Simple Prepping for the Suburban Home, by Keep-it-Simple Suburbanite

Our family lives in an average house on an average lot near the edge of an average midwestern city.  While we have two evacuation invitations and are looking into purchasing “camping land”, our primary plan is to shelter in place.  From the very beginning, JWR’s “blinding flash of the obvious” has been the watchword in my quest for simplicity.  Limited time, space and resources have led to some streamlining that might give others a few helpful ideas.

Garden

Have you ever felt overwhelmed and intimidated by all the great gardening advice you read here on the blog?  If so, why not just try a practice garden? 
For me, gardening started when I walked in to a bookstore looking for something to read as I recovered from my upcoming cancer surgery.  I felt the Lord direct me to Steve Solomon’s Gardening When It Counts.  At the time I thought it was to facilitate better nutrition and exercise to get my strength back, but it was also my introduction to SurvivalBlog and the preparedness world.   

Not knowing anything about raising food, we decided to put in a practice garden.  A friend with a rototiller got it started, but it took all summer to dig and plant a little every day as I recovered.  The next year we started practicing Mel Bartholomew’s Square Foot Gardening.  Every year we “practice” some new things, eat the mistakes and never worry about doing it the wrong way. 

Design

As the garden evolves, discoveries and challenges lead to better design.  Here are some fun facts my garden has taught me.  The things that are harvested all at once can be in less accessible areas, but the salad fixings and herbs should be handy for daily use.  It can be hard to find the fruits under the leaves of vines; but planting vine crops next to trellises oriented north and tipped 30-45 degrees means that they’ll grow with the leaves on top and the fruit underneath.  Root crops generally grow well in clay but are hard to harvest, so put them in areas with loose soil or in deep containers.  A vegetable garden with a few flowers and a focal point is a decorative garden, so toss in a few flower seeds and use interesting discarded items as trellises or art. 

Aesthetics
For those of us living in suburbia, aesthetics is an important part of getting along with neighbors.  If it’s ugly, it should be hidden in the back yard, but it shouldn’t get too ugly.  Fences are great for privacy, trellising and security, but can also separate you from the community.  We have opted for hedges of native and edible shrubs.  Most utilitarian gardening should be done in inconspicuous areas, and everything visible to the neighbors should be inoffensive, hopefully even attractive.  The more the neighbors garden, the more they see all gardens as things of beauty.  Sharing seeds, plants, produce and especially compliments can work wonders. 

Perennial landscaping can focus on attractive food-producing plants, and most of these can certainly be in the more public areas.  My next practice garden will be a medicinal herb garden disguised as an English cottage garden in the front yard.  We also have space between the house and evergreen foundation plantings to stack firewood so it’s out of the weather and out of sight.  Decorative features such as arbors and pergolas can also support food production.  A yard can blend in with the neighbors and still be attractive and productive.

Compost
Even the best soil needs to be renewed with compost, but it seemed so complicated that I was hesitant to try it.  There are lots of fancy expensive complicated systems out there, but the simplest and quickest method is just to compost in place.  Basically, everything organic will rot and become humus in the soil. Dig a hole.  Put organic material in it.  Cover it up.  Wait a while.  Plant something.  How simple is that?  If you give worm medication to your pets, the feces would kill worms, so don’t compost that.  If you try to compost meat or bones, the neighbor’s dog might dig it up, so you might not want to compost that either.  On the other hand, don’t most people bury dead animals, which are essentially meat and bones?  Leaves and grass clippings make great mulch throughout the garden.  As it breaks down, it becomes more compost. 

Seeds
Seed saving has been thoroughly covered by others, but here is one simple idea I haven’t seen anywhere else.
Don’t you wish that annual vegetables were perennials?  Anyone with a yard can start a living seed bank.  In fact, two would be even better, one at the residence and one at the retreat location.  This garden takes on a lush but wild appearance, so select the site accordingly.  Simply plant favorite crops and don’t harvest most of them.  Enjoy a few nibbles, but leave most of it to reproduce naturally.  Choose one variety of open-pollinated seeds for each vegetable to avoid undesired crosses.  Potatoes, squash, tomatoes, carrots, parsnips, lettuce, onions, garlic, beans, peas and such will establish themselves and natural selection will finely tune the best traits for your location.  Omitting tall corn and red tomatoes will make the garden less noticeable.  Certainly, not everything will do well, but in time of need it’s good to have an additional source of nourishment and hardy seeds. 

Bathroom  

Disposing of wastes is high on the list of concerns for a suburban prepper.  All this talk of five gallon buckets and outhouses is not very appealing.  A friend who served as a SEAL informed me that full five-gallon buckets can and do break.  They also get extremely heavy.  The neighbors might not like the looks of an outhouse, and they are not generally designed for ease of thorough cleaning.  Here is a simpler solution that I haven’t seen anyone mention. 
Simply modify indoor facilities.  Place a 5-quart ice cream pail in the toilet bowl.  (You may need to remove a little water so it doesn’t float.)  Voila, the most convenient chamber pot imaginable!  The family will be more comfortable sitting in a familiar place, and it is easy to keep sanitary.  You may want to put a little bio-friendly soap in the pail first.  It should be lined with sawdust, grass clippings or other suitable material, which will also be used to cover fecal material after each use.  Keep this in another pail next to the commode.
The odor and toxicity of solid wastes are reduced when they are not mixed with urine, so a separate pail for urine is a good idea.  This can actually be stored and used in the shower or tub, which also makes for easier maintenance.  Using a pail for this purpose is easier if one responds to the “urge” sooner rather than later.  If there is an occasional splash, the design of the shower/tub makes clean up easier. 

Washing
Hand washing can be done at the sink, almost as usual.  Large liquid laundry detergent containers with spigots can be reused wherever you need convenient hand washing.  (We keep one in the garden.)  If you want to reuse the water, just set a pail in the sink.  That water is suitable for sponge baths, cleaning the bathroom, cleaning the waste pail or all three if you’re really short on water. 

In a situation without running water, keeping the body clean would be more necessary and difficult than usual.  A solar shower designed for camping is what we have for now.  It necessitates a sturdy hook (or two) to hold the shower as high as possible.  Placing it above the tub at the opposite side from the showerhead is most convenient.  You might also want two in front of the bathroom window to warm the water on cold sunny days.  Our solar shower is heavy, awkward, hard to dry out after use, and it cannot produce significant water pressure.  It is OK for a quick wet down and rinse, but a washcloth is going to have to take the place of water pressure.  Several quick rinses throughout the day sometimes work better than waiting to scrub everything off in the evening. 

For simplicity’s sake, one multi-use cleanser is ideal.  Dawn dish soap is good for almost everything.  My hairdresser said the pH is fine for oily hair, and no one is going to shampoo hair unless it’s greasy in an extreme situation.  Dawn is used on wildlife affected by oil spills, so it is nontoxic and effective.  Using a foam soap dispenser makes a tiny bit of soap go a long way.  It’s also Okay for hand laundry, but difficult to rinse if too much is used. 

Maintenance
It is essential to keep the bathroom clean.  Everything from the mirror to the floor should we wiped down every day so there is no build-up of nastiness.  Empty the waste pails at least once a day.  With the small capacity and distinct odor, the pail will demand frequent attention.  Since the handles and lids are somewhat unreliable, be careful to hold each pail with one hand below and one above the pail!  Solid wastes must be buried.  Doing so near trees or shrubs may hasten decomposition, but obviously, you’re not going to bury it near the potatoes and carrots.  I make it a practice to dig a suitable ditch before the ground freezes each fall, just in case.  The waste pail should be cleaned daily.  Consider alternating two pails so one can sit in the sun to dry and disinfect.
This might seem gross when there is perfectly good city water and sewer, but it’s not a bad idea to try it out now when mistakes don’t matter. 

Food Storage

Start in the kitchen. When I first found SurvivalBlog, I started stashing packaged goods in the backs of file drawers and behind books on the shelf, wherever there was a little extra room. What a mess!  The best place to start is in the kitchen, of course. Work through each cupboard, using or tossing the things the family usually doesn’t eat.  This is also a good time to reorganize and pare down the things that aren’t needed.  With all this newfound space, it’s easy to have multiple cans or packages of what you really like.  (Are you old enough to remember the Beverly Hillbillies ads where Granny had an entire cupboard filled with Campbell’s Soup?)

Add the Pantry
If there is already a pantry next to the kitchen consider yourself blessed.  My husband had actually set up a pantry shelf at the foot of the basement stairs for extra food. (Silly me; I had thought it was unnecessary since we already had a fine kitchen.)  I started adding to his stash, sorting and resorting to make new additions fit without giving away the fact that I was building up the stores.  The point is, starting with one set of shelves in a handy place outside the kitchen keeps momentum going without overwhelming the kitchen. 
At this point, it was time to know how long this storage food would last.  There are all kinds of fancy charts and spreadsheets, but anything that complicated was not going to work for us.   A calculator was kept on hand to calculate and label the number of calories in each package.  For our family, about 8,000 calories per day is what we currently consume.  Every time 8,000 calories was added to the pantry, a hash mark went on the tally on a cardboard box on the shelf.  When food went upstairs or was purchased, the tally was adjusted.  It would have been way too complicated to calculate the food in the kitchen, so that was just considered bonus food.  This was a simple way to keep score until there was about 9 months of food in storage.
About this time I also realized that separating my storage and weekly groceries in the shopping cart meant that the food would end up pretty well sorted into the grocery bags.  That made it a lot easier to put it all away. 

Create a Cellar
The pantry at the basement stairs was becoming unmanageable, so one day my insightful husband decided we needed shelves.  That weekend we had four huge shelving units.  These was placed farther back in the basement, in the cool northeast corner.  We knew those shelves would be too heavy to move, so we left plenty of elbowroom.  It doesn’t have to be attractive, but it should be sturdy, easy to keep clean and as discrete as possible.  We placed old bookshelves full of miscellaneous basement junk back-to-back with the food storage shelves, essentially forming a wall to keep the food cellar out of the line of sight. 

If you’re reading the blog, you already know about rotation, buckets, vermin, and such, so let’s skip that.  It is important to have a simple organizational plan.  At this point a place for everything and everything in its place is not optional.  Top shelves, which were warmer, were for non-food items, and the bottom shelves have functioned marginally as a root cellar for garden vegetables.  Medical supplies were located in front at eye level.  Labeling shelves as well as buckets and boxes made it easier for the rest of the family to find what they needed.  Especially important was a handy place for markers, calculators, bucket openers, and a shopping list. 

Kitchen

The kitchen has never been my primary area of strength; in fact, my family calls the smoke detector the dinner bell.  That should give anyone hope.  The simple approach to preparedness has made the kitchen a slightly happier place.

Canning
Anyone who can read and follow directions can learn to can.  Butter seemed the obvious first step because it was uncomplicated, it’s not easy to produce at home and you can’t help but notice if it goes bad.  Meat was next, since it is also easy and saves a lot of money.  It would be a waste to mess around with little batches, so it seemed sensible to start with the largest pressure canner available.  Cases of mason jars were found inexpensively on Craigslist, along with a cheap dehydrator to practice drying fruits, vegetables and herbs.

Cast Iron
In preparation for an eventual woodstove or cook stove, I wanted to collect cast iron cookware.  However, when my husband’s used his dutch ovens in the campfire, everything had to be lined with foil or it would stick.  Certainly that’s not how grandma did it.  Paul Wheaton explained things wonderfully in this article on his blog.  Now cast iron is all I use, even on my electric stove.

Mixes
Despite not being a great cook, it’s important to serve healthier and tastier foods.  We obtained a number of large genuine Tupperware containers for free about the time I was reading about DIY mixes on the blog.  Unfortunately, many recipes for homemade mixes are decidedly unhealthy.  I took my favorite cookie, pancake/biscuit and other recipes  and multiplied them to fill the containers.  To make it even easier, I marked 10 & 20 cups of flour on two sides and listed the ingredients and directions on the other sides.  This makes it super easy to frequently make healthy homemade foods and to prepare a new batch of the mix.  
herbs

Reading a few books on herbal benefits and remedies made me want to add some herbs to our meals.  A few seeds and a few seedlings made a good start.  Then I bought my very first bottle of alcohol, some vodka to practice making tinctures.   Cooking, teas and tinctures are definitely easy ways to start getting the benefit of herbs.   

Cook Stove

Having purchased a used Blaze Princess stove for heat, I was hoping to also cook a few things on it when it’s installed before next winter.  Then a pathetically rusty miniature cook stove turned up for $60.  It had probably been a salesman’s sample, but it works just like the full-sized model.  It’s kind of a joke to look at, but it provides an opportunity to practice using a wood cook stove in the back yard without putting a hole in the roof or smoking up the house.  Glitches that would have been disasters in the house are humorous in the back yard. 
 

Explaning Your Preps

No doubt about it, the preparedness lifestyle can be a bit out of place in suburbia.  Comments will be made.  A list of one-liners prepared ahead of time makes it simpler to respond truthfully without revealing too much.  Here are a few of my favorites. 

  • “We teachers sure do have odd hobbies, don’t we?”
  • “A friend teaches a unit on Little House on the Prairie, and I wanted to try this.”
  • “Organic food is important for us cancer survivors.”
  • “Think globally, act locally.”
  • “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”
  • “This lowers my carbon footprint.”  Yes, this can be said with a straight face.
  • “I’m doing my part to save the earth.”  Likewise.
  • “We’re a Scouting family; be prepared!”
  • This is my all time favorite.  “It’s for the Boy Scouts.”  My sons are Eagle Scouts, and everything I do is ultimately for them. 
  • When the guy at the bakery asks every few months what I do with all those buckets, here’s the answer.  “It’s for the Boy Scouts.  They’re great to organize food because they’re weather-proof, critter-proof, and you can sit on them.”

The very best explanation I ever gave was to our dearest friends.  When I confided my concerns and preparations, they said they used to be prepared, but now they would just come to our house.  I think I had read this response somewhere in SurvivalBlog.  “Sure, just bring a year’s worth of food, a gun and a thousand rounds.”  They’ve been prepping ever since.  In fact, last month they bought a ton of wheat and two handguns.  Having our best friends preparing with us is one of the best things in my life.

Keep It Simple
There is a lot of practicing going on at our home.  We are preparing, but in a way that fits with our life and neighborhood, because in this suburban household, we are a lot more successful when we keep it simple.

Pat’s Product Review: Taurus 800 Series Pistols

Many years ago, when I was living back in Chicago, Illinois for a couple of years I was working as the Investigation Manager for a large detective agency, that had offices all over the USA. As an extra duty, I also maintained the company-owned firearms that our armed security officers used. We had well over 200 armed security officers in our Chicago office alone, and most of them were armed with company-owned Taurus .38 Special revolvers. I used to keep a supply of spare parts on hand, as those guns were breaking with regularity. Truth be told, I spent more time than I liked on repairing those firearms – when I should have been overseeing some important investigations. Luckily, I had a good staff on investigators working for me, so I only had to check on their work from time-to-time.

Back in those days, Taurus revolvers were anything but “good” in my book. They were meant to be used only when necessary. If you did a lot of shooting with a Taurus revolver back then, you had to expect a lot of problems and repairs in order to keep your Taurus up and running. The detective agency I worked for, didn’t require their armed officers to do a lot of shooting, but many did, on their own time, go to the gun range and shoot, and this led to a lot of guns breaking. So, I have something of a history and a lot of experience with Taurus firearms.

I’m happy to report that Taurus has come a long way from what they used to be. Today, Taurus firearms are just as good, if not better, than any of the big name firearms on the market. As an aside, I’m the first gun writer to do web site only gun articles, and my first articles started appearing several years ago on the Taurus web site www.taurususa.com as a result of working with Chuck Fretwell who handles the Public Relations and Marketing for Taurus firearms. Chuck is one of the good guys, he’s an ex SpecOps guy, and he knows guns.

The guns under review in this piece are from the Taurus 800 series of handguns. Some folks simply don’t like striker-fired handguns. Personally, I don’t have any problems with striker-fired handguns, they always seem to go “bang” whenever I pull the trigger. However, some folks prefer a hammer-fired handgun, and Taurus listened, and came out with their 800 series of handguns. These include:

  • a 9mm Parabellum (the 809 with 17 round capacity)
  • a .40 S&W (the 840 with 15 round capacity)
  • a .45 ACP (the 845 with 12 round capacity)

I have had the opportunity to test and evaluate the Taurus 809 (9mm) and 845 (.45 ACP) handguns, and they are both outstanding firearms. My good friend and fellow gun writer, John Taffin also tested the 845 a couple years ago, and he also thought very highly of the pistol.

My 809 sample came from Chuck Fretwell during a visit with him to discuss doing web-only articles on Taurus firearms. I was more than a little excited to get home from Lake Oswego, Oregon to my digs 70 miles away, so I could test the 809. I was really taken with how nice the 809 felt in my hand – it felt “just right” as Goldilocks would say. The grip frame is about as thin as you can get side-to-side, as well as front-to-back. It just plain ‘ol felt good in my hand.

The 809 can be carried cocked ‘n locked, like the venerable Model 1911, or you can chamber a round, and use the frame-mounted safety/decocker to safely lower the hammer, and carried the gun with the hammer down, in which case, the first shot would be double-action. With the hammer cocked, with the safety “on” – you simply swipe the safety “off” and the first round is fired single-action, with all subsequent rounds being fired single-action – my preferred method of carry on this gun. The trigger reach is outstanding in either the single-action or double-action method of carry. All buy those with the smallest hand and trigger reach will like the way this gun feels in the hand.

Coming in at 30.2 ounces, the 809 is heavier than a Glock full-sized model 17, however the 809 doesn’t feel much heavier in the least, as it balances very nicely in the hand. The magazine release, slide release and safety are all ambidextrous, too – so the gun is great for right or left handed shooters. Carrying 17-rds of 9mm, the 809 is also right up there with other hi-cap 9mm handguns [like the Glock 17] when it comes to carrying a lot of rounds. The polymer frame helps keep the weight down on the 800 series pistols.

The frame has an extended beavertail-type frame extension, which helps control the gun during rapid-fire – nice touch. White dot sights adorn the slide, and they are quick to pick-up, under most lighting conditions. Taurus isn’t offering night sights on the 800 series of handguns, and that’s too bad, wish they would – at least as an option. The frame has an integral Picatinny-style rail for mounting lights or lasers, and this is fast becoming the norm with a lot of pistols these days.

Take-down of the 809 is fast and easy, and requires no tools or paperclips. You can break-down the 809 in less than half a minute for cleaning and maintenance. The grip frame on the 809 has horizontal serrations for a secure grip under just about any weather conditions, too. Finish on the slide is a black Tenifer, which will stand-up to the harshest weather conditions you can throw at this gun.

If you want more technical information on the 800 series of handguns from Taurus, go to their web site. I don’t want to bore SurvivalBlog readers to death with specifications.

So, how does the 809 shoot? Well, this is an excellent shooting 9mm pistol. In over 300-rds of shooting, in one range session alone, I never experienced anything remotely looking like a malfunction of any type. I fed my sample all manner of 9mm ammo from Black Hills Ammunition, Buffalo Bore Ammunition and Winchester’s white box, USA brand. The 809 ate up 115 grain FMJ as well as JHP rounds, as well as 124 grain JHP rounds and 147 grain FMJ rounds without any problems. The 809 didn’t seem to prefer any particular brand or bullet weight over another when it came to accuracy at 25-yards. I could keep  5 round inside of 3″ standing on my two legs. The 809 can also handle +P 9mm loads. While most gun manufactures advise you to not use +P+ loads, the 809 handled some Buffalo Bore +P+ loads without any problems. However, be advised, accelerated wear can occur with super-hot loads.

The 809 has a suggested retail price of $656 – and you can usually find most Taurus firearms deeply discounted in most gun shops. In my book, the Taurus 809 is a best buy in a 17-round 9mm pistol.

I purchased the Taurus 845 .45 ACP pistol out of my own pocket, at my local gun shop. Given my druthers, I’ll usually take a .45 ACP handgun over a 9mm when the chips are down. I’m not about to start a discussion over which round is “better” – I just happen to prefer the .45 ACP over the 9mm in most cases, especially if I were limited to using only FMJ ammo, as opposed to JHP loads as a man stopper.

Like the Taurus 809, the 845 is very similar in most respects. It has a 4″ barrel, polymer frame, etc. It weighs in at 28.2-oz so it’s a bit lighter than the 809 is. All other specs are the same as the 809.

The 845 holds 12-rds of .45 ACP in their magazines, and you get one spare magazine with the 845, just as you do with the 809. I personally don’t understand why all gun makers don’t provide at least one spare mag with their guns. And, it seems like, the more expensive a handgun is, the less chance there is of getting a spare mag – shame on those gun companies who don’t provide a spare with their handguns!

As I mentioned previously, my good friend and fellow gun writer, John Taffin, tested the 845 at about the same time I was testing my sample, and he loved it. I concur with most of what John wrote in his article, with one exception. My 845 sample shot low with all ammo tested – and we’re talking a couple inches low at 25-yards. This could be easily corrected with a lower front sight – I asked Taurus to send me one – never heard back from them. I’ve read some place, and I can’t remember where, that Taurus uses the same front and rear sights on their 800 series guns, 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. I don’t know if that’s true or not, however I measured the front sight height on my 9mm and .45 ACP samples and they were the same height.

I really liked shooting the 845, even more so than the 809 sample. Then again, as I mentioned, I like the .45 ACP round better. The 845 had zero malfunctions, and I tested it with Winchester’s USA 230 grain FMJ, Black Hills Ammunitions’s 230 grain JHP and FMJ loads,  and Buffalo Bore’s 185 grain JHP+P loads. As with the 809, the 845 didn’t seem to prefer one brand of ammo over another when it came to accuracy, and I could easily keep most loads in the 3″ range at 25-yards. I will say, the Buffalo Bore 185 grain JHP +P load catches ones attention – they are stout, to be sure. And, the 185 grain JHP load shot lower than the 230 grain loads, which is to be expected.

I’d like to see Taurus replace the 845’s front sight, with one a little bit shorter, so it would bring my point of aim, to the point of impact. Then again, John Taffin, didn’t have any problems with his sample hitting point of aim, point of impact. So it might have just been my sample.

The suggested retail price on the 845 is $674 and again, you can usually find Taurus handguns deeply discounted at most gun shops. As with the 809, the 845 is a best buy in a full capacity .45 ACP.

Now, if there is one serious complaint I have with most Taurus handguns it is this: It is very difficult to get spare magazines from Taurus, from your gun shop or most mail-order places. Look, I know the President of Taurus USA, Bob Morrison, and even with that personal contact, I have a difficult time getting any spare mags directly from Taurus. I discussed this with Chuck Fretwell from Taurus, and he said he doesn’t understand this problem, either. In any event, you get one spare mag with either the 809 or 845. So, you have a good start with being able to carry your 809 or 845 with just one spare magazine – and you should always carry at least one spare mag with any semi-auto handgun. Spare mags are out there for Taurus handguns, you just have to look for them. [JWR Adds: My philosophy on buying guns when magazines are scarce is to buy a half dozen spare magazines before you buy the gun itself. You never know when another magazine ban might be enacted!]

In the past dozen or so years, Taurus firearms have come a long way from what they used to be, and its all for the better, too. I would have no problem carrying any Taurus handgun, in a fight-stopping caliber, for self-defense. And all Taurus firearms come with a lifetime warranty, too – and they have some really outstanding customer service should you have a problem with your Taurus firearms. If you’re in the market for a new pistol, then take a close look at the Taurus 809 or 845. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

Avoiding Heat Injuries, by Dr. Bob

As it is affecting so many of us right now, seems like a good time to give you some information about heat-related problems and preventing heat stroke and heat exhaustion.
Heat Exhaustion most often occurs when people work or play in a hot, humid place and body fluids are lost through sweating, causing overheating of the body.  Usually a person is dehydrated to some degree, from mild to severely.  The person’s temperature may be elevated, but not above 104 degrees.  Now, most of us can go inside a cool down either in air-conditioned vehicles or homes.  Even the movies are a great cooling spot, (as bad as they are until that ape movie comes out that I want to see…creepy apes).  This will not be so simple WTSHTF.  Again, making some assumptions about TEOTWAWKI that may or may not hold true; but, if there are basements that are underground, usually the temperature there is never really dangerous for heat-related illnesses.  Go there for the worst weather of summer.  Or your favorite cave nearby.  Or Starbucks…oh wait…that won’t work.  Find your cool area now so that you can plan for it if we get this kind of weather next year. (Possibly without a grid power?)

Heat stroke, also referred to as heatstroke or sun stroke, is a life-threatening condition. Your cooling system, controlled by the brain, stops working correctly and body temperature rises to the point at which brain damage or damage to other internal organs may result, usually 105+ degrees.  About 700 people die yearly due to heat-related illness, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  And that’s now with power and air for most of us to spoil ourselves with.  Think of what that number may reach without a grid and a medical system to back us up.

Infants, children under four years old, overweight folks, and the elderly are more likely to have heat stroke, as are those who are taking certain types of medication.  So if you are fat, lose it.  If you are an infant or child, hurry up and get over four before this all “goes down”.  If you are elderly, well, nothing you can really do about that now unless you get some of that swimming pool deal from that old person/alien movie.  If you do, don’t tell my granny cause I don’t want to have to hear about it constantly and watch her dancing around. The short message of this paragraph is pay special attention to little ones and elderly folks in this kind of heat…they might need it more than the rest of us.

Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke Prevention
Avoidance of heat exhaustion is pretty easy now but may not be WTSHTF.  Your best try is not engaging in strenuous activity in hot, humid environments.  People who are not used to the heat should be particularly careful.  Intersperse periods of rest in a cool environment with plenty of available fluids to drink.  Avoid strenuous activities during the hottest part of the day.  Hydration is key. Fluids will be important every day but on those days 100-fold more so.  Don’t forget electrolytes too, water alone with profuse sweating can cause some electrolyte imbalances in potassium, sodium and chloride that can really get you too.  Best things to do now when it’s really hot or then (WTSHTF) are simple things:

  1. Rest in a cool, shaded area.
  2. Drink cool fluids like water or electrolyte-containing drinks.  Salty snacks are appropriate as tolerated.
  3. Loosen or remove clothing.
  4. Apply cool water to skin.
  5. Do not use an alcohol rub.
  6. Do not give any beverages containing alcohol or caffeine.
  7. If you are treating someone that is overheated with exhaustion or possible heat stroke:
    1. Move the person to a cooler environment, or place him or her in a cool bath of water (avoid drowning the person by watching them, please!)
    2. Alternatively, moisten the skin with lukewarm water and fan the person to blow cool air across the skin.
    3. Give cool beverages by mouth only if the person has a normal ability to swallow.

This is really basic information, but hopefully it helps and may get you thinking seriously about this issue if you currently plan to live out on a trailer in the desert WTSHTF.  You won’t make it in this weather unprotected from this kind of heat.  Try turning off your air for 48 hours and see what kinds of temps you run in your home…it might surprise you how hot it gets fast or how cool your lower level actually stays.  Everyone’s situation is very different so start to plan yours accordingly.  Even you northerners can end up dying of heat stroke when the temp stays above 100 for a couple days, so figure out your preventive strategies now.  And everyone can in theory die from heat stroke if they push themselves without proper cooling.  There’s tough, there’s smart, and there’s alive.  Better to be smart and alive than tough and not.  Stay strong, – Dr. Bob

[JWR Notes: Dr. Bob is is one of the few consulting physicians in the U.S. who dispenses antibiotics for disaster preparedness as part of his normal scope of practice. His web site is: SurvivingHealthy.com.)

Letter Re: The Thinning of The Horde

Dear SurvivalBloggers,
After reading “The Thinning of The Horde” by Matt B., I would like to make aware the realization that if TEOTWAWKI were to happen during the winter months, which may be as long as five months in the northern tier states, the Transportation Departments (state or local) will not be plowing roads making them impassable by most vehicles. I can imagine the local Good Samaritan plowing out a neighborhood, but in the urban areas, most people do not own plows. In rural America, the distance between neighbors is sometimes measured in miles. A foot of fresh snow would minimize looting in many areas as well as minimize [travel by] those searching for food and warmth. I think that if SHTF during the winter months in the northern states, it would be a dire situation to those that are not prepared. – Dave K. in Washington

Two Letters Re: How Does Your Garden Grow? (After TSHTF)

Hello JWR,
I enjoyed the recent SurvivalBlog article titled “How Does Your Garden Grow”. I like the idea of gardening, but it takes time and a lot of trial and error. I have pursued sprouting as another gardening method. It’s easy to do. I bought my seeds and sprouter from Sprout People. – Ken S.

Hi James,  
We have spent six years getting our garden established and working. Fenced and footed in concrete. Electric wire around the outside to keep out the raccoons. An above ground watering system to each of the 16 plots. Four raised beds 24 inches high, 3′ x 8′ inside dimensions built of reinforced concrete. We had poor soils (silty sandy loam) with a deep layer of blown in soils from the 1930s on top. We have added some 400 bags of steer manure over the years. Last year we applied 4,000 lbs of composted steer manure from a cattle yard. We have adequate water for the garden.   This year we have raised 180 lbs of potatoes. 4 cabbages 4 kohlrabi 4 gallons of strawberries 2 tomatoes 4 gallons of small onions. Our corn crop is failing, our cucumbers are drying up under watering, our okra did not sprout well and those that did during five replantings all died except for two plants. We expect no production from the okra this year. All our beans sprouted well and grew but did not produce any beans and have withered and died under watering our 21 sweet potatoes are looking good but production will only be know in the fall our peppers are stunted and the leaves dried under watering our tomato grew initially mostly in pots and have produced only two tomatoes and look stunted now under watering we have moved the potted tomato plants under the shade of a tree and they are looking somewhat better. If we had to rely this year on our garden we would have starved.

To all those who say “grow a garden and have food”, I say poo bah! You cannot depend on a garden no matter how much physical planning you do. No matter how much water and soil amendments you add. No matter how much care you give the garden to weeding and watering regularly.   The outdoor elements will take away your safety system in an instant. A garden must be only a backup to stored foods.   We have applied the best management we know how to our garden this year. It is really scary to do the best you can with adequate tools and knowledge and still fail.   You must have stored foods. You must be ready to migrate to areas where conditions are more conducive to getting production from the land.   I have seen starvation in West Africa, the Sahel, during a tour of duty with the Peace Corps. It is something that I do not want to see happen to my family. I do not intend to be a parasite under failing political, financial and infrastructure systems.   A regular reader, – JWC in Oklahoma

Economics and Investing:

Entschuldigung, but doesn’t this sound a bit inflationary, for the U.S. Dollar?: Audit: Fed gave $16 trillion in emergency loans to foreign banks.

Worth reading: How Capitol Hill Is Pushing the U.S. Economy to the Edge. (Thanks to Sue C. for the link.)

Chris H. suggested this: Gold shines, but silver is the moneymaker.

Economics Professor: “[We’ll Have] a Never-Ending Depression Unless We Repudiate the Debt, Which Never Should Have Been Extended In The First Place” (Thanks to John R. for the link.)

K.K. sent this: Silver Update: Caught in the act, “The Comex is a completely and utterly corrupt market.”

Gold, Silver Surge After John Taylor Predicts Gold to Hit $1,900 By October

More grim economic news, courtesy of John R.:

A New Surge in Job Layoffs (Dave Cohen)     

“It’s A Cash-Flow Problem”: The Ever Broker US Consumer Increasingly Relying On Credit Cards For Daily Staples

Jim Rogers: Fed Will Launch QE3 by Q3

Greece: Looking for the ‘right’ place to crash (Kurt Brouwer)  

China urges U.S. to boost confidence in debt, dollar  

Items from The Economatrix:

Get Ready For a 70% Marginal Tax Rate

Moody’s Warns Could Cut Five States Tied to US Credit

The Collapse of Paper Money and the Vertical Move of Gold

Gary North:  The US Debt Ceiling Show Baloney

Sales of Existing US Homes Fall, Partly Due to Cancellations

Odds ‘n Sods:

A BFO award to Heidi L. for mentioning that five-round boxes of 12 gauge shells (buckshot or slugs), fit nicely in the standard USGI cotton bandoleers originally made for 5.56mm NATO ammo. What a convenient way to store 35 shotgun shells (5 shells per seven-pocket bandoleer) and have them ready for immediate use! BTW, two bandoleers packed in that manner (70 rounds) fit in a standard USGI .30 caliber ammo can.

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Tom at CampingSurvival.com announced a new 10% off coupon code for all of their Keystone meats and broths.   Great stuff!  High quality, tasty and long shelf life.  This is just a one week sale, so order soon. The coupon code is “keystone“.  

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Reader Steve H. in Texas spotted an interesting article at Townhall‘s Paul Kengor: Could You Survive Another Great Depression? It has a perspective from the writer’s grandparents on what they experienced the last time.)

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Outrage: Fury erupts over Ohio police video; NW activists join debate. Out west, CCW holders are treated much more politely.

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I just heard about an interesting science fiction anthology, titled Grants Pass. Avalanche Lily plans to get a copy, and write a review.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret [sins] in the light of thy countenance.

For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale [that is told].

The days of our years [are] threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength [they be] fourscore years, yet [is] their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.

Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, [so is] thy wrath.

So teach [us] to number our days, that we may apply [our] hearts unto wisdom.

Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.

O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Make us glad according to the days [wherein] thou hast afflicted us, [and] the years [wherein] we have seen evil.

Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children.

And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.” – Psalm 90:8-17 (KJV)

Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry 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.

Practical Tips on a Cross-Country Move, by P.J.G.T.

We are moving from the East coast to the Northern Rocky Mountains, and here I sit in a Midwestern state at my cousin’s house waiting for a part for our car to be shipped in. So, I thought I’d take this opportunity to put down on paper the best answer I have come up with to a question I had before the move: How do we move our family across country with limited funds, lots of stored supplies and more than a handful of tools? My husband and I are walking a fine line to make this move the best adventure that our family has ever had instead of the worst disaster ever. The key is commitment and determination!

It is a coincidence that JWR recently advocated moving to the American Redoubt states at the same time we are moving to one of them, albeit a very wonderful coincidence. We did our homework. We would have even had our retreat purchased (thus avoiding the “apartment in town” stage) had our teenagers not asked why we would go on this adventure without them. So, we are off…

First, let’s discuss the wisdom of moving an intact family if possible. We had a plan to move from the public corporate world to a much less secure and lower paying career after the children graduated from high school. However, I can now see how much heartache that would have caused. We are a very close family, and it would have caused undue pain to be separated by over 2,000 miles from our adult children. It would also have been a terrible thing to leave our oldest daughter living in the East as the United States disintegrates. We began looking at an eventual move from the East where we were raised when our oldest was only in fourth grade. Back then, things didn’t look like they would go bad so quickly. My parents have already moved to the West, but my husband’s parents are choosing to stay in the East. They will visit. We expect siblings and their families to migrate our way.  I suggest that it is better to move the entire family, including grandparents, if possible. Close extended families are difficult to break apart. However, be determined to go and accept that well-timed visits can do wonders.

Consider your timing. Although my husband’s job doesn’t start until December, we are moving the children this summer. There are several important considerations that determined this.

First, we consider the education of our children as primary. Our oldest is going to be a senior in high school. Senior year is not the time to arrive midway through the year. Our youngest is going to attend a rigorous private high school through a generous scholarship that offset the tuition. If our children were young now, they would never attend public school. However that is not the path we are choosing to take at this time. There is a large, like-minded church community waiting for us in our new town.

Second, I will have to return to work from being a stay-at-home mom, and I am a teacher. August is a better time for me to move as well. I have been able to get my teaching certification and a job as well.

Third, summer is a much better time to travel and move into a new place than fall or winter – especially in the American Redoubt states.

Fourth, my children have had much experience traveling and camping with only Mom, so we know they have the fortitude needed. This gives us a chance to do some additional backcountry camping and exploring as well.

Fifth, sports start in August. What a great way for the children to know classmates before they get to their school. Much can be discovered about a person after two weeks of close and physical team training. Consider the altitude difference and accommodate as needed.

Sixth, having the double income will help with the financial transition. There just are not any available teaching positions back east right now.

Seventh, the empty house will give my husband the time he needs to complete projects to prepare it for sale. Resulting, we anticipate, in a higher selling price and quicker sale. After determining that most of the family would be moving before the school year began, the planning really progressed into high gear. The goal of downsizing was tempered by the idea that if something was valued, it needed to be kept. As we progressed, we began to look more closely at what we valued. It is good to have the opportunity for levels of downsizing to allow for “letting-go.” After our first round of downsizing, we all agreed that it was a benefit and couldn’t believe we had kept so much. As we progressed, we did have to say some sad good-byes. But, as stated, if anything still had value to a family member, it was going to be kept – whether hand-carried, stored or shipped. This has been a major factor in keeping our move an adventure.

What else has worked for us?

* Our youngest applied for and was accepted at the college-prep high school specific to his interests. This was a lengthy process that needed to be completed by a certain deadline to qualify for the scholarship. Watch for deadlines. This allows him a level of excitement that has far exceeded his dread of meeting new classmates and leaving his friends.
* Food that might spoil, was frozen, would be difficult to move and was close to being outdated (by my definition) was used as quickly as possible. Food whose value was not worth the space or weight to move or ship was donated to the local food pantry. This took the place of our purchasing canned goods for such donations. Family members were instructed on what dishes to offer to bring for the many end-of-the-year potluck events so that excess foodstuffs were used.
*Any unopened cleaning supplies and extra light bulbs were sold at a garage sale along with other unneeded and useless items. Eventually we did have to sell items that were just too heavy and/or bulky to move (i.e. the dining room table) or too difficult to move (pretty candles, drinking glasses and glass knickknacks)
*Some things were sold or given away that will need to be replaced either because we knew that another  family really needed the item or it was almost ready for replacing ( I seem to go through dehydrators, and will gladly be looking into a better quality one out West!).
*Many items were listed on Craigslist and taken to the local consignment shop for sale.
*Some items were listed on freecycle.com, given to friends, or put out on the curb for free. In this way, we were able to conscientiously downsize without throwing away items that another family could use.
*We even have loaned out some items for at least a year (piano, kayaks)
*We rented the pavilion at our local park for a nominal fee one Saturday before we left and hosted a good-bye potluck for our friends.  It gave everyone closure. The local pool, a Frisbee and a soccer ball provided an active outlet for the children.
So, how does a family move without using a moving company (not even an option financially) or renting a moving van (costly and it would leave us with a vehicle and trailer to move)? Well, here is what worked for our family:

  1. Find a friend or relative who is willing to store and mail boxes as you have the money and the need for them. We numbered our boxes on the top and all four sides. The corresponding number was put on a list with the contents listed. The USPO has detailed specifications as to what can or cannot be shipped, what size the boxes can be, and how the boxes need to look in order to be mailed. They also offer a( lower cost) media rate if regulations are followed. We packed all our media into separate boxes. It is best to attend to the weight of the boxes as well. A simple check with the post office could save money in the long run. This system has worked well for me in the past. Just remember to be detailed in listing the contents of the boxes, not lose the list, and do not mark what is in the box on the outside (I once had items stolen that I still miss today).
  2. If possible, find a reliable place to store items that cannot be shipped or are too large to be shipped. We have a family camp and are storing some furniture and a number of boxes there until we return next summer to determine what to do with them. This way we do not have to rent a storage unit, and we do not need to get rid of things that are important to us or will be costly to replace. We are storing our winter wheat in new metal trash cans, and leaving some white buckets as well. Label, label, label – having your items clearly identified as your family’s avoids problems and arguments later.
  3. Bring what is important to you! Some may question what we are bringing, but we are moving for good. We are not looking to see if our move will work, we are not on vacation,  and we are not on a long term research project. No, we are committed to this move, and as such it is important not to store all our treasures and only bring the pragmatic items. In fact, many of the pragmatic items can be shipped or brought later. In moving this summer, I will not be canning for the remainder of this year. Therefore, we will bring the canning supplies next trip, or even mail them if needed. I am carrying my rather heavy, but spectacular rock collection. They are not replaceable, but canning supplies are. Funny, but the idea that each person should be able to choose what is valuable is sometimes not remembered in the ruckus of the move. Yet, there are adults who still pine for a special item that was not seen as important by their parents. Take care to consider each other as decisions are made. Do not proceed in haste – make lists and check them twice. Tweak, tweak, tweak
  4. Consider packing clothing and linens in vacuum pack storage bags. These bags are a good way to reduce space. However, remember that some cloth items can be used for padding and to fill spaces in boxes to be shipped. Consider how soon you will need the items and plan accordingly. The bags are said to be reusable, however I find that about half of them will actually be able to be vacuum packed again. The bags can be reused still, however.
  5. We are driving across the country and have planned our route to visit a cousin while taking a much needed break. In fact, that is where I am right now. We are traveling in two groups so my youngest child and I could visit with my parents at the same cousin’s house. This gives our oldest more time to work, visit with friends and earn spending money for the transition to a new community. The car I am driving has a hard plastic storage container (consider purchasing one if you do not own one as they are really durable and hold a tremendous amount) on the roof and is fully packed. We are camping, so our backseat holds the camping equipment, our plug-in cooler, camp stove and food stores. The rest of the car’s contents are items for our move.
  6. My husband and older child will be towing a trailer filled with a snowmobile, bicycles and household items. The have been practicing her towing abilities so she will be able to drive as well. They will also have the two doggies and their kennel. Their goal is to drive as directly as possible across the county. They will be camping if needed, but expect to drive straight through to Nebraska my cousin’s for a visit and a rest, and then finish the trip.
  7. We have scouted out the country for the place that best meets our needs, and have taken some month long camping trips over the years. As a family, we are prepared for this move.  To save even more, we look for free or low cost campsites. National Parks are a good option, but require purchasing an annual park pass. The good news is that it is valid for a year, so purchase it as late in the summer as possible. That way, half of the next summer might just be covered. Some camping in National Parks is free, and most is low cost. State parks can be a real bargain. We also use FreeCampsites.net and choose the “official” sites since we have children with us and are tent camping. I know of one family that travels by night and camps near a playground and pool during the day. Dad sleeps during the day while the children play, and he then drives while the children sleep in the car at night. Other families stay in motels or hotels each night. Do what is best for your family.
  8. Prepare your vehicles ahead of time.  And, as I can attest to, even that may not be enough. Join an organization (we use Good Sam, but have used AAA in the past) that provides towing services and such. It is nice to be able to get into your vehicle after the keys are locked in without ruining your door or paying someone heavily to do so. A rechargeable portable battery “jump pack” jump starter has come in very handy – especially when someone has left the interior truck light on after a late night venture to get their pillow. It can be charged while driving if needed. I never let my gas tank get too low. Better to fill up one extra time than run out of gas.
  9. Pack a tote bag for the rest stop – include personal items (nothing refreshes like a washed face and clean teeth after driving for twenty hours), some activity toys for the children (soft football, Frisbee, blow-up beach ball) to use for a few minutes, and any messy fruits and foods to eat. Switching the activities by stop or state keeps things hopping. We also carry gallons of water to refill drink containers.
  10. A plug-in cooler is a gift for traveling. As it cannot take ice and melted water, I like to freeze plastic water bottles ¾ full of water, unsweetened iced tea or juice. I also like to stock some treats for when the ride gets taxing to ease the tensions. The cooler is a good way to keep fruit and veggies cool, as well as cheese and yogurt. Or, whatever foods your family likes to eat. When there is room, I like to keep the bread in the cooler to keep it from being squished. Our cooler has an electric adapter that can be plugged in if we camp with access to electricity. A large black piece of plastic covers it nicely in case of rain and to keep it out of sight.
  11. We also find a DC-to-AC inverter to be a lifesaver for recharging phones and running any electric items you might want to have. It saves having multiple chargers for items that might be electric. (like this one.) An inverter also allows for listening to audio books or viewing DVDs on a laptop. We are watching a Teaching Company series on physics as our son will be taking that class this fall. Just remember to unplug the inverter when you leave the car.

Each family needs to consider what is best for them. As we decided to move earlier than planned, we needed to find ways to move that cut costs and eliminate the problem of what to do with our possessions that we may want or need in the future. The possibility that we would have worked so very hard to live the self-sufficient life and have to give it all away propelled my husband and I to look at this move as a multi-step process. We are so very blessed, and hope that what we have learned might be of use to another family heading out.

Pat’s Product Review: Century Golani 5.56mm Rifle

I have a good friend, Gene Sockut, who lives in Israel. Gene was the chief firearms instructor for the Israeli army for something like 26 years, so when he speaks about firearms, I listen. Gene is also the author of several books and videos on close combat with firearms, as well as being a much sought after speaker on self-defense. He is also a sniper instructor for the Israel Border Patrol – Gene knows about guns and gunfighting, so I respect his thoughts on firearms. Sockut thinks very highly of the Galil.

The Israeli Galil rifle was used for several years in the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) in both the 5.56mm and 7.62×51 NATO version. The 5.56mm version was more popular and made in much larger numbers. I set my sights on getting a Galil for many years, however, the few [pre-ban] examples that are in the US are high-priced and hard to come by. I was excited to hear that Century Arms was producing a semiauto version of the famed Galil. They called it the Golani, named after the famed Israeli Golani Brigade. [JWR Adds: The Golanis are built on American-made receivers, using military surplus (used) Galil parts sets, and the requisite number of of “U.S.-made parts” to comply with the silly Section 922(r).]

Of course, my first thoughts were just how close was the Golani going to be to the real thing? I had a chance to handle a genuine Galil many years ago, so I had something to go by for a comparison. Everything I read and saw about the Century Arms Golani seemed too good to be true. I saw a Golani in one of the gun shops I haunt, and was immediately taken with how well-made it was – the deal was sealed.

The Golani is based on the AK-47 design, with a few changes, nothing much worth noting, if you know the AK, then you’ll know the Golani. One thing I like on the Golani is the tipped-up charging handle, which makes it easy to chamber a round with either hand. I also like the side-folding stock. When the stock is opened, it locks-up solid – not something I can say about most AK folding stocks, be they side-folding or under-folding designs.

The Golani comes with a brand-new barrel and USA made receiver, the barrel is 19″ long – why Century chose that barrel length is beyond me. I would have preferred the barrel to be 16″ in length – making it more compact. There is also a flash suppressor on the end of the barrel which mimics those found on AR-15s. The front handguard is made out of polymer and it just feels great to me. The gun was nicely Parkerized, giving it a very military look – I liked it. The Golani also comes with a 35-rd mag – giving the shooter five more rounds than most AR mags – nothing wrong with more rounds on-hand.

Coming in at 9-lbs, the Golani isn’t a light-weight. Then again, most folks who are really into AR-15 type rifles add a lot of gizmos on their guns making them a lot heavier than nine pounds. The good news is, when you fire the Golani, that extra weight helps reduce what little recoil there is from the 5.56mm round. The Golani will also shoot the .223 Remington round.

As is the case with many Century Arms firearms, the gun was dirty and had metal filings on the innards. So, a good cleaning and lube was in order before attempting to fire the Golani. You should also clean and lube any firearm before firing it – just makes good sense, and you can see if there is something in the bore. Don’t laugh, I know a gun dealer who found some wasp nest inside the barrel of a couple new rifles he had sitting on his display rack. Had someone tried to fire those guns, something really bad could have happened to the shooter and the gun.

The Golani’s mag release is ambidextrous, and is thumb operated, just like on the AK-47 – you can insert and remove a mag with either hand, and the mags lock-up tight. Just like an AK or M14, the Golani mags have to be inserted with the front end going in first, and then rocked into place, locking the mag into the mag well.

I’d like to report that my Golani sample worked perfectly out-of-the-box, but it didn’t! I had numerous instances where the bolt rode over the round and didn’t chamber the round. I also had a lot of rounds that would take a dive up, and not chamber, beating the daylight out of those rounds. Usually, when you have feeding problems, it can be traced to a bad magazine – and in this case, it was a bad magazine. The mag that came with my Golani was very rough. I’ve read a number of reports from folks who purchased a Golani having the same problem. Why on earth does Century Arms ship rifles with “iffy” magazines is beyond me – but they did, and still do! Shame on you, Century Arms.

A quick call to my favorite mailorder company, CDNN Sports, and I found some as-new Galil 35-rd mags for $29.99 each, and some in “excellent” condition for $19.99 each, so I ordered half a dozen of the new mags. When the new Galil mags arrived, there were no more feeding problems with my Golani sample. You should also look at a magazine anytime you have feeding problems with any firearms, more often than not, there is a problem with the magazine. I found, upon close examination, that the magazine provided with my Golani rifle had problems – the reinforced top portion of the magazine had split. I had a friend re-weld it, and the mag worked fine after that. I understand that TAPCO is also making a polymer mag for the Golani/Galil rifles, but I haven’t yet used any of them.

Be advised, the Golani 35-rd mags won’t fit in a standard military ALICE M16 magazine pouch. However, you can find ALICE-style AK-47 30-rd magazine pouches from Charley’s Surplus for $12.95 each, that work perfectly for the Golani 35-rd mags (as well for for 30-rd AK-47 mags). The Golani magazines will also fit in some of the tactical vests mag pockets, but not in others.

The safety on the Golani operates just like that on an AK-47, it’s on the right side of the receiver “up” is safe, and “down” is fire. It’s hard to operate with the right hand. There is also an added safety release on the left side (on the top of the pistol grip) but it isn’t very well designed and is also hard to operate.

The sights on the Golani are better than those found on the AK, and you have a long sight radius, giving you a better sight picture, than found on the eastern European and Chinese AK-47s and most of their variants. I also like the longer and more hand-filling pistol grip on the Golani, as compared to the AK-47. There overall feel of the Golani is just one of a very-well made, and solid military-style combat rifle, period!

I tested a selection of .223 ammo through my Golani sample, including various Russian-made ammo, and of course, some outstanding .223 Rem. from Black Hills Ammunition and Winchester’s white box USA brand and had no feeding or functioning problems at all – after I used the better mags from CDNN Sports. Extraction and ejection were to the right and about 20 feet from the rifle. I was getting 3″ groups with most ammo tested, with a couple around just under 3″ with the various Black Hills .223 ammo – the Golani liked the 55-gr bullets best with it’s 1:9 barrel twist. I burned through more than 500-rds of the Winchester white box USA brand 55-gr FMJ ammo with no problems at all…it’s great ammo and I highly recommend it, especially when breaking-in a new firearm. I tried several different jacketed hollow point rounds from Black Hills, and the gun just ate ’em all up without any problems.

If you’re in the market for a great .223/5.56 rifle for survival, or just fun shooting, then take a close look at the Century Arms Golani. I know you won’t be disappointed, once you replace the junk magazine supplied with the rifle, with a like-new mag from CDNN Sports. The good news is that, the Golani is still in-stock and readily available. The bad news is, supplies are limited won’t last forever. Presently, J&G Sales sells the Golani for only $499.99 – and that’s a great deal on a great rifle with a proven design. I’ve dealt with J&G Sales for many years, and they provide excellent customer service and good prices. So, take a close look at the Century Arms Golani for your next purchase. – SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Pat Cascio

JWR Adds: In my opinion, Galils, R4s, and Valmets represent the very best in the AK weapons family. We have a Galil Golani here at the ranch. My only complaint is that like a lot of other AKs, it has a wicked trigger backlash “slap” that makes it painful to shoot extensively. But I’ve read that this can be cured fairly easily.

Letter Re: Firearms Stopping Power

Jim:
Thanks for posting that link to the best article ever on stopping power! (An Alternate Look at Handgun Stopping Power.) I am completely re-thinking the role of my .22 [rimfire] in light of these results (i.e., The incapacitation percentage is much higher than I would have thought). Apparently the lowly .22 [rimfire] has a place in defense after all. – Neo

JWR Replies: Just keep in mind that this study was an abstract view that doesn’t distinguish the circumstances of each incident tallied. For example. .22 rimfires are more often that not rifles, rather than handguns, and they are most likely to be used in home defense against burglars than they are against aggressive armed robbers in street encounters, or someone that comes spoiling for a fight. So there may have been far less “fight” available in the recipients of the lead, from the very beginning.

The fight/flight continuum definitely skews the outcome of gunfights, both psychologically and physiologically. Someone who goes into a fight on the offensive is far less likely to be incapacitated than someone who is just engaged in a sneak and peek burglary. And although inconsistent, the effects of adrenalin can be amazing. Gunfights are messy and complicated. They can also take a lot of rounds to finish, as illustrated by the FBI’s 1986 Miami shootout. Sometimes it takes a lot of lead to stop a man. Carry plenty of extra magazines, and don’t stop shooting until your opponent is clearly no longer a threat. (But, as recently mentioned in the blog, don’t carry on beyond that, especially after more than a moment’s interval!)

Also, keep in mind that the statistics in the study also show that shotguns and centerfire rifles still rule. I would only use a .22 rimfire as a last resort. And if I were forced by circumstances to use one, then I would want to put a large number of rounds into an opponent in rapid succession.

Lastly, with any caliber, only shots to critical areas (brain and spine) are sure stoppers, so accuracy counts. (I’ve been to several shooting courses, and they all stress: speed and accuracy. If at all possible, concentrate on your opponent’s ocular window.

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?