Glenn Beck puts the Federal debt cap deal in prepper terms.
SurvivalBlog’s G.G. sent several links:
‘The Bear Market Is Starting’: Marc Faber
Europe on Brink of ‘Major Financial Collapse’: Guggenheim CIO
Bank run! Greece in panic as it faces change of Homeric proportions
Items from The Economatrix:
Stocks Now Down For The Year As Economic Concerns Grow
Global Manufacturing Collapses To Worst Levels Since Mid-2009, Markets “Shrug It Off”
John R. sent this: The Hobbits Win
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The new Red Dirt Cooking blog (penned by “Okie Ranch Wife”– a sobriquet familiar to SurvivalBlog readers) has some great insights and some very useful recipes. She plans to cover home canning and long term food storage, as well.
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Somehow, I missed this great piece when it was posted on July 6th in the Alt-Market blog: The Essential Rules Of Liberty. (Thanks to C.R.W. for sending the link.)
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My wife Avalanche Lily and several SurvivalBlog readers all alerted me to some recent bureaucratic imbecility: Woodpecker-Saving Daughter Costs Mom $500, Possible Jail Time
"When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation." – Dr. Adrian Pierce Rogers
Today we present another entry for Round 36 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:
First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).
Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).
Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, and C.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.
Round 36 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.
It has been learned that this article was simultaneously submitted by the author to the American Preppers Network blog, so SurvivalBlog is relinquishing any copyright claims.
Wood heat: Is it really the best source, and why? This seems to be a popular question. I’m sure you have heard about the many benefits of an alternative energy source, but how much do you really know about wood heat? Maybe you remember that you grandmother used to cook on a wood cookstove back in the day, but you probably assume that wood cooking is old fashioned and outdated — think again! How much do you spend a year to heat your home? Not to mention the additional cost of cooking your food, and heating your water. We just filled up our propane tank the other day, and the cost was over $1,200! For that price, you can almost buy an alternative heat source, water source, and cooking source. If your interested in switching your home to a simpler, cheaper, more self-sufficient abode, you’ve come to the right place. In the following paragraphs I plan to answer common questions about heating with wood; I will share with you what I’ve learned about using wood heat, and how beneficial it has been for my family.
I have been living in Montana since age six. For many of my younger years, my parents chose to live a very simple lifestyle; one that happened to be off grid. Having lived off grid, I am now able to understand the benefits of solar energy and biofuel. My dad became interested in solar energy and pursued building a house completely disconnected from all electricity. We powered our home from sources such as the sun, wind, and wood. My family lived off the land. We had a wood cookstove called the “Kitchen Queen” to heat our home. Before moving to Montana, my parents started an e-commerce business called Obadiah’s Woodstoves which sells products used for a more self-sufficient lifestyle. We sell many different products such as wood furnaces, free standing stoves, fireplace inserts, zero clearances fireplaces and other fuel burning products such as gas and pellet burning appliances. After working the business for nearly 10 years, I have learned much about using alternate sources as a way of life.
For the first few years living in Montana, we didn’t have “instant” hot water. We had a ten gallon water tank that had a wood firebox underneath the tank to heat the water. Every time we wanted to take a shower, we had to go outside and chop kindling to build a fire for hot water. After a few years, this became a major hassle; it took nearly an hour to get a tank of hot water large enough for two very quick showers. My dad came to the realization we needed a more efficient source to heat our hot water. He began to research how we could possibly heat our water through our Kitchen Queen cookstove and found an invention called the “thermo-front” hot water heater. Not only did the Kitchen Queen heat our home, it was plumbed into our domestic hot water as well. The thermo-front is a steel box, lined with Teflon; this box fits inside your firebox on the right-hand side. You then plumb from the thermo-front directly into your domestic hot water system. You also have the option of plumbing this into radiant heating; which is another option to heat your home. The only thing better than hot water, is free hot water!
Domestic hot water is not the only water source the Kitchen Queen has to offer; it also has an optional stainless reservoir that sits on the rear of the stove. The reservoir can be plumbed through your firebox with a stainless water coil. However, it is not a pressurized system; since the tank is not pressurized, it cannot be plumbed through your domestic hot water. You have the option to install a water spigot on the side of the reservoir for easy access to the water, otherwise the water is accessed through the lids on the top of the reservoir. Many folks without access to electricity or plumbing such as the Amish, will use the water reservoir for their main hot water needs. You can use the water for bathing, doing dishes, cleaning up around the house, or taking care of children. When installing the water coil with the reservoir, you have to be sure not to let the water boil in the reservoir; if this happens, it can cause mold and mildew to grow in your home. However if the reservoir is used properly, it works great as a humidifier. Although the reservoir is made of stainless steel, the water is not safe to drink. Standing water in the tank creates a breeding ground for bacteria and other airborne contaminants.
A wood cookstove has many options and benefits to suffice your domestic needs. One of my favorite features of a wood cookstove is that it offers the luxury of a wood heat oven; it is much like one on an electric stove — minus the fixed temperature. This oven serves two purposes; it gives your home that cozy warm to the bone feeling and it also has potential to make the best apple pie you’ve ever tasted. Talk about killing two birds with one stone! Many cookstoves offer a large firebox, which is great for overnight burn times; no hassle, no worries. If you burn properly seasoned firewood, and have knowledge of how to pack a full firebox; you can sometimes get a 20 hour burn time!
Because I work in sales for alternative energy products, I come across many people who have no expertise in wood heat. Most people don’t realize how simple it is to use wood as your main energy source. Most wood cookstoves are non-catalytic, which implies they aren’t as efficient. Although cookstoves may not be as efficient as a catalytic wood stove; cookstoves are a care free stove; you can easily burn paper and bark in your firebox with no problems. Catalytic wood stoves have a type of a filter that re-burns the smoke, thereby reducing emissions and making the stove more efficient. With a catalytic converter, you cannot burn any green wood, wet wood, bark, paper, or any trash without clogging the catalyst. Currently, there is a national exemption by the E.P.A. for wood cookstoves. This means that a wood burning cook stove does not have to be E.P.A.-compliant for emissions. Emissions measures the amount of particulate that is being put into the air when the stove is burning. Studies indicate that more pollution is created in the environment from fallen dead trees that are left in the forest to rot. These trees out-gas more pollution than a wood stove! We can thank our environmentally friendly “green” organizations for closing the woods off to the public. The roads are literally gated to prevent the harvesting of firewood, hunting, or other recreational use of the vast National Forest lands here in Montana. Well, that is another subject for discussion at a later time.
The average household will use between 8-to-12 cords of wood a year [in northern climates]. According to the Consumer Energy Center: “The dimensions of a “standard cord” is a stack of wood piled 8 feet long, 4 feet wide and 4 feet high. You won’t get a full 128 cubic feet of firewood with a standard cord because of the airspace between the pieces of the wood; the amount of wood in such a stack will depend upon the size and straightness of the pieces, how they are split and how the wood is stacked. Because of this, the total cubic feet in a cord can vary from 70 to 90 or more cubic feet.” Depending on your location, a cord of wood cost around $100, or you always cut your own wood for free — it doesn’t get any better than free. Its comforting to know that no matter what happens with the economy, you can always chop down a tree to provide heat, water, and food for your family.
Not only was our heat and water sourced from alternative energy, we also had solar panels that produced on sunny days; if the sun wasn’t shining, we also had a back up generator that would keep our battery bank charged. It is reassuring to know that no matter what happens you can always be warm, cook your food, make hot water, and light your home! By using alternative energy sources you are able to do all things listed above. It’s amazing how simple, economical and self-sufficient a person can survive when having the correct tools.
References:
“Kitchen Queen 380 Wood Burning Cookstove.” Obadiah’s Woodstoves.
“Firewood.” Consumer Energy Center.
“Kitchen Queen Cookstove.” Obadiah’s Woodstoves.
It has been nearly six years since I first posted my endorsement of Wiggy’s brand sleeping Bags, so the majority of SurvivalBlog readers have never read it. (As background: SurvivalBlog had only 9,377 unique visitors in August, 2005, but 287,665 last month.) So for the benefit of my newer readers, here is a re-post of that August, 2005 review:
I don’t write many product reviews, but I am uniquely qualified to write this one: In November of 1994 I rolled my 1968 Bronco on black ice on a winding stretch of Highway 12 paralleling the Clearwater River in Idaho. In that accident I suffered a severe back injury–so severe that the chiropractor that took the x-rays commented that he was surprised that I hadn’t severed my spinal cord. Because of the injury, despite the best efforts of the doctors and chiropractors I’ve been unable to sleep in a bed for the past 11 years. (Any bed is too soft and causes muscle spasms.) Since December of 1994, I’ve spent virtually every night sleeping on a carpeted floor in a Wiggy’s Hunter Flexible Temperature Range Sleep System (FTRSS) sleeping bag. It is a two bag sleep system with two different weight bags that can be used together or separately. I spend roughly 8 months out of each year in the light weight bag, and 4 months in the heavy weight bag.) I’ve slept for more than 4,000 nights in that FTRSS–that is the equivalent of two lifetimes of heavy recreational use for a sleeping bag. (Here is the math: An intensive recreational user probably camps out about 35 nights per year, multiplied by 50 years of camping equals 1,750 nights. Hence, two lifetimes for a bag would be roughly 3,500 nights.) Since 1994, I have spent approximately 4,000 nights–including about 250 nights in the field–in my FTRSS. Again, that is something in excess of two lifetimes worth of use.
The FTRSS has been very comfortable and exceptionally durable. The bag has had zero zipper failures, and no rips or tears. Most importantly, is has never lost its loft or had its filling get clumped or re-arranged, despite countless machine washings. (I should have kept track of the number of times that I’ve washed it!) I highly recommend Wiggy’s brand sleeping bags. The FTRSS models in particular are ideally suited for anyone that expects to give a sleeping bag demanding use. OBTW, I should mention that I have not been compensated in any way for making this endorsement. I’m just a very satisfied customer. If you want the best, buy yourself a Wiggy’s bag!
Addenda (July, 2011): Nearly another six years has gone by (so add another 2,100 nights to the tally) and my Wiggy’s Hunter FTRSS is still quite serviceable. I like the Wiggy’s bags so much that I recently bought several more of them (the Hunter Ultima Thule FTRSS model this time), as well as several more mated pairs of their Lamilite ground pads.
Disclaimer (Per FTC File No. P034520): Wiggy’s became a regular SurvivalBlog advertiser in 2008. The company has never solicited me or paid me to write any reviews or endorsements, nor did they provide me any free or reduced-price gear. I wrote the preceding review long before the company ever became a SurvivalBlog advertiser!
If you want the very best in American-made sleeping bags (not imported) that will last a couple of lifetimes, then buy Wiggy’s bags.
Hi Jim and Family,
If you have the time, will you please pray for rain in the South? My extended family and I live in the Austin area. The drought in the South, especially in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and parts of Louisiana is especially bad. The temperature hovers around 100 degrees F every day. Obviously, when your family has lived here all their/our lives, we cannot move to another state. We have to stay here because of our jobs and each other.
If you don’t mind, please implore all of our dear readers of the SurvivalBlog, to please ask our Lord and Savior for some blessed rain. We are so desperate for it. Many of our ranchers and farmers in Texas are hurting so badly. It is sometimes costing up to $1,000 [per week] for the ranchers to feed their horses. Farmers have lost countless tons of crops. I know you are busy, but we would so appreciate it. My family all knows about you and your wonderful blog. I have been reading it for about two years now and I love it. I am in my mid-fifties and my husband in his mid-sixties. I convinced my husband to begin preparing and stocking up for the future. He has begun to take this seriously and I am so proud of him. We are definitely reading the handwriting on the wall and believe that we are very likely in the last days. If not, then the country is most likely headed into a deep depression for many, many years.
I would like to thank you over and over for the blog. It is so appreciated and so are you. I am so happy that you have remarried to “Avalanche Lily” so soon after Linda passed away. I hope that everything is going well for your new blended family. I praise God for wonderful Christians such as you and your family.
May God continue to richly bless you, – Sheryl in Texas
The debate on firearms manufacturers and caliber are endless, so each person must in the final assessment decide what works for them and theirs, having over 50 years of shooting, gunsmithing experience, and having taught firearms safety, I would like to offer a insight on a wonderful .22 rimfire rifle that is available from Henry Arms Company. It is called the U.S. Survival Rifle .22. (A very appropriate name, for current conditions in this world). I first owned a variant of this little rifle back in the 1980s when it was called the AR-7 and enjoyed the unique shooting and storage aspects that this rifle offers. The rifle is a breakdown unit where the barrel, receiver, and two supplied 8 round magazines, store in the butt stock and has the ability to float. The size when broken down and stowed is approximately 16.5 inches by 6 inches. This unit is great for a bugout bag, boat, backpack, etc. This rifle is available on line from GunBroker.com for about $200 and that includes shipping [to your local FFL], for a high quality, dependable 22 LR that’s a winner have several of this, that I carry in each one of my vehicles and have in my general prep units.
The reliability is fantastic, having shot nearly 30,000 rounds thru them, without one misfire says a lot about a rifle. OBTW, I prefer CCI Stingers or Velacitor Hyper .22 LR ammo. It has several features I enjoy, the orange front sight, built in mounting rail on the receiver for a scope, makes this a great gun to have around. My experience is that any gun that has little recoil, or noise that makes it hard to adapt to most people who do not have shooting experience is a blessing. As far as caliber, I would not wish to be in range being shot at with a .22 LR hyper velocity hollow point, and this gun has a 8 round semi-auto capability that can lay down some lead rapidly, if required. Also it can carry a magazine in the receiver along with 2 extra magazines in their storage area in the butt stock, (it only comes with two mags, you would need to buy a third), this gives you 24 rounds on hand.
For those on a tight budget, this rifle compared to the average handgun is a steal. Consider that for about $800 you can purchase four rifles (which could help arm most of the average family), instead of buying one average-priced handgun of any caliber. There are several YouTube videos about this great little gun. It also does not draw attention the way most assualt weapons do. With the ever-increasing controls by the Washington anti-gunners that are always in work, having this. 22 LR rifle in your survival planning should be prime consideration.
God bless this great country and also this blog. – John in Arizona
JWR Replies: There have been several AR-7 makers since the 1960s, starting with late, great Arma-Lite company in Costa Mesa, California. Over the years, I’ve owned AR-7s from three different makers. They are indeed reliable guns, and being so compact and lightweight, they fill an important niche in family preparedness planning. They are also useful for firearms training of children. (Although I’ve observed that the single-shot Chipmunk teaches much better fire discipline.)
Unfortunately, all of the AR-7 rifles have rather crude peep sights that make them unsuitable for precision pest shooting, which is one of the main chores of .22 rimfires. There are grooves for a scope mount, but unfortunately scopes with this type of mount have very poor “return to zero”, when dismounted and re-mounted. So there goes the gun’s “everything fits in the stock” advantage. Therefore, unless space and weight are at an absolute premium, I instead recommend buying the stainless variant of the Marlin 70P “Papoose” takedown rifle. Granted, they weigh more than an AR-7, and they don’t float, but they are better suited to scope mounting which in my estimation makes them a better choice.
Ol’ Remus talks economic collapse: We have arrived. He may be right. The debt-limit compromise in congress was a travesty. Tuesday’s drop in the Dow and the jump in gold signal that market senses some big changes in the near future. If the Federal credit rating slips below AAA, interest rates will rise, and there will be a nasty cascade of concommitant events. Buckle up!
F.G. flagged this: Metal Detectors Hit the Jackpot
J.J.G. sent a link to piece by Ann Barnhardt: We The Stupid.
Real estate debacle: More than two years worth of shadow inventory overhang.
That Which Is Too Fearful To Speak: The Demise of the Consumer Economy
Items from The Economatrix:
Bank Officials Discuss Debt Impasse With Treasury
Top Fund Sees Gold At $3,000; Stock Crash
Gold Choppy, US Reaching “End of Empire”, Investors Have “No Safe Havens Left”
J.D.D. sent this piece about concealed carry in Michigan: 10 years after concealed weapons law, unclear why many in state were gun-shy. (The good news is that we’re winning: I found an animated GIF at Wikipedia that shows the advance of the right to carry laws since 1986. And guess what? There hasn’t been “blood in the streets” and “wild west shootouts.” Crime rates have actually been falling. Granted, this is partly because of our aging demographics. But I believe that some of the decrease in crime can be attributed to scared spitless criminals.)
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K.A.F. sent a link to a Brooklyn, New York newspaper story: Cops nab bizarre Prospect Park poachers
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Super Congress to Target Second Amendment
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J.T.M. sent this: Tiny blood card offers easier tests for remote areas
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The BRAC Cometh: The U.S. Postal Service has released its “Expanded Access Study List” for small post offices that it plans to shut down.
"Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones." – Benjamin Franklin
Today we present the first entry for Round 36 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:
First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $300 value.) C.) A 9-Tray Excalibur Food Dehydrator from Safecastle.com (a $275 value), D.) A $250 gift certificate from Sunflower Ammo, and E.) An M17 medical kit from JRH Enterprises (a $179.95 value).
Second Prize: A.) A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol. It is a $439 value courtesy of Next Level Training. B.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $300, C.) A $250 gift card from Emergency Essentials, and D.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).
Third Prize: A.) A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (This filter system is a $275 value.), B.) Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy. This is a $185 retail value, and C.) Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security.
Round 36 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.
As a former Boy Scout and long time minimalist, survival preparation is a natural fit for a “hobby” as I enter my thirties. Of course this “hobby” is an important life decision, unlike how one might approach golf or poker. The importance of this life decision really becomes clear when I think about my wife and our two little girls. As anyone with small children will confirm, hobbies and social activities take a backseat to the needs of your toddlers. My longtime interest in the outdoors, camping, and shooting have provided a sensible platform for a jump into the survivalist lifestyle.
As we, a young family, build our reserves of beans, bullets, and bullion (we already have a Bible), it is becoming apparent that survival with small children will prove to be quite challenging. Developing a balanced approached to survival prep is key when considering children. Our storable food and water supplies are modest but growing. I have taken a deep interest in acquiring as many tools and as much information as possible to broaden my survival skills. I am rather confident that my growing ability and stockpiled supplies could sustain my wife and I in a survival situation. But what about the kids? Our girls, two years old and almost four years old, are learning the value of hard work and conservation, but they’re still little kids. The shock of a SHTF scenario would have a profound effect on the daily activities and physical/emotional needs of my beautiful dears.
I am aware that the most important rule of survival is fulfilling the needs of yourself then worry about others. However, one of my needs includes the fulfillment of the needs of my kids. It must be my inner grizzly bear. This set of circumstances presents an opportunity to apply some real-world, everyday principles of raising children to the survivalist lifestyle. One major goal is to minimize the potential distress and disruption to the everyday lives of our girls in a survival situation. I will not include emergency food/water storage and procurement in this plan, as those items are not kid specific.
I will begin with the dreaded D-word. Because our youngest is not quite potty trained, diapers and baby wipes are a necessary evil in our everyday lives. We shop at a local wholesale club store where we can use coupons and buy diapers and wipes in bulk. Buying this way not only saves considerably on the cost, but it also encourages sustainability. It can become quite expensive, but we like to maintain several months-worth of diapers and wipes in stock. Baby wipes, which have an indefinite shelf life, are actually a useful item in any prepper’s pantry. We have diapers in the next size up stocked as well (although I’d prefer she never needs them). We also have a supply of cloth diapers that are currently used as kitchen rags, but could be pressed into service if needed. In addition to diapers, it is important to consider the various lotions and creams that are required to maintain health in the diaper area. We also try to maintain stocks of extra toiletries like children’s toothpaste, toothbrushes, soaps, and bubble bath. Most of the everyday items that adults need in the bathroom are needed by children too.
Besides our storable survival food stock, we do maintain a decent supply of some favorite snacks and sweets for the kids that could be rationed in a SHTF scenario. While their nutritional value may not be the greatest, salty snacks and sweet treats are good way to lift emotions and provide a bribery tool at dinner time (try getting a two year old to finish her broccoli without the promise of a special treat). We also keep natural vegetable/fruit blend juice boxes on hand, which are a healthy treat that the kids love. We plan to purchase some storable popping corn and chocolate milk drink from Mountain House or Provident Pantry to provide additional comfort food for the kids. In addition to these food items, we are also building our stock of vitamins, supplements, and children’s medicines. Benadryl, Motrin, and Tylenol all have products which are dosed specifically for children, and we try keep extra on hand. Many of the vitamins and supplements we buy are in liquid form that can be added to a drink (easier than pills for kids). We also stock extra gummi multivitamins that the kids certainly don’t mind eating a bit.
Clothing is an aspect of survival prep that is easy to overlook as an adult. Being in Ohio, we maintain a good selection of clothing and footwear for the different seasons we experience. But what about children that seem to add inches at a time in their sleep? Luckily we have two girls, so we already save all of the clothes and shoes from the older one for the younger one. But what about an extended SHTF period of time? I worry that the older one would be vulnerable to quickly outgrowing her clothes and shoes. One easy and practical solution that we have taken up is purchasing these items on clearance in the off season. It is easy to find summer clothes and shoes on clearance in the fall, and vice versa. We have begun to buy these clearance items 1-2 sizes large for our kids. Not only are we able to fulfill a survival prep need, but we can save money on something that we would need to purchase anyway. Not to mention, my wife never met a clearance sale she didn’t like, so it is fun too.
We have started to take the girls on some light camping trips (in the backyard) to get them enthused and comfortable with “roughing it”. They both have their own sleeping bags and love camping out. While this is far from a survival situation, the girls are young and just getting into enjoying the great outdoors. Becoming comfortable in a camp setting around a fire and in nature is an important step for the girls in learning survival skills. This is an area that we will certainly continue to develop and expand on.
Now that we have begun to address food, clothing, and shelter, we need to look at emotional and developmental needs. Obviously in a SHTF scenario that includes a potential bug-out, only essentials would be considered. However, our survival prep and planning must include considerations of activities that occupy and continually develop our kids. Due to the spoils of grandparents, aunts, and uncles, these kids have so many Chinese slave-made junk toys that we actually have to hide over half of them just to maintain order and sanity. However, some toys are very important. The girls cannot go to sleep without their special stuffed animals, so we actually bought backups (just incase). These stuffed animals are cheap and simple, but very important to the emotional comfort of our kids. We have no shortage of books, but it seems that you can never have too many. Used book stores, garage sales, and library sales are nice places to find cheap kids books. Back to school season is a great time to stock up on crayons, coloring books, and art supplies for cheap. Simple things like balls, jump ropes, and bikes provide both stimulation and exercise. We are looking to get a solar powered MP3 or CD player so the kids will be able to enjoy some of their favorite music as well. While all of these items may be overlooked as non-essential items for survival prep, we feel that they are crucial to the sustainability of our young family in any potential disaster situation.
Besides material items, we try to engage our kids in activities and experiences that could be applied in a survivalist lifestyle. As we develop our gardening skills each year, the girls have taken an interest in helping in the garden. We are also finding ways to get the girls involved and interested in helping with yard work, cooking, and other basic chores. It sounds simple, but many of today’s children lazy, entitled, and would never survive if SHTF. We feel that part of effective survival prep with children includes fostering a sense of work ethic and responsibility at a young age. Developing these character traits are part of raising well rounded and well adjusted kids, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that they are also practical in a survivalist sense.
Any parent can agree that raising small children is no easy task. Bring survivalist planning into the fold, and it can feel overwhelming. Our family takes a balanced and common sense approach to our survival prep. Our children deserve even greater consideration than ourselves in our planning, as they are unable to take care of or fend for themselves. It is our responsibility as parents to provide every opportunity for the success and well being of our children, and including them in our survival prep is no exception. Being smart about everyday purchases and expenditures is a good way to simplify survival planning for a young family.
JWR,
After reading the recent MBR article by Zorro, it seems that all the amateurs still fuss over the 5.56/7.62 or 9mm/.45 debate. At our police agency here in the Southwest, we focus on increasing our trigger time via the SIRT laser training pistol, practicing fundamentals through live and dry fire, working through scenarios (lessons learned) and practicing “range fitness”.
A great resource for range fitness is www.militaryathlete.com. Rob Shaul speaks of high percentage shooting positions based upon the experiences of combat veterans, as well as developing the fitness needed to put the gun in the fight. It seems that whenever I’m selected to attend firearms training courses it’s at the worst possible time of year. The temperature for my shotgun course in February was 20 degrees with howling winds. I had to decide between wearing gloves that got stuck in the elevator of the weapon when doing slug manipulation or just letting them go numb. Now I will attend a Rifle course in August as the temperature is officially 110 degrees in the shade. Hydration, heat effect, and laying on the hot ground to zero or practice prone positions are all on the menu. In other words, when we find ourselves in need of deploying the main battle rifle (MBR), its usually at the worst time with factors like weather, visibility, and fatigue affecting our ability to utilize the weapon. So before a person picks a side in the great ammo/rifle debate, can you run a half mile, do 20 burpees, assume a firing position with your main battle rifle (MBR), acquire targets, squeeze off accurate fire, “change your return address” (i.e. move off the line of attack to better cover), change magazines, and then put the gun back in the fight? I still can’t and yet I train for it. I’m considered a reliable shot. I practice, watch videos, and seek out the help of others because I know my life depends upon it.
My advice is to find a good rifle in a caliber that’s readily available. What’s a good rifle? (I can hear people leaning in as I write this), Any rifle from a reputable company (Remington, Colt, Winchester, etc) in a caliber you can find at a stocking sporting goods store (.223, .308, .30-06, .22 LR) at a price that you can live with.
Inevitably, you’ll purchase other firearms in other calibers as you gain experience (trust me). Seek out competent instruction in your area and practice firearms safety religiously. Improve your level of physical fitness as you improve your firearms skill set. For example, today I will go to the range on my way to work and practice “snapping in” on a target with my AR. I won’t fire a single shot [in these particular drills]. Just bringing the weapon up, on target, and acquiring a sight picture. Yesterday I practiced drawing, acquiring a sight picture, and speed reloading with empty magazines for 10 minutes. Live by the four firearms safety rules, improve your skills, and have fun.
In response to Zorro: Yes the M1 Garand is a great rifle compared to the AR/M4, but I’m partial to the 1903 Springfield because the US Marines wouldn’t be known as “Devil Dogs” without it. Just had to say it! Thank you, – Bretmail
Mr. Rawles:
Along the same line as Cadet’s recent piece about hand tools, I would like to add that this topic has been on my mind for some time. I bought a file set from Harbor Freight just to have for light work around our retreat. When I tried to sharpen an old Collins brand axe head with a fine file, the axe head took metal off the file! My warning to SurvivalBlog readers: Save up a few extra bucks and buy new American made files that are actually harder than the steel that you intend to use them on!