Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader “Photo Man” sent us this: Mob runs riot as Zimbabwe runs out of water.

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Courtesy of Eric comes this link: The American Crisis and the Case for an Inflationary Depression

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Rich Fleetwood at SurvivalRing mentioned that he has just finished creating a brand new DVD book library. It has 4 DVDs containing over 4,000 Third World appropriate technology books and articles, and a multi disk package of Alex Weir’s 44 CD library (which he asks as many folks as possible to both mirror, and offer, to readers all over the world). Fleetwood is offering the library for only $10 per DVD, (or $40 for a set) and the set includes free Priority Mail shipping. Check it out, here.

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A big batch of gloomage du jour from Cheryl: First Time In 50 Years Stocks Yielding More Than Bonds — Fortress Suspends Redemptions in Biggest Fund (JWR warned us about hedge fund redemption suspensions, back in October of ’07) — Consumers Unexpectedly Cut Back on Credit in October — Bush Finally Admits Recession, Says All Three Major Automakers May Not Survive — Employers Cut 533,000 Jobs, Most in 34 Years “The unemployment rate would have moved even higher if not for the exodus of 422,000 people from the work force. Economists said many of those people probably abandoned their job searches out of sheer frustration. In November 2007, the jobless rate was at 4.7 percent.” Also remember that those who have used up their unemployment benefits are not counted in this statistic either, thus, there are a lot more people out of work than this number indicates — Gulf Oil CEO Says Gas May Drop to $1 Per Gallon — China Slowdown Could Drop Oil to $25/Barrel — US Banks to Cut 30,000 More Jobs — 50 Ways to Beat Deflation (Sung to the tune of the Paul Simon song) — The Great Depression II: Are We Being Played? — Swiss See Platinum as Safe-Haven Investment — Why Credit Cards Matter So Much

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In the Just For Fun Department: You gotta love MakeZine. This is from their latest issue: The Chainsaw Bayonet.

Letter Re: Essential Oils for Survival

Knowing that a survival situation will be most likely without medical help – one of my first thoughts is – make sure I have some essential oils.

What are essential oils? Think herbs, with the important oils all “juiced” out of them.

I first became interested in oils after learning that oils are mentioned in the Bible quite frequently – both in the Old and New Testament. God had/has a keen interest in them. Maybe I should too, I mused.

Lately, I’ve tried to stock up on my favorites, as they may become difficult to buy in the future, as the economy weakens. If I had to pack my G.O.O.D. bag with oils, I would do them in this order:

1. Tea Tree Oil – an all around favorite for washing/sanitizing hands, applying to cuts or wounds, and a general antibacterial, antifungal oil. Tea tree can be obtained at Wal-Mart (a full 2 ounces–the big oil bottle, for under $10 bottle. The price has gone up, just recently). Look in the vitamin section.

2. If I had room for a second bottle, I would put in a concoction of several oils to ward off/ deal with current typical illnesses (colds, flus, bronchial, weak immune system, bleeding gums, etc)…. It would consist of: thyme, oregano, clove, eucalyptus oil. Some of these are harder to find than others, and the price would be around $35 or so. You need to mix these (equal parts or so) yourself. This can be applied directly to the chest and/or the bottom of the feet. A few drops will do. Make sure you have a “dropper” style lid under the cap.

3. A tie for second place bottle would be a “pain relief” bottle – consisting of a blend I would make myself of peppermint, wintergreen, clove, and cypress oils (go heavier on the peppermint and wintergreen). This should be around $20. Peppermint has a heavy “fume” to it, and if it is even near the eyes, it will feel like it’s in your eyes – be careful (If you do ever get oils in your eyes – any kind of vegetable oil helps bring it out – not water). This is great for headaches, injuries (like a hurt knee or slight sprain or backache), etc. Again, a couple drops will do. Have your dropper style lid in place.

4. If there’s still room in the bag, go for some Rosemary (under $5 for .5 oz). I’ve personally found Rosemary excellent at antifungal applications. A survival situation may entail some tangles with athletes foot, toe/finger fungus or ringworm, and the Rosemary (which can also be teamed with a little Tea Tree) will almost always do the trick. Again, just one drop, using the dropper lid.

I’ve found the key to essential oils is to use very little – maybe just one drop, for your problem…but to do it constantly – like at least three times a day. Conventional medicines don’t require that kind of attention…but, who can get a refill on prescription in the middle of the wilderness?

5. And, if you can, grab a bottle of Lavender oil. (Usually around $10). The intense stress that we will all be under when times get really tough can be relieved by a little lavender oil. It never ceases to amaze me how a drop or two can relax and then – put to sleep! – myself and others – in anxious circumstances.

People in the essential oil business argue which manufacturer is best. I’ll tell you my 2 cents and leave it up to you. Young Living is probably the most expensive (purchased on the Internet), but they claim most of their oils can also be ingested. That part is appealing. For oils that you can apply or use in different ways, you may be happy with other brands. I’ve used Aura Cacia, Thursday Plantation, and Sante with good results. They and others can be purchased at health food stores.

There are many other varieties of essential oils that I could comment on, but thought I would keep it to a few important ones.

I’m in the process of packing the family’s G.O.O.D. bags. And I hope to not leave home without the oils. Thanks for all you do, Jim. Take care, – Jean L.

JWR Replies: Thanks for those suggestions. Here is a good on-line reference on how to safely use essential oils.

Letter Re: Food Items in Non-Food Grade Buckets?

Hi Jim,
I’m an avid reader of your blog but I have a question: Can I store vacuum sealed wheat in regular buckets (not food grade)? I like the idea of having 10 lb bags of vacuum sealed wheat for simplicity in retrieving when needed and for distributing as charity if needed. I realize it wastes space in each bucket (being in a vacuum sealed block) – but my question is whether it’s safe to use the less expensive buckets or will potential out-gassing eat the vacuum sealed bags?

Your books (I have all of them) are very helpful to me. Between my father and I, we’ve probably bought several dozen copies of “Patriots” over the past five years to give to people. I have my 20 acres in one of your recommended areas and will break ground in the spring for the retreat. I just hope I have enough time to prepare as it seems things are moving fast.

Also, how do you store other consumables? Metal wall lockers (as in “Patriots“)? Is there a more mobile solution I can use for the time being until I get my retreat built?
Thanks for all you do. – Rob S.

JWR Replies: I’m not a food safety chemist, so I can’t give you a definitive answer. As discussed in SurvivalBlog previously, the issue is the toxic injection molding release compounds used in making some buckets that are not marked as NSF, USDA or “Food Grade” certified. These mold release chemicals can contaminate food. My advice is to err or the side of caution and to use your utility-grade buckets for storing non-food items (ammo, clothing, field gear, etc.), and only certified food grade buckets, for food. Even if food items are in a sealed food grade plastic package, you never know when the integrity of that inner packaging might be compromised with pinholes.

Most of my consumables that won’t fit in our kitchen, pantry, and laundry room cupboards(Castile soap, cleansers bandages, paper products, etc.) and most of my field gear items are stored in big green plastic Rubbermaid Roughneck storage bins with snap lids. They are great for “grab-‘n-go” situations. Just keep in mind that a determined rat, given enough time will be able to chew a hole through these containers. They are fairly expensive if bought new in stores, and expensive to ship if bought via mail order, so watch and wait for them to be offered at a sale price. BTW, you might also try placing a local “Wanted” ad on Craig’s List.

Letter Re: Some Disaster Preparedness Information for Asthmatics

Hi Mr. Rawles,
My son has asthma and I have had the unfortunate experience of not having power when he needed a nebulizer treatment. Please inform you readers of the absolute necessity of having power inverters and testing your needed appliances before an emergency. Not knowing how sensitive a medical nebulizer is and knowing that some equipment is sensitive to modified sine wave power from the cheaper inverters was terrifying. Having the power out and an asthma attack at the same time was bad enough.The prayer that I said when turning on our only nebulizer plugged into a gizmo (my wife’s word, not mine) that was attached to a car running in the driveway with jumper cables was unique to say the least.

Buy good inverters and test [them with your various electrical and electronic equipment] before the storm.
I now have several and we insist on our young drivers keeping their cars full of gas.
My point in writing you was to inform your readers that everything in their house can be ran in a emergency. Nebulizers are not very power hungry and can be run with very inexpensive equipment. – GB

Odds ‘n Sods:

One of our neighbors–and where we live, the term “neighbor” means anyone in a 10 mile radius–mentioned that she recently obtained 20 dozen Mason-type canning jars offered gratis on Freecycle. The boxes of canning jars almost entirely filled up the back of her SUV. In my experience, Freecycle and Craig’s List should be watched diligently by preparedness-minded families. The tighter your budget, the more crucial these resources are! And, BTW, if you benefit from Freecycle, be sure to return the favor, by offering the things that you no longer need.

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Bob G. mentioned an informative piece that explains the spread between physical metals and spot futures metals, over at Financial Sense: Precious Metals: Price Disparity Equals Opportunity

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For any SurvivalBloggers that read Norwegian, see this article: Klar for dommedag: Survivalistene gjemmer seg ikke lenger i skogen. Nå bor de i fine forstadshus

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T.A. flagged an article about he possibility of a European-style VAT tax scheme for the US. T.A.’s comment: This is probably the way the government is going to collect the tax money for the MOAB.”

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“C” told us about this Newsweek article: ‘Depression Economics’, Nobel Prize-winner Paul Krugman on America’s financial crisis. And on the topic of the economy, these items were sent to us by The Economatrix: Jobless Rate at 26-Year High, Factory Orders Drop — Oil Dives Below $44, New Gas Low — AT&T to Drop 12,000 (4%) of Staff — November Worst Retail Month Since 1969 — Citi Reaps Fantastic Deal in Fed Bailout — Credit Suisse to Cut 5,300 Jobs — Interest Rates Dive Around the World — China Devalues Yuan–May Worsen World Crisis — Millions of Chinese Grads Go Jobless — Private Sector Lost Another 250,000 Jobs in November — What’s Really Going on With Gold and Silver? — Fed: Economy Darkens Heading into the Holiday Season — The Treasury Market Reaches Breaking Point — The Grapes of Wrath — Record Number of Americans Using Food Stamps — The Last Thanksgiving Before GD2? Here is a key quote from that last article: “About five years back I began scrutinizing US T-bill holdings. Three years ago to my great surprise it appeared that both China and Japan had stopped accumulating US debt. Out of nowhere came a new category of buyers referred to as “Carribean Banks” [sic]. My understanding is that this is a nice euphemism for Fed-owned hedge funds who serve as a shill buyer to keep up the appearance of demand for US debt.”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

Mexican Boy (pointing): Mira, mira! Viene la tormenta!
 Sarah Connor: What did he just say?
Mexican Gas Station Attendant: He said there’s a storm coming.
Sarah Connor: I know.

– Closing scene of Terminator (1984) Screenplay by James Cameron, Randall Frakes, Gale Anne Hurd, and William Wisher Jr.

Note from JWR:

The high bid in the SurvivalBlog Benefit Auction is now at $1,050. The auction is for a large mixed lot that includes:

A.) 15 brand new 30 round M16/M4/AR-15 magazines from JWR‘s personal collection. These include four scarce and desirable brand new HK steel “Maritime Finish” magazines, and 11 new USGI alloy magazines made by Center Industries. (Note that most of these were made during the 1994-2004 Federal ban, so most of them have restriction markings, but those became null and void after the ban sunsetted.) Even if you don’t own an AR-15, these magazines are great to keep on hand for barter. (Note: If you live in a state where full capacity magazines are banned, then you must choose to: refrain from bidding, or designate a recipient in an unrestricted state, or re-donate the magazines for a subsequent auction.) In today’s frenzied market, these magazines have a retail value of at least $460..

B.) A NukAlert radiation detector donated by at KI4U.com (a $160 retail value).

C.) An assortment of loose leaf teas, a box of Bellagio hot chocolate (25 individual packs), and your choice of $50 worth of ground or whole bean roasted coffee. (A combined retail value of more than $150), all courtesy of CMeBrew.com.

D.) A case of 24 cans of canned storage butter, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $110 retail value).

E.) A carton of 10 rolls of Hydrion fuel test strips, (with a retail value of $85), donated by UR-2B-Prepared.com.

F.) “Alone in the Wilderness” book and 2 DVD Value Set on the life of Richard Proenneke (a retail value of $51.95) courtesy of Camping Survival.com

G.) An EVAC Easy Roll Stretcher kit, (a retail value of $49.95), donated by FrostCPR.com.

This auction ends on December 15th. Please e-mail us your bid for the entire mixed lot.

Getting Your Loved Ones on Board with Preparedness

Roughly 10% of the e-mails that I receive from SurvivalBlog readers come from people that mention they have a relative that refuses to get prepared. This is usually because they refuse to believe that anything could ever go wrong beyond a localized and short-term natural disaster. (“Order and commerce will certainly be restored within a week!”) This is what I call the Pollyanna syndrome. How someone could have witnessed the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina so well-documented on television, yet still maintain a “Polly” attitude astounds me.

Convincing Pollys to to get prepared can be frustrating, especially when they stop listening to logic and descend into sheer stubbornness. But I have found a couple of approaches that have proven successful at convince loved ones to get prepared:

First, if they are Christians or Jews, try to convince them of the Biblical responsibility to provide for their families. The verses that I cite at my Prayer static page are quite clear on this subject.

Second, hand them a book. Most people will not take the time to read a survival manual, but they are often willing to read a novel. In addition to humbly recommending my own novel (“Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”), I recommend all of the following:

Lucifer’s Hammer, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank (Classic nuke scenario)
Pulling Through by Dean Ing (a more modern nuke scenario + a mini nuke survival manual) Not to be confused with my screenplay that has the same title.
Some Will Not Die by Algis Budrys (Plague total wipe out scenario)
No Blade of Grass by John Christopher (Massive crop disease/social breakdown scenario, from the British perspective.)
Vandenberg by Oliver Lange (Invasion scenario) later republished under the title “Defiance”.
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
Last of the Breed by Louis L’amour

And for those that refuse to even take the time to read a novel, there is always “Plan B”–movies and television series. For my movie recommendations, scroll down near the bottom of the SurvivalBlog Bookshelf page. For television, in the US, I recommend the short-lived series “Jericho“, which is now available on DVD. The show portrays some horribly bad Hollywoodesque tactics and is not particularly instructive of specific self-sufficiency techniques, but overall it is still worth watching, just for the sake of “atmosphere” and instilling a survival mindset.

In the UK, the new BBC television series “Survivors”, debuted last month. It is a remake of the British series of the same name from the 1970s, that was produced by Terry Nation. I’ve seen only the first two episodes, but the story thusfar seems fairly plausible. UK residents can watch full episodes online but outside of the UK the only thing available at the BBC web site are short clips. The series will be available on DVD in UK format in January, but I’m not certain if there are plans to make it available in the North America DVD format. Beware that the “Bit Torrent” streams of this show that are now being circulated at sites like Mininova.com are not licensed copies.

Letter Re: Some Disaster Preparedness Information for Asthmatics

Dear JWR
I am fairly new to prepping but as a lifelong asthma patient I quickly realized that I cannot depend solely on my current nebulizer WTSHTF. This is because it plugs into a wall and does not have any other alternative way to work when the grid goes down. When I did some research, however, I found a beautiful thing.

There are now handheld nebulizers that have both AC and and DC car adapter abilities as well as a rechargeable [gel cell] battery. They cost around $200 or slightly more but I can tell you that this is a bargain compared to dying of an asthma attack because there was no power and the hospital is not an option for one reason or another. For other people who will want to do this kind of prep for themselves or family members with asthma a prescription is required for the medicine and also the nebulizer.

The most common issue though is to acquire this unit, it seems to be on backorder from most of the local places I have tried. So for preppers I advise start the process now if you need one of these. I was just told today by one company that they haven’t yet received their order that was placed in August .

Respectfully, – SKT

JWR Replies: This is a similar requirement than the CPAP machines needed by some folks with sleep apnea. (This has been discussed previously in SurvivalBlog,.,and elaborated on further in a subsequent letter about refrigeration for insulin.) Thankfully, most nebulizers have fairly modest current requirements.

Letter Re: Combat Conditioning Fitness Training

Mr. Rawles,
Papa Papa made mention of getting in shape before the need to bug out:

Here is a link to a good workout that I found online. I have been using it and it is an intense workout that requires very little of my time. The information is available for free. The workout also goes by the name Combat Conditioning. Sounds appropriate. Matt Furey sells a comparable course for over $100. I hope your readers find this useful. Thank you for your help. I am praying for the Memsahib and you. – Konrad M.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Derek C. sent us the link to the full text of the recently mentioned nuclear and biological terrorism threat report, in PDF.

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Mike Williamson mentioned Survival Straps. Mike’s comment: “I came across these in another forum. Someone skilled at braiding could make their own, or can support an American small business by buying one of these. We each have a bracelet made in this fashion, that are stylish and useful. Parachute cord is always a useful thing
to have on hand.” JWR Adds: Paracord can also be unbraided into individual nylon threads, with even more uses in the field.

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I spotted this gem over at the DefenseTech blog: New Russian Camo Causes Finnish Angst. This story undergirds one of the strategies that I teach my consulting clients: Establish a clothing SOP for your retreat group to use in the event of a worst-case TEOTWAWKI. Buy a camouflage pattern that is relatively hard to find–something that is not ubiquitous like Woodland BDU. Better yet, buy two patterns: one for al of your shirts and jackets, and another that is distinctly different for all of your pants. With everyone in your group wearing the same obscure camouflage combination at all times it will be very difficult for an intruder to sneak into your defensive perimeter un-noticed. (Wearing camouflage is not for “style points”. That is Mall Ninja nonsense.)

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From Cheryl (aka “The Economatrix) comes this news and commentary: UN Economists Warn US Dollar in For Hard Landing in 2009 — Expect the Worst Recession Since WWII — German Car Sales Collapse — COMEX Gold Shock and Awe — Economic Disaster on the Way — Search for Stimulus in Zero-Interest-Rate World — Fed Monetizing Debt by Printing Money — Men Choose Army over Bleak US Job Market — College May Become Unaffordable for Most — CIC Won’t “Dare” Invest in Financial Firms — Auto Sales Hit New Low; GM Sales Plunge 41% — HSBC Fund Returns to Buying Gold as Hedge Against Inflation (and may start adding coffee, sugar and grains next year)

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Several readers sent us this: St. Louis City Leader To Residents: Get Armed. A key quote from this brief article: “The community has to be ready to defend itself, because it’s clear the economy is going to get worse, and criminals are getting more bold,”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"I can calculate the movement of the stars, but not the madness of men." – Sir Isaac Newton, shortly after losing all of his savings in the South Seas Bubble investing swindle

Notes from JWR:

My sincere thanks to a “Secret Squirrel” reader that has very charitably sent cash every week for the past couple of months, with notes indicating that the money was for The Memsahib’s medical bills. You are too kind! My plan is to “pay it forward”, once my wife is well, and we have recovered financially. God Bless you!

Today we present another entry for Round 20 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The contest prizes include:

First Prize: The writer of the best contributed article will be awarded two transferable Front Sight  “Gray” Four Day Training Course Certificates. This is an up to $4,000 value!
Second Prize: A three day course certificate from OnPoint Tactical. This certificate will be for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses.
Third Prize: A copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing

Round 20 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that articles that relate practical “how to” skills for survival will have an advantage in the judging.

The Practice Load-Up, by Papa Papa

For most of us who don’t live at a retreat [year-round] our plan is to G.O.O.D. When the time comes we plan to load up our bug-out vehicles and head to our own “Shibes Meadow” as the family in the movie Panic in Year Zero did. At least that’s the plan. But how well have you considered this plan? In other words, have you done a practice “load-up”?

Some of the characters in Mr. Rawles’ novel, “Patriots“, had to implement their bug-out plans and pack their vehicles for the trip to the Gray’s retreat. In that packing process they discovered that due to limited cargo capacity they couldn’t take everything they wanted. The choice came down to a triage of their equipment and supplies into three piles “Essential”, “Second Priority”, and “Nice to Have”. Since this bug-out would be a one-shot trip (no return trips for what was left behind) they had to wisely choose those items they needed.

I too have always had a bug-out plan but I had never down a practice load-up. Sure, I had sort of a mental list of things that I’d grab and go but really had no firm plan. With uncertainties in the current economic situation I finally decided that maybe it was time to actually see if my bug-out plan was feasible. So with a day off for the Columbus Day holiday I decided to run a practice load-up by myself.

My primary bug-out vehicle for cargo is a 1994 GMC Suburban which I calculate has about 128 cubic feet of unencumbered, interior space. This area will accommodate larger items that won’t fit in a car and is also protected from the weather and prying eyes. The first items to be loaded were the many boxes of a one-year food storage. After one hour of lifting and carrying I was done. Notice that I said I was “done” and not “finished”. Despite the large amount of space in the Suburban, the food storage quickly filled the entire cargo area. No room left for a generator, guns, books, kerosene, winter clothing, etc. Hmmm…. that’s instructive, I thought. My mental load-up plan hadn’t survived the reality of limited cargo capacity. It was a good thing this was only practice and not a real emergency. Decisions on what to take and what to leave are best made when you are not under stress.

With aching muscles I unloaded the food storage boxes and returned them to my basement storage area. As I did this I wrote down the contents of each box, weighed it on a bathroom scale, and recorded all of this information. From this list I can now identify some of the boxes that could be left behind. But the larger question remained – “How can I formulate a plan to take everything I want?”

The goal of any practical exercise such as this is to evaluate how well the current plan worked and to compile a list of “lessons learned”. After some time to reflect on this experience I’ve come up with several things to keep in mind when I have to do this for real.

1. Obviously, pre-position as much stuff as possible at your intended destination. For some people this just isn’t practical. I had much of my stuff stored in a rural location until last year when a changed in ownership of the property compelled me to remove my pre-positioned items. The more things that can be stored securely at or near your retreat location the better.

2. If you decide to run a practice load-up (or during the real thing) remember to practice OPSEC. The last thing you need is a nosy neighbor to ask questions about why you are loading all of these boxes and things into your vehicle. Have a pre-planned excuse for all of your activity – “The wife wanted me to clean out some of this junk and put it in a storage unit.” If possible load vehicles in your garage with the doors closed. I have a detached garage which means I have to move items stored in the house to the garage out in the open. Fortunately, I ran my practice load-up on a minor holiday when most people had to work so most of my neighbors weren’t home. Also, my garage is behind my house, not easily seen from the street, and relatively concealed from view. In a real bug-out situation I might choose to load up at night while being as quiet as possible. If you are loading a pickup, have a tarp or topper to protect your items from the weather and conceal them from uninvited inspection.

3. Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize. Obviously, a first priority is food. Second, is water purification equipment. Third, is clothing and shelter (such as tents). Arms and ammunition also rank highly. Only you can decide what you will need based on the available cargo capacity and items you have.

4. Make a list or spreadsheet of all the items you intend to load and weigh each item or box. I was surprised to learn that my food storage weighed in at nearly 1,600 pounds total. This has implications for weight capacity and distribution in your bug-out vehicle. Check your vehicle owners manual for suggested maximum load limits. With increased loads you may also have to increase air pressure in your tires. (You do have a compressed air tank in your garage to fill your tires [and adjust shocks] don’t you?) Realize that with a heavily loaded vehicle all performance characteristics (braking, acceleration, turning, etc.) will be much different than what you are normally used to.

5. Make a diagram of the cargo area and indicate where items will be placed. Your practice load-up will help you determine the most efficient use of space. Pack heavy, dense items (such as ammunition boxes or books) on the floor of the vehicle. For some SUVs and pickups too much weigh that sits too high in the vehicle raises the center of gravity for the vehicle which could lead to a potential roll-over situation. Light items such as bulky clothing can be packed on top of heavier items in the cargo area. Just make sure that in case of an accident those items don’t move forward on impact. Cargo netting can be used to help secure these items.

6. Observe LIFO (Last In, First Out) when packing. Cans of gasoline (and funnels) used for in-route refueling should be easily accessible. (Gasoline should only be stored in Explo-Safe or Eagle safety cans.) The spare tire, jack, tow straps, and any other emergency equipment should also be equally accessible. For a car you may want to remove the spare tire and jack from under the trunk floor and put them in the back seat. The last thing you want to do is unload your whole car trunk so that you can change a flat tire.

7. Employ labor saving devices whenever possible. I used a two-wheel hand truck to move boxes to and from my house to the garage. This did save some labor and speeded up the process. Hoists or block-and-tackle could be used to load heavier items such as generators. It is also a good idea to store items close to where you will be loading them. Obviously, leaving your food storage in a garage where temperatures can reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit is not conducive to long shelf life. But items that are not affected by temperature change like winter clothing can safely be stored in a garage or storage shed.

8. Use proper lifting technique when handling your items. The last thing you want is to “throw out your back” or have a mishap while carrying things up or down stairs. Make sure you are in good physical condition especially with regard to arm and upper body strength. Even though I bicycled to and from work all summer my legs were still sore and fatigued the next day. It may be time to hit the gym again or begin lifting free weights at home to increase strength.

9. Organize your family into a work detail. Everyone should have a job based on their age and abilities. Young children may only be able to carry light object or locate specific items for their parents. Older children may be physically able to help with the heavy lifting. The more hands available the faster the task can be completed.

10. Drive part or all of your intended escape route with your fully loaded bug-out vehicle. Due to a lack of time I was not able to do this. However, if you intend to drive on unpaved or gravel back roads out of the city you should get some idea of how your vehicle will respond under load conditions. You may find you can’t drive as fast as you would like or drive on some roads when muddy or snow covered. My Suburban is only a 2-wheel drive model which limits somewhat my selection of escape routes.

With a fully developed load-up list I am now concentrating on finalizing details for a vehicle convoy. Since all of my family members are adult drivers we will have several vehicles to convoy, most of which will have passengers. I am still developing the actual convoy plan based upon military tactics and have more study to do. However, I am planning for two basic scenarios – one in which civil orders remains pretty much intact (i.e. natural disaster evacuation, etc.) and one in which “all bets are off” (ABAO). An ABAO scenario could include a nation-wide grid-down situation or the aftermath of a “dirty bomb” terrorist attack. An ABAO situation will require more emphasis on personal and convoy security.

Some of life’s best lessons are those that are hard-learned. My practice load-up was such a lesson. Now my bug-out plans have a more practical basis rather than one based upon wishful thinking or mere speculation. Even so, I will continue to refine those plans in the future. What about you? Is it time to get moving?

JWR Adds: Papa Papa’s experience underscores the importance of pre-positioning the vast majority of your storage food and gear at your retreat. I’ve stressed this repeatedly in my writings and in my consulting work. I tell my clients: You may have only one trip “outta Dodge”, so 90% of your goodies need to be at your retreat well in advance!