A Costly Freeze-Drying Prepper Mistake, by Mrs. T.

Doesn’t everyone want a freeze dryer? It feels like the ultimate answer to long-term food storage, your foods, your way, preserved “forever.” Perfect for a nuclear war, another COVID lockdown, or just peace of mind.

My family has a lot of food allergies, making it difficult for long long-term food storage solutions. We have never been able to find freeze-dried foods that were a combination of what we eat, and not processed in facilities that process ingredients we’re allergic to. That’s why the freeze dryer seemed like the perfect solution. And honestly, it still is. But not before I learned an expensive lesson.

I was shopping at Costco when I saw a small freeze dryer on sale for $1,600. Without hesitation, it was in my cart before I could change my mind or even discuss such an expense with the family.Continue reading“A Costly Freeze-Drying Prepper Mistake, by Mrs. T.”

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 continuing precious metals bull market.

Precious Metals:

Gold has mostly stairsteped to a series of new all-time highs (in US Dollar terms) since September 4th. The Gold Bull is picking up speed! Even if the Gold Bull slows down, we can still look for even greater percentage gains in silver and platinum. Those are both relatively undervalued, when compared to gold. – JWR

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At Gold-Eagle.com: Wealthy Asian Families Are Diving Into the Gold Market.

Economy & Finance:

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site, a recent X post from House Speaker Mike Johnson: Today’s revised BLS jobs numbers prove two things…

And here is a slightly different perspective:

Worst Revision In History: BLS Admits A Record 911K Fewer Jobs Were Added Under Biden.

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Lily spotted this video: Vietnam Closes 86,000,000 Bank Accounts, Submits to OECD’s Power Grab!

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At Zero Hedge: Nine Meals From Anarchy.

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Govt. Crisis Sends French Bond Yields Above Italy’s For First Time In EU History. JWR’s Comment:  Both France and Germany are presently in some deep economic Schumer.

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Newsweek: Americans warned of major credit score change this fall.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — September 11, 2025

September 11, 1297: The Battle of Stirling Bridge. Scottish rebel William Wallace defeated the English.

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September 11th is of course the anniversary of the 2001 Al Qaeda attacks on the U.S., but it is also the anniversary of the Benghazi Embassy attacks, in 2012. (Those events were recounted in the Hollywood film 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.) Please remember the sacrifice of J. Christopher Stevens, Sean Smith, and CIA (former Navy SEAL) agents Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty. Between them, Woods and Doherty reportedly dropped at least 60 of the attackers, before their position was overwhelmed. Please also remember the spineless worms in Washington, D.C. who decided to not back up the embassy staff when they were in dire need of help. Eventually, they will pay for that. Time wounds all heels.

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Prayers, please, for the late Charlie Kirk‘s widowed wife Erika, and their young son and daughter.

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Today’s feature article is by JWR.

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We are seeking 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.

A Three-Year Window or a Three-Month Window?

As an observer of contemporary politics, economics, and emerging threats, I have come to the conclusion that the last three years of Donald John Trump’s second term as President may provide a potential window of opportunity. If we were now living under a Harris-Walz Administration, we would surely be out of time to prepare. I have my doubts about Trump’s sincerity when he talks about scaling back the size and power of government. Alarmingly, the gains of the DOGE project were wiped out by the huge deficit spending included in the recent  “Big, Beautiful Bill”.  But I don’t consider DJT as much of a threat to our personal liberty as either his Democrat predecessor or his possible Democrat successor. (See my previous essay describing American politics operating in pendulum swings and a possible pendulum freeze.)

I believe that we may have a three-year window of opportunity to get squared away for whatever happens next to our nation. Of course, if the global stock markets crash, then there will be little or no time to prepare. If World War 3 breaks out, then there will be little or no time to prepare. And if we enter a time of Tribulation as described in Biblical prophecy, then obviously there will be little or no time to prepare. So perhaps we might only have a three-month window of opportunity to get our families prepared.Continue reading“A Three-Year Window or a Three-Month Window?”

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. In today’s column, a link to another mainstream media documentary on the growing prepper movement.

Meet the ‘Preppers’ Stockpiling for Doomsday

A British television journalist meets American survivalists: Meet the ‘Preppers’ Stockpiling for Doomsday.

A Russian “Stay-Behind” Cache?

A reader sent me the YouTube link to this interesting 2019 Russian news television segment: Tайник с оружием из 90-х годов. (“A cache of weapons from the 90s“.)  Although its origin is attributed to a criminal gang, this has all the marks of a resistance cell or “Stay-Behind” cell‘s arms cache. One oddity can be seen at the 1:49 mark: A Winchester Model 1873 receiver! There are also a few revolvers that might seem antiquated and out of place, but they are actually apropos for up-close-and-personal assassination since, unlike autopistols, they don’t leave any fired brass litter at a crime scene. Note the suppressed Makarov pistol at the 2:09 mark.  Also, the LAW-rocket clone Russian RPG-18 anti-tank launchers at the 4:10 mark. Hmmm… – JWR

Evidence of mRNA “Vaccine” Genocide

Reader D.S.V. sent this: COVID-19 “Vaccines” Reduce Life Expectancy by 37%. JWR’s Comment:  Taken together with the jab’s diminution of fertility, I can only conclude that the end result will be genocide. 

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The truth is that while those on the left – particularly the far left – claim to be tolerant and welcoming of diversity, in reality many are quite intolerant of anyone not embracing their radical views.” – The Late Charlie Kirk

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — September 10, 2025

On September 10, 1608, John Smith was elected president of the Jamestown Colony Council, Virginia.

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September 10,1813: American naval commander Oliver Hazard Perry defeated the British in the Battle of Lake Erie.

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A sad farewell: Edward Faulkner, Actor in John Wayne and Elvis Presley Films, Dies at 93.

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We are running a week-long sale on all of our Swedish Mauser rifles at Elk Creek Company. Until Monday, September 15th, 2025, 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, you can divide by 30!

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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.

Maximizing Prepping Storage Space – Part 2, by Iowa Dave

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

Here are the steps that I followed in this project:

Figure out how much space is available. Don’t just think in two dimensions (length and width), look up and consider how tall the available space is and what is above it. You are essentially playing a three-dimensional version of the old two-dimensional Tetris game in this exercise, while factoring in the features of your home.

My basement shelving has been constrained by things like water lines, waste lines, propane lines, and HVAC ducts. Consider how wide any aisles between rows of shelves need to be in order for you to get the intended storage containers in and out! I suggest taking the length of your largest container that will be stored on that aisle and adding four to six inches to that length to determine the width of your aisle so that you can maneuver things in and out.Continue reading“Maximizing Prepping Storage Space – Part 2, by Iowa Dave”

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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Russia’s mysterious ‘Doomsday Radio’ broadcasts two new codewords.

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Several readers mentioned this news: French hospitals told to prepare for war in Europe by next year in leaked Government letter.

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Putin needs to agree to an unconditional ceasefire and withdraw forces from all of Ukraine: UK statement at the UN General Assembly.

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Russia Continues Efforts to Regain Influence over Moldova.

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Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“It should be clear that modern fractional reserve banking is a shell game, a Ponzi scheme, a fraud in which fake warehouse receipts are issued and circulate as equivalent to the cash supposedly represented by those receipts.” – Murray Rothbard

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — September 9, 2025

On September 9, 1543, Mary Stuart, then just nine months old, was crowned Queen of Scots in the central Scottish town of Stirling.

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September 9, 1830: Charles Durant, the first US aeronaut, flew a balloon from Castle Garden, New York City to Perth Amboy, New Jersey. This was a distance of about 25 miles, covered in three hours.

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And on September 9, 1908, Orville Wright made the first hour-long airplane flight at Fort Myer, Virginia. His flight lasted 62 minutes and 15 seconds.

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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.

—

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.

Maximizing Prepping Storage Space – Part 1, by Iowa Dave

Author’s Introductory Note: I am not a carpenter or engineer. I am simply sharing concepts that have worked well for me and can be applied by anyone.

Beans, bullets, and band aids. Their volume grows over time, and we all need somewhere to put them. Mr. Rawles calls his storage space Jim’s Amazing Secret Bunker of Redundant Redundancy (JASBORR). I call mine The Temple of Doom. Managing the storage of these items is a challenge faced by all preparedness-minded individuals. Most of us have limited resources, and few would say they have enough storage space. The concepts in this article will help you get the most utility out of the space you have

available. Preparedness-minded folks tend to have their “pet” areas, be it firearms, radios, first aid, etc. Storage skills are a topic that is not glamourous to talk about, but something we all need and that we can get better at. In this article, I’ll share my storage evolution with you and walk you through my latest storage improvement project.Continue reading“Maximizing Prepping Storage Space – Part 1, by Iowa Dave”

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 several ongoing wildfire battles. But rainy weather is expected soon in most of the American Redoubt.

Idaho

Island Creek Fire burning 14,000+ acres north of Elk City.

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Idaho’s only woman on death row moves closer to firing squad after Supreme Court ruling.

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Local News 8 Investigates: 7 arrested for voter fraud in Fremont County.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I am proud to have been born in Iowa. Through the eyes of a ten-year-old boy, it was a place of adventure and daily discoveries – the wonder of the growing crops, the excitements of the harvest, the journeys to the woods for nuts and hunting, the joys of snowy winters, the comfort of the family fireside, of good food and tender care.” – Herbert Hoover