Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make 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 this column, in the Odds ‘n Sods Column, and in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

Happy New Year, folks!

It has felt good to get back into our deep winter routine. Lily has the indoor greenhouse trays already growing and producing salad greens. I snowplow our road and barnyard/parking area once every few days (as needed), and we keep the woodstove constantly fed. On alternating days I refill the woodbox that is near the stove. And every day we check on the main stock tank and its heater, feed the sheep, feed the cows and horses, and feed the chickens and collect eggs. There are also some smaller water buckets that need a daily rinse and re-filling. I have my once-a-week routines, as well: A trip to town to check on incoming mail and to mail out Elk Creek Company packages, and rolling a dozen or more bales of hay off of the top of the pile — to make them handy for whoever is feeding the bovines, equines, and ovines.

I enjoy the quiet and serene pace of deep winter. I get a lot of writing done, and I have more free time available for repair and renovation projects around the house. At this time of year, we all seem to have more time available for reading and playing board games. (The most recent favorites for our family are Scrabble and Ticket To Ride – Europe.)

The highlight of each week is our group Bible study. Our group meets in a home that is less than 15 miles away — which is “practically next door” by American Redoubt standards. It is the most in-depth study I’ve ever participated in. There is a lot of topical study, apologetics, history, Holy Lands’ geography, and brief dives into Greek and Hebrew. The studies on prophecy and eschatology would be enough to overwhelm any “baby Christian.” I feel truly blessed to be a member of that study group. It is a great time of fellowship, around mostly gray-hairs, like myself.

Thusfar, this fall and winter, we’ve had about three feet of snow, but it has compacted down to about 18 inches. But in actuality, that is just a trifling amount. I have some relatives with a cabin in the High Sierras of California. They tell me that they already have eight feet on the ground and may get more than 18 feet of snow this year!

With all of the recent snow, we had a pair of “leaner” fir trees go almost fully down across one of our fences. So I picked a sunny but brisk day (12 Degrees F.) and cut them up with my chainsaw. For safety, I had to work very deliberately and slowly each time I took a step–since I was on a slope and my Kamik boots were postholing through 20+ inches of crusted snow. I piled the limbs into a slash pile to burn in April or May. Thankfully, the trees had apparently both bent down slowly under snow load, so they did very little damage to the wire mesh field fence.

Now, over to Lily…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

A Special January 1st Note From JWR:  I recommend The Bible in a Year website for anyone who would like to make the personal commitment of reading through the entire King James Version (KJV) Bible in calendar year 2022, via daily readings.

—

“And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.

And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee.

And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.

And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.

The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord.

And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored him again, and became as it was before.

And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.

And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:

For so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.

So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.

Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.

And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah.

And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon,

And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.

Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.

And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:

For it was said to me by the word of the Lord, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.

He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.

So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.

And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back:

And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee,

But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.

And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.

And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase.

And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.

And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord: therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake unto him.

And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him.

And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass.

And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him.

And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!

And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones:

For the saying which he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.

After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places.

And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.” – 1 Kings 13 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — December 31, 2021

December 31st, 1851 was the birthday of Frederick Selous. He died on January 4th, 1917.

And this is also the birthday of Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 98 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. 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  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. 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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 98 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.

Readying Your Family: Count The Costs

As I’ve mentioned in previous essays, I believe that We Are Living In The Age of Deception and Betrayal (WALITAODAB). Looking back on the trauma and drama of 2020 and 2021, please consider some of the questions that you must ask yourself and the choices that you may have to make in the next few years:

1.) First and foremost, are you right with God? If not, then repent and commit your life to Christ Jesus. (Yeshua, the Messiah.) Salvation in Christ is there for the asking, but you must be saved.

2.) Are you living in a truly safe place? We must decide what is more important: Our cushy suburban comforts and “stability” — or our personal freedom and a higher chance of surviving a disaster. Many of the 50 States have enacted laws or begun enforcing gubernatorial decrees that are severely restricting our ability to carry out free commerce and to have freedom of association.  Meanwhile, there is a stark dichotomy in gun laws. The “Blue” states are enacting more restrictions, while the “Red” states are rolling back restrictions–most notably for Constitutional Carry. Vote with your feet!

3.) Are you financially prepared for what is coming? We have been enjoying a Fantasyland Economy for about the past 20 years. Since soon after the Dot.com Bubble market crash of 2000, the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve private banking cartel began conspiring to keep interest rates artificially low, and they created Quantitative Easing (QE). More recently, they began handing  “stimulus” money. Most of that was created out of thin air. While those steps artificially stimulated the economy, forestalled or shortened recessions, and drove higher equity share prices, they have essentially destroyed the value of the U.S. Dollar. How much longer will Americans and foreign investors continue playing along with this charade? What will happen when the monetary and financial systems inevitably collapse in mass inflation?  What will you do, to prepare yourself to survive this collapse? How will you position yourself, with physical preparations, your choice of locale, and how you’ve structured your investment portfolio? Have you closely examined what portions of your investments are tangible versus those that are mostly intangible or even just conceptual?

4.) Have you divided/dispersed/hidden your stored food, weapons, precious metals, and barter goods? Keep in mind that there are two types of looters. The second and worst sort wear or carry badges.

5.) Are you in good physical condition and are you maintaining proper body weight?

6. Have you teamed up with trustworthy and like-minded friends? Do you train together?

7.) Have you kept current with your firearms, first aid, and communications training?

8.) You probably have a good assortment of guns, ammunition, and magazines, but do you have an intrusion detection system, night vision equipment, body armor, plate carriers, holsters, and magazine pouches?

9.) Have you done your best to become self-sufficient?Continue reading“Readying Your Family: Count The Costs”

December 2021 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran

Welcome to SurvivalBlog’s Precious Metals Month in Review, where we take a look at “the month that was” in precious metals. Each month, we cover gold’s performance and the factors that affected gold prices.

What Did Gold Do in December?

Gold prices continued having difficulty in moving higher when they should have in December, but ended the month and the year back above $1,800. $1,780 proved to be the big support level this month. It was a seesaw month for gold, as prices would negate big losses a day or two later.

Part of this was “good news is bad news” and vice versa for gold. The Non-Farm Payrolls Report was a disaster, showing only 210,000 new jobs added in November, less than half the expected 543,000 new jobs. While the dollar was unfazed, investors stampeded into bonds and gold. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell from 1.43% to settle at 1.36%. Gold gained more than $20, almost exactly wiping out the previous day’s losses.

December 14th saw the highest monthly jump on record – up 9.6% – for producer prices, igniting fears of the Fed slashing QE to prepare for early rate hikes. Gold lost more than $15 on the news. Two days later, the worst PMI in years sent gold blasting $30 higher, just pennies away from $1,800

On December 17th, gold broke the $1,800 barrier at the close for the first time since Nov 22nd. It then fell below $1,800 for two sessions before climbing back again.

Rounding out the month, gold hit the high for the month on December 28, gaining $30 over the previous week’s lows. This attracted the year-end profit takers, who sent gold to $1,790 before buyers brought prices back up over $1,800.

Factors Affecting Gold This Month

INFLATION AND THE ECONOMY

“Pocketbook” inflation continues to rise, and Americans can’t keep up. Wages showed a year-to-year gain at 4.8% for November. However, at 6.8%, inflation outpaced those gains. Workers’ purchasing power actually fell 2%.

The mainstream financial press keeps making the mistake of taking rising nominal interest rates to mean that the opportunity costs of holding gold have gone up. But real rates are still solidly negative.Continue reading“December 2021 in Precious Metals, by Steven Cochran”

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 global economic and credit market forecasts for 2022. (See the Economy & Finance section.)

Precious Metals:

Silver Reverses to Long, Gold still struggles.

o  o  o

Strong 2021 Demand For Physical Precious Metals, Despite Paper Prices.

Economy & Finance:

Fitch: Global Economic Outlook – December 2021.

o  o  o

IMF warns of interest rate risks as global debt hits $226 trillion.

o  o  o

Bloomberg Quint: What Could Possibly Go Wrong? These Are the Biggest Economic Risks for 2022.

o  o  o

Moody’s: Outlooks 2022.

o  o  o

Over at The Street: Here Are Some of the Biggest Market Risks in 2022.

o  o  o

S&P: Global Credit Outlook 2022: Aftershocks, Future Shocks, And Transitions.

o  o  o

Over Half Of US States Will Increase Minimum Wage In 2022.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — December 30, 2021

December 30, 1865 was the birthday of Rudyard Kipling.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 98 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. 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  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. 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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 98 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.

 

Gasoline Types and Long Term Storage, by Tunnel Rabbit

I started wrenching in 1976, and have several decades of experience in this field.
Diesel is the best fuel for TEOTWAWKI, but I cannot afford to switch, and I do not have diesel chainsaw.  I store aviation gasoline (Avgas) “100LL” for my chainsaws and generators.  This pure form of gasoline does not separate, nor degrade as rapidly as modern gasoline sold are regular gas stations. It is much like gasoline was in the 1960s that contain lead, and has few additives. You can buy it at most airports that cater to general aviation private pilots. If stored in air-tight metal 5 gallons in a temperature-stable environment, it can run an airplane after many years of storage without the use of a fuel stabilizer. Many pilots report the remarkably long storage life of Avgas.  Avgas in it’s various forms have been used in automotive racing, and as fuel stock for different blends of racing fuel. And it is highly regarded by those who have used it in snowmobiles to chainsaws.
Storage Containers and Management
Plastic storage containers are oxygen permeable and oxygen degrades fuels, so these are not ideal for long term storage measured in years.  The good old metal 5 gallon jerry can is ideal. New versions of this container are expensive and can found in stainless steel!  Reduce storage container cost by using less expensive plastic cans for fuels that will be used first and metal cans for feuls that would be used after many years of storage.  For chainsaws, just one gallon of gasoline can cut a cord of softer woods. Therefore, one expensive or high-quality air-tight metal can might be justifiable, if the fuel will be used after several years of storage.
However, a good alternative to this scheme is proprietary custom fuels such as VPN (best), or others such as Trufuel (much more cost-effective).  These are sold in air-tight metal cans eliminating the need for purchasing such for the purpose of long-term storage of fuels. The high cost of these fuel alternatives are justifiable in my book, if it will be used to run chain saws.  I suspect that the reason these proprietary fuels store so long is because they might be using the same fuel stock that is used for Avgas. But, I cannot prove it.  Besides Trufuel, the least expensive of this category, and runs around $20.00/gal, while Avgas, in my area, is less than $5, and the national average was less than $6 per gallon, when I last checked.  I do have one season’s worth of Trufuel in reserve as a contingency to power a chainsaw.
Avgas does not have the same light volatiles of automotive gasoline blends, so starting could be more difficult in cold weather. It is designed to run an airplane a motor at a steady speed of 2,000 to 2,300 rpm.  The lead in this fuel increases the octane rating, cools the valves,  lubricates valve stems, and cylinder walls as it was designed to do given the soft metal used for engine valves prior to 1972.  It would also lubricate 2 cycle motors.  Chainsaws to snowmobiles love it.  When converted to a metric for automotive fuels, it has a 96 octane rating, and contains a modest amount of lead, therefore it should not be used in engines with emission controls and catalytic converters.  Oxygen sensors in the exhaust system, and the catalytic converters would quickly become damaged.  The vehicle would continue to run, but without the benefit of good functioning oxygen sensors, the motor will run rich and fuel economy would suffer.  Repairing the vehicle, should it need to pass an emissions test in the future, could be expensive. 100LL avgas can be purchased at my local private airport for only $4.99/gal, only 50 cents more per gallon than non-ethanol premium gasoline that is often considered the best gasoline for long-term storage.
Avgas, Mogas, and Chainsaws
I would use not use ethanol fuel for chainsaws for a variety of reasons, unless there was nothing else. And it would be the least desirable and poor choice for long-term storage as ethanol is hydrophilic and degrades the additives in fuel. ‘Hydrophilic’ means water can be absorbed into the fuel and burned. This both good and bad.  Good if it will be run through a 4 cycle motor, such as are vehicle motors, but bad if it will be run through a 2 cycle motor that are used on chainsaws. 2 cycle motors require a specialized oil to be mixed into the fuel. This oil-fuel mixture is used to lubricated the motor and to run the motor.  If there is water mixed in with the fuel, the operator would not know this as ethanol absorbs it, and it is carried in the fuel. The water in this fuel is not a good lubricant, as it does not mix as well with the oil that is added and intended for purpose of lubrication.  A water-soluble fuel does not carry lubricants as well, as a pure petroleum-based fuel does.

Continue reading“Gasoline Types and Long Term Storage, by Tunnel Rabbit”

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 the aftermath of the recent tornadoes.

In Rural Kentucky: The Tornado Aftermath

First up, at CNN: ‘It gets harder every day.’ For many in rural Kentucky, their Christmas gift is survival.  An excerpt:

“A week after the deadly long-track tornado ripped through western Kentucky, residents of the region were rallying around those who had suffered the worst damage, much like the Amish community that had gathered in rural Graves County, several miles outside Mayfield.
In Mayfield, a town of less than 10,000 people where more than one-in-three residents live below the poverty line, many people said they were committed to remaining in the area and rebuilding what they had lost.
But anxiety over the economic blows so many had suffered had also set in, with many beginning to confront the long process of recovery with more questions than answers.”

Kentucky Tornado Photos: Recovery and Cleanup

Kentucky tornado photos: What recovery and cleanup has looked like each day in communities.

Mountain Lion Breaks Into California Home

H.L. sent this, at Newsweek: Mountain Lion Breaks Into Family Home, Tries to Eat Pet Dog. JWR’s Comment: Take note that this happened in southern California. Surely, local animal rights advocates will claim  that the big cat was simply making “a lifestyle choice.”

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“If congress has the right under the Constitution to issue paper money, it was given them to use themselves, not to be delegated to individuals or corporations.” – Andrew Jackson

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — December 29, 2021

I just heard of the death of the highly-decorated CMDR Richard Marcinko, at age 81. He was the first commander of SEAL Team 6. He had an amazing career, and he surely will be missed.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 98 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. 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,
  4. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  5. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  6. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.
  7. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, that have a combined retail value of $589,
  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. 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. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  4. A transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 98 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.

 

Gear Review: Axil GS Extreme Earbuds, by The Novice

Axil GS Extreme Earbuds transmit and even amplify ambient noises while filtering out the dangerously loud sounds that can result in hearing loss. I found the earbuds to work well in setting like the range, running a chainsaw outdoors, running a circular saw inside, or driving while a dog is baying near my ear. These earbuds have become my preferred method of hearing protection.

The Backstory

I have noticed that ear muffs and rifle stocks do not always play well together. The muffs and the stock somehow seem to get in each other’s way, with the stock banging the muffs, and the muffs making it difficult to acquire the sights. So when I ran across Axil GS Extreme Earbuds recently, I wanted to give them a try. I contacted Axil, and they were kind enough to provide a sample for testing and evaluation.

While the earbuds were in transit, Axil recommended that I watch a short video (4:28) with tips about how to get the best performance out of the earbuds. There were a number of major points that I took away from the video:
1. Proper fit is vital to achieving good results from the earbuds. The buds come with differing sized tips that can be used to achieve proper fit. For ears of an unusual size or shape, it is possible to order custom fitted earbuds.
2. If one is using foam tips, they should be compressed prior to inserting the earbuds. The earbuds should be inserted deep into the ear canal with a twisting motion.
3. In extremely loud environments, the volume of the earbuds should be turned down.Continue reading“Gear Review: Axil GS Extreme Earbuds, by The Novice”

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. We may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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Here is some cause for concern: Man finds Apple AirTag tracker on his Dodge Charger.  Note that these could be used by would-be thieves, would-be burglars, would-be rapists, stalkers, assorted psycopaths, or out-of-control government officials–with or without a warrant. The cost of an Apple AirTag is expected to drop below $25 in the next two years.

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I found this linked over at the great Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: ‘I told you we’d get ’em’: Incredible moment rescuers pull two babies from a bathtub after their grandmother tucked them inside with a Bible and a blanket as a tornado destroyed their Kentucky home.

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Reader D.S.V. forwarded this: 5-Year-Old Weeps as NYPD Demands to See Govt. Papers.

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Swedish company offers a COVID pass that gets under the skin.  JWR’s Comment:  I seem to remember reading about this technology somewhere, in a very old book…

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Richard T. had this suggestion:

“I just turned 74 this month and my toes still will hurt if they get cold from being frostbitten in my early 20’s when I was wearing tennis shoes and my car died in the dead of a Minnesota winter. I see people doing this all the time, wearing shorts, T-shirts, pajamas, even sandals in freezing weather. I believe you should be prepared to spend 24 hours in a vehicle in any kind of weather. The best and most thorough education one can get on how to prepare your vehicle is to watch YouTube videos on the topic with a pen and paper in hand. It is necessary to watch several as each situation is unique. Here are a couple that I have found: winter car accessories by Gear Junkie and 12 Things Every Man Should Carry In His Car WINTER EDITION 2020 by Wranglestar.”

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”