Letter Re: Living Off The Land

Mr. Rawles,
My Survival Group was having a discussion the other night, and we got to talking about “What if / Worst case” stuff. One of the situations involved the old “Lost in the wilderness with nothing but your knife and your lighter”. (you do carry a pocket knife and a lighter with you, right?) That got us to thinking…what would you eat? Most of us tended to think of ways to snare small game, but then we got to talking about wild plants. Before long, it became clear that not only is foraging for wild plant potentially more efficient than snaring wild game, its also much easier. There are almost always edible plants all around you, no matter where you are. Usually within arms reach! Case in point: The Pine Tree.

Pine needles can be easily brewed into tea which contains many nutrients and vitamins. Pine cones can be roasted over a fire (you did start a fire already, right?) to open the cone and access the seeds inside. In a longer term situation…those same seeds can also be ground into a type of course flour. One can also east the inner bark of Pine trees if nothing else is available. And that’s just the common Pine tree, which grows almost everywhere! Speaking of Tree bark: remember that Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) was originally derived from teas made from the inner bark of the Willow tree.
Anyway, you get the point. A little study on the matter can go a long way toward making you self sufficient as far as food is concerned, by enabling you to supplement your dry-stores (you do have food stores, right?) with fresh greens providing vitamins and nutrients year round. Just remember what Crocodile Dundee said “You can live on it, but it tastes like…”Well, you know what.

Here area couple of web sites I’ve come across that deal with this topic:
Linda Runyon’s “Of the Field” Web Page
 WildwoodSurvival.com/

There are, of course lots of other web sites out there, as well as good old fashioned EMP-proof books as well.

Good luck, and KYPD, – Krys in Idaho

Letter Re: Advice on Sources for a FN FAL Clone Rifle

Hi,
I am a relatively new but loyal reader and can use some advice. I am looking to purchase a .308 battle rifle (eventually five or six of them) and wonder if you have any resources for fairly priced new FN FAL (type) firearms and magazines? Thanks, – Ryan

JWR Replies: If you don’t mind a paper trail, some of the best bargains are some of the “builds” done by individual members at The FALFiles Forums. Depending on circumstances (such as car repairs, loss of jobs, and divorces) they are sometimes sold below cost. For example, here is a very nice L1A1 presently being offered.by a gent that needs to raise cash for house construction.

It is possible to get lucky and find a FAL or L1A1 listed at the FALFiles Marketplace Board that is being sold in your own state, being sold by a private party. Of course any transfers across state lines would have to be processed through an FFL holder. State laws on firearms also vary widely. Research them before you make a purchase. If avoiding a paper trail is a high priority, then I recommend that you make all of your gun purchases at gun shows from private parties, or through GunBroker.com (on-line auctions) or GunsAmerica.com (fixed price sales–usually more expensive). Both of these web sites have search features that allow you to search “by State”, allowing you to find only sellers from your own state. Again, that way you won’t run afoul of the Federal law that prohibits the transfer of a modern (post-1898) gun across state lines, except through a FFL dealer.

You also asked about magazines. Your best source for both metric FAL and inch pattern (L1A1) magazines would be Gun Parts Guy (he currently sells slightly used Imbel FAL magazines for under $8 each and I heard that he also obtained a batch of brand new in the wrapper Australian L1A1 magazines.

Letter Re: Home/Retreat Power Generator Noise Reduction by “Jerry the Generator Guy”

Jim,
One thing to note about generator noise reduction. It’s not just a matter of running quiet by normal standards. It’s a matter of running quiet when nothing else is making any noise. With the grid down, a lot of normal background noise will be gone. That was one reason for my choice of solar electric power over a generator. – Raymond

JWR Replies: Remember that light discipline will be just as important as noise discipline, post-TEOTWAWKI. It is important to have the materials on hand to black-out your windows. Regardless of your power source, if you have power when nobody else does for blocks–or miles, then your house would be a “come loot me” beacon at night. Buy a stack of 1/2-inch plywood and two dozen 2″x4″x8′ studs now. Carefully measure and cut inserts for each of your windows, and label each of them for quick reference. The edges can be wrapped with rags or old blankets. They can be tacked in place (so that they don’t fall inward) with finishing nails or power screws driven in above, parallel to the sheet of plywood. At the same time, build a framework of 2x4s so that you can make a relatively light proof “airlock”–something a little bigger than a phone booth. It can be covered in opaque blankets. That way you can open your front door without fear of a blast of light escaping. T o be prepared for any overlooked light leaks, buy a few cans of expanding insulating foam (such as Dow “Great Stuff”, available at any hardware or building supply store such as Lowe’s or Home Depot) and some dark spray paint. Once you have your blackout shutters up, do a check for light leaks. As a final test, look for light leaks while wearing night vision goggles. (You will be amazed at what you missed!) It takes considerable effort to make a house that light-proof. But perhaps that is overkill, considering the capabilities of most would-be looters.

Letter Re: Nutritional Supplements and Preparedness

Jim,
There is one thing that I think that would be very helpful to also stock up for WTSHTF, that would be supplements there are several out there and other products just for general health like protein powers / Met rex formulas and so on. I have some experience with these things from the Army – to helping my father fight cancer. Most of these added to a meal would help your body with many things like extra calories, to repairing muscle, blood pressure, vision, heart, to just good general heath. I really do not know of a shelf life and whether or not they would store easily. What would be your thoughts?

Taurine
From Body Building For You
From The Magnesium Website
From Better Nutrition

Acetyl-l-Carnitine
From Wikipedia
From OSU
From BodyBuilding.com
From Dr. Ray Sahelian’s web site

Arginine
From Wikipedia
From the Vitality Research Institute
Arginine Versus Aspirin

The reasons that I picked these three is because I just finished a test on a product that I have been using. A few years ago I had to entirely give up coffee on doctor’s orders. If your anything like I was on that news he should of taken me out behind the building and just shot me, no more coffee that was my life juice. He then told me that he also had to give up coffee and that he had found something else it was a Sobe product called No Fear and that his body had thanked him for it many times over. So I tried it, at first I thought okay what’s the big deal about this stuff then in about a week I felt better and a lot of other things happened–I had focus and drive, no heartburn, and my body started to feel much better. So one day I found this product on sale so I bought a lot of it because in the mini marts and such stores they are about $2.50 a can but I found it for 99 cents a can so I purchased 22 cases–all they had. Well, that was about three years ago, just to see. I put about three cases in my storage food area. I just [recently] used myself as a guinea pig and drank two cans from the stores and it was just fine. So today I called Sobe and asked they if they had a shelf life on this product they said no that had never been asked before. (Note: Do not drink more than three a day or you will not sleep.)

Next, when my father came down with throat cancer and had his voice box removed he was eating from a feeding tube (And will be for the rest of his life). He could not get his weight back on that he need to survive. With what the hospital gave him, so I called one of my old Army buddies and he came up with a mix of protein powder, Met-Rx, and baby food blended together. It worked very well for a long time and it wasn’t fat that he put on. Rather, it was healthy muscle weight even through radiation therapy he did not lose weight. So I have several hundred pounds of these products in my food stores. The products that I stocked up on were Mega Mass-3000 (protein powder), Met-Rx, and other supplements. – Chad

Odds ‘n Sods:

RBS flagged this from The Age in Australia: Crash is coming, warns top investor

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Thanks to Eric S. for sending this article on a “polemical documentary”: New ‘disaster’ movie warns world of oil apocalypse

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An article that provides some details on the Robert Karhe US Gold Eagle coin payroll tax case, which resulted in a mix of acquittals and a hung juries–no convictions.

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The excellent Comet Gold web site (often cited in SurvivalBlog) recently merged with The Contrary Investor’s Cafe. Please update your links/bookmarks.

Notes from JWR:

Wow! I guess that by now you’ve heard that the spot price of silver jumped nearly a dollar an ounce yesterday and in early morning (Asian) trading to $15.70+ per ounce. Meanwhile, gold topped $830 an ounce. I told you that the precious metals bull would continue his charge. This is hardly the top! The full implications of the housing market collapse and the credit market melt-down have yet to be felt. To use a quaint aphorism: “You ain’t seen nuthin’ yet!”

Speaking of surging numbers, from our hit map I can see that Europe has developed a severe case of SurvivalBlog “measles.” Welcome to all of our new readers in continental Europe and the British Isles! I’m also gratified to see that the US and Canada are well-blanketed with SurvivalBlog readers. Please keep spreading the word!

Are You Ready to Get Out of Dodge in Winter Weather?

Here in the northern hemisphere, winter is rapidly approaching. So it is timely that I write about vehicular mobility in winter weather.

Every well-prepared family should have one or more four wheel drive vehicles with snow tires or chains. For those of you that have “11th Hour” Get Out of Dodge (G.O.O.D.) plan, I trust that you have pre-positioned the vast majority of your food and gear at your intended retreat. Towing a trailer on icy winter roads is a dicey proposition even in the best of times. In my estimation, piloting an overloaded vehicle with an overloaded trailer WTSHTF is tantamount to suicide. If you’ve planned things properly and pre-positioned your gear, then there is no need for a trailer. Just one quick trip with fuel cans, bug-out bags, backpacks, web gear and weapons cases should suffice. Enough said.

So what do you need in your vehicle to make sure that it gets you from Point A to Point B? I assume that at all times you carry a tool kit, flashlights, road flares, engine starting fluid, first aid/trauma kit, chemical light sticks, a CB radio, and your usual “Bug Out Bag” basics including food and water. So lets talk specifically about mobility essentials:

Traction sand. You probably already have a couple of bales of USGI sand bags. Just fill a bag (or two) with coarse sand and tie them shut with a pair of plastic cable ties to prevent leakage.

Single-Bit Axe, at least 3 pound. (Such as Northern Tool & Equipment Item# 119922)

Shovel. A proper USGI folding entrenching tool (not a cheap Asian knock-off) might suffice, but I prefer a more substantial 40-inch D-handle round nose shovel, such as the Kodiak, available from Hector’s hardware.)

Hi-Lift Jack (aka “Sheepherder’s jack”) (Such as Northern Tool & Equipment Item# 14421)

Choker/tow chain (such as 4WD.com Item # 26083.) These should also be available from JCWhitney.com 4WD Parts and most local auto parts stores.

Ratchet hoist aka “Come-along”. (Or better yet, carry two.) I like the Dayton and Tuf-Tug brands brands. (Such as Northern Tool & Equipment Item# 152911)

Several short lengths of chain, steel sleeve-locking carabiners, and large Grade 8 bolts with nuts that can be used to connect/secure chains. (Sometimes you need to improvise.)

Tire chains (Yes, even if you have studded snow tires.) And if you must depend on a trailer for winter G.O.O.D., then get chains for the trailer, too.

And to risk some controversy: Bolt cutters–at least 24″ length. I prefer 36″. (Such as Northern Tool & Equipment Item# 558397). Sadly, very few of these are now made in the States like my trusty old Woodings-Verona brand. Note: Please don’t do anything illegal. Also be advised that in some of the liberal Nanny States, carrying bolt cutters in your rig could be considered “criminal intent.” But here in The Un-named Western State, they just call it a “A real good idea.”

Other Cold Weather Essentials (this list assumes that you will be transiting snow country–modify it accordingly if you live in the South):

Warm Clothing, pile caps, and gloves

Extra pairs of dry socks

Ice creepers (such as “YAKTRAX”, available from Lehmans.com)

Snow shoes and spare binding parts (Such as the Huron-made snowshoes available from Lehmans.com)

Sleeping bag(s). I prefer the Wiggy’s brand FTRSS. We have five sets of them here at the ranch, and they have served us very well for nearly 15 years.

Fire starting kit with plenty of tinder.

Letter Re: Tree Planting Hardiness Zones Map for the US

Sir:
I guess this has been out for a year but it’s new to me that the Arbor Day Foundation has come out with a new Hardiness Zone map. I live in northern Ohio so I moved from a 5 to a 6 zone. Global warming? This makes a big difference in the fruit trees I can plant. Some areas have moved up two zones! In the past I was considering putting in a few acres of Paulownia trees for future timber but the nursery recommended only Zones 6 and above for timber production. This is a big deal for me. I’d love to get some advice from your readers whether I should start following the new Zone map or stick to zone 5 trees. An acre of Paulownia trees are about $ 2,000 for just the seedlings. I’d hate to be out that money and the labor involved if they don’t grow well. – Adam in Ohio

JWR Replies: I’m the ultraconservative type, and I’m suspicious of alleged climate change (versus short term changes that are caused by the 11 year solar cycle.) You never know when a hard winter will wipe out a planting. Am I too conservative? I’d appreciate comments from readers on this issue.

Two Letters Re: Advice on Rifle Stock Pouches

Sir
I saw in the blog someone mentioning the stock pouches soldiers have on their rifles overseas. Sadly these pouches are there because our servicemembers are not trusted with a loaded weapon while on the FOB. We are required to maintain possession of the weapon and a minimum amount of ammunition (usually one magazine) but we are not allowed to have the weapon loaded. Unfortunately we don’t teach our servicemembers to be safe with weapons–we simply don’t allow them the possibility to have an accident. – Jake

Dear Jim:
I use the SpecOps [brand] Ready Fire Mode pouches, and second your recommendation.
The biggest advantage I see is that you will often not have all your web gear (with spare mags) on your body in a self defense or survival situation. Standing guard duty in a crisis, of course you will, but often you are doing other work or resting, and not wearing full “battle rattle” 24/7. So having an extra mag on the gun – in one grab and go package – could be a lifesaver.
Secondly, the extra weight of a mag at the end of the buttstock counterbalances the front-end heaviness of many .308s. So, even though you are adding weight to the gun, the weapon handles better and feels better. Most noticeably, it is easier to balance in one hand while changing mags. Plus the extra weight helps with recoil.
Finally they have very thoughtfully provided a D-ring to attach a sling to the top of the buttstock.
Better photos and more technical details at the Spec-Ops company web site …but Midway USA offers it at a better price than the factory [for direct sales]. Regards, – OSOM

Odds ‘n Sods:

SF in Hawaii suggested this BBC article: State of the planet, in graphics.
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My brother mentioned the WikiHow article “How to Cook Food on Your Car’s Engine”. Back in the early 1980s, before MREs were widely issued, in the US Army we often warmed C-Ration cans on top of our vehicle engine blocks.

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From perennial contributor RBS: Credit Bubble Bulletin: Structured finance under duress

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Stephen in Iraq sent us this: Atlanta water use is called shortsighted

Note from JWR:

The high bid is now at $400 in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction, for four items: a Baygen Freeplay Summit AM/FM/Shortwave digitally-tuned radio, and a Baygen Sherpa hand crank flashlight. These were kindly donated by Ready Made Resources, one of our most loyal advertisers. Also included in the auction lot is a copy of my “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course, from Arbogast Publishing, and an autographed copy of my novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse”. These four items have a combined value of more than $350. The auction ends on November 15th. Just e-mail us your bid.

Letter Re: Home/Retreat Power Generator Noise Reduction

Hi Jim-
I wanted to comment on the generator noise reduction article by Jerry. An easy and relatively inexpensive solution that gives dramatic noise reduction for portable generators: Rubbermaid-type plastic storage sheds. These sheds typically have about a 5′ wide x 2.5′ deep footprint, a composite floor, and are an ideal size for a typical, 2,000 to 7,500 watt generators.

To modify the plastic shed for running the generator inside, four important, simple modifications are needed: 1) Cutting a small intake port on one side, and covering it with any type of breathable, mesh screen, to keep critters out. 2) Cutting a 3″ or 4″ round exhaust port on the opposite side from the intake. 3) Mounting a marine/bilge type 12 VDC exhaust blower motor to the exhaust port and wiring it to the 12 VDC circuit of the generator. 4) Placing an aluminum-faced fiberglass HVAC insulation panel where the generator’s exhaust will most closely hit the plastic interior wall of the
shed. The exhaust is hot enough to melt the plastic without the insulation.

My setup has two 4″ Rule brand marine bilge blowers wired in parallel, plugged into the 12 volt panel outlet of my Generac portable generator. When the generator is started, the blowers start. I have taken temperature measurements inside the enclosure with the generator running, and it only varies a few degrees from the ambient air temperature. The blowers exhaust a tremendous volume of air; heat doesn’t build up inside the enclosure because the air turns over so quickly.

The sound reduction is tremendous. The generator becomes a distant background noise at about 50′. Much more than that, and it becomes nearly
inaudible.

Cutting a hole in the composite floor for some type of security fixture to lock the generator to is also an easy project.
Hope this is useful. Regards, – Rich S.

Letter Re: Drinking Water Sources and Microbes

Water is essential for human life and unfortunately some sources provide water unsafe for human consumption. There are several methods for treating water including osmosis, distillation, ultra violet, boiling, filtering, and chemicals such as chlorine or iodine. Most of these treatments are aimed at biological contamination and each of them has disadvantages in a WTSHTF scenario. My solution is to first pre-filter the water using coffee filters or a clean rag, then use a quality microfilter such as the Katadyn Pocket filter, and then boil or chemical treat the water as the situation allows. In this article we will briefly examine biological contaminates and why I came to my solution. Contaminates may also include chemicals but is beyond the scope of this article.
Biological contaminates consist of microorganisms also called microbes. There are four different groups. Arranged from largest to smallest they are, fungi, protista, bacteria, and viruses. The smallest bacteria which causes human disease is Mycoplasma pneumoniae which is approximately 0.2 microns in size. When selecting a microfilter, I want one that filters down to at least 0.2 microns (a micron is one micrometer or 0.000001 meter or 1 x 10-6 meter). While effective against bacteria and larger microorganisms, even a good microfilters (0.2 microns) can not be counted on to filter out viruses unless there is another mechanism to trap or destroy the virus. All the viruses I am familiar with are smaller in diameter than 0.3 microns, examples include Smallpox 0.250 microns, Rabies 0.150 microns, Influenza (Flu) 0.100 microns, and Polio 0.028 microns. Viruses are composed of DNA or RNA surrounded by a protein coat called a capsid. This construction allows them to be easily destroyed by boiling or chemicals such as iodine or bleach. While iodine or bleach is effective against viruses, it is ineffective against the protista Cryptosporidium. Since the first recorded human case of Cryptosporidiosis in 1976, it has grown to become one of the most common waterborne diseases. Rates from 6%, to as high as 54% have been found in day care centers in the United States. In 1993, an outbreak in Milwaukee, Wisconsin infected approximately 400,000 residents. 4,400 people had to be hospitalized and the cost of the outbreak was estimated at over $54 million. If this is a problem now, imagine what it would be in WTSHTF scenario. See the CDC web site for additional information. What about boiling water to kill microbes? Unfortunately, some bacteria produce spores (also called endospores) which can survive extreme conditions. They can survive being boiled in water (100 degrees Celsius) for two hours, survive in 70% ethyl alcohol for 20 years, or survive one million REMs ([just] 600 REMs is fatal to most people). One of the most infamous bacteria that forms spores is Bacillus anthracis which causes Anthrax. By using a microfilter, I am eliminating fungi, protista, bacteria including spores and leaving only viruses that can easily be destroyed with chemicals or by boiling.

I came across another product called “First Need Portable Water Purifier” that is supposed to remove viruses without any chemicals. I have no experience with this product but will be checking it out. See their web site for more information. – Bill N.