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:

We got all of our hay safely into the barn early in the week, just before some rain showers. Praise The Lord!  That was exhausting, but satisfying.  After that, I finally got back to finishing up our annual firewood cutting.  I always keep a reserve of firewood on hand, but I like to cut my annual “quota”, each year.

After helping Lily pit a big batch of cherries for preservation, this left about two pounds of Bing Cherry pits.  I planted these in damp spots in about 30 places around our ranch. We’ll see what happens…

With a big sale in progress, I’ve been very busy all this week padding, boxing, and mailing out gun orders for my Elk Creek Company side business. That sale ends tonight at midnight, Pacific Time.  Be sure take a look, and get your order in before the sale ends!

Now, Lily’s part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?

When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,

And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,

And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?

Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;

That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?

It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment.

And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm shall be broken.

Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?

Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?

Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all.

Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof,

That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?

Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? or because the number of thy days is great?

Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,

Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?

By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?

Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;

To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;

To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?

Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?

Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?

The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.” Job 38:1-30 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Friday — July 25, 2025

On July 25, 1850, Gold was discovered in Oregon, on the Rogue River.

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On this day in 1853, Joaquin Murrieta, the famous Californian bandit known as “Robin Hood of El Dorado”, was killed by California Rangers.

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And on July 25, 1797 Horatio Nelson lost more than 300 men and his right arm during the failed conquest attempt of Tenerife, Spain.

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I just heard of the passing of wrestler and actor Hulk Hogan.  He was an outspoken conservative, and in his later years, an outspoken Christian.

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Just one more day! In honor of the birthday week of Samuel Colt, we are running a special sale at Elk Creek Company. Many antique and percussion replica gun prices have been reduced — including all of our Colts — and I’ll include the bonus of an autographed hardback copy of my novel Expatriates with the first 10 orders. The sale will end tomorrow at 9 PM Pacific Time, Saturday, July 26th, 2025.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 119 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.

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 119 ends on July 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.

Preparedness Primer for an Uncertain Future – Part 4, by Single Farmer

(Continued from Part 3.)

Levels of Preparedness

Someday, perhaps in the 22nd Century, someone may read this and think it is comical in descriptions of what 500 dollars or 5 million dollars could buy in the first quarter of the 21st Century. This would be much the same as we look at historical books with then-catchy titles. Catherine Owen wrote “Ten Dollars Enough: Keeping House Well on Ten Dollars a Week”. That was a late 19th-century practical instructional book featuring a young couple Harry and Molly and their experiences in budgeting. Their goal back then was to “escape” a boarding house to be able to afford their own home. For those unfamiliar with prices in the 19th Century, ten dollars was a significant amount of money back then. Ten dollars was then readily convertible from $10 in silver dollars or paper currency to a Gold Eagle which as you may recall from my earlier discussions on the Gold Standard would be worth approximately $1,600 today, given the spot price of $3,300 an ounce.

This instruction book written in an informative story format originally started as a weekly installment in a popular women’s magazine and then these installments were later compiled into a book. Translating into today’s values, ten dollars a week back during the gold standard era would be today be more than $80,000 a year, today. For reference, the yearly median U.S. household income is now about $80,000. Back then, there were no Social Security taxes and federal taxation had stopped in the year 1872, so nearly all of their income was available for them to use.Continue reading“Preparedness Primer for an Uncertain Future – Part 4, by Single Farmer”

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 GENIUS Act and what will be Fed-controlled and monetized stablecoins. (See the Forex & Cryptos: section.)

Precious Metals:

On Tuesday evening (July 22, 2025), spot Gold was at $3,442 per Troy ounce, and spot silver was at $39.58.  I am now fairly firmly predicting $4,000/oz. gold and $50/oz. silver by the end of November.  Just by itself, the insatiable Asian market demand for silver makes this almost a certainty. Presently, I recommend buying silver and platinum, for the best potential gain. We are just in the early stages of this bull market, folks. – JWR

o  o  o

At Gold-Eagle.com: Gold Holds Near Highs as Geopolitical Risks and Policy Uncertainty Fuel Rally.

Economy & Finance:

From Nataxis: US dollar weakness and tariff impact surprises.

o  o  o

There is a big hullabaloo over whether or not DJT will “fire”  Federal Reserve Chairman Powell.  JWR’s Comments: Most of the American Sheeple mistakenly believe that the Federal Reserve is a government agency. It is not. It is a deeply entrenched private banking cartel that was granted extraordinary power in 1913. Whoever controls interest rates controls the economy. And, as we’ve seen many times in the past 112 years, the economy drives election outcomes.

o  o  o

S&P Global’s Ken Wattret: Global Economic Outlook: July 2025.

o  o  o

Euro Credit Market Views – July 2025 (Amundi).

o  o  o

And over at Zero Hedge: “No Spare Capacity”: Watchdog Warns Largest US Grid Is Maxed Out Amid Data Center Buildout.
Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.” – Sun Tzu

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — July 24, 2025

On July 24, 1824, the Harrisburg Pennsylvanian newspaper published the results of first American public opinion poll, indicating a clear lead for Andrew Jackson.

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Novelist Jerry Ahern passed away on this day, in 2012. His survivalist novels created an entire genre.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 119 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.

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 119 ends on July 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.

 

Preparedness Primer for an Uncertain Future – Part 3, by Single Farmer

(Continued from Part 2.)

If you are counting on tax-subsidized experts to save you with a long advance warning, it will probably not materialize. Because of bureaucratic incompetence, turf wars, and other bureaucratic intransigence, it is doubtful that our tax dollars that fund the military and other emergency responses will ever actually do any good for you, on an individual level. Unlike the vast majority of the population which is lulled into complacency, you are reading this blog, trying to figure things out as to how to survive the future.

If you are looking for a sign, here it is: Evaluate, weigh, and make decisions that are best for your individual situation. No one is likely coming to save you. You have an unknown period during this “golden age” to get your house in order, to have or complete your family, and to provide for your family. You likely will never receive an alert: If you wish to survive, then you will have to prepare yourself and proceed accordingly.

Continue reading“Preparedness Primer for an Uncertain Future – Part 3, by Single Farmer”

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, more details on potential asteroid impacts.

Tracking Earth-Crossing Asteroids

Financial Times Magazine reports:  What happens once we spot the asteroid that will hit Earth? An excerpt:

“Establishing whether or not planet Earth lies in the way of an asteroid is a tough assignment. From the ground, near-Earth asteroids usually appear small and faint. Their orbits, Farnocchia told me, can be highly uncertain — pulled this way and that by the gravitational tug of larger celestial bodies and by solar radiation. Near-Earth asteroids are only visible for a short time before they journey far from Earth or vanish into the glare of the daytime sky. From a few blurry snapshots, astronomers must calculate the precise trajectories of multiple laps around the sun. A mistake could be disastrous, leaving humanity without enough time to launch a mission to defend the planet.”

Poland’s ‘How To’ Guide to Coping with War and Disaster

A Reuters news report: Poland readies ‘how to’ guide to coping in case of war, natural disaster.

AI Goes Rogue, Deletes a Company’s Database

AI coding platform goes rogue during code freeze and deletes entire company database – Replit CEO apologizes after AI engine says it ‘made a catastrophic error in judgment’ and ‘destroyed all production data’.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“What the herd hates most is the one who thinks differently; it is not so much the opinion itself, but the audacity of wanting to think for themselves, something that they do not know how to do.” – Arthur Schopenhauer

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — July 23, 2025

July 23, 1764, James Otis (pictured) published The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved, in which he argued against taxation without representation.

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On July 23, 1777 Polish military leader Casimir Pulaski arrived in Marblehead, Massachusetts, to volunteer in the Continental Army cavalry.
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On July 23, 1944 Battle of Kursk (Koersk) ended. This was the largest tank battle in history. It was a defeat for the Nazis, with thousands of German tanks and self-propelled anti-tank guns destroyed.

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In honor of the birthday week of Samuel Colt, we are running a special sale at Elk Creek Company. Many antique and percussion replica gun prices have been reduced — including all of our Colts. I’ll also include the bonus of an autographed hardback copy of my novel Expatriates with the first 10 orders. The sale will end on  Saturday, July 26th, 2025. If you’d like to pay in pre-1965 U.S. silver coinage, I’ve just increased our divisor to 29 times face value!   Just take the total for your order, including postage, and divide by 29. Then round down to the nearest 10 cents. That is what you’ll pay in “junk” silver.  Say, for example, you want to order a $275 antique rifle, plus $55 postage. That would be $330, if paid by check or credit card. OR, it would be just $11.30 face value in 90% junk silver coins.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 119 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.

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 119 ends on July 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.

Preparedness Primer for an Uncertain Future – Part 2, by Single Farmer

(Continued from Part 1.)

Sometimes, when you are lost, often the best course of action if you can is to go back to a known starting point. Trying to figure out where we are on a historical timeline if we could be going into a Third World War, you first need to know how we became embroiled in the First and Second World Wars. Without the First, you would not have the Second. Nation-states need to have certain preconditions to have a world war. The First World War — known back then as the “Great War” — was a conflict was precipitated by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sofie of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. As I am writing this, it is June 28th which is the 111th anniversary of their death in Sarajevo. My lineal male relative did not know it that day that in a little over three years he would end up going back to the Old World as a doughboy in puttees engaged in vicious trench warfare. (One of his friends was severely gassed that he spent the balance of his life in an “old soldier’s” home.)

Continue reading“Preparedness Primer for an Uncertain Future – Part 2, by Single Farmer”

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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When the Whitaker family members aren’t bluewater sailing around the world, they’re in Montana, prepping for societal disruption:  Sailing Zatara: Prepping —  Learning how to survive off grid!  JWR’s Comments:  Please remember that when running a chainsaw, always wear eye and ear protection as well as Kevlar saw safety chaps. Remember one of our key mottos: All The Gear, All the Time (ATGATT).

o  o  o

SurvivalBlog reader D.S.V. suggested this article: Get Out! Daylight Boosts The Immune System’s Ability To Fight Infections.

JWR’s Comment: Note that this trustworthy article was posted by an untrustworthy media outlet.  I believe that to be more properly descriptive, The Conversation should be re-named The Leftist Scolding Lecture.

o  o  o

K.C.P. wrote to mention: “A good resource for chainsaw repair and maintenance, as well as other small engine maintenance and repair, is Chickanic.”

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human
happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it makes some virtues impracticable, and others
extremely difficult.” –  Samuel Johnson, Letter to Boswell, 7 December 1782, in James Boswell’s ‘The Life of Samuel Johnson’ (1791) vol. 4, p. 157

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — July 22, 2025

On July 22, 1916, a timebomb was exploded by radicals at a Preparedness Day parade in San Francisco, killing 10 people and injuring 40 others.

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July 22, 1298: The English defeated the Scots at the Battle of Falkirk.

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And on July 22, 1489, the Treaty of Frankfurt was signed between Maximilian of Austria and King Charles VIII of France.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 119 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.

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 119 ends on July 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.