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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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Another W3W App success: Hikers found in North Middlesex.

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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.”

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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.

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

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

 

JIT Training for Trusted Friends, Family, and Neighbors, by Dr. Bob

This article will provide some thoughts on how to address a few common problems seen in the preparedness community. The first problem involves the difficulty finding like-minded people to form a community before the Stuff Hits The Fan (SHTF). The second problem is how to engage friends, family, and neighbors so that they take actions to prepare their families prior to SHTF. These problems are related and center on the realization that many people are bound by their current life circumstances and are unwilling or unable to consider that the current paradigm is in danger and, secondly, many of those who may want to prepare do not have the resources to buy and maintain a bug-out location given middle-class or working-class wages.

The truth for many of us is that we’ll likely need to bug-in at our present location until safety concerns force us to bug-out as a last resort. Unfortunately, any bug-out situation will likely devolve into a refugee existence unless friends or family in safe areas are willing to take us in. So, given the likelihood of having to bug-in at your current location until it’s necessary to leave, you should realize that your family will be within walking distance of people who’ll be fleeing chaos.Continue reading“JIT Training for Trusted Friends, Family, and Neighbors, by Dr. Bob”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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

Region-Wide

Legal battle over salmon and steelhead on Columbia and Snake Rivers.

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Some new businesses: Inland Northwest Business Watch.

Idaho

Chronic wasting disease threatens Idaho’s big game and hunting traditions.

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Idaho National Guard executes two rescue missions in Boise County.

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Body recovered after Idaho man jumps in river and swims away during traffic stop.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“It is me, recognizing the dire situation we have found ourselves in: The left wants you dead.  Prepare and train like it. ‘We the People’ have had enough.  I’m saying the word no. I’m challenging all of y’all today, to be an American.” – Johnny B.

Preparedness Notes for Monday — September 15, 2025

On September 15, 1916: The first use of tanks in warfare. Britain’s Mark I “Little Willie” tanks were used at the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, as part of the Battle of the Somme.

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On September 15, 1950, United Nations troops landed at Inchon, South Korea, crippling a North Korean invasion during the Korean War.

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The last day!  The week-long sale on all of our Swedish Mauser rifles at Elk Creek Company ends tonight at midnight, Eastern Time. The prices of all of our  6.5 x55mm “Swedes” have been reduced by 10 to 25 percent. These are all pre-1899 (no paperwork) guns that can be mailed right to your door. They include original military configuration rifles and carbines, as well as a few sporters. Note that if you want to pay in pre-1965 U.S silver coins, then you can divide by 31.2!

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Today’s feature piece is by SurvivalBlog’s Field Gear Editor, Tom Chistianson.

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We need more 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.

1791 Gunleather Optic Ready Belt Holster, by Thomas Christianson

The 1791 Gunleather Optic Ready Belt Holster is a sturdy, comfortable, beautiful, handcrafted leather holster that does an excellent job of retaining a handgun during open carry.

It is made in America, and costs $61.99 at www.1791gunleather.com at the time of this writing.

If you are looking for a nice, leather, outside-the-waistband (OWB) holster that fits a wide range of handguns at a reasonable price, you may want to check this one out.

Background

My favorite handgun is a Rock Island Armory MAPP FS, which I purchased after reviewing it on SurvivalBlog. I bought it because I can shoot the MAPP more accurately than any other 9mm handgun that I have tried.

The MAPP has only two drawbacks. One is that the MAPP is not rated for +P ammunition. The second is that there are not a whole lot of aftermarket parts and accessories for the MAPP. It is not a Glock 17 or 19 for which one can find every conceivable accessory in every color of the rainbow.

As a result, I have been looking for a good holster for the MAPP for quite some time without success. So it was with great joy that I discovered that 1791 Gunleather made a nice-looking leather holster for the MAPP FS. I had previously reviewed 1791 Gunleather’s premium rifle sling on SurvivalBlog, and had been impressed by the quality of the materials and workmanship.Continue reading“1791 Gunleather Optic Ready Belt Holster, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week:

The following recipe for Roasted Summer Squash is from SurvivalBlog reader H.N., who says: “This is intended for yellow squash, but this recipe also works fairly well with zucchinis.”

Ingredients
  • 2 Squash (about 4 cups), cut into 1/2 inch-thick slices
  • 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped (or less, to taste.)
  • 2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)
  • Salt, to taste
  • Pepper to taste
  • Sprigs of Parsley (for garnishing)
Directions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Spread 1 Tablespoon of olive oil on a lipped cookie sheet pan.
  3. Wash and slice the squash.
  4. Toss the squash slices with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, Parmesan (optional), and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  5. Spread the squash evenly on the pan and roast for 20 minutes, checking it after 17 minutes to see if it is done.
  6. Remove from oven to cool slightly, and then season with some more salt and pepper, if desired..
SERVING

Serve with a garnish of fresh parsley.

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

SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic: Cost-of-Living Adjusted Median Household Income by State, 2024. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.)

The thumbnail below is click-expandable.

 

 

 

 

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Where you have the most armed citizens in America, you have the lowest violent crime rate. Where you have the worst gun control, you have the highest crime rate.” – Ted Nugent