Preparedness Notes for Monday — January 26, 2026

On January 26, 1887, ground was broken and construction began on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.   It was completed on March 29, 1889, in time for the 1889 Paris World’s Fair. The Eiffel Tower then surpassed the Washington Monument as the world’s tallest man-made structure — a record that it held for 41 years. But it was eclipsed by the completion of the Chrysler Building in New York City, in 1930.

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And on January 26, 1915, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, was established.

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All eyes are on the Comex market this morning, after Friday’s surge to $103.91 for silver and $4,999.20 for gold. Meanwhile, it was reported that silver hit $114.70 (in US Dollar terms), in Shanghai trading, and briefly touched $126 this morning. When I checked this morning (6 AM, Pacific Time), spot silver was at $110, and gold at $5,085. Congrats to you folks who took my advice and bought circulated “junk” silver when a $1,000 face value bag could be bought for less than $24,000.  They now sell for more than $81,000 each. I recommend slowly unwinding part of your silver holdings as the price spike continues — at least enough to recoup your original investment.  Since we’ve entered Terra Incognita, it is impossible to accurately predict the height of the market top, and the timing of that top. In the weeks to come, we can expect to see very wide bid/ask spreads, with physical silver pricing all over the map. Ditto for price spreads between Western exchanges and Asian exchanges. Before you sell any of your stack, be sure to get competing bids from at least three dealers. Depending on the depth of their inventory and local demand, there will probably be quite a divergence in their offers. – JWR

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A USB Archive Stick Update: At last count, we had just three of the standard waterproof 2005-2025 SurvivalBlog archive USB sticks still available to order. And all of the sticks in the limited edition keepsake tins have sold out. The stick mailings began on January 22nd. They are going out in the same sequence that the orders were placed. We should be caught up on mailings by late February. Thanks for your patience. – JWR

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Today’s feature piece is by Tom Christianson of the SurvivalBlog staff.

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We need entries for Round 123 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest, which begins on February 1st. More than $978,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 122 ends on January 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. 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.

Uncharted Supply Company Seventy2 Pro Survival System, by Thomas Christianson

Given enough time, most of us would like to stock our own survival-kit/bug-out-bag with our favorite, hand-picked equipment. But sometimes there is not enough time or enough hand-picked equipment to go around. We want to add a bag to an additional vehicle. We are just getting started and don’t yet know what equipment to pick. Or we want to help a family member on short notice.

The Uncharted Supply Company Seventy2 Pro Survival System is designed to provide two people with the basic equipment and supplies to survive the first 72 hours after an accident, disaster, or disruption.

I am happy to report that Uncharted Supply Company doesn’t stock their system with the flimsy plastic trinkets that some vendors try to pass off as survival equipment. Their equipment is solidly built, well-selected, well-labeled, and well-organized.

The Seventy2 Pro Survival System cost $599 at the time of this writing at the Uncharted Supply Company website. It weighs 17.8 pounds fully loaded. If you need a decent bug-out-bag on short notice, then you might want to take a look at this one.Continue reading“Uncharted Supply Company Seventy2 Pro Survival System, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week:

The following recipe for Italian Cherry Tomato & Cheese Bake is from SurvivalBlog reader Connie S.  She writes:

“I have a spot in my garden where cherry tomatoes have volunteered for the last five years.  I give away plants to whoever needs one and then pull up the remaining plants leaving the two or three strongest-looking plants to grow for the season.  Leaving only a few plants and giving away cherry tomatoes to anyone who will take some, I still have extra cherry tomatoes.  I don’t like trying to use them in things like salsa, or sauces because of the processing time and small amount of flesh left. This last summer I felt led to find a way to use that extra produce for something other than goat treats or chicken food.  At the time, I was busy, so I just washed them and tossed them in quart freezer bags.  I figured things would slow down and I could find or create recipes that would work.

Here’s my favorite so far:
Ingredients:
Cherry tomatoes, block of feta cheese, herbs, salt and pepper to taste

Amounts of each depend on how much you need to make.  I used an eight ounce package of feta.  It served my husband and I for lunch, but I believe it would serve four-to-six as a side dish.

Directions:
Spray your baking dish with oil. Place the cheese in the center of a baking dish and then place the tomatoes around the cheese. I used two of my frozen quart bags.  Salt and pepper as desired.  Sprinkle herbs on top.  I used oregano and basil that I grew in the garden.  I also sprinkled garlic powder and thyme I purchased from the store. Bake at 350 degrees until the cheese melts and starts to brown and the tomatoes are soft.
We served it on toasted garlic bread.  I think it could be used as a topping on pasta by placing it over cooked noodles before baking, or as a type of “dip” with Melba toast.
Going forward, I’ll harvest all the cherry tomatoes I can.  I’m considering canning them whole in quart jars to make them shelf-stable. I also want to try homemade goat cheese the next time we’re milking.”

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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: Drug overdose deaths in the US per 100,000 people, by state, based on 2023 data. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) The thumbnail below is click-expandable.

Drug Overdose Deaths Map-2023

 

 

 

 

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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:

“The establishment of Civil and Religious Liberty was the Motive which induced me to the Field – the object is attained – and it now remains to be my earnest wish and prayer, that the Citizens of the United States could make a wise and virtuous use of the blessings placed before them.” – George Washington to the Reformed German Congregation of New York City, November 27, 1783

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — January 25, 2026

On January 25, 1840 an American naval expedition under Charles Wilkes was the first to identify Antarctica as a new continent.

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January 25, 1915:  Transcontinental telephone service officially inaugurated when Alexander Graham Bell in New York City called thomas Watson in San Francisco, California during the Panama-Pacific International Exposition.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 122 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. Harvest Guard is providing a 200-Piece Bulk Mix Pack of their Regular and Wide-Mouth Reusable Canning Jar Lids & Gaskets. This is a $161 + shipping value.

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. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. 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.
  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 $978,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 122 ends on January 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. 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.

Why Silver Continues To Be A Must-Buy, by Hubert Moolman

Editor’s Introductory Note: This analysis was published by our friend Hub Moolman on January 20th, 2026.  There is a wide range of opinion amongst precious metals market analysts on where the top might be for silver, in the current cycle. I personally expect to see a top somewhere between $125 and $195 per ounce. The bull market will probably be stopped by the combined force of legislation, executive orders, central bank intervention, and radically increased margin requirements by the metals exchanges. Presently, Asian silver buyers are unperturbed by the recent COMEX and LBMA trading rules changes. But when it comes, the PRC government’s draconian intervention will surely have a profound effect. I urge SurvivalBlog readers to cover their costs by gradually divesting as this spike continues. Anyone who bought their silver at below $31 per ounce should have already divested 20% or more of their stack, and put the proceeds into other tangibles. I must also reiterate: Always maintain a core holding of small silver coins (nothing larger than 1 ounce) to be able to barter for necessities.  That should be at least  30% of your silver stack.

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Even at close to $100 an ounce today, silver is still a must-buy. Here is why:

1. Silver vs The Quantity of US Dollars

Buying silver today with US dollars is a lot like buying silver in 1972. Below is a chart that shows the silver price relative to the monetary base (currency in circulation plus reserve balances):

 

 

 

When buying an ounce of silver today, you are using the same amount of US dollars relative to the total amount issued (according to the FED) as you would have circa 1972.Continue reading“Why Silver Continues To Be A Must-Buy, by Hubert Moolman”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

On January 1st, 2026, American shooters added a new category of “ARMS” to their collections: Abundantly Repurposed Mag-Lite Suppressors

News Link:

New Year Buying Surge Shows 2026 Could Be The Year Of Suppressors.

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

 

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.

For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.

Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?

This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you.

A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.

I have confidence in you through the Lord, that ye will be none otherwise minded: but he that troubleth you shall bear his judgment, whosoever he be.

And I, brethren, if I yet preach circumcision, why do I yet suffer persecution? then is the offence of the cross ceased.

I would they were even cut off which trouble you.

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” – Galatians 5:1-14 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — January 24, 2026

On January 24, 1616, Dutch mariners Jacob Le Maire and Willem Schouten were the first Europeans to discover Le Maire Strait, Tierra del Fuego, and then go on and round Cape Horn.

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January 24, 1890: The world’s oldest wooden sculpture, the Shigir Idol, was discovered in a peat bog near Kaltay, Middle Urals. It was later radiocarbon dated to 12,500 years old.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 122 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. Harvest Guard is providing a 200-Piece Bulk Mix Pack of their Regular and Wide-Mouth Reusable Canning Jar Lids & Gaskets. This is a $161 + shipping value.

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. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. 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.
  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 $978,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 122 ends on January 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. 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.

 

Going Off Grid In The Tropics – Part 2, by Conan Stevens

(Continued from Part 1.  This concludes the article.)

To give a vivid image of what it is still like here, the next smaller village over where my girl grew up still has a single electrical wire held up by bamboo poles with a 3W LED bulb dangling off every 100m (330 ft) or so for street lights, and house wiring running off that same single wire. But the sand roads were concreted over a few years ago, so there is improvement happening.

As you can imagine in the tropics solar power works great, in dry season we have full batteries by 9:30am and produce over 5KW of excess electricity throughout a sunny day, in wet season it’s generally pretty good but the last typhoon sat offshore for 4 days straight we still managed to get an average of 11% efficiency from the panels which got us 90% charge back each day.Continue reading“Going Off Grid In The Tropics – Part 2, by Conan Stevens”

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:

On Monday we took a snow hike in the National Forest, starting from a trailhead just four miles from our ranch. It was just a 2.5-hour hike. To avoid deep snow, we picked a trail on the south side of a mountain. For more than half of our hike, the trail was clear of snow. The dogs had a blast, and the hike was invigorating. Our visiting grand-dog was so funny, to see her snapping at a miniature waterfall. I don’t think that she had ever seen a waterfall up close before. But I suspect that she had snapped at a gushing garden hose at some time in the past.

One of our young ewes died this week. Despite our best efforts, we couldn’t get her to perk up. We tried all the usual, including colostrum, an intramuscular (IM) Vitamin A and D shot, Ivermectin, and an two IM antibiotic shots. But she still went down a few hours later and never got back up. It is sad when something like this happens. But in her case, she was too tightly bred, and she always seemed to be the flock’s  “Weak Sister.” For the genetic good of our flock, it is best that she removed herself from the gene pool. Sad, but true.

Now, Lily’s part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“These are the words of the covenant, which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb.

And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;

The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles:

Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.

And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy shoe is not waxen old upon thy foot.

Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or strong drink: that ye might know that I am the Lord your God.

And when ye came unto this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, came out against us unto battle, and we smote them:

And we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half tribe of Manasseh.

Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do.

Ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God; your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel,

Your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water:

That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the Lord thy God, and into his oath, which the Lord thy God maketh with thee this day:

That he may establish thee to day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” – Deuteronomy 29:1-13 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Friday — January 23, 2026

On January 23, 1643 the New Model Army led by Thomas Fairfax attacked the royalist garrison and captured Leeds for the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War.

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January 23, 1812: A magnitude 7.8 earthquake shook New Madrid, Missouri.

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Today is a the birthday of Larry Dean Olsen. (January 23, 1939 — December 26, 2018.)  He was born in Wendell, Idaho, on January 23, 1939, to parents Dean and Lola Olsen and he grew up in Jerome, Idaho. Larry was widely recognized as the father of modern primitive survival education. He was the author of the international bestseller “Outdoor Survival Skills”, which was first printed in 1967 and widely considered the classic illustrated book on the subject.

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January 23, 1855 was the birthday of John Moses Browning. He was the brilliant designer of dozens of guns, including the M1911 pistol, Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), and the venerable M2 .50 Caliber Machinegun.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 122 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. Harvest Guard is providing a 200-Piece Bulk Mix Pack of their Regular and Wide-Mouth Reusable Canning Jar Lids & Gaskets. This is a $161 + shipping value.

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. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. 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.
  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 $978,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 122 ends on January 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. 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.

Going Off Grid In The Tropics – Part 1, by Conan Stevens

Have you ever thought about going off-grid in the tropics?  No? Well, me neither, yet that’s where I find myself.

First up, though I have had food stores and access to water as a habit for over a decade I have only been living (mostly) off-grid for a year. So I’m not very experienced and still learning the ropes. But I thought my experiences here might be a curiosity and possibly be interesting reading for others.

I originally moved to Thailand to work in the action film industry, 21 years ago.  Since then I saw that the country started modernising, Westernising and becoming more difficult to stay long term. To be honest, after seven years I had exhausted my career opportunities there. After a short stay to try Australia again, I decided to relocate to the Philippines to continue using South East Asia as a low-cost base from which to operate from. Visas are much easier here, and the culture is more in alignment with Western culture than any other country in South East Asia. And, as an expat, you do not submit tax forms nor pay tax on any overseas monies sent into the country. Though the people have a reputation for being generally nice and friendly it is still a poor, violent, and dangerous country. It is a lot better now than when I first arrived 14 years ago thankfully as I too have mellowed somewhat in that time.Continue reading“Going Off Grid In The Tropics – Part 1, by Conan Stevens”