The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 13, Issue 14

Hey folks, thanks for checking out the newsletter this week. Most of my work time over the last week has spent taking photos for Common Sense Everyday Carry. This is by far the most visual book I’ve ever done, with over 200 full color images planned. While I’ve been playing shutterbug, the copy editor has been doing his thing with the manuscript. The goal is to have the entire thing wrapped up and ready to go to the layout designer by the end of this week.

This was a fun book to write and I’m excited to see how it all turns out.

* * *

As some of you know, I have a longstanding rule of sorts about not discussing politics online, particularly in connection with prepping. I catch flak for that from time to time, with the pushback usually being some argument about how politics run the world and that politics and prepping are and forever will be linked.

Those arguments aren’t necessarily wrong, but there’s an aspect of it that’s often overlooked. Here’s why I don’t appreciate politics being interjected into prepping discussions I have on social media.

Any time politics comes up in a discussion, the topic of that discussion is now politics. What I mean by that is that when politics enters the conversation, the focus of the conversation shifts to politics entirely. Suddenly you aren’t talking about prepping anymore. You’re debating politics, which is just an exercise in frustration when it comes to social media.

Here’s an example. It’s one thing if you’re talking about the future availability of specific resources and as part of that discussion you mention the potential impact of tariffs may have on steel or some such. The problem is that in doing so, someone else is going to home in on the tariff part of that equation and express an opinion about it. Someone else is going to defend it, and it’s off to the races, complete the requisite name calling, remarks about one’s mental health, and so on. A discussion about resources has now become just one more dumpster fire, with absolutely nobody benefiting from it.

Rinse, lather, repeat. It happens with people on both sides of the aisle, all day every day. If you don’t think people on “your side” do it, then you’re either not paying attention or you’re willfully ignorant. Sorry, not sorry. Pointing a finger and hollering “Well, they do it, too!” didn’t work with your mom when you were five, it shouldn’t work as an excuse when you’re an adult. And let’s not even discuss those who have decided rage baiting is their new hobby.

Yes, politics absolutely has an impact when it comes to prepping. The problem is that many people are simply incapable of discussing it in a rational, civil manner on social media. My role as an educator is to teach people about preparedness. That gets far more difficult when conversations are constantly derailed.

* * *

I feel like it’s been an exceptionally stormy spring this year, at least in my area. For some time now, we’ve barely gone a week without a severe thunderstorm and/or tornado sirens going off.

Here’s the basic game plan I follow when bad storms are on the way.

BEFORE THE STORM

--Check and clear all gutter downspouts. We have a couple that get clogged easily, so we try to remember to check them before the rain starts. That said, more than once we’ve ended up drenched because we forgot or didn’t get a chance to clear them ahead of time and had to do it in the middle of the storm. That’s always fun.

--Charge devices and power banks. We don’t lose power often, but I want to be ready for it, just in case. Every few months, I also drag out our Jackery solar generator and make sure it’s topped off.

--Do laundry. If we end up losing power for a while, at least we’ll have plenty of clean socks and undies.

--Check in with all three of my sons, each of whom lives in our general area. I make sure they’re aware of the forecast and that they’re taking the standard precautions.

DURING THE STORM

--Put on shoes. This time of year, I habitually run around barefoot unless we’re going somewhere or I’m working outside. But if a storm is coming, I’ll make sure to put on socks and shoes. If we end up getting some damage to the home, I don’t want to be navigating it barefoot.

--Monitor news as well as online sources for weather updates. One of those sources is our local “scanner page” on Facebook. This usually provides pretty good boots on the ground information, though you sometimes need to cut through the nonsense to get to the real info.

--Keep an eye on the skies. I’m a Midwesterner, so that means I’m standing on the porch as I listen to the tornado siren blare. Sorry not sorry.

--Depending on the weather severity, we might corral the cats into our laundry room, which is on our lower level. The dogs aren’t usually a problem. One of them hates storms so tends to be underfoot and the other will come when I call her.

AFTER THE STORM

--Look for damage around the exterior and in the yard.

--Check in with neighbors and family members to see how they fared or if they need help.

* * *

Excerpt from Common Sense Everyday Carry – Pepper Ball Launchers

There are a few defense weapons that fire plastic balls filled with OC powder, the same working ingredient found in pepper spray but in a particle form rather than spray. These plastic balls burst on impact, resulting in a cloud of OC dust. The idea is to shoot your target in the torso and have the resulting dust cloud catch them in the face.

I’ve played with these a bit and can tell you from experience that even a passing whiff of the dust will get your attention. At a range of 15 feet or so, the impact from the pepper ball itself would be painful, though I don’t know that it would be enough to put someone down for any length of time. That dust, though? That stuff works.

There are also kinetic balls that can be used with some of these launchers. Instead of bursting, these solid projectiles are intended to cause pain upon impact. I suppose they’re not unlike the rubber bullets used by riot police squads, though not quite that powerful.

These products are appealing to some folks because they aren’t classified as firearms. They’re more along the lines of paintball guns. Personally, while these products can certainly deter an attacker, I’m not overly keen on them. They bear a very close resemblance to actual firearms and because of this their appearance might be problematic in some situations. It is a less than lethal weapon being used in a way that may cause people to think you’re using lethal force. This could serve to ramp up an already volatile situation into another level of bad news. But if you’re unable to legally carry a firearm, this might be a viable alternative to consider.

* * *

This is why I do what I do for a living.

* * *

For our weekend hike, we took the Lake La Grange Trail Loop near Whitewater, Wisconsin. It’s a fun walk, with varying terrain throughout. Our eldest son joined us for this one, which is always nice.

Survival Tip — Rethinking Two is One

One of the most common sayings in the prepper/survival world is, “Two is one, one is none.” A few seconds of research seems to point to this originating with the US Navy SEALs, but I can’t say that’s true with certainty. The basic concept is to have multiple ways to achieve survival needs, so that you’re not left high and dry if you suffer some sort of gear failure.

While that makes sense, it can also lead down a rabbit hole of trying to decide when you truly have enough gear with you. If two is one, then surely three is even better, right? Well, probably not if you’re the one carrying the load. The most common areas where I see what might be termed excessive gear loadouts is with fire and cutting tools. For some reason, many people are compelled to pack 27 entirely different ways to make fire, along with a few dozen different knives, saws, hatchets, and other sharp edges.

Interestingly, one of the other very popular sayings is, “The more you know, the less you carry.” The idea there is that skills are weightless, because they live in your head and in muscle memory. More than once, I’ve seen the same person spouting both of these sayings. They aren’t exactly opposite ends of the same spectrum, but it might seem difficult to make your peace with both at the same time.

Blind adherence to any concept is rarely a good idea. In this case, there are several things to consider, including your skill level as well as the details of your planned trip (location, duration, weather, etc.).

For cutting tools, realistically, there isn’t much you can’t do in the field with a good knife with a four- or five-inch blade, a folding saw, and maybe a pocket knife, as each have different uses. With fire making, if you have some experience a couple of BIC lighters and a ferro rod are probably sufficient.

I’m not saying that redundancy or backups are inherently bad ideas. Just that like anything else in the prepper arena, you need to customize the plan to suit your individual needs. In this case, the more experience you have on the trail, the easier it’ll be to determine what you truly need to pack and what you can eliminate from the load.

Backwoods Survival Guide Magazine

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for Backwoods Survival Guide magazine. Here is the cover for the current issue available in stores right now.

You can find Backwoods Survival Guide just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

I am always just an email away - jim@survivalweekly.com.