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 enjoyed a couple of nice three-mile hikes out in the adjoining National Forest this week.  On one of these jaunts that was off-road, our daughter and I wore snowshoes, while Lily was on her cross-country skis.

I spent some time re-packing my two main medic bags, replacing some out-of-date medications and some older adhesive bandages. One of those bags is always kept in our SUV, and the other is positioned for quick access in our ranch house.

Thursday was a snowy day. As I was re-filling the wood box (one of my nearly daily chores), I saw that Lily was cleaning out the henhouse. So I helped her by dragging a couple of cargo sleds full of chicken manure out to the main garden. I am constantly amazed at Lily’s diligent industriousness. She is like the Energizer Bunny. And a cute snow bunny, too.  One of my nicknames for her is: “Princess Cashmera.” She makes sweaters look gooood.

I shipped out a couple of Elk Creek Company antique gun orders in the last few days. My inventory has been getting thin. I’m looking forward to seeing some better road conditions and traveling weather this spring, so that I can get back to visiting gun shows in Idaho and Montana, to replenish my inventory.

Several hours this past week were dedicated to evaluating resumes and phone interviews with candidates that are hoping to fill a retreat/ranch caretaker position, on behalf of one of my consulting clients. We are still seeking candidates, so if that job interests you, then please get your resume in. Preference will be given to military veterans with overseas deployment experience in any of the combat arms branches.

Lily encouraged me to get back into doing calisthenics. We’ve been doing them five days a week. It is great to get back to having the same muscle tone in winter that I’ve traditionally had in just summer and fall.

Now, on to Lily’s part of the report…Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back.

Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for there is none end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture.

She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.

Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion’s whelp, and none made them afraid?

The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin.

Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.” – Nahum 2:8-13 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — March 3, 2023

Today is the birthday of bluegrass musician Doc Watson. (He was born in 1923 and passed away in 2012.) His guitar work was phenomenal.

This is also the birthday of Alexander Graham Bell.

And it is also the birthday of actor James Doohan, in 1920. He played Montgomery Scott in the Star Trek television series and films. He was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. He passed away on July 20, 2005.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. 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),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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 firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. 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 $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 105 ends on March 31st, 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.

A Medic of Last Resort – Part 4, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 3. This concludes the article.)

Antibiotics, Antibiotic ointments, and Antiseptics

Antibiotics, antibiotic ointments, and any antiseptics will be worth their weight in gold, because these can save lives when nothing else will. If I were just starting to acquire a supply of medical goods, I would first begin by buying all the oral antibiotics that I could afford at the time, and then later fill the rest of my list.  It would be wise to learn about the latest medical advice about how and what to use to keep a wound from becoming infected.  And how the judicious use of the correct antibiotic, ointments, and antiseptics, and frequent change of dressings that can promote the faster healing of a wound. We can improvise dressings and bandages, but not the stuff that kills bacteria.

I already have enough antibiotics, and antiseptics, yet not enough antibiotic ointment. Because this was an outstanding bargain on eBay, just $2.50 instead of $8.00 for a 1oz. tube at the store, I backed up the truck and loaded up 18 one-ounce tubes at only $2.50 each. The quantity of medical supplies need to treat only one serious injury can be enormous — more than one would imagine. Buy more than you’ll think you’ll need now while it is cheap and available, as there will likely be no resupply, or hospital to help.Continue reading“A Medic of Last Resort – Part 4, by Tunnel Rabbit”

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. Most of these items are from JWR’s “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective. Today, we look at increasing new car and truck prices for the 2024 model year. (See the Inflation Watch section.)

Precious Metals:

SMM Forecast for Platinum and Palladium Demand in 2023.

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Updated Silver Price Forecast For 2023.

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Gold price predictions for next 5 years: Will gold continue rising amid weaker USD?

Economy & Finance:

Reuters: Fed might raise policy rates to 6% – BofA.

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CFOs prepare to face a turbulent economy.

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Why It’s So Hard for China to Shake the ‘Uninvestable’ Tag.

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How Do Stocks Perform in March? After a Volatile February, Here’s What We Know.

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At Zero Hedge: Global Depression By 2025, Caused By Interest Rates & Inflation: Simon Hunt.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The earth can shake the sky come down
The mountains all fall to the ground
But I will fear none of these things
Shelter me lord underneath your wings

Dark waters rise and thunder pounds
The wheels of war are going round
And all the walls are crumbling
Shelter me lord underneath your wings
Shelter me lord underneath your wings

Hide me underneath your wings
Hide me deep inside your heart
In your refuge – cover me
The world can shake
But lord I’m making you my hiding place

The wind can blow the rain can pour
The deluge breaks the tempest roars
But in the storm my spirit sing
Oh shelter me lord underneath your wing
Shelter me lord underneath your wing

Hide me underneath your wings
Hide me deep inside your heart
In your refuge – cover me
The world can shake
But lord I’m making you my hiding place

Now on the day you call for me
Someday when time – no more shall be
I’ll say death where is your sting
Shelter me lord underneath your wing
Shelter me lord underneath your wing.”

From the lyrics to Shelter Me, by Tab Benoit

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — March 2, 2023

On March 2nd, 1836, Texas declared its independence from Mexico. Today is coincidentally also the birthday of Sam Houston.

Today is also the birthday of Moe Berg, an American baseball player and clandestine agent. (He died in 1972). His biography The Catcher Was a Spy is fascinating reading.

And this is the birthday of libertarian economist Murray Rothbard (born 1926, died 1995) His book For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto is highly recommended.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. 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),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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 firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 105 ends on March 31st, 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.

A Medic of Last Resort – Part 3, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 2.)

Category #2, Group Medical Supplies for Wilderness/Retreat Locations

Emergency Medical Supplies for Wilderness Situations are for stabilizing the injured at a remote location for the purpose of transporting the injured to where they can be properly cared for.  This is a compact kit sized for the number of persons, and designed to handle the most common injuries.  With broken bones, a simple fracture that could become a compound fracture where the bone could sever a vein or artery and protrude from the skin, and therefore be potentially life-threatening.

There can also be ankle sprains, burns to the hands and arms, foot blisters, lacerations, and possibly gunshot wounds. A specialized multi-compartment bag, or small backpack can house the kit that is loaded with separate 1 gallon size zip-lock, or other small bags to organize and moisture-protect the contents. It can be used in conjunction with an IFAK. We can substitute like-in-kind, or equivalent items, and improvise if necessary. It could be simplified, or made more complex, but it should treat at least one or two persons, and is always carried whenever a group of persons travels away from their retreat, or base camp location, when and where no motorized vehicle can quickly transport the victim.

In the case of a gunshot wound or other trauma that requires a tourniquet be applied to an extremity, we have no more than 7 hours to get to an emergency room in the hope of saving the limb. At no time release the tourniquet as the toxins in the affected limb can cause traumatic shock and death.Continue reading“A Medic of Last Resort – Part 3, by Tunnel Rabbit”

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. Today’s column begins with some praise for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

The Man Who Saved the Second Amendment

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site, there is this article about one of my heroes, Justice Clarence Thomas: The Man Who Saved the Second Amendment. A quote:

“Last June, in the landmark case of NYSRPA v. Bruen, the Supreme Court significantly strengthened the case law supporting Second Amendment rights. In a 6 to 3 opinion authored by Justice Clarence Thomas, the Court recognized that the Second Amendment protects not only the right to bear firearms, but to carry them in public. More importantly, the Court put an end to “means-end scrutiny,” the rationale that lower courts had used repeatedly to uphold gun control statutes. Under this doctrine of review, any statute that was viewed as furthering an important government interest was upheld as constitutional. Placed in the hands of liberal judges who found firearms to be repugnant, the implementation of means testing had essentially removed the Second Amendment from the Bill of Rights. On the contrary, Thomas wrote, the proper standard of judicial review was “to assess whether modern firearms regulations are consistent with the Second Amendment’s text and historical understanding” — and the most important historical period was the late eighteenth century, the time during which the Second Amendment was written and adopted.”

South Carolina House Passes Constitutional Carry

Some great news, by way of the NRA-ILA: South Carolina House Passes Constitutional Carry. With legislation also pending in Florida, there will soon be 26 or 27 states with permitless concealed carry.  This is part of a growing trend: Constitutional Carry Now the Law in Half the Nation.

The New Tranq Drug Epidemic

This television news segment is troubling: Philadelphia’s zombie drug ‘tranq’ already in New York City.  Some more details on the drug (an animal tranquilizer, Xylazine) can be found in this Pew Trusts article: States, Cities Scramble to Combat Animal ‘Tranq’ in Street Drugs.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“No tyrant or usurper can ever invade our rights so long as we are united. Let Mr. Lincoln attempt it, and his party will scatter like chaff before the storm of popular indignation which will burst forth from one end of the country to the other. Secession or revolution will not be justified until legal and constitutional means of redress have been tried, and I can not believe that the time will ever come when these will prove inadequate.​” – Sam Houston

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — March 1, 2023

Yellowstone National Park was established by the U.S. Congress as the world’s first national park on March 1st, 1872.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 105 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. 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),
  3. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  5. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  6. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three-day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  2. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  3. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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 firearms purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $800,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 105 ends on March 31st, 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.

A Medic of Last Resort – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit

(Continued from Part 1.)

Learning As We Go

Without the basic knowledge and skills to use our supplies, that first aid kit is actually a ‘last aid’ kit. By shopping shrewdly and avoiding items that we do not know how to use, one might acquire a larger store of items that we can actually use. Given the possible savings that result from shopping hard and long for bargains, and limiting ourselves to the basics, we can then purchase more of the basics supplies that are needed most of the time.  And we should strive to continually improve our knowledge and skills, and expand our equipment accordingly. And we might also save enough to purchase items that make the job easier, such as an automated blood pressure cuff, or a fingertip pulse/oxygen meter, and other such equipment.

Managing resources and priorities is not easy.  It is harder when one can not afford to buy a ‘hospital in a box’, a comprehensive and large kit assembled by a medical professional with the survivalist in mind.  While such a kit is highly desirable, the survivalist also contends with competing priorities, limited resources, not to mention a finite amount of time.  It would certainly be nice to have it, and not need it. But then again, as most do, including myself, buying stuff that they do not know how to use, is a waste of resources.  Unless of course, one has a medical professional they know, who can use a ‘hospital in a bag’, these specialized items would not be useful and in fact could be dangerous in untrained hands.

Fortunately, I have such connections and could trade my services, or medical supplies for either medical or dental services. In fact, I already do barter for these services.  Barter works!  For those who can afford to make such an investment in medical supplies and equipment that they themselves cannot use, that strategy could pay a future dividend, if put into knowledgeable hands.Continue reading“A Medic of Last Resort – Part 2, by Tunnel Rabbit”

February 2023 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover gold’s performance, and the factors that affected gold prices.

What Did Gold Do in February?

Gold gave back all of January’s gains in February in choppy trading, ending the month down about $10 for the year. Things started off badly on February 2nd, when the Fed, ECB, and Bank of England all hikes rates and announced that rates would be moving higher for longer than previously estimated. This sent gold down $34 to $1,916 an ounce by noon, before recovering to $1,931.

The big economic bombshell hit on February 3rd, when the non-farm payrolls report hit showed 517,000 jobs had been created in January, versus expectations of 187,000. This was more than double the 223,000 jobs created in December.

Among other drastic reactions, March gold settled $54 lower at $1,876,and spot gold lost $48 to end at $1,864.  Total losses for the first week in February were $69 for gold futures and $58 for spot gold.

Gold was unable to regain the $1,900 level for the rest of the month. The closest it came was $1,890 on February 8th. Gold had a bad week at the end of February, falling six out of seven sessions to fall from $1,850 to $1,817 on February 24th. End-of-month portfolio adjustments and profit-taking pulled prices $20 higher on the last two days of the month to $1,837 an ounce.Continue reading“February 2023 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This 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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Reader Dan D. wrote to mention the amazing selection of kerosene lamp wicks, kerosene heater wicks, Aladdin lamp mantles, and lamp chimneys available from the Miles Stair Wick Shoppe online store. There is a lot of good kerosene lamp and heater reference information available there, too. free of charge. What a great resource!

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Rogue Censorship Regime Tries to Shut Down Conservative News Sites Using ‘Disinformation’ Label

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Hiker Skip offered this:

“Until last year I had a precious metals IRA managed by a reputable company with allocated storage with a well know depository.  To complete my retirement home/retreat, I needed to take several disbursements.  The time, paperwork, lost forms and frustration in completing each transaction was unacceptable. Some transactions took well over a month with constant follow-up calls and emails trying to track down hold-ups.  The story I always got was the depository’s high volume of transactions and their backlog.

I realized that when the collapse comes, I may not have a month to complete a delivery, so I’m taking the IRS taxation theft hit and took physical delivery of the balance of my metals.
To quote Ben Franklin:  A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”

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And on the same topic, reader Randy F. mentioned:

“You referenced a private vault-type company in Las Vegas for a reader to store precious metals, instead of repository-type companies or bank safe deposit boxes. Please be aware that a las vegas private vault business was involved in a criminal takedown robbery and many several vault boxes were chopped open and contents stolen. These are in no way more secure than anything else. Don’t forget the case of the f.b.i. raid on one such business and everyone’s boxes and contents impounded, as part of a dragnet blanket sweep of some customers involved in illicit activities. Bury it yourself is the only way to be certain.”

o  o  o

Tim J. recommended this instructional video: Poor Man’s Wilderness Survival Fire Kit.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“In my life and my world, all of my friends are regular Americans. Everyone I talk to is sick and tired and fed up with being bullied by the left, abused by the left, and disrespected by the left. Our ideas, our policies, and our ways of life have become so far apart that it’s just coming to that point. And the last thing I ever want to see in America is a civil war. No one wants that – at least everyone I know would never want that – but it’s going that direction and we have to do something about it.”  – Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene