The Survival Weekly Dispatch - Volume 10, Issue 26

Getting better every day....

Jun 28, 2023

Hey folks, thanks for checking out this week’s newsletter. I’m still on the mend, but doing okay for the most part. As I write this on Monday evening, this is the first full day I’ve gone without any pain meds since surgery last week. I really don’t like feeling all doped up, though I’ll admit they did help me get through the first couple of days.

I’m back to work, albeit at a slower pace. Probably be a week or so before I’m back to my normal stride. I’d like to thank all who have reached out with well wishes, prayers, and such. It all means a lot, truly, thank you.

Unfortunately, I have had to cancel my scheduled appearance at the Minnesota Prepper Expo this weekend. I’m just not comfortable traveling that far from home while I’m still recovering. I hope to make it to the event next year.

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My good friend Craig Caudill has a really neat event coming up in a couple of weeks. Basically, it involves spending no more than $25 at a Dollar General on gear and supplies, then spending the night outdoors with what you bought. There’s a cash prize, as well as other incentives. You can find all of the details here.

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I learned earlier this week that Knives Illustrated is being canceled by the publisher. I’ve been writing for them for several years and was a fan of the publication for a long time before that, so I’m really bummed to see it go. My understanding is that the Sept/Oct issue, which is at the printer now, is the last one that will have all new material. I think they plan to have a couple of “best of” sorts of issues, then a Buyer’s Guide in January, which will consist of advertiser-submitted material. The website will probably stay online, but I don’t believe they’ll be adding new material to it.

This means I have some open space on my schedule. If you maintain a website or blog in the prepper/survival niche and are in need of original content, please get in touch. I don’t work for free, but we’ll see what we can work out.

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I’ll be retiring the 2023 Real World Calendar at the end of June. If you’re still wanting one, get it now before it’s too late. I’m already working on the 2024 one, which will be available later this year.

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I’d really hoped this nonsense would fade away, but I see it’s making the rounds again on social media. If you see it being shared by family or friends, maybe mention that it has been thoroughly debunked by countless authorities, including SAR groups.

You can't change your outgoing voicemail message without a cell signal. If you have a cell signal, you should be using the phone to call/text 911 or reaching out to others for help. Don't waste battery power navigating umpteen menus to change an outgoing message that most callers aren't going to listen to anyway. I guarantee you that the guy calling about your car's extended warranty isn't going to care that you're lost.

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I missed the hike again this past weekend, though my wife went out and hit a trail. I’m really hoping I’m feeling up to a nice walk this coming weekend. Here’s a pic from a past hike.

Survival Tip – DIY Fire Starter

There are all kinds of ways to create your own tinder to carry with you into the field. Not to mention all the different storebought products that are on the market today. Making your own is usually cheaper and, if you’re careful about it, can be a fun project to do with the kids.

Personally, while the venerable cotton ball soaked in Vaseline works well enough, I’m not fond of the sticky mess involved with making or using them. A while back, I stumbled on what I think is a superior option to the cotton balls, though it does require a little more work to make.

Here’s what you’ll need.

Paraffin wax
Lighter fluid
Round cotton makeup remover pads
Fork or tongs
Small metal container, such as a saucepan
Aluminum foil

For the fork/tongs and saucepan, be forewarned that you’re going to get wax on them during this project. Rather than incur the wrath of the person in charge your kitchen at home, you might want to swing into your local thrift store to pick them up. Odds are you can get both a saucepan and a fork for under $5 total.

You can do this project inside, but it seems more fitting to me to do it outside over a campfire or patio fire pit if you have that option.

Start by melting the paraffin wax. If you buy Gulf Wax, it comes in three thin blocks inside the box. You only need about half of one of those blocks. Put it into the saucepan or other container and put that over your fire to melt. I usually grab a small stick to stir it from time to time until it is entirely melted.

Once it is fully liquid, remove it from the fire. Set it down a good distance from your fire, just to be safe. While you let it cool just a bit, tear off a sheet of foil and set it next to the pan of wax. Weigh down the corners if you’re outside so it doesn’t blow away.

Next, you’ll add lighter fluid to the melted wax. The ratio should be roughly 1:1, but this doesn’t need to be exact. If anything, err on the side of the wax, meaning slightly less lighter fluid than there is wax. Give it a quick stir with your stick to make sure it is mixed evenly.

Open the package of cotton makeup removers. One at a time, put one in the saucepan, push it down with the fork or tongs so it is fully immersed, then lift it out. Let it drip for a second, then put it on the foil.

Repeat this for as many of the cotton rounds as you want to do, or until you’ve run out of space on the foil. Within 10-15 minutes, the rounds should be dry and cool enough to pick up. Peel them off the foil if necessary, but they shouldn’t stick much at all.

To use, tear the round in half to expose the cotton fibers. Set it in your fire lay, then light with match, lighter, or spark from a ferrocerium rod. One full round will burn 4-5 minutes or so, with a hot flame. What’s nice is that these fire starters are waterproof, due to the wax content. Plus, they light fast and burn hot.

I store them in a small plastic Ziploc bag or in various mint tins. They’re incredibly cheap when you price them per use and it is easy to make a ton of them in a short time.

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.