Editors’ Prepping Progress

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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. Note that as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in the Comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

This past week we harvested one deer. It is now hanging in the barn. I prefer to let a deer season for about a week if the temperature stays below 50 degrees, before butchering them.  But this week, I had to wait for the temperature to rise above freezing for a few days!

We spent a couple of days helping a friend and his family move, to begin a long-term caretaking position at a large retreat. Each round trip was five hours of driving.  Our fully-enclosed three-horse trailer has once again proven its versatility and worth. The weather was fairly cooperative. But my back is really feeling the wear and tear. This sort of thing was so much easier when I was 30, than it is now, at 60 years of age.

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul.

It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.

The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.

Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.

Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?

The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.

A king that sitteth in the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.

Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the Lord.

Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them.

Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.

It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth.

There is gold, and a multitude of rubies: but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.

Take his garment that is surety for a stranger: and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.

Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.

Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.

He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.

Whoso curseth his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.

An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed.

Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the Lord, and he shall save thee.

Divers weights are an abomination unto the Lord; and a false balance is not good.

Man’s goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?

It is a snare to the man who devoureth that which is holy, and after vows to make enquiry.

A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them.

The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy.

 The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the grey head.

The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly.” – Proverbs 20

(KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — October 30, 2020

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October 30th, 1735 was the birthday of President John Adams. (Other sources cite his birthdate as October 19, 1735.) He died on July 4, 1826–just a few hours after the death of Thomas Jefferson.

—

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.

Making Dosa – Indian Fermented Bread, by E.P.

19

Dosa is a fermented bread from the southern region of India. I eat dosa daily, and I can tell a difference in my well-being if I don’t have my daily dose of dosa. I started eating dosa after I met my wife of almost 30 years. Her parents are from northwestern India. Although she was born and raised outside of India, in a country where South Indians are more common. I am an American with ancestry from Europe and Scandinavia.

Dosa dough is normally made in a machine called a wet grinder. It can also be made in a blender, but doing so creates an inferior product for two reasons. First, a blender mixes too much air into the dough. Second, a wet grinder mashes the grain, whereas a blender cuts the grain with its blades, resulting in a less fibrous dough. A wet grinder has round granite roller stones that rotate in a pan with a granite stone bottom and a stainless steel side, and the grain is mashed between the heavy stones and the bottom of the pan.

We have two Astra wet grinders, one with two granite stones and one with three. My wife’s sister in India bought them for us many years ago. She ordered the first one with three stones and a 110-volt motor since we were going to be using it in the U.S. It worked fine for a short time until one day when I was using it, it started spewing heavy black smoke out of the motor. I shut it off, pulled the plug, and ran outside with it before it burned the house down. It burned the countertop, leaving a big black spot where the grinder had been setting. I took it apart and discovered that the motor was actually a 220-volt motor, but a second starting capacitor had been put on that it so it would start on 110 volts. This made the motor run hot until it eventually burned up.

My sister-in-law bought us a second one, identical to the first, except that it has two stones instead of three, and it has the standard 220-volt motor. Since it came with the British style plug used in India I had to cut it off and replace it with an American plug, available from Home Depot, commonly used on 220-volt electric clothes dryers. It runs just fine on 60 Hz American power, although electrical power in India is 50 Hz.Continue reading“Making Dosa – Indian Fermented Bread, by E.P.”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

37

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the poor long-term prospects for private cryptocurrencies. (See the Forex & Cryptos section.)

Precious Metals:

Silver price to push above $30 an ounce in 2021 despite short-term turbulence – Metals Focus.

o  o  o

Jim Curry: Key Message for Gold & U.S. Stocks

o  o  o

SBTV: Gold Outperformed Buffett and the Stock Market

Economy & Finance:

At Zero Hedge: US Manufacturing Disappoints In Early October PMI Data As Election Anxiety Builds

o  o  o

Union: Remington Arms, oldest U.S. gunmaker, terminates 585 employees at birthplace

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: Fed Assets Eke Out New Record for First Time Since June 10. But Repos, Dollar Liquidity Swaps, SPVs Mothballed

o  o  o

And another from Wolf: Jingle Mail Haunts Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities as Property Values Get Slashed Below Loan Amounts

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — October 29, 2020

10

October 29th is the birthday of fighter pilot Vermont Garrison, an American who fought in three wars – WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. He was born in 1915 and died on February 14th, 1994, in Mountain Home, Idaho.

—

—

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.

Range Report: Browning BAR Mk3 in .243 – Part 3, by The Novice

10

(Continued from Part 2.  This concludes the article.)

Johnny Come Lately

Two weeks after the scope arrived, and one week after the rings I ordered from Amazon arrived, a package was delivered from Leupold with the Quick Release Rings to match the Quick Release Mounts they had sent with the scope. They must have belatedly noticed their omission. I appreciated the gesture of sending the rings. Better late than never. But I was quite happy with the rings I had bought from Amazon, so I just left things well enough alone.

The Remington 742

Next, I tuned up my Remington 742 for side by side testing with the BAR. The 742 is a gas-operated semiautomatic rifle produced by Remington from 1960 through 1980. The serial number on mine indicates that it was produced before 1967. The carbine model I own weighs 7.25 pounds, has a 18.5-inch barrel, and is chambered in 30-06. The 742 was also available in .243 Winchester, 6mm Remington, .280 Remington, and .308 Winchester.

Although 10 and even 20 shot magazines are available for the 742, the larger magazines have a reputation for not feeding well, and the 742 has a reputation for becoming inaccurate when the barrel gets hot. The 742 is also known for wearing out the rails in the receiver after a relatively low round count. It is best used for occasional hunts, and not frequent use at the range.

My 742 is equipped with a vintage Weaver K2.5 60-B scope, a 2.5X scope introduced in 1956.

Laser Bore Sighters

As I mentioned above, the first laser bore sighter I ordered began to function erratically the second time I used it. It was the type that fits in the rifle chamber. I returned it and ordered a bore sighter that slides into the end of the barrel.

The second bore sighter I ordered did not point straight. If you twisted it in the barrel, you could see it rotate around the point of aim. I returned it as well.

If any SurvivalBlog reader has any advice about a reliable, reasonably priced laser bore sighter, I would love to hear it.Continue reading“Range Report: Browning BAR Mk3 in .243 – Part 3, by The Novice”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

62

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 a variety of emerging threats and trends, starting with a piece about a planned escape from New York:

An Escape From New York Before the Election?

First up, H.L. was the first of several SurvivalBlog readers to mention this, over at The New York Post: Fearful New Yorkers plan to flee city on Election Day: ‘People will go nuts’.

Fight or Flight: Election Has Many Americans Feeling Anxiety

Long-time link contributor D.S.V. sent this article, in the same vein: Some plan to move, others buy guns: Election has many Americans feeling high anxiety.

Newbie Preppers Buying Military Gear Before the Election

Reader G.G. sent this: Americans Are Frantically Buying Military Gear Before the Election. A snippet:

“In some suburban and rural settings, it’s become everyday wear. A retail chain called 5.11 Tactical, which traces its roots to a friend of President Donald Trump’s adult sons, is even trying to turn the survivalist look into a fashionable national brand. It’s racking up annual sales of almost $400 million with stores in places including Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the U.S. Army’s Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. Across the country, gun and ammunition sales have surged as well.”

Taiwan Aims Missiles at China to Foil Invasion Plans

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Taiwan aims missiles at China to foil invasion plans

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“Most gun control arguments miss the point. If all control boils fundamentally to force, how can one resist aggression without equal force? How can a truly “free” state exist if the individual citizen is enslaved to the forceful will of individual or organized aggressors? It cannot.” – Tiffany Madison

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — October 28, 2020

4

This is the birthday of Eliphalet Remington (October 28, 1793 – August 12, 1861), who designed the Remington rifle and founded what is now known as the Remington Arms Company.

—

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.

Range Report: Browning BAR Mk3 in .243 – Part 2, by The Novice

10

(Continued from Part 1.)

The First Cleaning

About a week later, the muzzle guard arrived, and I settled down to clean the gun.

There was even more rust preventative compound in the barrel and on the other steel parts than I had initially noticed. The bore required extensive scrubbing using kerosene as a solvent before a patch finally came out clean. In the process I spilled my bottle of kerosene on the kitchen table, filling the room with fumes. This created a dramatic scene that disturbed the domestic tranquility for a time. Fortunately, the finish on the table was not harmed, and harmony was eventually restored.

During the cleaning, some details came to light that had previously escaped my notice. I noted that the lugs behind the chamber that engage the bolt are very sturdy looking, and suggest the likelihood of a solid and consistent lock-up.

The aluminum receiver has steel seats recessed into the inside of its top in order to anchor the screws for the optics. This was reassuring since I had previously stripped one of the optic mount holes in the aluminum receiver of my Ruger 10/22.

The receiver required less cleaning than the barrel, since there was no need to coat the aluminum with rust preventative compound. The bolt, on the other hand, required a fair amount of elbow grease with a kerosene rag and a brass dental pick.

The recessed crown of the barrel is more angular than I expected, but it looked like it would do a good job of protecting the rifling. The bluing on the barrel is satisfying to someone who grew up assuming that bluing was the only appropriate finish for the external metal parts of a firearm. The bluing on the BAR is attractive, but not quite the rich, lustrous, seemingly almost translucent blue/black of my Father’s A5.

I was interested to note that the magazine is made in Italy, since the rifle is manufactured in Belgium and assembled in Portugal.

About a week later the scope arrived. Upon opening the box, I was disappointed to discover that Leupold accidentally sent a quick release base rather than rings. So I ordered a set of rings from Amazon that would work with the Picatinny rail that I had previously ordered.

About another week later, the rings arrived from Amazon. Almost exactly three weeks to the day after I had picked up the rifle from my FFL, I finally had everything I needed to actually fire it.Continue reading“Range Report: Browning BAR Mk3 in .243 – Part 2, by The Novice”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

25

Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. The focus is usually on emergency communications gear, bug out bag gear, books, and movies–often with a tie-in to disaster preparedness, and links to “how-to” self-sufficiency videos. There is also an emphasis on links to sources for storage food and a variety of storage and caching containers. You will also note an emphasis on history books and historical movies. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This week, we feature a book by Alaskan pioneer Richard Proenneke. (See the Books section.)

Books:

This book by Richard Proenneke is a must for the bookshelf of every serious off-grid survivalist: One Man’s Wilderness, 50th Anniversary Edition: An Alaskan Odyssey

o  o  o

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

o  o  o

A great book for those who use cast iron: Faith, Family & the Feast: Recipes to Feed Your Crew from the Grill, Garden, and Iron Skillet

o  o  o

National Geographic Atlas of the National Parks

o  o  o

One of our #1 Daughter’s favorite books: Man of the Family

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The functions of the president are prescribed by the Constitution, but his real achievements are not set by the letter of the law. They are determined rather by his personality, the weight of his influence, his capacity for managing men, and the strength and effectiveness of the party forces behind him.” – Charles A. Beard

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — October 27, 2020

October 27th, 1858 was the birthday of President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt. (He died January 6, 1919.)

—

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.