Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make both long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug-out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those — or excerpts thereof — in the Odds ‘n Sods Column or in the Snippets column. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

Jim Reports:

This week, I built two new 16′ x 16′ sheep pens, using 5-foot-tall small mesh welded wire sheep panels, and T-posts.  The panel mesh has just 4″ squares, so no little lambs will escape, and no young rams will get their heads stuck, and they can with cattle panels. Since we are planning to keep at least three rams for the two flocks, having separate pens is a must, so that the rams don’t batter each other to death, with obsessives head-butting.  I left 10-foot spaces between the two new pens and the existing sheep pen that adjoins our sheep shed. That was to prevent well-timed through-the-fence head-butting. I’ve seen it happen with our adult rams, and it isn’t pretty.

Now, Lily’s part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.

After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.

Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away.

Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth: and thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth.

For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

But they like men have transgressed the covenant: there have they dealt treacherously against me.

Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity, and is polluted with blood.

And as troops of robbers wait for a man, so the company of priests murder in the way by consent: for they commit lewdness.

I have seen an horrible thing in the house of Israel: there is the whoredom of Ephraim, Israel is defiled.

Also, O Judah, he hath set an harvest for thee, when I returned the captivity of my people.” – Hosea 6 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — April 4, 2025

Today is the 100th birthday of famed Navy fighter pilot Royce Williams. From Wikipedia: “He is known for his solo dogfight with seven Soviet pilots during the Korean War, which, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune, has been called “one of the greatest feats in aviation history” by military experts. A retired admiral and multiple members of Congress have been campaigning for him to receive the Medal of Honor for his exploit. On January 20, 2023, he received the Navy Cross—the second highest military decoration awarded by the U.S. Navy—from Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro.

In 1952, then-Lieutenant Williams was serving with VF-781 aboard the USS Oriskany as part of Task Force 77. On 18 November 1952, on his second mission of the day, while on combat air patrol near Hoeryong, North Korea, his group of four pilots spotted seven MiG-15s overhead. The other three pilots had to return to the carrier and the MiGs began to fire on Williams, putting him into a one-man dogfight with seven MiG-15s that lasted 35 minutes. It is believed to be the longest dogfight in U.S. Navy history. Commanders on his carrier ordered him away, but Williams had to tell them that he was already fighting for his life. He shot down four of the MiGs and likely hit two others. By the end of the 35-minute period, only one of the MiGs was still in the air with him, and he managed to escape back to his carrier, out of ammunition and having lost his hydraulics. He was uninjured, but 263 holes were counted in his Panther jet. He never saw the plane again; reportedly, it was pushed into the sea.”

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SurvivalRealty.com is briefly discounting all of their educational resources (20% off), in a special Spring Sale.  This sale pricing includes:
  • Survival Retreats & Relocation
  • Red State Relocation Guide
  • The Prepared Property Buyer

Order soon, while the sale is still on!

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Today’s feature article is a guest post by a SurvivalBlog advertiser, so it is not eligible for the writing contest.

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We are seeking entries for Round 118 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 118 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Retreat Security: What We Can Learn from Israel – Part 2, by Don Shift

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

If you have a large property or a self-contained housing tract, layered defense could work well. Imagine an outer barbed wire fence, maybe one of those extra-sturdy five or six strand ones along an Interstate. Next, there would be (ideally) 100 yards or more of open ground with little to no cover that is easily observed from defensive fighting positions. The inner perimeter has a wall or tough, tall chain link and barbed or razor wire fence. Gates are ramming-resistant. If someone gets past that, the inner compound is further subdivided for easier containment.

All these spaces should be monitored by remote cameras (hardwired to defeat jammers) and possibly even a drone. Finally, the houses are cordoned off with their own fences or enclosures. Each home is hardened against rifle fire and is set up so they can support each other. Homes should have the bedrooms and panic room/shelter segregated from the rest of the house with an interior gate as they do in South Africa. You can’t just wrap your property in a single fence and call it a day.Continue reading“Retreat Security: What We Can Learn from Israel – Part 2, by Don Shift”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today we report on the final death knell for FinCen’s domestic reporting requirements. (See the Financial Privacy section.)

Precious Metals:

The Precious Metals Bull is picking up speed. On Thursday, March 27th, spot gold was under $3,052 per Troy ounce.  But by Monday (March 31st) spot gold touched an all-time high of $3,148.88. Meanwhile, silver was $34.11, and platinum was at $1,011.70. On Wednesday, another all-time high for gold, just above $3,153. He is one feisty bull.  There will of course be pull-backs and profit-taking, as we witnessed yesterday. But unless world peace breaks out and unless miraculous fiscal and monetary responsibility is instituted, I expect the bull’s advance to continue for at least several years. – JWR

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George Ford Smith, at Gold-Eagle.com: Who Owns the Gold?

Economy & Finance:

As reported by the hard-left CNN: Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs are about to be announced. Here’s what to expect.

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Trump tariffs live updates: Trump reveals ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs across over 150 countries.

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Here is a list of the new reciprocal tariff rates, at the White House website.

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What’s the mortgage interest rate forecast for April 2025?

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The Best CD Rates Today, April 2, 2025: Up to 4.65% APY.

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Charles Hugh Smith: Why the Global Recession Will be Deeper and Longer Than Pundits Anticipate.

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At Zero Hedge: The Path of Tariff Pain.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — April 3, 2025

April 3, 2025 is the 60th anniversary of the first attack on the Thanh Hoa Bridge. The Vietnamese called it the Ham Rong (Hàm Rồng) — or Dragon’s Jaw. It spanned the Ma River in North Vietnam, and had been built by the French during their colonial period in Indochina. The U.S. Air Force and Navy launched hundreds of sorties against it, losing at least 11 aircraft in the effort. After the 1968 to 1972 bombing pause on missions against North Vietnam, the U.S. finally took the bridge down with laser-guided munitions in 1972. The bridge was rebuilt and still stands today, although a larger, more modern bridge has been built a short distance away. The public domain photo above shows the bridge in 1972, as photographed by Bud Taylor of U.S. Navy squadron VF-161.

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Some sad news: I just heard that Bret Roush, Co-Editor and Videographer of Redoubt News has passed away. He had been awaiting a lung transplant. Our condolences to his wife and Co-Editor Shari Dovale, and all of their family.

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And I also heard that actor Val Kilmer passed away. You may remember him from Heat, Willow, The Ghost And The Darkness, Top Secret, Tombstone, and Top Gun. He will be missed.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

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

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. 3Vgear.com is providing an ultimate bug-out bag bundle that includes their 3-day Paratus Bag, a Posse EDC Sling Pack, and a Velox II Tactical Backpack. This prize package has a $289 retail value.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 118 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

 

 

Retreat Security: What We Can Learn from Israel – Part 1, by Don Shift

Introduction

It’s every prepper’s fantasy: living in (mostly) a self-sufficient secure compound surrounded by liked-minded individuals living off the land just out of reach of the ravaging hordes. For novelists and daydreamers, living on the frontier in a simpler way is an appealing escape from the often-disheartening humdrum of ordinary life. Rather than worry about politics and taxes, you worry about raiders and if this summer’s crop will come in. But in the pages of fiction or the corners of our imagination, the good guy always prevails. Reality is much more stark.

Those who lived on Israeli kibbutzim—collective compound-style communities— probably felt quite secure until October 7, 2023. The Hamas attacks upon Israel should be enough to disabuse the prepared citizen from the romance of the SHTF compound fantasy. Those who are concerned about the United States degenerating into a situation where something similar is possible need to confront the awful reality of enemy raids on compounds as seen by the Israelis.

There are some differences, of course, to the collapse that preppers imagine. Israel is, and was, a functional country with operating police and military; however, they failed to prevent the incursion and were not able to come to the immediate aid of the kibbutz residents. Yet in other respects the Hamas militants shared many characteristics of post-apocalyptic raiders: they were well armed, coordinated, semi-disciplined, and after striking in force, took control of the compounds and murdered, kidnapped, or abused the residents. The only distinction between Israel and the fantastic is Hamas didn’t intend to capture and hold the compounds for themselves, as an SHTF villain might.Continue reading“Retreat Security: What We Can Learn from Israel – Part 1, by Don Shift”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods. This column is a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from JWR. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats, and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. In today’s column, news of a bid solar flare, and we look at some global conflicts.

Sun Unleashes Powerful Earth-Facing M5.6 Solar Flare

Reader Mike in Alaska sent this news: Sun unleashes powerful M5.6 solar flare and Earth is in the firing line — are auroras incoming?

Germany Deploys Troops to Lithuania

Germany launches first permanent foreign deployment since WWII – and it’s on Putin’s doorstep.

Open Conflict With Iran is Now Likely

Some quite load and clear war drums…

SECDEF: One Standard for Men, Women With a Combat MOS

T.T. sent this: SECDEF Orders One Standard for Men, Women in Combat Jobs. The article’s opening lines:

“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the military services to develop ‘sex-neutral’ physical standards for combat-arms jobs.

‘As the nature of warfare evolves and the demands on our service members grow more complex, it is imperative that we assess and refine the physical fitness standards that enable our readiness and lethality,’ he wrote in a March 30 memo.

He ordered the service secretaries to develop comprehensive plans to distinguish combat-arms occupations from noncombat-arms jobs.

‘This effort will ensure that our standards are clear, mission-focused, and reflective of the unique physical demands placed on our Service members in various roles,’ Hegseth wrote.

The review follows past concerns from Hegseth that military readiness has diminished since 2016, when combat roles were first opened to women.”

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I was always afraid of dying. Always. It was my fear that made me learn everything I could about my airplane and my emergency equipment, and kept me flying respectful of my machine and always alert in the cockpit.” – General Chuck Yeager

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — April 2, 2025

On April 2, 1513, explorer Juan Ponce de León claimed Florida for Spain as the first known European to reach Florida.

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Today is the birthday of Sergei Ivanovich Mosin. (April 2, 1849 – February 8, 1902.) He was a Russian military officer, engineer, and a co-designer of the Mosin–Nagant rifle.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

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

First Prize:

  1. The photovoltaic power specialists at Quantum Harvest LLC  are providing a store-wide 10% off coupon. Depending on the model chosen, this could be worth more than $2000.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A Peak Refuel “Wasatch Pack” variety of 60 servings of premium freeze-dried breakfasts and dinners in individual meal pouches — a whopping 21,970 calories, all made and packaged in the USA — courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  4. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  5. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $250 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. A Laptop EMP Shield and a Smartphone Faraday Bag (a combined value of $200), courtesy of MobileSecSolutions.com.
  4. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  5. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. 3Vgear.com is providing an ultimate bug-out bag bundle that includes their 3-day Paratus Bag, a Posse EDC Sling Pack, and a Velox II Tactical Backpack. This prize package has a $289 retail value.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 118 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

 

If I Could Do It Over, by 3AD Scout

My son played lots of sports growing up and had/has a very competitive nature. Very seldom did his teams lose. When his teams lost, he was a very poor sport about it. I used to tell him winning is easy, but you learn more from losing. That is, we learn what we need to do better or differently, thus making us stronger. The same can be said about preparedness, we learn more from our failures than our successes. Here are some of my prepper follies and what I wish I would have done differently.

First and foremost, I would not have waited to find, purchase and move permanently to a Bug Out Location (BOL). Finding a “perfect” piece of property is unlikely, so time and resources to get your BOL to where you want it, will take time and money. Since we did not want the debt, we have had to wait to complete projects as resources allow.Continue reading“If I Could Do It Over, by 3AD Scout”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

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

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The Economist reports: The prospect of war has turned Europe into a continent of preppers.

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From Deutsche Welle (DW): EU crisis preparedness: Bulking up states’ disaster response.

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Meet Britain’s Doomsday preppers stockpiling for World War Three.

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Here is a partly tongue-in-cheek account recently published by the statist and snobbish New York Times: My 10-Day Crash Course on Surviving the Apocalypse.

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Myanmar earthquake death toll climbs to over 2,700, local media reports.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag … We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language … and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.” – Theodore Roosevelt, January 3, 1919. (Written just three days before his death.)

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 1, 2025

On April 1, 1905, “SOS” (· · · – – – · · ·) was first adopted as a Morse Code distress signal by the German government.

April 1st is both April Fool’s Day and (unofficially) Molly Ivins Day. The latter refers to this key verse: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1 KJV)

April 1st, 1886 was the birthday of Arthur W. Pink, who died July 15, 1952. He was an English Christian evangelist and excellent Reformed Biblical scholar. It was his meticulously referenced arguments in his book, The Sovereignty of God, that first convinced me of the truth of the doctrine of Election.

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I heard from my #! Son of SurvivalRealty.com that he is briefly discounting all of his educational resources (20% off), in a special Spring Sale.  This sale includes:
  • Survival Retreats & Relocation
  • Red State Relocation Guide
  • The Prepared Property Buyer

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Today’s guest article was too short to qualify as a writing contest entry.