Having an emergency communications plan is an essential part of being prepared for short and long-term disasters. The ability to network and transmit information about changing situations and new threats is invaluable. Establishing and maintaining communications with members of your group, your family, and emergency response personnel might just be the factor that makes the … Read more
The deep woods and remote forests covering much of the U.S. and an enormous part of Canada are often seen as a sort of “go-to” BOL for preppers, and even in peaceful times are frequently traveled and visited for recreation or practice bug-outs. These forests also contain bears, which can be a significant threat if … Read more
If you’ve been prepping for any length of time, chances are you’ve probably encountered someone who is a little bit too taken with the idea being a sort of secret agent. I can certainly understand why: the roguish, completely self-reliant badass with a checkered past that stops at nothing in pursuit of his objective is … Read more
Camouflage is a skill and art that is often thought to go hand-in-hand with prepping and survival. If we are trying to survive or run away from some disaster that might see our societal norms and rule of law collapsed, it makes sense we want to avoid detection by other people as much as possible, … Read more
Among all the vintage actions that remain popular and more or less viable today, the pump action shotgun is overwhelmingly the most popular among shooters, and one of the most viable for defense and general readiness. For preppers, shotguns are the do-all firearm, equally at home bagging game that walks, crawls or flies or felling … Read more
It is no secret that plenty of preppers own dogs, and their dogs may actually factor into their survival plans beyond more than just a companion. It is a sure bet that plenty of people will depend on their faithful canine friend to physically protect them or keep watch for intruders or threats lurking nearby. … Read more
I’ll go on and bet if you’ve got any friends that are heavy into hiking, camping or homesteading you have heard then go on and on at length about rocket stoves, the new marvels of efficient cooking and heating. Well, got a little spoiler for you: they aren’t new, but boy, oh boy are they … Read more
Using a knife on another human being is a brutal business, on attack or defense. It isn’t like using a gun, with its brute mechanical efficiency: align sights, pull trigger, bang, hole is punched in target. While some gunfights happen at bad breath distance, and they sure are fights, they still lack the primal viciousness … Read more
If you are new to prepping it can be really challenging to know where to start. A simple internet search on any prepping related topic will furnish dozens upon dozens of results. This fire hose of information can in turn lead to a bit of paralysis by analysis. Where do you start? Who do you … Read more
If you are new to prepping in general you have probably already read and heard about the concept of bugging out. Or perhaps you are a relatively green prepper, and have not tackled this “big ticket” item on your prepper To-Do list. Whichever the case might be, bugging out is in some ways a sort … Read more
“SHTF” is a time-worn and borderline cliché prepper acronym we have all heard, seen and continue to hear and see daily in prepping circles. What will you do when the SHTF? Where will you go when the SHTF? Has the SHTF? It never ends. Even so, it is an important concept. In case you have … Read more
Prepping can be difficult enough when you have your family, or at least a few survival companions to help you. If you are alone, truly alone, it can be extraordinarily difficult, not to mention very risky. The challenges you’ll face as a solo prepper will be enormous in all but the most basic of survival … Read more
The inclusion of a manual safety on a handgun is an intensely personal choice for a shooter. There is no right or wrong answer as a safety lends itself better to certain kinds of shooters and certain situations better than others. A shooter’s own preference for a safety is usually formed by the sum of … Read more
Disclaimer: This article is a piece of speculative fiction written from the perspective of the “bad guy.” It is in no way intended to inform, encourage or incite any criminal or malicious activity under any circumstances. It is intended to be used as a thought-provoking exercise so you can shore up any weaknesses in your … Read more
Modern pistol design has embraced the striker-fired action as the current paradigm. There are good reasons for this, greater mechanical simplicity and a moderate consistent trigger pull being two of the most common. Of course, the blockbuster success of a little pistol called the Glock (though not the first striker fired handgun by a long … Read more
Self-defense minded citizens and preppers both are regularly admonished to stay alert, to keep on watch, to be vigilant for the predatory humans that we know are always out there, somewhere, sniffing for their next easy mark. Situational awareness might as well be made the 8th Virtue. Just one problem though; we are rarely told … Read more
Prepping in an urban environment is in most ways much the same as it is in suburban and rural environments, as I and other authors on this site have written of in the past. But urban preppers face quite a few challenges that their brethren in less populated areas will not, at least not with … Read more
Imagine a scenario where you are low on ammunition. You used the last of your supply some time ago and despite your searching high and low for more, you have come up with nada. A gun without ammo is little better than a clumsy club, or an intimidation tool at best. You know you won’t … Read more
So your hard work and vigilance paid off; you sacrificed, scrimped, saved and religiously laid in supplies and stored provision ample enough to see you through a crisis that you hoped would never happen, but lo and behold it has. Mercifully you and your family survived. Your house is intact. You should be okay, after … Read more
All kinds of preppers carry knives and a quite a few of them have probably given some thought to using it for self defense, if they had to. A smaller fraction of those preppers have given the topic much thought, and have sought out both a quality knife suitable for fighting and the skills to … Read more
Smith & Wesson revolvers are iconic and nearly timeless firearms that remain the fabled manufacturer’s flagship product. Their excellence in manufacture and highly innovative designs has set and continue to set very high benchmarks for wheelgun performance. There is no doubting that S&W makes effective and reliable guns for self-defense. Without question some of the … Read more
The shotgun has remained a popular weapon for personal preparedness since shortly after its inception and it is, aside from innovations in the action departments, virtually unchanged since. The adaptability and versatility of the shotgun makes it a solidly dependable choice for hunting and a deadly defensive weapon. If it is a humble wood and … Read more
Water is one of the most essential compounds for life. While water is very plentiful the world over a given water source often has some gotchas that prevent anyone from grabbing a gulp whenever they please. It might be frozen, too salty, too contaminated with germs, bugs and other biohazards or trapped way, way underground. … Read more
I am of the opinion, and I know it will be unpopular, borderline offensive to some, that most preppers really have no idea how dangerous disasters and other SHTF events can be. Unless they have had the misfortune to live through one, that is. Natural or man-made, accidental or divine wrath, it really does not … Read more