Note from JWR:

Today we present another entry for Round 28 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Federal 5.56mm XM193 55 Grain FMJ ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo. This is a $199 value, and includes free UPS shipping.

Second Prize: A.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $400, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

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

Round 28 ends on May 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.
  

Dirt Time–Learning Practical Tracking Techniques, by James K. in Alaska

These are the opening words from the book The Tracker by Tom Brown, Jr. & William Jon Watkins: “The first track is the end of a string. At the far end, a being is moving; a mystery, dropping a hint about itself every so many feet, telling you more about itself until you can almost see it, even before you come to it. The mystery reveals itself slowly, track by track, giving its genealogy early to coax you in. Further on, it will tell you the intimate details of its life and work, until you know the maker of the track like a lifelong friend.”

Here is a coyote track walking inside an old wolf track in deep snow. We followed this for several hundred feet across a field not far from our house.

Ever since childhood I’ve been fascinated by those who could see history in the dirt. The ground was like the page of a book unraveling many mysteries for those who took the time to read it. In this essay lies the groundwork, the basics to get anyone started in a fascinating skill that has many practical applications. One of the most valuable is being able to back track your steps when you find yourself disoriented or wanting to return to camp in wilderness.

In a TEOTWAWKI scenario being able to track can be a valuable tool for being aware of what is happening around your area. Identifying game and knowing when someone has been in your neck of the woods will give you an awareness advantage.

Learning to track animals requires a lot of skill but it is a very rewarding endeavor to undertake. Tracking people is a good way to start your skill and far easier.

Dirt time is a phrase trackers use to describe time spent interpreting tracks. Like anything else the more dirt time you spend the more your skills and abilities will blossom.

Back in the 1970s and 1980s when I lived in Oregon and was part of the Search and Rescue (SAR) group there they used to hold seminars all over the state (and Washington) in various terrains. These exercises were with a certain man tracker named Joel Harding. Joel honed his skills over many years working border patrol on the US/Mexican border down around El Cajon, California. He was a master tracker. We would listen to him speak of skills learned over the years, look at slide shows of various sets of tracks each evening and spend most of the days tracking each other under his guidance.

A good way to begin is to find an undisturbed (undisturbed by recent human foot traffic) area and determine a course- say 150’ out to some prominent marker: a tree, rock, etc. Now before you start, tear up the ground and make a nice 2’-3’ diameter mound of loose soil. Take the person to be tracked and have them carefully place their feet & full weight into this mound- producing a clear set of tracks. Next have them walk in their normal pace out to the marker tree and then circle around coming back a different way.

It doesn’t hurt to take some field notes and sketch these first boot or shoe footprints in the mound. Look for any distinguishing features like tread, heel & toe shape, any wear. Now it’s time for your tracking stick.

My son Kody holding a tracking stick.

Take a ~1” thick relatively straight stick about 4’-5’ long and with your knife smooth it out. Find a natural stride area where the person being tracked is walking along and lay the stick down so the tip of the stick is on the heel of the left foot print (it really matters not right or left- but to match my photos for those who can see them- left.).

Here you have a right then left foot stride with the tracking stick laid out for measurement. The knife point is where you pivot the stick to find the next track which will lie right off the tip of the stick- in this case the left foot. The stick has two marked measurements: the length of the foot as well as the stride between the prints.

Now look behind this left foot print and mark on your stick where the right toe tip falls. This is the stride distance (tip of stick to right toe tip). You can cut a ring here on your stick, use a rubber band or marker. By pivoting the stick at this toe point while holding it over the last found track you can get a good idea where to look for sign on the next track. Now that you have the stride, next place a mark at the heel of this same right foot print. This marks the length of the foot.

As you track you will be able to tell left from right. You can mark these as you go along if you like. Knowing this you can anticipate and lay your stick down; sweeping it in such a way as to know almost precisely where the next foot will fall. In this way you can work on finding each track, marking them left or right as you go if you like. But don’t disturb the ground too much as occasionally you may have to backtrack. You will rarely find a whole print unless you have ideal conditions (like my photos). But there will always be sign for those who can see it.

It is important when first learning to find sign on every track. Pay attention to detail, forget about how long it takes. Get your face to the ground and visually check different angles. You will start to see many signs: dirt will sometimes be transferred from one area to another. Compression will cause the dirt around the track to lift, push out and crack, sometimes even explode out in compression releases. Scuff marks, partial tracks, pebbles pressed into the ground. Vegetation that is crushed, broke, bent or bruised. Flattened areas, disturbed ground. Dew, rain, dust or pollen coatings on the ground and on plants can be disturbed as the person walks by. As you acquire more dirt time many types of sign will reveal themselves.

A good way to learn what effect time has on a track and how a track ages is to find an ideal tracking area near your home and place a single footprint there. Now every day for a week or longer place another single track right alongside the last one. Keep notes on what the weather is doing. By comparing the fresh track to the older ones you can see the effect of wind, rain and temperature fluxes.

Rain is the great eraser in tracking. Many soils will give up anything obvious in the track with a heavy rain. In snow it is also important to know that with age tracks will “melt” out, that is increase in size as they decrease in detail. Old tracks on snow can sometimes fool even a seasoned tracker.

It can be easy- or very tedious to find the succession of tracks. Here are some tricks of the trade:

Work in groups of three. The point man is out front looking down intently and working his stick to find each track. The two flanks stay back a few paces so as not to disturb the ground ahead. The flanks look all around and out ahead for clues- offering them to the point man. Every 20 minutes or so rotate the point man with a flanker. This relieves tension on the point position and allows everyone experience in the point position.

Keep the track between you and the falling sunlight. This will yield the most shadow relief and contrast in the track- almost always making it easier to see. In flat light you will notice a big difference when the sun is on the other side of the tracks your looking at. A small mirror (or flashlight in dim light) will allow you to cast flat light (parallel to the ground) from a different direction.

Here is a fresh set of wolf tracks on fresh snow, the knife is 14” overall length with a 9” blade.

Don’t be in a hurry at first- that will come later. Some skilled trackers can follow their track while running, riding on the hood of a vehicle (the Masai tracker/guides are known for this) or even from a helicopter. When starting out pay a lot of attention to detail. Work slow and absorb everything the point man sees even if your in a flank position. Look at the terrain ahead and mentally put yourself in their shoes- which way would they most likely go?

Try placing your head close to the ground. This will give you a different perspective and help you see fine detail. By laying your eyes close to the ground and your vision parallel with the ground you can see things you’ll never see standing up.

Feel the tracks lightly with your fingertips. Sometimes under the debris or vegetation you can feel the heel strike or the edge of the compression. Loose soil under the surface vegetation can hold a compression of a track that you won’t see through the debris but you can feel.

A large sand box or area of loose soil near your home is a wonderful tool for studying tracks. You can see the effects of time and weather, try different techniques in laying out your tracks, and erase them easily to start over. Damp sand will offer an amazing amount of detail.

Snow, sand and soft dirt are usually easy. Grass leaves a lot of sign but one must learn through “dirt time” how to read it. Hard rocky ground will require a lot more skill. But there is always a track there- even over bare rock. Wind, sun, rain and changing temperatures will always be working over the rock. It will have some kind of film on it, grains of sand, dust and the rock itself. Wind will deposit dirt, pollen and a host of other particles. When something walks over that rock it will disturb this film and leave sign. Let me illustrate this with a story of something that happened to Joel on one of our SAR tracking seminars:

It was in the early 1980s during a tracking seminar near Walla Walla, Washington. An early Saturday morn and in a small nearby town there had been a jewelry store broken into. As Joel was conducting a seminar just outside this town and as all the law enforcement officials were well aware of his skills they came in the wee hours of the morning and got him and took him to the crime scene. There were footprints across the wet grass outside the store- through the early morning dew. Then they went down a sidewalk- transferring wet dew from the grass onto the cement. But then the tracks faded out for the officers- but not for Joel. With a flashlight in the early morning light he kept right on target, now going from the sidewalk to right down the street. About five blocks from the store, Joel and two armed officers banged on the door of a house. The man was so shocked when he came to the door in his underwear all he could say was “How did you know it was me?”

Start with the easy stuff and work your way into the more difficult. It is actually very entertaining, addicting at times. I think this is because people just don’t realize how much is there until they take the time to read the sign. Then this whole universe of knowledge starts opening up. The more dirt time, the easier it gets. And the more fun!

Just familiarizing yourself with the local fauna tracks of your area can be very rewarding. River, sea and lake shores often offer good areas to see clear animal tracks. Fall and Winter and Spring seasons in northern latitudes offer snow as a great tracking medium. Fresh snow is the perfect way to see new tracks and with clean, crisp detail. A camera can record great sign that you can share with others for years to come.

As a final note there are many good animal track books out there, and a few good human track books. I’ve listed a few below. Tom Brown Jr., in my opinion has some of the best ways to hone your tracking skills for animals. He has a whole series of field guides all of which have sound advice.

But as a Christian I must caution you to be aware of the [nativist] spirituality espoused in Tom’s books. There are good and evil spirits out there, and the only way you can discern the difference is through God’s Word (the Holy Bible), the saving Grace of Jesus Christ and His completed work on the cross. Only through a repentant heart and belief in Christ will the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the word of God keep you safe from the evil spirits that often come in the deceiving guise of “spiritual light”.

Griz with hand print. Thumb to little finger is about 7”. We were hunting moose at the time and this bear followed our tracks for several hundred yards. On returning to camp and finding these tracks I was glad we brought a .45-70 along with our .308.

Now get your nose to the dirt and may your tracking be rewarding! – James K. in Alaska

References and Recommended Reading

Tom Brown’s School of Tracking web site.

Books:

Tracking: A Blueprint for Learning How by Jack Kearney, 1978, H. Paul Publishing Company

The Tracker by Tom Brown Jr. & William Jon Watkins, 1978, Prentice Hall Inc.

Tom Brown’s Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking by Tom Brown Jr., 1983, Berkley Books

Tom Brown’s Science and Art of Tracking by Tom Brown Jr., 1999, Berkley Books

Peterson Field Guide to Animal Tracks: Third Edition by Olaus J. Murie, 1954 Houghton Mifflin Company

Stokes Guide to Animal Tracking and Behavior by Donald W. Stokes, 1986, Little, Brown and Company

The SAS Guide to Tracking, New and Revised by Bob Carss, 2000, The Lyons Press

Tracking–Signs of Man, Signs of Hope: A Systematic Approach to the Art and Science of Tracking Humans by David Diaz, 2005, The Lyons Press

Tracking and the Art of Seeing: How to Read Animal Tracks and Sign by Paul Rezendes, 1999, Collins Reference

Three Letters Re: Advice on Pistol Holsters

Jim,
In response to the question on holsters: A couple of years ago, I read a series of articles by a man recalling his experiences in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He lived in a parish outside of New Orleans, Louisiana. After evacuating his family and letting the storm pass, he returned to repair/protect his home.
Upon return, he found a checkpoint had been set up at the entrance to his cul-de-sac by some neighbors that stayed through the storm.
His house was one of the 15 or so homes on this closed street. The homes were without power, had received wind damage, trees down etc.
As the other homeowners returned, they split time between helping each other repair their homes and “standing guard” at the entrance to the neighborhood.
Between them, they had enough “walkie talkies” for each of the men to keep in contact with the others, and it was suggested that each person comfortable with firearms be armed at all times. The guys at the “check point” were armed with long guns (and handguns as backup), while the “workers” needed to at least have their handguns with them.

One of the interesting points he made, while most of the men had a handguns, many of those weapons had only spent time in a gun safe, beside the bed, and/or at the range. There was not a shortage of weapons, but several of the men did not have a quality holster (in many cases any holster) for their handgun. As the writer was a “gun guy” he had a supply of old holsters to give out to his neighbors. Not having quality holsters for their personal weapons may not be an issue for the readers of this blog, I thought it was a lesson worth bringing up, and to keep in mind as each new weapons are purchased, or you see a good deal on a holster at a yard sale. It might be worth picking up even if it does not fit anything in your collection. – T.B. in Nashville

Jim:
I wanted to add my two cents to the guy asking about holsters if I may. First of all, I would recommend looking at the newer “duty belt” style war belts. Tactical Tailor (“TT”) is my favorite, although most manufacturers make one. These are cut in 2″ width, making them easier to fit most any holster, and are considerably stiffer for a smoother draw stroke. (In conjunction, I would wear a soft (“MOLLE” web), 1 1/2″ pants belt underneath it, with a plastic “tri-glide” buckle.) You can also add a pad to it, and/or light suspenders as required. Some pads give you MOLLE webbing, so if you are running these style pouches already on a chest rig or armored vest, you can use the same pouches on your belt kit. (The better ones have a slot in the bottom of the webbing panel to direct attach your holster to the belt underneath.)

For holsters, I am with you on the Blade-Tech product line. In fact, they just came out with a new model that has a hard plastic drop extension and a belt slot plate (with adjustable slots, from 1 1/2″ to 2″ I think). I picked two up recently, one with light, and one without. They come in several tactical colors, such as coyote brown and OD green, and has a “bail” or hood that rotates over the top to hold the pistol in place. To release it, you simply push inward, exactly like you open a thumb snap, so the motion is intuitive and quick to learn. I like them better than the Safariland 6000 series holsters they replaced, because they are unlined, and therefore can be used without a leg strap (the Safariland will pull up somewhat on draw stroke without a leg strap to hold it down). I guess the best description of them would be to call them “low ride” holsters. The top of the pistol sits roughly even with the top of your warbelt. I think this is an important consideration for those of us in rural settings that will be doing extended patrolling. In my experience, you don’t want any kind of leg straps tying kit down to you if you are moving long distances over rough terrain. I found it very uncomfortable. Of course YMMV.

Of course if you want to run a drop leg rig with a leg strap, the Safariland 6000 series is excellent. For shorter duration missions they are the way to go. Or you can always just loosen or unfasten the leg strap for extended missions, and tighten back up when you rig for combat.

If you want to stick with a 2 1/4″ pistol belt, then I think the Bianchi GI holsters are probably the best bet. Kinda fiddly and slower to draw or re-holster but serviceable. An alternative would be to take any good nylon holster (again I like TT) and velcro or glue in a kydex holster (like an old BladeTech IWB with loops removed). Now you have the best of both worlds. Best Regards, – Diz M.

JWR,
In response to the letter about pistol holsters I thought I would add my two cents. I’m an NRA-certified firearms instructor in several disciplines and a reserve deputy sheriff, and I am used to carrying a gun and have tried a lot of holsters. I prefer a holster with some sort of retention rather than friction only, though I have used Fobus and Uncle Mike’s paddle holsters that are friction-only retention. If you are not fighting for possession of your firearm, such holsters are just fine. However, a strap or other form of retention is definitely more desirable, particularly when physical activity might cause a pistol to come out of its holster. I like the Blackhawk SERPA holsters, it is secure and the draw is very fast. I haven’t tried the Blade-Tech holsters, but they look like good quality. One concern about the SERPA that has been brought to my attention is that in a ground fighting scenario the release might become clogged by snow, mud, gravel, etc. Just something to think about.

In any case, once you have chosen your holster it is time to learn to use it. The following is a compilation of training techniques that can be used to teach yourself to draw and fire. Picking up your pistol from the shooting bench and punching paper at the range is not the same as a combat draw, and many ranges will not allow shooters to draw and shoot, due to safety concerns. These techniques allow you to safely learn to draw and get on target at home. Let your muscles develop a memory of their own so you don’t have to stop and think about what you are going to do next.

Muscle Memory Training to Familiarize Yourself with New Holsters

1. Observe normal safety precautions: Unload firearm, remove ammunition from practice area, double check firearm. If another person is present, have them inspect the firearm also.

2. Ensure that holster is firmly attached to belt in proper position and that gun belt is secured to pants belt.

3. Visually and physically inspect firearm one more time, then holster pistol and secure all retention devices.

4. Stand facing safe direction (best that can be achieved) and bring both hands to interview position (loosely together as base of sternum, weak hand on top)

5. Move strong hand to pistol and form proper shooting grip. Position your trigger finger to be on the frame when gun is drawn. Make a fist with your weak hand and keep it against your chest. Do not draw! Start slowly; do not try to make this move quickly. As in martial arts, perfection of movement must come before speed.

6. Repeat 50 times, simply making the move from interview position to secure firing grip. Strive for perfection. Do not look at the pistol, memorize its position and make the move instinctively. Do not move on until securing the pistol in a firing grip without looking is natural and requires no thought. If 50 times is not enough, do it another 50 times until it is perfect!

7. Continue another 50 reps, but this time secure the weapon in a firing grip and release the holster strap or other security devices. Position your trigger finger to be on the frame when gun is drawn. Do not draw! Repeat as in #6 until you reach perfection. You are betting your life on being perfect, so do not go on until you do this without thinking or looking every time.

8. Start another 50 reps, this time after securing the pistol in a firing grip and releasing holster restraints, pull the pistol from the holster straight up two inches, and no more. The point at this time is simply to get a good firing grip, release holster locks, and begin the draw stroke. Make sure your trigger finger is indexed on the frame above the trigger guard.

9. Next 50 reps: Move from interview position to grip, release, and draw. Now bring the firearm to the center of your body where your weak-side hand joins your strong hand and forms a two-handed grip on the pistol. Make sure your trigger finger is on the frame above the trigger guard. Keep the gun close to your chest. No [tea]cup grips (with your non-shooting hand under the butt]. Instead, use what the pro’s use: thumb on thumb or both thumbs up [to form a “baby’s bottom”]. During this draw stroke, the muzzle should generally maintain a downward angle. Not straight down, but below a parallel to the ground or line of sight.

10. Last 50 reps: Move from ready position to grip position, release holster retention, draw and center weapon, joining hands. This would be the time to unsafe the weapon, if you have a safety. Now, punch the gun straight forward, bring the elbows in and raising the gun to your line of sight. Do not drop your head, bring the gun up! You should be on target. From this point on, rotate your torso like a tank turret to engage targets to the left or right. Maintain trigger finger contact with the frame of the gun.

Maintaining Your Combat Draw Proficiency

Practice the above sequence regularly, but with less reps. It is important to spend lots of time on moving to the initial firing grip. I can not stress how important it is to get a good shooting grip, getting it every time, and getting it fast without thinking. Like all other skills, if the base is not solid, nothing else will be solid. I’ve seen shooters get a sloppy initial grip and when they drew their gun they ended up throwing it downrange. Not good! Imagine if your hand is freezing cold or it is raining, or you have been on the ground and there is mud on your gun’s grip. What if there is blood on your hand? Blood is very slippery and it doesn’t matter if it’s yours or somebody else’s. First things first – Get a good grip!

Why index the trigger finger on the frame and not on the trigger guard or trigger? You fight how you train, and the adrenaline rush of a real encounter can cause you to accidentally pull the trigger. What if it really isn’t a threat? What if a member of your group startles you? What if you shoot yourself in the leg as you draw? What if the gun goes off and distracts you from a real threat? Trigger finger placement is a safety issue for multiple reasons. Law enforcement trains to keep the finger on the frame until it is necessary to fire the weapon. A tenth of a second to re-position your finger will not change the outcome of a gunfight, but it could save an innocent person.

Now, I have only addressed getting the combat draw stroke down. Another really important skill is returning your firearm to the holster and securing it. This is basically a reverse of the draw. Remove your weak hand from the gun, make a fist, and bring it to your chest. Without looking, return the pistol to the holster and secure the restraints. Keep your weak hand at your chest until this move is complete. This is an important skill because while you are returning your weapon to the holster, another threat may present itself and necessitate bring the weapon back into action. You need to keep your eyes open for possible threats and not be looking at your holster. As the gun enters the holster, place your strong-hand thumb on the rear of the slide (semi-auto) or the hammer/backstrap (revolver). Use pressure from the palm and thumb to fully seat the pistol into the holster, then secure it with snaps, straps, etc.

Why fist the weak hand? Well, you don’t want it flapping around in front of you where you could shoot a hole in it. Just like indexing your trigger finger on the frame every time it gives you a safe place to put your weak hand. Secondly, by fisting your hand and bringing it tightly to your chest, you tighten the entire weak side of the chest and shoulder, which helps establish a solid platform for your strong hand to control your firearm. If the action is close, you may need to fire one-handed, and this will assist in controlling recoil, along with keeping your hand out of the way of the muzzle.

This is by no means a complete guide, but it should create a sound base to work from. If you change holsters or guns, start over from the very beginning. Practice like you are going to fight so you can fight like you have practiced. God bless, prep well, work hard, and stay alive. – Carl C.

Economics and Investing:

Mind-Boggling Budget Deficit (The Mogambo Guru)

GG recommended this ShawdowStats article published late last year that was previously available only to their paid subscribers: Hyperinflation Special Report

RBS sent us this: The Continuing Decline of the Consumer ….More Struggling Borrowers Face Pay Garnishment

Items from The Economatrix:

Private Employment Fell in March

States Delay Tax Refunds to Help Their Bottom Lines

Wall Street is Driving Up Oil Prices

More Financial Bubbles Ahead in the US Housing Market

US Bankruptcy Filings Highest Ever Since 2005

Hoarding Not Hiring–Corporations Stockpiling Hoards of Cash

Geithner Delays Currency Report

L.A. City Employees Make Impassioned Plea Against Layoffs

Odds ‘n Sods:

Some good news: Christian faith: Calvinism is back. (A hat tip to Tom W. for the link.)

   o o o

Mike M. suggested: Urban Forager; A Bitter Green Bouquet. (Our thanks to Mike M. for the link.)

   o o o

This recently-posted bio was over-the-top. (I certainly don’t belong at the beginning of that list, or perhaps even on it at all, since I’m from the subsequent generation of survivalists.) I’m only posting it because it includes a clip of one of my interviews where I give some practical advice.

   o o o

Lisa mentioned that Breadtopia has a link for a free sourdough starter available if you send a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.
And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.” – Matthew 28:5-9 (KJV)

Notes from JWR:

I just heard from my editor at the Plume Division of Penguin Books that another publisher has purchased the rights to produce a Korean language edition of my non-fiction book “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It”. That is simply amazing.

—

Today we present another entry for Round 28 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Federal 5.56mm XM193 55 Grain FMJ ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo. This is a $199 value, and includes free UPS shipping.

Second Prize: A.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $400, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

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

Round 28 ends on May 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.

Understanding Hydrocarbon-Based Fuel

Background

Fuel supplies are essential for many aspects of modern society. Complex supply chains rely on hydrocarbon-fueled trucks, trains and planes to deliver food and other supplies in near real-time. Natural gas is is used to heat homes and fuel generators that supply approximately one-sixth of all electricity produced in the US. Large-scale food production is only possible with diesel-fueled farm equipment and synthetic nitrate fertilizers, made from natural gas.

It is not hard to imagine that anything more than a brief blip in fuel supplies would result in TEOTWAWKI. We have seen the result of Hurricanes Katrina and Ike on fuel supplies and prices. Some of us are old enough to remember the Arab oil embargo of 1973. Much motor fuel is transported by long pipelines which cross active earthquake faults and are also vulnerable to “man-caused disasters”. I once asked an oil company employee responsible for fuel supply logistics, “how vulnerable is the system to disruption?”. She replied they could handle one hiccup, but two sequential events, or one large event would bring the system down. In my opinion, the question is not “if” we will see fuel supply disruptions, but rather “when” and “how severe”.

For the “prepper”, fuel has specific utility beyond the normal. It is essential to have enough motor fuel for your G.O.O.D. plan. Fuel is needed to power generators when the grid is down and to run your rototiller or other farm equipment. In a “Mad Max” scenario, fuel can be used as a currency for barter or exchange. This article is a very basic primer on modern fuels, with an emphasis on gasoline (a.k.a. petrol). It includes information that would help the user improve the selection, use and storage of gasoline.

Crude Fractions

Most hydrocarbon fuel is derived from “crude” oil, which is a mixture of hundreds or thousands of different carbon-based chemicals. These different chemicals are separated, transformed and blended to form the the final fuel products which we purchase. Crude “fractions” are generally categorized by the number of carbon atoms per molecule, and mostly separated by their boiling properties. Approximate numbers of carbon atoms of crude factions are listed below:

C1 – Methane, natural gas
C2 – Ethane
C3 – Propane
C4 – Butane
C5-C10 Naphtha, Gasoline
C10-C16- Kerosene, Jet fuel
C10 C20 – Diesel, Gasoil
C20+ Heating, Bunker (Ship) Fuel, Cracker Feed

Most modern refineries have process units which take longer hydrocarbons, crack them into smaller molecules, separate them into the fractions above and blend them into the final product. This allows refiners to increase the fuel (distillate) yield above what is possible from separation alone. These “cracked” molecules have more unsaturated chemical bonds and are more reactive than “straight run” (non-reacted) components.

Other Components

Two other gasoline components are often included in gasoline, and are not considered cracked or straight run. These components are ethanol and alkylate. Either can run alone in a gasoline engine with little or no modification, but they have very different burning and storage properties. Understanding the difference can help the prepper obtain the right fuel for purpose.

Ethanol can be “created” by fermenting plant products (carbohydrates). Ethanol has two carbon atoms, but also contains an oxygen atom. This gives the molecule polarity, which makes it possible to blend with water in any concentration. As a gasoline component, it will absorb water easily without phase separation (think alcohol proof vs. oil and vinegar dressing). However, it is thermodynamically impossible to purify alcohol to more than 97% purity from water mixtures with distillation alone.

The extra oxygen atom in ethanol also means it produces less energy on combustion, since it is already partially oxidized. Ethanol blended gasoline cannot even be pumped through pipelines because its water absorption properties can corrode the pipeline. Ethanol is transported separately by truck and blended at the terminal. It’s use as a fuel, on a commercial scale, is rarely economical without government subsidy, and also competes with food production with normal sources of carbohydrates.

Alkylate is a refiner’s name for 2,2,4 trimethyl pentane. It is the only major gasoline / petrol component in traditional refineries created by combining smaller molecules, and can also be run in a gasoline engine, with little or no modification. (A friend of mine in a British refinery recounted the experience of discovering a hose running under the refinery fence, connected to the alkylate tank, where operator(s) were helping themselves to the company’s product). It would probably be difficult to start an engine with pure alkylate fuel on a cold day, but that could be solved by a shot of ether before engaging the ignition.

Don’t Be Fooled by Octane Numbers

When you visit the gasoline pump, you are usually offered three different “grades” of gasoline, differentiated by the fuel’s octane number. Idiomatically, octane is often associated with energy (e.g. high octane energy drink), but often the exact opposite is true. There are different scales of octane (RON, MON, Average/AKI) used in different countries, just like Celsius and Fahrenheit, but overall octane is simply a measure of the fuel’s propensity to burn without applying a spark. Higher octane gasoline is less likely to auto-ignite and sells at a higher price, simply because it uses more expensive components.

The disconnect between energy and octane can be shown by examining the properties of ethanol and alkylate. Alkylate has an octane measurement (MON) of 100, by definition. Ethanol, on the same octane scale, has an octane measurement of 102. However, the energy content per volume (using properties from Wikipedia) of the two fuels is very different. Ethanol has an energy of combustion of 23.5 kJ/m3. Alkylate has a value of 32.9 kJ/m3, 40% more than ethanol! The alkylate fuel would move you 14 miles compared to only 10 for the ethanol fuel. Unfortunately you can’t buy a tank of alkylate, but you can avoid ethanol blends when you want a fixed volume of fuel to last as long as possible.

Most gasoline in the US is transported by pipeline, especially for the population-dense East coast. This is done by sequentially sending and segregating alternate batches of low and high octane gasoline from the Gulf Coast. Medium-grade gasoline is a product which is only blended at the pipeline terminus. The consumer can save themselves the blending premium by doing their own blending in their own gas tank. Using an approximate “linear blending by volume” rule, 5 gallons of 93 octane mixed with 10 gallons of 87 octane fuel will yield 15 gallons of approximate 89 octane fuel. When I looked at the pump this morning, that is a savings of approximately $0.07/gal for 89 octane fuel. Of course, you can save yourself the entire octane premium by using low octane fuel, if your engine will take it, and you may even go further on the same tank.

Gasoline Degradation

Over time, gasoline can degrade and become unusable. There are three main mechanisms that make this happen, unequal vaporization, water absorption and gum formation.

There are two main seasonal formulations of gasoline in North America. A higher volatility fuel is sold in the winter in order to help vehicles start in cold weather. This fuel usually contains additional amounts of butane, sometimes up to 10%. In general, butane has less energy density than other gasoline components, and the winter fuel blend will generally result in less gas mileage than the summer blend.

The winter blend is also more susceptible to unequal vaporization, where the lighter components will evaporate more quickly than the heavier components, especially in warm weather. The summer blend of gasoline is normally sold between May and September, although the laws vary by location. The summer blend will result in less pressure buildup in closed container and less loss by evaporation. They only potential negative of the summer blend is not enough volatile components in really cold weather. The user can get around this problem by starting the engine with the winter fuel, and then adding the summer blend. Or the other option already mentioned is to use a squirt of ether before ignition. Avoiding swings in temperature will minimize the unequal evaporation.

Absorption of water into gasoline is best avoided by minimizing contact of the fuel with air. An impermeable metal container is best. The other method, mentioned above, to reduce water absorption in fuel, is to avoid any blends that contain ethanol.

Lastly, gum formation is caused by the oxidation of unsaturated hydrocarbons. Cracked gasoline, one of the largest components in the final fuel, is the main source for these reactive components. Formation of gums is caused when these components come in contact with oxygen. This can be avoided (again) by minimizing contact with air by storing the fuel in an impermeable, metal storage container. For long-term storage, oxidizing scavenging chemicals contained in stabilizing additives will help avoid gum formation.

Ideality

Current gasoline products are not designed for long-term storage. It is in the oil company’s best interest to minimize inventory and speed the time to market. Unfortunately, that means there is no incentive to make fuel with longer shelf life. It also makes society more sensitive to supply disruptions.

However, the technology exists to make fuel with essentially an infinite shelf life. A mixture of alkylate and butane would probably meet all vehicle requirements and most government requirements (except for oxygenates). Such a fuel would also probably have an “infinite” shelf life. When I was a kid, my parents purchased an old home built before the civil war. In the basement was a kerosene storage tank that was still about half full of fuel. In 2004 I took my children to see the home that I grew up in. The current owners had had the tank drained, and found the kerosene still usable! Wouldn’t it be nice if we could make gasoline that would last for 70+years. Maybe if we get enough of us together, we could convince a smaller oil company to cook us up a special batch of survival gasoline 🙂

Summary

• Octane is not a measure of energy content, pay only for the octane that you need to avoid engine knocking.
• You can blend your own medium octane gasoline at lower price by just mixing appropriate ratios of low and high octane grades at the pump.
• Ethanol as an additive results in fuel with lower energy content, and more susceptibility to water absorption – avoid it if possible.
• There are two main seasonal formulations of gasoline. The winter formulation contains a higher amount of light components (butane), which will boil off more quickly at high temperatures.
• When storing fuel for the long-term, use a non-permeable material (metal). Store in a location that has constant, cool temperature.
• Use gasoline stabilizer, in addition to the steps above, to avoid gum formation in gasoline stored for long-term.

Letter Re: Concealed Carry Reciprocity Resources

JWR:
Reading your blog this morning, I ran across “Odds ‘n Sods” item from Pete A. with a map on concealed carry changes over the years across these United States. Yes indeed, “Let freedom ring!”

This link brought to mind several sites that show reciprocity of permits between states. I think you may have shown some in the past, but with changes, an update may be needed. This could be invaluable to your readers who travel and/or are interested in relocating. Also, many states now offer “non-resident” permits. This is an easy method for expanding the areas in which you can legally carry concealed.

As always, check local regs before going as web sites may not update instantly as laws change. These are listed in alphabetical order not any basis of content or accuracy.

CarryConcealed.net

HandgunLaw.us

NRA-ILA web site – map

USACarry.com – map

Thanks for all you do. keep up the good fight. – B.N.

Economics and Investing:

GG liked this article in Fortune: The coming inflation wave

Brett G. sent us: ECB Official: World on Edge of Double Dip Recession

Patricia in S.F. suggested: 60 Minutes Exposes United States Financial Collapse

Items from The Economatrix:

Cowboy Economics (The Mogambo Guru)

Jobs, Manufacturing Reports Boost Stock Market

Rising Factory Output Points to Economic Recovery

Geithner Says Unemployment is Terribly High

New Credit Report Rules Kicking in on Friday

Stocks: Strong Quarter Ends with Loss

Biggest Job Gain in Three Years Pushes Up Interest Rates

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"I am endeavoring to construct a mnemonic memory circuit using stone knives and bear skins." – Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock, in Star Trek, "The City on the Edge of Forever" (Screenplay by Harlan Ellison.)

Notes from JWR:

Thanks to the generosity of our advertisers, more prizes have been added to the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest, starting with Round 28. These now include two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value), and a Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21. (A $275 value.)

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Today we present the first entry for Round 28 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round will include:

First Prize: A.) A course certificate from onPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses. (Excluding those restricted for military or government teams.) Three day onPoint courses normally cost between $500 and $600, and B.) Two cases of Mountain House freeze dried assorted entrees, in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources. (A $392 value.) C.) A HAZARiD Decontamination Kit from Safecastle.com. (A $350 value.), and D.) A 500 round case of Federal 5.56mm XM193 55 Grain FMJ ammo, courtesy of Sunflower Ammo. This is a $199 value, and includes free UPS shipping.

Second Prize: A.) A “grab bag” of preparedness gear and books from Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR) with a retail value of at least $400, and B.) two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

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

Round 28 ends on May 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 Southwesterner’s Experience in Family Preparedness, by C.F.

I always assumed that I would relax when I retired from my life’s vocation. I have now retired from working; however, there is no relaxation. As I absorb the news of the day my other life long avocation, family survival preparedness, continues to plague my mind. The current probability of a societal collapse looms ever closer.

I am sure everyone concerned about their family’s safety understands the problems in America . I have been preparing for over 50 years to self sufficient that my family, including children and grand children, would have the ability to survive hard time and hunger.

However, something has happened the last few years that is going mostly unrecognized by family survivalist and all other patriots for that matter. The game has changed! The rules of preparedness are being radically altered, it is imperative to understand the course change. America has shifted from a legal nation to an empire (check your law dictionary).

It is true that my family has been relatively successful over the years in family survival preparedness. We met or surpassed the survival goals set 40 years ago. Suddenly, in the past few years, the game rules have changed causing a change in thinking and direction of survival planning.

We purchased an 1,100-acre ranch (very inexpensively), located on the high desert of the southwest region of the US in 1978. It has a small stream through it and a several hundred gallon per hour spring on the canyon wall. It was ideal for the purpose of survival. I took a full year off work and relocated the family from the city. It was an exciting time of our lives. We lived in a tent at first, until we had built something more substantial in which to live.

My wife had some funny female idea that the babies should take a bath every day; I can still see, in my mind, my 4 and 5 year old girls carrying their little buckets of water from the stream to heat over an open fire so they could meet Mother’s requirement of cleanliness. In the beginning, we washed clothes in an open washtub with water heated over an open fire.

Slowly, we built up a comfortable home that was self-sustaining; it was an evolutionary process that occupied several years. I first placed several 50-gallon barrels on the canyon wall and by mid afternoon, there was ample very hot water for bathing and washing clothes.

The spring was diverted into a six-inch pipe, by the time it dropped a few hundred feet down the canyon wall, we had 140-psi water pressure. We irrigate an entire acre at one time with a ‘big bird’ sprinkler. Of course, that really made the big house livable, once you get water under pressure it is a whole new world for the family.

There were several years of experimenting with water turbines for electricity, however, the cost of installation and maintenance soon become obvious, and that was abandoned in favor a 5 kilowatt motor generator. That became the standby for washing clothes and charging batteries in the winter. Of course, the most efficient rig is a diesel motor generator but that too is expensive in upfront cost and long-term maintenance. A propane driven generator is great to have also, but the escalating cost of propane has proven the old standby gas motor generator proves the most efficient.

Now, under the new rules of survival the possibility of gas, diesel, and propane disappearing is high, so we must think sideways. If you can get the water under a little pressure you can improvise a ‘home grown’ water turbine generator rigged from a purchase ‘Pelton’ wheel and truck alternators. It works well, but requires a lot of attention and the alternator wears down rapidly. Design the system where you can change that component easily.

Over the years, we built up a large solar system that provides the power for the house. In addition, satellite television has become the rage. That is a real blessing for the family. Then we developed the satellite Internet, which expanded our educational and information horizons tremendously. Out here, on the desert solar power is the best way to go, however, the weak link is the batteries. They are expensive and require a lot of attention.

That leaves wind power. Actually, it was not a hard decision; wind is not a player on the desert. But perhaps you will be in a more advantageous location. Wind is good, but it is also very expensive up front and wind turbines have to be maintained continually.

We have several fruit trees matured and producing. We have built up several acres of garden area.

Without the distractions of the city we immediately began home schooling all the children. It was the best thing that every happened. The children did not have to fight their way to and from public school. There were no drugs or teachers unions demanding more money and less work.

I ran out of money at the end of the first year, as expected, so it was time to go back to work. I encountered instant rebellion; no one wanted to return to the city. We had a house with all the amenities of a city home. The result was that I went back to work in the city alone, the family remained on the desert ranch. That was a wonderful decision.

Analytically speaking it was a good project, even the home schooling went well. One on my younger sons is now almost through medical school. We, of course, would never cater to the AMA doctrines but still we needed a doctor in the family so he is becoming a doctor to get AMA teaching plus natural healing concepts. Another son is about half way through his bachelor’s degree, I expect him to become a computer scientist and follow in his father footsteps.

All the children are successful hard workers, attributable to living and working away from the corruption of the city. As far as education goes, I cannot imagine any parent turning their precious children over to such a corrupt system, one that will most certainly turn them into ‘functional illiterates’.

The children are grown now and I have a bevy of grandchildren wanting to go the ranch. And, that brings us to the immediate problem. We did what we did because of our desire to be free and raise our children outside the non-Christian society of the cities. I always had in the back of my mind the possibility of a survival crisis of some sort, however, I was able to function in society as it stood and stands to this point.

I have always been a student of history and eschatology and, believe me; something has changed in our country and society almost overnight. I will not bore you with details of the analysis but please be assured we are the verge of national crash that is going to rival the Roman Empire crash. It is going to happen! Do not believe me, take the time to study and read, your conclusion will most assuredly be the same as mine.

With that in mind, may I make a few suggestion learned from many years of playing this survival games. I think it will surprise some of you.

This crisis is going to be far too severe and to long to get through on your food storage alone. Whoa, does that shock you? Study and think about it for a few moments. It is true you must have as much food storage as possible, but that will not be enough! You will not be able to store enough food to get through the upcoming holocaust. You must have non-hybrid seeds stored away. They will be worth their weight in gold and you will need them to feed your family. You must have enough hard storage to survive a year or so until you can get a family garden going.

I will go so far as to say this, right now, this year start a family garden. If you live in a home, dig up the yard and learn how to grow a garden. If you do not have dirt immediately available, find a spot. Talk to your neighbors, look to you community for a garden spot. If you are close enough to the country, go find a farmer and cut a garden deal. The important thing is to put some seeds in the ground. Growing food in an acquired education and you are going to need to know how to feed your family when your food supply is gone.

Start educating yourself, stay current on news. The people that intend to destroy this country are becoming very arrogant, they sense victory is near. Turn off your sports television, put down your can of beer and learn to read the news, they are telling us in advance, what they are going to do.