SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies located in the American Redoubt region that are of interest to preppers and survivalists. Today, a description of the most remote places in CONUS.

Region-Wide

Video: The Most Remote Places Left in America (Lower 48). JWR’s Comment:  It should come as no surprise to SurvivalBlog readers that six of the regions profiled in this video are geographically in The American Redoubt.

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For the artsy crowd: UMOCA Utah free screening of “Redoubt” film on January  31, 2025.

Idaho

In southern Idaho: Drivers urged to slow down as elk collisions surge.

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Video: The Most Remote Places Left in America (Lower 48). JWR’s Comment:  It should come as no surprise to SurvivalBlog readers that six of the regions profiled in this video are in The American Redoubt.

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Latest Idaho grad rates show modest gains and a 10-year high.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

Preparedness Notes for Monday — January 20, 2025

On January 20, 1954, a low of -70°F was measured at Rogers Pass, Montana. This still stands as the record low temperature in the contiguous United States.

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January 20, 1981: 52 American hostages were released by the Iranian government, following 444 days of captivity, to be reunited with their families. Not coincidentally, Ronald Reagan was sworn in as President, the same day. I have a feeling that Hamas may soon be releasing its Israeli hostages, for a quite similar reason.  – JWR

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The new 2005-2024 SurvivalBlog waterproof archive sticks are selling out rapidly. There are now less than 70 available. Many readers are ordering 2 or 3 of them at a time. The sticks are now in hand with the family that handles our order fulfillment, and they are packing orders.  Mailings of the USB sticks will begin on Thursday, more than a week ahead of schedule.  Orders will be filled in the order that they were received. For a full list of the included bonus books, see my post from Monday, January, 13th.

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Today’s feature article is a review written by our own Tom Christianson.

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We need a few more articles to complete Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 116 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Anevay Frontier Stove, by Thomas Christianson

Originally designed for use in humanitarian aid and disaster relief efforts, the Anevay Frontier Stove provides a simple, rugged, and reliable wood-fueled cooking and heating solution that is safer and more energy efficient than an open fire (Anevay indicates that the Frontier Stove is 8 to 10 times more efficient than an open fire). The stove is easy to assemble, easy to ignite, and easy to operate.

Suitable for use in tents, huts, yurts, and the open air, the stove can be quickly and easily disassembled into a compact package suitable for transport by vehicle or pack animal.

The stove was available for $300 at the time of this writing from CampingKettle.com. It is manufactured in Cornwall, England.

Background

I have reviewed a number of small stoves over the years and both described and documented my hands-on tests of them in SurvivalBlog. Here are links to some of those reviews:

One limitation of all of the biomass stoves that I have reviewed in the past is that none of them were designed for effective use inside a tent or other small shelter. So when I saw that CampingKettle.com was offering a wood stove suitable for inside use, I was immediately interested. I asked them if they could provide me with a sample for testing and evaluation, and they were kind enough to agree. Four days later the box arrived from Canada via UPS.

First Impressions

The stove arrived in a 21x13x13 inch shipping box that weighed just over 33 pounds. The box was shipped from: 100 Four Valley Drive, Unit B, Concord, Ontario, L4K 4T9 in Canada.

Upon opening the box, I was surprised to find that it contained not only the stove, but also tinder, kindling, fuel, and even matches along with the directions for lighting the stove. That was a nice touch. I guess that Anevay decided that if they provided everything needed to light the stove correctly the first time, users would have an easier time lighting it correctly the second and subsequent times.

 

The actual stove weighs 26.5 pounds. It is 12 inches wide, 20 inches long, and extends to 95 inches above the ground with the five flue sections fully assembled.

The top of the cooking surface stands 20 inches above the ground when the legs are extended. That was a fairly comfortable height for cooking while sitting next to the stove.

The firebox is approximately 16.5 inches long, and 9.5 inches in diameter. Each flue section is approximately 16.5 inches long, including a 1.5 inch flange that fits inside the top of the previous section of flue. One of the flue sections is provided with a damper for controlling the draft. The cooking surface measures approximately 17.5 by 9.75 inches. A removable horizontal round plate is located toward the front of the cooking surface, and is approximately 6 inches in diameter.

After a quick examination of the contents, I put everything back in the box, and set it aside to take along to our annual church family camp.

Family Camp Tests

At a family camp last summer, I set up the stove near our camper. Setting up the stove was quick and easy. It basically involved pulling out three pins so the legs could unfold, replacing the pins when the legs were fully extended to hold them firmly in place, removing the flue sections from the body of the stove, and then fitting the flue sections to the exhaust vent of the stove. As I mentioned above, one of the flue sections includes a damper. The section with the damper is probably the first or second section that should be fitted to the stove. Igniting the stove was also simple and straightforward. It involves making sure the damper is fully open, arranging the fuel just inside the door of the stove, arranging tinder and kindling in front of the fuel, and igniting the tinder with the door fully open. Once the fuel is burning well, the door can be closed all but a crack. The latch is designed to hold the door in place in a slightly open position. It is recommended to operate the stove with the door in this position, which allows the proper draft with minimal risk of sparks escaping the stove body.

I used the stove throughout family camp to cook meals for my wife, “Kari”, and me and to heat water for washing our dishes. I was able to cook with much less fuel than I would have needed for cooking over an open fire. The long flue also vented exhaust gases well, allowing me to cook without any smoke in my face or exposure to excess heat. That is a real advantage for camp cooking. I believe that  it was the late Patrick F. McManus who wrote that camp food is usually raw or burned, but the camp cook is usually medium rare.

The stove is designed for the fuel to be concentrated in the front of the firebox. The back of the firebox serves as a secondary combustion chamber. Since the firebox is only about 16.5 inches long, fuel for the stove should ideally be cut to about 8 inches or less in length. Once the stove is burning well, combustion is so complete that the exhaust from the flue is virtually smokeless.

 

The stove could be started cold and successfully bring a kettle filled with 52 ounces of cold water to a rolling boil within 30 minutes. With the plate on the top of the stove removed and the bottom of the kettle in direct contact with the flame, this time could be reduced to 20 minutes. This is comparable to the performance of a 1,000 watt electric hotplate.

 

 

There are a number of items of optional equipment available for the stove at the manufacturer’s website. This optional equipment includes things like a fire mat to place under the stove to protect a tent floor, a spark arrestor to place at the top of the flue, a carry bag, and flashing kits for use in tents, huts, sheds, or other small shelters. Various cowls, cookware, heat shields, care and maintenance items, and fuel are also available on the website. Of all of this optional equipment, the carry bag is the item that most captured my interest, followed by the flashing kits.

The stove received quite a bit of positive attention from our church family. The most common semi-positive comment that the stove received was that it is “cute”. That might not appeal to you if you are looking for a macho vibe. But if you are secure enough in your masculinity, you probably won’t care whether or not the stove is cute as long as its works well. And most of the ladies, of course, won’t let the fact that the stove is cute detract from their appreciation of its effectiveness.

Frontier Stove History

The original Frontier Stove was designed in 2007 for use in humanitarian aid. Its purpose was to allow disaster survivors to keep warm and to safely prepare food. Anevay reports that over half of the world’s population still cooks over open fires, and that deaths from respiratory diseases caused by inhaling fumes from open fires result in more deaths annually than malaria and AIDS combined. Over 15,000 of the stoves were sent out as aid between 2007 and 2017.

Already by 2009, outdoorsmen had begun to notice the effectiveness of the Frontier Stoves and to buy them second-hand wherever they could find them. Cheap knock-offs began to be produced by other companies. These copies were not always safe. Anevay decided to begin offering the stove directly to the consumer market.

The retail market demanded improved finish quality. Disaster survivors were not very concerned about a few scratches and dings as long as the stoves worked. Consumers were a little more fussy about the quality of the fit and finish.

Anevay has subsequently introduced a number of other small stove designs, with at least seven major models available at anevaystoves.com at the time of this writing. The site also has helpful information like recipes, tips for starting fires, stove selection, and installation instructions for various types of structures.

Conclusions

If you are looking for a stove that can be effectively used inside a small shelter like a tent or out in the open air, you might be interested in the Anevay Frontier Stove. It is easy to pack, easy to ignite, easy to use, and light enough to transport via vehicle or pack animal.

Disclaimer

CampingKettle.com provided me with a sample of the Anevay Frontier Stove for testing and evaluation. Camping Kettle, Emberlit, Siege Stoves, and Minuteman Provision Company had previously provided me with samples of other stoves for past articles. I tried not to allow the kindness of these vendors to interfere with my objectivity, and I believe that I have succeeded. I did not receive any other financial or other inducement to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.

Recipe of the Week: Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup

The following recipe for Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup is from SurvivalBlog reader E.J..

Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp canola oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1⁄2 tsp salt, divided
  • 1⁄4 tsp black pepper (more or less, to taste)
  • 1 cup baby carrots
  • 1 lb bone-in, skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 1⁄2 lb skinless chicken breasts (and be ‘bone-in” type)
  • 1 bay laurel leaf
  • 5 cups of chicken broth (fresh, frozen, or canned)
  • 2 Tbsp chopped dill
  • 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
  • 1 1⁄2 cup vermicelli, broken into 2-to-3-inch long pieces, cooked separately and drained.
Directions
  1. In a large skillet, heat oil for 30 seconds on medium. Add onion, 1⁄4 tsp salt, and pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes.
  2. Add carrots; sauté for 5 minutes.
  3. In a large crockpot: Arrange the chicken. Sprinkle with 1⁄4 tsp salt. Top with carrots, onions, and a bay laurel leaf. Add broth.
  4. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
  5. Remove chicken from the crockpot. Cool. Dice the chicken. Discard the bones.
  6. Strain the soup, discard the vegetables — set those aside to feed to your chicken flock.
  7. Remove and discard the Bay Laurel leaf.
  8. In the crockpot, combine broth, chopped chicken, dill, peas and carrots, and vermicelli. Cook on high for just 10 minutes.

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Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic:  A Map Showing the U.S. Homeless Population Change From 2023 to 2024. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit, based on HUD data.)

The thumbnail below is click-expandable.

 

 

 

 

 

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Please send your graphics or graphics links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“There is no greater tyranny than that which is perpetrated under the shield of the law and in the name of justice.” – Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de la Brède et de Montesquieu, in The Spirit of the Laws

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — January 19, 2025

On January 19, 1883, the first electric lighting system employing overhead wires built by Thomas Edison, began service at Roselle, New Jersey.

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January 19, 1915: Four people in Norfolk were killed in the first German Zeppelin air raid attack on the United Kingdom.

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Today is the birthday of Carla Emery. (Born 1939, died October 11, 2005.)  She is well known in self-sufficiency circles as the author of The Encyclopedia of Country Living. This book was recently re-released in a 40th Anniversary edition.  Emery’s book is featured prominently in JWR’s Bookshelf Page.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 116 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

 

A Prepper’s Carpentry Toolkit – Part 2, by A.F.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

In the upper-right corner of the essential tools photo there is a stack of quick grip clamps. In particular, these are Irwin brand heavy-duty models in maximum working lengths between six and twenty-four inches. A couple of these models have head release slides that allow the user to quickly convert the tool from a clamp into a spreader. When it comes to pulling tightly cut framing into position, aligning materials until they can be fastened or holding the end of a long timber while working alone, these clamps can do it. I have jokingly told clients that these clamps in particular are more dependable than most employees. Once you have a set of these clamps, you will wonder how you accomplished anything without them. Of less use but still valuable are spring clamps. These look similar to a giant clothespin and have the same action. Although any quality F-style threaded clamp can achieve greater clamping pressure than the quick grip or spring-style clamps, only the latter styles can be routinely operated one-handed. Thus, when working alone this gives them the advantage in my carpentry tool kit.

Over the years, I have tried every common style of saw horse. Metal horses are strong but heavy, wooden horses are customizable but bulky and the quick-build “kit” saw horses that consist of wooden legs attached to one of several different metal connector pieces are in my experience the worst of both worlds. When hinged plastic horses first became available, I tried out a pair of them but found them to be shaky and weak.Continue reading“A Prepper’s Carpentry Toolkit – Part 2, by A.F.”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

“Millions” Worth of Hunter Biden’s Art Went Up In Flames, In The L.A. Fire

“Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm Is There…”

News Links:

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

 

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.

And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words.

And when they were come, they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?

Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it.

And they brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s.

And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. And they marvelled at him.” – Mark 12:12-17 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — January 18, 2025

On January 18, 1258 the Mongol army of 150,000, led by Hulagu Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, arrived at the walls of Baghdad. Following a 12-day siege, the city fell on February 13th. It was recorded that the majority of the city’s one million residents were massacred in less than two days.

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January 18, 1923: The first radio telegraph message from the Netherlands was received successfully in the Dutch East Indies.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 116 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $935,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. Round 116 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

A Prepper’s Carpentry Toolkit – Part 1, by A.F.

About once a quarter I look at the list of ideas the editors collected for potential article topics in hopes that there is an area where I might be able to contribute to the community. For over a year I have noted the construction projects and realistic hand tools suggestions and wondered what approach I could take to share my experience(s). For context, I have spent most of my life in either the building or engineering workforces and currently have my own small general contracting business.

The source material for this article came about with the recognition that I had unintentionally assembled a collection of tools suitable for completing a typical framed construction. In late Fall, I began building a 16 by 20 storage building in a manner that it could easily be converted from storage into a comfortable living space if ever needed. It has a foundation of masonry block piers, short span pressure treated 2×8 floor joists bound by doubled rim joists, standard stud walls, bird’s mouthed rafters tied to a central ridge pole (or ridge beam), a fully sheathed roof, and new galvalume metal roofing. All framing is on sixteen-inch centers with all exterior facing materials being secured with either galvanized or ceramic-coated fasteners.Continue reading“A Prepper’s Carpentry Toolkit – Part 1, by A.F.”

Editors’ Prepping Progress

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

Jim Reports:

The sheep in our Fiber Flock escaped their large pen last Sunday.  The ram was apparently bored and he took out his aggression by butting one of the cattle panels — repeatedly, as rams tend to do — and broke the wires that were holding the panel to a T-post, at one end. Those wires have now been replaced with double-thickness wires, spaced much more closely together.

I’ve recently added one muzzleloader and 10 more pre-1899 cartridge guns to my Elk Creek Company inventory.  These include a handly little Investarms Hawken .50 Percussion Blackpowder Carbine, a scarce Martini-Henry carbine chambered in .303 British, an engraved Remington double-barrel 10 gauge shotgun, a .44 Russian double action S&W top break revolver, a scarce U.S. Springfield Armory Ramrod Bayonet M1888 Trapdoor .45-70 rifle, and several M1891 and M1895 Mauser rifles. Take a look!

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And Moses with the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, Keep all the commandments which I command you this day.

And it shall be on the day when ye shall pass over Jordan unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, that thou shalt set thee up great stones, and plaister them with plaister:

And thou shalt write upon them all the words of this law, when thou art passed over, that thou mayest go in unto the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, a land that floweth with milk and honey; as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee.

Therefore it shall be when ye be gone over Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, which I command you this day, in mount Ebal, and thou shalt plaister them with plaister.

And there shalt thou build an altar unto the Lord thy God, an altar of stones: thou shalt not lift up any iron tool upon them.

Thou shalt build the altar of the Lord thy God of whole stones: and thou shalt offer burnt offerings thereon unto the Lord thy God:

And thou shalt offer peace offerings, and shalt eat there, and rejoice before the Lord thy God.

And thou shalt write upon the stones all the words of this law very plainly.

And Moses and the priests the Levites spake unto all Israel, saying, Take heed, and hearken, O Israel; this day thou art become the people of the Lord thy God.

Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the Lord thy God, and do his commandments and his statutes, which I command thee this day.” – Deuteronomy 27:1-10 (KJV)