A Prepper's Armory

           Now this is a debatable topic among some preppers, as there are many that do not want to use lethal means of protection when planning their preps. I am of the opinion that in order to be best prepared to survive in a SHTF scenario we must be willing to take extreme measures in order to protect ourselves and our families. This includes training with firearms, and some form of hand to hand combat(which I will cover in a future post)
            So, in this post I want to go over a very basic armory system that each prepper should strive to build, especially with stricter firearm laws looming on the horizon. Your armory should really consist of a sidearm, hunting rifle, assault rifle, and a shotgun. Each of the weapons have their uses in a SHTF situation.

Sidearm-

            A sidearm, or handgun, is a valuable weapon for any prepper, as they are light, concealable providing an element of surprise, as well as possibly being a weapon of last resort. This is weapon for self defense, as you will not be hunting with one. They are ideal back up weapons.

Hunting Rifle-

           A hunting rifle is, as the name suggests, perfect for hunting, as they tend to have larger rounds than assault rifles, as well as being more accurate for the one shot one kill mentality. Having said that they are also great for doubling as sniper rifles. I would recommend that when shopping for one you get one that can be used to hunt both deer and elk, as well as invest in a scope, this provides you the option to have more options for hunting, as well as doubling for a long range scouting device.

         I am also going to include in the hunting rifles to also look into getting a pellet/BB gun. Although they are not usually seen as lethal for hunting, they are perfect for small game animals like doves, squirrels, and gofers. Also you can get thousands of rounds for very cheap, and they are air powered.

Assault Rifle-

           An assault rifle is ideal for combat and protection in a SHTF situation, that is why they are used by virtually every armed force in the world. They can can be loaded with several round magazines of varying sizes and reloading is relatively quick. The most common assault weapons that I have seen in the prepping forums and websites are the AK-47 and the AR-15. Both have their pros and cons, and it really comes down to a personal preference. The AR-15(picture above) is a civilian model of the rifle used by US troops.  Because of my time in the Army I am extremely familiar with this rifle and all of its parts, as such this is the rifle I have for myself. The primary strengths that the AR-15 has over the AK-47 is that it is much more accurate, and the ammo is usually cheaper and easier to find.

           The AK-47(picture below) fires a more powerful round and has fewer moving parts, so it makes a great suppression weapon, but as I said it is not as accurate as the AR-15.

Shotgun-

           Lastly, the shotgun is an excellent home defense weapon, and can also double for hunting flying game. If you have a shotgun and someone is trying to force entry into your house they are going to be very sorry when they see that they are looking down the barrel of a shotgun. This weapon is for close range, and hit with the force of a sludge hammer to the chest. Fun times.

          I would love to hear what weapon choices my readers like and why, as well as suggestions for what handgun and why I should try for myself, as my wife and I are in the market for new sidearms.

Stay prepared, stay alive!

Water Purification

         I wanted to do a post about different ways to purify water. Having clean drinking water may be the most important resource we need to prep for.  There are a few simple ways to purify water, and I am going to share some of the most common.

Boiling-
       When water is heated to boiling point, any bacteria or other impurities are purged from the water. This is the ideal form of purification in my opinion as it is a simple process, provided you can make fire, and usually tastes better than filtered water. You will want the water to boil for at least five minutes but if you can keep it boiling for about 20 minutes then you will be that much safer as by that time you will have killed 99.9% of any bacteria.
        You do want to keep in mind that boiling water will not remove any solids, metals, or minerals.

Water Purifiers-
         Water purifying devices come in various sizes and shapes, but they all can be broken down to one similarity, a filter of some kind. I have seen Water purifying straws, water bottles, water bottle attachments, and pumps. These are very nice, however they have limited number of uses. Some can have replacable filters that can be purchased, however they usually must be ordered from the manufacturer. This filter method is good for right after a shtf scenario but when you have used them up they are gone.

Make Your Own Filter System-
           This system is great because it filters out not just bacteria, but also metals, minerals and larger particulates. And by making it yourself you don't need to worry about having to by brand name filter from stores. Plus you can make them much larger for cheaper. You can use a bucket, plastic, rolled bark, the possibilities are really up to you.
           What you will need to create a filter is a multi layer system consisting of sand, charcoal, grass, and gravel/small rocks. Charcoal is the key component to removing bacteria. but if you have multiple layers of these ingredients it will work even better. And then you would just poor the water in the top then have a hole in the bottom of your container where the purified water will come out.

Purification Tablets-
         You probably have seen these sold in the Sporting Goods section at your local Wal-Mart or at your favorite outdoors website. They are usually iodine tablets, these kills bacteria in the water, but will also not remove any minerals, metals, or other solids. Also I have read that pregnant women, women over 50, and people with thyroid problems should check with their doctors before using the tablets.
          Also, water purified in this way does not taste very good so keep that in mind before using them on your hikes.

Bleach-
         Believe it or not you can actually use common household bleach to purify your water. We even used this in the Army back when I went through basic training. TO do this properly and lafely you will need to add 1/8 teaspoon (8 drops) of regular unscented liquid bleach for every gallon of water. Make sure to stir it well and then let is sit for 30 minutes.

Stay prepared, stay alive!

Securing Your Home

         
       You don't have to have armor plating and barbwire topped fences to secure your home. You also don't need to have massive amounts of money to put into your homes defenses. All you really need is a few well thought out designs to make things difficult for intruders or in a shtf scenario marauders.
        I have made a few such improvements to my home, some of which I will be sharing, but I won't be sharing all of my defenses.
        The first tip, and it may be the most important, is concealment.  You do not want other people to see your home as a more alluring source of resources than others. Don't stand out. So this means preventing others from seeing into your yard. My wife and I keep our front yard simple, avoiding anything that would attract attention, and you cannot see into our back yard from the front. or any of the sides. We also do not have the back yard accessible from the front, everything opens from within.

My internally locked gate as the only external access from the backyard to the front., unable to be opened from the front. It also has a surprise waiting for any one foolish enough to try to scale over it.

The only other fence into my back yard. I have a thorned bush planted that will make it even harder to scale.

            The next tip that I strongly encourage is to make efficient use of obstacles to your more vulnerable points. Like bushes under your windows, or in front of your external cable and power access points. You can also plant vines to help as both an obstacle and a method of concealment. And I have said it before in other posts and I will say it again, multi use preps are the best, so if you are planting vines or bushes, it may be nice to have them as grape vines or berry bushes, get food from the defenses as well.

          So I have gone over both concealment and barriers, now I want to stress the importance of locks. If you have a door leading to the outside then you should at least have a deadbolt on the door. If you are paranoid like me then you will have deadbolt, regular door knob locks, and even a lock bar. And it is not enough to have the locks, but you must actually use them. So many people have doors with multiple locks and just lock one, and to them I ask what is the point? I use all of y locks and I am always looking for better ways to secure my doors and windows. Also if you have a garage then you should invest in a garage door lock, this will provide an extra level of security so that the garage door cannot be forced open. If you have a sliding glass door then you will want to make sure that you also have a bar or piece of wood that fits securely in the track to prevent it from being pried open.

Here is an example of a small sliding door lock.

Lock Bar

                                                                  Common Garage Lock

                                     

Cheap and simple way to lock your garage door.

           The next security upgrade you can do is something that would prove valuable in a shtf scenario, let alone defending against a simple burglar, and that is to invest in shatter proof window film. It is kind of like a window tint where you are able to roll a film coating over a window that prevents it from shattering. They come in varying strengths, even strong enough to stop small arms fire. I will include a link to a website that sells the film at the end of this blog if your interested in looking into it a little more.

Window Film

             Another big defense, that would more or less be prior to a shtf scenario would be lighting. Thieves and home invaders do not like attention and love the shadows. Motion sensing flood lights, or simple porch lights make your home less inviting to home invaders. These are relatively cheap, and I have even invested in solar powered ones I purchased from Amazon.  I have included a link to one such light at the bottom.

             Now the last form of home defense that I am going to talk about is probably my wives favorite, and that is, dogs. Now when you think of getting a dog for home defense it doesn't have to be a large Rottweiler or German Shepard, in fact, as much as it pains me to say it, even the little yappy dogs like terriers or chiwawas will do. The presence of a dog is a deterrent in and of itself. When a stranger is around then dogs attract attention, they have better senses than humans so they act as an early warning device, and the larger ones can even act as a family protector. Not to mention they can be the best and most loyal prepping companions a prepper can have.

My brothers husky wolf hybrid, and the other two are my doberman american bulldog mixes.

  Stay prepared, stay alive!

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Window_Film/Solutions/Markets-Products/Residential/Safety-Security_Window_Films/

http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-82156-Solar-Motion-Light/dp/B0052SF0LO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1403203981&sr=8-3&keywords=solar+power+lights

Bugging Out!

         It is part of a shtf scenario, even if you are planing on hunkering down in a fortified position, you may eventually have to bug out. Since this is an important topic to me, I felt it warranted its own post.

         Now, after reading several blogs, and watching several video blogs, I have seen that when it comes to bugging out, there are a few different trains of thought, and I have named them as follows:

Nomad Style- When you plan on constantly moving never staying in one place to long.
Pioneer Style- When you plan on bringing everything you need to start a new life and settle in somewhere new.
Retreat Style- Where you have a location pre selected and prepared prior to the disaster situation that is awaiting your arrival.


General Advice.  Before I go over some suggestions and ideas for each of these styles in depth I am going to touch basis on a few areas that would apply to all of the above. The first, mode of transportation. Now there are really three options for this, vehicle, human powered, or on foot.
        If you choose to go with a vehicle you will want to consider several things, such as is it EMP proof, does it have off road capabilities, how much maintenance does it require, and how far can you get on your fuel supply. The best EMP proof vehicles are the ones that does not rely on or possess a computer, which means an older vehicle, usually something from the 50's to the late 70's will fall into this category. Many people think of big trucks or SUV's, however some of the cars can be just as good. For example, a classic Volkswagen Beetle or Bus is perfect, and inexpensive, as well as good for someone with minimal mechanical experience, as the engine has better access than other vehicles of the same time frame. A down side is that unless it has been  modified, they are usually not off road capable.

            Human powered are usually bikes, however I will also include some boats. The pro's of this form of travel, you don't need fuel to power your vehicle, and they are quiet not attracting audio attention. The con's, can not travel as fast, offers less protection, and if you are not eating regularly you can burn a lot of calories and not regain them.

         Traveling on foot, although the slowest method of travel, you are often able to travel paths away from roads and those with vehicles. So this method offers a lot more freedom of moment, yet you can not carry as much in this fashion, and you will burn a lot of calories that you may not be able to replenish they way you should.

    

Nomad Style-

          This is a very common style for people that do not have a lot of preps stored. These are people that either didn't prepare and are forced to move from resource to resource, or they are the survivalists that plan to live off of their wilderness survival skills. Non preppers are forced to move to new resources, or to try to obtain them from those who had the wisdom to prepare. They are not left with many options, and have not trained themselves in any useful survival skills. However if a prepper chooses this style of survival they are usually a solo prepper, or at most a couple, who has trained and familiarized themselves with survival techniques.

Pioneer Style-

           This style of bug-out prepping is very common, as it is for those who either did not get a chance to obtain or simply does not have a property that they have set up prior. These are preppers that intend to bring most of what they would need to start new somewhere else, or at least until the disaster passes. 

            My wife and I are currently in this boat as we do not yet have a property to escape to, so we would want to gather what we can and a sufficient means to transport all of our gear, should we be forced to leave our home.

            However, just because you may not own a property to escape too, that does not mean that you should not have an idea of where you should try to escape to. Where ever it is, it will need to provide you water, food, and shelter. My wife and I have a location set up that we intend to bug-out to, should it come to that.

Retreat Style-

            These are the fortunate individuals that were able to prep a secondary location with supplies, and security prior to a the shtf. These are those with cabins, or properties to park a trailer on.

             My wife and I are looking at properties for this ourselves, and have been really looking into building our retreat in wither cob or earth bags. Both methods cut the cost dramatically, and provide numerous other benefits that traditional modern structures do not. 

             Regardless, this tecnique is, in my opinion, ideal, because what better place for you to escape to but a place pre prepped for you, and in an environment you are familiar with?

            Stay prepared and stay alive!

My Bug-out Bag

       I know that one of my prior posts went over some of the basics of building a bug-out bag, but now I thought that I would show the one that I created. And I really mean created from scratch. It was a lot cheaper to build my own than it was to buy a pre-made one, and it is tailored for my specific region where I live.  I also made an identical one for my wife to keep in her vehicle and they are both packed in the same way so that regardless of which of us is driving what vehicle, whe know right were everything is in the bag.
     

          As I have discussed  before, the areas that you want to make sure that your bug-out bag is stocked to take care of are:

Food & Water
Medical
Shelter/Fire
Hygiene
Safety/Protection

       I have each of these areas covered to keep my wife and I covered for at least 72 hours. FIrst for food and water, I have three Meals Ready to Eat (MRE's) which are crammed pack full of calories, and last for a long time. I also included a can of chicken noodle soup in each bag, just to mix up the flavors a bit. We also have a small one person cast iron frying pan. As far as water goes, each bag has a bottle of water purification tablets and a canteen with a measuring scale.

       I have a full fold out first aid kit in each bag, which includes everything from bandages, gauze, and a tourniquet, to basic surgical tools and alcohol pads.

       For shelter, each bag has a one man tent, a reflective blanket, a water resistant heavy blanket made from recycled plastic, and I also included a change of clothes for each of us. As for fire, i wanted us to have multiple mean of fire starting options, so I included a small baggy with a lighter, water proof matches, and a magnesium lighter. You can never have to many fire starting options available.

       For hygiene supplies, I included hand sanitizer, tooth brush and paste, soup, toilet paper, baby wipes, and a small laundry bag. I also included feminine products.

       For safety and protection, I try to include multi-use tools, like a survival knife (that also has a magnesium lighter), hand warmer packs, signal whistle with compass, binoculars, crank powered flashlight/radio/usb charger, and some 550 cord/para cord.

      Other items that we keep in our bags are: baggy of dog food, road map of our state, and a small bottle of alcohol.

      So there you have it, these are the contents of my vehicles bug-out bags. As long as you cover the basic areas listed above, you should have an advantage in a survival situation. I would just like to state that you should only include things in your vehicle bug-out bag that comply under your local laws.

      Stay prepared and stay alive!

My Garden

       I am happy to say that I have recently picked my first harvest from my prepper garden. It was a combination of my different lettuce plants, as seen below:

       I had some of it on a sandwich today, and it was divine! My wife and I have been so happy about our garden, and our plants are all doing really good. We have peppers, carrots, radishes, melons, tomatoes, onion, broccoli, celery, and jalapenos. I have included a couple pictures, and I will post more once they have developed a little more. Also you will see in the picures below that we have been able to have this garden in very limited space, so if you are thinking that your yard is too small for an effective garden then think again, we have even been utilizing space on the side of our garage.

Broccoli and Peppers

Tomatoes and Strawberries