The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 10, Issue 30

I can't believe it's August already....

Hey everyone, thanks for checking out this week’s newsletter. I hope all is well in your part of the world and that you’ve been dealing with the summer heat okay. We’ve been fairly fortunate in my area in that regard. We had about a week where the heat index was near or into the triple digits, but otherwise it’s been in the low to mid 80s. Don’t get me wrong, I’m built for fall/winter weather, but I can tolerate 80s, provided the humidity isn’t too ridiculous.

Health-wise, I’m doing pretty well. Had a checkup yesterday and passed with flying colors. I’m still being cautious as I don’t want to overdo it, but I’ll be implementing a new exercise regimen later this week. Nothing outlandish, just some dumbbells and stretching, along with more walking. I’ve kind of stalled at the 25lb weight loss mark, so I want to kick that back into gear if I can.

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I picked up Creek Stewart’s new book recently. THE FAMILY GUIDE TO OUTDOOR ADVENTURES is a must for anyone who has youngsters in their circle.

Creek details 30 different activities you can do with kids outdoors, each of them geared toward having fun and learning things. Here is just a handful of examples:

• Coloring a T-shirt with walnut dye

• Make a tennis ball shepherd’s sling

• Plant a milk carton garden

• Bake stick bread

• Make pine pitch glue

• Make a quinzee snow shelter

• Catch minnows with a spiderweb net

Each activity has step-by-step instructions, as well as several full color photographs detailing exactly what to do. There is also a short Parent’s Guide for each one that provides additional tips for engagement.

Creek has long been one of my favorite instructors in the survival niche. He’s a tremendously talented educator who easily connects with audience members of all ages. This book serves as an excellent educational resource, as well as a collection of fun things to do that will get your kids outside. Find it here on Amazon or at the bookstore of your choice.

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Over the weekend, we took a trip about an hour north and visited a really neat garden labyrinth. It isn’t huge, only about 90 feet across, but there are seven circuits in and out. The path is lined with all manner of flowers and other plants. It was plenty warm outside, but we still spent at least an hour just making our way to the center and back. For those interested, it is located in West Bend, Wisconsin. Here’s a link to the website. Here are a few pics.

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The September/October issue of Knives Illustrated is out now. It has three articles from me inside:

--Review of the Hunter from White River Knives.

--Review of the Mudbug and Delta from Smith & Sons Knives.

--In-depth profile of knife maker Dan Tope.

Here’s the cover. If you can’t find this issue locally, you can order it directly from the publisher here.

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Over on my Patreon, here are a few things we’ve covered in the last week:

• High wind emergencies

• The fallacies of reality TV

• Home safety risks

• Cyber attacks

• Disaster record keeping

You can subscribe at two different levels. Basic gets you three posts a week delivered to your inbox for just five bucks a month. Advanced gets a post every single day for eight dollars a month. You can even sign up for a free trial. All of the details are here.

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It never ceases to amaze me how short-sighted some preppers and survivalists can be. I made a post on Facebook recently about the importance of financial preparedness. The very first comment, which appeared within moments, was about how the US dollar is about to collapse and when that happens, all of our savings will disappear. He further said that cash is worthless in most emergencies anyway.

While not unexpected, as I’ve heard similar comments for years now, this sort of commentary is still frustrating.

Cash has value right up until it doesn’t. In the vast majority of likely disaster scenarios, cash can solve a lot of problems, including helping you to acquire shelter, water, and food. I’m not suggesting it is the end all, be all solution to everything, but it for damn sure isn’t worthless.

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I finally managed to make it out for a hike this past weekend. This was the first time we took our baby granddaughter along, so we opted for a local rail trail. We wanted something fairly flat as we’d be pushing a stroller.

Survival Tip – $100 Homeless Living Challenge

OFFGRID magazine ran an article a while back they called C-Note Shopping Spree. Here’s a link to it. The gist is they tasked three contributors with this challenge:

You have to spend 72 hours on your own in an unfamiliar urban area. You have the clothes on your back and $100 to spend on supplies and gear. The rules are fairly simple. You can’t just call an Uber and you can’t get a motel room. You have to be essentially homeless for the full 72 hours. For this exercise, the participants were told it would be mild weather, 60F-80F.

With those parameters, where would you go to spend the money and what would you buy?

For me, it comes down to prioritization, which I suppose is the entire point of the exercise. The top three survival needs would be maintaining my core body temperature, potable water, and calories to fuel the body. I’m not going to go item by item and figure out prices for everything. I just want to talk in generalities, for the most part.

Body temp – this should be fairly easy, given the fair weather. But, I’d still want something I could use for shelter. A shower curtain liner and some rope would work for a small pup tent somewhere off the beaten path. I know the exercise states “an unfamiliar area” but I imagine I could find a park or something with a tree line I could duck into at night. I’d also pick up a cheap poncho in case of rain. All of that said, I’d probably do as much snoozing as I could during the day in a safe place, such as camped out in a chair at the local library, and spend the nights awake to keep an eye out for threats.

Water – I’d definitely pick up a refillable water bottle, along with a filter. A Sawyer Mini runs about $22 locally. I’d be okay with drinking just water for three days and not worry about coffee, tea, or other options. If I could swing it, I’d pick up two water bottles, just to help ensure I don’t run out at an inopportune time. I’d also refill those bottles where I knew water was safe as often as possible, such as at the library where I’m napping.

Food – I’d concentrate on foods that don’t require any sort of prep at all. This also means that the food probably isn’t the most nutritious, but we’re only talking three days. Tuna and chicken in cans or foil pouches, precooked rice packets, snack items, all that fun stuff. I’d get enough for two meals each day, along with a couple of treats.

Once those are out of the way, we can move on to second tier needs.

First aid – Ryan Price, one of the participants in the exercise, had the right idea with hitting the local dollar store for first aid items. They aren’t the best quality, and buying them at the dollar store isn’t always the best use of the budget, but in this case we’d be fine picking up a few things. I’d want adhesive bandages for sure, along with a pain reliever, at a minimum.

Hygiene – I’d definitely pick up a toothbrush and toothpaste, along with a bar of soap. I keep my hair fairly short in the summer and if I’m wearing typical clothing for me, I’d have a ball cap. So, I’m not too concerned about shampoo or even a comb, not for just 72 hours. But, I’d want to be able to wash up and keep my teeth clean. I’d also pick up a roll or two of toilet paper. While I’d hopefully be making use of public restrooms whenever possible, I’d want the TP for times when that’s not possible.

Pack or Bag – for this, I’d hit up a thrift store. They usually have backpacks for around five bucks or so. They’re not great, but they’ll do in a pinch.

Fire – I could get cheap ones at a gas station, but I’d probably pop for a couple of actual BIC lighters as they’re far more reliable. I don’t know that I’d actually make a fire each night, but I’d want to have that option available to me.

Light – checking the Walmart website, I could get a passable LED headlamp for two bucks. It only puts out 25 lumens, but that’s probably sufficient. If I wanted to splurge, the next step up is 100 lumens for four bucks. Both options come with batteries.

Entertainment – this one is actually pretty important. You’ll want things that will occupy your mind and pass the time. A few options that come to mind that I could get at the dollar store or someplace else cheap would be crossword puzzles (along with pencils, of course), paperback books to read (dollar store or thrift store), deck of cards for solitaire (a buck or less at Goodwill), and/or a travel size game (thrift store).

Tools – a cutting implement is important. But, there’s no way I could afford anything of really durable quality, so I’d hit up Walmart for a paring knife. Something small, but that would last for at least a few days. Nothing serrated, as that’s too hard to hone or sharpen in the field without tools. I’d also pick up a can opener. I would not rely on a generic “Swiss Army” type knife for anything, as too many of them are just plain junk.

Defense – all of my other budgetary needs mean that I’d have to go pretty much dirt cheap here. I’d pick up a pair of socks at a thrift store, then put a good-sized rock in each of them, with knots to keep the rocks in place. Keep them in my pockets and use them as flails if needed. Simple but effective.

What say you? How would you handle this exercise?

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.