Go to the source: The Urban Survivalist

I don’t do these posts too often. I should probably start doing them more just to give other people ideas. I always seem to be prepping so I don’t really think about it much. It’s just kind of second nature. I spent a couple of hours in the garden getting caught up with weeding. Usually, I just water it and go to work. I weed on the weekends when I have more than 20 minutes to spend in there. It amazes me how much you can get for such a small amount of work out of a garden.

After spending a few hours with the baby and some time doing some researching I decided to head over to the local big box sporting goods store. I wanted a good fixed blade knife and their selection is usually pretty good and reasonably priced. When I got there they had CRKT Pike’s Peak folders on sale for $15. It was a good deal so I had to grab one for the wife. My daily carry is an urban shark so it wasn’t much of an upgrade for me. CRKT makes some great knives, though, so having a spare or two around isn’t a bad thing. I almost picked up a 5″ Condor Bushcraft knive for $32. I was impressed by the quality of the sheath, the thickness of the blade and the decent edge. I don’t like buying anything that I know nothing about without doing some research, though, so I held off. After a quick Google search it looks like a solid blade so I’ll be going back tomorrow morning to snatch it up. Reviews will follow.

Walking through the camping section I noticed some interesting stuff. They had some Datrex bars so I grabbed a brick of them since they always seem to be out of stock. They also had some small bags of dehydrated eggs for $3.99. On the package it says that they’re the equivalent of 12 eggs. I will be doing a review on them soon. I almost bought a #10 can of dehydrated eggs just a few days ago but I opted for a can of freeze dried ground beef instead. Now I’m glad I skipped the eggs. They’re not something that I’d want to buy a bunch of without giving them a try first. These packets are the perfect size for what I’d want to keep in my BOB or take with me on a camping trip. There is a scoop inside and they’re resealable. As an afterthought I grabbed a couple of boxes of pistol primers.

From there I headed to the army surplus store. I was really in the mood to buy a solid fixed blade but they didn’t have anything besides Kaybars and no name crap. They did have a pretty cool little low tech gadget that I almost jumped on, though. It was a block of gypsum inside of a plastic container. The idea is to fill the container with kerosene or something and let the gypsum absorb it. It becomes a firestarter that you can retrieve from your campfire after you put it out. Cool idea. Kind of bulky. It looked messy. I passed. I did grab a Lansky folding diamond sharpener, though. It’s basically a two sided diamond sharpening stone that folds up like a butterfly knife. I took it home and FINALLY managed to put an edge on a really crappy beater knife that I bought a while back. I’ll see how well it works on my hatchet tomorrow night. It’s extremely compact and easy to use so I can see it seamlessly fitting into my bugout gear.

So what did you do to prep today?

Go to the source: The Urban Survivalist

So I finally tried the cheese that I made a couple of months ago. I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I ended up with was a good, edible, mild cheese that was a bit like cheddar. I could eat it every day and I wouldn’t complain about it a bit.

As you can see it ended up with a lot of little holes in it. I’m not sure what that’s from. It didn’t seem to affect the flavor, though. It made it a little crumbly but it was still soft with the same texture as a jack cheese or something. I let some friends try it a couple of days ago and they all liked it. I’m not going to try again until I build a press that can handle a 5 lb block. Making 1 lb of cheese is just too much work. When I can start making 5 lbs at a time I’ll likely get more into it.

I hit up an estate sale today and scored a Lyman Spartan reloading press and a GI hatchet for $30. The hatchet is replacing the Coleman hatchet that I usually take to the woods. As for the press, I’ve got a lot of the equipment I need for the calibers that I normally shoot. I also have a ton of brass and the Speer reloading book. I mostly just need the powder, primers and bullets. Stay tuned for some updates on my adventures in reloading.

Go to the source: The Urban Survivalist

Saw this on the web and thought I’d post it.

I do not like this Uncle Sam,
I do not like his health care scam.
I do not like these dirty crooks,
or how they lie and cook the books.
I do not like when Congress steals,
I do not like their secret deals.
I do not like this speaker Nan,
I do not like this ‘YES WE CAN’.
I do not like this spending spree,
I’m smart, I know that nothing’s free,
I do not like your smug replies,
when I complain about your lies.
I do not like this kind of hope.
I do not like it. nope, nope, nope!

Go to the source: The Urban Survivalist

As I type she’s on her second (ok third now) bowl (very very small bowls) of prune juice and baby food rice. She loves the stuff. Being the prepper that I am I can’t let her get too big before I make sure that I have a good repertoire of great one liners for any boys that she actually convinces me are OK to bring home. So now I call out to you experienced fathers. What do you say to junior when he shows up to pick your daughter up for a date? Maybe you’ve been junior. Has anyone ever really freaked you out? Tips and ideas are appreciated.

Go to the source: The Urban Survivalist

I’ve touched on the GHB in the past but I’ve never really gone over what I put in mine. The idea is simple. It’s just a miniature bob that’s designed to get you home in the event of an emergency where you can’t just drive home. It should be small, lightweight and easy to carry. Some people go so far as to carry there’s everywhere so that they always have it on them. I’m rarely far enough away from my car to warrant that so mine stays in the trunk. When I go to fairs, festivals or other places where you have to park 10 miles away and deal with huge crowds of people then I take it with me. So what should you put in it?

As you can see, I probably pack a lot more than I need. The pack only weighs 8 lbs, though, so I don’t even notice the weight. If I ever need it there’s a good chance that I’ll be walking several miles to get home. There’s a very big network of green belt trails in my city which I plan on utilizing if I happen to be in town when something happens. If I get caught outside of town then I might have to live out of it for a day or two. Here’s a rundown of the contents:

The bag – It’s just a generic backpack with a hydration bladder. I don’t remember where I got it. I just had it and everything fit so I’ve stuck with it. I prefer civilian gear to paramilitary style gear.

Water – My water solution for this pack is a Platypus 1L Hoser hydration bladder and iodine tablets. I can also boil water in the pot.

Food – The cliff bars are convenient. The 1L pot has a folding handle that locks down on the lid. The altoids tin is an alcohol stove. Take the lid off and it fits neatly into the esbit stove. I keep a few esbit tabs in the stove for backup/firestarters. There’s also a small bottle of everclear for the stove. Why a cooking setup but no food that needs to be cooked? For day trips I can throw in a backpacking meal or two. I can also use it to cook up some wild edibles if I get sick of Cliff bars and decide to do some foraging.

Fire – Between the strike anywhere matches, a bic lighter and a magnesium bar I should be able to get a fire going. The knife has a firesteel in the sheath, too.

First aid – My first aid kit is pretty bare bones. I’ve added some things since taking this pic. Basically, though, it’s just medical tape, gauze, small bandages, small tweezers and moleskin. I can also use the everclear for disinfecting.

Shelter – The idea is to get home not to go play in the woods. If worse comes to worse I can use the poncho and some 550 cord to cobble something together. Throw in the emergency blanket and I should be fine… as long as it’s a beautiful summer evening.

Lighting – I’ve got a small pen light and a xenon with a spare set of C123 batteries. I should probably throw in a headlamp. I keep one in my car, though, so if I really think I’ll need it I’ll have one.

Miscellaneous stuff – Duct tape, 550 cord, a cheapo fixed blade knife (a real piece of shit that I must replace soon…don’t buy cheap knives unless it’s a Mora), some kleenex, pencil and a small notebook (not in the picture), a small mirror, sun block, one of those compass/whistle/matchbox/signal mirror “survival tools”, some body warmers and a couple of waterproof bags round out the rest of the kit.

If I get stuck on the other end of town and I have to hoof it home this should cover me. If it takes longer than expected to get home or I can’t go directly there then a little ingenuity should get me by for a day or two. Besides what’s in the bag I’ll also have my EDC on me (Keltec P3AT, CRKT Urban Shark, Gerber Clutch, Streamlight Stylus Pro and whatever is in my wallet). Anyone have some other suggestions?

Go to the source: The Urban Survivalist

So I finally finished reading Scott William’s Bug Out: The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic Disaster Before It’s Too Late. He sent me a copy for review just a couple of days after it was released. I’ve been reading a couple of other books on the side so this one took me longer than it should have to get through. It’s a very easy to read, concise, to the point manual that covers the who, what, when, where, why and how of bugging out. You see several other survival manuals touch on it. You read about it all the time on message boards. You see people talk about BOBs, survival caches, bug out locations, bug out routes and everything else. I haven’t seen any books and very few discussions with this level of detail that concentrates solely on this aspect of survival, though.

Who: Who needs to have a serious bug out plan? Not everyone has a stocked bug out location in the boonies. He does a good job of not only convincing you that you should have a solid plan but that you can have one no matter what your circumstances are. This book concentrates more on the typical person who doesn’t think that they have anywhere to go in an emergency. It also makes the people who think that they have somewhere to go think about what they’d have to do if they couldn’t get there.

What: He goes into good detail on what to take. Let’s be honest, though. This is the one aspect that’s been covered to death all over the place. He covers what he considers the essentials and why they’re essential. How do you cook? How do you purify water? What kind of gun should you take? In the appendix there’s a very long, detailed list of everything that he would consider taking with him if he had to bug out. It’s a very solid list with some things that I hadn’t thought of or seen talked about before.

When: When should you seriously consider bugging out? If you’re going to do it then be ready to do it on a moment’s notice and don’t hesitate or you could find yourself fighting with everyone else who’s trying to get out of town themselves.

Where: Where do you go if you have nowhere to go? If you live in the US he’s got you covered. He breaks down every region of the US with basic maps, different areas within each region, wild edibles and game and the kinds of things to expect in the wildernesses of each region. I didn’t read this whole section since I’m not interested in some of the other regions. He has my region pegged, though, so I trust that he knows what he’s talking about with the others.

Why: Why even consider bugging out? What would make you want to leave your home? Why would you even think about it if you have nowhere to go? Sometimes you won’t have a choice. Other times you’ll have some important choices to make and having the tools and knowledge beforehand can ensure your success if you decide that staying home isn’t the best option.

How: How do you get out in the first place? He covers everything from automobiles to boats to pack animals. He also gives good suggestions on making plans, making caches and having your route planned out ahead of time among other things.

Overall, this is a very well thought out book with a ton of practical information. Whether you have a stocked and paid for BOL that no one knows about or not bugging out can be an option. If you’re interested in the outdoors at all then you will be able to make use of it whether you ever have to bug out or not. To be honest you could just as easily use this as a guide on how and where to go adventuring in the US wilderness. I could see it being a good book for someone who’s on the fence about getting started in preparedness. Especially if they’re already into camping, hiking, kayaking, hunting, etc.

Go to the source: The Urban Survivalist

Here’s a cool documentary that I watched last night. Years ago this guy moved to the ANWAR with his wife to raise his family. He’s one of the last people allowed to live there by the US government because he lived there before they instituted a moratorium on new people settling there. Check it out when you have time. This guy is the real deal without being your stereotypical antisocial survivalist type.

Go to the source: The Urban Survivalist

A couple of months ago a new outdoors store opened up locally. It’s pretty neat. They have everything from military surplus to clothing to camping gear to cattle feed. Anyway, I was poking around in the milsurp section and saw a stack of these:

It was only $3.95 so I went ahead and picked it up. If nothing else I’ll have fun beating up on it next time I take it to the woods. The concept is very cool, though. It’s a small hatchet with a pry bar, a hammer and a nail puller. It only weighs about a pound and it’s not very big. More than anything it struck me as a great urban emergency tool. It’s small and lightweight enough that you could easily carry it in a daily carry bag or a laptop bag. It would be a great tool to have on you if you had to pry a door open or even hack through it. My biggest concern is that the steel seems pretty soft. I don’t think that I’d want to stake my life on it. The thought of using the pry bar really concerns me. It would be better than having nothing, though. If someone made something similar that was properly heat treated and used good, quality steel then I’d be very inclined to take a close look at it. Does anyone know of anything? At $4 you can’t go wrong. I’m not saying that it wouldn’t hold up if you needed it to. I just don’t think that it would hold up under real torque.

Go to the source: The Urban Survivalist

For years I’ve stored grain. I’ve had at least a couple of bags of rice and a few bags of wheat lying around longer than I’ve been brewing beer. Ever since I started brewing I’ve been looking for ways to “cut” my beer with my preps. The big boys do it all the time and they produce drinkable beer. Purists will, of course, poo poo you all day but if you haven’t figured it out by now I give a crap what the purists say. I prefer to figure it out for myself. It’s amazing what I learn when I do something on my own rather than reading about the almost certain results from a book.

Anyway, I’ve been reading Bug Out by Scott Williams (buy this book…my review is coming soon and it will be glowing) and Radical Brewing: Recipes, Tales and World-Altering Meditations in a Glass by Randy Mosher. If you understand the basic concepts of brewing (up to the point of understanding how to brew a decent all grain beer) then you can follow Randy’s book and get a lot out of it. He explains in detail several recipes and techniques that are way out of the modern day norm that he takes from old world styles and recipes.

One of those techniques is brewing with unmalted wheat. I’ll just assume that if you’re reading this blog that you have plenty of wheat lying around. If you don’t then you need to get some. After reading Randy’s description of the process I did some research online. Wheat beers used to be extremely popular. They’re light, refreshing and easy to drink. Brewing with it can be quite a challenge if you’re not using malted wheat, though. What brewers of old would do was use a cereal mash. I tried to do this over the weekend. My efficiency was lower than expected but it was still sufficient to make a decent beer so I went ahead and pitched my yeast (a strain that I cultured from the dregs of a bottle conditioned saison), popped on the airlock and will now forget about it for at least two weeks.

So what is a cereal mash? Start with your crushed, unmalted grain. Keep it separate from the rest of your grain bill until you’re ready to mash. If you’re using corn keep it at 10-20% of your total grain bill. If you’re using wheat keep it under 30-40% of your total grain bill. If you’re using some other off the wall grain you’re just going to have to experiment till you figure out the proper ratios for yourself. Once you figure out how much unmalted grain you want to use then you can start setting up your mash.

Start with your unmalted grain. Some websites recommend adding 3 quarts of water per lb of grain. I think that 2 quarts per lb was sufficient. Mix your crushed, unmalted grain with the water in your boiling vessel and get it up to 120 degrees F. Once you get it there turn the heat off and let it rest for 15 minutes. Then do it again at 154 degrees F. After both rests are finished then bring the mash to a boil for 20 – 30 minutes. The wheat/corn/whatever will start to congeal and gelatinize. Pour it into your mash tun with the rest of your grain bill. Once you get the temperature of your grain then calculate your strike water temperature. Add the water and mash for an hour.

If all goes well then you’ll end up with phenomenal efficiency. Your finished beer will be loaded with alcohol and everyone will be coming to you for your secrets. More realistically you’ll end up with horrible efficiency and a beer that’s much weaker than you anticipated and without much body to back it up. Next time I try a cereal mash I’ll use a much higher percentage of unmalted grain.

I’m one of those weirdos that uses arcane formulas to calculate the final temperature in my outdated cooler mash tun. It does the job as long as you do your part and hit your temps. One thing to keep in mind is that if you want a stronger beer but your wort doesn’t finish as high as you wanted it to you can always boil it a little longer to bring up the gravity. While brewing with preps might be a bit of a pain it can be done but you’ll still need some malted barley to round it out.

This post is definitely geared more towards the experienced homebrewers. Don’t let that stop you from asking any questions if you’re not one, though. I’ve done a few posts that detail brewing from extract and all grain but if you don’t do it you’ll never really get it. This is one of those skills that could prove to be very very lucrative if things get really ugly. Even if the world doesn’t end you can still always make good, cheap beer.

Go to the source: The Urban Survivalist

I decided to get in on the Cold Steel Special Projects sale. I ordered an 18″ spear point machete to possibly replace the hatchet in my main BOB, 2 western hunters and 3 finn wolfs. The machete was dull. It’s also well balanced with good heft, a full tang and a lanyard hole. I can’t wait to test it after spending some time on it with a sharpening stone. The sheath is a little chinsy but it should hold up. The other blades were pretty sharp. They’re a little thin and flimsy. From what I read I expected that from the western hunter. It’s more of a multi-purpose kitchen knife. I expected the finn wolf to perform about as well as a Mora, though. As you can see from the picture it didn’t.

I couldn’t wait to test the finn wolf before taking the picture. I was hoping at least some durability but the tip broke after just one or two stabs into a tree. Why was I stabbing a tree with my brand new knife? Well today I was reading Bug Out Survival (the blog not the book..same author) and Scott was talking about how pine resin has antiseptic and anti-fungal properties. Apparently it’s pretty good at sealing and healing wounds.

Anyway, as you all probably know I followed one of Scott’s tips from Bug Out Survival and got a machete that turned out to be pretty sharp. The cut is already mostly healed but I have a pine tree in my yard so I figured I’d try Scott’s remedy and get some sap to apply to the cut. First I tried the Finn. As I mentioned earlier it broke after just a couple of stabs.

I was pretty disappointed to say the least. Cold Steel has quite a reputation and the blade seemed pretty solid. Granted, it was one of their $10 blades and not one of their $300 blades. I guess I’m just one of those guys who believes that your $10 blade quality has a reflection on your $300 blade quality. Anyway, I decided to go grab my Mora. To be honest I’ve never really “torture tested” my Mora. I just use it for normal knife tasks. I’ve seen the videos of people using them as spears. I’ve seen people cutting trees down with them. In some circles they’re the ultimate survival knife. So I ripped into the tree with mine.

After tunneling a hole into the tree I still wasn’t getting any sap. After an hour very little sap had seeped out. At least my Mora held up. It didn’t have a scratch and at no point did I even worry about it. I was more intent on getting some sap so that I could make a post about how awesome natural remedies are. Alas, the sap did not come. At least I still have 2 more finn wolfs and I know not to put them through too much. I also have a Mora that I now have confidence that it can take all of the beating that the experts claim it can.