Letter Re: Including Physically/Mentally Impaired Children/Adults in Retreat Planning?

Jim;
Have not seen the following subject touched upon in this or any other survival/preparedness forum/blog. What are your thoughts?

I recently finished reading David Crawford’s short story “The Bug-Out” and like his novel “Light’s Out” it was a well crafted, entertaining and enjoyable read for a piece of fiction. More importantly it like the novel is also a fine educational tool on how to and how not to prepare for WTSHTF. Both of these stories should be required reading for anyone interested in survival and preparedness issues.

The two points that really got my attention in “The Bug-Out” were: 1.) That although Joe had the best of intentions and had done some basic prepping in the past, he had allowed things to slide and WTSHTF, he was well behind the curve and 2.) It did not seem to me that neither his kids or more importantly his wife were really on-board with the whole survival/preparedness thing.

Had everything been up to snuff it seems to me that they could have “Gotten out of Dodge” a full two hours sooner and quite possibly lived to make it to the farm. Now, I’m sure that was the whole point of David’s fine story but have all of you fully digested that point and taken it to heart in your own situations?

The story also put me in mind of a situation that I experienced a couple of years ago. I journeyed back to southeastern New Hampshire where I grew up, to visit my sister. While there, a couple that was part of our old high school gang set up a get-together for myself and twelve or thirteen other couples who were all part of our group. While sitting around and chatting about life then and now we got onto the subject of Survival, Preparedness, WTSHTF and TEOTWAWKI. This subject consumed the better part of the next three or four hours and I came away with some interesting and somewhat disturbing points (that I hadn’t thought of before).

Two couples declined to participate in this discussion and left saying that the rest of us were all crazy and that the whole Survival/Preparedness was just so much BS and that there was never going to be any WTSHTF or TEOTWAWKI. For their sake ,hope they are right, but if not, they are going to die. Too bad!

The remaining eleven couples were all in one stage or another of Preparedness Preparation. It was quite interesting to note that three of the eleven families were ram-rodded by the wife as opposed to the husband and that those groups were three of the top five in how well prepared they were.

What was also interesting to me was the fact that of the other seven couples who were less well prepared or not prepared at all, the major stumbling block was the lack of interest on the part of the wife and to a lesser extent lack of interest on the part of their kids.

Another point of contention was the fact that three of the remaining six groups had serious problems with a similar subject. What to do about/with physically/mentally impaired children/adults in the family.

There were either aged parents in a nursing home or autistic children in a special needs school/home. In all three cases the wife would absolutely not hear of abandoning the children/parents while the husband held that during a TEOTWAWKI situation they could not deal with the associated problems/dangers that taking these family members along would generate.

Thankfully I have never had to face these issues and I’m not sure what I’d do or how I would respond if faced with the same situation.

My purpose here is to ask if any of the Blog readers have experience with either of these two problem and if so, how did you handle them or how would you handle them??

Do you believe that including physically/mentally impaired children/adults on a Bug-Out would be smart or even safe? – Wise Tioga

JWR Replies: I believe that including physically/mentally impaired children/adults in retreat planning is a moral obligation. As a Christian, I would never consider doing otherwise. Adding a year’s worth of food storage is a relatively inexpensive proposition, if it is done as part of a bulk (group) purchase. So there is no need to be Machiavellian  Just make your “life boat” a bit bigger.

As the old saying goes, “You can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your relatives.” Certainly it would be unwise to build a survival group chosen from among new acquaintances that includes anyone that has a major health issue. Can you imagine, for example, the trauma of watching a diabetic go into a coma and die, for want of insulin? But as for family, it is your duty to provide for and to protect your own, come what may. As previously mentioned in SurvivalBlog, although seemingly a burden, elderly people may turn out to be a great asset, given their long lifetimes of experience. What is between their ears may be much more important than extra muscle. Likewise, your brother or cousin who is the parent of an autistic or retarded child might turn out to be a crucial member of your group.

The challenges of caring for an elderly or disabled family member create an even greater imperative to live at your retreat year-round. Otherwise “getting settled”  at a retreat will be enormously more stressful. If you have the job flexibility to do so, make the move to your intended retreat ASAP. Most of all, pray for God’s guidance, providence, and protection. I do, daily.

Letter Re: Recommendations on Body Armor?

Dear James:
J.H. is absolutely correct in that you should avoid body armor with Zylon, and that most of the “big name” brands in Body Armor have put out Zylon models. Some Point Blank production was only 20% Zylon, but it’s just not worth taking the chance. For any vest you should check out the manufacturer’s website, and then if there is any question of Zylon, get a confirmation in writing of the ballistic fibers used.
The recommendation to buy only NEW armor is not always the best advice, though. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) has tested 10 year old USED Body Armor and found it tested as good as new, see
http://bulletproofme.com/How_Good_is_Police_Surplus.shtml
This applies to Aramid, i.e., Kevlar or Twaron vests, and NOT Zylon, of course. We have tested 10 to 25 year old aramid ballistic panels (some in bad condition) and they have always stopped the common pistol threats, including the standard test rounds of 9mm FMJ, and .357 Magnum at +P velocities
Ballistic protection levels explained at:
http://bulletproofme.com/Ballistic_Protection_Levels.shtml
So, buy the best protection you can afford. But get a used vest, rather than no vest at all. It’s like poker…
One vest and one gun, beats NO vest and two guns!
The point about the practicality of concealable vests over Tactical Body Armor is very well taken. Better 50% protection that you are wearing 100% of the time, than 100% protection left at home in the closet! The best vest for you is the one you are actually wearing when shot!
For guard duty in a crisis, nothing beats the turtle-shell feeling of a Tactical Vest and Rifle Plates – though it is a good idea to cover it up with a jacket. But make the concealable vest the first priority.
One of the questions we are most often asked is which ballistic protection level to get: Level II-A, Level II or Level III-A, from thinnest to thickest. Again, often less is more. Better the Level II-A or Level II that you can easily conceal and are wearing, rather than the Level III-A at home in the closet. Level III-As stop more of the uncommon threats like 9mm sub-machine-gun and .44 Magnum, but this is a very small percentage of the threats on the street. The real advantage of the thicker Level III-A vest is more blunt trauma protection – possibly letting you return fire more effectively.
We have an in-depth, generic Guide to Selecting Body Armor for those who want to learn more:
http://bulletproofme.com/How_to_Select_Body_Armor.shtml Yours truly – Nick – Manager, BulletProofME.com Body Armor

Letter Re: Our Grid-Up Bug Out — January 22nd Through February 4th, 2006

Jim:
Larry is to be congratulated for taking the initiative. In years past I have bugged out on numerous occasions just to “be sure.” I have never felt jilted for doing that. It is ALWAYS good practice and you always learn something.

Larry may want to investigate buying a 20 foot or 40 foot (depending on his size needs) Sealand (CONEX) container and having it placed on his retreat property.

This will allow him to ditch the rental storage shed (saving probably $30-50. per month. In two years or so you will “break even” on the cost of the container) and give him a possible shelter to use if he needs to live at the retreat prior to having a normal dwelling built. He can pre-position his supplies in the back of the container and build living quarters in the front of it. The walls can be insulated, windows and doors even put in if he is so inclined. This would give him a relatively low cost ($1,000 to 1,500.) way to pre-position his supplies and have emergency living quarters if needed.

If he’s worried about his supplies being looted I’d suggest putting them all in the back of the container, then buying a few dozen straw bales and building a wall of straw bales right at the front of the container. Someone opens the door and sees hay bales from the floor to ceiling 2 layers deep. I would assume someone is about to move horses or cows on the property and is stockpiling hay. He will have to weigh the risk of breaking over the risk of having to run all over the countryside retrieving supplies from storage lockers. This would also allow truly one trip- right to the retreat. Allowing him to get his family immediately out of harm’s way. In my opinion their is just as much chance of having the sealand container broken into on the property as their is the storage shed broken into, probably more risk of the latter being broken into, especially after civil unrest.

Larry is to be commended for being a doer and taking the initiative. He has learned many lessons that others will not learn until the day comes. – Mr. Lima

Letter Re: Sources For Sand Bags?

Hi Jim,
Do you know a good place to buy sand bags? Here in Florida there is plenty of sand, but I need to buy some sand bags to put it in. Thanks. Joe

JWR Replies: In the U.S. there are several good sources, but prices vary widely, so shop around.  (From as much as $3.75 each in small quantities to as little as 38 cents each if you buy in lots of 1000.) For example, see:

http://www.1starmy.com/products.asp?subCategory=490&parentCategory=486

http://www2.rangersurplus.com/long.asp?tgs=5144548:8550080&cart_id=&item_id=2290

http://www.preparedness.com/floodprotsan.html (The lowest price I’ve found on small quantities–around $1.80 each.)

If you want to buy in quantity (perhaps a group purchase that you can split several ways), it is best to order direct from a manufacturer, such as   http://daybag.com/industrial/sand_bags.html , or http://www.mutualindustries.com/html/sand.html , or http://www.unitedbags.com/c-6-sandbags.aspx  (The latter currently charges $380 per thousand)

And for our readers across the pond, here is a source in England: http://www.surplusandadventure.com/ishop/800/shopscr1462.html

OBTW, be sure to buy the later variety synthetic (such as polypropylene) sand bags. The early burlap (or “Hessian”) ones tend to rot and rip out too quickly. The latest and greatest mil-spec bags use Linear Low-Density PolyEthylene (LLDPE) or Polyethylene film laminated with a third layer of molten polyethylene. These have the best UV protection (and hence the longest useful life out in the elements), but are the most expensive. Even the standard military polypropylene bags will last two to three years in full sun, and much longer if painted or kept in the shade.

Letter Re: Safecastle’s Pricing on Mountain House Freeze Dried Foods

Mr. Rawles,
I just wanted to let you know about the smokin’ deal I got on Mountain House foods from Vic at SafeCastle. I bought a 150-can kit for HALF of what I would have paid buying directly from Mountain House. I just had to tell him I was a SurvivalBlog reader. If anyone is looking for Mountain House food, March is the month to buy. I don’t have any connection with Vic or his business. I just wanted to pass on the info. Thanks, – Rich in Louisiana

JWR Replies: Thanks for your letter.  I’m always glad to hear affirmation that I’ve chosen the right advertisers.

It is worth mentioning that Vic, owner of Safecastle (one of our loyal advertisers) is giving a substantial discount to SurvivalBlog readers off of his already well-discounted prices on Mountain House bulk buys, just for the month of March. After that, prices go back to normal, so if you are looking to build your stocks of long-term storage food, contact Vic. Here is a link to his 150-can deal–which he’ll discount even further for you:
http://cgi.ebay.com/150-Mountain-House-10-cans-Nearly-1800-Servings_W0QQitemZ8745771598QQcategoryZ106996QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

Letter Re: REI’s Members-Only Sale

Jim:
Thought your readers might benefit from this deal: I just noticed that REI has a special member’s only ‘20% off 1 item’ sale right now…no shipping charges too if you pick it up at your local store.  Excludes their pricey mountain bikes, boats, GPS or ELBs. But that still means a big discount on many top quality high buck survival items like Katadyn water filters, MSR MIOX purifiers, lightweight tarp shelters, Bug-Out packs, ETON hand crank radios, Thule and Yakima roof racks. Their sale ends 4/02/06.
http://www.rei.com/rei/coupons/member_reward.jsp?cm_re=lq*lq*member_rewards_coupon&vcat=REI_HP_LD – Gman

Odds ‘n Sods:

Some interesting country rankings:  http://www.aneki.com/lists.html

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Rumors have started full scale salt and sugar hoarding in Russia: http://english.pravda.ru/russia/economics/20-02-2006/76194-salt-0

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SurvivalBlog reader Lyn recommends: http://www.boatuscom/goodoldboat/pressure.htm (“A link about pressure cooking, good for newbies, that has a section at the end on how to make a water distiller using a pressure cooker. Also, 15 pounds of pressure is the minimum needed to sterilize hospital equipment. Plus of course food cooks quicker, saving fuel.”)

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I’m pleased to see that the Firefox browser has become so popular. The Secret Squirrels tell me that it is much more secure than either Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer. Here at the Rawles Ranch we are glad that we made the switch to Firefox. We hope that you will consider doing likewise. Hey, it’s free, so you have no excuse. See: http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/

Note From JWR:

The following non-fiction article describes an abortive grid-up bug out made by a SurvivalBlog reader, in response to several articles (thankfully erroneous) that were posted on www.arcticbeacon.com between January 22 and January 26, 2006.  The author’s experience is not unique. Several of my friends bugged out to their retreats in late 1999, only to return to the Big City early in 2000, when Y2K turned out to be a non-event.  I also have an aquaintance–incidentally upon whom the John Thomas Rourke character in Jerry Ahern’s The Survivor paperback book series was based–who bugged out to a retreat in a remote region of Northern California immediately after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1980. He was convinced that it was the first stage of WWIII. Hindsight is indeed 20/20, and it is easy to say “He was a Chicken Little.” But the essential truth is that it is better to bug out early than it is to hesitate and be trapped in the metropolis like the sheeple. The following piece teaches some valuable lessons.

Although this was a case of  “false alarm”, it is still quite instructive.You will note that Larry mentions that he did not have room in his vehicles to bring all of his supplies with him. I cannot emphasize this enough: It is crucial to both do a “practice load” and to pre-position the majority of your supplies at your intended retreat. You may have only one trip Outta Dodge, when the balloon really does go up.

Our Grid-Up Bug Out — January 22nd Through February 4th, 2006 by Larry in Kansas

On January 22nd my wife had been on the web site www.arcticbeacon.com and ran across the following article http://www.arcticbeacon.com/22-Jan-2006.html. The article covers a nuclear attack and a financial collapse in America within 90 days. (sometime in March of 2006). This got our attention, BIG TIME. On January 25 the following article was posted on Arcticbeacon http://www.arcticbeacon.com/25-Jan-2006.html. An attack was imminent in 9 days for Texas City-Houston area. On January 26 the following article was posted http://www.arcticbeacon.com/26-Jan-2006b.html. Houston police running nuclear disaster drills. I did my best to checkout the articles and the sources, however, I felt really pressed for time so the decision to bug out was made on January 26. I realize that this might not seem like a lot of good intel, however, since Kansas City was mentioned as a possible target and since we live close to Kansas City, so it really wasn’t that hard of a decision. Also, we have been watching the U.S. economy (see the novel by Jim Rawles Patriots), gold and silver, the stock markets, dollars and Euros ( especially dollar reserves vs. euro in other countries), oil and gas, open borders, U.S. and world politics, Iran and Syria, North Korea, etc. We went into “Condition Red”. Because the “advanced warning“ calculated the possible deed to be accomplished on February 1st or 3rd we decided to bug out to our Rally Point (RP) on the next Monday, January 30. I didn’t want us to be trapped in a major city if the balloon went up. I envisioned martial law would be used and traveling would be suspended. I also envisioned road blocks everywhere to stop any more “terrorists” still out there roaming around looking for more targets. Lots of “shoot first and don’t ask any questions.“ This also gave us time to “calmly” pack the vehicles. Even while being highly motivated, at times, we suffered from severe brain deadness. I found you really need a clear cut list of the items to take. You need to have them bagged, boxed and tagged so there is no searching and second guessing yourself. You need to know what goes where in which vehicle. I don’t like to say this but I believe thinking about this while doing it causes haste. Your lists and bug out plan(s) have to be already worked out. I can only imagine what it would have been like if the balloon had already gone up. Remember that the time you take loading your vehicle(s) only takes away your bug out time or put another way, your window of opportunity is closing.

FAMILY/FRIENDS/WORK/SCHOOL–We informed a limited number of family members and friends of the situation. We had to treat this like a medical triage situation. Certain people would be told and the decision to leave was up to them. Others would not be told since we know them and it would have opened a whole new can of worms we didn’t want or need to deal with at that time. My older son and family who lives in the fallout path east of Texas City-Houston area agreed to come to the RP. My two middle kids, 18 year old daughter and 23 year old son, live close to us and after some discussion they also agreed to go. I left the decision up to them since they are of age. Our 16 year old son didn’t have a choice. The good thing about all these family members is that they are mostly on board with the survival mindset and are aware of what is happening in the world around them. I couldn’t imagine the stress if they weren’t. Two survival friends were also informed, however, they decided they would shelter in place if the balloon went up. We wished each other the best of luck.
The previous Christmas I had given my middle kids Bug Out Bags or B.O.B.s as they are always referred to. I got lots of strange looks from them but they smiled and made me feel good. Two weeks before the Bug Out and before the articles at Arcticbeacon.com I was getting this uneasy feeling that they needed to have their B.O.B.s accessible and ready to go. Of course the B.O.B.s weren’t ready so I badgered them until they put them back together. It took them a week. They were ready when I called them about the Bug Out. They did really well.
We decided that a little “white lie” would be used on our employers and schools. A family illness/emergency had happened to my parents and we have to go to see them . It could possibly be a week but we’re not sure. Not very original but effective. I know it was wrong to do this, however, for the OPSEC of the bug out it was needed. This did come back to haunt my middle son. When he had gotten back from the bug out he was fired from his job. Two edged sword. He has since landed another job. This is something that everyone will have to consider for their bug out plan and whether it is a GRID-UP or GRID-DOWN bug out. Both of which are going to be totally different.

PRE-POSITIONING of SUPPLIES–We decided it was time to preposition as many supplies as possible during this time. We took most of our storage food, 1?2 of our MRE’s, 3?4 of our ammo (in military ammo cans), two rifles in cosmolene, medical supplies, 3?4 of our vitamins, miscellaneous fuels (butane, kerosene and lamp oil), shelves, all the camping equipment, reference books, extra clothes and shoes, miscellaneous house supplies, extra garden tools, TA-1 field phones and wire, kerosene heater, 3?4 of our candles and lamps and about 1?2 of our seeds. Other items we brought but didn’t put into storage was 40 gallons of treated gasoline (get the military gas cans not the plastic ones they aren‘t as tough), 30 gallons of drinking water, generator, 2 cycle weed eater, 2 cycle chain saw with extras, 2 cycle oil, two tubs of power tools and hand tools (with nails and screws), all my rifles and pistols with mags and ammo. cleaning kits and tools, weapons spare parts, 4 cases of bottled water and several food tubs. We really like those plastic tubs. To help in this effort we rented a 6’ x 12’ covered trailer. It took us a while to get it because they only had one attendant . If your going this route to transport stuff make sure you have a proper hitch (class 1, 2or3) and electrical hook ups. It makes it that much easier and saves time. Time you might not have. One other suggestion, buy a covered trailer (all metal/aluminum). Remember, it has to be sized for your vehicles towing capacity. Also paint it a subdued color. The orange and white of the trailer we had really sticks out. You don’t want people to see what you have and covering with a tarp doesn’t hide everything and you can’t lock it up. Anyway, when we got there we were the only customer, however, by the time we left there were 10 customers waiting (it took them 30 min). I tried to imagine how it would be if the balloon had already gone up and everyone was freaking out.
Since our RP is 30 minutes from the retreat and that we still don’t have a storage barn built on the retreat we rented a storage shed closer to our RP. All of our supplies were put into the storage shed. More items will be put there in the very near future

CONVOY– For the purpose of this report I will call my convoy Group 1 (Chevy 4WD with camper top and trailer, Ford Windstar and Ford Explorer (4WD) and my oldest son from down south Group 2 (Dodge mini van). Group 1 was on the road by 11 a.m. Monday, January 30 like we had planned. The trip to the RP should take 4 hours. My middle son and daughter in his van, my wife in her SUV and my step-son and I in my truck/trailer. We used FRS radios to communicate with each other. It was good practice for everyone. We had cell phones but they aren’t as handy for close communication. We had plenty of batteries for all the radios with lots of spares. Rechargeable batteries with a solar charger will be used next time. The cell phone came in handy when calling Group 2 for progress updates. I had split some of the rifles and pistols between the 3 vehicles. At the current time we traveled on “Condition yellow”. This meant all weapons were in their gun case or gun rug, locked and unloaded. If the balloon had gone up while we were on the road we would have gone to “Condition Red” and we would have locked and loaded. I don’t think the MZBs (mad zombie bikers) would have been out yet, however, you never know. As an acquaintance once told me “better safe than sorry”. Group 2 had no firearms and this greatly concerned me and there was nothing I could do about it. We prayed nothing would happen and that they would arrive at the RP safe. They arrived safe, in fact beating us to the RP.
Now, driving with the trailer was ok but it liked to skittle around a bit. Anyone who has pulled a trailer knows this. I could only travel between 55 and 65 mph. So Group 1 had to basically go as fast as me. Or, you’re only as fast as your slowest member. The trip took us 6 hours -vs.-the regular 4 hours. I believe that is because when you add more vehicles and people you will stop more often for eating, bathroom breaks, etc. Group 1 followed the primary route. This was all done on major highways through cities and towns. These are also choke points if something were to happen. I had two other routes picked out. These would have taken a lot longer but would be safer than the major refugee routes. My mistake was I only had one set of maps. I will make map sets for everyone here real soon. We also had $1,000 in cash and our barter silver. We also brought our house, property, vehicle and personal papers along in a fire proof safe. Very good things to have to prove ownership etc.
later on.

BUG OUT GEAR– Everyone in Group 1 one had their own B.O.B.s. Ours are equipped for less than a week. Along with the B.O.Bs three of us had our combat loads. These were kept close to us in the vehicles. Group 2 had no B.O.B.s or combat loads. My older son is working to put his families together.

WEAPONS and TARGET SHOOTING– We went to the retreat to get some target shooting in. I also wanted to see how the rifles (FAL, AKs, SKS, AR-180B, M1 Carbine), ammo and mags worked with sustained fire. I have to take 2 rifles to the gunsmith for adjustment. Also found out that the 20 round detachable SKS mags I had don’t work well. The only ones that did work were the original 10 round mag and 5 round detachable mags. I also spent quality time with my sons about rifle and pistol function and safety. I covered proper sight picture while acquiring targets. Everyone did well. Shot a lot of ammo.

TIME TO GO HOME– If nothing had happened by Saturday, February 4th we had decided that day would be the day we would all head back to our homes and lives. So Saturday morning we all loaded up the vehicles and said our good-byes (hugs and kisses). The trip back for Group 1 seemed to go faster. Group 2 made it back in the same amount of time it took to get there. Everyone got home safe and sound.

IN CONCLUSION–We stayed a week at the RP (hotel).The plan was, if the balloon went up, to stay there as long as the credit card would last. We would than go and gather up the supplies from the storage shed and move out to the property and set up camp. In hindsight I don’t think that was the best of plans, however, at the time it was the only plan. Now that we have pre-positioned supplies, we will go straight to the retreat. Hopefully the Powers That Be will hold off long enough so we can get the storage building built on the retreat and then the house.

I found that our Bug Out was good for the following reasons:
Got to spend a lot of quality time with the grandkids.
We all got to spend quality time with each other (kind of a mini family reunion).
Pre-positioning of supplies at the now RP #2.
The retreat is now RP #1.
Reduced our bug out time.
Everyone knows how to get to RP #1 & 2. Still need to make maps for all.
Answered some of my own question and concerns about my firearms.
Need to get more military metal gas cans.
Had good weapons familiarization “training” with most of the shooters in the family. The women didn’t shoot. They spent time visiting neighbors. (We’ll work on the shooting later).
Dealt with some retreat issues that really needed dealing with.
“Better safe than sorry” is great, however, it seemed like a toss up at times. Second guessing myself caused some hesitation about bugging out. Just have to deal with that.
Since everyone, except the children, knew this was a possible SHTF scenario everyone kept their cool and didn‘t scare the kiddies.
Reinforced the thinking that children (babies and pre-teens) have to be really kept occupied during a bug out. Everyone has to chip in and help and they did. Even the teenagers (surprising). An adult(s) needs to be a cruise director for the bug out. The little toys, games etc we bought before the bug out paid off. It would have been a long week if we hadn’t have made some plans. Not everything worked out, so, have plan B, C, D…!
This event has pushed us to get the storage shed built at the retreat ASAP.
The emotional side of the bug out is very stressful for people. As I said before, have as much of your supplies tagged and know where it all will go in your bug out vehicles. Have a plan for the GRID -UP and GRID-DOWN bugout. Remember to eat well and drink lots of fluids. Don’t forget to take your prescription meds if you have them.
Try and get at least 30 days supply of prescription meds above your usual monthly supply. More if possible. I’m researching the homeopathic way for my prescription drugs.

OPSEC is very important. Everyone that is part of the bug out needs to understand this perfectly. If you have time before the bug out load your vehicles at night. If you have a garage, pull the back of the vehicle into the garage door and load from the privacy of the garage. Shop for the extra things you need anytime but load at night. Neighbors do watch what is going on and they will come ask questions. If they do just tell them your little “white lie“. Just remember that the more “white lies “ you use the harder it will be to keep up with them all. Making trips during the year will help as they will see this trip as nothing out of the norm. Wear civilian clothes. Don’t wear camos. This will scare the neighbors seeing several people next door running around in camos. Plenty of time to change later if you really need to. Once we got to the RP we had informed other family that we were on a one week vacation with the grand kids and all. That really wasn’t telling a “white lie.” I’m writing this on February 14th which is way after the fact and nothing has blown up and no one is glowing…yet. Thank God it was a false alarm this time. Everyone made it home safe and sound. The financial cost of this bug out was substantial. I won’t discuss it here because it can really vary per individual or group. All in all it was money well spent and the lessons learned are priceless.

Letter Re: Recommended Truck Modifications?

Dear Jim:
I recently purchased a 1991 Ford F350 diesel truck. I had read previously on the Blog site of your recommendations on how best to outfit G.O.O.D. vehicles. Unfortunately I have been unable to find that post. I would appreciate it if you would re-post that information. Also I have a few other questions concerning this topic if you don’t mind.

1.) What type of winch do you suggest? Manufacturer, size & power, etc.

2.) Is it necessary to EMP-proof the glow plug switch? And, if so, how is that to be done?

3.) Do you suggest light assemblies on the roof of the cab or elsewhere on the truck?

I appreciate all of your excellent knowledge. Hodu L’Yahweh ke tov, (Give thanks to Yahweh for He is good.) – Dr. Sidney Zweibel

JWR Replies:

I’m glad to hear that you bought a diesel truck. Hopefully it is a four wheel drive. Since it is a 1991 model, odds are that it does not have electronic fuel handling. (Which is a good thing, in the event of EMP.) But it is best to double check that. In answer to your questions:

1.) I generally don’t recommend electric winches. They look useful and very manly, but from a practical standpoint they usually turn into big, heavy, expensive truck ornaments that rarely get used. A power takeoff (PTO) winch is much more practical. But even those rarely get used. I have found that if and when you do need a winch, the winch will often be on the wrong end of your vehicle. (I’m reminded of the old line about the statistical chances of the peanut butter side of the bread landing face down on the carpet…) With about the same total weight and about the same expense of buying one electric winch with 75 feet of cable, you can buy the following:  4-Tow hooks (one for each bumper corner–install these only if you already have heavy duty bumpers, such as those made my Reunel), 2-Dayton come-alongs (a.k.a. ratchet cable hoists) , 2-25 foot tow chains, 1-50 foot tow strap, 1-snatch block, 2-padded tree “chokers”, 1-48 inch Sheepherder (Hi-Lift) jack, 1-Shovel, and 1-Axe).  Granted, using come-alongs is not as fast as some operations with an electric winch, but the preceding list provides much more versatility at getting your vehicle out of a ditch, as well as handling umpteen other tasks.

2.) EMP-proofing any particular model goes beyond my expertise.  It is probably best to have an experienced diesel mechanic show you how to bypass the glow plug switch with a clip lead from your battery’s positive terminal. Keep that clip lead in your glove box at all times.

3.) For day-to-day (pre-Schumer) off-road use, a couple of forward-facing roof-mounted KC lights might prove useful. One or two more, facing aft, would also be useful. Just don’t overboard. I must emphasize, however, that the only lights that I recommend adding for post-TEOTWAWKI use are infrared floodlights (such as these ones, made in Australia), for driving with your headlights off while wearing night vision goggles. (One proviso: Keep your speed down to single digits when doing so, since NVGs do not provide good depth perception! Driving in these conditions takes a lot of practice.)

Letter Re: Economic Survival on the Personal Level

Hi JWR,
Keep up the good work as always. I thought I’d share a couple of ideas that I’ve had.

A “money” emergency, ranging from losing your job temporarily to a full-scale depression is one of the most likely things to happen to all of us. I know you’ve talked about this before, but I’d like to share a few things. I would advise anyone to get at least one marketable backup skill or trade. The local community college is vast resource for learning practical skills. Here are some possibilities:
-Auto Mechanics. Think of this for self-sufficiency and employment. People gotta get to work! A couple of semesters will prepare you for an entry level job, 1-2 years to be a full-fledged mechanic. I have saved probably $10,000 over the years by working on my own vehicles.
-Welding. You can get the basics for repairs and maintenance work in one semester. Plan on 2 or 3 semesters if you want to get certified for structural or pipeline work. With our current energy situation, pipeline welders are in high demand, and can make $100K/year in some situations.
-CAD/CAM. This is operating and programming the automated equipment that manufactures virtually all machined goods and items. The class I’m in has a board full of job listings, starting at $13/hr and going up to more than $30 for experienced people. In 1-2 semesters, you could easily qualify for one of those jobs. Amazingly, my college offered this as an accelerated, full time program that only takes one semester, and available free by applying at the unemployment office. Can you believe that there were no takers?
-Music. I think this one is often overlooked. If you’re inclined in this area, think about learning an easily-transported instrument like guitar, harmonica, keyboard, etc. In hard times, people want to be cheered up. If you ever end up in a refugee camp or jail, you have immediate value to offer.
-Truck driving/equipment operating. I recently read a white paper from the grocery industry about dealing with bird flu. They cited truck drivers as one of the most critical and hard to replace resources. Getting training and upgrading your licenses seems like a good idea. From the article on Katrina evacuations, it sounds like DOT regulations would typically get relaxed in any emergency, so a basic commercial license might get you quick work, or permission to drive a bus or truck with needed relief supplies.
Your training and education are something that no economic collapse can rob you of. Even if you only take 1 class in another trade, it could mean the difference between getting hired to sweep up the floors and getting an “assistant mechanic” or other, better-paying job.
Also, working on your job and social skills is important. You should spend an hour making a new resume every few months, even if you are happy with your job. It’s a good way to see where you’re weak and think about what new skills, certifications, etc you might want for your current line of work.
Getting work in hard times means you have to hustle. I have a friend who lives in Las Vegas and has been a salesman for every imaginable product. He says that he has gotten more jobs by waiting until the end of the interview when they ask if you have any questions. He asks [presumptive] things like “Are the cokes in the hallway free, where are the time cards, what time do people start on Mondays?” He then just shows up the next day ready to start. He says that this works 9 out of 10 times for any job they need filled right now. – JN.

Odds ‘n Sods:

A “must read” article: Global Credit Ocean Dries Up by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard. In this piece, Evans-Pritchard asserts that the global economy is reaching a dangerous tipping point. See: http://portal.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2006/02/24/cccredit24.xml&menuId=242&sSheet=/money/2006/02/24/ixcoms.html

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Some quiet Asian Avian Flu planning is going on in England. See: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2095-2058244,00.html

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FEMA is making plans for a major earthquake on the New Madrid fault.  See: http://www.surfingtheapocalypse.net/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?read=128430  

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A paper on the Asian Avian Flu and the Grocery Industry: http://www.amrresearch.com/avianflu/H5N1PotentialImpact.pdf

Note From JWR:

After 25 years in the mail order business, I finally got “modern” and created a web page for my mail order wares. See: https://survivalblog.com/catalog/ Up until just recently, I only had a an e-mailable catalog.  Now I have a proper web page catalog.  I just have to remember to keep it up to date, as items come and go. As time permits, I plan to add photos of some of the more expensive items.

Thanks for all of the recent “10 Cent Challenge” contributions. My special thanks to R.M. and R.K.E., who each donated $100. I appreciate your generosity!