The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

22

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 “HJL”.

Helmet Mounted FLIR

I just noticed that both SurvivalBlog advertisers Ready Made Resources and JRH Enterprises recently started carrying the FLIR Breach PTQ136. This is an ultra compact thermal monocular that is capable of being helmet mounted just like a PVS 14. This device uses FLIR’s new Boson core and is actually designed and built for Law Enforcement. It only weighs 7.4 oz and can easily be carried in a pocket. It is also capable of on-board recording. it can be powered with an on-board CR123 battery or through a USB-C connector making it possible to use “N power” devices that you can get at Walmart for about $7.

Death by Bulldozer

Pennsylvania State Troopers literally bulldozed a man to death in this story sent in by reader H.L. Apparently two men were suspects in a recently discovered Marijuana growing operation. The Game Commission found the site and notified local police who then contacted the PA State Police. Investigators were sent to the site, which was on state owned land. When troopers found a vehicle nearby with two people in, the attempted questioning. One person turned himself in, but the other ran into the thick underbrush which was literally too thick to walk in.

Troopers then got the idea to use commandeer a nearby bulldozer to clear the brush. Of course, since the brush couldn’t be walked in, they literally ran over the suspect, killing him. I guess we can now add bulldozing to the ways that police can serve as prosecutor, judge and jury delivery verdicts and death sentences to people.

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

Preparedness Notes for Friday – July 13, 2018

On this day in 1787, Congress enacted the Northwest Ordinance structuring settlement of the Northwest Territory and creating a policy for the addition of new states to the nation. The members of Congress knew that if their new confederation were to survive intact, it had to resolve the states’ competing claims to western territory.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 77 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 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. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value), and
  8. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. 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,
  3. A gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances, and
  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).

Round 77 ends on July 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.

A Portable Water Distiller- Part 2, by JMD

6

Recent history has shown us that clean water is almost always one of the first items to become unavailable after a disaster. Since I live within a day’s walk of the Atlantic Ocean and occasionally camp near the shore, I wanted to make a portable water distiller that could handle salt water as well as some of the more contaminated fresh water sources.

In this article, I outlined my objectives for a distiller and now am writing how I built one. So far, in part 1, I have provided a materials list and provided the first few steps, which included wrapping the copper coil around the water bottle, preparing the bottle cap and the barb adapter on that cap, building the cooling/carrying case, and also building legs for the distiller.

Now, let’s continue moving forward with our build of the distiller. Then, I will tell you about the test results and give you some tips on storing and using it.

Paint and Plug

Several coats of battleship grey paint went on the cooling tower. Paint is necessary because uncoated galvanized metal will rust if it is exposed to salt water. Once the paint dried, I temporarily plugged the output hole. (I used a ¼” bolt and some rubber washers.) Then, I filled the tower with water to check for any leaks in the seam or around the base.

Continue reading“A Portable Water Distiller- Part 2, by JMD”

Letter: Computer Backup Software

28

Hello SurvivalBlog Readers

I would like to ask what system you would recommend for backing up computers? The reason I ask is that recently I had a hard drive crash in which I almost lost all of my data on my computer- including a couple of novels I had been working on. The crash had happened while backing up the computer to an external hard drive.

Luckily it looks like my external hard drive did not die and as I’m writing writing this message it is retrieving the files. In addition to an external hard drive what other things would you recommend? A network attached storage device (NAS), one of the various cloud storage companies or continually use various USB sticks? – I.W.

Continue reading“Letter: Computer Backup Software”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

6

Here are the latest 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 JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is on collectible knives. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

 

Precious Metals:

Metals slide on escalating trade war; consumers dip in

o o o

Gold, Silver Hit Hard By Sell-Off in Raw Commodity Sector

 

Commodities:

WSJ: Rising Gas Prices Raise Concerns for U.S. Economy–Drivers across the U.S. are paying as much as $2.96 a gallon on average, the most since 2014

o o o

OPEC’s oil output jumps in June as Saudi Arabia opens the taps to tame crude prices

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Oil Prices Crash As Libya Resumes Production

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday – July 12, 2018

5

On January 12, 1888, the “Schoolchildren’s Blizzard” killed 235 people, many of whom were children on their way home from school, across the Northwest Plains region of the United States. The storm came with no warning and some accounts say that the temperature fell nearly 100 degrees in just 24 hours. There were many instances of teachers keeping or rescuing children who would have been caught in the storm while walking home.

o o o

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 77 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 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. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value), and
  8. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. 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,
  3. A gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances, and
  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).

Round 77 ends on July 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.

A Portable Water Distiller- Part 1, by JMD

19

Water is arguably one of the, if not the, most critical element to survival. Recent history has shown us that clean water is almost always one of the first items to become unavailable after a disaster.

A Water Distiller To Handle Salt Water As Well Fresh Water

Since I live within a day’s walk of the Atlantic Ocean and occasionally camp near the shore, I wanted to make a water distiller that could handle salt water as well as some of the more contaminated fresh water sources. My requirements were:

Portable

It should be portable. So that means that it must be something that I could carry inside of or strapped to a backpack and used in the field.

Rugged and Reliable

A lot of the designs I have seen require flexing of the copper coil to set it up and take it down. This coiling and uncoiling would eventually lead to failure and so could not be part of my design. I needed something more rugged and reliable.

Self Contained

It must be self contained. I did not want to rely on having to find rocks or logs or scrounge anything to set it up.

Easy to Set Up

I wanted to be able to easily set it up and take it down. This should be done within a minute or two.

Efficient

It should be efficient. I wanted to be able to fill my 32 oz. water bottle with a single session.

Continue reading“A Portable Water Distiller- Part 1, by JMD”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

11

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 “HJL”. The socialist utopia of Venezuela strikes again with public transportation known as Venezuelan kennels.

Beware of Geeks Bearing Gifts

Most people are smart enough not to plug unknown USB devices into your computer. You never know what can be hiding in the USB plug. Of course, the vast majority of USB powered devices are benign and do exactly what they claim they do, but according to this article sent in by reader T.Z. this is a prime target of hackers. Your computer, by design, trusts anything plugged into a USB port that reports itself as a “human interface device”. Because of restraints on design, the computer has to do this. Otherwise, how would it accept data from a keyboard or mouse. As it turns out, there are devices in existence that can be hidden in a USB plug that pretend to be a keyboard that are fully functioning computers themselves and capable of injecting malware as if you typed it yourself on the keyboard.

ITAR Restrictions Eased

From the desk of Mike Williamson, SurvivalBlog’s Editor at Large, comes this article on the Department of Justice’s settlement with Defense Distributed. You may remember the firearm that spawned this particular lawsuit under the Obama administration. Cody Wilson had just produced and publicized the computer files for a 3D printed firearm named the “Liberator” (in honor of the famous WWII underground weapon). The ability of your average Joe being able to make his/her own firearm at home on a $300 printer was groundbreaking. It basically meant the collapse of gun control. The DOJ jumped in with both feet and attempted to claim such digital files were restricted from public consumption. With the DOJ basically folding, gun control is effectively on life support now though many will not admit it.

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

The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

1

“And here is the prime condition of success, the great secret. Concentrate your energy, thoughts and capital exclusively upon the business in which you are engaged in. Having begun in one line, resolve to fight it out on that line; to lead in it. Adopt every improvement, have the best machinery and know the most about it.” – Andrew Carnegie

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – July 11, 2018

3

July 11th is the birthday of John Quincy Adams. He was born in 1767 and died in 1848. Not to be confused with his father– John Adams– the younger Adams also served as a diplomat, congressman, and as president.

o o o

Big news today! Trump has pardoned the Oregon ranchers who sparked the occupation of the wildlife refuge. Ranchers Dwight Hammond Jr. and his son Steven were granted clemency along with a statement that the Obama administration was overzealous in their prosecution. Thanks to DSV and other readers who sent that information in.

o o o

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today features another entry for Round 77 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The nearly $11,000 worth of prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A $3000 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. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value), and
  8. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Model 175 Series Solar Generator provided by Quantum Harvest LLC (a $439 value),
  2. 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,
  3. A gift certificate for any two or three-day class from Max Velocity Tactical (a $600 value),
  4. A transferable certificate for a two-day Ultimate Bug Out Course from Florida Firearms Training (a $400 value),
  5. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  6. A $200 gift certificate good towards any books published by PrepperPress.com,
  7. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A large handmade clothes drying rack, a washboard, and a Homesteading for Beginners DVD, all courtesy of The Homestead Store, with a combined value of $206,
  3. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances, and
  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).

Round 77 ends on July 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.

How to Survive Your Survivor Obsessed Husband, by Abigail A.

29

Although I survived Y2K and the Great Economic Collapse of 2008, when my husband became obsessed with prepping and survival techniques, I didn’t know if I would. His words made sense, but already depleted from the day-to-day care of our two children, the new passion unraveled the stabilizing thread in my heart.

Intense Fear and Anxiety Over Children’s Future

He didn’t understand the unending multifaceted thoughts in a woman’s mind let alone the unfortunate reality: There isn’t a shut off. What will happen to our kids when this happens? How will we survive? Exasperated by news and social media, my struggle to harness my thoughts and thwart a growing end-of-the-world scenario anxiety was futile. Unintentionally, he continued to infuse a perspective that was toxic to my mind. Intense fear and anxiety over our children’s future resulted.

Changed My Perspective Forever

Despite the wait for the unprecedented chaos outbreak, image still mattered to me. As reality shows popped up on television documenting the life of preppers, I was certain I didn’t want to be lumped in with that crowd. Although the books belonged to my better half, I aimed to avoid the paranoid freak and crazy prepper labels. Before friends came over, I’d be sure to nip and tuck rogue books from Forstchen, Rawles, and the like. His obsession wasn’t an endearing or lovable flaw. However, his patience and ability to delicately bring survival topics up among people he felt might relate changed my perspective forever.

That carefree spring evening, laughter spilled out the open windows of our home. Nothing beats dining with friends and the joy of children enjoying the extra leash distracted parents provide. As that vibrant night of playing cards with friends wound down, we broached topics normally taboo, and a new path was charted for my husband’s obsession as well as my fears.

Continue reading“How to Survive Your Survivor Obsessed Husband, by Abigail A.”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

5

Here are the latest 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 JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor.) Today’s focus is once again on Neccos–those chalky disc candies that are ideal for long term storage and barter. (See the Tangibles Investing section.)

 

Precious Metals:

First up, at Kitco: Gold A Long Term Buy But Expect Lackluster Prices In The Short Term – Analysts

o o o

And at Gold-Eagle: How NOT To Become A Casualty In The War On Cash

 

Forex and Cryptos:

Dollar nears six-month high against yen as risk appetite returns

o o o

Bitcoin Bull Bias Fades as Price Drops Below $6.5K

Continue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week

2

Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. This week the focus is on tools made in USA. (See the Gear and Grub section.)

Books:

Gun Control in Nazi-Occupied France: Tyranny and Resistance

o  o  o

America’s God and Country: Encyclopedia of Quotations

o  o  o

A friend here in the Redoubt recommended this fascinating book: Gentlemen’s Blood: A History of Dueling

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Lettering and Modern Calligraphy: A Beginner’s Guide: Learn Hand Lettering and Brush Lettering

 

Movies:

Finally available on Amazon Prime! The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai

o  o  o

Can’t We Talk About This?  Here is a description: “It is the conflict of our age, yet no one dares talk about it. The true story of the Islamic Supremacist war on free speech as told by those on the front lines fighting for our First Amendment rights, including Mark Steyn, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Geert Wilders, Pamela Geller, Douglas Murray, Raheem Kassam, Robert Spencer, Ezra Levant, Paul Weston, Milo Yiannopolous, Lars Vilks and Bosch Fawstin.”  Available on DVD, or for free download for those with Amazon Prime.

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week”