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:

We are now feeling ready for winter. The hay and firewood are stacked.  I’ve been gathering the hoses and storing them in the shop. The guest cabin has been winterized.  Lily is still harvesting in our gardens.

We’ve been greatly enjoying the Indian Summer weather.  On Wednesday, we drove up to the high country for one last day of huckleberry picking. When we got back to the ranch in the afternoon, we found that 100 feet of our lane from the county road was crowded with thousands of orange California Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis californica) butterflies. (Lily’s photo, above, shows just a few of them.)

I have been quite busy in the past few days, cataloging new inventory. This includes two more percussion revolvers, and a big batch of FN/FAL and HK91 magazines that I bought at auction from an estate. This includes some very rare original Rhodesian camouflage-painted 30-round Belgian FAL magazines! (See the Accessories section of the Elk Creek Company store page.)

Now, Lily’s part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts.

Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.

These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons.

In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord‘s passover.

And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.

In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.” – Leviticus 23:1-8 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — September 19, 2025

On September 19, 1356, English forces under Edward the Black Prince defeated the French at the Battle of Poitiers and captured French King John II, during the Hundred Years’ War. Preceded by the Battle of Crécy in 1346, and followed by the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, it was the second of the three great English victories of the war.

—

September 19, 1778: The Continental Congress passed the first budget of the United States.

—

Also on this date in 1796, George Washington addressed the nation in his farewell address as President.

—

Today’s feature article is by JWR.

—

We are in need of entries for Round 120 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $960,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 120 ends on September 30th, 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. 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.

The Meme of Crushroom: A Key Retreat Architecture Element (Updated)

JWR’s Introductory Note:  This is an update and expansion of an article that I wrote for SurvivalBlog back in 2009. I’ve corrected the article’s dead links and added some important details.

—

One bit of retreat architecture that I’ve often recommended to my consulting clients who are designing (or retrofitting) retreats is the inclusion of a protruding entryway foyer, that I call a crushroom. Passing this advice along to you gives me the chance to employ one of my horrible puns: The Meme of Crushroom. A crushroom is a controllable confined space, typically an entry foyer, that can be covered with small arms fire or subjected to irritant or obscurant smoke or sprays. The outer door (or barred gate) to the crushroom is normally left open, but has a spring-loaded self-closure device, and an automatically-engaged remote-controlled lock release mechanism. Think of it as a Box Trap for Bad Guys. Have you ever visited a Big City apartment with a communal door where you need to get “buzzed in”? In this case, the Bad Guys will have to be buzzed out of your crushroom.Continue reading“The Meme of Crushroom: A Key Retreat Architecture Element (Updated)”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the return of inflation. (See the Inflation/Deflation Watch section.)

Precious Metals:

I noted a price jump in precious metals on Monday morning (Sept. 15, 2025) in U.S. trading. This followed strong buying in Asian trading:

  • Gold
    $3,697.80 
  • Silver
    $42.83 

And then on Tuesday morning:

  • Gold
    $3,709.90
  • Silver
    $43.17

That was another all-time high for gold. Predictably in typical profit-taking, by Thursday morning, we saw:

  • Gold
    $3,660.80
  • Silver
    $42.04

I expect to see more profit-taking and perhaps a last hurrah in short-selling — especially in Friday afternoon Comex trading — but the bull market has been re-confirmed. – JWR

o  o  o

At Gold-Eagle.com: Goldman Sachs: ‘Central Banks Will Be Buying Gold For Years’.

o  o  o

Nick Giambruno: Why the Hardest Money Always Wins.

Economy & Finance:

As reported by the leftist CNBC: Fed set to cut rates, but forecast for rest of 2025 is key to markets with politics clouding the picture.

o  o  o

I saw this linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Mortgage refinance demand spikes nearly 60%, as interest rates drop sharply. JWR’s Comment:  Clearly, the Fed’s 250 Basis Point interest rate cut on Wednesday was already “baked into the cake.”

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: Bank Of Canada Resumes Rate Cuts After 6 Month Pause.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — September 18, 2025

In the midst of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), on September 18, 1635, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II declared war on France. Above: Carl Friedrich Lessing’s painting The Siege.

—

The 18th of September is Chilean Independence Day. On this day, in 1810, Chile declared independence from Spain.

—

And, on September 18, 1914, South African troops landed in German South West Africa. (Later renamed South West Africa and then again, to Namibia.)

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 120 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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),
  2. 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),
  3. 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.
  4. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.
  5. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is offering a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.

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. A $269 retail value survival-ready power package from Solar Power Lifestyle. This includes two Solar Power Lifestyle 25W Portable Solar Panels, plus a $150 gift card to use for any purchase at solarpowerlifestyle.com.
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  4. 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. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  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.

—

More than $960,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 120 ends on September 30th, 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. 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.

Improvised Shower Fixtures and Pumps, by A.F.

My first iteration of an improvised shower came about while stationed in Texas. Our unit was participating in a field training exercise and were allocated one trip to the shower point per week. As this exercise was more of a practice of our daily grind in field conditions rather than a battle simulation, our platoon of mechanics set up a minimal motor pool and for the most part spent time catching up on service work. One of the few actual repairs I was given over those days was replacing the power steering pump on a M1009 CUCV better known as a full-size Chevy Blazer.

After bolting the new pump into place and reconnecting the lines, I said something along the lines of “Okay it’s in” at which point the truck’s driver took it upon himself to start pouring power steering fluid into the reservoir — without using a funnel. As I was stuck in the dirt on my back and had no idea anyone was there to “help me”, I wound up catching a face and head full of sticky, thick, red Dexron. Continue reading“Improvised Shower Fixtures and Pumps, by A.F.”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. At the top of today’s column, some news from the “Gunshine” State.

Florida AG Announces Legal Open Carry

Reader D.S.V. sent us this good news reported by The Orlando Sentinel:  AG Uthmeier says open carry is now ‘law of the state’. An excerpt:

“Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Monday said people being able to openly carry guns is ‘the law of the state’ after a panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal last week ruled that a longstanding ban was unconstitutional.

Uthmeier sent guidance to prosecutors and law-enforcement agencies. Some had already stopped enforcing the open-carry ban after Wednesday’s opinion.”

Grid Down: Death of a Nation

Reader Mike D. highly recommended this 2011 report on the EMP threat that is still quite timely: GRID DOWN: DEATH OF A NATION.

Taiwan Releases New Civil Defense Handbook

Mr. Tang sent us this: Taiwan Releases New Civil Defense Handbook Amid China’s Military Threat. “In the event of a military invasion of Taiwan, any claim that the government has surrendered or that the nation has been defeated is false…”

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Many textbooks fail to present students with both sides of an issue. Students are being pushed toward an education that demonizes free enterprise while advocating top-down government, deficit spending, and class warfare.” – The Late Charlie Kirk

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — September 17, 2025

On September 17, 158, Dutch sailors claimed the island of Mauritius for the Netherlands. They named it after Maurice, Prince of Orange and Count of Nassau

—

September 17, 1776: The Fortress Presidio of San Francisco was founded in New Spain to gain a foothold in Alta California and secure the San Francisco Bay.

—

Today, September 17th, we celebrate Constitution Day in these United States.  This is in remembrance that on September 17, 1787, the US Constitution was signed by delegates at the Philadelphia Convention.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 120 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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),
  2. 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),
  3. 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.
  4. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.
  5. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is offering a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.

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. A $269 retail value survival-ready power package from Solar Power Lifestyle. This includes two Solar Power Lifestyle 25W Portable Solar Panels, plus a $150 gift card to use for any purchase at solarpowerlifestyle.com.
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  4. 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. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  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.

—

More than $960,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 120 ends on September 30th, 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. 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.

Secure Local Comms With POTS Equipment, by Tractorguy

Land-line analog telephone service was ubiquitous in most of the 20th Century. This hardware is now commonly Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS).  This was our primary means of communication. It was simple, robust, and reliable. A few users still have landline service, although most landline service has migrated to digital means over a public Internet connection, with a modem at the user’s residence converting the digital data back to analog and providing ringer voltage to operate the bell. A lot of these telephones and associated equipment still exist, and are sitting in basements and attics. They could be easily pressed into service in a grid-down or SHTF scenario to provide communications.

Most “prepper” communication advice steers you to two-way radios, whether GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service), FRS (Family Radio Service), or Amateur (“ham”) radio. The downside of any radio-based communications system is a lack of privacy (ability to be easily monitored), and power required at each radio to make it function. Landline telephone, on the other hand, requires an actual physical connection or ‘tap’ to a user’s phone line to intercept the conversation, and functions from a central source of power, instead of requiring power at every user station.Continue reading“Secure Local Comms With POTS Equipment, by Tractorguy”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

—

Some enthusiastic young men have just launched a new military surplus company in Tampa, Florida, called Gear Rack. Their inventory arrives in semi trailer-loads of DRMO clothing and gear, mostly in pallet boxes. What a chore to sort and catalog it all!  They also sell some foreign military surplus.  Their videos (12 of them, thusfar) are quite entertaining. Seeing that variety of field gear and uniforms certainly brings back some memories for me. Take a look at their website. If you place an order, then please tell them that you saw their company mentioned in SurvivalBlog.  I believe that they would be a great advertiser or writing contest prize sponsor. – JWR

o  o  o

Reader Mark J. mentioned some very practical fish traps. Note From JWR: Be sure to consult your State’s fish & game laws before ordering. In most States, these are legal to possess, but not to use for most species and rivers/streams. But I don’t know of any laws that would restrict their use on a fully isolated fish pond that you excavate on your own property. Remember: Traps and snares do their job 24 hours a day, and only require regular checking. Those devices are huge time-savers that will free you to do other tasks.

o  o  o

Another W3W App success: Hikers found in North Middlesex.

o  o  o

Reader M.B. had this comment:

“While I agree with Brandon Smith’s essay, I wish he would add a healthy dose of acknowledgement of Satan’s hand in this. Many in our Country refuse to acknowledge Satan which, by extension, is also a denial of Christ. Being aware of “Spiritual Warfare” does not distract me from being aware of what’s going on around me. Situational awareness requires knowing the strategic and the tactical situation. In the morning, I put on the Armor of God, and then I put on my EDC. Prayers for you and yours.”

o  o  o

Reader D.S.V. mentioned this Turning Point USA webpage:  American Comeback Tour. It is so sad to see a young man with so much potential killed, in an attempt to silence his speech. Ironically, the end result will be that his messages (both political and sharing the gospel) will now have an even wider audience. Hundreds of new public speakers will step up to take Charlie Kirk’s place. There are now 300,000+ new Turning Point USA subscribers. (Now 3.6 million.) They can’t stop the signal.

And on a related note: ‘The Entire School Is Doing It’: Students Pay Tribute to Charlie Kirk by Wearing Coats and Ties.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — September 16, 2025

On September 16,  1782, the Great Seal of the United States of America was used for the first time.

—

September 16, 1919, the U.S. Congress granted a national charter to the American Legion.

—

And on September 16, 1940, US President FDR signed the Selective Training & Service Act. This was the nation’s first peacetime draft.

—

Mark your calendar for February 16, 2026, to order your 20th Anniversary Edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick. The 2005-2025 edition will have at least 12 more bonus books.  These will include the 4-volume Audel’s Carpenters and Builders Guide, as well as Horace Kephart’s classic book on Woodcraft, and the USMC’s most recent photo-illustrated Hand and Arm Signals field manual. There will also be two more books authored by Lowell Thomas, an Army manual on Rigging, and a 645-page textbook on Practical Physics.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 120 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. 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),
  2. 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),
  3. 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.
  4. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.
  5. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is offering a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.

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. A $269 retail value survival-ready power package from Solar Power Lifestyle. This includes two Solar Power Lifestyle 25W Portable Solar Panels, plus a $150 gift card to use for any purchase at solarpowerlifestyle.com.
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  4. 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. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  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.

—

More than $960,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 120 ends on September 30th, 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. 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.