Physical Fitness and Training, by Patrick N.

As an avid reader of SurvivalBlog, I have read a countless number of articles on communications, food storage, tactics, weaponry, and a long list of almost every topic involving survival during a SHTF or TEOTWAWKI situation.  One major area that directly effects all of the aforementioned topics is physical fitness.  As a certified Health and Physical educator that is working on receiving a Certified Personal Trainer certification I take physical activity very seriously. One term that is used frequently in my field is GPP or General Physical Preparedness. GPP is the base level of fitness that a person must have before they begin a training regiment. As the infamous power lifter Louie Simmons states, “You have to be in shape to train, not train to get in shape.” Relating this to a survival situation, a person can be mentally and emotionally prepared for any situation that comes their way-economic disaster, nuclear fallout, EMP, etc.- but if you are not physically prepared to meet the demands of living in a SHTF or TEOTWAWKI situation you are doomed to fail or at the minimum will have an extremely arduous physical adaptation period. One thing that many people take for granted is the belief that you will just fall into a routine that will help you adapt quickly and efficiently to different activities that must be completed on a day-to-day basis. Though there is some truth to this, the adaptation will not be pleasant by any means and in some situations will be painful. Walking long distances with a heavy load is a perfect example. Your body will be sore from your pinky toe all the way up to your neck. I know from experience what the effects of a lack of GPP can get you. When I was younger I spent a summer working in a fishing camp in the Alaskan wilderness. One week I was carrying 4 foot sections of logs a half a mile back to our base camp through the undergrowth the next week I was digging six foot deep latrine holes, the week after that I was carrying 15 gallon gas cans 100 feet to fill our boats up, and the list goes on for the 10 weeks I was there. Not only did it take me several days to adapt to the climate, my body was forced to go through physical adaptations week after week which are daunting to say the least. Overall, general physical preparedness is something that people need to seriously consider when preparing for any situation.

As previously discussed in several different articles, everyday life will change drastically after an event. To name a few physical activities that will become commonplace:

  • Chopping firewood
  • Carrying firewood varying distances
  • Carrying water (5 gallon buckets weigh 40 lbs.)
  • Carrying food pails of varying weights
  • Lifting 50 or 80 pound bags of foodstuffs or livestock feed
  • Shoveling materials into sandbags
  • Moving sandbags for defensive positions (typically 25 lbs. or more)
  • Digging caches
  • Driving stakes for fortified positions or fence posts
  • Mending fences
  • Moving car batteries for charging electronics
  • Bug-out situations carrying different weights and hiking varying distances over various terrain

The list is never ending. Each person’s situation will be different. If you have a dedicated retreat your physical responsibilities may also require moving hay bails for feeding livestock. If you are in a suburban area you may need to push cars off the road to travel to bug-out location or in come instances push them into place to help set-up a defensive position. In an urban area your physical responsibilities will be even more drastically different then the rural and suburban environment preppers. Also, as the event that has occurred pushes into a longer time period such as in Mr. Rawles’ book Patriots and the financial collapse, physical responsibilities will be even more drastic for everybody no matter where you live.

Many people are prepared to stockpile food, buy weapons and ammunition, and educate themselves on a range of survival skills that will help them in any scenario imaginable. Though, people will not take time out of their schedules to physically prepare themselves to use those stockpiles, weapons, and information  they spent countless hours studying, practicing and preparing. Personally, I would not want to be the person that is as welled armed as Fort Knox, is as prepared medically as Mount Sinai hospital, has enough food to feed 100 people but can’t manage to walk miles in a bug-out situation to get to my retreat or abandon my retreat if it ever came to that.

I am frequently asked by friends how to lose weight and get into shape. I tell people that they must start slow (especially if having not done any physical activity for more then several months.) I would recommend the same thing for preppers who want to get into shape. What I would prescribe requires no special equipment, only items that would be found in any preppers already created stockpile. Developing a proper level of physical preparedness does not require any high-tech equipment or “one machine fits all” gimmick that are being marketed today.

One simple place to start is going for long walks. Not only does the walking help prepare your legs for an environment that does not have any other means of transportation but it will also help you slim down (in conjunction with eating healthier which is key.) Something I recommend is filling up your CamelBak and walk with it. A three liter (100 ounce) CamelBak weighs about 6.5 pounds. The additional 6.5 pounds will come as a surprise to those who are not used to carrying any extra weight on a day to day basis. This is also a great precursor to carrying heavier weights on hikes. You can add more and more weight as your body adapts.
The next place to start is doing various calisthenics. Pushups, pullups, sit-ups, doing bodyweight squats (squatting with not additional weight,) lunges, walking lunges, and a countless number of other exercises that help the body get into shape.

  • If you are unable to do 20 pushups in a normal fashion on the ground begin by doing incline pushups against a wall or table depending on your physical ability.
  • For pullups, you can begin by doing negatives: jumping up so your chin is above the bar and slowly lowering yourself down fighting your bodyweight. Eventually your body will get stronger allowing you to do pullups. Another useful exercise is lying underneath a sturdy table, grabbing the edge and pulling your chest to the table edge while your feet remain on the ground. These are called bodyweight rows, which strengthen your back and help with various pulling motions.
  • When performing bodyweight squats, make sure you squat down to parallel. An easy way to understand when your body reaches parallel is using a bucket, table or chair that allows you to sit down with your legs at 90 degree angle when sitting. If you sit down then stand back up you are performing a proper squat. Work your way into not using the object after you become strong enough and can physically reach the parallel level of the squat.
  • Lunges and sit-ups are fairly well known and are tried and true methods of developing strength.

There is a much longer list of calisthenics/bodyweight movements that can be performed that can be researched by those interested in developing strength and endurance.
The next method of getting into shape involves two empty five gallon buckets. Fill the buckets almost up to the brim with water, squat down and pick them up, then walk various distances with them. That will be approximately 80 pounds of weight being carried. The task of carrying water or other objects in buckets (especially stored food) will become commonplace after the SHTF.

You can also pick up different objects and carry them. Logs, rocks, sandbags, loads of firewood, and anything else that you will use at your retreat or other location. Not only does this help develop your overall strength and endurance, it also prepares you for the tasks that you will be performing in the future. Also, a wheelbarrow filled with sand, dirt, rocks, firewood, etc. can be pushed different distances.
Finally, one of the most physically demanding and overall physically active things that someone can do is chop firewood. One of the newest crazes to hit the world of training is sledgehammer training. People are buying sledgehammers and old tires and striking the tire over and over again to develop physical strength and endurance. Why waste your time striking a tire with a sledgehammer when you can chop firewood that you will use to cook, and heat your home.

Although I did not list any activities that are “scientifically advanced” or mind boggling to those who think physical activity is simply moving your preps from you car to your storage area every few weeks, they are effective and will help you when the SHTF. I encourage everyone to challenge their bodies not just their minds when preparing for any situation.

Four Letters Re: Could America’s Farmers and Ranchers Face a Rhodesian Future?

Hi Jim,
 Reading your article brought back many memories of the period in our land during the 1970s. We lived on the Eastern border and were regularly attacked at night and even during the day and the culprits ran back across the border into Mozambique. We attended many funerals of fellow farmers and their families.

One point of interest that you do not mention is that groups of farmers (neighbouring) hired Militia groups of experienced soldiers. Normally about 10 people plus a leader who in some cases was a white man. They patrolled the farm area at night and set up ambushes. Our group was successful in “kills” [of terrorists]  which became a major deterrent. None of our group’s homes were attacked. Farmers that were isolated had big problems and they took huge risks and eventually had to move away. We had part of our house roof sand bagged against possible mortar or rocket attack. Many farmers  built solid rock walls outside, near the bed room wing of a house, in order to prevent being shot at from outside. My son at the time was only three years old and had never seen the twinkling of the stars!  On an occasion after a security meeting which took longer than it ought to have done, we were caught at the neighbours, where the meeting had been held and as it was now dusk ~ in those days a very dangerous time to be out and about, we were always in the house before dark, the person who’s home the meeting had been held at, invited the group of farmers who attended the meeting to stay for “pot luck” ~ supper!  My wife and 2 children were with me and when we left to go home at about 10 that night (a much safer time to travel than, as I said, dusk.)  That was when we discovered that our little boy had never seen the stars because, when going out to our land mine/ambush protected vehicle, he asked: “Daddy, what are all those little lights?”  referring to the stars!  
 
After Mugabe came to power we were happy to be able to continue farming. Each year we were putting huge amounts of capital back into the land, as all good farmers do. Little did we realize that we were going to lose it all. We lost our farm, our pension for our retirement, and much more. Life goes on so we have put it all behind us, turned the page, shut the book and are getting on with enjoying life. Both our children live close by plus our three delightful grandchildren. What more could we ask for?
 
God has blessed us richly! – Mike Z.

 

James:
I enjoyed your article “Could America’s Farmers and Ranchers Face a Rhodesian Future?”, thank you. If things get like that in the U.S. or other developed nations (and they already are to some extent in some US southwest border areas) I fear that the local farmers and residents won’t have the support of big.gov and will be left to hang out to dry. Things were really bad in Africa, but there the government heavily subsidized or just paid for things like the Agric-Alert system, security fencing, “Bright Lights” security personnel, training, ammunition, etc.

I would rather rely on something like a Fireforce parachute or Helo operation or have a BSAP “blackboot” Support Unit show up to help defeat a terrorist attack or small unit operation than one officer in a Crown Vic patrol car with little relevant training and a healthy fear of being sued who will likely “observe, document and establish a perimeter” than intervene with any useful direct action.

Preconceived notions and unreasonable expectations have really never been adequately addressed in either Apocalyptic fiction, or non-fiction survival books. I think reality for many people trying to hold out, even if prepared and working with their neighbors would be more like the defenders of Stalingrad than the Rhodesian situation. We have to keep in mind that many of the commercial farmers in Rhodesia had their younger children in boarding schools outside the operational areas, and many got to go “on holiday” occasionally to de-stress. While sanctions made purchasing things difficult, Rhodesians (having a well-functioning government and private sector) stepped up to the plate and produced many embargoed products themselves. In the Apocalyptic or collapse scenarios many envision, there will be no benevolent government or rich neighboring government (like South Africa) to provide fuel, ammunition, armaments, technical and medical support, and so forth to a beleaguered ally.

I’d like to see some discussion on this predicament. – Henry W.

Jim:
I was a young woman living in Rhodesia in the 1970s. At the time that we lived in Rhodesia the war had just moved to the Eastern Border area where our farm was located. (Our farm was 30 miles from the Mozambique border.) In 1974 one of our neighbors was shot at Skyline Junction. He survived the attack but that was the beginning of the end for farm life as we knew it in the Melsetter – Chipinge area. The terrs came in from Mozambique up the Lusiti valley into Zimbabwe. (Our farm was between Melsetter and Chipinge.)

1974 was the year when every farmer in our area started to put fences around their houses and began closing up their windows. We got Agric Alert 2-way radios. Ours was installed in an inner passage. That was the safest place in a house as there was no windows, and was the safest place to lie down in case of an terrorist attack.

After the attack on our neighbor, the farm attacks became more frequent and that is when roadblocks were implemented as well as escort convoys. Farmer’s installed thick plates under their cars and pickups to help save their lives when going over a landmine. They also had shotguns mounted on the sides of the pickups which could be lowered and fired remotely.

The one other thing I should mention is that you never went anywhere after dark. If there were social outings in the evening, you always slept over. At night, gates were locked and windows were closed. There were also interior locking gates installed in passages to isolate sleeping areas, as a last line of defense. – E.M.

Thanks, Jim,
Just thinking about Rhodesia gets me choked up and almost teary-eyed. That was so long ago, and involved too many of my friends.

I like to say: “Rhodesia’s not dead, She’s just asleep and having a nightmare called Zimbabwe.” – J.G.

Two Letters Re: Traditional Tools for TEOTWAWKI, by Bill H.

James,
For best use with most woodworking other than large beams, a draw knife requires a shaving horse. A draw knife very useful for barking logs as they last much longer with the bark removed.

You will also need a broad axe and adze to shape beams.

A froe to rive boards and shingles is good too.

Good books to get are the Foxfire series, as are the primitive series by John McPherson. Also see McPherson’s web page at PrairieWolf.net.     

Keep up the good work, – Ted. J

 

Sir:
Having just read the most recent article Traditional Tools for TEOTWAWKI, by Bill H., I came across this company while trying to do background research: CrosscutSaw.com/
 
I was wondering if you or Bill H. (the author of Traditional Tools for TEOTWAWKI) could comment on/ recommend them?
 
Regards, and Semper Fidelis, – J. McC.

JWR Replies: Although I haven’t personally done business with them, the folks at Crosscut Saw have a good reputation. It is noteworthy that most of their products are American made.

And speaking of using traditional hand tools, I’d like to re-post a link suggested by reader Ron S. back in 2009, a YouTube video: From Cherry Log to Country Chair, showing a gent making furniture with hand tools. Every self-sufficient carpenter should own a shingle froe, a hardwood mallet (“maul”), a shaving horse, an adze, and a draw knife.

Economics and Investing:

A derivatives article worth reading, by way of Fierce Finance: Exclusive: SEC widens probe of exchange-traded funds.

Currency Debasement Should Take Gold Prices Over $6,000/oz and Silver Above $400/oz

Spain barter economy wins followers in grip of crisis. (Thanks to Tim R. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

18 Statistics that Prove the Economy Has Not Improved Under the Current Administration

Colorado Looking At Gold, Silver Currency

Turning The Screw On Greece

Oil Above $104 After EU Gives Greece Bailout Deal

Odds ‘n Sods:

P.G. sent this: How to Use the Internet in Stealth Mode

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Rick B. sent another link to good piece at The How Do Gardener: Crop Rotation in the Home Garden

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Jeff G. suggested this: Introduction to the Constitution (a free lecture series featuring Dr. Larry Arnn, president of Hillsdale College)

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Some more observations from Ol’ Remus: Guns.

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J.M.C. sent us this: More Indiana Women Carrying Guns

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“In reading The History of Nations, we find that, like individuals, they have their whims and their peculiarities, their seasons of excitement and recklessness, when they care not what they do. We find that whole communities suddenly fix their minds upon one object and go mad in its pursuit; that millions of people become simultaneously impressed with one delusion, and run after it, till their attention is caught by some new folly more captivating than the first.” – Charles MacKay, from the preface to his classic book “Extraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness of Crowds“

Note From JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 39 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), and E.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A FloJak F-50 hand well pump (a $349 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and E.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, C.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and D.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 39 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Picking the Imperfect Retreat Location, and Making the Best of It, by Michael C.

I think I’m the the position of many out in the real world. I’m strapped for cash. Feeling the time crunch that I must do something soon or be caught up with the unprepared masses and get overrun. I’m also feeling the responsibility for my immediate and extended family whether they are preparing or not. It’s a huge burden to bear when you have been raised to be the “man” of any situation that might affect you and your family.

That being said, I’m also a logical, common sense person. I approach things like this:

1. Look at the situation
2. Determine the problem
3. Find the solution
4. Implement the solution

I think this fits most of my generation who were raised by parents born before, during, or shortly after the Great Depression. A “can do” type of attitude that never finds a way to quit or give up.

I also have a fairly typical family makeup of people ranging from one year old to mid seventies with the majority being thirty to sixty and most being in good to excellent physical condition.

So let’s look at the problem most of us are stuck in, the “imperfect retreat.”

I think we can all agree that the generally accepted ideas of being hidden from view, off the main road, 100+ miles from heavily populated cities, etc, all are the best case scenarios but not something that many, if not most, of us can or will be able to attain.

First let’s look at the situation: We own or are renting a home. Can we change our situation or not? If so, how drastically can we change it with what we have available to us right now. Most of us will find ourselves in one of two or three different situations. We can stay where we are, we can move a short distance to another place, or maybe combine with other family members at one of their homes, hopefully in a better situation than our own. Let’s take each of those individually.

I won’t go into all of the preparation requirements since those have been and are covered in greater detail that I could cover here. I mainly want to concentrate on the decision making processes and how to hopefully arrive at a suitable solution. So here we go.

First, staying where we are. In most cases, this is probably the worst and most difficult situation to make work. I personally could easily be caught in this situation and I don’t look forward to trying to make it work but let’s assume that is our only option. I know this is the case for many so let’s make it work.

I’ll take my situation as an example. I live on a main street in a small town of 2,500-3,500 population. What are my challenges? To me, first and foremost is security. The reason I put that first is that if I can’t protect what I do, build, stash, grow, or otherwise prepare, then I’ve wasted my resources and time. So the first step is to honestly assess your situation based on what you expect to happen in a worst case scenario. Where are the threats most likely going to come from? What direction and in what form? Can you slow them down and/or stop them? What can you do to aid yourself in being able to accomplish these things? Fences? Gates? Window and door bars? Think through the situation based on your individual situation and resources.

You have to form some sort of defensive plan and come to some understanding of how successful you feel you can be, based on the number of people you will have helping defend the site. I would include some thoughts about quickly deploying traps, tanglefoot wire, or anything else to make you place not worth the effort in hopes that they will just move on to easier targets. By doing that you cause them to expend precious and sometimes irreplaceable energy, on someone other than you. By the time they finally return to you you might be even better prepared and they will be most likely less prepared and easier to deal with.

So in this situation, I feel defense will be extremely crucial. This will of course include multiple weapons and a large amount of ammunition to last through a siege type situation. You can take these thought and translate them on out to the logical end with the other supplies you will need to survive, such as food and water since you will most likely be very confined and unable to scrounge and forage safely for some period of time.

This situation will be extremely hard to survive with only a couple of people so you must work towards having as many as possible to help rotate the duties of keeping watch, preparing meals, sanitation, etc. My speculation would be that you would need to look at a 30-60 day siege until you will be able to begin to move somewhat freely and to get outside for other activities such as gardening or tending animals unless you can have those things attached to your main house through some protected passageway.

Obviously, this is a huge hill to climb to make this work in any populated area even in the suburbs. Can it work? Yes, I believe it can but you will have to be brutally honest with yourself and also prepared mentally and physically to do what will be necessary when the time comes. Remember, I’m a logical, common sense, realist.

Now let’s look at the other two situations together since they are basically the same. I’m assuming that if you move to another family member’s home then it would be at least farther from a populated area than the situation I’ve just described. Otherwise. it’s then just a matter of which city home is the most defendable and then building on that together.

So assuming that the location you can move to on your own or to another family member’s home is outside of a populated area to some degree, let’s say 10-15 miles out into the country. So let’s talk about the differences of the situations.

With the city situation I said security needs to be job one. With the semi-rural situation security is still job one but in very different ways. In the city, the house becomes your “fortress” and you build on that. In the semi-rural to rural situation the area around you becomes much more important to your security than in the city. This is because you have much more area to control the access to your home and therefore your supplies. Concentrate more on your avenues of approach. Where will the threats most likely come from? Are there main roads nearby? Are there any natural barriers that you can use like ridges, lake,s rivers, etc?

Again, I’ll use my situation as an example. My choice has been to use my parents home as the gathering place for our family. It is approximately 15 miles from a population area of 30,000 people. It sits back off the road a short ways with good view from the house to the road and some wooded area and a pond 75 yards behind the house.

Again, in a defensive sense, this is not an extremely easy to defend area. However, there are many more things that you can do in this situation than in the city because you have room to maneuver. The downside of that is that you also have more area to watch and control.

In that situation you have to make the terrain and surrounding situation work for you by constructing traps, digging ant-vehicular ditches, digging concealed fighting positions in various places to allow as much movement between them as concealed as possible, etc. There are many good available information sources on the Internet for accomplishing these things. Be inventive and read, read, read.

Have a good stock of sandbags and the sand needed to fill them on hand. Many of these final preparations will be done once everyone has assembled. Everyone will be anxious and will need something to keep them busy so put that energy to work. But have the plan laid out in advance and ready to implement. This is absolutely critical. If you don’t have it laid out you will be flailing around and losing the confidence of all the others that are depending on you to lead them.

Again, approach things in a realistic and honest manner. The people that you will most likely be having to deal with will not be trained in the arts of stealth and [militarily precise] attack, so just put yourself in the average person’s shoes that will be trying to rob you. Doing that makes it pretty easy to understand where you will most need to protect and focus your attention.

Being removed by a few miles from a populated area will most likely buy you some time unless you are on a major thoroughfare between two populated areas where people might be traveling from one city to another. If you are in a direction not directly toward another city that will buy you a little additional time before you have to confront the hordes leaving the city. Maybe a couple of extra days which could be extremely significant in your final preparations. Take advantage of that delay, as it very well could save countless lives.

Now that I’ve got you thinking through some possibilities, then let’s look at some of the other issues that I an many others will have to deal with.

We see the term OPSEC used all over the place these days. Basically what that means is keeping quiet and staying as hidden as possible. In the city that’s almost impossible. Hordes will be going from house to house looking for the easy targets. (So, as we discussed we’re going to make it hard for them.)

Let’s take a generator for example. How do we run a generator when everyone else has no power without saying very loudly “COME TO MY HOUSE!” This is something that will have to be thought out and planned for in advance. My plans are to bury my generator in a root cellar of sorts with a well-muffled [but fully externally-vented] exhaust pipe. This could be done in or out of the city to hide what you have. The area could also serve many other uses to include as a root cellar and storage for all types of things. [JWR Adds: A Carbon Monoxide (CO) detector is a must!] If done in the right way it could possibly even be hidden enough to avoid being found by all but the most observant looter. You can apply this concept to many other things too.

I try to use items that can be easily hidden and/or moved if needed to another location. A good example of that is portable solar panels for charging batteries. It will cost you a bit more up front but they are also easier to hide and, if necessary, to move. Further, if you have to bug out you can grab one or two to take with you. Nothing is permanent.

This does require some planning but again the cost is mostly in labor as far as the preparation goes. That is my mindset, spend as little money as possible but get as prepared as possible.

All of the aforementioned thought processes can be and should be applied to the entire gamut of preparing. It does not matter what area it is, the process is still the same, observe the problem, identify the problem, weight the alternatives, find a solution to the problem, and apply the solution.

One final note that I think is probably the most important of any of this. This is all about one thing in the end, SURVIVAL–continuing to exist on the planet. Hopefully with some semblance of our existing comforts–at least with the basics.

That being said, once you have whatever preparations you have in place at you perfect or imperfect retreat, what’s left?

What’s left is the assurance of your continued survival. You absolutely must have a plan B, C, D, and so on, to keep you and your family surviving. I’m in the process of doing all that I have mentioned above. Are my preparations complete? Absolutely not. But one thing that is very high on my priority list is the ability implement those contingency plans.

My additional planning goes something like this. I figure [that in a worst case] at some point I will be forced from my retreat. What then? Well, if you haven’t planned for that eventuality then you become one of the dispossessed horde. So what should you do to avoid this?

First, you should never, ever store all of your supplies at your central retreat location. Depending on the situation, store enough to get through the initial siege. More in the city and less in the rural area. Establish caches, preferably buried or at some reasonably secure, hidden location. Notice that “caches” is plural. Don’t place one cache with any certainty that it won’t be found. Also, when you do place them be sure not to follow any recognizable pattern. Also be sure that numerous trustworthy people in your family are aware of the locations in case something happens to you. You could also, as time and situation permit, dig some larger “foxholes” for temporary shelter and cover to move to and avoid being caught by the hordes. It gives you a place for a hasty retreat and also a place to fight from if that is necessary or just a place to hide until things blow over and you can return to your retreat.

Next, think about what you will need to store in the caches. When you are initially forced to leave your retreat you will mainly need water, guns, ammunition, fire starting equipment and possibly shelter related items. Some non-cook foods would be helpful too. This cache needs to be reasonably close by and easy to get to to resupply you with what you had to leave behind at the retreat.

The remaining caches can be more fully stocked in the hopes that you will find another shelter to move into until such time as you can eventually return and retake your retreat.

Even in the city you can find somewhere to bury a small cache of items like this to keep you equipped and on the move to the next cache, then the next cache, etc. It takes a little planning but not a huge outlay of resources. But again there some outlay in the form of labor. If nothing ever happens you dig them up and use the items for daily use. Nothing lost but lots gained if they are ever needed in extremis.

As I said at the start, this was not meant to be all-inclusive. My intent was to get you thinking, and to possibly help those in situations like mine–where I realize that I cannot put my family in the “perfect retreat” situation. What I can do though is give them the chance, with some luck and God’s help, to survive.

Celiac Disease: The Gluten-Free Prepping Challenge, by Geoff in Kentucky

In mid-2010 I began to suffer from some relatively severe digestive problems. After several months of discomfort, and many rounds of expensive medical tests, I finally received a confirmed diagnosis. I had Celiac Disease.

Celiac Disease is a digestive disorder that is greatly misunderstood. It is not a food allergy. It is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system produces antibodies to a specific protein, gluten, that is found in the ordinary grains of wheat, rye, and barley. This protein adheres to the microscopic villi (fingerlike projections) in the small intestine. As the body’s immune system attacks the protein the intestinal wall is also attacked. This results in severe tissue damage, vitamin and iron deficiencies, and several forms of severe gastric distress.

Celiac Disease primarily affects people of northern European ancestry. It can present at any age. Young children with the disease often present with malnutrition and wasting. Later onset of the disease (as in my case) does not follow any particular pattern. Individuals may be under or overweight and demonstrate a vast array of possible symptoms. One receives a confirmed diagnosis only through a positive blood test (anti-TTG antibody) and a positive intestinal biopsy. Left untreated, this disease can lead to certain cancers and even complete destruction of the small intestine.

There is no drug to treat this disease, but the damage and symptoms are reversible. The simple treatment for the disease is to avoid all foods containing gluten. This eliminates every product containing any form of wheat, rye, or barley from the diet. Obviously, the gluten-free diet requires a radical change from the normal North American diet. It eliminates all ordinary bread and bakery products, as well as many other products that contain “hidden” sources of gluten. It also eliminates any foods that have come into contact with gluten products. Since only a microscopic amount of gluten can trigger an immune reaction, contamination can be a significant problem. [JWR Adds: Be careful! Even the small amount of gluten left over in a grain grinder when you switch to grinding a gluten-free grain can trigger a celiac response.]

If you suspect that you or one of your family members may suffer from Celiac Disease or gluten sensitivity or enteropathy, I highly recommend that you seek a good gastroenterologist and eliminate or confirm a diagnosis. Statistics vary from one study to another, and there is much debate in scientific circles, but many estimate that at least two million people in the United States suffer from some form of gluten intolerance. Some even suggest that as much as 15-20% of the population lack [full] tolerance for gluten.

I have been prepping and storing food for approximately three years. My initial reaction to the diagnosis was, “Great! So much for all of those wheat berries and pasta that I have in storage!” But after the initial shock I realized that the gluten free lifestyle and my intestinal health would not only affect my regular, daily diet. It would also have a dramatic impact upon my preps and survival food supply. Indeed, my wife and I had to make several careful, specific changes to our food storage approach.

Reflecting upon our changes over the past year, I recommend these steps for anyone who might choose to live a gluten free lifestyle.

1. Decide whether your home and preps will be partially or completely gluten free.

Some people with Celiac Disease convert their kitchens to completely gluten free facilities, and, thereby, include their families in the gluten free lifestyle.

I did not think that such an approach would be fair to my family, so ours is a partially/modified gluten free home. My wife and daughters (who have all been tested and are negative for the disease) continue to enjoy a relatively normal diet. I am the lone gluten free family member. Personally, I have no problem with that. It does, however, pose some difficulties. For instance, I must have my own tub of butter in the refrigerator (I cannot risk bread crumb contamination.) I also have my own toaster for gluten-free bread. On pasta nights we have gluten free for me and regular for everyone else. My family understands that utensils must be kept separate at meal times to avoid contaminating my food.

My wife has taken steps to make our daily meals (with the exception of breads/sandwiches) gluten free. For instance, she substitutes gluten free bread in various recipes that require bread crumbs. She makes batters and gravies with corn starch instead of flour. She avoids all “cream of” soups (all contain wheat flour) in any recipes. My daughters now spend extra time online locating adventurous gluten free recipes for the family. They’ve been terrific supporters throughout my dietary adjustments.

Gluten-free cooking is a “pain” sometimes, but it works for us.

My wife and I have discussed how we will approach our diet in the event that we come to depend upon our food preps. We agree that we will continue our modified/partial gluten free household. Difficult times are not times for fundamental cooking and diet changes. Indeed, we believe this fits well within the wisdom of “prep what you eat, eat what you prep.”

However, every household with a Celiac must make this fundamental decision … completely gluten free, or just partially gluten free?

2. Pay careful attention to all labels and ingredients.

Gluten is everywhere. You will be shocked to discover how many items contain gluten additives or contamination. Many times the culprit is wheat or wheat flour, but more and more I am finding that barley malt is a significant gluten additive.

Upon receiving my diagnosis, my first step was to go through all of my food stores and mark any items that contained gluten. These will still be useful food supplies for my family members, but strictly “hands-off” for me.

Again, you will be shocked at what you discover. Obviously, your wheat stores and pasta are gluten sources. Virtually all soups or dry soup mixes contain gluten additives, particularly the common “cream of” soups, which are typically thickened with wheat flour. Gluten is found in many, if not most, dry cereals. It is in some baked bean products. Most soy sauce is made from wheat, and is a major contaminant in many food items (i.e. sauces). Candy products are often contaminated. Gluten is even in some brands of chicken bullion!

The only way that you can avoid it is by reading and re-reading all labels. Obviously, careful examination of labels should become a focus of all of your future preps purchases. If you are in doubt about any product, check the company’s web site or contact the manufacturer. Most are happy to answer your questions about ingredients.

If you choose, as we did, to have a partially gluten free home, I recommend that you store the common gluten staples for your family (wheat, flour, pasta, etc…), but attempt to insure that all other side dishes and mixes are gluten free. This will cut down dramatically on cross-contamination and complications in preparation during difficult times.

3. Store copious amounts of gluten free staples.

Thank goodness that rice is still on the menu! Store it in great quantities. I have shifted my storage focus away from wheat and placed more emphasis upon rice, popcorn, oats, and gluten free pasta (made from corn).

Rice is already a key staple in our normal diet, and will continue to be so if and when we rely upon our food stores for survival. Popcorn is wonderful for grinding and making deep south, country corn bread. (More about that in a moment).

There has been much debate about oats in the literature and among “experts” on Celiac disease. Some claim that oats are usually contaminated with gluten at processing plants, and they recommend that Celiacs avoid it. Personally, I have never had a negative reaction to any oat products … even the cheap store brands. I usually eat oatmeal every other day or so. They are also excellent fillers and a great replacement for bread crumbs in meat recipes that call for crumbs (i.e. meat balls or meat loaf).

I purchase my gluten free pasta at a nearby mega-store. Thus far, I have only found it at one location. I typically clean out their shelves each time I visit the store (they tend to carry a limited amount). I simply store the pasta in five-gallon buckets with Gamma-Seal lids, and help myself whenever I need some. Like all gluten-free products, the cost is more than double typical wheat pasta. However, the taste and texture are great, and it is well worth the investment. Indeed, this is one area of your preps that you could, potentially, convert to fully gluten free. Everyone in your family will be satisfied with a gluten free pasta dish.

4. Grow your own gluten free food and preserve it.

There is no better way to insure the safety of your food supply than to grow your own products and preserve them. My family now has a small orchard right in our yard. We grow and can all of our own fruit products, including cherries, apples, pears, and blackberries. Our latest additions to the orchard are peach trees, plum trees, and blueberry bushes. We are still waiting for them to begin producing. In addition, we have a garden that gets a little bigger each year.

We can copious amounts of fresh fruits and jams/jellies/preserves every year. We also can our own fresh, organic juices. This year alone we preserved about fifty quarts of pear and apple cider (from one pear tree and one apple tree!). We also preserve many types of relishes, salsas, and ketchups. These home-canned goods are awesome food storage items, and make wonderful gifts for family members and friends.

5. Purchase a good grain grinder, and use it!

This past year I found a reconditioned and fully restored table mount grain grinder from the mid-1800’s on CraigsList and made a great deal. I’ve been using it faithfully ever since.

Since ordinary bread is officially off of my menu, I am forced to seek alternatives. One of my primary breads is good, old-fashioned southern corn bread. However, once again, you must be very careful about how you make corn bread. All corn meal mixes contain flour (that’s the “mix” part). You must have pure, gluten free corn meal. I have had much difficulty locating pure corn meal that I can trust. So now I just grind my own.

I have found that popping corn makes the sweetest, tastiest corn bread. I simply grind it and sift out the hulls. If I want a finer blend, I run the coarse ground through a smaller grinder. The finished product is perfect corn meal. I have discovered that plain yellow dent corn works just as well. I have a close friend who is an organic farmer. He has a corn crib full of yellow dent and gives me all I want. It’s not as tasty as the popcorn, but it works just as well.

The grinder is also useful in making home-mixed hot cereals. My organic farmer friend grows sorghum cane and cooks sorghum molasses every year. He gives me all of the sorghum seed that I want. Sorghum seed makes a fine flour replacement. It also makes a tasty whole grain addition to my home ground breakfast cereal mix. I make a mixture of one part ground sorghum, one part ground corn (or grits) and two parts ground rice to make an awesome gluten free breakfast mix. I just cook it up on the stovetop and mix whatever I want with it: brown sugar, maple syrup, fresh fruit, nuts, raisins, etc… It’s yummy!

If you do have wheat in storage and plan to use it for your other family members, you need to make sure you have a second grinder to use exclusively for wheat. You must not use your gluten free grinder to process wheat. I picked up an extra one while I was traveling in South America last year for a mere twenty dollars. It’s a good, heavy duty, daily use grinder. I just have it boxed up and stored for future wheat flour grinding.

Wrapping Up

If you’re like me, you will eventually grow tired of people asking you, “Can you eat this?” … or … “Can you eat that?” Especially when the item in question is obviously a non-gluten product. Most people have some difficulty understanding the etymology of the disease and the common sources of gluten. But with a little patience and education, the gluten free lifestyle eventually becomes “normal,” both for you and the loved ones who share your home.

Fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables are always gluten free and definitely on the menu! Also, fresh, frozen, and canned meats are still in play. The area where you must be careful is grain-based carbohydrates, baked goods, and food additives.

Obviously, I have only brushed the surface of what is involved in the gluten free lifestyle and gluten free prepping. It is a significant challenge. However, with a little planning and careful attention, anyone with gluten sensitivity can still prepare and store critical food supplies for an uncertain future.

Three Letters Re: All You Need to G.O.O.D. You Can Carry on Your Back, by Charles M.

James Wesley:
That was a fine article by Charles M., but there are some important differences between hiking the Appalachian Trail and Getting Out of Dodge. G.O.O.D. When hiking the Trail, you are able to resupply frequently, so food is not a major concern.  You don’t need to carry very much with you, and you can easily buy more when you run out. 

When G.O.O.D., you will need to carry as much food as possible, and the means of collecting more food. 

Predators, both four-legged and two-legged, will also be a much greater concern in most G.O.O.D. scenarios, so that must be accounted for as well. 

Thanks, – A.T.M.

 

Jim:
The article by Charles M. on hiking is excellent. I would like to add, having done long marches as a Civil War reenactor, I learned the single most important part of a rifle is the carry strap. I know they get in the way and caught on things, but when walking for hours on end, not only will you use the strap, but you will use it in many positions. I recommend anyone planning long hikes (or Bug-Out) with a rifle always have a good strap installed, and be familiar with the different “route march” carrying positions. You can make cord or rope into an acceptable strap, but it will take time and be more prone to issues than one designed for the purpose. – J.D.D.

JWR:
I really enjoyed the article, and thought he had a lot of sage advice.  The three things that hit home the most were the importance of thoroughly testing ALL your gear (over the course of days, and in all weather), training to be physically fit and mentally tough, and the importance of keeping your pack light (carry only true necessities).

While I hate to be a downer, I see two flaws with the article (specifically the title).  Through-hiking with access to store-bought food once a week is very much different than Getting Out Of Dodge.  Hunting, trapping, fishing, etc for your own food rarely brings in as many calories you will need on a daily basis to survive.  There is a reason the first American settlers (and many thereafter) settled down to farm.  Additionally, lightweight backpacking gear often comes in bright colors and may not be tough enough for “military-level” abuse (e.g. staying off trails away from prying eyes).  Other than those two considerations, the article was awesome. Thanks for the great blog site! – Kevin V.

Economics and Investing:

Diana sent this: Silver Price Could Double by Year End.

G.G. suggested this New York Times article: Citing Losses, Postal Service Seeks Higher Stamp Prices

Also from G.G.: Jobless disability claims soar to record $200 Billion as of January

Chuck recommend a piece that was posted over at Zero Hedge last year: Art Cashin On The Most Important History Lesson Of The Last Century

Items from The Economatrix:

Eric Sprott:  Silver Will Be A Currency Again

NY U.S. Bankruptcy Court Rules MERS’s Business Model Is Illegal. Here is a quote: “United States Bankruptcy Judge Robert Grossman has ruled that MERS’s business practices are unlawful. He explicitly acknowledged that this ruling sets a precedent that has far-reaching implications for half of the mortgages in this country. MERS is dead. The banks are in big trouble. And all foreclosures should be stopped immediately while the legislative branch comes up with a solution.”

The Price Of Gasoline Is Outrageous — And It’s Going To Go Even Higher

Inflation Everywhere But MSM Says Not

Odds ‘n Sods:

Several readers sent this news item: Missouri 4.0 Quake Felt in 13 States. Take note that it was: “…about 150 miles (240 km) south of St. Louis, near the New Madrid fault line.”

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The new semi-auto RPD belt-feds from DS Arms are getting some attention. I just talked with D.S. himself and he mentioned that they are making a carbine variant (three pounds lighter), and even one chambered in 6.8 SPC. If you are one of those folks that bought a spare 6.8 SPC upper for your AR-15 and that have stacked up 6.8 SPC ammunition in depth, then this might be a gun to consider for a fixed-locale retreat.

   o o o

Red tape prevents installation of storm shelters. (Thanks to Timothy J. for the link.)

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I heard that the surplus dealer CJL Enterprize is continuing their “crazy price” deal on used original U.S. Army issue ALICE packs complete with frames–two complete packs for $50, with free FedEx shipping to CONUS. You get you choice of medium or large LC-2 packs They also have used Medium ALICE packs with straps but without frames available for just $20, shipping paid.

   o o o

Zany Swiss man installs wood-burning stove in car. (Thanks to F.J. for the links.)

Note From JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 39 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A gift certificate worth $1,000, courtesy of Spec Ops Brand, B.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and C.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $350 value.) D.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), and E.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo.

Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A FloJak F-50 hand well pump (a $349 value), courtesy of FloJak.com. C.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, D.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and E.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value) and F.) A Tactical Trauma Bag #3 from JRH Enterprises (a $200 value).

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, C.) A Commence Fire! emergency stove with three tinder refill kits. (A $160 value.), and D.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.

Round 39 ends on March 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Traditional Tools for TEOTWAWKI, by Bill H.

Like many men, I like tools. I spent 23 years in the military, and when you move a lot, weight becomes an issue. It makes you think about the tools you own, and the things that you want to carry around with you. Just like a traveling businessman, you tend to pack light and only take what you will use. Now that I have retired and settled down, my tool collection has grown, but still remains relatively small. Just so you know I live in the suburbs, not a country retreat.

I mention this background, to make a point about the tools you may own, and contrast them with the tools that you actually use. A person should acquire tools that are useful, not just own every tool known to man. I will borrow a tool if I need it, but if I need to borrow a tool more than once or twice, I should probably own it.

To me, this is a form of self-reliance. A person should own the things they need. I am all about community and working together, but self-reliance is important for a community. If a neighbor needs a ride to the store, I am happy to help them out. If a neighbor needs a ride to the store every day for a month, they are obviously not self-reliant, they are dependent. A community with a majority of self-reliant people is much stronger than a community with a majority of dependent people. We all have a responsibility to keep from being overly dependent.

It is my strong opinion that knowing how to use hand tools is vital. This is especially important in the event of a long term societal disruption. I leave it up to you to decide what this may be, based on your own situation and environment. From the standpoint of the information presented here, I will assume this to be a grid down, no outside assistance event where shelter, food stores, and water are available.
With this situation in mind, I am discounting the use of power tools. I like power tools as much as the next guy, but they are not reasonable in a situation like this. Battery powered tools are also not viable in my opinion. Their long term use is limited and the power to recharge them (solar) could be better used elsewhere. I like power tools, but I also have, and know how to use hand tools. If I can work, hand tools will work.

The main focus for The End of the World as We Know It (TEOTWAWKI) tools is to have tools on hand that cannot be readily made. For the purpose of brevity, I will cover some basic essential tools mainly dealing with wood. I do this for the simple reason that wood will be readily available in almost any TEOTWAWKI situation. Wood can be gathered from fences, trees in your yard or park, or even demolished or abandoned buildings. (Don’t loot. Get permission to scrounge, or barter.) Wood is not only available, but also versatile, durable and reasonably easy to work with.

The first tool I recommend is a single man crosscut saw. I am not talking the kind you find in a hardware store for cutting a two by four. I am talking an early to mid-1900s saw from 30” to 48” inches in length with large teeth from ½” to 1” long. They have a traditional “C” handle on one end, with another upright handle that can be moved to the opposite end if desired. They can be used by either 1 or 2 people and can cut logs up to about 2 feet in diameter.

You may ask, “Why do I need that?” The reason is that your chainsaw will only work as long as you have gasoline. Chainsaws are loud and tell everyone you have gasoline (probably not very much for very long). What happens when your gas runs out? Gathering twigs and breaking wood to build a fire will only work for so long. Sooner or later you will need larger amounts of wood to cook, purify water, and keep warm.

Another invaluable tool is an axe. An axe is useful for splitting wood, kindling, and limbing trees. I use it with non-metallic felling wedges to split small diameter wood for creating long tool handles. It can also be used as a weapon in a desperate situation. I prefer a single bit axe with a hickory handle. The wood handle is easier to replace than fiberglass or other material.

The next tool I recommend is a good set of files. Be sure to have round, half round, and bastard files of various sizes. With files you can keep your saw and axe sharp. They are also extremely useful for creating other tools from metal. If you do not have any files, it will be extremely difficult (nearly impossible) to make them yourself.

Every household needs to have a shovel, rake and hoe. These are the basic essential tools for gardening. There is not much to explain here. A shovel is useful for sanitation purposes. There will be no garbage man and your toilet will eventually stop working even if you are able to collect water to flush it manually. You can also make a fire pit, for those without a fireplace.

An often overlooked item is a bucket. Actually you should have several EMPTY buckets. You don’t want to dump out your wheat so you can go collect some water. The 5 gallon plastic ones are durable and nest together for easy storage. Make sure they have the handles and get lids for several of them. If you have to haul water, put the lid on. There is no sense spilling water on the trip back from a pond. Buckets are good for transporting items you forage, hauling dirt, rocks, fertilizer or whatever. They make a good collector for scraps to add to your compost pile.

My next recommendation is a drawknife. A drawknife is very useful in shaping wood. I use mine a lot when making handles for tools. It is efficient, and with a little practice wood shaping goes very quickly. You can shape wood with a knife, but it takes a lot more time with poorer results. Drawknife shavings make excellent tinder.

Another uncommon tool these days is a brace drill with bits. This is also a tool that will be nearly impossible to make. It is important to have the square shank bits designed for the low speed application of a brace drill. The modern round bits will slip in the brace drill. Being able to drill holes in wood will be important for any wood based construction once the nails run out. Drill a hole. Carve a peg. Join some wood.

The follow up to the brace drill is a hand drill. These come in various sizes, but I typically only use the smaller ones for smaller precision holes. They can be held steadier, and thus not break the smaller drill bits. This is good for starting a pilot hole in the ends of boards to prevent splitting when driving a peg, nail or screw. Sometimes you just need a small hole for a rawhide loop in a handle. It may take time, but you could also drill a hole in metal using modern drill bits designed for metal.

Next is a set of bar clamps. Working with wood can be a challenge if it is moving all over the place. With a decent set of 3 or 4 clamps, (I like the quick clamps, but any bar type clamp will do), you can clamp your work to any table, bench, chair, or even a tree. This will help to keep it stable as you saw, drill or use the drawknife. Clamps reduce the manpower needed for a task, freeing someone to perform other vital tasks in a survival situation.

The final four tools on the list are not absolutely needed. They start the trip down the unending path of “nice to have” tools. It is almost certain that every person who reads this can and will expand on the list. We all have tools we feel are indispensable. By all means include those tools in your kit or preposition them so you can travel light to your bug out location.

A coping saw and extra blades is the first addition. This may seem like a luxury, and it may be in most situations, but what happens if the handle on the crosscut saw breaks? You could possibly carve a crude handle, but chances are it would not be very effective. A coping saw will allow you to cut shapes in minutes that would take hours to carve. If you take into account how small and lightweight the saw is, and the value that small package brings, I believe it is worth it.

Next is a hammer/mallet and chisels. I like a mallet, but a hammer would do just as well. You could substitute a hatchet for more multipurpose functionality, but it is unwieldy to use with chisels. Chisels can make certain work much easier. They are mostly used in more precise furniture making, but they have other applications. It would be much easier to fashion a wooden bowl with a chisel than with any tool previously mentioned.

My next tool is a sawbuck. If you are not familiar, a sawbuck is essentially two or three large X’s joined together with some cross braces. It is used to hold small to moderate logs enabling a person to work at waist level or higher. Just look up “sawbuck” on Wikipedia if you still do not understand. I use mine a lot. I clamp wood in it while using the drawknife or to drill, and I saw wood in it constantly. It will save your back, even with a chainsaw.

The final tool I like to have is a standard hand saw. A hand saw is easier to use than the crosscut saw, and virtually anyone can utilize it. They cut clean and reasonably straight and they are much better to use with lumber. You can cut small branches with them if you need to.

Four of these tools will not usually be found at your local hardware store. The crosscut saw, the drawknife, the brace drill and bits, and the hand drill. If they are at a typical hardware store, be wary before buying them. You will not be happy with the “Made in China” quality any modern look alike will typically bring you. Search your local flea markets and low end antique stores. Estate sales and Craigslist are also good places to look. Do not buy without physically looking at and inspecting these items.

I was able to purchase a drawknife at a low end antique shop for $30. It was a model from the early 1900’s and had a slight rust patina, but the edge was sharp. The cutting edge is the most important aspect. Look for no nicks or signs of improper or excessive sharpening. I cleaned mine with some 800 grit emery cloth and WD-40. You can find these new at some reputable woodworking stores, but they can be very expensive ($100 and up).

I picked up my crosscut saw through craigslist for $25 paired with a couple of other saws. It was rusty, had one broken handle and the other handle was a crude replacement, but it had all the hardware. I made new handles and restored the blade by sanding with 150 grit sandpaper, then 220 grit emery cloth with WD-40. Surface rust is okay, but saws with large flaking rust spots or excessive pitting should be avoided. The blade could break under stress. A fully restored saw could cost upwards of $100 or more. Do a little research and be picky.

I purchased a brace drill and hand drill for $2 each at an estate sale. Make sure they rotate freely without excessive noise. Be sure the chuck loosens and tightens freely (many don’t). The drill bits can be hard to come by used. Most have some surface rust which is okay, but they should only have surface rust (no deep pitting) and be reasonably sharp. In my area bits can range from $.50 to $5 each depending on length, size and condition. You can find bits new with reasonable quality on the Internet. [JWR Adds: They are best purchased in sets, to get a good price.]

Once you acquire your tools, start using them. Start with a couple of easy projects. One of the first projects I completed was a mallet. I used a piece of oak firewood for the head and a walnut branch for the handle. I shaped them with the drawknife, until I was reasonably pleased with the result. The first thing I learned was that it was a lot harder to do than I thought it would be. I also learned how to use the drawknife more efficiently. It is very cool to use a tool you make by hand. I really liked the price also, free. Linseed oil is great for a finish and preservation.

In selecting the tools listed above, I examined the needs of early settlers. What did they need to survive? What did they need to carve out an existence without electricity? I did not include farming, blacksmithing, mechanic or other specialty tools. Those tools certainly have a place in a self-sufficient household, but start with the basics. The tools I selected reflect the needs of an early homestead. The tools you pick could decide your fate. Always acquire quality tools. Cheap tools will fail, and if that happens, then so do you.