A Clash of Cultures, by B.H.

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I have been following SurvivalBlog for several years now after reading the first book in the Patriots novel series. From those books, other post apocalyptic novels, and this blog we have generally followed the advice and warnings. The situations causing huge retrogrades in our society have been put into several categories:

  • EMP. This is generally referenced as a weaponized attack using a detonation of a nuclear device to electronically fry just about all our systems of communication, Internet, banking, defense, power grids and anything electronic to include anything with computers or microprocessors. Most refer to this event as a return to early 18th century technology.
  • Solar flare eruptions. These have effects similar to an EMP but also could cause massive changes to our climate such a massive typhoons, tidal surges, etc.
  • Nuclear war/Dirty bombs. Always a possibility since the invention of nuclear weapons. The expectations that a group could essentially commit to using such devices for the destruction of their enemies.
  • Economic Destruction. The crashing of world economies resulting in either deflation of mass inflation, huge layoffs and hence no monthly checks, no withdrawals from banks, a return to a barter system for survival.

Of all the apocalyptic novels, most involve EMP, economic crash, solar eruptions, etc. Some or all of those things may occur during the rest of my lifetime. But I am increasing concerned that regardless of where you are in the United States, the clash of cultures will be the starting point of no return. I fear the next few years will be breaking point of our Union.

I pondered how radically different we have become to try and understand how living in the greatest nation has now reached a point of no return. The American people have not known the direct impact of war on this soil for too long. The tragedy of war had not touched our land for generations. Our people have not experienced bombed-out cities, where finding a field of rotten potatoes would be considered a gold mine for survival. This I learned from a German woman who was a child during WWII. The scavenging for food was the first and only thing people did to survive.Continue reading“A Clash of Cultures, by B.H.”

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 Antifa’s latest bullying.

A Homestead for Sale in Vermont

My #1 Son alerted me to this new listing over at his SurvivalRealty.com site: Homestead & 31+ Acres w/ House Off-Grid.

Terrorist Warned Off By Facebook

Mike Williamson (our Editor At Large), sent us this: Police Tracked a Terror Suspect — Until His Phone Went Dark After a Facebook Warning

Is Mikey Buying the Election?

Regular link contributor DSV sent this article that shows how Mike Bloomberg is trying to buy the presidency: National Poll: Michael Bloomberg Ties Elizabeth Warren for Third Place. And even more recently, this was reported: Bloomberg drops $10 million on campaign ad to air during Superbowl LIV

New Laws Now in Effect

More of the annual litany: New laws on guns, privacy, electric cars go into effect across US. Here is a snippet:

“In Colorado, a new ‘red flag law’ will allow family members and law enforcement to request guns be seized from people who are ultimately deemed to be a threat to themselves or to others. The seizure can last up to a year, and the burden of proof is on the gun owner to have it revoked.”Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.

And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.

And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.

And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.

And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.

And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.

And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.

And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?

And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.

But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.

And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them.

And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him.

And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them?

And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;

And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.

He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.

And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.

And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.

And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?

And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

And they departed thence, and passed through Galilee; and he would not that any man should know it.

 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day.

But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.” – Mark 9: 1-32 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — January 11, 2020

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Today is the natal day of the late Gunnar Fridtjof Thurmann Sønsteby, who was born in 1918. He was the most decorated hero of the Norwegian resistance under the German occupation. He died May 10, 2012.

—

January 11th is also the birthday of statesman Alexander Hamilton (1757-1804.)

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 86 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3,000 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 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 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.
  3. 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,
  4. A $300 purchase credit for any of the products from EMPShield.com
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  6. 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).
  7. 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. Good2GoCo.com is providing a $400 purchase credit at regular prices for the prize winner’s choice of either Wise Foods or Augason long term storage foods, in stackable buckets.
  2. 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)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 86 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.

Your Best Personal Defense In The Ongoing CyberWar, by AJS

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One of claimed “time traveler” John Titor’s most alarming predictions was for a war beginning in 2015 between Russia and the United States. The prediction was made on the old Art Bell Coast-to-Coast AM radio show in the 1999-2000 era. The war would eventually go nuclear and be quite destructive resulting in great loss of life. The good news according to Titor was that the country weathered the physical destruction and came out stronger than ever. With some large cities destroyed it eliminated many governmental sectors and urbanite populations dependent upon government handouts.

Now, in retrospect we know the war did start but not as expected. Some probably pictured ICBMs incoming then a flash of light and then …well you know the drill. Instead it was an invasion of the Ukraine territory of the Crimea by Russian forces. To disrupt defensive operations there was a cyber attack on business and government entities in the Ukraine. From a small room in a building in Moscow a staff of about 20 people released the malicious software that infected much more than operations in the Ukraine. It shut down many banks some even in Russia and most importantly international shipping giant Maersk. Maersk Line is a Danish international container shipping company. There was no flash of light but instead all the computer screens went black. Suddenly trucks were showing up to docks even in far away US with perishable foods and medicines yet could not be unloaded from trucks to ships or ships to trucks. There were thousands of trucks lined up and not moving around the world. Political authorities were notified but were of no use. Maersk from headquarters in Denmark worked 24/7 to get things back up. Obviously they succeeded but at great cost. The war had started. And we are still in it.

So how does this affect you? If you have a cell phone and computer you are vulnerable through your equipment, its operating software, and your personal habits.Continue reading“Your Best Personal Defense In The Ongoing CyberWar, by AJS”

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:

It felt so good to get back to the ranch!  I loathe being away from my wife and kids for anything more than an overnight trip. But I really feel strongly convicted to help out my elderly family members–even if it means making extended out-of-state trips.

When I got home, after unpacking, there was the usual pile of mail to go through, and a few packages. Then came catching up on projects around the ranch.  Oh, and some snow plowing.  And then I had to make the drive to our post office. (My sincere thanks to all of you who thoughtfully send 10 Cent Challenge subscription donations!) And on the same trip, Avalanche Lily had me pick up a bunch of sacks of poultry grower pellets. Now, back at home, I’ve been busy cutting some stockpiled wood into stove rounds, and slaughtering and gutting a few chickens. (Avalanche Lily and the girls do to scalding and plucking.) And of course I’m doing my usual daily blog writing. I’m also working on the text and layout of my mail order website.  That will be called Elk Creek Company. There, I’ll be selling hand-selected pre-1899 cartridge guns. The planned launch of that business will be February 1st–if all goes well.

So I can honestly say that I’ve been busy, busy, busy! I have a feeling that this winter will pass by very quickly. Now, over to Lily’s weekly report:

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.

For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.

Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:

And by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate.

He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.

The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.

If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.

If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain;

If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?

My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:

So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place:

For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.

Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:

Lest the Lord see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked:

For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.

My son, fear thou the Lord and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:

For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?” – Proverbs 24: 1-22 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — January 10, 2020

4

On this day in 1976 the song “Convoy” by C.W. McCall was the #1 song on the U.S. pop charts. That song is credited with creating a boom in interest in CB radio that lasted for several years.

—

And on January 10th, 1776 is the day that North Carolina Governor Josiah Martin issued a proclamation calling on the king’s loyal subjects to raise an armed force to combat the “rebels”. This ultimately led to Colonel Donald McLeod leading the men on an assault on the Patriots that ended with fifty of his men dead and 880 captured. The Patriots lost only two of their number.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 86 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3,000 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 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 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.
  3. 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,
  4. A $300 purchase credit for any of the products from EMPShield.com
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  6. 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).
  7. 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. Good2GoCo.com is providing a $400 purchase credit at regular prices for the prize winner’s choice of either Wise Foods or Augason long term storage foods, in stackable buckets.
  2. 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)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 86 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.

 

Rocket Water Heater – Part 2, by St. Funogas

27

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

The Finished Project

Since there is a lot of information on building rocket stoves on SurvivalBlog and elsewhere, I have not described any construction details on the stove itself. The following photo shows what my working rocket water heater (RWH) looks like, with an explanation of the number and letter annotations.

Photo 4 Rocket Water Heater-Numbered
Photo 4 Rocket Water Heater-Numbered

This small building was later covered with bat and board siding, with a small door covering the on/off switch and thermometers. Here are all of the key bits and pieces: 1. Inflow and outflow water temperature thermometers. (Thread these into the adapter before you glue the adapter into the tee to you be sure you get the thermometers oriented properly.) 2. On/off switch to the 12-VDC, 3-GPM water pump. 3. Water pressure-relief safety valve is a must when working with hot water. 4. Plumbing unions. 5. Car battery for 12-VDC pump. 6. Solar battery charger. 7. Drain valve. 8. Fuel entrance for rocket stove. 9. Clean out access (closed off when stove in use). 10. Rain lid for fuel entrance during non-use. 11. Ash-removing cleanout stick. “C” is the Heat Exchanger (section of chimney pipe containing the copper coil.) It slides down into the rocket stove chimney and has an additional piece of chimney pipe attached to the top of it.

Something to consider: One thing worked well in my trial but not as well in the actual setup. Obviously that huge copper coil inside a 6” chimney is going to restrict the airflow somewhat. In hindsight, maybe what I should have done was stick with the same size coil, but put the coil inside an 8” chimney pipe and connected it to my 6” rocket stove chimney using adapters. It still works well but smoke tells me I’m not getting quiet the efficiency I could from my rocket stove. I say “maybe” because when I tested out my coil/pump setup ahead of time (see photo 5 below), I got very little smoke. So perhaps in a portable rocket stove setup using a shorter chimney, a 6” chimney pipe is the best way to go. Further experimentation is needed.

But Does It Work?

Yes, it works! The $64,000 question is, how much water will it heat, how quickly, and with how much fuel? I used my RWH exclusively for three months straight when I first built it, just to be able to get some actual long-term, grid-down experience with making hot water and to get a real understanding of what I’d do to make improvements.

Unfortunately, I have a 30-gallon water heater. I will say unabashedly, for nearly everyone living in a 1- or 2-person household, 30 gallons is a huge mistake now and even more so after the grid goes down. A 20-gallon heater is more than adequate, but that’s a discussion for another day. With a 30-gallon water heater as my storage tank, I can heat 30 gallons of 57°F water to 130°F in 45 minutes using less than two 6” round bundles of kindling. My kindling is 16” firewood split into pieces that are approximately 1” x ¾”. (With a ΔT of 25°F which I mentioned earlier, this should come out to 30 minutes, but with ramping up the heat, then ramping back down, the total time is 45 minutes.) With a 20-gallon water heater, or the 10-gallon water heater I wish I had, the time could probably be cut down to 15-to-18 minutes.Continue reading“Rocket Water Heater – Part 2, by St. Funogas”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

11

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 housing market in 2020. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

Economy & Finance:

“Party Like It’s 1998”: A Quarter Of $3.2 Trillion In BBB-Rated Bonds May Be Junk

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge: Mauldin: A Crisis Has Already Begun… We Just Don’t Know It Yet

Here is an excerpt:

“The Fed now has also become a big part of the monetization process via its purchases of T-bills which also drives banks into buying notes. The Fed’s balance sheet is now $335b higher than it was in September at $4.095 trillion. Again, however the Fed wants to define what it’s doing, market participants view this as QE4 with all the asset price inflation that comes along with QE programs.

It will be real interesting to see what happens in 2020 to the repo market when the Fed tries to end its injections and how markets respond when its balance sheet stops increasing in size. It’s so easy to get involved and so difficult to leave.

Declining foreign purchases are, in part, a consequence of the trade war.

The dollars China and Japan use to buy our T-bills are the same dollars we pay them for our imported goods. But interest and exchange rates also matter. With rates negative or lower than ours in most of the developed world, the US had been the best parking place.

But in the last year, other central banks started looking for a NIRP exit. Higher rate expectations elsewhere combined with stable or falling US rates give foreign buyers—who must also pay for currency hedges—less incentive to buy US debt.”

o  o  o

How to strangle an economy: In 2020 record number of states cities and counties raise minimum wage

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — January 9, 2020

4

On this day in 1776, writer Thomas Paine published his pamphlet “Common Sense,” setting forth his arguments in favor of American independence. Although little used today, pamphlets were an important medium for the spread of ideas in the 16th through 19th centuries.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 86 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The more than $12,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3,000 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 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 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.
  3. 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,
  4. A $300 purchase credit for any of the products from EMPShield.com
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  6. 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).
  7. 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. Good2GoCo.com is providing a $400 purchase credit at regular prices for the prize winner’s choice of either Wise Foods or Augason long term storage foods, in stackable buckets.
  2. 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)
  3. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances.

Round 86 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.

Rocket Water Heater – Part 1, by St. Funogas

23

Have you ever considered the things you’d miss most in a TEOTWAWKI situation? I think a nice hot shower has to be pretty high on my list. It is right up there with coffee. So, once I got my nearly-off-grid little cabin built, I set out to build a prototype rocket water heater.

There are a hundred and one different ways to make a rocket water heater (RWH). But as an introduction, I’ll show you how I built mine. I’ll also mention a few things that I wish I had done differently, just to give you some ideas on how you might construct your own. This is one of those projects that gets better the longer you let it ruminate in your mind.

The beauty of a RWH is that not only can you heat a lot of water with just a small amount of firewood, but for many of us, the fuel is free and abundant and will be available long after the grid goes down. When you think of how hot a campfire is, and then think about how much hotter that same fire gets when you blow on it, that same principle is what makes a rocket stove so efficient. By creating its own constant draft, that higher temperature in my RWH will raise the water temperature 25°F in one pass through the heat exchanger. That’s pretty phenomenal.

System Description

Here’s a quick description of how my RWH works: A small pump (12-v, 3 GPM) takes water out of my regular water heater tank, circulates it through a coil of copper tubing which is located inside the chimney of a rocket stove, then returns the heated water back to the water heater tank. Inline thermometers allow me to monitor water temps so I know when to stop adding fuel to the rocket stove. A simple set of valves near my water heater tank lets me heat water with electricity, or turn the valves to either heat water using the rocket stove or my solar water heater.

The Heart of the System: The Copper Coil

The main component of a RWH is a coil of copper tubing. You’ll need a 25-foot coil of type L, ⅜” copper tubing. (Type K has slightly thicker walls, 0.049″ vs. 0.035″, but I have no experience coiling it so can’t speak for it one way or the other.) If you use less than 25’ it will not heat the water as efficiently since it will exit the rocket stove sooner. But that may not necessarily be a detractor in your particular system design.

When you buy the copper tubing, it will come in a coil about 16” in diameter and you’ll need to reduce the coil down to about 4-5” in diameter. It’s very important to do this without producing any kinks. I only know of two ways to accomplish that. Option 1 involves filling the tubing with sand, which I have no experience with so I won’t discuss it. Option 2 is much simpler and involves filling the coil with water and then freezing it.Continue reading“Rocket Water Heater – Part 1, by St. Funogas”

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 phone surveillance.

US Colleges Using Phone Surveillance of Students

Our Editor-At-Large Michael Z. Williamson spotted this: US Colleges Turning Students’ Phones Into Surveillance Devices, Tracking Locations of Hundreds of Thousands. The article begins:

“When Syracuse College freshmen stroll into professor Jeff Rubin’s Introduction to Info Applied sciences class, seven small Bluetooth beacons hidden across the Grant Auditorium lecture corridor join with an app on their smartphones and enhance their “attendance factors.” And once they skip class? The SpotterEDU app sees that, too, logging their absence right into a campus database that tracks them over time and might sink their grade. It additionally alerts Rubin, who later contacts college students to ask the place they have been. His 340-person lecture has by no means been so full.”

New State Laws for 2020

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site, there was this from USA Today: Don’t throw food in the trash in Vermont, or ask about salary history in New Jersey. Here are 7 state law changes for 2020

Kansas: The Christian Withdrawal Experiment

Reader Paul in Tennessee sent a link to this Redoubtable article at The Atlantic: The Christian Withdrawal Experiment. The article’s subhead: “Feeling out of step with the mores of contemporary life, members of a conservative-Catholic group have built a thriving community in rural Kansas. Could their flight from mainstream society be a harbinger for the nation?”Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”