The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 10, Issue 44

Man, I'm beat.

Hey folks, thanks for checking out the newsletter this week. Tell you what, I’m exhausted. For various reasons, I’ve not been getting nearly as much sleep as I should for about the last week or so. On top of that, we have three magazines that will deadline this month, so I’m spending quite a bit of time at the keyboard.

But, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Once I get past Thanksgiving and my surgery right after, I have about six weeks where I’ll be free to work on fun projects and such, as I won’t have any magazine deadlines until January. I’m working on a list of books I want to try to get through during that time off, as well as some movies I’ve been meaning to watch. We’ll see how far I actually get.

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This past week marked 12 years since I signed my first book contract, PREPPER’S HOME DEFENSE. Hard to believe it’s only been 12 years, given how much has happened in my career since. Just a few highlights:

• 12 books published

• Over 50 magazines published

• Several hundred magazine articles published

• Spent a week in Florida filming content for an instructional video series

• Interviewed several times for TV, radio, and print

• Invited to speak at several prepper expos across the country

There’s still a lot on my goals list, and I’ve made plans to tackle at least some of them in the next several months. But, man, it’s been a wild ride and I’m loving it!

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Prepper Tip -- Should the worst come to pass someday, we might have to forage for supplies in the urban and suburban landscape. Here’s something to keep in mind as you do so. Most large businesses, as well as schools and factories, will have some sort of janitorial supply closet somewhere on the property.

It might take a little searching to find it, but it’ll be worth the trouble. Inside, you’ll find all kinds of goodies, such as:

• Toilet paper

• Paper towel

• Cleaning supplies

• Tools

• Rags

If these items aren’t all stored in that small room, odds are they’ll be in another storage room nearby.

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One of my closest friends in the writing world, Brian Keene, and his lovely bride (and exceptionally talented author) Mary SanGiovanni recently announced that they’re opening a bookstore in Pennsylvania next spring. They’re hoping to raise some funds to help offset the initial costs. You can read all of the details here. If you could spare even just a buck, it all adds up.

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Prepper Tip – When you think about the various types of disasters we could face in our lifetimes and the things we can do to mitigate them, I’d estimate somewhere around 90% of the preps are fairly universal. Water, food, shelter, those sorts of things are needed regardless of whether we’re talking about a bad winter storm, job loss, or economic collapse, right?

The remaining 10% of preps are more disaster-specific, such as building a Faraday cage if you’re concerned about EMP or investing in an extensive underground bunker where you can ride out a nuclear exchange.

Here’s where I feel some survivalists get turned around. If you’re spending 90% of your time, energy, and resources on the 10% that’s disaster-specific, you might be setting yourself up for failure.

Make sure your prep plan is balanced and your priorities make logical sense. If you’ve spent thousands and thousands of dollars on armaments and ammunition, but have less than a week’s worth of food available at any given time, you might want to rethink that approach. If you have enough medical supplies to outfit a hospital, but have no idea where you’re getting water to drink if the taps run dry, that could be a problem.

Just some food for thought.

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Saw this on a meme a few days ago – “If you can’t cook, don’t try to learn on Thanksgiving.” While humorous, it is practical advice. And the same sentiment is perfectly applicable to preparedness. Don’t figure you’ll wing it when a crisis occurs. Learn practical skills, set aside extra necessities, and do what you can to be ready for come what may.

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As I’ve had a few people ask about it, the 2024 Real World Prepping wall calendar will be ready to order no later than 12/1, but hopefully sooner. I’d meant to get it out by now, but life had other plans.

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Funko Pops are a very popular collectible and there are literally hundreds of different ones out there. I don’t really collect them myself, but I’ve picked up a few. Here’s the latest one, Max Rockatansky from The Road Warrior.

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We took our hike on Saturday this past weekend and ended up at a park that’s been sort of left alone for a while. Well, not entirely, as they have maintained some parts of it. But, there’s a section that doesn’t look like it has been touched for a while now. In a way, it’s kind of cool.

Survival Tip – Common Bug Out Bag Mistakes

If you ask twenty different preppers what to have in a bug out bag, you’ll get twenty slightly different answers. That’s as it should be, because bug out bags need to be customized to suit individual needs. That said, in reviewing hundreds, if not thousands, of bug out bag lists and such, I see several mistakes happening again and again. Go through the following list and see if you’ve inadvertently fallen into one or more of these gaffes and learn what to do about it.

#1 — Overpacking

I’ve seen entirely too many bug out bags that are just massive. These monstrosities have everything up to and sometimes including the kitchen sink. The whole idea behind a bug out bag is to have a PORTABLE assemblage of gear and supplies. The absolute only way to determine if the bug out bag is the right size for you is to strap it on and walk around for at least a few hours. A couple of circuits around the living room just isn’t going to be a valid test. When, and I mean not if but when, you determine your bug out bag is too heavy to be comfortable for long periods of time, ditch everything but the absolute necessities, then build up from there.

#2 — Too Much Food

While we need calories to keep moving, many of us are already packing substantial calories around our waists. I’m not saying you shouldn’t pack any food. What I’m saying is that you can’t expect to lug around enough food to provide five course meals three times a day for every day you’re on the move. For the most part, your food should be the ready-to-eat variety. Stuff you can just unwrap and toss into your cake hole. A hot meal at the end of the day might be appreciated but it certainly isn’t a necessity. Toss in a few dehydrated or freeze-dried meals (brands and variety should be stuff you’ve tried previously and liked) along with the bare minimum for cooking and eating utensils. Learn how to forage so you can supplement your packed food while you travel.

#3 — Buying The Bag First

This is a bad approach, picking out a snazzy camo pack before deciding what it needs to hold. The problem is that many people pick out a bag that is much larger than they really need. This leads them to feel compelled to fill it to the brim, which of course circles back to #1 on our list here. Use logic and common sense here. Start by collecting all of the supplies you feel you’ll need in your bug out bag, then choosing a pack that is sized appropriately.

#4 — Not Enough Water Containers

Water is essential, we all know this. Yet, time and again I see bug out bags with nothing more than a single water bottle. While water is indeed heavy, you should have the means to transport at least two liters of water at any given time. Keep at least two separate containers for water in your bug out bag. This gives you options. For example, by having two steel water bottles, you can boil water in one (to disinfect it) while still being able to drink from the other one.

#5 — Cheaply Made Gear

Look, I’m all about prepping on a budget but if I’m staking my life on a piece of gear, I don’t want to rely on piece of junk that is shoddily made and might not work. Stick with reliable, well-known brand names when and where you can. Dollar store multi-tools just aren’t likely to hold up very well, know what I mean?

#6 — Untested Gear

You need to thoroughly test each and every item you are putting into your bug out bag. Know exactly how it works, what its capabilities are, and how to maintain it. Too many people buy stuff and just toss it into the bag without thinking twice. A bug out is not the best time to pull out the instructions and try and figure out how to assemble that nifty little camp gadget…only to discover the guy at the factory was having an off day and forgot to include the bag of bolts you need.

#7 — Lack Of Foot Protection

If you are bugging out, odds are you will be on foot for part if not all of your journey. Walking long distances while wearing thin socks and dress shoes, or even worse, flip flops, can be murder on your feet. What I recommend is keeping a good pair of walking shoes or hiking boots (with socks rolled up inside) alongside your bug out bag. Grab them at the same time you grab the bag, then change your footwear at your earliest opportunity. Ditch the dress shoes or heels and move on down the road. In your bug out bag, keep at least two extra pair of thick socks as well. On top of that, add moleskin to your first aid kit to help with any blisters that may develop. Foot powder might not be a bad idea as well.

#8 — Over-Reliance on Multi-Purpose Items

Having items that can pull double or triple duty is a great way to cut down on the bulk in a bug out bag but I’ve always felt you should use the right tool for the right job. In other words, while it is great to have a 5-in-1 tool that has a whistle, compass, ferro rod, match case, whatever, recognize that it is dubious that it will do each of those jobs as well as items specifically made for those purposes. While you should always have at least 3 ways to accomplish basic tasks, such as fire lighting, try to stick with tools and equipment made for the purpose.

Prepper Survival Guide and Backwoods Survival Guide

For those new to my little corner of the Internet, I am the Editor in Chief for both Prepper Survival Guide and Backwoods Survival Guide magazines. Here are the covers for the current issues that are available in stores right now. 

You can find them just about anywhere magazines are sold, including:

• Walmart

• Sam's Club

• Costco

• Publix

• Walgreens

• Rite Aid

• CVS

• Tractor Supply

• Fleet Farm

• Barnes & Noble

Subscriptions to both titles are available here.

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

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