Category Archives: Survival

How pioneers made laundry soap.

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Washing clothes in the days of the pioneers and settlers was an elaborate ritual.  Multiple tubs of water, scrubbing boards, handmade soaps, blue dyes for the whites, starch – and all done on a Monday. Monday was always washing day. Before the pioneers and settlers could wash their clothes they needed laundry washing soap. What was important was that it had to be a liquid soap that would easily mix in with the clothes. Hard soaps were readily available and reasonably complex to make, so it was always easier to buy hard soap.  But liquid soap wasn’t so easily transported. … Continue reading →

2 way radios are now in my SHTF inventory

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Communication is a vital part of our everyday life.  In a SHTF situation typical means of communication might not be working (eg cell phones, land line).  Therefore I decided to purchase some 2 way radios as a backup method of communication that my family could utilize if times got hard and other systems were down.  I’m thinking we could use them if we had to conduct movements in separate vehicles, or if I had to make runs for water or other life sustaining items (leaving someone at home). As with any purchase I did my research online prior to getting the Motorola … Continue reading →

Maintaining proficiency with weapons

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Proficiency when using weapons is important, because no matter how well trained we are rust can form on our shooting skills as well as our weapons cache.  When I talk about being proficient I realize there are different levels of proficiency, surely what I consider to be proficient is a far cry what a military special operator or civilian swat member (someone who shoots thousands of rounds a week) would consider proficient.  You have to put things into perspective I guess, I can’t afford to shoot thousands of rounds a week but I’m also not being dropped off by a … Continue reading →

Thoughts on a real SHTF scenario

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There is a forum thread floating around the internet composed by Mac Slavo, a survivor of the war in Bosnia in the mid 1990′s.  In this thread Mac describes the conditions that he and his family endured during these extremely troubling times, a real SHTF scenario which he (but not all of his family) was thankful to make it out of alive.  Mac lays the background in his writings and then fields questions from people who replied to him on an internet forum.  I found the question and answer section to be most enlightening, and I have read it many times over.  After my … Continue reading →

5 Survival Knots Worth Learning

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Basic knot tying is something that everyone should know.  In a survival situation, being able to quickly tie a knot to secure a shelter or rescue someone could mean the difference between life and death. Take a few minutes to learn these 5 critical survival knots and you will be well equipped to handle most situations! Before beginning, I recommend using paracord while learning to tie knots.  It is lightweight, cheap, and has about a million different survival uses.  Make sure to buy type III paracord with 7 internal strands like this Rothco 550lb. Type III Nylon Paracord. NOTE: Click the name … Continue reading →

Lock Picking: A SHTF Skill You Should Know

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There is a mountain of information about lock picking on the internet, but most of it makes lock picking seem intimidating or difficult to learn. My experience was exactly the opposite so I was inspired to share what I learned. Why Lock Picking is Worth Learning Makes you more valuable Post-SHTF There have been many posts about the value of skills that can be applied when SHTF. Lock picking is one of them. If you can pick locks, you can help people who lost their keys, teach others to pick locks (likely a desirable skill in a SHTF group), and … Continue reading →

Post-SHTF OPSEC

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OPSEC, or Operational Security, refers to keeping your everyday movements and actions discreet to prevent malicious parties from being able to piece together important information such as your schedule or the status of your preps. Many preppers and non-preppers alike are familiar with obvious day to day OPSEC procedures (i.e. not putting a key under your door mat when someone might be able to see you).  But what happens in a SHTF scenario?  As people start to get hungry and potentially violent, the rules change and a stricter set of OPSEC standards needs to be applied. I have come up … Continue reading →

Prioritizing Your Preps

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My quest to become more prepared has opened my eyes to many different scenarios or events that could be potential threats to myself and my family.  The problem though, is that the more I talk about being prepared the less prepared I actually feel.  It is easy to be overwhelmed when you start thinking about things like nuclear fallout, EMPs, economic collapse, and civil war. While I believe the most important thing gained through prepping is a preparedness mindset that can be applied to any situation, we need to be careful not to over think it.  My recent reflection has … Continue reading →

5 SHTF Safety Items You Need

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To survive a SHTF scenario, manual labor and the use of tools are going to become requirements. For many, this will equate to an increase in activity and an increased risk of injury. When forced to depend on physical well-being to survive, every injury is magnified. Small injuries can even become life threatening with little or no medical care available. Basic medical training and the right supplies can only help you treat injuries after they happen. As such, I believe we should put as much focus as possible on preventing injuries. Consider adding these shtf safety items to your preps to reduce … Continue reading →

Bug Out Bag Essentials : What to Pack

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Some people ask me, “Why a 72 hour bug out bag?  Why not a week, or just a few hours?”  Well, the reason is this:  In a disaster scenario, like a flood, tornado, hurricane, or earthquake, first responders are likely going to be completely overloaded with large fires, collapses, etc. of large commercial buildings or heavy traffic downtown areas.  It is highly possible you will have to fend for yourself for a minimum of 3 days.  So the idea is to have enough stuff to keep yourself alive for 3 days and give you the necessary time and possibly tools … Continue reading →

Knowing Your Environment – A Parking Garage

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Today we’ll talk about knowing your environment. More specifically, a parking garage. In a crowded urban setting, like that of a downtown city, parking garages are utilized enormously. Yet with all things that are practical in our society, come many aspects that are more a risk aversion than a helpful solution. Part of “knowing your environment” is knowing its weaknesses. Be assured that those that wish to do harm, will do so by exploiting these weaknesses. So what are the risks of a parking garage. Well, for one they are hard to maneuver in. Larger vehicles will have it’s maneuvering … Continue reading →

Body Armor basics

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TRAIN AS YOU FIGHT Body Armor Basics. In a combat situation knowing your gear and knowing how to utilize that gear to its max potential can mean the difference between life and death. Basics of Body Armor Knowing the limits – body armor comes in a plethora of ratings, but the N.I.J. (National Institute of Justice) test body armor and place it on a rating scale that ranges from II, IIIA, III and IV. this is the industry standard and is also used in England. Both the English and American institutes that test body armor are considered “ideal” and so … Continue reading →