Letter Re: A Practical, Reliable Bug-Out Vehicle

…fuel economy, drivability, and creature comforts. The average vehicle has more than five computers, operating on their own network (CANS) sharing information back and fourth, making any needed adjustments for a seamless driving experience. A computer controlled engine will not start and run until the computer commands it to do so. The starter, electric fuel pump, electronic fuel injectors, and electronic ignition system are all dependant on the power train control module (PCM) to function. Unlike aircraft, there are no redundant systems in place in the event of a PCM malfunction.  A computer controlled automatic transmission cannot shift until the computer commands it to do so. Without direction, the transmission [indicator] will engage park, neutral, forward and reverse, but will not shift. Before the computer can command a shift to occur it needs to look at various sensors located throughout the vehicle such as, engine speed, vehicle speed, engine load,…




The Po’ Mans TEOTWAWKI Guide, by R.B.

…us are not likely to cause everyone to start running around shooting each other. We’ll all be too busy running for our lives. Stay grounded in your life and in your preps. A home made rocket may get you into orbit and save your life if the earth explodes, but when you’re dying a slow death alone in space you will wish you had never left. We as human beings have an immense ability to adapt to whatever situations come our way. Stay grounded, be realistic and you will be ready for whatever comes your way. Tip #10: Don’t forget the rest of your life Prepping can become an obsession and life isn’t stopping for you to get ready for tomorrow. If you don’t have it together now, that won’t change when it hits the fan. You are the person you are and if you can’t seem to keep things…




Letter Re: A Parent’s Guide to Surviving School Rampage Shootings

James: I’m writing regarding A Parent’s Guide to Surviving School Rampage Shootings, by Greg Ellifritz. One important item I think that was missed was allowing any/all adults who choose to do so to be armed.  In the October, 1997 school shooting in Pearl, Mississippi an assistant principal ran to his car, got a gun, and stopped the episode.  Gun free zones give the criminal huge numbers of potential hostages and victims.   The presence of armed folks makes it a bit more difficult for the bad guys to prevail. – W.B….




Letter Re: A Simpleton’s Guide To Preps: The Best And The Overrated

…most families through that first 48 hours as the radioactivity loses 99% of its lethal intensity. Finally, yes, while “ground zero” of a ground burst may become a Chernobyl wasteland forever, few grasp that most of the surrounding vast area outside that zone, along with all that countryside downwind, that initially required sheltering from radioactive fallout, most likely won’t be affected for long at all. Tragically, though, knowledge that could be readily learned and the simple proven techniques that are easily grasped and employed are not widely sought out, as the majority of our population erroneously think it’s futile, bordering on lunacy, to even try to survive anything nuclear. They’ll all suffer greatly for it, and many may even eagerly invite death to escape it. This is tragic, needless loss and suffering. Google the updated free 2-page article; “The Good News About Nuclear Destruction!” for more in-depth nuke prep info….




Letter Re: A Simpleton’s Guide to Preps

Hugh, Another letter in regards to A Simpleton’s Guide to Preps‘ overrated item #8 – NBC Equipment. BH appears to have forgotten the C in NBC. If you live near railroad tracks, chances are that a good deal of chemicals transit that line. A train derailment may be all that is between you and wishing that you had gotten some NBC gear for your family. In addition to a train line not too far off, there is a local fertilizer plant that could be an ammonia hazard. Not all NBC hazards mean that WWIII has broken out….




A Guide to Assembling an Off-Grid Carpentry Tool Box, by B.F.

I pre-ordered JWRs book Tools for Survival last year and have read through it twice now. It is a great guide for anyone preparing for a time when self reliance becomes more of a day to day necessity than it is today. With that in mind, I wanted to add to the body of work by reviewing and commenting on the contents of two different tool kits that I have had a fair amount of experience with. Either one or both will serve well in an off-the-grid world. The first one is the US Army Combat Engineer Carpenter’s Squad Tool Kit. The second is the tool kit assembled by my grandfather over his lifetime. Today is probably one of the best times in recent history to put together similar tool kits at a relatively low cost. With few exceptions, most of these tools can be picked up for as little…




Letter Re: A Guide to Assembling an Off-Grid Carpentry Tool Box, by B.F.

…garage is much larger, as it contains copies of the vehicle tools as well as those tools I’ve found necessary, and handy, on tasks in the house and around the property and on the equipment. I won’t burden readers with a list of everything, since each should be familiar enough with their own needs to come up with a specific list, but I will suggest making sure you have wearable LED headlights, very good ones, and plenty of batteries for them (four words: Amazon Black Friday Sales). Pro tip: buy batteries, in all the sizes you use, in bulk and replace them on a schedule to make sure you have light when you need it; this is especially true for those lights not used frequently. For me, New Year’s and July 4th work well as reminder dates. Some get replaced annually, some bi-annually, a few (my pocket light, for example)…




A SHTF Guide to Mass Casualty Incidents, by W.G. Curry, NRP, TP-C

…patients that are still trapped, unable to easily move, or difficult to get to. Know and remember that a victim’s stability can change at any moment so each time they are moved, and periodically while stationary, you need to always continue to check for heavy bleeding and the presence of breathing. Bleeding Control Techniques: Plain and simple, if the bleeding is massive and coming out fast from a limb while spurting from the heart’s beat, then it needs a tourniquet.Commercially made tourniquets are produced and for sale, but typically aren’t available when citizens need them most and may present some legal issues when used by non-healthcare or non-trained personnel. One can fashion a tourniquet quite easily with common items. What is important is what not to use more so than what to use. Do not use anything that will cut into the skin when tightened. Examples would be: electrical wire…




Guest Post: Weapons of War On Our Streets – A Guide to the Militarization of America’s Police – Part 2

for 21st Century Policing recommended restriction of military hardware such as grenade launchers and armored vehicles. President Donald Trump has since reversed this, reinstating the entire 1033 program and remilitarizing police. DARPA: Police Militarization of the Future Since there is a clearly established pipeline running from the Pentagon’s latest and greatest toys, it’s not much of a stretch to say that the weapons being developed by the Pentagon today are going to be used on the streets of America in the very near future. In fact, there’s an entire department of the Pentagon dedicated to developing futuristic weapons to help the United States win the new arms. It’s called the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, commonly known as DARPA. This agency has not only developed weapons, but also a number of contemporary technologies most people take for granted – such as GPS, graphic user interface, the mouse, and even the…




Guest Post: Weapons of War On Our Streets- A Guide to the Militarization of America’s Police- Part 1

…during World War II. At least not yet. You will know the time has come when they come for our guns. Until the rule of law is absent, advocating violence against LEOs would be a crime, as any real lawyer would know. Or perhaps YOU are a government provocateur trying to entrap patriots into committing illegal acts. Liza Perpetual war Ohio Guy Well, One Guy, I certainly can’t say that I got my info from the TV like you did but I can say that from the many resources on the interwebs, there is compelling evidence that demolitions were used. I wish that I had the time and energy to list my sources but I fear that it would be in vain. I will, however encourage you to seek as many sources as possible, weigh them, and come to a logical conclusion. I believe, if you do this, you might…




End-Times Survival Guide Pt. 2, by Robert Paine

(Continued from Part 1 — End-Times Survival Guide.) 4. Survival Necessities: Supplies, Tools and Skills In case of the event of an economic collapse or blackout scenario, it’s recommended to have a minimum of six months of supplies prepared. Make sure you have enough food and other survival essentials properly stored and well-hidden. You also need a reliable source of water, and the means to make it safe to drink. Keep in mind, tools and gear should be light, portable and durable. Invest in quality American-made products that you can depend on when the going gets tough. Survivalist Checklist: • Firearms: Guns prove to be the greatest asset in any survival situation. Owning a firearm gives us optimal protection and the ability to hunt more efficiently. I recommend investing in a short barreled rifle; you need something powerful and intimidating yet versatile for different situations. If you buy a scope,…




AR-15 Setup and Maintenance – Part 3, by John Smith

…rod scrapes on the beginning or throat of the rifling just after the chamber ends. To prevent this issue, you should buy a Possum Hollow bore guide or similar bore guide. You place the bore guide into the upper receiver and it goes into the chamber of the barrel as well. The bore guide prevents the cleaning rod from flexing and protects the throat of your rifling. This ensures that the beginning of your rifling does not get worn down and cause the bullet to travel a longer free bore distance without being controlled by rifling and preventing premature accuracy degradation. For a normal barrel cleaning, I put a patch on the appropriately sized jag soaked with Bore Tech Eliminator. Then, I run it through the barrel using the bore guide. Sometimes I run two wet patches through. Let the barrel sit for 5 mins or so and then put…




Letter Re: A Beginner’s Guide to Essential Oils

Jim, Regarding the recent article “A Beginner’s Guide to Essential Oils”:   I was involved in the Essential Oil industry for a while. There are very limited uses for essential oils, however, and this is important, there are so many scammers in essential oil sales. It is very difficult to tell, without actual spectroscopic and chemical testing, if the essential oils are actually pure, what their purity is, if they’ve been diluted, and what they’ve been diluted with. Most essential oil companies buy from farmers or wholesale dealers overseas, pay be wire transfer, and hope reputation will see them to a good product. I worked for one of the better companies, and they did not do any lab verification of product newly arrived from a distiller. Bottle it, ship it out. I had questions. “Is this lighter color? Is the viscosity off? Does this smell right?” The answer: “It’s a…




Three Letters Re: A Beginner’s Guide to Buying Silver on eBay

…to his shop. If you have the opportunity to purchase anonymously, do it. God bless, – Matthew G.   JWR This was an excellent article, thank you for printing it.  Gil is very knowledgeable and was pretty thorough.  I work for a precious metals company and I am in charge of the eBay listings for our store.  While we mainly deal in the collector’s slabbed coins, in our physical storefront we also have junk silver so I am familiar with it.  Something I would like to mention for the newbies out there is to be aware of who you are dealing with on eBay, especially what country they are in.  There have been a lot of problems and complaints lately about counterfeit silver that is coming from China and some other foreign nations. Some new folks might see the low prices and think they have themselves a deal when they…




Letter Re: A Prepper’s Guide to Beginning Ethanol Fuel Distillation

…corn with a malted barley high in diastase content, such as malted six-row barley. When your author ferments his corn/sugar mix the only thing he is fermenting is the sugar.  The corn is wasted.   This is because the yeast cannot break down and metabolize starch but rather only simple sugars.  The crushed corn is high in starch but has very little sugar.   Even more important:  Do not drink this distillate!  Not only is this illegal, it is also dangerous.  Production of safe to drink ethanol requires fractional distillation because the first, more volatile, components coming off the still are highly toxic.  Among these is methanol (wood alcohol) but butanol and other nasty byproducts are also present.  There are books available that tell how to do this safely but it is still illegal in the USA to produce alcohol for consumption without a license.   Not recommended. – Mark R….