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. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, another look at pennies and nickels. (See the Base Metals section ad the Commoditoes section.)

Precious Metals:

When I last checked (Mid-day on Thursday, September 6th):

  • Gold
    $2,519.20  (Up $9.90)
  • Silver
    $29.10  (Up $0.65)

It seems that the short sellers are losing this fight. The Asian long traders are dominating the global markets. The shorts should hang up their boxing gloves. If they persist, then they will get caught in an ugly short squeeze. – JWR

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That enterprising Gridlessness prepper family in Canada, again: We’re Literally Printing our Own Money — Silver for the People!

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Frank Holmes, at Gold-Eagle.com: Gold SWOT: Gold’s Record-Setting Rally Above $2,500 an Ounce Looks to Have Further to Run.

Economy & Finance:

US Manufacturing Activity Contracts for a Fifth Straight Month.

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Over at Zero Hedge: US Manufacturing ISM Signals Accelerating Stagflation As PMI Turns Downright Apocalyptic.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. His heart sank as he thought of the enormous power arrayed against him, the ease with which any Party intellectual would overthrow him in debate, the subtle arguments which he would not be able to understand, much less answer. And yet he was in the right! They were wrong and he was right.” – George Orwell, 1984

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — September 5, 2024

On September 5th, 1781, during the  American War of Independence, the French fleet of 24 ships under Comte de Grasse defeated British forces under Admiral Thomas Graves and Samuel Hood at the Battle of the Chesapeake (aka Battle of the Virginia Capes), thus trappping General Lord Charles Cornwallis.

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Today is the birthday of the late comedian Bob Newhart. He was born on September 5th, 1929.  He died on July 18, 2024, at age 94.

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On September 5, 1698, Russian Tsar Peter the Great imposed a tax on beards.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 114 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. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. 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).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  6. 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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. 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)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 114 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.

 

Hunting in Desperate Times – Part 3, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 2.)

Two .30 Caliber Big Game Hunting Loads

My bolt action rifles are in two separate groups, precision rifles, and hunting rifles. All of my 6.5mm rifles are precision rifles capable of extreme long-range shooting. They will be handled with care and not bumped around while hunting. They are too valuable because of what they can do. Of course, the ammunition they use can also be used on deer out to 300 yards, and elk in a pinch with well-placed shots inside of 200 yards, yet they are not suitable for bear and elk when the angle is not just right. If they pass into the field of fire inside our perimeter and they are within the 300-yard limit then deer and black bear could be taken if a broadside shot is available. The .30 caliber cartridge rifles are much better for hunting in general and for mixed bag hunts since they are reliably able to take most of the various North American game.

300 Savage: Considerations for An Antique Rifle

The rifle in the photo at left is an antique Mauser rifle re-barreled in ,300 Savage and represents this category well. What works in this rifle would also work and be safe to use in other .308 to .312 cartridges when load to no higher pressure than 46,000 CUP (51,000 psi). The softer bullets used are a good fit or of suitable construction for many antique rifles that can fire brass-case ammunition using smokeless powder. The super high ballistic coefficient bullets that they are more than good enough out to my self-imposed range limit of 300 yards. These can expand at velocities as low as 1,600 fps and are a good marriage for lower in velocities cartridges in general and can kill quickly, flatten trajectories and buck the wind well enough to extend their potential hunting range.Continue reading“Hunting in Desperate Times – Part 3, by Tunnel Rabbit”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is 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. In today’s column, we look at The FBI’s updated report on “Militia Violent Extremists”.

FBI Considers Gun Owners Militia Violent Extremists

First up, over at Ammoland: FBI Document Leak: Gun Owners Are Violent Extremists.  The article begins:

“Lawyer Stephan Stamboulieh on X (formerly Twitter) released more documents from the FBI’s symbol guide. This list seems to be an updated list of those previously released to the public. At the same time AmmoLand News received the same print outs.

The new terms added in this edition are “molon labe,” “prepping,” and “Second Amendment(2A).” The FBI says these terms can be signs of violent militia extremism. The document also says militia violent extremists (MVEs) might regard “red flag” laws, aka extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs,) as unconstitutional, but it isn’t just MVEs that think that. Many legal experts and civil libertarians openly oppose ERPOs for the lack of due process. Several lawsuits have been filed challenging such laws, and members of Congress have spoken out against “red flag” laws.”

J.B. Shurk on Daddy Government

An essay by J.B. Shurk at American Thinker: Daddy Government Is Afraid of His Rebellious Children.

USMC Uses Freelance OSINT on Warfighting Doctrine

Reader S.B. sent the link to this web page:  2nd Battalion 5th Marines. And here is an article about it, in The Marine Corps Times: Marine Corps infantry’s secret weapon: A $9.95 unofficial website.Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — September 4, 2024

On September 4, 476, Romulus Augustulus, the last Western Roman Emperor, abdicated after forces led by Odoacer invaded Rome. This date is traditionally known as the end of the Western Roman Empire.

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September 4, 1862 is the fateful day that General Lee invaded the North with 50,000 troops.

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Some sad but expected news: Paul Harrell has passed away. Rest in peace.  I hope that his vlog archives are available for many years!

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 114 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. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. 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).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  6. 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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. 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)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 114 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.

 

Hunting in Desperate Times – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 1.)

Every year I see lots of hunters hunting from their vehicles. This is more like drive-by shooting than hunting. Most modern hunters are seasonal hunters who mostly shoot off-hand and are lousy shots. Haste makes waste. It is best to use a rest or shooting stick if possible, and it helps to use a cartridge that is perhaps more than needed to help compensate for a poorly placed shot. I would rather risk losing meat than risk losing the entire animal.

Standard “cup and core” soft point ammunition is plenty for deer, yet some cartridges could use a premium bullet to ensure that they have adequate killing power. For deer, any cartridge with less power than 7×57 Mauser might need a tad more killing power. And that can be had if a premium bullet is used. In my opinion, it is better to have a tad too much power, than too little and potentially lose the animal. And not all commercial ammunition is up to the job. And if we can do better, then we should. There are other considerations to be made about particular cartridges that might be of interest to this audience.Continue reading“Hunting in Desperate Times – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: 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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Germany’s Response to Knife Attacks After Festival Tragedy. JWR’s Comments: Since the police cannot be everywhere to protect everyone, the logical response would be to recognize the right of the citizenry to be armed. Their typically statist response will cost many innocent lives. Solingen is world famous as “the city of blades” — known for its well-crafted stainless steel knives (pictured, above.) It should become famous for the open carry of both guns and knives, An armed society is a polite society. Ironically, the three murder victims were apparently all pro-immigration liberals.

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The Trace (an “Independent” “journalism”, pressure group, largely paid for by anti-gun billionaire Michael Bloomberg) has posted this misleading interactive map: An Atlas of American Gun Violence: Ten years. 370,000 shootings. How has gun violence marked your corner of the country

JWR’s Comments: Though outwardly the map looks like a national bloodbath, the map’s interactive features are quite telling.  If you click on “Explore The Map” and then toggle: “Fatal” and then “Child-involved” it displays deaths of 0-to-19-year-olds.  But if that had excluded 18- and 19-year-old drug dealers killing other drug dealers, then much of the map would be nearly blank.  And if there was a category for “self-defense shootings” (quite noticeably absent from their map, by design) then the map would tell a much different story.  To get an idea of the difference that would make, try toggling “Officer-involved”. A similar number of the shootings shown as red and yellow dots were legitimate self-defense shootings of criminal perpetrators by the general citizenry. It is also noteworthy that they mentioned “corner[s] of the country”.  If you look closely at the map when displaying just Fatalities, there are plenty of corners of many western states — especially in The American Redoubt —  that have had no homicide shootings for many years. And if the map maker were intellectually honest, then they would have included a toggle for “Suicides”.  If those were removed from the tally of fatalities, then again the map would be largely blank in many states in most years.  Let’s face it: If someone wants to kill themselves, then they can and will find other ways to do so.  (Japan has a large number of suicides, but their citizenry has hardly any guns. Their suicide rate is 17.5 per 100,000. In the US, the suicide rate is 14 per 100,000.)  It is also notable that the uptick of shootings in 2022 and 2023 in the US is attributable to two key factors: The government forcing people to stay cooped up in their homes during the COVID pandemic and the  BLM riots.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes; and armies, debts, and taxes are the known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few… No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.” – James Madison

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — September 3, 2024

On September 3, 1976, after a nearly yearlong journey, NASA‘s robotic spacecraft Viking 2 landed on Mars this day in 1976 and began relaying information about the planet’s atmosphere and soil as well as color photographs of the rocky surface.

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English general and statesman Oliver Cromwell died on September 3, 1658.

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On September 3, 1752, Great Britain and its colonies, including the future United States of America officially adopted the Gregorian calendar, and it immediately became September the 14th.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 114 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. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. 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).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  6. 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 gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. 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)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 114 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.

 

Hunting in Desperate Times – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit

I hope that this article will serve as a starting point for novice hunters who should continue to seek more on the topic. Even after decades as a hunter, I continue to learn more.

Hunting will be a serious business in the near future. So I will do my best to present tried and true practices and advice, and attempt to describe what I believe hunting conditions and practices might be during the coming bad times. If we are hunting to survive, then losing a game would be unacceptable and perhaps tragic. High-quality protein during a famine or lean times would be very hard to get.

Lessons From The Past

I once had a neighbor who asked me to fix an old single-shot .22 rimfire rifle. The firing pin had been worn out from much use. It was a very old, battered, and simple single-shot .22 Long Rifle (LR) rifle. This was a Winchester Model 67A — a model that first manufactured during the Great Depression. The Model 67A was produced from 1934 to 1963. After repairing the firing pin, I know the bolt of the Model 67A quite well. After it had been repaired I attempted to return it. The owner then offered it to me as a gift. But after hearing his story about his experiences with the rifle, I figured that I should refuse, politely of course, since he was a friend. It would be better if it stayed in the family. This was no ordinary .22LR rifle.

Here is the gist of my friend’s hunting recollections: During the Great Depression, the folks in northwestern Montana were not at first all that aware that there was an economic depression underway, yet he said “…it was hard to get anything to eat”. He was just a boy at that time and one day the rifle was given to him so that he could hunt, and that he did. He hunted deer. One day the Sheriff showed up and had him get into his pickup and took him to a distant town in the middle of nowhere in western Montana. There were people there who were starving hungry so the Sheriff took my friend hunting and filled up the bed of his pickup with deer to deliver it to several families.Continue reading“Hunting in Desperate Times – Part 1, by Tunnel Rabbit”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. Today, a look at the famed Beartooth Highway. (See the Region-Wide section.)

Region-Wide

A fun backcountry flying video: Hells Canyon-Backcountry Flying with all sorts of new friends. Look closely for the pilot dancing his wheels on the river at the 7:11 mark. Clearly, these gents have a lot of experience, so they make this tricky and quite demanding flying look easy.

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Video: Best Drive in the USA: Beartooth Highway – Montana/Wyoming Travel Documentary.

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Planning a Beartooth Highway Road Trip.

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Elk rut underway in Yellowstone calls for greater distances from park animals.

Idaho

University of Idaho murders: Judge to weigh change of venue decision.

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50 years after Evel Knievel’s attempt, a rare chance in Twin Falls to see the rocket he used to Jump the Snake.

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North Idaho College releases special report to accreditor.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Whatever else history may say about me when I’m gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears; to your confidence rather than your doubts. My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with liberty’s lamp guiding your steps and opportunity’s arm steadying your way.”  – Ronald Reagan, 1989

Preparedness Notes for Monday — September 2, 2024

On September 2, 1666, the Great Fire of London began at 2 A.M. on Pudding Lane. It is estimated that 80% of London was destroyed in the fire. Some 13,200 homes were destroyed, along with St. Paul’s Cathedral (which had stood for 500 years), and 84 out of London’s 109 parish churches. Thatched roofs had been formally banned since the Great Fire of Southwark in 1212, but that roofing method was still widely used in defiance of the ban up until the Great Fire of London.

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September 2, 1969 was the day that the first American automatic teller machine (ATM) made its first public debut, dispensing cash to customers at Chemical Bank in Rockville Center, New York. However, a cash machine was put into use by Barclays Bank, Enfield, north London in the United Kingdom, on June  27th, 1967, which is recognized as the world’s first ATM.”

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A reminder:  The Paratus gift-giving holiday is celebrated on the Third Friday in September, each year.  This year, that falls on September 20th.  Give the gift of preparedness to your family and friends!

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Today’s feature article is a review written by SurvivalBlog Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

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We are seeking  entries for Round 114 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $900,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 114 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.