Odds ‘n Sods:

Norman in England found a web page with some useful information on assembling outdoor survival kits.

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Reader Bill T. asked me: “I’m a denture wearer. Do you know a formula for home-made denture adhesive?” I have no idea, but given SurvivalBlog’s large worldwide audience, perhaps there is a reader that can chime in with a formula.

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Cheryl N. spotted this interesting piece: ‘Liar loans’ threaten to prolong mortgage crisis. She also found this one: The Endgame Nears for Fannie and Freddie

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Rich at CGW has created a page just for SurvivalBlog readers, where he has hand-picked some nice products and created a 10% off coupon.

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The movie, “I.O.U.S.A.” that I described earlier this month is showing in selected theaters, starting tonight. The grand opening on August 21st will feature a follow-up live video conference with Warren Buffett, Pete Peterson, and David Walker. A movie trailer is available on their web site.

Letter Re: Ramen Noodles as a Food Storage Supplement

Mr. Rawles,
First off, thanks for your fine web site! I was proud to become a 10 Cent Challenge subscriber.

For those looking to increase their food storage supply in a cost-effective manner, I would recommend stopping by Wal-Mart and picking up their 12-pack containers of Ramen noodles (in various flavors). They’re currently $1.73 per package, which comes out to just 14.5 cents per single pack.

Nutritionally, a single pack of Ramen noodles contains:
380 calories
14 grams of fat
52 grams of carbohydrates
2 grams of fiber
10 grams of protein
and 16% of your daily requirement of iron

We ate a lot of Ramen noodles in the field while I was on active duty, you could boil up a single pack in a canteen cup and add a can of mushroom soup to it for a hot meal that was a break from C Rations. It would actually feed two guys most of the time.

Ten cases would cost you $17.30 to add 120 servings of a filling and easy to prepare base to stretch out your food storage dollars. This is worth the money, in my opinion! Yours, – Will from Florida

JWR Replies: The nutritive value of ramen is marginal, so it should not be considered a primary storage food. But I can see the wisdom of having some on hand as a food storage supplement, especially in lean times when hunger pangs will be a distinct possibility. There are lots of interesting ramen recipe web sites on the Internet, like this one with 430 recipes. Coincidentally, instant ramen is nearing its 50th anniversary.

In my experience, ramen, like other bulk pasta, is particularly vulnerable to vermin. I strongly recommend storing it in 6 gallon food grade buckets with gasketed lids. If you are short on buckets, One alternative–albeit providing a shorter shelf life–is finding metal cabinets (such as military wall lockers) with tight-fitting doors. These will at least keep your pasta safe from mice and rats. (But not necessarily safe from insects.)

Letter Re: Will the War in Georgia Trigger a Russian Ammo Import Ban?

Hello James,
I have been an avid reader of your novel and SurvivalBlog for about six months now, and I have to echo the sentiment of many other readers–that it has given me a desperately needed focus and sense of purpose. The increased threat of TEOTWAWKI was clear in my mind, and prior to finding your blog, I just had anxiety and was confused over what actions I should be taking t protect my family. I was like a deer in the headlights. Now it is a whole different story. I have stopped wasting money on non-essential items (sodas at restaurants, for example – my kids even request water now.). I have started to gather tangibles. Bullets, Beans and soon Band-Aids.

My comment for this email is based on a rumor I heard at a gun show this weekend. The gentleman who was selling me ammo (from a very large ammo wholesaler) stated that Wolf brand ammo and all other Russian ammo like Brown Bear, may be threatened by a Bush embargo as a political protest to the Russia’s Georgian War.

I hesitated to mention this as it is best to have an orderly flow in the market place and not panic, but as with the Iraq war I & II, I watched ammo prices almost double. Another war, especially involving an ammo producing country like Russia, will only make prices increase more, IMHO.

As I type this I have already seen .223 go over $240 per 1,000 and 7.62×39 is quickly approaching $200 per 1,000. Wal-Mart just raised prices last weekend on 12 gauge and .22 caliber. What was priced at $11.50 is now $13.50. Best Regards, – Robert D.

Letter Re: Questions About FRS Radio Capabilities

Dear SurvivalBlog:
At my condo complex in Florida, we’ve been wondering if we could use consumer two-way radios–such as Motorola Talkabout two-way radios–to communicate successfully between (from inside) condo units. We would do this during scenarios such as a severe hurricane.

The question is whether those radios (which, of course, come in several models with different specs) use the right frequency band and and have adequate power to penetrate the multiple concrete walls that would be line-of-sight between the communicating radios. We assume–in planning for worst possible case–that both line telephone and cell phone service would be down, and are looking for ways to directly communicate with each other during the height of a storm when we couldn’t safely walk from unit to unit.

Does anyone with relevant expertise have any ideas on this? Thanks for your assistance. Best Regards, – Gregg T.

JWR Replies: The key question is: How much reinforced concrete? As I recently noted in the blog, reliable communication in a cluttered urban environment is “iffy” for the typical FRS and GMRS hand-held transceivers on the consumer market. My preference is for the MURS band hand-helds. Not only will you get better range, but you will also be operating in a less commonly used frequency band. This will give you marginally better communications security. (But with the oft-repeated proviso: no radio transmission should be considered 100% “secure.”) I recommend the MURS Radios company (one of our advertisers) as a reputable source of transceivers. They also do custom frequency programming, and sell both accessories and MURS-compatible perimeter intrusion detection systems.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Mr. Lima mentioned a site with some useful videos on basic homesteading skills like gardening, fruit trees, growing grains, beekeeping, and so forth. They’ve promise to add more videos coming about alternate energy, raising rabbits and chickens, food storage and more.

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Philip N. flagged this: Depression survivors: ‘We lived the hard way’

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Jack B. sent this: Lights are on, but banks increasingly closed: James Saft. And meanwhile, several readers mentioned this ominous prediction: Credit crunch may take out large US bank warns former IMF chief.

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Susan Z. sent this from the ever-cheery journalist Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: Dollar surge will not stop America feeling the effects of a global crunch

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Our friend John (“Commander Zero“) up in Montana mentioned in his Notes from The Bunker blog an article about leaking FEMA fuel tanks. John’s comment: “The fact that the tanks themselves are leaking isn’t noteworthy to me. What is noteworthy is why those tanks are there in the first place. Years ago the girlfriend [now his wife] and I looked at buying one of these communications bunkers and it had originally been equipped with a 3,000 gallon fuel tank. The tank had been removed when the place was decommissioned but you could see the hole where it used to be. So, if a person were to get hold of this list of tanks that need attention you would also have, de facto, a list of hardened facilities and sites since no one was gonna dedicate a resource like fuel and storage to a facility that would crumble at the first bit overpressure.”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution and to the Republic for which it stands. Miracles do not cluster and what has happened once in 6,000 years, may not happen again. Hold on to the Constitution, for if the American Constitution should fail, there will be anarchy throughout the world.'” – Daniel Webster

Note from JWR:

Today we are pleased to welcome our newest advertiser: SecurityPro.com. They have a very broad line of products including binoculars, hydration packs, flashlights, Trijicon scopes, knives, holsters, boots, helmets, body armor, BDUs, anti-vehicular barriers, and much more. They even sell armored vehicles!

Letter Re: Using 20mm Ammo Cans as Contingency Caches

Hi Jim,
After reading “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse” a second time (and this time tabbing the pages) and making note of the ROTC cadet’s story, I acquired some 20mm-sized ammo cans. I thought I’d put together at least one contingency box [for an underground cache], in the event of losing everything else, due to being overrun by bad guys, etc.

First off, instead of pavement/roadway emulsion, I took two of these cans to a Line-X [spray-on bed liner] shop, to have them painted with their material. They were happy to help, since they were shooting a metal surface with the stuff, and not plastic or fabric.

Here’s my list so far, for one can. Some of this is stuff that I have excess quantities:

-One AUS-8 Stainless Recon Tanto knife (I have a bunch of other knives, along with some in Carbon V steel, that I’m currently keeping for barter)
-One Swiss Army knife
-Toothbrush, dental floss, and toothpaste.
-One one-quart canteen with purification tablets
-One two-serving Mountain House meal (I was considering an MRE, but there’s too much candy and excess packaging. Also, an MRE may not store for as long .)
-Lighter and matches
-One earth-tone set of T-shirt, underwear, and socks
-50 rds. .22 rimfire ammo
-50 rds. 9mm Parabellum ammo

And if I can fit them: One 10 rd. box of 12 gauge shotgun shells, and / or a pair of combat boots. Regards, – Jerry E.

Letter Re: A Tasmanian’s Perspective on Preparedness

Hi,
I have been reading SurvivalBlog now for several months and really enjoyed the articles. I live in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia . For those who don’t know the place and I imagine there are many who are unfamiliar with this part of the world, it’s an island at the bottom of Australia.

I work on disease protection for the government. This involves responding to bird flu pandemics, terrorist attacks etc. Being an island at the bottom of the world with not many threats, it’s an easy job. But I do believe that there is lots of trouble coming in the future from climate change, increasing world populations in areas that cannot support any more people, Peak Oil, et cetera. So in my view, thinking people should prepare for trouble ahead and develop personal plans for survival.

The reason I have written in today is that from some of the posts that people have submitted to SurvivalBlog, many are planning just for total breakdown in society, everyone for themselves, point the guns out the door and survive at all costs. From my limited reading and understanding of such situations, total breakdown would only occur in extreme events like total nuclear war. For example, even in Germany during war time with the Russians advancing one direction, and the allies the other, it had a functioning society where you could buy goods and services and the government still functioned. Thus perhaps people should have several plans. One for total breakdown (like nuclear war), one for minor disruptions like financial meltdowns/depressions and another for global pandemics/biological warfare.

Hopefully we will only experience minor disruptions and we should have already planned ahead by growing as much of our own food as possible, reduced our mortgages, moved closer to work, kept food stocks, stored heating fuel etc. Being prepared for something to happen tomorrow will lessen people’s reliance on the modern supermarket and the expected doubling of prices, shortages etc. In the event of a pandemic, then avoiding public places and other people is a very good idea, so food stocks will help and being able to work from home is a major advantage.

My point is that people need to plan for a number of scenarios, not just “let’s retreat and point the guns”. I personally will be trying to help my community survive any disruption, for the sake of my children, loved ones and country. Previous generations have faced bad times before and moved through them without losing their sense of community. My grandfather used to tell me about life during the Depression, where he used to hunt rabbits and other game to stretch the family budget and how they used to reuse things to save money. You could buy things, but you just didn’t have any money. But even during those hard times he said there was always a strong community spirit and they always helped out others who were less able to cope. We should all plan for being able to help others by being self reliant.

Lastly if people want to relocate to an area that is not targeted for nuclear war, has a modern economy, speaks English, and has less than half a million people in an area the size of Ireland, then move here to Tasmania. We even like Americans. – M. L.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Bob S. pointed us to an interesting thread in progress over at the When SHTF Forum, about Bug-Out Vehicles (BOVs). I generally advise painting BOVs in a single flat earth tone color. A camouflage paint scheme can actually attract attention, which could be a bad thing. OBTW, most semi-gloss paints can be turned into flat paint by mixing in a flattener additive before spraying it on.

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The Russians continue to claim publicly that they are “withdrawing” from Georgia. If so, then why is their armor still heading south? Perhaps they’re planning to withdraw by way of Tibilisi.

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North Texas school district will let teachers carry guns. Why isn’t this already the norm, across the nation? It makes sense to me. OBTW, Naish Piazza of Front Siight is offering free firearms training to the teachers and administrators from that school district. The Four Day Defensive Handgun Course mentioned is the same one that The Memsahib and I took, and the same course that is included with Front Sight’s current “Guns and Gear ” offer. Take advantage of it!

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Bob at Ready Made Resources mentioned that they have added Jaffrey’s Fruit Presses to their product line. With harvest season in full swing here in the northern hemisphere, this is an important tool to own.

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Fay prompts tropical storm warning for South Florida. I trust that that SurvivalBlog readers in the southeastern US are far better prepared than most of their neighbors. You’ll be in our prayers.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"I remember during the metals’ bull market of the 1970s when we were worried about gas rising to $1.50 a gallon, some enterprising gas stations put up signs selling gas for a dime a gallon. Of course, they wanted pre-1964, 90-percent silver dimes which had value in excess of a gallon of gas. If you were smart, you didn’t fall for it. You were better off keeping the coins to yourself." – Howard J. Ruff

Letter Re: Maintaining the Nuclear Survival Mindset

Hi,
I won’t mention my name because of the privacy concerns you so eloquently pointed out in your blog, but here’s an example of what you were asking about in regards to preparations for a new cold/hot war.

I was in the USAF in Security Police from 1980 to 1989, the height of the Cold War, when President Reagan was stepping up the pressure on the then Soviet Union. I served in ICBMs (Minuteman III’s and the Peacekeeper) at Warren AFB in Wyoming and overseas in Ground Launched Cruise Missiles (GLCMs) at Florennes Air Base, Belgium. One of the things we were constantly aware of during our duty in the missile fields stateside was that on-duty Security Police were not allowed to go into shelters in the event of a nuclear attack.

Knowing that, we were constantly aware of our position in the missile field, the current weather forecast, and planned escape routes in the event of the “unthinkable” (yet we were always thinking about it, so go figure). The two primary concerns were surviving the initial attack and surviving subsequent fallout. Surviving the initial attack would have involved making the best speed possible in the 25-to-30 minutes you had to get out of the missile field(distance and shielding are your friends). Given the distances involved, there would have been no time to dither and look at a map trying to figure out a route, so we reconnoitered all our routes in advance, particularly looking for likely areas of shelter such as culverts, highway overpasses, etc. should we fail to get out in time. We had our survival kits, weapons, and NBC gear with us (by regulation) so we were constantly ready.

The other consideration was where to go in the event we survived the initial attack. This would involve avoiding the initial fallout, thus making it necessary to be aware of prevailing weather conditions. We had pre-planned reassembly points where we were to report after an attack, so we had to know a variety of routes from any particular point to get to them.

How does that translate to survival preparedness now? God forbid that we should ever have to prepare for an attack on that scale now, but the basic elements are these:

1. Know likely targets in your area. If you happen to live in an area free of likely targets, count your blessings. If you happen to be away from that area for any extended period of time, have several plans and routes for getting back there planned in advance. There won’t be time to dither, and while everyone else is looking for an escape route, you should be halfway home. It also goes without saying that you should have equipment and supplies sufficient to enable you to get home without having to stop for anything except fuel. Have cash on hand to pay for fuel.

If you live in close proximity to a target area such that you would be affected by the blast, plan your immediate escape route(s) with the primary considerations of speed and shelter possibilities. Avoid cities and towns if possible and look for areas where you can shelter from immediate blast effects if that should happen. Fortunately, you won’t be prohibited from entering a shelter like we were, so having adequate shelter in the first place should be one of your preps. However, most of us have to work and we all have to get away from home sometime, so we can’t guarantee that we’ll be there when something bad happens. Have an escape/shelter plan for work, office and for the kids in school if that’s your situation.

Keep an eye on the news (for readers of this blog I don’t think that will be a problem) and know about rising tensions. You won’t have immediate notification of an attack like we did, but there should hopefully be some kind of warning (even over the Emergency Broadcast System) so have a plan to use those precious minutes before the “unthinkable” (to most people) happens. Get in the habit of listening to the radio while driving instead of listening to CDs or MPEG files. If you have 15 minutes and a clear route planned, then you could make 10-20 miles in that time, depending on traffic. That amount of distance might make the difference between surviving the initial attack or not.

2. Have a variety of post attack routes to your assembly point (bug out location) planned in advance (did I say that once before?) based on weather, traffic and road conditions. What looks like a nice, scenic route in good weather could become closed by winter conditions or flooded in the spring. Know where to go and what to do if the route you choose should happen to be blocked (even if blocked by authorities). Know what your route looks like in daylight and darkness. The unexpected can happen at any time.

3. If you’re not familiar with the roads in any particular area, get a map and study it. Learn how to read a topo map so that if you have to choose a route you haven’t reconnoitered you can at least tell where the steep hills, valleys, bridges, etc. are.

Hope this level of planning doesn’t sound too paranoid, but I lived with it for ten years, so it’s become more or less habit by now. The preparations you make involving equipment and supplies are all for naught if you don’t survive or can’t get to them. S o I would say that all of the aforementioned preparations are as important or more important than having every last piece of cool gear available. Software trumps hardware every time. Furthermore, it doesn’t cost very much. – A Former SAC Troop

Letter Re: Health Saving Accounts in the US–Buying Retreat Medical Supplies with Pre-Tax Dollars

Hi Jim –
Thanks for your blog. It is well worth the [voluntary] 10 cents a day.

Just a quick tip on saving money. Many employers offer flexible spending [“Health Savings”] accounts [(HSAs)] that are funded with pre-tax money. These accounts are usually billed as letting the employee pay for office co-pays, prescription co-pays, etc. tax free. But depending on the program, many other things qualify for purchases through the account. For example, my employer’s program allows most over-the-counter [medical] products. Things like bandages, creams, contact lens solution, foot care products and more are all valid purchases. I’ve been able to build solid health care/first-aid kits for my 72-hour bag, truck, and home using my account. My employer’s program offers a card that is used like a debit card, good any place that takes Master Card or VISA. This makes it even better because I can make qualified purchases wherever I find the best deal without worrying about claims forms, receipts, etc. If any of your readers work for an employer that offers such an account, it is worth researching to see what is allowed and what isn’t. They might be surprised, I know I was! – John in Michigan

JWR Adds: It is also noteworthy that with most HSA plans, any portion that is not expended can accrue and be designated for a retirement fund. I consider HSAs a “win-win” for preparedness-minded families. The only significant drawback would be if our nation enters a period of mass inflation.

Letter Re: Some Thoughts on Precious Metals Purchasing

Mr. Rawles,
Not long ago you mentioned the price of precious metals had fallen. Today the market ended with spot precious metals taking a sharp dive. If any reader does not have at least some silver or gold for when the economy really drops off, now is definitely the time to get them. Kitco is one source. I use the Northwest Territorial Mint for large purchases. For smaller buys, I have used Mint Products, but they are more for the collector, and not bullion speculator.

I have been able to amass a large sum of bullion, in the forms of silver and gold. Most gold is the older coins from the [late] 1800s and early 1900s. This gives me the bonus of not only having gold [bullion], but also having a [numismatic] rare coin. When things go really bad, I also keep a large quantity of [non-numismatic circulated] silver dimes. Buying these in $1,000 face value bags is the way to go. This will allow a person to have the smaller coins for barter. Also, having some Morgan and Peace dollars can be helpful. With the current low costs people can give now purchase them for use as birthday or Christmas presents, as well. Most young people have never seen the large dollar coins, so these coins make unique gifts.

As a last mention on this topic, Canadian silver dollars are selling for about the same cost as a US dollar, yet they are worth $5 Canadian dollars. With the current economy and weak US dollar, these are a better buy than the US Silver Eagles and people should look to these if they have a choice concerning coins. Also, plan on getting a small scale that does not take batteries. If one can be obtained, the older postage scales that can handle smaller weights would be advisable.With a scale available, [heavily worn] silver coins can be weighed to help determine their value, after TSHTF. Regards, – J. Russ