My Mobile Alternative Energy Experiences, by Captain Steve

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All of us who think about what we’d do if the Schumer Hits The Fan (SHTF) spend a lot of time exploring options. What will I do if this thing or that happens? Will I bug out or hunker down? What should I buy and place in my long term storage? I expect that like me, most who are unwilling to just sit back and hope for the best have taken plenty of steps to protect and prepare themselves for many eventualities.

Over the countless hours I’ve spent researching and planning, I’ve tried to assess and make note of where I’m lacking in my preparations. That list seems endless and often, overwhelming. But I continue to tackle those shortfalls one at a time. One area where I’ve noticed a lack of first-hand information has to do with plans for alternative energy (AE), its many and varied uses, and affordable ways and means to incorporate AE into our planning. Sure, there are plenty of reliable companies out there who are willing to take lots of your hard earned money in exchange for equipment you may, or may not, need. But what about the average family though, those of us who watch every dollar we spend? What can we do?

A Jack of All Trades

I’ve always been a hands-on guy willing to tackle just about any job. Years ago, long before “prepping” became a household term, I started researching solar power, wind power, energy storage, and how to make the best use of that power. Today, a wealth of information is readily available with Internet access and networking capabilities. You can search for just about anything with search engines like Start Page or Duck Duck Go. And I’d encourage you to research alternative energy options.

For the past 38 years, I’ve made use of 12 volt DC refrigeration, 12 volt to 120 volt inverters, energy efficient lighting, deep cycle batteries, efficient insulation, and other ways to conserve for a full-time, off-grid, low energy lifestyle. It’s a lifestyle that adapts itself to any number of SHTF scenarios. I’ve done just about every bit of the work myself; the research, purchasing, installation, and maintenance of all my equipment. You name it, I think I’ve tried it.

Continue reading“My Mobile Alternative Energy Experiences, by Captain Steve”

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”.  Today we are pleased to report on the release of a novel One Time Pad Generator.

New AMRRON One Time Pad Generator and Printer

Alex Barron (aka The Bard of the American Redoubt) has posted a video blog review of the ADL-1 One Time Pad Field Generator and Printer. JWR’s Comments: Finally, someone has come up with a truly secure, stand-alone one time pad device with a printer! It all fits in a small waterproof Pelican-style carrying case. This development of this unit is credited to an anonymous group of Redoubters in the AMRRON radio network. I really, really like the approach of having an air-gapped stand-alone device. Beware of any OTP generator that is Internet connected. Those are an invitation to prying eyes, malicious intrusion, and untold mischief. Granted, you can get away with using a OTP generator on a USB device, attached to a laptop. But that had better be a dedicated spare laptop of yours with NO hard wire or wireless Internet connection! I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Partisan Labs ADL-1 One Time Pad Generator-Printer sells for under $160. Alex Barron also posted some operating instructions. Congrats to the guys and gals of Dark Labs and AMRRON!

Recipe for More Venezuela Chaos: Just Add Russians

Reader Gregg P. sent us this: Maduro Urges Supporters To Hit Streets As Russian “Security Contractors” Arrive In Venezuela. The included geopolitical map showing the disparity of support for the two “dueling presidents” is quite illuminating.

Strasser Evolution Multi-Barrel Rifle

SurvivalBlog’s Editor At Large Michael Z. Williamson suggested this video product review: IFC debuts the innovative Strasser Evolution rifle. That rifle has a very clever design execution. These days, with a good scope costing as much as a rifle, this approach –albeit costly up front — is actually cost effective. But it is only apropos if you need just one rifle to handle everything from varmint shooting to big game hunting and a long range counter-sniper role.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“[I]f we and our posterity reject religious instruction and authority, violate the rules of eternal justice, trifle with the injunctions of morality, and recklessly destroy the political constitution which holds us together, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us, that shall bury all our glory in profound obscurity.” – Daniel Webster

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – January 30, 2019

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This year’s new 2005-2018 edition of our waterproof archive USB stick has been selling rapidly. This new edition has a lot more bonus books than before, one more year of the blog posts, and it is now housed on a 16 GB stick. Last year’s was an 8 GB stick. That leaves you 7 GB of free space on the stick to store scans of your personal documents, any of your favorite reference PDFs, et cetera. When I last checked, we had already sold 700 sticks and just 300 were still available. Don’t miss out!  Order one for yourself, and perhaps a few extras to set aside as gifts for your preparedness-minded friends and relatives.

o  o  o

January 30th is the anniversary of the 1945 Great Raid on Cabanatuan Prison Camp where US Army Rangers and Filipino Guerrillas liberated Allied prisoners. The book Rescue At Los Baños, by historian and bestselling author Bruce Henderson is fascinating reading. And the movie The Great Raid is worth watching.  It was loosely based on this event.

This is also the birthday of historian Barbara Tuchman (born 1912, died February 6, 1989). She wrote some very engaging history books.

o  o  o

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 80 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  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 Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  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 gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. 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).
  6. 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. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 80 ends on January 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.

I Survived an Economic Collapse – Part 2, by Siempre Listo

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Editor’s Introductory Note:  Part 1 of this article on the Mexico currency devaluation was posted on Tuesday, January 29, 2019.  Today, Part 2 concludes this article.

—

In Part 1, I described how, while I was living and teaching in Mexico in 1982, there was a nearly 50% devaluation of the Mexican Peso, resulting in major economic hardship for the average citizen. In this installment, I would like to share a few lessons I learned from experiencing a currency devaluation –essentially an economic collapse– and how these lessons can help us prepare for a similar, or much worse collapse in the future.

I would like to start by re-visiting my Lesson #1: Rules can be broken. I thought I was safe by having my money deposited in a Mexican bank in Dollars instead of Pesos. Wrong. As I mentioned in Part 1, I was shocked to learn that in order to withdraw my dollars, according to the new rules, those dollars first had to be converted to pesos at the new exchange rate and then, I would get my Dollars. So, figuring I might as well get something instead of possibly seeing the bank closing and getting nothing, I went ahead and withdrew my money.

The Shocks Will Come in Waves

Before the Mexico currency devaluation, the exchange rate was 27 Pesos to the Dollar. After the first of two devaluations, the rate skyrocketed to 45 Pesos to the Dollar. Six months later, there was a SECOND devaluation, sending the rate to 69 pesos to the dollar. So, suppose you have $1,000 in the bank. Pre-devaluation, those dollars are equal to 27,000 Pesos. (Yes, it was common back then to carry 500 or 1,000 Peso bills around). So, in that initial devaluation, we all lost nearly 50% or our buying power, and in the later devaluation, another 20% or so. So, since rules can be, and in fact, have been broken, who do we really believe? If you have your money deposited in a bank, remember, even though you have been told your money is safe, is it really? From past experience, I would say “no.” But what about certificates of deposit (CDs) for example? So what if you can earn 2.8% interest on a six month CD? If the bank closes down, or institutes capital controls, how “safe” are you then?

Continue reading“I Survived an Economic Collapse – Part 2, by Siempre Listo”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

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Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on comfort foods for food storage. Let’s face it: TEOTWAWKI will be very stressful. So plan ahead to be able to relieve some of that stress. Have long term storage comfort foods on hand, or be ready to make comfort food recipes with the foods you grow and store. (See the Books, Instructional Videos, and Gear & Grub section.)

Books (Comfort Foods):

Keto Comfort Foods: Family Favorite Recipes Made Low-Carb and Healthy

o  o  o

The Old Farmer’s Almanac Comfort Food: Every dish you love, every recipe you want

o  o  o

Paleo Comfort Foods: Homestyle Cooking for a Gluten-Free Kitchen

o  o  o

Weight Watchers Cook Up Comfort 160 Recipes from Chef Eric Greenspan

o  o  o

Reader Jim L. suggested the novel End Game, by David Baldacci.  It is part of his Will Robie series. It is noteworthy that Baldacci is known for weaving some useful tradecraft into his fictional storylines.

 

Movies & Television:

I recently watched the 8-episode Impossible Peace documentary series. This series describes the period between WWI and WWII. It is available for free streaming for those with Amazon Prime. This was produced in England so it has a noticeable Fabian Socialist slanted viewpoint. And many of the historians/commentators are enthusiastic apologists for both Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the failed League of Nations. But it is fascinating, nonetheless.

o  o  o

Jesus Film in 24 Languages

o  o  o

The Waltons: The Complete Seasons 1-4

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

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. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today’s focus is on declining value investments to avoid. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Precious Metals:

Global Silver Production May Decline More Than Analysts Forecasts. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)

o o o

Gold Traders Bullish For 11th Straight Week

o o o

If You Understand Gold – You Are Not A Goldbug (Egon von Greyerz)  Thanks to H.L. for the link.

 

Economy & Finance:

At Seeking Alpha: ‘Within Weeks’ Fannie/Freddie Recapitalization Plan Transcript Emerge

o o o

Some analysis from France: Does the corporate debt mountain pose an avalanche risk?

o o o

And another at Seeking Alpha: IMF cuts global growth outlook

o o o

NYC Restaurants Slash Staff over $15 Minimum Wage

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday – January 29, 2019

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Today is the birthday of journalist and inventor Thomas Paine (1737–1809.)

And speaking of Toms, today is also the birthday of actor Tom Selleck (born 1945), best known for playing the title role of Magnum, P.I. He is an avid shooter and quite pro-gun.

o o o

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

The following is another entry for Round 80 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 gift certificate towards a Sol-Ark Solar Generator from Veteran owned Portable Solar LLC. The only EMP Hardened Solar Generator System available to the public.
  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 Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  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 gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  5. 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).
  6. 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. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 80 ends on January 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.

I Survived an Economic Collapse – Part 1, by Siempre Listo

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There is corruption at the highest levels of the government: The president, along with key officials in the government, financial institutions, corporations and the military, quietly move their money out of the stock market and banks and transfer their assets into gold and Swiss bank accounts. Once the members of the elite have safely parked their money away, the president suddenly announces a devaluation of nearly 50% of the currency.

The move stuns the stock market, which plunges to epic lows. There is a run on the banks as panicked depositors withdraw most, if not all of their money. The government steps in and takes over the banks. The devaluation hits the average citizen hard. Prices at the supermarket and gas stations almost immediately rise by 50%. Many businesses go bankrupt and shut down. Rents rise by 50%. Many people can’t afford the increase, get evicted, and are homeless. Many people go begging for food on the streets. Violent crime skyrockets. Vigilante groups form to protect neighborhoods from criminals.

It Happened in Mexico

A future scenario? No. All this actually happened, in 1982, but not in the United States. It happened in Mexico, where I was living at the time. Some commentators speculate about what might happen in a future economic collapse. We hear many different theories about how the banks might react, how the government might respond, and what panicked investors might do. Well, 36 years ago, I survived an economic collapse. Not a total collapse, but it was bad enough. Following is my story of what actually happened before, during and after an economic collapse, how I survived it, and lessons I learned from it.

I moved to Mexico in 1979, with the idea of supporting myself teaching English as a second language (ESL). This actually worked well for a while, as I worked not only for a university extension school, but also taught ESL lessons to several companies in private industry, including employees at factories, businesses and even the military sector.

Continue reading“I Survived an Economic Collapse – Part 1, by Siempre Listo”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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Here is SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt. This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. We also mention companies of interest to preppers that are located in the region. The emphasis this week is on the proposed bill to split Washington into two states. (See the Eastern Washington section.)

Idaho

Idaho Wolf Control Board Seeks $200,000 to Kill Wolves

o o o

There was a good description of Idaho’s firearms carry laws recently posted at Redoubt News: True Constitutional Carry Means No Permit Required

o o o

This was an interesting press release, datelined Nampa, Idaho: Bumpstock ban defeated by replacement product

Montana

What fun! Skiers towed by galloping horses: Snöflinga winter festival brings skijoring to Butte

o o o

Historic “Miss Montana” plane to fly again.

o o o

I learned of this by way of Claire Wolfe‘s blog: UPS driver saves dog from drowning in icy pond: ‘She wasn’t going to make it‘

o o o

International photographer captures shots of Cindy Crawford, Montana wildlife in Virginia City
Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

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”.

Bailing Out of New Jersey

This was an interesting read: People Are Leaving New Jersey In Insanely High Numbers. (Thanks to DSV for the link.)

A Ghostgunner Can Now Also Mill Polymer 80 Frames

Defense Distributed just announced that they’ve released the jigs and software for completing Polymer 80 Glock 19 clone pistol frames on a Ghostgunner compact CNC milling machine. This makes a Ghostgunner even more versatile. I expect that still more software and jigs will be added for completing other Polymer 80 variants in the months to come. And then later, who knows?  Perhaps a jig and software for SIG P320 80% trigger groups. That would be a dream come true.

Learn Hog Butchering in Georgia

On the first Saturday in February each year, the Old South Farm Museum in Woodland, Georgia puts on a live, old fashioned  “Hog Killin” and butchering demonstration that also includes classes on curing and smoking meat.  Vendors also cook traditional southern recipes that use pork and pork products, using only wood fires and cast iron cauldrons.

People from all over Georgia and surrounding states come to see this demonstration each year.  It’s an invaluable source of information that can be used to become more self-sufficient on a small farm or homestead. Here is a map, showing the event location. And here is a link to a video. (Editor’s Note on the video: “Viewer Discretion Advised.”)  Thanks to reader Tim J. for the information.

Private 58 Acre Deer Farm with Bunker in Kentucky

I just heard about this captivating new list at our SurvivalRealty.com spin-off web site: Private Deer Farm in Kentucky. Log home on 58 acres with barn and bunker.  Here is a quote:  “Location for Privacy! Handcrafted super insulated log home with 2 finished bedrooms, loft and roughed in 3rd bedroom with utilities for an additional bathroom. This farm boasts 58 + surveyed acres with nice concrete floored barn with roughed in apt. or office. High speed internet in house & barn. Bunker also has phone jack, electric & septic…”

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

Cold Steel Storm Cloud Folder, by Pat Cascio

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“One gorgeous folder” aptly describes the Cold Steel Storm Cloud. It is one tough, but lightweight folding knife. It is one that you might want to add to your collection.

When new knives come to my attention, and I think it is something our readers will really like, I request a sample. This folder from Cold Steel Knives, the Storm Cloud, really caught my eye when I first saw it. Only “bad” thing with many Cold Steel products is, supply seems to outstrip supply – and folks have to wait.

I put in a request for the Storm Cloud, as soon as I spied it on the Cold Steel web site, only to learn that it was out of stock. So, the months rolled by, and still no Storm Cloud from Cold Steel. Did my buddy, Lynn Thompson, forget about me and my request? Nah, not likely – he passed my request along to someone who was supposed to handle this sort of thing, and that person never sent me the sample. That person is no longer with Cold Steel for other reasons. As soon as I alerted Mr. Thompson to the fact that I hadn’t received the Storm Cloud, he looked into it, and let me know one was on the way.

Specifications

Let’s take a real close look at the Storm Cloud. First of all, it has a 3.5-inch blade made out of one of the hi-tech stainless steels called CPM20CV, and the blade’s thickness is 3mm – a bit thinner than some similar Cold Steel folders I’ve tested, but stay with me on this. The knife only weighs 3.6-oz – we are talking very light-weight, for a knife of this size. The handle is a little more than four and a half inches in length, and the handle scales are made out of G10, with a Carbon Fiber overlay. Wait? What did I just say? Yeah, you read that right – it is two hi-tech materials, laminated together. G10 is known to be almost bullet proof – and Carbon Fiber is also tough, but known for its beauty as well. No matter how hard I looked at these two materials, laminated into one, I could not see where they were joined together. Wow!

Continue reading“Cold Steel Storm Cloud Folder, by Pat Cascio”