The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 10, Issue 28

Moving forward, step by step....

Hey everyone, thanks for checking out the newsletter this week. I’m still recovering from my hospital stay, but I’m getting there. I have just a couple more days that I’ll be on antibiotics, then I can slowly start to get my body back into something resembling good condition.

This newsletter will hit your inbox on Wednesday morning, which happens to be our wedding anniversary. We’ve been married 26 years and we were together for about six years prior to tying the knot. We don’t have any big plans for the day, just going out to lunch to celebrate. Tell you what, though. If you enjoy my writing, you owe her a word of thanks. She’s the one who kicked me in the butt enough to finally give writing an honest shot for a career. That’s just one thing on the endless list of things that she’s done for me over the years. I owe her everything.

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Here is a great video from my friend Kevin Estela discussing EDC considerations. EDC, or everyday carry, is a huge topic in the prepper world these days. I think sometimes people make it overly complicated. While everyone’s individual needs are different, this video covers the basics that are applicable to just about everyone.

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Last year, Fred Liken reviewed my book, THE URBAN PREPPER’S GUIDE, on his Modern Refugee YouTube channel. One of the comments on the review really took me by surprise.

I've really grown to like Jim and his writings. He's one of the last handful of remaining people within the preparedness community who is more level headed and isn't screaming daily 'the end is near', 'THEY are after you' and all the old, tired BS that's dividing people more than anything. Kurt Saxon, Mel Tappan, Ragnar Benson, Howard Ruff - the true fathers of survivalism/preparedness from the old days, I could easily see Jim's name being part of.

I’ve never thought of myself in that fashion, but I was floored by the compliment.

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Here’s another tool for the toolbox. Craig Caudill from Nature Reliance School tipped me off about it. The Battarix Charging Card will give you about three hours of power for your phone in an emergency. It isn’t much larger than a credit card and it has a shelf life of about eight years. This is something that you’d just toss into one of your kits and forget about. What I like is that you don’t need to charge it or maintain it. The card just sits until needed. While it is a one time use deal, it could really make a difference in a crisis.

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This is something that comes up from time to time. Please do not send me unsolicited ideas for books, either stuff you’re working on or something you think I should do. It just opens the door for later accusations of idea theft. I’m always willing to help aspiring writers, but that’s not how it works.

This is also why I discourage people from posting story ideas and such on social media, including in FB groups. There’s always a chance that your favorite author might be working on a story already and once you post your nifty idea, he or she might be forced to abandon the project so there are no complications later.

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I wrote this about a year ago. While I've not heard much about the so-called Wolf Preppers lately, as I assume the YouTube influencers moved on to some other "threat" to holler about, I still stand by every word of this.

Wolf Preppers

In recent weeks, a new “threat” has cropped up in various survival-related FB groups. The so-called “wolf prepper” is someone who, rather than set aside supplies for their family, plans to avail themselves of the food and other supplies of others, by force if necessary.

I haven’t been able to figure out which clickbait-esque YouTube channel started sounding the alarm about this, but the topic has sure been making the rounds lately. We used to call them raiders, but apparently wolf prepper sounds more dramatic.

Listen, for as long as there have been preppers and survivalists, there has been a small contingent that purports a desire to pillage and plunder in the wake of a major catastrophe. An even smaller percentage states that they are specifically seeking out other preppers, so that they can grab up whatever supplies that have been carefully curated in basements and pantries. As the story goes, these chuckleheads will join FB groups and other social media outlets in order to gather information on preppers who might be worth raiding at some point down the road.

The majority of that exceedingly small minority couldn’t find their own ass with two hands and a map, let alone lead some sort of raiding group across the country to your doorstep. How do I know? Because I’ve talked to them. You can’t fake that level of stupidity.

I’ve mentioned before that once you get through the initial disaster, the biggest threat to the safety and well-being of you and your family is probably going to be other people. However, you’re far more likely to have to deal with neighbors in need than you are roving packs of wolf preppers who are on the hunt.

My advice:

1) Refrain from sharing photos of your well-stocked food pantry and similar supplies. Doing so serves little purpose and just opens you up to possible conflicts with others in your area who might become desperate in the wake of a disaster.

2) Fight the all-too-common desire to boast about what you’ll do if one of these wolf preppers comes a-knockin’. Nobody is impressed, nobody is intimidated, nobody cares. If you do end up pulling a trigger in a bad situation, all of those bravado-filled posts might come back to haunt you. We haven’t hit the end of the world just yet and the court system still exists.

3) Do what you can to make your home secure. Invest in high-quality training in how to use anything you’ve purchased for defensive purposes.

4) Stop giving your time to those who rely on scare tactics, ultra-dramatic nonsense, and similar bullshit to drive traffic to their YouTube channels, websites, and such.

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Still no hike for me, but here’s a pic from a previous walk we took. I’m really hoping to get back on the trail this weekend. I’ll still have to take it easy for a bit as I regain strength, but I’m tired of not being able to do much of anything.

Survival Tip – Address Signage and Emergencies

Once upon a time, what feels like at least a lifetime ago, I spent about 15 years working as a private detective. One of my primary duties was process service. For those unfamiliar with the term, that’s what it’s called when someone delivers court documents, such as a summons or subpoena, hence the term, “You are served.”

All told, I served roughly 10,000 papers in that time and spent the bulk of my day driving around looking for addresses.

I tell you all of that to tell you this. An awful lot of people would be in a world of hurt if they needed the fire department or rescue squad to come to their home in a hurry. For far too many homes, the address isn’t readily visible anywhere. Sometimes it is missing completely, especially in rural areas.

Do yourself a favor. Some evening, just after it gets dark, get in your car and go for a short drive. When you get near your home again, take a look to see how visible the street number is to someone who might be looking for it. Regardless of any ordinances that might be in effect, experience taught me that the address was usually found in one of three places:

• On the mailbox

• On a sign near the driveway

• On the house near the front door

Of the three, the sign near the driveway was usually the easiest to find and read. Mailboxes get dinged up, especially in areas that receive a lot of snow and are thus at the mercy of snowplows. Stickers fall off, paint fades, and it doesn’t take long for those numbers are nearly illegible. As for numbers on the house, more often than not they can’t be seen well at night, even if the house is close enough to the street to make them out to begin with.

When seconds count and you need the fire or rescue crews to get there fast, help them help you. Make sure your house numbers are easily seen from the road.

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

At this time, there are no subscriptions available. Both magazines are newsstand only and print only, no electronic editions.  

Questions, Comments, Complaints, Concerns?

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