For Women: Other Weapons

Last post we covered some of the issues facing women in regards to firearms. Today I’d like to talk about some non-gunpowder weapons for women, but require some consideration in use.

The most important of these is the bow. Whether simple, re-curve, compound or even crossbow, it is important to ensure that they are appropriate for the woman using them. The first thing to consider is draw weight. It is important to make sure that the bow can be drawn comfortably and consistently, and that getting the bow to full draw not require a heroic effort, although the highest comfortable draw weight is to be aimed for the purpose of getting the best range from the bow.

The trade off to a lower draw weight is less overall power, but this is not as important as it seems at first glance. While bullets kill largely by the amount of kinetic energy they transfer to the target, arrows are different. An arrow usually kills by causing blood loss from the action of the razor sharp broad head mounted on the arrows. As the target moves, it causes more damage with every shift of position. Thus the absolute power of the bow is not as important, as long as the energy is sufficient for penetration into the body cavity.

Due to their generally shorter stature, it is also important for the bow to be sized so that it is not too long and unwieldy for women. This can be difficult with conventional bows, but easier to achieve with compounds. Despite my dislike for the more complicated compound, it may be the best choice in terms of draw weight and fit for women.

There is also the crossbow to consider. Here we get the same draw weight regardless of user, although there are other issues. For example, the same concerns for rifles apply here, where the stock must be fitted to the user. Recoil is not an issue, but cocking the bow might be of some concern. However, where a woman might not have sufficient upper body strength to cock the bow solely by hand, there are devices that can help, from the simple waist hook to mechanical cranks.

Another weapon that may require some thought is the knife, specifically the size of the weapon’s grip. Women in general have far smaller hands than men, and it is important that the handle of any knife be proportioned properly so that a proper grip can be established and maintained. This is more of an issue than ever, as more and more the larger knives are becoming the popular choice for survivalists, and few makers take into account that the hand holding it may be a female hand.

There are other weapons to be considered, such as throwing sticks, spears, atlatls, and slings. While any of them are usable by women, I feel the best choice for women in this group of weapons is the sling, where the power of the weapon is derived from conversion of centripetal force, and not just on raw muscle power; and is a surprisingly effective weapon in skilled hands for hunting small game. As well, modern slingshots are easily used by anyone and are also effective.

Most importantly, regardless of what weapons women choose it is important that time is made to practice. In some cases, such as bows, there may be a necessity for a woman to build upper body strength for maximum effectiveness. Really, there is no earthly reason that women in a survival situation be any less armed or dangerous than their male counterparts

Originally posted October 16, 2011 @MPN

Occupation Forces

First of all, my apologies for not updating this blog in a timelier manner. I got involved in a political campaign along with my other commitments, and there just wasn’t time to do everything. I hope to return to a schedule of a post per week, plus two reposts from the other two blogs for which I write. So on to this week’s post:

Anyone that has the least exposure to any news outlet cannot have failed to notice the ongoing Occupy Wall Street demonstrations. Whether you applaud or revile the people doing the protesting, it is worth looking at these protests as a strong indicator. But indicators of what exactly?

The first thing it indicates is that many, many people believe that the world’s financial system is not only badly slanted against the ordinary person and in favour of corporations and those people on the inside of the financial system, but also that they believe the system is broken and needs a huge overhaul. Again, it is not an issue of whether you believe them right or wrong, but what it means to you.

The most likely result is continued instability in the financial system over the short to medium term. Again, I can only urge what I’ve been urging all along: Get your butt out of debt, minimize the vulnerability of your investments and make sure you have a reserve of cash or other medium of exchange for tough times. And keep preparing.

Keep preparing for what though? Well, I really dislike the look of the financial system in the long term. There is good reason, at least in my opinion, to think that we are going to have a lot of difficulty in avoiding a deep recession or depression that is very wide ranging, perhaps even worldwide in its effects. That is going to lead to a degree of instability that may have serious effects on some countries.

Am I talking about some sort of Rawlesian apocalypse? Very unlikely, but I believe that there is a lot of hardship to come, and those that are prepared for it will come out the other end in far better shape than those that failed to prepare financially and materially.

However, it is also worth noting that the protests are also an indicator of a deep rooted, simmering anger felt by people in our society. As the financial markets have lurched from one bubble (scam?) to another over the last 30 or so years (Remember the S & L scandals in the USA? The dot- com crash?) People have watched their savings, pensions and even their livelihoods be savaged over and over again while those on the ‘inside’ just seem to get richer.

While the protests have so far been largely peaceful, events in England earlier this year have shown how easy it would be for there to be fairly widespread civil unrest. As the economic situation deteriorates, people will be less and less inhibited about committing unlawful behavior. It will not take much more to see the beginnings of the sort of unrest rarely seen in North America to become increasingly common, and you need to make sure your property and person are as well protected as you can make them.

Overall, keep a wary eye on the news and make sure you are not blindsided by the rapid pace of events. Forewarned is forearmed, as they say.

It’s just common sense

Time is on my side

Late again. I'm extraordinarily busy these days, and I'm getting tardy updating this. I have good intentions to post every Sunday, but we know what's paved with those...

Anyway, since we're talking about time. let's talk about time. In most survival blogs, you'll see people talk about loading up and bugging out. Rarely do you see them talk about how long it it will take them to get on the road. Heck, I can't even get out the door in a timely manner for a hike, never mind fleeing a major catastrophe.

Travel times to retreats are generally estimates made by driving the route in clear weather and light traffic, perhaps with a minor fudge factor thrown in for 'realism'. Katrina should have taught us that bug out times can be measured in days, not hours, if you're unfortunate.

That lack of realistic timing can extend to other things. It's all well and good to intend on cutting a half dozen cords of wood to heat your retreat through the winter, but have you ever done it? Do you have a realistic idea of how many person-hours it will take to find, bring home, chop and stack that much firewood?

Or how about those retreat defenses you'll build once you get there? Any idea how much effort and time it takes to create a bunker, or even a trench for a firing position? And while you're doing that, other tasks are piling up. Is it even possible for you and your group to prepare in time?

The answer to that is to use your time effectively now. Chop and stack that wood, or dig your fighting holes, or try to get a few other of the thousand and one things done now that will demand your attention afterwards. At the least, get a realistic idea of how long it will take do those jobs before you need to do them by doing trial runs. It might not be good policy to leave a finished bunker in place, but take a weekend and build it and then disassemble it. At the very least, you'll do it faster when you need to having done it already.

Learn how long it takes to do everything at your retreat, preferably by doing them repeatedly. Remember, unlike the Stones song, time is NOT on your side.

Originally posted September 5, 2011 @ Canadian Preppers Network

Foe Women: Firearms

It’s an appealing movie image: a beautiful but determined woman blazing away with any number of weapons, mowing down foes unflinchingly, firing shotguns freehanded, making impossible shots with .45 s held at impractical angles.

The reality is somewhat different. Very few men can handle weapons the way they do in the movies, and women, due to their lighter frames, shorter stature and smaller hands, are at even more of a disadvantage. Unfortunately, few survival writers take this into account, preferring to pontificate on the ‘best’ weapons and calibers regardless as to their suitability for use by females.

There are a number of things women can do to ensure they are armed with effective weapons that they can handle comfortably. We’ll start with firearms, since that is probably the most ‘macho’ of weapons, and where women have been most poorly served.

First, ignore the bleating of the gun aficionados that argue for a particular caliber or make of weapon. The proper firearm, for men as well as women is the one you can handle comfortably and can use effectively. For women, this comes down to two main issues: recoil and size of weapon. First, firearms such as rifles and shotguns tend to have stocks sized with a particular proportion between butt and fore grip. For some women of shorter stature, this makes for an awkward hold that will affect accuracy and lead to excessive fatigue.

If custom stocks are not an option, you may need to look for weapons particularly sized for women or perhaps the youth market. As well, look at moving down in caliber if necessary. I’d rather have a woman making comfortable, aimed and effective shots with a Ruger 10/22 than doing spray and pray with a heavier weapon unsuited to her.

And that brings us to recoil. If the weapon is of sufficient caliber, it will literally shift a small shooter backwards. I have seen this on a particularly small girl at a range. After every three or four rounds shooting prone, she had to squirm back to her original firing position. She was game, but the weapon she had was obviously far too heavy for her, and she wound up with some spectacular bruises to show for it. Given a long enough time, the bruising recoil will eventually make a shooter shy of the weapon, making effective aim very problematic.

Finally a word about weapon caliber. While you want the most effective round you can get, remember that a light round that hits the target is far more preferable than a clean miss. In fact, in some circumstances, a smaller round may be more devastating. In the recent shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in the United States, it is thought that had she been shot with a less penetrating round, the bullet would have caused more damage internally rather than exiting.

In conclusion, the rifle or shotgun for women is one which is comfortable to hold and to shoot, which they can use with accuracy, preferably with a largish magazine capacity. Everything else is at best secondary.

Handguns are also a problem for some women. Grips tend to be sized for male hands, and again, much BS floats about with regards to caliber and make. The same advice applies: use heaviest comfortable caliber (or even one less), good magazine capacity, comfortable to hold. As I said before, caliber doesn’t really matter. I’ve seen a variety of handguns carried by women, including a seven shot .22 caliber automatic called the Escort. Known as a ‘purse’ gun or ‘belly’ gun, the barrel is so short that it is wildly inaccurate beyond a few feet (hence the ‘belly gun’ appellation: you stick it in the opponents belly and pull the trigger.) It is far from ideal, but I’d rather see that carried than nothing at all. At least if the lady carrying it manages to get several rounds into an attacker, it will likely do the job.

Again, custom models, smaller calibers and so on are all options in handguns as well. As well as sizing the gun to the user, it is important that there is enough training undertaken to make the woman confident and capable in whatever weapon she is carrying.

All in all, there is no reason why women should not be as effectively armed as the men in your group. Anything less is putting your life and theirs at risk.

Originally postewd September 19, 2011 @ MPN

Vehicular Everyday Carry

Bug out bags that are permanently stowed in vehicles are a fine thing. I personally do not stow a large kit in my vehicle on a day to day basis. I do most of my travelling in the confines of a very limited area, and live within a mile and a half of my work. I feel that for me, a bug out bag that rides in the vehicle is unnecessary, although I do tend to load up the vehicle for the occasional longer trip.

That doesn’t mean that it isn’t a good idea for you, but each circumstance is unique. I also feel that I practice vehicular every day carry, which I feel is a good middle ground in my circumstance. Again, I cannot emphasis too strongly that my risks are not yours, and everyone needs to develop plans and techniques suitable for their situation.

So, just what is in my vehicular EDC? There is of course the usual spare tire, tire tool and jack, all of which are regularly checked and maintained. I do not keep spare gas, oil or other fluids in the vehicle unless I am travelling outside of my usual very limited area. There is always a collapsible shovel for getting unstuck, and an extension cord for plugging in during the Canadian winters. That is about the extent of usual directly vehicle related items.

Additionally, I have a First Aid kit on board, one that is considerably more extensive than the cheap kits usually sold for cars, but still compact enough that it stores out of the way. It contains a variety of OTC meds as well as a day’s worth of our prescription medications.

Another item always in my vehicle is bug repellent. It seems to be the one item I always forget when I want it, so I make a point of having it in the car at all times. Saves me a lot of itching and scratching.

Of course, summer and bugs eventually give way to winter here in Canada, so there are other items always on board, the most important of which is a warm wool blanket. One simple layer might mean the difference between life in death if you’re stuck in your vehicle. Emergency food is also carried. Generally, I have roughly 2000 calories in the form of long storage type energy bars, and which are replaced annually. In winter I add a few small containers of peanut butter for the concentrated extra calories.

I also carry a shake type LED flashlight. I favour this over a battery type for the reason that there are no batteries to check, and performance seems to be unaffected by cold, unlike batteries. Changing a tire in the dark is likely the most frustrating experience I’ve ever had, and I plan on never having to do so again.

A roll of toilet paper is carried for ’emergencies’, as well as a few rags for general cleanup. There is generally a selection of rugged cloth grocery bags in the car which might be handy if I need to abandon the vehicle but take as much stuff as possible with me.

I don’t carry a lot of tools in my vehicle, but one that is always in the glove box is a pair of pliers, as it seems to be the single most necessary tool I need in almost any variety of circumstances. I recently added a multi-tool as well, giving me a second gripping tool and a variety of other small tools. I’m of the opinion that carrying a big selection of tools is largely useless with modern vehicles, unless you have the diagnostic devices and spares to fix it as well, and that is a whole other level of preparedness.

There is a generally a pad of paper and a few pens or pencils as well, and usually a dispenser of small plastic garbage bags that might serve any number of purposes, from water carriers to footwear, and who knows what else.

Finally, I keep some supplies for my dog in there, consisting of a plastic container of dog food with plastic bowls that fit over each end, as well as a webbing leash. Most of the time, there is a two liter bottle of water in the car for the dog, but of course it is drinkable by me as well.

All of this stuff is stored neatly and out of the way, and is practically unnoticeable unless you are looking for it. I feel this is just normal stuff that every Canadian should carry or is likely to carry in their vehicle. Sadly, not many Canadians do carry as much as do I, even though I feel what I’ve got in my car is very little in the bigger scheme of things, and far from a full fledged bug out bag.
So what’s the content of your vehicular EDC?

Originally posted August 30, 2011 @ Manitoba Preppers Network

If It All Goes Up In Smoke

When you think of preparedness, the old saw about beans, bullets and band-aids is the first thing that comes to mind. Most of us concentrate our efforts, and often our limited amount of prepping cash on amassing supplies for a collapse, a situation where food, medicine and civil order are in short supply. We prepare for hurricanes, blizzards, floods and tornadoes and all manner of other natural disasters.

But here’s the thing: What if none of these happen, but instead we are faced with the most likely of disasters, a collapse of the monetary systems more or less worldwide? If you look at the world financial news and the behavior of the markets, it seems to be more of a possibility than ever before. Really, what happens if there is a financial crunch as big as or even bigger than that of 2008? Are you prepared?

Statistics would say not. Canadians seem to have fewer savings and more debt than ever before. Should we get into a situation of even tighter credit, rising interest rates, hyperinflation, deflation, or any combination of those things, Joe average is likely to see life get a lot harder. So what to do?

First, get out of debt. Yes, I know that everyone tells you this, but other than the fact that you are paying often usurious interest that could be spent on better things, there is a pressing reason to eliminate as much debt as you can. That reason is that your cost of borrowing is not fixed. Read the fine print of most credit cards. That excellent rate you are enjoying can be jacked up for as simple a thing as a late payment. All of a sudden, you’re paying 29.9 % instead of 10.5 %, more than a little shock to your budget. If you think that credit card companies won’t do that to try to squeeze profit out in a crashed economy, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you….

Mortgages are another thing entirely. It may be worthwhile to lock in for a longer term right now if you feel the interest rates are unstable. Right now, Canada seems to be unlikely to see a sharp increase in mortgage rates, but that can change rapidly.

Another reason is to ensure that your goods and property cannot be seized or lien placed against them. Your nifty bug out vehicle does you no good if it’s locked in a compound awaiting sale to cover your debts. Right now, it’s a fairly time consuming process to do that to a person, but look out for streamlined procedures to be pushed through in crisis times by those that have money owed them.

Second, save some money. Start by getting cash in the bank, and then perhaps invest in some physical gold and silver. I believe that at some point, there is going to come a time when someone presenting a credit or even a debit card for payment will be met with a refusal. As the financial situation worsens, there will be a surge of businesses and people that will deal only with cash or silver and gold.

It’s up to you where you stash your cash. If you choose to keep your reserves in a bank, so be it, but in essence, it is electronic money that can disappear in a crash. I would recommend that you keep 50% of your currency in physical form, and have at least some of it as silver and gold.

Third, watch what you invest in. Right now, the markets swing without regard to the realities, but are actually driven by both fear and speculation. If you truly have money to spare, and won’t be significantly harmed financially by its total loss, jump in. on the other hand, if you can’t afford to lose, don’t gamble.

So it’s simple, right? Reduce debt, increase savings, and invest wisely. Easier said than done, I know. But I believe that in the years to come, carrying low or no debt is the most important thing of all the things you can do to prepare financially. If you are beholden to no one, then your prospects, possibilities and potential for comfortable survival in a shit hitting the financial world situation is far greater.

It’s just common sense

I Love the Whole World...

... and all it’s craziness
Boom-de-ah-da, boom-de-ah-da
Boom-de-ah-da, boom-de-ah-da

Remember that Discovery Channel commercial? Well, if you want to love all the craziness, now is the time, especially if you live in the Eastern U.S. Not only did they get a fairly strong earthquake last week, they are also dealing with Hurricane Irene clawing its way up the Eastern seaboard. Both the earthquake and the hurricane are not as bad as they potentially could have been, but bad enough.

The earthquake was interesting, not so much for it’s occurrence (in fact, earthquakes happen in the eastern part of the continent with fair regularity) but for what it says about the geography of eastern North America. The earthquake, while reasonably mild in terms of intensity, propagated over a wide area due to the rocky nature of the terrain. Now imagine that same earthquake but stronger. The magnitude was 5.8, but imagine it ten (6.8), a hundred (7.8) or a thousand (8.8) times stronger. It’s rare, but it could happen.

Less unusual, but still rare is Hurricane Irene. This is the first hurricane to make landfall in three years, and the first in decades to claw its way up the eastern seaboard. It has killed at least eight people and left two million people without power. The category of this storm? A One, and a weak Category One at that, although it is a very large storm in area. But now consider what would happen if Irene had held up as a Category Three as it was previously, or even gained intensity as it ran towards the coast?

Luckily, both earthquake and hurricane have been mild, and are atypical events. At least that’s what we like to think. In reality, over the span of geological time, they are regular, not at all unusual events. It is merely our personal, short time line that makes them seem so, but bigger and badder things are in fact inevitable across the planet.

As the commercial said: “ The World is just…awesome.”

It is indeed. Make sure you’re prepared just in case some of that awesome happens where you live.

Boom-de-ah-da!

Originally posted August 28, 2011 @ CPN

Good luck with that....

Something that pisses me off completely is the concept of bugging out. I read article after article about this perfect bugout vehicle. They range from some idiot’s concept of a super SUV, to some other idiots converted school bus. Pulling a trailer to boot!

Leaving aside the obvious, which is that all of these on road vehicles are stopped by as little as washed out bridge over a small stream, there is also the issue of how big a target you are.

“A big fat school bus pulling a trailer? Nah, I won’t hit that“, says the bad guy. “There won’t be anything good in it. Let’s let it go by…”

Right. Pull the other one.

But for all the lack of realism in the vehicular bug out camp, there is an even worse set of assumptions out there. There seems to be a whole lot of people that think they will play Davey Crockett and just walk off into the woods with their trusty rifle and their ‘possibles’ bag. These live off the land types are largely ridiculed, and for the most part, justly so. It’s just not realistic to believe that you can carry enough in a pack to survive more than a week or two without some sort of re-supply.

This is where a third set of assumptions come into play, whether as a primary bug out plan or as a Plan B from a failed vehicular bug-out. The assumption in both these plans is that they can walk to their retreat, cache, or what have you. They believe that walking can get them and their family out of trouble. But can they?

Aside from the obvious issues of attackers, weather, and supply, most of these folks are gravely over-estimating what they can do and carry on foot. For starters, we’re likely not walking the major roads. In fact , if you’re planning on walking roads at all you’re likely going to come to a bad end. This means you will be walking ploughed fields, bush, mucky bottom land, slopes and rocky trails.

And that’s where the problem starts. Not everyone can make good time in these conditions. Much is dependent on age and conditioning. Let me give you an example. A friend and his 10 year old just hiked a fairly difficult trail in my area. The trail is 8.3 km long and it took them six hours to get to the end. My spouse and I hiked the same trail a day later and it took us less than half the time to complete the same distance.

Obviously, hiking with kids will be a lot slower process. But there were other factors at work. The spouse and I are used to carrying packs and are seasoned, well-conditioned hikers. We have experience on rough terrain, and I was using hiking poles which helped me hike faster with less fatigue.

Age, injury, and conditioning all have an effect. Age we can’t do much about, but conditioning is under our control, and through conditioning, we can control some of our risk of injury. I believe in our car oriented world that few people have the fitness and conditioning to make the sort of hike I just made, never mind one that might take weeks or even months to accomplish.

Bugging out on foot isn’t an impossible, or even a bad plan. Sadly, far too few are preparing properly to walk to safety, even though they are planning on it. A few things you can do:

Practice. Walk your route with a loaded pack.

Get conditioned. Walk, run, swim, whatever it takes to be active and fit.
But remember that the best conditioning is doing what you would actually need to do.
It’s just common sense.

For Women: Fitness

While many survival writers emphasis fitness, it somehow seems that all they write about are men and fitness, never women and fitness. Generally, in articles written for women, fitness seems to be more about having firmer thighs or a shapelier butt rather than building strength or endurance. In reality, women interested in survivalism and being physically prepared need to take specific steps in order to get ready for the demands of a crisis.

A very important aspect for women is upper body strength. This is a must have in the area of self defense, in my opinion. If a woman lacks the strength to land an effective blow, her ability to defend herself is limited. Additionally, the ability to escape and evade, or simply to travel distances with a loaded pack can be limited by a lack of upper body strength.

The easiest way for women to increase strength is to either use resistance machines or by weight training. Since women do not produce the amount of testosterone necessary for the type of hypertrophy seen in male body builders, the chance that they will wind up with a body like Arnold is highly unlikely, unless they take steroids ( a stupid thing for anyone to do) or are exercising to the extreme. They will see some increase in muscle size, but think of a result like Jillian Michaels rather than Arnold Schwarzenegger. Overall, an increase of up to 40% in strength is absolutely possible for women.

In my opinion, in addition to overall strength for self defense, a woman should also aim for a minimum upper body strength that will make it possible for her to do a few chin-ups or pull-ups, or be able to climb a rope if necessary.

Endurance training is another area that women should look at. In our modern society, we drive everywhere, and few people are used to walking any sort of distance. The survival minded woman should be able to walk fairly long distances, and preferably over uneven terrain with a loaded pack. Walking paths and sidewalks in the urban environment are a fine start, but do not resemble the difficult terrain that would likely need to be travelled during a bug out or escape and evasion. Train with a full pack wherever possible to build strength and to get used to the weight and balance of the pack.

There are other areas women should train towards. Speed is important, both in evasion and combat. Flexibility is also important, and often an area men neglect, giving a woman a possible advantage. There are of course lots of side benefits to better fitness: feeling better, looking better, and increased confidence.

Women should incorporate martial arts training into their fitness program as well. There are lots of martial arts styles, and each will have its particular demands that the body needs to be trained for. Additionally, sports such as parkour and obstacle running impart skills that while ensuring the highest level of fitness, will also impart skills that may one day be live savers.

Fitness, and survival fitness in particular are areas women should not shy away from. There is little to be lost except perhaps that muffin top, and much to be gained by training hard to become as strong, fast and quick as possible. Maybe even your life.

Originally posted August 17, 2011 @ MPN

Thin Veneer

No doubt that last weeks riots in Britain will have many knee jerk survivalist types pointing to those events as proof that the veneer of civilization is a thin coating over our more savage natures. It will be used as the justification for urging preppers to bigger and better weapons for protection. And on at least one blog, the hit and run killing of three men has already been touted as more ‘nanny state’ wrongheadedness, as if being armed would really have made a difference to the three men run over.

All of which is really just so much bullshit. As far as the thin veneer of civilization crap goes, there were as many acts of selflessness and honourable behavior as not. The vast majority of London’s population was NOT rioting, nor was the majority of people in other British cities affected. A small specific demographic comprised the bulk of the rioters, and the unrest was relatively quickly contained, and would not have lasted as long as it did were police not trying to be ‘sensitive’ and avoid escalating events.

As far as bigger and better weapons? How many guns can you fire at once? If you have one decent weapon per family member then short of automatic weapons, you are close to being as armed as you can be effectively. Sure, you can get the bigger clip, or the heavier caliber, but if 20 rounds hasn’t solved the problem, will 30 be enough? Better to spend less on weapons and more on getting you and your family out of densely populated areas where riots are possible.

Finally, as far as an armed populace is concerned, think about several hundred or thousands of armed looters and rioters running about the streets. What would the police casualties have been in London had the rioters been armed? How many more innocent bystanders would have died?

Of course, the gun types will tell you that an armed populace could have helped out. Sure. The truth is that armed or not, few people willingly put themselves in harms way out of altruism, regardless of Hollywood mythology to the contrary. Police and military personnel are trained to do what they do contrary to their instincts. If it was natural for all, they wouldn’t need the training.

However, if a riot does come to a neighbourhood near you, there are things you can do. One of which is be armed, whether with a baseball bat or a firearm. There are numerous reports of shopkeepers deterring looters during the los Angeles riots due to their presence. On the other hand, remember that nothing material is worth your life.

Buddy up as quickly as possibly. There are reports out of London that whole streets got together to deter rioters. If one person with a bat is a deterrent, twenty or thirty are much more so. Be aware that if you use excessive force, and the temptation to do so may be very great, you might be the one in trouble rather than the looters.

Another viable strategy is to get the hell out. Again, all things material are replaceable, the lives of you and your family are not. While it might be tempting to do the ‘manly’ thing and face up to unrest, in some situations you will serve your self and family better by getting to a place of safety.

As a long term strategy, make sure you aren’t where riots will be. Past history has shown that rioting usually begins in areas with harsh economic and social conditions. Almost anyone can find themselves in that kind of situation, and almost anyone can get out of them with the right mix of motivation and effort.

Remember that every situation is different, and thus your response needs to be geared to the particular situation in which you find yourself. Make a plan for dealing with civil disorder, with options that put the safety of you and yours as the prime objective, no matter what situation you are dealing with.

It’s just common sense.

For Women: Self Defense

It’s a common scenario in most movies. The female lead, whether tough as nails cop or helpless homemaker, is at the mercy of the physically bigger and stronger male villain. Usually, she is saved from beating, rape, or death only by the intervention of the hero, generally an equally strong male who will defeat the bad guy in a no holds barred physical confrontation. Nice in theory, but art unfortunately does not imitate life, and in reality it is likely up to the woman to save herself.

Ideally, the lady in question will be armed to the teeth. Again, the reality may be that she is not and must defend herself as best she can without weapons, or only with what comes to hand. Given the disparity of size and strength between male and female, the odds are heavily against the female winning such a contest.

While there is no guarantee, women can shift the odds in their favour. One way is by becoming fitter and stronger, about which more in an upcoming post. Another way to even the odds somewhat is by taking training in martial arts.

There are several benefits to doing this. Strength, speed, and flexibility can all be improved while training in the martial arts, although usually not enough in my opinion. I still think women must go to extra lengths to obtain the strength necessary to fight effectively.

Another benefit is to ‘untrain’ them. Whether you believe it is in a woman’s nature to be less aggressive, or it is the role society trains them to assume, it is a truism that women tend to be less forceful and less likely to react physically to threats. Martial arts training will help with that.

Finally, martial arts techniques will give a woman the training and techniques that will make fighting for her life a viable option rather than a hopeless gesture.

So, what sort of training is appropriate? First, although the sort of ‘rape-proofing’ self defense class that is usually offered to women might be an okay starting point, it should not be considered anything more than a warm up to more effective training. The unfortunate thing about many of these classes is that there is an assumption that escape or assistance is eventually available. Nor do these sort of classes advocate deadly force.

There are a lot of classic martial arts, but some will not transfer well to either life or death combat, or to the size and strength of women. Some ‘harder’ styles of Karate for example, will not work well for a woman facing an aggressive male. Other styles can take excessive time to master, have arguable effectiveness, or are perhaps too ‘sportified’ (e.g. judo) to be useful. However, rather than create a tedious list of what not too take, I’ll get right to the point.

I believe the overall best martial art for women is Krav Maga, the unarmed combat system used by the Israeli armed forces. It has emphasis on continuous motion, aggressiveness and speed. It also teaches techniques for dealing with attackers with weapons, and places some emphasis on improvised weapons. I believe the importance it places on violent action to end a confrontation as soon as possible is of most benefit to women, both psychologically and physically.

Jeet Kune Do would be a close second choice, due to its emphasis on speed and effectiveness over technique. Unfortunately, both it and Krav Maga are eclectic styles and not widely available everywhere.

In fact, a woman looking for martial arts training may have very limited options. In choosing something to learn (since almost any martial art has at least some utility), try to find one that involves full contact. Again, women are trained not to be physical, and practice in hitting and being hit will at least benefit the mental preparedness side of things.

Regardless of the martial art, look for the techniques that have application in real life combat. Even a sport like judo will teach at least one or two throws and chokes that may be useful. It is the same in any other style. Avoid the complicated, look for the simple and effective. Even boxing has something to offer, if only to teach speed and precision in punching.

Women should (at least in my opinion) try to avoid styles that have a heavy emphasis on grappling and groundwork, two areas that they will likely be at a disadvantage. Weapon heavy styles are also to be avoided, as the likelihood of you having your weapon of choice at hand when you need it most is not high. But if grappling or weapons styles are all that you can find, take them. Any training is better than none at all.

Even with the best training in the world, there is no guarantee that a woman trained in a martial art can defeat any attacker. You can be guaranteed that with training, her chances are orders of magnitude greater.

Originally posted August 07,2011 @ MPN

Watching for Storms

Well, wasn’t that an interesting week? Major drops on stocks across the world, a downgrade of the US bond rating from AAA to AA+, and the continued debt crisis in Europe. Is it the end of everything? Is the shit hitting the fan? Should we bug out now?

Not hardly. By and large, the crises gripping the financial world haven’t come home to roost quite yet, although I would guess that some are winging our way. The sheer size and inertia of the world banking system means that a lot of the crud happening now may take days, weeks or months to have an effect on Mr. and Mrs. Average Canuck.

In fact, while analysts wring their hands about the US downgrading by Standard & Poors, the ‘slack’ may already be out of the stock market and little more may happen. On the other hand, Monday may see a bloodbath in financial circles. No one really knows for certain. Not that it will cause an immediate collapse of any kind.

The problem is that it’s one more straw. Events keep loading up, and we are looking at a possible confluence of events that might cause more problems than the sum of the parts. It’s not like this hasn’t happened before in history. A little reading will teach you that this has happened before. Economic collapse plus crop failure plus Mother Nature have combined countless times in countless variations to cause hardship for the human race somewhere. We’ve always bounced back.

The problem now is that where once a disaster in one part of the world left the rest of us unaffected, that is no longer the case. Epidemics are no longer constrained by distance, economic collapse by isolation, or political unrest by indifference. In our highly globalized and interconnected world, what happens there sooner or later has an effect here.

No need to panic, but there is a need to watch out for a number of problems combining to cause one that one perfect storm of events. Keep prepping, don’t obsess over the perfect plan, just keep working at getting better prepared. As I’ve said elsewhere, don’t get so caught up polishing the handrails that you forget to launch the life boat.

Originally posted August 07, 2011 @ CPN

Get Cookin'

Recently I’ve been reading books about food. I’ve read The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan (reviewed below), The Food Rules by the same author, and am a good way into The End of Food by Paul Roberts. These books are examinations of how we eat, what we eat, and how our food is produced.

One of the things that has struck me through this reading is that the food industry has continuously tried to ‘add value’ to foods so that they can charge more for their product. That’s fine as far as it goes, but with the advent of fast food, microwavable meals, and all the toaster or oven ready foods out there, there has been a disturbing cultural change in our society: No-one knows how to cook!

So what does that mean for a prepper? It may well mean that having stored wheat or flour, that person might not know how to turn it into bread. They might not know how to safely prepare and cook a chicken. They might have a years worth of food, but can they do anything more than open cans?

It might not seem like the most earth shattering of problems, but let’s look at it. Sooner or later in a big enough crisis, even the most prepared prepper is going to be out of canned/prepackaged/premade food. At that point, they need to be able to convert raw foods into edible meals. Without the skills to butcher, can and cook those straight from the garden, field or forest products, how successful are they likely to be? At best, you will wind up wasting a lot of food while preparing barely palatable meals. At worst, you might starve in the midst of plenty, make someone sick with parasites, or even kill someone with food poisoning.

Not only are the nutritional aspects important, there is the very important aspect of the emotional and psychological aspects of food. We all understand the concept of comfort food and how it can be used to buoy us up in an emotional crisis. There is also the aspect of long term morale in a family or even a larger group. Eating bad food day in and day out will have a negative effect on morale, and will in turn affect your group’s cohesiveness and ability to accomplish other tasks.

Thankfully, the solution is simple. Just learn to cook. You needn’t become a Cordon Bleu chef, just a competent cook. Learn the basics of cooking baking, canning and butchering, and you’re well on your way. As you learn to master basics, you can experiment with more elaborate meals. Make a point when learning to use the same foods as those you’ve stored so that you are familiar with the ingredients you’ll have available.

There are benefits right now to doing this. You’ll likely be eating a lot less prepared and restaurant meals and more home cooked meals which can be healthier and save you money. But most importantly, you’ll have a skill that enhances the prospects of survival for yourself and others. Surviving doesn’t have to be about trying to quell the rumblings of your belly with a cold can of beans while you fight off despair, it can be about fresh bread, good meals and good morale.

It’s just common sense.

For Women: Backpacks

As I mentioned elsewhere, there is a tremendous lack of writing in the preparedness and survival field for women. The first area I’d like to discuss is packs specifically for women. Backpacks seem to form the basis of everybody’s B.O.B., but no-one looks at what might be necessary for the woman or women in your group to carry loads safely and effectively. By safety I mean without injury, and by effectiveness, I mean the ability to carry a meaningful load over distance without undue fatigue or effort.

There are a number of physical characteristics that need to be taken into account when choosing backpacks for females. Women tend to have shorter torsos, curvier hips and bust, and tend to be less broad in the shoulders, proportionally, than males.

The first thing to look at is torso length. Women’s shorter torsos can make it nearly impossible to get a good ‘fit’ on a pack that is too long, even on a highly adjustable model. Better brands of packs come in varying torso lengths, and should be sized to the length of your torso, whether male or female. If your local sporting goods store doesn’t know what you’re talking about, find a store that does, and that can help fit you.

The second issue in getting an effective woman’s pack is in the hips. Generally speaking, a woman’s hips are bell shaped, as opposed to the more cylindrical hip structure in men. A good woman’s backpack will have conforming hip-belts that allow most of the load to ride on the hips comfortably. Look for a pack that rides relatively low on the hip bones, where women are most able to bear the weight. It is hard to over-emphasis the importance of this area of fit. A heavy pack with a standard belt can leave startling bruises on the hips, as well as making the wearer too sore to continue.

Also, a proper woman’s pack will be contoured anatomically to give the best fit over the chest, making breathing easier as well.

Finally, women are narrower through the shoulders than men, and a woman trying to use a pack designed for a male will often find the shoulder straps too far apart for proper fit and load bearing. Again, a well made woman’s backpack will have shoulder straps set closer together.

Another factor to consider is internal vs. external frame backpacks. Since women tend to sway at the hips more when they walk, the overall stability of the pack on the wearer is an issue. Generally an internal frame pack tends to hug the body more, giving better balance and stability in rough terrain.

When choosing a pack, go for one that has a good amount of adjustability in both harness and in keeping your load stable, especially with packs that are not crammed full. For lighter applications, a lumbar or large fanny pack might be a good choice, as it too keeps the weight low on the hips and close to the body.

There are a variety of sizes and brands available. Gregory makes a women’s expedition pack with an 80 to 90 liter capacity (see picture above), and there are a number of multi-day packs in the 60 to 70 liter range from both Arc’teryx and Gregory. There are also a number of companies making daypacks in the 15 to 35 liter range as well as packs in 35 to 55 liter capacities specifically for women.

We all hope it will never come to it, but one day the ability to carry enough supplies and equipment to sustain you may be the difference between life and death. Having load bearing equipment that is suitable for a woman to do so might be the difference between her life and death.

Originally posted August01, 2011 @ MPN

Review: The Omnivore's Dilemma

I haven’t reviewed a book on this blog yet, but I’ve just read one that I think everyone should read. It is called The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan. It is an examination, or as the book says, the natural history of four meals. Fancy words aside, the book takes a deep look at several of the ways we North Americans eat.

The first area of the book looks at processed food by way of looking at the ubiquitous role corn plays in the food system. The second and third look at factory organic and small organic, while the fourth meal concentrates on foraged and hunted food.

There are a number of things in this volume that should be of interest to those of us involved in preparedness. The first section of the book alone with its look at the lengthy and convoluted supply chains and intensive processing required to create ‘modern’ foods should be a wakeup call with regards to both food security and food quality.

Even the organic ‘factory’ farms get a good look, and while we are all told how much better organic is, you’ll find that it is again a business of a few large corporate entities that are as vulnerable as the conventional food system is to disruption, and only better for the environment in a qualified way.

The third section of the book was of the most interest to me with its look at ‘small’ organic farming. The model under examination attempts to keep outside inputs to a minimum, and seems the most sustainable of the models discussed.

The fourth and final section I found interesting to a lesser degree, but even it had some interesting points to make about the skill sets needed in foraging and hunting.

You aren’t going to find a lot of how-to’s or definitive paths to follow in this book. What you will find is material that may lead you to question how we eat now, and how we may (or may not) eat in the future. It is thought provoking material that challenges some of our basic assumptions about how we produce our food.

If all this book does is make you do something about having a more secure food supply, then it will be well worth the read.

Originally posted August 01, 2011 @ CPN

'Net Loss

In the news today, there was an article about some 20 year old dying from a blood clot that formed after he had been sitting in the same position playing X-box for hours on end. I thought it was an interesting way to die, if really pathetic. I immediately leapt onto my Facebook page to make sure all my friends knew about it. Ditto for MySpace and LiveJournal….

Except that I didn’t, because I don’t belong to those social networking sites. Aside from the blogging I do here, and a presence on a few discussion boards, I don’t use social media. I don’t have a YouTube channel, and I don’t want one. Personally, I think they are detrimental to being properly prepared.

Overall, I think that many aspects of social media and the internet as a whole are negatives when it comes to preparedness. I agree that the net is an excellent way to meet other preppers and share ideas, but at some point it becomes too much of a good thing. If you wanted to, you could spend your entire day surfing survival sites. A dozen different web pages will teach you how to make fire, the best B.O.B. to build, and a thousand other things.

Unfortunately, you’re sitting there reading about it and not doing it. For far too many people, reading and talking takes the place of actually getting things done toward achieving a certain level of preparedness. Worse yet, while they might well read articles about how important it is to be physically prepared, they are sitting in front of a computer screen instead of being active and getting fit.

We’ve become a culture of observers and not doers. We have come to believe that answering our e-mail is equivalent to accomplishing a task like growing a garden or building a shed. Reading about gardening or woodworking is as far away from actually practicing those skills as you can get.

It is likely that you have all the info you need, and that more surfing, discussion boards, and downloading will just get you more of what you’ve already got. Now you need to take that information and put it too use: grow a garden, build a chair, learn to weld, or whatever else makes your socks roll up and down. Turn your damned computer off and get out there. The more time you waste here means less time to practice and prepare.

The other aspect of social media and the web is illustrated by the picture that heads this article. While it’s great to find others into survivalism and prepping, it’s unlikely that they live next door or even in your town. In a major crisis, it is the people living across the alley, next door, or down the block that you really need to know, not some faceless net friend. Contacts and your social network in real life are the ones that will be there to see you through, not all the people you ‘friended’ on Facebook.


It’s just common sense

A Matter of Degree

Another African nation is in the news lately. Somalia is enduring what has been called the worst famine in a generation, and millions are at risk. Drought is the primary cause, although there are contributing factors. There is little likelihood that sufficient aid will reach those in need quickly enough and in sufficient quantity to save many.

What relevance is this to us in affluent North America, you may ask. After all, what do we have in common with a war torn impoverished country in perpetually crisis ridden Africa? As it turns out, we have plenty. We just aren’t seeing the extremes….yet.

First up is climate change. I really don’t care if you think it is anthropogenic or a natural turn of earth’s climate. Perhaps it is both. The undeniable fact is that unless you are deliberately obtuse, we are facing changes in climate. A quick example is the fact that previously, you might see two or three +20C nights on the prairies, now there are roughly 20 per year, which means there is that much more energy for violent thunderstorms and other extreme weather events.

We have seen two very difficult, wet spring planting seasons on the prairies, and now we are gripped in a heat wave. Much of the southern USA is in a long and extreme drought. While we haven’t seen extreme crop failures as yet, growing conditions are changing, which bring new challenges to farmers.

Somalis are without significant government aid on any level. Here in North America, we have seen the inadequacy of resources available to deal with Katrina, and elsewhere with New Zealand and Japan. Compounding that, we are seeing governments at many levels trimming services to balance budgets which may leave what services there are stretched too thin too be of any real use.

So far, we don’t have the civil wars that plague Somalia. That could change if and when conditions worsen, either here or in the US. There is already a de facto movement to create a group of US states that would be a ‘redoubt’ against hard times, and a half serious idea has been floated to have counties of California secede and create a new state (one that incidentally would vote overwhelmingly Republican, but I digress). I doubt any American government will allow the first, and the second civil war would be on. Note also that warfare doesn’t need to involve governments. The escalation of gang warfare in many large cities can be as dangerous as any regular war.

Inflation is a problem in Somalia. Food prices have risen 270 percent in a short time. Worldwide, food prices have already been on the rise, and if we have a financial event of the right magnitude, it might well spark an inflationary spiral in the more developed nations.

Not that I’m saying that we have the trials that the Somalis are facing, far from it. I just want to point out that what they have in the extreme, we already possess the seeds of in some small way, and while things are pretty dang good over all, things can go from good to bad in a short period of time.

Take a minute to be thankful we live in a rich country that provides us the opportunity to put back supplies and equipment for hard times. Then get busy doing it.

We aren’t immune.

Originally posted July 24, 2011 @ CPN

Review: Dual Survival Season 2

The bloom is off of the rose. Season 2 of Dual Survival has run its course, and I have to say, while I sort of liked the first season for various reasons, the second leaves me wondering if I can somehow get the time back I have spent watching it.

The disillusionment started right off of the bat in the first episode. For some reason, they decided it was a good idea to demonstrate how to cauterize a wound using black powder. So Dave Canterbury slashed his own arm, and Cody Lundin dumped on the powder and lit it off. It did cauterize the wound, although I wonder if the procedure caused more additional trauma from burning than it was worth.

Furthermore, the slash was not of a severity that couldn’t be treated with direct pressure and an improvised wound dressing. Not that I am advocating Canterbury maim himself for television, but I am concerned that they may leave the impression that cauterization is the treatment of choice for a wound of such limited severity. On top of which, it ticks me off that in none of their scenarios (in which they play the part of the typical persons) does anyone ever carry a first aid kit. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some CELOX coagulant in a first aid kit? On the off chance you don’t happen to be a black powder hunter with powder horn at the ready?

Overall, the series continues the well-worn format of hypothetical situations used by almost every survival show out there. The pair proceeds through a variety of situations, but there is little of novelty or interest in them. What originally promised to be differing viewpoints of how to tackle a survival problem seems to have degenerated by the last episode of the season to two cranky old men bickering. The differences that arise seem to have little to do with their varying styles and more to do with the personalities involved.

Canterbury is very much the push-on, hard charger type of personality whereas Lundin is innately cautious. I believe that over two seasons, the difference in personalities is causing friction, and indeed, some of the talk-to-camera asides are far less respectful and civil than in the first season.

The difference in style is wearing to the viewer as well. Watching Canterbury make a high risk descent down a steep valley had me half cringing and half hoping he would fall a punishment for his bull-headedness. Frankly, I can do with a little less testosterone and a little more common sense and information.

Lundin’s insistence on bare feet and shorts is becoming similarly annoying. He might get away with this behavior in his home turf in the American southwest, but it strikes the viewer as pig-headed stupidity as he gets his legs and feet damaged in multiple shows in varying terrains. If bare footedness was such an advantage, shoes would not have been invented over 5,000 years ago.

There isn’t a lot of new information in the second season. Follow rivers downstream to find civilization, stay dry, and stay hydrated and so on. Lots of the basics any show of this type has presented, and very few new concepts or ideas.

While I felt the show was, overall, worth watching in the first season, I can’t make the same recommendation for the second season. I really feel that if you took the twelve hours watching this show a would take and instead spent twelve hours practicing any survival skill at all, or even spent it organizing your preps, it would be time far better utilized.

Unfortunately, the show seems to have been renewed for a third season, so I’ll be watching at least twelve more hours of it.

Originally posted July 24. 2011 @ MPN

Packing

“I know how good a gun feels. It makes you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, three meters tall and covered with hair. You’re ready for anything and kind of hoping you’ll find it. Which is exactly what is dangerous about it – because you aren’t anything of the sort. You are a feeble, hairless embryo, remarkably easy to kill.
- Tunnel in the Sky by Robert A Heinlein

The protagonist in Heinlein’s novel is wondering about what sort of gun would be best for a survival test, and his advisor convinces him not take one. I’m not going to say you shouldn’t carry a weapon, but I do want to talk about the role firearms should play in your preparations.

First, let’s be honest. Guns are cool. Carrying a gun makes you feel cool. Further, it makes you feel powerful and in control, whereas in reality you are not. It does have its uses, and to be without a firearm in a major crisis that involves a serious breakdown of civic authority will likely make you a victim.

Unfortunately, a disproportionately large amount of writing, money and effort have gone into the firearms aspect of prepping. What gun to buy, how many, marksmanship, small unit tactics and endless thinking about scenarios (or fantasies) of how they might be used take up far too much time and effort. Far too little time is spent on how and when not to use them and what might be the disadvantages of using firearms.

The first disadvantage is illustrated by the quote at the start of the article. Guns make you feel confident, safe and secure, when in reality you are nothing of the sort. It doesn’t matter if you are carrying the ultimate battle rifle and plenty of ammunition if someone shoots you between the eyes with a single shot bolt action .22 as you saunter down a trail armed to the teeth. A rifle won’t save you if you step in someone’s well made punji pit, or take cover behind a rock that has a black powder nail bomb waiting for you.

The second disadvantage is that once you pull the trigger, you have announced your presence to anyone within a mile or two at the very least. In my opinion, one of the highest priorities after a major collapse would be keeping a low profile and that includes strict noise discipline. The report of a rifle is pretty much unmistakable for what it is, and is going to give anyone that wants it a rough bearing to your location.

Some might argue that a firearm is necessary for gathering food. In response, I’d argue that hunting with a rifle is a remarkably inefficient way to harvest wild game. You are far better off using traps and snares which multiply your effort for little expenditure of energy, and will not startle other game in the area. Even larger game such as deer can be taken with appropriate traps.

If you must hunt, consider using a bow. Although some types of bows require a fairly large investment of time to master, crossbows are easy to use and configured much like a rifle. All bows are almost silent in use (compared to a gun), and often as deadly in hunting.

Let’s look at some of the things that go along with guns and prepping. One is marksmanship, which I have no argument with, other than you also need to practice with things like bows and slingshots, in my opinion.

Another thing is the heavy emphasis put on small unit tactics and training. I;ve lost count of the videos I’ve seen with camo-clad guys sneaking about the bush in the best imitation infantry style. While training to work and fight as a team is good, too much time and effort go into it, and very little on camouflage, evasion, noise discipline and so on. You know, the things that keep you from being noticed and keep you out of the firefight rather than being in the position of having to win one.

Again, I’m not saying guns are bad. I believe that they are essential tools to have in the event of a major collapse. I just believe they should be the last option you go to, rather than the first. Once you start shooting, someone is going to get hurt, and that someone might be you, or someone close to you. So avoiding confrontation through other methods is far preferable than a shootout at the O.K. Corral.

It’s just common sense.

Review: World Made by Hand

James Howard Kunstler’s World Made by Hand has been around a couple of years now, but I’ve just read it, and frankly, I’m underwhelmed. I previously read his non-fiction work The Long Emergency, and was quite impressed by that, and had high hopes for his novel. Alas, disappointment ensues.

The book takes place after a collapse of society precipitated by the confluence of peak oil, financial collapse and climate change. The resulting society is functioning at an 1800s, largely agrarian level of society, and where it is not, it is scavenging old technology and materials. The viewpoint character is the local carpenter and handyman, formerly in the computer and software business prior to the collapse.

The story is fairly slow to develop, and the pace of the book is almost languid in places. While the prose is well written, I found the plotting to be slow enough that I had to force myself not to skip ahead. The ‘exciting’ parts of the book are barely that, in my opinion, and the novel is unlikely to keep you on the edge of your seat.


The main problem I have with the book is that it almost completely glosses over how the characters in the book evolved the current society, and doesn’t really show anything of the devolution and collapse that preceded it. If you’re looking for a book from which you can draw a lot of lessons in survival, this isn’t it.

As entertainment, it is okay, a decent enough read, as far as it goes. I would recommend borrowing it from your local library rather than laying out hard earned cash.

I just looked at how short the review of this book is, and maybe that’s the telling point: There just isn’t much to say about this book, good or bad. It just misses the mark completely, and falls somewhere in the middle.

Originally posted July 10, 2011 @ MPN

Review: Doomsday Preppers

Doomsday Preppers is a show that recently aired on the National Geographic Channel. It examines the preparations of four families for disaster, and assesses their readiness. Whether it is any use as a ‘how-to’ guide is highly debatable, although some excellent and even ingenious ideas are shown.

The first family shown is a suburban couple in Phoenix, Arizona. The husband (pictured above) is certain that there is going to be a coronal mass ejection in 2012 0r 2013, and is preparing for that. Unfortunately, he comes off as a bit of the stereotypical obsessed prepper, and has a tendency to throw around the usual catchphrases like ‘grid down situation’.

Their focus is self sufficiency in food, and he has converted a backyard swimming pool into a greenhouse/ aquaculture facility, and is raising everything from fish to chickens and goats at his suburban home. His setup is kind of interesting, although it is never explained where he plans to get his water if the grid goes down. The main problem I see with his situation is that his operational security is pathetic, and while he might have a plan for defending himself, his wife and their two small children, it is never shown.

The second family is that of a family also in Phoenix, and the emphasis is surviving economic collapse/hyperinflation. The family shown is pretty reasonable in their preparations, although again the operational security is pretty funny. They are shown getting a pallet of food delivered at night to preserve the anonymity of their food stores, from prying eyes, although I believe a semi offloading pallets in the middle of the night is going to be a bit noticeable no matter what. On the plus side, the family is armed, and practices with the weapons, even the kids, and they also seem to make an effort to acquire other skills.

The third group is a group of up to four families preparing for the collapse of society, although only two are shown. They live the retreater’s life on about 50 or 60 acres of woodland and pasture. They store food, power at least one vehicle by gasifying wood, and seem well prepared defensively. Again, the main problem seems to be their high profile in the area and questionable security. One of the men of the group is ex-military and seems to me at least a little overconfident in their ability to keep themselves safe.

The last family depicted is preparing for a nuclear war. They have built and stocked a fairly elaborate underground shelter and seem well prepared for immediate survival. The fault I find is that while the shelter seems well thought out, he seems to have no infrastructure or plans for the long term. There appears to be nothing but the shelter where he is, and he doesn’t elaborate on any plans for after he and his family leave the shelter.

On the whole, the program is an interesting glimpse at part of the prepper/survivalist movement, although some of the people come off as a little strange, especially the first family. This program really won’t do anything to enhance the image of preppers, and might actually reinforce some stereotypes.

It’s worth a watch for the few interesting ideas presented, such as the use of the empty swimming pool, but if you don’t get to see this, it won’t hurt your chances of surviving any.

Originally posted July 03, 2011 @ MPN

Storm Clouds

There is an ugly feeling in the air, at least in financial circles. There is growing, if anecdotal evidence that we might be headed for some unsettling times. If so, there are things you need to be doing, but first let’s look at what’s going on in the world that has brought us (or at least me) to this gloomy prognostication.

First, there is the ongoing situation in Europe. Greece and its financial woes are hardly, if at all resolved, and several other of the weaker economies in the EU are desperately trying to avoid Greece’s situation. Should Greece or one of the other countries default, it will send major ripples through the world’s financial structure.

On this side of the pond, the USA is currently struggling to resolve its debt cieling and deficit problems, and as of this writing, have only three weeks to do so. If an agreement between the parties is not reached, the US will be in default of its debt by early August, and the shockwaves that will occur in the markets don’t bear thinking about.

Even if that is resolved (and political games of chicken aside, it likely will be), the US economy is still faltering, and the world’s largest economic engine is at risk of stalling out, with consequences for almost everyone else in the world. The underlying causes of the 2008 crisis still exist. All that was done in the last few years was just treating symptoms, not curing the disease.

If you’re wondering where that leaves you, Joe or Jill Average, the answer is: Not in a good place. You might see goods scarcities, price inflation and possibly hyperinflation, large interest rate rises, more unemployment. I don’t think the possibility of another major depression is at all out of the question, with all the consequences that involves.

It is time to batten down the hatches and prepare to ride out the storm, economically speaking. If you have major debt, get rid of it. If you have a mortgage, even though the short term rates are really good, I’d think about locking in for up to five years to protect yourself. Consider looking at whatever investments you have and how you may be able to shift those to safer areas.

Look at you’re spending as well. Do you really need the bigger car, the 200 channel satellite package, or to eat out as much as you do? Cut your living expenses to the bone and start setting money aside. You need to have a reserve fund of at least three months expenses, but six would be far better.

And for me, here’s some extreme advice: I’ve never been big on buying physical gold and silver (can’t eat it or wear it), but I’d take at least 10% of the money you save and invest in some precious metals. Silver is (relatively) cheap compared to gold.

If there is overtime available, take it, it won’t last. If you can get a second job, think about doing it, at least for long enough to get better set financially.

I am not usually a doom and gloom guy. In fact, prepping makes me relaxed and happy. But right now I’m very pessimistic about the overall economic picture, and I am taking steps I never would have considered to ensure my economic preparedness in case of an ‘event’.

You might want to do so as well.

Originally posted July 10, 2011 @ CPN

Speaking in Tongues

A different language is a different vision of life. ~Federico Fellini

Here’s a little scenario for you. After the collapse, you are walking along the road toward safety. Ahead of you, there are two wrecked cars on the road, one to each side. As you walk towards them, a man stands up. He has a weapon, but it’s not pointed at you, not yet. He holds his hand out in a gesture to stop, which you do. Then he asks you a question. The problem is that you don’t understand a word of what he says. Now what will you do?

Is it an unlikely situation? Perhaps it is, if you stay glued to your home turf. In that case you might be the guy behind the car asking the question. How that incident might play out I leave to your imagination.

Obviously, this post is about the need to speak a foreign language. While many of the survival gurus are advising you to learn to blacksmithing or carpentry or brain surgery, I’d like you to consider learning a second language. There are several good reasons to do this and some surprising benefits as well.

The first reason to learn is presented by the little scenario I presented at the start of the article. While it may be your plan to be at home in the event of a crisis, there might be a reason you’re not, such as visiting family, business travel or vacationing. You just can’t say with absolute certainty where you will be if a crisis arises.

The second reason is also presented by the scenario. In the event of a large enough calamity, large numbers of people will be on the move, and some may not speak your mother tongue. It might well save lives if you can communicate with some of those on the road.

There are a number of other reasons. Studies show that learning a language is a great way to keep your mind sharp, and may enhance your career, or just give you some enjoyment in learning about another culture.

What language you should learn depends on a number of factors. The first is where you live. For North Americans, there are perhaps three logical choices of language. In Eastern Ontario, the American Northeast and the Maritimes, the rational choice is French.

If you can speak French, you’re ok in the large area of Quebec, the Acadian part of the Maritimes, and parts of Louisiana. Of course, the language will be useful in Europe, not only in France, but in several other countries where it has status as a second language. Given that French was a colonial power for centuries, you’ll also find it spoken in parts of the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. It is the second most studied language (after English) and it is estimated that it will have roughly 500 million speakers worldwide by 2025.

For the American Southwest and Florida, the first choice would be Spanish. With Spanish as a second language, you are set up for almost all of Central and South America, parts of Europe, and places like the Philippines. Spanish is the mother tongue of 400 million people, and there may be as many as another 100 million that speak it as a second language.

The third language I might consider is German. On this side of the Atlantic, there are isolated pockets of German speakers in Canada, the United States, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, and Venezuela.

Overseas, German is the most spoken language in the European Union, and there are approximately 100 million native German speakers. Due to the longstanding economic strength of Germany, it is widely spoken in Europe, and might be especially useful in Eastern Europe. There are another 80 million speakers of German as a second language.

There are of course other languages you could learn, but unless you are a frequent traveler to the country or countries that use the language, there isn’t much point. Why master Swedish if you never go to Sweden? On the other hand, if you are looking to retreat or retire to foreign climes, make it a high priority to learn the local language fluently. Without a fluency in the local speech, you will be forever completely on the outside and a target in bad times.

It’s cheap to learn a language. There are tons of internet sites and language programs available, both free and for a price. Likely there are language courses available from your local college or university. Alternatively, you may be able to advertise for private lessons from a native speaker in your area.

Let’s go back to that roadblock. This time it is you behind the barrier asking the questions. When you realize he doesn’t understand English, you switch to your second language, and it turns out that the traveler is a doctor, and just what is desperately needed in your group. After going through the usual precautions, you’ll invite him to join and add his skills to your group.


C’est juste bon sens.

Es apenas sentido común

Es ist gerade gesunder Menschenverstand

It’s just common sense

Girl Power

Survivalism and preparedness needs to get in touch with its feminine side. The vast majority of writing and other media on preparedness is almost always male oriented. Certainly, there are lots of female preppers out there, but they seem to have little voice. I am of course excepting our own Sue, who writes from a unique viewpoint, and has and is making a valuable contribution to this forum.

Unfortunately, she is in the minority. Where there are women‘s voices in the prepping world, they tend to fall into one of two broad categories: Either they tend to emulate the viewpoint and attitudes of their male colleagues, or they restrict themselves to traditional areas of female endeavour. The first might be from a desire to please a largely male readership, or it may be an attempt to fit in. The latter seems to largely grow out of the high proportion of conservative Christians in the prepping movement.

Not that there is anything wrong with writing from those viewpoints, except that it doesn’t really serve the needs of a large portion of women involved in preparedness. We need to see more women writing for women in this field. Then maybe we’ll hear fewer tales of hard to convince spouses, especially if prepping stops looking like another boys club.

So what areas are being missed? Here are just a few things I’ve noticed little or no attention being paid to over the years.

Load bearing Equipment - As some of you guys might have noticed, females are proportioned in delightfully different ways, which means for the most efficiency, safety, and weight capacity, packs designed specifically for women.

Weapons - Everything from knives and bows to assault rifles. The weapons themselves are not only not sized to a woman’s smaller frame and lesser physical strength, the available training rarely takes into account either the physicality or psychology of women.

Fitness and Health - Lots of emphasis on fitness in prepping, little of it directed at helping women. This is an especially important subject, given that women can be at a disadvantage in the strength department. The thing is, they don’t have to be.

There is a little discussion of women’s health issues, but what there is cursory, mostly confined to stocking up on tampons. Contraception, pregnancy, and a whole host of other subjects just don’t get mentioned much.

Martial Arts - In many scenarios, there is much discussion of civil disorder and the possibility of endemic crime, including assaults sexual and otherwise. Yet there is little space devoted to women being able to defend themselves physically. The assumption seems to be that some one with a Y chromosome will always be there to save them.

Those are just a few of the areas that need to be written about, but almost every area of prepping is involved. Even food can be an issue for women. For example, Canadian IMPs are fine in the short term, but are deficient in calcium and folic acid over the long term, two nutrients especially necessary in pregnancy, and folic acid is also necessary to prevent anemia, a problem for some women.

More than half the population is female. Perhaps more writing should address their concerns?

Originally posted July 03, 2011 @CPN

Essential Tools: Around the Retreat

Today we’re going to look at what a basic end of the world toolkit looks like. This is by no means an absolute list, but rather a starter kit you should have at your home or retreat. You can add to it as money and skill allows. None of these tools are particularly expensive, and most could even be picked up at yard sales if you are careful about checking for wear and quality. If you can afford the cost and storage for multiple tools, double up (or more) whenever possible. Tools do get lost or break sometimes, and they are nifty barter items.

Hammers – There are a lot of specialized hammers, but you need a minimum of two types: a claw hammer for hitting nails, and a ball peen hammer used for striking metal.

Saws – Handsaws are cheap and easy to use. For the long term, think about learning to sharpen them by hand.

Hacksaw – buy plenty of blades, they wear out. For cutting metal objects such as pipes.

Screwdrivers – A complete range of slotted, Phillips and Robertson screwdrivers would be the minimum for me. There are other specialist types such as Torx, but if you’ve got the big three, you’ll be okay in most situations.

Allen wrenches – Also known as hex keys, these are used for the recessed hexagonal headed screws/bolts seen in many applications. A good quality set with a range of sizes.

Measuring tape – at least one of 25’ or so. If you can afford a large reel tape of the sort you see surveyors use, that’s nice to have, as well.

Squares – Two types here, roofing or framing square, and a smaller combination square.

Levels – Two again, short one and at least a four footer.

Bit and Brace – what you’ll use after your electric drill doesn’t run. You might need a little practice using it, and make sure you know how to keep the bits sharp. Try to have a nice variety of lengths and sizes of bits.

Hand drill – NOT a bit and brace, but similar in use. Generally a hand cranked, geared drill, you can use it for lighter, tighter, and finer work than the bit and brace.

Socket set – ½ “ size, with a good variety of sizes and some extras like extensions and maybe a breaker bar.

Combination wrenches – A wrench with an open jaw one end and a box end on the other, in a variety of sizes.

Adjustable wrenches – At least two, and more in a variety of sizes if you can afford it. There’s always an off size bolt you’ll need these for.

Pipe wrenches – Always in pairs, and two pairs if affordable in larger and smaller sizes.

Vise grips – There probably isn’t a more abused tool out there, but it is invaluable for many jobs. Multiple sizes and styles if possible.

Pliers – The traditional style to start, then add needle nose and other types as you see fit. There are dozens of types, but have found lineman’s pliers and fencing pliers very useful. Your mileage may vary.

Pump pliers – in two sizes. These are adjustable long handled pliers that come in handy in a variety of situations.

Files – A variety of sizes and types, used for metal work/ sharpening.

Tin snips – For cutting sheet metal.

Cold chisel – Used to cut heavier metal.

Wire stripper – Self explanatory, I would think.

Side cutter pliers – Used to cut wire, you’ll find other uses the manufacturer never intended.

Wood chisels – A moderate range of sizes will keep you going in most circumstances.

Wood plane - a general purpose plane such as a jack plane. Learn how to use it.

Bolt cutter – Also known as a chain cutter, this is a specialized tool, but one I think necessary for certain uses. Buy a large one.

Crow bar – used in demolition mostly, but pretty handy to have around.

Nail puller – You can use the claw on your hammer, but the specialized tool is easier on wrists and hands if you’re salvaging a lot of lumber.

Box cutter and blades – multiple uses.

Stapler – I mean the construction type here. Great for tacking up almost everything. Buy lots of staples.

Clamps- If you have room and money, clamps make building anything easier, especially when you haven’t got someone around to ‘just hold this here’.

Bench vise – and some bolts to mount it. Even if you screw this to a log, you’ll find doing a lot of things easier when they are held securely. It is nearly indispensible when sharpening a variety of tools.

There you go, a list of the basics. You can of course add to it, but when acquiring tools keep in mind the likelihood of needing the tool (You need a six foot long pipe wrench? Really?) and your ability to use the tool.

Some tools come in a variety of weights (hammers, for example) or sizes (saws). Make sure the tools you have are tools you can use safely and without undue fatigue. If you’re not a person handy with tools, start learning now. There are lots of how-to guides out there for almost every task and project imaginable. Start simple and build your skill, confidence and toolkit. It’ll save you money, and maybe even your life someday.

Originally posted June 28,2011 @MPN