Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — October 13, 2020

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Today is the 79th birthday of songwriter and singer Paul Simon. (Born, 1941.)

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Today we present Part 1 of a guest article written by our friends and fellow bloggers, Don and Patrice Lewis. Patrice is the North Idaho-based Editrix of the excellent Rural Revolution homesteading blog. I strongly recommend bookmarking it. She is a regular columnist for WorldNet Daily. Patrice is also the author of a large series of “how-to” homesteading mini books, the nonfiction book The Simplicity Primer, and the co-author of How to Start a Home-based Craft Business. Most recently, Patrice branched out into writing Amish-themed Christian romance novels. The first of these is the highly-rated book The Amish Newcomer.

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Keep in mind that Round 91 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest ends on November 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.

Lessons from the Pandemic – Part 1, by Don and Patrice Lewis

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The year 2020 has been wacky, hasn’t it? When we celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas in 2019, few of us anticipated what lay in store for the future.

But that’s the nature of crises – they’re unexpected. Despite being immersed in the preparedness movement for many years, the coronavirus pandemic was something we didn’t see coming. Now everyone is coping with the fiscal aftermath of what might turn into another Great Depression. To paraphrase Thomas Paine, these are the days to try men’s souls.

From a personal standpoint, our situation is additionally complicated because we’re in the process of selling our homestead and downsizing, which has created a huge element of uncertainty in our future. Where will we end up? We have no idea.

However nerve-wracking this year has been, it’s important to remember it’s nothing new. History is rife with pandemics, economic crashes, wars, violence, natural disasters, and every other challenge you can name. Every such event changed the way people lived. The Roaring Twenties was followed by the Great Depression, which was followed by World War II. These decades had an enormous impact on everyone who lived through them and forever changed the face of America. There’s no reason to think our current difficulties will be any different.

As of this writing, we’re three-quarters through the year annus horribilis. What have we learned? What have we done right? What have we done wrong? What could we have done differently? What can we do to in the future to face whatever may come?

Here are some thoughts from both us (the writers) and others (friends and blog readers) about things done right – and wrong – through the events of 2020.Continue reading“Lessons from the Pandemic – Part 1, by Don and Patrice Lewis”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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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, some good news for wolverines. (See the Montana section.)

Idaho

Write-in candidate faces off against incumbent in Custer County prosecutor race. JWR’s Comment:  You just have to love Idaho political races. Often you see “a real character” pitted against “a real character”.

o  o  o

Lone Wolf, in Priest River, Idaho, is best known for its line precisely-machined Glock barrels and slides.  In early 2020, Lone Wolf Distributors was purchased by Clay Tippins, a retired Navy SEAL. As of October, 2020, the company is being re-branded as simply “Lone Wolf”, to reflect their now very broad product line, and the fact that a larger number of their products are now made in-house. Lone Wolf has invested heavily in precise CNC machining equipment. And they will soon be releasing their first complete Glock-compatible pistol, called the Lone Wolf Guardian. They also have a completely revamped web site. But rest assured: The company isn’t moving anywhere. They’ll be staying in Priest River, Idaho.

o  o  o

Treasure Valley business to offer free haircuts to veterans on holiday

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

Preparedness Notes for Monday — October 12, 2020

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Today, in 1492, after sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus sighted a Bahamian island, believing he had reached East Asia. His expedition went ashore the same day and claimed the land for Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain, who sponsored his attempt to find a western ocean route to China, India, and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia.

Despite the liberal hive mind’s attempt to twist this into “Indigenous People’s Day”, it is still Columbus Day.

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Our big Pre-Election Sale at Elk Creek Company is underway. I’ve reduced the prices on every gun in my inventory by 8% to 18%. The chances of a contested election or a declared Harris/Biden win are fairly high, so you should consider tucking away a few pre-1899 guns, just in case. If Gun Grabber Joe Biden wins, we could end up with a ban on private party sales, nationwide. (So-called “Universal Background Checks.”) Or worse yet, universal registration of modern guns. That is near the top of the Democrat wish list. So it is important to have a few guns that are out of Federal jurisdiction–and hence exempt. And consider this: If you ever have to temporarily make your modern guns disappear, then you can at least have some pre-1899 guns close at hand for hunting and target practice. This sale ends on November 2nd, 2020. But order soon, as the brisk pace of orders will surely deplete my small remaining inventory.

Glock 43X Pistol, by Pat Cascio

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To start out this review of the Glock 43X, let me first mention another Glock pistol: I love my Glock 26, and it is my usual everyday carry piece, with a spare magazine on the opposite hip. About the only time I’m not carrying my Glock 26, is when I’m testing other handguns for articles. However, I always switch back to my 26, at the end of my testing period – it just seems to fit me perfectly. The 26 came with several 10-round magazines, and they have a flat base on them. I don’t care for that, because it allows my pinky finger to dangle under the grip of the gun. For years, most folks added a Pearce Grip “pinky catcher” to the mags – just remove the factory mag bottom and replace it with the Pearce. It made a world of difference in the way the gun felt and shot. Now, you can get extended Pearce mag bottoms, that hold one, two or even three more 9mm rounds in the factory standard 10-round magazines – outstanding.

On my Glock 26, I only have a Plus One Pearce mag bottom on it – it helps with concealment a little better, than the two or three round bases do. So, my 26 has 11-rounds in the magazine, and one in the chamber – that gives me 12-rounds on-tap. On my off-side, I have a MagPul-made Glock 12-round mag for a speedy reload. I like the MagPul mags a lot. However, for the mag in my gun, I prefer the Glock factory mag for some reason. Still, I’ve never had any problems at all with the MagPul 12-round Glock 26 mags. Take it for what its worth.

When the Glock 26 first came out, around 1992, I worked for the late Colonel Rex Applegate, and we were doing the very first video for Paladin Press and we had the one and only prototype Glock 26 on-hand for use in the video. Shortly after that, Glock released the Glock 26, and many gun writers were calling int the “pocket rocket” for some reason. To my way of thinking, it was too big to carry in my pants pocket – still think its too big. However, it took off – maybe like a “rocket” back then, and it is still one of the best-selling Glocks on the market.

The Glock 26 is still a little bit “chunky” for some – and it is, to my mind, but I still love it. I do like how easily it conceals on my right hip, in an outside the waistband holster – on my belt. It is very concealable. Now enter the fairly new Glock 43X. This is one hot-seller for Glock right now – hard to come by. I had a Model 43, but it was just too small for me, so I traded it off, in short order. The Model 43X is slightly bigger, holding 10+1 rounds in a single stack magazine – the Model 26 is a double-stack magazine, so it is thicker in the body – making it a little too thick for some users. The 43X is an entirely different horse, to be sure, It actually feels thinner than it is – Glock says it is 0.87-inches wide – that’s very thin. Still, it feels great in my hand, and everyone who has handled it said the same thing.

Specifications

Let’s look at the specs on the 43X model: It has a barrel that is 3.41-inches long, and the overall length of the slide is 6.50-inches – plenty small enough for easy concealment. As already mentioned, it takes a single-stack 10-round mag, and it comes with two of them – they are inexpensive enough to purchase several more – and can be found all over the ‘net for about $20 each. The gun is 5.4-inches tall.Continue reading“Glock 43X Pistol, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Tim J.’s Thermal Steel Cut Oats

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This recipe for “no fuss” Thermal Steel Cut Oats comes to us courtesy of blog reader and frequent content contributor Tim J.

You will need an 18-ounce Thermos-style vacuum jar. (Weighs 1 pound.)

Ingredients:
  • Slightly less than 1/2 cup (minus 1 tablespoon) of steel cut oats.  Note: Do not use the quick (3-minute) variety of oats.
  • 1 & 3/4 cups boiling water
  • 1/2 cup of your favorite dried fruit
Directions:
  1. Combine the oats and boiling hot water in a thermal jar.
  2. Seal it tightly.
  3. Shake the jar.
  4. Let sit on its side for 8 hours (overnight.)
Chef’s Notes:

Preparation time is very quick, basically the time required to boil the water.

The containers allow for sealed transport on the move, like hiking.

A home, I make it at night. I store any leftovers in a ziploc twist top in the refrigerator, and microwave before eating.

You can vary the water amount for the desired consistency.

This can be scaled up, for groups.

This requires patience and planning, it is for your next meal.

This is what I use:

For some reason, thermal cooking with less than 18 oz doesn’t seem to work, I think it is an issue of insufficient thermal mass.

I learned this recipe from some former Force Recon Marines, decades ago. They would also cook bulk grains while on the move, with minimal fire. They were using the old glass thermal jars, which I seemed to break on a regular basis. The newer metal vacuum containers are totally superior.

Also, I have been having some issues with dried fruit, digestive (old fruit) and chewing (hard fruit). I have found that reconstituting the fruit, boiling water in a thermal container for 30-40 minutes eliminates these issues. This works well with Raisins, Prunes, Peaches, Pears, Apples, Cherries, and Blueberries.

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Do you have a favorite 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 and slow cooker recipes, and any that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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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 galloping gun and ammunition sales. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Weaker U.S. dollar, stimulus hopes drive gold price up 2%

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Arkadiusz Sieroń: Is Gold Market Going Back Into The 1970s?

Economy & Finance:

Trump Raises Stimulus Offer to $1.8 Trillion Days After Halting Negotiations

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This Zero Hedge article is not about bird-watching: Crane Counts In North American Cities Drop For First Time Since 2017

o  o  o

Microsoft Offers Permanent Work-from-Home Option with Pay-Cuts if Employees Move to Cheaper Cities or Countries

o  o  o

Also at Wolf Street: Cinema Chains Near Collapse: The Problem Beyond the Pandemic

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Despite a largely rural population and relatively little international travel, the bubonic plague wiped out about a third of Europe’s population in the mid-14th century. Today, over half of the world’s seven billion people live in cities visited daily by international travelers. We are more urbanized and densely packed, sustained by food and water that arrives from distant locations, relying on delivery systems and economic operations that may shut down if there is a lethal contagious virus spreading and people understandably do not report to work. Even those with the courage to face the risk may change their mind when they realize they could bring a fatal virus home to their families.

Those that do keep working, medics and police in particular, are likely to catch the virus. We should expect that most economic activity, public services, production of essential goods, and transportation may cease. To minimize inventory costs, businesses, even hospitals, now have “just-in-time” delivery of supplies, sourced from lowest-cost providers on the other side of the world. Even if your local trucker decides to continue working, with multiple long-distance suppliers and shippers involved in moving foodstuffs, a contagious pandemic would certainly disrupt the flow of essential goods. Panic-buying and hoarding will add to the problem of getting food to the population. How long will our public water supplies continue functioning when maintenance personnel fail to report for work? Our highly interdependent, just-in-time delivery economy is very vulnerable to disruptions. Nassim Nicholas Taleb, an expert in risk and thinking about rare events, points this out: “Our connected world appears to be more efficient. But when there is a disturbance, the setback is much harder to handle. Not only are we building riskier systems, but also the risks involved in failure are a lot larger.”

When the availability of food and water is threatened, widespread marauding may occur. In 1977, New York City suffered a lightning strike that caused a power failure for one night. Over 3,000 arrests were made for looting, 400 policemen were injured, 500 fires were started. In 2005, after Hurricane Katrina, looting rapidly spread throughout New Orleans, often in broad daylight and in the presence of police officers. One third of New Orleans police officers deserted their posts. Given the example of these and other, relatively small disasters, what should we expect in the event of the far more serious scenario of a deadly viral pandemic? Pandemonium.” – Drew Miller, from his prescient The American Interest article titled The Age of Designer Plagues,  September 12, 2016.

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — October 11, 2020

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Today is the 70th birthday of novelist William R. Forstchen. (He was born 1950.) Forstchen is best known for his survivalist novel One Second After.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 91 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. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

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. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

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 $150 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!

Round 91 ends on November 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.

 

Hardening Your House, by R.R.

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Preparedness has gained a lot of attention and a whole new meaning in 2020. First, everyone got hit with the threat of infection. Next, a lot of supplies which some households stock regularly, while others buy as needed, went out of stock in the stores causing further panic. Next came civil unrest because folks could not seem to obey simple instructions and suddenly the bad guys became saints and poor victims, but I digress. Altogether, I have to be honest – I’m waiting now for a threat of a meteorite strike or an alien invasion! It seems that in 2020 anything is possible!

With any and all threats, for years there have been groups of folks who had a plan and those who got caught unprepared. For some folks the plan is to get the heck out of Dodge, while for others it is to shelter in place and build bunkers or bunker-like structures. What is often overlooked by those who are ready to bug out, is that leaving is not always an option as your way out might be blocked by fires, protests, quarantine, or some other factor that is beyond your control. Additionally, if you planned to bug out, but have a family member that is sick and can’t be moved for a time or maybe is making his or her way back home to bug out with the group, you might have to wait things out. What do you do then?

Since March 2020, people including myself have experienced an array of problems starting from toilet paper shortage down to meat shortage. Coming from a formerly communist country, I have to say that I have lived a much worse version of it as a kid and while it was very inconvenient, it was not the end of the world. I recall being 6 years old and standing in line to the butcher shop with my mom, hoping that by the time our turn comes, there will be something left to buy. I remember abandoning all planned activities and getting in line to purchase toilet paper because there was a delivery made. We were hoping that more would be sold over the counter to customers then through the back to the friends and families of the store employees. Seems very similar to what we have experienced in the first half of 2020. So what’s different this time around?

Under the communist rule, the issue was poor planning, poor management of delivery routes and the fact that quality products were sold elsewhere (Soviet Union or the Western Nations) and the citizens were left with poor quality products or with nothing at all. It taught me how to plan for the future. Now I live in the United States and going shopping has not been much of an issue, but I do live in California, the earthquake capitol of the United States. This means that I have to be prepared any day of the year for a breakdown in supply infrastructure. WIth that in mind, I have always made sure that we had at least a month of food supplies and about one week of drinking water supplies with the ability to purify our own water, as needed. Add to that two generators for power, reasonable fuel supply, firewood and charcoal for the grill and the smoker, propane canisters for the portable stoves – I believe that we would do pretty good if push came to shove. If needed, we could make the supplies probably stretch beyond a month.Continue reading“Hardening Your House, by R.R.”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:

That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,

Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” – Ephesians 1: 3-23 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — October 10, 2020

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We’ve just started our big Pre-Election Sale, at Elk Creek Company.  I’ve reduced the prices on every gun in my inventory. The chances of a contested election are fairly high, so this is your chance to tuck away a few pre-1899 guns, just in case. Imagine if Creepy Joe Biden wins, and we end up with a ban on private party sales, nationwide. (So-called “Universal Background Checks.”)  It is important to have a few guns that are out of Federal jurisdiction–and hence exempt. And heaven help us if we end up with Nancy Pelosi as “Interim President.”  This sale ends on November 2nd, 2020. But order soon, as the ordering will surely be brisk.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 91 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. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (a $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

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. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum-sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  5. An assortment of products along with a one-hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

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 $150 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!

Round 91 ends on November 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.