TEOTWAWKI Blog

PVC Mora Sheath

2012-01-27T09:03:00.000-07:00

Made this sheath from some PVC found on a hike. I cut the PVC a bit longer than was need, then sawed out a section to form into a belt loop. Heated over a gas BBQ - used foil to protect the grill and the PVC from each other. Flattened/shaped with some stone tiles that we had lying around - you could use some scrap wood, too. The belt loop is a little too short for use with a belt, but works well for a neck knife. Wrapped it in camouflage Gorilla tape for decorative purposes - I like it. The only tools used were my Leatherman and a hacksaw--the hacksaw's work could have all been done by the Leathman saw in a pinch.

I'm happy with how it turned out--good first try. The sheath holds the knife (the excellent Mora Bushcraft) securely--does well in the upside down shake test. The PVC was very easy to work with and forgiving of mistakes--if you screw something up, just heat again!

If you're interested, the knife and camo gorilla tape are available on Amazon. This YouTube video has great instructions for making a similar style of sheath.

I haven't been able to find thin-walled PVC in larger diameters for machete sheath making - the PVC that the hardware places near me carry is all thick Schedule 40 stuff, which is overkill for a sheath. Keeping an eye out and open to any recommendations for finding 3" thin walled stuff.

Guidance on Building a Survival Kit

2012-01-26T11:12:00.000-07:00

Kits are a big part of survival - you want to have the gear on hand to make sure you can survive. However, it's easy to get carried away, lose focus and end up with a less effective kit. It's also easy to just copy/paste some list off the internet, instead of really thinking things through.

Here are few things that I like to keep in mind when putting together a survival kit.

What's the plan?
This is the biggest and one of the most difficult question - what will you need this kit to help you accomplish? An escape and evade kit is going to be different from a wilderness survival kit, which in turn is going to be different from a kit for surviving in urban sprawl or a get home bag.

Your survival plan should directly guide what you pack.

Weight & Size
What are the constraints on the kit? How big can it be and how much can it weigh? Is this an altoids size kit, a bug out bag or something you're going to throw in the back of an SUV?

Weight is huge if you're going to be carrying it on foot--for most, a 70 to 80 pound pack is a no-go. Don't feel like a wimp for having a pack with a manageable weight - in the original Delta Force trials, they gave the candidates 40 to 45 pound packs for long distance hikes, and that was hard enough for them. You want a pack that you can carry all day, over rough terrain and moving at a reasonable speed.

If your pack is going to ride in the back of your vehicle, weight becomes less important. If you really can't cut the weight, organize the pack into sub loads, where you can ditch the heavier/less critical items if necessary.

Ragnar's Rule of Threes
Things don't always go according to plan. If something is essential to your survival plan, have three ways of getting it done. For instance, a long term wilderness survival kit would want three methods of starting fire, acquiring food, boiling water and so on. This is task-specific, not gear specific--you don't need three knives, three axes, three rifles and so on, but you would want three different cutting tools and three methods of defending yourself or hunting.

Keep this rule in mind when developing your plan and the kit to support it. For smaller kits, knowledge of primitive methods and improvised techniques can help make up for gear that you're unable to include.

Moderation
It can be easy to go overboard in any particular area--I most often see this with knives. I love knives as much as the next guy, but you don't need six different knives of the same basic kind. It's wasted weight in your pack. When trying to meet Ragnar's Rule of Threes, you want versatility--a small axe, a 4 to 5 inch fixed blade and a multi-tool, for example.

It's just as easy to go crazy on consumables like ammo, batteries and food. You'll have to make your decisions here, but you will have to make compromises based on your constraints. If you have a vehicle or cache sites, you'll have much more leeway here. A pack? Less so.

The Pathfinder 10 Piece Kit
Dave Canterbury's 10 Cs of survivability are a great general guide for survival basics. Your individual plan may not require some of the longer term or wilderness focused items, but a good list to review none-the-less.

Some Commonly Overlooked Areas
These are often overlooked in survival kits of all shapes n' sizes. Your mileage may vary depending on what you want to do:

Trauma Kit: Not just some bandaids, but a kit capable of responding to a serious, gunshot wound level injury. Stop the bleeding and keep the patient alive until help can be found.
Currency: Cash talks and gets things done. If you have zero faith in dollars, gold is the way to go in terms of portability.
Spare Parts: While we like to think that our critical gear will never fail, that's not always the case. Spare parts--in the form of springs, firing pins and so on--weigh little, take up little space and are very difficult to impossible to improvise on the go.

Those are my thoughts for now. Reactions? What did I miss? What else do you keep in mind or review when putting together a kit?

Who else is pumped for #TheGrey?

2012-01-24T18:45:00.001-07:00

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Kicks unholy ass sounds about right.Whoever came up with Liam Neeson versus a pack of man-eating wolves deserves a medal. The Grey looks great.

You guys and gals as excited as I am?

The Fire Can

2012-01-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

A fire can, ready to light.

If you've read a wilderness survival manual or two, you've probably seen the fire can. Also known as the buddy burner, they've been around for decades. Bit o' cardboard, cut into strips, rolled up, put into a can and then covered with wax.

Wax from four tea lights ready to pour.

I wanted to see how well the fire can worked, so I made on up. Your parts list is simple--a can of some kind, cardboard cut into strips and then wax. I melted down tea lights because I have a bunch of 'em on hand--cheap 100 packs from Ikea--but you can certainly use whatever wax you've got lying around or buy some bulk candle wax at a craft store.

Cut out cardboard strips around the same height as the top of the can. Roll 'em up and put them in the can.

Melt the wax down--a double-boiler is going to be the safest and fastest.You're not supposed to melt wax over an open flame due to fire risk. I just put a nesting GSI cup in a pot of boiling water. Melts down in a couple minutes, easy stuff. Then I Poured the tealight wax over the cardboard and let it cool and firm up.

Next comes the fun part - fire. The fire can is NOT going to be lit with a ferro rod alone--you'll need some actual flame to get this started. A lighter will take 10-20 seconds or so of direct contact to really get it going. I settled for a bit of cotton ball lit with a ferro rod. That got it burning, and the flames gradually spread from the center of the roll on outward towards the edges.

The fire can puts out quite a bit of heat and a pretty good sized flame. It's certainly something that you could cook with - a fire can plus a vented #10 can would make a good hobo cook set. The can was outside with a 5-10 mph breeze and burned well, not threatening to burn or snuff out prematurely. Total burn time was 75 minutes, with the flame only noticeably shrinking towards the end.

A couple thoughts. I think the can that I used was too tall--the fire cans in the survival books I've seen are usually based off of a shoe polish tin or a small tuna can. The top of the cardboard roll is really what burns, so in this particular can, the lower 1/2 to 2/3 of the roll was useless. Shorter cans would seem to be better. I would also want to explore what adding more wax would do--this particular can probably did not have quite enough wax for its size.

Were I to pack these for a survival kit, I would make sure to include a candle wick in the build process or a bit of some kind of tinder on top. Something to ensure that you could light it when the chips were down.

While the fire can is worth a try, it's a bit of a niche piece of equipment. The fire can is not going to burn all night, so in a cold weather survival scenario, you're going to need to build a real fire at some point anyways. That relegates the fire can to a cooking role, where I would prefer a soda can stove or gel fuel can like a Sterno, or just cooking over a fire.

In most survival scenarios, I would prefer the tea lights over the fire can, too. Tealights burn for around 4 hours a piece and can be used for warming or starting a real fire.

That said, the fire can is not without its uses. In an urban environment or in a hide site, you may not be able have a full-fledged fire, and if you had no other stove options and a surplus of wax, this might just be the ticket. Or perhaps in a rain/winter scenario where you could not get a fire going otherwise due to dampness, lack of tinder, etc. A burnin' fire can should be enough to get a fire going most anywhere.

Fun little project that only costs you some wax and time. Certainly worth knowing how to do even if you never need it.

Heads Up: The Union Creek Journal

2012-01-22T07:31:00.001-07:00

We all enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction, and free post-apocalyptic fiction is probably even better. The Union Creek Journal is an ongoing account of one community's struggle to survive in a post-collapse world. It's written in a journal/blog style, ala the Day by Day Armageddon series.

Definitely worth checking out--I've only read a few of the most recent entries and it looks pretty good. I've got it in my reading "queue" to start from the beginning and work my way forward. Just need to finish a couple books first!

If there's any fans of The Union Creek Journal out there, chime in with your thoughts in the comments section!

Read the Union Creek Journal >

Jeff White French Trade Knife

2012-01-20T06:47:00.004-07:00

Here's something for the traditionalists out there. Hand forged blacksmith work, walnut handles, 5 1/4 blade length. At 3/32 thick, it's thin and slicey; batons through wiood with exceptional ease. High carbon 1095 blade steel - great stuff. Flat ground and arrived very sharp.

This model is patterned after the French trade knife from 1600-1800. Jeff White also makes an English pattern trade knife that is almost the same, but has a squared handle an the blade is 1/4 inch wider. In retrospect, I'd probably pick up an English pattern knife, but the photo for the French with walnut was the best of the lot. Alas, you the picture is different from the knife that actually ships.

Still, a very nice knife. The maker leaves a half the blade unpolished for effect, and I like the looks of it. Lightweight, good balance. A bit thin, at least compared to the knives I've grown used to, but it has proven sturdy in the use I've put it to.

My only complaint about the knife is the transition area from the handle to the blade - the razor-sharp blade begins right next to where your fingers rest, and it is conceivable that a finger or two could slide down onto the blade during hard work. This is a design issue with the trade knife pattern, not the fault of the maker.

One of the best parts--I got mine for $35 shipped, which is a bargain for a handmade knife, walnut handles and 1095 steel. It's a nice knife, but not so pricey that I'd be hesitant to put it to hard work.

These knives don't ship with a sheath, so you'll have to buy/make one. A maker by the name of R Jones makes leather sheaths for these blades. Around $20 shipped, come in a couple different patters. One of his crossdraw sheaths is pictured above the blade--sturdy construction and holds the knife securely, but the belt loop on my sheath is too narrow to fit on any decently thick belt. It will probably stretch out in time, but I've taken to carrying this knife as a neck knife, so it's not a big deal. Would probably go with a traditional straight-drop sheath if I had to do it over again.

Anyways, thought I would pass this along. Functionally, there's not a huge difference from a Mora, and some of the Mora designs will be more comfortable for long/hard use. But for under $60, all-in, you get a pretty nice looking handmade knife + leather sheath combo. Certainly would not be my primary choice for a hard use survival blade, but a good backup, neck knife, slicer or bushcrafting knife, or just something traditional to add to your collection.

Both are available on eBay - search "Jeff White Knife" and both knives and sheaths will come up.

DIY Paracord donut

2012-01-17T22:21:00.001-07:00

While not the quickest to make, a paracord donut is a handy way to carry a large amount of paracord in a compact package. Nothing to get tangled, so these ride pretty well in a bag. If you need to use the paracord, just pull the end to undo the braid.

The pictured donut has about 40 feet worth of cordage in it. Took about an hour to weave, but it was my first time makin' one.

Making the paracord donut is fairly simple, once you get the basic braid down. Just repeat over and over again. Step-by-step after the jump, or do a YouTube search for a slew of how-to's.

Start out with a few loops of paracord. There's no specific diameter that you need. This will form the core of your donut--the smaller the diameter, the fatter the donut.

Next, you'll want to make a loop with the long/tag end.

Then make a second loop...

This part is a bit tricky. You want to pass loop #2 through the middle of the donut and around your cordage center, then up through loop #1.

Then pull loop #2 through and tighten. You will probably need to do some hands on support here. This first part is the hardest...

Then you start on the braid. It's a bit hard to see for the first braids and generally requires a bit of hands on to hold it together while the braid is really tightening/forming. The next pictures come from an almost complete donut. It's the same braid all throughout, and it's easier to see how the braid works at this point.

All right, here's your loop #1, same loop as we left off on the last set of photos. And we're going to be continue working with the tag end. Make a loop #2 and wrap it AROUND the body of the donut. Through the donut hole and then up through your loop #1.

Then it's a matter of tightening things down. Pull on the last inside-the-donut wrap and cinch loop #1 tight.

Loop #1 is tightened down, moving the excess cordage to the inside of the donut. Pull on loop #2 to tighten this up.

And finally pull your tag end to shrink down the loop to a manageable size.

That's one braid; repeat until you run out of cordage and your loop is done!

If my completely awesome photo tutorial wasn't enough, this is one of the better YouTube instructionals I've seen.

From Bro. Randy - PVC Sheaths

2012-01-16T19:05:00.000-07:00

Brother Randy Church sent on over this picture of a DIY machete sheath made from heat formed PVC pipe. Yes, I know it's hard to look at the sheath with that socket handled machete next to it, but pry your eyes away from that for a moment.

PVC is common stuff--it's in your walls and can be found dirt cheap at any hardware store. Would be very easy to scavenge up post-collapse. Durable, too.

With some gentle heating - in an oven, indirect heat over a campfire or BBQ, using a heat gun, whatever - you can get it nice and bendy. Insert knife for be sheathed and flatten the PVC pipe between boards. You can form a belt loop out of the PVC or use some cordage. Pretty simple, quick n' dirty. Paint if desired.

From Randy -

Natives by mid 1800 were using what the White men were throwing away. We are the Natives of today. There is a ton of this stuff laying around. Kydex material is expensive so if ya'll are going to use this crap I have to find an alternative re-use material for my End of the World Brothers. You could also texture it while it is still warm with leather stamps ..etc..

Not fancy, but functional and inexpensive. Common man, TEOTWAWKI recycling stuff. And of course, there's all kinds of other stuff you can do with PVC pipe - caches, blow guns, quivers and on and on. Good stuff to have.

A PVC sheath like this is especially good for inexpensive machetes that come without anything. It doesn't make a lot of sense to drop $50 on a good sheath for a $5 to $15 machete. Some PVC, heat and a bit o' work would do the job.

I have a beater Cold Steel panga machete that currently rides in a rigged cardboard/duct tape sleeve, and I'm going to have to give this a try. Was planning on doing it today, but real life and work threw a monkey wrench in that plan. I will post a step-by-step when I get it done.

Big thanks to Randy for passing this along! Check out Church & Son's to peruse more of his knives.

Weekend Open Thread - What are your prepping goals for the year?

2012-01-13T18:45:00.000-07:00

Last year was the first year that I actually sat down and wrote down my prepping goals for the year, and I found it to be massively beneficial in guiding my efforts. This year, I'm planning on making it an official, sit-down thing with TEOTWAWKI Wife. We've been in a sort of graduate-school limbo for the past several years, and I will be done and working full time by mid-year, so we should be able to make some major strides.

Anyways, in order to help motivate you guys, I thought I'd run an open thread. What are your prepping goals for 2012?

Remember, good goals follow the SMART acronym:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time based

Read more about goal setting here.

Post up your prepping goals for 2012 in the comments section.

Combination Guns

2012-01-12T16:23:00.000-07:00

Combination guns used to be fairly popular, and they were huge in Europe. They're pretty simple, break open over/under guns intended for hunting. Usually a rifle barrel over a shotgun barrel, though the German dreilings had two shotgun barrels AND a rifle barrel. The benefit is pretty clear--you get the versatility of having a shotgun AND a rifle in one long gun. Very handy for going out hunting/foraging--with the right gun, you could engage any kind of game at basically range.

If you've seen the Springfield M6 Scout--a .22lr or .22 Hornet over .410--that's a combination gun. The Savage Model 24 is another example that started production in the late 30s and came in a variety of chamberings. Some of the 24s have a built in

Unfortunately, both are out of production, though I guarantee Springfield would sell a truckload of M6s if they brought them back. They can be found on the second hand market at widely varying prices.

I've been doing some looking, and there are a couple variants of the Savage 24 that look especially appealing to the survivor:

.22lr over 12 & 20 gauge
.22 magnum over 12 & 20 gauge
.30-30 over 12 & 20 gauge
.223 over 12 & 20 gauge

My personal preference would be for the .223 or the .30-30 over a 12 gauge. The .223 is a flatter shooter with better range, cheaper, more common and already stacked deep for my AR. You can also get .223 to .22lr chamber adapters, which would let you use the full rifled barrel like an AR conversion kit. On the other hand, the .30-30 can shoot cast bullets, run on black powder, has a bit more OOMPH and I've got family/friends who stock the caliber.

Dave Canterbury has shown a lot of the versatility of the shotgun and ease of reloading in an "extended" scenario on his YouTube channel. The 12 gauge is never going to be a long range gun, though, and the ammunition is difficult to carry in quantity. Pairing a good rifle barrel with that extends your options--you'd have a hunting/foraging gun that could just about do it all.

Anyways, interesting option for hunting and long term post-collapse.

I don't have a 24 and have never personally handled one, so if any of you, my faithful readers have experience with them, let me know. I also may be overlooking other makes/models of combo guns--let me know if that's the case. Would be groovy if there was a current production model of the right flavor.

Stealth vs. Open Defense in a TEOTWAWKI Scenario

2012-01-10T17:10:00.000-07:00

The Two Strategies
At a high level, there are two different strategies that one can take when trying to survive aggressors when TEOTWAWKI rolls around.

On one hand, you can lay low and try to remain unnoticed/hidden, or at least be so elusive that an aggressor can't mount a direct attack against you. You operate from concealment and have, generally, a run/hide mentality when trouble runs around. If you engage the enemy, it's going to be using sniper or guerrilla tactics; you won't survive a standup fight. But mostly, you hunker down, stay hidden and survive.

On the other hand, you can maintain an open defensive posture, where you directly confront aggressors. In this case, you would have things like open patrols, check points and other obvious defensive measures. Your organization would have ability to project obvious power and control within your area of operations, allowing you to maintain some level of law/order. When trouble comes around, you stand up and fight.

These two different strategies go back to the natural instincts of fight versus flight--sometimes, it makes sense to stand and fight, other times it makes sense to run and hide. You can see these play out in conflicts today and throughout history--the U.S. against insurgents/Al Queda, the DEA against drug smugglers, Anne Frank and the Nazis and so on.

Open Defense
This is the defensive posture we'd all like to take -- no one wants to live in secrecy and in constant fear of attack or discovery. You want to stand up for yourself, your family and what is yours. Unfortunately, it takes a good amount of power to be able to live this way. You've got to be strong enough to scare away potential attackers and defeat any who are brave enough to test their luck. That means that you need manpower and firepower.

A small survival group is not going to be able to take this stance--you'd need a larger group--a neighborhood or a small town, most likely. The community would form some kind of neighborhood watch or town militia for mutual defense, probably with the aid of intact law enforcement or military personnel. With the bodies and some fire power, a community could defend their homes and maintain order.

In survival fiction, the towns in One Second After and the neighborhood in Lights Out take an open defense posture. The town in Jericho does, too.

In a collapse scenario, I think this would be the response of most communities. When a larger community breaks down (nation, state, city, etc.), it's a somewhat natural transition to fall back onto a more immediate community--the people next door and across the street. There's huge advantages to community--it's civilization and safety. A sustainable community would provide the best quality of life, post-TEOTWAWKI--but it would have to be sustainable. That means things like local water, food, probably some kind of fuel, and decent people who don't already hate each other.

Problems come when things like food and water run out, internal strife tears the community apart, the community runs into an aggressor they can't contend with, or if disaster renders the community unlivable. How fast that will happen is going to vary wildly based on your location.

The Stealth Approach
If you can't beat aggressors in a stand-up fight, then it's run and hide or become subject to the aggressor's will. In general, this survival strategy means, surprise, a lot of hiding out and going unnoticed. If fighting must be done, it's using sniper and guerrilla tactics. If movement must be done, its probably at night or at least in thick cover and well camouflaged. If your hide site is located and threatened by a superior force, then you bug out to somewhere safe, maybe with a sniper or guerrilla attack to slow the baddies down and allow you some breathing room. You get the picture.

This kind of existence is difficult to sustain long term. Survival is hard enough without having to worry about doing everything in secrecy. For example, how do you farm or raise a vegetable garden in secrecy? How do you cook or keep from freezing to death without drawing attention? How do you deal with waste? Now compound these problems with multiple families. Very difficult.

Living way out in the hinter-boonies would offer some advantages, but in a collapse scenario, every remote farmhouse or cabin will have a good number of visitors looking for a place to hole up or scavenge. If there's a road, people will find it. And yes, you can make a house look abandoned or burnt out, but desperate and curious people will still check it out. Crowds certainly will be smaller way out in the middle of nowhere, but your chances of having backup from neighbors/the community are also going to be lower. If your group can't deal with whoever comes knocking, then you've got a problem.

A real hide site is going to be, well, really difficult for anyone to find. Hard to access and hidden. In a rural setting, a remote and well-camouflaged camp that's not accessible by road; maybe a cave or excavated hide. In a more populated setting, a concealed bunker or hidden safe room. Spider holes and hideouts, that kind of thing.

As mentioned, a hide is going to be very difficult to sustain long term, so it will probably need to be a temporary situation. You will need to emerge and resupply eventually, whether that is through pre positioned caches, barter, hunting/gathering, farming or relocating to another area entirely.

In survival fiction, the man and his son in The Road generally follow a stealthy approach to survival, avoiding contact and hiding when trouble comes around. They have it best when they find the concealed and well-stocked underground bunker. In Patriots, the Group adopts this strategy when confronted by the evil U.N./black helicopter invaders and retreat to their wilderness hide and begin their guerrilla war. In the Survivalist series, John Rourke's concealed retreat/cave complex is an elaborate and well-stocked hide.

Use Both
It would be narrow-minded to only think through one strategy or the other. An open, community or large group-based approach to defense and security is going to be preferential for most of us, but it may or may not work out. The back-up plan in that case would be a stealthy approach--if the community is done for, you bug out to somewhere safe and hunker down until things blow over.

In more common prepper terms, if your local neighborhood/community is a viable option, then an open, community based approach may make sense. If that fails, then you still have the opportunity to bug out and hide. Consider and plan for either possibility and I think you'll be better off.

Review: Holding Your Ground - Preparing for Defense if it All Falls Apart

2012-01-09T19:36:00.002-07:00

The best stocked home or retreat won't do you any good if a band of thugs can take it from you on day #2 of TEOTWAWKI. Holding Your Ground: Preparing for Defense if it All Falls Apart aims to help you keep your refuge, preps and your loved ones safe.

Holding Your Ground takes a broad approach to looking at retreat defense - it's a high level view of a multitude of topics--things like concealment, visibility, exterior and interior firing positions, perimeter security, early warning systems and so on.Unfortunately, Holding's broad approach is also its main shortcoming.

Instead of focusing solely on defending a retreat, it reaches into other areas--a bug out bag packing list, a chapter on firearm recommendations, and so on--and doesn't provide the depth of coverage on the issue at hand, defending a retreat. A lot of this information comes across as little more than filler--generally sub-par and not really on topic. A newer prepper would probably find much of this information useful, but a seasoned prepper will skim over it or pick out flaws or points of disagreement (you will have a few).

The actual content focused on retreat defense is hit-or-miss. For example, Holding does a great job of explaining how to reduce visibility and establish angles/overlapping fields of fire. In general, the maps/diagrams are excellent and do a great job of visually explaining the author's point.

On the other hand, there is no discussion of securing your actual home/retreat--nothing on doors, windows, home construction, security systems, etc. The big revelation for setting up fighting positions? Sandbags. The book also entirely skips over observation posts, which I found odd. A definite omission.

Holding Your Ground incorporates an Excel spreadsheet to help you assess your group's "defense rating"; the spreadsheet is a little confusing to fill out and the copy that I downloaded wasn't 100% functional (one of the cells that was supposed to auto-calculate didn't work). Really, you'd have to be pretty out of it to need a spreadsheet to tell you if you have a defensible position--I'd hope we'd be able to assess our strengths and weaknesses without Microsoft's help. It is an amusing exercise, though.

Would I recommend Holding Your Ground? It's around a 3 out of 5--some good stuff, but missed opportunities, too. I would really have liked to see a more thorough, in-depth discussion of the topic. Cut down on the filler and add in content on securing a home against intrusion (doors, windows, alarm systems), fighting fires, observation posts, building fighting positions, hides and caches, post-TEOTWAWKI fortifications and so on.

If you're starting out, looking for something to read and have the cash to spare, you'll get more out of Holding. If you're a more seasoned prepper, I'd read through the various military field manuals on the subject that are available for free on the Web first, do some other background research/reading and then, if you're interested, pick up the Kindle version of Holding.

Prepper Press, publishers of Holding Your Ground, provided TEOTWAWKI Blog with a copy of the book for review.

Pick up Holding Your Ground on Amazon >

Don't wait for a disaster

2012-01-06T17:16:00.000-07:00

"We started preparing after our area was hit by a bad winter storm."
"Since the stock market tanked, I've invested more heavily in precious metals."
"I've started carrying a bigger handgun since a shooting happened nearby."

I hear these kinds of statements all the time, from good people who needed a wake up call to get them moving in the right direction.

There's certainly something to be said for making adjustments, but at the same time, the problem with these kinds of statements is clear. They're making adjustments after the fact - after disaster has struck.

We are usually fortunate enough to make it through life's problems relatively unscathed, giving us the luxury of after-the-fact analysis. But that's not the point here, really.

We're preparing for something that won't leave us unscathed. Something major and life-altering. Something where there's no second chance and no do-over.

Don't get me wrong--preparedness is a process. You can't wave a magic wand and instantly know everything and have everything that you could ever need to survive any conceivable scenario. We're all working on it.

But DON'T wait around for a disaster to give you a kick in the butt and get you motivated. Don't be lazy about it. Be honest with yourself. Put your skills and your preps to the test before bad times roll around--make the adjustments now, when you can.

I'm preaching to the choir, here, I know. You guys and gals are awake, aware, working and refining. Stay frosty and try to get your friends and family to wake up, too.

Open Thread: What's your favorite work of post-apocalypse fiction?

2012-01-05T18:30:00.000-07:00

Thought I would poll the Tribe to see if there's any good stuff that I need to catch up on. I've read a bunch, but there's always more out there to discover. What are your favorite end-of-the-world books?

My personal favorite at the moment is probably Alas, Babylon. At age 10 or 11, I read an old battered copy at my grandparents and it's stuck with me since. They also had Day of the Triffids, which I remember being pretty fun.

Anyways, what are your favorites? Anything recent that's a "must read"?

12 Gauge with Matches

2012-01-04T16:50:00.001-07:00

More good stuff from Dave Canterbury. I've heard about using strike-anywhere matches for improvised primers, but hadn't thought about using them in this capacity. Try at your own risk, but pretty cool and another reason why it's a good thing to have a couple packs of strike-anywheres around.

The Slingbow

2012-01-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

Jury-rigged slingbow and arrow.

I'm not sure if he's the inventor, but Dave Canterbury introduced the survival world to the slingbow on a large scale. The idea is fairly simple - shoot an arrow through a slingshot/wrist rocket. It's an interesting idea for a few reasons - it's lightweight, can shoot a wide variety of ammo and can be put together fairly inexpensively cheaply. It's also very quiet, which makes it compelling for low-key hunting in a post-collapse scenario. Arrows are generally reusable and easier to improvise/scratch build than ammunition, so the slingbow could make for an excellent and sustainable foraging tool in a long term collapse scenario.

To turn a regular slingshot into a slingbow, one modification needs to be made--the addition of some kind of arrow rest. Power bands - extra strength slingshot bands - are also a good idea. Dave's original design involved a key ring fastened between the slingshot's fork. Then he moved onto a zip-tied whisker biscuit, and then onto a couple different manufactured designs. He's just released his newest design, the Pocket Hunter, which looks to be the best yet. With some quick looking, it looks like at least one other company is manufacturing a "slingbow" type slingshot (Chief AJ).

You can modify arrows to fire more easily in the slingshot pouch by simply removing the arrow nock super gluing a golf tee into its place. Easy and works well.

I've played around a little bit with the zip-tied whisker biscuit design, and haven't been overly impressed. Zip ties don't work well--at least mine snapped after the first shot. I switched to using some thin line (250 lb dacron line, basically mini paracord) to lash the whisker biscuit. This works better, though it needs to be re-tightened every few shots.

The problem in the design is that the whisker biscuit is knocked forward upon firing, which tends to snap zip ties or knock the lashing loose. The forward movement of the whisker biscuit also hurts the accuracy of the shot - it creates inconsistency and throws nudges the arrow off a few inches in a seemingly random direction.

Improvised stopper for the slingbow. Ugly, but it helps.

I've mostly resolved the issue by adding a simple "stopper" to prevent the forward movement of the whisker biscuit. It's nothing more than a piece of wire hanger wrapper around the forks of the slingshot. With this, I'm getting better accuracy. I switched back to zip ties and was about to get 20 or so shots before one of the ties snapped. I'd recommend using cord if you were going to go this route, or at least carrying several spare sets of zip ties in your kit - they will break eventually.

Actual performance is decent. You're limited to a fairly short range -- within about 10 yards. Dave shortens the bands a little bit, which may help with range, but you're still going to be limited to a short range shot. I've done my practicing from about 7 yards and can hit minute-of-rabbit fairly consistently.

The power is respectable. Within close range, it has plenty of power to punch three inches into a hard archery target, which would be adequate for small game and, with the right arrow, larger game as well. They've been used to hunt rabbit, birds of various sizes wild pig, deer, and I think mountain goat. With the right modification or attachments, you can fish with 'em too, and I've seen some photos of some fairly sizable fish taken with slingbow. Great variety of potential dinners, if you can get close enough and hit what you're aiming at.

If you're looking at getting into a slingbow, I'd recommend spending the extra coin and getting a purpose built/manufactured slingbow instead of trying one of the DIY designs - at least the ones that I have seen. While you can cobble together the zip tied whisker biscuit or similar for a bit less, they're jury rigged, require regular readjustment and are going to have worse accuracy. My rigged slingbow is not something I'd want to be my life on - I just don't trust it durability wise.

The slingshot+power bands+whisker biscuit that I've toyed around with ran around $35. As an example, the Pathfinder School's Pocket Hunter runs $50 and comes with an extra set of power bands and a fishing attachment, so you're really only spending a little bit more for a much higher quality tool.

I'm planning on picking up a Pocket Hunter here in the near future and will give it a run through and let you guys know how it works.

The slingbow is a bit of a niche tool, but I do think it has great potential to be useful for food gathering. A firearm is of course more effective and easier to use, but firearms tend to make a lot of noise and rely on loaded ammunition, which will be valuable and difficult to recreate in a post-collapse world. The slingbow breaks down to a very small, lightweight kit, and could be a compelling addition to bug out gear, a gear cache or food gathering tools.

If anyone knows about any better DIY slingbow designs, please let me know!

If you want to put together the zip tie/whisker biscuit slingbow, all of the components are available on Amazon - slingshot, power bands and whisker biscuit.

Randy Church's TEOTWAWKI Blade

2012-01-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

This is Church & Son's Apocalypse #4, Armageddon - and Randy Church's choice for his apocalypse blade. From Randy, the guest judge and blacksmith behind our TEOTWAWKI Blade contest:

"It's a sticker, Skinner, an Ulu and a impromptu chopper with a firestarter/kiridashi also."

Read more about Apocalypse #4 on the Church & Son's Blog >

And the winner is...

2012-01-02T15:42:00.002-07:00

After many hours of careful deliberation, Brother Randy and I have come to an agreement on the winner of the TEOTWAWKI Blade contest.

The winner was selected based on photo quality, style, cool factor, creativity and description. Handmade and end user customized blades also got a few extra points, as did blades that looked like they'd seen some good use.

There were numerous great entries, and we want to extend a huge thanks to all who submitted. All of the blades submitted were impressive and would serve their owners well post-collapse. Good work and thank you for sharing your choices. I started writing up a list of honorable mentions, but they're honestly all great and worth of mention. Check out all the entries with the contest label.

This was really anybody's game. BUT, in the end there can be only one winner...only one blade can stand victorious. And our victor is...

Entry #3, D.E.'s customized Browning Field Duty X-Treme!

From Randy:

"The versatility of this blade, based on the old Tracker design, is amazing. Stab, skin, chop and spear in the same blade. Plus D.E. made his own sheath (even if it is Kydex, it even hurts to type that word) with firestarting supplys, an important thing for me. In the opinion an old bladesmith, this is one production knife I would like to add to the Redbud arsenal...

OK, I said it. I picked a machine made over forged. BAD RANDY!!!"

The customized handle slabs, handmade digicam kydex sheath with pouch, a bit of good wear, functional wrist lanyard and a quote from Conan sealed the deal for me:

"No one in this world can you trust, not men, not women, not beast.......this you can trust!"

Warms the heart, don't it?

So, the prize goes to D.E.! Congratulations! It's going to be hard to ship Hope off, but I'm sure it will serve you well for years to come!

Thanks again to all - this was a ton of fun and I hope you enjoyed it all!

And, of course, another special thanks to Randy Church for providing the drool-inducing prize, the hand-forged Apocalypse #5, Hope. Check out the Church & Son's blog and peruse his selection of handcrafted blades.

Randy and I have plans for another contest in a few months, so stay tuned!

TEOTWAWKI Blog Entry #19

2012-01-01T12:50:00.001-07:00

Our final entry in the competition. The winner will be announced tomorrow! Randy and I are deliberating right now - with all of the great entries, it's going to be tough! But in the end there can be only one!

From R.G.:

This is the Survivor by Dajo. It's a hollow ground drop point blade made from a good grade of Chinese stainless steel. I was able to wrap about 10' of paracord around the handle because of its unique design. This makes the grip a lot more comfortable than the G10 scales alone. It has a 7.5" total length. The sheath is fairly decent and includes a Swedish firesteel. I've done some branch trimming in the field with it and it holds an edge pretty well. I'm still learning to improvise the other necessities like cordage, etc. But without a decent blade, those jobs are all a lot harder.

TEOTWAWKI Blade Entry #18

2011-12-31T09:23:00.000-07:00

From K.C.:

Please accept my submission for the best teotwawki knife, my Esee-6. I travel often by car in the northeast and I am very wary of being : stuck in a snowstorm, breaking down etc. My Esee 6 is always in the car with me or in my overnight bag when I am in a hotel. I EDC in the small of my back a orange handled Esse-3 but if concealment was not of importance this knife would be attached to my person at all times. Attached to the sheath are items that will help me make it home if I should ever break down or need to run for it (i.e. zombies): on the outside: paracord, firestarter, surefire executive elite E2e,. In the tin: water tablets, 1 datrex bar (200 cal), fishing line, hooks, 3 small flies. Windproof matches, a swiss army credit card knife (tweezers , file, toothpick, pen, mini knife) baby pins, button compass). It came with molle attachments but I keep the belt hook on it so that I can quickly grab and attach it to me . I think if Rambo was trying to break out of the jail again to escape into the woods and he saw his knife and this knife he would even have to think about which one to grab. I am confident that it would literally save my life if a desperate scenario occurred.

Here are the specs:
Specifications

Overall length: 11.75"
Cutting Edge Length: 5.75"
Blade length (end of handle to tip of blade): 6.5"
Blade Width: 1.56"
Weight (knife only): 11.8 ounces
Drop point blade style, full flat grind
Maximum thickness: 0.188"
1095 Carbon Steel, 57 Rc.
Removable lined Micarta handle slabs
Rounded Pommel w/ lanyard hole
Full-tang construction
Coyote brown molded sheath.
Made in USA

From the Editor: TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO ENTER! E-MAIL ME THOSE PICTURES!

Origami Container

2011-12-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

A small paper container made from a scrap from a pocket Moleskine cahier - 3.5 x 5.5" paper.

Containers are essential things, and this origami box/bowl is easy to make and pretty useful. Once you get the hang of it, you can crank these out in a minute or two.

You can use any old scrap of rectangular paper to make these - 8.5x11 works best, but they work fine with other sizes too - just need similar dimensions. They make for great disposable containers in an every-day situation - hold bones for buffalo wings, sharing candy or popcorn, holding bolts or screws, that kind of thing. They're good organizers for miscellaneous bits, too. You can use any piece of paper, so this is useful, free recycling here.

You can also make these containers out of foil, and if you use foil of a good thickness, they will hold water, which you could either boil or leave in the sun for SODIS. You could also use it to cook in if you need an impromptu pan and didn't want much cleanup.

The pictured container was made from a roughly 8.5x11 shaped piece of Heavy Duty foil; I'd want thicker foil, honestly, but it worked. The lighter duty foil is too thin to survive through the folds without tearing. It held about 10 - 12 ounces of water for about 5 minutes; it did start to leak on one corner, but it still retained structural integrity and stood up to heating water to the boiling point on a stove top. The leak was caused by too much water - the weight pushed out one of the folds slightly, letting water drip out. After the boiling, the container was fine and could certainly be reused.

I've embeded the best YouTube tutorial I could dig up after the jump. Try it - the first time will be a disaster, but after two or three goes you'll probably have it down. Handy trick to know.

TEOTWAWKI Blade Entry #17

2011-12-30T09:19:00.001-07:00

From College Prepper -

I do not have a survival retreat and I am stuck in a large city. This means that, at least for a while after TEOTWAWKI, I will be stuck on the move. As such, I need a good workhorse knife that can double as a combat knife, and for that, my SRK fits the bill perfectly. Cold Steel makes good, durable blades and I went for the San Mai III version rather than the AUS 8A version. San Mai III is capable of taking the same abuse (and then some) while maintaining a better edge. This knife works for a variety of purposes, from processing wood to skinning an animal to combat. It is that versatility that will keep me alive on the move, and its durability that will keep me alive when I settle down.

TEOTWAWKI Blade Entry #16

2011-12-29T18:26:00.000-07:00

J. Bowie by Kabar

Big Blade, Big Knife it has many good uses, from spreading peanut butter, to butchering intruders. The easy to clean reflective stainless steel mirror finish will certainly keep the missus happy with her hair-do and appearance. I inherited this Bowie from my Dad and as a kid, I watched him target practice and clean catfish with it and when he passed, this was the first thing I asked for. Having it with me when/if SHTF will give me COURAGE while waiting for HOPE.

DOB late 1960's (?)

1/8" thick

8-1/2" blade

13-1/2" overall [long enough]

Pine wood handle

Brass guard and tacks

Full tang [only way]

Cow hide sheath [I use the backside to keep edge]

Value: your life

Dan M. - Illinois

TEOTWAWKI Blade Entry #15

2011-12-29T09:00:00.003-07:00

This is my bug-out knife kit, or at least my favorite one. The large blade is made from an old crosscut saw blade and is strong enough to cut saplings if needed, but can be sharpened on a rock. The small blade is an ancient kitchen knife some ancestor used for a work blade earlier in the century and it somehow made its way to me. It can be used for more fine work. The sheath is not stitched but tied, so it can be opened and lets me have a wide piece of leather. It also has an old steel sparker and some jute cordage attached. This is a somewhat old style of survival gear, but it seemed to work in the past and should work well today too.

-Raven

Note: Only two days left to enter the TEOTWAWKI Blade contest!

Who am I?

2011-12-28T11:32:00.002-07:00

For personal and professional reasons, I plan to maintain a good amount of anonymity as I write this blog. OpSec and all that good stuff.

That said, I feel like I owe it to you, my readers, to have some idea of who I am and at least a pseudonym that you can call me by in e-mails, questions, etc.

So, first off, you can call me Alexander Wolf. Not my real name, but it is a name, and it has some meaning behind it.

Second, some about me:

I'm under 30, married, with a toddler-age son. I have an awesome, supportive wife who occasional contributes to T-Blog.
We're practicing Mormons (yes, we believe in Christ and no, we're not a cult!). I have not and will not use this blog as a platform for sermonizing or missionary work. We welcome all moral and decent people here at T-Blog--God loves everyone, and I don't want anyone to feel excluded over matters of doctrine.
Politically, I lean closest to the Libertarians and the Austrian School of economic thought. I only delve into politics when they relate to prepping, survival and possibilities for disaster/collapse.
I'm currently pursuing an advanced degree. By the late summer, I will be done and working full time. Preps have generally been on the back burner while I've been in school, but we've been able to make some progress thanks to some side projects and T-Blog.
My family has so far tended to move around about every 12 to 18 months, which has presented some challenges as far as prepping. That doesn't look to be changing in the near future, so our preps need to be semi-mobile.
I am a normal, everyday citizen. I grew up in a suburban, non-outdoorsy, non-gun owning family. No special forces, high-speed/low-drag experience here. Good thing I like to learn.
For professional reasons, we will probably need to live within ~30 minutes of a big city for the foreseeable future. You'll see that most of my writing reflects this living situation, which is what the majority of us find ourselves in anyways.
Right now, we live in the desert Southwest, as you can probably guess by the lack of snow and desert landscape in my pictures.
My family has several generations of "preppers," though they've mostly been limited to food and water storage.
Nuclear warfare is the TEOTWAWKI scenario that concerns me the most. Even a few warheads could wreak serious havoc, and more and more wackos are going to get their hands on 'em as time progresses. However the cause, I believe that the world as we know it will eventually come to an end, and we don't know when that is going to happen.
TEOTWAWKI Blog is, at present, a hobby/side project for me. It would be great if it could be a full-time thing, but we'll have to wait-and-see on that front. I've got some things in the works, but they're in the idea stage at this point.

There you go - a little bit about the TEOTWAWKI Blog family.

I have a lot of fun with this blog and am amazed at the interest and support that I get from ya'll. Thank you. Please keep reading, commenting, share with your friends and enjoy!