Letter: Steel Job Site Boxes as a Valuables Storage Option

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Hugh and James:
It’s often mentioned at Survival Blog that firearm magazines are a critical component. As Tamara K. of the View From the Porch blog has written: “The correct number of magazines to have is: ‘more.'”

So, some of us buy magazines, especially lots of them when we find a very good price.

But…as valuable as magazines are to us they’re just as valuable to anyone else, which is why we buy way more than we need, even considering that they are “wear items” that will eventually require replacement. Magazines have substantial value as trade or barter items. They’re also among the first targets of gun-banning politicians, making it imperative to possess more than a minimum quantity.

The desirability of magazines makes them potential high theft items. I use cardboard boxes 12″L X 9″H X 9″W as “food unit” boxes: 24 standard 16 ounce (actually, 15.5 oz now) cans fit perfectly, with space between them to drop in plastic knives, spoons and forks. Tape a few P-38 or P-51 folding compact can openers under the top, and it’s a 27 lb “grab and go” food unit with 8 cans of protein, 8 of veggies and 8 of fruit. Those same boxes hold will 44 PMAG 30-round AR-15 magazines, more than three dozen 20-round AR-10 or M1A magazines, and more Glock magazines than I’ll ever have.

Whatever we paid for them on super-duper sale, those 44 PMAGs carry a retail cost of $792. They may be covered by insurance, so the theft of two of those boxes – if you can document them to the satisfaction of your insurance company –  will get you a hefty check in a couple weeks. (Minus your deductible, of course). The dollar value, however, is peanuts compared to “really, really needing magazines right now” and not having them. An insurance check will be worthless if Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi and their comrades make them illegal and impossible to buy replacements. (Can’t happen? Look at Colorado, New Jersey, New York, Seattle, Connecticut, etc.). The same holds true for those cases of 5.56×45, 9MM and .22LR that you’ve been stockpiling.

I’m suggesting that you consider security storage methods for those items, like magazines and ammunition, that are high value to thieves and especially high value to us who buy them as prep supplies with our hard-earned dollars. It’s certainly not “gun safe security level” or very fire resistant. However, standard steel job site tool chests aren’t very expensive. A 48″ X 24″ X 24″ steel chest retails for a little over $300. They are available at places like Tractor Supply, Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc., and often show up on sale for even less. They’re also frequently available in used condition for much less on websites like Craigslist. As long as the metal is intact, the hinges in good shape and the lid closes securely, then it’ll work for reducing the possibility of critical–and potentially irreplaceable–prep supplies being stolen. The boxes weigh around 130-150 pounds, and adding several hundred pounds of ammo underneath the boxes of magazines makes them effectively non-portable. Needless to say, buy your own new locks for them–even if the seller throws them in.

Continue reading“Letter: Steel Job Site Boxes as a Valuables Storage Option”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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Here is SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt. This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. We also mention companies of interest to preppers that are located in the region. The emphasis this week is on saddlemakers in the American Redoubt. Many of these craftsmen also make saddlebags, holsters, and magazine pouches. Pictured is a custom saddle made by C&S Saddlery in Idaho.

 

Idaho (Saddlemakers in the American Redoubt)

There is custom leatherworker from Bayview, Idaho who does excellent work at very reasonable prices. His name is Clay Ensley. Along with his wife Shelley, he operates C&S Saddlery. Clay has 30 years of experience as a commercial leatherworker. In addition to custom-order saddles, his main line is traditional Old West style revolver holsters, gun belts, chinks, and cuffs. He also makes tooled smart phone cases, semi-auto pistol holsters, and pistol magazine pouches. For instance, he made me a nifty 3-magazine Glock 21 magazine pouch that is about the same size as the Classic Milt Sparks Six Pack.

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Anyone looking for pack saddles should visit Packsaddleshop.com. They are located in Moscow, Idaho.  Oh, and don’t miss their useful Horse Packing Tips web pages.

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Many horsemen in eastern Idaho have heard of Cary Schwarz. His shop is near Salmon, Idaho.

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Cougars killed two dogs in Idaho this month. Officials think their numbers are growing.

 

Montana (Saddlemakers in the American Redoubt)

Witt’s Custom Saddlery in Laurel, Montana is a well-established shop with loyal clientele.

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For folks in southwestern Montana, be sure to visit Freckler’s Saddlery. They are located in Dillon.

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I noticed that SurplusAmmo.com (in Victor, Montana) still has a good supply of AR-15 MagPul PMAGs available, at quite reasonable prices. I recommend that you buy yourself a stack of them before the next ban!  The store also sells a variety of gun parts (mostly AR), including lower receivers with their own SAA brand name. And they sell SOTA billet AR lowers for as low as $44.99 each.

 

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”.  Today, we focus on H.R. 8 — the Private Gun Transfer Ban bill.

Private Gun Transfer Ban (H.R. 8) Entering Committee Hearings

H.R. 8, the so-called “Universal Background Check” (private gun transfer ban) bill reportedly now has 229 co-sponsors. Committee hearings on the bill begin this week. It has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee. That is enough for passage in the House of Representatives. Yikes! Our only viable chance now is to stop the parallel version, in the Senate. Please contact both your congress member and both senators from your state. Remind them that Congress has no authority over INTRAstate sales of used merchandise. That isn’t “interstate commerce”! So it violates the Commerce Clause. And restricting private sales of firearms is also an infringement of our Second Amendment rights. This law is unconstitutional at least two different ways, and must be stopped!

The Solar Roadways Spending Boondoggle

The Solar Roadways farce is continuing.  The latest news is that the “self-heating” prototype roadway installed in Sandpoint, Idaho had to be manually shoveled clear of snow. What a monumental waster of taxpayer money. A hat tip to T.Z. for the link.

Mapping Global Corruption

Reader H.L. sent us this:  Mapping Where Global Corruption Is Most (And Least) Rampant. Anyone who is considering buying an offshore haven, take note!

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Six mistakes mankind keeps making century after century:
Believing that personal gain is made by crushing others;
Worrying about things that cannot be changed or corrected;
Insisting that a thing is impossible because we cannot accomplish it;
Refusing to set aside trivial preferences;
Neglecting development and refinement of the mind;
Attempting to compel others to believe and live as we do.”  – Marcus Tullius Cicero

Preparedness Notes for Monday – February 4, 2019

On this day in 1789, George Washington became the first and only president to be unanimously elected by the Electoral College. This was repeated again on this same day in 1792. Because of the way the early American voting procedure worked, the electors cast two votes with no distinction for president or vice president. Washington was chosen by all of the electors and is considered to have been unanimously elected. Of the others on the ballots, Adams had the most votes and thus became the vice president.

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Today we are posting a review from our Field Gear Editor, Pat Cascio.

Ruger AR-556 MPR, by Pat Cascio

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Today I’m reviewing a Ruger AR-556. But this isn’t their everyday version. Rather, it is an enhanced one, that has some special features.

The Trump Era Black Rifle Bonanza

America is now blissfully awash in AR-15 family rifles. There’s more companies manufacturing ARs than ever before. And since the election of Donald Trump, prices are ARs have never been lower–at least from the viewpoint of inflation-adjusted Dollars. So now is the time to buy.

Unfortunately, with the Democrats taking control of the House of Representatives, I fear that a lot of anti-gun legislation will be coming down the pike. And, President Trump may feel forced into a position to sign some of this legislation – like it or not. So, for those readers who believe that their Second Amendment Rights are safe, think again! Now is the time to get out there and purchase a new AR. As stated, prices are really down right now on ARs, as well as .223/5.56 ammo. So stock up–you’ve been warned.

With all the different makes and types of ARs on the market these days, the buyer has a wide selection to pick from. And, it takes something a little different or better, for me to want another AR these days. Ruger has come out with a different version of their standard AR-556, and it is just different enough that it caught my eye.

Continue reading“Ruger AR-556 MPR, by Pat Cascio”

Recipe of the Week: Avalanche Lily’s Dairy-Free Sweet Butternut Squash Cream Soup

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When I discovered that I was intolerant to milk products, I was forced to create dairy-free versions of some of my recipes. This is one of my favorites and uses canned coconut milk. (I haven’t yet tried this with reconstituted powdered coconut milk, but I plan to.)

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash

1 medium onion

3 medium sized apples

1 Tablespoon or two or three cloves of garlic (or amount to your taste, I use Kirkland brand diced/chopped garlic)

1 13 oz can Coconut milk (I use Native Forest Brand, Unsweetened)

1 Tablespoon coconut oil (for frying)

Himalayan salt, to taste

Directions:

Bake the butternut squash in the oven at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Sometimes I split it, gut it, and place it on a cookie tray cut sides down with some water and bake it.  Other times I put the whole squash in the oven, bake it and gut it afterwards.  That takes a bit longer. Just test it with a fork to make sure that it is soft. Sometimes I bake the squash a day or two in advance and refrigerate it until needed.

I then peel and dice the onions, garlic, and apples and fry them up in a skillet on the propane stove, in coconut oil.

Next, I put the fried onions, garlic, apples, and butternut squash into our electric blender. I add the coconut milk and then blend it.  I add water to thin it out as needed.  Sometimes it takes two or three batches to get all of the squash blended.

Finally, I put the blended batches into a large ceramic bowl, mix them thoroughly together with a spoon. I put the ceramic bowl in 200 degree oven to warm the cream soup before serving it.

Note: I forgot to mention in my first recipe that we also have a hand crank Vortex blender–for if ever a time comes that we’re without electricity long term.

Continue reading“Recipe of the Week: Avalanche Lily’s Dairy-Free Sweet Butternut Squash Cream Soup”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. And it bears mention that most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today’s focus is on City Finances. (See the Economy section.)

Precious Metals:

First up, at Zero Hedge: Store Your Gold At The Bank Of England And You Might Never See It Again

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Reader H.L. suggested this: Central Bank Gold-Buying Reaches Half-Century High… Peter Schiff: Fed Capitulation is the Beginning of the End

 

Economy (City Finances):

H.L. also forwarded us the link to this sobering report on city finances: Financial State of the Cities.  Here is a snippet:

“At the end of the FY 2017, 63 cities did not have enough money to pay all of their bills. This means that to balance the budget, elected officials have not included the true costs of the government in their budget
calculations and have pushed costs onto future taxpayers.”

JWR’s Comments: Short summary:  Many American cities are going bankrupt. It is frightening to consider that this assessment of deficit city finances comes in the midst of a supposed economic boom. How will these cities survive a major downturn? Needless to say: Avoid living in or near any of those 63 cities!

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From Wolf Richter: Fed’s QE Unwind to Continue on Autopilot, Rate Hikes on Hold for “Common-Sense Risk Management”: Powell

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At Wolf Street: Home Sales to Get Even Uglier in Near Future

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Grace, honour, praise, delight,
Here sojourn day and night.
Sound bodies lined
With a good mind,
Do here pursue with might
Grace, honour, praise, delight.

Here enter you, and welcome from our hearts,
All noble sparks, endowed with gallant parts.
This is the glorious place, which bravely shall
Afford wherewith to entertain you all.
Were you a thousand, here you shall not want
For anything; for what you’ll ask we’ll grant.
Stay here, you lively, jovial, handsome, brisk,
Gay, witty, frolic, cheerful, merry, frisk,
Spruce, jocund, courteous, furtherers of trades,
And, in a word, all worthy gentle blades

Here enter you, pure, honest, faithful, true
Expounders of the Scriptures old and new.
Whose glosses do not blind our reason, but
Make it to see the clearer, and who shut
Its passages from hatred, avarice,
Pride, factions, covenants, and all sort of vice.
Come, settle here a charitable faith,
Which neighbourly affection nourisheth.
And whose light chaseth all corrupters hence,
Of the blest word, from the aforesaid sense.

The holy sacred Word,
May it always afford
T’ us all in common,
Both man and woman,
A spiritual shield and sword,
The holy sacred Word.” – Francois Rabelais, Inscription set upon the great gate of Theleme

 

Eight Lessons Learned From the Polar Vortex Plunge

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The recent plunge of the Polar Vortex deep into the American Midwest should serve as a wake-up call for those who are preparedness-minded. Here are some recent headlines:

Briefly, I’ve observed eight lessons from these recent weather events:

1.) Cold kills. Quietly. When traveling any substantial distance in winter, you should carry a sleeping bag for every passenger of your vehicle.

2.) Severe weather can create huge, multi-hour of even multi-day traffic snarls. Keep your vehicles’ fuel tanks at least 3/4ths full, as a matter of habit. (Most preppers already do so, year-round.)

3.) Slow down. Ice-slick roads can put you in a ditch so fast that you’ll find yourself asking: “What the heck just happened?” If you don’t have studded snow tires, then carry chains. Also: Carry a tow strap/chain, jumper cables, a snow shovel, and a bag of traction sand.

4.) Folks living at 30 degrees latitude and northward should seriously consider installing engine block heaters. These are already pretty much standard for folks living in the American Redoubt. Folks living in Indiana and Arkansas night equip their most winter road-worthy vehicle with one of these, of they don’t have a heated garage.

5.) The wind chill factor makes a huge difference. With a 30 mile per hour wind, a temperature of 0 degrees F has the same physiological effect as  -26 degrees F in still air.  If there is substantial wind chill, then do not go outdoors unless it is absolutely necessary. Frostbite of any exposed skin can develop in just a few minutes.

6.) Extreme weather can drastically affect public transportation. There were plenty of flight delays and cancellations. Some train and bus systems simply ground to a halt. Plan accordingly.

7.) Desperate people will rob you of your warm clothing, at gunpoint. It happened last week in Chicago. I’m certain that it could happen in the suburbs, in really hard times.

8.) The motto of “Have a Plan B, and a Plan C” also applies to sources of heat. Many people were without heat when local grid power failed. Their natural gas or propane whole-house heaters were essentially useless when there was no electricity to operate their fans to push hot air through their house HVAC ducts. So always have a second source of heat and store plenty of fuel for it.

Conclusion

As preppers, we should use this recent weather event as a “teachable moment” for discussions with family, friends, co-workers, and a fellow church congregants. Urge them to prepare for the next big weather event. If something like this doesn’t convince them to take steps to prepare their families, then we must conclude that they are beyond convincing! – JWR

 

 

 

 

 

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”.  Today, we focus on the planned New USMC Squad Organization.

Vashon Islanders Prepare for a Major Earthquake

A reader sent us this news from Vashon Island, Washington: A Small Island Town Prepares for a Major Earthquake. 

Viable Online Payment Alternatives?

Since PayPal jumped on the Censorious Bandwagon during the recent Patreon debacle, conservatives and libertarians are quickly looking for alternatives. Even the traditional credit card processing companies may be clamping down more, in the near future. A few alternatives that I’ve head mentioned in the past two weeks are 2nd Amendment Processing, Bitbacker, and Payoneer. Since PayPal got such an early start in online payments, it is very difficult to make a dent in their quasi-monopoly. Please pray that some of these new upstart startups can gain a toe-hold!

  • 2nd Amendment Processing’s tag line is:  “No Contract, Free Equipment, Veteran Owned.” This Michigan-based venture is so new that they have a Facebook page, but no web site yet. Phone: (517) 492-4972.
  • BitBacker.io bills itself as a block-chain-based alternative to Patreon.
  • Payoneer is going head to head with PayPal–or at least one segment of PayPal’s business.

Virginia: Senate Passes Church CCW Bill

Reader DSV sent this: Virginia Senate passes bill to allow churchgoers to carry a firearm alongside their Bibles. Here is a passage from the article:

“The 21-19 vote was strictly along party lines and repeals a law the Washington Post reported may date to Colonial times that makes it a misdemeanor to ‘carry any gun, pistol, bowie knife, dagger or other dangerous weapon without good and sufficient reason, to a place of worship.’ Fittingly, the upper chamber of the Virginia General Assembly, first established in 1619 and the oldest continuous law-making body in the New World, proves that, as the Founding Fathers intended, states remain laboratories of democracy — not that the occasional mad scientist doesn’t prevail, as seen last week in New York when abortion was legalized up to the moment of birth.”

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” – Ephesians 6:10-18 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Saturday – February 2, 2019

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Great news!  South Dakota’s newly-elected Republican Governor Kristi Noem just signed a permitless Constitutional Carry bill into law! The news report states:  “There are currently 12 states that allow permit-less carry: Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Vermont. That number will rise to at least 13 with South Dakota, and could further increase to include Texas, Oklahoma, and Iowa, all three of which are witnessing efforts to repeal permit requirements in their respective states.”  Freedom is on the march!

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February 2nd is the birthday of Ayn Rand (born Alisa Zinov’yevna Rosenbaum in 1905), died – March 6, 1982) She is of course remembered for her novel Atlas Shrugged, which is considered a Libertarian classic. While I sharply disagree with her views on religion (since she was an atheist), I admire both her skill as a writer and her ability to articulate some core precepts of human liberty.

Guest Article: Maps and Pins Won’t Save You, Part 2, by Kit Perez

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Editor’s Introductory Note:  This article first appeared at the excellent American Partisan web site, and is re-posted with permission. This the second of two parts.  Part 1 was posted on Friday, February 1, 2019.

I recommend American Partisan as “must reading.” Be sure to bookmark it.

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Part 2: Information vs. Intelligence

In Part 1, we talked about your Area of Operations (AO) and how to figure out what your boundaries are, as well as what your actual capability is within that area. Today we’ll focus on another problem area that gets a lot of misguided attention: information vs. intelligence.

What is Information?

You might see this as a stupid question, but it’s not. Information is data; it’s the facts, photos, knowledge, and other pieces that make up the raw material you use to create intelligence. Information is not intelligence. If you take nothing from this article series, understand that. Information is just that: information. It may or may not be true; it might be old or recent, credible or not. It’s not your job to collect as much information as possible and then make decisions about it, contrary to what you might think. In fact, far too many people do that and then wonder why their decisions turned out poorly. That happens because people do not take the time to correctly analyze, process, and distill their information into actionable intelligence.

I don’t care how many maps you have on your wall, or “contacts” you have that feed you information (in many cases, gossip and rumors), if you don’t know how to process information into an actionable, exploitable intelligence product, you’re off the mark — and all of your decisions and plans will be, too.

What is Intelligence?

Intelligence is what is created from information. That creation process is structured, it’s quantifiable, it’s logical. There is a cycle and system to it, and while entire books have been written about that process, it basically comes down to five steps (four for the average prepper since you’re probably not creating intelligence reports):

  • Planning and Direction
  • Collection
  • Analysis and Production
  • Dissemination

Continue reading“Guest Article: Maps and Pins Won’t Save You, Part 2, by Kit Perez”