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:

I’ve been very busy packing orders for my Elk Creek Company side business. The recent flurry of orders is attributable to my raising our silver divisor to 24.9 times face value, in U.S. pre-1965 silver coinage. (Circulated 90% silver dimes, quarters, and half dollars — commonly called “junk” silver.) This is the most that we’ve ever offered, in trade!  This is your chance to both take advantage of the spike in spot silver and diversify your tangible investment holdings.

This past week started out with great weather, but devolved into some frequent rain showers with afternoon temperatures in the 50s that melted most of our remaining snow.

I help Lily haul out a lot of manure and soiled bedding straw from both the sheep shed and the cattle loafing area. In all, this was more than 40 full wheelbarrow loads. That should make great compost for our gardens.

Lots of seasonal songbirds have returned to our valley. Lily will fill you in, with her part of the report…

Continue reading“Editors’ Prepping Progress”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.

A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.

O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters.

Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.

Behold, they say unto me, Where is the word of the Lord? let it come now.

As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee.

Be not a terror unto me: thou art my hope in the day of evil.

Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.” – Jeremiah 17:8-18 (KJV)

Preparedness Notes for Friday — March 21, 2025

Alfonso “Al” Williamson (March 21, 1931– June 12, 2010) was an American cartoonist, comic book artist and illustrator specializing in adventure, Western, science fiction and fantasy.

Born in New York City, he spent much of his early childhood in Bogotá, Colombia before moving back to the United States at the age of 12. In his youth, Williamson developed an interest in comic strips, particularly Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon. He took art classes at Burne Hogarth’s Cartoonists and Illustrators School, there befriending future cartoonists Wally Wood and Roy Krenkel, who introduced him to the work of illustrators who had influenced adventure strips. Before long, he was working professionally in the comics industry. His most notable works include his science-fiction/heroic-fantasy art for EC Comics in the 1950s, on titles including Weird Science and Weird Fantasy.

In the 1960s, he gained recognition for continuing Raymond’s illustrative tradition with his work on the Flash Gordon comic-book series, and was a seminal contributor to the Warren Publishing’s black-and-white horror comics magazines Creepy and Eerie. Williamson spent most of the 1970s working on his own credited strip, another Raymond creation, [an update to] Secret Agent X-9. The following decade, he became known for his work adapting Star Wars films to comic books and newspaper strips. From the mid-1980s to 2003, he was primarily active as an inker, mainly on Marvel Comics superhero titles starring such characters as Daredevil, Spider-Man, and Spider-Girl.

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March 21st, 1778: Just three days after Hessian mercenary forces assaulted the local New Jersey militia at Quinton’s Bridge, the same contingent surprised the colonial militia at Hancock’s Bridge five miles from Salem. In what became known as the Massacre at Hancock’s Bridge, at least 20 members of the militia lost their lives, some after attempting to surrender. The Loyalists reputedly exclaimed “Spare no one! Give no quarter!” as they stormed the occupied house. Judge Hancock and his brother (both Loyalists) were bayoneted in the melee by the attackers even though they were both staunch supporters of the crown and were themselves non-violent Quakers.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 117 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 117 ends on March 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.

 

Food Prepping With Freezer Bags – Part 1, by St. Funogas

As a followup to my article, “Just-in-Time Food Storage” (Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5) this article is to share with the reader the results of my freezer-bag food-storage experiments.

The first article was for those who don’t currently have any food stored but plan on doing so at the last minute if it looks like the Schumer may be soon hitting the fan. While this wait-and-see method is highly discouraged and defeats the whole purpose of prepping, two methods were presented for those who’ll still be procrastinating anyway.

Method 1: No special preps, just get some food! This involves A) stocking up on a few hundred plastic freezer bags ahead of time which you’ll be using in the future anyway, and B) having a shopping list made far in advance. The freezer bags would take up very minimal space on a pantry shelf. This isn’t the best long-term food-storage method, is highly discouraged, and it’s based on the premise that something is better than nothing. For long-term prepping, don’t even consider using freezer bags in place of proper food-storage containers.

Method 2: Buy a $50 insurance policy. This method also uses a shopping list made far ahead of time. Unlike freezer bags, Method 2 requires buying some items that probably won’t have a future use if the feces never hit the fan. But isn’t that the nature of car, home, and health insurance, we buy hoping we’ll never need it?Continue reading“Food Prepping With Freezer Bags – Part 1, by St. Funogas”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. In this column, JWR also covers hedges, derivatives, and various obscura. This column emphasizes JWR’s “tangibles heavy” investing strategy and contrarian perspective. Today, we look at Canadian trade and currency exchange issues.

Precious Metals:

Mike Gleason: Gold Breaks $3,000, But Here’s Why Silver Could Steal the Show…

o  o  o

At Gold-Eagle.com: $3000/Ounce: Why The Oldest Money Just Hit Its Newest High.

o  o  o

Take heed:  The silver-to-gold ratio just hit 90.7-to-1.  And the platinum-to-gold ratio is now 3.04-to-1. For anyone who has holdings that are heavy on gold, I recommend doing some diversifying. – JWR

Economy & Finance:

This is a gut-punch of a statistic: The U.S immigrant employment rate.

o  o  o

This video offers some basic but quite sound advice: This Is What “ALWAYS” Happens Before A Depression.

o  o  o

The Irish Times reports: US shoppers cut spending as economic outlook concerns mount.

o  o  o

A U. of M. report: The U.S. Economic Outlook for 2025–2026.

o  o  o

Wolf Richter: Will Economic Detox Lead to a Recession? Maybe Not. But a Long Deep Stock Market Rout Will (See Dotcom Bust).

o  o  o

And just for fun, from the great Finnish comedian, Ismo Leikola: The World’s Debt.

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Large-Capacity Magazines Are Neither ‘Arms’ Nor Protected Accessories. We first examine ‘whether the plain text of the Second Amendment protects [Plaintiffs’] proposed course of conduct.’ Bruen, 597 U.S. at 32. Plaintiffs assert that their proposed conduct—possessing large-capacity magazines— implicates the text of the Second Amendment because, in their view, large-capacity magazines are arms commonly chosen for the purpose of self-defense. Defendant raises several distinct arguments to the contrary: large-capacity magazines are not ‘Arms’ within the meaning of the Second Amendment; they are not in common use for self-defense; they are most useful in military service; and they are dangerous and unusual.” – Justice Susan P. Graber, from the Ninth Circuit Court’s absurd majority opinion in Duncan v. Bonta, decided on March 20, 2025, upholding Califonia’s 25-year-old ban on magazines holding more than 10 rounds. (Now pending appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.)

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — March 20, 2025

Have a great National Survivalism Day!  This is a day that is appropriate for giving prepping reference books and preparedness tools/supplies, as gifts. March 20th is the birthday of Mel Tappan. (Born 1933, died 1980.) His perennially popular survivalist books Survival Guns and Tappan on Survival have a well-deserved following. I designated March 20th National Survivalism Day, in his honor. It is also apropos that National Survivalism Day falls in March–one of the months that both Northern Europeans and Native Americans refer to as The Starving Season–when stored food runs low, but before spring bounty appears. Plan ahead. Stock up. Don’t let your family starve. I’m sure that Mel Tappan would approve.

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SurvivalBlog’s Field Gear Editor Emeritus Pat Cascio wrote to mention: “My long-time friend and fellow gun writer, John Taffin, passed away on March 10th. John and I used to do lunch about once a month, when we lived in Eastern Oregon. He loved his Mexican food! John was a staunch Christian. He was a member of the Quaker church – not the usual Quakers, but the Western sect and needless to say he loved his guns. The world is a lesser place without John Taffin.”

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Ready Made Resources has announced their big Spring Sales Event.  In addition to sale pricing on their gardening seed assortments, they also have the Photonis PVS-14 White Phosphor Echo Spec at a discounted price of $3,199 (originally $3,999). For this week only, you will also receive a FREE Wilcox G11 Helmet Mount (valued at $499) and a FREE bump helmet with your purchase, ensuring secure, hands-free operation. The PVS-14 is renowned for its versatility, allowing handheld use as well as head, helmet, or weapon mounting.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 117 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.

—

More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 117 ends on March 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.

 

 

A Water or Fuel Level Sensor Circuit, by Mike in Alaska

We live up in the Arctic. Water is not always easily available in this area, various events can cause power to go out for weeks at time … what could possibly go wrong?

The following design is for a fuel or water level sensor circuit. It uses a 66F002 MCU (Microprocessor Control Unit) with a built-in Analog to Digital flash storage read-only memory (A/D Flash EEPROM) using a sensor that has a prism built into a lens in the form of a sealed IR (Infrared) detector. When the sensor is bare (dry) the logic input to the MCU is logic high and this signal turns off an LED (Light Emitting Diode) indicating a level state as determined according to the amount of fluid in a tank. When the sensor is submerged in a fluid of fuel or water the logic level goes low and the corresponding LED lights up indicating a fluid level in the tank.Continue reading“A Water or Fuel Level Sensor Circuit, by Mike in Alaska”

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, more war drums warning of WW3.

How Europe Has Been Preparing For a Third World War

Over at The Independent: How Europe has been preparing for WIII – and why Britain isn’t ready. The aricle begins:

“More than 1,500km (900 miles) from London, frenetic activity is underway in the countryside of Poland, Finland, and the Baltic States: bulldozers and diggers are constructing field defences. Anti-tank ditches, tank traps, and pillboxes are being built and installed. In all these countries, laying minefields – even controversial anti-personnel minefields – is under active consideration.

Poland is spending at least €2.5bn (£2.1bn) on its border defence system, including building a sky shield system akin to Israel’s “Iron Dome” to protect its eastern border from a growing threat from Russia.”

Jamie Dimon Warns of WW3

From The Economic Times (of India): The boss of the planet’s biggest bank Jamie Dimon warns World War 3 has already begun and poses more of a risk to humanity than climate change.

Trump Says World War III Risks Have Eased

Trump credits administration for easing World War III risk in Ukraine crisis.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“It is proper to take alarm at the first experiment on our liberties. We hold this prudent jealousy to be the first duty of citizens and one of the noblest characteristics of the late Revolution. The freemen of America did not wait till usurped power had strengthened itself by exercise and entangled the question in precedents. They saw all the consequences in the principle, and they avoided the consequences by denying the principle. We revere this lesson too much … to forget it.” – James Madison.

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — March 19, 2025

March 19, 1882:  The first stone was laid for the Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona, designed by Antoni Gaudí.

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On March 19, 1982, 50 Argentines landed on South Georgia in the Falkland Islands to plant the Argentine flag. They renamed the islands The Malvinas. This precipitated the Argentine army invasion on April 2nd. Despite some significant naval losses and dreadful weather, British Marines re-took the island on April 25th in a well-coordinated ground campaign.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 117 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.

—

More than $950,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 117 ends on March 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.

 

 

Countering Drones – Part 2, by TacOps

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

Current Anti-Drone Applications

As drones have continued to threaten civilian and government spaces, different groups have taken various approaches to down drones in their airspace. Both Ukraine and Russia have adopted a ballistic solution. Using cheap, Turkish-made shotguns has allowed them to supply mass Infantry units with counter-drone capabilities. They have found that #4 buckshot from a 12-gauge shotgun has had the most effectiveness against small drones – the ones dismounted Soldiers are most likely to encounter. However, 12-gauge shotguns have a maximum effective range of only fifty meters.

Shotguns have benefits and drawbacks. On the one hand, this is a relatively cheap and sustainable way to down small drones. Soldiers are easily trained – in mass – to shoot down moving targets. Finally, shotguns are extremely versatile weapons. Equipping Soldiers with buckshot and breaching slugs allows them to down drones, quickly clear trenches, and breach doors with high rates of success.Continue reading“Countering Drones – Part 2, by TacOps”

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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St. Funogas sent this snippet to ponder:

“With all the recent hullabaloo about auditing Fort Knox, let me point out why it’s just one more irrelevant tempest in a teapot to decoy the US public from the more important numbers like the deficit, national debt, and the $1 trillion yearly interest on the debt.

The total reserve isn’t just at Fort Knox so the 147 million ounces you hear mentioned doesn’t include the gold at the Denver Mint and at West Point. The total US reserves is claimed to be 8,133 Troy long tons. Whether it’s all there or not, or whether it’s actually just a bunch of gold-plated Twinkies, it’s not really relevant when put into proper perspective.  So let me put it into perspective.

Here’s what the entire US gold reserve will pay for in 2025 at $3,000/ounce if applied to only one of the following programs:

    • 16 weeks of Social Security and Medicare payments (Medicaid not included)
    • 19 weeks of this year’s deficit spending
    • 41 weeks of interest payments on the national debt
    • 45 weeks of defense spending

How much would each ounce of gold in the US reserve have to be worth to pay for the following items:

    • 2025 Budget — $27,800 / ounce
    • Social Security and Medicare (minus Medicaid) – $9,500 / ounce
    • 2025 budget deficit – $8,400 / ounce
    • Defense – $3,425 / ounce

How many tons of gold would it take (at $3,000/oz) to pay for the following items in the 2025 budget? Keep in mind, that it is estimated the grand total of all gold mined in history is just 215,000 tons.

    • 2025 Budget – 75,750 tons for one single year!
    • Social Security/Medicare – 25,700 tons
    • Budget Deficit – 22,800 tons
    • Interest on Debt – 10,350 tons
    • Defense – 9,300 tons
    • Total National Debt – 379,430 tons

With these numbers putting everything into proper perspective, all of a sudden it is not especially relevant if the US really has those 8,133 tons, or whether it’s partially or totally 100% gold-plated tungsten or Twinkies.  That much gold is pocket change when compared to the annual US budget or the national debt.  One more ‘nothing burger’ to keep us distracted from the important things.”

o  o  o

Coming Soon: The European Digital Identity Wallet. (A hat tip to H.L. for the link.)

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“I’m an old-school survivalist – being armed is right up there at the top of the list of things to be ready for. But I also have dang near thirty five years of being that old-school survivalist behind me. In all that time, I have needed to eat far more times than I’ve needed to point a gun at someone. Not saying it won’t happen…simply saying that, statistically, you’ll be more likely to be patting yourself on the back over your food stash than your gun and ammo stash.

In addition to keeping you from, y’know, dying, food has an excellent moral and motivational (Motivatory? Motivary?) effect – as the graphic on the MRE entree says: food is a force multiplier. Well-fed people are going to perform better than starving people. And starving people are desperate people who do desperate things..and doing desperate things is a great way to become someone who doesn’t need food at all…forever. So don’t be a starving person who takes crazy risks out of desperation, and don’t be around starving people who are unpredictable and dangerous.

Having that resource of food also makes you a target. Truly desperate people…people who are cold, who are hungry, who are hopeless, who are watching their loved ones miss meals…are dangerous and unpredictable. Don’t be one of them and don’t let them know you’re there.

Right now we live in a world where people will literally kill you because they want your sneakers, think you cut them off in traffic, or simply want your cellphone. And that’s in a world with 911, electricity, cops, and a somewhat-functioning society. Now imagine what it’ll be like when the only mechanism to keep the foot on the brake pedal of social chaos is whatever you’ve got in your holster or slung over your shoulder.

In a situation like that the person who can sit at home, safe and secure, and not have to venture out into the chaos looking for food and supplies has a tremendous advantage. Exponentially so, if he’s there with his equally well-fed and well-armed family and friends.” – Commander Zero, in his Notes From The Bunker blog

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — March 18, 2025

On March 18, 1314, Jacques de Molay, the 23rd and the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, was burned at the stake by order of King Philip IV of France.

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March 18th is the birthday of novelist John Updike. (He was born in 1932 and died in 2009.)

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It is also the birthday of Luc Besson, director and producer of films such as Nikita and The Fifth Element. He was born in 1959.

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I’ve just made one minor change to our writing contest rules. Here is the revised portion, with the added text highlighted in red:

Plagiarism and AI-Gens are Absolutely Unacceptable!

You must submit only your own original work. Artificial Intelligence (AI)-generated text and images are not allowed, because they are often abstractions of copyrighted works. (Note: AI-assisted spelling and grammar suggestions are allowed, but nothing more than that.)

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 117 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 117 ends on March 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.