Bitcoins: A Practical Primer, by Yishai

Bitcoins are a new anonymous peer-to-peer digital currency.  It is truly the next big thing in how we can conduct transactions over the internet without any central clearinghouse or bank or government ‘okaying’ our transactions.  I believe Bitcoins will be quite disruptive in how we all do business online.  You can pay anyone directly with Bitcoins, buy products from Amazon.com in Bitcoins (through a reseller), and even take SurvivalBlog’s’ 10-cent challenge in Bitcoins!  Bitcoins have an inherent value and as long as the internet is standing, are here to stay. As of this writing, 1 Bitcoin (or BTC) was selling for $14.  There are many merchants willing to do business online with Bitcoins, and the list keeps on growing.

You can read a lot more about Bitcoins, how they work, their implications and tradeoffs in a great and worthwhile introductory academic paper here.  A few additional introductory sites are: Bitcoin’s homepage, What is Bitcoin?, and Bitcoin FAQs.

There are great sites extolling the virtues of Bitcoin, and James has said to expect an article in the coming months on the positive survival aspects of Bitcoin, but what I found difficult to figure out is how to practically get my hands on some Bitcoins and how to start using them effectively and safely.  After much trial and error, and also many years of online experience, I compiled the following practical ‘how-to’ primer on getting and using Bitcoins.  I will, in detail, explain how to use Bitcoins safely in the second section of this primer.  In the first section, though, I will explain how to safely and anonymously browse the internet, and also how to run a safe computer.

Section 1: It all starts with a secure computer

Firstly, you must secure your computer as much as possible.  It is imperative that you secure your computer against unwanted intruders from the ‘net, or even from babysitters or inquisitive nephews.  The reason this is so important is that all of your bitcoins will be stored in a file called a “wallet” on your computer, and should anyone get their hands on that electronic file, they can easily pilfer all of your bitcoins. 

1) First step: Get a Mac:  I’m just joking (well, sort of).  Basically, Windows machines have a lot more vulnerabilities and are much more enticing targets for hackers.  It is still possible to increase the safety of a Windows machine, but in general, Macs are better.  Linux machines are supposedly even better than Macs, but not very user friendly.  As I don’t know much about Linux, this tutorial will cover only Windows and Macs. (If you already have a Linux box, then you a probably an advanced user don’t need this primer;).

If you have Windows, make sure to update it regularly via the official Microsoft web site here (making sure to select only the imperative security updates, as Microsoft tries to slip in non-essential ‘upgrades’ which only bog down your computer or even checks to see if you use pirated software.  Read each update’s description carefully before downloading and installing them).  Macs also need updating (gasp!).  Click the apple on the top-left of the desktop and go down to ‘Software Updates’.  Deselect all the unneeded updates for regular software, and only choose Mac system or safari updates. 

2) Create a computer log-in password.  This is important for both Windows machines and Macs.  Make sure to create a password for your administrator account, and potentially add a screen-saver lock to relock your computer after some time of inactivity.  (password how-to: Win; Mac)
In addition to a main password, consider setting up new user accounts for your kids (and spouse?) to compartmentalize any potential damage they may cause while playing around on the computer.  Instructions for setting up user accounts are here (win) and here (mac).
(Mac Tip: Encrypt your entire hard drive using the included program FileVault per the instructions here.  It’s an additional security step for when you are logged out, or if your computer physically falls into the wrong hands.  I don’t recommend doing the same thing with a Windows machine due to reliability concerns.)

3) Install Anti-Virus (Windows only).  This shouldn’t be news to you, but if virus scanners are, download Avast (free) here, and install and update it.  Avast has been the best choice in my experience.  The default settings for Avast should be sufficient.  Make sure to stay with the free options during download and install, as they also sell a “pro” version (not necessary).  No anti-virus is needed for Macs (woot!).  Update the definitions and program regularly, or have the program do it automatically (which is the default settings).

Another useful tool to use in addition to Avast is Spybot Search and Destroy (also free).  Spybot has some very useful startup cleaners and other scans which is a nice add-on to keeping your computer even more secure and running well.

4) Install/setup a firewall.  Firewalls help prevent hackers breaking in to your computer from the outside network.  In my opinion, the default Windows firewall is insufficient as it lets through numerous “Microsoft approved” connections without even telling you.  Turn it on anyway (how-to link).  It should help, but if you are an advanced user, you may want to supplement the regular firewall with a third party firewall as an added layer of protection.
The Mac OS default firewall is enough for basic safety from intruders, but you must make sure that it is enabled (here’s how to do that). Once it is enabled, go to the advanced settings and deny access to any strange programs that shouldn’t be accessing the ‘net.  Allow the rest (Firefox, Chrome, etc.)

5) Tor  Nope, we’re still not ready for Bitcoin.  Before starting with Bitcoin, I recommend that you setup and utilize Tor. Using an anonymous currency is less valuable if your transfers and web usage can potentially be tracked.  Tor helps anonymize everything you do on the internet.  Tor is an open-source anonymity project in which your web traffic and requests are encrypted and bounced off of random people across the world until the last ‘bouncer’, or ‘exit node’, requests the actual page you wanted, then encrypts and sends the page back upstream until it reaches your computer.  The theory is that each person in the chain can not see or read the actual web page, nor know where it is ultimately being sent, they are only relaying encrypted gobbledygook.  The last guy in the chain, or ‘exit-node’ is theoretically able to find out the page/data that is being viewed, but as he doesn’t know who actually is getting the page in the end (i.e., you), the anonymity of web surfing is preserved. 

Using Tor effectively is somewhat complicated, but I will walk through it with you with links for further reading and instruction.  It is worthwhile to figure out this step 5 to markedly increase your online safety and anonymity.

5a) Install Tor.  First download the Tor software bundle here (Windows) or here (Mac).  Install the Tor bundle (Win help; Mac help)  Once complete, open Vidalia.  Vidalia is the program that starts up and uses Tor in the background.  Another way of thinking about it is that Vidalia makes using Tor ‘pretty’ and more user-friendly.  So when you need to start up Tor, you really just start up Vidalia which will turn on Tor in the background. (Mac users, use the ‘spotlight’ icon on the top right of the desktop easily find and use the Vidalia app.) Windows users may be having Vidalia start with Windows (default setting).  That’s okay if you’ll use it often, otherwise delete it from your startup folder or use Spybot to remove the startup entry.  Vidalia will still work fully when you start Vidalia manually via the Start menu.

5b) Configure Tor.  Why Tor/Vidalia is a bit tricky to use, is that it’s not enough just to start Vidalia and run Tor in order to remain anonymous.  You must configure your browsers and programs to go through Tor before they go out to the web.  That’s called using a ‘proxy’.  [Tip: to skip to the how-to “final answer”, what is needed is to point all programs/browsers to use the proxy 127.0.0.1:8118].  There are a few ways of setting up browsers, including the ‘official’ Torbutton on/off switch for Firefox (included with the full installation of Vidalia above), but I recommend to you another convenient method, which uses Goggle Chrome and a nifty proxy “on/off” button. (See the steps and screen shots here). 

Once you are running Vidalia/Tor, and have set up your browser or program to use Tor, you can check that all is in (anonymous) order by going to this site:  (at the Tor’s own web site) and they will let you know if your browser is using Tor correctly or not.

Tip: Occasionally obtain a new identity while browsing.  Right click on the green Tor/Vidalia icon, and select New Identity.  This gets a new Internet address, or an ‘IP’, for you to make it even harder to track usage.

An aside: Online usernames and passwords. Just a quick note on online usernames and passwords.  Make then ‘strong’ i.e., at least 12 characters, and use symbols, numbers, and capital letters too.  Occasionally change your passwords, and don’t get stuck in a rut using the same password across sites.  If someone successfully hacks your Yahoo account, would you want them snooping through your bank, credit card, and online backup sites too?  An additional safety tip is to not use your favorite and usual username (which is usually your e-mail address prefix – i.e., ‘johndoe’ from ‘johndoe@aol.com’.  85% of people use it).  Mix up your usernames.
Practical tip: I know everyone always says to make all of these different passwords and usernames, but who can remember them all?  Why don’t you write them down (gasp!), yes, write them down, and then store them in a safe place (like a safe, cache, or bottom of a grain bucket).  You can practice “safe writing” by storing usernames in one location, and their corresponding passwords in another.  Also, self garble your passwords in an easy to remember manner. An example of this would be to always write down on paper the incorrect password, but with the first two characters at the end, so a password ‘abc123’ becomes ‘c123ab’ written down.

Section 2: Bitcoin-opia

Okay, now we’re into the second section of this primer, and are ready to venture in to the Bitcoin world. 

1) Install Bitcoin client.  First, you must download the Bitcoin client.  Bitcoin is open source, and anyone can write a client.  Few have done so, but by far the most widely used client is this one from Bitcoin.org. (here’s the latest Win / Mac version).  Install the program and then run it once to check it out and to also have it set up your personal digital wallet.

2) Encrypting, hiding and backing up your ‘wallet’:  (Optional) Some people highly recommended that you hide and encrypt your ‘wallet’ so as to increase your money’s safety, and also to allow for easier backup onto a thumb drive or online backup site, if desired.  However, I’m calling this step ‘optional’ as it is fairly advanced, and if done incorrectly, can make your Bit-wealth disappear.  So only mess with this step 2 if you feel comfortable with the instructions found on this web page.

In general, the steps for encrypting and hiding your wallet work by you creating an encrypted drive, in which you can place any sort of files inside of.  This encrypted drive looks like a regular file on your computer, until you ‘Mount’ it, which is a weird way of saying to open the encrypted file and tell your computer to start treating it like a regular hard drive.  In order to mount the drive and decrypt the contents, you will need a password.  Once you are done using the files inside of the drive, you then ‘Unmount’ the drive, returning the drive to its safe, unreadable, encrypted state. 

But again, only do so if you’re comfortable with working with encrypted drives.
In summary, for both Windows and Macs, before you run your Bitcoin client (to send BTC or check on your funds), you (a) mount your encrypted drive (which has your wallet on it), then (b) run and use Bitcoin, then (c) close Bitcoin and unmount your encrypted drive.

Backing up your wallet.  As your money resides on your ‘wallet’, you can copy your entire encrypted drive (containing your wallet) onto an external hard drive or small thumb drive.  Then keep that thumb drive in a safe location (i.e., a safe, or a grain bucket).  You will need to re-backup your wallet if you use Bitcoin a lot and create more than 100 new Bitcoin addresses (see step 4 below),  This is to ensure that restoring your wallet will restore all of your bitcoins.  There are some who recommend storing this encrypted drive online in either Dropbox, or your e-mail account, but I don’t recommend this.  I’m always wary of putting too much faith solely in encryption.  I prefer to encrypt and control access to the file itself (through physical and network security means).  If you store it online, you are at the mercy of your e-mail provider or online storage site for providing physical security to your file, so you are then relying solely on your encryption.  Mileage may vary, and different users may prefer different methods depending on your individual needs.

3) Buying/selling bitcoins.  Now that you are safe, secure, and anonymous online (don’t forget to turn on and check Tor!) you can begin your foray into the real money world of Bitcoin.  There are many ways to purchase Bitcoins (or BTC), but I will tell you the easiest and most inexpensive route that I’ve found for doing so. 
In short, (and I will explain in detail below), you send real money from a real ‘brick and mortar’ bank account to the online payment house Dwolla (step 3a).  From Dwolla, you send those funds to MtGox, the foremost Bitcoin trading center (step 3b).  From within your MtGox account you can then buy and sell Bitcoins using those funds (step 3c).  To effectively use (and anonymize) your newfound Bitcoin stash, withdraw Bitcoins from MtGox into your personal wallet on your computer (step 3d).  You are now free to spend Bitcoins!  In further steps we will discuss how and where to spend and using Bitcoins.  Selling Bitcoins (turning BTC into US$) is performed using the same steps above, just reversing the steps: Deposit BTC into MtGox from your wallet, Sell BTC on MtGox exchange, withdraw dollars to your Dwolla account, then transfer the US$ from Dwolla into your Brick and Mortar Bank.  You have now reentered the legacy and outdated world of finance.

3a) Bank dollars to Dwolla dollars: Set up a Dwolla.com account here.  Then add and verify a real bank in order to transfer money in and out of your Dwolla account (links are on the toolbar to the left).  Adding an account is straightforward using your account number and routing numbers found on a paper check.  Verifying your account consists of your waiting for Dwolla to deposit a few cents into your bank account, then you check that bank account and tell Dwolla how much each of the two deposits were.  This whole process takes 1-3 business days until your Dwolla account can be funded for the first time.

Once your account is verified, you can start the process of adding funds to your Dwolla account by clicking on the “Deposit Money” link on the toolbar to the left. Depositing money into Dwolla takes 3-5 business days and is free (unless your bank charges for it, but they shouldn’t be).  Dwolla kindly sends you an e-mail the instant your bank transfer clears, and you will then be ready for step 3b below.
           
3b) Dwolla dollars to MtGox dollars.  [recent update: you must disable Tor while working on MtGox – they are trying to combat hacking attempts.] Create an MtGox account here.  There are no verification steps (other than a valid e-mail address).  Once you have an account you can “Add Funds” by clicking the Add Funds button on the left side toolbar.  There is a bunch of ways to add funds to your MtGox account, but the easiest/best way is to use Dwolla. MtGox also accepts Liberty Reserve, and even direct international wire transfers, for a fee of 2500 Yen (about $31 today).  Dwolla is the easiest and cheapest ($0.25 each transfer).

While in the “Add Funds” section, choosing the Dwolla method button reveals a link which you can use to transfer Dwolla funds directly (link is next to the words “Account Number”).  There will also be an important memo to include on every transfer from Dwolla to MtGox (MTGOX #xxxxx) so that MtGox knows to which account to credit the incoming transfer.  So, either send your Dwolla funds through the all-in-one link on MtGox’s site, or do it manually from Dwolla’s “Send Money” link to MtGox’s account (812-649-1010) remembering to include the appropriate memo with your account on it (MTGOX #xxxxx).  This step officially takes about 12 hours, but oftentimes it is much faster.
You can also add funds using Bitcoins.  Just send BTC from your computer client to the address listed on the Add Funds page.

Tip: after you’ve sent money to MtGox once, you can have Dwolla automatically pull money from your bank and send it over to MtGox in a single step, making it slightly easier to fund MtGox account.  Do this: from the “Send Money” link in Dwolla, select your bank as the ‘source’ in the drop down menu, and set up the rest of the transfer to MtGox normally.  Dwolla will pull money from your account and send it to MtGox for you. Single-step to get funds in to MtGox!
           
News Update: MtGox had a few high-value accounts stolen (not from their databases, but from the external users’ computers) which were used in an attempt to manipulate the trading market.  MtGox shut down all trading for about a week, and reversed all illegal trades.  They have since restored all operations, and all prices are very stable subsequent to their reopening (~$14/BTC).  If you still feel too uncomfortable dealing with MtGox, you can use another (much smaller) trading house, Tradehill.  All the same steps in this primer apply, just substituting Tradehill for MtGox.  As I have never done any transaction with Tradehill, I can’t recommend them personally, I just forward their name on by virtue of them being the second largest Bitcoin exchange.

3c) Buying and Selling Bitcoins:  From within MtGox, you can buy or sell Bitcoins (BTC) here or by clicking “Trade” on the toolbar to the left.  Treat the purchase as you would any other commodity, and as James drills into our heads, buy on the dips.  To put it mildly, Bitcoins is a highly volatile commodity, with a price fluctuation range of between $10 and $30 per Bitcoin, in recent weeks.  Since the MtGox security scare, it has been very stable trading around $13-15 per BTC.  In any case, as you are buying Bitcoins for its usability (and not as an investment device), buy them as low as you can, and try not to worry if they fall in price afterwards.  You are paying for the freedom of using and owning a private and anonymous currency, and the premium is in its highly volatile exchange rate. 

(Editor’s note: Part of the beauty of the Bitcoin world is its freedom and lack of regulatory agencies.  But that very freedom unfortunately draws speculators and fraudsters.  Speculators were toying with the exchange rate last month with wide-ranging trades to make money (and were been stopped by MtGox, though).  In addition, fraudsters are inspired to commit nefarious acts because of their inherent anonymity.  I feel that the Bitcoin market will dampen out these crazy speculative price swings over time, and similarly, fraudsters will be discouraged as the Bitcoin community becomes better informed and trained.  As with any cash transaction, Bitcoin payments and purchases are quite final, so take caution as you would any other cash transaction.)

Trades in MtGox are treated like any other stock purchase you may make on an online brokerage house: you enter the amount of bitcoins you would like to buy, and at what price.  There are a bunch of trading charts available by clicking “Trading Tools” on the toolbar to the left.
Don’t worry if your order doesn’t get filled immediately.  The price fluctuations will make it likely that your request will be fulfilled soon.  You can also sell BTC in the same manner, on the same “Trade” page.

MtGox takes a very small commission (0.30%) of every trade, whether you are buying and selling. 
At the top of your MtGox account you will see a running tally of your current balance in Dollars and in Bitcoin.  Those Bitcoin in your account can be transferred to your personal ‘wallet’ on your computer to use them.

3d) Withdrawing Bitcoins (or US$): From your MtGox account, click “Withdraw Funds” on the left toolbar.  Choosing the radio button for Bitcoins as a method of payment, you enter the number of bitcoins you want to withdraw, and also one of your Bitcoin addresses.  Bitcoin addresses are created by your Bitcoin client program on your computer, and you can create as many addresses as you need – they all belong to you.  (See step 4 below for more info on this).  After the transaction clears the online Bitcoin world (no banks are involved! Yay!), it will show up as residing in your wallet from within your Bitcoin program on your computer.  You are now free to use them and pay whomever you’d like, completely anonymously.

4) Using Bitcoins.  The Bitcoin client program should be configured to use Tor to completely (i.e., tell the Bitcoin program to utilize the anonymizing virtues of Tor.  Detailed instructions for doing so are found here (and basically amounts to using a proxy server 127.0.0.1:8118).
The Bitcoin client comes with 100 personal (and anonymous) addresses preprogrammed in to the program, all of which point to you in the virtual internet world.  You can create new ones at any time (Click “Address Book”, then “New Address”), and can create an infinite amount of them. You use these addresses for whenever someone would like to send you money (BTC).  You give them one of your addresses, and they will send you money.  And if you want to send someone money, you can send it to their Bitcoin ‘address’.  These addresses are also used for withdrawing funds (as BTC) from MtGox.  These addresses are unrelated to each other, and an infinite (theoretically) amount of new addresses can be created.  It is recommended by the Bitcoin community to use each address only one time, i.e., one address per transaction, so as not to compromise your anonymity.  The transaction must be ‘cleared’ by the online Bitcoin community (i.e., a significant number of peer-to-peer connections all agree that Peter just paid Paul).  This can take upwards of an hour or two, but if you are willing the sender can pay an extra 0.01 BTC (~$0.20) for preferred processing, which can shorten the transaction time to around ten minutes (you set this value in the settings in your Bitcoin client).

Sending money is also very easy.  You click “Send Coins” in your Bitcoin client program, putting the recipient’s address in the box and the amount you’d like to send.  Click send to send the Bitcoins. That’s it!  And as mentioned before, all Bitcoin transactions are quite final, so take care and double check your amounts before sending.  Treat Bitcoins as you would cash.

How and where to spend Bitcoins.  Besides person-to-person transactions, there is a rapidly growing industry of merchants willing to accept Bitcoin in addition to old-fashioned dollars and they offer tangible goods in addition to services (online and real-world).  There are also nascent businesses starting up to provide interesting and unique services for Bitcoin holders.  A (growing) list of businesses accepting Bitcoins can be found here, and many merchants are added every day.  There are even merchants willing to accept Bitcoin for Amazon.com purchases (they make money from Amazon referral program).  These merchants are really opening up the world to Bitcoin enabling Kindles, laptops and even groceries, to be purchased with Bitcoin.  As many of these businesses are new, treat them with caution and research their online reputation before conducting any major transactions with them.  

Enjoy your newfound online financial freedom!

If you enjoy SurvivalBlog, then donating a little bit. The BTC address for Ten Cent Challenge contributions:  1K7Gk6kqX6psSWDJaRV6pyDH7dwZuvqtUB 

And if you’ve enjoyed or benefited from this Bitcoin primer, then please consider a little clink in my personal Bitcoin tip jar, here:  1BfhNGddNCGFcaJjisiUQW6m1UaSbPHTdF

Letter Re: A Folding Kayak as a Survival Vehicle

Jim,
I have used a kayak for a couple years now and find it indispensable. Three years ago my grandfather gave me the very nice gift of a brand new Old Time kayak (a dark green fishing model). He want for me to have something to remember him by as he was on his way out of this life. But I digress.

This kayak has been on numerous fishing trips and river excisions, including a week long float on the Current River. It has never failed me and I have been extremely impressed with it. My dad grew up spending every available moment out doors and had always thought that nothing could beat a John boat for fishing and he didn’t believe in kayaks until he tried it out for himself. He then went and purchased two more kayaks for himself. The kayaks, I believe, would be very useful in the case of SHTF. They are very maneuverable and with their shallow draft and ability to carry fairly heavy loads, I seriously consider mine a viable alternative to a land-based vehicle.

One important difference of a kayak to say, a John boat is the size of such a craft. You could easily pull it up under brush to camp on the side of the river. It will also float up the tributaries and creeks as we have here in the Wabash/Ohio River valley. Now I know that anywhere east of the Mississippi River will just not suffice when the SHTF. So I have laid out travel plans involving the waterways to a certain somewhere in Montana. It does involve portaging but with the kayaks having a manageable weight that does not bother me. I have figured that with all gear it would be a tight fit, but with the ability to use the john-boat or construct rafts this is for the most part unimportant. Thanks, – Jacob M.

Economics and Investing:

Predictably, they slammed on the brakes at the COMEX: CME Group Hikes Margin Requirements For Comex Gold Futures. But since the physical market for gold is so strong, this move against futures trading will probably cause only a brief drop in the price of gold. The bull will resume his charge. (Thanks to Eli for the link.)

Dennis C. mentioned this editorial: Falling Bank Stocks Offer a Too-Big-to-Fail Wakeup Call

John R. kindly sent a whole raft of links:

Jim Rogers: Bernanke, Geithner Leading Us Into Fiscal Armageddon (Henry J. Reske and Kathleen Walter)   

The Best Looking Horse in the Glue Factory (Jim Quinn)  

UBS’ Andy Lees On Why The US Economy Is, All Else Equal, Doomed (Andy Lees, by way of Zero Hedge)

The Elusive Abyss (Neil Charnock)

S&P 500 Update – US Dollar Sacrificed (Dan Norcini)

Global Grand Policy Failure: Liquidity Traps and Financial Black Holes (Charles Hugh Smith)

“Europe Is On The Verge Of Collapsing”   (Raul de Sagastizabal)

Is This It? Or Can They Fool Us Again?   (John Rubino)  

Ramifications of a U.S. Debt Downgrade (Greg Hunter)  

Did S&P Shoot Itself in the Foot?   (Martin W. Armstrong)  

The Coming Fiscal Train Wreck — Part I (Dave Cohen)  

Reality Finally Hits The Morbidly Obese US Government (Jeff Berwick)

Global Warning-Credit Spreads Widening   (Bob Hoye)  

The staff of Der Spiegel asks: Is The World Going Bankrupt?  

Items from The Economatrix:

JPM Sees Gold at $2,500 By Year End

Fed’s Low Rates are No Fix for Economy or Retirees

Pension Warning Amid Market Turmoil

Gold Price Soars Amid Mounting Fears Over Double-dip Recession

Odds ‘n Sods:

I’m pleased to see that John Jacob Schmidt is continuing to produce his weekly Radio Free Redoubt podcasts, each Sunday evening. There are now 10 archived shows. While not affiliated with any of my ventures, Radio Free Redoubt is nonetheless a great way for people to share ideas and information on relocating to the American Redoubt, and issues of interest for those living in the region.

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Chris D. suggested this: Five Reasons Why American Riots Will Be The Worst In The World

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More Nanny State meddling: Anonymous Call to New Animal Abuse Hotline Leads to Raid on Colorado Woman’s Rabbit Farm. ONE dead bunny out of 180+ rabbits, in hot August weather? The lady deserves a medal, not a court date.

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Reader Will T. mentioned: “I recently encountered a fascinating and practical book titled Security Engineering, by Ross Anderson.  The first edition (2001) is legally available for free online.  The author has arranged for six chapters from the 2007 edition to be posted and hopes one day to post the entirety of the updated edition.  He covers issues from cryptography to banking to deadbolts to terrorism.”

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C.T. highlighted this: Oath Keepers: FBI Wants Surplus Stores To Spy on Customers. It sounds more like they’re fishing for preppers than terrorists…

Note from JWR:

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

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

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

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

How To Butcher a Squirrel, by B.T.

It would seem these days the world in which we live is anything but predictable. Who is to say you will always be able to run down to the corner gas station and fill your tank? Or drive thru your local fast food chain for a quick fix, when those hunger pangs kick in? In the event of an economic crash or other disaster, food and other supplies may be very hard to obtain. You may not be able to make your regular trip to the local Wal-Mart or other grocery store. Store shelves will go bare very fast, and many people will be left without the proper supplies. Even if food is available, and stores are open, the prices of everything in the store will skyrocket. As in the case of hyperinflation. Loaves of bread for $25, and $30 for a gallon of milk. How will you feed yourself and your family? Is it time to give up hope and die? No, of course not!

It is time to learn new things and strengthen your skill set. What is a skill set? Skills that will enable and ensure you and your family will survive. Skills like learning moss contains water, How to make water safe for drinking by adding a few drops of bleach per quart, or how to put snow in a water bladder or baggies and melt that snow with your body heat, by placing it inside your jacket next to your body to make drinking water. Even Boy Scouts at a young age, are taught to make lamps and candles out of old tuna cans and wax. When the time comes are you going to be prepared? All the tools and weapons in the world won’t do you any good, if you don’t know how to use them.    

It would also be a very good idea to purchase several different types of firearms, along with plenty of ammo. It is advisable to have at least one handgun, one shotgun (preferably 12 gauge), one large caliber rifle, and one small caliber rifle such as a .22, for taking down small game animals like rabbits and squirrel. A pellet gun would also come in handy for hunting down the smaller game animals. Perhaps you would find yourself in a situation where you needed to hunt for food, but making noise with a loud weapon might bring unwanted attention your way. A slingshot would also work, but a pellet gun would allow to have repetitive fire.     

Hopefully you have been prepping and laying back a good stock of things. Things like water, beans, rice, salt, and first aid supplies. One thing I would like to add to the list of things you might want to consider putting back, would be baby formula. Why? You say you don’t have an infant? Well even if you don’t have a little one to care for, the day may come in such a situation when the mother down the street knocks on your door, and how great would it be to help save a little ones life? There are many things you can do to supplement whatever food you may have. Most people know most of them, like grow your own vegetables. Seed collecting from the various items you’ve grown. How many people though, have thought about trapping and killing birds and mice in your own back yard? In a real survival scenario, you will do whatever it takes to survive, and if you are not prepared to do those things, then you will not survive.    

Learn how to make your own snares to trap rabbits, or maybe even something bigger. Learn how to make small traps baited with food, in order to lure birds in. Make good solid cages to house the birds you catch, and keep them alive until you are ready to harvest them. Snakes and squirrels are also very good forms of valuable protein. Protein your body must have in order to pull through, and keep on going. When you catch that bird, snake or squirrel, then what? Okay you kill it, but then how do you go about preparing it for consumption? That’s what I’m about to teach you.    

I’ve chosen the squirrel out of the animals I have mentioned for you to learn how to skin. However much of the information can and will also apply to other animals as well. For example, you always gut the animal, and take care with the body fluids. As the bodily fluids will ruin the meat and possibly make you sick.

How to field dress and quarter a squirrel:

First off, I recommend that all of your squirrels be head shot. That way the heart, kidneys, and liver can be harvested for consumption more easily.  If you gut shoot your squirrel you will have punctured the guts, and therefore contaminated more of the meat. It is also of importance to check the color of the liver. The liver should be very dark red almost a maroon color, with no discoloration. If the liver is spotted or pale in color, this is a very good indication the animal is sick, and therefore the meat questionable. This is also true of deer and most game animals.     

Tools needed: Skinning knife, or just a good sharp pocket knife.   

Step one: Lay the squirrel out on its belly, and with your fingers pinch up the skin in the middle of the animals back. Take your knife and make about a one inch cut. Try not to cut into the meat.    

Step two: Insert your fingers into the opening you just made with your knife, and pull the skin in opposite directions. Do this until the skin rips all the way around the width of the body. You may have to use your fingers from time to time, in order to help the skin come free of the meat. Now you should be left with the skin divided into two sections, the upper and the lower.    

Step three: From here on out the squirrel will be laying on its back. Pull the upper portion of the skin up over the shoulders, then pull the arms out of the skin. It’s just like pulling off a shirt. Pull the skin up to the neck, and cut off the head. Cut the hands off at the wrist, and take special note of the tufts of hair still located near the wrist. It’s been said that these tufts of hair are scent glands, and if left on can make the meat have a bad taste. Cut off the tufts of hair.    

Step four: Pull the lower portion of the skin down to the ankles. Pull the skin just past the ankle bone and carefully cut off the feet. Pull the skin the rest of the way off the tail.   

Step five: Take your knife and just above one of the back legs, (where the leg meets the body) split the pelvic bone and break it open. This will cause an opening just above where the tail is.    

Step six: Very carefully take your knife and slowly split the squirrel up the full length of its body. Take the incision all the way up the body and out the neck. Be very careful not to cut the guts, or the meat will either be completely ruined or taste bad. If you do and get some nastiness on the meat, quickly rinse the meat with water. If you are careful and take your time when cutting, you will avoid cutting open the guts.    

Step seven: Make an incision on the outside of the pelvic bone (where the back leg meets the body). This will open up the tail are a little more, allowing you to get to all of the tail. Cut the tail off.    

Step eight: Take your hands and reach inside the incision you made along the belly. Start in the chest cavity and pull out the larynx, lungs, heart, and on down to the diaphragm, pull guts and all out. It all comes out clean in one pull. You are now left with a nice clean piece of meat.    

Step nine: Carefully cut off the arms behind the shoulder blade. Take your knife and cut the back legs off as well. Cut them along the pelvic bone. All you have to do here is slice the meat all the way around the leg so it loosens up a little, then just twist the leg off.    

Step ten: Cut the squirrel into two halves. Make your cut right where the ribs end. The rib section wont have much meat on it, but if put into a stew, the meat that is there will fall right off the bone and tastes really good. Take the other section of the body along with all of the legs, fry or bake and season to taste.   

How to get rid of the “gamy” taste: If you don’t like a gamy taste to your meat you can place the meat in a container, add one tablespoon of salt, fill with water. Let this sit refrigerated over night to help reduce the gaminess of the meat. Seasoning the meat further while it cooks will remove even more of the gamy taste.

Review of the Grover Rocket Stove, by F.J.B.

If you are a “prepper” in the same vein as I am, you look for equipment that is built to last. When a new product becomes available that looks to be substantially better than the one you have, you closet the old gear and purchase the new. This makes for a lot of closeted gear, but time is short and having gear that will last you a lifetime is a must.

I have been using rocket stoves on and off over the last 30 years. On, when I’d have a new stove, and off, when the stove either rusted or burned out. They all worked well, but none were made to last. Even if they made it through the rust and burn-out issues, I would then either lose a part or they’d end up getting bent or broken beyond use in the trunk of my car or in the back of our truck.

When I first saw the Grover Rocket Stove online, I was impressed with the heavy-gauge steel used in the construction. This was not like the other stoves I had found or used in the past.

StockStorage.com offers several different models of Grover Rocket Stoves: a base model, a heavy-duty model, and the heavy-duty model in stainless steel. Since I spend a lot of time cooking in wet areas like river camps and rainy eastern mountain areas, I went with the premium (1/8”) stainless steel model.

I happened to be out of town when it arrived, but my son was home. He accepts everything no matter what condition it arrives in. The box was beat to crud. It was not a pretty sight. I opened the box to find the stove in excellent condition.

My first impression was that this thing is built like a tank. It is relatively heavy for its size and very stout. It sits right. At 17 pounds it is heavy enough so it will not easily move and stable enough to place a large pot on top without the worry of it toppling over from being top heavy.

The stove is welded steel in construction with no loose or moving parts, although it did come with a heavy aluminum plate that sits on top of the burner to allow the use of small-sized pots or frying pans. It also has a heavy steel handle welded to the back of the stove for carrying and easy cleaning.

I took the stove outside to my front porch to fire it up. Not being into “keeping up the yard” made it easy to find dry leaves and downed branches in my front yard. After gathering a few handfuls of dry leaves and a dozen windfall sticks, I loaded the chamber with the tinder and some small fuel and fired it up.

Like all rocket stoves it had positive draft immediately and needed additional fuel right away. I broke the larger sticks into 8″ -12″ lengths and loaded them into the side fuel chute which is also welded to the stove as I dropped smaller tinder and sticks into the flue.

It was ready for cooking. I used a cast-iron skillet and cooked up some bratwursts, salsa, and onions as an afternoon snack.

After eating, I turned to cleaning the cooled stove. The stove is double-walled with an insulation sealed in the walled chamber. The handle on the back of the stove allowed me to easily turn the stove over and dump out what was left of the ash and coals by bumping the chute lip on the ground. Being at home, I then sprayed it off with the garden hose, making it like new again. Having gone with the stainless steel model, I have no worries about rust either.

There is an insert available that acts as a charcoal grate for using briquettes which I did not order. For me, the most attractive aspect of owning a rocket stove is that you don’t need to carry fuel with you. It uses whatever is lying around for fuel.

All said, the Grover Rocket Stove is indeed a better-made stove than any I have seen. I am very happy with it. It performs well, it is built to last forever, and I can see that it is the last rocket stove I’ll ever need to buy.

I recommend that anyone interested in a rocket stove check out the Grover Rocket Stove before making their stove purchase.  

Letter Re: Tire Bale Bastions and Houses?

Hi,
Doing some research on earth domes and I’m seeing a new trend, tire bales. These are 5 feet long, 5 feet wide, and 2.5 feet tall. They weigh 2,000 pounds apiece. They are environmentally friendly, being sold for $25-35 a unit plus shipping. I’m planning on using them around the houses perimeter as I feel they are much less expensive and more durable than a masonry wall. Covered in concrete or adobe they won’t be an aesthetic issue either.

I was wondering what your opinion of them would be as a ballistic barrier/wall?

Keep up the great work. – David F.

JWR Replies: Tire bale bastion walls (or even entire tire bale houses) are a viable option, and they do indeed offer great ballistic protection. (Although their irregular shape does leave a few gaps that would have to be “chinked” well with shotcrete.) Tire bale walls will definitely stop all .30 caliber rifle threats and will probably stop .50 BMG or Russian 12.7mm machinegun bullets. But I must mention a few provisos: 1.) The cost per cubic foot of wall is substantially higher than with the usually free for the hauling packed-earth tires (as used with “Earthships”), and 2.) , Because of the great weight of tire bales, a forklift (or a skid-steer equipped with forks, or a heavy-duty crane hoist) is required. This means that you can work only on a level building site, and, 3.) Unlike Earthship tires, which can be earthquake stabilized with just driven re-bar rods, tire bales must be specially strapped, and 4.) To be fire resistant, tire bales should be encased in adobe, shotcrete, or other masonry on all sides. (Following your link, I found a great series of photos that show a large tire bale house under construction.)

If you are going to put forth the effort to encase tire bales in adobe to add ballistic protection to an existing house, then you might as well build masonry “planters” that are filled with gravel. Two feet of gravel will stop bullets just as well as a tire bale, and there is no fire hazard.

Two Letters Re: A Folding Kayak as a Survival Vehicle

Jim,
Today’s submission on Kayaks as survival vehicles is good but the statement, “Often in a hard shell boat the majority of your effort is spent simply paddling, trying to keep the boat upright!” isn’t really accurate. It might be true of some sporty river kayaks but certainly not of modern hard-shell sea kayaks.

A number of years ago I spent three days kayaking among several islands in Puget sound. It was a guided trip and except for one time on a placid river, it was my only time in a kayak.  I found our tandem kayaks remarkably stable in the water. Because of the way their chines are designed, tipping the boat causes greatly increased buoyancy on the “down” side of the boat, keeping it from going over.  As novices we had no trouble remaining upright, even near shore in a squall with 2-to-3 foot breaking waves.

My only real point is that I wouldn’t discount a hard kayak for fear of its stability.  Also, I’m not certain how much I want my boat to “move as a living organism” given stories like this.

Unlikely, I know, but I doubt a folding kayak would have fared as well. – Matt R.

 

Sir: I agree with Jan B. that a folding kayak has great possibilities as a survival vehicle.  My own interest in them goes back to a Life magazine cover story from the 50s.  Dr. Hannes Lindemann crossed the Atlantic in a 17′ Klepper equipped with makeshift outriggers made from auto inner tubes.  Klepper is the oldest and still the top of the folding kayak line.  Nautiraid, built in France, is similar but less well known.  Both have been used by special ops units around the world.  (Milspec kayaks are available to civilian purchasers.) The main difference between these European kayaks and the current Folbots, which are made in the USA, is the frame.  Folbots are aluminum and plastic.  Kleppers and Nautiraids are wood.  I prefer wood because I can replace broken parts.  YMMV.  Folbots are serviceable entry-level boats.  I believe Feathercraft still offers more refined aluminum-frame kayaks.  Repair kits would include patching materials for the hull and short sections of aluminum  tubing (on both aluminum and wood boats!) to splint broken stringers.

I would suggest buying two identical kayaks, ideally doubles that are fitted for single paddlers.  I currently own a Nautiraid single but plan to purchase a double as soon as I find one I can afford.

Suggested reading:  Complete Folding Kayaker by Ralph Diaz; Alone At Sea – A Doctor’s Survival Experiments of Two Atlantic Crossings in a Dugout Canoe and a Folding Kayak by Dr. Hannes Lindemann; Cockleshell Heroes by C. E. Lucas Phillips, (in which WWII British commandos use folding kayaks to attack German ships.) Regards, – Randy in Maine

 

JWR:
With regards to Jann’s article on folding kayaks, I would like to mention a kayak design that many people are not aware of. After taking a 4-day class on kayak rolling, I felt that there had to be a better kayak design that didn’t force you to sit in one position for hours (which is bad for your back), wasn’t so tippy, and had a storage area that didn’t make you crawl out of the cockpit to reach it. I wondered if there was a catamaran-type kayak and after a web search found it at http://www.wavewalk.com/.

It allows for many riding positions and is stable enough to stand up in. Two adults and a child can fit in its huge cockpit. It has many times more storage space than any other kayak. It is the best kayak for fishing big fish because a regular kayak can be dragged until the rider paddles to shore to finish reeling. With the Wavewalk’s huge cockpit you simply scoot forward which points the nose down and creates drag. People put all kinds of custom attachments on them like umbrellas and motors. As far as survival kayaking goes, I think it’s the ultimate!

Respectfully, – Erik M.

Economics and Investing:

The shorts must be screaming, about now: Gold shoots past record $1,800 an ounce. When I last checked, the silver-to-gold ratio was at 45.4-to-1. Again, if you have the vault space, this is a great time to ratio trade out of your 1 ounce gold coins, and into silver bullion coins. (Such as pre-1965 American “junk” silver.)

Michael W. sent this: A National Debt of $14 Trillion? Try $211 Trillion

More of The Mother of All Bailouts (MOAB)?: Government considers turning foreclosures into rentals

G.G. sent this: Ron Paul: “Gold Is Not A Bubble”

From K.A.F.: Economic Uncertainty Leading to Global Unrest

K.A.F. also pointed me to this blog post from a distaff blogger in Eastern Washington: It happened to us, our bank was just “closed” by the FDIC. Shades of the depression

Items from The Economatrix:

Plunge On Wall Street Threatens to Spook Consumers

Fed May React to Market Plunge and Stalled Economy. (Can you smell a whiff of MOAB, on the breeze?)

Oil Tumbles Below $80 Amid US Recession Fears

US Stocks Rise Slightly After Big Fall

Gold Prices Keep Pushing Higher, Hit New Record

Debt Deal Not Downgrade Is Cause Of Crash

Odds ‘n Sods:

File under Emerging Threats: DIY Spy Drone Sniffs Wi-Fi, Intercepts Phone Calls. (Note that if hackers can do this, so can Uncle Sugar.)

   o o o

New NASA Data Blow Gaping Hole In Global Warming Alarmism

   o o o

This looks captivating: MedCallKits™ + 24/7 Telemedicine Line 

   o o o

Bob G. mentioned an excellent video by “Okie Prepper” on using calcium hypochlorite for water purification

   o o o

Birmingham riots: three men killed ‘protecting homes’. There is something especially pitiful about seeing disarmed citizens attempting to defend themselves ( A hat tip to Laura C. for the link.) Meanwhile, in The Daily Mail, we read: Years of liberal dogma have spawned a generation of amoral, uneducated, welfare dependent, brutalised youngsters. And don’t miss this slide show: London and UK riots: 50 powerful images

Note from JWR:

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

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

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

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

A Folding Kayak as a Survival Vehicle, by Jann B.

The vehicle I am about to describe does not often come immediately to mind when one thinks of a survival vehicle to be of use during troubled times but bear with me.  The vehicle I have in mind requires no fuel, and no mechanical upkeep. Additionally it offers significant stealth mode and is totally silent. If one is in or near an urban setting such as the San Francisco Bay area or Manhattan or Seattle then this survival vehicle will grant one the power to disappear from the crazed urban crowd scene almost immediately.  No, I’m not talking about some new science fiction device and I am not talking about something that will cost an arm and a leg.  What I am proposing as the ultimate survival vehicle is the simple ocean kayak.  This is a vehicle that can be rented easily in any urban setting by the water and the learning curve is neither long nor steep.  Preferably one might want to select a double [aka “tandem”] configuration kayak, even if one were traveling solo.

Right off the top, an ocean-going kayak requires no fuel, no mechanic, no complicated maintenance and it will take you anywhere on the water.  When one considers that almost 70% of this planet’s surface is covered with water and that a large percentage of the world’s major cities sit on coasts and in harbors then an aquatic vehicle begins to seem like a wise choice. Sailboats have the problem of needing wind as well as relatively deep water to float their keels.  Plus sailboats need yearly maintenance and have many things which can and do break. Power boats with their thirst for fuel are simply out of the question.

Specifically I am proposing a double ocean folding kayak.  Yes, a folding kayak.  These are very useful in that you can slip them into a couple of bags and store them in your closet or the trunk of your car and yet they can be assembled and transport you and an impressive stash of survival supplies across vast oceans in a relative safe and secure manner. These are quite possibly the oldest small boat design in history.  They have been transporting people all over the world for thousands of years.  The Russians used kayaks back in the early 1800’s to travel from Alaska down to San Francisco Bay in search of sea otters to trade with China.  In recent times they have been single handedly used to go from Europe to the Caribbean and even from California to Hawaii.  And these were by lone individuals, with no support group.

Two good qualities of a folding “skin” boat, other than the obvious, is that they are flexible on the ocean and will move as a “living” organism as opposed to a hard shell plastic kayak which will just as often tip over.  One can actually “relax” in a folding kayak.  They may not be as fast as a hard shell boat but then, who’s in a hurry? They will provide a very stable platform from which you can fish and or/dive and you can actually sleep in one without worrying about it tipping over.  Often in a hard shell boat the majority of your effort is spent simply paddling, trying to keep the boat upright! And river kayaks are much too small [to carry a useful load] and are simply not designed to travel in a straight line.

I personally began my ocean kayaking experience on San Francisco Bay. This was an excellent environment to learn to use an open water kayak.  As a survival tool an ocean kayak is uniquely fitted to our current needs. A double open water kayak can carry 600+ pounds in people and cargo.  One can use a sail on extended voyages as well as a sea anchor in storms to stabilize the craft.  Most double kayaks have a rudder system so that all of your attention can be focused on straight ahead paddling. In a sense one can view a double kayak as a truly luxurious back packing alternative.  You can carry all the things you could never carry on your back.  Plus, with a salt water desalinator and appropriate fishing gear one is much more self sufficient.  Additionally there are many food “alternatives” which offer a lot of nutrition in a compact space.  Food items such as “Food Tabs”, compressed food bars such as Datrex, Mainstay, S.O.S., as well as MRE meals and freeze dried meals.  And speaking of MRE meals: they often come with a flameless heating source which merely uses water to activate the heat source.  You can warm your MRE  (or freeze dried meals) in the cockpit of your kayak with no fear of fire (these flameless heating kits are also available from Mountain House). And although a salt water desalinator is comparatively expensive, just look at it like the price of a medium grade pistol.  Sell one of  the extra guns and buy all the free fresh water you can use! It’s a bargain.

Another inexpensive tech item which I find to be very handy in a kayak is a solar battery charger ($29 from BePrepared.com).  I can charge four AAA, AA, C or D batteries at a time in just a few hours. So I can have light, music, radio, E-book reader, walkie-talkie, et cetera without having to regularly purchase batteries. Chemical light sticks are also very handy at night for traveling and being able to keep other boats in sight without having to rely on battery powered light sources.

Another food source often overlooked is seaweed.  There are many varieties of seaweed and most, if not all are edible and offer a high source of vitamins.  People from China, Japan and Korea (as well as Ireland) have traveled the world for hundreds, if not thousands of years using seaweed as a prime food source. Some seaweed can be as high as 50% protein and it can be easily farmed. Seaweed is also useful in dressing wounds and using as fertilizer in gardens. And, speaking of food on the water, a fine mesh net (like a nylon stocking) can be used to gather small krill and other very small sources of nutrients.  After all, if it’s good enough for a giant blue whale, it can’t be all bad.

Once society, as we know it, collapses and chaos reigns in urban areas I can see a veritable sea kayaking sub-culture arise.  For approximately $3,000, (the price of a cheap used car), one can get totally outfitted with a two person ocean going kayak. In a kayak one can go where sailboats and larger power boats cannot go.  It is possible to create seaside vegetable [“heirloom variety”] gardens in areas inaccessible by either road or larger boats.  It  would be possible in the near future to cruise from Alaska to Baja on the West Coast and have access to fresh food (and fresh water) on an almost daily basis for free. And if one should choose to stay in an area like SF Bay, there are vast open spaces beneath the city docks and streets that are only accessible by small craft such as kayaks and these “invisible” places offer a secure place to sleep or leave your craft for a limited time while you explore the surface world.

A few years ago, as a test of some of my ideas I went on a six week kayak trip down the inner coast of the Baja Peninsula with three others.  We used only what we carried, had no support system and had a wonderful experience.

Summary of A Plan:

  1. Get a folding double ocean kayak such as a Folbot, Greenland II.  They have a yearly substantial sale each November. (Get the expedition model with a sail.)
  2. Get a saltwater hand desalinator from West Marine. (Sell a spare gun, if need be).
  3. Get a solar battery charger. Don’t forget the rechargeable batteries. ($29 for the solar charger from Emergency Essentials.)
  4. Get a vacuum packed 2/3 of an acre worth of varied heirloom vegetable seeds. In this #10 can you get 16 non-hybrid variety of seeds. This should be enough to start gardens in three or four places which will be inaccessible to cars and/or other larger boats. ($43 from Emergency Essentials.)
  5. Get a ECTACO Jetbook Mini. It is the only e-book reader that runs on AAA batteries.  I have used mine on a daily basis for 90 days before having to replace the batteries. That way you can carry over 3,000 full length books and/or any other plain text documents with an inexpensive 2 GB SD memory card.
  6. Get the coastal charts for the areas you may be traveling through as well as the USGS maps for the adjoining coastal land.
  7. Pick up six Midland or Motorola handheld walkie-talkies. Over the ocean they will work for an astonishing distance and will run for hours and hours on AA batteries.
  8. Don’t forget your MP-3 player (one that runs on AAA batteries) and make it a rule that ANY electronic device use batteries that can be recharged from your solar recharge unit.

Consider these to be “extras” to be added to your normal “grab and go” and “camping gear”. For additional food items I would highly recommend Emergency Essentials. And for regular “survival gear” I would recommend Major Surplus and Sportsman’s Guide.

JWR Adds: For longer distance travel and certainly for any kayaking on the open ocean, I would recommend getting a kayak equipped with outriggers. These add tremendously to the craft’s stability.