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 has been a busy week, and my back is sore!  We started out with just two tons, the first day. The “crew” was just two of us–Lily and myself–picking up grass hay bales in the field, one by one, using our pickup truck and gooseneck trailer. Lily did the driving. I did the lifting and stacking. Back at the ranch each day, we’ve been unloading and re-stacking the bales in the barn. I prefer to do this part in the cool of the evening. Transporting each ton of hay requires lifting and stacking the bales twice. Thus, one ton = two tons moved.  We peaked at hauling and stacking 6 tons in a day — at 27 bales to the ton. This was on a day when we had two paid hay hands, to help us. They provided a trailer of their own to speed up the hauling.

My goal is to have 25 tons of hay stacked safe and dry in the barn by August 1st. Then I’ll feel a sense of relief. But my back is already sore, and thusfar I’ve lost four pounds of body weight. Soon, I can get back to cutting and splitting firewood. Oh, and I have a frost-free garden valve to dig up and replace. This is just another typical summer haying season or us. We are very busy, but happy.  We thank God for his providence and travel mercies.

On Thursday, I took a break from hay hauling and drove a seven-hour round trip to meet on-site with two consulting clients for six hours of meetings.  I do most of my consulting by phone or Skype. It is just once in a while that schedules mesh and travel is viable so that I can meet clients face to face. Those sessions are always the most enjoyable.

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen.

And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom.

Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request:

For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage.

Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so?

And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.

And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.

Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.

And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon.

So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified.” – Esther 7 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — July 24, 2020

5

The late Jerry Ahern passed away on this day, July 24th, in 2012. His survivalist novels created an entire genre.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  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 (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made 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, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  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. 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.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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 89 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.

 

What if a Riot Comes Down My Street? , by T.S. in Ohio

71

A few weeks ago, I jumped on SurvivalBlog hoping to see discussions about the riots and good ideas being shared but I was very surprised with such a major disaster unfolding to see that there was barely a mention about the riots. (Sorry, I meant “mostly peaceful protests”!) But I was glad to see the discussion pick up a few days ago with the article titled: Is It Time to Worry? by Jim S. because I believe these riots and the groups behind them are the most “clear and present danger” that the citizens of America currently face. I believe that we preppers should be shifting our efforts in this direction. If you’re lucky enough to live on a 50-acre ranch in rural Idaho, then you may not be as concerned about a riot moving down your street, however the violent attempt to take away our freedom by these anarchists should be of serious concern to everyone. It just amazes me when I compare this “revolution” to the ones in other countries. Typically the people who are revolting because the government is not listening to the people and they want the right to vote, etc. Here we have a government elected by the people and instead of trying to persuade citizens to join their cause so they can win elections, these anarchists are trying to impose their will by force and intimidation. Basically, they are rioting to take away our right to vote because they believe they’re right and what the silent majority thinks doesn’t matter, end of discussion!

From my perspective, the major problem with these riots is that even though our police and military have the manpower and technology to quickly bring this to an end, many government leaders seem to be afraid to go against the rioters and they have hamstrung our fine police officers. The media is constantly censoring out all the stories and videos where violent rioters are beating people in the streets because it doesn’t fit the narrative that they’re trying to promote. People keep asking how the country has become so divided and I actually believe the agenda-driven media is one of the primary reasons. People on the right have been vilified by these media outlets and rightfully don’t trust them anymore. Meanwhile, the leftists are angry at conservatives because we don’t believe their “facts” anymore. This crisis of facts has made it impossible for the two sides to find any middle ground, but this is a discussion for another time.

If you haven’t seen these horrific beatings that I mentioned, for example: five guys with clubs circled around one guy in fetal position begging for mercy while they kick the #$% out of him, I encourage you to look them up online. Even though it will turn your stomach, we all need to see this, because it is worse than anything I’ve ever seen in America. You need to know how real this threat is in case it shows up at your doorstep, so you don’t make the mistake of walking outside thinking you’re going to have a “dialogue” with these ruthless criminals like many of the people in these videos did.Continue reading“What if a Riot Comes Down My Street? , by T.S. in Ohio”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

22

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 recent rise in the price of silver. (See the Precious Metals section.)

Precious Metals:

Futures silver and spot silver both jumped to near $20 per Troy ounce early this week. You were warned.

o  o  o

Mike Maloney: Silver Soars – Where To Next? Mike Maloney

Economy & Finance:

Commercial Mortgage Delinquencies Near Record Levels

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: Paper Assets And Promises Often End In Default

o  o  o

More hospitals face bankruptcy due to coronavirus losses

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: Subprime Auto-Loan Delinquencies, After April Fiasco, Miraculously Healed by “Forbearance” & Stimulus Money

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — July 23, 2020

1

On July 23rd, 1982, outside Santa Clarita, California, actor Vic Morrow (of Combat! fame) and two children were killed when a helicopter crashed onto them while shooting a scene from Twilight Zone: The Movie.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  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 (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made 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, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  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. 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.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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 89 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.

Leadership: Who Will Really Fight?, by J.D.

101

As of late I have been pondering who amongst us –meaning Americans– will really be willing to pick up their rifles or pistols and defend their neighborhoods, homes, and families when it’s apparent that help, i.e. 911 is not going to be an option. I was recently at a large Christian campout that had a shooting range with a long table and roof. There was a large amount of brass on the ground and we were all having a good time sending lead downrange. Although I was encouraged to see the number of people that were exercising their second amendment rights, I was a bit dismayed at the lack of marksmanship. I brought a pair of “spinners” which are pistol targets that spin as they are hit. Although I do not consider myself an expert marksman, there was only one other person there that could hit the targets with their pistols with any real consistency. As it turns out the other guy was active-duty military who was on leave, I suppose that figures and I am glad to see that the Army is still teaching their soldiers how to shoot. I enjoyed the time, but as I walked off it got me to thinking about how many people in our nation will really be able to, or are truly willing to fight if that is what it comes to, which is looking more and more likely.

In my younger years, I studied martial arts for about five years. I started out in Tae-Kwon-Do, which though useful was more geared toward sport or tournament Karate. I finally landed in Kung-Fu which was mostly geared toward street fighting and I believe far more effective in self-defense. What I learned in Kung-Fu along with the fighting skills was a mental mindset that is every bit as valuable as being able to neutralize an attacker.

Let me give you an example of what I am talking about: During WW2 there was not a Marine in his right mind who did not respect the fighting ability of a Japanese soldier; they were probably the fiercest opponents in uniform at the time. Compare this to what happened to the French when the Germans invaded in 1940. Simply not enough fighting spirit or willingness to defend the homeland. Continue reading“Leadership: Who Will Really Fight?, by J.D.”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

60

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 contemporary western Oregon — now completely adrift from its conservative pioneer roots.

How Bad Are the Portland Riots? On-the-Ground Footage

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: How Bad Are the Portland Riots? On-the-Ground Footage Provides an Insight. JWR’s Comments: There has been rioting almost every night for nearly two months in Portland, Oregon. These ongoing riots will surely accelerate two societal trends for the state: Outmigration from the cities, and calls for partition of the state.

RIP, Ol’ Remus

It is now official:  The surviving kin of Ol’ Remus, the Editor of Yer ‘Ol Woodpile Report have posted confirmation that he passed away. (Along with a quote of his wise admonition: “Stay Away From Crowds.”) They are keeping his identity secret. And they’ve said that they plan to post a full archive of his writings. We will greatly miss the man. Reading his posts every Tuesday was one of the highlights of my week.

Coronavirus Mutations Have Varying Severity

Scientists identify six different types of coronavirus with increasing severity levels. The Telegraph article begins:

“Six distinct types of coronavirus have been identified by scientists in a breakthrough that promises to save lives by flagging the highest-risk patients.

Analysis of thousands of cases by artificial intelligence software has revealed different “clusters” of symptoms and ranked them in order of severity.

Headache and loss of smell are common to all six groupings, but the range of symptoms varies widely after that.

Scientists at King’s College London (KCL) found that patients with the sixth type of Covid-19 are nearly 10 times more likely to end up needing breathing support than patients in the first group.

This is significant because often patients only deteriorate to a critical stage several days after showing symptoms. The new ranking system should flag up the highest-risk cases and give doctors the opportunity to intervene earlier.”

JWR’s Comment: With this many mutations–and surely more to come–there is probably no way to develop an effective vaccine.

Bloomberg’s Moms Demand Action: No Cops and No Guns

SurvivalBlog reader D.S.V. sent us this report of absurd illogic, over at The Truth About Guns: Bloomberg’s Moms Demand Action: No Cops and No Guns. Here is an excerpt on the group, which is led by Shannon Watts:

“Watts equates any criminal activity with all guns. Since cops carry guns, they must be bad, too. This exposes Watts, Moms Demand and her benefactor antigun billionaire Michael Bloomberg for their removed-from-reality views they are forcing on the rest of America.

Watts knows the charade is over. More than 2.5 million Americans stopped listening to her and her gun control cronies and bought a gun between March and May. Firearm sales are through the roof.

The problem isn’t police. The problem isn’t law-abiding gun owners. The problem is crime. But Watts willingly plays along with mob demands to blame crime on the very people who protect us from crime.”

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

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — July 22, 2020

10

I heard that fellow novelist Dean Ing (the author of Pulling Through) passed away yesterday. He will be missed!

—

July 22nd is the birthday of actor Willem Dafoe (born 1955). Perhaps his best role was in the movie The Hunter, set in Tasmania.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  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 (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made 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, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  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. 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.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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 89 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.

 

Adventures in Central Texas Gardening – Part 2, by Lisa

27

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)

—

First let’s go over how I built my raised beds. The materials needed for 1 raised bed are:

  • 4 – 8-foot landscape timbers (try to find the ‘untreated’ type)
  • 3 – 12 in by 1 in by 8 foot yellow pine (untreated)
  • 1 ½ – 1 ¾ inch deck screws
  • 2 – 3-inch deck screws
  • 8 – small “L” brackets (approx. 2 inches)
  • 4 – 7 in. 16-Gauge Galvanized Reinforcing L-Angle – Note: I am not a professional carpenter and I was shopping at my local ‘mom and pop’ hardware store for something to brace my corners on the outside. This is what I found. It wasn’t until a more experienced wood worker informed me the braces were meant to go on the “inside” and not the “outside”, but hey, it works!
  • 1 – 4 foot by 8 foot 4 inches section of 1/5 inch hardware cloth. – Optional
  • Old newspapers or landscaping weed block – Optional
  • Linseed oil or Thompson’s Water Seal – Optional

 

Step 1 – determine where you will place your raised bed. Remember the ideal placement for sun and with the use of raised beds, a close by source for watering. Trust me, you do not want to do the traditional ‘back and forth sprinkler’. With raised beds, it is a waste of water AND you will be mowing/weed eating the areas in between your raised beds just as often as you are tending your garden! I have soaker hoses running through each of my beds that I can turn control the watering as the plants need. Also, the more level the spot, the better positioning you will have for your beds.

Keep in mind the space between your beds. You will need enough space to easily maneuver a wheelbarrow and possibly, a small mower if you intend to leave the walkways grassy.Continue reading“Adventures in Central Texas Gardening – Part 2, by Lisa”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

16

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 are also links to sources for both storage food and storage containers. You will also note an emphasis on history books and historical movies. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This week the focus is on the  50th Anniversary Edition of Carla Emery’s The Encyclopedia of Country Living. (See the Books section.)

Books:

In case haven’t yet obtained a copy of the new edition that was released in December 2019: The Encyclopedia of Country Living, 50th Anniversary Edition: The Original Manual for Living off the Land & Doing It Yourself

o  o  o

The Rise of the G.I. Army, 1940-1941: The Forgotten Story of How America Forged a Powerful Army Before Pearl Harbor

o  o  o

Ugly’s Electrical References, 2020 Edition

o  o  o

Pocket Medicine: The Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of Internal Medicine

o  o  o

The Owner Builder’s Guide to Stone Masonry

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

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — July 21, 2020

1

July 21st is the birthday of novelist Ernest Hemingway. He was born in 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois. He committed suicide in July 2, 1961 in Ketchum, Idaho, after being diagnosed with haemochromatosis, and after electroshock treatments failed to lift him from chronic alcoholic depression. He lived a sad life but was a great writer.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  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 (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made 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, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. 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).
  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. 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.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. 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 89 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.