Category: TEOTWAWKI Survival

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Review: Front Sight Four Day Defensive Handgun Course

Gentlemen (and some of you ladies), prepare to drool. I’m still drooling.

Last night I returned from a four day defensive handgun training course at the Front Sight Training Institute near Pahrump, Nevada (read: the boonies of the Nevada desert). I’ve been waiting for this weekend for a few months now, and it was worth every penny (stay tuned for how you can attend a course with fewer pennies than you might think!).

The following is a review of my experience and some of my thoughts on Front Sight’s training in general.

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Tax Refund Preparedness

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.

So, if you are one of those looking at receiving a check from Uncle Sam in the next month or two, why not put a little more thought in how it can be used for preparing your family for the year ahead?  The following list of ideas might help stimulate your family in a way far better than buying some toy you’ve been looking at recently.  Each of the following is a simple idea, that will later be posts of their own with all the details you’ll want. Continue reading “Tax Refund Preparedness”

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Microwaves, Faraday Cages, and EMP Protection


photo credit: t-squared

One of the related risks to a nuclear attack is an EMP blast. Rather than detonating the nuke at ground level and thus destroying infrastructure and human life, the bomb is deployed in the atmosphere, and an EMP blast results. In the former scenario you’d be dead immediately; in the latter, many would die slow deaths, widespread panic would result, and terror would take a drastic toll—all because people wouldn’t have access to their machinery and gadgets that enable them to do all of their basic, day-to-day activities.

Just think about all the things you do on a daily basis that require electricity: turn on the sink to brush your teeth; get in the car to get groceries; withdraw cash from the ATM; refrigerate your food; use the internet to follow the news; call your parents; turn on the lights at night. All of these simple, daily tasks require the electricity we enjoy in abundance today.

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Learning From the Pioneers

1844_1877_1Many know that Utah was originally settled by Mormon Pioneers, I’m a descendant of those pioneers from 8 different family lines on my Mother’s side.  The Mormon Pioneers crossed the plains from Illinois to Utah in covered wagons, handcarts and many on foot.  Many of them buried family and loved ones under a pile of rocks on their way here.  It was a harrowing experience the like of which will hopefully never be repeated.

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Review: Tomorrow’s Harvest freeze-dried food

There are several markets that are booming in the current economic climate, and one of those is emergency preparedness and food storage. People are quickly realizing that fiat dollars and credit cards won’t feed the family, and are working quickly to stock up on needed supplies. Many people are flying blind in their pursuit of food storage, and are unsure as to what to store.

Filling this niche and marketing themselves to these customers (and others), several companies offering freeze-dried products have begun to more aggressively promote their products and fill a need in the marketplace. I looked into several companies based in Utah, and ultimately ended up making a small purchase through Tomorrow’s Harvest.

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Blue Chip Food Storage Group Demo in Salem

Blue Chip Group is a Salt Lake based manufacturer of Emergency Food Storage supplies. They will be providing a demonstration of their products on February 5th in Salem, UT at 7 pm.

Here is the info I received on this event:

The Blue Chip Group will be in Salem at the Community Center, 151 W. 300 S. on Thursday, February 5th at 7:00 p.m. Come and taste test Blue Chips food storage items. Preparedness Items will be there for demonstration also. This is a night to help you feel more confident in what you will have in your food storage in case of emergency. Recipes available and you can use these foods in your everyday cooking…they’re that GOOD! If you can’t make it on the 5th you can still group order. Pick up your food storage order form at the Salem city office building. Order forms and money will be due on the following Thursday Feb. 12th at the Salem city building. Please make your check or money orders payable to Kristy Beck and put your check and order form in a sealed envelope.

This is all the information I have at the moment. For those needing directions, please check here.

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Announcing the First Semi-Annual UtahPreppers 72 hour KitCamp

This is gonna be fun!campzionsmall

There’s a lot to explain here and we’re still figuring out a lot of it, but here’s our plan.

This is going to be a 3 day family survival/training camp – the catch and the point is that you can only bring your 72 hour kit and nothing else. For 3 days you’ll have to survive off of the contents of your 72 hour kit. We’ll have backups of some critical things in case you’ve forgotten anything (we’re not gonna let you die! :) ).

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50 lbs. Hard Red Wheat $15 in Spanish Fork

I received this from my stake emergency preparedness specialist.

Hi Y’All,
Here is another opportunity to add to your wheat supply.
A friend has made an agreement with a wheat grower in the Delta, Utah area to sell his wheat.
It has been cleaned and is the hard red wheat. The price is 50 lb bag for $15.00. Cash and carry only and 1st come 1st served.
If intersted email Jeremy Taylor at jeremy_r_taylor AT Yahoo DOT com. The wheat can be picked up at his home in Spanish Fork. Contact him for address and when.

I don’t know what quantities are available, but this is an excellent price on wheat at the moment. If you need more wheat to round out your food storage, this is a good opportunity to do so without breaking the bank. If you are able to take advantage of this, please post about your experience.

Keep on preppin’!

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Review: Volcano Stove II

Last week I had the opportunity to get in on a group buy for the Volcano II stove. (Sorry, I would have shared the details but I found out about it very last minute and barely made it in myself!) I had heard good things about this stove, and after a brief review of its features and online ratings, I decided to acquire one.

The main reason I wanted to add this to my supplies is its versatility—Volcano stoves can use charcoal, wood, or propane (with the adapter). I found this setup very desirable, since while my fuel may be diversified, this single stove can handle almost everything I throw at it. It’s made to accommodate dutch ovens, or you can lay down the included grill on top and use a normal pan, pot, or cook your things directly on it. And cleanup is as simple as turning the stove over and dumping the remnants out (unless you’re using propane, of course).

Another great feature of the Volcano is its unique heat chamber that channels the heat upwards towards your food, instead of wasting fuel by expelling heat out the sides and bottom. This also means that the area surrounding the stove is cooler than conventional stoves, allowing you to cook with the stove on a variety of surfaces that you normally might not use for putting your stove on.

Below are the pictures of my grand unveiling when I opened and first used the stove.

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Adding to your long term supply using dehydration

Someone sent me these great videos on dehydrating food and using it in your food storage. The woman in the presentation is very knowledgeable about the subject and shows the correct way to dehydrate, store and use your food while helping to avoid some of the common pitfalls along the way.

These videos have changed the way I think about dehydrating food at home. Many of the tips about using oxygen absorbers, buying buckets, etc. are useful for other types of food storage as well.

Give them a thorough watching, take notes and let us know what you think.

Continue reading “Adding to your long term supply using dehydration”

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Home Gardening Course in North Mapleton

MAPLETON NORTH STAKE HOME GARDENING COURSE

Saturday, February 7 – March 14, 2009 –

Be prepared to grow large crops of delicious fruits and vegetables in your own garden. In this six week (2 hrs. a wk.) course you will learn all the basic principles and practical gardening methods which make home gardening easy, enjoyable and productive: including varieties, planning, planting, soils, mulching, tilling, control of weeds, insects, and other pests, climate, watering, fertilizing, pruning, and fruit tree culture. You will come away with a “green thumb”.

The instructor, Gordon Wells, is the author of Successful Home Gardening, the 120 page textbook, which is free to all students. He has a Masters Degree in Agriculture from University of California, Davis and has taught home gardening for many years. (For questions about this class call 423-2655.)

When:

Saturday, Feb. 7 – Mar. 14, 2009 (6 classes)

Time:

9 a.m. – 11 a.m.

Location:

1600 North Main in Mapleton