox uses for a bike, as I will explain below.  But for now let’s look at some of the practical uses for a bugging in situation.  A bike comes into its own within a community.  If, as a prepper, you are becoming active and developing a community type attitude (as you should), then a bicycle will be a boon to this community.  Depending on the size of the community a bike will allow an individual to travel to various parts of that community with less effort and energy expenditure compared to walking.  Additionally, the use of a bike can be relegated to the tasks that are not important enough to demand the use of burning fuel to operate a motor vehicle such as running errands and transporting small items.

What we begin to see here is a variety of living scenarios in which a bike is applicable for bugging in.  In an urban environment, a bike flourishes.  City dwellers can get to close locations very quickly on a road bike.  In a sub-urban environment community leaders can get from house to house quickly in order to pass on news or respond to emergencies.  In a rural situation those long 2, 3 and 4 mile commutes to the nearest neighbor can be cut in half when compared to traveling on foot.  In a bugging in situation a bike can actually reinforce the closeness of a community because of its to save fuel and help people travel quicker than walking.

Cargo Transportation

A bike can find usefulness is transporting cargo, but it take a somewhat dedicated use of a bike.  There are limitations to how much a person can transport and that depends on many factors; the fitness level of the rider, the weight of cargo in question, the size of the cargo in question, the type of bike being used, terrain, etc.  For example, one person of average fitness with a mountain bike fitted with panniers might only be able to transport 20-30 pounds for a distance of 5 miles.  Another person of high fitness on a road bike towing a cargo trailer might be able to transport 60-70 pounds over a distance of 10 miles with no issues. 

Once again, discretion is required.  If you live on a relatively flat location a tricycle with a cargo basket may be perfect fit for you and your fitness level.  If you life in a highly paved area but require long distances then maybe a road bike with panniers is your best option.  If you live in the mountains then using a bike for cargo transportation may not even be a good option at all.  Bike are not best for all situations and you will have to use your head to figure this out.

Bike Fitness

Bike fitness can be an excellent boon to your overall fitness regimen.  If you are already running, lifting weights, swimming, or doing other forms of cardio and weight resistance, cycling can round you out overall.  Remember, as preppers we should not be specialized.  We must be able to adapt physically and a well rounded individual has a higher chance of survival.

If you plan on riding a bike for long distances then your lungs are going to get tired, your legs are going to get tired, your back is going to get tired, and your buttocks are going to get tired.  The only way to remedy these problems is to build up endurance. Get on a bike and ride.  From personal experience if you are starting out riding a bike, a 45 minute ride can be torture on the rear end (especially if you have a streamlined saddle, and not a comfort saddle and ride on rough terrain).  However, one 45 minute ride once a week can be enough to toughen up your derriere to a point that a 45 minute ride is no big deal.  Make this ride a low intensity ride where you are basically spinning the pedals will low resistance.

In order to increase the strength in your legs and lungs  you are going to need to add at least one more ride into your regimen per week.  Additionally, this ride is going to need to be of higher intensity.  Try to find a route that incorporates more hills and climbs than your first ride per week.  This will challenge your legs and lungs.  Try to make this a sustained ride for at least 45 minutes with a high level of resistance.

By combining two rides per week of different intensities one will challenge your body while the other will allow your body to fall into an “active recovery”.  This is when your muscles rebuild themselves.  The higher intensity ride will challenge your muscles and lungs.  During days of non riding try to cross train with other forms of exercise so that you are balancing out your exercise routines.  Above all, try not to get caught up in tracking your heart rate, power (wattage), etc. that high level athletes try to monitor unless you really want to engage in a higher level of bike intensity.  At that point you are becoming specialized, and, you probably have bike racing goals.  Keep it simple!

One last thing.  Bike fitness can be augmented by purchasing a cheap bike trainer.  What this is, is a device that attaches to the rear wheel of your mountain or road bike.  It lifts the wheel off the ground and applies resistance.  That way if there is ever bad weather outside or you don’t have time to get ready for an outside ride, you can just hop on the trainer and get your spinning done.  Most inexpensive trainers run around $100.  The cost a bike trainer plus a decent road or mountain bike can cost as much as a stationary trainer that you can buy at Wal-Mart or Academy, but you can always take the bike of your trainer and head outside.  Plus the trainer acts as a tool for unorthodox  uses.

Unorthodox Uses

Now for some fun speculation and creativity.  A bicycle is a human powered machine that focuses on rotational power.  When we begin to think about this, what sort of devices that we use every day capitalize on rotational power?  Drills, saws, grinders, blenders, wheat mills, electricity dynamos, pumps, mulchers, etc.  There are many possibilities.  Is it possible to use our bikes to power these devices?  With a little ingenuity it is!  Here is how.

You will need to have a bike trainer for your bike.  This will allow you to work on your fitness but also allow your bike to be converted to a powering device.  By lifting your bike off the ground and removing the rear tread and tube, you can attach a belt to the rear wheel that can be attached to any rotational device with a bit of modification.  Take a look at these examples below:
A pedal powered hacksaw.  Pedal powered kitchen accessories.  Pedal powered water pump.  Pedal powered jig-saw.  Pedal powered water filtration.  Pedal powered washing machine.  Pedal powered AC inverter.  Pedal powered generator.

The possibilities for unorthodox uses are endless and are only limited to your imagination. 

Bike Maintenance

Maintaining your bike is going to be crucial if you want your bike to last.  Here are some guidelines to help you keep your bike in good working condition. 

First, let’s understand your bike’s consumable components.  The first of these will be bike tubes.  Stocking up on bike tubs might not be the best use of one’s money considering this is a permanent option.  Head over to Wal-Mart and pick up a solid rubber bike tube.  Granted, these are more expensive than regular tubes, but you will never need to replace a bike tube.  Additionally,  you won’t need to worry about having a pump of any kind.

Another consumable will be your bike tires.  If you are going to be riding your bike on a consistent basis then having extra bike tires around will be a good idea.  The rubber meets the road here, so to speak, and these will wear out quicker than any other component.  Also, understand your terrain and stock the appropriate kind of bike tire.  If you are on paved surfaces then keep road tires around.  If you are near trails then keep mountain tires around. 

Your chain is going to be the next component that will wear out quickly and/or break.  Keep a few extra chains around along with chain links.  Don’t forget to get a small chain tool to allow you to attach and remove damaged chains.

Cables and housings for your brakes and derailleurs are good to have around as well.  These will not wear out as quickly as the aforementioned components but keep 1 or 2 spares around for each brake and derailleur.

Lubrication!  Your bike is going to need to be lubricated just like any other machine.  The best lubrications are dry-Teflon type lubricants for your chains and exterior bike components. 
Engine grease is the perfect lubrication for wheel axles and bottom brackets.

Your bike is going to need to be cleaned once or twice a month if you ride it on a regular basis.  If you  have a mountain bike that you actually ride on trails then you should consider giving a good cleaning once a month and a wipe-down once a week.  This keeps dust and debris to a minimum which can damage the paint and then frame of your bike.  If paint on your frame gets chips in it then there is the potential for corrosion to set in.

Finally, if you are serious about taking care of your own equipment, I highly recommend that you purchase one of these two books, or both; Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance, and Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance.  These two books are a boon to anyone who wants to keep their bike in tip top shape and will cover way more information than what I have time to cover in this essay.

On the Go and Home Base Toolkits

On the Go Kit:                 

Having an on the go toolkit is essential and there are some essential items that belong in it.  Think of this as your EDC kit for your bike.  Here is what I would include:
1)  A mini pump if your tires have tubes.  (Also include at least 1 spare tube along with patches to help fix flats.)
2)  Handy, but nonessential, are small CO2 cartridges with a bike valve adapter.  These make for quick inflation if you are in a hurry.
3)  A Gerber-type multi-tool.
4)  A small metric allen wrench set.
5)  Chain tool with spare chain or links of chain.
6)  About 10 zip ties.
7)  1 set of spare brake and derailleur cables and housings (many uses that for just fixing your cables).  You will want to make sure that the housings are pre-cut to the length needed.  These cannot be cut with a regular knife.  So cut these before hand and then include them in your kit.
8)  A small bottle of chain lube.

All of these items can fit in a medium size bike bag that you can find at most box store and almost all bike shops.

Home Base Toolkit:  You home base toolkit should include tools that would allow you to conduct almost any repair on your bike.  An excellent starter toolkit is the Park Tool Advanced Mechanic Tool Kit (or similar).  This has almost all of the tools required for any basic repair on a bicycle.  It has tools to help fix everything from broken wheel spokes to removing the bottom bracket from a bike.
You should also supplement this kit with these items:
1) Repair stand.  Not essential, but makes repairs much easier to conduct.
2)  Plenty of spare grease and chain lube.
3)  A good shop floor pump if you have tubes.
4)  Spare chains.
5)  At least 1 spare front and rear wheel.
6)  At least 1 set of spare disc brake discs or 2-3 sets of rim brake pads. 
7)  Extra sets of handle bar grips or grip tape.
9)  Lots of wheel spokes!  These will break a whole lot, especially in mountain bikes that see trail use.
10)  A wheel truing stand.  Not essential, but makes truing wheels easier.

[JWR Adds: By adding some spare parts and scrounging a heap of discarded bikes to cannibalize for parts (yes, they can be bought in heaps here in the U.S., and they are least expensive that way), the foregoing list will set you up with post-collapse home-based business.]

In general, as with all prepping, having extra bike parts will benefit you very much.  About 75% of the parts on a bike will render it useless (or difficult to operate) if they break.

Conclusion
I hope that everyone can understand that there is a place for bikes in a SHTF type situation.  They can be used to transport messages across the mountains between small bands of militia defending themselves against a UN invading force, they can simple help a person get out of Dodge, or they can charge a battery. 

 

 

How to Pack Storage Totes For Evacuation, by C.Y.

One way to pack emergency supplies is in plastic storage totes, which are available inexpensively at department stores. Many stores have 18 liter volume totes, between five and ten dollars per tote. They also have smaller sizes, which may be more convenient. The smaller sizes may be easier to pack in the car.) [JWR Adds: For strength, the opaque Rubbermaid brand totes are preferred over the more brittle transparent totes. I also recommend taking some detailed measurements and doing some test fitting of bins in your vehicle(s), for the most efficient packing arrangement.]

There are two general categories of action you can take in a disaster situation, assuming you are not a direct victim (and going to the hospital). You either stay at home, or you can evacuate. (Also called bugging out.)  Either way, it is wise to have emergency supplies in one handy place. If you’re lucky, you may have 10 minutes to pack your family and get out. You can grab your Rubbermaid  bins  and know you’ve got the  essentials you need. 

What to pack in your emergency kit? I think there are several essentials to survival during an evacuation. Air, water, food, shelter, medical, transport, fire, light, defense, communications, future income, and entertainment.

Air
Military gas masks and N95 respirators can filter dust. They were in high demand after the World Trade Center collapse — dust hung in the air for days. 

Water
Bring plenty of clean water along, for drinking, washing, etc. Also good to have a camping type water filter. You may wish to pack some water in half liter bottles (cheap enough in cases of 24 at the stores) in case you want to hand out water bottles to others. 

Food
Bring your own food, as the restaurants and supermarkets may be closed, or out of food. Pack food that requires no cooking, and is familiar to you, and which you enjoy eating. Your food needs and desires will probably be different than other people, so choose wisely, and pack the foods you can use. 

Shelter
A camping tent is a good idea. In case you need to spend a night out. Clothing and shoes and boots are also considered shelter. 

Medical
Pack a large bottle of aspirin or ibuprofen, and lots of antacids. Ask your doctor for an undated “Emergency Use Only” antibiotics prescription. You need at least three days’ supply of necessary medications.  plan to wear your glasses, as contacts can be a real hassle.  Sanitation can become iffy at best, so plenty of toilet paper. Diaper wipes can be used as adult toilet paper, as well as for bathing “spot baths”. Alcohol based “hand sanitizer” may help you to avoid disease. Latex gloves are very useful, too. Sunscreen, and bug spray. You may be outdoors. 

Transport
Ideally, you get in your car, and drive where you want to be. Less ideally, you may need to walk due to traffic jam, or out of gas. You will want sturdy and comfortable boots. Plan B would be something with wheels such as a garden cart to haul supplies. 

Fire
Fire provides comfort, light, and helps keep the animals away. Plenty of matches and lighters. 

Light
Pocket size flashlight and a battery-powered camp lantern. A big MagLite for seeing things at a distance.

Defense
Again, you can use that big MagLite for burglar whacking. Other weapons where legal, and if trained. 

Communications
Cell phone, and both car and home chargers. List of family and important phone numbers. Important family documents you may need to prove identity, contact people, etc. Battery radio to hear the government approved propaganda which some call “news”. 

Future income.
Ideally, bring your work tools, resume, and working papers, so you can get started in your new location. 

Entertainment
You may have a bit of time to pass, especially if your family is in a public shelter. Books, playing cards, and board games are all logical choices. If your group has kids, you might need some extra batteries, for the hand held game toys. 

High Mileage Transportation For an Age of Scarcity, by Inyokern

Everything is about sustainability. Housing, heating, food, self defense, water supplies: do it yourself, maintain it. We can’t turn away, completely, from the best parts of our civilization however. That means things like centralized small business. Small scale manufacturing is ongoing in little towns with certain specialties. Getting there from semi-remote or rural self sufficient farms for that extra income or making use of a skill set for a high demand part (gunsmiths, CB radio, water pumps, wood stoves, solar panels, small engines etc) are often best built and sold at a central location. It makes sense, for supply issues and for the customer.

Getting there becomes the trick. You can walk. You can ride a horse, if you have a stable at both ends and someone to tend them there. You can bicycle. You can stay in a row house 4-5 days and go home on the weekends. Or you can use a high fuel efficiency vehicle. This can mean carpooling with other workers on the same schedule. This can mean buying an expensive electric or hybrid car. The Nissan Leaf costs $45,000 to manufacture. The Prius costs nearly as much, but only gets 50 m.p.g. (going downhill, with a tailwind). You can think outside the box with 4 doors and improve your power to weight ratio by removing weight from a car or truck with a small engine and gearing appropriately. This ends up uncomfortable and often less safe in a crash. Life is filled with compromises.

What about a bicycle? If its only a couple miles, bicycling uses no fuel, just muscle power. That’s great. What if you live more than a couple miles away? Pedal further. How far gets to be too far? You can reduce pedaling by converting your mountain bike to a moped using a bolt on 33cc 2-stroke engine kit. Or get a moped or scooter. Or a more efficient bicycle, or move closer to your job, or your job closer to you.

You can ride to work on a farm ATV, provided the local law enforcement allow them on the roads unimpeded. Some regions do, so don’t. It might be worth contacting your state assembly rep to get them legal for future needs. Some just need turn signals, fenders, mirrors, and lights to be legal, depending on the jurisdiction.. Just a matter of registration in some cases.

Three wheeled tricycle motorcycle hacks are pretty common in Southeast Asia and South America. They’re pretty cheap, slow, and carry passengers or gear/cargo. An odd kind of thing, but good for those nervous about riding on two wheels. Same goes for sidecars, which come in leaning and fixed varieties, and often bolt on. Even scooters can have sidecars these days.

And there’s also motorcycles. Two wheels, don’t bother riding in the wet, and requires care on corners with loose gravel. Famously unsafe, but most accidents involve speed, inattention, ego, and/or alcohol. You aren’t prone to any of those things. Preppers are a cautious sort, the best sort of riders, really. Dual Sport bikes will cross all kinds of terrain (single track, rocks, mud bog, unmaintained roads) and can’t get stuck because you can physically lift them out by hand or go around obstacles that would take time and effort to deal with using a 4WD, using half the fuel of a modern commuter car and less than a Prius. Its Green, in both the ironic and non-ironic sense of the word. Fuel economy via better power to weight ratio. It gets you, the passenger, to work, where the income happens.

There are also scooters, though Underbones have better ground clearance and bigger wheels so can deal with the nastier roads since that’s what they’re built for, in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia in general. Scooter motors, using 50-150ccs get around 80 to 100 m.p.g., which means that so long as some fuel is getting delivered to your town, and its not raining or snowing that day, you can get to work, keep your mortgage paid and food on the table while sharing skill sets with other locals similarly inclined. I generally avoid 50cc machines unless you live in flatland because they don’t climb hills for beans. 125cc should be a minimum, and most states require 4-stroke engines these days. Those are common for imports and have decent power and low noise so it works out. Sadly these are not built in America anymore. All are imported and thus expensive. Do not buy a Chinese scooter unless its a re-badged main production from a proper brand name (Vespa, Piaggio, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha) [and thus will be covered under a decent warranty.] The basic Chinese scooter is garbage and will fail.

Some reliable example machines to consider by type of road surface:

  • Smooth maintained roads: Vespa 50-125cc models, Honda PCX 125, Yamaha Vino 125, any sport motorcycle 250cc. These are what you’ll find in city limits and the suburbs in healthy communities that can afford pavement long term. For now, most places are like this. This will not last.
  • Rougher partially maintained roads: Honda Ruckus 300, Honda SH10X, any Underbone 125cc, any standard or dual sport motorcycle with 5 inches of vertical wheel travel in the suspension. Suburbs are often like this, and most rural and poorer communities are like this now.
  • Rough unmaintained roads: Any dual sport with knobby tires such as KLX-250, Honda CRF-230L, Yamaha 200cc, Yamaha WR250X (nice, light, and fast), Suzuki DRZ400 (reputedly the ultimate serious off road bike). These have 11 inches of vertical wheel travel which means they can go over rock falls and speed bumps and potholes and across ditches and not really suffer. They’re much safer on rough roads. They look funny on the highway but with slick tires they do just fine, known in the sport as “Supermoto“.

For a prepper this is a good idea to track down and learn on, getting wheels with both kinds of tires mounted so you can swap them yourself, should your road maintenance go South for budgetary reasons. An off road capable motorcycle is the equivalent of the .308/7.62 NATO rifle. A good insurance policy. Practice riding monthly, like you would your rifle marksmanship.

The above examples are the smaller-engine machines best for fuel economy. Most are carbureted or have cheaper carbureted versions, thus EMP resistant and adjustable for fuel additives and quality. All are available used, and many are better for it, being broken in. Someday they’ll have engine swaps for biodiesel you can grow yourself or from the local Co-op/feed store, even more sustainable. Most bikes either come with or can be upgraded to progressive shocks which make them much safer handling if you have to make them go fast over rough terrain. Most can be bought used for a reasonable price. Boise, Idaho is famous for these kinds of machines, it being an outdoors powersports paradise without the Californians getting in the way. When the Recovery comes, city people will venture out into your community for vacation, sight seeing, or to buy the specialty goods you’ve been perfecting during this Depression.

At some point in the near (next couple years) future, oil supplies will be greatly constrained in a short period of time, mostly due to the needs for Islamic OPEC nations modernizing following the last year worth of democratic revolutions. I can’t blame them. We’ve done the same thing, only 250 years ago. This supply crunch will likely either bring rationing by fiat or by cost, either way requiring a huge change in how we live. The end of the world as we know it, only without violence necessarily. Just huge adjustment to travel options and thus work. We might end up working the job we don’t want because its the only one we can get to. If the ration is less than will work for your vehicle you get to choose between your family and a motorcycle/bicycle. It is up to you. Safe riding is mostly a matter of lower speed and good judgment. Idiots hurt themselves on bikes. Set aside the fear of parody bikers (mostly stock brokers and other rich people pretending to be pirates just because they saw The Wild One or Mad Max. Those people are playing pretend and will go broke.) and consider the tool for what it is: a way to get to work and home with minimal resources. – InyoKern

Economics and Investing:

Billionaire hedge fund manager Ray Dalio foresees a U.S. Dollar collapse by 2013. (Thanks to Tom in Buffalo for the link.)

Dr. Ron Paul in The Daily Bell: Debt Ceiling Drama

Chris G. pointed me to an article where some Tea Party members wax SurvivalBlogish: Money Gone Rogue.

Reader David D. mentioned this in Der Spiegel: Tensions Rise in Greece as Austerity Measures Backfire. David expressed an opinion that the “austerity measures” benefit bankers. Citing the Argentinean experience to contrast the economic nosedive in Greece, David commented: “…the bankers’ austerity prescriptions are the quickest and surest way to beat the real economy down even further.” 

Bill C. was the first of several readers that sent this: Borders Book Stores to Shut Down. Reader John G. notes: “[These closures] will present an opportunity to stock up on books. Stores will be closing starting this week and total liquidation of all their assets is expected. Stock up [on useful references] now. As an avid reader of paper [books], I am very sad to see them go.”

John R. flagged this: The True Elephant in the Room Appears: Trillions in Commercial and Industrial Loans to Europe’s Insolvent Countries

Items from The Economatrix:

Bernanke Warns Congress On Debt Default

S&P Joins Moody’s to Warn of US Downgrade if No Debt Deal Reached

Return of the Gold Standard as World Order Unravels

And Then They Came For Your Gold

Bernanke: Gold Isn’t Money

Odds ‘n Sods:

Casey in Arizona sent a link to a fairly scientific study on firearms “stopping” power that is sure to generate some controversy: An Alternate Look at Handgun Stopping Power. If nothing else, it confirms my long-held belief that it is the man behind the gun that counts. Perfect practice makes perfect.

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Dust Bowl II? Oklahoma hit by relentless heatwave.

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Is there a Nobel War Prize? A mostly distaff and svært-liberal Nobel Peace Prize committee hurriedly and presumptuously nominated President Barrack Hussein Obama after he’d been in office for only nine days. For cryin’ out loud, it takes longer than that to get the Army Service Ribbon. But now, after two years and three wars, shouldn’t they instead give him a War Prize? Alfred Nobel (the inventor of dynamite) intended his prize for peacemakers, but as Commander in Chief, BHO has certainly used more than his share of high explosives.

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F.G. sent this: Frigid North Dakota Is a Hot Draw For Out-of-State College Students. Notice a correlation with the American Redoubt states and this map?

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SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson sent this: Local Midway[Georgia] Police Shut Down Girls’ Lemonade Stand. Mike’s comment: “Good to know your civil servants care about what’s really important, to protect me from the predations of young girls with lemonade.”

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 35 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 Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 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.) , and B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value.

Round 35 ends on July 31st, 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.