Site administrator and preparedness advocate
163 articles by this author (Including both blog posts and archived content)
Navigate Harbor Freight's confusing array of tool brands with this comprehensive guide. Learn which brands offer the best value for preparedness-minded folks on a budget.
Introducing our new blog section for fresh preparedness content and updates.
Pocket Super Shelter Now On Kickstarter
2014 Utah Prepare Conference and Expo
EmberLit FireAnt now on Kickstarter
The Demonization of Preppers: Phil Burns Interview
Oct-87 Ezra Taft Benson Food Storage Quote
Guest Post: Things To Keep In The House In Case Of Emergency
Giveaway: Threat Journal Radiation Safety Kit
Utah Prepare Conference and Expo - Ticket Giveaway
The Great Utah Emergency Preparedness Expo: April 6-7, 2012
Meet The Preppers: Encore Presentation
Review: UVPaqlite and ToobLite Glow Sticks
Davis County HAM Radio Class: March 17th 2012
Files for Episode 1 of Animal Planet's Meet The Preppers: My Pink Gun
Fixing it up: Refinishing a Table
Living in the Past: Iron Age Reality
When to buy: Grocery Sale Cycles
The End of the Deseret Chemical Weapons Storage
Review: Daily Bread Beef Stroganoff With Noodles
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1599555107/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=prepper-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1599555107"><img src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=1599555107&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=prepper-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" alt="" align="right" border="0" /></a><img style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=1599555107&camp=217145&creative=399373" alt="" width="1" height="1" align="right" border="0" />Walking along the book aisle in Costco the other day, I came to a rather sudden stop as a specific books caught my eye. With a name like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1599555107/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=prepper-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1599555107">The Forgotten Skills of Self-Sufficiency Used by the Mormon Pioneers</a><img style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=1599555107&camp=217145&creative=399373" alt="" width="1" height="1" border="0" />, can you blame me? This was obviously a book stocked for a local audience, so I hope our non-Utah readers can find a copy. Author <a title="Caleb Warnock's blog" href="http://calebwarnock.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Caleb Warnock</a> is a local (Alpine, Utah) writer, year-round gardener, and teacher of "Forgotten Skills" classes. It also helped when I noticed one of the people listed in the special thanks section is a friend of mine, and <a title="Eric James Stone" href="http://www.ericjamesstone.com/" target="_blank">local sci-fi author</a> (how's that for a tight-knit Utah Valley).
Gun ownership is a long-term investment which requires proper maintenance and cleaning in order to keep your guns working at their peak performance. A primary concern with long term storage of any gun — especially those stored in humid climates — is corrosion. Preventing corrosion is a multi-step process, starting with proper care of your firearm in the field, and followed with proper storage. However, even if you take all the necessary precautions and care possible with your firearm, and even in the best of situations, if you use it corrosion or wearing will probably happen. How you deal with the results of such wear is the purpose of this article.<!--more-->
<a href="/images/uploads/2011/06/IMG_6523.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-3762" title="IMG_6523" src="/images/uploads/2011/06/IMG_6523-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>Looking for a chance to get the family out into our delayed summer? Provo has a great event this weekend at their pioneer village (<a title="Provo Pioneer Village" href="http://goo.gl/maps/35YC" target="_blank">map</a>). It's a great chance to get demonstrations on some old skills such as spinning, blacksmithing and more. Bring the family even if only just to get a feel for the local history, but even better, hang around and talk shop with people experienced in their crafts. This is probably one of the better local opportunities to get together with people that can teach these crafts.
Recently, Mike published an article introducing a local company named <a href="http://www.goal0.com" target="_blank">Goal0</a> (<a title="Introducing Goal 0 solar power products" href="http://www.utahpreppers.com/2011/03/introducing-goal-0-solar-power-products/" target="_blank">article link</a>). They develop solar products to fit a wider variety of needs than your average solar pack, and so we were very intrigued as to their application to a prepper mindset.
<img class="alignright" src="http://www.shelfreliance.com/skin/frontend/default/shelfreliance/images/logo.gif" alt="Shelf Reliance" width="201" height="77" /> Our friends at <a href="http://www.shelfreliance.com/">Shelf Reliance</a> (makers of the great roller shelving, and the THRIVE food storage line) are hiring again. If you are a PHP developer and a prepper, this is a great opportunity to enjoy your work. Check out the <a title="Shelf Reliance Web Developer Job" href="http://shelfreliancejobs.iapplicants.com/ViewJob-184469.html" target="_blank">job posting here</a>. From what I hear they should have a SysAdmin job opening soon too, so if that's your knack you might want to check into them too.
I'm posting in an email that was forwarded to me, second hand from the source. The email is from a lady who's family is currently stationed in Japan, and relates their experiences with the earthquake. What I like best in this is her own analysis on her preparedness level, and what she wishes she could do better.
Looking back on my list of things that I've "meant to blog" for a long time, I found a link I needed to share. A friend of mine, and longtime follower of this blog, Erin McNew wrote an article for Yahoo's associated content site about food storage. I will of course take this chance to tease her for cheating on me, and posting to a different site, especially one that won't allow for me to repost the content. However I may tease though, It's a great article written to explain to people how storing food is a sensible way to save money. Something that most "preppers" understand, especially people usually interested in this blog. However oftentimes people who wouldn't normally figure themselves to be preppers, can still at least get back to some of the basics of previous generations.
When I moved to college in Idaho as a teenager, I had a really quick introduction into a new world of snow and ice. While the snow I grew up with was wet and heavy, and usually melted away pretty quick in the moderate temperature. Idaho however introduced me to the bitter hard-freeze that left our campus with an amazing array of forms of ice that were completely new to me. I, as with many of my fellow students, became intimately familiar with this ice while performing the splits, or landing on my back when trying to hurry between classes.
A theme that is seeing increased activity on many of our friends blogs is that of the 5-gun challenge. What does that mean? Well it's a way of answering the common question of "What gun should I buy?"
In a group camping situation, I'm "That Guy". You know, the one everybody is thankful is around because all the bugs seem to be biting him. For some reason I tend to get singled out for the airborne attack, and with my allergic nature, I tend to get largest bumps you've ever seen. So I'm always on the lookout for something to improve my chances in the wild, battling the vampiric forces of the bugs.
On a semi political discussion nature, a friend of mine is hosting <a href="http://www.libertyandlearning.com/about/" target="_blank">Stephen Pratt</a> in Highland, UT this weekend, and asked if I could pass along the invitation. If you are interested in a great chance to learn more about personal liberty and self-reliance, this is a great opportunity.
A nice piece over at the <a title="Food storage includes more than just food" href="http://www.mormontimes.com/article/17917/Food-storage-includes-more-than-just-food" target="_blank">Mormon Times</a> titled "<a href="http://www.mormontimes.com/article/17917/Food-storage-includes-more-than-just-food?" target="_blank">Food storage includes more than just food</a>" includes a quote by me. While the news source is targeting members of the LDS faith, the article itself is applicable to anybody. Many people get caught up in simply having a certain number of calories, and not thinking about the other aspects of preparedness.
For those looking for some discounts on your food storage, and especially on a few bigger items, this might be exactly what you need. Our friends at Home Storage Basics are having their Harvest closeout sale. The following is from the email they sent out.
Interested in learning a little more about HAM radio, specifically understanding the "geekier" side of things? Then check out this session at the Utah Open Source Conference : <a href="http://utosc.com/presentation/164/" target="_blank">Exploring the Radio Frequency Spectrum</a>
I'd like to give a huge thanks to author Wade (<a title="Wades company." href="http://anavidesign.com " target="_blank">anavidesign.com</a>) who has given his time to help provide us with a new site design! For those reading this from Facebook, RSS, or other means, please head on over to the site and check out the kicking new design. And if you need work for your site, well check him out, since I'm sure he wants to buy some more preps :)
Our friends over at Shelf Reliance have been expanding, and they need another person to help work on their websites. Of course, a company like theirs would be interested in the type of person that follows a prepper blog like this, so they asked me to pass this along. If the skills fit, please contact them.
Our friends over at <a title="Food Storage Shelving" href="http://www.shelfreliance.com" target="_blank">Shelf Reliance</a> (the people that make the amazing roller shelving all the authors here love so much) are having a special event this weekend, that I've been meaning to post for a while now. You see, they've been selling awesome shelving, and a great line of food storage products for a while now, but they have decided to open up another channel for sales. Yes, they are starting up their own "<a href="http://www.shelfreliance.com/parties" target="_blank">Home Parties</a>".
Ok, Here in Utah we like to poke fun at our own dominant religion (of which I am a member). One blogger had a great post today that I had to share with the Prepper community. For those who are LDS, it's great to laugh at ourselves a little. For those not LDS but preppers too, well you'll realize that your 'oddities' fit in pretty well with us. Head on over and read 'The Jet Set' take on <a title="Mormon Food Storage" href="http://www.jetsetcarina.com/2010/02/why-you-should-have-mormon-friend.html" target="_blank">Why You Should Have a Mormon Friend: Hoarder Edition</a>
Recently we had a reader 'Lonnie' write in with the following excellent question, that I've heard asked in other forms too;
Interested in a little more discussion with the preppers here, and elsewhere? In our association with the <a title="American Preppers Network" href="http://www.americanpreppersnetwork.com/" target="_blank">American Preppers Network</a>, you now have several ways to interact with other people that like to talk preparedness.
Yes, it's time again for a Crossroads of the West gun show
As snowflakes begin to frequently drift down, my wife began her odd seasonal transformation from warm, to cold-blooded being. I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with this process, but it is the true mark of seasonal change around my home. Appendages seem to have ice permanently on them, and thus have an odd habit of always finding their way to me, which is cause to no small amount of distress.
With the recent storms, and onset of Winter conditions here in Utah, I felt it appropriate to send out a little reminder of things people should do to prepare for winter driving. Please prepare before the storms come, so that you can be ready for they enjoyable experience that is Utah roads in the Winter.<!--more-->
This is a little reminder for those that might have already heard, or a great intro for those that haven't. James Wesley Rawles, Author of the renowned <a href="http://www.survivalblog.com/" target="_blank">survivalblog</a>, as well as the novel <a href="http://www.utahpreppers.com/2009/08/survival-book-review-patriots/">Patriots (which we reviewed here before)</a> has a new book coming out shortly. It's been available for pre-order for a little bit now, but everybody was requested to wait until today (9/25/09) to actually place pre-orders. This makes a big difference to companies such as amazon, which use the purchase velocity in their rankings.
Well, over on her own blog, my wife made a comment about something she's learned this year. Go check out what she's learned on the difference between<a href="http://halls.lug-nut.com/2009/09/23/liquid-pectin-or-powdered/" target="_blank"> liquid and powdered pectin</a>.
Recently I had a small message in my inbox that came in via the contact form here on the blog. It was somebody named Alex mentioning that he had a blog we might be interested in. A quick check showed that he was right, <a title="Utah Gardening" href="http://www.vegenag.com/" target="_blank">VegNag</a> is a blog about vegetable gardening in Utah. I know I'm always looking for all the help I can get, so it's nice to have somebody that can give advice that is local.
Since we haven't had a humor post recently (and boy do I need one), I decided to do a little review of one of my favorite books.<img class="alignright size-full wp-image-1530" title="zsg-cover" src="/images/uploads/2009/03/zsg-cover.jpg" alt="zsg-cover" width="240" height="240" /> The Zombie Survival Guide, by Max Brooks. Now who among us hasn't felt some joy in responding to the question, "What are you prepping for" with a glib reply of "For the oncoming Zombie Invasion"? If you haven't ever used that response, you should try it sometime, and feel the joy.
I'm not a big TV fan myself, as I expect many of the readers of this blog. But last year I did stumble on a show I really liked, called "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Alaska_Experiment">The Alaska Experiment</a>". The show took a couple small groups (2-4 people) of "regular people", and dropped them in backcountry Alaska, to survive into the winter. Now, not only was this TV, but it was reality-tv, which by nature I detest. And yet it drew me in like no other. Why? Because it showed just how little people knew, and just how difficult it was to survive, even with the large amount of help these people received. They had minimal food supplies given, they had shelter, and constant checkups to make sure they weren't in real harm. And yet it was still *very* difficult. Sure, at many points I would scream at people for what I saw as dumb decisions, but I have a better camping background than they. I was also sitting in my nice chair at home, instead of in the middle of Winter in Alaska.
Our friends over at <a href="http://www.alpinefoodstorage.com/">Alpine Food Storage</a> recently sent out some emails about some overstocks they currently have. If you are in Utah, this is a great chance to go browse and pick up some of those deals you might have missed from previous group buys. If you have some tax refund money left, here's a great way to use some of it.
It's no secret that the current administration does not approve of gun ownership by American citizens. So overall it came as no surprise when I found a video on a blog of the white house chief of staff, Rahm Emmanual, speaking to a conference for the Brady campaign about one of his ways of preventing firearm ownership.
As an admitted geek, I have often tried to help people in understanding <a href="http://ssd.eff.org"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1432" title="ssd-1" src="/images/uploads/2009/03/ssd-1-300x142.jpg" alt="ssd-1" width="300" height="142" /></a>the importance of information security, especially when it comes to technological storage and transmission. From what kind of software you run, to how you communicate with others your data can be vulnerable. From employers to government agencies, neighbors to hackers, what you say and keep can be taken and used in ways that you don't want. But teaching everything people should know to keep themselves safe is often a long process, and something I often have to revisit to remind people.<!--more-->
One of my secret, very un-prepper-like joys is getting the call from my wife on the way home, stating that I need to pick something up. Who knows the reason, but usually that means I'm going to stop by Costco to pick up one of their roasted chickens. Then again, we tend to pick up one of these pretty often. Getting a whole chicken works out well, giving us several meals already largely prepared.
Glenn Beck had a show on Friday that is making quite the rounds among the preparedness blogs (among other places) for very good reasons. He started out by bringing on several "experts" on various topics, after giving each one a potential "doomsday" type of scenario. As he states, at time we need to think about what we are preparing for. What is the worst that we think *could* happen, and what can we do to avoid it, or be prepared for it in our own lives.
Do you have a favorite recipe for using your food storage? Maybe a comfort food your family wouldn't want to go without, or something that makes excellent use fo the basics? Well here's a good chance to show your stuff, and have a chance to win some *awesome* prizes. Our friends at <a href="http://www.shelfreliance.com/">Shelf Reliance</a> are having a recipe contest this month.
We are coming to the time of the year that has become the second Xmas for many Americans. And I purposely chose to write xmas because it has nothing to do with the real Christmas we should have celebrated so recently. What I'm talking about is the look people get in their eyes as they get some portion of their taxes back from government. To many people this is the only surplus of cash they will see during the whole year, and our business world thrives on the swing in spending this influx of cash creates.
A great video provided by the <a href="http://geology.utah.gov/">Utah Geological Survey</a>. If you've ever wanted a little more information about the reality of earthquakes in the Utah area, this is a must-watch video. They use the popular Google Earth tool to point out important aspects of Utah's Fault-line network. Just how close do you live to one of these? Do you cross any on your way to work?
By now I'm sure all of our readers have had time to gawk at the wonderful photos in previous posts showing large shelving units with impressive amounts of canned foods with a nice rotation system built in. These <a href="http://www.shelfreliance.com/">Shelf Reliance</a> products are favorites of the folks around here. A wonderful local company delivering something we all love.<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1214" title="img_3016" src="/images/uploads/2009/01/img_3016-300x225.jpg" alt="img_3016" width="300" height="225" /> But let's face it. Not all of us have room for a large shelving unit, or maybe we just cant afford it. Better yet, maybe you're like me and you have one, but you also really need a way to rotate a few cans that are in your kitchen too. And as impressive as the rack is, it just doesn't quite match the decor of the kitchen.
One of the most important factors in being able to build up a quality food storage program is having the ability to actually store the food that you will eat, and finding a way to rotate that stored food into your daily diet. The problem with storing for most though, is that while those pizza boxes stack really well, the food sure doesn't last. I also don't think that if I ordered an extra meal from the local chinese delivery place, that I could just throw it in my shelving and expect it to do any good.
This post is a followup to the recent post on <a href="http://www.utahpreppers.com/2009/01/backing-up-your-computer-and-preserving-your-files/">backing up your data on flash drives</a>. As stated, keeping your important data safe is extremely important. Keeping a copy with you, and in a remote location is required practice for me. But keeping your data safe is much more than just keeping a copy of your data around in case of hardware failure, fire, or evacuation. You need to actually protect the data itself.
Another reminder that the Utah Food Co-Op orders are due this Friday (the 9th). As I <a href="http://www.utahpreppers.com/2008/12/crossroads-co-op-december-deadline/">mentioned last month</a>, this is a great way to get high quality food, at a very good price.
Twas the Night Before Christmas - Storage
Over on "Food Storage... A Necessary Adventure", there is a recent post called <a href="http://adventuresinbloggingtoo.blogspot.com/2008/12/have-you-seen-14-cup-lately.html">Have you seen a 1/4 cup lately</a>.
The first in what will be many resources we hope to make available for download to you. The Marine Cold Weather Medicine Course manual seemed a natural fit to make available to people in the mountain west region right now. As we finally are starting to get our delayed Winter weather, it's important that we make sure our Winter preparations are also readied. Your car-kit needs to be reviewed, food rotated, clothing changed, etc. This manual gives a great number of insights as to what you should do.
For several years I lived in the amazing country of Brasil (yes, that's how to spell it right :) ).
More weekend preparedness humor to lift your spirits. Once again, provided by Motivated Photos
Just a reminder to folks, that the December deadline for orders to the <a title="Utah Food Co-op" href="http://www.crossroads-u-c.org">Crossroads co-op</a>. What's the co-op you might ask? Well, in their own words:
Suzanna Gratia-Hupp: What the Second Amendment is REALLY For
One of my favorite comfort foods to have around is cheese. While I do not consider myself any kind of cheese-snob by any means, I do have several varieties that I like to have on hand, and really care about the flavor and texture of those cheeses. These cheeses make up a very important part of my regular diet, and having to go without them would not only cause me and mine to feel the lack of something, but our bodies would probably quickly notice it, and our digestion would likely suffer.
A local friend of mine recently posted his notes about creating a set of emergency bags (<a title="Definition of BOB - Bug Out Bag" href="http://www.utahpreppers.com/glossary/#BOB">BOB</a> - <a title="Definition of 72 hour kit" href="http://www.utahpreppers.com/glossary/#72-hour">72 Hour Kit</a>) for his family. It's great to see a friend getting his family so ready, and even better when they can share such excellent information. In his example, I think he does a great job of presenting how he will get his young sons to carry a small part of their own gear, without overtaxing them. I know all younger families like myself worry about how to 'carry enough' for the younger children, and this example shows great thought in dealing with that concern. Check out <a title="72 hour kit" href="http://www.thelances.net/james/2008/11/emergency_preparedness_-_72-ho.html">the Lances BOB setup</a>. Several pictures showing all the included gear, in and out of the bags.
In an effort to help recognize some of the great preparedness bloggers out there, and help people find some of the other great resources on the web, I'd love to introduce folks to a blogger I've been reading for a while now. <a title="Riverwalkers Profile" href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/01575212890278793911">Riverwalker</a> maintains a couple of blogs himself, the <a title="Riverwalkerr's Stealth Survival Blog" href="http://stealthsurvival.blogspot.com/">Stealth Survival</a>, and <a rel="nofollow" href="http://riverwalkerssurvivalgear.blogspot.com/">Riverwalker's Survival Gear</a>.
<a href="/images/uploads/2008/11/633553777006896503-preparednessbecauseyouneverknowwhenyoumightneedtofightarancormotivator.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-227" title="because_you_never_know" src="/images/uploads/2008/11/633553777006896503-preparednessbecauseyouneverknowwhenyoumightneedtofightarancormotivator.jpg" alt="because_you_never_know" width="480" height="384" /></a>
In the recent Costco mailer, some friends and I all noticed that a "72-hour" kit that Costco carries had a limited time online discount available. The $60 kit was/is available for a limited time for $40 with shipping (<a href="http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11314388&search=344593&Mo=0&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&Sp=S&N=5000043&whse=BC&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BC&Ne=4000000&D=344593&Ntt=344593&No=0&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&topnav=&s=1">Costco 72 hour kit sale</a>), so I decided to check it out. One more 72 hour kit could be good for my family, and if it was nice, would make a great gift to give to some family members and friends.
I thought I'd share a nice and easy way to utilize your whole wheat berries for an on-the-run breakfast. Of course, I'm talking whole wheat cereal. Now I remember as a kid hating this stuff, my mom would make it for us kids, and we'd all turn our noses at it, pleading for something sugary. But we did have to eat it anways, it was what we could afford.
I love the tips that get passed around online that just make your life work a little easier. This quick tip was posted to me today.
The following is a re-post of content from a while back from <a title="Jayce^" href="http://www.jaycehall.com">my personal blog</a>, responding to a friends comments as he was first getting interested in food storage.
It's getting to be harvest season, which means plenty of work around my household trying to preserve some of what we've grown. Because of our love for flavorful food, we've tried to expand the variety of Herbs around our household over the last several years. Herbs are an excellent way to expand the flavor of those rice and beans we've all been stuffing into our long term storage. Those wonderful foods that make up such a major part of our plans will become quite monotonous though, if we cant' get some flavor variety in them.
LDS Emergency Communications Article
The UtahPreppers site is our attempt to help make our personal experiences in preparedness a little easier for people to learn from. Some people like going beyond this simple site to intertact more often, and a popular tool for this is a forum. Now instead of going out and hosting our own form, we felt it better to work with others in this matter. Because of the nature of our state, we have been giving our support to two separate forums out there, <a href="http://ldspreppers.com">ldspreppers.com</a> and the <a href="http://americanpreppersnetwork.net/">APN forum</a>. Obviously the LDS Preppers forum encourages a community with a religious focus, for our LDS readers. But also we collaborate with the rest of the American Preppers Network, and have a channel on their for <a href="http://americanpreppersnetwork.net/viewforum.php?f=80">Utah specific discussions</a>.
Sometimes it's nice to hear a little bit of good news. In a <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/teen-survives-reality-tv-widerness-skills/story?id=12524850" target="_blank">story from last week</a> a boy in Oregon survived getting lost on Mt. Bachelor after losing a ski. The boy had been skiing apparently off regular tracks, and when it got dark, he took several smart steps.
The Fruitless Hunt - Survival Hunting
