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 gun statistics.

California Volcano Risks

Thanks to reader S.B. for suggesting this article: California is famous for earthquakes and wildfires—but don’t forget about its volcanoes.  JWR Adds:  Californians should visit the California “My Hazards” web page, and take a look at the hazards lists for their particular ZIP codes.

Gun Law Onslaught in Virginia

Colion Noir recently posted this commentary: Virginia turns Anti-Gun overnight with Bloomberg – Waste no time with gun confiscation SB16,18,64. Sadly, Noir is right. It doesn’t matter if the GOA and NRA are playing 3D Chess, if Mikey Bloomberg’s wallet is playing Tackle Football. He is simply out-spending them, and he has the mainstream media on his side. So please generously support the GOA, The Firearms Coalition (TFC), the JPFO, and State-level gun rights defending organizations such as Gun Owners Action League of Washington. Meanwhile, as a hedge, build yourself a private (no paperwork) battery of capable guns. Why? Because there may be no voting our way out of this. It has been aptly said that the ultimate votes are from the rooftops.

A New Hyper Glue

C.B. sent us this from Tech Xplore: New ‘hyper glue’ formula developed. A snippet:

“The team of chemists and composite materials researchers discovered a broadly applicable method of bonding plastics and synthetic fibres at the in a procedure called cross-linking. The cross-linking takes effect when the adhesive is exposed to heat or long-wave UV light making that are both impact-resistant and corrosion-resistant. Even with a minimal amount of cross-linking, the materials are tightly bonded.”

Horse Stolen and Slaughtered for its Meat

Spotted by reader Tim J.:  Florida horse stolen and slaughtered for its meat, sheriff’s office says.Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)

Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)

But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” – Romans 10:1-17 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday — December 7, 2019

10

On Sunday, December 7, 1941, America was caught sleeping, at Pearl Harbor. Then there was that September morning, in 2001. Let’s continue to pray that nothing like those days ever happens again. – JWR

—

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.

Planning Your Escape – Part 5, by JMD

29

(Continued from Part 4.  This installment concludes the article series.)

If you’re even further away you may need to consider how you can supplement your food supply as you travel. One obvious way to do that is to learn how to forage. Foraging can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing, so take some training on how to recognize edible plants and what to avoid. If you’re going to be traveling to the same area frequently you should look into taking a local foraging class; they’re offered in most major locales. I also carry an edible plants reference card and a foraging guide with me, and I always do some research on regional plants whenever I travel to a new area. You could also bring a trotline and/or some snares with you and set them out while you’re sleeping. As with any wilderness skill, you should practice using both of them before you need them (check local laws governing fishing and trapping before attempting).

If you have food that needs to be heated or have boiling water added to it you’ll need some way to start a fire, and all of the common wisdom regarding lighters, ferro rods, tinder, etc. applies here. I carry a small Esbit-style folding stove in my travel kit along with various fire starters and tinder, and a 15-20 minute fire with twigs is usually enough to get a cup of water boiling. If you need something bigger to cook a fish or some wild game or warm up I’d recommend using a Dakota fire hole if possible to reduce the fire’s visibility. Remember that fire and cooking smells can carry for quite a distance, so you’ll be better off if you leave the area as soon as you’re done eating – don’t prepare meals in the same location you plan on sleeping.

When traveling in unknown conditions there’s always a chance you’ll get sick or injured, which could interrupt or even end your journey if you’re not prepared. In a post-SHTF world you most likely won’t be able to call an ambulance or stop by the local doc-in-a-box, so you’ll need to have a decent first-aid kit and the knowledge on how to use it. There are plenty of good articles on what should be in a first aid kit, but there are a few things that will be especially important for multi-day RTB travel:

  • Moleskin/Leukotape P for the inevitable blisters
  • Pain relievers for the inevitable aches and pains
  • Instant cold & heat packs, for additional pain relief
  • Electrolyte Replacement Tablets to replace what you sweat out
  • Anti-Diarrheal tablets, since your diet will be going through radical changes and having the runs can result in serious issues
  • Boiron Oscillococcinum for cold/flu symptoms (or a DayQuil equivalent)
  • A full course (30 250mg pills) of antibiotics in case a cut or wound gets infected – I carry Amoxicillin, which you can buy as ‘FishMox’ online

The common wisdom is that you should get plenty of rest when you’re sick or injured, but if you’re desperate to get home to your family, curling up in a nice warm debris shelter for a couple of days probably isn’t an option. You’ll need to reduce your pace and rest more frequently and for longer, but staying in one place for too long may cause more problems than it solves.

Unless the event results in the world all of a sudden becoming a bastion of rainbows and unicorns you’ll most likely need some way to protect yourself from both two- as well as four-legged threats while moving through unknown terrain. Whenever I travel I always bring at least one firearm if I’m legally allowed to possess it at my destination; if you don’t have a firearm with you, obtaining one at your destination location after an event will be extremely difficult. I always try to meet people and make friends at local gun shops and gun ranges when I travel – there’s no guarantee, but knowing some people can increase the chance of you being able to acquire a firearm if a major world-changing event occurs. One alternative to firearms is an edged weapon – I always pack a Gerber Downrange Tomahawk in my suitcase – it makes a decent weapon with a long reach as well as providing chopping, hammering and prying capabilities. If all else fails a simple club made from a chair leg or piece of metal pipe might be your only option, or you can attach a knife to a long rod or sharpen a stick to make yourself a spear. None of these are ideal, but it’s better to have some weapons than none at all.

Continue reading“Planning Your Escape – Part 5, by JMD”

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:

I’m again traveling out of state, to assist a elderly relative. So my entries in this column will probably be fairly brief and scant. Meanwhile, my lovely wife is looking after our ranch and livestock, so she will have far more to report.

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.

And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.

Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil.

In that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We be utterly spoiled: he hath changed the portion of my people: how hath he removed it from me! turning away he hath divided our fields.

Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the congregation of the Lord.

Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame.

O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the Lord straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?

Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war.

The women of my people have ye cast out from their pleasant houses; from their children have ye taken away my glory for ever.

Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest: because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a sore destruction.

If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.

I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.

The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them.” – Micah 2 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — December 6, 2019

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Today is the birthday of “claymation” artist and filmmaker Nick Park (born, 1958.) He is best known for his Wallace & Gromit films.

—

On December 6th, 1865, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, ending the institution of slavery. “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” With these words, the single greatest change wrought by the Civil War was officially noted in the Constitution.

—

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.

Planning Your Escape – Part 4, by JMD

11

(Continued from Part 3.)

Some Kit

In my previous article I talked quite a bit about the kit I take on the road, but there are a few items that are a lot more relevant to a long Return To Base (RTB) journey that I’d like to focus on. Keep in mind that if you’re flying you’ll be a lot more limited in what you can take, and I’m not recommending that you’ll want or need everything on this list – do your route planning and figure out what makes the most sense for your plans. If you can’t bring everything with you that you’ll need, make a list of the critical missing items and identify local sources near your destination where you can obtain them quickly after an event.

First things first – if you plan on walking all or part of your RTB journey (and you should, no matter what other options you’ve planned), one of the most critical pieces of your kit is your footwear. Anyone that’s ever gone on a long multi-day hikes can attest to the fact that blisters and fungal infections are some of the leading problems they typically encounter. Since you can’t always predict what the weather will be like your boots should be waterproof even in the summertime, since wet feet will cause serious problems. You should stick with lightweight merino wool or synthetic sweat-wicking socks, and bring at least two pairs so you can swap out wet ones for a clean dry pair. For winter time make sure you’ll need quality insulated boots and heavier socks. I also bring a set of gaiters when I travel in winter, which can help keep your pants dry and prevent snow from getting in your boot tops. Alternatively you could go with a pair of waterproof overboots, which will work better if you have to cross a lot of water obstacles. Regardless of what you bring for footwear you should always make sure it’s in good condition, and consider spraying it with waterproofing on a regular basis to maintain it.

Next is clothing, since exposure to extreme elements can kill you pretty quickly. If you’re traveling in hot weather you should focus on lightweight breathable long pants and long-sleeve shirts, along with a wide-brimmed hat, since getting sunburned would seriously hamper your ability to travel quickly. You should also include a cooling cloth, some sunscreen and sunglasses. If you’re traveling in cold weather, bring layers that you can put on and take off easily to help you maintain a comfortable body temperature. Merino wool base layers, puffer jackets and pants and a good waterproof outer shell provide a lot of flexibility and they pack up pretty small. Good insulated waterproof gloves are also a must.

One note on camouflage clothing – some people think it’ll be critical and other think it’ll cause more problems than it solves. I believe its value will depend on your situation and location, so I typically bring a camouflaged poncho in my travel kit that I can throw on if I need to blend in in the wilderness. If you’re worried about camouflage in snowy conditions you can stop by a hardware store and grab a set of white Tyvek painter’s coveralls to wear over your clothing, or you can bring a winter camo poncho.Continue reading“Planning Your Escape – Part 4, by JMD”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

8

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

Precious Metals:

First up today, over at Zero Hedge: Serbia, Slovakia Join Sudden Eastern European Gold Repatriation Push. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)

o  o  o

Gary Christenson: Gold and the Lender of Last Resort

Economy & Finance:

Charles S. Sanford of the Kansas City Fed: Financial Markets in 2020

o  o  o

A Real Vision video interview: Ominous Clouds Forming in China’s Economic Data (w/ Leland Miller)

o  o  o

Top economist lowers recession risk for 2020, but says hurdles remain

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“By the side of these religious men I discern others whose looks are turned to the earth more than to Heaven; they are the partisans of liberty, not only as the source of the noblest virtues, but more especially as the root of all solid advantages; and they sincerely desire to extend its sway, and to impart its blessings to mankind. It is natural that they should hasten to invoke the assistance of religion, for they must know that liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith; but they have seen religion in the ranks of their adversaries, and they inquire no further; some of them attack it openly, and the remainder are afraid to defend it.”  – Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — December 5, 2019

4

Today is the birthday of film-maker Walt Disney. (1901–1966)

—

On December 5th, 1964, the first Medal of Honor awarded to a serviceman for action in Vietnam was presented to Capt. Roger Donlon of Saugerties, New York. Captain Donlon and his Special Forces team were manning Camp Nam Dong, a mountain outpost near the borders of Laos and North Vietnam. Just before two o’clock in the morning on July 6, 1964, hordes of Viet Cong attacked the camp. He was shot in the stomach, but Donlon stuffed a handkerchief into the wound, cinched up his belt, and kept fighting. He was wounded three more times, but he continued fighting–manning a mortar, throwing grenades at the enemy, and refusing medical attention.

—

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.

Planning Your Escape – Part 3, by JMD

7

(Continued from Part 3.)

Upon Arrival

Once you arrive at your destination the next phase of Return To Base (RTB) preparations begins. Note that I’m assuming you’re at a hotel or rental property – if you’re staying with friends or family you should adjust accordingly. The first thing I do when I arrive is fill up a 5L water bottle. That way I have immediate access to clean water if something takes the infrastructure down. If an event occurs I can quickly fill my hydration bladder and other water bottles from that before heading out. The morning I leave, I empty the 5L bottle out and put it in my luggage with the top off to let it dry out. I could fill all of my individual containers, but then I’d have to empty them and worry about drying several containers out instead of just one.

Next I unpack my suitcase and transfer anything I might need for RTB travel (and couldn’t have on my person while en route) into my backpack or on my person. This means I have to spend a few minutes re-packing everything on the day I’m leaving, but doing this allows me to just grab one bag, fill my water containers and be on my way if an event occurs. If I have a rental car I toss my backpack into the trunk when I’m out and about so if I’m far away from my hotel when an event occurs I still have a good kit without having to go back. You could also toss a second filled 5L water bag in the trunk for the duration of your trip.

Once I’m done shuffling stuff around I take a walk around the building I’m staying in. I look out the windows in my room and see if I can use that for egress in an emergency (I always ask for a lower floor room). Then I leave the room and walk around to locate all of the emergency stairwells and exits, counting the steps to the closest ones in case I have to do it in dark or smoke. I walk around inside the building to locate other possible exits on the ground floor, then around the outside to figure out where everything comes out.

Once I have my bearings for the building I start to walk my planned route away from my lodging. Walk as far as you comfortably can, and consider driving more of the route later on to get familiar with it. Finding out about washed-out bridges or other obstacles allows you to adjust your route planning before you actually need to use it. You should always have a detailed map of your destination area with you so you can figure out possible alternatives in case your primary route is blocked. I usually buy one of the Streetwise laminated maps for my destination, but most hotels will happily provide you with a free tourist map at the front desk.

If you couldn’t bring all of your required equipment or supplies with you, you should use your route familiarization explorations to locate local stores or facilities where you could obtain them in an emergency and plan options on how to get to each of them. I typically focus on camping/outdoor stores, bicycles shops and gun shops, since I can’t always travel fully stocked for a long return journey. You should also try to locate smaller local shops instead of big chain stores, since the smaller shops are a lot more likely to continue conducting business if the power and Internet are down.Continue reading“Planning Your Escape – Part 3, by JMD”

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 a claimed Jeep copycat.

UK Bridge Terrorists Had Been Released

Linked over at the great Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Fellow Terrorist of London Bridge Attack Also Released Early, Also Plotted Attack. Oh, and in related news: there was also this odd tidbit:

“A quick-thinking bystander who was inside London’s Fishmonger’s Hall when a deadly terrorist attack began grabbed a 5′ narwhal tusk off the wall and helped subdue a knife-wielding man who killed two pedestrians on London Bridge.

The attacker, said to be a recently-released terrorist prisoner believed to be wearing a fake suicide vest and a tracking tag, was taken down by the tusk-wielding hero and a man with a fire extinguisher before police shot him dead.”

104-Year-Old Wisconsin Mom Bags Her First Buck

H.L. was tge first of several readers who sent this: 104-Year-Old Wisconsin Mom Bags Her First Buck. Here is a quote:

“Bill Teeters said his 104-year-old mom, Florence, told him last year she wanted to get a hunting license. This week, she got her wish and accompanied him during a hunt on their land in Price County, according to NBC 15.

“I took mom out to the blind this year. I had a nice chair for her and it was nice and warm,” said Bill, who is the youngest of Florence’s five children.

“A little after 4 p.m., a buck shows up about 30 yards away. I tapped her on the knee and I pointed. She nodded and smiled and was real quiet. Then she took the shot!”

Florence is reportedly the oldest person to date to purchase a gun deer license and actually bag a deer, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Go Wild database.”

The Great Hind Heist

My old friend Fred the Valmetmeister sent us a link to a fascinating video: The Hind Heist – The Secret US Operation to Steal the Soviet’s Top HelicopterContinue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — December 4, 2019

1

December 4th is the birthday of Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, (born 1912) an AVG “Flying Tiger” volunteer pilot for the Chinese Nationalist government, WWII Marine Corps aviator, and Medal of Honor recipient. (He died January 11, 1988.) A proto-Redoubter, Pappy Boyington was born in Couer d’Alene, Idaho and was raised in Spokane, Washington.

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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.