A Vehicle to Help Adjust Your Thinking, by R.V.

We bought a travel trailer. Our first trip took us from Georgia to North Dakota and back. The unit is built to handle changing sources of energy and limited sources of energy. It is designed to leave no trace other than tire prints. My primary motivation was to be able to join our family together on outings and make camping easier on my wife. I encourage camping and hiking. God will find you and/or you will find God in the wilderness.

Our trailer was built by Grand Design. It is a 30-foot model, without slide-out extensions. (I am disclosing the name only because I am impressed with the thoughtfulness of the design. I have no financial link.) We did not buy a version with the slides because we do not want to spend more than the minimum time inside the camper and the implied additional maintenance.

Minimalist Thinking

Operation of a camping trailer forces you and your family to face and reckon with limited resources.
Water: We must flush, wash, cook, and drink. At home, our unlimited household supply has made it easy to let it run while doing these things. Habits are hard to break. But the holding tank appropriately called the “black tank” only holds 32 gallons. Gray water tanks are the same size. Dumping the holding tanks is nasty disagreeable work but it makes you think. The fixtures in a camper make it possible to limit use. A lot of the lessons learned in operating a camping trailer have applicability in increasing the efficiency of how you live at home.

Maybe the house you live in should have those fixture options. The most significant is the wand type shower head with a button to shut it off. Second would be to get rid of the 5 gallon a flush water closet. Personally, I resented the mandate of lower-use toilets. But in the context of hauling water up from a lake or creek it is pretty darn sensible. How much you run your water pump on the well is also a resource issue. And, you can flood out your house’s septic system and make it back up. I know that some of you are astonished at that.Continue reading“A Vehicle to Help Adjust Your Thinking, by R.V.”

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. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the overhang of European energy derivatives. (See the Derivatives section.)

Precious Metals:

Silver prices see short squeeze, testing resistance near $20, up 6% on weak dollar.

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As expected, the silver-to-gold ratio is reversing. When I last checked (on Thursday, September 15, 2022) the ratio was down to 86-to-1. The long-term trend will put it south of 30-to-1, so it certainly isn’t too late to do some ratio trading, if you can find an agreeable coin dealer.

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Silver sharks circle the COMEX Whale.

Economy & Finance:

Two recent headlines:

JWR’s Comments: Railroads crisscross America, and they are the lifeblood of agriculture, industry, and commerce. Any disruption of rail traffic for more than just a few days would surely devastate already shaky supply chains for both raw materials and finished goods. Take a minute to ponder this map. Livestock feed, crude oil, refined fuel, and bulk chemicals are quite dependent on reliable rail transport.

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Video interview: Fed will raise interest rates to 4% ‘hell or high water,’ says former Fed Vice Chair Clarida.

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Americans Spent More on Taxes in 2021 Than on Food, Clothing and Health Care Combined.

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Pat Cascio suggested this news item: US Army Recommends Struggling Soldiers Apply For Food Stamps.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude.” – Alexis De Tocqueville

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — September 15, 2022

On this day in 1944, the U.S. 1st Marine Division landed on the island of Peleliu, one of the Palau Islands in the Pacific, as part of a larger operation to provide support for Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who was preparing to invade the Philippines. Within one week of the invasion, the Marines lost 4,000 men. By the time it was all over, that number would surpass 9,000. The Japanese lost more than 13,000 men. Flamethrowers and bombs finally subdued the island for the Americans, but it all proved pointless. MacArthur invaded the Philippines without the need of Army or Marine protection from either Peleliu or Morotai.

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Today’s feature article was written by SurvivalBlog’s Senior Editor James Wesley, Rawles (JWR).

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We are still seeking entries for Round 102 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 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.

Are You Ready For Societal Winter?

Many of you reading this are ready for winter, both literally and figuratively. Your firewood is stacked and your kindling is split. Your barn is stacked full of hay. Your larder is crammed full of food. Your fuel tanks are topped off. And your home armory is “dialed-in”, with its walls comfortably stacked with ammo cans.  But some of you reading this are not nearly so well prepared. Whether by lack of resolve or lack of resources, you aren’t ready for the manifold challenges of the 21st Century.

Winter is coming. The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts that the winter of 2022-2023 will be harsh, for most of the country. And in Western Europe, the winter will surely be an uncomfortable one, since the Russians have embargoed natural gas.

Far worse than the predicted La Niña winter in North America, we are also entering what I term a Societal Winter: An era of rancorous discontent between political factions here in the United States that is replete with iciness, and dismissiveness, by The Powers That Be. With divisive “Woke” rhetoric and plenty of finger-pointing, people are feeling a lot less “United” these days. From my vantage point here in the rural Northern Rockies, it appeared that immediately after Joe Biden and his activist cabinet took office in D.C., the Mainstream Media (MSM) cranked the Acrimony knob all the way up to “11.”  (For those not familiar, the 11 is a reference to the mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap.)

All signs now point to the advent of a deep and long Societal Winter. Continue reading“Are You Ready For Societal Winter?”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— 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, we look at BATFE Over-Reach.

More BATFE Over-Reach

Reader Tim J. sent us three articles and video links illustrating BATFE over-reach:

U.S. Sent Hundreds of Phoenix Ghost Drones to Ukraine

Here is a headline at the 1945 site that illustrates the latest twist in 4th Generation Warfare (4GW): The U.S. Has Sent Hundreds of Kamikaze Phoenix Ghosts Drones to Ukraine.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country.” – Thomas Jefferson

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — September 14, 2022

Today is the birthday of James Wilson, a lawyer and signer of the Declaration of Independence (1742 – 1798).

This is also the birthday of actor Clayton Moore (1914–1999). His name is almost synonymous with The Lone Ranger.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 102 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 LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 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.

Can the USS America Be Rescued or Will She Founder?, by St. Funogas

Today, in the September 7th in the Snippets column, many of the topics in some of my recent “do-not-publish” essays were covered so I thought I’d share some opinions.

I agree with most of the comments and links in today’s Snippets column, as I generally do, but a few I disagree with I hope are worthy of mention, mostly on saving the country from the tyranny which is barreling down on us and becoming obvious even to the oblivious.

In V for Vendetta, I love the Guy Fawkes moment at the end, when everything representative of the ruling tyrannical government is blown all to h*ll in a great show of fireworks and explosions. I’m usually cheering it on loudly enough for the neighbor a quarter mile away to hear.

I of all people look forward to the day when this country is broken up into smaller, more logical pieces (countries,) but there’s no reason to believe it will ever come to pass for the reasons outlined below.

The giant NSA computer database servers in Utah which save every single electronic communication we make, phone calls, e-mails, texts, etc., are the epitome example of what’s coming our way. Its computer algorithms probably upgraded me into a different folder when I publicly stated on SurvivalBlog that I wish those involved in the Capitol Breach, not counting the dozens of provocateurs, had burned the place to the ground. I’ve no doubt been transferred from the “libertarian nut job” folder to the “seditious-old-fart-full-of-hot-air folder.”Continue reading“Can the USS America Be Rescued or Will She Founder?, by St. Funogas”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

This weekly column is a collection of short snippets: 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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First up, is this news: Federal judge blocks Colorado county from banning sale and manufacturing of specific semi-automatic weapons and magazines.  JWR’s Comments: The impact of the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision is just starting to be felt. Bruen clarifies that a “text, history, and tradition” test must be applied. Hence, any sort of restrictions on “arms” that did not have an equivalent in force in or before 1791 is unconstitutional. This means that the vast majority of firearm, ammunition, magazine, knife, and sword restrictions now on the books at the Federal, state, and local levels must be rescinded!  As an aside: America’s first gun law was a restriction on the sale of guns to American Indians. And that too would be unconstitutional, per the 14th Amendment.

o  o  o

Any homeschoolers nearing high school graduation, or already graduated that would like an alternative to brick-and-mortar colleges and universities should consider Hillsdale College. They offer a wide range of free online courses.

o  o  o

Reader C.B. mentioned a new instructional video from our friend Plaid Daddy, a.k.a. Garand Thumb: Basic Mountain Camouflage. Becoming Deadly in the Mountains (visible, IR, Thermal). It is 37 minutes long, but well worth watching. (Warning: There is some foul language.)  Reader C.B. also offered these comments about fabric and NV/ IR:

“The more synthetic the blend of material, the more it’ll brighten/reflect under those systems, natural Cotton and Wool are much more dim than Polyester and Nylon materials. Nylon straps and bare hook/ loop squares glow fairly substantially under NV/ IR, you can use ash or dirt to dull them down. Rain shells also glow like crazy due to their material composition. There are only a few manufacturers that have NIR compliant dyes on the market, many aftermarket products use contract-compliant dyes and materials, but aren’t NIR dyes in large. Wash your stuff before use. Use detergents with no brighteners to remove residual optical brightener from your new clothing and gear. Plastic also reflects pretty substantially, all those buckles and clips are indicators, so dull them down with proper rattle-can action or camo paint. Tape the tabs of zippers too, they jingle and make noise. Certain outdoor use camo spray paints are better than others, some will light up hard. The Military uses Aervoe brand camo spray paint in part, Rustoleum outdoor also works well. A good way to defeat IR sensors on Drones is to use a Mylar blanket as an over tarp to cover the OP/ LP/ Hide and put some natural foliage (like leaf fall or some small light branches with leaves on them) or camo netting over it. You do not want the Mylar to contact your body (unless for practical emergency blanket use to combat weather injuries and such), but it works very well in a tarp covering application.“

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“When I am weaker than you, I ask you for freedom because that is according to your principles; when I am stronger than you, I take away your freedom because that is according to my principles.” – Frank Herbert, Children of Dune

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — September 13, 2022

September 13th, 1951 was the birthday of President Salva Kiir Mayardit of South Sudan.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 102 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 LogOX 3-in-1 Forestry MultiTool (a $189 value) and a WoodOx Sling (a $79.95 value), courtesy of LogOx, both made in USA.
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $750,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 102 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.

What’s in the Rest of My Bags and Why – Part 2, by D.D. in Arizona

This is the conclusion of a two-part article. Part 1 was posted on August 30th.

Main Compartment

The part number of my bugout bag — a Direct Action Messenger Bag — is BG-MSGM-CD5.

I like the new approach of these bags to line the inside with the loop part of Velcro® and then just stick everything inside at whatever angle and arrangement you prefer. I used three different methods to attach the gear:

  • Vertx makes a thing named the MAK Band – very helpful for the pepper sprays and holding Glock magazines.
  • Self-adhesive strips of hook material on the lighter and metal tools
  • Non-self-adhesive strips of hook material glued to the Nylon carriers of the flashlight and Leatherman – the secret here is to buy small 0.18 fl. oz. tubes of ShoeGoo, trim the carrier as necessary and glue the hook material to it. You want to weigh it down overnight to let it set. ShoeGoo solves a lot of attachment problems!

Continue reading“What’s in the Rest of My Bags and Why – Part 2, by D.D. in Arizona”

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 of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, the emphasis is on the wildfire season, which may continue for a few more weeks.

Idaho

Reported on September 8th: Idaho County Sheriff calls for ‘go’ evacuations for Williams Creek Fire. Here is an excerpt:

“The Idaho County Sheriff’s Office has called for level three evacuations (go) in the area near Orogrande following increased fire conditions.

The 5,100-acre fire is located near Wildhorse Lake in the Gospel Hump Wildnerness area. It was caused by lightning on Aug. 29.

“Ground and aerial firefighting resources responded with an aggressive initial attack at the time of detection, but the fire growth outpaced these efforts,” officials say on the incident page.”

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The firearms trainers at Verrett Tactical have expanded their calendar of firearms training classes in Naples, Idaho.  Their night vision integration course is recommended, especially for anyone who hasn’t yet attended a night shooting course.

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Multiple wildfires burning in Kootenai River Complex.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“A good shot must necessarily be a good man since the essence of good marksmanship is self-control and self-control is the essential quality of a good man.” – Theodore Roosevelt