Letter Re: Advice on Body Armor and Helmets

Mr. Editor:
I have been working on preparedness for my family for five years now, but I realized that there is one area where I’m lacking: body armor. What sort of vest do you recommend, both for concealment-type and for the “worst case” sort of situations? What [protection] “level” vest rating should I get? For home defense in an out-and-out TEOTWAWKI, should I also buy a kevlar helmet? Are used vests worth buying? Which dealers are trustworthy? I live in a suburb of Atlanta [Georgia, USA], but my work frequently takes me downtown to places like Peachtree Plaza. (Downtown Atlanta has a high crime rate.) Thanks, – Peter G.

JWR Replies: In my experience, most survivalists make the mistake of buying Level III body armor, and then rarely wearing it. It is just too heavy for day-to day wear, especially in a hot, humid climate. A vest is useless if it is always hanging in your closet.

My low-budget approach has been to buy two NIJ Level 2 vests for each adult: One that is my size and one that is slightly larger, with an additional trauma plate. A Level 2 vest will stop most handgun bullets (see the NIJ ratings). And a Level 2 vest is fairly comfortable to wear and relatively inconspicuous, even in an office setting, if you pick your clothes carefully. (For example, opaque, loose-fitting shirts and sweaters.) For defending your retreat, both vests can be worn together. Worn in that manner, the two vests will provide a good chance to stop some rifle bullets–even better than a Level 3 vest. If you have a really big budget, you might consider buying both a Level 2 vest and a full coverage high rating (Level 3 or Level 4) military body armor such as Interceptor Body Armor (IBA). With upgrade plates, those vests can easily cost more than $1,000 each. Although I suspect that the prices of both new and used IBA will come down, since it is being made in very large quantities to support OEF and OIF troop deployments.

Used body armor can be worth buying, if you buy from legitimate dealer. There is a surprisingly large number of “low hours” vest one the market, primarily from people that wash out of police academies.

I strongly suggest that you buy at least one and preferably two spare vest carriers (the out fabric shell). That way you can have an extra carrier, so that you can alternate them, for laundering.

Helmets do make sense for defending a retreat. It just takes a moment to put one on. Their cost has come way down in recent years, with the profusion of used USGI kevlar PASGT helmets on the market. I recommend finding the right size PASGT helmet, and then upgrading it with the latest chin strap and perhaps a MICH-type suspension system.

The vendor that I recommend for both vests and helmets is BulletProofME.com. I have been recommending them for years–long before they became a SurvivalBlog advertiser. They have a wide selection, very competitive prices, and they are quite knowledgeable. Most importantly, they are experts at vest and helmet sizing, which is crucial. Presently they are offering a free shipping special for anyone that mentions that they are a SurvivalBlog reader.

Two Letters Re: Bug Out Vehicles

Hi Jim,
More food for thought, this time regarding vehicles. I’m hoping to someday do some expedition type of travel. This link to Expeditions West discusses and rates a few vehicles best suited for the purpose. These are not necessarily for the purpose of getting the family and supplies out of the city, hauling a huge trailer, but are more intended for long cross country unsupported ‘expedition’ type of travel. If I seriously needed to bug out and hide deep in the Yaak [River Valley of western Montana] for example, my restored 1985 short bed Toyota [pickup] with 235/85/16’s would be hard to beat, and hard to follow down narrow forest roads. Not only capable and tough, but also one of the most efficient when it comes to payload verses fuel economy. I would choose this one over more modern ones, but an old Toyota is not for everyone. Fortunately there are brand new choices which are also good.

The Expedition Portal.com discussion board is all about setting up vehicles for serious off roading. These guys are not your typical 4X4er. Big wide tires and snarling V8 engines, or rock crawling is not the topic, but leisurely comfortable travel across all terrains for extended periods is the goal. One can hardly believe the rigs some of these guys have built. Here is one build which could be consider ideal. – Erick

 

James:
This relates to the latest discussion on bug-out vehicles, Isuzu Troopers, diesels, etc. Seems to me, if someone want a bug-out vehicle, the ability to use different types of fuel blends, simplicity, and good parts availability are all important attributes.

I live in a pretty rugged area and have owned many Isuzus – including 4WD mini-trucks and Troopers. The Trooper is pretty rugged as far as the drivetrain goes, but has lousy sheet-metal and frame – and to a degree – poor parts availability. I had several gas and diesel Troopers. Gas models rarely did better than 20 MPG on a flat highway, but my diesel 4WD Trooper consistently got 27 MPG – city or highway – the mileage pretty much stayed the same. My last Trooper was a 1986 with the 2.2 turbo-diesel. I ran it to 320,000 miles until the body/frame fell to pieces due to rust. I still have the engine. Isuzu makes some of the most rugged small diesels in the world – and that’s what is usually running the little refrigerator-units on truck-trailers. I’ve got a 1981 Chevy Chevette with the Isuzu 1.8 diesel – and it gets 48 MPG highway. Also have an 85 Isuzu 4WD mini-truck with the 2.2 diesel and it gets 27 MPG no matter how you drive it. It too has the awful rust problems as the Troopers do.
In regard to newer diesels such as the Ford Excursion with the Navistar (International Harvester) 7.3? Rugged engines, lousy fuel mileage, and too many electronic controls. Ford never made an SUV of any sort with the pre-1994 mechanically controlled diesel setup. Hard to work on, parts are expensive, no net-gain. The Excursion is basically a heavy truck made to look like an SUV.
Many newer diesels with electronic controls will not run on dyed diesel, heating oil, etc. Some that will run, get damaged from it. With older, pre 1995s – you don’t get that problem. My neighbor/farmer recently had a funny experience when he put farm-fuel (dyed) into his new Chevy truck with the Isuzu “Duramax” diesel. It went into “limp mode” and would not go faster than 20 MPH. He had to drain the tank, and put highway-pump diesel back into it.

General Motors is the only U.S. company to ever make a light-weight diesel and install it into a lightweight truck or SUV. Yes, International Harvester sold Scout SUVs (before the acronym SUV was invented) and they used Nissan diesels. I drove two 1979 diesel Scouts for years as service-vehicles for a John Deere dealership. They used 198 cubic inch (3.2 liter) Nissan diesels and were good for 25 MPG highway. They were rugged vehicles with lousy sheet metal and lousy handling.
There were a few other diesel “oddballs” but not offered in 4WD. Dodge offered a full-size 2WD, 1/2 ton truck late 70s with a Mitsubishi 6 cylinder diesel. They dropped it after one year. Chevy sold S10 2WD trucks with Isuzu 2.2 diesels, and Ford sold 2WD Rangers with Mazda diesels.

If your fuel of choice is diesel – JP8 military fuel, vegetable oil, heating oil, etc. – and you want a truck that you can easily find parts for – new, used, and cheap – you’d better stick with a pre-1994 Chevy, GMC, Ford, or Dodge (with some lee-way as to year and make). Chevy and GMC are the only ones that made 1/2 ton trucks and SUVs with the diesels. Starting 1982, GM offered 4WD Blazers, and 1/2 ton Suburbans and trucks with the 6.2 diesels. If geared properly – any of them can get 22 MPG highway. My 87 diesel Suburban with the 6.2 made it to 520,000 miles before the engine failed. The 6.2 and later 6.5 engines are basically the same – but for civilian use changed over to problematic electronic controls in 1994. Military models are still using mechanical injection systems.
Ford never made a light truck or SUV with the Navistar diesel. HD 3/4 trucks were sold from 1983 to mid-1994. Mid-1994 the 7.3 diesel got changed over to the Powerstroke – and it uses some electronics and is complicated. The older Ford diesels are very rugged and easy and cheap to work on. Expect around 14 MPG average highway mileage from most – although some do a bit better with proper gearing.

If you want a diesel 4WD truck – the GMs are good for light work and offer good fuel mileage. If you want the truck for heavy work – the Fords or Dodges are much better. And – of those two – nothing compares to the Cummins 5.9 diesel engine that is used in the Dodge trucks. It is extremely rugged – and fuel efficient at the same time. Also, if you want to run questionable fuels, including home-brews of vegetable oils, thin arctic or military diesel, etc. – a diesel that uses an “in-line” injection pump is much more durable than a “rotary” type pump. Dodge-Cummins sold some trucks that use these in-line pumps – while all the others use rotaries.
No matter what you buy and/or build, there is always some compromise. My “ultimate” bug-out vehicle – for the moment – is my 92 Dodge 3/4, ex[tended]-cab, 4WD diesel truck. It consistently gets 21 MPG highway and 17 MPG mixed driving. It will run on many types diesel-type fuels, has amazing torque for heavy pulling, it’s easy to work on, etc. Only negatives are -the Cummins-powered trucks are popular and therefore expensive – even the older trucks with 600,000 miles on them. Also, cheap used parts are not common. My truck has 80 gallons in mounted fuel tanks plus an aux. 55 gallon tank I can stick in with quick-couplers if needed. That gives close to a 3,000 mile cruise-range. I have a slide-on camper for it and can also pull a trailer loaded with equipment. It has an on-board heater that runs on diesel fuel. It will heat the camper and truck cab when the engine is not running, and also work as an engine block heater for cold-weather starting. The camper is hooked to four deep-cycle batteries, a 3000 watt inverter, and has two Kyocera 120 watt solar panels that mount to the roof when parked.

One more comment – if “cheap” is the operative word – you can’t beat the GM diesels. They are found all over – and I have over forty of them sitting in my fields, inside my barns, etc. A diesel 4WD Blazer, Suburban or truck can usually be bought in the price ranges of $200 – $1000. Many don’t have high miles like the Fords and Dodges do – since many of the GMs are light vehicles not used as much for long-haul towing. Since our military still uses the basic GM diesel engine, and had thousands of diesel 1 1/4 ton trucks and 1/2 ton Blazers in the 80s – parts are all over via military surplus.
One example – I recently bought a 1/2 ton, 4WD, 1991 diesel Suburban from the local school district. Runs perfect, has 130K miles on it, and I bought it for $225 on sealed-bid. – John from Central New York

Odds ‘n Sods:

More “ARM Twisting” ahead: It has been widely reported that nearly one trillion dollars worth of adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) will reset to higher interest rates in the next 18 months. That is nearly 20% of all mortgage loans outstanding. Are the majority of sub-prime borrowers ready for the higher monthly payments? Probably not. So we can expect to see a lot more delinquencies and foreclosures in the next two years. As previously mentioned in SurvivalBlog, a small portion of rural foreclosures may represent a retreat buying opportunity. Monitor the market closely, either through a cooperative agent in your selected retreat area, and/or through Foreclosure.com.

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A recent issue of The Sovereign Society A-Letter noted that the US Dollar Index recently fell “below the 78.19-level – the level it’s managed to hover above since 1992.” When I last checked The USD Index had bounced back up a bit to 78.33. Watch this key indicator closely. It is a barometer for the health of the dollar, and inevitably for our entire economy. Presently, we are standing on a precipice. The bottom is long way down.

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A reader is Sweden mentioned that there is a new Swedish language blog on survivalism, called Systemkollaps. Välkommen!

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Mark A. saw this interesting site on making small batches of steel from iron ore. Mark’s comment: “I hope things don’t get so bad that we’ve got to revert to this technology.”

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"[P]oliticians gave us the idea that the things we could not afford individually we could somehow afford collectively through the magic of government." – Thomas Sowell

Note from JWR:

The bidding is still at $500 in the SurvivalBlog benefit auction, for a scarce pre-1899 antique Finnish M39 Mosin Nagant rifle from my personal collection. This rifle was rebarreled by Valmet during WWII, and is in excellent condition. It comes with a replica bayonet, original sling, and original muzzle cap. Since the receiver for this rifle was made in 1898, it can be mailed directly to the winning bidder’s doorstep, with no FFL paperwork! The auction ends on October 15th. Just e-mail us your bid.

Distinguishing Wants from Needs in Preparedness Planning

My consulting clients often ask me for advice on their preparedness purchasing programs. Some of the items that I’ve see them purchase in the name of “preparedness” make me wonder. For example, a family that recently relocated from Michigan to Idaho’s Clearwater River Valley purchased matching snowmobiles for every member of the family. But they now live in a climate where in some years they only have snow that “sticks” for two or three weeks. In most years they will have to put their snow machines on trailers to get up to the high country to use them much.

Another client in Wyoming bought a brand new off-the-lot Hummer H1 Alpha Utility (4 door). With a price tag of around $128,000, he could have bought four or perhaps five 4WD crew cab pickups for the same amount of money. Sure, H1s have great off-road capability, but now he owns a vehicle with dubious parts availability and that just screams “Rich Guy Coming!”

I also have a wealthy client in Texas that bought 20 pre-ban Galil .308 rifles for his extended family’s retreat. He said that he wanted “the best”. He also bought 200 spare 25 round waffle magazines for them, at a whopping $80 each. That is is $16,000 just for the spare magazines. Talk about insanity. (OBTW, when I asked him about ammo, he said that he “planned” to buy 2,000 rounds per rifle, but when we last spoke, he “hadn’t gotten around to it.”) For the same amount of money that he spent on the Galils and spare magazines he could have bought nearly 90 post-ban FN-FAL rifles and 2,000 magazines.

These illustrations are provided not as ridicule, but merely to point out that folks should learn to distinguish wants from needs They should also forget about earning Mall Ninja “style points” and instead concentrate on practicality. Unless you are a multimillionaire, you cannot lose sight of prioritizing your purchases. And, regardless, everyone should have a well-balanced set of tools, skills, and logistics.

Most of my consulting clients take a methodical, well-balanced approach to their planning and procurement. When I do on-site consulting, I ‘m regularly surprised by their ingenuity and resourcefulness. Often it is the people that are clever, methodical, and hard working that are better prepared than the wealthy few that just “throw money at the problem.” Some of these, as I’ve mentioned, have clearly gone overboard in a few areas. Do your best to make a purchasing plan and stick to it. Don’t go overboard in one area at the expense of another. Preparedness is more than just a fancy gun collection. It takes balance: food storage, gardening supplies, canning supplies, medical gear, communications gear, reliable vehicles, fuel storage, field gear, cold weather gear, night vision equipment, and so forth. Maintaining that balance takes both concerted planning and self-control.

Also remember: You can have the very best tools in the world, but if you don’t have the skills to match, then those tools are little more than ornaments. I would much rather own a $1,000 rifle and spend another $1,000 training at a place like Front Sight than I would owning a $2,000 rifle.

Letter Re: A Reader’s Perspective on Assembling a Survival Firearms Battery

James
I am a 10 Cent Challenge subscriber and daily reader of SurvivalBlog.com. I have found much helpful information provided by you and other readers and appreciate all of the work you do. Having read the articles concerning self-defense weapons, It seems that many readers get side tracked
I have owned, fired, hunted with and reloaded numerous caliber’s over the last forty or so years and although I by no means consider myself an expert I am very experienced and well informed. That being said I would like to talk about weapons and calibers relating strictly to the purpose of this site, survival and preparation.
When considering survival/preparedness weapons there is no doubt that the most useful are the 12 gauge shotgun and the .22 [rimfire] rifle and handgun. Both of these [chamberings] are extremely flexible in their ability to be used for defense and hunting. A marksman with a scoped Ruger 10/22 can do a lot of damage at fifty yards, especially with the high capacity magazines available for this rifle. Many deer have been taken with this little caliber. At closer ranges there is nothing short of a hand grenade that is more devastating than 12 gauge 00 buck shot.

Of the high power rifle calibers, readily available today, the .308 reigns supreme for our purposes. It performs extremely well as a long range sniper/hunting caliber in a good bolt action scoped rifle such as the Remington 700 or is considered the caliber of choice for a battle rifle such as, my favorite, the M14/M1A. It is also available in another of my favorite rifles, the Browning BLR lever action. This is a magazine-fed lightweight rifle that would work for low profile situations where a military type weapon might attract attention. With practice it is capable of fast follow up shots and spare magazines could be carried with different types of bullets appropriate for different situations. Like the bolt action and unlike the semi auto, it will feed any .308 cartridge without concern for malfunctions.

The 30-06 is an old favorite of mine and many good rifles are chambered in this caliber including the M1 battle rifle of WW II fame. I keep a bolt action in this caliber because of the present availability of ammo. It is a little more powerful than the .308 but not enough to be considered an advantage. Even though the 30-06 is an older caliber it still maintains popularity and has a good following. There is no new development of battle rifles chambered in this caliber and it will probably be restricted to sporting rifles with the exception of the older M1. [JWR Adds: or FN49]. I would not recommend this as the main stock up caliber but it could be a secondary.

There are many other popular options such as the AK47 in 7.62×39 and the AR 15 in 5.56NATO/.223 and, too numerous to count sporting calibers, but none will meet the all-around requirements that are necessary for our purpose as the .308. Most other calibers are only suited to limited uses. The .223 is a good varmint cartridge and has been overrated as a military round. Just talk with the guys that had to give up their M14 in Vietnam for the M16 and those coming back from Iraq today. The 7.62×39 is better and is chambered in a reliable AK47 rifle but in a face off the 7.62NATO/.308 in a M14/M1A is going to kick butt. You don’t see any AKs at the National Matches.

There are more different opinions as to the best handgun caliber than there are presidential candidate platforms. In my opinion, for our purpose, the first choice is a .22 revolver. It is able fire any kind of ammo you can scrounge up without considerations of jamming or performance and you can easily store thousands of rounds.

Next will be your main defense handgun. The big difference here is choosing between a revolver and semi automatic pistol. The advantage of the revolver is reliability and the ability to shoot a multitude of different types of ammo without impeding the operation of the weapon. If ammo becomes scarce you could cast your own bullets and use a multitude of different powders as long as you have brass and primers and still be able to fire it from a revolver. A semi auto is much more sensitive to bullet shape, composition, ignition pressures and case sizing. It would be much more difficult to reload pistol ammo to operate effectively in a post-SHTF situation.

The number one man stopper is still the .357 magnum. For this purpose it performs better than much larger calibers and can defeat the protection of a vehicle. This caliber is found primarily in revolvers and has the advantage of firing the less powerful .38 caliber ammo in the same revolver. The disadvantage has been the limitation of six round cylinders compared to higher magazine capacity of a pistol and also slower reloading time. Smith & Wesson has come out with the Model 327 with an eight round cylinder capable of using moon clips or direct loading. Practice using moon clips can get reloading time very close to that of a pistol. The .357 is coming back into favor as a primary defense round. The .38 can be found in the most popular concealed carry handgun, the S&W 642 J frame snub nose.
The most popular self-defense pistol calibers are 9mm, .40 cal. and the tried and true .45 [ACP] caliber. Police departments have been the main force in proving the popularity of the .40 [S&W] caliber. I personally prefer the 9mm using +P ammo. 9mm [Parabellum] is a much more popular round and in a TSHTF situation it will be more readily available. Also my wife can easily shoot it.

I also prefer the .45[ACP] to the .40[S&W] because of its proven knock down power and continued availability of ammo. Here again .45 ammo will be much more available and a tremendous number of guns have been chambered in this caliber. I believe the .40 could get hard to find in hard times.

My primary stock is:
12 gauge 00 buck, #6 [bird]shot, slugs
.22 LR both hollow point and lead round nose.
.308 both ball and expansive point bullets in 165/168 grains.
.357 magnum 158gr hollow point.
.38 +P hollow point and wad cutter
9mm +p hollow point

My secondary stock is:
.45 ACP ball and hollow point
.30-06 180 grain expansive bullets
I could easily switch the 9mm for the .45 but the availability and price of ammo is a factor.
Your primary stock should be a few different calibers, each in large numbers. Stocking calibers that can be used in several different types of weapons is also advantageous. You may have other favorite guns chambered in other calibers and there is nothing wrong with these. For the purpose of preparing for TEOTWAWKI, stick with the popular first and then add the rest. Also remember that you are better off with fewer high quality weapons than more of the cheaper low quality. Breakdowns can get you killed. – Jack R.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Speaking at the Federal Reserve’s Jackson Hole, Wyoming conclave in August, Yale University Professor Dr. Robert Shiller said that residential house prices might fall as much as 50% in some former real estate boom areas. As evidence, he cited how much home prices have escalated in comparison to rents. Personally, I think that 50% is an optimistic figure. Given the pendulum-like nature of macro market swings, I think that prices in some cities like Phoenix and San Diego may drop at much as 65% from their peak. And it may take five or six years before prices hit bottom. I predict that in two years, the newspapers will be filled with “tales of woe” human interest stories, with plenty of articles about home owners that are upside down in their mortgages, in default and walking away from their McMansions. They’ll leave it to the bankers to tidy up the mess.

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A hat tip to SJC for sending us this Financial Times article link: IMF head warns on impact of credit crisis

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Chris D. recommended this article at the Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee (GATA) site: Treasury claims power to seize gold and silver — and everything else

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The folks at Safecastle (one of our most loyal advertisers) mentioned in an e-mail that they have put some of their most popular items together onto a single Practical Holiday Gifts page. I’m sure that any of your preparedness-minded friends or relatives would be tickled to receive any of those items as Christmas gifts.

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"But a constitution of government, once changed from freedom, can never be restored. Liberty , once lost, is lost forever." – John Adams, Letter to Abigail Adams, July 7, 1775

Note from JWR:

A reminder that the special “six pack sale” for autographed copies of my novel “Patriots: Surviving the Coming Collapse” is still underway. The sale price of a box of six books is now just $90, postage paid. (Normally they are $22 per copy, but during this sale you get six autographed copies for $90, mailed in a Priority Mail Flat Rate box, sent to anywhere in the United States, including APO/FPO addresses.) This sale ends on October 31st. This is your chance to buy some extra copies for Christmas presents.

Letter Re: BBC/Discovery Channel Documentary on Asian Avian Flu

Hi Jim,
Last night I watched a superb two hour documentary on one of the science [cable television] channels about the coming avian flu pandemic. It was a co-production of the Discovery Channel and the BBC, so I’m sure everyone with cable television will have a chance to see it.

The documentary weaved between the predictions and projections of top epidemiologists, and a fictionalized account of the breakout in Cambodia, and its spread worldwide. The 1918 Spanish Flue pandemic was also used as a major point of comparison. All of the experts on the show said it is not a question of if, but when the bird flu pandemic explodes. They expect a 10% mortality rate minimum among the infected, with our health system totally overwhelmed. The antiviral medicine Tamiflu won’t prevent but will only slightly delay the pandemic, because it has no carry over effect. That is, as soon as Tamiflu stocks run out, the pandemic carries on at full speed. They expect the pandemic to launch worldwide within a month of the H5N[“X”] virus making one or two minor mutations to allow rapid human to human transmission. The new pandemic will spread much more rapidly than the 1918 [influenza] virus, because of the speed of jet travel. From the first bird flu first case in the USA to every city and town in pandemic crisis will take 90 days, according to their projections. In sum, it may take only four months from virus mutation to completely blanketing every town in the USA. Schools will be shut down, and at least 40% of workers will be off of the job, causing severe economic fallout.

They even showed and interviewed a suburban couple who are concerned enough to lay in “preps” for four months at home, including a generator, fuel, a water well etc. For once, they were not portrayed as “survivalist kooks” but more in the light of, “everyone should be making a plan like this.” A main point of the show is that ordinary people just cannot grasp the speed with which this pandemic is expected to breakout and travel worldwide, or the fact that there is no medical solution to the problem. It will have to burn itself out, with many tens of millions dying. The purpose of the documentary was given as causing people to ponder and discuss the issue and begin to make their own preparations. Once the mutation and breakout happens, events will proceed much too rapidly to make decent preparations at the national, local or even family level.

I would highly recommend that all SurvivalBlog readers keep and eye out for this documentary and watch it very carefully. – Matt Bracken

Letter Re: Home Alcohol Distillation

Jim–
I have been fascinated by the material in the book “Alcohol Can Be a Gas!”. My first walk-through was a bit disappointing because of what I thought was a lot of fluff until I got to how to use alcohol as a fuel. Then I went back and read about distilling alcohol. Then I realized the author was saying alcohol is a by-product (he uses the term “co-product” to show all the products have value). Then he explains how a small farm operation could be self-sustaining, power, heat, fuel and food. Sounds like a survivalist’s dream. I’m anxious to go back and read everything in the book.It is 500+ pages. It is $46, but worth it (I don’t have a dawg in this hunt.)

Chapter 12 “The micro-distillery farm” is the one that will get you thinking: waste heat from the still warms the mushroom facility; mushrooms are growing on the leftover mash; fish are thriving on the liquid part of the mash leftovers; earthworms get 1/3 of the mash to make castings. Alcohol fuels all the machinery, plus heats food, and on and on. Well, you’ve got to read it to catch it all. – Bob

Letter Re: Silver as an Inflation Hedge

Hi Jim,
First of all please pardon my English but this language is hard to learn, especially being from Cuba.
Let’s talk about silver. As a survivalist one of my tools is silver and at this time I am using that survivalist tool. At this time my cost per gallon of gasoline is of $1.21 and the reason for that is that I pre-paid for my gasoline for the next two years in one oz silver rounds.

Back in 1972 I paid $4.90 per ounce for my silver and in 1980 I sold it for $63.65 per ounce. I started once again in 1982 and stopped in 2002 when I had all that I needed. (There is a difference between “need” and “want”) and my average cost was $5.16 per ounce

At first cash will be king because that’s all that the American public is familiar with but with time they will educate themselves and precious metals will be king.
As soon as the general public in China and India start to buy silver the the price will explode, I don’t say the US because most people here are already broke. As time goes by my silver will go up in price and I will pay less for my gasoline and other items which will be very hard to get in the future. There is a lot more but I hope that you get the general idea.
PS: I already have food for 4-1/2 years, water for free from a creek, live out in the woods and I’m ready to rock and roll. “To be ready is not”. – Ponce

Cold Weather Survival Tips, by David in Israel

James,
Winter is coming [in the northern hemisphere]. An important skill is treating and preventing cold exposure, especially if a person is disabled and on the ground. The ground steals heat through direct conduction and by absorption of moisture.
Always go out well fed, include plenty of protein, copious warm hydrating liquids, and fats. Together these break down in a heat generating reaction as well as providing large amounts of energy for more heat generation.

Have a way to make a warm drink. A Thermos is skimping, better a small stove that is easily lit and kettle that will let you melt snow and make hot water to drink, this saves your body from having to heat
your drinks and also raises your core temperature if you get chilled or worse. Cold drinks bring down body temperature and the metabolism required to heat it to body temperature nearly requires as much water as you are consuming, un-melted snow is actually hydration negative due to the metabolism [required] to bring it to body temperature.

Insulate from the ground, dry grass leaves, seat pad foam, clothing, whatever. The ground will steal your body heat quickly.

Share warmth with a friend or more, huddle, hug, stack up as injuries allow.

Protect the heat loss areas. Cover first the head, then armpits, groin, trunk, and finally the extremities.