Three Letters Re: Beans, Bullets, Band-Aids and Hygiene

I was just rereading the original posting about “beans, bullets and hygiene”. The author wrote to be sure to check out the discount bins for after season sales on holiday soaps. He wrote that while the soaps may be strongly scented “nobody will care after TEOTWAWKI what they smell like”. But actually, it may matter. 
 
We live in the country. We’re not daily assaulted by the highly aromatic city folks wearing their cologne, perfume and scented body washes. So when we do happen to come in contact with them, we can smell them coming from quite a distance.
 
Its sorta’ the same as noise. Today’s world is so full of the noise of cars passing by, planes overhead, radios and television playing (not to mention those things people stick in their ears) that you don’t even notice some neighbor pounding a nail or running a chainsaw.
 
But after all goes quiet, and after daily showers become much less common, folks’ hearing and smelling will become much more sensitive. You’ll hear saws running and know “someone” has heat and gas. If a neighbor appears cleaner than anyone else, and especially if they smell “fresher” (that is, perfumey/smelly/soapy) than the usual, you’ll guess that they have more water, more soap, and therefore maybe more “other stuff”. This is not good OPSEC.
 
We believe that when going out to community meetings, or on other occasions of contact outside your immediate group, it may be well to wear older, dirtier clothes so you don’t attract notice. It may also be well to keep in mind that the person who smells 21st Century will be extraordinarily noticeable when everyone else is living 19th Century.
 
Our suggestion is that in a dark world, don’t show your lights. In a world of no gas, don’t be the only one to advertise having fuel for generators and saws. And in a world without instant hot and cold water, don’t smell like Paris Hilton. – Jim in N. Ohio

Mr. Rawles,

I wanted to call to your reader’s attention to the use of soap nuts in place of traditional laundry soap.  We first discovered them when looking for a chemical and fragrance free alternative for cloth diapers and baby clothes.  We now use them for all of our laundry and for many other cleaning jobs around the house.  They are all natural, economical, versatile, and easy to store – taking up much less room than traditional laundry detergent.   They can be reused several times and then composted.  They also work as a natural fabric softener. which is great for line drying.  Soap nuts are fine for septic and gray water systems. 

Other uses include:

  • Hand soap
  • Dishwasher soap
  • Window cleaner
  • All purpose cleaner
  • Shampoo
  • Pest and mosquito repellant
  • Carpet cleaner
  • Pet shampoo
  • Jewelry cleaner

Soap nuts are already very economical.  To get even more for your money, I recommend:

  • Buy in bulk and split the order with friends and family 
  • Don’t buy the “whole” soap nuts.  I prefer breaking them anyway to better release the cleaning agent –  The suppliers don’t always list the pieces on their web site, but if you call them they often times will sell the “broken” soap nuts at a largely discounted price, especially if you are buying in bulk. 
  • Grind your own powder and make your own liquid.  It’s easy to learn and there are many instructions and recipes to be found on the Internet. 

There are various ways to can and preserve the soap nuts liquid, so you can store it in quantity and have it readily available.  We store our soap nuts in a five gallon bucket with a lid, and this lasts our family of four a very long time.   Soap nuts make a great barter item to keep on hand, since they store easily, take up so little space, and have multiple uses. – WoodsyMama

 

James,
I wanted to add something to the recent hygiene article and responses that I have read and that is dental floss.  Dental floss is one of the single best tools for not only healthy teeth but, just as importantly, healthy gums.  Gum disease and tooth decay has been shown to affect overall health and contributes to heart disease and possible brain trauma due to infection.  Dental floss is compact and easy to store and it lasts forever (you might need to check that regarding the ‘flavored’ varieties), there is no reason not to pick up a couple extra packs every time you replace toothbrushes and toothpaste because it could be the difference between saving your teeth and having to learn to survive on broth.
  I also wanted to add a hearty endorsement for using a safety razor, as per the article posted on learning to shave like grandpa.  I started using a safety razor a year ago and I will never go back.  The shave is smoother and easier on the skin, the razor is cleaner because there is less tendency for a single blade to get ‘clogged’, and the blades are indeed cheaper as well as lasting longer since they are double sided.  I don’t have an abundance of facial hair so I have only gone through one pack of double sided razors since started shaving this way.  Its better for your face, less expensive, and more durable – the perfect set of features for a prepper\-friendly shaving kit. Regards, – Doug W.

Letter Re: Everyday Carry Items

Dear Mr. Rawles,
In reference to J.C.R.’s article on Everyday Carry Items, I have a rather nondescript looking purse that I found at a thrift store that I use for Everyday Carry (EDC). I keep using that purse to carry because it is so handy with it’s numerous compartments inside. I have found nothing like it! In one of those compartments, I keep a “Mini Survival Kit”. I saw this at the SurvivaLogic web site. It fits in an Altoids breath mints tin. It’s the handiest thing ever. SurvivaLogic recommended matches, fishing hooks and line, flash light, compass, knife (high quality with file, toothpick, scissors, tweezers), and a mirror.
 
In my kit, I put a small picket knife, just a boring old knife I had; maybe someday I will move up to a better one if I find one. I also put in a flint with striker, a small flashlight with AAA battery (not stored inside, to prevent corrosion), fishing hooks, a small compass, a small whistle, a saw, a bobbin of thread, a needle, and one lanyard that came with one of the “Key ring” size accessories listed above. My thought is that, if need be, I could put almost all of my little kit on the lanyard and carry it around my neck. The thread could be used for fishing, mending, or stitches (in skin). The Altoid tin is sturdy, so it keeps the stuff from getting beat up and dirty in my purse. It fits perfectly in a tiny little compartment. I just can’t keep it in my purse to fly.
 
A first aid kit in an Altoids can: Tiny bottle of essential oils: 3 parts lavender oil and 1 part peppermint oil. This is good for pain of many kinds, sunburns, etc. Band-Aids, gauze. Tube of Burt’s Bees’ lip balm with essential oils; the bees wax is good for many skin ailments. Witch hazel: good for insect bites. Body thermometer. Safety pins. Aloe Vera gel. I am no expert on wilderness survival, but there are many tricks that can be used to utilize the materials at hand. I suppose that Boy Scout training would come in handy. In the absence of a bandage, cotton fabric could be torn and tied around a wound. Certain wild plants (bark for aspirin) can be used for healing– I need to educate myself.
 
In the plethora of credit card slots in my purse, that I don’t hardly fill up, I have lots of information in little business card size books or laminated cards. It would be perfect to keep a small phone book or small first aid book. I like to make up small books in Publisher in the size of a credit card to fit in those slots. They are also a good place to keep a small mirror and/or a flat magnifier. – Anita L.

Economics and Investing:

I’m sure that you saw the many screaming headlines on Thursday, the global markets are melting down, and the pillars of the EU are crumbling. There were two notable oddities amidst Thursday’s panic for those of us that hedge with precious metals: 1.) Spot silver saw a $5 per ounce selloff. This big dip of 12% in one day represents a great opportunity to either convert some of your cash into silver, or ratio trade out of gold into silver. The silver-to-gold ratio now stands at (48.2-to-1.) In just a few years the ratio will likely be 30-to-1, or less. 2.) The price of platinum is now $50+ below the price of gold. With these two aberrations in mind, it is presently wise to swap out of gold and into platinum or silver. You should always take advantage of brief windows of opportunity when markets are aberrant. Do not hesitate!

IMF a Little More Worried About China. (Thanks to K.A.F. for the link.)

Recession’s second act would be worse than the first

And John R. sent these cheery news links:

Welcome To The Collapse Of 2011 (Karl Denninger)

The Fed Disappointed… The Great Collapse Is Here (Graham Summers)
 
Debt crisis: live—Markets tumble after the Fed warns of downside risks, World Bank chief Robert Zoellick says he is losing confidence in recovery and European central bank report questions whether euro can survive. – UK Telegraph
 
Morgan Stanley’s Exposure to French Banks is 60% Greater Than its Market Cap… And More Than Half its Book Value (Tyler Durden)

Items from The Economatrix:

Dow Drops 500 Points on Fears of Another Recession

Mixed Impact On Consumers From Fed’s “Twist”

Fewer People Applied For Unemployment Benefits

Fed Moves To Lower Interest Rates

World is on the Verge of a Devastating New Slump: IMF

The Redline:  A Tale Of Collapse (Fiction)

Depressed as a Nation?  80% of Americans Believe We are Already in a Recession

The End of the Phony Express; Or, The USPS Goes Postal on Our Economy

Rash of Bank Downgrades Signals Return to “Danger Zone”

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Rick B. wrote to mention: “The most important factor in determining when to plant a certain type of vegetable in your garden is the ‘Last Freeze Date’ in the spring, and the ‘First Freeze Date’ in the fall for your area. See the state-by-state charts of these dates, with city specific data, collected over a 30 year period by the National Climatic Data Center.”

   o o o

F.G. flagged this: Why Middle-Class Americans Are Turning to Dumpster Diving

   o o o

K.A.F. mentioned: Extended Interview with Fast and Furious Whistleblower

   o o o

Did you cancel you OnStar contract? Sorry, but they are still tracking you.

   o o o

“Sarah Connor?” A future for drones: Automated killing

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"I stood in the Roman Forum, and I found out that they had a Senate in Rome long ago. That’s why Rome declined. 
Boy! If they declined with a Senate, what will we do with a Senate and a House?" –  Will Rogers, January, 1927

Note from JWR:

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

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

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

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

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

Small Scale Alternative Energy in Suburbia, by David J.

The range of topics in prepping pretty much covers the spectrum of life, and all aspects tend to be connected, however, this article is mostly limited to my strategies to power my grid dependant, difficult to defend, suburban home when the grid is down, all the while on a limited budget.  No new, earth shattering, break through here, just a plan that uses lots of basics.

My circumstances probably reflect a sizable demographic of the folks who are attempting to prepare for hard times in the suburbs.  A middle class male, married with 4 kids, living in a stick house, in a small town, near a small city, in the crowded northeast.  Fortunately we do not live on a main line of drift. We have no bug out locale.  I have with no military background or engineering experience beyond home handyman.

Several main ideas have guided my strategies, some of the ideas are related and inter connected:

Finances – my budget is stretched, as I am working on reducing debt, prepping, saving and still trying to maintain a modest, comfortable life style.  My energy solutions need to be affordable, or at least let me add to as my budget permits.  This is not the same as cost effective.  Nothing is a cheap and easy as getting electricity from the grid.

Flexibility – I pretty sure I don’t like what is coming down the road, but I don’t know what it is, or when it’s coming.   May not even know that its arrived till is been here for a while.  My preps have to be able to accommodate as wide a range of circumstance as possible, from no power for a few hours, rolling black or brown outs, to maybe no electricity for a year or more.  I also need to consider TEOTWAWKI, may not occur in my lifetime.

Utility – I would like to be able to get some use of my preps during relatively normal, grid up times.

OPSEC – OPSEC is key.  I cannot draw attention to my self and family.  We must blend in.  Our survival could very well depend on keeping a low profile.  We are well armed, but would very much like to avoid any confrontation.

Portability – I may have to relocate, hopefully not as a part of the Golden Horde, but possibly to relatives, neighbors or friends in a more easily defended section of my town.  It could be planned and orderly, or I could be quickly putting gear in the back of my truck, or even a garden wagon or bicycle trailer.  My preps must be modular and not too heavy to carry.

Redundancy – Same concept as “Two is one and one is none.”

Efficiency – Efficiency is not fully on the list. Of course, I would like all my preps to be efficient, but not at the cost of robustness.  I feel that the drive for efficiency has put the nation in a precarious spot.

With these ideas in mind, my main energy strategy has been to simultaneously lower my energy needs and to meet those needs with small photovoltaic (solar) panels and limited use of wind generators.  It has taken a few years and is still a work in progress. It also requires a change in thinking.   Life will not be the same without grid electricity.

A small system will not power my fridge, microwave, toaster oven, furnace or air conditioning. at least for not very long.  I can, however, power fans, lights, sump pumps, alarm system, security cameras, battery chargers, and laptop computers.

A gas generator could meet my immediate energy demands and is affordable, but it violates too many of my guidelines, especially OPSEC. I wouldn’t mind getting one eventually, but see it mostly as a convenience.

A large solar installation is more than I am ready to spend, and also conflicts with my guidelines about portability and poses serious, although quieter, OPSEC problems.  It would probably work nicely in a remote rural area.

Goal: Lower my energy demands by finishing the basement and using DC power.

The reality is, that the only way we can stay in our home, with a long-term power outage during the winter, is to “camp” in it.  There will be a major downgrade in our standard of living.  My goal is to keep us as safe as possible, out of a FEMA shelter, and to cushion the fall as best I can.

The safest place in the house is the basement; it provides some protection from things that could accompany no electricity, like radioactive fallout, severe weather, and gunfire.  Concentrating our living in the basement also lowers our energy usage and makes light discipline a lot easier.  Essentially, we may need to live in the basement during part of the year and the rest of the house will be a large closet.

Previously my basement wasn’t a place one would want to spend much time. After cleaning the cobwebs, my first step was to add cross bracing to the ceiling joists for support.  I studded and partitioned with insulated walls, added some more insulation to the ceiling and put down inexpensive rubber puzzle mat flooring from a discount store.  I made removable, interior, plywood shutters with radiant foil backing for the windows.  We made two rooms, a utility room and a work out room.  There is a small alcove for a potential camping toilet bathroom.  I added no electrical wiring; only utilizing what was already in place. Neither room draws attention from visiting neighbors.  Both are well insulated and partitioned so as to be livable with little energy. 

While the focus of this article is on electricity, I’ll stray a little bit to heat.  Making heat from electricity, especially from low voltage systems is a non-starter; it’s way too inefficient.  Unfortunately we do not have a fireplace. I have some concerns about the smell of wood smoke drawing attention, but future plans include retrofitting the basement for a wood stove.

My extreme cold weather plan is to drain my pipes to prevent bursts and flooding.  There are numerous Internet resources on draining pipes and preventing burst pipes. 

Heat is from a pair of Mr. Heater portable propane heaters.  Mr. Heater runs off both 1 pound and 20-pound propane canisters.  I have extension hoses, filters and a protective box for the 20-pound tanks.  To conserve we will have to run Mr. Heater intermittently, but I don’t think we will freeze to death.  I am afraid to set Mr. Heater on the rubber puzzle mats, so I built plywood stands.  Mr. Heater is designed for indoor use, but be sure to understand the directions before using it and be careful because it gets hot.

For safety, both rooms have dual battery powered CO detectors two different brands) and a smoke detector.  Propane is my stored energy of choice, because it stores well, and no smoke or smell when using it. I know that the 20-pound tanks tend to be under filled, but it is a manageable weight for my wife and kids.  I keep adding to the cache of tanks under the back deck, keep them chained together to make theft more difficult.  My eventual goal is to cache enough of them to supply our needs for two winters.  We never run out of propane when we barbecue. 

The workout room would be a bedroom, and I have inflatable air mattresses and sleeping bags for the family and the inevitable guests.

In summary, the workout and utility rooms give us a relatively safe, comfortable, easy to heat and light shelter, as well as use during “normal” times.  I did most of the work myself, it took a few months. 

The other aspect of decreasing demand is to utilize 12 VDC appliances.  A quick explanation is that most solar panels store their energy in 12-volt batteries.  Converting the power from batteries to AC to run corded appliances loses a significant amount of energy in the [inefficient] conversion from DC to AC.  Deep cycle 12-volt batteries are designed to be charged and discharged repeatedly.  They are rated in amp hours, which are how long they could run an appliance of certain amperage, at some pre-determined rate of discharge, usually 20 hours.  A 30-amp hour battery could theoretically run a 1-amp appliance for 30 hours.  To preserve the life of the deep cycle battery, they are not usually discharged below 50%, so the 30 amp hour battery, realistically gives 15 amp hours of service.

Some 12 VDC appliances are easy to find; air compressors for inflating tires and mattresses, fans, battery chargers, laptop power supplies, car DVD players and lights, and so forth.  Other items take a little work, like finding a DC power supply for my alarm system and router.  I am still using cigarette lighter plugs and receptacles, but will make the switch to the preferred Anderson Power Pole connectors some day.  Using 12 VDC appliances lowers my electric bill during normal times, and has made road trips more comfortable, as all this stuff can be powered from the receptacle in my truck.  When I see 12 VDC items on sale, I often stock up, for redundancy as well as potential barter items.

When folks start talking about needing an air conditioning unit when the grid is down, it’s hard for me to not roll my eyes.  All of our ancestors survived long enough for us to be here without the benefit of air conditioning.  Air conditioning units are energy hogs and OPSEC disasters.  I get just as hot and cranky as the next guy, but it hasn’t killed me yet.  If your health is such that no air conditioning will indeed kill you, then your survival preparations are going to be complicated [and expensive].

Refrigeration is a tougher problem, and I have taken several steps to mitigate it.  The first is that we do not store lots of frozen food.  We try to keep a good amount of ice in the freezer, increasing the supply if we think there may be a power outage coming.  Our canned and storage foods tend to be packaged smaller, so we don’t have to worry about leftovers spoiling.  Smaller packages are also more portable.  I am learning about root cellars, but haven’t constructed one yet.

Finally, I have recently purchased a 12 VDC cooler, the Koolatron Krusader Cooler.  I haven’t had it long enough to deliver a final verdict, but I think it will be handy.  There is a wide range of DC-powered refrigerators, freezers and coolers.  The smaller ones at least, are different than a traditional kitchen refrigerator because the keep the contents about 40 degrees cooler that the outside temperature, and can also be set to heat the contents instead of cooling.  Many are marketed to the tailgating and RV crowd.

Even though its DC, they still use a good bit of power, drawing about 4 amps per hour, so may be needed to run intermittently.   I am still evaluating it, but at this time, I would rather have several small coolers as opposed to 1 larger one, in keeping with my guidelines.

Providing The Power

I have been using small solar panels and portable power supplies to provide back up power as well as supply some of my day-to-day needs (like my router and alarm).   It is an ad hoc system that has slowly grown as my budget and developing expertise allowed.  Unfortunately, most all of the solar panels and components are made in china, but I try to purchase American made whenever I can.

When I started getting involved in the providing the power part of my plan, I initially purchased a Sunlinq foldable 12 Watt solar panel and Black and Decker Electromate 400 portable power supply.  The Sunlinq was purchased through Amazon.com, while I found the Black and Decker was less expensive at Wal-Mart–after figuring in shipping.

The Sunlinq uses standard SAE connectors that makes a nice tight connection and allows for easy modular additions.  It’s the same type connector as used with the Battery Minder chargers. (I think that the Sunlinq may be made by Sunforce or vice versa.)

The Black and Decker Electromate 400 has an area light, a built in inverter with 2 AC outlets, 2 DC outlets, an air compressor, and attachable jump-start cables.  It’s sturdy and has a nice handle.  It was a good intro combination and very portable. 

The next addition to my collection of solar panels and batteries was the Sunforce 60-watt solar power kit, which I coupled with the Xantrex Xpower power pack 1500, to provide power to the utility and workout room. 

The Sunforce system is four 15-watt panels, a mounting frame, a 7-amp charge controller, a small inverter, and connecting cables.  It uses the same SAE connectors as the Sunlinq.  I have since purchased several more of the kits, via eBay, Amazon and Costco. 

Prices can vary considerably.  Purchasing the complete kits, instead of individual panels has given me modularity and spare parts.  Sometimes the kits are bundled with small extras like a crank flashlight or small battery maintainer solar panel.  The included charge controller is only rated to 7 amps, so if more than 7 panels are linked together, a larger charge controller is needed.  Charge controllers connect between the solar panels and the battery to ensure that the batteries are not overcharged and damaged.  Low wattage panels do not require a charge controller.

I am not sure I would purchase the Xpower power pack 1500 again.  I initially chose it because it is a very convenient package.  It has a 60-amp hour battery, inverter with 2 AC outlets, 1 DC outlet receptacle, and can handle loads of 1,500 watts, with surge to 3,000 watts (I haven’t taken mine anywhere close to that).  It weighs about 60 pounds and has solid rubber wheels.  You could assemble all the parts for less money, but it’s hard to beat the Xpower’s portability.  The first one I ordered from Costco arrived with its plastic case broken, as did the replacement!.  After returning the second one, I waited till the spring and bought one from Amazon.com, at a better price, which arrived with a very tiny ding.  The Xpower  1500 comes bundled with a very nice AC battery charger.  The Xpower’s batteries are pretty easily replaced, as opposed to the Black and Decker and other various power packs that I have acquired.  As with the Sunforce solar system, prices vary considerably for the Xpower 1500.

I regularly shop around for deals on small solar panels, like the Sunlinq or the Sunforce and smaller portable power packs, like the Black and Decker.  I will use them as spares and barter items.

Goal Zero seems to have a nice package of systems well assembled, but pricey.  The Goal Zero connectors are hard to find unless purchased directly from them.  I like the Goal Zero Guide 10, which is an AA/AAA battery charger, that also is also a light and a USB power supply. 

In a moment of weakness, I bought the Harbor Freight 45- watt system on sale.  I think the Sunforce is a better value.  The Harbor Freight folding 13-watt panel does work well, although the connections are flimsy.  It is a good value when on sale or even better when combined a 20% off coupon.

I have several of the Sunforce 60 watt kits discreetly mounted the south side of the house. The power cables enter into the basement utility room, and via the Xpower 1500 provide most of the power to the room, and makes up for my lack of additional wiring when I finished the basement.  The kits are connected with Powerlet SAE “Y” splitters, which are a little expensive, but well made and tight.  You can also make you own SAE connections; I buy my components at Solarseller.com

I purposely mounted the panels in locations that had solar exposure, but that were less than ideal, so as not to be very obvious from the street.  In an unstable Schumer hits the fan (SHTF) situation, my plan is to take down the solar panels, and use them intermittently in the back yard to charge up batteries.  If things seem stable, then I may remount them in ideal, non-esthetic locations to get maximum benefit.  I may deploy the reserve PV power kits as well, or save them to barter. 

I have recently added on to my system with the purchase of some deep cycle batteries.  In keeping with my strategy of modularity and portability I used 35 amp hour UB12350, batteries wired in parallel, instead of single larger battery, to add depth to my energy storage, and provide additional power to the basement.

I keep the various power packs charged with the solar panels, and during power outages, like Hurricane Irene, where we lost power for five days, we placed the smaller power packs in different rooms in the house and either used area lights, or plugged in a lamp and turned them on and off as needed.  Irene was a good test drive of my preps.  There was a time that my main panels were busy charging the xpower 1500 and the ub12350 battery bank.  We recharged the smaller power packs with small solar panels in the back yard and it worked out well.  Having the security cameras and alarm running at night helped the family sleep a little better.

For holidays and birthdays, I have given small portable solar chargers to family members to keep phones and other personal portable electronics charged.

If my vehicles are operational, I have a 1,000-watt inverter that can be connected to the car battery. I can get some short-term power from via extension cords, as long as the engine is running.  This is noisy, but probably less conspicuous than running a generator.

It is important to purchase power packs that can be charged directly via DC power due to the efficiency issues.  I have seen at least one packaged solar power system advertised on the Internet that uses a Xantrex power supply that can only be charged with AC power.

My experience with wind turbines has been mixed.  They are not as easy [to install] as photovoltaics, and to get real benefit, the turbine needs to be mounted fairly high, so it’s an OPSEC problem.  I bought a Gudcraft 300-watt unit and mounted it atop a volleyball net post in the corner of the yard.  It is a clunky unit, that doesn’t produce a lot of electricity where it sits, but is also inconspicuous has not caused any problems.  I have helped friends set up various other brands with underwhelming results, due to lack of wind in our area.

I have had some experience with an eBay vendor, USAWindGen.com.  They essentially make simple home-made units.  They are only suitable for intermittent use, but are inexpensive and have helped to keep my batteries charged.  I mount them on 1-inch conduit; about 5 feet high and only deploy them when needed.  Over all, I can’t strongly recommend wind turbines for alternative power in the suburbs, but you may find then a useful adjunct.

There are no doubt that larger arrays, ideally placed would be make for a more efficient power, but my ad hoc system seems to work and meet my needs as far as “camping” in my home.  When using small alternative energy products, you need to budget electricity just like any other scarce resource.

Summary

Essentially, my strategy has been to make it possible to decrease my “energy footprint” so that I can camp in my home if needed, in a way that doesn’t mess up my home while the grid is up and running.  I attempted to develop a plan I can afford and is flexible, portable, conducive to OPSEC, has redundancy, and if possible, useful during “normal” times.  The electrical power requirements for camping are not large, and growing an ad hoc system over time can meet these needs.  Although not as efficient as a well-designed system implemented at one time, this incremental approach has been affordable and allowed me to learn about alternative energy at my own pace.  Your mileage will vary.

I feel that if every family should have a small photovoltaic panel and portable power supply, either as their main source of emergency power, or as back up to their generator or larger alternative energy setup.  I know that if things get very bad, these steps and my other preparations may not be enough, but that doesn’t mean that I have to quit, and I hope that anyone reading this doesn’t quit either.

Start-up Techniques for Investing in Silver and Gold, by D. V.

Investing in silver and gold is a hedge against potential inflation and monetary devaluation; it is a way to keep high concentrations of wealth portable and off-grid and it can be fun and profitable.   Gold and silver has been a way to grow and preserve wealth since wealth has been defined.   The downside is that silver and gold are expensive and becoming more so, there is a typically a specialized group that you must deal with to see return value and it is not at all edible.

I have been a coin collector on and off throughout my life.  As my anxiety about the world shifted me into full scale preparation; my coin collecting experience was easily transferable into hard asset investments.  However even with my experience, I still made mistakes and learned a few lessons. 

With all things in my life, I am about setting goals with milestones to achieve them.  The goal of this article is to provide a novice a quick way to start gathering a heavy metal horde without getting burned. The milestones within are those that I have crossed myself to share as guideposts to the beginner.

The first goal is to determine how much you are willing to invest.  My personal goal was to reduce my 401(Mk) contributions and put it in a separate account in order to save up to buy a larger quantity.  It is also a good strategy to have a couple dollars for any investment that may come along that is worthwhile. Typically you can get a better deal with gold by buying larger amounts if you are buying from a retailer.  A retailer (such as a coin or jewelry store) will add a profit.  Thus a 1/10th ounce gold coin is a bit more expensive by weight than a full ounce.  However, you have to judge whether the changing price of gold and silver is worth the extra cost now versus buying later.  For example, if you wanted to buy an ounce of gold in the beginning of 2010, it was a bit above $1,100.  A rational plan of putting a hundred dollars away a month to buy an ounce would be ideal, except for the fact that by the end of 2010 the gold was $1,350. Therefore, buying 1/4th of an ounce on a quarterly basis would have been a better investment even with the additional costs. There is no crystal ball to identify if gold will go up or down and that is a risk factor that you have to decide upon as you view the markets. 

Understanding your markets is very important.  There are many useful resources on the Internet.  Kitco is a great site with historical charts on various metal prices.  Coinflation.com is wonderful for knowing the melt value (price for the metal value only).  My second recommendation is to follow the spot market regularly.  Look at silver and gold spot at least weekly, if not daily.  Check out Coinflation.com and know the melt prices of US coins.  This is basic information and until you master it, you will never be more than a rookie.  Read the investment guides both positive and negative and develop your own judgment. All metals derive their value from the limited quantities available and demand.  Demand is determined by the amount mined annually and usage which involves investors and industrial uses.  Both gold and silver can be purchased in a variety of ways although I am going to focus solely on in-hand methods and not stocks, funds or “paper” ownership.  Hard metals can be sold as coin, bullion or jewelry; all of which have value.   By personal choice, I have not purchased jewelry as an investment and therefore my information will be bare on this subject and emphasize coin and bullion.  If you have a spouse (especially female) who is not interested in establishing a gold and silver reserve and may have issues with prepping in general, buying them jewelry occasionally could help on several fronts.  Fortunately, this is not my situation.  So when investing in coins and bullion you need to know the current spot price.  Reputable companies should charge the going spot price for plain bullion.  Plain bullion will fluctuate with the market and is fairly easy to resell.  The difficulty with bullion is that it usually requires a dealer or an educated buyer for a transaction.  Bullion is a specialty market and there have been countless efforts in history to fake or short bullion exchanges.

Coins tend to be safer but are more expensive.  There is a collector’s [“numismatic”] value to coins.  If you are interested in purchasing coins, then you must review the standard references for coin buyers.  There are two books, the Standard Catalog of World Coins (commonly called the Blue Book) for the average consumer and the Red Book (the purchasing price) for dealers.  It is strange that the industry has published a two tier system, but this is how professional coin dealer’s estimate buying and selling prices.  My second piece of advice is to get some practical knowledge and establish contacts.  People react and trade better with those whom they know.  Identify the places where they sell coins (more about this later) and visit it at least once a month.  Regularly purchase yourself a silver dime (pre-1965), quarter or bullion coin of choice.  I recommend dimes due to their inexpensive nature and currently averaging between $2.75-$3.00 on the spot market (see Coinflation.com).  However, if you are comfortable dropping $20 a month for an educational experience, then buy a quarter.  Enter at your comfort level but remember this is for intelligence only and should not be the bulk of your investment until you have gained some knowledge.  Talk to the store owners and ask questions.  It is my experience that people who work in coin stores love the trade and will tell you all kinds of things.  I’ve learned many valuable pieces of information just talking with people and hanging out at such places.  After you become regular and more knowledgeable they tend to make a better deal with you when you come in with a bigger wad of cash.  The positive aspect is if you are purchasing a dime a month instead of buying a Big Mac, then you are following a primary tenant of investing, which is to buy regularly [a strategy known as Dollar-cost averaging.]  It is a low impact way of creating a silver stash.  You also have a better chance of buying on a dip. 

So where do I buy coins and bullion?  I will buy gold and silver wherever I can find it reasonably priced.  While I do like to frequent certain stores regularly, I don’t want any single place to understand my inventory of precious metal.  So here is a listing of where I bought precious metals over the last several years with the pros and cons.

Retail: Coin, jewelry and other retail outlets are fair places to purchase coins.  You can be fairly confident that while priced fair to high end, you are buying exactly what is described.  They are also good places to determine values for goods as well as getting knowledge.  Retailers are also ideal places for trade.  Most retail outlets are not coin specific and will take newer mint coins at book value, baseball cards, comic books and other stuff that you may have from an earlier life or that you might stumble across.

Auction: Coin and bullion auctions are fairly common and are relatively safe when going through a reputable auction house.  Local estate auctions can be a great way of getting coins at or below market price.  Auctions are advantageous because most are going for coin value and ignore melt value.  I have bought gold coins below melt value because collectors were valuing off the Blue and Red book and had no idea that gold had a recent run up spike or that they simply may not wanted to part with that much cash.  Auctions are one of the reasons I like to have some cash always set aside as they tend to be good opportunities.

Pawn Store: Like in the show “Pawn Stars” gold and silver is pawned routinely.  Many pawn shops, if they have been in business for a while, deal gold and silver like the retail establishments.  What is unique about pawn stores is that if you have anything of value that you no longer need or want you may be able to trade and thus acquiring gold and silver without cash.  They are much more flexible that traditional retail establishments in this aspect. [JWR Adds: Beware that markups vary widely. Do some comparison pricing before you commit to a purchase or a trade. Use the telephone to minimize your legwork.]

Antique Stores: Antique stores are an interesting place to purchase coins.  The majority of the time these places are overpriced and they are selling junk coins at a markup.   Sometimes, there is a big jump in spot prices and the antique stores are not diligent in updating their costs.  This is one of the few places where your knowledge of the changing spot market can be very valuable.

Internet:  There are many places to purchase gold and silver over the Internet.  I have done this several times.  I dislike it every time.  I cannot judge the purchase before I see it and with even the most reputable dealers I have had very long waiting periods.  The other downside is that this is a very documentable transaction. So this eliminates one of the positives about owning metals–the privacy.  Still, it is relatively safe and if you do not have access to other options, it can be an easy way to purchase metal.

Through the Internet I have also bought coins off Craigslist and other avenues, meeting with people at gas stations and fast food restaurants and exchanging coins for cash.  While it feels a bit like a drug deal there are some good deals.  It is important to understand that it is rare to find “a steal.”  The Internet allows people to research their goods and expect a fair price.  If you are willing to deal fairly you can avoid middle man mark up and occasionally find something good.  Your knowledge will help you negotiate better prices as well.

Private Collectors: Aside from the aforementioned Craigslist, I have not purchased coins from private collectors.  This would require some solicitation on my part and at this time I do not have the funds or the free time to do so.  However, if you have both, this could be very advantageous once you are comfortable in your knowledge of the market.

The value of gold and silver is not a mystery and with a bit of time, you will understand the lingo and feel comfortable dealing with the pros.  The last thing I would like to share is that collecting coins and bullion is fun.  Coins have a sense of history both in the US and around the world.  I’ve come across coins dated from the Roman Empire, Spanish coins from the initial conquest of the new world and many other historical items. I am amazed at each time I hold one in my hand.  It is something that you can share with your children (and that they can inherit), family and friends.  It is profitable and a traditional method used to invest and save.  While metal prices may fluctuate, coin values can be fixed due to the limited quantity. 

Furthermore, armed with a bit of knowledge you can make easy money just sorting through circulated coins.  Over the last year, there have been two US silver coins that entered my collection through general every day transactions.  There is a certain amount of pleasure finding a silver dime in your change and knowing it is worth a whole lot more than the ten cents they thought they handed you.

Two Letters Re: Everyday Carry Items

Dear Mr. Rawles,

I was very glad to see J.C.R.’s article on Everyday Carry Items and wholeheartedly agree with him that Everyday Carry (EDC) is of critical importance when preparing for events that happen at speeds that do not allow time to fetch go-bags or other equipment.

While he makes excellent suggestions on items to carry and notes the importance of keeping these items compact and lightweight for ease and consistency of carry, there are some additional notes that I thought your readers may find helpful.

Firstly, rather than limiting the EDC of whistles to women’s handbags, I recommend that everyone keep a whistle with them at all times.  This is easily accomplished by purchasing one of those cheap little rescue metal whistles and attaching it to your keys.

Whistles are useful in an emergency to anyone in any location, be it in the city or in a rural area.  Whether you are lost in the woods or trapped under debris in a building, you will be well served by keeping a small but loud whistle with you.  There are several reasons for this.  Firstly, the noise of a whistle will carry a lot further than shouts for help and cut through background noise that would drown out a human voice.  Secondly, a whistle will allow you to make loud noise for as long as you can breathe, whereas your voice will soon fail after repeatedly shouting for help.  Thirdly, in cases were the air is filled with dust or smoke, using a whistle can help you avoid taking the deep breaths of harmful particles that would occur if you were shouting for help.

Secondly, on the note of the cell phone contacts list, I recommend carrying a hard copy of your contact numbers in your wallet as a backup to the contacts function on your cell phone.  The main reason for this is that if your cell phone’s battery runs out or the phone itself is damaged beyond use, then you still have a contacts list that is not dependent on power and is far more resistant to water and crushing if properly produced.  Personally, I carry a credit card sized laminated piece of paper with my contacts on one side (with their names shortened to initials to protect their privacy should the card be lost) and two ‘In Case of Emergency’ (ICE) numbers on the other side in case I am incapacitated and my family needs to be contacted.

Thirdly is the subject of flashlights.  If it is practical, I recommend carrying something that will take AA or AAA batteries instead of the little coin cell lights.  These will give very long running times and are common enough to be scrounged from common electronic items if necessary, such as television remote controls, wireless computer peripherals and other gadgets.  Of course, it is preferable to keep a spare battery on your person instead of searching for one in the middle of an emergency, which is why I carry a modified, cut down version of the PowerPax battery holders, usually two chambers cut off the AAA holder or one chamber from a AA holder.  The plastic is easily cut with a hacksaw and filed and sanded to a smooth round finish.  The battery holders protect the terminals of the batteries well and have good battery retention.  In the case of the glow-in-the-dark PowerPax holders, the glow can be of assistance in changing batteries in the dark.

As for the flashlights themselves, I am a big fan of Fenix brand lights, which I have found to be very reliable and hard wearing.  The Fenix E01 model in particular is a very affordable AAA light that is extremely robust, waterproof and simple to operate, while producing  around 21 hours of 10 lumen light off a single battery, being capable of standing on its tail as an improvised candle type light and being small enough to carry on your keys.  For those with a larger budget, the Fenix LD10 is a very capable AA light too, which I highly recommend for its toughness, variety of high and low settings and potential for seventy hours of runtime in it’s lowest 3 lumen mode.

Finally, I am a big believer in keeping a small notepad or at least a scrap of paper and a writing instrument on my person whenever I am out of the house.  It gives me a way to record information easily and reliably, which could be of great help in a disaster should I have to note down important information on the radio or that has been given to me by another person.  In the most dire of circumstances, it could be used by you or another person to write a goodbye note to your family if you are certain that you or someone you come across will not survive their injuries.  Not a pleasant thought but it could bring some measure of comfort to you or another person in your final moments.

I hope that these suggestions will be of use to your readers.

Many thanks for producing such a wonderful blog, it’s a great resource!

Regards, – T.C.

 

 

Sir
I’d like to comment on purses for carrying EDC items. Years and years ago I bought a leather backpack. Absolutely the best investment I’ve ever made. It’s been around the world and though a lot with me. I’ll describe it, and try to make the case for carrying something like it rather than a traditional purse.

It has several layers of compartments. On the outside of the main “sack” there are three largish pouches, each with a smaller, flatter sub-pouch. They are all zippered. The front pouch is compartmentalized with space for pens, etc. and is large enough to handle a wallet, checkbook, cell phone, and so on. The side pouches are big enough to handle a gun, hairbrush, Tylenol bottle, etc. These pouches are important because they are convenient places to store every day stuff. If I need my wallet, I can just sling the sack off one shoulder and around without ever having to relinquish possession of the sack. You can say the same thing for a largish shoulder bag, but the even distribution of weight on my back, rather than on just one shoulder makes a big difference. 

The smaller sub-pouches are great places to tuck away a folded trash bag, dental floss, a few paper towels, kleenex– things you might not need everyday but that come in handy. 

The inside of the sack is huge, and also has one zippered compartment into which I put really sensitive stuff– the spare cash, my passport, glucose pen. Right now the main sack part has almost nothing in it. But it’s plenty big enough to carry an extra sweater, a change of clothes, cameras, video recorders, sneakers– you name it! Oh, and importantly, it can also hold a real purse! (A nested purse.)

There are a couple of other advantages. Leather can take a pretty good soaking and still protect the contents. My husband has no problem carrying my sack (he would hold a purse but would not carry one around). I always have two hands free. In dicey situations, it’s just as easy to carry it in front, instead of on your back, in other words, it’s a lot easier to protect than a purse. And it’s also a weapon of a certain sort. I have used it to push my way through a horde of beggars in a foreign train station. 

I know that some women would have a real problem carrying something like this around on a day-to-day basis. “The sack”– as we call it– has become part of me. It’s just who I am. On those rare occasions that I don’t actually carry it– to a [formal occasion like a] wedding for example, or going into a courthouse (where guns aren’t allowed)– it sits quietly in the truck. But it– and more importantly its contents– are still accessible.  Thanks again for the article. – Mrs. B.

Economics and Investing:

Ryan S. sent: IMF downgrades outlook for US and Europe economies

J.W.M. spotted this: Florida credit processor to give away AK-47s

Paul K. mentioned a recent BBC piece: Anarchy in the USA – could it happen here?

Over at The Daily Bell: Advisers Emphasize Calm as Global Depression Gathers

More nationalization down in Hugo Land: Venezuela forces miners to sell gold to government

Items from The Economatrix:

Stocks Plunge After Fed Announces Stimulus Steps

$2,000 Gold Now in Sight

Big-name Brands Cut Size Not Price

Gold Will Soar on Imminent US Bailout of Europe

China Pulls The Rug Out From Under Europe

Those darn derivatives, again: SEC proposes ban on shorting structured products. (“Gee, if they just ban all short selling, then markets can only go up!”)

Odds ‘n Sods:

Jeremiah S. and Ed. B. both sent me the link to this article from Wyoming, New York: Old bomb shelter, supplies harken back to Cold War days

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Andre D. sent this: The Secret Lives of Solar Flares

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In a four-day period that included Labor Day weekend, there were 67 people shot in the streets of New York City. Not content with the manifold lack of success of some of the most restrictive gun laws in the country, Mayor Michael Bloomberg called for the enactment of more gun control laws! He was quoted: “We cannot tolerate it, there are just too many guns on the streets and we have to do something about it.” Bloomberg is a hypocrite that is thoroughly out of touch with reality. He is well-known as the chairman of a group that calls itself “Mayors Against Illegal Guns” (MAIG). But more accurately, his group should be called “Mayors Against All Guns Except For Us, Our Cronies, The Police, and Our Bodyguards” (MAAGEFUOCTPAOB), or perhaps “Corrupt and Criminal Democrat Mayors Against All Guns Not Owned By The Government Or By Very Special People” (CACDMAAGNOBTGOBVSP). You see, Bloomberg’s group has the distinction of an exceptionally high rate of felony convictions among its members, for crimes ranging multi-million dollar graft schemes and theft of campaign funds to wife beating. And, ironically, as felons these members have lost their right to own guns. But they think that they know what is best for us lowly plebes.

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A bad summer for grizzly bear attacks continues: Gutsy wrangler, huge horse save boy from charging grizzly.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle." – Edmund Burke

Notes from JWR:

I just heard that Jan Lebaron of Healthy Harvest died suddenly yesterday, due to an undisclosed illness. Please keep her family in your prayers. To help the family with upcoming funeral expenses, purchases from their web store would be greatly appreciated. (It is a small, family-owned company.)

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

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

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

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

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

You Are At Your Retreat — What Now?, by D.H.

Many of us have plans to get our family and friends to a retreat once the Schumer hits the fan (SHTF). Many of us have written down plans that tell us what things to grab before we leave (so we don’t forget something important), but how many of you have written down plans for what to do once you’re there, at your retreat? Why write them down? Well, because even though you may know everything you’re going to do once there, maybe the others don’t. For some unforeseen reason, you may not even make it there. Will your family know what to do with all the supplies you have stored? Will they know the best way to defend your particular location? For that matter, will you remember everything, given the fact that things will be stressful and maybe even chaotic once you get there? Hopefully this article will give you some idea of how to put a plan together. The plan should be printed out and stored at your retreat.

When I put my plan together, I made it like a short book, including using a title, preface, table of contents. This is to make it easier to find information on subjects, rather than reading a single long document.

The sections I chose were – Food and Water, Health & Hygiene, Security and Defense, Energy, Politics, Humanity, and Documentation. Obviously you can choose your own section titles. I try to visualize that my wife and I don’t make it to the retreat, and our teenage children do. Although I have tried to educate them on the preparedness mindset, they might have little clue of what to do in an extreme SHTF scenario. So I write to that level. As if they know very little and need a lot of guidance to survive at the retreat. I’ll now explain some of the information I try to include in those chapters.

Food and Water –

If you have stored water and access to fresh water, then describe what water to use first, and why. How to get and store more water (yes, preparedness must continue). Different ways to make water safe to drink. How to conserve water (especially if you have limited access to more).

Instructions for Food are similar. What stored foods to use first, and why. I recommend that if the scenario appears that it will be prolonged, then we should begin using the bulk storage foods (wheat, rice, beans, etc.) right away. This will save some of the more portable, easy to cook foods (like canned chili, stew, or freeze dried and MRE type meals) for times when there may not be an opportunity to cook (lack of fuel, long hours of work, bugging-out, etc.), or to take with you in the event you need to abandon your retreat. Yes, you may even have to bug out of your retreat at some point.

Describe how to get more food (hunting, trapping, gathering, gardening, etc.). If you are able to get fresh food right away, then definitely use that before any stored food. Talk about different ways to store new food for use later (by canning, drying, etc.). Discuss conserving the food and getting the most use out of what you get. Things like boiling heads and other parts of animals, even if just to get the fatty oil to surface so you can use it. How about, if you have lots of blackberries, but have no way to preserve them, then eat as many as you can without becoming ill. Like a bear, getting fattened up now for the lean months ahead might mean the difference between living and dying.

Talk about how to cook, to conserve energy and to minimize the signs of your presence. You may not want a smoke signal being sent up in the middle of a clear day. A better way might be to cook when it gets dark, and to use solar to cook on the clear days. At least be aware of your choices and potential consequences.

Heath and Hygiene –

In this section you will want to discuss nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, and mental well being. Talk about eating enough, eating for proper nutrition, and staying hydrated. Talk about proper sanitation (including proper food care, staying clean and dealing with garbage and human waste). Discuss using extra care to prevent work-related injuries. If an extra set of hands can prevent an injury (like cutting yourself or hurting your back), then ask for help. Use protective equipment such as gloves and goggles. Staying safe and healthy is easier than combating an illness or injury.

Talk about the proper ways to cook and handle foods to nobody gets food-born illnesses or diseases. This is no time to become careless about something so simple.

Describe the planned method of doing laundry at your retreat. Wearing clean underwear or pajamas to bed can help reduce the amount of time needed to wash bedding. Even if you normally take a morning shower, it may make more sense to take a shower in the evening, after your work day is done.

Discuss sexually active couples and the risks of getting pregnant during the stressful conditions you are in.

There may be some “down time”. Especially in the evening when there may not be television and movies for everyone to watch. This is a great time for everyone (and I mean everyone) to learn as much as they can, from your stash of medical books, about first aid and advanced medical care. You don’t know who will end up being the injured person and who will be the “doctor”.

Mental health is another consideration. Everyone should read books you have stored, including the Bible. Keep up on your prayers too. Listen to the radio to try to keep up on what’s going on in the world, and maybe listening to a little music (quietly) might help. If you have the ability to watch stored DVD movies, then that may help too.

Discuss keeping each other informed about any significant changes in any aspect of your group’s well-being. Being informed and avoiding surprises is important to everyone’s safety and mental stability. All of this can help keep your group from going crazy.

Of course you should talk about triage and what to do if dead bodies are encountered (either from your group, or from an enemy). Being prepared mentally for these potentially intense events can go a long way to help.

Security and Defense –

This section you should discuss your planned method of deterring and combating any enemies. How will you be alerted that potential enemies are near (people on watch, electronic alarms, dogs)? How will you determine who is an enemy? How will you determine which ones to confront and which ones to run from? Discuss the advantage of going un-noticed first and then [, failing that,] looking like an unattractive target. If you have look-out posts, who will man them? When will shifts be rotated? Where will the posts be located?

How do you secure your buildings? Talk about light and noise management. How do you communicate, and what signals or codes will you use? How will your group train for these events?

When a threat is encountered, what level of force will you use, and what tools do you have that can accomplish the task. Not every threat is a deadly force situation (either at the beginning, or even throughout the incident).

Who will carry firearms? Which firearms will they use? Do they understand when it’s appropriate to shoot?

Does everyone understand how to communicate that there is a threat? How do the lookouts communicate with others? What codes or signs will be given? If you have radio communications, do you have codes to use so someone monitoring it might not know who exactly is talking?

You should address what tactics to use during a battle. What protective gear to wear, how you would deal with a wounded companion, and areas of responsibility are important to address too.

Address fire danger and how to fight fires.

Talk about the importance of knowing your enemy. Can you can gather information about your enemies in advance? What are their numbers, their skills, and their weapons? Is an attack imminent? If so, can you plan a preemptive strike? When do you attack and when is it wise to retreat? (Have those Bug-Out-Bags ready, even once you’re at the retreat.)

Talk about the use of force multipliers. Things such as barriers, alarms, decoys, and improvised explosives. Developing good relationships with nearby neighbors can help too.

Energy –

Energy for heat and work. Mainly stored energy, like wood, gas, and batteries. Address how you will conserve the energy you have and make more (by cutting wood, solar charging batteries, etc.).

Heat will be used mainly for keeping you warm during cold weather, and also for cooking food. It may also be used to boil water to drink, heat water for showers, re-hydrating food, and drying clothes during cold weather.

Most work might be done by manual labor, but some things require electricity. Your individual situation will dictate the instructions you give for electrical use. Maybe you can have a television playing a DVD all day, or maybe all you can only allow electricity to be used for is the occasional radio communication or flashlight use.

Describe the importance of using solar energy, whenever possible, for cooking, heating water, drying clothes and food, etc.

Politics –

One of the important things to address is the political makeup of your group. Who is in charge? How will important decisions be decided? Who is allowed to be part of the group? (There will always be unexpected people who want to join.) Who will be assigned what chores [or duties]? What behavior can get someone banished from the retreat? Address the importance of “pulling your own weight” and getting along with each other. Not everyone has the same skills or strength, but almost everyone has something to contribute.

Explain how triage will be conducted in health care [and veterinary care]. How there is a limited amount of skill and supplies.

Even among these tough times and trying decisions, the importance of keeping and promoting a good attitude needs to be emphasized. Attitude is contagious, whether it is a good one or a bad one.

Humanity –

This section will address how you will want to continue to be law-abiding and civil. And by doing so, you will help maintain your sanity, dignity, and humanity. Continue to educate each other, learning new skills, and helping each other. If children are there, start home-schooling them. And pray, as a group and individually.

Arrange for some relaxation time for everyone. A time of rest and play will benefit everyone. Be charitable and social with your neighbors. (But, of course, don’t reveal your storage supplies or your tactics to them.) Charity might only be in the form of labor, if that’s all you’ve got to give, but at least it’s something.

Keep clean. Staying clean and healthy helps your attitude and makes you feel “human”.

Documentation –

Talk about keeping a journal or log of the events that occur. There should be daily entries describing what you did, what you were thinking, what the weather was doing, etc. Any conflicts or deaths must be documented.

The journal can be very important if it is needed in court several months or years from now. It will also be a valuable item to pass on to your children and grandchildren.

Another form of documentation is photographs. Especially if there is a death. Take lots of photos (if you can), as if it were a crime scene.

Try to keep track of the date (at minimum, it will be nice to celebrate birthdays). Try to keep up to date medical records on each person. And, try to keep an accurate inventory of all supplies. This will help predict your needs for the future.

I hope this information about creating a plan will help. This should be a living document. It will change as your supplies, equipment, and personnel change. I always put the edited date on the front. Just putting your retreat planning document together might make you think of things you need to do or acquire.

Basic Rifle Marksmanship–Is It That Basic?

To be the best at something we must start out at the basics.  But in marksmanship, what are the basics?  The basics don’t start when we put the magazine in our rifle.  The basics start well before we fire the first shot.  We don’t want our first marksmanship test to be when we absolutely have to fire a shot in defense or necessity.  Marksmanship is something that many don’t come by naturally.  It must be worked on.  For those who it comes naturally to, practice makes perfect and some things need to be discovered in practice before they are discovered too late to correct or save your own life.

The first thing in rifle marksmanship is knowing the weapon that you are using.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a bolt action, a semi-auto, or any other type of action.  In this article we will focus on one of the more popular weapons and in my opinion one that is extremely user friendly.  We will focus on the AR-15, M16, M4, “Black Rifle”, or whatever name you want to call.  I use a Bushmaster in 6.8 SPC for a little more power than compared to the 5.56 mm.  Caliber really isn’t a huge issue when it comes to marksmanship because even a well placed shot from a .22 LR will do enough damage to stop someone or something.  We don’t need to cover the components of the rifle with their proper name, but we must know how the rifle functions.  We must sit down with our rifle and become 100% comfortable with its feel, action, and handling. 

Everyone knows how to walk around their own home or apartment.  We feel comfortable with the situation if anyone comes into my domain, I will be at an advantage because I know the terrain.  Walking around the house with no weapon in hand, not worrying about being harmed, and at our leisure is much different than holding a rifle while trying to protect ourselves as the defender, and protecting anyone that we reside with.  It is much like a vehicle, we must know how to handle our weapon in a vehicle with a seat belt on, opening the door, and exiting the vehicle.  Our homes are no different than dismounting a vehicle without knowing how to get our rifle out with a seat belt on. 

I have walked around my house with my rifle in hand clearing the stairway, a bedroom, etc. It is just like urban combat, but we are in our own home, not a war zone or a shoot house.  My house looks entirely different with a rifle held at the ready, I know most people would feel the same way.  A few dry runs may seem ridiculous at the time, but when it comes to a time when your life is at stake, feeling comfortable with your rifle and your domain is a very important part of marksmanship.

Moving on, we get to see the function and actual handling of our rifle to our own body.  We will focus on magazine changes, malfunctions, and overall non-live fire procedures.  Lets start at the sling.  There are all types of slings on the market, there are one point slings, two point slings, and even three point slings.  The one point sling is practical with a chest rig or body armor, but isn’t the best when wearing just a T-shirt or a jacket.  A three point sling is the least practical because the sling itself passes in by functioning parts of the rifle, the bolt release, the magazine release, and the charging handle.  The two point sling is preferred and one that adjusts is the best option.  A two point sling that adjusts by pulling on part of the sling to lengthen or shorten the overall length of the sling. 

The magazine change is an important part of marksmanship because running out of ammunition and not being able to effectively reload puts the shooter at a very big disadvantage.  A magazine change should be simple, quick, and effective.  When ammunition is getting low or completely gone the first thing to do is raise your rifle up at an angle where the magazine well is at eye level and the barrel is putting towards the sky.  Using the trigger finger to press the magazine release and grab the magazine with the non-firing hand.  Place the empty magazine in a pocket or a drop pouch and grab a full magazine with the same hand.  While keeping your eyes on your target, or down range, looking past the magazine well, place the magazine in the magazine well until it seats with a click.  Press the bolt release and allow the bolt to slam the next round into the chamber.  Immediately raise your rifle to firing position which should be a quick movement because your eyes should have never left your target.  The key to effective magazine changes is not looking at your magazines, but continuing to look at your target so you can adjust your next shots and never lose sight of your target.

Malfunctions are a fact of life.  No matter what rifle you are firing, someday you will have a malfunction.  Clearing a malfunction is much like a magazine change.  Your actions need to be smooth, quick, and once again effective.  By knowing your rifle’s action you will know when the recoil or any thing else is not normal for your rifle.  When your AR type rifle malfunctions it is a simple fix, in most cases.  Simply leave the rifle on your shoulder while maintaining a grip with your firing hand.  Quickly reach back with your non-firing hand and charge the weapon several times.  The expended brass should be ejected and rounds should be fed into the chamber of your rifle.  If there is a double feed, or a feed when two rounds or more try to enter the chamber at once, you must drop the magazine, allow the rounds to drop from the magazine well, replace the magazine and continue firing.  Clearing a malfunction is possible without ever having to take your eyes off of your intended target.  Practicing with dummy rounds (fired rounds with a bullet replaced) will make clearing a malfunction second nature and quite possibly save your life, or the life’s of your loved ones.

As stated before, marksmanship begins before any live round is fired from a weapon.  With a magazine placed in your weapon get into a steady firing position.  Feet shoulder width apart, dominant leg slightly forward.  Keep your back straight, but bend slightly forward to help control the recoil of your weapon.  You should raise the rifle to your head, not put your head to your rifle.  Your non-firing hand needs to be as far out on the rifle as you can safely hold.  Holding your rifle this way eliminates the “wobble” zone between your two hands.  No matter what position you start in, prone, kneeling, or standing, your rifle and eyes are always on the target.  When going from standing to prone, you should squat, place your non firing hand flat on the ground and quickly kick both legs behind you simultaneously. Grab your rifle with your non-firing hand, as far out as you can.  Your non firing elbow, magazine, and firing elbow should all be on the ground while in the prone position.  Getting to your feet is the exact same thing you did to get prone, but in reverse order.  Remember, your eyes and rifle will always be pointed towards your target.  For kneeling, the basic premise is that you do not want your elbow on your knee, or bone to bone.  You want to place your non firing elbow into the thigh of your non-firing leg.  By doing this, you reduce even more “wobble” in your firing position.

Firing from cover from any position is also very simple and uses the same fundamentals as any other firing position.  If using a wall or any type of barrier, there are things to do that can steady your shot and make you much more effective.  No matter what position you are in, you simply place your non firing hand on the barrier.  Make a “C” with your thumb and fore finger.  Your remaining three fingers should be flat against the barrier.  Grip your rifle with your “C” and get behind your rifle like you are in any other firing position.  By using the barrier, your hand, and a steady firing position your rounds are extremely effective.

The hard parts of marksmanship are the ones that take the most conscious effort:  Breathing control and trigger squeeze.  Mastering these two can make a world of difference in how well a person shoots.  Breathing control is the hardest of the two.  You must exhale and inhale normally while concentrating on doing it.  Sounds a little strange, but try to control your breathing with a conscience effort and you begin to hold your breath too long or not long enough.  You want to fire on your normal pause between an exhale and an inhale.  That slight pause is the most effective time to fire a round in.  If you hold your breath too long, your body will begin to shake, which makes firing effectively extremely difficult.  If you can control your breathing you are on your way to becoming effective with your rifle. 

The next thing is trigger squeeze.  The operative word is squeeze, don’t pull.  By squeezing the trigger you apply constant pressure backwards until the trigger breaks and the round lets go. [The following is true for most semi-autos:] Do not release the trigger all the way back to the front!  By doing this you reset the trigger and must take the time to pull the slack out of it again.  Slowly release the trigger until there is a definite click, then stop.  Your trigger pull will be significantly shorter if the trigger does not completely reset.  This requires constant attention, but is easily mastered.  A shortened trigger squeeze will save precious milliseconds and will make a substantial difference in your shooting.

Finally we get to the good stuff.  Making ourselves effective shooters using live rounds.  This is sometimes a time consuming, ammo consuming, but fun and exciting experience.  I love getting behind a rifle and firing live rounds.  I don’t fire the old school 3 rounds, adjust, 3 round adjust, 3 rounds, Done.  I fire strings of 5 rounds, observe, 5 rounds, observe, 5 rounds adjust.  Start out at 100 meters or yards it really doesn’t make a difference.  Get in a good prone firing position and fire your first 5 rounds while aiming center mass or at the bull’s eye of the target.  Walk to your target and observe your group.  If it is tight (within an inch or so) you are good, if it’s loose, don’t worry, 5 more rounds and we will see.  Fire 5 more rounds. Observe your target.  We want our rifle to be zeroed at 200 meters so at 100 meters your rounds will be 1 inch high above the bulls eye or the center of your target.  If your group is acceptable to you (that’s your call) you can move your target out to 200 meters or yards.  The process repeats itself over and over again until you as the shooter feel comfortable with your firing.  I have seen people I have trained need over 250 rounds to get good at 200 meters.  What is acceptable to you is your call, but at 200 meters a group should be under 2 inches in diameter.  Since our point of aim is center mass, our point of impact is going to be center mass.  Point of Aim/Point of Impact.  After this is complete you can move onto bigger and better things.  A great exercise that I found to be fun and helpful is an easy one to accomplish.  While standing at 25 meters, fire a shot.  If it hits move back to 50, then 100, 150, 200, keep moving to backward until you miss a shot.  It’s a fun way to test your standing shot ability.  Another exercise is to move between two barriers at a rapid pace while engaging different targets at different ranges.

You may say this all good if you have open spaces, but what about a person who is confined to an indoor range?  The same principles and fundamentals apply to a person inside or outside.  Every indoor range I have used has allowed prone firing.  Move the target as far back and possible and execute the fundamentals and fire.  The same goes for those who do not want to spend the money on the amount of ammunition needed to train effectively.  Go through the dry fire exercises I’ve mentioned and when you go to the range with a few rounds you will be comfortable with your abilities and will be effective on that day.  Every little bit of practice makes a difference when it comes to being effective behind a rifle.

In closing, a little about myself: I was an United States Army Infantryman for seven years.  For two of those years I was an Infantry Drill Sergeant at Ft. Benning, Georgia.  I spent countless hours on and off a range teaching soldiers how to shoot effectively.  I have been trained by the Asymmetrical Warfare Group’s Combat Application Course, and my company was the pilot company for integrating that block of instruction into basic training throughout the Army.  I cannot tell you how many rounds I have fired on a range, but every one has been “a blast.”  Hopefully this article will help you understand the importance of being effective in every aspect of your weapon.