Note from JWR:

The high bid in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction is at $175. This auction is for a mixed book lot that includes 15 books: 12 non-fiction survival and preparedness books that were kindly donated by the fine folks at Ready Made Resources plus three of my autographed books: SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog – Volume 1 , Rawles on Retreats and Relocation , and a copy of my novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”. I have not yet had confirmation on the list of the 12 books donated by Ready Made Resources, but I can assure you that they will be desirable titles, including a couple of scarce out-of-print books by Ragnar Benson worth $80. I will be posting that list tomorrow evening. Thanks for your patience. This book package has a retail value of $397. Postage to the winning bidder is free. The auction ends on June 15th. Just e-mail me your bid. Thanks!

Reader Poll: Your TEOTWAWKI Resume — 100 Words and 100 Pounds

S.F. in Hawaii suggested another poll topic: “If someday you went to the gates of a survival community post TEOTWAWKI and pleaded the case for why you should be let past the barricades and armed guards to become a valuable working member of the group, would you get voted in? Taken objectively, would you vote yourself in?

I suggest the following poll. Put together your survival resume in 100 words or less. The resume is what you would present to a panel of tough as nails judges who would decide if what you offer is worth what you will consume in resources. You may use in your arguments (1) whatever real skills you possess as of today and (2) whatever you can reasonably carry in a backpack or on your body, as long as you actually own them in real life, not to exceed 100 pounds. If you have children, a significant other, or plan to have anyone else come with you, this must be mentioned. If they possess skills, then they may put in a resume as well and you will be judged singly and as a group. The resume should include your age, weight and general physical condition. Any weaknesses in your case that would be discovered over time that you do not expose (such as a recurring back injury) will be considered grounds for immediate expulsion from the group, so for the purposes of this exercise, you should be up front and honest. If you have children under 12, they can carry their own weight in supplies.
You must take into account that your 100 pound allowance should contain whatever food and camping supplies you would want as a refugee. Since you cannot assume that you will be granted sanctuary in the community, you must take what you will need to survive on the outside if you are refused entry. A backpack full of guns and ammo will do you little good if you have no food and water.
One caveat: While being part of a group increases survival odds, being on the road as a refugee does not. This is meant as a learning tool to help assess what our skills and assets are and which we might want to develop and accumulate.”

Please send me your “resumes” in 100 words of less, via e-mail and I will post them anonymously. Thanks!

Letter Re: Advice for a Preparedness-Minded ROTC Cadet

Hi,
I appreciate your advice. Here is my situation: I attend college full time in a post-industrial [Eastern United States] city that has had a 50% population decline in 30 years. Most people here are on welfare, and the largest employers are prisons. I am in a bit of a predicament because I only make about $6,000 per year, so I cannot really afford to spend much on supplies. My goal if things go downhill is to do a ruck march (assuming EMP, otherwise I would drive) with my ROTC-issued [TA-50] equipment to my family’s summer home in farm country on a lake. The home is located about 40 miles from where I go to school. Going home is not feasible as I live in Massachusetts which would take a full tank of gas, and is entirely highway and there are several choke points, including driving through Albany, Springfield, Worcester, and into the high-density suburbs.
At school, one of my best friends is also into survivalism and he also has experience. We share the same goals and are both Baptist. Additionally, we are both known on campus as people who have everything, tools, water, food, etc. which means that if there was a situation, we would likely be inundated with requests from others to help us. We keep a small, verbal list of people we would accept, and keep it to five people.
What would you recommend I do in this situation? If you need more information, please do not hesitate to ask. Thanks, – Sam

JWR Replies: I recommend that you form a survival retreat group. That is exactly what I did 25 years ago, when I was an Army ROTC cadet. Stock your retreat as best as you can, given your limited budget. Prioritize your purchasing. Water purification and food storage should be at the top of your list. Set group standards for communications gear and guns. For short range tactical coordination, I recommend the modestly priced MURS transceivers, since they use a little-used band. This is particularly important in the signal-dense northeastern United States, where using CB frequencies would be almost impossible WTSHTF. For advice on firearms selection, see my Survival Guns web page, and my novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”.

Be very selective about who you bring into your group. Unlike building a group based on an extended family, you can be choosy. Be dispassionate in choosing new group members. Evaluate each candidate on their stability, motivation, and their mix of skills. Friendship is a great thing, but the guy or gal who is presently your dormitory buddy may not be your best choice for a survival group member. Look at their weight, health, and physical fitness. Consider their religious background. Are they moral and trustworthy? Are they intelligent and adaptable? Do they have valuable skills? Are they hard working or will they just be “talkers” or “strap hangers”? Avoid people with extremist views or anyone that suggests making any preparations that are illegal. Ask yourself the key question: Am I willing to trust my life to this individual? If any candidates don’t pass muster, then keep looking.

In the long term, try to develop a retreat that is in a less densely populated region. When you graduate, direct your job search–assuming that you will be a reserve officer–to a region that is suitable for self-sufficient retreats. (For details, see my Retreat Areas web page and my book Rawles on Retreats and Relocation.) Odds are the group that you form in college will have a considerably different composition five or six years from now, once your friends change locales to pursue careers. In fact, depending on where you end up, you may be teamed with an entirely different group of people.

If you are destined to go on active duty, then tailor your “dream sheet” of preferred duty assignments (after OBC) to posts that are in the western U.S. (You didn’t mention if you had been branch selected yet. That could make a big difference in the locale of your eventual posting.) I suggest that you consider posts like Umatilla Army Depot, Fort Carson, Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Tooele Army Depot, Dugway Proving Ground, Fort Lewis (possibly permanent party at Yakima Training Center), Fort Greely, Fort Wainwright, or perhaps Sierra Army Depot. Army PERSCOM branch managers are often willing to accommodate requests from junior officers that state a preference for posts that their peers would consider “backwater” assignments. (Let everyone else ask for a posting in Germany, Fort Meade, or Fort Devens.) Your branch manager may exclaim to his co-workers: “Holy cow! This lieutenant asked to be assigned to Umatilla Army Depot!”

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Vlad mentioned: “If you and your family have bicycles, you may wish to buy airfree tires. I’ve used them for six years and now would use [traditional] pneumatics only in extremis.

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The Financial Post reports on those wacky Gold Bears.

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I suppose that it was inevitable that the recently announced cancellation of the Jericho television series would inspire a petition drive. They gathered 27,000 electronic signatures in just the first day!

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The Housing Tipping Point. 3 Factors That Will Burst the Bubble: The Negative Wealth Effect, Negative Press, and Suffocating Debt Payments.

 

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

“When you have made evil the means of survival, do not expect men to remain good. Do not expect them to stay moral and lose their lives for the purpose of becoming the fodder of the immoral. Do not expect them to produce, when production is punished and looting rewarded. Do not ask, ‘Who is destroying the world? You are.” – Ayn Rand

Notes from JWR:

The high bid in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction is at $150. This auction is for a mixed book lot that includes 15 books: 12 non-fiction survival and preparedness books that were kindly donated by the fine folks at Ready Made Resources plus three of my autographed books: SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog – Volume 1 , Rawles on Retreats and Relocation , and a copy of my novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse” I’ll put a full list of the books up on the benefit auction web page on Thursday evening. This book package has a retail value of around $350. The auction ends on June 15th. Just e-mail me your bid. Thanks!

For those of you that have been waiting: My order fulfillment service has received another case of 10 copies of The Encyclopedia of Country Living by the late Carla Emery. I sell these for $27 each (or as little as $25 each, if bought in quantity.). I offer free postage on any order over $50. See ordering details in my mail order catalog web page.

Letter Re: Hidden Retreats Versus Open Fields of Fire/Visibility

Hello;
Thanks for your efforts and the structure of your blog. I appreciate the lack of flaming and demeaning commentary. Wanted to get more input on this subject ” Hiding retreat versus open fields of fire/visibility”. We are leaning towards camouflaging, as much as possible views of our home from the road. However, this conflicts with my Army provided training, where on fire bases, we have open fields of fire and high visibility. I believe we need a compromise. As a less than visible retreat will avoid [confrontation with those who are] the less observant. But open fields of fire/ visibility give us tactical advantage. I would like to see some discussion on this please. I am aware of some fast growing trees, very fast that can help with camouflage. Thanks so very much. – EG

JWR Replies: You’ve brought up one of the most frequently asked questions from my consulting clients. It is the classic contradiction: concealment versus defendabilty. The most defendable positions are on barren hilltops, but those are also the most visible from a distance.

Ideally, you could pick a retreat parcel that can provide both open fields of fire out to 50 or 60 yards yet not have a house visible from nearby roads. But of course this isn’t always possible. So you have to ask yourself: What do I expect to happen in my region in the event of a socioeconomic collapse? Will there just be an increase in burglary, or out-and-out attacks/home invasions by large organized groups of looters?

In my estimation, light discipline will be more important than line of sight issues. I foresee that a post-TEOTWAWKI world will be very dark at night. Just a few weeks into the problem, even the houses owned by people that have backup generators will go dark, as they begin to run out fuel. If you have an alternative power system (PV, wind, micro-hydro) then don’t flaunt it. It is essential that you put blackout curtains backed by black sheet plastic inside all of your windows. Be sure to check for light leaks, preferably using night vision goggles. Even heavy wool blankets and drapes tacked up inside your windows will leak light, but backing them with heavy black sheet plastic (not just black trash bags) does the trick. (Tape the sheet plastic in place over the windows, leaving no gap where the sheeting meets the window frame, using opaque duct tape.) Without proper blackout precautions, your house will be a “come loot me” beacon that can be seen for miles at night. But with proper light discipline, at least your house will look anonymously dark–like those of your neighbors, who have no power. Consider getting infrared (IR) floodlights to light the exterior of your house. They can be motion sensor activated. That way, unless your potential attackers have night vision gear, your house will appear dark, but your yard will actually be well-illuminated (as seen through your night vision goggles.)

If you can afford to buy a large parcel, I recommend a layered defense that is adaptable to changing circumstances. (All the way up to the dreaded “worst case” societal collapse.) The outer-most layer is where you should install your seismic intrusion detection sensors. This gives you early warning of approaching malefactors. Any access roads should also have a MURS frequency Dakota Alert (or similar) wireless IR beam motion detector. Then, depending on your situation you might want a screen of trees for concealment. Next, some open ground, then a tall chain link fence. Then more open ground close to your house and outbuildings. This area should be crisscrossed with tanglefoot wire. (Which I will describe later.) Lastly, thorny bushes beneath each window, and beefy steel shutters.

Even well-manned retreats should supplement their guard staff with both dogs and intrusion detection systems. Reliable night vision gear is also a must. But please note that technology by itself is insufficient. Intrusion detection, communications, and night vision technologies are force multipliers, but you still need underlying force. It takes 24/7 manpower to defend a retreat. I describe how to set up and man LP/OPs and a CQ desk in my novel. “Patriots”

Now, getting back to concealment: There are advantages in most situations in adding some “privacy screen” trees to block the view of your house from any regularly-traveled roads. Depending on the lay of the land, leaving 30 yards of open ground (for defense) and then another 10 yards of thickness for the privacy tree screen will probably necessitate a property that is at least 10 acres.

Some fast-growing screening tree varieties include Portuguese laurel (prunus lusitanica) and Leyland Cypress. In cold climates, Lombardy Poplars do well. Parenthetically, a continuous hedge of all the same tree variety will be perceived as an obvious man-made planting, at just a glance. So it is best to plant a mix of tree varieties with semi-random spacing, to make your screening grove look more natural.

Regardless of what you decide to do in terms of concealment, be sure to leave at least 20 yards (60 feet) of open ground for last-ditch “ballistic defense.” To slow down intruders, think in terms of gates, cables, and “decorative” berms to stop vehicles. Install a chain link fence. This will keep your dog(s) in and at least slow down the bad guys. Remember the old military axiom: Any obstacle that is not under continuous observation and covered by [rifle] fire is not a true obstacle–it is just a brief delay to the advance of the enemy.

Keep some concertina wire or razor wire handy, but do not install it in pre-Schumer times. This wire should be installed only after it is clear that law and order has completely broken down. At that point appearances and pre-Crunch sensibilities won’t be nearly as important as a ready defense. In fact, odds are that when your neighbors see you stringing concertina wire, they will ask if you have any extra that you can spare! You can install concertina wire or razor wire on the top of your fence, and if you have plenty of it available, some more staked-down horizontal rolls, just beyond your fence.

Both inside and outside of your “last ditch” fence, you can crisscross some tanglefoot wire (as described in my novel) This type of wire is designed to slow down attackers–preventing them from charging your house. It should be strung at random heights between 9 inches and 40 inches off the ground. This is just one of the last layers of a layered defense. Every second that your various obstacles slow attackers down represents one more second available to stop them ballistically.

All of the foregoing, of course assumes the unlikely worst case. But by being ready for the worst you can handle any lesser threats with ease.

Letter Re: How to Harvest, Process, and Store Vegetable Seeds

Jim:
I read with interest the comment that seed should be dried to 2% instead of 5%. In the PDF article that was referenced to support the 2% claim, the only research that was done was conducted on the small onion seed.

My effort to document this 2% value using the internet was not successful. The only other research data that I found on the internet recommends a moisture range of 6% to 13%, which is pretty close to the research values generated by Dr. James Harrington (the individual mentioned in my original article).

The research I found on the internet was conducted by the Oregon State University and it was based on a variety of grass seeds with comparisons to other seeds such as corn and soybeans (not just onions).

It might be helpful if the individual who indicated that the 5% value was incorrect could support the preferred 2% value with something other than a single research effort on one type of very small seed. I am always willing to update my knowledge base and I would be very pleased to see any additional research that supports this 2% value. I personally do not have any research experience with the precision drying of seeds and my information is therefore second hand. However, the information I have seen suggests that larger seeds (corn, beans, etc.) may crack if the moisture content drops below 5% and the seed will be lost. The above referenced internet article quotes a higher value of 6%, which is even more conservative.

Any information your other source can provide about the 2% moisture content for seeds would be very much appreciated. Respectfully, – Grandpappy

Letter Re: Mercenaries a Post-TEOTWAWKI Threat

Jim,
I think this will be the greatest. two-legged physical threat we will face during a TEOTWAWKI situation. Not terrorists. Not UN troops. Not marauding bands of looters. Not even KKK members or Neo-Nazis. It will be Mercenaries. Mercenaries like the Blackwater USA security group hired by our government leaders as “security contractors” in Iraq. Mercenaries that are not held under Congressional or Military review, not held liable for their actions, and have no territorial or family ties like National Guard units. This YouTube clip, and this one [show who I’m talking about.]

Read about the Thirty Years’ War in Europe. Unemployed mercenaries roamed the countryside, killing, plundering, burning. The local armies were too weak too stop them–After all, that’s why they were hired to fight in the first place! Once they were let loose, they could not be reined in. I strongly believe the mercenary contractors our government hired with our tax dollars will become a Frankenstein someday that will turn on it’s own creator. A personal Praetorian guard answerable only to the highest bidder. – Ron S.

Odds ‘n Sods:

In reference to my recent mention of the recently-introduced Arctic Cat diesel ATVs, reader Keith in Texas reminded me that several other makers also produce diesel engine “Utility/Side By Side” ATVs. These include Bobcat (the Toolcat 5600 B-Series), Club Car (the XRT 1500), Kubota (the RTV 900) and John Deere (the Gator HPX 4X4). Many of these models have hydraulic-powered attachments which can add to their versatility. And it is noteworthy that the Kubota three cylinder diesel engine used in several of these models is known for its reliability.

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Any readers that own a Saiga (AK) 12 gauge semi-auto shotgun may find this product of interest: The Wraithmaker 19+1 shell drum magazine. The Saiga shotgun itself retails for around $499, so at $319, this accessory isn’t cheap. (As The Memsahib is fond of saying, “Life is cheap, but the accessories will kill you.”) I suppose that if you can afford to buy one of these, you should buy it before they are banned. A hat tip to Ted H. for sending us the web link. I sent a query to the maker to ask a couple of technical questions, and to ask about availability. They replied: “We don’t recommend storing the drums loaded. The drum is loaded while out of the weapon. We made the drum open, so you can load it with tension off the spring . We can fully load the drum fully in about thirty or forty seconds. The drum [prototypes] have be tested with over 3,000 rounds of different types and has preformed excellently. It is high quality and we know that all who purchase this drum will love it. We also will be offering a dust cover as well as other items for the Saiga on The Wraithmaker web site in the near future. We will be shipping out the first order by the second week of June [of 2007]. We will be doing a live fire demonstration in southern Indiana, near Evansville, by invitation.”

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Want to help support SurvivalBlog? If you buy any goods through eBay, please use this link: http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-2013077-5902069 Since we have an affiliate advertising relationship with eBay, we earn a small commission each time you make an eBay purchase through this link. If you have eBay bookmarked in you “favorites” list, then please update the bookmark properties to have this URL: http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-2013077-5902069 (Not just “www.ebay.com” Otherwise we won’t get the commission.)

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CBS cancels `Jericho’ television series. Bummer. It isn’t a great show, but its the only vaguely survival-oriented show on television. Oh well, this isn’t as bad as the Firefly cancellation.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"To own firearms is to affirm that freedom and liberty are not gifts form the state. It is to reserve final judgment about whether the state is encroaching on the freedom and liberty, to stand ready to defend that freedom with more than words and to stand outside the totalitarian reach and speech." – Jeff Snyder

Notes from JWR:

Today we welcome our latest affiliate advertiser: Life Gear. They sell a nifty pre-packaged three day kit in a backpack, lanterns, flashlights, and much more.Please give your patronage to our paid banner advertisers first. If they don’t have exactly what you are looking for, then consider our Affiliate Advertisers. When you shop with our affiliates via our links, we get a little piece of the action to help support SurvivalBlog. Thanks!

Congrats to Chris D., the high bidder in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction that ended last night. (The auction was for a pre-1899 Mauser rifle.) A new auction begins today. This one is for a mixed book lot that includes 15 books: 12 non-fiction survival and preparedness books that were kindly donated by the fine folks at Ready Made Resources plus three of my autographed books: SurvivalBlog: The Best of the Blog – Volume 1 , Rawles on Retreats and Relocation , and a copy of my novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse” I’ll put a full list of the books up on the benefit auction web page sometime in the next two days. The opening bid is just $50. This book package has a retail value of around $350. The auction ends on June 15th. Just e-mail me your bid. Thanks!

Letter Re: How to Harvest, Process, and Store Vegetable Seeds

Jim:
[I recommend an article on seed storage available in PDF. Here is a brief summary:] “Storing seeds by immersion in CALGLY is a simple and cost-effective method for enhancing medium- or long-term longevity of orthodox seeds at ambient temperature.” CALGLY is easily made from readily-available chemicals – Calcium Chloride and Glycerol. The article gives instructions on how to prepare it.
Also, note that this study shows that 2 percent moisture content is the optimum for seed viability. (The article by “Grandpappy” on May 11 [incorrectly] stated that below 5% will kill the seed.) Regards, – Stephen M.

Letter Re: A 250 MPG Bicycle Gasoline Engine

Jim,
This is an unusual bike engine that uses standard gasoline (no oil mixing!) and delivers something in the neighborhood of 250 MPG, with a top speed of about 25 MPH. It might be just the thing to turn one’s emergency bike into a viable vehicle, despite hills to climb. Although the tank will only hold about 23 miles worth of fuel, it’d be a simple matter to carry extra fuel to get one 50-to-100 miles. While probably not the perfect way to “bug out”, it’d be nice to have motors like this on hand, “just in case”. – Hawaiian K.