Jim Quote of the Day:

“Thou [art] my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word. Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God. Uphold me according unto thy word, that I may live: and let me not be ashamed of my hope. Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually.
Thou hast trodden down all them that err from thy statutes: for their deceit [is] falsehood. Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth [like] dross: therefore I love thy testimonies.” – Psalm 119:114-119 (KJV)

Note From JWR:

Special Thanks to SurvivalBlog reader Doug H. who out of the kindness of his heart utilized some arcane scripting voodoo to add an anchor to each entry in The SurvivalBlog Glossary. Henceforth, clicking on each link to the Glossary will result in a specific entry being displayed. For example, try clicking on: “TEOTWAWKI.” Note that it will take us a while to go back through and retrofit all of the existing Glossary links, to make them properly “targeted.” Thanks for your patience.

Letter Re: Home Dehydrating and Home Vacuum Packing

Sir:
As a “very long time” survivalist, I read everything I can get. I also enjoy your website as it is the most informative one out there! Now for my problem: I was diagnosed with what is called Celiac Sprue. This is a horrible allergy to anything that contains Gluten, such as wheat, barley, and rye. What this means is that if I were to eat anything that contained Gluten I will come down with extremely bad cramps, diarrhea, nausea, and fever. Basically, It feels like I have the flu but ten times worse. As you can see this makes buying large bulk items for long term storage difficult and costly. My question to all is this: Can I get a dehydrator and an automatic sealer and vacuum to make my own MREs? I am talking about things like Thai noodles (various flavors, all Gluten free), hydrate and cook them and then turn around and use a dehydrator to make them dehydrated, or, just seal them in a pouch minus the air and use them as long term pre-packaged/MRE type food? Does anybody have any experience in doing just this? Thanks, – Thunderchief

JWR Replies: Home dehydrators are very useful! Over the years, we have used ours for everything from drying venison jerky and apples, to “reanimating” silica gel rust preventative packets. Dehydrators easy to find used for reasonable prices, via a newspaper “want” ad, or a localized web service like Craig’s List. Dehydrators are a bit bulky to buy via mail order, so try to find a local source first.) If purchased new, they can be quite expensive. The one that we use at the Rawles Ranch is an Excalibur brand, with a variable temperature control. They are very sturdy and typically have lots of trays, so they can hold a lot. Ours is circa 1980, and still going strong, with no maintenance. They require AC power, so in anticipation of he grid going down, you should already have a backup solar dehydrator, or at least all of the materials that you will need to fabricate one, after TSHTF.(See: http://www.standardtimes.com/daily/08-02/08-31-02/c02li087.htm and http://www.pathtofreedom.com/pathproject/offthegrid/solarfooddryer.shtml, and http://www.herbdatanz.com/sia4_dehydration_apparatus.htm. OBTW, rolls of window screen are great to keep on hand at a retreat, just on general principle. For build ing a dehydrator, a spring house, or a meat house, they will prove invaluable!) You can use the trays from your Excalibur in a properly dimensioned DIY solar dehydrator if you don’t get it too hot.

As for a vacuum sealer, the brand that we like and have used for more than 10 years–is the Tilia Foodsaver Compact. Yep, it the one that you’ve seen on those late night “infomercials.” They really do work, both for evacuating and sealing plastic bags, and for evacuating Mason-type jars. To save money, it is probably best to buy one of these used, through eBay. Just be sure that the seller guarantees it against being DOA. Test it thoroughly, immediately after you buy it. Be advised that they are only designed to seal one particular thickness of plastic bags, and they have a limited maximum width.You should shop around for bags and bag material on the Internet as prices vary dramatically!

Odds ‘n Sods:

Check out the outdoor survival and land navigation resources at Survival Monkey. This is are also a site where you can read the full text of the EMP web novel “Lights Out.” See: http://www.survivalmonkey.com/ (OBTW, Survival Monkey is not to be confused with Trunk Monkey. I love those commercials!)

o o o

Mr. Bravo mentioned that prices are falling on lithium batteries for Surefire (and similar) high-performance flashlights and lasers. The batteries do not have to be expensive (up to $10 each at the camera department!) There are many discount online sources that sell them in bulk for not much more than a dollar a piece. Even Surefire sells them for under $2 per battery. See: http://www.surefire.com

o o o

I’ve received several positive e-mails from readers who have bought traps, snares, and gill nets from Buckshot’s Camp. Now that Mr and Mrs. Buckshot have completed their move, they have cleared up their backlog of orders.So if you were waiting because of their move, there is no more need to hesitate. Get your orders in. Start studying their instructional DVDs, and try out their gear this Spring. Pound for pound and dollar for dollar, I can’t think of any other survival preparation that can do more to ensure that you can feed your family in a long term emergency. Don’t overlook this aspect of your training and preparedness!

o o o

I found a great vendor that sells the latest generation FN-FAL para kits and parts. See: http://www.thekaiserworks.com/purchase/falprod.html.

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Why would anyone want to live in New Jersey?What a nightmare for gun owners. See: http://www.anjrpc.org/fopalawsuit.htm

SurvivalBlog Now Hosts Free Downloadable Shooting Targets and Target Logs for Your PC Printer!

As a public service in support of military, police, and citizen marksmanship, SurvivalBlog.com is pleased to provide web site space for The Target Tracker System© (TTS) and The Target Tracker System – Law Enforcement© (TTSLE). Just click on the Free Targets / Logs button in our top bar and then click on the links for the .zip files. Our sincere thanks to DBG, who donated these products as a fundraising vehicle for SurvivalBlog!

David in Israel Re: A Winter Crossing

While living on the dry side of the state of Oregon [eastern Oregon] while in college, my bugout plan always included heading to one of two prepped positions one a cramped remote cabin and some buckets of food and gear the other a friend who had well prepared but was too close to a highway. Circumstances would have dictated which to go to. In winter, my plan was to ski and sled in my gear. Without the assistance of a massive snow plowing network, much of the northern United States would be locked-in, once winter arrived. Almost all logging roads and highways would be closed until the snow melts. This seasonal closure can actually work for your retreat, by providing cheap security–filtering to just a tiny number of Sno-cats and snowmobiles with any possible access. I will leave discussion of snowmobiles, sleighs, and dog teams to an expert.

What you need:
Skis & Ski climbing (skins and/or wax and klister)
Boots
Sled
Collapsible shovel
Sleeping gear
High calorie foods
Powerful stove

You must become comfortable with your gear experience is the best way. I started with surplus Ramer bindings and upgraded to Silveretta 300s using military double chamber touring skis. Some prefer Telemark bindings over the randonee bindings. I stayed with the double chamber to take advantage of using climbing wax,
turning was not a major concern since I was not planning to be a sport user. I bought about 10 sets of military synthetic Ramer brand strap on skins at $5 a pair and
converted several to sticky on. There may be much better gear on the market now see if you can rent from a shop before you buy. Plastic mountaineering boots are warm comfortable and you can carry several liners if they get wet, assuming that you are sleeping warm you can take the liners into your sleeping bag. A mountaineering boot is designed for crampon use or direct walking on rock and ice for extended periods of time almost all have a hiking boot type vibram sole. While they are not the ideal for sport skiing control, a randonee binding is designed to fit this type of boot.

Your sled can be anything from a long kids sled and rope (better if you put PVC pipe extenders to a belt for downhill control) to expensive rescue or military models the better the sled the longer the life and usually easier to control in a downhill mode. [JWR Adds: For a team of four or more people, the large U.S. Army “Ahkio” sled is excellent. They can occasionally be found at DRMO auctions at military posts like Sierra Army Depot; California; Fort Carson, Colorado; Fort Drum, New York; and Fort Greeley, Alaska.]

The packable snow shovel a back country skiers friend dig you a nice burrow into the snow so you stay cozy no matter how cold it gets, digs out avalanche victims, and helps make igloo blocks. Be careful and build a safe snow cave. If you like snow caves a Goretex bivvy bag is a good way to keep your sleeping bag dry, don’t forget an insulating layer (foam, thermarest, pine boughs, cardboard, etc). If you prefer a tent be sure it is a true four season tent, designed to withstand heavy snow and wind.
High calorie foods with lots of fats and protein are important in winter ops both for warmth and endurance. High protein and fat diets will require much higher water intake to metabolize. A Camelbak worn over your belly and sipped regularly is ideal. BTW, a gulp of olive oil before bed raises your body temp a little to
digest keeping you warm at night. Water generation in a snow-covered environment is harder than it sounds. Forget eating snow it is water negative once you calculate the calories required for your body to melt and heat it. Consider it a worthless junk food. To melt snow you must carry a pot and a proper stove. The MSR series especially the XGK are made for blasting snow into water in a few minutes and they burn like an F-14’s engine ready for a carrier catapult launch! Use large stainless steel camp set pot if possible because there is a potential for dry spots at first and aluminum may burn, adding melted water helps spread the heat much faster.

An Aside: Bunny Socks
As almost nobody packs enough wool socks to last forever remember that rabbit skin after it is washed and tanned can be worn with the fur side to the feet, to winterize a pair of boots–especially in the absence of proper socks. These also make inner moccasins for your outer leathers if you have to make your own boots.

A SurvivalBlog Reader at Front Sight, by The Wanderer

Where to begin? I have to preface this letter by thanking you for making me aware of Front Sight Resorts. I had heard of it before, but had not understood the value that waits, nor the reality of the training. This is the best investment I have made.
I decided to take a Four Day Defensive Handgun class at Front Sight. I found myself second-guessing my investment of both money and time away from work/family. The concern of the investment ended as soon as I met the staff. Talk about Qualified! Let’s say Over Qualified. I don’t want to get into details as it would not be coming from a professional that is trained to teach like only the professionals at Front Sight can do.
I would say that I started the course with “an appreciation” and “hobbyist” type handgun shooter mentality. I can guarantee that I had fired less than 1,500 rounds through a handgun before heading to the course.
In the course, constructed of lecture, tactical, hands on, and firing type curriculum, we went through approximately 850 rounds of ammo bringing my totals to a modest 2,350 rounds ever fired through a handgun of which I had only fired 150 rounds through the weapon/tool that I took to the course before enrolling! (As a side note, I very much give you the advice of taking a Glock brand handgun for this course simply for maximum benefit). Other type handguns were very specific on how you perform tactics and safety. It freed up time to focus on the training and not be distracted by the numerous operations of other type handguns such as Berettas. (You can rent a gun while there as well.)
The days are very intense, not information overload, but information sponge! This is priceless instruction. I can guarantee that my instructors were the perfect marriage for any type learning, thus giving you maximum retention. I felt that I had received my “money’s worth” in the first two days. In enrolling in the four day course, I soon realized that if you make the commitment to go to Front Sight, make it a full commitment and go for four days. I went from basics to Professional by staying the additional two days.
Here are some tips for when you go, (not if you go).
1. Flush your pride down the toilet before you attend
2. Focus on the reason you are there
3. Realize that everything you learn WILL benefit you and your loved ones
4. Use your ears, not your mouth while there
5. Realize that there are only a handful of professionals at the course. (The instructors, not you)
6. YOU WILL MAKE HUGE GAINS in knowledge, tactics, and marksmanship.
7. Just because Las Vegas is close does not mean you go there while in training!
8. Every night’s sleep is too short. You wake up practicing, you think about what you’ve learned, you anticipate the next day. There is no time for partying!
9. Plan scientific meals. (I took current Issue MREs) for lunch. The energy this provided me gave me an advantage in retention and ability.
10. Dry Practice EVERY night.
11. Set a goal, achieve it or surpass it as I did.
12. You may feel intimidated by your peers, (So What). Will you not feel intimidated by a potential assailant? Our group ranged from the basic service type jobs to Doctors, Attorneys, SWAT Team Members, Policemen, EMTs, and Housewives.
13. Every student is one more person that may save your life some day, give them respect, give them advice, take their advice. We all have the same goals!
14. Many students were returning students, (some on their fourth visit to this particular course. Some came from as far away as New York). Thus giving relevance to obtaining a membership in which you can attend specific classes as many times as you like for the rest of your life.
15. Practice Perfect Practice. I did this at a speed in which I was slower than everyone else, but on testing day, the speed came naturally as the technique was perfected. I was awarded “Distinguished Graduate” on my first course to Front Sight, performing at 90% or more in the tactics and shooting tests. I believe there were four others awarded likewise. Some of the Distinguished Graduates were returning students during our week.
16. Block out distractions. (Make a plan, and have someone cover your job, family life, etc. for you). I did not take my cell phone to Front Sight ever. I saw many getting distracted and missing valuable information for whatever reason.
17. Make a commitment towards ongoing practice/ training. You could be a Rambo one day, and a bumbling idiot the next. Learn, practice = retention.

I would love to give specifics, as these are countless. But in doing so, I could be poisoning the well. Go there with an open mind; be ready to change your techniques. You will come away with more benefit in just a few days than you could possibly ever imagine. I now have a confidence that I have never felt before, and best of all; I feel that I owe it to my family. I know that I will be there for them. – The Wanderer

David in Israel on Flashlights and Batteries

For a non tactical flashlight (momentary/click button on bottom) I prefer the Underwater Kinetics flashlight. These use four size AA batteries.They are widely used as firefighter helmet lights and survive well, even in fire/ground abuse environments. I try to keep everything standardized to AA and have a large stock of NiMH and lithium-ion rechargeables around. For long term kit storage the comments about 9 VDC lithium is right on, AA lithium batteries are also available in the camera section and can be expected to last much longer in storage than alkalines. I try to avoid CR-123 tactical and laser gear as both the rechargeable and disposable cells are quite expensive.

JWR Adds: Underwater Kinetics also makes some very rugged Pelican-style hard cases.

Letter Re: Shelf Life of NiMH Batteries?

JWR,
There have been a few posts about batteries lately and a question I have been unable to find an answer to is:

Do Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries have a limited storage life before they are put into service (receive their first electric charge)? It would be nice to know if I can buy a quantity and store them away until needed. I’ve not seen this addressed anywhere and maybe you know or one of your readers knows the answer. Regards, – Keith

JWR Replies: That goes beyond my base of knowledge.  Would any readers care to chime in on this one?

Note From JWR:

Note from JWR:  Please help boost the worldwide readership of SurvivalBlog. We now have readers in 40+ countries!  (See:  http://clustrmaps.com/counter/maps.php?url=https://survivalblog.com ) Please tell all of your friends and relatives that live overseas about the blog, especially ex-pats, and deployed military service members. And for those of you in the corporate world, please tell your co-workers that are at off-shore centers. Thanks!

Letter From David in Israel Re: Fire Protection for Log Homes

James,
In response to The Army Aviator: Sodium silicate a.k.a. waterglass might be able to make wood water resistant. I would treat a shingle and then test it with a blow torch.

I am a big proponent of Barricade gel which is the same dry gel which is in baby diapers. (See: http://www.barricadegel.com/ ) It was available in a home protection kit and is probably the next best thing to a house-sized fire shelter but for a much lower price. The only problem is that Barricade needs to be sprayed on around 24 hours before the flames come. Otherwise it will dry out and become less effective. – David

Letter Re: Seeking Advice on 27 Year Old Storage Food

Jim,
I apologize if you’ve already covered this in previous archives – I searched several, but not all, of your blog archives. I did see your comment, “Wheat stores for 20+ years…” I have a LOT of wheat purchased in 1979 after reading Howard Ruff’s “How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years.” I have other items – Navy and other types of beans. It is by Neo-Life, “NEST” storage, “Nitro-Guard” protection – it was stored in #10 cans purged with with nitrogen. So it is all 25+ years old. I have been storing this stuff in my basement, which is cool and mostly dry, on 2×4’s up off the floor. I keep the humidity below 40% with a de-humidifier. My question is, have these items lost enough of their nutrition value to where it would be a waste of time trying to use them? My wife wants to throw it all out, and I probably will, unless you someone can point me to a source that would say this stuff is probably still good to use. Surprisingly, “Google” has failed me this time – I spent several hours looking for an answer, to no avail (I have used Google for literally hundreds of searches and it almost always gets the information I need.) What do you think? – Mike from Chicago

JWR Replies: Some items like salt will store for centuries as long as they are not contaminated by the rust or decay of their containers. If stored dry, hard red winter wheat still retains 98% of it nutritive value after 20 years. Ditto for sugar or honey. Most dehydrated foods, (such as rice, beans, TVP, and the ubiquitous Neo-Life Stroganoff) will have lost too much nutritive value to be useful after 27 years, even if they were nitrogen packed.  They might still be palatable, but unless you are dieting, what is the use of eating them if they have lost 90% of their nutritive value? My advice:  If in doubt, throw it out. Ideally, you should continuously rotate your storage food to avoid such waste. If nothing else, mark the cans/cases of your subsequent batches of storage food, so that you can religiously use the oldest lots first.

One tidbit of trivia for you:  Some wheat that was found in an Egyptian pharaoh’s tomb. A small fraction of it still sprouted after 2,600 years. If you have any canned gardening seeds, try them out.  The sprouting yields will be low, but there could be some marginal utility there. Just don’t expend too much effort tilling and tending those those rows in your garden!  BTW, the same logic applies to canned sprouting seeds.

Letter Re: Advice on When to Sell Silver?

Dear Mr. Rawles,
I read on The Claire Files that you think silver will be going to $40 an ounce. My spouse and I can’t agree when we should sell our 8,000 ounces of silver. I think we should hang on to it all until it gets to $20 and ounce then sell. But my spouse thinks we should start selling now. What do you think? By the way, we purchased most of it at $5 an ounce in the form of 100 ounce bars. We also have about a bag and a half of “junk” silver dimes.- F.L.

JWR Replies:  First, you need to distinguish between a core holding (for barter), and what you bought for investment purposes. My advice is to sell your family core holding–perhaps 800 to 1,500 ounces–only as a last resort. As for the rest, be dispassionate about selling it. Don’t try to time the top of the market. Since spot silver is currently at around $9.80/oz., (and it was recently $10.18) so it is has essentially doubled since you bought it. At present, you could sell half of it and recoup your original investment, and still be sitting on 4,000 ounces at essentially no cost. (BTW, don’t forget to consider both taxes and the “opportunity cost” of missing out on the interest that you would have otherwise earned in a dollar-denominated investment during he same years that you held the silver.)

There is an old saying on Wall Street: “Bulls make money, and bears make money, but pigs get slaughtered.” If you wait until silver hits some magic/arbitrary number, you might miss the peak, and hence get slaughtered when the metals go back into a bear market cycle. That is what happened to a lot of folks, back around 1981. When silver ran up past $35 an ounce, they decided to hold on “a little while longer.” Oink oink. Big mistake. They should have gradually averaged their way out, during the second half of the the run-up.

Based on my assumption that you have 80 bars (100 ounce bars) that had a purchase cost of $500 each, here is my specific advice on when to sell:

Core holding: (All of your circulated “junk” coin bags.) Hold and don’t sell unless you are in desperate need.

Silver exceeds $10 per ounce:  Sell 8 bars.($8,000)

Silver exceeds $12 per ounce:  Sell another 8 bars. ($9,600)

Silver exceeds $15 per ounce:  Sell another 8 bars. ($12,000)

Silver exceeds $20 per ounce (4x cost):  Sell another 8 bars. ($16,000.) This gets you past your “break even” point on your original investment. Everything past this will be gravy.

Silver exceeds $25 per ounce:  Sell another 16 bars. ($40,000)

Silver exceeds $30 per ounce:  Sell another 16 bars. ($48,000)

Silver exceeds $40 per ounce (8x cost):  Sell your last 16 bars.($64,000)

Even if silver crashes after passing $20 per ounce, you will still have recouped your original investment and have 48 bars (4,800 ounces) of silver remaining. But if silver runs up past $40 per ounce, you will have $197,600 in cash. Not bad for a $40,000 investment!.