Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both 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.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

We feel like we’ve made a lot of progress in the past week. We took delivery of two “Nucs” and set up two beehives (with supers), inside our orchard fence. To get ready for that, I only had to buy one new brooder box and one galvanized hive roof. We had everything else we needed on hand, all left over from when we had kept bees several years ago. Everything that we needed was in one large stack of boxes, in our garage. This included plenty of extra supers and frames, our three bee suits, a pair of smokers, smoker pellets, and tools. Sometimes, being well-organized pays off.

Our little bull calf — just a few weeks old — unexpectedly came down with bloody scours. So we dosed him with CORID for five consecutive days.

I’ve been keeping busy with cutting and splitting firewood.  Our #2 Daughter handles most of the stacking. I’ve also been cutting, splitting, and stacking firewood for an aging neighbor.

Now, Lily’s part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“The word of the Lord also came unto me, saying,

Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house.

Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house.

Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff for removing: and thou shalt go forth at even in their sight, as they that go forth into captivity.

Dig thou through the wall in their sight, and carry out thereby.

In their sight shalt thou bear it upon thy shoulders, and carry it forth in the twilight: thou shalt cover thy face, that thou see not the ground: for I have set thee for a sign unto the house of Israel.

And I did so as I was commanded: I brought forth my stuff by day, as stuff for captivity, and in the even I digged through the wall with mine hand; I brought it forth in the twilight, and I bare it upon my shoulder in their sight.

And in the morning came the word of the Lord unto me, saying,

Son of man, hath not the house of Israel, the rebellious house, said unto thee, What doest thou?

Say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; This burden concerneth the prince in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel that are among them.

Say, I am your sign: like as I have done, so shall it be done unto them: they shall remove and go into captivity.

And the prince that is among them shall bear upon his shoulder in the twilight, and shall go forth: they shall dig through the wall to carry out thereby: he shall cover his face, that he see not the ground with his eyes.

My net also will I spread upon him, and he shall be taken in my snare: and I will bring him to Babylon to the land of the Chaldeans; yet shall he not see it, though he shall die there.

And I will scatter toward every wind all that are about him to help him, and all his bands; and I will draw out the sword after them.

And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall scatter them among the nations, and disperse them in the countries.

But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the heathen whither they come; and they shall know that I am the Lord.” – Ezekiel 12:1-16 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — May 23, 2025

On May 23rd, 1934 the outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were killed by deputized former Texas Rangers Frank Hamer (pictured above) and Maney Gault, as well as assorted local police, near Gibbsland, Louisiana. The event was dramatized in the 2019 Kevin Costner movie The Highwaymen.  JWR’s Comments:  It is good that Frank Hamer stocked up, when he did. The National Firearms Act (NFA) was signed into law by Franklin D. Roosevelt in June of 1934.  That law unconstitutionally required registration and $200 transfer taxes on sales of machineguns, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and suppressors.

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May 23 is the birthday of George Lars Kellgren (born 1943 in Borås, Sweden), the founder and chief engineer of Kel-Tec. According to LeftistAgendaPedia: He designed many firearms earlier for Husqvarna and Swedish Interdynamics AB in Sweden. He moved to the US in 1979 and his original US designs were for Intratec and Grendel brand firearms. He founded Kel-Tec in 1991.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 118 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2,000.
  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 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),
  4. 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.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  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. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  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:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. 3Vgear.com is providing an ultimate bug-out bag bundle that includes their 3-day Paratus Bag, a Posse EDC Sling Pack, and a Velox II Tactical Backpack. This prize package has a $289 retail value.
  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.

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More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 118 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. 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.

Lehman’s Cordless Mason Jar Vacuum Sealer, by Mike in Alaska

I recently bought a Mason Jar vacuum sealer from the Lehman’s Non-Electric store located in Kidron, Ohio. The following is my informal review.

Disclaimer: I paid full retail price for this jar sealer. Lehman’s has not paid me or otherwise compensated me, nor do I represent them. I am simply offering to readers of the blog our experience with this product.

We have bought many items from Lehman’s over the years, from cast iron products, food, candies, to Aladdin Lamps. The quality of their products is what we call “generational quality”; that is, you can pass their products down to the next generation. (Except for the candy and food items. Those don’t get by me for long.)

We have an All-American Pressure Canner we bought from Lehman’s several years ago., If you’re going to preserve liquid foods, then use that method and save the Pressure Vacuum canner in this review for prolonging the storage of dry goods and foods. We use the pressure canner for our meats, fish, vegetables, and fruit, since that method is the safest way to preserve those types of foods.

For this device, I decided to buy it because it was not very expensive, even with shipping to the interior of Alaska. The total cost was $115.97 and this included the shipping costs of $32.99 and an extra-large pack of new jar lids. It seemed like an inexpensive way to store dry items that we can buy in quantity like cereal, grains, and other stuff that we would buy but not use quickly enough that it wouldn’t go stale sitting on the shelf in the original box or whatever container that the manufacturer shipped it in.Continue reading“Lehman’s Cordless Mason Jar Vacuum Sealer, by Mike in Alaska”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at the LMBA’s delivery crunch. (See the Precious Metals section.)

Precious Metals:

The London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) is running into a physical delivery crunch for gold contracts. There are now so many long contract holders demanding delivery that the delivery part of the LBMA’s traditional “next working day” contract settlement promise has been nullified. Deliveries are now being delayed by 60 to 75 days.  Their use of rehypothecated (fractionalized) contracts is running them into serious trouble. They now have an extreme physical gold shortage. Even with just a few more contract holders now demanding delivery instead of cash, they cannot keep up with the demand. When I last checked their clearing data and vault holdings, the LMBA had only about 37 million ounces of physical gold on hand, versus 378 million ounces in pending gold contracts. (“Paper gold.”) A similar situation exists for the LBMA’s silver vault holdings. If there is an international monetary crisis or if a regional war breaks out anywhere in Asia, then a huge number of contract holders will demand physical metals delivery of both gold and silver. Ipso facto, the LBMA will surely collapse. Watch this situation closely, folks. And, more importantly, do not invest in “paper” precious metals. (Such as GLD and SLV.)  And only store your physical metals at home, well-hidden! – JWR

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Will Gold Keep Rising Even as Stocks Go Up?

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Reader D.S.V. spotted this news: Costco enforces strict limit on gold bar purchases as value increases.

Economy & Finance:

From the leftist CNBC: 30-year Treasury yield jumps above 5% after Moody’s downgrades U.S. credit rating.  JWR’s Comment:  Well, well, well… Such doses of reality from the ratings firms certainly signal that the yield curve won’t be inverting again, anytime soon.

o  o  o

Doug Casey on DOGE, Deficits, and the Coming Financial Earthquake.

o  o  o

Tom Christianson flagged this UK Telegraph article: ‘Worse than Greece’: The debt crisis threatening to blow up the global economy.  JWR’s Comments:  In his article, states: “In a world of Donald Trump-induced volatility and uncertainty, bond market investors could quickly lose faith in any one of the debt-dependent governments of the West.”  He seems to imply that Donald Trump (and his tariffs) are somehow the cause of the debt crisis. But the crisis has been brewing for decades. The real cause is chronic and profligate government overspending.  The credit markets have become risk-averse because of doubts about creditworthiness. That is why bond yields are rising. The only genuine solution to the government debt crisis is restoring fiscal responsibility. The Federal budget must be slashed.  The little DOGE spending cuts are mostly symbolic. Because Congress stubbornly refuses to end its drunken sailor spending binge, a debt collapse is inevitable. The real question is not “if?”, but “when?”  I can see that the Powers That Be would rather have the collapse occur when Donald J. Trump is at the helm. Thus, they can prevent another Republican from getting elected, as Trump’s successor.  In effect, they are planning another post-collapse “It was Herbert Hoover’s fault” charade. DJT will just be in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

o  o  o

Jim Rogers: I Sold Almost All My Stocks – “I’ve Seen This Party Before”.

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: Japan’s 30-Year and 40-Year Bonds Crater, Yields Spike, Huge Mess Coming Home to Roost. Yen Carry Trade at Risk.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — May 22, 2025

Some Great News! It appears that the Hearing Protection Act (HPA) has been added to the pending Continuing Resolution budget bill, by the House!  The chances of bill passage are now quite high, and Donald Trump has indicated that he will sign the bill, if it reaches his desk. The Senate still has to give approval, but once the law is signed, the implications of the HPA are quite far-reaching.  Here are some things to ponder:

  • Under the HPA, suppressors will be removed from the National Firearms Act (NFA), so there will no longer be any $200 transfer taxes. And, presumably, all existing Federal suppressor registration paperwork will be ordered to be destroyed. It will be time for celebration!
  • Suppressors will be classified as “firearms” under Federal law, and thus the FIRST transfer of any new suppressor would have to go through an FFL, with a background check and filling out a Form 4473. But subsequent private party transfers would be paperwork-free in more than 25 states. (State laws will vary.)
  • Since suppressors will be classified as “firearms”, that would make it legal to manufacture your own suppressors, just like any other homemade “firearm.” (State laws will vary.)
  • Most suppressor parts (including baffles, spiral diffusers, wipes, end caps, et cetera) would no longer be regulated parts. There will probably be clarification needed as to which part constitutes the “firearm”. My guess is that it be the thread adapter.  (State laws will vary.)

My advice?  Start saving your empty soda pop bottles. The heavy-duty green plastic Perrier bottles will be the sought-after “keepers”! Also, look for inexpensive closeout or overstock oil filters and long cylindrical gasoline filters, in quantity. Why those, you ask?  Do a search on eBay, for: “1/2-28 to 3/4-16, 13/16-16, 3/4NPT Automotive Threaded Oil Filter Adapter.”

Please contact your state’s two U.S. Senators today and tomorrow, and urge them to support the HPA!  Phone the Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121. – JWR

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On May 22, 334 BC, the Macedonian army of Alexander the Great defeated the army of Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus.

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The War of the Roses began on May 22, 1455.

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May 22, 1859 was the birthday of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes.

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Today’s feature article was too short to qualify for the writing contest judging.  We are still in need of entries for Round 118 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest.

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More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 118 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. 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.

Expatriating to the Philippines: 12 Years to Reflect, by M.B.

Twelve years ago, I moved to the Philippines to escape U.S. economic pressures—tax hikes, healthcare mandates, and a struggling economy. Now, with over a decade of experience, I’ve gained a perspective on life here. This guide, refined for aspiring expats, covers natural disasters, construction, security, education, a unique location in Subic, and critical considerations for accessing specialized services like medical care.

The Climate and Agriculture

The Philippines offers a year-round growing season, but gardening is tough. Red clay soil demands effort, and ants and weeds are relentless. The dry season—hot and arid—requires irrigation or hydroponics. Fresh produce prices spike during dry and wet seasons, especially outside hubs like Angeles City. Most food comes from valleys north of Manila, so remote areas face higher costs and less fresh goods.

Food and Markets

Beef is expensive, often limited to low-quality imported cuts. Pork, while cheaper, has doubled in price over 12 years. Fish is a luxury unless you’re in a fishing village; city fish suffers from middlemen markups and poor refrigeration. Wet markets, the main source for fresh goods, are often unhygienic, with odors of decaying meat. Exceptions exist, but cleaning standards like bleach or pressure washing are rare. I buy only dry goods or thoroughly cooked items, avoiding raw meat.Continue reading“Expatriating to the Philippines: 12 Years to Reflect, by M.B.”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is 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. In today’s column, we look at more A.I. fakery. (Pictured above is a still from the 1970 predictive sci-fi movie Colossus: The Forbin Project.)

More A.I.-Generated Fakes!

You’ve surely already heard that we do not allow any A.I.-generated articles in SurvivalBlog. This week, I received yet another article submitted for the blog’s writing contest that had many telltale signs:  There were zero typographical, grammatical, or phrasing errors.  There were no first-person mentions. There were no dropped words, no misused words, and no homophone errors. All of the paragraphs were of uniform length. There were no personal writing or formatting quirks, and there was nothing to indicate any sort of personal writing style. Real humans just don’t write that way. It all looked too slick, stylistically uniform, and “A.I. Vanilla”-sounding to be believable as something that had been personally written. And, furthermore, I’d never before heard from that alleged writer.  Spare me the A.I.-generated Bravo Sierra!  Getting these fake submissions makes me feel violated, as an editor.  I also want to say that I really appreciate the genuine readers of SurvivalBlog, who write so many great and genuine articles! – JWR

Justice for Victims of Explicit Deepfakes

And speaking of A.I.: Victims of explicit deepfakes will now be able to take legal action against people who create them.

Fake AI Tools Used to Spread Noodlophile Malware

Fake AI Tools Used to Spread Noodlophile Malware, Targeting 62,000+ via Facebook Lures.
Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Man…
Who trusted God was love indeed
And love Creation’s final law—
Though Nature, red in tooth and claw
With ravine, shrieked against his creed.” – Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) ‘In Memoriam A. H. H.’ (1850) canto 56

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — May 21, 2025

 

An important and time-sensitive legislative update:  Please contact your congresscritters TODAY and encourage them to pass both the HPA (removing suppressors from the NFA) and the SHORT Act (legalizing short-barreled rifles and shotguns), as part of the pending Federal budget reconcilliation. Thanks! –  JWR

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On May 21, 1799, Napoleon and his forces abandoned their siege of Acre, after two months. This was a turning point in the French invasion of Egypt and Syria.  The city of Acre is now known as Akko, Israel.

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May 21, 1819: The first bicycles (“swift walkers”) in the US were introduced in New York City.

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On May 21, 1927, aviator Charles Lindbergh, in the Spirit of St Louis, landed in Paris after the first solo air crossing of the Atlantic. Soon after landing, a large portion of the plane’s fabric covering was sliced with pen knives and stolen by French souvenir-seekers.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 118 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2,000.
  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 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),
  4. 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.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  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. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  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:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. 3Vgear.com is providing an ultimate bug-out bag bundle that includes their 3-day Paratus Bag, a Posse EDC Sling Pack, and a Velox II Tactical Backpack. This prize package has a $289 retail value.
  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.

—

More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 118 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. 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.

Prepping: Things That I Got Right – Part 2, by 3AD Scout

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

Our first home had a gas forced air furnace and a wood fire place. I had a natural gas ventless heater installed in our basement. A few days after our daughter was born, we had another major storm and power outage. With a two year old and a new born we decided to bug out to her dad’s house until our power came back on. Before we left, I turned the ventless heater on low and left the basement door cracked open. When our power came back on just shy of 72 hours later, our house was still 55 degrees in the dead of winter.Continue reading“Prepping: Things That I Got Right – Part 2, by 3AD Scout”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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Reader R.D. sent us this: “I started collecting them and already have over 650”: a user has been powering his home with laptop batteries since 2016. JWR’s Comment: The charging method pictured in the article has “lithium battery charging thermal runaway fire” written all over it.  (Pictured above is a lithium battery fire in Moss Landing, California.)

o  o  o

I heard that Stanley Ridgley — one of my old active duty Intelligence Corps pals — has published two timely books: Brutal Minds: The Dark World of Left-Wing Brainwashing in Our Universities (in 2023) and DEI Exposed: How the Biggest Con of the Century Almost Toppled Higher Education (in March, 2025). Stan’s first hitch in the Army was as a 98G linguist NCO. He spent five years stationed in West Berlin (which was then encircled by communist East Germany), and in West Germany on the Czech border. When I met Stan, in 1985, it was soon after he’d graduated from OCS. He eventually earned his Ph.D., and most recently, he has been a professor at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Dans les champs de l’observation le hasard ne favorise que les esprits prèparès.” (Translated: Where observation is concerned, chance favors only the prepared mind.) – Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) From an address given on the inauguration of the Faculty of Science, University of Lille, December 7, 1854

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — May 20, 2025

On May 20, 1736: Royal Approval was given by King George II to construct the original Westminster Bridge across the River Thames, in London. The 1747 painting above (titled “Westminster Bridge, with the Lord Mayor’s Procession on the Thames“) was by the Venetian artist Giovanni Antonio Canal (aka Canaletto.)

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May 20, 1774: The British parliament passed the second of the Intolerable Acts: the Massachusetts Government Act. This gave the British-appointed governor wide-ranging powers.

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May 20th, 1942  was the birthday of Carlos Hathcock (died February 23, 1999). He was a United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 118 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2,000.
  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 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),
  4. 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.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  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. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  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:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. 3Vgear.com is providing an ultimate bug-out bag bundle that includes their 3-day Paratus Bag, a Posse EDC Sling Pack, and a Velox II Tactical Backpack. This prize package has a $289 retail value.
  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.

—

More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 118 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. 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.