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BDS Book Festival – Living On The Edge + Interview with F.J. Bohan

BDS Book Festival – Living On The Edge + Interview with F.J. Bohan

Every once in awhile, a book will come along that fills me with inspiration and allows me to dream about things that perhaps I may never be able to experience…

Fast Track Prep Tip #3: Buy What You Need and Use What You Buy

Fast Track Prep Tip #3: Buy What You Need and Use What You Buy

Acquiring survival and prepping gear can be both a blessing and a curse.  The blessing part is easy to figure out; if there is an emergency, you will have what…

BDS Book Festival – The Amazing 2000-Hour Flashlight by Ron Brown

BDS Book Festival – The Amazing 2000-Hour Flashlight by Ron Brown

Next up the in the current Backdoor Survival Book Festival is a Q & A with Ron Brown, the author of The Amazing 2000-Hour Flashlight.   As always, there is also…

BDS Book Festival – Escaping Home and The Survivalist Series

BDS Book Festival – Escaping Home and The Survivalist Series

Today’s entry in the current Backdoor Survival Book Festival is Escaping Home by A. American.  By now you know that A. American is the author of the hugely popular books, Going…

Review: The Tactical Traveler Bug Out Bag

Review: The Tactical Traveler Bug Out Bag

Let’s face it.  No matter how much we hope we will never have to evacuate the comfort of our homes, there is always a possibility that circumstances will require that…

BDS Book Festival – After the Blackout + Interview with Paul Anthony

BDS Book Festival – After the Blackout + Interview with Paul Anthony

Today I share the next author interview and giveaway in the current Backdoor Survival Book Festival.  Paul Anthony, the author of After the Blackout, is joining us for an interview and…

BDS Book Festival: Going Home, Surviving Home + Interview with A. American

BDS Book Festival: Going Home, Surviving Home + Interview with A. American

Today I share the next author interview and book giveaway in the latest Backdoor Survival Book Festival.  A. American, the author of Going Home and Surviving Home, is joining us…

Secrets of Successful Fuel Storage

Secrets of Successful Fuel Storage

One of the benefits of maintaining the Backdoor Survival website is that I am often asked to review various products of interest to the preparedness community.  I have personally tested and used…

How to Use a Bandana to Save the Day

How to Use a Bandana to Save the Day

Who would have thought that something as ubiquitous as the common bandana would have so many uses? I know that I have used these colorful squares of cloth for many purposes over the years, not the least of which was keeping my hair in place and wiping the sweat off my brow in hot weather. If you have not put a lot of thought into the usefulness of a bandana, think again!

The Basics of Ham Radio

The Basics of Ham Radio

Today I continue the conversation with George Ure of Urban Survival as he shares  his thoughts on the value of getting a ham radio license as well as an explanation…

Shortwave Radio For Preppers

Shortwave Radio For Preppers

A year and a half ago, I asked my friend George Ure at Urban Survival to help with an article on emergency communications.  And since he’s the kind of guy…

Grinding Wheat with the Incredible WonderMill

Grinding Wheat with the Incredible WonderMill

When I first started prepping, the last thing on my mind was purchasing wheat for long term storage.  Heck, what was I going to do with 100 pounds of wheat…

The LifeStraw Personal Water Filter Review

The LifeStraw Personal Water Filter Review

I first learned about the LifeStraw Personal Water Filter a year ago when one of the readers of Backdoor Survival sent me an email extoling its virtues. Although it sounded cool and the price (under $20) was right, I did not bother to test one myself. After all, I already had a Berkey Sport bottle, a Nalgene water bottle and some water purification tabs in my pack. I was all set.

Or so I thought.

During my recent trip to Alaska, I decided to carry along a LifeStraw and use it for some field testing. After all, what better place to stick a straw in the water and drink than a beautiful Alaskan glacial pond or stream?

Meals Ready to Eat – Not!

Meals Ready to Eat – Not!

The concept of a meal in a pouch is not new. For years, military organizations have contracted to have “Meals Ready to Eat” (or MREs) made for distribution to hungry soldiers in the field when a mess kitchen was unavailable.

The evolution of military grade MREs from the 1960’s era to now has resulted in light weight pouches that contain a complete meal sealed into a tidy packet. A typical MRE contains a main course, side dish, bread, dessert, and flameless ration heater. There will also be a napkin, eating utensil and condiments such as salt and pepper. True U.S. military MREs are well marked with the designation “U.S. Government Property, Commercial Resale is Unlawful” although this is a misnomer since there are no laws that forbid the resale of MREs.

The Mini-Sentry Trip Alarm Goes BOOM

The Mini-Sentry Trip Alarm Goes BOOM

A review of the mini-sentry trip alarm, an inexpensive device that can be used to scare off intruders.

Product Review: No-Rinse Personal Hygiene Products

Product Review: No-Rinse Personal Hygiene Products

How would you stay clean and take care of personal hygiene matters if the grid was down and there was not running water?

Today I review the No-Rinse line of personal hygiene products.