One of the basics of survival is having the ability to cut and chop wood. It is wood that will fuel the fires that keep us warm, boil our water, and cook our food. It seems simple enough, right? Grab your tool of choice, head outdoors and chop away. Alas, if it were only that easy. How many times have you gone to the garage or outdoors to the shed, only to be perplexed when it comes to choosing the best tool for cutting or chopping wood? Been there done that.
For this article I have reached out to experienced outdoorsman, Cody Assmann, to share his knowledge with those of us that have yet to select the perfect tool to meet our needs.
When it comes to long term survival under dire circumstances, many of us will need to step outside our personal comfort zone and use snares to trap animals for food. The thought of doing so is unpleasant to me personally, but if I had to do it I could and I would. This has led me to research animal snares and how best to use them in modern times.
To pull this together, I have collaborated with Cody Assmann, an experienced outdoorsman who has a lot of hands-on experience with this sort of thing. In this article you will learn that animal snares are an ancient tool that everyone interested in survival should become familiar with for SHTF purposes.
An important rule of prepping is to identify disruptive events that could happen to you. These events are likely to be highly individualized and based on location, domestic situation, age, income, health, and a number of other factors. There are, however, twelve disruptive events that are universal. These are the dire situations we should all prepare for in one way or another. Here is a list of those events along with a plan to learn about them.
It seems fitting that while things are a bit more relaxed, prepping wise, we take a few moments to reflect upon preparedness strategies that are universal. I have given this a lot of thought and found that the rules of prepping boil down to just a few simple words, twenty-two to be exact. Here, in simplistic terms, are four steps every prepper needs to adhere to in order to succeed.
Shortly after the 2016 election, I read an article by one of my blogging colleagues titled “Is Prepping Dead?”. I felt so strongly about what she said that I shared her article throughout the social media, hoping that others would see it and continue their preparedness efforts. Now, one month later, I can confirm that I too am seeing signs that prepping, while not dead, has certainly slowed down. This seems odd to me since the likelihood of a disruptive event has not changed. It is as strong now as ever.
What are those signals and why should we continue to be prepared and to proudly call ourselves “Preppers”?
Anyone who loves to garden, especially those who wish to be able to provide wholesome foods for themselves and their families and live independently enough to survive economic or natural disasters will need to know what to do with all of the surplus from the summer. It’s great to be able to eat vegetables right out of the ground, but it is just as important to have good food all winter long. There are many methods of preservation.
The way you store each vegetable will depend on its needs and its hardiness. Here are ways to keep all of your produce, and especially the root vegetables, in great shape for the long winter months.
As much as I enjoy reading and learning about living off-grid, nothing interests me more than off-grid cooking using a wood burning stove. Sure, there are rocket stoves, and all sorts of grills available for use outdoors but it is a big, beautiful, antique-style wood-burning stove sitting in the kitchen that captures my imagination.
Alas, at present I do not have the space to add a full-sized wood burning stove to my modern kitchen. That does not preclude my desire to learn as much as I can about off-grid cooking using wood and biomass.
Today I am thrilled to bring us one step closer to learning our way around an off-grid kitchen.
For many preppers, after setting aside water, the journey begins with food. When you think about it, that makes sense. Without food for sustenance and energy, everything else is moot. You need food to stay strong, healthy, and mentally balanced which in turn gives you the wherewithal to protect and defend yourself from the nuances of mother nature, and sadly, your fellow man.
A lot can be said for having a robust closet full of long-term food storage products. But what about your day to day pantry? Here are 14 tips that will help you build a robust pantry to serve you well during good times and bad.
There are times when we get so busy that we set aside our prepping for another day. From my perspective, that is perfectly okay. On the other hand, we can be our own worst enemies and sometimes the guilt from not prepping frustrates and upsets us. I know since I have personally been there and done that.
As a solution, consider taking an occasional small bite of prepping such as once a day or once a week. Set aside one day or one evening a week, and spend thirty minutes attending to your preps. Need some ideas? Here are ten things you can do to prep just a little bit for the next ten weeks.
Can you even begin to imagine combining boredom with stress? If you have ever been in that situation, you will know what it is like to be antsy, grouchy, depressed, and useless all at the same time. Who has not been there and done that?
As simple as it sounds, as part of your preparedness planning I would like to suggest you put together a list of things to do when you are required to hunker down in place to wait out a storm, wait for the power to come back on, or otherwise wait until it is safe to leave your home. Here are 11 things to get you started.
Every once in a while, it is important to take a back seat to the process of prepping and do a little planning. This often means going back to the beginning and re-evaluating the original plan – if you had one, that is. Here are six questions both new and experienced preppers need to ask and answer. That said, there are no wrong answers. Are you up for the challenge?
Who hasn’t, at one time or another, wondered what it would be like to chuck it all, give up the job, abandon suburbia, and become totally self-sufficient by living off of the land? Learn what living off grid is like from someone who has lived off the land for over 35 years.
Have you given any thought as to what you would do if you had advance warning of a huge storm or other disruptive event? You may have time to get some last minute preps done and even time to make some last minute purchases. Here is a list 10 things to get you started.
The news keeps getting better relative to the safety and efficacy of using expired prescription drugs in a survival situation. Here is the latest update from contributing author, Dr. Joe Alton.
The superstars of preparedness are those items that serve multiple purposes. In many cases, these are common, everyday items that we already have on hand. One you may not have considered is Epsom salts. Learn 10 reasons to stockpile this multi-tasker for both now and for use when the SHTF.
Following a natural disaster, there will likely be confusion and panic. Think about creating a post-disaster checklist you can refer to without having to think about it. Here is an example to get you started.