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:

While my wife (“Avalanche  Lily”) has been roto-tilling, I’ve been busy chainsawing. This will continue for me intermittently, for several  weeks. There are at least a dozen small dead fallen trees in our wood lot–mostly Tamaracks (Western Larch.)  I’ll also be picking out a few dead-standing trees to harvest. But I will probably wait on dropping a few others that aren’t anywhere near fence lines until next summer. My #2 Son has been helping me with the slash hauling.

I re-constructed another raised garden bed for Lily. I also got a start on a fencing project: a roughly 20% expansion of our main garden to include an additional 25′ x 25′ plot. I plan to finish that fence and a new gate in it, this coming week. Later we will take down some more trees and expand it to be the length of the Main garden.

I’ve also been busy cataloging antique guns for the re-launch of Elk Creek Company, on May 4th. Part of this has been pairing-up some suitably fitting antique leather holsters for many of the revolvers. You see, I often include holsters as bonuses, for my customers. I always try to give my customers a little something extra, for their money. I look at these bonuses as one way of building customer loyalty.

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.

A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.

Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.

My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me.

Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield.

For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.

And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed:

And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights:

And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.

O my threshing, and the corn of my floor: that which I have heard of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.

The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?

The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.

The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim.

The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled.

For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.

For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail:

And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the Lord God of Israel hath spoken it.” – Isaiah 21 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — April 17, 2020

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On April 17, 1961, about 1,500 CIA-trained Cuban exiles launched the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in a failed attempt to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro. Due to the Cuba/Soviet intelligence network as well as loose talk by members of the brigade, which was repeated in US and foreign newspaper reports, the Cuban government knew, in advance, of the planned invasion. The Washington Post also reported that the Soviets knew the exact date of the attack, that the CIA was aware that they knew, and that the CIA did not inform president Kennedy.

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Today’s guest article was too short to be considered as an entry for Round 88 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. And it was written by a personal friend, which also disqualifies it.

Round 88 ends on May 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.

SiOnyx Aurora Color Night Vision Camera Review, by Noctu-Venandi

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Over the years, there have been numerous well-written articles published on SurvivalBlog about the advantages of night vision devices for tactical use. If you haven’t read any of those articles, then I would encourage you to dig into the archives, and study. As a former Marine infantryman it is my opinion that after the requisite beans, bullets and Band-Aids, a quality night vision device should be considered essential kit. In a TEOTWAWKI situation you will want every tactical advantage that you can get and the ability to see in the dark is a game changer.

The most common current military issue night vision monocular, the AN/PVS-14, is the gold standard for individual night vision, unfortunately, it has a price tag to match. (From $2,400 and up to $4,300 depending on the Generation and options.) I was recently at a trade show for shooting enthusiasts and came across the SiOnyx booth. SiOnyx has come up with a revolutionary color night vision monocular camera (two versions, the AURORA I with optional compass and GPS and the AURORA SPORT), the SiOnyx Aurora Color Night Vision cameras start at only $399. So for those on a budget, they are an affordable alternative to the PVS-14. It gives you the ability to discriminate colors in the dark, which is a huge advantage over green monochrome for noticing and identifying specific objects or targets.Continue reading“SiOnyx Aurora Color Night Vision Camera Review, by Noctu-Venandi”

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 the hidden economic collapse. (See the Equities section.)

Precious Metals:

First up, there is this by Adam Hamilton, over at Seeking Alpha: Gold Investment Soaring

o  o  o

West Point Mint shut down.  This began two weeks ago, when just the gift shop and tours were closed. Now the entire mint is shut down, while demand is soaring.

o  o  o

Christopher Aaron: Gold Price Forecast: A Significant Top Is Ahead

Economy & Finance:

At Zero Hedge: Is The “Debt Chasm” Just Too Big For The Fed To Fill?

o  o  o

One of America’s largest meat producers has ominous warning about the grocery store supply

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One of those dreaded Upright Spikes, as observed at Wolf Street: Week Two of the Collapse of the Labor Market. JWR Adds: A more recent figure released shows 16 million new jobless claims. Yikes!

o  o  o

And as long as we are talking Upright Spikes, they also published this: $1.5 Trillion Helicopter Money for Wall Street in 3 Weeks of Fed Bailouts

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — April 16, 2020

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April 16th is the birthday of two notable novelists– the late J. Neil Schulman (pictured) and Samuel Youd.

Agorist-Libertarian activist J. Neil Schulman (born April 16, 1953, died 2019) was best known as author of the novel Alongside Night.

The late Samuel Youd (born 1922, died February 3, 2012) was the British novelist who was best known for his science fiction writings under the pseudonym John Christopher, including the survivalist novel Death of Grass (titled No Blade of Grass, in the American edition) as well as the Tripods Series of young adult sci-fi novel series. A fascinating man, Youd wrote prolifically, using eight pen names. He was a good friend of sci-fi novelist John Wyndham, and both of them were famous for writing what are often called “cozy catastrophes”.

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A big milestone, for one of our favorite homestead vlogging families (Good Simple Living): Moving Day – Family Of 6 Sells Dream Home To Move Off Grid. They just moved from a city lot in Battle Ground, Washington (in western Washington) to 20 acres off the grid in North Idaho. There, they’ll be building a house. (They are temporarily camping in their trailer.) To help welcome them to The American Redoubt, please consider subscribing to their channel. My goal is to help get them to the 75,000 subscriber mark in the next two weeks.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 88 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 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 $100 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 88 ends on May 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.

Making Water-Resistant Emergency Matches, by SailorOnline

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Fire is essential for survival, and anyone who has spent any time back country camping normally has two or three ways to start a fire in their kit. I believe that everyone should practice starting a fire in a safe controlled area using a variety of techniques such as the ferro rod, flint & steel, the friction bow line, even a mirror/magnifing glass lens until you have mastered each of them and any other way possible. Under stress in a survival situation is not the time to realize it’s much harder than it looks.

My family does it the hard way to build the skills and to learn to appreciate the easy way. Matches run out when you need them, they blow out when you need them, or they get wet and don’t work when you need them. The same can be said about lighters. So doing things the old way and gaining those skills cannot be bypassed, just because you have some new trick or fancy doodad.

Now on to the topic at hand, how and why should I make my own water-resistant wooden stick Emergency Matches? A match is and always will be much easier than using flint & steel, a ferro rod & magnesium shavings, and tremendously easier than a friction bow line or other primitive techniques. First let’s cover the why. A box of 300 wood stick kitchen matches has an average cost of around a dollar, where as a box of 25 fancy brand name “Storm proof matches” average well over five dollars. Your mileage may vary. The fancy storm proof matches burn longer and are coated with wax to protect them from moisture, and they are harder to blow out. So let’s make a bunch of equivalent matches as inexpensively as possible. That way we will build up a bunch that we can use, as needed. It’s not hard and you probably have most of what you need already.

Continue reading“Making Water-Resistant Emergency Matches, by SailorOnline”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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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 how solar superstorms are projected to affect the national power grids.

All 50 States Have Declared Disasters

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: All 50 states under disaster declaration for first time in US history. A snippet:

“All 50 states are under a major disaster declaration for the first time in U.S. history, after President Trump approved Wyoming’s declaration Saturday.

Within 22 days, Trump declared a major emergency in all 50 states and most territories through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The final disaster declaration occurred on the same day U.S. surpassed Italy to become the country with the most deaths from the virus.

Trump approved the first major disaster declaration for coronavirus in New York on March 20, followed two days later by Washington and California, the early hot spots of the virus. New York has become the hardest-hit state, recording 188,694 positive cases and 9,385 deaths from the virus, according to the state’s health department.

The U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, Washington, D.C., Guam and Puerto Rico all received approved major disaster declarations. American Samoa is the only U.S. territory that has not received a disaster designation. “

3-D Printers Get Past Biometric Security

Reader C.B. sent this: 3-D printers help override biometric security measures

Solar Storms: Where the Power Might Go Out

Reader A.D. sent us this fascination article about the threat of solar superstorms: Where the Power Might Go Out. Take a close look at the included maps. Here is a pericope:

“Whether or not *your* power goes out during a solar storm depends on two things: (1) The configuration of power lines in your area and (2) the electrical properties of the ground beneath your feet. In areas of more electrically resistive rock, currents struggle to flow through the ground. Instead, they leap up into overhead power lines – a scenario that played out in Quebec in 1989.”

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“At no time, at no place in solemn convention assembled, through no chosen agents, had the American people officially proclaimed the United States to be a democracy. The Constitution did not contain the word or any word lending countenance to it.” – Charles A. Beard

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — April 15, 2020

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On April 15th, 1912, the “unsinkable” Titanic sank. 1,517 people lost their lives on the maiden voyage. As research into the incident has progressed over the last 100 years, it seems as if, one way or another, the ship was just going to sink. Impact with an iceberg, raging coal fires in the fuel supply, wrong turns, locked-up binoculars, weak rivets, too few lifeboats, and more. Perhaps this whole incident was really the result of man’s hubris.

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With commerce returning to most of the western states on May 1st, I’ve decided re-open Elk Creek Company, as of the first Monday in May. (Monday, May 4th, 2020.)  Mark your calendars. Thanks for your patience! In the interim, please just put the guns that interest you on your Wish List.

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One of the few bits of good news from the entire Wuhan coronavirus debacle: Income tax filings have been postponed for three months. So enjoy this relaxing April 15th!

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 88 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 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 $100 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 88 ends on May 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.

Prepping and Survival as a Mindset, by F.B.

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People — being people — have all kinds of reactions to “prepping.” Some get it. Some think they get it. And some consider themselves too sophisticated to “prep” because that implies the system will fracture; so to them preppers are “extremists of doom.”

I’m not a prepper; I’m just a Dad responsible for a family. And once you wrap your mind around that, you’re already down that slippery slope of being a “prepper.”

Prepping Begins in the Brain

I have life insurance, like any middle class salary man. I pay for it every month. I don’t think I’ll die in any one of the months I pay for it. But I’m a financial prepper because I’ve prepared for the very low likely hood of my own untimely death. Does that make me paranoid, or responsible?

Your number one Prep is your brain. If all you have to “prep” is a brain, that’s 90% of what you need. Prepping is about foreseeing challenges, however unlikely, and making preparations for them. Foreseeing possible challenges will not drive your life any more than buying life insurance does and buying Life insurance doesn’t mean you have a death wish.

But you’ve got to use that gray matter and do some war gaming.Continue reading“Prepping and Survival as a Mindset, by F.B.”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

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  reloading equipment and reloading reference books. (See the Books section and the Gear & Grub section.)

Books:

Lyman 50th Edition Reloading Handbook

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Hornady 10th Edition Handbook of Cartridge Reloading

o  o  o

Fortitude: American Resilience in the Era of Outrage

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The latest from Glenn Beck: Arguing with Socialists

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

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 14, 2020

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Today marks the birthday of actor Adrien Brody (born 1973). He played the lead role in The Pianist.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 88 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 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 $100 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 88 ends on May 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.