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  • newPreparedness Notes for Thursday — January 26, 2023
    Today is the anniversary of the shooting death of LaVoy Finicum, during the 2016 Malheur Wildlife Refuge standoff. — SurvivalBlog Writing Contest Today we present another entry for Round 104 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The priz…
    - 19 hours ago 26 Jan 23, 7:04am -
  • newGet The Training, and Keep Training!
    One thing that I’ve stressed in SurvivalBlog over the years is the importance of training. Reading and research by themselves are great, but they are no substitute for practical hands-on training. Last year, one of my personal resolutions was to ge…
    - 19 hours ago 26 Jan 23, 7:03am -
  • newThe 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 rec…
    - 19 hours ago 26 Jan 23, 7:02am -
  • newThe Editors’ Quote of the Day:
    “For what avail the plough or sail, or land or life, if freedom fail?” – Ralph Waldo EmersonThe post The Editors’ Quote of the Day: appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
    - 19 hours ago 26 Jan 23, 7:01am -
  • Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — January 25, 2023
    On January 25, 1915: In New York, Alexander Graham Bell spoke to his assistant in San Francisco, inaugurating the first transcontinental telephone service. — Today is the birthday of celebrated Scottish poet Robert “Bobby” Burns. He was born on…
    - 2 days ago 25 Jan 23, 7:04am -
  • Doing Laundry Off-Grid and DIY Soap Recipes, by E.H.
    When living completely off-grid, without either running water or corporate electricity, I wash clothes by hand and that’s okay. One way to maintain a good attitude about hand-washing laundry is to stay on top of it. Facing a mountain of dirty laund…
    - 2 days ago 25 Jan 23, 7:03am -
  • SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets
    This 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 w…
    - 2 days ago 25 Jan 23, 7:02am -
  • The Editors’ Quote of the Day:
    “I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” – Leonardo Da VinciThe post The Editors’ Quote of the Day: appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
    - 2 days ago 25 Jan 23, 7:01am -
  • Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — January 24, 2023
    Today is the birthday of Tamara K., Editrix of the long-running and very entertaining View From The Porch blog.  Happy Birthday, Slick! January 24th is also the birthday of René Barjavel (born 1911, died November 24, 1985). This prescient French sc…
    - 3 days ago 24 Jan 23, 7:07am -
  • A New Search For a Qualified Retreat Caretaker Couple/Family
    On behalf of one of my consulting clients, I’m again searching for a caretaker couple (or family) to live and work full-time at a ranch in northwestern Montana. The current caretaker family plans to move in June of 2023, to be closer to their famil…
    - 3 days ago 24 Jan 23, 7:05am -
  • Career Change to a Durable Trade, by A Grateful Mechanic
    I get great enjoyment from reading the perspectives and implementing the ideas in SurvivalBlog. This is a wonderful space to be able to share operating experience and ideas for making our futures brighter and better. An article by Mr. Rawles dated Oc…
    - 3 days ago 24 Jan 23, 7:03am -
  • SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt
    This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We al…
    - 3 days ago 24 Jan 23, 7:02am -
  • The Editors’ Quote of the Day:
    “The world has no room for cowards. We must all be ready somehow to toil, to suffer, to die.” – Robert Louis StevensonThe post The Editors’ Quote of the Day: appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.
    - 3 days ago 24 Jan 23, 7:01am -
  • Preparedness Notes for Monday — January 23, 2023
    January 23, 1855 was the birthday of John Moses Browning. He was the brilliant designer of dozens of guns, including the M1911 pistol, Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) — pictured — and the venerable M2 .50 Caliber Machinegun. This is also the birth…
    - 4 days ago 23 Jan 23, 7:06am -
  • Details on the New SurvivalBlog Archive USB Sticks
    The new batch of SurvivalBlog archive USB sticks is selling very rapidly! I’ve had some folks write to ask about what is included in the new 2005-2022 SurvivalBlog Archive stick. There certainly is a lot! These sticks of course have everything that…
    - 4 days ago 23 Jan 23, 7:05am -

SHTF Plan

More Than Just Surviving

  • Invasion of Ukraine – Please Grow a Pair
    Evening folks. Long time no chat as usual, but much like the pandemic, sometimes fuckery of untold proportion unfolds which forces me away from the repetitive rigours of normal life to hammer away at my keyboard. So here we are. Unless you have…
    - 24 Feb 22, 9:41pm -
  • 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…
    - 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 -

Blue Collar Prepping

  • Prepper’s Pantry: Oil
    Most dishes require a liquid element during cooking. In some cases this can be water or broth, but for many types of cooking, something to reduce sticking, induce browning, or aid flavor blending is also needed. This is where cooking oil comes into t…
    - 1 day ago 25 Jan 23, 9:31pm -
  • What is Fatwood?
    For as long as I've been in prepper circles on the internet, I've heard of something called fatwood. Folks talking about it make it seem like it absolutely litters the forest floor, and that if you merely let it look at a fire lay and say Shirak*, y…
    - 6 days ago 20 Jan 23, 6:37pm -
  • Prepper's Pantry: Cheese
    Let me preface this post by unequivocally stating that I love cheese. Perhaps not every single type of cheese, but the vast majority of them. (Due to a mold allergy I pay a price for enjoying some varieties, but sometimes it's worth it.)One of the e…
    - 8 days ago 18 Jan 23, 8:02pm -
  • Leave a Message
    Not actually Erin.Picture by KJ Photography& is used with permission.Theseus used a ball of yarn to find his way through the Minotaur's Labyrinth. Hansel and Gretel used white pebbles to find their way out of the forest in which they'd been abandoned…
    - 12 days ago 14 Jan 23, 9:39pm -
  • After Christmas Report
    The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.The holidays were very uneventful this year, since my sister moved to the mountains and there wasn't a big local gathering. I d…
    - 13 days ago 13 Jan 23, 8:51pm -
  • Prepper's Infirmary: Tourniquets
    There have been many posts here, as well as discussions on social media pages, about  tourniquets and Stop the Bleed classes. This made me wonder how many people were interested in getting a tourniquet and training, but didn't know where to start.Ba…
    - 15 days ago 12 Jan 23, 4:41am -
  • Prepper's Armory: Scope Zeroing
    Now that the scope has been properly mounted to the firearm, it's time to adjust the optic so that Point of Aim (POA) matches Point of Impact (POI) for a specific distance. This is called zeroing the scope, and while this can be approximated on the w…
    - 22 days ago 5 Jan 23, 2:53am -
  • Why I Have a Motorcycle Lift Table
    Not actually Erin.Picture by KJ Photography& is used with permission.Traditionally, this blog goes on vacation between Christmas and New Year's Day. For that reason I let David off the hook this week, but I wanted to write something because I've made…
    - 27 days ago 31 Dec 22, 4:12am -
  • Prepper's Armory: Scope Mounting
    As with iron sights, there's a proper way to mount, adjust, and sight in a scope. Actually, I should say proper ways, because there are a number of variables as well as preferences involved with the process.Early scopes were externally adjusted, mean…
    - 34 days ago 24 Dec 22, 3:41am -
  • Rucksack Night Walking
    Not actually Erin.Picture by KJ Photography& is used with permission.Now that it's become pleasantly cool here in Florida, I've been taking nighttime walks around the neighborhood loop with my camping rucksack. As I mentioned back in April, my Bug O…
    - 36 days ago 22 Dec 22, 4:47am -
  • Guest Post: Waterproofing a Bivy Cover
     by George GrootGeorge is a member of our Facebook Group and has written for us before. In the late 1990s I turned in my old olive drab canvas sleeping bag and received a new issue of the Army Modular Sleep System (MSS), which consists of a lig…
    - 39 days ago 19 Dec 22, 4:45am -
  • Prepper's Armory: Scopes, Part 1
    When it comes to optics, especially magnified optics, there's a lot of confusion and misinformation out there. One aspect of this type of optic that's not very well understood is the First and Second Focal Plane Reticle.In variable magnification sc…
    - 43 days ago 15 Dec 22, 1:04am -
  • Prepper's Armory: Using Iron Sights
    Continuing from my previous post, the quality of any sighting system is of little benefit if it isn't applied correctly. The two elements of using iron sights properly are referred to as Sight Alignment and Sight Picture.Sight AlignmentWhen your fron…
    - 50 days ago 8 Dec 22, 2:07am -
  • Follow-Up Reports
    Not actually Erin.Picture by KJ Photography& is used with permission.Herein is an assortment of further information on topics I've discussed earlier. Rockpals Freeman 600I am pleased to report that using this as an uninterruptible power supply for m…
    - 54 days ago 3 Dec 22, 11:31pm -
  • Prepper's Armory: Iron Sight Types
    The earliest firearms were simply pointed rather than aimed, but as technology matured and new concepts were developed, sights started to appear. At first they were similar to what we would think of as shotgun sights today: more of a guide to make su…
    - 57 days ago 30 Nov 22, 9:28pm -
  • Finding the Angle
    Not actually Erin.Picture by KJ Photography& is used with permission.Special thanks to George Groot for double-checking my math and helping with clarity. I realized that my previous post referenced using azimuths to find an angle without explicitly…
    - 62 days ago 26 Nov 22, 2:50am -
  • Shooting Azimuths
    Not actually Erin.Picture by KJ Photography& is used with permission.Two years ago, David Blackard wrote a post about how to determine the distance to an object in the field without using a rangefinder. This involved knowing the distance and angle to…
    - 63 days ago 25 Nov 22, 4:49am -
  • Prepper's Pantry: Preserving Herbs and Spices
    Now that harvests are pretty much complete in most of the country, it's time to start preserving our harvests. In previous posts I've talked about the equipment and process of canning, pickling, and a brief overview on spices. Dealing with herbs and…
    - 64 days ago 23 Nov 22, 8:48pm -
  • Cold Frames
    Now that our gardens are at rest for the winter, we have time for additional garden-related projects, such as building some cold frames. These are transparent-topped, low enclosures that are used to protect plants from cold and wet conditions, like m…
    - 72 days ago 15 Nov 22, 6:00pm -
  • CPAP Battery Solutions 2
    Not actually Erin.Picture by KJ Photography& is used with permission.In my previous post on this topic I stated that I was looking for a battery bank that could run my CPAP for as many nights as possible and the ability to recharge via solar panel. I…
    - 74 days ago 14 Nov 22, 4:59am -
  • Prepper's Pantry: Tea
    I recently talked about chocolates, and in my post on nuts I shared a recipe for scones. A regular companion to both of these treats is tea. HistoryComing in second place to clean water, tea is the most commonly drunk beverage in the world. Served…
    - 78 days ago 10 Nov 22, 3:25am -
  • Tool Substitutions
    Not actually Erin.Picture by KJ Photography& is used with permission.One of the "joys" of middle age is a loss of flexibility, strength and resilience, and a corresponding increase in aches, pains, and susceptibility to injury. One of the many ways t…
    - 83 days ago 5 Nov 22, 12:27am -
  • Prepper's Pantry: Chocolate
    Everyone knows about chocolate, one of the most popular edibles in the world. Most people like it, many love it, some can't eat it for health reasons, and a few simply don't enjoy the flavor. As a bonus, by the time this post is published Halloween…
    - 85 days ago 2 Nov 22, 8:46pm -
  • Prepping Lessons from John Titor
    Not actually Erin.Picture by KJ Photography& is used with permission.Some of you may have never heard the name "John Titor"; for others, it's a blast from the past. Regardless of your familiarity with the name, I'd like to beg your indulgence as I ta…
    - 88 days ago 31 Oct 22, 1:09am -
  • Prepper's Armory: Air Guns
    Air guns have a much broader and more interesting history than the .177 and .22 caliber target and pest control arms most people are familiar with today.HistoryThere’s considerable debate about the initial development of the air gun. Many historian…
    - 92 days ago 26 Oct 22, 10:02pm -

Survival Medicine

  • Video: The “Medium-Sized” Survival Medical Kit
    In this video, Nurse Amy demonstrates what a medium-sized medical kit for the family medic might look like. Taken from our line of quality kits at store.doomandbloom.net. To watch, click below: Wishing you the best of health in good times or bad, Amy…
    - 3 days ago 23 Jan 23, 11:04pm -
  • Survival Medicine Podcast: Altitude Sickness, Survival Communities, More
    It’s winter, and some folks are heading for ski resorts, and that means a big change in altitude for most. The National Academy of Sciences reports that 33.5% of the population lives below an elevation of 100 meters above sea level. That means that…
    - 5 days ago 21 Jan 23, 10:49pm -
  • How Community Affects Your Survival Chances
      We’ve all seen programs that follow the adventures and misadventures of individuals in survival settings. Sometimes, one or two rugged survivalists will successfully survive an off-grid challenge (sometimes naked) for a period of time. Despite t…
    - 9 days ago 18 Jan 23, 2:08am -
  • The Kraken Variant
    COVID-19 continues to develop new forms of the Omicron strain, which is the predominant form of the virus circulating today. Much more contagious than the original novel coronavirus found in Wuhan, China in late 2019, the omicron strain has continued…
    - 16 days ago 11 Jan 23, 12:22am -
  • Survival Medicine Podcast: Dog Flu, Winter Car Survival, Dental Extraction, Chestnuts
    Winter storms like “bomb cyclones” can be life-threatening, so it’s important to know how to winterize, not only your car, but yourself. In this episode, Dr. Joe Alton discusses different ways to make sure you survive that car trip out in the b…
    - 20 days ago 6 Jan 23, 7:07pm -
  • Chestnuts: Health Benefits And Are They Coming Back?
    “Under a spreading chestnut-tree The village smithy stands; The smith, a mighty man is he, With large and sinewy hands; And the muscles of his brawny arms Are strong as iron bands.” This verse from a Longfellow poem underscores…
    - 28 days ago 29 Dec 22, 4:45pm -
  • Christmas Video: The Tale Of The First Snowman
    A very Merry Christmas to all! Instead of a medical video, I’d like to celebrate with a telling of a Christmas tale I wrote meant for children, but adults may like it too. It’s the story of the First Snowman. Hope you like it. To watch, click bel…
    - 32 days ago 25 Dec 22, 2:27pm -
  • Christmas Video: The Tale Of The Emerald Lizard
    On Christmas Eve, we take a short break from medical preparedness videos to bring you this ancient tale of charity, as told by Joe Alton, MD. We bring you…the Emerald Lizard. To watch, click below: Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and a Happy and…
    - 33 days ago 24 Dec 22, 5:41pm -
  • Winter Car Preparedness
    A “bomb cyclone,” a massive Winter storm, is predicted to be imminent in part of the United States. With the holiday season in full swing, many are traveling in the bad weather. We, ourselves, have daughters traveling all the way from New York an…
    - 35 days ago 22 Dec 22, 2:57pm -
  • Video: What You Should Know About Hypothermia
    It seems like I talk about hypothermia every winter, and it’s for good reason. Life-threatening winter storms like the imminent one in the Midwest and East happen every year, and people need to know what to do. I even learned a new word this year:…
    - 37 days ago 20 Dec 22, 11:32pm -