Been a while since I wandered here to scribble my thoughts about a product. Every week some widget Kickstarter company reaches out to bait for a review, and frankly that kind of content has never interested me. That said, pretending to be be a super spy does peak my curiosity, so here we are. I...

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This is just the start of the post Cigman CNVPRO Night Vision Binoculars Review – Can’t Believe These Work!. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

Cigman CNVPRO Night Vision Binoculars Review – Can’t Believe These Work!, written by Thomas Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.

Another year and yet another pseudo crisis. Much like the blackout we experienced in Canada back in 2013, and the last two forest fires, this was less about logistical issues, but really about reflection on my own state of preparedness. Now, I am sure you know the gist of what happened, because this story (for...

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This is just the start of the post My Experience with the Multi-Country Power Outage in Portugal & Spain. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

My Experience with the Multi-Country Power Outage in Portugal & Spain, written by Thomas Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.

Been a while since I chimed in with my 2 cents, so here we are. I upgraded my solar panel setup a few months ago, and now having had the chance to see both the real-world financial impact and energy generation, I figured I would report and share my thoughts on the experience. First of...

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This is just the start of the post 8 More Panels: Was Solar Worth It for Me?. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

8 More Panels: Was Solar Worth It for Me?, written by Thomas Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.

When Metmo reached out about reviewing their Pocket Driver, it took me a while to accept their offer to test drive their product. On the surface, the Metmo Pocket Driver is an EDC tool, but without the foibles and downsides of many EDC widgets that try to do too many things at once. You know...

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This is just the start of the post Metmo Pocket Driver Portable Ratchet Screwdriver EDC Tool Review. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

Metmo Pocket Driver Portable Ratchet Screwdriver EDC Tool Review, written by Thomas Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.

I rarely throw in the towel, but with the current news cycle it has become clear that my somewhat regular April fools posts cannot compete with reality. I am at the point where anything ludicrous I can conjure up strays dangerously close to real world events, which leaves me at a loss of what I...

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This is just the start of the post End of an Era. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

End of an Era, written by Thomas Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.

A bit of a silly post? A little pointless, too obvious thing to talk about? Maybe. But I just wanted to share my thoughts on this because – honestly – I’ve never felt so little stress over keeping up with the parts of my prepper stockpile that I now have on Amazon Pantry, which is...

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This is just the start of the post As a Prepper, Amazon’s “Subscribe & Save” Has Been a Godsend for Stockpiling…. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

As a Prepper, Amazon’s “Subscribe & Save” Has Been a Godsend for Stockpiling…, written by Elise Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.

I accumulated the standard outdoor fixed blades a quite a few years ago. My general slacking means no reviews for most of these (yet), but when it comes to a dependable fixed blade, I tend to be a lot stricter when reviewing as opposed to folders, where toughness is secondary insofar as performance is concerned....

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This is just the start of the post Knife Drop: A Handful of Bushcraft Knives from My Collection Including My Old Faithful. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

Knife Drop: A Handful of Bushcraft Knives from My Collection Including My Old Faithful, written by Thomas Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.

Long time since I have done an EDC drop. Frankly, as I get older (and busier) I just don’t switch stuff out as much as I used to, nor do I chase new shinies. Knife is the Boker Atlas in Copper. It’s well made and slip, so fits pretty much anything I am wearing. As...

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This is just the start of the post January 2024 EDC Pocket Dump. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

January 2024 EDC Pocket Dump, written by Thomas Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.

I can’t remember if it was at the start of COVID or a couple of years before, but at one point or another, Thomas and I got to the point where we’d settled into our new home here in Portugal, and were starting to want to really grow our long-term, rather than short-term preps. We...

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This is just the start of the post Just 2 Foods = The Best (& Cheapest!) Long-Term Prep Stockpile. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

Just 2 Foods = The Best (& Cheapest!) Long-Term Prep Stockpile, written by Elise Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.

I cannot count the number of time’s I’ve heard or read preppers, survivalists, and bushcrafters say that, in case there’s an emergency situation, they’ll be fine because they know how to hunt. Of course, they then say that they have the gear stockpile already covered to back them up, so they’re good. Then there’s the...

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This is just the start of the post 99% of You Won’t Survive a Long-Term Emergency with These 3 SHTF Plans. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

99% of You Won’t Survive a Long-Term Emergency with These 3 SHTF Plans, written by Elise Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.

Once again in July a fire broke out right behind my home. I did the usual preps as per my experience the year before, but as I snapped away photographs and considered my options and risk, I realized that my entire experience was procedural. Standard Operating Apathy, much like the risk of pandemics, shortages etc....

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This is just the start of the post Emergency Experience: Forest Fire on My Doorstep. Again.. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

Emergency Experience: Forest Fire on My Doorstep. Again., written by Thomas Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.

We’ve dropped by sporadically here and there over the years, but our life up to this point has been so hectic and full of chaos that coming back to our roots – by returning to blogging regularly – has felt more like a long shot dream than a possible reality. Not this year. This year...

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This is just the start of the post Knife Drop: Happy New Year, Guys! 2024 Is the Year We’ll Be Back…. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

Knife Drop: Happy New Year, Guys! 2024 Is the Year We’ll Be Back…, written by Elise Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.

Evening folks. Long time no chat as usual, but much like the pandemic, sometimes fuckery of untold proportion unfolds which forces me away from the repetitive rigours of normal life to hammer away at my keyboard. So here we are. Unless you have been living under a rock, Russia has invaded Ukraine and is in...

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This is just the start of the post Invasion of Ukraine – Please Grow a Pair. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

Invasion of Ukraine – Please Grow a Pair, written by Thomas Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.

As of last Friday, my little slice of the hemisphere ended the COVID lockdown. I am not sure what sort of reaction I expected. Perhaps a level of jubilance that we managed to get 85% of country vaccinated, or an economic sigh of relief, but frankly it seems I am not alone in feeling like...

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This is just the start of the post COVID Lessons & Lockdown Life in a Vacuum. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

COVID Lessons & Lockdown Life in a Vacuum, written by Thomas Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.

For my first review of 2021, I figured it would be fun to court controversy by taking a look at Dalstrong knives, Specifically the Shogun Series X 10.25″. Now to some of you sitting at home who haven’t heard of Dalstrong knives and remain blissfully unaware of the vitriol that has spewed forth when these...

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This is just the start of the post Are Dalstrong Knives Overhyped? Dalstrong Shogun Series X Knife Review. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

Are Dalstrong Knives Overhyped? Dalstrong Shogun Series X Knife Review, written by Thomas Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.

As this pandemic stretches to an unforeseeable conclusion, this felt like a good time to drop back in and give you lot an update on my own perspective as a jaded prepper. The current situation here in Portugal is, to put it bluntly, dire. We have skyrocketing infection rates rivalling the UK, a health care...

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This is just the start of the post Lockdown Lucidity: A Prepper Perspective. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

Lockdown Lucidity: A Prepper Perspective, written by Thomas Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.

The interesting thing about forest fires is the powerlessness one feels when placed kissing distance from an inferno. I never really understood the underlying threat of forest fires until 3 days ago, but folks, I learnt that lesson pronto. First things first, forest fires have zero chill. It started off with a faint whiff of...

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This is just the start of the post Emergency Experience: Forest Fire on My Doorstep. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

Emergency Experience: Forest Fire on My Doorstep, written by Thomas Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.

As the world unwinds our collective enforced isolation protocols, it’s good to take stock of the situation at hand and see where this will lead us. The reality is that the economy shutting down until a vaccine is discovered & mass inoculation occurs would be almost impossible with regards to our economy and its resilience....

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This is just the start of the post Coronavirus: A (Realist) Prepper’s Perspective on the World Opening Up. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

Coronavirus: A (Realist) Prepper’s Perspective on the World Opening Up, written by Thomas Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.

Figured I was long overdue for an update. With lockdown still in effect, I have no longer have much of an excuse. Isolation is an odd word in our new reality. As a society we have never been so connected. The world is just a click away and it seems (to me at least) that...

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This is just the start of the post The Coronavirus Crisis Is Going to Upend Our World in a Way We Can’t Really Fathom. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

The Coronavirus Crisis Is Going to Upend Our World in a Way We Can’t Really Fathom, written by Thomas Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.

If there’s one thing that’s bothering me the absolute most about this pandemic, it’s the uncertainty. The fact that we don’t and can’t know when this will all blow over leaves me a little on edge. And yes, I know that Thomas & I will likely be fine no matter how long it takes –...

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This is just the start of the post Will the Coronavirus Make Regular People More Prepper Minded?. Continue reading and be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

Will the Coronavirus Make Regular People More Prepper Minded?, written by Elise Xavier, was created exclusively for readers of the survival blog More Than Just Surviving.