Letter Re: Canadian Retreat Locales

Hi Jim,
I am new to survival/preparedness and was curious if you have any resources for Canadians? In particular places to source out retreat locales? I just found your site, and love it. Keep up the great work. – Brent A.

JWR Replies: Just like the US, my advice is go west! The eastern provinces are at risk from nuclear fallout from strikes in the US, in the event of a full scale nuclear exchange. Of course the population density is much lower in Canada than in the US, so population in and of itself is not as great a risk. (Although in a worst case situation Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec might be at risk from refugee inflows from the eastern United States.) But again, even aside from population density considerations, you would probably want to be west of Edmonton or Calgary (in Alberta) to avoid fallout.

I generally don’t recommend Canada because of its draconian gun control laws. But if you can live with that, then my preference is for the relatively mild climate portions of British Columbia, such as Duncan (in the Cowichan Valley, in the southern end of Vancouver Island), or around Kent in the Fraser River Valley, or perhaps as far inland as the Bella Coola Valley. (Which is much colder, but wonderfully remote.) If you dislike the heavy rainfall in western BC, and don’t mind a shorter growing season, then look for property in the Kamloops area. Another nice agricultural area with moderate rainfall is around Creston. You can link up with other Canadian preppers through Survival Bill’s Forums. (Most of their readership is Canadians.)

Odds ‘n Sods:

Reader Ben L. mentioned that the August issue of Popular Mechanics magazine is dedicated to theme of “Survive Anything!”

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There is another RWVA Appleseed high power rifle match and clinic scheduled for August 18th and 19th in Ottawa, Illinois. Don’t miss out on this training opportunity. The offer, great rifle training at a very reasonable price!

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While wandering that wacky world of Wikipedia, I was looking at the Wiki page for The Sarah Connor Chronicles (SCC) television series, trying to figure out why the link to the SCC Yahoo Discussion Groups Page keeps getting deleted. (I have a friend in Afghanistan who has posted the link on the Wiki page twice, and each time it has been zapped after just a few days. ) So I clicked on the “Talk” page, and found that there was an argument raging as whether or not it is wiki-ethical to mention the download availability of the entire pilot episode for the series, in the P2P “Torrent” underworld. So is I did a little searching with Scroogle, and found the source. Wow, it is still five months before the SCC pilot ever even airs and this video is very popular. People must be very anxious to see this show! My friend The Chartist Gnome (who in addition to his market watching does a lot of sci-fi watching) told me that the Azureus Magnet Link at MiniNova for this download works just fine.

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FOREX-Dollar hits record low vs euro, subprime weighs

Letter Re: Advice on Generators?

Jim,
What is the way to go in generators? I own four now, all gasoline fueled. Last winter the power was out for nine straight days, and it was 28 degrees below [zero, Fahrenheit]. I have used gas generators for near 40 years, but mostly for remote site construction. They are started and shut off as needed. But last winter with the power out, I would run for 4 hours, then off for 6 hours, for nine days straight. What happened is that the 3,600 RPM of long run time vibrated them apart. In the summer one would just tighten up the nuts and bolts, but at -28 and in the dark, I opted to employ another unit. It also came apart. I was on my third generator when power came back on. Gas units are just not made for that type of use. Also the heat from the exhaust thaws the ground, the [generator] unit tips, the oil level sensor thinks it is low on oil and automatically shuts-off. At -28 the ground freezes, you have to heat water to free it for re-leveling.

I want to buy a diesel 10 KW or 12 KW power plant that runs at 1,800 RPM (not the China Diesel that runs at 3,600 RPM.) I don’t want Batteries, or Invertors, or wind power ( I had a Winco Wincharger at the homestead 40 years ago ). The other thing I learned; I have two 1,000 gallon capacity diesel fuel tanks that I use for a fleet of diesel trucks, and they had just been filled before the power outage. Want to guess how much gasoline was around? Not much, since the only thing that I normally put gas in in the winter is my snowmobiles.

I am hoping some of your readers could help with what to look for in a diesel power plant, and more important what to avoid. Also a little about load, I know that they want to have a fair load, and a load that changes. – David V.

JWR Replies: I generally prefer diesel generators, especially big block low-RPM models. These are designed for continuous duty, and they typically last three to five time longer than high RPM gasoline-powered generators. However, be advised that diesel has a problem with fuel gelling at low temperature. Typically, this clogs fuel filters, when the temperature reaches the so-called cold filter plugging point (CFPP). Fuel gelling can be avoided at temperatures as low as 40 degrees F. below 0, with a diesel fuel additive, called Diesel Fuel Supplement, made by the same company that makes Diesel 911 (which was recently discussed in SurvivalBlog.) It also reportedly prevents gelling in biodiesel blends up to B20. (Which is 20% biodiesel and 80% “dinodiesel”.) There is also a product made in Germany called a Diesel-Therm that pre-heats diesel fuel before it enters the fuel filter.

OBTW, one thing to keep in mind, in these days of high commodities prices. Copper windings from “dead” generators are currently bringing top dollar. If you take the windings from six or seven old “dead” gensets to your local scrap metal dealer, you may net enough money to pay for as much as half of your next generator purchase.

Hopefully some readers will chime in with some specific diesel genset brand and model recommendations. (It has been more than five years since I’ve bought one, so frankly I’m out of touch with the marketplace and vendors.)

Letter Re: Advice on Protecting My Home from Gunfire

Jim,
I am currently in the position of not being able to leave in the event of collapse or epidemic or whatever God may throw our way. I do, however, have the opportunity to build a “storage” area that may also be able to severe as a safe haven for my family when the hordes come out of Atlanta. Thanks to your blog we are way better prepared to survive than we were five months ago. However I feel we have virtually no gunfire protection in the mobile home we currently live in. I am going to be extremely irritated (assuming I survive) if, having prepared, it is taken from us by these hordes. So how do I build this storage area to protect us from gunfire? I have the fire protection pretty well down but I don’t know what type of building material would be best to use for gunfire protection. We have pretty much eliminated the possibility of building underground due to the fact that we are in a “wet” area. I would appreciate any advice you could provide on this subject. Thanks, – Denise

JWR Replies: Unless you are on a tight budget, you should consider constructing an aboveground safe room/storm shelter as an addition to your house. These are available through Safecastle and a variety of other vendors. (Typically the vendor supplies an inward-opening vault door and provides detailed plans/specifications to a local masonry contractor to complete the job.) If you specify at least 8″ thick reinforced concrete walls, it will be able to withstand repeated projectile impacts from pistols, shotguns and rifles.

In my novel “Patriots”, I describe how to improve the ballistic protection of brick or other masonry homes, by installing steel shutters and door upgrades. For those living in “stick built” (frame construction) houses, or for most other circumstances, a double layer of sand bags works remarkably well at stopping bullets up to .50 caliber. So it is a good idea to have a few hundred sandbags and a pile of sand available, so that you can fill and emplace sandbags soon after TSHTF. Consider them cheap insurance.

Letter Re: Drinking Water Shortage in Gloucester, England

James:
This is an excerpt from a report in The Drudge Report on 7/23/07:
“Police at an emergency services briefing in Gloucester said the water treatment works could be out of action for at least a week – and possibly two before it would be fully operative again.
This would have serious implications for water supply in the Gloucester, Didsbury and Cheltenham areas, they warned. In Gloucestershire, members of the armed forces have been taking 600 water tanks into the area while 22 miles of temporary mains are put in place to enable water to be pumped from outside the county.”

[There were also these reports: Looting, panic buying – and a water shortage, and Official: Worst Floods In Modern History]

And this is my observation:
So, if these folks have to carry water from the tanker to their homes, I wonder if they have anything besides a scrub bucket to carry it in? And at one gallon per person per day minimum, do they realize how much weight they are going to be carrying? [As recently discussed in SurvivalBlog.] I sure hope that SurvivalBlog readers get the message! – Robert B.

Odds ‘n Sods:

From The Wall Street Journal: State Farm to Drop 50,000 Policies Of Homeowners in Coastal Florida OBTW, The Wall Street Journal is one of SurvivalBlog’s Affiliate Advertisers. They are currently running a special Wall Street Journal Print & Online Combination subscription offer: You get a one-year subscription to both editions of The Wall Street Journal plus an additional 8 weeks free, for $125 – a savings of over 70%. By using our The Wall Street Journal link when you subscribe, we’ll get a little piece of the action. Thanks!

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Murphy’s Law: Just one day after I recommended the Jarbidge area as a retreat locale, I heard from both Ron H. and Fred the Valmet-meister that the town has been evacuated because of a massive wildfire. Oh well, perhaps that means that some properties will hit the market there, after all. (Of course, al that timber that I was raving about may be gone…)

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Via SHTF Daily: The housing slump extends beyond houses

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I just heard about an interesting new member of the blogosphere: TEOTWAWKI Blog

Jim’s Quote of the Day:

"In questions of power, then, let no more be said of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution." – Thomas Jefferson

Letter Re: Suggestions on Northern Nevada Retreat Locales?

Jim:
I’m a former Army Ranger living in Salt Lake City, Utah and I’ve been considering Nevada as my bug out / retreat location. I was wondering if you had any resources regarding land for sale or lease in the area north or south of Elko. Any information would be most appreciated. Keep up the outstanding work on the Blog. I love it and read it every day, Thank You and God Bless., – Jason


JWR Replies: As mentioned in my book Rawles on Retreats and Relocation, rather than the Elko area, I recommend the Jarbidge, Nevada area. Jarbidge is in Elko County, but nowhere near the city of Elko. It is about 75 miles north of Interstate-80, just short of the Idaho state line. In my opinion, the city of Elko is too dry and not strategically located. Ely is a bit more off the beaten path, but as previously mentioned in SurvivalBlog, there are two prisons located near Ely, including one of Nevada’s two maximum security prisons, housing the state’s most dangerous inmates. In contrast to Elko and Ely, Jarbidge has plentiful open water sources, and is presumably remote enough to avoid the onslaught of the Golden Horde from California. If you like isolated retreat locales, then Jarbidge is a fine choice. The hunting there–especially along the edge of the Jarbidge Wilderness area–is excellent. (Including mule deer and elk.) Not many properties change hands in and around Jarbidge, so you have to watch the market carefully–or better yet have an agent in Elko County watch it for you. One other proviso: There is currently a legal battle in progress in the Jarbidge region over water rights. Be sure that you will receive deeded water rights before you buy property there.

There is currently a 3,700 acre cattle ranch for sale south of Charleston, Nevada (in the sagebrush country about 20 miles south of Jarbidge) but I prefer partially-timbered areas that are father north, around the town of Jarbidge. I don’t know any real estate agents in that area personally, but I’ve heard that Paul and Lori Bottari of Bottari Real Estate (in Wells, Nevada) are reputable and quite knowledgeable. OBTW, I suggest that you resist the urge to look in or around the Ruby Mountains unless you have a big budget. Sadly, the Californians have enormously driven up the land prices around Lamoille and the Ruby Mountains. That area is also uncomfortably close to the I-80 corridor.

OBTW, if the main appeal of Nevada for you is the lack of income tax (rather than its proximity to Salt Lake City), then I would instead direct you to the Star Valley of western Wyoming. The Star Valley is much nicer than anywhere in Nevada. And, like Nevada (but unlike Utah and Idaho), Wyoming has no personal income tax! (Again, see my book Rawles on Retreats and Relocation for details.)

Letter Re: Going Into Debt to Purchase a Retreat Property?

Jim,
I read your blog nearly every day and benefit from it greatly. I am sending by “snail mail” my Ten Cent Challenge. Thanks for a great site.

My wife and I both are 55 years old and have been “survivalists” for about 10 years. We have been able to create a preparedness larder of 8-to-12 months of food, water and other necessary supplies. For self-defense, we have several shotguns, two AR-15s, two SKSes, a .22 [rimfire] rifle and one handgun – plus several thousand rounds of ammo for each. We hope to take some of the Front Sight courses this fall. Our home is now paid for and we are completely out of debt. We have our business in our home and have the freedom and modest income to do more in preparedness as needed. By God’s grace, we have numerous skills and the mindset to tackle whatever situation God’s providence allows.
The one major thing we don’t have is a retreat property. Our brick rancher, 1,800 sq. ft. with full basement, is in a golf course subdivision about 20 min. from a city of about 200,000 people. Over the years, I have always thought that we could “bug-in” during any kind of crisis; therefore, we concentrated on stocking up and paying down our debt. But now, partly through reading SurvivalBlog and partly through thinking through more thoroughly the ramifications of the present mindset of the masses, my thoughts are changing on staying put during any “Schumer” scenario, and I want to get away to a retreat.
However, my wife is against going into debt again – with good reason, since debt usually is bad in most crises. Also, we need to remain within 30-45 minutes [driving time] of our present location to maintain many of our present business contacts and to take care of my mother who lives by herself. And while we have looked at numerous properties over the past year, everything seems to be way over-priced or not suitable for our needs. To purchase any retreat property in the areas desirable far enough away from the city, we would have to sell our existing house and still borrow $200,000 or more – a hefty sum when you’ve been enjoying having no debt at all for the past few years. Therefore, I am uncertain what to do, especially as regards to going into debt for land, etc., versus staying put where we are and remaining debt free. I cannot decide which is better: to be debt free but in some possible danger being closer to the city, or in debt again but more secure at a retreat. I readily see the value of a retreat, but cannot get past the danger of too heavy a debt load – especially if the economy tanks quickly or even goes into a hyperinflation; we could lose everything through bankruptcy. I need some help sorting this out and wondered if you and/or your readers had any other insights. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for a great site. – Greg in North Carolina

JWR Replies: In essence, you must ask yourself: What do I fear more? The wrath of the bankers, or the wrath of my erstwhile “peaceable” suburban neighbors? I agree that debt is bad. I agree that debt should be avoided, if at all possible. There might be some alternatives to taking on additional debt to buy a retreat:

One alternative that you may not have considered is: buying a modest retreat free and clear, but encumbering your house with a second mortgage. That way, if times get really bad–particularly in a 1930s-style deflationary depression– then you might lose your house to the bankers, but not your retreat.

Another approach would be to sell your present home, and with the proceeds buy a rural retreat house with a “granny cottage” and live there year-round. Encourage your mother to sell her home and move there with you. That might even allow you to remain debt free.

Yet another approach is to pool your resources and set up a group retreat with like-minded relatives. The retreat could ostensibly be a jointly-owned “vacation cabin.” I’ve also seen this done with homesteaded family farms to “keep them in the family.”

Regardless of what you decide to do, don’t plunge into a major purchase without some careful study and prayer. One key consideration is that here in the U.S., the real estate market is currently softening in inland areas, and deteriorating rapidly–almost to the point of panic—in some coastal and resort areas. Meanwhile, the sub-prime lending market is nearing a crisis, and bankers are starting to dump some foreclosed properties at a loss. It might be best to wait a while and watch for the opportunity to pick up a foreclosure or otherwise “distressed” property at a bargain price. One of SurvivalBlog’s affiliate advertisers is Foreclosure.com. I suspect that in the months to come that they will have some suitable rural property listings at genuine “fire sale” prices. Watch the foreclosure market closely, and be be patient

Product Review: SteriPEN UV Light Portable Water Sterilizer

The folks at Safecastle recently sent us a SteriPEN Adventurer, charging case, and pre-filter for evaluation. Our #1 Son tested them in the secret laboratory beneath the JASBORR. Here are his findings:

Model Tested: SteriPEN Adventurer

The SteriPEN uses an ultraviolet light to sterilize microbes in water. The pen can treat water in 1 liter batches, in only 90 seconds. It runs on standard CR123 batteries, which are becoming ubiquitous. (A plus for anyone that already stocks these batteries for their tactical lights and/or lasers.)
USE: You just push the power button, put it into a bottle of clean water, and stir for about 90 seconds.
DESIGN: The pen is about 6 inches long and only weighs 110 grams (about 4 ounces), so it is certainly portable enough to take on lightweight backpacking trips. It is water resistant and has a sturdy plastic casing.
ADVANTAGES: It is very easy to use, lightweight, and sturdy. The price of filtration per liter is much less than most filters, and it runs on rechargeable batteries.
DRAWBACKS: The pen can only treat water in batches of up to 1 liter. Also, the water needs to be clear of any sediment, or microbes will survive.

Water Bottle Pre-Filter
The filter attaches to standard Nalgene-thread water bottles. It has a replaceable 4 micron filter, which removes sand and dirt. The pre-filter works quite quickly but still leaves the water a bit cloudy. so it cannot be depended on by itself. (We surmise that a couple of thickness of t-shirt cloth could be used as a “pre-pre-filter.”) But the pre-filter still makes a useful compliment to the SteriPEN.

Charging/Carrying Case
The case is hard plastic, with a small photovoltaic panel on the lid. It has a charging slot for two CR123 batteries, and a foam padded slot to hold the SteriPEN. There is no direct charger for the pen, so the batteries have to be charged separately, and then put in the SteriPEN. The case also comes with a 117 volt wall (grid/utility power) adapter for charging the batteries at home. (Both chargers, BTW are great to also keep on hand for charging the rechargeable varieties of CR123 batteries for tactical lights and lasers.)

The bottom line: Both the SteriPen and the chargers are easy to use and sturdy. We endorse this product. SteriPENs are available from Safecastle, Ready Made Resources, and several other Internet vendors.

Odds ‘n Sods:

Brian H. mentioned an interesting note from retired journalist Charley Reese regarding Swiss preparedness.

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Umpteen SurvivalBlog readers have mentioned the new proposed OSHA regulations on ammunition, gunpowder, and primers. Please get involved and write a few letters during the public comment period,.

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SF in Hawaii was doing some research on potable water storage and he found this low cost supplier for barrels, and this supplier for large tanks.

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Richard of KT Ordnance sent us the link to this entertaining and informative video: Chevy Pickup Truck Versus Various Brands of AR-15/M16 magazines. I should mention that upon seeing it, The Memsahib declared that since “it includes a truck, gun stuff, and things getting broken”, that this video has nearly all the key elements to make it a perfect “guy video.” OBTW, Magpul PMAGs are available from Green Mountain Gear (one of our advertisers.)