The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The bloodthirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul.

A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.

If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked.

The poor and the deceitful man meet together: the Lord lighteneth both their eyes.

The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established for ever.

The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.

When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall.

Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” – Proverbs 29:10-18 (KJV)

 

Preparedness Notes for Friday — September 23, 2022

September 23, 1800 was the birthday of William McGuffey, a college president who is best known for writing the McGuffey Readers, the first widely used series of textbooks. It is estimated that at least 122 million copies of McGuffey Readers were sold between 1836 and 1960, placing its sales in a category with the Bible and Webster’s Dictionary.

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Today’s feature article was written by our Field Gear Editor Emeritus, Pat Cascio.

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I just heard that Siege Works (one of our advertisers) is running limited-time special sales on both the Siege Belts and their Siege Stoves. Take a look!

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We are still seeking entries for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The Prepper’s Storage Dilemma, by Pat Cascio

Storage of your voluminous preps can be a real problem. We don’t live in a large house, it is only about 1,600 Square Feet. It has two bedrooms, one is extremely small, and is used as my office. The home we used to live in, on the dry side of Oregon, was quite a bit bigger, it was originally an earth-sheltered house, with most of it underground. And, at some point, in the 1970s, there was another level added and it became a more traditional house. However, the below-ground portion of the house was totally useable. Half of the “basement” was used for my office/dojo — I also taught martial arts classes in the basement. The other half was our oldest daughter’s bedroom, and a great storage room for our Preps. We miss having it!

We live in a single-level house now, on our small homestead, and it is adequate for the most part. We have a small guest house next door on our property, and our oldest daughter lives in it, it only about 750-square feet – small, but she is single and not home all that often – she works all the time, but it suits her needs. We have a small outbuilding for storage, but it doesn’t hold a lot – it is pretty much full top-to-bottom most of the time.Continue reading“The Prepper’s Storage Dilemma, by Pat Cascio”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at de-dollarization.

Precious Metals:

World’s Largest Hedge Fund Makes The Ultimate Case For Gold.

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Over at Gold-Eagle.com: De-Dollarization Happening Now, Gold & Silver Being Drained! – Andy Schectman & Ninja

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Tom Luongo: Here’s How Far the Fed will Hike, & How Gold & Silver Respond

Economy & Finance:

Just as expected: Federal Reserve raises interest rates by 75 basis points for third straight month.

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Another jumbo Fed rate hike poised to add $2.1T to national debt, CRFB says.

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At WND: Americans continue to pile on more and more debt.

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10-year Treasury yield jumps to 3.51%, the highest level since 2011.

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As Biden Closes in on 100 Executive Orders, He’s Costing Taxpayers an Astronomical Amount of Money.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — September 22, 2022

Today is the birthday of Kijirō Nambu (南部 麒次郎 Nanbu Kijirō, September 22, 1869 – May 1, 1949). He was a career officer in the Imperial Japanese Army and the founder of Nambu Arms Manufacturing Company, the maker of many of the firearms the Japanese military would use in World War II. A prolific small arms designer, he was sometimes called the “John Browning of Japan”. He was awarded the Order of the Sacred Treasure (2nd class) in 1914.

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Our daughter Miss Eloise got quite busy with her new job, so she didn’t have time to run her knife sales business. She asked me to buy out her inventory. I did so, and have added all of those knives and bayonets to the inventory at Elk Creek Company (See the “Knives and Tools” category.)  These knives and bayonets  are all American-made, and from great makers like Case, Buck, and Schrade (Old Timer and Uncle Henry), Remington, and Battle Horse Knives. Many of them are still new in their original boxes. And any of them  would make great birthday/Christmas/Hanukkah gifts. Take a look!

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream – Part 3, by J.M.

(Continued from Part 2.  This concludes the article)

Cold Weather Considerations

Colder weather introduces its own unique problems to mobile sleep planning. Besides being really uncomfortable and preventing you from getting a good night’s sleep, it’s possible to get hypothermia in wet or windy conditions in temperatures as high as 60°F, which can result in death. The most obvious solution is to start a fire to keep you warm, but you’ll want to make sure you structure the fire to burn as long as possible so you can get a good night’s sleep. Some options for long-burning fires are:

  • A regular fire with some really thick logs added to it
  • An upside-down fire, where you have thick logs on the bottom and stack smaller stuff as you move up the pile. You start the fire on the top, and it slowly burns down through the thicker material.
  • Two thick logs stacked on top of each other with a smoldering fire burning between them.
  • A log torch, which is a thick section of log that’s been split, hollowed-out, then reassembled and lit on the inside.
  • A self-feeding fire with ramps on both sides that hold additional logs that roll down as the lower logs burn.

Burning a fire to stay warm while you’re sleeping can be dangerous, so make sure you do some research and practice how to do it safely before you actually need it to survive.

The SOL Escape Bivvy I mentioned earlier is also a good option for colder weather and, in my experience, adds 10°F-20°F of warmth. You can combine that with a lightweight sleeping bag or blanket for a decent cold-weather sleep solution. My personal current mobile colder-weather sleep system is the combination of a 2Go Systems v3 B.O.B. Zip Poncho combined with a Helikon Tex Swagman – you can wear them together as layered ponchos to keep you warm and dry when you’re moving, and zip them up and nest them together for a nice warm sleeping system. I recommend avoiding the use of mylar emergency blankets for sleeping if possible, as they don’t breath and you’ll most likely end up soaked from sweating, which can be deadly in colder weather. However, if that’s all you have available you should ensure there are one or more gaps to allow some air to circulate.Continue reading“To Sleep, Perchance to Dream – Part 3, by J.M.”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk.

Law Mandates Kill Switches In All New Cars

MSN reported this troubling news: Law Will Install Kill Switches In All New Cars. Here is a quote:

“According to an article written by former U.S. Representative Bob Barr, hidden away in the recently passed infrastructure bill, the very one I warned before would negatively impact drivers across the country if it were to pass, is a measure to install vehicle kill switches into every new car, truck, and SUV sold in this country.”

Ohio: Arming Teachers, Teachers Union Pushes Back

A RedStateNation piece, linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Another State Fights For Arming Teachers, But The Teachers Union Fights Back.

Western Alaska Confronts Damage After Historic Storm

Reader H.L. sent this article link: Western Alaska confronts damage after historic storm.

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — September 21, 2022

On this day in 1780, during the American Revolution, American General Benedict Arnold met with British Major John Andre to discuss handing over West Point to the British in return for the promise of a large sum of money and a high position in the British army. The plot was foiled and Arnold, a former American hero, became synonymous with the word “traitor”. It’s too bad the current crop of politicians are not held accountable for their treasonous acts.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream – Part 2, by J.M.

(Continued from Part 1.)

Another platform option to consider are hammocks – I’m not talking about those huge macrame things people have in their backyards, but real camping hammocks from companies like Eagles Nest Outfitters, Hummingbird, Lawson, Dutchware and Warbonnet Outdoors. I may be a bit biased since I transitioned from a ground-dweller to hammocks for backpacking a few years ago, but they can be incredibly comfortable and easy to set up and take down. Depending on how your room is configured you may be able to attach some heavy-duty screw eyes to wall studs and hang multiple hammocks up in the common room, or you could build some inexpensive hammock stands. As with cots, they can be easily taken down and moved when required, but they take up a lot less space when not in use and can also be packed up if you need to go mobile. I highly recommend spending some time on the web site ‘The Ultimate Hang’ to learn more about sleeping in hammocks.

Note that one thing you need to consider with both cots and hammocks is that they typically don’t have any insulation underneath them which makes them a great option for staying cool in warmer weather, but when it gets cold you’ll need to provide some form of insulation on the bottom. This can be a foam mattress in the hammock, something that doesn’t lose warmth when compressed (like a wool blanket) laid underneath the sleeper, or an insulating layer suspended underneath the cot/hammock (usually referred to as an underquilt).Continue reading“To Sleep, Perchance to Dream – Part 2, by J.M.”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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UPS Further Clamps Down on Firearms Shipments. Here is an excerpt from the article:

“The United Parcel Service (UPS) has followed up its decision to enforce the new Biden administration rule on gun parts a month before it took effect with a new, restrictive firearms shipping policy that could prove troublesome to gunmakers and gun owners.

The new UPS Tariff/Terms and Conditions of Service indicates that only licensed dealers, importers, manufacturers, and collectors will be able to ship firearms products or parts via UPS.

“Packages containing firearms (as defined by Title 18, Chapter 44, and Title 26, Chapter 53 of the United States Code) and firearms parts that do not constitute firearms as defined by federal law (together, “Firearms Products”) are accepted for transportation only as a contractual service and only from Shippers who are licensed importers, licensed manufacturers, licensed dealers, or licensed collectors (as defined in Title 18, Chapter 44 of the United States Code),” the terms read.”

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A new video from Montana-based commentator Matt Christiansen: Facebook Spied On and Sent Private ‘Election Denier’ Messages to the FBI | DOJ Whistleblowers Say.

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Dan wrote:

“I enjoyed thoroughly the article What’s in the rest of my bags and why by D.D. in Arizona.  It is usually informative to get an idea of how others are preparing. I do have advice on one of the items mentioned by D.D.: the climbing carabiner.

Mountain climbing equipment is not bad in a jam, but is usually not best-in-class. Climbers have died when their carabineer opened unexpectedly, or simply failed. My advice is to buy a carabiner designed and certified for fall protection. Fall protection equipment is designed to prevent a fall from a person working on top of the side of a structure.

There are different shapes and types, many with a spring-loaded lock which keeps the gate closed. Modern metallurgy has also afforded carabiners construction on lightweight, corrosion-resistant materials. If you plan to buy one carabiner, then buy one you can depend on for a few dollars more.”

o  o  o

Reader D.S.V. spotted this: Covid Vaccine Destroys Natural Immunity, NEJM Study Shows.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I hope we once again have reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There’s a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: As government expands, liberty contracts.” – Ronald Reagan

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — September 20, 2022

On this day in 1519, Magellan left Europe on his voyage of discovery.

On September 20, 1995, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to drop the national 55 MPH speed limit. This allowed the states to again decide their own speed limits, without fear of losing Federal highway funding.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical 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,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 ends on September 30th, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream – Part 1, by J.M.

Ahh, waking up fresh and well-rested in the morning to the soft musical chime of your alarm clock, with the beautiful rays of morning sunshine nudging you to start your day after a restful night’s sleep. Okay, so I may be leaning a bit into the fantasy world, but the reality is that sleeping (and waking up, hopefully) are things that everyone reading this has in common. The other thing that pretty much everyone shares is that we all have problems sleeping occasionally – tossing and turning, getting up at oh-dark-thirty and feeling like we’re walking around in a coma the next day. Studies have shown that up to 25% of Americans don’t get a good night’s sleep at least half the time, 90% have bad sleep nights 2-3 times a month, and 20% of adults in the US suffer from sleep apnea. And this is during ‘normal’ times – the stresses you’ll be experiencing in a post-disaster world will probably turn everyone into raging insomniacs until things settle down.

For something that we spend nearly 1/3 of our lives doing and that has such a big impact on our health and ability to function effectively, sleep is a topic that doesn’t seem to garner a lot of attention in the preparedness community. While it may be mentioned in passing when discussing overall preparedness or a sleeping bag might be included as part of a get-home bag (GHB), incorporating formal plans and kit focused on sleep into your preps can make a huge difference in your comfort, health and effectiveness in a survival situation.Continue reading“To Sleep, Perchance to Dream – Part 1, by J.M.”