Practical Preparedness Suggestions – Part 1, by R.J.

This article is a compilation of practical preparedness tips, insights, and lessons learned. It starts with what I call inner resources, or mindset and moves toward the hard, practical items. I offer a rather broad field of experience, including military/industrial electrical work, Christian hospitality in organized retreat settings, hospice/end of life care, and some alternative power experience. I’ll close the article with a Christian exhortation as we head into this Christmas season.

Mindset

You can break the preparedness mindset down into: homesteading, military, social, domestic categories, etc; or synthesize it into one grand holistic prepster/survivalist perspective. Just don’t flunk the need to study and sharpen your mind for the coming times. Adapt your thinking as though the grid is down now. Think and act like the necessities (not the wants, and not the might needs) you can access online and in stores is an unexpected blessing. Do not trust that they will be there tomorrow or next week.

These prompts should spark some recognition in your thinking, which should be enough to start you in the right direction when orienting your prepping compass to true North. In psychology this is called executive function. Some of us are wired to automatically execute the moment our awareness is triggered by cognitive activity, perspective of the outside world, or by external influence. Others of us need some kind of prod to get us going.Continue reading“Practical Preparedness Suggestions – Part 1, by R.J.”

SurvivalBlog’s American Redoubt Media of the Week

This weekly column features media from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest.

A brief television news video from Central Oregon: Oldest flying B-25 bomber takes to the sky after full Madras restoration. (The screen capture above is courtesy of Central Oregon Daily News.)

Redoubt Links

Send Your Media Links

Please send your links to media from the American Redoubt region to JWR. Any photos that are posted or re-posted must be uncopyrighted. You can do so either via e-mail or via our Contact form.

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“I feel a moral obligation: If I have a firearm, whatever it is chambered in, I have to have like a pallet of [ammunition for] it. Because I’m a very reflective End Times guy.”

and:

“These are not rights granted by government. These are rights protected by government… you’re born with these rights and our job is to protect them.” – Tucker Carlson, at a November, 2025 informal range session with Shawn Ryan.

Preparedness Notes for Monday — December 1, 2025

On December 1, 1925, the Peace Treaties of Locarno were signed between Germany, France, Belgium, Great Britain, and Italy.

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On December 1, 1966, the Radio time signal WWV was moved from Greenbelt, Maryland to Boulder, Colorado.

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Today’s feature article is by SurvivalBog staff member Tom Christianson.

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We now need entries for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $978,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 122 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Writing Contest Prize Winners Announced — Round 121

We’ve announced the winners of Round 121 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.

Note to the top three prize winners: Please contact me and let me know your UPS and USPS address(es), for your prizes. Thanks. – JWR

The top three prize winners will each receive some great prize packages. The winners for Round 120 are…

First Prize Winner:

First Prize goes to  The Chemical Engineer, for Loaves, Fishes, Tree Bark, Seeds, and Knowledge. See: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and Part 8. It was posted October 20-27, 2025. He will receive as prizes:

  1. 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),
  2. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  3. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  4. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.
Second Prize Winner:

Second Prize goes to St. Funogas, for A Top-10 Prepping List, Multi-Tool Not Included.  See:  Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5. It was posted from October 29 to November 2, 2025.  St. Funogas will receive:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is offering a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN 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 gun purchasing privacy!
Third Prize Winner:

Third Prize goes to S.A. for Parkerizing at Home. See: Part 1 and Part 2. It was posted October 11-12, 2025. He will receive:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.
Honorable Mention Prizes

The writers of the Round 121 Honorable Mention articles will each receive a transferable $100 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun, or any knife or bayonet. (Even though Elk Creek Company is on hiatus, you can still use your purchase credits. Just e-mail me and let me know what merchandise you’d like to apply your credit to.) There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns in most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

There were nine Honorable Mention prize-winning articles in Round 121. They are:

Get Busy Writing!

Round 122 begins today and runs for two months, so please get busy writing and e-mail us your entry soon. More than $978,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic. 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. Thanks, – JWR

Silky KatanaBoy Professional 700, by Thomas Christianson

Chainsaws are wonderful tools for wood cutting. But chainsaws are not perfect. Chainsaws are heavy. Chainsaws are noisy. Chainsaws require supplies of fuel and bar oil. These limitations can be problematic during field use.

The Silky KatanaBoy Professional 700 presents an outstanding manual alternative to chainsaws for cutting trees and branches up to 14 inches in diameter. The saw is light and compact, weighing just four pounds and folding to a length of 33 inches. It creates so little noise that hearing protection is not required. It requires no supplies except the muscles of its user. And it uses those muscles effectively to cut wood more easily than any other handsaw that I have ever used.Continue reading“Silky KatanaBoy Professional 700, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week:

The following simple recipe for Onion Soup Gratinee is from The New Butterick Cook Book, copyright 1924, now in the public domain. That is just one of the dozens of bonus books included in the 2005-2025 20th Anniversary Edition of the waterproof SurvivalBlog Archive USB stick that will be available to order in January of 2026.

Ingredients
  • 3 Onlons
  • 3 tablespoons butter or butter substitute
  • 3 pints beef stock
  • 3 tablespoons grated cheese
  • Pepper and salt
  • 1/8 clove garlic (if desired)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 1/4 loaf of French bread
Directions
  1. Slice onions and put them into a stew-pan with butter or butter substitute. Stir and fry slowly until softened and slightly browned.
  2. Add beef stock, boil ten minutes, skim, season, and add parsley and garlic.
  3. Cut the bread into thin slices, dry in the oven for a few minutes.
  4. Pour soup into a low earthen casserole, put bread on top, sprinkle with grated cheese, and set in a very hot oven just long enough to brown the cheese.

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Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“What ‘multiculturalism’ boils down to is that you can praise any culture in the world except Western culture – and you cannot blame any culture in the world except Western culture.” – Thomas Sowell

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — November 30, 2025

On November 30, 1016, King of Denmark Cnut the Great [Canute] claimed the English throne after the death of Edmund Ironside.

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Satirical novelist Jonathan Swift was born on November 30th, 1667.

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1782 Britain signs agreement recognizing US independence.

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Today’s feature piece is by SurvivalBlog Senior Editor James Wesley, Rawles (JWR).

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We need entries for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $970,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 122 begins soon, 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Update: Coping With Inflation–Strategies for Investing, Bartering, Dickering, and Survival

JWR’s Introductory Note: This is an update to an article that I wrote for SurvivalBlog back in December, 2007. It is part of a series of SurvivalBlog 20th Anniversary update re-posts, in recognition of the fact that the majority of readers did not join us until recent years.

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As of September, 2025, statistics released by the Federal government claim that the current inflation rate is 3.0 percent. That is utter hogwash. Their statistics cunningly omit “volatile” food and energy prices. It is apparent that something is seriously out of whack. Meanwhile, the buying power of the US Dollar has fallen versus most other currencies. Both under Biden’s administration and now under Trump’s second term, economic growth has slowed substantially.  Ironically, even though credit squeezes are considered deflationary for assets, the next recession (or perhaps depression) will probably turn out to be inflationary at the consumer level. With out-of-control Federal deficit spending and a massive, compounding National Debt,  I expect to see inflation continue and accelerate in the coming years.

Here at the Rawles Ranch, our four largest expenses each month are fuel, groceries, livestock feed, and insurance.  Our health insurance costs have nearly doubled in the past two years. The average new car now costs $50,000. I’m sure that you have seen what has happened to food and feed prices in the past two years. Driven by higher fuel and fertilizer costs, some food costs have gone up by 25%. Beef prices, for example, recently spiked to near record highs. With all of the preceding in mind, we can realistically conclude that the “real world” consumer price inflation rate is somewhere around 12%.Continue reading“Update: Coping With Inflation–Strategies for Investing, Bartering, Dickering, and Survival”

JWR’s Meme Of The Week: 

The latest meme created by JWR:

Meme Text:

Without Taxes, Who Would Build The Roads?

Without Slaves, Who Would Pick The Cotton?

Notes From JWR: Do you have a meme idea? Just e-mail me the concept, and I’ll try to assemble it. And if it is posted then I’ll give you credit. Thanks!

Permission to repost memes that I’ve created is granted, provided that credit to SurvivalBlog.com is included.

 

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.

And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,

And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.

And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,

And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.

For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?

And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further?

As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.

And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.” – Mark 5: 21-37 (KJV) 

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — November 29, 2025

Following several national debt defaults (in 1557, 1575, and 1596), on November 29, 1596, King Philip II of Spain ordered the devaluation of the country’s silver coinage.  This included the famed Spanish Ocho Reales de Plata (“Pieces of Eight”) silver coin. By the 1630s, most coin mintings had 20 to 30% less silver than previously required. This debasement, combined with their sovereign debt, eventually led to the decline of the Spanish empire.

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On November 29, 1890, the first US Army – US Navy football game was played, at West Point. The score: Navy 24, Army 0.

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Today is the birthday of writer Clive Staples (“C.S.”) Lewis, who was born in 1898 and died 22 November 1963.

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Today’s feature article is by JWR.

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We need entries for Round 122 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $970,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 122 begins on December 1st, 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. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Update: Charity, Civility, Community, and Hope

JWR’s Introductory Note: This is an update to an article that I wrote for SurvivalBlog in December, 2005. It is part of a series of SurvivalBlog 20th Anniversary update re-posts, in recognition of the fact that the majority of readers did not join us until recent years.

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Whilst pondering the various possibilities for the future, it is easy to get caught up in the minutiae of radio frequencies, milligram dosages, microns of filtration, calibers, and calories per ounce. (You’ll read plenty of those details in SurvivalBlog. But in doing so. we can easily lose sight of bigger, far more important issues such as charity, civility, community, and hope.

Charity

Most of you reading this are the heads of households who are far better prepared than your neighbors. Your deep larder, expansive fuel storage, advanced skills, and wide range of useful tools will put you in a distinctly advantageous position in the event of a catastrophe. So, I implore you to be charitable, even to those who stubbornly ignored your warnings and shirked their responsibility to provide for their families. My philosophy, oft-repeated, is to give until it hurts.

Civility

Going hand-in-hand with charity is civility. Hard times call for increased caution, but unless you are facing a bad element, there is no need to be mean or offensive. When dealing with neighbors, do your best to keep up he standards or normal pre-Crunch civil interaction. Be courteous, be helpful, be generous, and in all ways pitch in to be a good neighbor. Just be very circumspect about your preparations. Always keep the “need to know” rule in mind, and drill it into the heads of your family members. Unless a neighbor truly needs to know, then you should not mention–or allow to be seen–the nature nor the extent of your preparations. Just make it clear that you have “a little extra” of this or that, to help out neighbors that are in genuine need.

In contrast, when dealing with strangers, it is best to be far more firm but non-threatening. Just leave them with the subtle impression that you are not one to be trifled with. The sight of a holstered pistol on your hip or a rifle close at hand speaks volumes. If you want to help refugees who are transiting your area, then please show the foresight do so anonymously through an intermediary, such as your local church. By donating some of your storage food to your local church, you’ll be able to look firm and resilient to refugees, yet still have good news for them. You can honestly say: “Some people in the community have been leaving food and warm clothing at the church 1/2 mile down the road. It is at 123 Main Street. They will be able to help you. God bless you.” Note that this was carefully phrased in a neutral way, not indicating that you were the donor. Parenthetically, this level of OPSEC means that you will need to carefully brief your church pastors and elders and get their solemn promise to not reveal who provided the food.

Note that this approach fulfils two Biblical mandates: Being charitable (The Old Testament Law of Tzedakah), and avoiding being prideful. It also enhances your family’s safety, by greatly lessening the chance of becoming a target for looters.

Community

I’ve written at length about the need for a genuine sense of community to achieve the best chance of survival in hard times, so I won’t repeat all that here. In essence, lone wolves will not be the most likely survivors. Build a true community, and you will have friends that you can count on (and vice versa), when the Schumer hits the fan.

Hope

As a Christian, I use word “hope” in a far different way than non-Christians do.  When those in the secular world use the word hope, it is usually phrased “I hope so”, meaning that something might happen, or might not happen, depending on different circumstances, attitudes, predispositions, environmental variables, or even randon chance. But in the Christian context, hope means absolute assurance of eternal life for God’s Elect, bought and paid for by Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross. With the sure knowledge of my salvation, I am willing to risk more in this life, to do what is right–that is, what I believe will please God, and glorify God. The perils in this mortal life are brief, but the promise of heaven is everlasting. That is my certain hope.