Letter: My Emergency Grab and Go Kit

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Hugh,

I have seen lots of emergency survival kits. I think that most of them fail in their efforts to provide the security they are hoping to sell. When making your own to use on the street, consider the following.

Most of the kits out there fail. Why? They do this by splashing all over what they are. Now, let me ask you how stealthy is that? That’s not at all good, in my book.

I wanted to share what I have put together and carried for the last 20 years, at least. I take it to the office as well as carry it to the casino. It goes everywhere I go.

I carry a laptop computer case. Why is that? That is because they are still seen everywhere. They’re not as popular as a few years ago, but they’re still out there. They do not draw attention. The number one rule in stealth is to not draw attention to oneself.

Leather

Instead of nylon or fabric, I use a rather nice leather one, because it is stronger. It always includes a shoulder strap to carry the weight. Mine has at least two zipper compartments and one flap compartment with pockets inside. For me, black is the best color. Women can use colors, et cetera.

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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 “HJL”. Was Hawaii hacked? An exposed password may have allowed it.

Hawaii Hacked?

Human engineering, the bane of system administrators the world over has struck again. The Associated Press had a photo from inside Hawaii’s emergency management agency that showed a post-it note attached to a window with a critical password written on it. You would think that agencies would at least circulate a memo and/or give a warning to employees about leaving such information out in the open when visitors are in the center. The logical position is to ban such behavior, but humans, being what they are, will simply ignore such bans. Thanks to P.S. for the link.

Venezuela Money

The socialist utopia of Venezuela’s money has now basically stopped working. The store shelves are empty anyways, but one can apparently find 20-bolivar bills strewn about the trash. The small denomination isn’t even worth the paper it is printed on. As the article points out, looters won’t even stop to pick them up. Each on of those bills (officially pegged at $2 USD) is worth on $0.0001. Humorously, when you point out the failure of Venezuela to an American socialist proponent, you get the standard pat answer: “It wasn’t implemented right”. Thanks to S.R. for the link.

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The Long View- Part 2, by J.M.

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I try to have a long view, one that is both near and far in perspective. Whenever significant events occur, I do a quick review of my potential events risk analysis to see if anything’s changed that might impact how I’m prepared. In this article, I am taking a look at the preparations required for a long-term scenario, in the event of a major societal break down. We have covered the need for repairs and tools to make repairs, when items or parts and supplies won’t be easily replaced or shipped to us.

Food (continued)

Yesterday, we also covered a significant portion on the subject of food, particularly on gardening and practicing now to supply your family’s food needs, but we haven’t completed this discussion just yet.

Hunting and Fishing

Are hunting and fishing part of your long-term survival food plans? Bear in mind that after a major TEOTWAKI disaster a lot of other people are going to be planning on the same thing, and the wild game populations will probably plummet for the first few years. As with everything else, if you’ve never hunted or fished and processed your take, post-SHTF is not the best time to learn to do so. If you’d like some idea of how to get started hunting, butchering, and cooking wild game, I highly recommend Steven Rinella’s series of books (“The Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game: Volume 1: Big Game” and “Volume 2: Small Game and Fowl”). Just remember that reading about it is a far cry from actually doing it.

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Letter: Is the U.S. a Christian Nation?

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Hi Hugh,

I am interested in what legal actions should a person take and when, as to regarding The United States of America as a “Christian” nation, especially under the first Amendment concerning the separation of Church and state? In this past year many people have arrived in this country, that are a different faith than Christianity. Members of Christianity are now facing increasing persecution by simply professing their faith openly.

It appears on the surface Christianity is still strong, Yet many people in this nation are losing their personal Morals and Values. Furthermore, I believe is that the more people who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, while rejecting Sharia law; The better we will all be in the long run. Or it may be a matter of Revolution. What do you believe? – M.S.

HJL’s Comment:

Contrary to public opinion today, the founding fathers did not want “Freedom from Religion”. They simply didn’t want a state that controlled the religion (like the governments of England and Germany controlled the church.) Nor did they want an organized religion that controlled the state (like many governments were controlled by the Roman Catholic Church.) They wanted each man to live by ethical principles and carry those same principles over into their public office. They wanted tolerance. If you were Catholic, so be it. If you were Presbyterian, so be it, and so on. However, even tolerance, as the founding fathers desired it, has limits. If one religion attempts to impose itself upon a people, that tolerance is short lived.

I have my own opinions on why men of religious standing have forsaken their duty to their fellow man by allowing evil and corrupt men to assume the roles of leadership, but that is probably a discussion for another place. We will not see any improvements in our country until righteous men stand up and do what is right.

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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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 U.S. Creditworthiness. (See the Economy and Finance section.)

Precious Metals:

First off, there is this, at Seeking Alpha: Gold Weekly: Too Late To Ride The Wave?

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Also there, Scot MacDonald asks: Is Silver Ready For Takeoff?

Stock Markets:

Reader Diane C. suggested this: Here’s What Historically Happens to Stocks When Bull Markets End.  JWR’s Comment: This shows the wisdom of placing automatic Stop Loss sell orders with your broker , or online brokerage system. Do so soon, so that you can sleep well at night!  Consider that your First Exit, in a crisis. The Second Exit–one that most people won’t bother to take–is what I call: “The Exit Through The Gift Store.”  By this I mean: Take the cash generated from liquidating your equities and reinvest most of that into something tangible and practical. Productive rural retreat land is at the top of my list of tangibles.

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Preparedness Notes for Thursday – January 18, 2018

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Kevin Costner, who starred in Open Range, was born on this day in 1955.

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Are you concerned about your storage of calcium hypochlorate to generate chlorine for water purification? Is it eating through your containers and/or destroying all metals nearby? What you need is a chlorine generator instead. With this product, all you need to store is plain, uniodized table salt and you can have chlorine on demand. It works on the same principle that salt water swimming pool filters work on so it’s proven technology. We’ve tried quite a few different models here at the Latimer household and the one we keep coming back to is the MSR SE200 Community Chlorine Maker. Its use is so simple that a child can make chlorine with it and all you need is a 12 VDC power source like a car battery (making it ideal for a solar powered project). Check it out at Ready Made Resources.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

This has been another entry for Round 74 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 Trekker IV™ Four-Person Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $250 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 74 ends on January 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

The Long View- Part 1, by J.M.

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I try to have a long view, one that is both near and far in perspective. Whenever significant events occur, I do a quick review of my potential events risk analysis to see if anything’s changed that might impact how I’m prepared. For example, when North Korea started acting up, I realized that I needed to do some additional preparations to handle potential nuclear and EMP events. At the start of every year I also do a deep-dive review to see if there’s anything I might need to re-consider or adjust.

A Question During This Year’s Review

During this year’s review I thought of a question that I really didn’t have good answer to: How long am I really prepared to survive for? I have about a year’s worth of food stored. Every year I have a decent-sized garden that I harvest and can for the winter, and I also harvest the seeds for next year’s garden. I can fish and hunt year-round, so I have pretty steady access to meat. I have several waterproof bins worth of medical supplies, and my house can be heated with wood alone, if necessary.

There ared several hundred gallons of water stored inside, and several high-capacity water filters. (I live next to a lake and near a river.) But I also realized that many of these preparations aren’t sustainable in terms of multiple years, and many depended on having the right tools, supplies, and skills available and in working order to make them viable in the long term.

Continue reading“The Long View- Part 1, by J.M.”

Letter: Which Printed Encyclopedia Set to Acquire?

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Dear Editor,

I am interested in acquiring a complete encyclopedia set for various reasons, one being the removal of history as some sort of social justice. I’m sure everyone has heard the stories, but textbooks and written history have been under attack for many years as well. An acquaintance of mine fights tooth and nail every year to keep subjects within textbooks without a political spin.

The Internet is a vast resource, however it is ever changing and it would be great to have a vast amount of information that can’t be changed or turned off at the flip of a switch. Please advise as to the publisher, year, or any other relevant information.

Thanks for the blog, – R.T.

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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 “HJL”. South Africa’s Cape Town issues a water crises warning.

Mine is Real

Reader P.S. sent in this YouTube video that is almost humorus. Two young perpetrators attempt to rob a quick-mart at gun-point. The only problem is that they didn’t check outside before they did it and almost immediately a cop enters who opens fire on them after they have hopped the counter, striking both. You can hear one of them yelling: “It’s fake! the gun’s fake” and the cops response is priceless: “Oh well, mine is real.” At least this time, crime did not pay.

Asteroid

Reader G.P. sent in this article profiling an asteroid that is half a mile in diameter and will be hurtling past earth at 67,000 miles per hour close enough to be considered potentially hazardous. Asteroid AJ129 will fly by on February 4th, 2018. In the meantime, Detroit had a meteorite strike on a much smaller scale on Tuesday. NASA has suggested that the meteoroid was large enough that there are probably fragments on the ground since their Doppler radar showed patterns indicative of that.

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The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

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“Where wilderness can still be found, the ancientness of the land and the nobility of man’s struggle emerge. Wilderness is vastly different from the clutter and clatter of much of our civilized world. In wilderness one experiences exhilaration and joy. In freedom and simplicity, in its vitality and immense variety, happiness may not only be pursued; it is ofttimes found.” – Harvey Broome, Out Under Sky Of Great Smokies: A Personal Journal

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday – January 17, 2018

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In his farewell address to the nation on January 17th, 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned the American people to keep a careful eye on what he called the “military-industrial complex” that had developed in the post-World War II years. We didn’t do a very good job of listening to his warnings.

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Seed for Security, LLC is having an exceptional sale. Their Colossal Security Pack is now 15% off. This pack is a total of 7 pounds of vegetable, herb and grain seeds. All are open-pollinated and non GMO. Included are their 3 most popular collections: Their Super Survival Pack, their 4 Grain Collection, and their Heirloom Herb Collection. Each Colossal Pack comes with a 4 page Seed Saving Guide. This offer is for a limited time.

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Apartment Dweller Prepping- Part 2, by AKM295

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When I relocated to the big city and moved into a shared apartment, I began to simultaneously look at prepping and consider how to make this work– living with others and trying to be prepared for a disaster.

What I’ve Learned From Experience (continued)

I’m writing about what I’ve learned over year’s of experience of living through power outages and disaster, including Hurricane Sandy. In covering topics for apartment dwellers, we have taken a look at storage, food, and water.

Security

When I was moving out from my childhood home, I tried to figure out how I could get my 12 gauge, Mosin-Nagant, revolver, Glock, and accompanying ammo and kit to my new tiny apartment. According to everything I had seen, I needed to cover all of my bases to be well prepared. It wasn’t until I had everything laid out that I realized how ridiculous this was going to be for my situation.

I put everything, except the Glock, in the safe at the family home. In the event I would need to use my firearm in a defensive situation, I had it. If you are in an area where your 2nd Amendment rights aren’t restricted or you’ve jumped through the necessary hurdles to access them, my feeling is having a secured firearm is a great tool to have. I’m putting an emphasis on “secured”, especially so if you are living with roommates. If a firearm is out of the question, be sure to have a means to defend yourself. Whether you feel more comfortable with a baseball bat by the door or a can of pepper spray on your person, be sure to have a means to protect yourself, if need be.

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