My Experience with a Bluetti AC180 – Part 1, by Rick S.

INTRODUCTION

One of the more useful new technologies for preppers is photovoltaic power generation. Twenty years ago this technology was in the early stages with very limited applicability due to a high cost/benefit ratio. Today, due to a number of significant advances, a solar power generation capability on some scale is entirely practical.

At the same time, entirely off-grid solar power is not yet practical unless one is prepared to make some significant sacrifices in living circumstances. This can be illustrated by simply referring to your monthly electric bill where you will find a wealth of information regarding your electrical power usage.

THEORETICAL SOLAR POWER GENERATION

I have a four-bedroom home and my July electric bill shows an average daily usage of 52 kWh: this means, on the average, I use 52,000 watts in a 24 hour day.

It is worth noting that my circumstances are different than most homes in my area: I purchased the home from a mid-level manager at the local power company. While most houses in my area use a combination of electrical power and natural gas, when my home was built he specified all electric appliances: the hot water tank, stove, and “furnace” (electric heat pump) are all electric. I do not even have natural gas from the street. As a result, my electricity usage is greater than most homes in my area.Continue reading“My Experience with a Bluetti AC180 – Part 1, by Rick S.”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

While Lily has the garden harvest in full swing, I was catching up on a few projects:  Replacing a frost-free yard hydrant, replacing a few rotted-out corral fence rails, and taking a trip to town to pick up our Troy-Bilt tiller from the repair shop. This time it was the carburetor.  I almost always combine these trips with other shopping.  This time, I had to get some plastic bins (American-made only, of course) at Walmart, a stop at Home Depot for some plumbing parts, and at an auto parts store for a replacement car battery.  Sometimes, I find entropy discouraging. Watching things wear out and fall apart makes part of my life seem a bit futile. Coincidentally, Lily has been reading the classic survivalist novel Earth Abides for the first time. That novel delves into infrastructure entropy quite a bit.

Now, Lily’s report…Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.

And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;

Unto the place of the altar, which he had make there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.

And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.

And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.

And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram’s cattle and the herdmen of Lot’s cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.

And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.

Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.

And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.

Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.

Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.

But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.

And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:

For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.

And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.

Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.

Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.” – Genesis 13 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — September 15, 2023

On September 15h, 1950, United Nations troops landed at Inch’ŏn, South Korea, crippling a North Korean invasion during the Korean War.

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The position recently mentioned in: Opportunity for Retreat Group Membership in a Secure Bug Out Location is still available. If you are interested, then let us know. To clarify: The retreat is located in Kansas.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 108 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 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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  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. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  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 Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  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 $840,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 108 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.

How I Survived A Home Invasion – Part 3, by Mr. Y.

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.)

Part 3 – Lessons and Observations

Unsurprisingly, I ran the whole episode over in my head quite a few times as the days and weeks went by. Small details that I had forgotten came back. Eventually, I thought it would be worth noting a few things to share with other people:

The biggest takeaway was that things happened unbelievably fast. If my pistol had been in a different room, or been unloaded, or had the chamber empty, or had a manual safety, or was stored without the magazine in it, the outcome would have been quite different. It was fast. No time for a gun safe, gun in another room, racking a slide, manipulating a safety, etc. From busting-in-door to guy-on-the-floor was three seconds…four tops.

You really do have auditory exclusion. I fired three rounds of .40 Hydra-Shock indoors and all I heard was ‘pop’. Also, once The Bad Guy came through the door I don’t recall either of us saying anything. However, the girlfriend says she recalls hearing yelling right up to the point she heard gunshots. If we had been yelling, I don’t remember doing it and I don’t remember hearing it. From what I read, this is a normal thing because you’re extremely focused on the immediate threat.Continue reading“How I Survived A Home Invasion – Part 3, by Mr. Y.”

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, we look at the low market price of corn. (See the Commodities section.)

Precious Metals:

What is Going On? Three Separate Coin Shop Owners Shocked as Their Bank Accounts Suddenly Shut Down with No Reason Given (Video). JWR’s Comments:  I was “debanked” two years ago, for political reasons.  All in all, I Hate Banks!

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Clive Maund, at Gold-Eagle.com: Gold Market Update – How It Will Perform During A Stock Market Crash.

Economy & Finance:

Our own Tom Christianson recommended this: The Permanent Crisis Economy — We’re still living in 2008.

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Reader H.L. sent this: Hedge funds have bailed on the U.S. consumer in a big way, Goldman Sachs data finds. JWR’s Comments:  Seeing so much shorting going on gives me serious doubts about the stock market. Given the current credit market conditions I’m presently on the sidelines for equities, and I’m glad that I’m insulated from any upcoming drop in shares.

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H.L. spotted this news: Walmart cuts starting pay for new hires who prepare online orders, stock shelves.

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J.M. Smucker to buy Hostess for $5.6 billion.

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Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Biden meets Li Qiang, says China economic ‘crisis’ makes Taiwan invasion less likely. JWR’s Comment: It seems that Biden has discounted the long history of nations engaging in foreign wars to distract their populaces from domestic troubles.

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US Mortgage Rates Remain Above 7% (UP 158% Under Biden) As 10Y-2Y Treasury Curve Remains Inverted Since July 4th, 2023 (Food CPI UP 19% Under Lunchbox Joe And Gasoline UP 69% Under Green Joe).

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — September 14, 2023

On September 14. 1814, Francis Scott Key was inspired to write The Star-Spangled Banner after Fort McHenry successfully withstood a British attack.

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Today is the birthday of actor Clayton Moore (1914–1999). His name is almost synonymous with Lone Ranger.

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This is also the birthday of James Wilson, a lawyer and signer of the Declaration of Independence (1742 – 1798).

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 108 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 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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  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. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  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 Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $840,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 108 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.

How I Survived A Home Invasion – Part 2, by Mr. Y.

(Continued from Part 1.)

Part 2 – Interview and aftermath

I sat around in the little interrogation room by myself for about 90 minutes before anyone came to ask questions. The two detectives informed me that The Bad Guy ‘didnt make it’. I wasn’t surprised but it added a new level of anxiety to things. If I was going to get into trouble over this, the consequences were a lot more severe for killing someone than for injuring them.

We spent about two hours or so going over what happened. Did I know this person? What did they say? Where was I standing? Where was he standing? When did you shoot? I told them that there was probably security camera footage of most of what happened and they said they would get to that. I asked how much trouble I was in. They said they couldn’t promise anything but if the video matched the story I just told them, they didn’t think there’d be any issues.

Finally, the questioning was over. I was given back my phone and I called a friend to come give me and the girlfriend a ride back to the house. The detectives told me that they would meet me at the house and we’d review the video.Continue reading“How I Survived A Home Invasion – Part 2, by Mr. Y.”

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 first look at an iPhone security update.

Apple Releases a Significant iPhone Security Update

Another from reader C.B.: Update your iPhone: Apple just pushed out a significant security update. The article begins:

“Apple released a significant security update for iPhones and iPads Thursday to patch newly discovered security vulnerabilities in the devices’ system software.

The issue was discovered by researchers at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, who said the software flaw was being “actively exploited” to deliver commercial spyware called Pegasus developed and sold by the Israeli company NSO Group.

Pegasus is an expensive tool typically used to target dissidents, journalists and political opponents, so ordinary users likely have little to fear. Still, Citizen Lab recommends that all users should “immediately” update their devices.”

28 New Risk Genes for COVID-19

Over at MedicalXpress: Consortium discovers 28 new risk genes for COVID-19.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The first right of every human being is the right of self-defense. Without that right, all other rights are meaningless. The right of self-defense is not something the government bestows upon its citizens. It is an inalienable right, older than the Constitution itself. It existed prior to government and prior to the social contract of our Constitution.” – Senator Larry Craig

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — September 13, 2023

American singer, songwriter, and mandolin player Bill Monroe, considered the father of bluegrass music, was born on September 13, 1911. Monroe is credited for popularizing the “high lonesome” sound in bluegrass music.

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September 13th, 1951 was the birthday of President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 108 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 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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC.
  4. Montana Survival Seed is providing a $225 gift code for any items on its website, including organic non-GMO seeds, fossils, 1812-1964 US silver, jewelry, botany books, and Montana beeswax.
  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. A $300 gift certificate from Good2Goco.com, good for any of their products: Home freeze dryers, pressure canners, Country Living grain mills, Emergency Essentials foods, and much more.
  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 Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $840,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. We recently polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 108 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.

How I Survived A Home Invasion – Part 1, by Mr. Y.

Part 1: Backstory and The Event

This is an article about the experience, aftermath, and lessons learned from a home invasion that I experienced. I feel strongly that retelling it provides some important lessons and food for thought for anyone who keeps a gun for self-defense.

The Backstory

It was a weekend late afternoon and I was in my computer room at my house, working on e-mails and generally perusing the Internet. I had headphones on so I was unable to hear anything going on around me. The only other people in the house were my girlfriend who was cleaning the upstairs. My computer room faces onto my covered front porch.

At some point, I felt some vibrations in the floor that usually indicated someone was walking around on my front porch. I peeked outside through the blinds and saw a man standing on my porch, turning as to leave. Apparently, he had come up on the porch, rang the bell, and I didn’t hear it.Continue reading“How I Survived A Home Invasion – Part 1, by Mr. Y.”

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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Some sobering reading: Happy ‘Do Not Comply’ Day.

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The latest Sharp Pointy Things instructional video from our Editor-At-Large, Mike Williamson: Different Types of Knife Tangs.

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SIG-Sauer has released this: Safety Bulletin: Light Bearing Holsters for Pistols.

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Reader B.R. wrote:

“Please let Sarah Sue know that prune juice is an excellent source of iron. I first learned It from my midwife (she said if I didn’t get my iron up I would have to go elsewhere) and it was so sweet and I had pregnancy nausea for several months so drank it out of my wedding goblet with ice to get it down but it got my iron up.

Later, I started drinking it again when my iron got low. I now use a little every morning- about three or 4 swallows to take vitamins. My iron count is always good now.  (They won’t let you donate blood with a low iron count so I have a built-in check several times a year) And it can be purchased as an organic product so no bioengineered product. I buy mine from Safeway – the O-Organics brand. I used to buy Knudsen’s but they changed suppliers and it is now light brown instead of a rich dark color and doesn’t taste as good.”

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Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”