Get Home Bag for Teenagers- Part 1, by N.R.

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Imagine you are a teenager out at your friend’s house. Image you are playing video games, the latest Call of Duty game of the franchise. You are having a very good time. It’s a little after six o’clock, but your curfew isn’t for another three hours. Suddenly, without warning, the TV and the PlayStation on which you’re playing cut off. The lights in the room go out as well. The entire house goes dark. You think initially that the circuit breaker may have gone out or that the power in the neighborhood may be out temporarily, again. After all, your friend lives in an old neighborhood. Without any particular reason, you and your friend check your phones and discover they are both dead. Oddly, his battery powered digital alarm is dead as well.

You go out into the living room and discover that all the battery-operated clocks in the house are dead along with your phones. And that’s when you hear the first explosion of a plane crashing not too far away. You go outside and spot the cloud of smoke billowing above the neighborhood. Now, you also notice how every car on the street and on the road behind your friend’s house are at a standstill. As fear starts to well up, you decide maybe it’s time to go home and find out what’s going on. You get in your car and go to crank it up. The ignition engages, but the car won’t start. Your friend also discovers his car won’t start either. Now you know something is going on. And suddenly, things start to get apparent.

Continue reading“Get Home Bag for Teenagers- Part 1, by N.R.”

Letter Re: Does EMP Affect Solar Panel Systems?

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EMP Solar Panel

Good day sir. The talk of EMP has greatly increased recently for many reasons you are well aware of. What would happen to either grid tied or non grid tied solar systems in this instance? What would happen to generators as well? – R.C.

HJL’s Comment:

Two of our Writing Contest sponsors, Portable Solar LLC and Quantum Harvest, LLC, both specialize in EMP hardened systems. You should check their sites out and also the videos that they have on YouTube. We have several other advertisers that sell Solar equipment and it would be worth your time to check with them as well, though they don’t specifically advertise EMP hardened systems. Generators are more robust (except perhaps for the modern inverter units), but if they are grid tied they are in trouble. Most generators are not grid tied though.

The short answer is “Yes”. Anything attached to the grid is probably toast. It is possible to protect against an EMP event with grid tied equipment, but the cost is so great compared to the risk that most don’t bother. For non-grid tied equipment, shielded and properly grounded wiring is the key along with components that have built-in protection. For systems that are already installed, you need to look at the installation practices that were followed. Check for shielded wiring or hard metal conduit in the construction. You will have to contact the manufactures of your equipment to know what kind of protection is built in.

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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This column includes a TTABs update! Our News From The American Redoubt column  is posted on Tuesdays. Here, we present news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. We also mention companies in the region of interest to preppers. The Redoubt region is perhaps the safest and most free place to live in these United States.

Idaho

I just read that Viggo Mortensen had his home in Bonner County, Idaho burglarized during his absence. There were some odd circumstances. They involved a member of the family that formerly owned the house who, according to published reports, was acting irrationally.  Mortensen, who’s father recently passed away, hence he did not need this extra stress.

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A consulting client mentioned that he recently had some new AR-15 lower receivers custom engraved “PISTOL”. He highly recommended the company that did the work. The company is called Northwest Engraving, and they are located in Lewiston, Idaho. He described them in a nutshell: “Precision work, most of all at reasonable rates.”

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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”.

Politics

Modern political organizations are run by children. I’m sure of it. The outgoing California Democratic Party Chairman was John Burton. At the CADEM17 Convention, Burton called the deaf interpreters up on stage with him and thanked them. Immediately, Burton flipped his middle finger in the air and yelled “F*** Donald Trump”. What was more disturbing was all the people who readily joined in with him.

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A slow motion Coup D’etat is unfolding in Washington D.C. Since Donald Trump won the election, the bureaucratic system has worked to undermine his validity. This article details some of the mechanisms that have been used and is an interesting read. The left is using “1984” as the concept being pushed, but the interesting thing is that they are really the ones using the techniques that are abhorent. Sent in by reader T.J.

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The Editors’ Quote Of The Day

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“But the truth is that if you shoot the .50 through a vehicle’s engine block, you’re not actually going to stop the vehicle. Not right away. The fluids will leak out and eventually it will stop moving. But it’s not instant by any means. A .338 [Lapua] and even a .300 [Winchester Magnum] will do the same thing. No, the best way to stop a vehicle is to shoot the driver. And that you can do with a number of weapons.” – Chris Kyle, American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History

Notes for Monday – May 22, 2017

May 22, 1859 is the birthday of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes.

Doyle was born in Scotland and studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, where he met Dr. Joseph Bell, a teacher with extraordinary deductive reasoning power. Bell partly inspired Doyle’s character Sherlock Holmes years later.

After medical school, Doyle moved to London, where his slow medical practice left him ample free time to write. His first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, was published in Beeton’s Christmas Annual in 1887. Starting in 1891, a series of Holmes stories appeared in The Strand magazine. Holmes enabled Doyle to leave his medical practice in 1891 and devote himself to writing, but the author soon grew weary of his creation. In The Final Problem, he killed off both Holmes and his nemesis, Dr. Moriarty, only to resuscitate Holmes later due to popular demand. In 1902, Doyle was knighted for his work with a field hospital in South Africa. In addition to dozens of Sherlock Holmes stories and several novels, Doyle wrote history, pursued whaling, and engaged in many adventures and athletic endeavors. He died in 1930.

IndestructiBELT, by Pat Cascio

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IndestructiBELT- Thin, Stiff, and Comfortable

The folks at IndestructiBELT recently contacted SurvivalBlog and wanted me to test one of their belts. In short order, one was in my hands. Needless to say, when a company calls their belts “indestructible”, I just assume to take it with a grain of salt. Everyone hypes their products. We all know this. So, I put this belt to the test. As this is written, I’ve been wearing this belt daily for a month now, and I’m more than a little impressed with it. First off, the belt is thin, but it is stiff. However, the stiffness doesn’t make it uncomfortable in the least. From day one, it felt comfortable around my waist.

1970’s Guns Worn Slung Down On Thin Gun Belts

I hate to admit just how uneducated I was when I was in my late teens and early 20s. But it’s true. I thought I had the world by the horns and no one could teach me anything. Back in the day, in the early to mid 1970s, I lived in the Chicago, IL area. All the cops on the Chicago PD would wear their holstered guns on a very thin gun belt, gunfighter-style, which is, ala the Old West, slung down. Sure enough, they looked like they were always ready for a gunfight. And, I won’t even go into the poorly designed holsters those 4” barreled revolvers in. I lost count of the number of times I saw a holstered revolver flopping around on those thin gun belts. But it was the “fashion” at the time. I admit to stupidly wearing my duty/uniform gun that way, too.

Continue reading“IndestructiBELT, by Pat Cascio”

The Editors’ Preps for the Week of May 22nd, 2017

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To be prepared for a crisis, every prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. Steadily we work on meeting our prepping goals. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors will share their planned prep activities for the coming week, ranging from healthcare and purchases to property improvements and food storage. We also welcome you to share your planned activities for increasing personal preparedness in the coming week in the comments. Let’s keep busy and be ready!

JWR

Hello SurvivalBlog Readers,

This coming week’s weather in the American Redoubt is forecast for lovely: sunny and warm weather. We so need it! This week Lily and the children have two mornings of Homeschool obligations away from the ranch so not all of her ambitious prepping plans will be accomplished. These are our plans for prepping this week:

In the Garden

Strawberries need to be mulched with composted manure and straw.

Continue reading“The Editors’ Preps for the Week of May 22nd, 2017”

Economics & Investing for Preppers

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 quirky “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of JWR. (SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor):

Precious Metals:

First, over at Gold-Eagle, here is some commentary by Jack Chan: Gold Price Update.

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Reuters reports: Platinum to see first market surplus in six years in 2017: JM

Commodities Economics:

And over at Bloomberg: U.S. Shale Roars Back at OPEC. (Caution: This has auto-starting video.)

Forex:

On to foreign exchange (Forex) news.  This item was sent by Mr. Econocobas: Worst Week for Dollar in a Year

Continue reading“Economics & Investing for Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Sunday – May 21, 2017

Don’t forget that Round 70 of SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest is almost here. We have need of a few good articles, too. If you have been putting off writing your article or have just been kicking around an idea of writing one, now is your chance to get it in. Also, if you’ve recently accomplished some major prepping or survival goal and would like to share that experience with others, this is your chance. Finally, just take a look at these fantastic prizes that you can be eligible for!

SurvivalBlog 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 that is good for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,195 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 with a hammer forged, chrome-lined barrel 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, which can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools and a compact carry capability in a hard case or 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. An infrared sensor/imaging camouflage shelter from Snakebite Tactical in Eureka, Montana (A $350+ value),
  6. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  7. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  8. Two cases of Meals, Ready to Eat (MREs), courtesy of CampingSurvival.com (a $180 value).

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. A pre-selected assortment of military surplus gear from CJL Enterprize (a $300 value),
  8. RepackBox is providing a $300 gift certificate to their site, and
  9. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Third Prize:

  1. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  2. A custom made Sage Grouse model utility/field knife from custom knife-maker Jon Kelly Designs, of Eureka, Montana,
  3. 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,
  4. Expanded sets of both washable feminine pads and liners, donated by Naturally Cozy (a $185 retail value),
  5. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  6. Mayflower Trading is donating a $200 gift certificate for homesteading appliances,
  7. Montie Gear is donating a Y-Shot Slingshot and a $125 Montie gear Gift certificate.,
  8. 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), and

Round 70 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.

Building Or Purchasing Your New Country Property – Part 2, by S.T.

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After our move across the country and decision to purchase rather than build our new country property, we had some work ahead of us. Our home was more than 30 years old and needed considerable work. In this section of the article, we continue to review the improvements made and plans for the future.

Year 3 Property Improvements (cont.)

New Flooring and Wall Storage

The floor was updated and unused space appropriated. The original lino floors were replaced with new tile floors. The back wall of the kitchen had not been used. I installed four open shelves with the bottom shelf just above the height of my bulk food storage buckets. These shelves now hold all of the food that had once been stored in the linen closet and a basement storage room.

Remodel Efficiency On A Budget

All of the kitchen remodel was completed in just eight days. (The footprint of the kitchen did not change. No plumbing or electrical was changed with the exception of un-interable plugs.) The custom S/S kitchen unit was ordered 1 1/2 weeks prior to the day of the removal of the old kitchen cabinets and flooring. It was picked up two days after demo started. The total cost of our kitchen remodel was just $7,200.

Continue reading“Building Or Purchasing Your New Country Property – Part 2, by S.T.”

Letter: Hybrid or Electric UTV?

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HJL and JWR,

After conducting Internet research with mixed results, I’m reaching out to the Survival Blog community. Does anyone have experience with electric UTVs, either hybrid gas/electric or all electric? For obvious reasons, the ability to quietly and quickly access remote areas of the homestead has definite advantages. There seem to be multiple choices in all-electric UTVs and hybrids.

I should mention that I currently do not have an ATV or UTV at this time. My partially wooded homestead of 50 acres has elevation differences of over 200 feet. Many areas are easily accessible with a conventional 4×4.

Continue reading“Letter: Hybrid or Electric UTV?”

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”.

Israel

Jerusalem Day is a national holiday in Israel that celebrates the country’s reunification of Jerusalem following the Six Day War of 1967. This year, it is celebrated on Tuesday May 23, and President Trump will be in the city for it. One of President Trump’s campaign promises was that he would move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. All other U.S. Embassies are in each nation’s capitals, and this needs to happen. Reader D.S. sent this link in along with the scripture: “For David said, The LORD God of Israel hath given rest unto his people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem for ever.” 1 Chronicles 23:25

Families

Does the state think you’re qualified to be a parent? In a dangerous precedent, Oregon has labeled a couple as “Incapable” of being parents. Gone are the days when states removed children from homes because of abuse. Now it’s about controlling the family.

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

Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.” 1 Corinthians 12:1-3 (KJV)