Taking the Next Step, by Eli T.

It has been interesting to watch “prepping” go mainstream. From when the U.S. DHS first advocated a three day supply of food and water to Sunset magazine running an article on a “fire season” bug out bag last month, ideas that were once considered outcast and questionable are now accepted as prudent and normal. It has also been interesting to watch off grid living and homesteading be accepted and embraced by both the “survival mindset” crowd and the “reduce your carbon footprint-local food” crowd. This is a great opportunity for us. A large majority of the country seems to be waking up, and taking the first step towards preparing. While discussing this with my wife and family recently, we came to a realization, and that was that since we had already taken the first step, we needed to take the next step as well. (Those familiar with the “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course will understand what I am referring to). This article will show you what woke us up, how we took the next step in the retreat/retreat group area, and hopefully encourage you too also.

I consider myself the “average” SurvivalBlog reader. We live on the outskirts of a suburban area. We stay up to date on political events. My wife and I are both LEOs, and have training and skills. We both carry, and are prepared in all the basics: ammunition, magazines, water, food, fuel, lighting, waste etc. We have bug out bags packed, and ready. We keep our vehicles full of fuel, and practice OPSEC. We also have limitations. We live in a house on a smaller lot. We have a garden, but not one big enough to live on for an extended time. We are on city water and do not have a well, but have made provisions and store a three month supply of water. We have done the “weekend off grid” experiment. (On a side note…..We also invented our own version of that experiment that was quite enlightening, which consisted of not purchasing anything for a month. While this was originally designed as a way to save money, it was very eye opening in discovering the little things you run out of and helped adjust and shape out future purchasing patterns.) We have a purchasing plan, and are slowly adding to our preps. While we have a few like minded friends, and have talked about when the SHTF, it is a far cry from an organized retreat group.

The realization came to us that with all of these things and skills we had, we were preparing in the wrong way. The wake up call came when we thought of our immediate neighborhood. We have an honest three month supply of water for three people (two adults, one infant) and provisions to purify more. We began to laugh when we thought about our neighborhood. How many of them store food? How many of them store water? How bad would things in our neighborhood get by the time that we were near the end of our initial water supply? How bad would things get in your neighborhood by the time you ran out of supplies? Sure, you had thought ahead, but have your neighbors? How much food and water do you have stored right now? How bad would things have to get for you to use all of your food storage? Think of your town. Think of your street. Think about using up even one month of your food storage (i.e. things are bad enough that people in your area are not able to purchase food for one month) or cracking open that second case of ammo. Can you begin to picture how bad things would be? Unless you live in an area where people can provide for themselves, you would be living in a war zone. For us, by the time we even thought about opening up a bucket of wheat or a #10 can, things would be horrible all around us. What we realized and what I hope you do also is that without a natural supply of water and a way to grow food all you are doing is buying time. Even if you were able to go unnoticed long enough to use up all of your stores, you would still eventually reach the end of them.

We had to admit that for our situation, we were over-prepared for where we lived. Was what we had better than nothing? Absolutely. Is two months of food better than one month of food? Absolutely. What we were faced with though was the idea that we were limited by location, both in proximity to people and means of production.

If you are comfortable with that, then stop reading. For the majority of disruptions, we would be fine. We would be prepared for most any disaster that has beset our nation thus far. If you have a similar setup, you would be too. However, for long term disruptions, we would eventually run out. For our family, this was not an acceptable outcome. We needed a retreat. We have been aware that JWR has been preaching this for years, but this was the first time the realization of how important it was hit us. Someone recently posted on here about the “pipedream” of a retreat. For most people, us included, this was always our view of it. Everyone knows it would be great to have an off grid 40 acre retreat somewhere with a small commando force, but it was never considered a real, immediate option. We had jobs, bills, a mortgage, etc, but mainly plenty of excuses. With this wake up call though, we decided to take the next step, and make it a reality.

To purchase land, we needed money. So we started saving. As LEOs, my wife and I each make around $45,000 a year before taxes. Not a lot, but plenty to get by and live comfortably. We had a son last year, and decided before he was born that my wife would stay home when the little one came, effectively halving our income. To us, it was worth it. With my income, we were able to cover bills, mortgage, have enough for food, and save a little each month. Just being in this position, and having a little money left at the end of the month (instead of the familiar having month left at the end of the money!) we realize how lucky we are. It involves a strict budget. We cancelled cable television before the baby was born. We use coupons. We drive old cars. We operate on a cash basis only. When the cash is gone, it is gone until the next pay day. I learned to fix a lot of things.

I worked overtime where I could. My wife babysat here and there for extra money. When more money came in, we stayed on our budget. This is the key to saving. People have a tendency to spend windfalls rather than save them. Anything extra went towards the retreat goal. We sold some things to add to the fund. We had enough supplies on hand to weather a few months of things getting Schumeresque, and decided to put our monthly purchasing on hold until land could be purchased, adding this to the pot. I had a small retirement account we closed to add to the fund. But still, we were far from the goal.

We prayed about it, and went to my family. I am blessed to be close to my two brothers and parents, both literally in distance and figuratively. They also have seen the writing on the wall, and realized the prudent need for a retreat. We decided to go in together and purchase land. This may or may not be an option for you. For us, it was. We trust each other explicitly, and went into it with the understanding that each would contribute what they could towards the goal, no questions asked. We specifically did not make this a “business venture” or an “investment” in the typical sense of the word, but viewed it more as an insurance policy, something that could be passed on to children.

We began to look around for a good area to purchase land. Utilizing JWR‘s retreat area guidelines, we chose a small town (around 800 people) well off of the beaten path. It is reachable by multiple avenues if needed. It is well off lines of drift, as evidenced that many people in our current area have actually never even heard of it, even though it is only around a three hour drive away. Soil is rich, and water depth is good. We located a piece that we liked. It was not that big, under five acres, but backed up to national forest, and had a well in place with water at 100 feet. Surface water in the form of multiple creeks are nearby. It has good sun exposure, and is defensible, with a good mix of timber and meadow. It is on the smaller side of properties in the area, which we like. I view it as buying the least expensive house in an expensive neighborhood.

We decided up front that we would not finance anything. We passed on some amazing properties because we accepted the fact that we could not afford them. Cash however is perfect for the current economy. People are willing to deal. I won’t get into specifics, but the seller took roughly 60% of his asking price in cash, and was happy about it. We later learned that he had two previous offers on the property fall through while in the financing process. Cash is king. Saving is not easy, but it is possible. Four families, three of which are single income, saved enough to pay cash for the land in two years. Two of us cashed in 401(k)s, and another sold some gold.

The retreat is still a work in progress, as we purchased the land only last month. Our first step will be to dig a second well, most likely converting the current one to a hand pump, and the second to a solar or wind-powered pump for redundancy. This will be done as we can afford it, paying cash as we go. This will take longer, but we will stay out of debt. We are also looking at what will grow without irrigation, and will plant that ASAP. The county zoning allows structures of fewer than 200 square feet to be built without permit or plan. Our goal is to be as off grid as possible, and we plan on building a small bunk house in the spring to serve as a base while we make improvements. In keeping up OPSEC, we will try to do as much of the work as we can. We have some construction experience, but figure this will be a great learning opportunity. My parents have agreed to live at the retreat year round when they retire in a year or two to avoid theft and squatters.

We had to think outside of the box and make some sacrifices in order to make our retreat a reality. Ideally, we each would have been able to purchase a retreat, but we got tired of thinking and dreaming of what was ideal, and decided to start making something a reality. We also decided that a less than ideal retreat was better than joining the Golden Horde because we failed to act. I strongly encourage each of you to take a long hard honest look at your current situation with a critical eye. Can you be truly sustainable where you are, or are you just buying time like we were? If you are just buying time, accept that fact and take the next step! Look at your budget. Look at your assets. With the 401(k) takeover that is looming in congress, you need to decide what is more important to you. For us, it was well worth it to convert money in the bank or a retirement account that was losing value daily to real land. You will have to decide, because you will be the one to live with the choices you make. I encourage you to look into it. We actually found quite a few low priced options, including two and a half acres in the same general area for as low as $25,000. With the price of a new car being above this, it comes down to being a matter of priority.

The process of purchasing land also helped pave the way for beginnings of our retreat group. As mentioned above, while we have some good friends that we have had conversations with about TSHTF, we did not have a retreat group. I know a lot of people are fearful of talking about their preps to other people, and for good reason. OPSEC needs to be maintained, and people are weary of coming off as crazy or chicken little, etc. The reality that we need to accept though is that you will be hard pressed to do it alone. Three to four families/couples are a minimum to secure and work a small farm. I understand that this is not an option for everyone. It is an option though to expect you to look at your current situation, and improve it. For us, a family based retreat group was the most logical option. When we spoke about purchasing the land, it was refreshing to hear that everyone was having similar thoughts regarding the future. If you do not have family close by, maybe you have a close friend, co-worker, or a shooting or hunting buddy. Maybe your neighbor.

Start small. Take it to the next step. Probe. Enough ads for gold have been on television and radio that it would not be hard to wait for one to air, than ask the person what they think about it. Bring up politics. Bring up the wildfires in Colorado, and the Sunset magazine article on being ready to bug out. Be prepared to take your time. Opening people’s eyes is a slow process. Wherever you happen to be on the continuum, take it to the next step. If you have never had the conversation with anyone, have one. Ask about something safe, or in the news. Ask about canning, or something “green” or acceptable. Have a way out if the conversation turns sour. Do not reveal too much. Do not expect to have a retreat group hashed out in an hour or two. Plant seeds. If you are still unsure, start a false email account, and forward yourself and some friends a link to this web site to bring the topic up.

For most SurvivalBlog readers, I assume you are in the same boat we were. We had close friends and family who saw the writing on the wall, albeit at differing levels. We ranged from a gun or two and a few weeks food to gun safes full and many months of food storage. So we took it to the next step, which was organization. While talking about purchasing land, the topic came up of why. We went through a threat assessment. We ran the spectrum of expected threats. We talked about being able to man and defend the land. One of the things that everyone agreed on was even in a depression/recession scenario, absent war and civil unrest, having paid for land and a means of food production was a necessity. We talked about weapon standardization, as well as BOBs and other bean/bullet/band-aid issues. We agreed to start more intense firearms training and small squad training, etc. We talked about what skills people could bring to the table.

We still have a ways to go to having a full-fledged-up-and-running retreat. We are not fully squared away by any means. But we have a plan now, and some place to go. We took the next step. This is better prepared than we were a month ago and we will be better prepared next month than we are today. You can be too. I encourage you to take the next step. Look at land. Accept that less than ideal but real is better than a pipe dream. With a little planning, even an acre could produce more food than you think. Look at your budget. For my brothers and I, we are roughly forty years away from retirement. We have no idea what those years will hold. But having land where we can farm and live made a lot more sense than money tied up in an account somewhere that you don’t have control over. Examine your priorities. Talk to your friends, talk to your family, plant the seeds, and take the next step. God Bless, and keep your powder dry.

Organizing as an Important Part of Prepping, by K.S.

I’ve enjoyed the SurvivalBlog.com site and articles for some time now, but I never thought I would contribute an article! I have been prepping for a few years, and my husband and I have secured enough food, guns, ammo and other necessities to care for ourselves and a few relatives for at least 12-18 months. We live in the country, have spring-fed ponds, gardens and lots of game in our immediate area.  Still, we can never get cozy with the idea that we are fully prepared.  Prepping, I am finding, is a lifestyle and life skill that continues as long as we are able to keep it going.

Recently, my activities in the area of organization have prompted me to share some ideas  on this subject.  Fall in the northern United States requires a level of prepping that most people here understand and undertake, without reference to TEOTWAWKI. Heating fuel and wood must be procured and stored, gardens “put to bed”, winter clothes and bedding aired and installed in closets, extra food and water stored for snow storms.  We put away the garden tools and bring out the snow removal equipment, stash emergency supplies in the car in case of being snowbound, check winter boots and replace, if needed.  Life is just a little more difficult at -10°, with snow on the ground measured in feet.  Those who fail to prepare suffer this more than necessary.  In fact, my first experience with prepping came from notion of storing enough staples so that I did not have to lug lots of grocery bags from the garage, uphill to the house during the winter.  (Our previous homes had attached garages, but we no longer have that “luxury”.)

The term “nesting instinct” is sometimes used to describe the peculiar drive, sometimes more prevalent with women, to secure one’s home for the winter months.  I’ve talked to many people who recognize this drive to prepare and organize for the winter.  This year I’ve been feeling an even stronger drive to organize and prepare than in the past.  Perhaps it’s from a sense which many of us have, that more than just winter is coming.

I’ve always been somewhat of an organizer, (I hate messiness and clutter) but just recently started to really enumerate the values of organization when it comes to prepping.  I hope this article will show how good organization of your home/retreat/supplies can:

  • Save money
  • Improve safety/security
  • Improve efficiency

So part of my fall cleaning to-do list included cleaning out parts of the house that we all have that tend to get cluttered: junk drawers, garage and basement, closets, etc.  This led me to looking at organization as an important part of prepping.  Let me give you an example:  While going through these cluttered areas I started collecting things into groups.  I found spools of thread in my craft closet, my bathroom drawer, the junk drawer, the laundry room, etc.  When all collected, I found I had over 50 spools of thread!  I had recently bought some because they were on the “100 Most Sought-After Items after TEOTWAWKI“. Now, all the thread, needles, safety pins, sewing supplies are gathered in one box.  Not only do I know what I have, I know whether I need more, or how much I might barter off, if needed.  Not only that, anyone in the house can quickly find these items when necessary.

The same method was applied to many other needed supplies such as batteries, matches, first aid supplies, candles, winter hats and gloves, paper goods, office supplies, electrical cords and gadgets, etc.  Many of us have taken time to organize our food storage and ammo, but what about the rest of our “stuff”?  It’s really amazing how much there is in the typical American home.  If you begin to organize what you have on hand, you may find that many items that will be important for survival and for barter are already in your home. I found that I could quit buying certain items because I had a good supply (now organized in one place) on hand.  I also was able to see what I should buy, thus using my resources more efficiently.  You also will save money in the long run because items will be stored properly, thus extending their shelf life and protecting them from damage.

Safety and security is not something to consider only in relation to an uncertain future, it’s an important element for each family every day.  Having your home organized in a way that allows items to be found quickly, when needed, can go a long way toward personal and home safety.  Making sure that dangerous items (medicines, matches, ammo, cleaning products, etc) are stored where young children can not access them is also important.

For me, organization helps me feel “in control” of my home and family life.  Believe me, my home is not pristine – I wouldn’t have this massive fall cleaning project going on if it was!  But organizing helps me get rid of clutter (you wouldn’t believe how many things I found that I can sell on ebay! – more money for needed items!), make room for further storage goods, and protect my investment in goods that will help us in the future.  My home just runs more efficiently when we can find the things we need, and replace just what we need.

Organizing your home and your preps does not need to cost a lot.  I used some plastic totes I had on hand, but also cardboard boxes, labeled with a magic marker.  Inexpensive shelving can be used as well.  I generally buy shelving or storage containers if they are on sale.  At a recent auction I bought big Rubbermaid totes for $1.00 each!  Be creative – we have cases of freeze dried food in #10 cans.  The cases make good supports for simple board shelves.  This is how I store toilet paper and paper towels off the basement floor!  The cases are set on top of plastic totes filled with extra clothing, thus, only plastic rests on the floor and everything is protected from possible dampness.

I hope that these few ideas will encourage you to begin organizing your “nest” to make life easier now, and in whatever future the Lord has in store for us!  God Bless!

Letter Re: Extreme Cold Weather Engine Starting Without Electric Heaters

First off, let me thank you for a great web site with lots of practical information. Over the last few months I have taken the liberty to read a large portion of the information i the SurvivalBlog archives. I have, I believe, an untouched tidbit: Many folks live in areas susceptible to frost. Some of us live in areas susceptible to sub-zero temperatures. Cold starting a vehicle, either gas or diesel can become problematic at best, or almost impossible when the thermometer dips into the minus figures.

Having lived in an area that sees the minus 70s (without a wind chill factor) and having to start vehicles or airplanes (or the snowmobile for that matter) without the advantage of oil pan heaters, head bolt heaters, battery blankets and all the other things that need a electricity to pre-heat the engine I revert back to the old [propane] weed burner trick. I first used it while wintering in the Wrangle Mountains to pre-heat the Supercub and then used this method for pre-heating while living off grid for a number of years in the Interior of Alaska.

The tools are simple. A propane weed burner, propane tank, several sections of stovepipe and a 90 degree elbow. A blanket or tarp will speed up the process a mite. The object is to create a forced air furnace of sorts by sticking the weed burner just inside the straight section of stovepipe and point the elbow up towards the oil pan. You need to have a stovepipe with a larger diameter than the weed burner end, a couple inches will do. If you get too small a diameter stovepipe, the stovepipe simply becomes a long flamethrower and overheating will result!

Once you ignite the weed burner and stick it into the end of the stovepipe, the force of the flame pulls outside air into the stovepipe, heats it, and sends it down the line to the engine compartment. It is pretty simple to adjust the heat and distance to the the motor to avoid melting anything you do not want melted and to avoid boiling the oil.

A couple of finer points that I’ve learned over the years:
Propane fails to reach vapor state at around minus forty. The weed burner will slowly turn to not much more than a candle flame. I simply set the tank slightly forward of the hottest part of the stovepipe and off to the side enough to catch some radiant heat. You must monitor this carefully as it is quite possible to get so much heat to the propane tank that the LP begins to expand which creates a larger flame, more expansion and it will experience a not so pretty ending. (Unless you hate the rig and have good insurance)

If you have an oil pan heater on the bottom of the pan you need to keep the heat to a minimum so as not to damage the oil pan heater. Smaller cars (like my wife’s Subaru) need smaller stovepipe and hence a smaller weed burner (to facilitate airflow around the weed burner tip and into the stovepipe) I can pre-heat my old Toyota at minus fifty in less that twenty minutes with this method. My crew cab diesel pickup takes twice that long.

By throwing a blanket or tarp over the hood so that it drapes to the ground, you will find that not only has the engine warmed up but you have also heated the front wheel bearings, tranny, battery and coolant. When I have a tarp draped over the front, I simply feed the stovepipe under from behind the front tires.

While it is much easier to have the electric doo-dads in place, there comes a time when you simply do not have an extension cord long enough to plug the things in.

As a side note, I have, in the past, pre-heated with everything from a bucket of coals to the MSR Whisperlite [backpacking stove]. While it may seem like a royal pain, it is actually quite simple and far easier than draining the oil and coolant and pulling the battery every night to leave them near the woodstove. I hope this helps someone to get up and get going some frigid day in the future. My best, – Scotty (aka “Coldfingers”), Fairbanks, Alaska

Economics and Investing:

From the UK: Coins fall prey to spending cuts. JWR’s Comment: Well, actually, this is just a sign of gradual currency inflation by the government. When even base metal coins have a value that exceeds their face value, then it is obvious that the people are being robbed by their government. The same situation exists in the U.S., where a five cent piece (the “Nickel”) costs seven cents to produce, and has a melt value of more than six cents. Currency inflation is robbery, in slow motion. The government is the perpetrator, and you are the victim. Destroying the purchasing power of a currency is a hidden form of taxation. Our silver coinage issued in the early 1960s (debased in 1965) is now worth 16 times its face value. When governments replace real coinage with debased tokens, cui bono?

KAF flagged this: UK unveils dramatic austerity measures. Oh, don’t look for anything similar coming out of Washington, D.C. If anything, we can expect more spending, bigger and bigger bailouts, and massive debt monetization.

More FDIC Friday Follies: Seven More Banks Bite the Dust

Items from The Economatrix:

Strange Events at the Comex

Who Was Responsible for the Global Financial Collapse? Filmmaker Charles Ferguson Finds Out In “Inside Job”

Doubling the Value of Silver (Mogambo Guru)

Some American Families are $133 Away From Great Depression-Like Problems

Unemployment Rate Drops in 23 States in September

Stocks Waver After Another Batch of Earnings

Dollar Plummets on Report Fed Plans to Pump $500 Billion Into Economy

Odds ‘n Sods:

A new report calls on NASA to establish a Planetary Defense Coordination Office to lead national and international efforts in protecting Earth against impacts by asteroids and comets.

   o o o

Bad news from Nanny State Britannia: Every e-mail and web site visit to be stored.

   o o o

Hydroponics will work almost anywhere you have power for lights and pumps, and of course water and decent temperature range: Now serving fresh garden salad at the South Pole. (Thanks to J.J.C. for the link.)

   o o o

Backyard Food Production is offering an end-of-the-month special for SurvivalBlog readers: 10% off on the DVD tutorial “Food Production Systems for a Backyard or Small Farm”, which teaches folks how to create an organic food producing system on their land. See details at their web site to receive the special price.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"He who has faith has an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will come out well, even though to the world it may appear to come out badly." – B.C. Forbes

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 31 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) 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 $400, B.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and C.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 31 ends on November 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.

Welcome to the Promised Land, by Rod E.

Over the years, many people have told us that WTSHTF, they are coming to our place in the country. When people say things like this, we hear, “…so that you can take care of me.” This document is presented as a source of information for those who might need a realignment of their expectations, a clarification of ours or both. It should serve as a harsh wake up call for anyone who plans to flee to someone else’s survival retreat should the need arise.

If you have neglected, failed or refused to complete your plans for survival, here are things you need to know, should you decide to depend on someone who has been more diligent.

  • No One Will Provide You With Shelter
  • No One Will Feed You
  • No One Will Provide Drinking Water
  • No One Will Protect You
  • No One Will Provide Medical Attention

Did the Children of Israel expect Moses to provide all of these things for them? Nope! He started walking and they had to keep up. Everyone carried what they needed and everyone did everything they needed to do to survive.

Let’s take a look at what your life might be like WTSHTF.

For any number of reasons, you lose electricity without notice and your water stops running. (Public water supplies need electricity) When people eventually realize the outage extends beyond their immediate circle of travel, they will panic and stores will be looted. Stores cannot be protected because…the police departments have no electricity. Gas stations will be closed when they cannot deliver fuel because…they have no electricity. It’s funny how that works, isn’t it? As more people begin to panic they will assemble into angry mobs armed with guns, knives, baseball bats and sticks. No police presence means no protection for you or anyone else. The police have raced home to protect their families.

You are now officially unemployed with no benefits, you cannot withdraw your worthless money from the bank, you cannot make a phone call, listen to the radio or watch television. Your stove, microwave oven, refrigerator and Internet connection are no longer working. You cannot run to Wal-Mart’s camping section to pick up a sleeping bag or kerosene lantern. Your car has less than a half tank of gasoline and your terrified wife and children are begging you to do something.

A horde of lawless desperadoes is making its way down your street, hurling rocks and bricks through windows, setting cars on fire and breaking into homes in search of food and supplies. Through sheer numbers and merciless force, they overwhelm every feeble attempt at defense or escape, leaving death and destruction in their path. Like killer bees, they swarm your home and discover that it is vacant because you somehow managed to escape, either through a miracle, proper planning or dumb luck. They ravage what was once your comfortable home sweet home, laying waste years of financial sacrifice and hard work as you are driving or hiking or crawling down the highway or back roads to The Promise Land, your friend’s place in the country.

For the sake of this frightening glimpse into your new reality, let’s assume that you and your family somehow beat the one in a million odds and successfully escape the chaos and anarchy in the city. Exhausted and emotionally paralyzed with fear and anxiety, you eventually make your way to an overgrown pasture bordered by woods, provided that you were not attacked and killed on your journey or shot as an intruder when you arrive, which is always an unfortunate possibility.

So, in summary:

  • There is no comfortable shelter waiting for you
  • There is no water
  • There is no food
  • There is no security, no protection at all
  • The mobs will eventually make their way out into the countryside and find you

The place looks deserted, and there is silence as you cautiously scan the edge of the woods. You can’t help but wonder how many guns might be aimed at your head.

Welcome to The Promised Land. It is everything you expected it to be?

More than one person has referred to our place in the country as, The Promised Land. It is important to remember that the people followed Moses. He did not carry them…and I am not Moses…and our place is not The Promised Land. Adhering to the analogy, the city from which you fled was the land of Egypt, our place in the country is the desert. The Promised Land comes later if you survive and behave yourself.

In spite of arriving with nothing more than the inappropriate clothes on your back and the meager amount of food that you were able to carry, and given the obvious absence of expected amenities at your adopted survival haven, you are are still somehow confident that you will survive because you’ve been responsibly paying the premiums on your Emergency and Disaster Preparedness insurance policy.

You haven’t been paying the premiums? You did not sacrifice what you wanted today for what you might need tomorrow? The bad news is, your prognosis for survival is definitely grim. There is no good news.

We do not have a rider on our Emergency and Disaster Preparedness insurance policy for you. You have no insurance coverage at our place. Like most people, we have fallen onto extremely hard times and have been barely able to feed ourselves and keep a roof over our heads. We won’t even discuss the monumental tasks of paying medical bills and other past-due responsibilities. Severe illness and extended unemployment completely drained our finances and everything that was left of our emergency supplies. The Schumer has hit the fan for us already. If it gets any worse, we may have to come and live with you. Did you ever think about that?

No One Will Provide You With Shelter.

First off, who knows how long we will be able to keep up the payments on our house or how long it will remain standing? In times of civil unrest, windows get broken, doors get kicked in and houses burn. If our house is somehow miraculously still standing when you arrive, consider what that environment would be like if you chose to stay (provided that we let you). There is only so much room in our house. Imagine being jammed and crammed into an increasingly smelly and dirty house with a maniacal herd of hungry, desperate refugees undergoing various stages of mental deterioration, panic and anger, screaming at each other and crying at the drop of a hat. Sound like fun? Not so much.

To set the record straight, my wife and I will never subject ourselves to that psychological nightmare whether our house is standing or not. Not even a fool would do that during the best of times so why would anyone expect us to do it during a time of great distress? We are both getting old and crotchety, we lack patience and we have no desire to convert our house into a loony bin so take that option off the table right now.

If you show up WTSHTF and if we decide to let you stay, you will have to build your own shelter using your bare hands and your own supplies. Do a web search on the phrase “debris hut” for more information. It is presumptuous and selfish to expect anyone to expend their resources and energy to provide this for you out of the kindness of their heart. Your shelter will need to be built in such a way that it will keep you warm in the winter, cool in the summer and it must be able to withstand 60-70MPH winds, torrential downpours and heavy layers of snow and ice often accompanying the wicked storms that we get periodically. Nature is not your friend. It is a heartless enemy that is constantly trying to kill you. Build your shelter accordingly.

So now that you have built your comfy debris hut with three bedrooms, one and a half baths and a deck, let’s discuss the next facet of your reality.

No One Will Feed You

We cannot and will not feed you because we were not blessed with unlimited financial resources, the divine calling to set aside food for you, nor the facility to store that extra food. If God wanted us to do that, He would have told us to do it and made it possible. He doesn’t. He hasn’t. He didn’t. He told you to do it and He made it possible. You listened and obeyed, right? Those are the insurance premiums you should have been paying all along.

If you choose to come to our place WTSHTF, you will need to provide all of your own food. Don’t count on living off of the land because first of all, you don’t know how, and second, it is much harder than you think. There will be a myriad of other critical responsibilities and events that will demand your attention so having a good food storage is wise. When considering what kind of food you should be putting aside, remember that canned goods expire, bulge and rust. They are also heavy and difficult to transport. Dried goods mold, become infested with bugs and everything attracts mice. We have lots and lots of bugs and mice here in the desert. (Potential food source?) Figure out what you will eat, how much you will eat, double or triple that and figure out a way to get it, store it, rotated to keep it fresh and carry it to our place if you still want to come here. (The lack of a warm, dry house is usually a show stopper for most armchair survivalists)

Consider how much food your family consumes in a week, a month, a year. Now imagine what will happen to you and them if you immediately stopped going to the store to replenish your supplies. Remember, you have no job so you have no money and even if you did, money is no longer worth the paper it is written on. There are no stores to go to and no one is going to sell you food or trade their food for your meager possessions. So get that out of your head. Gold coins, if you have any, might make good sinkers should you decide to go fishing but a pound of gold won’t buy a pound of rice because no one does that much fishing.

Do you plan on hunting for food? So do a million other people and those heavily armed, hungry hordes with their guns, snares, spears and home made bows and arrows will be stumbling over each other in the woods. You are better than the competition so one shot, one kill and you miraculously shoot the last squirrel left in the entire county (because the other animals were smart enough to leave when all those crazy people showed up). Everyone hears that gun shot and your mission is now to somehow escape those heavily populated woods with your life and your squirrel, in that order. Good luck with that.

Deciding not to risk your life to kill what’s left of God’s little animals, you might innocently/ignorantly believe that you can sustain yourself and your family by foraging for wild, edible plants but so does every other unprepared refugee who has fled to the country and they are all scouring the countryside, grazing on everything that is green or was green or might be green someday. Do you know the precise differences between edible plants and their poisonous look-a-like cousins? Even your reference book will tell you that pictures are no substitute for experience. Ingesting the wrong plants may present an unpleasant way to die with the retching and vomiting and sweating and diarrhea that precedes the wheezing, contorting and groan. (See: We Cannot Provide Medical Attention)

Note: You cannot eat grass. Your stomach can process the sugars but not the cellulose which contains most of the calories that you will need. A cow can do it but a cow’s stomach is equipped to do that and yours is not. Do your research beforehand or suffer the consequences.

I hope you like bugs, snakes and mice. Yum!

No One Will Provide Drinking Water

Do you really believe that you will somehow be able to locate, carry, purify and store at least one gallon of water per day for each person in your family? Did you remember to bring a big pot to boil water and if so, did you know that it takes about forty pounds of wood to boil five gallons of water, which also weighs about the same? Where will you get all of that wood? Chopping wood with an ax (that you forgot to bring with you) burns calories that you cannot afford to burn because you have been eating grass. How will you carry that much wood and store it and burn it every single day of the year through the rain and snow and freezing rain and under the blistering summer sun, even when you are exhausted or sick with the flu or you have a broken arm? (We are busy fetching and purifying our own water so don’t call us.) Remember, while you are gathering water and wood, so is every other rueful wretch struggling to survive and what will you do when they square off with you to fight you for what you have, or worse yet, when they show up with thirty of their thirsty friends to steal your water? (See: We Cannot Protect You)

You will need an efficient, sustainable means to collect, purify and store water…lots and lots of water. You will need the wherewithal to store enough extra water to carry you through the hard freeze of winter (no one wants to fetch water during an ice storm), when you are sick or disabled or overwhelmed with other tasks like vomiting because you ate a flower that looked friendly but wasn’t. You will need to know how to efficiently as effectively manage and protect your precious water supply and have a backup plan in case your primary supply is disrupted or destroyed. Ponds dry up or become polluted, containers leak and bad things happen. (Which is obviously our fault) Prepare for it, deal with it or die.

Yes, we know about bio-sand filters. How much sand and gravel did you bring? Perhaps you can find a clean barrel somewhere. Were we supposed to supply that? Wow, you must really be disappointed in us.

No One Will Protect You

Remember those angry hordes that frightened you out of the city and burned your home? They will eventually exhaust the resources of the ravaged neighborhoods and make their way into the countryside. When they find you, and they will find you, they will be even more desperate and dangerous than when you last saw them. Additionally, our neighbors, the heavily armed people who inhabited the countryside long before you got here, will be “foraging” for your resources so be careful out there. Desperate people do desperate things and those people will congregate because there is strength in numbers. Now, it’s just you against ten, thirty or fifty desperate people determined to take your food, water and resources and they will have no qualms about hurting or killing you. Are you physically, emotionally and spiritually equipped to survive such an attack…over and over and over again because those attacks will continue to happen with increased intensity as people become more and more desperate.

You will need the ability to effectively defend yourself, your family and your resources against undefeatable forces. You will need more than a gun, a knife or a pointy stick. Those are mere implements and implements are a very small part of the complex security equation. Your opponents will undoubtedly have more and bigger implements and they might arrive in incomprehensible waves of death and destruction. Consequently, you will need to be physically fit and experienced as well as mentally and emotionally prepared. You must possess the reflexes of a gazelle on amphetamines, the strength of a superhero on steroids, the spatial awareness of a rabbit surrounded by hungry wolves and divine wisdom to know what to do in any given crisis. You may be forced to run in order to survive or fight in order to survive but you may run or fight and die anyway. Raise your hand when you think it is our responsibility to step in and save you because you can’t protect yourself.

Okay, realistically, security is everyone’s business and we would not expect you to defend yourself all by yourself if you were a member of our community, but I hope you understand that making it someone else’s responsibility to protect you is presumptuous and dangerous. Make sure you are worth saving by participating in the fray with the same intensity that you would expect from others.

By the way, hungry people will kill you for your food. Very hungry people eat even their dead friends. There are many examples of survival-induced cannibalism throughout history. In fact, most instances of cannibalism are for survival, not ritual. The Donner Party, the wreck of the Mignonette, and the plane crash of the Uruguayan rugby team in the Andes mountains are all stories proving that people who are without food for about ninety days or less will turn to cannibalism. Watch the movie “The Road”, and see if that opens your mind to possibilities that await you.

If you wander outside of the perimeter, we cannot protect you. If you are kidnapped, we will not negotiate for your return. We may retaliate with a rabid vengeance but we will not negotiate.

No One Will Provide Medical Attention

So, you somehow got your head bashed in or you were stabbed or shot while defending your debris hut/condo, your dwindling food supply of field mice and a half gallon of dirty pond water stored in a leaky, plastic milk container that you found on the side of the road (Again, obviously our fault). You got stung a zillion times by angry hornets or you rolled in a patch of poison ivy (that you were collecting as food). Perhaps you fell out of a tree or you slipped and broke your arm or you chopped off your finger while trying to split fire wood with a rock and a dull steak knife. Maybe you charred your hand while digging through the hot coals of your smoldering camp fire, retrieving a field mouse that fell off of your roasting stick. We did not budget for a private hospital or a retired veterinarian and you are no longer covered under ObamaCare, so all you might get is a slightly used band-aid. Will that make it all better? If you did not bring any medical supplies, you probably won’t like what we will do to your stab gash, bullet hole, hornet sting, broken arm, missing finger or charred hand. And by the way, you deserve that case of poison ivy.

Let’s see what else…

We will not build your fires to keep you warm, cook your food or provide comfort. Learn to build a fire now without the use of a lighter or matches and practice until you are good at it. We will teach you while we have the time but don’t ask us later because we will be quite busy.

If you come to our place WTSHTF, we will not give you a knife or any other sharp object. If you do not already own a good knife, you obviously won’t know how to use one safely anyway. (See: We Cannot Provide Medical Attention) Buy at least two good knives, spend a lot of money for them and learn how to use them and sharpen them! If we have to tell you why, you are probably going to die anyway and “very hungry people” will eat you.

We will not provide you with a bathroom or outhouse or a nice warm shower. You may not like the idea of pooping in a hole behind a tree but you will eventually get over it. If that is simply unacceptable, bring along a port-a-potty with a padded seat and plenty of environment-friendly chemicals, biodegradable toilet paper and be prepared to add an addition to your debris hut.

I will address survival community governance at a later date, but in short, a survival community is not a democracy. You will not get to vote like they do on The Discovery Channel’s series, The Colony. Get over it. You chose to leave your democracy when they voted to kill you and take your stuff, remember? Ours will not be a society where members of the House and Senate force those who work to provide for those who won’t and it will not reward those who steal with bailouts.

Technically, a survival community does not function as a colony but more like a tribe. Embrace the concept of communal life in a tribe. Consider everything tribe members do together and everything they must do for themselves and you will have an idea of what will be expected of you should you wish to be a part of a survival community. Get used to living with rules. If you think your home owner’s association is too strict, you surely won’t like living with a tribe of dedicated survivalists with zero tolerance for freeloaders or pansies.

A man recently asked me, “What do I have or what could I do that might be beneficial to your community?” My answer was, “I haven’t a clue. Only you can answer that question.” He never did. I know what he was thinking and we are not interested in what he has to offer. He has stockpiled lots of guns and ammunition, virtually no food for his extended family and all he has for water purification is one ceramic filter. We don’t need him. He needs us. If all you have is guns and ammunition, everyone already considers you a threat and you will have absolutely no idea how they have prepared to deal with that threat. When those people die, someone will take their stuff and the “very hungry people” will eat them. Just something to consider in case you decide to become a looter or a bully. To survive, you need a balance of skills, resources, preparation and experience.

Before you ask someone if you can join their survival community, ask yourself, “Why would they let me come to their place?” This is a fair question that deserves an honest answer. A healthy community is the only way any of us will make it through the coming hard times, but in every community, every person must have more than a single redeeming quality.

Remember the parable of the ten virgins. [In contemporary terms] Five of them paid the premiums on their Emergency and Disaster Preparedness insurance policy. The other five didn’t. Make sure you are prepared. Your future depends on it.

If, after reading this, you still want to come to our place and realize that you won’t be able to bring much with you when you flee the city, you should probably consider getting your stuff to our place now while you still can. No, we do not have additional storage space so that is another thing for you to consider. We will allow you park your motor home or trailer here and you can even build a shed to store your survival items but that offer is only available to a certain few for a limited amount of time. (My wife wanted me to remove this paragraph.)

If you do not know how to build a shelter or start a fire or purify water, I would advise you to get here as soon as possible so that we can teach you while there is still time to learn. Would you like to practice and see what it would be like to put all of these skills together in a controlled environment? Now is a good time. During a torrential rain storm is another good time.

After thinking about it, there is only one way that we might allow someone to show up on our doorstep without resources. Consider the role of an indentured servant and let us know if that appeals to you because that would be your only option.

Product Review: WileyX SG1 Protective Glasses, by Michael Z. Williamson

I first got Wiley protective glasses as issue equipment when I deployed for OIF. I still have the same pair, and use them heavily while driving, shooting, and working with tools.

Let’s start with the most important part, the lenses. These are MIL-PRF-31013 ballistic certified. They are incredibly resistant to scratching—sandstorms, construction, daily wear and carry have not affected them. I even wore out the rubber seals mentioned below, and the lenses were still pristine. They’re still so transparent I’m not even aware of the lens, and I’m someone who has never needed correction. However, if you do, they can make prescription inserts of the same material. The lenses snap easily into the frame and are very secure, but can be replaced without undue difficulty. They also came (this model) with a ventilated rubber face seal that was indispensable during sand storms.

The frame is flexible enough to be tough while remaining sturdy, and extremely comfortable. It’s very modular. You can swap lenses from clear to smoke to prescription, change from ear pieces to elastic strap with a clip connector. The mounting screws for the hinges are full-length stainless. There is a slide on strap for the regular earpieces, with a nut to tighten behind the head. This causes the frame to bend and conform to the face to seal against dust. Even with that tight, the frame is flexible enough to let you pull the glasses up or down over the ears—we had to do this several times a day when moving in or out between facilities and sand.

Most importantly, their customer service is exceptional. When I eventually broke an earpiece at the hinge (and it only broke partially. It was still wearable for the week), their rep assisted me in identifying which model I had, and sent the spare parts gratis, even after I offered to pay.

Wileys are not cheap, but I can’t think of any improvements to make, and they’re useful for any task that requires UV protection or safety lenses. Given the engineering and quality, I find the price very reasonable. – SurvivalBlog Editor at Large Michael Z. Williamson, author of the new science fiction novel Do Unto Others.

Letter Re: Supporting the Any Soldier Program

Hello James,

I see that you link to AnySoldier.com from your blog site. Any Soldier is a great organization that works hard to support our troops in the time that they need it most.

As a Gulf War veteran, I really appreciated the support from Any Soldier when I was over in Iraq. Now that I am back safe and sound, Airsplat, the company that I work for, it doing their part to help Any Soldier. They have pledged to send 5% of all sales to Any Soldier from people who come to the site and enter the coupon code “any soldier”. The buyers also get a 5% discount. You can check it out on the Any Soldier site.

Thanks for your time. – John Durfee, AirSplat.com

Letter Re: Avoid Using Anti-Bacterial Soaps

Mr. Rawles,

I’d like to respond to the Cleanliness article by P. J. W.. The author recommended “lather (with anti-bacterial soap).” Readers should be aware of how unnecessary anti-bacterial soap is and how it’s loaded with negative side effects. Although anti-bacterial soap is best at reducing bacteria during hand washing, the use of non-antibacterial soap and water alone are most effective at removing viruses. See this YouTube clip.

Also see this Mercola article. (You may need to register to read, though registration is free.)

Studies have shown that people who use antibacterial soaps and cleansers can often develop a cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms just as often as people who use regular soaps.

Part of the reason for this is because most of these symptoms are actually caused by viruses, which antibacterial soaps can’t kill.

But even for symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea, which may be caused by bacteria, those who used regular soaps still had no greater risk than those who used antibacterial products.

So, antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary for the purpose of washing away bacteria.

But there’s more.

They can actually cause far more harm than good by promoting the development of resistant bacteria.

Yes, many scientists now fear that the widespread use of antibacterial soaps and various disinfecting products may be contributing to the rise in “superbugs,” bacteria that are resistant to modern medicines.

The antimicrobial triclosan, for example, is known to promote the growth of resistant bacteria.

Even the American Medical Association (AMA) does not recommend antibacterial soaps for this very reason.

Additionally, many traditional medical circles now accept the hygiene hypothesis, which centers on the idea that children need to be exposed to some bacteria in early childhood in order to strengthen their immune systems. Children who are not exposed to common bacteria (which are wiped out by antibacterial soap), may become more prone to allergies and asthma as they grow.

But aside from that, the active ingredient in many antibacterial products, such as triclosan, can be hazardous in and of itself as well.

and see this article on toxicity.

The antibacterial agent triclosan, commonly used in certain soaps, is starting to appear in consumer products ranging from socks to toothpaste.

But research shows that under normal household conditions triclosan can react with chlorinated water to produce chloroform, a likely carcinogen.

An initial 2005 study showed that, in the laboratory, pure triclosan reacts with free chlorine to produce chloroform. More recently, follow-up studies on 16 products found that household goods containing triclosan produced either chloroform or other chlorinated byproducts.

In some soaps, the triclosan degraded within one minute of exposure to chlorinated water at temperatures used for household cleaning. Regards, – Erik M.

Economics and Investing:

From The Daily Bell in Switzerland: The West’s Pending Paper Money Implosion

M.B. sent this: Here Are The Next Countries to Announce a Currency Intervention

Also from M.B.: The Real Underemployment Figure is 22.5%

Why California is About to Fall Off Into an Ocean of Unpayable Debt

Items from The Economatrix:

Martin Weiss: G-20 Heads Up: Losing Battle To Stem Currency Wars

Tab For Fannie, Freddie Could Soar to $259 Billion

Jobless Claims Fall to 452,000, But Remain Elevated

Mortgage Rates Rise to 4.21% From Decades Low

Natural Gas Prices Tumble as Supplies Grow

America’s Bright Future After US Treasury Debt Default

MortgageGate Could Crush The U.S. Banking System

China’s Interest Rate Rise Sends Global Markets Into Turmoil

Close To The Edge (The Mogambo Guru)

The Incorrigibles

Notes from JWR:

I’m happy to report that “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” will soon be published in Russian. There are now seven foreign publishing contracts in place, for editions in six languages.

—

Today we present two entries for Round 31 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will 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 between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A 500 round case of Fiocchi 9mm Parabellum (Luger ) with 124gr. Hornady XTP/HP projectiles, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo (a $249 value), and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).

Second Prize: A.) 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 $400, B.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and C.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

Third Prize: A.) A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and B.) a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.)

Round 31 ends on November 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.