Economics and Investing:

Eric Sprott: “Expect The Gold To Silver Ratio To Hit Single Digits”. JWR’s Comment: This reinforces my prediction of the continuing gold/silver ratio slide. If you have the secure storage space available, then it is high time to ratio trade out of gold and into silver.

Reader Sue C. sent this: Obama Officials Tried to Convince S&P Not to Issue Credit Warning

C.D.V. sent this: Americans Shun Cheapest Homes in 40 Years as Owning Loses Appeal

My brother-in-law wrote to mention that I had missed mentioning this: Historic Budget Cuts… Of One Percent?

F.G. sent this from The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Firms Shift Hiring Abroad

Items from The Economatrix:

Gold Soars to Record in Sixth Straight Session

Paul Farrell On The 10 “Doomsday Trends” Set To Destroy America

Jim Rogers Comments On Triple-digit Silver And Issues Warning:  “Parabolic Moves Always Collapse”

Warning Signs Of A Coming Currency Crisis

The Party’s Over–The Oncoming Economic Tsunami

Steve Quayle:  Silver Supplies are Tightest in History

Gold Hits Fresh Record as Dollar Slides

Get Ready for Gold @ $2,000 By Year’s End

Job Hungry Americans Flock to McJobs

Obama:  US Finances are Unsustainable

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader A.A. described this as “Another retreat that could use some OPSEC”: Sanctuary Retreat and Survival Center

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My #2 Son alerted me to this: Internet I.D. System? This does not bode well for personal privacy.

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Eric B. suggested this: Why ‘Self-Sufficiency’ Should Replace ‘Sustainability’ in the Environmental Movement

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F.G. was the first of several readers to mention this news item: Termites Devour $222,000 in Indian Rupees Stored in Bank Safe. (Another Matthew 6:20 reminder.)

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 34 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo , and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

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

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.) , and B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value.

Round 34 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Getting To Really Know Your Spouse and Yourself: An Unexpected Prepping Setback, by K.S.

Most of us know the value of a good friend in times of trouble and how they can be of help. And most of us either have had a prepping setback, heard of such setbacks, or have thought of what would happen in case of a setback. You can imagine the loss of valuable preps to such things as flooding, storm damage, or even theft. But recently I had a major setback come from a completely unexpected direction.

In 1997, through my church, I met a wonderful woman and despite our age differences (she was 21 and I was 34) we committed to each other. Even though she was not into prepping, I felt that she would come to understand the necessity to do so. In 2000 we were married and started making plans for a family. We decided that she would finish her Master’s Degree then I would go back to school. In 2003 she finished her degree, and we were blessed by the birth of our daughter.

After a few months, my wife started searching for a job appropriate to her chosen profession and education level. But after seven months, finances dictated that she accept a job at a rate much lower than she deserved.  Unfortunately, this meant that I needed to continue to work full-time in order to try to rebuild some of our exhausted financial cushion. Then we were hit by four hurricanes in a little over a month. We were without power for the better part of three weeks during this time, and without power, I was unable to work. Fortunately, she was working for a state agency at the time, and they only lost power for a couple of days. This really got me into seriously trying to convince her that we needed to start prepping, but she was reluctant. It was when we once again exhausted our cushion and almost ran out of food that she agreed that maybe we could start buying some extra foodstuffs. As I already owned several first rate firearms and about $100 [face value] in junk silver coins, I thought this was okay.

In 2007, shortly after the birth of our son, we moved from an apartment across the state to her hometown and our first home. During the first load we moved, I included the majority of my firearms and silver, as I felt unsafe about some of the people watching us move out. Turns out, I had it wrong. When we made our second trip to our new house, we found that someone had broken in and stolen my firearms, ammo, silver, television, DVD player and other assorted valuables. I was especial upset, because they had gotten the Garand and M1911A1 that my granddad carried through the Pacific as a Marine during WWII. To add insult to injury, the insurance company refused to pay for our losses as we had moved in two days early, and the policy was not yet in effect. Nevertheless, we went on with our lives.

As time went by, we slowly started building our food preps and other small items. By the middle of 2009, we had maybe two months of food stored for the four of us. In late 2009, my mother-in-law came to live with us, and she is a believer that our government will provide for us in any disaster. Needless to say, she thought I was being paranoid. My wife decided that maybe I was going a little overboard with the need to store so much food, and stopped trying to purchase any more than we already had.

In early 2010, I was accepted into the local police academy. This involved working full time during the days, and attending classes nights and Saturdays. The only time that I had to spend with my family, was Sundays and the time I was home to change into uniform after work. But my family was behind me all the way. After nine long months, in early December, I graduated and passed the state exam. I immediately started filling out applications and the waiting began.

Then the biggest setback to date. Exactly one week before Christmas day, my wife said she wanted a divorce and that I needed to move out immediately. It turns out that while I was at school trying to better our lives, she had found someone else. Needless to say, I was completely shocked and devastated. But knowing that nothing good could come from trying to stay and fight it, I moved into a rented room. I decided that she should keep all the preps we had, as our children would be living with her, and I wanted to them the best possibility to survive. The only things I took with me were a .22 rifle and a 9mm pistol. The AR-15, Remington 870 and Glock I left with her, since she knows how to use them. It turns out, this was a mistake.

I was depressed. I felt betrayed. I was angry. But most of all, I missed my kids. When I get up to get ready for work, they aren’t there to “help” me. When it’s time for bed, they aren’t there. I spoke with my pastor. I prayed for the safety of my children. And yes, I cried. I prayed for a new best friend. I looked into myself and found the things about me that I didn’t like. I’m overweight, out of shape, and suddenly poorer. I decided that I needed to change all of these things. I changed my diet. I prayed for a friend to help me. I started hitting the gym five days a week. I prayed for a friend to keep me motivated. I started trying to buy extra food every payday. I used my tax refund to purchase a well used AR-15, 200 rounds of .223, and $3.30 in junk silver coins. I prayed for God to show me someone that would get me through this troubled time, someone that really cared about me, someone that would be there no matter what. And then one morning (two weeks ago) while shaving, I realized that my prayers had been answered. I had been seeing this person every single day of my life. Looking in the mirror, I realized that the only person that could do all the things that I asked, was me. Nobody could be a better friend to me than myself. I thanked God for giving me this answer, and thanked Him again for being so patient since it took me so long to realize what He was trying to show me. Since that day, I have found myself.

I am continuing trying to prep as best I can, but I am severely limited in the storage space I have. It was while searching the web for storage ideas that I came across SurvivalBlog. I have yet to purchase any of the books recommended here, but I know that I will do the best I can with what I have. I don’t have a BOL or a BOV or even a BOB, but what I do have is mine. I will keep going until I have gone through every bean, bullet and Band-Aid, knowing that my best friend will always be there.

Oh, BTW, the reason that leaving the preps behind with her turned out to be a bad idea, she used the food so she wouldn’t have to go grocery shopping, and sold the remaining guns and gear to buy her new boyfriend a Valentine’s Day present.

Letter Re: Deep Well Hand Pumps

Mr. Rawles:

Thank you so much for enriching our lives with your knowledge.  My question is:

I lost electricity this past week for two days.  I had enough water stored for me and my wife for cooking, drinking and flushing toilets stored and for our dogs, too.  But what would I do in a longer duration power outage?

I remember my grandfather having an old hand pump on his well that we used to get a drink from on hot summer days when I was a kid.  My question is, where can I get one of these kinds of hand pumps now and how hard is it to adapt to my well head? Thanks, – Tim P.

JWR Replies: Depending on the size of your well casing, you might be able to use a hand pump alongside your AC submersible pump.

Traditional Pitcher-type hand pumps with the pump cylinder located at the surface (“shallow well pumps”) are generally limited to lifting water from a depth no greater than one atmosphere (33.6 feet.) For a hand pump to lift water that is any deeper, you would need to use a pump that has it cylinder at the bottom of the well. Typically, the cylinder is connected to a sucker rod that is attached to an actuator at the surface. A sucker rod arrangement is commonly seen with both windmills and “jack” or “cricket” type pumps. But several vendors like Lehman’s and Ready Made Resources sell deep well hand pumps that employ a sucker rod. One relatively new brand is the Bison. They are made of stainless steel.

Deep well pump technology hasn’t changed much in 100 years: brass pump cylinders, leather valves, and ash wood sucker rods are still used. Although these days, fiberglass is often used in place of wood for the sucker rods. This is extremely reliable technology–and truly “appropriate technology” for survivalists. It is not unusual to hear of windmill pumps that haven’t been serviced in 30 years that are still going strong. It is noteworthy that one half of a set of “leathers” can be changed by pulling up just the sucker rod. But replacing the lower leathers (in the bottom of the cylinder) requires pulling up all of the well pipe sections, to access the brass pump cylinder.

For those who can afford an alternate power system, there are a lot of options for deep wells, including submersible pumps, jet pumps, and Brumby (air compressor) pumps. The latter have recently been developed with great success in Australia. Because the mechanical “works” are at the surface, and even if you have to pull up the cylinder, it can be done by hand. in most cases. Thus, they are a good choice for survivalists who own large PV power systems.

As I’ve mentioned before in SurvivalBlog, a deep well pump that has its motor “down hole” should probably be an AC motor. (With an alternative power system, AC power could be supplied by an inverter.) Because of the tremendous line loss with low voltage DC cabling, it is not efficient to have a submersible low voltage DC well pump that is more than about 60 feet underground, even when using very large gauge DC power cables.

Letter Re: Rechargeable Lithium Ion Button Batteries

James,
If you like to target shoot to keep your skill level up like me and have red dot scopes then you know how expensive those coin or “button” batteries are. I have been looking for a rechargeable coin battery for a while. Well I found it. There are now CR-2032 LI-ION rechargeable batteries. For $1.75 each (if you buy 10 or more), I think its a deal. The recharger is only $5.75.

I hope this will help those who enjoy plinking and are looking to save a few dollars. Service was great and fast shipment. Disclosure: I have no connection to this company. – Jeff B.

JWR Replies: As was pointed out by reader Karl A.: The CR-2032 LI-ION battery is NOT a direct replacement for the CR-2032!  It’s voltage is twice that of the standard CR-2032.  You might fry your very expensive red dot sight trying it as a direct replacement. If you have a device that needs two CR-2032 batteries, then you might be able to use a conductive spacer made from a dead battery, along with one of the new Lithium Ion batteries.

Economics and Investing:

John R. sent a link to some great analysis by Rob Kirby: Amaranth Kill Shot: Collateral Damage in a 78 Trillion Dollar Derivatives Book Compliments of J.P. Morgan Chase

Also from John, a piece by Claus Vogt: Two Collapse Scenarios

Michael P. suggested the latest ShadowStats report: Hyperinflation – 2011 (Updated)

Scott M. recommended this segment wherein Neal Cavuto interviews Former Treasury Chief Restructuring Officer Jim Millstein: Debt Ceilings and the Risk of U.S. Default

Hedge fund assets top $2 trillion for the first time. (Thanks to Mark W. for the link.)

Items from The Economatrix:

Oil Settles Above $111 Per Barrel

What’s Really Worrisome About US Treasury Bonds

The EU Cracks Up

$50 Silver:  The Price Point Of Liberty

Jim Sinclair On Gold And The World Financial System

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader G.E.C. wrote to note: “I have been surprised to see little mention of Smithfield Hams.  In the South these are called, generically, “country hams”, and are considered a special delicacy.  They are salt-cured, bagged in cotton, and hung without refrigeration.  The original “Smithfield Ham” was tested and preserved well for twenty years.  I’ll be adding several to my supplies.”

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Safecastle has introduced a new Solar Laptop Bag, using components that they’ve assembled from reliable makers like Maxpedition. (Their Gleneagle Messenger Bag.)

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Keeley flagged this: Second Amendment Rights Once Again at Risk

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A bit of frightening news: Researcher: iPhone, iPad track users’ whereabouts. (Thanks to Kevin S. for the link.)

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T. mentioned a handy “finder” map for alternative fuel stations in the U.S.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“If [it had not been] the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say;

If [it had not been] the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us:

Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:

Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul:

Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.

Blessed [be] the LORD, who hath not given us [as] a prey to their teeth.

Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.

Our help [is] in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” – Psalm 124 (KJV)

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 34 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Alpine Aire freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $400 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo , and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

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

Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.) , and B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value.

Round 34 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Living in a Small Town – An Australian Perspective, by Margaret G.

For those of you who are contemplating leaving the city and moving to a small country town, there are quite a few differences that you and your lifestyle should take into account if your new life is to be a happy one. Small towns don’t change too much no matter what country you live in. I live in Australia.

I’m retired after working with a variety of state and local government departments over the years. I’ve chosen to live in an old stone church on about an acre of land in a small town of about two hundred people in a predominantly wheat growing district. After leaving home for my first job, I’ve chosen never to live in a city – visit, yes; live, no.
Don’t get me wrong, I like living by myself and after all these years I’m used to living in small towns.

But for those of you who decide to take The Big Step, there are a few things that you may need to be aware of that probably didn’t apply to life in the city.

Fitting In
It’s all very well buying a place in the country and planning to put into practice the skills you’ve been acquiring on a small scale.
But becoming a real part of a community can be a bit trickier. You are a new-comer in a town where probably nearly everyone is related to some degree. I knew how to cope with this from my previous working life – be friendly but not familiar. People will try to find out all about you (and I mean all about you). I’ve always preferred being selective about giving out personal information and opinions and I keep my eyes and ears open and my mouth shut.
Eventually you will find a circle of friends with whom you are comfortable and you may choose to be more forthcoming with them. Note that is still your choice about what information you divulge.
I found it useful to work out a few answers in advance. The one I was asked most often was “Why did you choose to live here and not somewhere else?
I could say with all honesty, “I was born in this state, I still have friends only two hours up the road, I have relatives two hours down the road and my son is three hours away so it’s nice and central”.
The only major thing the enquirer learned from that answer is that I have a son.

Those of you with a spouse and children may find it easier to acquire a wider circle of acquaintances more quickly than a single person because you will be meeting people from a wider range of organisations.

I have not spread it about that I’m a prepper although many people know that I grow my own veg (I’m mostly vegetarian and I give away lots), I bottle and preserve my produce (but so do many country people) and I re-use and recycle where possible (being environmentally friendly). They can’t miss the 55,000 litre rainwater tank I’ve had installed and plumbed though (the cost of water is increasing and I’m drought-proofing my garden) and they won’t miss my solar panels next month (the cost of electricity is increasing). They’ve all watched the progress I’m making with building my chook house (most country people keep chickens).  All perfectly logical and plausible reasons.

Skills
No matter how well prepared you may think you are I’m sure that you will come across a situation peculiar to your chosen area that will require you to do things differently from what ‘the book’ recommended.
Be prepared to admit that you can’t do something or you know nothing about it and be willing to accept advice from the locals. As you mix and mingle, gradually you will be let in on where the best fishing spots are, who catches game that you can swap something for, who has the skills that you don’t yet have.
I don’t have a chain saw and I admit they frighten me. My neighbours (Bless them!) drop off a load of wood periodically. In return I pass vegetables on to them, help with computer glitches and feed the animals when they are away.
I have enough farming friends so that I can access bulk supplies of wheat and chick peas in a swap situation.
I can’t weld, but I make sure I patronise the local fellow for any jobs I need doing – and pay promptly. I don’t want to get a reputation as a slow payer with city attitudes. No-one in a small town is anonymous.

When it comes to outside work occasionally a job comes up where two hands are just not enough or I just don’t have the physical strength to tackle it.
Thanks to the contacts and friendships I’ve made, I know I can ask someone for help and that help will be given freely. One day I came home with a big round bale of mulching hay in the trailer and found that there was no way on earth that I was going to get it off by myself. Either it became a permanent attachment or I swallowed my pride and asked for a friend’s husband for help. I chose the latter option.

After your move to a small town another thing you may have to cultivate is patience.
Not only do seeds not appear overnight, neither do tradesmen or parts. This is another reason to stock up on anything and everything. After a meltdown when (or if) materiel becomes available again, which town will be supplied first – the big regional centre or my town of 200 people?
This is why you will end up with skills that you didn’t even know you were capable of.

Health
Much has already been written about the importance of keeping healthy. People far more qualified than I, have written excellent articles for your education.
But I’d like, (albeit reluctantly) to take it one step further.
Because I live alone these are some questions I’ve had to think about and for which I’ve had to try to find workable solutions.
My answers will be very different from yours because of your own individual circumstances.  And again, I live in a small town not out in the middle of no-where.
How are you going to contact someone in an emergency especially if the phones are down?
Who are you going to contact?
How will a friend/neighbour/relative know that you have died – especially if you live alone?

It’s impossible here to go into all scenarios but remember too that a small town hospital (if you are lucky enough to have one) will not have the latest and greatest equipment but will do the absolute best they can for you before flying you out.

And that opens up another set of preparations:
Who will feed your livestock if you are incapacitated or flown out?
Who will keep an eye on your property and possessions?
Who will contact your next of kin?

It’s a case of the old saying again: Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

Offer to Assist
Throughout my working life in small towns, it was necessary that I knew people and they knew me. I accepted invitations to every meeting for which I received an invitation. That way I got to know who was who, who talked a lot but did little, the local gossip (important so that I didn’t put my foot in the wrong place and embarrass my employer) and who the appropriate person was to speak with about a particular issue.

Now that I don’t have to have such a high profile but still want to be involved with my chosen community the easiest way was to turn up at all community events, meetings and working bees.
After a while I got to know enough to make an informed decision about which organisations I would like to be involved with.
I chose to become involved with the Development Board because of my background and that was where my skills would be most useful. I now get requests for help with spread sheets, forms and grant applications.
There is another answer-in-advance you may wish to work on – how to decline gracefully and diplomatically numerous committee positions for which you will be nominated. I got around that by saying, “Thank you for thinking of me but as a new-comer I don’t feel qualified as yet. I’ll be glad to help where possible but I don’t feel that I should accept a committee position”.
As a newcomer it is “baby steps” all the way and showing a willingness to help where possible.  

I’ve always loved small towns and the close ties I am able to make with people and I’m sure you will enjoy the closeness that comes from living and working in a small community.

Pat’s Product Reviews: Benchmade Marc Lee “Glory” Knife

Pat’s Product Reviews: Benchmade Marc Lee “Glory” Knife

Make no mistake, I like big knives. I don’t care if they are folders or fixed blade knives, I like mine big. I’ve found over the years, that a big knife can do more than a little knife can, in most situations. Don’t get me wrong, small knives have their place, too. However, I’ve just found that a big knife can do just about all I ask of it on a daily basis.   The new Benchmade Knives, Marc Lee “Glory” Knife, was made to commemorate US Navy SEAL, Marc Lee, who was the first SEAL to lose his life in Iraq. This touched home to me, as I live in Oregon, and that’s where Marc Lee was from. I’m saddened anytime I hear of one of our brave military personnel losing their life, but even more so, when it’s an Oregonian! Marc’s valorous conduct, exemplary leadership and extraordinary self-sacrifice for his fellow service members, have earned him the highest respect and gratitude of his fellow SEALs and the US Navy, and our nation. A portion of the proceeds from every knife sold will be donated to the Marc Lee Foundation.  

The Marc Lee “Glory” Knife is a big fixed blade knife, with a 7.30″ long blade, that is 0.190″ thick. The knife weighs 10.10 ounces. For such a big knife, it’s very fast in the hand. The blade material is 154CM, one of my all-time favorite stainless steels – at one time, used exclusively by custom knife makers. With a 58-61 Rockwell hardness (Rc), the blade will hold an edge a good long time, too. As for the blade itself, it has a recurve to it – meaning, it actually has a longer cutting surface than you think it has.  

The handle scales on the “Glory” Knife are made out of super-tough G10, and are coyote tan colored, to go along with the ballistic Nylon coyote tan colored sheath – that is lined, so the knife won’t poke through. The sheath is MOLLE compatible, too, and will fit on a tactical assault vest, as well as on a pistol belt. Overall length of the “Glory” Knife is 12.50″ – it’s a good sized knife, to be sure. The G10 handle scales are textured and will provide an outstanding grip under any circumstances you might run into, in the field. The blade is also black coated, for non-reflectivity.  

I found my “Glory” sample to be more of a slasher, as opposed to a stabber. Oh, that’s not to say, the knife can’t be used for stabbing. However, it is better suited for slashing, digging and other everyday field chores you might run into. I don’t have a problem with this, as most knives carried afield, be it in combat or a survival situation, are used more for chores, than they are in combat. The knife will hold its own in a combat situation, though.  

The butt end of the knife also has a lanyard hold, but no lanyard was include. There is some tan 550 para cord on the bottom of the sheath, and you could remove it and place it on the knife if you’d like. I think Benchmade should have included a length of 550 para cord on the butt of the knife, in the lanyard hole – just my two-cents worth.   If you need an emergency digging tool, the “Glory” Knife can fill that need. It’s also a great chopper, if you have to clear brush or chop wood for a sniper’s blind, too. The knife balances extremely well in the hand, and that’s important in any knife I select. If a knife doesn’t feel just right in my hand, I’m probably not gonna carry it afield.  

You can also choke-up on the knife if you need more precision – you simply move your fore finger onto a groove on the lower portion of the blade, which was designed for a hold like this. There is also a raised thumb placement on the top of the blade, for use in the fencing grip, too.   I wish I could say I packed this knife around on my hip for several weeks, but I didn’t. I don’t need to carry a fixed blade knife on a daily basis in order to evaluate it. I did do some field testing, though. We have a lot of blackberry bushes in Oregon – a plant that was not native to this state. While I, and my family, love blackberries, it’s a constant chore keeping the blackberry vines in check. In case you didn’t know it, blackberry vines are tough, real tough. The Marc Lee “Glory” Knife made quick work of chopping off the blackberry vines to keep them in check – that says a lot to me. I did some light chopping on some tree branches, too – again, as I mentioned above, this knife is a better chopper than a stabber.  

As with all good things, the Marc Lee “Glory” Knife is high-quality, and quality never comes cheap. The full retail price on this knife is $350 – and they are actually very hard to find. Lots of knife collectors are buying ’em and putting ’em in their collection – never to be used. There is also a limited collectible version of this knife, and that’s $1,000 – if you’re into collecting knives, and I’m sure it will only rise in value over the years.  

I showed my sample “Glory” Knife around to a lot of folks, and they all liked the way it felt – no one had any negative comments about the knife, and that’s unusual in my neck of the woods.   – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

Two Letters Re: Small Campstove Cooking

Sir,
I read R.E.’s article on Small Campstove Cooking with interest. Thank you. I’ve tried a few as well varieties of stoves as well and to date my favorite is the Littlbug. It’s sturdy, stainless steel, comes in two sizes, folds up, it has some adjustments, and can burn solid fuels or twigs very efficiently. Twigs removing the need to carry fuel. Blessings, – Steve B.

Jim,  
Just a quick note about a comment R.E. made in his article: “Whether a stove unsafe for a small tent would be safe in a home is uncertain. Just remember that carbon monoxide (CO) is lighter than air.”  Carbon monoxide is only very slightly less dense than air (1.145 g/l^-1 for CO versus 1.184g/l^-1 for air – a smaller difference than there is between oxygen and nitrogen).  It is not light enough that you can expect it to rise to and collect at the ceiling or in upper levels of a structure and in a home CO will mix homogeneously with air.  My intention isn’t to ding R.E. but to make sure that folks don’t get the idea that sleeping on the floor would make them safer while using an inefficient heater or other CO source.   – Matt R.

Letter Re: Increasing Home Propane Tank Capacity

James:

I thought I would pass this along-Last night I received a call from my propane provider. They call every year about this time asking if you want to fill your tank. The person was saying that prices were low this time of year .I have a 250 gallon tank and only use around a 100 gallons a year. I said yes and inquired about getting a 500 gallon tank. They said there  was only a $79 tank change fee. I know that each tank only holds 80 percent of tanks stated capacity, so a 250 gallon tank holds around 200 gallons. This is a two-year supply for me. I have a 6-burner cooktop and fireplace logs and am lucky to live in a mild winter area. It got me thinking this may be a good time to change to a bigger tank and increase my propane capacity to 400 gallons (four years).We don’t know what the future holds, what the price or availability of fuels will be,or what our finances may be in the future. This will enable me to breath a little easier and sleep a little better. Just a heads up to the people like me who are preparing. – Rob M.

JWR Replies: My general preference is to purchase rather than lease a propane tank. The total cost is lower in the long run (assuming you own a house for 12+ years). The other advantage is that if you own your own tank you can buy propane from any local vendor. That way you can “shop by phone” for the lowest delivered price. If you plan to have a propane cooking range, a propane hot water heater, a propane chest freezer, and a few propane lights, I recommend getting at least a 500 gallon tank. Underground tanks provide better OPSEC, as well as better protection from brushfires and small arms fire.