Why precious metals aren’t the best choice

 Everything Survival  No Responses »
May 032013
 

Many survivalists advise stocking up on gold and silver, especially junk silver (pre-1964 U.S. coins), to use as currency after a collapse. While this isn’t the absolute worst idea in the world (that dubious honor belongs to the advice to use ammunition as currency), there are a few flaws with the plan.

After a collapse, people are going to be concerned with filling their bellies, first and foremost.

You can’t eat coins, jewelry, nor ingots. If you find yourself needing to barter with someone for something you need, odds are pretty good the best currency to have on hand is food of some sort. Packages of dry soup, canned fruit, or even just bouillon cubes will be much more valuable than a few silver nickels.

In fact, who’s to say precious metals will have any value at all? See, here’s the thing. In any transaction, the goods or services involved are only worth what the individuals are willing to pay. You could be the best leather worker in four counties but your belts aren’t going to be worth any more than what people have and are willing to part with for payment. You could have a roll of silver quarters but if the other person isn’t willing to accept them as payment for the item you want, not much you can do about it.

Further, aside from junk silver coins, how would you prove to anyone the jewelry or whatever is real? There’s a whole lot of crap rings and bracelets out there that can easily fool the average person. Knowing that, I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone willing to take them in exchange for anything of value.

I think we can all agree that, after a major collapse, our current paper money and coins will be worthless. At some point down the road, as things once again stabilize, currency will come back. But in the interim, I think folks are going to be bartering hard goods as well as services to get what they need.

How much does your Get Home Bag weigh?

 Bugging Out, Everything Survival  No Responses »
May 022013
 

How much does your GHB or BOB weigh? Or, perhaps more importantly, can you handle carrying that weight for long periods of time?

For the United States Armed Forces, our men and women routinely carry 45-65lbs of gear when deployed. Most of these folks are in pretty damn good physical condition though and have been trained to carry that much weight on a regular basis.

When was the last time you strapped on your kit and walked around for a while?

One of the biggest mistakes I see regularly is when people have too much gear in their kits, without any real experience carrying it for any length of time. Yes, there are folks who will read this and say, I carry mine all the time, camping and hiking, so I know exactly how much I can easily handle. That’s truly wonderful and a sign that this post isn’t directed at you. No offense.

bug_out_bag

No, I’m talking to the newbies who see these incredibly long lists for GHB or BOB contents, amass everything together, then toss it into the trunk without thinking twice. When it comes to traveling on foot for extended periods, it won’t take long before you truly feel each and every ounce of weight on your back.

If you haven’t done so recently, I highly suggest you test things out. Grab your pack, strap it on, and leave it there as you go about your day at home. I’m serious. Wear it for a few hours at least. The ideal, of course, would be to take it to a park and go for a hike. But, absent that, just wear it as you walk around in the yard and the house. See how it rides, ensure you can handle the weight for an extended period.

Better to find out now, and make necessary adjustments, while you’re not in the middle of a real bug out.

Stop making excuses

 Commentary, Everything Survival  No Responses »
May 012013
 

“I’m broke.”

“I don’t have time.”

“I can’t find anyone else in my area.”

I hear these, and others, over and over and over. Excuse on top of excuse as to why someone isn’t prepping, though they allegedly want to do so. I’m not talking about the “sheeple” who figure life will always continue in the way it has. No, I’m talking about those who see the handwriting on the wall, yet for one reason or another just can’t seem to get on the ball.

News flash — no one is going to do it for you!

If you want to be better prepared for what life may throw your way, you need to take steps to do so yourself. No one is going to hand you a deed for 75 acres and a blank check for Lehman’s. Nobody is standing around, just waiting for you to come along so they can give you an early retirement package, complete with full salary, so you can spend all your days working on preps.

Not…gonna…happen!

I don’t care how broke you are, you can still do something to get better prepared. If you are reading this, then you have access (whether at home, work, or a library) to more knowledge than has ever before been compiled in one place in the history of the human race. You can use the Internet to research new skills, then go out and practice them.

Save every single cent of spare change for a month, including pennies and nickels you find on the ground, then go to Aldi and pick up some canned tuna or Ramen noodle soup.

Commit to spending a certain number of hours a week devoted in some way to prepping. Go without NCIS or Teen Mom or whatever else it is that passes for TV entertainment these days. Take that hour or two a week and use it for practicing a new skill, reading a new survival manual, or just organizing the preps you have.

Seek out like-minded people in your area. Network with them, get to know them and let them get to know you a bit. Despite all the whining I hear, I can guarantee you PREPPERS ARE OUT THERE! If they weren’t, then we certainly wouldn’t be seeing all these TV shows, movies, and books about surviving some sort of major catastrophe.

Stop making excuses and start doing something about it.

The Prepper Continuum

 Bugging Out, Commentary, Everything Survival, Sheltering in Place  No Responses »
Apr 302013
 

I’ve been doing this prepper thing for a long time now, roughly thirty years and counting. While I missed the heyday of people like Kurt Saxon and Mel Tappan, I did get started right around the time Ragnar Benson’s books became wildly popular. We’re talking the mid 1980s or so.

This was back when the Cold War was still at its height and survivalists near and far were concerned about the Soviets finally pushing the button. There was a lot of talk about underground bunkers and fallout protection.

Flash forward a little less than two decades and the concern became Y2K. Oh no! All the computers are going to crash because some nitwit forgot to account for the year 2000 in the electronics and programs.

Today, the threats have changed a little. Now, for end of the world type threats, we talk about EMP, the Yellowstone caldera, increasingly severe weather, the New Madrid fault, and yes, even nuclear war, primarily thanks to the window licker currently in charge of North Korea.

At the same time these threats have morphed into other concerns, my own prepping style has changed. In talking to other preppers and survivalists, I’ve learned many of them have gone through the same developmental process, at least to one degree or another.

We’ll call it the Prepping Continuum.

It all starts with building a survival kit. Call it a bug out bag, a Get Out Of Dodge (GOOD) kit, or an I’m Never Coming Home (INCH) bag, it all amounts to the same basic thing — a collection of gear and supplies to keep you alive. From there, the plan becomes focused on bugging out. Head for the hills and live in a debris hut, eating food you’ve caught or hunted.

As the prepper gets older, and hopefully wiser, he begins to think, Y’know, I’m not 20 years old anymore. Living in a grass hut just doesn’t appeal, at least not as a long-term solution. By this time, the survivalist may have a wife and children in tow as well, which obviously complicates things. So, the focus shifts to more of a shelter in place plan. After all, that’s where all the gear is, right? Better to be ensconced at home than become a well-equipped refugee.

Go a little further down the Prepper Continuum and you’ll see things change even more. Now, instead of just thinking about hunkering down at home, the prepper is looking to connect with others and maybe set up a group of sorts. Many hands make light work, y’know? By coming together, the group may be better able to meet everyone’s needs, especially when it comes to someone watching your six while you zonk out for a few hours.

Eventually, at the far end, opposite the bugging out forever stage, you come to the idea of living in a settled and established village or small town. One that already has a doctor’s office or two, a dentist, and a whole ton of rural folks who know how to do more with less and make do or do without. In other words, a community of preppers, though they might think of themselves as homesteaders if anything at all.

Where are you in the Prepper Continuum?

Separated families need separate plans

 Everything Survival  1 Response »
Apr 292013
 

[The following is taken from my upcoming book, THE PREPPER'S COMPLETE BOOK OF DISASTER READINESS.]

Prepper's Complete Guide cover

In our modern society, it seems the “traditional” family of children living with both mom and dad under one roof is becoming the exception rather than the rule. For those who share custody of children, survival plans need to be discussed thoroughly. It needs to be understood by all concerned who is responsible for picking the kids up from school or day care if disaster strikes. Commonly, it seems to be the parent who currently has custody has that responsibility but that might not work well in your particular situation. The parents need to come to an agreement about this, whatever the final plan may end up being.

Not only should the separate plans include who picks up the kids but where to take them. If one parent is a prepper and the other isn’t, well that’s sort of a no-brainer. But, the conversation still needs to take place. One of the worst feelings in the world would have to be not knowing if your child is safe during or after a crisis situation.

Also worth considering is the fact that, despite your personal feelings about an ex-spouse, he or she may end up living under the same roof as you should the worse come to pass. If there were a major catastrophe, a true “end of the world as we know it” scenario, the safety and well being of the children needs to be paramount. If that means having an ex sleep on the couch for a while, so be it.

What a post-collapse world may be like

 Everything Survival  No Responses »
Apr 262013
 

[The following is taken from my upcoming book, THE PREPPER'S COMPLETE BOOK OF DISASTER READINESS. In this section of the book, we're discussing how daily routines will be different after a total societal collapse.]

Prepper's Complete Guide cover

In the wake of a collapse, you likely won’t be commuting to and from a day job. Gone will be your morning latte and the daily newspaper. No more hour-long lunch breaks sitting on Facebook, making plans for the weekend. Instead, it will be a much harder schedule. Sun up to sun down will probably involve demanding physical work doing one thing or another.

Many of the chores that are made so much easier today by appliances and electricity will need to be done by hand. Laundry, for example, won’t be nearly as simple as tossing the clothes into a metal box and spinning a dial. Instead, it could take the better part of a day with two people working together just to do the laundry for a week. Waste from toilets will need to be disposed of in some fashion. Meals won’t be just a matter of heating something up in the microwave but instead require a fair amount of planning as well as preparation.

As chores are performed, people will need to be very diligent and careful so as to avoid injuries. Even the smallest cut could become infected and, with a lack of medical resources, any infection could easily have serious consequences.

Forget all about daily showers or baths. You’ll want to conserve water as best you can so unless you happen to be near a lake or river, it’ll be sponge baths most of the time. Clothes will be worn multiple times before washing, with the possible exception of underwear and socks. People will dress much more for comfort and utility rather than fashion. Short skirts, ties, and dress shoes will gather dust in closets.

In the winter months, families will likely sleep all in one room to take advantage of body heat. There will be little to no privacy, save perhaps for sheets hung from the ceiling to create makeshift walls.

Assuming the disaster causes a permanent or at least long-term power outage, people will eventually turn to candles and oil lamps for illumination. Odds are pretty good this will lead to an increase in home fires and with a distinct absence of well-equipped fire departments, many of these homes will be total losses as a result.

Boy, all that sounds like a heap of no fun, doesn’t it? No, it sure doesn’t sound like a good time but the fact is, that’s probably pretty close to what reality will be like during a prolonged crisis. In my experience, there are entirely too many preppers and survivalists who have sort of a romanticized notion of what a post-collapse world will be like. Sure, it’ll be awesome to not have to worry any more about those credit card bills and the mortgage or rent payment. But, like anything else in life, it comes at a price.

The advantage you have now though is you can work to mitigate some of these negative aspects. You can learn the skills you’ll need, you can stockpile supplies, and you can make plans for the future.

Does it take a village?

 Commentary, Everything Survival  1 Response »
Apr 252013
 

I’ve been trading emails with a couple different fellow preppers recently regarding survival groups and such. The good, the bad, the ugly, and all that. So, I thought I’d toss the topic out here for discussion.

Do you think a group is better suited for surviving long-term events than would an individual or small family?

Personally, I feel a survival group may not be of much benefit in short-term disasters like a major blizzard. But, when it comes to a long-term emergency, such as an EMP or something, a group will likely have many more advantages than an individual. Many hands make shorter work and all that.

What say you? What do you feel the advantages and drawbacks would be for a survival group?

Please post in the comments.

Urban Caches

 Bugging Out, DIY, Everything Survival  No Responses »
Apr 242013
 

There are two main reasons why you’d want to set up a cache or two. First, it is to hide items you want reasonably accessible but not in the home. For example, you have a few firearms you want to keep out of reach of young children. The second reason is to set up locations where you can resupply yourself if you’re on the move, such as during a bug out.

Caches are a great idea, if they are located properly.

If you’re out in a rural area, setting up a cache can be as easy as digging a hole. As long as you’re off the beaten path, the odds of someone stumbling across it even with a metal detector are fairly remote. Caching in an urban area though requires some creative thinking. It can be more difficult than rural caching in that there is a higher degree of risk of you either being seen planting the cache or that someone else may happen across it.

One suggestion would be to install a fake utility box on the outside of a building and use it for a cache. Add a padlock and your stuff should be reasonably safe.

If you work in an office environment, what about stashing some stuff in the drop ceiling of the bathroom?

Burying caches at a public park is possible but probably illegal, keep that in mind.

If you’re looking to keep the cache closer to home, you could bury it under your rain barrel or even your sidewalk.

Urban caching may be a bit more difficult but it certainly isn’t impossible.

Fake Tweet, Real Impact

 Everything Survival  No Responses »
Apr 232013
 

Around 1:00PM EST today, a hacker managed to get access to the Associated Press Twitter account. They tweeted, “Breaking: Two explosions in the White House and Barack Obama is injured.”

AP tweet

In less than two minutes, the stock market took a severe plunge, to the tune of about $20 billion. This market shift was a result of computers following automated instructions, not because a few traders saw the tweet and reacted.

The market quickly recovered and all is well now, or at least what passes for well these days I guess.

If you think you will be able to run to your bank during a crisis, think again.

Let’s say it was a real event, not a hack or hoax. In our hypothetical situation, the tweet was real, the explosions really happened. In less than two minutes, the market plunges and the dollar falls. How long do you think it might take for banks to close up? How much value do you think the dollar will have tomorrow, let alone next week?

When discussing survival plans with preppers, I sometimes hear them talk about running to the bank or an ATM to withdraw funds to last them a few weeks. I always caution against such a plan as it presupposes too many things falling in their favor. For it to work and be beneficial, not only will the banks have to still be up and running, the dollar will still have to have value.

My suggestion is, if you would be more comfortable by having some cash on hand, pull it out now and find a good place to hide it. Don’t rely on a bank or ATM to have the funds in an emergency.

The Importance of Cordage in Survival Kits

 Everything Survival, Skills  No Responses »
Apr 222013
 

Cordage is one of those things you could make in the field, at least theoretically and provided you found the right plants. But, honestly, it is so much easier to just pack some in each of your survival kits.

In my opinion, I feel cordage is second only to a good blade in terms of usefulness in a survival kit.

There are just so many tasks that are made infinitely easier with even a shoelace, let alone several feet of good quality paracord.

–Lashing together an expedient shelter.
–Hanging food from a tree to keep it away from animals.
–Tying gear to your pack.
–Replacing broken boot laces.
–Bow drill for starting fires.

220px-Paracord-Commercial-Type-III-Coil

As you might guess, I recommend paracord over other forms of cordage. For those not familiar with it, paracord is a truly wonderful invention. I liken it to duct tape in terms of usefulness. Paracord consists of several strands of nylon cord, with each of them made of 2 or 3 even smaller strands woven together. These inner strands are then covered by a sheath, itself made of nylon. The end result is you conceivably have seventy or more feet of total cordage with just ten feet of paracord.

What I think is one of the coolest features of paracord is that in spite of the incredible strength, it is much thinner than you might expect. Seriously, I have shoelaces that are thicker. What this means is you can easily fit a dozen feet or more in even a very small survival kit.

Coupled with having cordage is knowing how to use it effectively. I highly encourage preppers to head to their local library and find a book or two on knots, then practice some of the more useful ones like the square knot, the bowline, and the clove hitch.

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