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  • newPreparedness Notes for Monday — October 25, 2021
    A Special Note From JWR: I have some sad news. Reader Pam B. wrote to mention that Judge Steve Vandiver is reported to have passed away. Yes, the Steve Vandiver whom you know from SurvivalBlog. At least that is what I’m assuming — since his obitu…
    - 2 hours ago 25 Oct 21, 7:05am -
  • newGlock 19 – Gen 5, by Pat Cascio
    Glock has been running ads in firearms publications for many years stating “Glock Perfection” and of course, that is their hype. When it comes to firearms – and I don’t care who makes them, there are no “perfect” firearms, they all have t…
    - 2 hours ago 25 Oct 21, 7:04am -
  • newRecipe of the Week: Gwen’s Sazon Spiced Soup
    The following Sazon Spiced Soup recipe is from SurvivalBlog reader Gwen. She writes:  “This is based on a recipe that was given to me but I changed four elements so I would say it qualifies as an original one. Ingredients 1 lb ground hamburger 1 b…
    - 2 hours ago 25 Oct 21, 7:03am -
  • newEconomics & 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. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles he…
    - 2 hours ago 25 Oct 21, 7:02am -
  • newThe Editors’ Quote of the Day:
    “I did not mind killing anything, any animal, if I killed it cleanly, they all had to die and my interference with the nightly and the seasonal killing that went on all the time was very minute and I had no guilty feeling at all. We ate the meat an…
    - 2 hours ago 25 Oct 21, 7:01am -
  • Preparedness Notes for Sunday — October 24, 2021
    October 24th is the anniversary of the firing squad execution of Norwegian traitor Vidkun Quisling, in 1945. His ignominious place in history was to have his surname become a noun. “Quisling” is now a moniker synonymous with treason and alliance…
    - 1 day ago 24 Oct 21, 7:04am -
  • Our Trying Modern Times – Part 2, by Steve Vandiver
    (Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) “Firearms stand next to the Constitution itself. They are the American people’s liberty teeth and keystone under independence… The very atmosphere of firearms everywhere restrains evil interf…
    - 1 day ago 24 Oct 21, 7:03am -
  • JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

    - 1 day ago 24 Oct 21, 7:02am -
  • The Editors’ Quote of the Day:
    “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not…
    - 1 day ago 24 Oct 21, 7:01am -
  • Preparedness Notes for Saturday — October 23, 2021
    On October 23rd, 2002, around 50 Chechen rebels stormed a Moscow theater, taking 700 hostages during a popular musical. After 57 hours, during which two hostages were killed, Soviet Special Forces pumped a powerful narcotic gas into the theater knock…
    - 2 days ago 23 Oct 21, 7:04am -
  • Our Trying Modern Times – Part 1, by Steve Vandiver
    Editor’s Introductory Note: Reader Pam B. wrote to mention that the author has just recently been reported to have passed away. At l;east that is what I’m assuming, since his obituary matches several things he referenced in the article. If so, th…
    - 2 days ago 23 Oct 21, 7:03am -
  • Editors’ Prepping Progress
    To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make 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…
    - 2 days ago 23 Oct 21, 7:02am -
  • The Editors’ Quote of the Day:
    “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenge…
    - 2 days ago 23 Oct 21, 7:01am -
  • Preparedness Notes for Friday — October 22, 2021
    This is the birthday of painter and book illustrator N.C. Wyeth (1882–1945). It is also the birthday of actor Jeff Goldblum (born 1952), who had unforgettable roles in Buckaroo Banzai and the Jurassic Park and Independence Day films. — Today, bec…
    - 3 days ago 22 Oct 21, 7:05am -
  • 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. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles he…
    - 3 days ago 22 Oct 21, 7:03am -

SHTF Plan

More Than Just Surviving

  • COVID Lessons & Lockdown Life in a Vacuum
    As of last Friday, my little slice of the hemisphere ended the COVID lockdown. I am not sure what sort of reaction I expected. Perhaps a level of jubilance that we managed to get 85% of country vaccinated, or an economic sigh of relief, but fra…
    - 22 days ago 3 Oct 21, 2:15pm -
  • Are Dalstrong Knives Overhyped? Dalstrong Shogun Series X Knife Review
    For my first review of 2021, I figured it would be fun to court controversy by taking a look at Dalstrong knives, Specifically the Shogun Series X 10.25″. Now to some of you sitting at home who haven’t heard of Dalstrong knives and remain b…
    - 13 Jun 21, 11:03am -
  • Lockdown Lucidity: A Prepper Perspective
    As this pandemic stretches to an unforeseeable conclusion, this felt like a good time to drop back in and give you lot an update on my own perspective as a jaded prepper. The current situation here in Portugal is, to put it bluntly, dire. We ha…
    - 24 Jan 21, 4:01pm -
  • Emergency Experience: Forest Fire on My Doorstep
    The interesting thing about forest fires is the powerlessness one feels when placed kissing distance from an inferno. I never really understood the underlying threat of forest fires until 3 days ago, but folks, I learnt that lesson pronto. Firs…
    - 19 Jul 20, 2:29pm -
  • Coronavirus: A (Realist) Prepper’s Perspective on the World Opening Up
    As the world unwinds our collective enforced isolation protocols, it’s good to take stock of the situation at hand and see where this will lead us. The reality is that the economy shutting down until a vaccine is discovered & mass inoculation…
    - 25 May 20, 2:51pm -
  • The Coronavirus Crisis Is Going to Upend Our World in a Way We Can’t Really Fathom
    Figured I was long overdue for an update. With lockdown still in effect, I have no longer have much of an excuse. Isolation is an odd word in our new reality. As a society we have never been so connected. The world is just a click away and it s…
    - 15 Apr 20, 7:15pm -
  • Will the Coronavirus Make Regular People More Prepper Minded?
    If there’s one thing that’s bothering me the absolute most about this pandemic, it’s the uncertainty. The fact that we don’t and can’t know when this will all blow over leaves me a little on edge. And yes, I know that Thomas & I will…
    - 8 Apr 20, 9:29am -
  • Come on Governments, of Course FOMO = Panic Buying; Can’t Stop Human Nature
    As this crisis continues unabated throughout our little blue planet, I find myself growing more and more irritated with the powers that be. Since I have been on lock down for what feels forever (you will understand soon enough America!), I want…
    - 23 Mar 20, 11:43am -
  • Coronavirus Stockpile Tips for Beginners & Why It’s Sensible to Worry
    As this shit show shows no respite, I figured this was a good time to discuss what the girl and I are doing in terms of preparing and what my thoughts are on this developing situation. Stockpiling 101 for Beginners Seems to me that as of a few…
    - 13 Mar 20, 8:24pm -
  • Debunking Coronavirus Myths – Yes, Some Are Completely Idiotic
    On the heels of my no-bullshit Coronavirus explanation article which I recommend you take a quick look at, I feel the need to clarify and debunk some of the nonsense I have seen over the past few weeks. Drinking X Will Kill the Coronavirus Drin…
    - 8 Mar 20, 12:52pm -
  • Coronavirus: A No-Bullshit Explanation of Where We Are Now
    This could get dicey folks. As of 26 minutes ago, we hit over 80,000 confirmed cases of Coronavirus including a disturbing rise in a country adjacent to my own. The spread of this virus has shone a light on the darker impulses of our species fr…
    - 26 Feb 20, 11:19am -
  • Conversation time
    After so many years of blogging (admittedly, not so much recently), its interesting to sit back and muse about what MTJS represents and how the girl and I have evolved along the way, both as people and as content creators. MTJS was created as a…
    - 2 Feb 20, 1:22am -
  • Security Information Overload: From Panic to Apathy & the Remedy
    Security overload leads to apathy. How often do you hear a car alarm go off and roll your eyes hoping the owner would disable the blasted thing before the incoming headache comes a knocking? The primary objection I have to such systems is they…
    - 24 May 19, 12:30pm -
  • On Biased Blogger Reviews & Scribbling Opinions as If They’re Gospel
    Re-reading my past scribbles is always interesting to me, not because I am obsessed with my own written word, but rather because bloggers, by virtue of being given a platform to be highly opinionated, tend to ignore uncomfortable realities when…
    - 15 Apr 19, 5:35pm -
  • Real Talk, What Happened to MTJS
    Blogger burnout is a real thing. I have been scribbling reviews and sharing my thoughts with you all for quite a few years now. It seems it all started off as a way for me to talk about my love for Spydercos and evolved into a great community o…
    - 29 Dec 18, 2:58pm -
  • How Much Is Your Life Worth? SafeGuard Armor Ghost Bullet Proof Vest Review
    Before I get into the meat of this review, I want to structure this away from regurgitating specifications like every other review of this sort and instead spend it musing about what this product represents to so many people the world over. Bul…
    - 11 Oct 18, 11:08am -
  • It’s Strangely Satisfying That What I’ve Stockpiled Has Never Gone to Waste
    This is not exactly relevant to the epitome of prepping at all – I think it’s important to prep even if you end up with waste (though I think it’s good to minimize waste) because I think it’s important to be prepared in case worst-case…
    - 23 Sep 18, 2:34pm -
  • Hazard 4 Grayman Series Patrol Tactical Backpack Review
    Tactical backpacks are always a tricky proposition. Either they make you look like you just got off the set of Rambo or they are jam packed with performance compromises in an effort to pass as a normal pack. The Hazard 4 Grayman Patrol is one…
    - 19 Sep 18, 7:43pm -
  • Yes, We’ve Been AWOL; Here’s Why
    Long time no scribbles my friends. I have been AWOL as of late, but rest assured – we had a good reason! As some of you may have guessed, the girl and I have once again uprooted and made our home in a new country. Some of you may remember tha…
    - 17 Sep 18, 3:02pm -
  • Buy It Once: Everyday Carry Tools I’ve Bought to Last Me a Lifetime
    Like many of you, I got into this EDC obsessed lifestyle as a kid. I have always had an affinity for tools that serve a singular purpose, but have almost perverse levels of technology thrown into them. A knife is just a sharpened piece of steel…
    - 26 Jun 18, 3:08pm -

Blue Collar Prepping

  • Fire Safety
    The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.I need to re-post links for two articles I've written about fire and fire safety.FIRE!!!While CA just received its first measura…
    - 3 days ago 22 Oct 21, 1:05am -
  • Erin's New GHB, part 7: New Additions plus Food
    Not actually Erin.Picture by KJ Photography& is used with permission.The main reason I do "bag dump" posts like these isn't to show you how to assemble a Bug Out or Get Home Bag, or even to show off all the cool stuff I have. No, it's because in the…
    - 5 days ago 19 Oct 21, 11:17pm -
  • Leather Care
    A friend’s shoulder harness failed after more than a decade of loyal service. According to him, all he did was wear the shoulder holster harness and gave it no additional care. This is a shame, because leather can last indefinitely with proper care…
    - 7 days ago 18 Oct 21, 8:27pm -
  • Getting Started: Food
    The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.The friend I gave prepping books just asked what I think are questions every beginner asks: How do I start? What do I buy? Where…
    - 10 days ago 15 Oct 21, 1:36am -
  • The SAM Splint
    Not actually Erin.Picture by KJ Photography& is used with permission.I am quite frankly shocked that this blog hasn't talked about the SAM Splint before, because not only is it an amazing and affordable bit of medical gear but also because I've owned…
    - 12 days ago 13 Oct 21, 8:28pm -
  • A Variety of Spices are the Spice of Life
    Any prepper worth their salt* is going to have a good supply of long term food storage. While many preserved foods may be good at stability and nutritive value, they don’t always get high marks for flavor, and a week of eating bland but healthy mea…
    - 13 days ago 12 Oct 21, 12:43am -
  • A Shmidgeon More About Shemaghs
    Not actually Erin.Picture by KJ Photography& is used with permission.I thought I'd written more about the various uses of the shemagh on this blog, but it turns out that was in a podcast segment that wasn't transcribed. A shemagh (properly pronounce…
    - 17 days ago 8 Oct 21, 7:53pm -
  • Gear Maintenance
    The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.This post is late. There was an earthquake! A terrible flood! Locusts! It wasn't my fault! I SWEAR TO GOD! Yeah, yeah. The Myste…
    - 18 days ago 7 Oct 21, 7:54pm -
  • Quick-Access Shemagh
    Not actually Erin.Picture by KJ Photography& is used with permission.I'm stalling because I'm still not quite happy with something inside my GHB. Part of the reason I do these multi-part "This is what's in my bag" articles is that they're a bit like…
    - 20 days ago 5 Oct 21, 7:53pm -
  • Organization and Record Keeping
    We’ve all had that moment at the grocery store when we’re trying to remember if we have an item at home or if we need to buy more. We’ve also all experienced blanking on where we stored something, especially if we put it “in a safe place” s…
    - 21 days ago 4 Oct 21, 6:00pm -
  • Food Storage Season
    For those of us who grow food, things start to get interesting after the first full week of autumn. Summer is over, the growing season is coming to an end, and we have the fruits of our labor to deal with. Most people who grow some or all of their ow…
    - 23 days ago 1 Oct 21, 9:30pm -
  • Short Takes
    The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.Here is another sampling of information that I can't make into stand-alone posts. It would be somewhat easier to do blog posts i…
    - 24 days ago 1 Oct 21, 1:51am -
  • Erin's New GHB, part 6: Sleeping Gear
    Not actually Erin.Picture by KJ Photography& is used with permission.So now I have a fire going to keep me warm, boil water, and cook my food. What's next? I think it's time for sleep.  See you next week!Yeah, about that? Whoops. There's some stuff…
    - 26 days ago 29 Sep 21, 1:56am -
  • Prepper's Pantry: Pickling
    I’ve mentioned pickling in earlier posts, such as the ones on vinegarand canning, so it seems appropriate to go into more detail about the supplies and techniques to create these tasty treats at home.Pickled vegetables can be made in a variety of w…
    - 27 days ago 27 Sep 21, 10:42pm -
  • Harvest Season
    Yesterday was the first full day of autumn, so we have a couple of months before winter sets in. Autumn around here is the busy season; farmers still have plenty of time to plant crops, but they race the snow to get them harvested. Most of the grower…
    - 31 days ago 24 Sep 21, 9:09pm -
  • Getting Home And More
    The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.A few weeks ago I wrote about several books I share with people who ask serious questions, and a friend asked about Get Home Bag…
    - 33 days ago 22 Sep 21, 5:40pm -
  • Erin's New GHB, part 5: First Out of the Main
    Not actually Erin.Picture by KJ Photography& is used with permission.Since other, smaller pockets have been more than enough to take up an entire blog post, I knew I wouldn't be able to fit the entire Main Pocket into a single article. Instead I'm go…
    - 33 days ago 22 Sep 21, 1:02am -
  • Cartridge Conversion
    Returning to my series on reloading, another concept in this area is modifying one cartridge case into another chambering, perhaps even a brand new one.If the result is a brand new case design, it’s called wildcatting. Many commercial cartridges we…
    - 35 days ago 20 Sep 21, 6:36pm -
  • Circular Storms
    Erin lives in hurricane territory and I live in tornado country. Both are destructive weather events, but they differ in several aspects while sharing a few others.HurricanesHurricanes generally emerge from the Atlantic Ocean (they're called typhoons…
    - 37 days ago 18 Sep 21, 3:00am -
  • An Oldie But Still Goodie
    The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.I've been cleaning out my gear from the places I used to store everything, and I discovered what I think is my very first piece…
    - 38 days ago 17 Sep 21, 3:00am -
  • Companion Gardening: the Three Sisters System
    As we head into fall and the harvest season, now is a good time to start planning our gardens for next year. These plans can include: Clearing more ground for plantingPrepping existing beds for winterAdding slow fertilizing agents such as manure or l…
    - 41 days ago 14 Sep 21, 9:03pm -
  • Erin's New GHB, part 4: the Shelter Pocket
    Not actually Erin.Picture by KJ Photography& is used with permission.So after a trilogy of posts about charcoal, let's return to talking about my new Get Home Bag and how I've probably overpacked it.The Shelter Pocket is to the rear of the main pocke…
    - 42 days ago 13 Sep 21, 8:43pm -
  • Defensive Driving
    I received my first driver's license a long time ago. (No, we weren't taught how to drive on dinosaurs, but they were still in some of the older books.  David Blackard might remember them, though). The year after getting my license I worked a job th…
    - 45 days ago 10 Sep 21, 8:38pm -
  • Where To Start?
    The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping. Word is out around work that I write for a  prepping blog. Thankfully, only one person has asked the obvious and clichéd p…
    - 45 days ago 10 Sep 21, 12:26am -
  • Odor Removal
    One of the constants goals of civilization seems to be making bad smells go away. Whether through soap, perfume, or deodorant, we regularly try to make things smell better. This can be a more significant issue with long term storage of fabrics; to th…
    - 47 days ago 7 Sep 21, 9:43pm -

Survival Medicine

  • Ortho Injuries: Sprains, Strains, Ruptures
    Ortho Injuries: Sprains, Strains, RupturesWe’re back in our home in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, right at the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. That means a lot of fall hikes through the woods for us, and, let’s face it, we ain’t n…
    - 2 days ago 23 Oct 21, 4:56pm -
  • Video: The iTClamp Device
    Video: The iTClamp DeviceNew medical products are introduced from time to time that may help deal with complex injuries. A number of bleeding wounds, such as those on the neck and face, are not amenable to placing a tourniquet, so there is space for…
    - 7 days ago 18 Oct 21, 3:59pm -
  • Video: All About Strokes
    Video: All About StrokesI was saddened to hear of the passing of Dave ( “Wolf”) Stutts, a great preparedness and firearms instructor who was a fellow member of preppernet. David served proudly in the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force. He was selfless,…
    - 14 days ago 11 Oct 21, 3:39pm -
  • Survival Medicine Podcast: Antivirals
    Survival Medicine Podcast: AntiviralsAlthough science has made great progress against bacterial disease, our advances against viruses are primitive. Now, new clinical trials report progress against the current pandemic in the form of a new drug. An e…
    - 15 days ago 10 Oct 21, 2:13pm -
  • All About Molnupiravir
    All About MolnupiravirAlthough science has made great progress against bacterial disease, our advances against viruses are still in their infancy. Now, potentially good news is being reported in the battle against the current pandemic: An experimenta…
    - 23 days ago 2 Oct 21, 5:51pm -
  • Survival Medicine Podcast: Hemostatic Dressings
    Survival Medicine Podcast: Hemostatic DressingsThe control of major hemorrhage (called “hemostasis”) is the territory of paramedics and trauma surgeon in normal times. In survival scenarios, however, the family medic is unlikely to be either of t…
    - 31 days ago 24 Sep 21, 3:15pm -
  • What Is Nipah Virus (NiV)?
    What Is Nipah Virus (NiV)?In the midst of a worldwide pandemic, the last thing you want to hear about is another virus with pandemic potential. Yet, an outbreak of one has appeared in India. It’s called the Nipah virus (NiV). Before you sound the a…
    - 36 days ago 19 Sep 21, 3:12pm -
  • Survival Gardening: Sweet Potatoes
    Survival Gardening: Sweet PotatoesYou might not know that both Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy graduated from the state of Florida’s Master Gardener program. The family medic can benefit from some experience growing food crops to provide the calories, esse…
    - 42 days ago 13 Sep 21, 5:42am -
  • Survival Medicine Podcast: Nuclear Events/Radiation
    Survival Medicine Podcast: Nuclear Events/RadiationFor the survival medic, increasing international tensions means that knowledge about nuclear events and the physical damage associated with them is a worthwhile topic to know about. Short of an aster…
    - 43 days ago 12 Sep 21, 7:47pm -
  • Mass Casualty Incidents
    Mass Casualty IncidentsOn the anniversary of 9/11, it only seems appropriate to discuss what you would do if confronted with more victims of traumatic injury than you can handle. This can happen anywhere, anytime, and in normal times or times of trou…
    - 44 days ago 11 Sep 21, 2:42pm -