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.

—

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

o  o  o

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

o  o  o

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

o  o  o

Russia Continues Efforts to Regain Influence over Moldova.

o  o  o

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.

—

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.

—

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.

—

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.

o  o  o

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

o  o  o

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

Preparedness Notes for Monday — September 8, 2025

On September 8, 1628, Dutch privateer Piet Heyn captured the Spanish silver fleet in the Bay of Matanzas, Cuba.

—

September 8, 1860: The excursion steamer Lady Elgin sank after being rammed in a storm on Lake Michigan, drowning about 300 people. This was the largest loss of life ever recorded on the Great Lakes.

—

And on September 8, 1892: The first appearance of “Pledge of Allegiance” was published in the Youth’s Companion.

—

Just in time to be ready for deer hunting season, we’ve just started 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 6.5×55 mm “Swedes” have been reduced by 10 to 25 percent. These are all pre-1899 no paperworkers 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!

—

Today’s feature article is a review written by our own Tom Christianson.

 

Bear & Son 112A Framelock Assisted Opener Knife, by Thomas Christianson

With a rugged stainless steel handle, a 2.88-inch drop point blade made of high carbon stainless steel, and an assisted opening mechanism, the Bear & Son 112A Framelock Assisted Opener Knife has the right stuff for a solid everyday carry (EDC) knife. Since it is made in the USA and has a price at the time of this writing of $59.99 it is a good value for your hard-earned dollars. It is available at BearAndSonCutlery.com .

I only keep a small number of the knives that I test. Most of them I give away to family, friends, and acquaintances. I am happy to report that I have not yet begun giving knives away to random passing strangers. But the 112A is a knife that I will keep. I highly recommend it.Continue reading“Bear & Son 112A Framelock Assisted Opener Knife, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week:

The following recipe for Parmesan-Thyme Roasted Potato Wedges is from SurvivalBlog reader Ellen H..

Ingredients
  • 5 large potatoes washed and sliced into wedges. (Leave the skins on.)
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 sprigs of fresh thyme leaves from your garden.  (Or substitute ½ teaspoon of dried thyme.)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (or less, to taste)
  • salt (to taste)
  • pepper (to taste)
Directions
  1. Pre-heat your oven to 325 F.
  2. Slice potatoes into wedges
  3. Spread potatoes in a greased 9×13 inch pan.
  4. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Pour over potatoes.
  5. Place the pan in your oven.
  6. Bake for 45 minutes, turning at least twice during the cooking process.
SERVING

Serve them hot!

STORAGE

These lose their crispiness if stored. But leftovers are okay to refrigerate for up to 48 hours. Expect a huge loss of their proper texture if frozen and reheated.

—

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: Map of Nunavut. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.) Nunavut (population 41,000) is the Largest Electoral District On Earth. It is 8 Times Larger Than The UK.

The thumbnail below is click-expandable.

 

 

 

 

—

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.

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — September 7, 2025

On September 7, 70, the Roman army under General Titus occupied and plundered Jerusalem.

—

On September 7, 1876, the Younger Brothers outlaws, who were often allied with Jesse James, were captured following an unsuccessful bank robbery in Northfield, Minnesota. There, armed townsmen bested the robbers in a protracted gun battle.

—

Today is the birthday of novelist Taylor Caldwell. (Born 1900 – August 30, 1985).

—

And September 7th is also the birthday of Richard Cole, born in 1915. He passed away on April 8, 2019, at age 103. Cole was the last living Doolittle Raider. He was General Doolittle’s co-pilot.

—

Today’s feature piece is by JWR.

—

We are in great need of 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.

JWR’s Meme Of The Week:  

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

As The Song Goes… There’s Only Two Things That Money Can’t Buy

And That’s True Love And Homegrown Tomatoes

Guy Clark’s song: Homegrown Tomatoes.

Photo Credit: Yan Krukau

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.