Two Letters Re: Beans, Bullets, Band-Aids and Bicycles

Mr. Rawles:
Our young family has some experience with bike trailers and biking with young kids to share.  First, the about the actual trailer, make sure that the hitch can easily switch between bikes.  Another family we bike with occasionally has a trailer that requires a mount be attached to the bike.  We have a Burly bike trailer that we have used for about five years with our three children which will mount on any adult bike.  That allows it to be switched off from adult to adult easily so that no one person gets too tired.  I can vouch that it is well built and will retain your child in the event that it rolls (but still put a helmet on them).  They are rated for 100 lbs. total capacity.  We purchased a used one as well that was converted to a cargo trailer by removing the fabric and putting down some plywood.  It can hold over 200 lbs. of cargo and was much less expensive than buying a cargo specific model.  Having both a place for the kids and the ability to carry supplies greatly extends our radius of travel and in a SHTF scenario, allows us to get supplies and children where they need to be rapidly, regardless of fuel supply.  In a pinch, a conscious adult could sit on the cargo trailer, but still leaves us without a method for hauling an unconscious or feeble adult (maybe a rigged garden trailer?).

Now on to riding with little children.  When our eldest was three we were able to do five mile rides with him.  We had a route that passed things of interest to him and usually stopped at an ice cream shop as a treat.  We encouraged him and occasionally gave him a push but it was almost 100% under his own power.  And this was with training wheels.  When we had our next child we put her in the trailer (one she was big enough) and that also let us carry extra water, snacks etc. so that we could bike more places.  Packing the extra water is important as kids dehydrate easily, and some people dehydrate easier than others.  Now, with three kids, we know that we can get around our rural town in a grid down situation and support our community and family. – K. in Texas.

 

Mr. Rawles,
In light of the several articles the last few days on bicycles, I’d like to suggest a few handy tips I have found for those folks looking to get into it for free or very low cost. I pair this consideration with a few choice images of the subway shutdown in New York a few years ago (December 20th 2005).  An image of a man painfully perched on his daughter’s pink streamer bike riding to work in his three piece business suit was burned forever in my brain and reinforced the need for having cheap reliable transportation. My article is on how to get into it on the cheap.

Bicycles are a superb mode of transportation, and in an emergency situation they really should be a leveraged option in your survival tool belt—if my article can convince you of this, I believe you’ll realize that it sure beats walking!

My wife and I are big yard sale attendees. Yard sales are the gold mine of bike scrounging. I have been given bicycles by folks who had previously removed and sold a part or two from the bike to another buyer. It is easy to replace those parts with little out-of-pocket expense. One time I acquired a Japanese ‘gas pipe’ bike (a Shogun), named such parlance because the frame is non-buted (buting is where the walls of the bike frame are tapered thinner in the middle and thicker at the ends to save weight and increase strength), and if one were to cut the frame in half, cut a bit of old gas pipe in half, then held them end-to-end, they’d look the same. I got that bike for free because it was missing a seat post—the lady at the yard sale was almost apologetic about the bike when I asked about it and she was happy I saved her a trip to the dump. I spent some time and built it into a single speed rig some eight years ago. It is very low-maintenance, has 3M reflective tape across all the various tubing for night safety, fenders for inclement weather, and about a snowball’s chance of ever getting stolen. I love its simplicity and usefulness. I love that I got it for next to nothing (I did later upgrade parts on it, simply due to preference), and I appreciate its simplicity.

Don’t get me wrong here, the wunderbikes they ride in the pros like you see on the Tour de France are engineering marvels. I choose cruddy bikes instead. I used to own a very nice Specialized S-Works Enduro. (Remind me sometime to tell you about the time I showed up on the doorstep of the house ten years ago with that bike. My Memsahib certainly clarified a few points regarding what constituted proper purchases to my newlywed brain on that day.) That bike had all the bells and whistles, but I sold it. I have since awoken to the fact that I can create something with my hands, on the cheap, that I truly am passionate about. I love cheap bikes.

As I previously mentioned, yard sales are very good for picking up old bikes for next to nothing. Most just need a few parts tightened and oiled, the tubes inflated and they are good to go. I have picked up several Specialized and Trek rigs for under $20 which just needed a good washing (use Simple Green degreaser) and some oil on the chain and derailleurs. I make it a point to always ask about certain things at yard sales, and for some odd reason, old bikes are things folks seem to be ashamed of. I am unsure why this is. Old tools go for a fair bit, and old guns too—bikes go for a song.

I would be remiss if I did not mention Sheldon Brown, the king of Internet bicycle retrofitting. His web site is pretty old school (read: simple early 1990s graphics, et cetera) but it really has a ton of helpful information. Have an old odd duck French bike? He has info on it. SheldonBrown.com is his reference library, and it has helped me with plans several times. It is a great resource.

My friends know I am into fixing up old bikes. I’ve traded odd jobs for bikes and bike parts, I’ve done side jobs repairing bikes for people, and my buddies always tell me when they find a deal. Networking about interests will always lead you some interesting contacts. I also believe that God knows us, and if we’ll talk to Him, he will place opportunities in our path. Ask Him to open your eyes, and when the opportunity comes along, take it, and remember to say a prayer of thanks.

I regularly visit the bike shops in my area and try to send business their way. They are helpful in figuring out stuff I am stumped with, and their advice is always free. I have found that kindness gets me a long way (as a general rule, but especially in bike shops); bicycle mechanics will almost always spend a few moments to chat with you about your project. Methinks they find a kindred soul in someone who refurbishes decrepit bikes. The other nice thing about the shop is they usually have a parts bin (read: used take-offs, parts, mostly nothing new or matching) you can poke around in. I always offer money for any parts bin stuff which I find that fit, but I have yet to pay for any of my scrounging.

Another option, somewhat controversial is dumpster diving. Now, before you write it off as an impossibility, it does work. I realize that some states may have ordinances against finding treasures in the trash pile, but I have buddies who have found entire bikes and some very usable parts checking the trash behind their local bike shops. [JWR Adds: Only dumpster dive with permission, and in accordance with state and local laws.]

Now, as to tools, you can pick up a pretty decent Chinese made repair kit off eBay or Amazon for about $130. I got one for Christmas near a decade ago. True, it isn’t as beautiful as a set of blue handled Park Tools, but I have yet to wear out any of my gear. I got a bottom bracket tool, a crank puller, hex wrenches, cone wrenches, chain whip and freewheel/lockring wrench, spoke wrenches, and a bunch of other bike tool stuff. Some of the specialty tools can be bought separately; the more general tools you may already have. My kit has really only let me down thus far on an old 27” (read: pre 700 CC modern road/29” mountain) wheel set—I did not have the right 3-splined tool to take off the screw on freewheel, and I needed a BMX style freewheel mounted. The old stuff requires older tools; standards back in the day were not necessarily adopted across the various manufacturers like they are today. Sometimes it is worth the shop fixing it for you rather than buying a tool you may not ever use again.

My final suggestion is a bike helmet. I know they are not ‘cool’ or hip. I also know most of us of the prepper mentality would not think of ourselves as either of those descriptions. I can tell you I have crashed several times in the past thirty years and each time I was wearing a brain bucket I was grateful I had head protection. Keep your brain safe!

Now, keep in mind, these tips are for the shade tree bike mechanic. I welcome feedback on this from the fine folks who make a living turning a wrench on bicycles—I am always learning and am passionate about making cruddy old bikes into something beautiful and functional. Hopefully you folks can take something from my thoughts here today and add another option to your survival tool belt. Bikes are not just for kids, nor do they have to just be a survival thing you never use. Google Albert Einstein on a bicycle sometime if you need a smile (the picture always elicits a grin from me). Get a bike, ride with your family—you will not regret it.

God Bless you, Avalanche Lily and the kids, – Jay in Utah

Letter Re: How to Live Longer Now and After TEOTWAWKI

James:
I love the blog and a lot of the articles. I am a dermatologist and wanted to comment on the Vitamin D article posted on July 21, 2011. Despite what you might read on the Internet, you cannot get a significant amount of Vitamin D from sunlight. This is a huge misconception. Even if you tanned for 8 hours, you would only get about 3% of your daily Vitamin D. You would also cause a lot of sun damage which increases your risk of skin cancer. I realize a lot of information says otherwise, but if you check with the American Academy of Dermatology, you will read data from experts.

Also, although Vitamin D is important, science doesn’t support a lot of claims in the article about fighting the flu, etc. It is true that is you have a deficiency of Vitamin D, you can weaken your immune system, but taking extra Vitamin D does not “boost” your immune system. I realize a lot of holistic medicine people want to believe this, but it isn’t backed up by any science.

Again, not trying to be negative, but just wanting to let people know that tanning is not a good way to try to get Vitamin D. Tanning also has some bad effects (skin cancer). – Dr. C.S.

 

Hey Jim,
Living in the Eastern mountains with the associated cloudy days and longish winters our clinic has never tested anyone with enough Vitamin D3 in their system.

The accepted norms for Vitamin D3 in adults is 30 ng/mL to 100 ng/mL. Being more interested in finding the optimal level instead of the statistical normal range we aim for most adults to be in 70 ng/mL – 89 ng/mL range and for those with cancer the optimal range seems to be 90ng/mL to100 ng/mL.

We have also found that 50,000 IU per day for only three days to be a good weapon in fighting winter colds, flus, etc.

For the 25-hydroxyvitamin D test, we get the most consistency from Labcorp which is available nationwide. – S.D. in West Virginia

Economics and Investing:

Farmer John suggested this article: 20 Cities Where Housing Prices Are Still Dropping Like A Knife

Air Conditioning, Cable TV, and an Xbox: What is Poverty in the United States Today? (Thanks to K.A.F. for the link.)

John R. sent another big bunch-o’-links:

The Fed Is Now More Leveraged That Lehman Brothers Was  (Graham Summers)  

Global Economic Crisis: Finance is the New Mode of Warfare (Michael Hudson)  

Portugal Joins Spain and Greece in Lying About its “Colossal” Deficit (Tyler Durden)  

Five buys, Five sells for 10 long years of no growth—Commentary: Recession hits in 2012, and things don’t get better (Paul B. Farrell)   

You Want to Fix the U.S. Economy? Here’s a Start (Charles Hugh Smith)  

The Correlations are Failing Karl Denninger     

Crisis in Confidence?   (Gary Tanashian)     

Items from The Economatrix:

Fears About Debt Send Gold Price to Record

Debt Worries Drag Down the Stock Market

$5 Trillion of Financial Assets Go Up in Smoke

The CON Game:  Confidence, Spending, and Inflation Expectations

Poor Man’s Gold is Breaking Out — Sell Your House and Buy Silver?

Odds ‘n Sods:

G.G. mentioned a piece over at The Volokh Conspiracy: Foot Voting for Freedom

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Some thoughts on the sad demise of the Space Shuttle program, made worse by stifling the commercial manned ventures with heaps of bureaucratic paperwork: Be Careful What You Wish For… (Thanks to Greg C. for the link.)

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Reader David M. mentioned that there is an extension for Firefox browser called “ShowIP” that displays the IP address of the page being browsed in a small window in the status bar. Handy for making your backup web page bookmarks. (OBTW, please jot this IP address down and keep it in your wallet: 64.92.111.122.)

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File under Economies of Scale: Solar power boom shines for consumers.

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OPSEC for military travelers: Some Safety Advice for the U.S. Military. (Thanks to Justin M. for the link.)

Note from JWR:

Today we present another two entries for Round 35 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

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

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

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

Round 35 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

How Does Your Garden Grow? (After TSHTF), by Tom from Colorado

Gardens will supply a large portion of our food after TSHTF. Those who already garden know that, in many cases, additional amendments and plant foods/fertilizers are necessary for a good crop. While a compost pile will help a great deal in keeping your soil in good shape, there are many other sources for fertilizers/plant foods that will be easily accessible after TSHTF. I’ll detail several of them and the manner in which to make and/or use them in this article.

The Acronym NPK stands for Nitrogen/Phosphorous/Potassium. I’ll include NPK where applicable for more experienced gardeners wondering about the values.

Human Urine:
Human urine contains nitrogen, phosphates, and potassium (NPK approximately 12/1.1/3.3, varies by individual). These are the big three that plants need to grow. It is sterile when it comes out of the body as well. Urine by itself is far too concentrated to use directly on plants. It can be used directly in a compost pile (simply pour it over the top) or it can be diluted with water and used on the plants themselves. A minimum of eight parts water should be mixed with one part urine. You may need to use more water depending on your urine. I recommend testing the mixture on a small patch or single plant to insure that your mixture is not too strong.

If the urine will not be used shortly after it comes out then it should be stored in a sealable container. While it is sterile when it first comes out it will eventually allow bacterial growth if left exposed to open air. Only urine from healthy individuals should be used and if someone is in otherwise good health but on medication then their urine should not be used either. Once diluted and in the soil, bacterial growth is no longer an issue if urine from a healthy individual was used.

If you have problems with acidic soil, wood ash can be mixed into the urine/water mixture to help alleviate the acidity.

Diluted urine is a fast acting plant food.

For those who are grossed out by, or question the idea of, using urine as a plant food consider that many of the well known plant foods contain urea (although not from humans) as a component of the mix.

Bone meal:
Bone meal contains phosphates and nitrogen ( more heavy on phosphates than nitrogen, NPK approximately 4/12/0 but will vary). It can be easily made at home by one of two methods. Only use bones from animals that you know were healthy.

 The first method is to dry the bones in an open fire or an oven. First you need to boil off any remaining fat or meat, boil for about an hour to do this. Once they are completely dry from your fire or oven you crush them down to a powder, or as close as you can get. If you’ve gotten them dry enough they crush fairly easily.

The second method is to boil the bones for an extended period of time (in the vicinity of 24 hours is what I’ve been told, I’ve only used the first method myself). When they’ve boiled long enough you can simply crush them down into a mush. Allow the mush to dry if you want a powder or use as mush.

With both methods your best results will be obtained by digging the resultant bone meal into your soil.

Bone meal is a long acting, slow release type of fertilizer. Very useful used at the bottom of potato trenches or dug into the soil near fruit trees/bushes. Application rate for bone meal is approximately five pounds per fifty square feet when first preparing a garden. You can use slightly less in following seasons.

Blood Meal:
Blood meal is a heavy nitrogen source and may contain some trace phosphates and/or potassium (NPK approximately 12/0/0 to 13.5/1/1 depending on blood source). Blood meal has the alternate names of dried blood and powdered blood. The commercially available types are typically made from bovine blood although other types of blood will work as well. Only use blood from animals that you know were healthy.

Blood meal is made simply by dehydrating blood. Preferably all the way down to a powder although I’ve not had the patience to get it that far and normally use it while it is still relatively clumpy. This can be done in a solar dehydrator or, if you live in a very non-humid area, simply by leaving a container out with a thin layer of blood in it. The quickest way I’ve discovered is to use a heat safe container with a thin layer of blood in it immediately next to my cooking heat sources or on top of my fireplace insert when it is burning. Keep the blood covered and inaccessible to insects regardless of what method you use. Fair warning, this one can make a nasty smell if done indoors and the pans used may need extensive cleaning.

Blood meal is a quick acting nitrogen source and can be used in powder form (if you get it all the way dry) or mixed in with water.

Blood meal also makes a good compost pile stimulator and, if sprinkled around the perimeter of a garden, may keep some of the four-footed garden raiders at bay. Do not apply blood meal to seedlings and in a warm, most climate you’ll want to use less than recommended. Application rate for blood meal is approximately five to ten pounds per hundred square feet, one application lasts up to 4 months.

Wood Ashes:
Wood ashes are a good source of potassium when dug into the soil (NPK approximately 0/1/3 but can vary widely). You do have to be careful with them though as they turn the soil more alkaline. If you live in an area with acidic soil a moderate treatment of wood ashes shouldn’t be a problem. If you live in an area with more alkaline soil, you’ll want to find a different potassium source.

Be sure any wood ashes you use are from trees that did not receive heavy pesticide treatments or other potentially problematic chemicals. Wood ash application rates will range depending on the ash used and the soil you are using it in. Start small and slowly work up the application amounts if you are using this.

Compost Pile:
A compost pile is pretty much a must if you are doing intensive or semi-intensive planting. Areas planted in these manners benefit from a yearly (or more frequent) addition of organic materials. The best of these would be finished compost from your own pile. I won’t go into detail on creating a compost pile as that is covered in many of the gardening books out there and would cause this article to go well over submission length. I will mention a few ways to tweak your pile though.

The addition of human urine or blood meal (or even wet blood, although that is more likely to attract critters to dig in your pile) can help out your compost. If your soil is very acidic, you may want to mix some wood ashes into your pile. If your soil is alkaline you can add crushed pine bark or chopped up pine needles to add some acid into the soil.

In all cases follow the same cautions regarding health and chemicals on additions to your pile. If using pine bark or needles, be sure the tree was healthy and not recently treated with pesticides or chemicals.

Manure:
There are many forms of manure that can be used on your garden. Starting with humanure (human manure). I do not recommend using this method unless you’ve studied up on the appropriate and safe ways to do so! If you are interested in this I suggest the book: The Humanure Handbook: A Guide to Composting Human Manure, by Joseph Jenkins.

Other types of manure that may be available to you and are good to use are: chicken manure, cow manure, horse manure, rabbit manure, etc…  You’ll note that all these manures are from primarily herbivores (minus the occasional bugs taken in with a free range diet). You don’t want to use manure from carnivores or scavengers as there tend to be more problems with these manures.

There are several manners in which you can use manure to increase your garden’s yield and provide the necessary nutrients to your plants. The first is to compost it in your pile. If you choose this option, you’ll want to add extra greens to your compost pile and add more soil to it to avoid massive nitrogen loss.

The second option is to mix it directly into the soil. Do not do this if you plan to plant the area in the next month or two. The manure affects the carbon/nitrogen ratio strongly enough when first mixed in that it can end up burning your plants. This is a good option for a fall dig-in where you mix it into the soil if you aren’t planning a winter crop (or cover crop) in the area. You can mix other items you would normally compost into the soil at the same time if so desired.

A third option is Manure Tea which gets its own entry.

Manure Tea:
Manure tea is made from dried, well-aged manure and water. It can be used in several manners. You can dip the roots of plants about to be transplanted in the tea, use it to fill holes that are about to be planted, or use it to water directly on the soil around existing plants (getting the manure tea on the leaves of the plants is discouraged).

Manure tea can be made by taking five quarts of manure and three gallons of warm water. The manure should be contained in a tight mesh cloth that will allow water to seep through, burlap (or an old panty-hose leg) is recommended, that is tied shut to form a bag. Suspend the manure in the water in a five gallon bucket for three to four days, stirring daily. You can also simply suspend the manure in the water for a week without stirring. In either case the next step is to raise your manure out of the water in the cloth it was suspended in and allow it to drip back into the bucket until it stops dripping.

The manure tea should be diluted with water to about the color of a normal drinking tea when used. This is approximately one cup of the manure tea to one gallon of water. Experience will show you the exact proportions you want to use for your area. The remaining solids can be added to your compost pile or dug into an area of soil that will not be planted for a month or more.

Note: manure tea may well have a very strong odor while brewing. After you are done, you can store it in a sealable 5 gallon bucket for several seasons if it is kept in a cool place. With it sealed the odor won’t get out either.

Compost Tea:
Compost tea is another option, but after TSHTF it will only be available to those who have some electricity and some basic aeration equipment. If this idea appeals to you a simple Google search for ‘compost tea’ will get you very clear instructions.

Grass Clippings:
Grass clippings can be used as a mulch to help maintain the moisture in your soil. Also, if dug into the very surface of the soil they will provide a nitrogen source to your plants. If used as a mulch you need to be careful to not mulch too thickly or you will end up with anaerobic decomposition (decomposition without oxygen present), a bad smell, and unhappy plants. Using clippings as a mulch will also get some nitrogen into the soil but not as quickly as digging them in.

Trace Elements:
There are quite a few trace elements (AKA micro-nutrients) needed by plants. One simple amendment covers quite a few of them as well as providing growth regulators and natural hormones that function like plant vitamins. Kelpmeal is a little expensive but well worth using. Since this will most likely not be available in a crisis (unless you happen to live near a place kelp can be harvested) it can be stocked up on in advance. It is a little pricey but well worth it to have for your garden.

Kelpmeal can be worked directly into the soil or, for a more sparing (on the kelp) approach, it can be applied as a foliar spray (meaning it gets sprayed on the leaves). Foliar feeding with kelp tea needs to be done about every two weeks but if you mix the kelp into the soil you can normally just do so once at the beginning of the season.

Kelpmeal is a component in complete organic fertilizer (COF) as described by Steve Solomon in his book “Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times” but can also be used on its own or with the other amendments/fertilizers listed in this article. You can easily store two fifty pound bags in a thirty-one gallon galvanized steel garbage can with a snug fitting lid.

For existing gardens that have been worked for a season or more, one pound of kelpmeal per one hundred square feet should be more than adequate to dig in. You may want to double or even triple this amount if it is a new garden area being prepared. Kelpmeal can be dug in to just the actual rows/raised beds/hills being planted but there are some advantages to digging it in to your entire garden area if you have enough of it.

Seed Meal:
Seed meal is another component in COF from Steve Solomon’s book. It is a slow release nitrogen amendment that is mixed into the soil. I mention it here because it is a byproduct of making vegetable oil and if you make your own then you can use the remnants left behind as a garden amendment. It can also be stored, with two fifty pound bags easily fitting into a thirty-one gallon galvanized garbage can with a  snug lid. The most commonly used seed meals you might have access to after TSHTF are soy meal, cottonseed meal, sunflower meal, and canola seed meal (rapeseed).

Other Options:
If you raise rabbits, chickens, or worms (vermiculture) many of the kitchen scraps you’d normally use in your compost pile can go to them and they will, in turn, produce manure or worm castings (worm manure). Worm castings can be dug straight into the soil shortly before planting. As mentioned before manures from other livestock should normally be composted or dug into the soil months before planting. Use caution with manure from different animals as the NPK and carbon/nitrogen ration of the manure ranges greatly depending on the animal it is from and what it has been fed. A trial and error method is best when using manures, keeping in mind that too little might stunt your plant some but too much can kill it.

I’ll close by again recommending Steve Solomon’s book “Gardening When It Counts”. The book details gardening with minimal amendments and, albeit briefly, deals with survival gardening. I’ve found it to be a very good resource for gardening on a regular basis and the skills I’ve developed by using it will be invaluable in a SHTF scenario. – Tom From Colorado

How to Live Longer Now and After TEOTWAWKI, by Kevin D.

Many people take a multi-vitamin.  Some people take multiple supplements.  However, an often overlooked vitamin deserves your closer scrutiny – vitamin D.  New research indicates that vitamin D has holistic effects on the body that cannot be replicated by any other supplement.  These positive effects include, but are not limited to, reduced cancer rates, reduce incidences of heart disease, lower blood pressure, reduced incidences of influenza, and more.  Best of all, for most people, obtaining the proper dosage of vitamin D is incredibly safe, simple, and inexpensive.  In fact, some researchers believe so strongly in the benefits of vitamin D that they consider it “malpractice” for a physician to treat any condition without first determining if a patient’s vitamin D levels are in the proper range. 

As with all information related to healthcare, personal fitness, and nutrition, please consult with your physician before making any changes in your diet or lifestyle.  Additionally, you can overdose with vitamin D supplements.   Watch your intake and have your vitamin D levels tested periodically via a blood test. 

Vitamin D Misconceptions 
Actually, vitamin D is not a vitamin, but a “prohormone” (any substance that can be converted a hormone) produced by the body in the presence of sunlight.  Because vitamin D is actually a “prohormone,” which your body produces from cholesterol, it influences your entire body — receptors that respond to the vitamin have been found in almost every type of human cell, from your brain to your bones.

Vitamin D also differentiates itself from other vitamins because the best source of it is the sun via our skin, not from something we eat via our mouths like most vitamins.   Vitamin D does not exist in appreciable quantities in normal human diets.  While some vitamin D may be consumed by eating some types of fish and drinking fortified milk, the quantity of vitamin D from these sources falls far short of our needs.  We simply cannot obtain adequate levels of vitamin D from our diet.  However, within 20 minutes of full-body sun exposure, most people will generate up to 20,000 units of vitamin D.  To generate even 5,000 units of vitamin D, an individual would need to consume nearly 50 glasses of milk or 10-12 multivitamins – something no one should do!  [JWR Adds: Remember, toxicity is a problem with all of the fat-soluble vitamins, K, A, D, and E.]

With more people working indoors, commuting inside of cars and trains, and, more recently, people using copious amounts of sunscreen in an effort to thwart skin cancer, opportunities to obtain vitamin D from sunlight has greatly diminished.  In fact, many people may be in a vitamin D “crisis” and not even know it!  And, considering how vitamin D affects so many bodily functions, many symptoms and diseases that are being treated with a variety of pharmaceuticals could be greatly reduced or possibly eliminated by simply increasing vitamin D levels. 

Vitamin D – the Superhero Vitamin
While correlation does not imply causation, the following is a partial list of documented events as they relate to vitamin D:

  • The incidence of influenza is inversely correlated with outdoor temperatures (i.e. the higher the outdoor temperature, the lower the number of cases of influenza).
  • Children exposed to sunlight are less likely to get colds. 
  • Influenza is more common in the tropics during the rainy season when people are indoors and receiving less sunlight.
  • Volunteers deliberately infected with a weakened flu virus – first in the summer and then again in the winter – showed significantly different clinical courses in the different seasons.
  • The incidences of influenza are much lower in the months both during and immediately following the summer.
  • Vitamin D deficiency is a major factor in at least 17 types of cancer as well as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, and more. 
  • One recent large-scale, randomized, placebo-controlled study on vitamin D and cancer showed that vitamin D can cut overall cancer risk by as much as 60 percent! This was such groundbreaking news, the Canadian Cancer Society has actually begun endorsing the vitamin as a cancer-prevention therapy.
  • Similar results were shown in another study investigating vitamin D’s impact on breast cancer. It discovered that light-skinned women who had high amounts of long-term sun exposure had half the risk of developing advanced breast cancer (cancer that spreads beyond your breast) as women with lower amounts of regular sun exposure. 
  • When JoEllen Welsh, a researcher with the State University of New York at Albany, injected a potent form of vitamin D into human breast cancer cells, half of them shriveled up and died within days. 
  • The effects of vitamin D were even more dramatic on breast cancer cells injected into mice.  After several weeks of treatment, the cancer tumors in the mice shrank by an average of more than 50 percent. Some tumors disappeared.  Similar results have been achieved on colon and prostate cancer tumors in mice.
  • A study by Dr. William Grant, Ph.D., internationally recognized research scientist and vitamin D expert, found that about 30 percent of cancer deaths — which amounts to 2 million worldwide and 200,000 in the United States — could be prevented each year with higher levels of vitamin D.
  • According to a new report, low levels of vitamin D may double the risk of stroke in Caucasians.  Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States.
  • And for you sports fans, the team physicians for the Chicago Blackhawks credit rigorous vitamin D supplements with improving player performance and being a contributing factor in the team’s 2010 Stanley Cup Championship. 

In the past few years, vitamin D is has finally been receiving the attention it deserves considering its critical role in human bodily function.  Almost weekly, new research is released confirming the benefits of vitamin D.  Unfortunately, pharmaceutical companies prefer to manufacture countless drugs to alleviate symptoms that are often caused by lack of vitamin D.  These pharmaceutical companies don’t like to advocate vitamin D as a valid course of treatment because they cannot patent vitamin D and profit from it.  And, because these pharmaceutical companies advertise heavily in all media outlets (including magazines and online news sites), they may exert influence to suppress articles on homeopathic and natural treatments.

UV Rays and Vitamin D
Similar to cholesterol which has two main types (HDL – the “good” cholesterol; LDL – the “bad” cholesterol), sunlight contains two wavelengths: ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB).  UVB is the winner (the “good” waves), as these are what converts into vitamin D.   However, UVA (the “bad” waves) is the culprit that leads to skin cancer.  Additionally, UVA is not affected by the position of the sun or clouds whereas UVB is dependent on both of these factors.  Ironically, UVB rays are at their most intense at mid-day – the time of day that most people try to avoid sunlight.  Unfortunately, by spending time outside in the morning or late afternoon, you are exposed to UVA rays (the “bad” rays) while receiving virtually no UVB rays (the “good” rays). 
Recently the FDA announced new guidelines for sunscreens.  In the past, many sunscreens only provided protection against UVB rays which cause sunburn, but offer no protection against UVA rays which cause skin cancer (in recent years, more sunscreens have been offering protection against both types of rays).  Insidiously, this combination of UVB protection and no UVA protection is the worst possible combination because the benefits of vitamin D (via UVB rays) is reduced or severely curtailed and no UVA protection is provided (contributing to skin cancers).  In fact, some hypothesize that the advent of sunscreen actually has contributed to the rise in all types of cancer, including skin cancers, because these sunscreens cause a sharp drop in vitamin D levels which is correlated with increased cancer risk.

How Much Sunlight Do I Need?
Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics has doubled its recommendation for daily vitamin D intake in children.  The new guideline is 400 international units (IU) each day.  Many researchers believe this recommendation is still far too low and children should receive a minimum of 1,500 IU per day if they are not exposed to daily sunlight. 
The best “rule of thumb” is enough sunlight to turn your skin the lightest shade of pink (for most people, this will be less than 30 minutes of sun exposure).   Also, keep in mind that exposing just your head and arms is probably not enough, you will need more exposure (e.g. upper body, legs).  Don’t  forget – sunburn is bad!  You don’t gain any additional vitamin D by getting a sunburn and only expose yourself to long-term skin damage and possibly skin cancer.   Another good “rule of thumb” is this: If your shadow is longer than you are tall, then you are not receiving the best UVB rays. 

If your unique situation prevents you from receiving direct sunlight, another option is take a vitamin D supplement.  Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is the preferred choice, not vitamin D2.  The most recent and respected research for oral supplements is 35 IU per pound of body weight.  For a 200-pound person, this would be approximately 5,000 IU; for a 50-pound child, this would be approximately 1,700 IU.  You can purchase vitamin D supplements at most any drug store or health food store.  For children, I give my children “Lil Critters” vitamin D gummy vitamins (purchased at Wal-Mart and Target). 

In the future, if diseases increase and access to physicians and antibiotics are limited, vitamin D can and should be considered an intervention method.  For someone suffering from influenza or a bacterial infection or most any illness, increasing vitamin D levels can and should be considered.  If regular access to sunlight is not possible, increasing oral supplements to 15,000 IU, 20,000 IU, or more should be considered.  Some researchers believe 50,000 IU per day for less than 10 days will not result in overexposure to vitamin D and may help thwart or mitigate infection and disease.  

Warning: You can overdose on vitamin D!  If you receive daily sunlight, most likely you do not need oral vitamin D supplements.  If you need to take oral vitamin D supplements for a long period of time, I strongly recommend that you have your physician check your vitamin D level with a blood test (the 25-hydroxyvitamin D test). 

My Personal Experience with Vitamin D
For several years, I have been ensuring that I receive adequate levels of sunlight during the fair weather months and supplementing with oral vitamin D during the winter months.  During this time, I have had no influenza, virtually no colds, and no other serious health issues.   During the winter months, I take 5,000 IU each day.  If I am traveling on business or not feeling well, I will increase my dose to two to three times that amount.  In the fair weather months, I spend time outdoors in natural sunlight to obtain vitamin D.  Finally, as part of my preparations, I keep plenty of vitamin D in 5,000 IU capsules on hand.  Considering the benefits of vitamin D and the potential increase in diseases during “the Crunch”, vitamin D supplements should be as important as bullets and beans in everyone’s preparations.

Letter Re: The Thinning of The Horde by Matt B.

Dear Survivalbloggers:
I just finished re-reading JWR’s novel “Patriots“. Anyone who has read it knows that in Chapter 21 a number was given on the percentage of the population that perished during the Crunch. This has allowed me to open my mind. There will undoubtedly be a Golden Horde, but as you will read, it will quickly and overtime diminish considerably.  

This last semester I took a human geography course which I found especially relevant to the way that a ‘Horde’ would move. In the course I have learned that in a typical East Coast suburb, there are about 5,000 people per square mile! A choropleth map of the United States shown in class illustrated that almost two-thirds of the 300+ million Americans live East of Tornado Alley. A choropleth map is one method to depict population density. The scale of the choropleth map that I was shown depicted one dot = 100,000 people. I feel that referring to the split by Tornado Alley is easy to remember since I still remember it from grade school. For those of you that don’t recall, Tornado Alley is the string of states (the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas) that are most prone to Tornados touching down due to the plains. The states East of these states are home to 2/3rds of the population.

I read You’re Ready for the Outlaws, But What About the In-Laws?, by Ellie Mae and that made me think as to how the Golden Horde would thin out in a short time. She portrayed her in- laws as the diabetic-obese type. Data released from the 2011 Diabetes facts sheet indicate that 26 million Americans are diabetic and 80 million people have been deemed ‘prediabetic’. Prediabetic means the blood glucose levels are higher than average but not high enough to qualify as diabetes.

When The Crunch strikes, it won’t strike lightly, it will come with an overdue vengeance. The way I understand it, if there is a socioeconomic collapse or some disaster which renders the whole country disabled (which seems fairly easy to do), power would be the first thing to go. People attached to life support or that cannot breathe on their own would helplessly wither away. Dialysis machines would be unable to operate effectively, meaning those people with kidney and liver damage, as well as other people which require regular treatments, would have no treatment. Hospitals would have no way to effectively operate, especially without anesthesia and sterile operating tools. Oh, and good luck if anyone will stay behind WTSHTF.  Most hospitals don’t keep a large supply of sterile equipment so their supply would quickly diminish.

This will be about the same time that citizens begin looting. Most will go for material objects like jewelry, watches, electronics (but no power to use them), while others who have a family to support would raid supermarkets and gas stations, although they would still be looting. Some of the looters may have small arms like handguns, large kitchen or hunting knives, bats, clubs, and some may have hunting rifles, nothing of a substantially large caliber that could qualify as a battle rifle. Many people that don’t own a gun will begin looting gun stores. Most will be inexperienced with properly operating a firearm, which will lead to accidental shootings, thus thinning the horde by internal bleeding and resulting infection, if the initial gunshot wound didn’t kill quickly enough.

Starvation and disease are the next phase toward thinning the horde. With many people unable to fend for their own food, either by physical inability or lack of knowledge, much of the population will be weakened by lack of nutrition which leaves them susceptible to disease. Without running water or access to proper hygiene products, skin infections, dental problems, disposing of ‘waste’, and lack of nutrients, disease will run rampant across the country, especially in areas with a dense population. Dental problems are not fatal in themselves, but when a tooth is pulled, it is prone to infection and a lot of pain. Fecal matter can penetrate over 10 layers of toilet paper, so always wash your hands after going ‘number 2’ and disposing of it.

Children and the elderly are the most at risk for disease. Children are prone because of their developing immune systems and introduction to extremely harmful diseases to an underdeveloped immune system make children most at risk. The elderly are at risk for the same reason with the exception that immune systems weaken with age, especially if their body is weakened by another type of hereditary or age-dated disease.

The absence of medical supplies, surgical equipment, basic penicillin and antibiotics can turn a simple wound, into a fatal wound. Not only that, but a doctor would have to have survived the Crunch until this point and have a sterile facility to operate. Even gaining access to a facility or even a doctor, are really bad odds.

Another aspect of thinning the Horde to consider is that just because our government and economy have collapsed, nature won’t stop giving us grief! When Hurricane Katrina touched down in New Orleans, gas powered pumps were used to prevent over flooding of water to civilian neighborhoods. When the pumps failed, there was no way to prevent flooding and many people and homes perished. During a collapse, there won’t be any fuel for the pumps, there won’t be any way to get fuel to the pumps, there won’t be anyone in control and there won’t be any emergency responders. Not only that, but unless you have lived in the area of your retreat for your whole life and know the weather patterns during the year, you can and will be hit by unexpected weather. Most of us get a weather report from the internet or a news channel. During the Crunch, that will not be an option.

Given the events for the people living along the Mississippi River, that type of disaster can ruin your whole plan to survive TEOTWAWKI. For those who are unfamiliar, the Mississippi River over flooded, swallowing hundreds of homes and businesses along the river and even miles inland. Hundreds of thousands had to relocate, many of them only with the clothes on their backs. The lucky ones were able to drive out in a recreational vehicle (RV) and now there are communities of RVs with refugees. Most won’t be able to return to their homes for months to over a year. Many don’t have anything to return to.

If your area gets a lot of rain in the spring, but nothing in the fall, you will know when to collect and how much to last through the season. Hurricanes, blizzards, tornados and any other natural disasters you can think of won’t stop because our country has collapsed. Just as the pepper’s motto goes “the Crunch won’t wait for you to be prepared, you must prepare now”, Nature won’t wait for us to reinstate a government or emergency responders, you must have contingency plans in place is a disaster is set to strike.

The requirements for working against a hurricane disaster, goes ten-fold for nuclear power plants. I’m not an expert on them, but what I have gathered so far entail that nuclear reactors must be kept at a cool temperature, usually done by using water, to prevent overheating. If a reactor overheats and is unable to be cooled, another Chernobyl can occur. When the reactor melts down, the concrete shell of the reactor is unable to contain the massive amount of radioactive energy. All of this is prevented by people that work the computers. The effects of Hurricane Katrina would be rice cakes compared to the effects of a reactor meltdown. When radiation escapes into the atmosphere, it travels with the wind. There would be little hope for people in the initial radius of the plant, but the radiation could spread across several states, even continents, affecting tens of millions of people that may have survived the beginning stages of the Crunch. When the radiation escapes the atmosphere and reaches the ground, water sources and crops are prone to being radioactive.

Small amounts of radiation reached New York, from the reactors in Japan. Take the information from the news reports and how low levels of radiation have reached the East Coast of the States. If this can happen half a world away with emergency responders, think of the impending disaster with none of the information and no manpower to advert the crisis.

The effects of radiation are worse if a nuclear warhead is detonated close by or up-wind. Refer to the previous paragraph about radiation, but when a nuclear warhead is detonated, it releases an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP). Basically an EMP releases a burst of energy which can literally fry any electronic device within the blast radius [and a considerable distance beyond, via linear coupling through power lines and telephone lines.] Unless you store electronic items in metal ammo cans, then you will be without their use for a long time.

Many of the articles on SurvivalBlog encourage us to gain medical knowledge and stock supplies and medication for our families and member of our group. The spread of disease and starvation have been talked about a lot and are a major portion of the prepping agenda. But other disasters can and will strike even when the Crunch is in full swing. If the contents of this article plus other areas that may have been omitted, the nation’s population of 300+ million citizens would be depleted to a few million citizens. As stated earlier, just because our government is in shambles, nature will still continue to have its depredations. The Golden Horde does exist, but genetics, general stupidity and nature will drastically reduce the numbers. I just hope that any people I come across are ones of sound, rational minds, and the people that reduce themselves to baser instincts of animals, pillaging and murdering, are the first to perish through any means mentioned above. If this does happen, then I may not ever have to raise my rifle.

My Suggestions

  • When scouting a location for a retreat, be sure to take into account seasonal weather, how to prepare for these conditions and take note of typical wind speeds and direction.
  • Get a large map that shows your retreat and mark where potential threats can hinder your ability to live securely. Mark where chemical factories, nuclear power plants, et cetera. Are located and in what conditions would it affect your ability to farm.
  • With recent odd weather patterns in the news, take into consideration event that could happen, even if the threat is moderate to low.
  • On the same or similar map, draw contingency escape routes in case you are overrun, mark off where hordes of people would travel that would affect OPSEC.
  • Create a travel map that would show you how to travel the surrounding areas of escape by avoiding major roads.
  • Have a secondary location and cache if your retreat were to be compromised by the Horde or a natural disaster.
  • If your yearly home and retreat are a distance away, be sure to have several routes to take to your to your retreat and maps
  • Discover if you have any venomous or poisonous plants or animals that you could encounter en route to your retreat or at your retreat. Be sure to abide by laws and research the FDA standards on all medication you are considering purchasing. Remember, we’re thinking of a SHTF scenario where it would be impossible to get access to anti-venoms, which most hospitals will keep on hand if the area has a high concentration of venomous or poisonous animals. But if you’re in an area with a concentration but hospitals have to import the anti-venom, then it would be best to have it on hand before TSHTF.
  • Get elective surgery now. Elective surgery exists to improve your quality of living. Lasik eye surgery which will cancel out your need for an eye glasses prescription. Anything that the doctor says is benign; it could become something later, so it might be good to get it removed. Seek second opinions.
  • Get updated shots, boosters and necessary vaccines as well as dental work. As stated before infection is a major concern of any operating procedure.
  • Get educated on emergency medical care. Especially dressing wounds since once the skin is broken, the wound is vulnerable to disease and infection!
  • Get familiar with performing minor surgery. This can go between patching up a large gash, a non-fatal gunshot wound, or setting broken bones or dislocated joints.
  • Get educated with firearms and how to properly use equipment. A stupid mistake or slip up will make the difference between a completed project and a fatal error.

Letter Re: Economic Solution?

Mr. Rawles:

You, and numerous other hard money advocates–like Ron Paul–spend a lot of time talking about the problems created by the Federal Reserve. You are right in calling it a private banking cartel–because, yep, that it exactly what it is. But what is the solution? Thanks, – Ralph in St. Louis

JWR Replies: In essence the problem is our reliance on debt-based funny money. (Take the time to watch the Renaissance 2.0 video series. While I don’t agree with all of its creator’s conclusions, overall it is excellent.) My emphasis on hard goods (barterable tangibles) and hard money (Nickels and precious metals) is part of the solution for disassembling the debt-based money system. We can bypass and inevitably defeat the banksters by not repeatedly cycling money through their system. An just by seeking private loans rather than bank loans and keeping our bank account balances small, we will deprive them of the “float” that is their lifeblood.

Economics and Investing:

Whispering the dreaded “D” word: Federal Reserve Actively Preparing for the Possibility of U.S. Default. ( Thanks to N.B. for the link.)

Columbus [Georgia] Forms Copper Theft Task Force. “Columbus Police say last year alone $2 million in copper was stolen throughout the city.” (Thanks to F.G. for the link.)

F.J. sent a link to an interesting piece penned by Eric Fry: Investing Ahead of the Curve. Here is a quote: “In 1969, for example, the Argentine government trimmed two zeros off the existing Peso Moneda Nacional to create the new Peso Ley. In 1985, the government slashed four zeros off the Peso Ley to create the Peso. Then in 1992, the government cut three zeros off the Peso to create the Austral, simultaneously linking it to the US dollar, one-for-one. Ten years later, this peg to the dollar ruptured and the Argentine currency swiftly lost 75% of its purchasing power…again.”

Michael W. mentioned a web site of interest to copper and nickel investors: Portland Mint.

Some HKMEx news: Hong Kong Metals Exchange to Open 1,000 Ounce Silver Futures Contract. (Thanks to Chris D. for the link.)

Loyal content contributor B.B. kindly sent several news items:

18 Signs That Global Financial Markets Smell Blood In The Water

Marc Faber on Gold, Silver, Deflation and the U.S. Economy podcast (podcast interview with Jim Pulplava)

Too Big To Fail?: 10 Banks Own 77 Percent Of All U.S. Banking Assets

Bill Clinton: I’d use 14th Amendment

Down but not out: Voices of the long-term unemployed

Items from The Economatrix:

Bernanke’s Nightmare

The Money Changers’ Last Hurrah

The Collapse of Paper Money and The Vertical Move of Gold

Big US Bank:  If QE3 Actually Happens We Could See Gold at $5,000 and Silver at $1,000

Odds ‘n Sods:

Mr. V. mentioned a site of interest in the Onionspace: A movement devoted to anonymity, resilient communities, and free markets. Mr. V. also mentioned: “There is a table of contents viewable from “vanilla” Internet space. For full access, you will need to get set up in Tor .onion-space, then you can access this board.”

More eastern liberal know-nothing feel-goodism: Bullet Tax’ Proposed By Mayoral Candidate. Will someone please explain to Otis the difference between a “bullet” and a “cartridge”? Oh, and while you are at it, please show him the way that many .22 rimfire cartridges come from the factory packed in boxes of 500 or 550, and in cases of 5,000. (Thanks to Robert R. for the link.)

   o o o

K.A.F. recommended the young adult book series Life As We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer, which is reviewed here. (It was also reviewed by Avalanche Lily, back in January.)

   o o o

Two never-finished Navy ships head to scrap heap. (A hat tip to Pierre M. for the link.)

   o o o

George S. suggested: Buford, Wyoming, Pop 1, [ZIP code] 82052

Note from JWR:

Today we present another three entries for Round 35 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

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

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

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

Round 35 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A Few Words on Bicycles, by Semper Bike

About 17 years ago I realized that I could not do all the things that I had done when I was in my 20s. I use to play pick-up basketball for hours, play soccer, stay up way too late, hike lots of miles, and a lot of other things, and not feel too much pain the next day. Well, I’m 47 now and I can barely run or do anything that requires lateral movement like soccer or basketball due to multiple operations on my ankles, knee and back. About the only things that I can do pain-free is swim and ride a bike. I still walk but it is always accompanied by the ever-present arthritis to remind me that I am no longer 25…but I digress. As I said, 17 years ago I decided it would be cool to ride my bicycle across the US. Now, up until this decision, I had never owned a real road bike and had probably never ridden more than 10 miles but I was determined and left the west coast in June of 1995 and rode until I saw the Atlantic Ocean 52 days later. I’ll describe some lessons learned during this journey.

I realized I could do anything I put my mind to. I also realized the amazing versatility of bike riding. Not only did I get in phenomenal shape, it also taught me about road ‘survival’ skills. Having spent 20 years in the military, I am pretty sure of myself in regard to surviving in the wild but when I road coast to coast, I became much more road savvy than I had ever been. I learned to listen to the sound of approaching cars from the rear and could tell if they were going to come too close or give me a wide berth.  I also learned how much weight you could easily carry on your bike if you needed to. When I started the trip, my panniers (the bags that hang on your front and rear wheels) carried upwards of 80 pounds of gear. During the trip I slimmed down my load but in a survival situation, when speed is not of the essence, you can store a lot of gear in those panniers. 

I also learned to approach a town with caution and decide on an entry point that gave me options to get out quickly. I never allowed myself to get into a position that only allowed me one way out so that if danger came from that direction, I had other places to go.

I also became very adept at bicycle care and maintenance and could change a flat, put on a new tire, true a bike wheel, tighten spokes (even if one broke), and keep the bike running until I could get to a repair shop. I learned how to ride in a neutral position so that my hands and arms didn’t fall asleep. These are basic skills you should develop now so that the first time you need them is not when the SHTF.  Being proficient in all things related to bike travel is a huge advantage and adds another piece to your survival repertoire.

Although I never used one, I saw several long distance bike riders towing a trailer. This would be a very good essential item in a survival situation.  Let’s say your water source is a couple of miles away and you don’t want to walk and fuel is way too expensive to use the truck. The bike and trailer will get you there faster and transport multiple gallons of water. The ancillary benefit is that you are also in ten times better shape if you are biking regularly than driving a vehicle and the beautiful thing about it is, it’s one of those activities that can be done completely under the radar because training in plain sight is no issue.   Just outfit the family with decent bikes and start riding every weekend! Add some adventure to it and have friends drop you off on a rail-trail path and bike your way home. Pack along food and water and you are building your family’s survival quotient ten-fold.

My first trip across country was brainless to say the least. I simply bought a bike at a local store (a Trek 1220), picked up some gas station maps and traced a route and went for it. I spent the first week in the Mohave Desert and knew nothing about what it would take to make it through. I think God certainly had pity on me and put certain people into my path as it would have been impossible to make it without them. I met a guy named Rodney in the middle of the Mohave and he had been biking cross-country every year for the last six years. He probably saved my life or at least some severe discomfort when he gave me the right information at exactly the right time I needed it to make it across the desert.  I can simply say that God’s grace is sufficient for me. Anyway, I don’t suggest you do the same thing as I did and make sure you prepare for any trip longer than a few miles. Do a competent map study, and be proficient at riding before you hop on your touring bike. I only rode my bike twice before hitting the road for my 3,500 mile trip. (Not good, to say the least.)

Ever since that trip I have become a biking enthusiast. I ride mountain bikes and road bikes, although I prefer the off-road version now; I simply hate riding next to tractor-trailers and semis! The mountain bike also offers an additional option of getting off the hardball roads quickly and quietly if the need arises. Although you will not make the same speeds on a mountain bike as a road bike, in a SHTF scenario, speed is not your best option, stealth and versatility are.

The benefits of having a “bike” option are cost, simplicity, exercise and fitness, training under the radar, fuel savings, flexibility and versatility. Since my first croos country trip, I have completed two more cross-country rides and have become that much more proficient in the area of bicycle maintenance but you do not have to do any long distance trips to do the same. Start local, start riding your bike to get the paper or to do an errand. Get the kids involved. Find a rail-trail near your home and start doing weekend trips to ride on them. Plan a biking/camping adventure with them. Do some research and get a decent set of panniers for each bike in your home. Practice riding with a heavier load. Get a full complement of bicycle repair tools and equipment. I have an extra set of tubes for each tire and I also have two extra tires that I twist into a figure-8, then fold in half and stuff in my panniers. The longer you ride the more maintenance you will have to do to keep the bike running but that is its own reward in proficiency.  I always carried two methods of tire inflation. I carry three CO2 cartridges and a nozzle so I can quick fill a tire in a few seconds. I also keep a decent hand pump along as well. Don’t skimp on a hand pump, spend the extra dollars and get a good one that can pump up a road tire to 60 p.s.i. if need be.  Some pumps don’t cut the mustard on this capability so do some diligent research. Also make sure you know the difference between Presta and Schrader valves, and have the capability to pump into each type. Most gas stations can’t fill the Presta valves but a simple $1.50 conversion bit gives you this capability. I learned this one the hard way, don’t make the same mistake. Know the difference and be prepared.

Whenever I ride, I have several dollars in change in my handlebar pouch. I cannot tell you the number of times I pulled into gas stations and stores after they closed and found a working soda and candy machine outside. Having a supply of change is a lifesaver in some cases. I once was riding on route 66 between Kingman and Seligman, Arizona and pulled into an old decrepit gas station that looked like it hadn’t pumped any gas in decades. The only thing that worked was the soda machine and it didn’t have a slot for dollar bills; it was another one of those moments when I knew God was watching out for me.

Another item that is indispensable is tire liners. I use Mr. Tuffy’s tire liners but there are several on the market that should do the trick. Although it adds weight to your bike, they are worth every cent. I biked nearly 1,200 miles before I got my first flat on my first bike trip and have had similar results on all my long distance rides. A cheap alternative to store bought liners is to save your old tires and cut off the wire rims. Insert the remaining rubber into the tires and then put the tubes in and you have a home remedy to help prevent flat tires. This option is really only effective if your old tires are of the smooth variety. A knobby mountain bike tire will not fit snugly into a new one, even with the wire rimes cut off. You should also carry green “slime” which is a quick repair goop that you fill directly into your tubes. It fills the hole from the inside (provided it’s not too big) and allows you to continue to use a damaged tube without patching. Bike stores even sell tubes with the slime already pre-filled in the tubes. Tires can also help in the flat prevention department. Specialized makes an Armadillo tire that is pretty tough against flats. The only downside is that the tire is pretty stiff and isn’t for someone who wants a real smooth ride but if we are talking a SHTF scenario, these are money for preventing flats.

This brings me to my next point; patches. There are now lots of different options than the old standard vulcanizing patches we all grew up with. There are quick fix patches that are a time saver and are very useful to quickly patch a tire without having to wait five minutes before the glue sets on an old standard repair patch kit. The tradeoff is that most quick fix patches will not last as long as the standard patch but I developed a plan when I rode where I would quick fix any flat and then when I was safe in my overnight dwelling, I would re-examine my tubes, replace with new ones and re-patch if necessary. I never wanted to spend too much time on the side of the road patching a tire. In the event someone took notice who might want to do me harm, you want to get rolling as quickly as possible.

Bottom line: If you are looking at a true survival scenario, use as many of these options as you can to keep you bikes running on the roads and trails.
It also illustrates a point about traveling alone. I rode cross country in 1995, 1998 and 2003 and did all three trips solo. If I were to do it again, I would probably find someone who would do it with me. I was packing iron my 1st and 2nd trips, (Mr. S&W .357 Magnum on my first trip and Mr. Colt .45 on my second) but rode the third one without heavy metal since I was more aware of the state by state rules regarding firearms and probably was not riding in accordance with established concealed carry laws. I had a cell phone on that most recent trip unlike the first two but going solo, with or without a firearm, would be ill-advised in a survival situation. 

On my second cross country bike trip, I ran across an interesting individual in Tennessee. I can’t remember his name but he told me that people around the area called him the “can man” because he picked up cans along the roadside and turned them in for cash. He told me he bought his last truck with the money he saved from collecting cans. It took him several years but he was retired and just road up and down the state roads, about 40 miles each day, and did his thing and had a very healthy outlook on life. He had rigged up a rear seat platform with several milk crates which he used to keep his cans in and had a broom handle extension on his handlebars so he could walk and balance his load at the same time. It reminded me of the stories of the Viet Cong bringing supplies into South Vietnam on the Ho Chi Minh Trail but his little broomstick handle allowed him to walk upright while pushing the bike and not hunched over the way you normally do. I thought about this for a bit and realized the utility that this had to offer in a SHTF scenario. Let’s say you have to beat feet off a road or trail quickly to avoid a confrontation. This little set up allows you to quickly and efficiently push the bike through any type of brush or up a hill so you can cover ground that can’t be ridden and get back to a place where you can ride.  I’m not advocating keeping a broom handle taped to your handlebars 24/7, just keep the option open to use if the need arises. You could even attach the handle to you bike frame and use some duct tape to attach it to the handlebars in a pinch. [JWR Adds: With most handlebars, a pair of 3.5″ Aero-seal hose clamps Stainless Steel of Aero-seal style hose clamps would work better than tape.]
  
To make a short story a little bit longer, bikes are awesome and can be fitted to do a ton of stuff in a SHTF scenario. They should be a part of anyone’s survival bag of tricks but the time to get proficient is not after the balloon goes up but as soon as possible to get the family ready and have a lot of fun doing it. Use the internet and get savvy about your bike skills. There is a good online resource by Jim Langley, which covers a lot of the basics of bike repair and maintenance. Good luck and God Speed!