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Three Letters Re: Best Military Manuals with Field Fortification Designs?
Dear James,
In response to the person who asked about military manuals, most (at least US Army) are available online for free, from the following sources:
GlobalSecurity.org
The site has lots of military and world sitrep information updated constantly.
The Federation of American Scientists has tons of military hardware systems information. The pictures are useful for recognizing and there is data on each system's performance, purpose and use.
Also, the US Army maintains the General Dennis J. Reimer Training and Doctrine Digital Library at Fort Eustis, Virginia. It used to be mostly open access, but I believe it's changed to a more restrictive system. It's worth a look. FM 5-103 Survivability is great reading, very informative. One of my favorites! - R. in NH <><
Hi JWR,
The link which an earlier reader posted to Steve's Pages has an excellent copy of FM 3-105 Survivability. This copy has high resolution graphics which are readable, unlike many versions online.
The PDF of the Joint Forward Operations Base Force Protection Handbook and has more modern (Operation Enduring Freedom) knowledge on force protection. Kind Regards, - Craig
Dear Jim,
SurvivalBlog readers can find fairly new versions of all the field manuals you mentioned - FM 7-8, FM 5-15, and especially, FM 5-103 - online at Scribd.com. It is free to register there and you can download these manuals in either text or PDF formats.
The March 2007 version of FM 7-8, Infantry Platoon and Squad, is also numbered as FM 3-21.8. I just downloaded it all 602 pages of it as a PDF. If you only have dial-up, you may want to look for a printed copy as it is a 54 MB file. Thanks for all you do. - John in Waynesville, North Carolina
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Three Letters Re: Securing Bedroom Doors Against Home Invaders
JWR,
Blessings on you and your ministry. Regarding securing bedroom doors and walls article: For new construction, it would be acceptable to place a 1/8 inch 4' by 8' [plywood] panel behind the drywall. Paneling is built with two or three plys, like plywood. A wall so constructed would be only 1/8 inch thicker, but considerably stronger, and would slow down any intruder. Of course, even this would not stop a bullet. - Jim P. in Texas.
James Wesley;
I read the recent blurb on securing interior rooms, something I have been working on for a while. Seems to me the easiest way is to install exterior grade steel doors with steel frames to take care of the bedroom doors. As for the ease of breaking through drywall, the fix is to use 1/2 or 3/4 inch plywood on the inside areas of bedrooms that backs hallways and other areas that would be accessible to intruders once inside. In my 2,400 square foot home I have less than 30 linier feet of walls to cover to "harden" bedroom areas against adjoining "non-bedroom" living spaces. That comes to only needing eight 4x8 foot plywood sheets. Once these are screwed to the studs, it would take quite a bit of time and effort to breach these.
I am also considering installing a trap door in each bedroom that leads to the crawl space under the house so we can exit with weapons when needed. Trapdoor would be hidden under a small area rug with rug attached to door so when it is used and then closed, there is no evidence of the trap door. I love the wide variety of ideas your readers share. Regards, - Marc N. in Alabama
Mr. Rawles,
The recent letter about securing bedroom doors was of interest,Since I had the experience of having armed, drunken intruders in my bedroom. That leaves a lasting impression. Ask a guy who knows!
In my opinion a bedroom door should be constructed like an [exterior] entry door. It is the last layer in a layered defense. For a balance between cost and security, I recommend a commercial steel door and frame, of the type commonly seen on the side walls of box stores, movie theatres, etc. (these doors are available with armor steel lining but the cost is very high- we are talking here of a standard 16 gauge door.) A door and frame, new, will run roughly $500. I suspect they are available much cheaper on the used architectural salvage market. Get one bored for a lockset and deadbolt., and a double deadbolt bore (two deadbolts) would be even better. Make sure both sides of the door stamping are welded together at the lockset and deadbolt areas. The supplier should be able to do this work. Usually they will come cut for three heavy duty hinges-use a top grade hinge and commercial deadbolt. A flat faced door is easiest to modify for appearance, anything from paint, to a solid wood veneer can be applied. They do come with a pressed panel look also. This door will not be a box store item, look for an architectural supply house.
To add resistance, get a double rabbeted jamb and install a security screen door on the outside- this can be locked to prevent access to the main door and also serve as bedroom ventilation in hot climates without totally sacrificing security.
In regard to the poster's query, I would recommend changing the double doors for a large single door. It is much harder to secure a set of double doors, as the one anchors to the other-- to make it really secure, the first door will be anchored to the floor and top jamb, and be such a hassle to use it will never be opened anyway. Have the opening framed in for a 36" or 42" single door, this gives an opportunity to do the reinforcement of the framing at the same time. Block in between the studs with 3/4" plywood, glue and screw down the plates (bottom framing member) to the floor.
Framing and contractors: Obviously the door is no more secure than the wall itself- some dry wall may have to be removed and plywood attached to strengthen it. Think about this- what you are trying to accomplish is two things, to prevent the door from being compromised by having it pushed out of position- either by having the jamb pried away from the door far enough to allow the deadbolt to release, or by having the stud the steel frame surrounds, pop or slip where it is attached to the rest of the framing. Plywood stiffeners between the studs will help with spreading, and making sure the framing components are screwed together will help to make sure it does not come apart. Some places may need a bolted in angle iron or similar to reinforce. Also make sure the hollow metal door jamb has wood blocking that backs up to the deadbolt pocket-no good having a solid door and framing if the jamb can be bent back far enough to pop the deadbolt free.
Most contractors are going to be thinking in standard house terms. So instead, find one who will get the hint. This is probably someone who has worked on high end homes and custom jobs)--you want a door/jamb/frame assembly that will withstand a sledgehammer or a battering ram. It should buy at least a few minutes of time under attack- time to arm up, call the police, position yourself, and so forth. And as a side note-consider the access to the door-if it is tough to swing a sledge or use a ram, so much the better. Five minutes does not sound like a long time - compared to the mere seconds a standard door will resist attack, it is an eternity.
Where the door is placed has a major effect on it's strength, and method of reinforcement. Some doors may be at wall junctions, head of stairs, etc where there is a lot of internal framing, and there may be no easy access through an adjacent wall. The worst would be a door in the middle of a flat wall, with no interior cabinetry- in such a case, Mr. Rawles pointed out, the wall can be easily breached through the drywall. In any such case, it may be easiest to attach 3/4" plywood over the existing drywall, then attach another layer of drywall or finish material over the plywood.
There should be no "drywall only" walls within arm's reach of a door knob! It is too easy to punch through the drywall and unlock the door.
Consider a small camera to cover the door, so you can see, from the inside , what is going on. And figure out what is next- the door will buy you time to wake up, and prepare-think about how you will use the layout of your space to best defend it.
Also consider a "cage and door " type arrangement at the top of the stairs, made of openwork wrought iron or similar. This is common in some countries.
Last but not least, make sure that you have a way to get out in an emergency. A house fire is one of the more likely "survival " scenarios! [JWR Adds: Yes, and far more more likely than a home invasion.]
My condolences on the parting from your wife-may you be reunited in everlasting peace by our Infinite Creator.
With Great Regard, - E.C.
JWR Replies: I concur that "plywood, glue and power screws" are your friends when your goal is delaying home invaders. I must mention that I have had some consulting clients that took layered defense to extremes. For instance, one of them that lives in Central America had a house custom-built with the bedrooms located over a combination vault-basement. Not only didhe beef up the bedroom door, but the bedroom closets were reinforced to good "panic room" specifications, using two thicknesses of marine plywood on five sides, and steel exterior doors with three door deadbolts at the top, middle, and bottom. Both of these closets have trap doors and ladders to the basement. Imagine the frustration of would-be kidnappers to batter down multiple layers of plywood defense, only to face a blank steel plate trapdoor surrounded by concrete!
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Two Letters Re: Securing Bedroom Doors Against Home Invaders
James,
As a fireman, my point of view may help Dan M. JWR’s reply about home construction is spot on which makes it possible for us to get in and out of rooms to search for victims and escape if egress is blocked. Combining the mentality of preparedness and firefighting has been difficult for me as I would hate to trap anyone in or out of my house in a fire or collapse that would happen before TEOTWAWKI. I know that fires and collapse from an earthquake, flood, or landslide are all qualifying TSHTF events, which is what we are also preparing for.
My own resolution has been to combine my fire escape plan with an anti-Breaking & Entering plan. I too have adjoining bedroom closets to my own girls rooms. I have a local, remote alarm system at all entry points on the first floor the same as I have multiple smoke and CO2 detectors throughout the house as an early warning. I am upstairs with my wife and children at night so we have always had a plan to get out of the best window (no fire or smoke below) with our deployable window ladders. Now adding the survival/preparedness mentality the game plan stays the same, with a twist. We will go out the windows with our weapons checking for accomplices on the ground first, I go last in the event they make it to the room we are going out, and we trap the perpetrator inside our house until reinforcements or law enforcement arrive.
This is all the same as keeping your family away from a fire, it is a threat to your lives. If its already in, you get out and reestablish control of the situation. You know your house and what the most important things in it are, protect them by removing them from a possible threat.
I hope these thoughts may help in your planning. All the best and God Bless, - Ken A. in Ohio
Jim,
In response to the letter on "securing bedroom doors against home invaders" I'll add this: Several years ago, while living in Alaska's bush country, I had one of the numerous brown bears visit my cabin while I was away for the day. Brother bear sort of rearranged the modest furnishings and made a Real mess of the place. I resolved to harden the entry-point (the front door), since the bear simply pushed-in the solid door.
I fabricated what visitors thereafter referred-to as my "bear bar." I cut a length of stout 2x4 about a foot longer then the door width. One end of the "bar" was drilled to accommodate a long 1/2" bolt, and a corresponding hole was drilled through the wall for the bolt. Poof: we have a hinged bar. On the other, opening side of the door I mounted a metal bracket to hold the bar when it was down and in place. It worked like a charm ... at least no more bears (inside).
To open the contraption from the outside I attached a piece of parachute cord to the opening end of the bar and ran it diagonally up and across the door to a small hole drilled in the wall. The cord was then run through the hole in the wall to the outside, and affixed with a knot and loop. (OPSEC required that I didn't tell the bears what the outside cord was for. And they never figured it out.)
The simple system worked, and I suspect could be done for an inside door as well (but your comments about the vulnerability of sheet rock walls are quite valid). - C.
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Letter Re: Securing Bedroom Doors Against Home Invaders
Dear Mr. Rawles,
I will try to keep this short. Hopefully my question might come in handy for a number of your readers. First, thank you for your site and your publications. I am almost finished with "How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It" and am about 50 pages into your "Rawles Gets You Ready" family preparedness course. So far I am loving them both. I am reading quickly through them first and next my wife and I will study them thoroughly together, adapting the information and creating our "list of lists."
Now, I have a question for you or perhaps your readers. I live in a suburb of Denver, though a fairly distant one. Our town is wonderful, and are area is very safe, relatively speaking. We own our home outright, and we are very blessed. That said, due to a handful of reasons, relocation is not an option for us. Therefore, my goal has been to not only stock up, but to fortify my home against those who may not be prepared WTSHTF. Your resources are getting me through most of my preparations, but my question has to do with fortification and the securing of some of my home.
Specifically, the design of our house is such that the master bedroom and my girls' room would be very defensible and secure if only I could install the most secure doors possible. It may seem like overkill, but the peace of mind I would have by doing this would do wonders for my sleeping when things go bump in the night or worse. The rooms are connected via the closets and soon I will be putting in a doorway between the two. The bedroom doors themselves have no exposed wall on either side, but instead fit perfectly into entry hallways, for lack of a better way of describing them. The girls' room is a single wide, "normal" door. Unfortunately, the master is a double wide typical door. The latter will prove more difficult to secure, which is another reason why I want a professional to help me.
While I am trying to learn more and more about these kinds of things, I would like to have secure doors installed ahead of my learning curve, and so I am looking for some advice.
Basically, I am hesitant to simply start calling around for contractors and asking them if they can do the job because, especially in this economic climate, I can imagine most of them claiming they can do anything. Money is a big issue and I don't have much of it, so I need to make sure it is done correctly the first time. So, does anyone have any thoughts or recommendations for me? I will need to have someone do it for me as I don't have the tools or know-how. I need it to be done right the first time. I am concerned about asking just any contractor to do the job, and I am not sure what I would ask for exactly either, in order to avoid mistakes and confusion. On the other hand, I would imagine that the job would be too small for companies that specialize in secure building.
So there you have it. I think there are probably a lot of people like me who are not able to relocate or establish a more secure retreat, and who will have to make the best of what they have and where they are. Securing one's home is something most of us will have to address sooner or later, and the sooner the better. Furthermore, money will often mean that building a Safe Room from scratch is out of the question and smaller measures like securing doors, walls, etc. may be all one can do. We are the people who are wanting more than the average person but are not able to take advantage of what places like Safecastle and Hardened Structures have to offer. And some are even more like me in that they are really out of their element when it comes to this stuff.
In addition to being a wise investment for TEOTWAWKI, it is also a very responsible and reassuring measure to take in case of home invasion or break-ins. If I can only get my doors established, I will have very little fear if I hear someone break in in the night. Instead, I will have time to reinforce my doors, check my outside video cameras from my bedroom, know that my girls are safe and with me, and contact help via my multiple communication options in my room. And of course, I will be able to establish a position with my firearms if for some ridiculous reason the intruder is determined to get to me. I don't believe it is overkill, but being a responsible father.
Thank you for your time. God bless you and your work. - Dan M.
JWR Replies: Typical American home construction since the 1940s has used sheetrock (aka gypsum board) for interior partition walls. So if you beef up any interior doors (typically by replacing them with solid core doors, adding longer hinge screws, deadbolt locks, and/or door bars), then keep in mind that the adjoining walls will then become the most likely point of entry. These walls can be kicked through, in very little time. Once breached, since typical stud spacing is 16 or even as much as 24 inches apart (in non-code regions), home invaders can then just walk in to the adjoining room. Therefore, short of beefing up the walls themselves, by beefing up your bedroom doors, all you've done is bought yourself a bit of extra time. Keep a cell phone handy by your bedside, since hard wire phone lines can be cut. Every teenage and adult member of the family should also be thoroughly trained with firearms, and keep both a gun and a powerful flashlight (such as a SureFire
) by their bedside at all times. Your beefed up doors will hopefully provide enough of a delay so that you'll have 911 in one hand, and 1911 in the other by the time that the bad guys breach your bedroom door or partition wall.
On a related note, for new construction, and remodels, I've recommended that my consulting clients use 3/4 inch plywood or OSB for one side of their bedroom walls. When this sheeting is attached with drywall screws, los malo hombres will exhaust themselves by the time they ever get through a wall that is thus reinforced.
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Letter Re: Retreat Construction, Afghan Style
Mr. Rawles,
Regarding your discussion of adobe construction - Adobe can be used for structural and exterior construction in a range of climates based on how you make it.
I used to work for a company in Fresno, California that made stabilized adobe - it included a bituminous emulsion (tar-like stuff that's water proof) to make the bricks water proof. They have been sold across California in residential and commercial construction. Their products included several that were considered structurally sound enough to meet California's earthquake codes and generally made walls from 12 inches solid to 18 inches (two row with slurry in between) wide.
These bricks did not require any surface treatment to protect them from the climate, but did provide all the benefits of adobe.
Bear in mind, the only real drawback was that bricks ranged from 20 to 48 pounds each! - Steve G.
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Letter Re: Retreat Construction, Afghan Style
James-
One of the most notable features of the architecture here in Afghanistan are the adobe-walled compounds called qalats. Looking at them, especially from the air, it seems to me they would be an excellent style of construction for those with the time (and money) to build their own home retreat. See this photo.
As you can see in the picture (which shows attached qalats for three or more families), a qalat can be almost a miniature castle, complete with a tower or towers. The walls are thick adobe, requiring demolitions or tank cannons to breach. (If you've got enemies with access to tanks and [tank] main gun ammo who know where you are, you're pretty well screwed anyway.) One gate to control access, which, if you were so inclined, could easily be built as a old-school sally port. The walls enclose enough space for vegetable farming and in some cases small orchards, along with space to park vehicles. In the winter, the vegetable garden area can be used to pen livestock.
The biggest downside, at least for building in the US, is that I'm pretty sure adobe doesn't meet most building codes, plus it's usefulness is limited to the southwest. Also, a proper qalat takes a long time to build. Now, I don't see any reason you couldn't build one with reinforced concrete walls (covered with stucco if bare concrete is too ugly for you) if you've got the money to pay for it, which would probably obviate any building code issues.
What considerations am I missing? - David L.
JWR Replies: Adobe and rammed earth construction will work in wet climates, as long as they are covered by a roof long with wide eaves, to protect them from rain erosion. As with any other high-mass construction material, it is essential to include plenty of re-bar. (This often neglected in Third World countries, mostly due to poverty. Without re-bar, masonry and earthen structures are prone to collapse in earthquakes.) Do not under-rate the utility of adobe and rammed earth! In retreat architecture, mass is a good thing! As I wrote in my latest book: There is no substitute for mass. Mass stops bullets. Mass stops gamma radiation. Mass stops (or at least slows down) bad guys from entering a home and depriving its residents of life and property... ...When planning your retreat house, think: medieval castle.
Rammed-earth Fujian Tulous have been used in China for centuries to protect co-located families from the depredations of bandits.
One shortcoming of Afgjan qalats is that they typically have blind sides. (See my previous commentary on Vauban Stars and Cooper Corners.)
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Letter Re: How to Make Your Own "Black Out" OPSEC Window Panels
Sir,
In the film industry we use a very cheap and very opaque product to block out windows. We often need to shoot [indoor] night time scenes during the day and can't have any stray light.
Product is called Duvetyne, it's a very, very heavy black cloth. We even use it for flags and cutters, which are light-blocking pieces that we put in front of lights as big as 20K (20,000 watts) to deflect and control stray light. This stuff works great.
Here is a supplier of Duvetyne.
Has it for $8.25 per yard (60" wide), so it really is cheap as dirt. You can buy a 50 yard roll for a little over $400, which has got to be enough to do the windows on two or three average houses. At that price I wouldn't want to be using old rags and what have you. I hope that this helps. - Adam
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Letter Re: Getting Self-Sufficient in Wyoming
Dear Mr. Rawles,
I was recently given your novel "Patriots"
by a like-minded friend in Wyoming. I read it once for pleasure, then twice with a highlighter, notepad, and Google. It's a wonderful resource, and I'm looking forward to the new book ["How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It"]. Reading "Patriots" left me proud to be an American, and revitalized something I felt I had been losing in the recent years. This is a wonderful country, and I have faith that there are still a bunch of decent God-fearing people who will stand up for her when needed.
I was 20 when I moved here from Baltimore, to run a cattle ranch that my father had the foresight to buy in the late 1980s. It became the working family "retreat" where I lived full time, and my parents lived half-time. I am forever indebted to Dad for my life. He was my best friend in more ways than can be counted. He passed at age 68 in late 2007, of a digestive cancer. I will always wish I had more time with him on earth.
Life in Wyoming has been wonderful for me, as I developed good self-sufficiency skills and eventually (starting 1995) built a passive and active solar/wind charged earth-bermed home. I remember back in 1984, when Dad (in the computers/operations research field) bought our first PC - an XT with dual 5.25" floppies and 128K of RAM. The first thing I did as a teenager was make my lists of things I'd need to go survive in the woods! I have no idea where those thoughts came from - it was absolutely natural. I'm currently forty, and pretty shocked by current events and economics.
What are we doing? Is hyperinflation around the corner? There are two things my dad taught me long ago, that I always use to analyze everything...
1) Nothing is free.
2) If you have to lie to accomplish your goals, maybe you'd rather reevaluate your goals!
Now I'm building marine-grade expedition campers that can operate far from civilization, and restoring old mechanical diesels in my spare time. Next spring and summer my projects will be a good root cellar, a rebuild of my wind charger, and a new small barn for our goats and chickens.
Thank you for the inspiration. I hope one day to shake your hand. God Bless, - Darrin in Wyoming
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Letter Re: Lessons from a Brief, Opportunistic Burglary
Dear Jim,
I want to forward a story from my local electronics surplus dealer concerning his son and wife who live in a new upper-middle class subdivision just outside of Portland, Oregon.
Last Friday, William (not his real name) went off to work as normal. Kids went off to school. Wife was home. She left the house at 11:15 for a quick errand. She got back about noon. Only 45 minutes.
On her return, she noticed the front door unlocked. She did the correct thing and did not enter the house. She called the local police from inside her car parked across the street. They cleared the house and noted that it looked like a quick search had occurred. Drawers were piled by desk, freezer contents were thawing on the floor. As soon as the safe was found by the bad guys, the hasty search stopped to concentrate on it. [JWR Adds: Perhaps it is worthwhile to leave a small "bait" vault that is bolted down in the master bedroom closet, while your main gun vault is hidden behind a false wall.]
Unfortunately, it was only a "fire safe"--mostly plastic, bolted to the floor) which can be popped open with a pry bar. Bad guys opened it quickly, took $16,000 in paper money, jewelry, etc. and were gone in a few minutes. In contrast, a $1,000 gun safe or a small floor safe set in concrete would have frustrated average thieves for at least an hour, if not completely.
The cash will not be covered by insurance (excluded in the policy), and the house policy will only cover about $4,000 of the documented jewelry. No one expects recovery or conviction, nor any significant investigation since "only property" was lost.
Details that I didn't have were about household help (carpet cleaner, maid, yard service, plumber, etc.) who might have tipped off an unsavory buddy about the number of people in the house, entries/gates/dogs/alarm systems, vehicle details, coming and going timing and regularity, observed portable wealth, etc.
Lesson: A small "fire safe" for papers should be secured in a "real" safe or vault that household help do not have access to or knowledge of. Expect casing of better neighborhoods that are nearly empty during the work-week. Short shopping trips are plenty of time for Breaking & Entering, but the bad guys know that the clock is ticking from their first knock on the front door. Delay (a well-concealed stout safe) is a homeowner's best asset, followed by professional armed response. A well-concealed video camera feeding to a hidden recorder would greatly encourage the local police to pursue prosecution, or help your investigator. [JWR Adds: Concealed web cams feeding motion-capture images to an off-site server are now quite affordable.] Concealed carry for the lady of the house may have made her feel more self-assured during her retreat back to the car.
Best wishes for your family. Sincerely, - Karl K. in Oregon
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Letter Re: Advice on Camouflage Covers for LP/OPs
JWR,
The arrival of my Cabela's catalog today reminded me of how useful a layout blind might be for observation post (OP) duty. Your advice? Regards, ,- K. in Texas
JWR Replies: Semi-permanent OPs should be custom-built, to as closely match the local vegetation, as possible. Any store-bought camouflage is a compromise, at best. Ideally, you should grow local vegetation over the top of an excavated position, for the ultimate in undetectable camouflage. Nothing mimics nature like nature itself. (Anything else that you use won't look quite right, and of course it won't gradually change colors to match, seasonally.) See "Patriots:
A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse", for details on LP/OP construction.
For truly temporary OPs 48 hours or less), I prefer using an oversized poncho of very rough-textured ghillie-type camo materials. Again, try to get materials that match the local vegetation colors as closely as possible.
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Letter Re: Viability of a Well-Stocked Suburban Retreat?
Good Morning!
Thank you for the info you provide for all of us in your web site. I live in the Kansas City Area in a beautiful suburb which is one of the nicest cities in the country. till doing okay in the depression too. My work is secure and I do well and I own my own twp-story with basement frame home and have been making it a retreat for the past five years. I have no debt and am 60 days ahead with my mortgage and insurance and utilities. Am I absolutely crazy to try to stay here when things go bad?
First, let me tell you what I have done. I have a new roof ,which is fireproof. I have two large fire extinguishers in each room and more in the basement and garage and attic and I have a 2-inch fire hose with Honda generator to pull water from my 2,000 gallon swimming pool/fountain as well as from my 2,000 gallon [combined capacity] plastic tanks under the deck. Yes, they will freeze in the winter so I may add a new tank in the basement. I have 100 50-pound bags of sand which can also put out fires [and double as ballistic protection].
I have a strong 7' wood cedar privacy fence around my back and side yards and I have landscaped them such that it is difficult to see into my yard from any point but still need to add a few more tall bushes to screen my home. I brought in 80 [cubic] yards of great topsoil for the backyard to level it and to add garden areas so I can grow lots of food. I have a gutter system hooked up to the water storage and I have 3 months of water stored now in the basement and when the time comes new 55 gallon water barrels with hand pumps will be in each of my 4 bath rooms and kitchen. There is a pond and active stream 200' from my home and 5 of my neighbors next door and up hill from me have large swimming pools that I can siphon water from. I can produce clean water for 25 for 20 years with my water filters. So I have five ways to get water when the tap stops running.
I can feed my family for more than five years and then grow food too. I have all the stuff you buy in the stores weekly. I can grow food inside or outside and in a greenhouse too that is next to the house which can be heated with the natural warmth of the earth /basement and wood-burning stove, and sunshine.
We can protect ourselves better than anyone you might know, night and day. I have tried to set up my perimeter in my yard using the fence and bushes and trees and berms, etc. without anyone seeing the difference so that a stray bullet or two will not hit us easily. I will build gravel plywood walls in key places inside when TSHTF to reduce stray bullets. My fireplace is 5' x 5' x 4' deep so I can burn 4' foot logs and keep half my home warm and the firewood is placed outside on the side yards to slow down a bullet or two. The fireplace outside is 10' wide and goes above the roof. I have a wood stack 10 yards long, half of it is 4' long wood. I built a barbeque grill/water fall/pool that is solid 12' concrete that works well to stop bullets and it is 20' long and 8' high and looks really cool too.
In my basement I am finishing I added some 12" concrete walls to also give more strength to the floor above and to
slow down a bullet or two.
There are thick forests within 200' of my neighborhood to hide in if necessary and they run the stream for 50 miles. I have a nice "wine room" that is built to Joel Skousen standards [per his book The Secure Home
] just in case the web bots are right and we have a problem with radiation.
I may have missed to say a thing or two but have been through others check lists to cover it all.
Can I make it in the city? Or do I want to be a refugee or try to live with friends four normal driving hours away without my stuff?
Thanks, - B., Near K.C.
JWR Replies: Your preparations are excellent for someone living in the suburbs. I believe that your plans to stay in place will probably suffice for all but a true worst-case scenario. But it is important to get to know your contiguous neighbors well, including the neighbors behind your back fence. Having neighbors that you know on a first name basis, and that you can trust in times of Deep Drama will be crucial in the next decade. At present, my best estimate is that we will likely experience an economic depression that will be on a par with the Great Depression of the 1930s. Crime will be rampant, and you will need to institute a Neighborhood Watch on Steroids. That necessitates solid familiarity and trust.
Attached greenhouses are wonderful for situations where there isn't much home invasion crime, but they are a huge security risk in inimical times.
I recommend that you hedge your bets by pre-positioning some of your supplies with your friends, in anticipation of worst-case grid down collapse, where the municipal water will not be available. This is not a major issue for you, since you have an abundance of stored water, and rainwater collection system. But "grid down" will be a true disaster for your neighbors within just a few days. They will likely abandon their houses, leaving you by yourself to defend against large numbers of very desperate looters. You mentioned that you have a five year food supply --which is quite commendable--I'd recommend that you store up to half of it with your friends in the country. Keep in mind that you may only have the opportunity to make one trip Outta Dodge, so it is important to have some crucial logistics stored at your backup retreat.
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Preparedness Beginnings, by "Two Dogs"
I am a retired Marine Corps officer and Naval Aviator (jets and helicopters), commercial airplane and helicopter pilot, and most recently, an aircraft operations manager for a Federal agency.
I graduated from numerous military schools, including the U.S. Army Airborne (“jump”) School, U.S. Navy Divers School, Army helicopter, and Navy advanced jet schools. In addition, I have attended military “survival” courses whose primary focus was generally short-term survival off the land, escape from capture, and recovery from remote areas. Like most Marine officers, I attended The Basic School, an 8-month school (only five during the Vietnam era – my case), which is still designed to produce a second lieutenant who is trained and motivated to lead a 35-40 man platoon of Marines in combat. This course covers everything from field sanitation to squad and platoon tactics, artillery and other ordnance delivery, communications, reconnaissance, intelligence, firearms training, and much more. Later, I attended the Marine Amphibious Warfare School and the Command and Staff College, both follow-on schools and centered upon the academic study of tactics and strategy as they applied to the missions of the Marine Corps. I flew helicopters offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and across the U.S. I found out first hand how thoroughly corrupted is the federal bureaucracy and the government, in general. Not a pleasant experience. I’d rather have been flying. I have bachelor's and master's degrees.
As a result, my wife of forty years and I seem to have been moving endlessly from place-to-place. Nevertheless, I have tried in each place to do what I could to maintain a level of self-sufficiency for my family that varied greatly with locations and personal finances. My intention here is to try to share some of the less-than-perfect ways that I have tried to accomplish that end.
Only in the last few years, primarily as a result of the political and fiscal situation in the U.S., have I begun reading some of the huge amounts of literature about how one can prepare for serious long-term off-the-grid survival. I have found that the preparation required to be ready for that contingency seems to be endless. I do not want to talk about all of those preparations. Others have done so very well, and besides, I’m not there, yet. What I would like to do is to talk to those, perhaps like me, who are not true survivalists in the commonly referred-to sense, but who are genuinely concerned about the future of this country, and might desire, like me, to begin to prepare. Perhaps my elementary and simplistic efforts might be of help to someone else who is beginning to think about the subject of preparedness. There are many scenarios that might require this, but the two that I am thinking most about are economic collapse and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack. I’m building small Faraday boxes, but not doing much else for EMP.
My thinking on begins with my own estimation of the basic problems: shelter, water, food, fuel, and security. I view these as the most critical needs, whether living in a tent or other outdoor shelter or here in our rural home in West Virginia. Here I have and often take for granted what I have -- shelter, well water, a small stream, a pond, a rain barrel; canned, dried, frozen, and freeze-dried foods; fuel for the generator and portable stoves, kerosene heater and lanterns; factory-made and reloaded ammunition for any one of several firearms. Edible plant books. Gardening books. Encyclopedia of Country Living-type books. Reloading books. Hunting books. Tracking books. A few novels devoted to the “what ifs” of the future, including Jim Rawles' excellent "Patriots:
A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse", for example. Books to fill an entire bookcase. The Boy Scout Field Book sits right there next to the military survival manuals, as do Tom Brown's Field Guides, the The Foxfire Book series, a canning book, field medical books, and quite a few others.
Those are the basic things about which I think. I have been thinking about them for quite a while, in fact, longer than I even realized. Perhaps I’ve been thinking about them ever since I was a young lad. For example, my very first “survival book” was the Boy Scout Field Book, the original of which I still have (circa late-1950s edition). It is still a great reference if one is looking for an all-in-one manual for starting fires, making simple shelters, recognizing game tracks, tying knots, and much more. I note that it is still available on Amazon.com. (It’s probably been scrubbed to favor the politically correct, but don’t know [JWR Adds: Yes, I can confirm that unfortunately it has been made politically correct--with the traditional woodcraft skills showing any injury to innocent and defenseless trees duly expunged. So I advise searching for pre-1970 editions!] ) One does not necessarily need the SAS
Survival Handbook
or the U.S. Army survival manual. I have them and have read them. They do cover security problems, but then don’t cover other topics. Alas, there appear to be no “perfect” manuals, and the Boy Scout Field Book is no exception. But it’s not a bad beginning. And so I was beginning the journey even before I knew that I was.
I think that my first education in “survival” came at about fourteen. That’s when I first shot a .30-06, an old [Model 19]03 Springfield. It pretty much rattled my cage. Mostly, my older brother and I used to track and shoot small animals in the deep woods of Missouri as youngsters. We were “issued” ten rounds of .22 LR ammo by our father, a retired USAF pilot, to be used in a bolt action, single shot, .22 rifle with open sights. One would be surprised what that meager handful of loose ammunition could do for one’s choice of shots, one’s ability to be patient in waiting for the shot, and for one’s great satisfaction at having brought home six or eight squirrels for the cooking pot, having used just those ten rounds – and sometimes, but not often, less. My point is that the knowledge of firearms is, in my view, basic to the notion of preparedness and in surviving in the wild. And it need not be exotic or overly complicated in nature. One can surely attend modern schools that will teach one to double-tap a cardboard target or silhouette at seven yards with a semi-auto pistol, as well as basic and advanced tactical rifle courses, but very basic survival skill with a rifle can be had without much cost if one is committed to learning the skill and if one disciplines oneself. Start with only one round, and work up from there. As Col. Jeff Cooper used to say, “Only hits count.” In a purely off-the-grid survival scenario, I can envision that .22 LR rounds would be very precious, indeed.
Consequently, and even though I own handguns and rifles that will shoot .45 ACP, .44 Magnum/.44 Special, .357 Magnum/.38 Special, .380 ACP, .223, .25-06, .270, 7mm-08, .308, .7.62x39, .30-30, .30-06, and .45-70/.457 WWG Magnum (a wildcat), I shoot a .22 rifle and pistol more than all of the others, combined, and normally at least twice a week. And I’m hoarding them, as well as shooting them. I have the capability to reload all the calibers (except .22 LR/Magnum, of course) above, as well as shotgun ammo in 12 and 20 gauge. I wasn’t really thinking of “survival” when deciding to do this about twenty years ago, but was interested only in having the capability to shoot more, and to do it more cheaply. Yet it appears that much of that ammo could be used for barter. I had never even considered this until reading some of the recent “survival novels.”
My apologies. I’ve wandered into the weeds here, as I could do forever on my favorite subject. Suffice it to say that whatever firearm one chooses – and make no mistake, one is necessary in my opinion -- there are all kinds of reasons to choose one over the other, depending on the situation and the person. One must endeavor to shoot it well. Owning a firearm is of almost no consequence, at all, unless it is properly employed. Personally, I prefer a M1911 .45 ACP pistol and a 7.62 M1A SOCOM, while my wife is comfortable with the milder .38 [S&W] revolver and 20 gauge. pump shotgun. I won’t even begin to get into the debate over .223 vs .308 and 9mm vs. .45 ACP. Suffice it to say that in Vietnam I had the opportunity to see the effects of all of these, and I chose for my own security the .308 and .45 ACP.
Having got my favorite subject out of the way, I’ll talk about one that is likely even more important. Water. It is amazing how complicated this can be, and how many choices one has to solve this problem. I have not yet solved it. I have put up a rain barrel, and plan to get a couple more. It’s amazing how rapidly a 55 gallon barrel will fill in even a moderate thunderstorm. I got mine from Aaron’s Rain Barrels. http://www.ne-design.net/. I’ve camo-painted the first one to make it recede into the bushes that surround it.
We have a very shallow stream down the hill that I need to dam so that it keeps only about a foot-or-two deep pool for gathering some water. It flows into a large pond, of which we own half (The owner of neighboring property owns the other half.). But that’s over a hundred-yard trek downhill with empty buckets, and the same distance uphill with full ones. Now, while that is okay for a backup, in my thinking, because I’m going on 63 years, I prefer to have something closer. So my next “big” purchase will be a Simple Pump that allows one to drop a pump and pipe though one’s existing well casing down to below water level and extract water by means of a hand pump or DC motor attached to a battery which, in turn, will connect to a solar panel. This is much, much cheaper than a Solar Jack. At $1,200 for the hand pump capability (I’ll add on the DC and solar later), it’s a bargain, for me. See: http://www.survivalunlimited.com/deepwellpump.htm.
I’m not recommending it for anyone, yet, as I haven’t got one. It has plenty of good reviews, and I’m willing to try it. My apologies, but I am just talking about how I, for one, intend to solve my “water problem.”
I’ve also started collecting clear plastic soda bottles for use in Solar Disinfection (SODIS), see; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_water_disinfection. I’ve set up a rack for putting out the bottles in a sunny place. Again, that’s a backup, but I’ll use it.
I have bought three different water filtering devices, the best of which is the Swiss-made, all-stainless Katadyn Pocket Microfilter. It works wonders in that shallow stream and pond down the hill.. [JWR Adds: The same Katadyn filter model is available from several SurvivalBlog advertisers. They deserve your patronage first, folks!]
With the exception of the Simple Pump, these solutions are relatively cheap and effective, if not producers of great volume. So far, they are what I’ve come up with.
I won’t go much into the food problem. It isn’t quite as complicated as the water problem. I’ve either got to have it [stored], grow it, or kill it. I’ve started storing all kinds of Mountain House freeze dried #10 cans (with expiration date dates in 2034), two-serving meals from Mountain House (expiration dates circa 2016), and numerous grocery store-type canned foods (expiration a couple years), in addition to dried beans, rice, Bisquick (sealed in plastic bags with desiccant inside), salt, sugar (Domino, which are sold in one-pound plastic tubs), olives, peanuts, wheat, etc. Basically hit-or-miss, so far. I need to get this “food problem” organized and do it right. But it’s a start. I think we’ve got only about a 60-day supply now, for two.
I’ve got two Coleman two-burner stoves. One is a butane stove, and the other a dual fuel (white gas or unleaded gas), as well as several small backpacking stoves, the best of which is a MSR Whisperlite International
, which uses virtually all fuel (unleaded, white gas, kerosene, diesel, and maybe even corn oil). I was heavily into backpacking when we were stationed in Hawaii in the late 1970s, and still have all the gear. After having one knee replacement and hedging doing another, I’ll not be backpacking if I can help it. Nevertheless, I have two bug-out bags with essentials in them, ready to hit the trail if need be. I’ve saved up and bought two good Wiggy's bags and a couple of his poncho liners.
Concerning backpacking stuff, I can recommend a book that I read back then called The Complete Walker, by Colin Fletcher. I haven’t read it in at least a decade, but its import is such that I remember much of it. He emphasizes simplicity in gear. That is to say, don’t pack a tent if you can get by with a tent fly – which you cannot in cold weather. I’ve still got my old three-season tent, but am saving up for a four-season. And he emphasizes: don’t worry about pounds – worry about ounces. That is to say, if one is packing tea bags, remove the labels from the bags. Ounces. Remove all packaging material unless it is absolutely necessary (usually never). Don’t carry a “mess kit,” nor a knife, fork and spoon set. A spoon will do (I’ve done it) along with a pocket knife. Now I have so many knives of so many types that I can’t remember them. Personally, I’d go for a multi-tool. But it’s heavy. I never used to carry a weapon while backpacking. Of course, it was (and is) illegal in Hawaii, but I think one would be remiss in not doing so today. There was so much good advice in that book that helped me in the USMC, if nothing more than when packing my helicopter before a mission, or a car, trailer, or truck to move across the country. “Think ounces, not pounds.” I always think about Mr. Fletcher’s advice when I pack.
Anyway, I think I’ve got the camping stove angle covered in spades. That is, until the fuel runs out. Same goes for kerosene heater and lanterns (5). My plan is to pull out our pellet stove and replace it with a free-standing wood stove. Pellets are nice, but they must be bought, and the price is getting exorbitant, according to my pocket book. They likely will be non-existent in a crunch.
I connected a 12,000 Watt/50amp gasoline generator when we moved into this house nine years ago, as I have with every house in which we’ve lived for the last two decades. I’ve got it wired through a transfer box to the circuit-breaker panel, a job that I did myself. It works, and it’s safe. The main reasons for having this were to run the 220V[olt AC] well water pump and to run the refrigerator and our free-standing freezer during power outages. But I’ve got it wired, anyway, to nearly every circuit in the house, except the other 220V appliances – water heater and heat pump. It is somewhat selectable. That is to say that I can choose which circuits I want to power by engaging or disengaging the switches on the transfer box. The problem is that it uses gasoline. So in a long-term outage it would soon become useless. I’ve had the propane gas company come out to estimate what it would cost to get a dedicated 100 gal propane tank for the generator. It would be about $500, but then, in addition to the 50+ gallons of gasoline, butane tanks, and white gas that I keep stored in a separate outbuilding, it would make a great explosion when hit with a tracer round.
Which brings me to the subject of security. We live in a split-level home on about ten acres of forest. The property is surrounded by other similar-sized properties of seemingly like-minded individuals. I gleamed this because everyone out here shoots. The sweet sound of gunfire can be heard at times in a full circle. West Virginia, at least, has still got its priorities straight in this regard. But I digress. This is a frame house with half of it below ground in front, but framed in back, which faces the forest. The forest, itself, is a maze of downed pine trees blown over by the wind, interspersed with small saplings, vines and low brush. Not a likely avenue of approach for anyone but the most determined. For those who are determined, the downed trees would make excellent cover and concealment. So I have a security problem to solve there, as well as at the front.
I’ve started buying rolls of barbed wire and baling wire. Unfortunately, I do not have access to dynamite, which we used to be able to buy in a hardware store in the 1960s. We used it back then to blow stumps while clearing the land for our house. I am thinking of buying a bunch of used railroad ties to build cover in the back; I’ve thought also of bricks and sandbags. Problem is we’re reaching the point in all of this where the house would begin to look like a fortress, of sorts, to all but the most ignorant observers. So there’s a line here concerning security versus “normalcy” that I must cross sooner or later. Inasmuch as my wife is a few years older than I and is on constant medications, I’m afraid that finding a retreat (if we could even afford one) would be out of the question, as access to doctors, hospital and pharmacy are a necessity. Nevertheless I’ve got the bags packed and gear ready to throw into the pickup (Toyota 4x4 – like to have one of those older model American trucks, but I think they are getting rare, at least around here. And what there are will likely go to the Cash for Clunkers Program….grumble, grumble. What will they think of next?).
So it looks to me as if we are here for the duration of the crisis, or sooner, if they try to take the guns from my cold, dead hands. Speaking of, I still have to build a cache or two for guns and ammo and a few other necessities.
And since I’ve more-or-less made that decision (here for the duration), I’ve thought of organizing the apparently gun-loving neighbors. I’ve begun to buy walkie-talkies, if not field phones and commo wire. I’ve got solar panels and several batteries (need to get a mega deep cell or two, however) to run the small battery chargers and the CB radio. My shortwave is up and running.
I will have to wait to talk to the neighbors, whom I rarely see, much less know. I can just imagine the words that would come out of their mouths if I were to mention to them the notion of forming a security “company” and establishing a perimeter. “That old retired Marine down the road is nuts!”
So that’s what I’ve got to say. I do hope it at least stimulates some thought for those who are starting out trying to prepare, as I am. All of this shows me that one “problem” in this “survival” business leads to several more, and they in turn lead to even more problems. Lots to do. So I’m glad I’m retired. I’ve got time to think about it. If I were rich, I could do a lot more and likely in a far away place, but as it is, we do with what we have. I have to use the lessons taught to every Marine: Improvise, Adapt, Overcome.
Long Live America. Keep the Faith. - “Two Dogs”, Col. USMCR (ret.) in West Virginia
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Underground Survival Shelter Construction and Security--Learn from My Mistakes, by B.B.
In the summer of 1995 I decided to build an underground multipurpose survival shelter. I purchased the book Nuclear War Survival
Skills by Cresson H. Kearney and went to work. If you want to know about shelters and what it will be like living in one, then purchase his book. My brother helped me for a while with the construction, but I did the majority of the work alone and it took me two years to complete the project. Let me say up front that I’m an amateur who used a brilliant book to build a shelter. Along the way I made many mistakes and had some unanticipated problems. Hopefully if you decide to do something along these lines you can learn from my many mistakes.
I purchased used 40 foot x 12foot diameter and 20 foot x 8 foot [galvanized steel ] road culvert pipes. The 20 foot long culvert would be used as the entrance to the larger pipe. The first step of my project was to enclose the ends of the 40’ pipe. In the back I used heavy angle iron to frame the end then 2x12s to enclose it. Welding on galvanized metal was a problem for me so I also bolted the braces to the pipe. When I finished enclosing the end it didn’t look right so I placed black roofing felt over the 2x12s and covered it all with a layer of plywood, painted it and then tarred it. I cut a hole in the back at floor level and inserted a 12’’ plastic pipe into the hole and ran the pipe up to the top for airflow. In the front of the pipe I framed it in with angle iron and just used 2x12s. I used 2x12s so that my front solid core entrance door would be right.
I used metal channel iron to enclose the floor of the pipe. I cut the floor frame channels to the proper length so that the floor was about 8ft in height so that I could walk and not hit my head. I installed a plywood floor and placed 4 foot square inserts in the center that would pull up and out for easy access to the lower level. This lower level gives me 4 foot x 40 foot storage under the floor with 8 feet of headroom on top. Along the sides I used two 2x12s wide for bench seats the entire length of the pipe on both sides. This is more than enough seating and is not in the way when you walk around in the pipe. I don’t want to gloss over this part but it took about a year for me to complete the inside.
After I completed the construction of the pipe I was ready to bury it. To accomplish this I rented a 988 Cat[erpillar brand wheel loader with a excavation bucket] and dug a hole for the 40 foot long section. I then buried it to the proper height so the 8 foot piece would match the door and then buried the whole thing. The 20 foot x 8 foot piece extended out the end far enough to prevent the soil from burying the front door. From the bottom of the pipe to the top of the soil is about 22 feet. After burying everything the front didn’t look right. There wasn’t anyway to secure the entrance to the pipe so I then I built a 20x20 wooden shed on the end to secure the entrance. I placed the pipe west to east so the airflow would work and buried the pipe with about 10ft of earth on top of the main 40-foot pipe being sure to protect the plastic air pipe on the end. The book says you only need three feet of compacted earth to protect you from radiation but 10 feet works for temperature control. [JWR Adds: In my experience, only foot depth of clay or loam soil is required to take full advantage of the ambient ground temperature, at least outside of permafrost zones.] The temperature is constant summer and winter and it is pleasant inside. I checked the level of the ground for drainage and adjusted the drainage away from the entrance.
Alongside my buried pipe shelter I placed a Santa Fe Railroad boxcar for storage. This was the real deal and made of solid metal. I filled the boxcar with lots of stuff that could be used for barter or just be used to keep us comfortable. After loading the boxcar with stuff, as a precaution, I welded the two large solid metal doors shut. The doors slid sideways to open so I felt it wouldn’t take much to prevent them from opening.
After I finished construction, my pipe complex was 80ft long, with a storage boxcar alongside. There was water, food, bedding, clothes, everything I could think of that I might need, I stored in the pipe shelter. There is water close by and I also had 8 - 55 gallon. used white plastic Coca-Cola syrup barrels filled with water inside the pipe. When I open the entrance door and the 12’’ plastic air flow pipe you can feel the air flow but according to the book that isn’t enough air for [very] many people and the book tells you how to increase the airflow for more people. On the right side of the pipe there is electrical plugs for 12 volt DC power and 2 Heavy equipment 12 volt DC batteries for power. On the left side of the pipe is 120 volt AC power [conduit and outlets] to be plugged into a generator.
The boxcar was for extra, non-essential items. My family and I could go to my pipe shelter without bringing anything with us and stay there for at least one year.
Lessons I have learned:
My
first and biggest mistake was in believing that my property was secure. There is no possible way to secure property if you aren’t there to secure it. I have 120 acres fenced in and the pipe location is out of sight of the main road. I thought the location was secure but it only took the druggies a couple of years to find it. Once the word got out what was there everything went down hill fast. Now the property is always being broken into and trashed. They will steal anything and everything and then trash the rest. I live in the city and the [unoccupied] pipe [shelter] is 200 miles away from my home in the country. The pipe is located in the middle of my land but it doesn’t matter. (Hindsight) When you use wood to enclose your shelter eventually the Prairie dogs and druggies will find a way into it. 4 Wheeler [ATV]s can go anywhere and they do. Not only did they break into my pipe [shelter] and destroy and steal everything, they used a bumper jack to attach to the bottom of my metal door on my boxcar, jack it out and steal everything they wanted. Then when they had everything worth something they burned the boxcar. The interior walls and floor of a boxcar are lined with heavy wood and burns real hot.
So here is where I am now: I had to rebuild the front of the entrance to the pipe. I originally had some windows in front of my pipe complex to help add a little illumination so I used crusher screen cloth to cover the windows and doors. After the druggies broke into the pipe they left it open and the prairie dogs ruined everything left inside. I have cleaned out everything in the pipe and threw it all away. Now the pipe is empty but at least it is still usable, but my boxcar is a burned-out shell and unusable.
If you want to have a place in the country to escape to Good luck. You have to be there to be able to protect it.
I also buried some plastic 55gal barrels with some extra #10 cans of food in them. They have been in the ground for about 10 yrs and I have learned another lesson. There is enough moisture in the barrels to rust through many of the #10 cans. The barrels didn’t leak water but many of the #10 cans still rusted through. If you want to do something like this dip your cans in wax and that will protect the metal #10 cans from rusting. You can buy lids for 55 gallon barrels that snap on to the top of the barrel. They are thin but if you place a piece of rolled plastic on top of the lid and then some ¾’’ plywood over the top of the barrels they will be fine. Mine were buried on end with about two feet of soil on top. You can bury 8 barrels with a single piece of plywood over them and have a lot of #10 cans of food safely stored in a cool temperature. 10 yrs. of storage isn’t a problem if you store wheat, rice and beans as you can fill in the gaps later with storage easer to get to.
I find that this type of storage in 55gal plastic barrels buried in the ground works for many different things.
[Some information on another topic deleted, for brevity. It will eventually be posted separately.]
I hope this information is helpful. - BB
JWR Adds: I've heard may similar tales about unoccupied retreats being ransacked. BB's experience underscores the oft-repeated need to either:
1.) Live at your retreat year-round, or
2.)
Have a retreat caretaker, or
3.) Have a trustworthy year-round resident neighbor that lives in a house with line of sight to your retreat buildings.
Anything less than that cannot be relied on! There is some utility in motion-queued web cams, but there is no sure substitute for the Mark I Human Eyeball. I consider web cams just a good backup, and a means to capture images of would-be burglars and their vehicle license plate numbers.
If it is an underground shelter, then you might get away with a completely hidden entrance. Typically, this is done with a large scrap/junk pile. (Two of my consulting clients have done this, thusfar with several years of success.) Although it is labor intensive to remove, the "scrap pile camouflage" technique is fairly practical for a property that you visit only infrequently. But all it takes is just one untrustworthy person that knows about the shelter's existence to make this approach ineffective. (The goblins will keep looking until the find the entrance.)
Given enough time, miscreants can reduce just about any obstacle to entry to an unoccupied and unobserved structure. They will come back with a cutting torch or even a backhoe, given enough time!
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Letter Re: Increasing Security for an 1870s House
Hello Jim,
My family and I have been offered a great price on a house ($7K,000 for a 3,400-square-foot two-story house, built in 1876, with a full basement and large backyard--the house was originally on the market for $104,000, but the seller hasn't had any offers in three years, since the housing market crashed) in a small city with open spaces less than an hour's walk away if bugging out should become necessary.
However, the bigger appeal of this house is the ample space it provides for us and a few other family members, a large backyard for gardening and the fact that most of the rest of our family is less than a 15-minute drive away (or an hour's walk--and this hour's walk would put us out in rural areas). My biggest concerns are the large (six foot wide) picture window on the front of the house, overlooking the front porch, and the front door with large window. The house is in a historic neighborhood, and any improvements to the structure of the house have to fall within certain restrictive guidelines because of the neighborhood in general and the fact that the house itself is on the state register of historic places.
I'm well aware of the prospect of smash-and-grab burglaries, especially in houses with large windows such as this one has, but I wonder what kind of modifications could be made to the windows and doors that would minimize the break-in risks. Would it be practical to add reinforced (possibly even bulletproof/brickproof/etc.) glass behind the picture window, and could you suggest possible modifications to the front door as well?
I'll add that there are several points inside the house where increasing levels of security leading to a safe room can be established without affecting the historic nature of the structure itself.
The house itself is not particularly conspicuous--it's in a historic neighborhood, so there are literally hundreds of other structures like it in the area, and there's not much turnover in terms of residents or home ownership. I've lived within four-block of this location for almost eight years, so I'm very familiar with the area. A sizable percentage of this area's residents have lived here for decades and
have no plans to move, so I don't think flight to the suburbs or beyond is really a problem, i.e., seemingly few worries that this house will be in the middle of a ghost town if things get bad. I think this house could be a major asset as a "bug-in" location and I'm sure my family isn't the only one looking to stay put rather than getting out of Dodge. Your advice would be greatly appreciated.
JWR Replies: Windows that large were not made in the 1870s for middle class houses, so that very large picture window that you described surely must be from a much later retrofit. (Six pane sash windows were the norm.) Even with historic preservation codes, you could easily go back to a smaller traditional sash window, and put a pair of "storm" shutters on it. (Hint: See my novel "Patriots" for details on ballistic shutters.) Just so long as it "looks" period, you should be okay.
Ditto for the door. You can have one custom built without a window (or just a very small, high window), out of 4" thick solid oak.
Convincing the county clipboard minions just takes some historical research. At your local library or online, find pictures that were taken before 1900 of houses built in the 1870s. Be selective, and find pictures of houses with small windows, storm shutters, and stout doors. These photos will be your leverage needed to get permission to restore your house to an authentic 1870s appearance, and that should make the Historic District Authenticity Gnomes happy.
Good luck with your upcoming move and security upgrade project!
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Survey Results: Your Favorite Books on Preparedness, Self-Sufficiency, and Practical Skills
In descending order of frequency, the 78 readers that responded to my latest survey recommended the following non-fiction books on preparedness, self-sufficiency, and practical skills:
The
Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery (Far and away the most often-mentioned book. This book is an absolute "must" for every well-prepared family!)
The Foxfire Book
series (in 11 volumes, but IMHO, the first five are the best)
Holy Bible
Where
There Is No Dentist
by Murray Dickson
"Rawles
on Retreats and Relocation"
Making
the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook
by James Talmage
Stevens
The
"Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course
Crisis Preparedness Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Home Storage and Physical Survival
by Jack A. Spigarelli
Gardening
When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times by Steve Solomon
Tappan
on Survival
by
Mel Tappan
Boston's
Gun Bible
by
Boston T. Party
Seed
to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners
by Suzanne Ashworth
Survival
Guns
by
Mel Tappan
Boy
Scouts Handbook: The First Edition, 1911 (Most readers recommend getting pre-1970 editions.)
All
New Square Foot Gardening
by
Mel Bartholomew
When Technology Fails: A Manual for Self-Reliance, Sustainability, and Surviving the Long Emergency
by Matthew Stein
Back
to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills, Third Edition
by
Abigail R. Gehring
Preparedness Now!: An Emergency Survival Guide (Expanded and Revised Edition)
by Aton Edwards
Putting
Food By
by Janet Greene
First
Aid (American Red Cross Handbook) Responding To Emergencies
Making
the Best of Basics: Family Preparedness Handbook by James Talmage
Stevens
Nuclear War Survival
Skills by Cresson H. Kearney (Available for free download.)
Cookin'
with Home Storage
by
Vicki Tate
SAS
Survival Handbookby
John "Lofty" Wiseman
Root
Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables
by
Mike Bubel
Outdoor Survival Skills
by Larry Dean Olsen
Stocking Up: The Third Edition of America's Classic Preserving Guide
by Carol Hupping
The
American Boy's Handybook of Camp Lore and Woodcraft
Emergency
Food Storage & Survival Handbook by Peggy Layton
98.6 Degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive
by Cody Lundin
Seed
to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners by Suzanne Ashworth
Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life by Neil Strauss
Five Acres and Independence: A Handbook for Small Farm Management
by Maurice G. Kains
Essential Bushcraft
by Ray Mears
The
Survivor book series by Kurt Saxon. Many are out of print in
hard copy, but they are all available on DVD. Here, I must issue a caveat
lector ("reader
beware"): Mr. Saxon has some very controversial views that I do not
agree with. Among other things he is a eugenicist.
How to Stay Alive in the Woods by Bradford Angier
The New Organic Grower by Eliot Coleman
Tom Brown Jr.'s series of books, especially:
Tom Brown's Field Guide to Wilderness Survival
Tom Brown's Field Guide to Nature Observation and Tracking
Tom Brown's Guide to Wild Edible and Medicinal Plants (Field Guide)
Total
Resistance
by
H. von Dach
Ditch Medicine: Advanced Field Procedures For Emergencies
by Hugh Coffee
Living Well on Practically Nothing
by Ed Romney
The Secure Home
by Joel Skousen
Outdoor Survival Skills
by Larry Dean Olsen
When All Hell Breaks Loose: Stuff You Need To Survive When Disaster Strikes
by Cody Lundin
The Last Hundred Yards: The NCO's Contribution to Warfare
by John Poole.
Camping & Wilderness Survival: The Ultimate Outdoors Book by Paul Tawrell
Engineer Field Data (US Army FM 5-34) --Available online free of charge, with registration, but I recommend getting a hard copy. preferably with the heavy-duty plastic binding.
Great Livin' in Grubby Times
by Don Paul
Just in Case
by Kathy Harrison
Nuclear War Survival
Skills by Cresson H. Kearney (Available for free download.)
How to Survive Anything, Anywhere: A Handbook of Survival Skills for Every Scenario and Environment
by Chris McNab
Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance
by John & Martha Storey
Adventure Medical Kits A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine
by Eric A. Weiss, M.D.
Rodale's Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening: The Indispensable Green Resource for Every Gardener
Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook (superceded the very out-of-date ST 31-91B)
Wilderness Medicine, 5th Edition
by Paul S. Auerbach
Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long
by Elliot Coleman
Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills, Third Edition
by Abigail R. Gehring
Government
By Emergency
by
Dr. Gary North
The Weed Cookbook: Naturally Nutritious - Yours Free for the Taking!
by Adrienne Crowhurst
The Modern Survival Retreat
by Ragnar Benson
Last of the Mountain Men
by Harold Peterson
Primitive Wilderness Living & Survival Skills: Naked into the Wilderness
by John McPherson
LDS Preparedness Manual, edited by Christopher M. Parrett
The
Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging
Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century
by James H. Kunstler
Principles of Personal Defense - Revised Edition
by Jeff Cooper.
Survival Poaching
by Ragnar Benson
The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses
by Eliot Coleman
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Net Producer-Net Consumer Equations for Self-Sufficiency: Getting Out of the Pit
In a recent phone conversation with one of my consulting clients, I was asked why I placed such a large emphasis on living in the country, at a relatively self-sufficient retreat. I've already discussed at length the security advantages of isolation from major population centers in the blog, but I realized that I've never fully articulated the importance of self-sufficiency, at a fundamental level.
In a societal collapse, where you are in "You're on Your Own" (YOYO) mode, it will be very important to be a net producer of water, food, and energy. This will mean the difference between being someone that is comfortable and well fed, and someone that is shivering, hungry, and thirsty, in the dark.
If you were to create computer models of a typical suburban home as compared to a small farm, they would probably present two very different pictures:
A typical suburban home is an energy pit. It generates hardly energy other than a bit of garden waste that could be used as compost, or fuel. A farm house on acreage, in contrast, can often be a net producer, especially if the farm includes a wood lot. (Standing timber that is suitable for use as firewood.) Properties with near-surface geothermal heat, coal seams, or natural gas wells are scarce, but not unheard of. I've helped several of my clients find such properties. For some further food for thought, see this article by Lester Brown over at The Oil Drum web site: The Oil Intensity of Food
A typical suburban home is a food pit. Just picture how many bags of groceries you tote home each week, month, and year. Compare than with the net volume of food produced by a small farm, or the meat produced by ranch. (For the latter, a ranch that is large enough to produce its own hay and grain is ideal.)
A typical suburban home is also a water pit, dependent on utility-piped water. But with a spring, or with well water and a photovoltaic or wind-powered pump, you can be a water exporter--charitably providing surplus water to your neighbors.
There are are of course some work-arounds for these limitations, such as installing photovoltaic power systems and rainwater catchments cisterns. But it is nearly impossible for a family to be a net producer of water, food, and energy, when living on just a small city lot.
Consider the inherent limitations of life on a "postage stamp" lot:
Limited acreage means that your house will always be a net importer of home heating fuel. Unless you live on acreage where you have a wood lot for firewood, you'll end up on the wrong side of the production-consumption equation. Photovoltaics are practical for lighting and running some appliances, but the big energy loads like space heating, hot water, and kitchen range cooking exceed what PV panels can produce, unless you are a millionaire. Yes, there are substitute energy sources, but most of those--such as propane-but those-are also "imported." Hmm... Perhaps it is worth the extra time and effort to find a retreat property that has a natural gas well, a coal seam or that is in a geothermal zone. At least buy a property with a wood lot, so you can heat your home and water with firewood.
Limited acreage and a location inside limits usually means restrictions on raising livestock. You might find a property that has been exempted or "grandfathered", but without the room required to grow animal feed crops, you will still be a net importer. (You will be forced to buy hay and grain, rather than grow it yourself.)
In many jurisdictions, it is illegal to have a private water well in a neighborhood that is served by a public water utility. This usually has more to do with maintaining a monopoly, rather than any genuine worries about a public health issue. There are of course exceptions, such as older houses with wells, that pre-dated the advent of a water utility. In many jurisdictions, the owners of these wells benefit from grandfather clauses. If buying such a property, make sure that the grandfather clause exemption is transferable. (Otherwise, you will have to cap the water well.)
One of the great ironies of urbanized life in modern-day America is that there has been a great inversion. In 1909, it was dirt poor farmers that lived on acreage, while wealthy people lived on city lots. But now, in 2009, owning acreage is something that most people only dream of, for retirement. In the more populous coastal states, the price per acre of land that is within commuting distance of high-paying jobs has been driven up to astronomical prices.
Have you ever stopped to think why there are large Victorian-style houses falling into disrepair in some Inner City ghettos? This is because at one time, those neighborhoods are where rich people lived. They were nice, safe neighborhoods, and were conveniently close to work, shopping, and schools. But times (and neighborhoods) change. These days, most of the wealthy have long-since moved to suburbs or to the country.
If you decide that you must stay in the suburbs, then I recommend that you at least relocate to a stout masonry house that is on the largest lot that you can afford. When you search through real estate listings, some key phrases to watch for are "creek", "grandfathered", "mature fruit trees" (or "orchard"), "secluded", and "well water." Another key word to watch for is "adjoins". It is advantageous to own a property that adjoins park land.
As I've often written, I recommend moving to a house on acreage in the country--that is if you can afford it, and your work and family situations allow it. But I'll close with one admonition: Don't bite off more than you can chew. There is no point on living on acreage if you have a large mortgage, and no working capital remaining to build up the infrastructure for genuine self-sufficiency. In fact, that would be "the worst of both worlds", since you would have higher commuting costs, a bigger mortgage, and perhaps even a bigger annual tax bill. Owning non-productive land may be worse than owning no land at all.
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Two Letters Re: Prefabricated Garden Sheds as Instant Shelters and Storage Spaces for Retreats
JWR:
Just a comment on the bit about the sheds for bug-out retreats.
I have designed plans for a number of such shed sizes, as well as living quarters for larger barns.
A couple things to mention, one, is that if you do a sloped shed roof on your shed instead of a peaked roof...from the air, it looks like a loafing shed for your critters, this is in case it is in a
more rural farm like area, instead of timber country. Another thing, the window problem: On our barn (which we are building living quarters in right now) the front door and a nice sized window can be covered by using a large barn-type slider that covers the [man] door and window. And or you can use regular dutch doors or livestock slider doors to make it look like an outbuilding. We have two windows, one for the bathroom that is actually behind the top half of a dutch door and then the front door and window that is covered, when need be, by the barn slider.
I actually designed a 16' x 24' shed, that is really nice We hope to build it out in the middle of our fields. With a simple livestock water trough at the back of the roof line to catch run off, from a distance it will look very much like a livestock shelter. [A "loafing shed."]
And if you know someone who has a portable mill, you can have boards cut that are actually 2" or 3" thick to use like board and batten. This will help to make your shed look simple but pretty safe from bullets. At least if they are coming at you from a distance. You can go another step further and build this shed over a concrete root cellar or a square concrete cistern that can be accessed through the floor of the shed. A ladder down through the top and with all the options they build in them for knock outs for pipes (in this case vents) they can be a pretty nice underground bunker of sorts.
We read your site regularly to keep up on what is being written but hidden in obscure papers. You guys are providing a great service. Keep it up! - Toni in the state of Washington
James Wesley:
I built many quality sheds (for my business) years ago. It is much easier to build a shed in four foot (or less) panels in your shop and then transport the panels to your retreat. It takes a little planning to do this, but in this way just two people can assemble the whole thing in a day, and transporting the shed usually takes just a 3/4 ton, long bed pickup [rather than a large truck.]
In many states you can build a shed up to 200 square feet without a permit. 12'x16' is a common larger size, but 10'x20' is much simpler to build (that 2 extra feet wider is a pain with roof and trusses). I recommend that you use deck screws to screw the panels together, including the cap plate. Build your roof trusses in your shop too. See Backwoods Home magazine for a really excellent article on how to build trusses and a really strong building.
Build the floor system on site, not as panels. Build the wall panels so that your full 4x8 sheets overhang on floor system by 4" and 1.5" on the top for your cap plate (ties it all together for strength). Offset your 4x8 panel 3/4" to the left side to keep the seams centered on a stud. This keeps it weather tight, if you caulk. Make sure your roof overhangs at least 6" (12" is better) on all 4 sides or rainwater will get in.
Cut your studs to 87.5". The 96" stud minus 4" (bottom overhang) minus 1.5" (bottom plate) minus 1.5" top plate minus 1.5" cap plate = 87.5". Make sure your cap plate is one piece of lumber for each side to tie the panels together on top. Take the scraps with you to your retreat, they will be handy.
Every panel uses one extra stud. It is well worth it. For Heaven's sake, make sure the floor is level and square, and that every panel is square on its own! This is the difference between a lot of fun building, and a disaster. - Brian W.
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Letter Re: Prefabricated Garden Sheds as Instant Shelters and Storage Spaces for Retreats
This article is not intended to promote the Tuff Shed brand per se. Any of Tuff Shed’s products can be built from scratch. This is just one way to obtain “instant” shelter at a reasonable price. Tuff Sheds come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. For the sake of this discussion I will limit myself to the rather plain-looking Tall Ranch Tuff Shed model because, unless you happen to be short of stature, you will probably need a tall shed. In Portland, Oregon the Tall Ranch model is available in sizes ranging from 6’x6’ to 16’x24’. This idea will not be practical in an area prone to flood, hurricane, or tornado. Much of what’s in this article is just common sense. I like to think of it as food for thought.
The great thing about this idea is that many county building codes will allow the construction of a shed without obtaining a building permit, although this often depends on the size of the shed. (Of course they don’t expect anybody to actually live inside one.) So, you can put one on your “bug out” site without notifying anybody in most cases. If you purchase a ready-built shed that is only 8’ wide it can be moved on a flatbed trailer without an oversized load permit. For the purpose of a simple survival shed I would consider the 8’x12’, 8’x14’, or 8’x16’ models. These sell for around $2,500-$3,000 new in Portland, or about the same price as a good used travel trailer. The shed doesn’t come with any insulation, wiring, plumbing, or interior walls however. This is good because it makes it easy to install these features exactly the way you want them before you deliver the shed to your site. The shed is usually sold with a window, but it can be easily omitted. I would order it without any windows and, instead, I would install peepholes on all four sides. Not having any windows means that a light can be kept turned on inside without alerting anyone that passes by.
I would install three or four electrical receptacles and stub the wiring out in a corner where the inverter and batteries will go later. I would also install one low power-consumption, but bright, LED light in the center of the ceiling with a quiet DC switch located where it could be reached in a hurry. For heat I would install a vented propane heater of the type used in recreational vehicles and install it through the wall at the back of the shed. After I had done all of the wiring, and installed the heater and peepholes, I would thoroughly insulate the shed so that it could withstand the most severe winter weather with only minimal heat. All of the work would be done at my leisure in my own back yard before the shed is ever moved to my “bug out” site. For the walls I would use oriented strand board (OSB) instead of drywall because it’s tougher and lighter. Also, it’s easier to mount various accessories on the OSB later on, with screws. The OSB can be painted with interior house paint. I would use a thick rug or carpet on the floor so that it wouldn’t make much noise when walking around inside. Just before the shed is to be delivered to the “bug out” site I would paint the exterior with two or three coats of good quality house paint in an earth tone color similar in color to the “bug out” site [soil or foliage].
Ideally, I would place the shed on my site where it is surrounded by brush and/or trees or, even better, in a low spot between some knolls. In any case the shed’s foundation would have to be elevated 6” to a foot above the grade to avoid rainwater infiltration. I would be sure that the rainwater drains away from the shed. Once the shed has been set in place I would repaint the outside of it to closely mimic its surroundings, camouflaging it that it cannot be seen from any direction by anyone less than 25 yards away. The roof would be similarly camouflaged with paint and/or local vegetation. The shed would have to be well hidden to avoid detection because it’s a hideout, not a fortress! For water I would use a two-gallon water cooler and refill it from a spring or creek (with proper filtration of course.) For a restroom I would use a portable chemical toilet. A pit could be dug at some distance away from the shed for waste burial. Bathing would have to be done in a creek.
For electricity I would use a couple of deep cycle 12-volt batteries, a solar panel, and a 120-volt power inverter. The inverter need not be large. In fact a small one would help to conserve battery power. It would only need to be large enough to run a couple of lights and a radios. The solar panel would not be mounted on the roof. It would be portable so that it could be hidden inside the shed when it isn’t being used. It would be placed outside during the day when I was around to keep an eye on it. Harbor Freight and Northern
Tool & Equipment
both sell 15-watt solar panels for about $60. A couple of these would easily keep the batteries charged. I would spend most of my time outside of the shed during the day and only use it at night or during inclement weather.
This “bug out” shed or cabin would suffice in an emergency to provide a relatively safe hideout for up to several months. The trick would be to keep it secure when I was not there to watch it. It might make better sense to bring along most of the needed supplies when retreating to the shed. - Mr. E.
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The Meme of Crushroom: A Key Retreat Architecture Element
One bit of retreat architecture that I've often recommended to my consulting clients who are designing (or retrofitting) retreats is the inclusion of a protruding entryway foyer, that I call a crushroom. Passing this advice along to you gives me the chance to employ one of my horrible puns: The Meme of Crushroom. A crushroom is a controllable confined space, typically an entry foyer, that can be covered with small arms fire or subjected to irritant or obscurant smoke or sprays. The outer door (or barred gate) to the crushroom is normally left open, but has a spring loaded self -closure device, and an automatically-engaged remote-controlled lock release mechanism. Think of it as a box trap for Bad Guys. Have you ever visited a Big City apartment with a communal door where you need to get "buzzed in"? In this case, the Bad Guys will have to be buzzed out of your crushroom
The home invasion threat can only be expected to increase in coming years. I anticipate greater use of dynamic-entry tools by home invaders. For instance, they will soon use commercial or improvised door-entry battering rams and Hallagan tools—like those used by firemen and police entry teams. This means that standard solid-core doors by themselves will be insufficient. In a worst, case, thugs might even use vehicle-mounted battering rams. In such circumstances, it will be wise to have the extra layer of protection afforded by a crushroom.
You should position the outer door to your crushroom one of its side walls, rather than lined up with the entrance door to the house. Having this 90-degree turn and allowing just a four foot space in front of the house entrance door has several advantages: First. it makes it impossible to use a long battering ram--since it limits the length and "throw" of a battering ram. (Even a very stout door, hinges, and doorframe will not withstand the impact of a 10-foot-long battering ram that is manned by a team of thugs). Second, it removes direct line of sight into your house. This is useful for light discipline, in a grid-down situation. (When you are likely to have electric lights in your house interior, but your neighbors won't.) Lastly, the crushroom wall opposite your front door provides another layer of ballistic protection--it would have to be knocked down before your front door could be attacked.
Picture this: With your intrusion detection security system, you see one or more thugs approach your house. They are acting "hinkey", or outright aggressive--perhaps rushing in to conduct a home invasion robbery. Then they proceed to try to kick down your front door. But lo and behold, they don't succeed, because you've built your door and barred it to Rawles specifications. (Strong enough to resist even a small battering ram, and armored against small arms fire.) Using your intercom-loudspeaker, you sternly warn them away. But since they have bravado to spare and have never before encountered a door that they couldn't kick in, they persist with their futile leg exercises. At that point, you already have your telephone in hand, and have dialed 911. (That is assuming your are in pre-Schumeresque circumstances, when there still is a police or sheriff's department willing and able to respond.) You then flip the switch, releasing the crushroom's outer door. It slams shut, and locks. Now, the thugs feel trapped, crowded, or crushed in the close confines of the foyer. They will then almost surely turn their attention to kicking at the outer door (or barred gate). At this juncture, you have several "continuum of force" options:
A.) You shout a stern warning and then hit the switch releasing the outer door and "buzz them out." This is effectively just letting them go,, with a warning. Such a course of action is recommended only in current day "peaceful" circumstances.
B.) Using your exterior loudspeaker, you spend five minutes sharing the Gospel with the thugs, then you hit the switch to release the outer door.
C.) You pull a wire that is attached to the pin on a smoke grenade in the decorative "overhead light fixture" in the foyer, and simultaneously start playing your retreat's PSYOPS tape over your exterior loudspeaker, at around 60 decibels. This combination (especially a violet smoke grenade and a tape of Jimi Hendrix playing Purple Haze) is sure to make the thugs think twice about coming back.
D.) You pull a wire on that is attached to the pin on a CS tear gas grenade, and simultaneously start playing your retreat's PSYOPS tape at around 90 decibels. This, (especially a tape of Credence Clearwater Revival singing Bad Moon Rising) will probably make the goblins soil their trousers and reconsider their life of crime.
E.) You slide open an armored gun port, and protrude the muzzle of your favorite large-caliber lead dispenser.
F.) Any combination of options B, C, D, or E, in whichever sequence seems apropos, given the day's relative Schumer Index and the prevailing exigency of the circumstances.
Alternatively, your crushroom could normally be kept locked from the outside. This will provide a valuable delay for even the most ambitious dynamic entry by home invaders. It will also provide you a safe place for you take delivery of mail and packages with some "stand-off" distance.
Four Important Provisos:
1.) Only build a crushroom if you are also going to first upgrade your front door and doorframe to very stout specifications, and the surrounding wall is of similarly stout (i.e. masonry) construction. The last thing that you want to experience is a bunch of enraged bad guys actually entering your home.
2.) Do not mention the purpose of your crushroom to friends, neighbors, or even relatives. It should outwardly just look like either a "mud room", a "weather airlock", or perhaps a "Spanish style" foyer, with "decorative" heavy wrought iron bars. If you are indiscreet, word of it may get around, and then at best you'll get labeled as the local survivalist whacko. Or at worst, word will get as far as the local band of goblins, and whilst sharpening their knives they will deviously plan to bypass your crushroom entirely. They may decide to either bushwhack you while you are out splitting wood, or invade your house via your roof, with a chainsaw or a fireman's metal-cutting rescue saw.
3.) I most strongly encourage readers to use your crushroom's outer door as a mantrap (and any of the other active measures that I've mentioned) only in truly post-TEOTWAWKI circumstances. As I've noted many times before in SurvivalBlog, we live in an extremely litigious society. Displaying the audacity to actually hold bad guys in place until the gendarmes arrive could be grounds for civil lawsuits (for false arrest, excessive use of force, mental distress, etc.,) and possibly even criminal charges. In essence, if you hold someone in a citizen's arrest in excess of what a jury of your peers deems justifiable and reasonable, then you could conceivably be charged with felony kidnapping. Here, the "Reasonable Man" standard will probably be applied. (Black's Law Dictionary defines citizen's arrest as: "The apprehending or detaining of a person in order to be forthcoming to answer an alleged or suspected crime." See: ex parte Sherwood, (29 Tex. App. 334, 15 S.W. 812).
4.) Be sure to provide yourself a way out of your crushroom, in the event that the outer door closes unexpectedly when you don't have a door key in your pocket. Perhaps a spare key that is very well-hidden behind some molding.
For further background, see this letter in the SurvivalBlog archives on "man trap" architectural features.
Some Suggested Suppliers:
Door closing springs. Check your local Yellow Pages for "Fire Door" hardware suppliers. Your local locksmith probably knows of a supplier, or may have a pile of used one in his back room. For a man trap, the faster the action of the door closure, the better. Hence, a traditional coil spring action is preferable to the more modern, slower pneumatically-dampened springs. Think in terms of cattle chute hardware, rather than what you'd likely see on shopping mall doors.
Door release solenoids. (You've probably seen these on fire doors at hospitals and other public buildings.) Note that in circumstances where grid power is iffy, you can substitute a mechanical release, activated by a simple pull-cable and cotter pin.
Door lock & release solenoid ("buzzer lock") mechanisms. Search for local suppliers with a the web search phrases "mantrap" or "common door buzzer lock". To provide sufficient "hold the goblins in place" strength, you may have to use multiple locking solenoids--at the top, middle, and bottom of the door--that are engaged and disengaged simultaneously.
CS tear gas grenades. These are available from police supply houses. In most states it is not illegal for citizens to possess them. But by their company sales policy, most police supply houses will only sell these to orders placed on police department letterhead. But I've occasionally seen gas grenades sold at at gun shows, and they also come up from time to time on firearms auction sites like GunBroker.com and AuctionArms.com. For example, see this current GunBroker auction. Be sure to consult your state and local laws before buying these or similar pyrotechnic devices.
Gun Ports. You might luck into some of these at a scrap yard (from a retired bank armored car), but more likely you will have to fabricate these yourself, or have a welding shop make them for you. Remember: Gun ports work both ways, so you will want a thick, well-braced, sliding backing plate that latches securely. Specify everything for the ports very thick and very stout. Any exposed hardware should be large-diameter and welded in place, once assembled.
Exterior (weather resistant) loudspeakers. Rather than buying new (and expensive) speakers, try placing a "wanted" ad in Craigslist. It is amazing to see what people have salted away in their garages and attics.
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Letter Re: Dealing With Local Building Inspectors
I've been in construction and construction management on projects all across the country since the 1970s. Generally, I try to maintain good relations with the local zoning and building authorities. You really don't want the inspector to come out and stop a scheduled concrete pour because he caught you trying to cut some stupid corner, or sneak something by him when you thought he was not looking. Having been an inspector, I am always looking...
But...when the time comes to build my little citadel out in the middle of nowhere, I have mixed thoughts about how completely truthful I want to be when I go to the county building for the plan review session. The house, partially buried and bermed for insulation and energy efficiency, and the basement workshops and storage areas and garages and greenhouses and solar panels and windmills and top-of-the-hill cistern and irrigation piping for the vegetable garden will all show up on the stamped plans that I will submit for review.
However, I'm not so certain that I want the locals to have any inkling about some of the more important underground facilities. Only a few adult family members and the most trusted co-conspirators know about the soon-to-be-buried weapons development and manufacturing facility, the chemistry lab, the hidden escape tunnels, and certain other items that only a paranoid survivalist would want to have.
I know the county flies photomapping sweeps every so often to compare what was there last year with what is there now, so the proper property taxes may be assessed on any obviously new construction. The nice man drives up in the county pickup truck and looks around the property, but usually doesn't ask to see what's inside the new building; it's all just how many square feet and how many bathrooms do they need to assess.
If I remove a hundred cubic yards of clay from the future location of my new commo bunker (actually a steel shipping container with a Faraday cage to block out the EMP --you gotta read Forstchen's new novel One
Second After--I can spread it around in a fairly thin layer that won't trigger any alarms in the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) system or cause any head scratching at the USGS when the time comes to update their contour maps, or it could just be backfill material trucked in from off site to berm up around the buildings that are on the official plans.
So, it is theoretically possible to present what looks like a small homestead (to be assessed at a fairly low rate for property tax) to the county authorities for their review and approval, but also stick in a few added features that absolutely nobody outside of the group must know about. If nobody knows about the hidden stash of weapons, food, medical supplies, fuel, toilet paper, etc., then nobody with even bigger guns is going to come looking for all our most valuable loot. But, if the building inspector tells his boss at the county building that the new survivalist nuts at the end of the road have what looks like Blofeld's secret command center from a James Bond movie... well, all bets are off, aren't they?
So, here's my question to all you good folks who've been at this for a few more years than I have:
How have you approached this issue? Completely open and up front? Mostly up front but with some secret hidden facilities? Have you completely ignored the local authorities and just hope that they don't bust you? And what do you do about visitors to your home accidentally stumbling across the hidden access tunnel entrance under the basement stairs? A nd don't tell me the thought hasn't crossed your minds. - TANSTAAFL
JWR Replies: In several western states there are no building permits required, at least outside of city limits. In these states, all that the tax officials seem to care about is the aggregate square footage, and the number of bathrooms. Beyond that, what you build is your own business.
« Two Letters Re: A Practical Tip on Using Roof Catchment Rainwater |Main| An Update to the Classic: The Hyperinflation Survival Guide, by OSOM »
Retreat, Barn and Shop Building Resources From Uncle Howard's
The Uncle
Howard's web site doesn't come right out and say "Hey,
these buildings make a great place to store your preparedness gear!" or "Be
sure to ask about our bullet-proofing upgrades!", but Howard is all about
filling the needs of land owners that want to build. There are plenty of off-the-shelf
models,
but they are willing
to have extended conversations to get a one-of-a-kind perfect-fit design. Uncle
Howard's has a drafting department that takes
a conceptual sketch
all the way to engineered and stamped
plans to satisfy buyer with specific needs.
The site has some general information
stuff that would be helpful to anyone looking at a construction project, even
if they choose a different company, such as their Glossary (What
do you call walkway along the top of a wall?) They also have some very informative
FAQs.
(What is the difference between
engineered plans and "wet stamped" engineered plans?), and links
to
sites for each state so you
can find your local info, for permitting, equipment rental, etc. I highly recommend
the
printable Homework page(Quick: which seismic zone are you?) and the Total
Cost Estimator which helps you run through the total cost of the project,
not
just the structure.
(Did you remember the outhouse for your workers?)
If yo
're thinking about building, you'll find a whole
lot of great information and planning ideas. Oh and if you do call to ask about
their
floor plans or kits, be
sure
to
mention that you read about Uncle Howard's on SurvivalBlog, because they have
sales,
discounts, and offers that don't always get posted to their web site.
« Mexican Flu Update: |Main| Retreat, Barn and Shop Building Resources From Uncle Howard's »
Two Letters Re: A Practical Tip on Using Roof Catchment Rainwater
JWR:
In response to today's post, I would like to offer an alternate method
to avoid going outside in the rain to flip the value after five minutes.
Cut the down drain pipe into about 5 feet from the discharge elbow. At the
elbow end install a blank over the opening. Drill a small hole in the blank,
perhaps 1/8th inch diameter, and reattached the outlet ducting to a container
to catch the runoff.
At the above cut in the drain pipe, install a "T" and an ell to move
the water downward into a barrel.
[During each fresh rain shower,] the pipe that is blanked off should hold the
initial water that would contain bird droppings and other unpleasant things
before
it starts
to
run
out the "T" above
into the clean water receptacle. This method gives you clean water for drinking
and dirty water for the garden. Of course run your clean water through the
Berkey before drinking.
I wish I could take credit for this method, but the thanks will have to go
to Mel Tappan. - JH in Arkansas
Jim,
I found a rainwater diverter that
looks interesting.
It can be turned on and off in seconds so you can let the first few minutes
of rain wash the bird poop off the roof before you start collecting water.
I imagine with a rain sensor and a little effort, it could be made to start
diverting water automatically a few minutes after it starts raining. - Matt
R.
« Mexican Flu Update: |Main| Health, Hygiene, Fitness and Medical Care in a Coming Collapse, by RangerDoc »
Letter Re: Concerns About Toxicity in Water From Roof Catchment Rainwater
Mr. Rawles,
I searched the forums to no avail on this topic. In the Pacific Northwest,
a common roof setup is untreated wood shakes with copper ridge caps and flashing.
The rain hits the copper which leaches chemicals onto the wood shakes to inhibit
moss growth.
On other sites I'm reading conflicting thoughts on whether this amount of
copper renders the water unsuitable for rain catchment into a water barrel
for vegetable garden irrigation or a cistern for human consumption. Some folks
seem
to think there is more danger from the concentrated nitrogen in the water (bird
droppings, raccoon feces) than the minute traces of copper. Others believe
any amount of copper renders the water useless, no matter what purification
steps
one might take (filters, Aerobic 07, etc). - What is your take? - Scott J
JWR Replies: The copper itself is not the issue, since after
all most residential water pipes are copper. But if lead solder was used for
any
joints,
that would be
cause for concern.
Personally, I'd be much more concerned about any wood preservative treatment
chemicals impregnated in the shingles. Some of those chemicals, such as copper
naphthalate,
are nasty!
But
if your roof was built with plain, untreated cedar shingles and copper sheeting
without lead joints, then the catchment water should be fine for domestic use,
once it is properly
filtered
and treated
for microbes.
« Letter Re: How to Spot a Front Sight Graduate |Main| Note from JWR: »
Good Fences Make Good Neighbors: Reinforcing Your Retreat for Long Term Survival on the Cheap, by Q.T.
We've all heard that particular proverb. For those of us reading this venue,
we all have a specific mindset that probably keeps that at the forefront of
our minds. We have our space. We have our preps. We have spent time and effort
placing a lot of emphasis on keeping ourselves one step ahead. So how do we
keep out everyone else?. Better yet… how do we keep prying eyes out?
Still best, how do we create our sanctuary without drawing any attention to
ourselves whatsoever?
We can build a fence, but a fence can be cut. Fences cost money. …Money
that perhaps we would like to spend on other things. We could conceivably dig
a moat, but if our land isn't flat (let's face it, it's probably not). A moat
also isn't much of a deterrent unless it's filled with something particularly
unsavory, like crocodiles or piranhas. Furthermore, a moat is going to take
a lot of effort, probably employing heavy equipment, and again, costing a great
deal of money.
What we really need is something that serves as a hardy physical and psychological
barrier, screens what is behind it, costs very little, and mostly takes care
of itself. Maybe it could even get more robust as time goes on… Impossible,
you say? Perhaps not.
In Europe, one long standing tradition of creating a fence against neighboring
property is to plant a hedge. Now before you scoff, push out of your mind the
juniper bushes freshly trimmed at waist height. What you want is something
a bit more robust. Something wooly and wild and impenetrable…
A customary European hedge is initially a row of one particular type of woody
shrub or tree planted about 1-2 feet apart. Once the tree reaches approximately
10 feet in height, an axe or hatchet is used to notch the tree at the base
so that it can be bent over, and it is laid over at about a 35 degree angle
from horizontal. When the entire row is done this way, the branches are woven
and tangled together to form a rough and difficult to penetrate screen. As
time passes, new vegetation grows up through the toppled trees and adds height
to the hedge, further screening from the neighbors. This was primarily designed
to contain livestock.
What we need is a system to keep out a much more ingenious invader than neighboring
livestock. We want something that will stop anything short of a bulldozer or
perhaps a tank. And best of all, if it's all the same, we want something that
looks nondescript and uninteresting to the passerby. If the hungry refugee
has nothing to stop and look at, he likely will keep on going. The roving gang
isn't even going to slow down if they see nothing of interest. So what we need
is something much more robust than the European hedge.
European hedges are often grown from the local native shrubs and trees. Locally,
here in the midwest US we have several tree species that would work especially
well for this type of application. Your local flora may differ a great deal
where you are. My particular favorites for my location are the honey-locust,
Osage orange (notably named the "hedge tree", locally), and western
red cedar. All three of these are known throughout the region as a pest. They
are all fairly prolific and fast growing. The best bet is to look around and
see what grows where you don’t want it to. Those will grow into the most
robust living fence you can imagine.
I have not made these three tree choices lightly. These trees are chosen because
of their quick growth ability, resistance to insects and blights, and ability
to interplant very closely with other trees. Hardwoods such as Oak, hickory,
and especially walnut, tend to crowd out other trees with chemicals secreted
by their roots. However, you can interplant fruits such as mulberry, apples
and pears among the locusts, Osage, and cedars.
Now, plant your trees spacing them out in a row approximately 12 to 18 inches
apart. Water them. Fertilize them if necessary. Let them grow to about 5 feet
in height (tree tubes may help them achieve this height but are by no means
necessary). Make sure that all trees are trimmed of most side branches and
splits split trunks are pruned to one side or another. This makes the final
arrangement easier.
Once the trees have reached the appropriate height ( I said 5 feet, but this
is not necessarily the case) you will need to notch the trunks approximately
3 inches above ground level. To notch the trunk, you should take a sturdy knife
and carve approximately 2/3 of the trunk out. Alternate which side of the tree
you notch, as you will be weaving the trunks together.
Once you have notched your trees, beginning with one pair, lay your trees over
to about 30-to-45 degrees crossing in the middle. Go to the next set, doing
the same, making sure that you achieve a true weave (in front of one, behind
the
next, etc). Once done, make sure that where the trees cross the second row
is done in the same manner. What you end up with should look a little something
like a chain link fence.
Next you need to wait for the tree to grow some more, and repeat the process
as it gets taller. Since trees don't grow at angles, it's likely that either
your initial stem will grow straight up, or perhaps a side branch will take
the initiative to take off. But either way, you will be trimming from a ladder
and weaving in the same way.
Obviously, one should grow other things outside the wall. Poison ivy, stinging
nettles, thick brambles and rose bushes all serve as a primary deterrent long
before anyone actually comes to the hedge. Making it look natural helps all
that much better. Eventually your hedge will bush out and look less like a
giant lattice and more like an impenetrable wall of vegetation.
Like anything, this process can be as big or as small as you want it to be,
and it's all about how much you put into it. I envision two hedges side by
side about ten feet tall. The inner hedge mostly fruit trees and honey locust,
while the outer hedge is made up primarily of cedar and Osage orange. Between
the two is a wall made up of old tires with one sidewall cut out, filled with
sand. The tire wall is about 5 feet tall and serves as a bullet stop for stray
small arms fire. Above the tire wall the two hedges have been intertwined to
hold it all together. The occasional observation post (OP) has been fashioned
into the design and only accessible from the private side (inside) of the wall.
With a setup like this and an alleyway to a locked gate, access could be controlled
in such a way that the vagrant who wandered in would automatically be covered
and unable to escape. In the same respect, anyone who attempted to raid a place
reinforced in such a way, would encounter a lot more resistance than they would
want to, if in fact they even knew it existed.
Obviously this process takes time. Lots of time. And that is its primary downfall.
Time may be something we all lack in these uncertain and trying times. It also
takes a lot of work. Hard work. Expect to have scars. Consider that as better
than the alternative.
For those of us who may have that place in the woods, and are just biding our
time, this might be a thing worth doing, even if just for facing a public road.
If one life is saved because of this information, then it has all been worth
it. Good luck and God bless to all of you.
« Letter Re: That Leaking Body in Your Living Room |Main| Letter Re: Preparedness Mindset and Logistics Pay Dividends »
Letter Re: Bastion Structures and Vauban Architecture
Jim,
I remember a while back there was some chatter about building fortifications
and the subject of "bastions" was brought up. Bastions, of course,
being the protrusions from castle walls that allow all exterior walls and outside
corners to be defended from within the fortification. Well, I was looking at
some aerial photos of the epicenter of the recent Italian earthquake and found this
fortification - in L'Aquila, Italy.
It is a perfect example of a structure for which not one single inch of exterior
wall cannot be defended from within. The various angles guarantee that fire
can be directed down the full length of any outside wall. I just thought it
was an interesting illustration of the [Vauban
fortification] concept. - Matt R.
« Economics and Investing: |Main| Letter Re: Recommendation for the Book "One Second After" »
Letter Re: Lessons Learned by the Victim of a Home Burglary
Jim,
I’m writing you today after our rural home/retreat was broken into while
we were at work. I thought it would never happen to me, Oh, was
I so very wrong. First things first, thank you for convincing me to purchase
a safe and after reading the suggestion many times in you blog I eventually
bolted it down. This is the only thing that saved me from losing the
safe and all of its contents. The Sheriff told me of another burglary
where the didn’t have his very large ("they can’t
move it--its too heavy") safe bolted down and they took the whole thing.
After much thinking, online research and discussions with the local locksmith/safe
dealer with 40 years of experience, I have some suggestions that may be of use
to my fellow SurvivalBlog readers:
ANCHOR YOUR SAFE!!! I cannot stress this enough. I had a fairly
low end safe and they were not able to get into it (they almost did) nor were
they able get it out of the house. The Sheriff's deputy estimated they worked
on it for two to three hours to no avail. These thieves tore a wall out to try to gain more access to it.
I have decided that a safe is my final line of defense from a burglar.
First thing, put gates at the entrance to your retreat and lock them as I now
have. Put all tools out of sight as the thieves used my hammers, pry bars to
work on the safe. Reinforce the door jambs in your home. I have added 3-inch
screws to the door hinges and a steel plate behind the striker plates with
3 inch screws. If your budget permits add an alarm with an outside strobe light.
This may or may not help depending on where your home is located. We are on
a paved county road with our retired neighbor who has a line of sight to our
home a quarter mile away. If it would happen again our neighbor would be there
in short order. As for dogs, I don’t know, I have three and they did
not stop them. From what I have gathered unless you have a trained security
dog they don’t help
much, they just kick them out the door and go about their business. Don’t leave
keys/combinations in your home while away. They opened every cabinet door,
drawer, trunk, dresser, night stand, picture frames and closet in the house
and emptied them. There was only one cabinet door they didn’t open which
was the one with my truck keys in it which was in the driveway.
Don’t put anything in or under the beds, ours were all flipped upside
down. Don’t leave any firearms out and loaded while away, you don’t
want to come home and be confronted by your own weapon in the hands of a criminal.
Do what you can now before a burglary to make your home less inviting
to a thief. If they want in they will get in
given enough time. I feel bad saying this but if your neighbors’ home is less secure than yours they will go visit your neighbor. My worry now
is they have been in my home, will they be back since they know I may have
something worth getting.
After a lengthy discussion with the locksmith/safe technician. The strongest
way to secure to concrete is the Powers/Rawl brand wedge bolt +. Don’t
use the lead "bullets" or drive in anchors. He told me a story of removing
16 safes for a chain of stores that were bolted down with these style anchors.
If you can get a pry bar started under one corner you can pull them right out. The wedge bolts cut threads in the concrete with no inserts.
He stated you will pull the floor out of the safe before the anchors pull out.
If you’re anchoring to a wood floor and you have an unfinished basement
you should use a steel plate. Use 1/8” or 3/16” [thick] flat steel
plate large enough to catch at least three floor joists. Screw the plate to
the bottom
of the floor joist. Use an extra-long drill bit to drill down from the safe
thru the steel plate. Get hardened bolts long enough to be installed from the
bottom, cut a piece of pipe slightly larger than the bolt but shorter than
the floor joist is tall and slide it over the bolt as you are installing it.
This will make it very difficult to cut the bolts as the pipe will spin freely
on the bolt. Be sure to "double nut" them inside the safe. The last step is to weld the bolt heads to the steel
plate.
Thanks for all the good information on your blog. I hope maybe someone reading
your blog my find some of this info useful and maybe prevent someone from entering
their home. I didn’t sleep well for a week, the
wife and I are still a little on edge and everyone who drives by is suspect!
This makes you feel very insecure knowing someone has been in your home and
went thru all your things. I wish I would have made our place more secure before
and maybe this would never have happened! The Sheriff told me this is getting
much more frequent and I agree it will get worse. God Bless, - Jason in Missouri.
JWR Replies: Thanks for that letter, Jason! Hopefully it
will motivate folks to up their level of home security and vigilance. I agree
that the home gun safe should be the last line of defense. One intermediate
line
of
defense
is concealment.
Burglars cannot attack a safe if they don't know it exists. See
the SurvivalBlog archives
for a variety
of articles and letters that discuss hidden rooms, such as this
one, or this
one, both from
2007.
« Economics and Investing: |Main| Letter Re: A SurvivalBlog Reader at Front Sight »
Letter Re: Successfully Trolling Craig's List
Mr. Rawles,
At the risk of turning on my local competition to the positive aspects of the
free section of Craig's
List,
I thought I would mention a few of the things I've picked up in the past
couple of weeks. These include:
A new round oak dining table and four oak chairs
Three boxes of canning jars with lids
A commercial fishing net (40' x 60'), to be used for keeping birds and other
critters out of the garden
36 Concrete cinder blocks (approximate value $130)
Remington electric chain saw (yes, it works!)
30+ wooden pallets (can be used for the usual "pallet" stuff, or
for use as firewood/kindling)
Commercial nursery went out of business; so I got more than 1,000 plastic seed
starting pots in 3 or 4 sizes (filled my pick-up to the brim).
5 Commercial toilets (out of a church - they were remodeling; two for my current
residence, and two for our retreat, plus one spare, for parts)
4 Large two-drawer cabinets
A 25 foot fifth-wheel insulated trailer for moving gear and supplies up to "der
bunker", and subsequent use for weather tight storage. (Try to get insulated
containers versus single wall, as there is almost no "sweating" inside)
The list goes on. . . .
As this current economic crisis gets worse, more and more folks are going
to be displaced, and not having the money to move their possessions they either
just
abandon
them,
or place free ads on Craig's list or elsewhere.
In addition, Craig's List is a good source for many other items at very reasonable
prices.
Keep your eyes open. On the more valuable items you have to be quick, sometimes
responding within minutes. On many items we realize as survival oriented, most
folks don't have a clue, so you might have more time.
One thought I had on the pallets for firewood/kindling is that while they are
readily available now, in the future they may be less easily found. Now they
can be cut into smaller pieces with a skill saw and/or electric chain saw,
stored in fifty-gallon plastic trash cans for next winter, or whenever you
might need them. Once TEOTWAWKI happens,
going outside to hunt firewood may not be such a good idea.
So, if you have Craig's List in your area, keep checking the free section every
now and then. There is no telling what you might find. - Chet
JWR Replies: I'm also a big believer in Craig's List. One
important note: In the long run, Craig's List only works if folks "return the
favor." Be
charitable whenever you have things in profusion--even when it is
just zucchini
squash.
« Three Letters Re: Some Thoughts on the Survival Vehicle |Main| Note from JWR: »
The 19th Century Home Retrofit, by Y. Cornelius
By now most SurvivalBlog readers have gone about your preparations for your
ideal home or retreat cabin, all storage food and tools acquired, fuel stored,
generators
ready, PV panels carefully concealed and hooked up to the battery bank. You
and your family or group are ready to handle the coming collapse, but are
you really? Are you ready to do without? Without that generator when
the fuel runs out, or a critical piece is worn out and a new one cannot be
had? At some point
your supplies will be used up, storage fuel consumed and there may not be any
to refill your tanks or more realistically you may be priced out, or it will
be too dangerous to “run-the-gauntlet” and get more. Can you manage
in your place without electricity? Can you cook with wood? Do you have space
enough to process the abundant food you grow and must preserve either by canning
or other means? Can you move throughout your buildings without being seen from
the outside?
My point, is your place set up to function as a 19th century homestead?
My wife and I bought an old New England farmhouse many years ago, it is nothing
fancy and looks like so many others in our area, it is a traditional connected
farmhouse meaning that the buildings are all linked-up, yet they have different
roof lines and are of different sizes. It is best summed up as a “Big
House,
Little House, Back House, Barn” and this is the title of a wonderful book
written by Thomas C. Hubka which details the reasons for the ways structures
developed. (If you want a leisurely read on the history of these buildings, I
highly recommend this book.) Anyway, we bought this type of farm house and have
been in the process of renovating it over many years, although the renovation
could more reasonably described as going back to the future. One of the many
wonderful things about an old house, and when I say old I mean over 150 years
old, is the ability to reuse much of the lumber in the walls, floors, and ceilings
or the masonry whether it is brick or stone, Ours is a timber frame with some
masonry on the exterior and is incredibly well built and has a brilliant house
plan. I realize that many people are not up to the task of going through this
sort of process, but you could build your current retreat or home to some of
these specs. Our home for example was built just after the War of 1812 it was
fully functional for a family of eight with room for boarders/labors and or relatives.
The kitchen is large while many of the adjacent rooms are small (less space to
heat) all the rooms are situated around two large central fireplaces and have
thimbles to allow for a small wood stove in each, the rooms can be closed off
when not in use, thus not taking valuable heat from other areas. In the basement
there is a large hole in the floor; it was a cistern, but was allowed to fill
in with junk, perhaps it was considered a “sump hole” by later inhabitants
since there was evidence of long overworked pumps in under the silt and gravel.
I have cleaned this up and now have a source of water right in the house, (this
water will still need to be treated since it is technically surface water being
only ten feet below grade), but it still offers water for cleaning or for our
animals.
There is a large “root” cellar to store food stuffs and
canned goods. (It could double as safe room or vault if needed and may well have
been at one point since the opening is nondescript and hidden from plain sight).
Also there is a summer kitchen, at first I wondered why this was necessary, it
appeared to be redundant, but further study enlightened me to the fact that this
area was a vital part the home complex. First it served to allow a large un-insulated
cook area that was necessary during the harvest time to allow heat to escape
from the constant fire in the cook stove during the canning, it was also a place
that field labors had their meals prepared and ate without having to clean themselves
up much and not dirty up the regular kitchen. The buildings between the summer
kitchen and barn (sometimes it is one long building divided only internally or
there are up to three distinct roof lines and end walls that divide them) any
how these areas were used in a variety of ways to allow a small cottage industry
to occur, in-fact these were simply work areas that were sheltered from the often
harsh and wild weather we experience. One could be for wood storage, for tools
(a sort of machine shop), or areas for processing wool from sheep. The point
is not to recreate that lifestyle but to utilize that mindset and build similar
multi-purpose structures.
Our Home:
We have “renovated” our home to fully function without electricity.
Now, we have multiple generators, a significant storage of fuels and food. I
and am currently finishing up with the PV panels and battery bank/inverter set-up,
going through all the motions to secure some sense of normalcy; but in-fact we
do
not “need” those items to exist here, they are an extra. We can heat
with wood and with a solar hot water system connected to baseboard radiators
as well as a copper coil running through the wood fired furnace [for when there
is not solar gain or during a heavy snowfall]. (The hot water moves via thermo-siphon
no electricity needed only check-valves to keep the hot water moving in one direction).
Our kitchen is “modern” but if the power is out we can cook on our
wood fired cook-stove, it is about 120 years old and with a little “TLC” is
now fully functional not to mention beautiful to look at. We can also bake in
a bee hive oven built into the massive central chimney which I rebuilt and lined
with modern flues. I left one of the original fireplaces, installed airtight
doors and an exterior air vent, while on the other side made the other fireplace
into a large wood storage container.
Overall, your retreat needs to be functional without electricity, things will
eventually break, or you simply run out. Focus upon knowing how to live your
life with little to no electricity or “conveniences”. The primary
goals must be on heating your home and preparing food without petrochemical
fuels, most modern homes are particularly horrible in this area. Change your
mindset; you cannot store enough for the really long haul.
« Letter Re: Private Gated Communities May Not be Gated After All |Main| Notes from JWR: »
Life's Lessons and the Foundations of Preparedness, by A.B.
We may soon depend on all of what we have learned over the years. Putting
all of the threads of knowledge together into a tapestry of self-sufficiency,
and survival capabilities, is part of the lifelong quest for our family’s
security. We learn from many sources and experiences such as: family, church,
friends, teachers, teammates, co-workers, reading books and SurvivalBlog, and
hopefully from our mistakes.
Preparedness Skills from our Grandmas and Grandpas
The foundation for preparedness begins with my childhood in Michigan. We
lived in Lansing where my great-grandmother was next door and my grandmother
lived
next door to her. My father was born in great-grandma’s house after
the family moved to the city during the early 1900s. My sisters and I spent
weekends and summers alternately at my mom’s family dairy farm, which
was just outside of the city, and at my dad’s family cabin “up
north”. These were the richest times of my life. We knew all of our
grandparents and some of our great-grandparents very well. My great-great-grandfather
still
lived in the old log cabin when I was born in 1956. We have been fortunate
to have had five generations alive consistently from then until now. The
wealth of love and knowledge you gain from your extended family is irreplaceable.
The “old timers” told stories of hardship during the great depression
and the dust bowl era (we live an area that was the largest prairie east
of the Mississippi.) Memories of crop failures with tales of early and late
frosts
were passed down. There were also hunting and fishing stories passed down
as we learned to hunt and fish with older family members. There were bigger
than
life lumberjack stories and stories from Prohibition and the World Wars.
I learned to safely handle and accurately shoot a .22 rifle with peep sights
when I was six or seven years old. I walked the roads with my grandpa squirrel
hunting. We ice fished on local lakes and went to Tip-Up
Town USA every year.
All
of
this adds to ones persona and the early experience helps awaken the necessary “survivalist” traits.
On a working dairy farm you rapidly learn about life (and death). Animal
husbandry and caring for the land lead to sustainability. Animals do become
food and
harvesting the crops sometimes seems little reward for the hard work. The
milking must be done every day and chores do not wait. As a kid I learned
to drive
tractors and pick-ups to and from the fields. We mowed, bailed and then stacked
the hay in the mow. Alfalfa, oats and corn were the field crops. Pigs, chickens,
and sheep were raised along with the dairy cows and we cleaned the barns
and spread manure.
Knowledge is passed down from generation to generation such as when to plant,
where to plant, when to harvest, and how to raise the animals. There were
many topics of conversations at the Sunday breakfast table. Many things are
debated
and discussed after chores and before Church. Most times the conversations
continued outside the Church after the sermon. It was the only time you saw
the other farmers. When you are a little guy you tended to be quiet, pay
attention and learn.
Grandpa was a farmer and Grandma was a one room school teacher. Grandma also
taught vacation bible school during the summer break. Us kids learned how
to tend good gardens and helped preserve the food we raised. We took care
of the
barn animals while the uncles milked. We hauled water to the bull pen and
helped milk as we got older. Survival skill sets from the farm come from
being part
of a close knit community with a solid work ethic. There are strong religious
underpinnings with good people engaged in caring for one another as well
as the animals and the land.
Preparedness from "Roughing It”
The log cabin “up north” had a well-house for getting water and
an outhouse for getting rid of water. There was a wood fired cook stove for
heat and kerosene lamps to play cards under. There was a red checkered oilcloth
on the table with cane chairs around it. The place was originally homesteaded
by my great-great-grandfather in the late 1800s (a few electric lights
were added at some point.) We used to go up on Friday night after Dad or
Grandpa got out of work. The next morning started with an awakening trip to
the outhouse
and then fetching a bucket of water from the well house and kindling for
the wood stove. On a cold morning you stepped lively until the fire was going.
Once the stove was hot, Grandma would cook buttermilk pancakes on a griddle
that my great-grandmother had used in the lumber camp. Eggs and bacon sizzled
in a cast iron skillet. Clothes were washed on a washboard in a wash tub and
then
hung
out to dry. You took a bath in the river. During the summer we would fish
morning and evening and water ski on the nice days. The family summer vacation
was
spent camping in a tent along the river or at a state park. The old cabin
was also used for small game hunting in the early fall and deer camp in the
late
fall / winter. We would take walks in the woods and look for morels and other
edible things like may apples, hickory nuts or raspberries and huckleberries.
Animal tracks were learned and followed with hopes of a glimpse. Life was
considered sacred unless needed for food and being a part of nature became
obvious. A
leave no trace and waste nothing ethic was being born.
Opportunities for further wilderness and pioneering skill development were
provided by Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. My mom and dad were actively involved
in Scouting when I was growing up. Teamwork and sharing responsibilities
for the group were learned. Outdoor cooking and keeping things sanitary were
heavily
emphasized. Food poisoning is no joke – we had one patrol that damn near
killed us with their meal. We learned to wash our hands and boil the crap out
of everything. Hiking and backpacking skills were beginning to be developed
in the Scouts. We day hiked a 20 miler once a year on the Johnny Appleseed
Trail - the Scouts version of the death march. You had to carry a full pack
if you wanted the patch. We also hiked the Pokagon Trail in northern Indiana
and learned to camp in the winter.
While living in Pennsylvania (later in life) I started winter backpacking with
a few of my buddies. We went in the winter both for the solitude it offered,
and
to learn the special skill sets required for survival in the cold. There
are beautiful views from Seven Springs and other spots along the Laurel Highlands
Trail during the winter. This experience then led to the development of technical
mountaineering skills. The books Basic Rockcraft, Advanced Rockcraft and
Knots
for Climbers were memorized along with study of the book Mountaineering:
The Freedom of the Hills. Skills were practiced and ingrained.
My first solo backpacking / climbing trip came in the summer of 1980 in the
Organ Mountains of southern New Mexico. I later solo climbed most of the
4,000 and 5,000
footers in New England (many in winter). I met a like minded climber on one
of those hikes and we made a summit bid on Mt. Rainier in June of 1998. I
also began
the solo circumnavigation on the Wonderland Trail that year. I set the first
tracks both that year and when I completed the circuit in June of 2001. Map
and compass skills were required. Primitive camping
while carrying everything you
need to survive for two weeks is a tough proposition. It was tough in my 30s
and 40s. It’s even harder now that I am in my 50s. G.O.O.D. to
the deep woods is doable but it would be a hard life.
Responsibility and Teamwork
We learned to be responsible and self-sufficient during our childhood. We learned
to play without other kids around and had chores to do for our allowance. I
learned to gather the wood and light a fire as soon as I was old enough. You
pumped the
water and filled the reservoir if you wanted warm water for washing up. You
learned to use guns and knives as tools while you learned hunting techniques
and cleaned
the game for the table. Being a responsible hunter meant taking ethical shots
and using what you kill. Catching and cleaning fish, then cooking or smoking
them were all part of being a good fisherman. To go along with these survival
skills you also need the ability to share knowledge and work as a team.
Most of the skills you learn will help you to fend for yourself one way or
another. The only problem is summed up with the statement “no man is an island”.
You will need others sooner or later. My sisters and I developed basic teamwork
skills while setting up camp. The girls helped mom and I helped dad. We had a “system”.
This was carried further in Scouting. Some Patrols set up tents while another
set up the kitchen. These valuable lessons were used later in life as I went
through boot camp and during service in the military. I served on small boats
as part of a search and rescue team in the USCG.
Teamwork helps to overcome the steep learning curve and high risk of being
a self-sufficient survivalist. You can do things as a team exponentially quicker
and safer than you can by yourself. Your bunkmate becomes your partner in boot
camp and later becomes your shipmate. You learn “one hand for yourself
and one hand for the boat”. As a team you can survive what would kill you
alone. In a bad storm someone has to steer while someone bails out the boat.
One person couldn’t do it. Avalanche in the back country is another perfect
example - by yourself you are probably dead. Doing things alone is great - but
it may cost you your life. Skill and knowledge can’t cover your a** like
a buddy. It’s nice to have someone else on the rope with you; they are
your only hope.
Teaching everyone at least something you know and learning from everyone something
you don’t know can only make the group stronger. If someone gets sick
or is tired someone else can step up. CPR is
a good example here. In the back country one person can’t help himself.
One person helping may bring back the life but it better happen quickly. Two
people allow you to send someone for
help while
rendering aid until you are too tired to continue. Three people allow almost
indefinite support. Two can alternate CPR while waiting for the one who left
for help to return with the defibrillator. If help is real far away, then it’s
done. There is a point of no return. Remote locations usually cross that point
which is a distinct disadvantage (unless the SHTF).
Without teamwork you will usually die if something bad happens. Everyone has
to be a good shot. Everyone needs to be able to render first aid. The group
is only as strong as the weakest link and precious resources are spent covering
someone’s a** that’s not up to speed. Teach and learn and cross train.
Remember what you did as a kid and don’t sell the kid’s of today
short. Teach them the skills they need and allow them to grow into the responsibility.
Being part of a team or extended family that functions like a team is fun. The
action of being responsible for one another is at the root of any team.
The
Prepared Family
The family is the primary source of knowledge. Some survival skills to learn
right along with reading, writing and arithmetic are: swimming, knot tying,
fire building under all conditions, where to get water and how to make it safe
to
drink, safe gun handling and accurate shooting, hunting in fields and the woods,
fishing in rivers and on lakes, first aid, camping, boating, gardening, making
things “homemade”. You can’t start learning or teaching these
things too soon.
10 years ago we moved back home to Michigan after living all over the USA.
I had come home for my Grandpa’s funeral and was returning to New England.
Something was wrong and I couldn’t put my finger on it. That’s when
the light came on and as I drove it became apparent that I was going the wrong
way – both figuratively and literally. We were chasing the so called “American
Dream”. Losing my grandfather and returning to the north woods had shown
me where home really is. It is with family and God and where your roots are.
I had drifted away from the true values I had learned early in life.
I resigned my position, cashed out the 401(k), and bought the homestead from
grandma. We planted 24 fruit trees and installed irrigation systems for the
gardens. We
pruned the grape vines back and tended to the asparagus beds. My wife renewed
the old flower beds and I have replaced the split rail fence. We re-roofed
everything. The folks put down another well up the field and had another septic
system installed
for their travel trailer. We had a 100 amp power drop installed and we also
buried a power cable from the field to the trailer for a 12 volt system (small
scale
solar and wind).
I once again could use guns after living in the tyranny of Massachusetts. (I
refused to get an Firearms ID card so my guns never left the house in 16 years.)
I taught a niece
and nephew to shoot with the same .22 that grandpa used to teach me with almost
50 years ago. My nephew, now an 8th grader, got his first deer this past year.
No one believed him when he came home and told them. He did it on his own.
Things have now come full circle in our life. My grandma lives with us in her
old house through the summer. My sisters are both Grandmas themselves now and
they are taking care of our mom and dad. The kids have great-grandparents and
a great-great grandmother. My understanding wife of thirty years and I live
here on the homestead as stewards of the family heritage. The whole family
gets together
up here once or twice a year. We know how to provide for and take care of each
other. If the SHTF my sisters and the rest of the family will head up here
to the homestead and once again adopt the ways of our Great-Great Grandpa and
Grandma.
Everything we have learned through our lives will serve us well. Skill sets
from the north woods and from the farm are derived from living simple, living
manual
and living with nature as part of nature.
We used to fall to sleep on a feather tick mattress while listening to rain
tapping over our heads in the loft of the old log cabin. Bedtime stories were
told as
we drifted to sleep and the whippoorwills sang into the night. We didn’t
think that the day would come that just about all of what we learned from our
family and from our life would come into play. Thank God for our tight family
and all of the distilled knowledge passed down to us. I now live in a home
built over the site of the original log cabin and now we have 7 generations
since my
great-great grandparents first cleared this piece of land. It looks like we
will be talking of another “Great Depression” soon and the complete
cycle renews. Do we learn from our mistakes?
Preparedness Skills and Materials
We’re preparing for the future and I hope to teach what I can to as many
people as I can before it’s over. We can survive well if we draw on one
another’s strengths and knowledge. It starts with the family and moves
out to the extended family then to the neighbors and on to town folk and into
the blogosphere. Many people have grown up in similar circumstances and have
similar experiences. We must practice our learned skills and trades all of
the time to stay fresh and perpetuate our way of life. We must keep acquiring
new
skills and more materials for survival. Preparedness is a constant quest.
Survival trades that I've learned:
ASE Certified Master Auto Technician
Journeyman Machinist and Apprentice Welder.
Experience with all aspects of house construction from framing to finish work,
including house wiring and plumbing for water, gas and DWV systems.
Professional ditch digger and home brewer of beer.
Survival tools, equipment, and material acquired over the years:
Comprehensive set of Snap-On hand tools, diagnostic equipment and garage.
Several redundant computers and complete wi-fi coverage with satellite internet.
All of the carpentry, plumbing and electrical tools needed to build a house.
All of the tools required to garden both manually and with gas engines.
Fence building tools and supplies.
5,500 watt gas generator.
Wood stove and saws, axes, mauls, wedges.
Stores of food, bits of gold and silver, books and manuals, and lots of lead.
Survival firearms battery:
Auto-Ordinance Model 1911A1 .45 ACP (I qualified Marksman in USCG)
Stag Arms AR-15 with 20” Bull barrel, 5.56 (I qualified Expert in USCG)
Marlin .22 WMR (squirrel / varmint gun)
Mossberg .22 LR (shot this since 1962)
Ruger M77 Mk II .270 Win. (my deer rifle)
Winchester Model 94 .32 Win. Special (got my first deer with Grandpa’s
gun)
Mossberg 12 ga. 3 -1/2” Ulti-Mag in Camo (turkey / duck / goose gun)
Winchester Model 1897 12 ga. 2-3/4” (I've shot this gun since 1969)
Reloading equipment and supplies (loads for Barnes Bullets)
Survival Quest 2009 (the final pieces I'll need for grid down and
"zombies"):
Ruger M77 Mk II .300 Win Mag with optics
A manual water pump (the old pump is
gone)
Wind turbine and photovoltaic panels for water pumping and power generation.
Battery bank and inverter
More kerosene lamps
Night Vision for the AR-15
Radios
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Letter Re: Selecting Retreat Properties--Pros and Cons of Buying Remote and Off Grid
Jim--
A note regarding my own experience with remote property ownership ...I
owned a wonderfully ideal 40-acre bug-out property in northern Minnesota for
many years. It was very remote. Some of the closest neighbors did not even
know there was a cabin back in those deep woods. It was backed up to a large,
forested DNR property that was itself bounded by swamp. My other bordering
neighbors were full-time residents who were kind of ornery (very protective
of their property and thus unintentionally served as guardians of my property)
and so that was a plus. We were a half-hour from the nearest towns. Several
dirt roads eventually took us to our driveway which crossed over the land of
a curmudgeonly Vietnam vet. The driveway was a mile long through his property
and then on through the DNR land where in parts it traversed swamp. We had
two locked gates on that drive, near and far.
I won't go on reminiscing about the cabin, the off-grid electrical system,
and all the rest of it here. (BTW, I bought this property shortly after first
reading "Patriots" , so you certainly had a role in my thinking.) What I thought
I could add to the current discussion is this:
1. If you are not a full-time resident of a property, even remote property--you will have
uninvited visitors, "legitimate" and otherwise. We had several
occasions of snowmobilers, ATV riders, and even a couple of burglary attempts.
We were well fortified, so they were only attempted. (However, if they had
been serious about getting some very valuable stuff on the premises, they could
have done so with the proper preparation. We also discovered that we had a
couple of visits while we were not there by the county tax assessor who hiked
the one mile in when he could not get past the first gate with his vehicle.
2. Owning and maintaining a second comprehensive property, if you are not living
there all the time, is an expensive and time-consuming proposition. In fact,
it requires a demanding lifestyle commitment that, if you have other things
going in your life, can get quite burdensome. Eventually, I made the decision
to put all my time and preparedness money into my primary homestead (and in
my preparedness business). I sold the property and all that went with it to
a very lucky and appreciative buyer and used the proceeds to install an NBC
shelter under a new addition on our home. We're on the outskirts of suburbia
and come hell or high water, we'll make our stand here. It was really quite
a relief to go this route, as I always worried about how and when we would
be able to make the decision to head for the hills and whether it would be
when everyone else was doing the same thing--making ourselves very vulnerable
on the roads until we got to the property.
Furthermore, I had to admit that I'm not the young lion I once was, which had
allowed me to think about dragging my family anywhere in a chaotic environment,
unless there is simply NO option to stay put.
Bottom line--when someone asks me about bugging out vs. hunkering down--I advise
that if at all possible, you live where your refuge is. There is an awful lot
you can do to make your home your castle--wherever it is located. And you can
do that for less money than buying, equipping, and stocking a second property.
It also eliminates having to put you and yours at risk on the road between
Points A and B (assuming you do have a secure Point B) at a time when there
are going to be a lot of panicked and desperate people out there.
Blessings, - Vic at Safecastle
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Burying a Shipping Container or CONEX, by Danny Papa
Back during the first Gulf War we used excess shipping containers for underground
storage and protection. Out first few attempts to make use of these containers
met with disaster. Although they will support a huge amount of weight, in
the range of 400,000 pounds directly on top, It must be place directly over
the load-bearing corners. The sides and top are vulnerable to flexing, if
they flex they can and will collapse. With all of this in mind let’s
go through how to bury one the right way, so that it will be ready and usable
when the time comes.
First let us start with container preparation. Most of these containers have
spent years at sea covered with salt water. This means rust. Very simply the
rust needs to be removed as best as possible. A drill with a wire brush does
this well.
This is a time consuming job but it will add years of life to your container.
Grind off all of the rust and then paint everything [with specially-formulated
rust-resistant paint], and I mean everything.
Don’t forget underneath. For safety, I have rolled these containers over
on their sides to do this step, it would creep me out to jack it up and crawl
underneath
one. A little grinding and paint will help protect your investment. Once the
container is ready be sure to let the paint dry for a couple of days before
burial.
The hole needs to be 16 feet wide 55 feet long and 8 feet deep.
Think about this if you dig a hole it will eventually fill up with water.
So we either need to build a sump in the bottom or trench it out to day light.
I prefer the latter, since it requires no electricity or manual labor to pump
it dry.
Let’s presume we have trenched it to daylight and go from there.
Line the bottom of the hole with foundation plastic, heavy duty black plastic.
At least two feet up the sides. Place French drain pipe with silt shield in
bottom of hole and out to daylight. Stake it in place where it will not be
directly
under the edges or corners of the container. Drive a t-post every 8 feet around
the edge of the hole through the plastics within 6 inches of the sides. Place
6 inches of gravel in bottom of hole.
Now comes the hard part, getting the container in the hole. .
You want the container centered to the back of the hole within 42 inches of
the back wall. A big track hoe can move these containers but make sure with
the owner when renting one that it can pick up at least 8,000 pounds if not
you may need a small crane. I could go into many different ways to get it into
the hole but the key is to get it onto the gravel with out it digging in, where
it needs to be and level.
Next, we will discuss Gabions or HESCO baskets. This is basically a wire basket
with a liner to hold rocks and sand that will bear the load for the sides of
the container. This wire basket wall will be built completely around the containers
to support the sides from both lateral pressure and water. To save time and
explanation, see the Wikipedia pages on gabions and
HESCO
bastions.
Here is a shopping list for "do it yourself" basket materials. Please realize
that this is that this is the Army way which means expensive. I will go over
alternatives
later.
24 - Hog panels. These are welded wire 34 inches tall by 16 feet long.
34 - Cattle panels these are welded wire 52 inches tall by 16 feet long
20 - 8 foot long T-posts which are used in the bottom of the hole
Hog ring pliers and a large sack of heavy gauge hog rings (these are to hold
the baskets together).
2,240 square feet of chicken wire with 1/2" size mesh
56 - 3 ft. pieces of 3/8 rebar, with one inch bent down on each end.
28 - 3 ft. pieces of 3/8 rebar, with one end bent into hooks
The hog panels are the bottom middle and top support for the baskets the
cattle panels. Place hog panels over t-post and let them to ground where panel
is
flat on the ground. Line them up end to end with one across the back of the
hole.
Place the cattle panels in between the T-post and the wall of the hole. Use
the hog rings to tie the bottom together at least one every 6 inches. Take
the hooked rebar and drive into the ground every four foot between t post.
Now place a cattle panel on the other side of the hog panel and tie them together
along the bottom.
Do this all the way around the container. Here is where a little experience
is helpful. Build the one in the back first. Put the bottom and the sides and
cut a hog panel to the right length for the ends of the basket. Nest do the
long side this will be 48 feet long. Now do the other side but we will do it
a little different. Once you are four feet past the end of the container cut
off the cattle panels and hog panels and build end for the basket. Then build
another small basket that goes at a 90 degree angle to the middle of the hole
forming an "L" for the doorway.
Now you have the baskets. Cover the outside cattle panel with landscape fabric
to keep silt from filling between the rocks then line the entire inside of
the basket with chicken wire--use the 1/2" inch mesh variety. Make sure the
basket walls are straight up and down. Use the rebar with the bent ends to
tie the
sides together. Now fill the baskets with rocks any rocks will do as long as
they are packed in and do not leave a bunch of gaps I like rocks about the
size of a baseball, the key is that they have to be big enough to not go though
the wire mesh. Now put the top on the basket which will be the bottom of the
next row. And then build the next layer of baskets. Once the wall of baskets
is built then use what ever you have to reach from one wall of baskets to the
other.
In Saudi we use these wood floor pieces that they made for our tents which
were a sheet of 1/2 inch plywood on a 2x4 frame it took two of them to get
across but once we put them in place and covered them with plastic we would
pile a
layer of sand bags on top of them at least three sand bags deep. Then cover
the whole thing with another sheet of plastic and top it off with a layer of
sand.
On the end where the door is I had you build an L shape this is a basic entrance
for any bunker over this end you need to use heavy timbers to support the sand
bag covering we used old cross ties from one basket to the other not sure if
this is a good idea considering the creosote on the ties.
Now this would take a squad about two days to build but once completed right
they will last for decades. Before rotating out of the country, we had a bull
dozer drive across one, just to see what would happen. Other than crushing
the wooden panels
supporting
the
sand
bags there was no damage to the container. Now, to do this the way a civilian
could do it...
For the Gabion/HESCO baskets there are many alternatives, such as:
- 55 gallon
drums filled with sand and anchored together with metal strips.
- Old tires
stacked and filled with sand but keep these at least 8 inches away from
the side of the container.
- Sandbags
Sandbags are very labor intensive and again
need to make sure there is a gap between them and the container they have a
"slide"
effect that is hard to overcome without experience. You can even just use
packed sand in the basket if you line it completely with landscape material
or fabric that will keep the sand in the basket.
Another point of experience: I have had people ask why not use bailing wire
or concrete ties to hold the baskets together the simple answer is that rust
will eventually destroy this light-gauge wire. You can use this
but I would advise that paint the wire after it was twisted it together and
don’t
expect it to last as long as the hog rings.
Also remember that many things can happen when you are underground, so always
keep equipment in the container that can be used to break your way out. Ax,
saws,
a pick ax, and a hydraulic jack.
To sum it all up you just have to remember three key things. Rust removal and
prevention, keep it dry, and alleviate any lateral pressure.
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The Incredible Disappearing Retreat in the Woods
Here is something that heretofore I have only shared with a few of my consulting clients:
an approach at rural retreat construction that can make a rural retreat of
10 acres or more essentially "disappear".
If there is a thick screen of trees or tall brush between the public road
and potential building sites at your undeveloped country retreat parcel, then
your
property
might be a good candidate for a "hidden
retreat house". This is accomplished by making as few changes as possible
when the parcel is viewed from the county road. No fancy entry gate, no mailbox,
basically
nothing new that is visible except a small diameter
drainage culvert by the side of the county road and a narrow semi-improved
road that will just look like a
disused
farm
machinery
access lane. It should be just lightly road-rocked for the first 100 feet,
to encourage grass to actually grow up in it. Design the roadway leading in
to the back end of the property narrow and in a serpentine path,
so that additional trees can be planted to block any view down the lane. You
will
of course need
to
brief and
oversee
the road contractors, so that they don't do the usual "wide road with
lots of rock."
Either have grid power run in underground, or skip it altogether and put in
a photovoltaic (PV)
power system. Thus, there are no power poles and visible lines to give away
the location.
I recommend building a masonry house with small windows and with either a rock
or an earth-tone brick facade. The roof should be green metal, all the better
to
blend in. Do not clear trees to "open up a view",
since that would likely provide line of sight from the county road, revealing
the house.
The aforementioned
measures might all seem a bit "Bat Cave", but I have seen this approach
used at a retreat on the Big Island of Hawaii. The owner--who has had the place
for 10 years--mentioned that a few of his neighbor's houses have
been burglarized, but his never has been. His house is invisible from
the road and from all of the neighboring houses, so opportunistic burglars
"just passing through" don't even know that
there is a house there. His lane just looks like something used by farm tractors,
not by a homeowner.
Granted, this approach will not protect your retreat from being known
by your neighbors. Twelve-year-old boys tend to hike around just about everywhere,
and pay little attention to "No Trespassing" signs. Ditto for a lot of hunters
and fishermen. But statistically, a hidden retreat will be much safer,
both before the Schumer hits the fan, and after.
An even more elaborate disappearing act is an underground house with an entrance
hidden in what appears to just be a utility building. But that gets much more expensive. I'll have
more on that in an upcoming post.
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Letter Re: Some Preparedness Lessons Learned
James,
The need for usable skills in tough times, goes without need for embellishment.
The grand question is: which skills are the most valuable? In any situation
the basic needs are obvious – food, shelter, and clothing. Choosing what
I would concentrate on learning, became predicated on what I could do, and
what the community could provide in stressful times.
I moved some time ago from the gulf coast to Tennessee to retire and begin
preparing for the coming events. I moved into a community which is pretty much
self sufficient, mostly by religious choice. Livestock husbandry ranges from
cattle (mostly for milk), goats to chickens, hogs and horses.
I began to raise goats several years ago, starting with Boer cross. After several
discussions I have crossed them with a strain of milk goat to reduce the size
(and therefore the quantity of meat to be preserved) and gain the benefit of
milk products. I researched the process of cheese making and using products initially
supplied from New England Cheese Makers, learned the processes. It was very interesting
to discover that the rennin (for assisting in cheese making) actually comes from
the stomach of ruminators, another by product of the goats.
Preserving meats became my next concern. When talking to many folks, they believe
that they will just run out and kill fresh meat when needed. Not only will the
game be decimated in no time, but without a method of preservation it is wasteful.
Preferred methods around here are smoking, honey and salt boxes for curing and
preserving. The use of honey as a preservative turns out to be one of the very
best. Honey has a natural bacteria inhibitor, and curing smoked meats in honey
just makes life better. This in turn has determined the need for bees – My
neighbor already has a couple of hives which produces enough for now. The use
of honey reduces the dependence on obtaining sources of salt. In addition they
are many maple trees in the area which folks tap during the winter and early
spring. Many families have ponds a raise fish, which are canned by cold packing
or salting and drying.
Having fresh water is a paramount concern. Even with a spring the water quality
can change with the amount of rain causing algae blooms. These can range for
digestive distress to just foul taste. The stream water cannot be used without
treatment, as we have otters, beavers, coyote, foxes, and a whole range of other
critters, so amoeba type problems are probable. Boiling water is the surest,
but is often not the most practical. Any numbers of excellent water filters are
available, but the Big Berky is the most popular here. In any case the water
has to be pre-filtered to remove organic matter. This can be done by straining
through
a clean cloth, then passing through/over a disinfecting agent such as a silver
compound, or the addition of non-detergent bleach. The next best is a cistern
collecting rain fall, but even this can have issues as it tends to clean smoke
dust and pollen from the air on its way down.
As for the vegetable gardens the goats do help with the fertilizer which is composted
and added to the garden. The area I live in is pretty much a “rock farm” so
there is a constant need to remove the rocks from the garden areas and add in
soil from the hills behind us. This soil is usually pretty acidic with all of
the hardwood trees. Most folks use lime from the feed stores – haven’t
found a good substitute yet.
Clothing is one of the details that I have struggled with. The ability to produce
cloth is beyond most of us. Wool makes for great outer wear, but lousy underwear.
Goat hair can be made into quite durable garments, somewhat at the expense of
comfort. We have chose to use GI surplus wool socks, sweaters, BDUs
(because they are very durable) and purchase and store long and regular underwear.
We
do have a real cobbler in the community that does make very nice shoes/boots,
but I still have a back up pair. Many women here weave or quilt (using discarded
clothing as well as new cloth). I do keep some “unisex” clothing
on hand for whomever – mostly in the form of overalls. They are fairly
cheap and commonly worn in the area, and during the cold weather are an additional
layer. We have had most days at or below freezing and night down to zero. I have
looked into tanning leather – it is a noxious process and can be done.
I am choosing to have the hides tanned while I still can and store them against
the future need as clothing.
Our cabin is solid cedar timbers, and smells great! The downside is that there
is a constant need to stay on top of the chinking and calking, to reduce drafts – I’ve
used 22 tubes already this winter. We thought that pellet stove would be a great
idea – wrong. First it requires electricity. With the
power out you have to fire up the generator which is noisy and uses expensive
fuel. Second the stove
can burn corn or compressed hardwood pellets. Corn is food or the animals and
us, and tough enough to grow enough as is. Besides using the corn leaves the
odor of burned popcorn as exhaust. Compressed wood pellets are used on an average
of 80# per day at a cost of ~$9.00 / day. Pulling the stove this spring and going
to a straight quality wood burning stove that can be used to cook on. To back
up a wood burning stove an axe, buck saw, splitting wedges or a maul, and or
chain saw are required based on how much free time you can devote to it. Setting
aside wood requires a year round effort to keep from killing yourself. Although
we have electricity I do have a pitcher pump ready to install in the event it
is needed. And have simple kerosene lanterns for light. I prefer the straight
wick models, as the mantels have become very had to come by recently.
Health concerns in rural living also means, that you have to have a working knowledge
of first aid and basic medicine. The Red Cross has good courses on first aid
and the older Boy Scout manuals give an acceptable knowledge as well. Around
here there is a good deal of herbal medicine practiced. This is good for preventive
and minor issues. I have chosen to invest in some older college texts on anatomy,
physiology, and pharmacology, and a physician’s desk reference. These books
help in diagnosing, but will be of minimal help if/when the main line drugs are
not available. They are great for showing how to stitch and bandage wounds more
severe than the first aid books cover. We keep a well stocked medicine chest
with off the shelf medicines, and rotate them as needed. As we find local remedies
that are effective, we also include them (i.e. willow bark tea as a substitute
for aspirin).
I have learned rudimentary blacksmith skills, and collected some of the tools
as well as books on the subject. I can fashion horseshoes, wheel rims, forge
weld, make cut nails and a few other tasks as required. There are many better
skilled in this community and it will be more time efficient to trade/buy their
services.
I have a full time gunsmithing business which has been sorely needed in this
area – seems like everyone has one that they need fixed. So much for a
retirement business….
The acquisition of books, and how to reading material can spell the difference
between existence and some degree of comfort. In addition it is my considered
opinion the education of young people is severely unbalanced. The possession
of text books, classics, and recreational reading allows one to educate children
when contact is limited. The community has a long history of home schooling.
These kids routinely pass the high school exit exams (same tests as the state
requires for graduation) with higher scores, and at an earlier age. Most parents
seek out folks whom are well versed to teach the children. Oh yea, one by product
is that the kids are very respectful, and thoughtful.
In conclusion I thought that preparation for tougher times meant more beans,
bullets, and bullion. As it turns out, the retraining of my mind and attitudes
has presented the larger challenge. Understanding how you store food, is nearly
as important as what you store. What you can make is as important as what you
can do without (toilet paper?) Knowing that one person cannot do all that is
required, only means that you learn the skills to assist your community which
will supplement everyone’s survival/ quality of life. I thought that being
retired would allow me to kick back and enjoy some good libations. It has turned
out to be the greatest learning curve of my life – and I love it. Jim’s
preparedness course is a great place to start. But the real preparedness is in
the doing! - Dennis S.
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Letter Re: Real World Observations on Fighting Crime and Criminals
Hello Sir!
While visiting your site this morning, I read a letter by someone talking about
residential break-ins. While I don't wish to contradict anything stated in
the letter, there are a few points that should be made.
15 years ago, I made the decision to train as a Locksmith. I have my own locksmith
business is in it's 10th year and going strong. I've worked in banks, with
police and even the DEA.
I've been at the scene of scores of break-ins, assessing the damage as well
as repairing and fortifying the sites.
This brings me to the point; Glass breakage is a very high pitched and distinctive
sound. The moment a neighbor hears glass breaking outside their home, the police
are called in to check it out. This is not what a would-be thief wants. The
second reason that glass is not generally broken is that many of the windows
now are double paned. These are not as easy to break as one might think. If
broken, which is not always successful, the sound generated by the force needed
will alert anyone in the surrounding area. Falling glass from the window can
continue to make noise which allows any person investigating the noise to home
in on it's origin. Lastly, the intruder can be severely cut climbing over a
shard of glass. None of the above are desirable to a thief. (Though for more
desperate times, more desperate measures would be needed.)
This as opposed to the dead thump of a door being kicked in, and closed behind
the intruder. Most folks pay no attention to such noises (which is why, when
asked by the police if they heard "shots", most people will deny
it, as when muffled either by intention or the enclosed dwelling itself, a
shot sounds more like a bump or thump. Or they will say that they heard "something" but
not be able to describe what it was). Even the most curious neighbor will see
nothing out of ordinary upon investigation of a thump outside their home.
More important is the method to increasing the security of the doors of the
home. Though most people worry about their locks being picked.....and it can
happen (therefore I recommend Medeco High Security locks), the vast majority
of criminals prefer not to remain out in the open for any measurable time.
Since picking can vary immensely from lock to lock (including the laughable
Internet scare "lock-bumping" method - sorry folks, it only works
like that consistently in the movies), the preferred method unlawful entry
is to cross into forced entry and put a boot to the section of the door that
is weakest. That would be a spot as close to the knob/deadbolt as they can
get.
As the saying goes, a chain is only as strong as the weakest link. Well, in
this particular chain, that would be the stud into which the bolt bore and
latch bore are made. The reason is, that residential exterior doors open in;
toward the inside of the house. A well placed boot only has to split the 3/4" -
1" of wood on the far side of the hole bored into the stud into which
the deadbolt protrudes in the thrown position.
Though it was mentioned in the letter posted on your site that longer screws
are needed for the latch plate, they will provide no measurable added security
with regard to a person kicking in the door. Nor will driving a steel conduit
into the hole aid in the attempt to "beef it up", as I've seen posted
on another blog. Neither of these is going to solve the original problem of
the lack of wood behind the holes bored in the jamb to accommodate the latch
and bolt when engaged.
An expedient way to shore up this weak spot is to remove the molding on the
interior side of the jamb and install a strip of metal 24" long (approximately),
1.5" wide and 1/16" thick. Drill 4-6 holes along the strip alternating
from side to side and use 4" lag bolts (flat head) to secure it in place
with the center point directly behind the center point between the latch and
the deadbolt, reinforcing the formerly vulnerable stud. The molding is then
replaced and nobody but the homeowner knows it's there. (This method, of course,
will do nothing to stop a door "spreader" which police agencies use
for entry when investigating.....but that's another story.)
The next weak point will be the door itself, from the holes for the hardware
to the closest edge. This is where a wooden door will split under force. As
the door is forced, the bolt and latch are held in place in the jamb. This
causes a twisting motion as pressure is put on the shear point (where the door
meets the jamb) and like the formerly weak jamb, the door splits off 6" -
12" on either side of the nearest hole.
Though brass "wrap around reinforcers" are sold, they offer marginal,
at best, additional security. This is a place where thicker is better.....and
more surface area is a plus. My recommendation is, of course, a steel
door.
Not only do they help seal out external temperatures (less prone to warping),
they offer more security against forced entry. The next best is steel plates
(decorative or at least paint-able) 6" wide, 1/8" thick and 24" long,
with 8 screws spaced equidistantly along their edges (both sides) 1/2" in
from the edge. Your standard back-set for a knob or deadbolt is 2 3/8 inches
residential, but 2 3/4 (the commercial standard) is gaining popularity. Either
way, this puts the knob and deadbolt in the center of the plates. For those
few who have the old style 5" back-set, they're just going to have to
figure out an esthetically pleasing solution.
Next is the hardware. Locks need to be as solid as you can afford. You generally
get what you pay for. Go for the heaviest duty. We're not talking about a purchase
from the local hardware giant either. Just because the package says "heavy
duty" or "high security" doesn't mean a thing. Go to a locksmith
or locksmith supply company. If you can find excellent quality on the Internet,
that's great. Just don't worry too much about cost as the difference of price
over the life of the lock is minimal.
This is especially important with regard to hinges. The top hinge holds the
brunt of the weight. When the door is closed, you can check the sag of the
door by how wide the gap is on the hinged side between the door and the jamb.
The wider the gap, the more worn your hinge. Eventually, this will cause difficulty
in latching/bolting the door, not to mention the more give a hinge has, the
more strain on the screws under pressure. On an open door, rub marks near the
top of the edge indicate worn hinges. A badly worn set of hinges will cause
the door to "bump" the door jamb before closing. A quick fix when
there is no alternative is to swap the top and bottom hinges.
Ultimately, extreme heavy duty hinges should be installed. This is a place
where longer screws make a difference (which is probably where folks get the
idea for longer screws on the latch plate). Since there are no holes bored
into the hinged side of the jamb, and there are 3 sets of 4 screws, spread
over the length of the jamb, holding the hinge to the jamb, any shear pressure
is also spread throughout the entire stud, minimizing the force at any particular
point. The force necessary to overcome this is substantial. Other means of
entry are definitely preferable; which is the point in the average residential
setting, as they are notoriously difficult to fortify with the standard construction,
windows
Basic knowledge to be sure, but it's (surprisingly) not common knowledge. I
thought it might be of interest to the readers of your blog. If you think it
relevant (not to be presumptuous) to post, I'd rather be anonymous - Sincerely,
- Anonymous
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Letter Re: Real World Observations on Fighting Crime and Criminals
Greetings James,
The recent article by Eli was very informative but I would like to ad one comment
regarding his section referring to burglaries. I believe what I'm going to
mention here is commonly overlooked as I was guilty of it myself.
Eli wrote: "Go
and look at your front door. Find your lock plate. When a door is forced, this
is the part to give, with the plate coming loose and
breaking the trim. Get a screw driver, and remove one of the screws. Realize
that this is what is securing your front door. Now go buy longer screws, and
replace them immediately."
While this is very important,....DO NOT overlook the hinges.
Most hinges are secured with 1" screws (or shorter). My wife and I had
our house broken into about 8 years ago. I had done such a good job with the
strike plate and the 3-1/2" screws that when the thief finally was able
to break the door down, it was obvious that it gave way at the
hinges.
The dead bolt and strike plate were still mostly intact but the hinges had
torn out of the jamb. The entire door was laying in our bedroom when I came
home
to my wife and the police standing in our bedroom. (We had a door that lead
from our bedroom to the back patio.) Also, if it wasn't for the monitored
security
system, our whole house would have looked like our bedroom.
From that point on, everywhere we've lived, I not only heavily re-enforce the
strike plate but the hinges as well. Of course no door is "forced entry
proof", but this will definitely slow them down.
And, if re-enforced properly, they may just give up without actually getting
in. Best Regards, - SRN
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Letter Re: Hardening a Home Against Small Arms Fire
I found a product called Grancrete, that when laid down with a trowel and
embedded with multiple layers of fiberglass can be made bullet proof.
I was originally investigating this stuff because it was invented for nuclear
waste encasement I thought it could be used for a little extra protection.
After talking with a very knowledgeable staff I found out that it has never
actually been used for nuclear encasement but they have completed
ballistic tests and it was resistant up to a .30-06 with just a two-inch layer.
I do believe that people could easily retrofit a house [with Grancrete] to
add protection. Maybe not to protect the entire house but at least a few feet
strip
around
windows
and doors that could be done aesthetically. most people don't realize how easy
it is to to get shot through the wall.
I also found a much easier way to make sandbag walls at a
greenhouse building web site. Here they sell rolls/ tubes of sand bags.
they make an easy fill-in-place solution and and direction on how to build
with them. Thank You - Danny
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Real World Observations on Fighting Crime and Criminals, by Eli
I sat down to see what I could offer to share with other SurvivalBlog readers.
Many topics have already been covered, so I will attempt to go somewhere new.
I am a law enforcement officer by trade, and hope to provide a unique perspective
as such. I have seen shootings, stabbing, burglaries, robberies, etc. I have
served both search and arrest warrants. I work in the southwest US, and have
worked in very affluent areas as well as very poor areas. What follows are
some observations of my time on the job, relating to a few different areas
and crimes that occur. Hopefully some people will get something out of this.
None of this is to be construed as legal advice, strictly observations. All
are very applicable to everyday life, and will be highly applicable at TEOTWAWKI .A good teacher once said “I am not showing you the way, only
A way.” I
apologize in advance if I jump around between topics:
1- SHOOTINGS-
Of all the shootings I have seen, whether officer involved or not, shot placement
has been the key to success (success being the death or incapacitation of attacker).
Regardless of bullet or weapon type, a solid hit will end a fight. I have seen
Black Talon .45 ACP ammo through the stomach fail to incapacitate someone, as
well as .223s with poor shot placement fail to stop an attacker. Both subjects
lost a lot of blood, but were able to continue to fight. A few recent shootings
involved 9mm FMJ ammo. All were fatal, and all were solid hits to the heart/lung
area. The take home lesson is that shot placement is key to survival, regardless
of caliber. Obviously, proper ammo choice with proper shot placement is best.
(I know it has been discussed before, but bird shot is not an effective defense
load)
So how can we improve our shot placement? Shoot more. Dry fire. Practice. Then
practice some more. If you do not shoot, learn. Whether you are a beginner or
advanced shooter, do not forget to work on the basics- sight alignment and trigger
control. There is no substitute for trigger time and fundamentals. 22 conversion
kits are widely available for many guns for practice at reduced cost. AR-style
sights are also available for 10/22s if you prefer that route over a conversion
kit. Shorter, more frequent practice sessions are more beneficial than infrequent
longer sessions, whether live or dry fire.
After improving static shooting skills, focus on stress shooting. Attend a training
course. Practice what you learn in the course. A 2-4 day course will expose you
to a lot of new ideas. It is up to you to reinforce them [with practice] when
you
return home. Only through repetition will these movements become second nature.
Join
a local
IDPA league.
The stress of competition will help. Become physically fit. Studies with police
and simmunition/judgmental shooting scenarios showed that the more
physically fit an individual, regardless of all other factors, the more likely
they were to succeed on the simmunition portion and the less mistakes they made
on the judgmental portion. (Think about how sports teams make more mental errors
late in a game when fatigue sets in) All subjects showed an immediate increase
in heart rate and blood pressure. The more fit individuals showed a more rapid
return to normal levels, often before the end of the scenario. Combine physical
exertion with shooting. Try doing sprints/pushups/jumping jacks, then shooting.
Use your imagination.
Learn to clear a malfunction on your weapon. All guns will jam at some point.
Ejected shells have bounced off walls and landed back in an open recoiling action.
Strange things happen. Know your chosen weapon’s action of arms. Learn
to do so with economy of movement. You can purchase dummy rounds or assemble
them from spent cases. Throw a few into your magazine next time you shoot, and
clear the malfunctions as they happen. It will also show any flinching problems.
Teach someone else to shoot. You will be amazed at how much you will learn teaching
someone else.
2-BURGLARIES
A-Points of entry-
Residential burglaries are an all too common occurrence. The most common points
of entry I have seen are door and open windows. For some reason, crooks have
an aversion to breaking windows on houses, though it will happen. (Perhaps
the Broken Window Theory is true…) “Smash and Grab” activity
does happen, but tends to be more vehicle related. (Practice good OPSEC in
your vehicle.
Do not leave valuables in plain view. Do not place gun stickers on your vehicle,
etc)
A few bad guys that have been willing to talk have mentioned that you
can shut a door after kicking it in, but a broken window is harder to hide
from neighbors.
Go and look at your front door. Find your lock plate. When a door is forced,
this is the part to give, with the plate coming loose and breaking the trim.
Get a screw driver, and remove one of the screws. Realize that this is what
is securing your front door. Now go buy longer screws, and replace them immediately.
A security door is also a huge plus, as it opens out and requires different
techniques
to remove. They are not fool proof, but do more to make someone choose another
house which is the ultimate goal.
Open windows are the other really common method of entry. Any time any work
is done on your house, check all of your windows. It is disturbingly common
for
workers or anyone in your home to leave a window open in a unused room, or
unlock a seldom used door and then return later. Follow workers when they are
in your
house (Side note on this… I recently had a water heater replaced. I would
have done it myself, but it was still under warranty and was free. While chit-chatting
with the worker, he asked if I was a cop. I told him no, then asked why. He
replied that the only people who watch him work tend to be cops. Just like
you are observing
others, do not forget that you are being watched as well.) Sterilize your house
prior to allowing workers in. Do not leave out firearm accessories, bank statements,
etc. Bars on windows are also effective in limiting possible points of entry.
They may be against fire code (check your jurisdiction), and reduce points
of exit as well. Roll shutters are another really good option here. Many newer
homes
have a window to the side of the front door. Consider a metal grate or something
similar inside to prevent breaking the window, then undoing the locks. These
windows, even when frosted, also provide a visible indicator about how many
people/when someone is coming to the door, eliminating surprise.
B- What is taken
Cash, firearms, jewelry, electronics, tools, credit cards, personal info, bank
statements. Anything that they can pawn or trade for drugs. If you go on vacation,
take your spare vehicle keys with you. A recent trend has been to load up the
second car parked in the cover of the garage, then drive it away with all of
your stuff. Buy a gun safe, preferably a heavy one. Don't forget to lock your
safe (No, I am not kidding about this.) Bolt your safe down. I have seen studs
cut
from
the
wall
to remove a safe. I personally have not seen one pried from the floor yet,
although I am sure it has happened. Bolt it to both floor and walls
and be safe. Write your serial numbers
down also, especially for firearms. (Be very careful with this list,
for obvious reasons, especially with private party gun sales. Keep a copy somewhere
other than your safe also) It is very hard to prove ownership or log an item
as stolen without the serial number.
3-ROBBERIES
Robberies occur all the time, everywhere. Situational awareness is the most
beneficial for preventing these. You are most vulnerable at times of preoccupation.
Fumbling
with keys, exiting/entering a car or residence, running with your headphones
on, etc Carry bags in a manner to leave your gun hand free, assuming you are
carrying concealed. Pay attention. Pause before entering exiting anywhere.
Stop, look, and listen. Take a few seconds to do this anytime you enter or
exit anything.
Make it a habit. You see all the time on surveillance footage of people walking
into a liquor store as it is being robbed. Try to stop, look and listen before
you enter the store. After you enter, step to one side and do it again. Park
in well lit areas. When in your vehicle, keep your doors locked. Do not pull
up directly behind the car in front of you and box yourself in. Know where
exits are in restaurants and businesses. Listen to your hunches. Home invasion
robberies
are increasingly common as well. Security doors pay huge dividends here. Even
a highly trained SWAT team
either has to pry or yank these with a vehicle, before dealing with the interior
door. This buys you time. Time equates to
distance
and options, which equate to safety. Have a dog, and lock all of your gates.
See above about window bars. A fenced yard helps. Most states have laws that
recognize fenced yards as having a higher expectation of privacy than a non-fenced
yard, and a corresponding reduced standard for lethal force action inside said
fence. (i.e. the "reasonable person" test, an intruder climbing over a locked
gate into a yard with a dog would be expected to be a greater threat than an
intruder
that
was at the front window of an unfenced yard.)
It is not unreasonable if the “police” come
to your door to ask to see a badge, preferably a commission card, as these
have an officer’s photo. Look though a different window and see if a
car is outside. Call the agency they say they are from and verify they are
who they
say they are. If in doubt, wait and verify. Keep your doors locked when you
are home, not just when you leave or before bed.
Police are not trained to look for "bad guys." They are trained to
analyze behavior and patterns. When something looks out of place, it is cause
for concern.
4-BUILDING CLEARANCE/HOME DEFENSE
A-Offensive
I work nights, so most of this section will be related to this. I have approached
many houses. Let me walk you through what is typical for my squad. Hopefully
it will grant some insight into the mind and method of potential attackers.It
starts outside of the residence, down the street. Turn off your vehicle lights
before you turn onto the street. Park your vehicle so it is not in plain view.
Take advantage of other parked cars, as well as the shadows in between street
lights to conceal your car. Exit the vehicle quietly. Do not slam your doors.
Turn of/disable your vehicle dome light prior to opening your door. Secure any
loose or rattling equipment. Stop, look, and listen while still at your car.
Let your eyes adjust. Identify the target residence. Depending on the threat
level of the suspect or call type we number anywhere from two to six. Approach
the house, again taking advantage of lighting and concealment. At the house,
stop, look and listen. Are there motion lights? Video cameras? Is there a fence?
Is the entire yard fenced? Is the gate locked? Are there cars in the driveway?
Are the hoods warm? Most residences have an exposed front and a fenced back yard,
so we will assume that is the case. Is there an alley? If so, send one or two
people to cover points of exit/look through rear windows. What do you hear? Television?
Fighting? Screaming? A shower? A racking shotgun? Whispering? Is there a barking
dog? (Pepper spray is effective and commonly used to silence barking dogs. Many
SWAT teams now carry suppressed weapons strictly for this purpose. Many cops
also carry dog treats.) Look at windows. Can you see through the blinds/curtains?
Do an experiment at your residence. Turn on an interior light in a room, and
go outside to the window. How much can you see in? Can you see through the corners?
What about where the curtains are supposed to come together at the bottom? Do
this for all the windows. What do you see inside? How many people? Men, women,
children? Are they calm? Are they armed? At the front door, we unscrew light
bulbs, adjust cameras, cover them with rubber gloves if they do not move. Spray
paint would be effective also at taking care of cameras that do not move. Consider
installing a light fixture with a completely surrounded bulb, one that takes
a screwdriver to change, or mounting it higher up.. When you knock on the door,
move away to a position of cover. Again, stop look and listen. Does the television go
off? Who yells to who to get the door? Corners of buildings provide more “cover” than
the middle of a wall, as most construction backs multiple 2x4 or 2x6’s
up at this location. Have someone watching through a window. Usually by shadow
or change in light you can tell when someone is coming to the door, and often
how many.
When entering a house
The most common mistakes when clearing a residence are noise discipline and speed.
Slow down. Do not move faster than you can take in important details. Be as
quiet as possible. The idea is to catch them before they catch you. They are
waiting
for
you. Do
not give them any advantage.
There is much debate about building clearance, and many schools of thought. Here
are some
universal points to all methods:
You need at least three people to be safe. Never search by yourself. More people
are better. Cover reflexive angles of one another. Smooth is the goal. Do not
stand near the walls. You do not want to risk giving away a position by running
your equipment against a wall. This also gives you more options should you engage
and have to move. Move slowly (one minute per hundred square
feet is not unreasonable).
When “pieing” [or "pie slicing"] a room, examine each new
degree
of
the
pie from top to bottom , and back again. Hunters will understand this better,
but
you
are
not looking for a whole person. You are looking for parts. A toe, an ear, an
elbow. Likewise, when clearing, have your upper body move before your lower body
(i.e., lean and clear, then move your feet underneath you….repeat….practice
with a friend/spouse or a mirror [with and absolutely cleared and double-checked
firearm])
and keep your elbow tucked under your weapon, so the first thing the bad guy
will
see
is half
the
barrel
of your
gun
and half
of that eye. (Notice I said “that” eye. Learn to shoot with
your off hand, and practice. It is impossible to safely clear a house with the
gun
in
one hand the entire time.) Practice house clearing. Get a friend, family member.
Go through your home. Go through theirs. Take turns being the good guy/bad guy.
Do it during the day. Do it at night. Repeat. People hide in all sorts of places.
Cupboards, washing machines, inside couches, between mattresses, etc. Do not
move past anything you have not cleared. You do not want to be worried about
something behind you while clearing. If a door is locked and you have to bypass
it, get creative. Lean something up against the door so you will know if it is
opened behind you. Tie it shut. Do not make more noise than you need to. Do not
be afraid to kneel or squat when pieing. People are expecting certain things.
Think outside the box.
As far as lights go, there are two schools of thought. The first, turn on lights
as you enter the room. You can see, but the enemy can also. The second, use a
weapon mounted or handheld light. You can illuminate an area, kill the light,
then move. Try both and see what you prefer.
B-Defensive Measures
Consider all of the proceeding section of what attackers do. Apply this to
your
home. Imagine you are at home, watching television. The neighbor’s dog
starts
barking, or your's does. The dog suddenly stops. You still get up to investigate,
wisely.
You go to turn on your outside light, and the bulb does not work. At this point
in time the hair on the back of your neck should be standing up. Pay attention
to all of the small things. You check your security camera, and suddenly it’s
looking at a view of the wall. If a security camera is not working, blocked,
etc, lights not working, dog stopped barking (or still barking like mad) these
are
clues
to put on your vest and load your weapon. (You do always put on your vest and
grab your weapon when you go to investigate bumps in the night, right? )
Look at your home. Put up a fence around your entire yard. Build a full size
fence, not a half one. Clear an area for 8-to-10 feet on either side of the fence,
the
entire way around. Do not take the time to put up a fence and then provide an
easy means over it. Lock the gate. Get two or three large dogs and let them have
free
roam of the yard. They make “shake” alarms for fences that will go
off when the fence is disturbed. They can be made to ring your cell phone (As
in your phone rings, you answer, a computer voice states "You have a fence
activation on the north side of your property."). Look at your outside lights
also. Where are the dark spots? Where are blind spots that you cannot see from
your windows? Consider discrete mirrors in strategic locations to check blind
spots. Mount your lights high so they cannot be unscrewed, and get fixtures that
protect
the light bulb. Install security cameras. Consider a few camera pointed towards
your house, possibly under eaves or overhangs that will be easy to miss. Where
are your children’s rooms in relationship to yours? Where are the bullets
that you may be shooting going to be flying? What walls can be made bullet resistant?
I have been in homes where the people literally filled the half walls
at the top of the stair case with sand/sand bags to provide a fortified fighting
position
for the family. Other ideas include surplus vests, Kevlar sheeting,
etc stuffed
in this area. Another option is to fortify your children’s rooms if they
are on the other end of the home, but this also provides an intruder with a potential
stronghold. Consider interior flood lights. The same people with the sand bagged
half walls had flood lights above the stairs, facing down. With the positioning
of the lights, it blinded everyone to the defenders at the top of the stairs.
Every home has ambush spots. When you are practicing clearing your house, think
about what spots give you problems. Blind corners or multiple doors in close
proximity are nightmares while clearing. Find a spot on the far side of the room
or down a hallway where you can view these problem areas. One where you can view
a problem area and fortify is an ideal location. Stairwells make good options.
While you are practicing clearing your house with someone else, take turns being
the “bad guy.” See where you want to hide, where you have the best
advantage.
I hope this helps. People often talk about hardware versus software. In these
tough economic times, hardware is not easy to come by. Software is cheap. Try
to still obtain what you can when you can, but focus on learning skills--any skills.
Plant a garden. Change your oil. Help someone with a construction project.
Read a book. Learn to bake bread. Learn to distill alcohol. Reload. Take a
first aid course. Cook with your food storage. Volunteer somewhere where you
can
learn something. Practice bartering your skills for goods or services. YouTube
is an amazing resource out there if you are unsure how to do something and
don’t know anyone that can teach you. If you already have skills, teach
them (while still learning new ones.) Spread the word to those that will listen.
Post a youtube video about preparation, or about any skill that you have. Teach
someone to shoot. You can pick up a surplus Mosin-Nagant rifle and 500 rounds
of ammunition for around $150, depending on where you live. Encourage everyone
you know to buy one or two.)
TheBoxOTruth.com is
a great resource also regarding questions about ammo ("I wonder what
happens if I shoot layers of sheet rock with
"X" caliber...") Show your friends SurvivalBlog. Sow the
seeds of preparation in all you come across. Continue to prepare, pray,
and be safe. - Eli
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Letter Re: Hardening a Home Against Small Arms Fire
Sir,
I wish to inquire about hardening a home .I n a firefight, when in a "normal" home,
shots would traverse the walls. Being a simple farmer here in southeastern
Idaho I am a little concerned about the current turmoil and possible Golden
Horde.
I know
that when I was in Rhodesia, we built earthen berms around the home like big
flower boxes along with 2"x4" mesh wire to stop RPGs.
We also had built two perimeter fences and placed crushed white stone inside
the two fences ([each] nine feet high).
Also I am interested in how to pump water here when there is no grid power
for myself
and family and 30 head of animals. I have some supposed "no freeze" hydrants
now but they do freeze. Go figure. I have only been in Idaho for two years.
Thanks for any help. Also, I wanted to say that your novel was great. Sincerely,
- Charles B.
JWR Replies: Retrofitting a house for ballistic protection
can be an expensive proposition, if it is done in a manner that is aesthetically
pleasing in the present day. Sand bags are inexpensive, but as one of my distaff
consulting clients noted, "There is a big difference between Better
Homes and Gardens and your Harder Homes and Gardens.")
I generally recommend starting with a masonry house with a metal roof.
They are nearly fireproof, and aside for their windows, quite resistant to
small
arms fire. As I described in detail in my novel "Patriots:
Surviving the Coming Collapse",
given sufficiently heavy hinges and stout hinge mounting points, steel shutters
can be added to windows, and then wood veneer added, to make the shutters look "decorative." Adding
steel plate to doors overstresses their hinges, so it best to build bullet-resistant
doors from scratch. Again, that is described in my novel. And the novel even
includes a formula for calculating the weight of plate steel. (It does add
up quickly. Parenthetically, special safety precautions must be taken when
lifting and positioning plate steel. (See: ANSI A10.13-2001.) The oft-quoted
"32 feet
per second-per second" of acceleration is a law not to be trifled with! Watch
your fingers and
toes.)
Water pumping is best accomplished by a
traditional Aermotor windmill if you
are in a windy region, or via photovoltaics elsewhere. In either case, I recommend
constructing a large cistern to provide gravity flow for domestic use, gardening,
livestock, and firefighting. OBTW, the folks at Ready
Made Resources offer
free consulting on photovoltaics and other alternative energy systems.
Regarding your frost-free hydrants. They were possibly installed incorrectly.
Since the valve body is buried below frost depth, they should not freeze is
buried at sufficiently deep. (This depth varies, depending on latitude and
solar exposure.) Properly, they should have at least a cubic foot
of gravel around the base, where
the valve's weep
hole drains
the water
from the standpipe portion of the hydrant, each time that that the water is
turned off. It is uncommon, but the weep hole can become plugged,
especially by heavy clay soil. It is also possible for frost to be "driven
down" to unusual
depths by
the proximity of vehicular traffic or even large livestock tromping around
a valve. BTW, be very cautious if you decide to excavate to check to see if
there
is
enough
gravel
there.
It
is easy
to
break
Schedule
40 PVC pipe
with a hand shovel. (I speak from sad experience!)
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Letter Re: Finding Like-Minded Folks
Hello,
I've read
your novel "Patriots" and
I feel compelled to mention that it was the first book I ever defaced. I've
always loved reading, but I read (and in some
cases
even
re-read multiple times) books but never highlight or mark up the books. I
don't know why, I just don't. It was almost immediate, like a lightning strike...
that I needed to change what I was doing when I started reading Patriots.
It even occurred to me that I needed a couple different colors to distinguish
separate
types of information. I absolutely loved the story line, not because of the
happy ending, not because of the advice, but a combination of identifying with
the characters and with the events they were in, and how they dealt with them
which was your actual message... the readability of your Patriots novel is
5 stars in my opinion and I thank you greatly, I'm actually starting over again
tonight, because even with hi-lighting the key elements, I still enjoy the
story and still need to reinforce the lessons they are teaching me.
I am in complete agreement that the decline of our economy is not only assured,
it's gaining speed as I type this. While our paid legislators hammer out details
on which political action committees and which unions will receive how much
money, the country is being destroyed, willingly.
I'm not willing to sign up for that! but I'm one person in California, the state that is driving this insanity!
I've spent a bit of money recently in various purchases of both hardware and
consumables, and I have perhaps 10 months [of food and supplies] right now,
ready to go food if the Schumer hits the fan, (in my opinion wisely since investments
are
libel
to
crash even
further when liberal politics affect wall street) but I have short comings...
I have friends here who are like minded about preparedness, but are unable
or unwilling to sacrifice to make the retreat happen
I have money myself to to put down some money on a few acres in my home state
of Arizona and I plan to buy in heavily militia territory, but I don't want
to be forced to be co-opted into a "must join" as you described in
Patriots when the two groups first met. But I don't want to be alone
on my land, and I don't
know how many of my friends might actually be able to make it there if the
"zombie invasion" occurs... Added to which, an A-frame cabin as my "secured" retreat
means to me that I need two or three or maybe even four back up plans and
pre-positioned caches.
Do you host any sort of "getting to meet ya" events of like minded
folks?
Do you have any suggestions for me, outside of the obvious... pick the best
tools for the job and then take with what you can. I have a 4x4 truck and I'm
storing currently enough fuel to get to where I want to buy a few acres, but
it's going to get awful lonely in my A-frame cabin--or awfully exciting--and
I hope I make it if the full zombie invasion takes place and I have to defend
against looters. An A-frame cabins (not even built yet) are very poor protection
and unfortunately prone to theft and who knows what when left unattended, like
I'd have to do here in California.
Your suggestions would be great appreciated, and if there's people that would
be looking to recruit me without me knowing who they are, I'd appreciate you
forwarding that as well. I can not do this on my own, I don't have all the
answers and I never will, but I must find folks who are at least willing to
ask the
questions and even look at the unpleasant answers.
Thanks! and please keep writing! - Brent
JWR Replies: You mentioned your intention to build an A-frame
cabin. I encourage you to pick a better design. This
post from the SurvivalBlog archives (August, 2007) sums up my objections to A-frame
designs.
Sorry, but I don't host "get-togethers". In fact,
given the OPSEC concerns
created by my high media profile, I don't even publicly mention the state
that I live in! (Sorry to be so circumspect , but I 've made solemn promises
to family members that I can only mention that I live in TUWS,
somewhere west of the Rockies, on the bank of TUR,
on a ranch in TUROM.
All this dissimulation might seem odd to some readers, but please put yourself
in my shoes. We
had
some
odd
stalking
incidents when we were living at our previous ranch, so when we made or last
move
we
took
some
unprecedented
OPSEC measures. I even have cousins that don't know where I live.
Your situation, feeling unable to link up with other that share your preparedness
goals, is fairly typical . See
my static web page: Finding
Like-Minded People in Your Area. The advice there will probably be very
helpful. May God Put You in the Right Place, at the Right Time, with the
Right People.
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Letter Re: An Inexpensive Alternative to HESCO Bastions
Jim
Hello!
Some time ago, I read a post on SurvivalBlog about the HESCO
bastions. Very interesting.
I follow another blog here [in Brazil] , and one of the bloggers tell me about
the huge
fertilizer bags that he uses at his farm. (It is a [large scale] soy bean
farm).
Each
bag
is
of
one
of
one ton
capacity.
And he tells me that this bags are thrown away after use. Well, I think it´s
a good source of almost free HESCO bastion equivalents. - The
Werewolf (SurvivalBlog's correspondent in Brazil)
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Letter Re: Victorian Era Farm Skills in the UK
James,
Thanks for your continued efforts in continuing to bring the right thinking to
a troubled world.
I have one heads up and one question that you might be able to help with.
1. Heads up : For UK-based readers (and those who have access to UK IP address)
you might like to point out to them a series currently running on BBC 2 : Victorian
Farm
To quote from the BBC site:
"Historical observational documentary series
following a team who live the life of Victorian farmers for a year. Wearing
period clothes and using only the
materials that would have been available in 1885, historian Ruth Goodman
and archaeologists Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn are going back in time to
relive
the day-to-day life of the Victorian farmer.
Working for a full calendar year, Ruth, Alex and Peter are rediscovering
a lost world of skills, crafts and knowledge assisted by an ever-dwindling
band
of experts
who keep Victorian rural practices alive."
Think the U- version of the Pioneer House series that showed in the
US a couple of years back. The first episode focused on ploughing and sowing
with
draft
animals, threshing, replastering the farmhouse , making cider and the trials
of cooking
on a coal fired range. The series is available via iPlayer on that site.
This series is useful inspiration to go out and trial grid-down skills. I believe the
farm, in Shropshire,
can also be visited.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Two Letters Re: The Thin Blue Line »
Letter Re: Colonial New England Community Blockhouses as a Historic Precedent
Hello Jim,
Mosby's description of defense tactics was common all along the
frontier in the 18th Century including western Pennsylvania. As defense
against indian raids, a small blockhouse was
built on a farm in a central location. A spring [or shallow well] for water was a necessity.
When news of local raids spread, people
would gather as many possessions as possible and head to the blockhouse for
the common defense. This is an instance where much can be learned from history.
While these small forts where rarely overrun, the abandoned farms were wide
open to burning and pillage. Destruction of property, livestock and crops
were the norm and could cause food shortages. Also, often the danger of raids
would
last for months at a time and while forted up this made it difficult to tend
to any crops and livestock not destroyed. Groups of people would travel to
abandoned farms for short periods to try to work the land as much as possible.
Some providing security while others worked. What goes around comes around
but I hope things never get this bad again. - Jeff in Ohio
« Letter Re: Home Invasion Robbery Countermeasures--Your Mindset and Architecture |Main| The Thin Blue Line, by Deputy W. »
Letter Re: Choosing Between Roughly Comparable Retreat Locations
Jim.
To follow up on your response E.G. in the southeast who has such good
neighbors. This reminds me of the small town in Maine where I grew up. Back
in the day[s of early pioneer settlement].
this community, like so many agricultural ones in the region, hosted homesteads
that were spread out much like E.G.'s friends in the southeast. At the time,
raids by indian parties were the norm as relations fluctuated between harmonious
and
deadly.
As it was more than obvious that a homestead family alone could never hope
to hold out against a band of forty warriors bent on pillage, the community
made provision for the common defense by picking a good piece of ground and
building a blockhouse on it. This was stocked with arms, ammunition and provisions
and maintained for the common defense and place of refuge. This system became
the norm in the region and low and behold, the raids eventually stopped because
the bands started bouncing off one block-housed community after another,
and paying the price for it.
Jim's sage advice along this line is not only spot on (as always) but also
has deep American roots; individual people who work their lives as sovereign
individuals but who in times of danger come together to form a cohesive group
capable of protecting the whole...and having the pre-positioned goods and
SOPs in
place to make it happen.- Mosby
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Choosing Between Roughly Comparable Retreat Locations »
Letter Re: Home Invasion Robbery Countermeasures--Your Mindset and Architecture
Hi Mr. Rawles -
I've been reading, and enjoying, your survival blog for some time now. There
has been a recent thread on home invasions, which has gotten me to upgrade
my home door security. While surfing the web reviewing door frame reinforcing
products, I came across a
link to an interesting article on the techniques used by firemen to breach
your doors and gates. While the steps I am now taking
would defeat most "kick in" assaults, stopping a determined crook
with a [police or] fireman's "Hallagan" tool seems unlikely. Thanks
for your Blog, and Happy New Year. - Tom from Chicago
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Letter Re: Choosing Between Roughly Comparable Retreat Locations
Dear Jim,
Thank you for the web site, it has been a great source of info. I first read
your novel ["Patriots:
Surviving the Coming Collapse"] in the 4th quarter of 1999. It
was very helpful for preparedness for Y2K.
I read it again 1st quarter 2008
and
am
now re-reading
with the high lighter
and pen.
For the folks who have not read your book, they are missing one of the best preparedness
manuals out there.
I have never been a Boy Scout, but my personal creed has always been to
be prepared. If you have any skills at all, then there is nothing worse then
being in a situation and not having the "stuff" to resolve your problem.
If you are mechanical, then you need to have some basic tools with you, etc.
etc. People who do not know how to use something don't see the need to have it.
It's like caring a gun, people think it's extreme or crazy to carry it, but I
ask do they have a cell phone? Why? because they may "need" it, well
better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it. Pretty basic
stuff huh?
After reading your novel, I realized how unprepared I and my family were,
as well as how vulnerable we were in the location we lived. I was born and
raised in the Northeast.
A few years ago, we moved to the Southeast, to the "area" you recommended
to another blog reader last month as one of the places to go to this side of
the Mississippi
if you couldn't go further West.
Prior to moving, compared to my neighbors and guys at church, I would have
been labeled pretty handy, can fix and paint cars, gas and arc weld, build,
etc. After getting to know the boys down here, they all can do this stuff, most
of
the fellows from church have built their own homes, can do car repair, lots
have restored cars and trucks, operate heavy equipment, etc.
My question is this, three of my best friends down here have very similar
set-ups like mine. Private homes and land, 25 to 50 plus acres, all very keen
on being prepared, lots of good guns, grub, etc. Three of the four have read
your book, and the one who has not has been well briefed.
Our location to each other is about two miles apart from one another, each.
We are not on the same country road, but the first guy is two miles to the
next guy, then four miles to the next guy, etc. All of our homes are up on a
hill,
private, defendable, but all are wood-frame built homes. No brick or stone,
dumb, dumb, dumb!!!
Each guy and his family could hold down the fort from a few trouble makers,
but if a few pick up truck loads of the bad guys came at us the same time,
it would be tougher, plus not any of us has large enough families to handle security
patrols and the like.
If it were only me in a good spot or one of the other guy's had a great
set up, it would be easy, we all just hunker down here or there, but with four
great retreats, and like minded people, what is a guy to do with these options?
I know I have not covered all the other possibilities, like heat, water,
fuel, wood, food, but they are all pretty equal, like I mentioned earlier,
these guy's are pretty handy, so they all have a lot of "stuff".
I would like to hear your opinion or the opinions of others.
OBTW, we have done business with some of your sponsors and I bought the "Rawles
Gets You Ready" preparedness course.
This is a "must have", even for us people who think that we
know a bunch!
Thank you, - E.G.
JWR Replies: I think that you should plan to co-locate at
a property that has a shallow well (that can be hand-pumped), and that is the
most defendable. (Advantageous
terrain, clear fields of fire, and so forth.) As I often tell my consulting
clients, "Just think medieval": If you were going
to pick a particular parcel of
land--not pick an existing house, based on its attributes--then
where, in your darkest imaginings, would you someday build a castle? That,
then,
is the property you should pick.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Learning Old-Fashioned Trades and Skills »
Letter Re: Home Invasion Robbery Countermeasures--Your Mindset and Architecture
Jim,
After reading the recent letters about home invasion robberies, I've gotten
a little paranoid about the idea of someone kicking in my front door in the
middle of the night. It would be incredibly easy to do and it's unlikely I
could retrieve a firearm quickly enough to defend (I have a toddler so all
guns are locked up except a pistol, which my wife doesn't know is in Condition
3 in a drawer too tall for my daughter to reach).
The Strikemaster II is out of budget (I need three of them) so I looked into
having similar strikeplates fabricated. As it turns out, I can have them made
for about $30 each by a local guy who has a plasma cutter. This is an option
for those in a similar situation.
On a related note, on a whim I purchased a lock pick kit at a recent gun show.
With just several minutes of practice I am now able
to pick the deadbolts on my house in less than 10 seconds each. So my locks
have got to go. Any standard
lock that you purchase at Home Depot or Lowe's can be picked or bumped in seconds.
Neither of those
stores carry locks that provide high security, all on-package claims aside.
The only locks that even approach being secure (enough for residential use)
are those that meet or exceed ANSI 156.x standards, and even this level only
provides that the lock can't be picked in less than 15 minutes. A good article
on the subject can be found here and
here.
I have glass adjacent to two of my doors. Rather than putting a double-cylinder
deadbolt in, which would be unsafe during a house fire, I'm replacing my deadbolts
with a high-security cylinder on the outside and a keypad-equipped cylinder
on the inside. The keypads cost about $100 and are backlit. As an extra safety
measure, I'm hanging keys inside each door - but not close enough to see or
reach through a broken window.
With all the glass on modern houses, it would be impossible to stop a determined
burglar unless someone is home. My objective is to buy the extra time I'd need
to respond to someone breaking in. For burglary protection for valuables, I'm
relying on a security system and a large gun safe bolted to the floor with
four 4-1/2" anchors. Best, - Matt R.
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Two Letters Re: Home Invasion Robbery Countermeasures--Your Mindset and Architecture
Jim,
I have not yet seen mention of “air locks” as
a security layer for entry doors. Many years ago I managed a software project
that included doing installs at armored car companies. The visitor entrance
had you go in one set of doors to a small holding room. Here a security receptionist
behind thick glass and gun ports could identify you and hold you until they
were ready. Only then could you enter a second set of doors into the main facility,
which would be analogous to an inner courtyard in a residential estate (i.e.,
an open area surrounded by secured offices and security stations with more
gun ports). There was no way possible for someone to just barge in through
the public doors into the private work areas.
I have always been intrigued with this “air lock” concept for security
in a home design. The security screen door might be a micro version of this
concept. The walled yard with a security gate is closer to the full concept.
Even with those ideas in place, I would still like to have a secure foyer in
which visitors could enter and be fully observed and communicated with but
still protected by a second beefy security door.
Then if the secure foyer opened into a sort of atrium, you can interior rooms
overlooking the foyer have bullet resistance windows and discreet firing ports.
It doesn’t seems like it would take too much to design an attractive
home with many substantial security layers:
- Walled yard with remote controlled security gate, intercom and security camera
- “Air lock” foyer with observation windows and discrete firing
ports and remote controlled secure exterior and interior entry doors
- Interior atrium or courtyard with interior rooms having overlooking bullet-proof
windows and firing ports(maybe with decorative sliding covers?)
- Gate or steel door to block off bedrooms from living areas at night
- Safe room inside the bedroom area for final retreat location
- Escape tunnel or hatch from safe room to outside into a camouflaged exit
point (bushes, shed, etc.)
Are you aware of any traditional architecture styles that incorporate many
of these security layers? For instance, I learned in a cultural training class
that in Italy new acquaintances are never invited to a private home for visiting.
You always arrange to meet in public until you are well known and then only
come over at an invited time, never to just “drop by”. You would
never invite a bunch of people over and e-mail them a map to your house to
just show up for a party. Only family and close friends are invited into one’s
house. Also, the houses tend to have outside gates and entry doors away from
the living areas so unless someone expects you, you will never get close enough
for them to even know you are there wanting to come in. Sort of a cultural
OPSEC.
- The NW Pilgrim
JWR Replies: Thanks for mentioning those design approaches.
For several years, I worked for defense contractors that had secure (SCIF)
facilities. This gave me some first-hand experience. For any readers interested
in detailed specifications, do a web search on the phrase "Man
Trap
AND Entrance". You'll find articles like this
one. One proviso: If you utilize a man trap door system
to hold a miscreant, then you must immediately declare
"you are under citizen's arrest" and summon the police or sheriff's deputies.
To do anything else--or otherwise delay--could be the grounds for a civil suit
or
criminal
prosecution.
Hi Jim,
The after market security films [mentioned by another reader] may not be useful
as advertised. The issue is that the laminate film is not secured sufficiently
to the window
frame.
An
intruder can knock out the glass plane at the edges to gain entry. The security
laminate films are more of a safety measure against severe weather by preventing
glass shard injury.
Most of the security laminates are secured to a window frame with a small
bead of silicone, but this offers little resistance to a blow by a crow
bar that
can deliver thousands of pounds of pressure per square inch. A intruder could
knock out a corner of a window and reach inside to open the lock.
Some vendors use a thick PVC frame that is bonded to the window using an
adhesive. However this is still likely not strong enough to hold back a
determined intruder
for very long. The film lamination may provide between 30 to 50 sec of
delay.
If you watch this video of a test with a product using
the PVC frame it takes just a few blows to cause the PVC frame to partially
blow
out. I believe a determined intruder can knock the window enough to get
his hand to reach the lock in a matter of seconds.
I believe the real solution is to have the security laminates installed
at the factory when the windows are manufactured so that laminate security
film
is installed into the window frame. I would also like to note that these
security laminate films do not offer protection against bullets.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Two Letters Re: Home Invasion Robbery Countermeasures--Your Mindset and Architecture »
Letter Re: Bureaucratic Restrictions on Defensive Wire and Obstacles
Sir
[Regarding your recent mention of the
ban on barbed wire in the city of Newark, New Jersey,] they aren't the
only ones. I am currently in Kabul [, Afghanistan] doing contract security
work and we wanted to improve
the
security
of
the compound
we live
in. We are doing so by adding
HESCO
bastions made
into
fighting positions on the outside of our perimeter wall. As our workers were
finishing the last of them, the police came by to tell us that we could not
put up HESCOs on the street. When I got out there I asked the police why we
could not put out HESCOs. The reply was that someone in parliament thought
it made the city look like a war zone and that they would no longer be allowed.
This ignores the fact that Kabul actually is in a war zone. We also
had the bombed-out hull of a BTR-152 [Russian Armored Personnel Carrier] alongside
the
building but that was fine, apparently.
I solved the problem by saying that they were not HESCOs, that we planned to
face them with plywood and plant flowers in them. It wasn't for force protection,
it was part of our neighborhood beautification program. The workers laughed,
the police scowled and within a week we had them enclosed in lumber and had
flowers planted on our fighting positions. - Jake (Vacationing in Kabul)
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| From the SurvivalBlog Archives: Survival On a Shoestring Budget »
Letter Re: Feed Sacks as Sandbag Substitutes
Mr. Rawles;
We came across a small discovery here on our ranch. We feed many animals and
four dogs. So we go through a good deal of dog food in bags. I noticed the
similarity in dog food bags to the construction of sandbags. So, I have been
using , dog
food bags as low cost/no cost sandbags. They work well and if you keep the weight
close to the amount that came in the bag. They don't rip. We have been using
them for a year and they hold up well in our tests thus far. They have been
used in areas that are under roof so they don't get exposed to rain/moisture.
They work well in areas where one would want to bag to bolster areas close
to windows etc. We have also stored some without sand dirt and they hold up
well and don't seem to degrade.
I thought I would share our small discovery. Thanks for what you do and your
efforts. - EG
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Five Letters Re: Home Invasion Robbery Countermeasures--Your Mindset and Architecture
Dear Jim,
Just one caution amid all the excellent advice on hardening a house against
intruders--be sure it's possible to get out from the inside easily in event
of a fire or other disaster. Shutters, or latchable
bars are better for this than those mounted solidly into the structure. Alternately,
consider paying for ballistic glass. - Michael
Z. Williamson
Mr. Rawles,
Thanks for your time and efforts - SurvivalBlog has been a great help to me
and I am planning to mail a 10
Cent Challenge contribution to support your
work.
In the meantime, I thought I would comment on a recent series of postings about "Home
Invasion Robbery Countermeasures" with some of the changes I've recently
made.
The home we recently purchased was a brick ranch, but it had a number of architectural
weaknesses: Double-hung windows with standard weak latches, doors with weak strike
plates, no deadbolts, a flimsy garage door,and two sliding-glass doors. Although
we are in a rural, peaceful location, I have taken several measures to increase
the home security that may be helpful to others.
The flimsy garage door has been replaced by a windowless insulated door with
internal and exterior steel panels.
Each of the exterior doors have had a security storm door with laminated glass
and a 3-point latching system installed (Larson brand from Lowe's). The storm
doors allow opening the entry door and being able to view the surroundings before
unlocking and opening the security door.
I've purchased "Strikemaster II" door strike's to install on the exterior
doors along with good locks and deadbolts so that even if the security storm
doors are breached the steel entry doors are reinforced. I'm also adding a "Strikemaster
II" and deadbolt for the door leading from the garage to the house.
To reinforce the windows, I've had them laminated with an 8mil security laminate
film and an attachment glazing system to anchor the laminated glass to the
window frame. I've also purchased window pins to install so that the window
cannot be
forced even if the sash lock were somehow broken. The sliding glass doors are
also laminated and security bars are being installed. An added bonus is that
the laminated windows have a solar tint to cut summer heat gain by 40% and
with the insulated garage door and the storm doors I anticipate
much lower energy costs.
I am also planning to install a wireless Dakota driveway alarm and gate as
you have recommended. My other plan to increase security is to begin keeping
guinea
hens since they offer a number of benefits to a rural home or retreat - they
are fantastic guards that sound the alarm whenever anything is amiss, they
feed themselves on bugs, ticks, etc. which is great for organic farming, and
they
supply both meat and eggs.
Hopefully some of the ideas I am implementing will be of help to others.
I also recommend getting used heating oil tanks (often available for free
or nominal
cost on Craigslist) and using them to stock up on fuel. Clean the tank, install
a battery operated fuel pump, and buy a supply of fuel while it is cheap
before war breaks out and the price of oil soars again. Thanks again for
all of your help, and Happy New Year. - SteelerFan
Dear. Editor:
In all the talk about using high tech electronic gadgets to protect
against home invasion robberies I am surprised no one has yet mentioned the
tried and
true dog. My choices are Akitas and Great Pyrenees, but just about any medium
to large sized dog will do. Attack and protection training is nice if one
can afford it and is willing to accept the responsibility of such a trained
dog,
but from personal experience, I haven't had a dog yet that would not unhesitatingly
lay it's life down to protect it's family and home.
Do I expect my dogs to stop a home invasion by several armed and determined
thugs? No, I don't. But I do expect them to buy me the necessary seconds
to grab my weapon so that I may. And thank you for a great site, - James
G.
Mr. Rawles,
Many years ago when I worked in security we use to install security window
laminates to the inside of high-risk structures. This laminate bonds to the
glass and works much like the laminated windshield in a car. It is virtually
invisible once installed but can repel ferocious attacks. We used the products
on retail stores and high-end homes that didn't want security bars or shutters
due to aesthetic reasons.
The other nice part of these products are they are always protecting you. You
don't need to shut them like window shutters and they aren't ugly like bars.
They are also very deceptive to intruders who think the window will be an easy
entry point only to find that they can't get through it with a baseball bat
and crowbar. It also provides minor ballistic protection and protection against
blast by limiting glass shrapnel.
There are sites that can install it professionally or do-it-yourself (DIY).
Here are some:
http://www.diywindowsecurity.com/
http://www.shattergard.com/home.html
http://www.armorcoatfilms.com/
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/WF/3MWindowFilms/
Here is a demo
of a DIY window film installation.
Here is another demo of a different
product under more severe conditions.
These products work well on annealed glass (typical glass that breaks into
sharp shards when broken). For use on tempered glass (which is usually a
sliding glass door, as required by most building codes), you will need to
do a special
install to anchor the film to the frame with a specialized caulking.
These products work very well as an alternative to more conventional window
protection. - Craig R.
Dear Mr. Rawles,
It is easy to become an avid reader of your site.
One simple means to beef up home security is simply to reverse entry door opening.
Like commercial code doors, mine open "out" so any attempt to force "in" my
doors has one working against the entire door jamb structure. I prefer steel
1 3/4" thick
doors with any [small] window design at the top, if at all.
I live upstairs in my shop. The access to my apartment is up a stairs and through
a outward opening door as mentioned. Before one intruder gets that far, I am
aware through an old but simple means of alarm. Being that a fine fishing line
trip line is strung each evening across the downstairs floors that is attached
to electric switches. Intruders will trip one or another once inside the building
and I will know by my apartment alarm where they are there long before they
know I am waiting with the pump. - Jon C.
JWR Replies: That does have its merits, but I've always believed
that it is important to have at least one door to a house open inward,
especially in snow country. Someday it might be more than just embarrassing
to get trapped in
your own home.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: It's a Scary World Out There: Fearsome Attack Hens »
Six Letters Re: Home Invasion Robbery Countermeasures--Your Mindset and Architecture
Greetings Mr. Rawles,
I read your blog everyday and am learning so much. Thanks for your dedication
to helping prepare us for the future.
In reference to the recent article on home security, we lived in Argentina
for three years and we could all learn from their security measures. The first
house we lived in had steel shutters, as did everyone in the neighborhood,
and they were all shut at night. The doors have locks that automatically lock
when you leave the house. The small front yards usually have tall steel fences
with the same height gates. The gates were also locked at all times. Homes
that didn't have shutters of some kind, had bars on all the windows. Big dogs
were also the norm. The back yards were usually walled in by concrete block
walls sometimes 10 feet tall. At our second house, one of our neighbors had
concertina wire around the top of their walls.
It is a normal custom to clap your hands to alert someone you were at their
front gate. It would be very rude to try to enter someone's front yard without
being invited first, and is usually not possible due to the locks and dogs.
But, as new houses were being built, we were seeing less and less of the shutters
and bars, more American style houses were being built and that's a shame.
It was very difficult at first to live with these kinds of security measures,
but after awhile it became normal and comforting to know your house was secure.
Gun control is very strict and very few folks have guns, so home security was
very important.
Just wanted to share those observations with you. Thanks again for your hard
work.
Warmest Regards, - Beverly A.
Hello James Wesley, Rawles:
Feed lot panels are extremely useful for hardening windows against dynamic
entry.
For those who are not familiar with the product, feed lot panels are welded
wire product. They are typically 16 feet long. The height varies but is typically
54" high. The wire is very stiff (typically #4 or #6 gauge) and the wire
is galvanized for long life. The panels are inexpensive and semi-rigid.
We recently replaced a 13' x 69" bay window with a 60" by 60" picture
window (one pane) flanked by a couple of 60" high by 24" wide double
hung windows. Our primary goal was to increase energy efficiency by reducing
cold air infiltration during the winter and to improve our cross ventilation
during
the summer.
I had some fairly extensive conversation with the contractor regarding my desire
to have sufficient "beef" beside each window to be able to run several
5" x 1/2" eye-bolts beside each window (with the eyes of the bolts
aligned in the vertical direction), slide the trimmed-to-fit feedlot panel
over the eye-bolts, and then drop a cane bolt through the openings in the eye
bolts.
(Minor detail notes: Roof overhang requires that cane bolts be inserted from
bottom, but "drop in from top" is a more natural word picture. Also
desirable to use a cushioning material to hold panels away from frame of window
to eliminate scarring. Rubber or vinyl garden hose is a possibility.)
He was very happy to comply. Each window is framed in with 2x4s next to the
window frame, but then a 4x4 was bracketed into the top and bottom headers
immediately beside the 2X4s on each side of each of the three windows. Wood
is cheap.
Feed lot panels can be defeated. But defeating them requires time and tools...not
something typical home invaders want to expend/lug around. Feed lot panels
also help protect windows against airborne, flying trash during extreme wind
storms. They may be ugly, but they are cheap, durable and relatively easy
to install, given proper tools and some time and the foresight to have enough
wood to bolt into. - Joe H.
Jim,
I've already made numerous changes to my home and
property to thwart / limit any would be thefts and boosting the overall
security. A number of
ideas
came from your web site. Thanks.
Other than the simple measures of installing a Radio Shack microphone/speaker
and, locking the doors of my barns with snap links and walking out the front
and locking that door, I am worried for my horses if someone should try to
force their way inside and manage to stay very quiet. I'm very impressed
with my $149 Radio Shack investment, you can hear everything and my house
is 300
feet away.
Can you offer any additional advice on making barns more secure? I'm more
concerned about the horses than all of the tack and saddles. But those items
aren't cheap
either. Thanks, - Pete in Florida
JWR Replies: I do have one specific recommendation: Buy a
MURS band Dakota Alert infrared intrusion detection system. (Available from MURS
Radio, one of
our advertisers). Put one Motion Alert Transmitter (MAT) out
at the end of your driveway,
and one "watching" the front of your barn door. We
use Dakota Alerts in conjunction with matching frequency Kenwood MURS band
hand-helds here at the Rawles
Ranch on a daily basis. We have been very satisfied with their
quality and reliability. In our experience, this combination is ideal for detecting
intruders on likely avenues
of approach.
.
Dear Mr. Rawles,
First, as always, I am compelled to thank you for your service to all those
who would learn from your knowledge and efforts. My 2009 10
Cent Challenge contribution is forthcoming,
but it is only a small token of my appreciation in light of all that I have
learned from your excellent blog.
I wanted to add a note of my reality to your recent excellent comments on the
sorry state of home architecture in our country today. I live in a typical
recent-construction, middle class, Metro Atlanta home with a brick front facade,
and Hardiplank (a concrete-like product molded to look like wood siding) on
the remaining three sides. It is essentially three stories, with a "daylight
basement" comprising the first story. Many of the "weak links" that
you pointed out exist in my home, but we did install a fairly comprehensive
alarm system.
Last February, while my wife was at work and I was taking my son to daycare
(it was 11:15 a.m.), thugs broke into our house by kicking through the basement
wall! Evidently, the crooks suspected, or noticed, our alarm system, and tried
to bypass it by going through the wall. It would have worked if the dummies
hadn't opened the basement door preparing to depart with their loot. Of course,
opening the door set the alarm off, and they fled never having made it out
of the basement. They did steal an old rifle that I had recently bought, and
had left in a storage closet awaiting a good cleaning. All in all, we were
very fortunate.
I write not to simply share my story (which is, unfortunately, not very uncommon),
but to point out what I learned:
1. Though Hardiplank, and similar products, have many virtues, resistance to
invasion is not one of them.The concrete feel and appearance gives a false
sense of security. I was shocked to learn that the only thing between my "inner
sanctum" and the bad guys was the Hardiplank, fiberboard sheathing, and
drywall! Even if your 1st story sheathing were 5/8" plywood it would present
a much more formidable barrier!
2. If I had heeded my instincts, the burglary could have been avoided. I try
to live in "condition yellow", though I slip into white more than
I would like. That morning, while buckling my toddler into the car, I noticed
a rough-looking young man walking slowly up the sidewalk. By the time I had
buckled my seatbelt, he was ambling back down the street in the opposite direction.
All of the alarms in my head went off, but I didn't call the police to investigate
(something that they encouraged me to do in the future while discussing the
event). I did, however, step back inside and turn on the alarm, which I didn't
usually do for such short trips (things are different now). If I hadn't turned
on the alarm, I would have probably walked right into a home invasion in progress
(stupidly in condition white!) after dropping my son off. As it was, as soon
as I got the call from the monitoring service, I knew exactly what had happened,
and who had done it! During the frantic 3 mile drive home, my main concern
was, "what will I do if I arrive before the police?" At the time,
I had no firearm with me, which leads me to my final point.
3. Any time you walk into your home [after an absence] in condition white,
with no way to defend yourself, you invite disaster. Yes, I know it can be
terribly
stressful
to
admit to yourself that our society has "come to this", and some people
would rather just play the odds and hope it doesn't happen to them. I feel
that God was watching over me that day (by the way, the police were on site
when I got home - it had only been 20 minutes since I left the house) and gave
me a second chance. I guess I could remain in condition white, and hope it
doesn't happen again, but I have responsibilities. God gave me a second chance,
and I am committed to learning from this experience. You'd better believe that
I will arrive home in condition yellow to orange, looking for any hint that
something is awry - especially if my family is in tow! Oh yeah, and my next
house is going to be as solid as I can afford, and then some!
I hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas, and will have a terrific new
year. Best Wishes, - SH in Georgia
James;
I have been an advocate for survivors of violent crimes. I would like
to point out some things that I have been tracking for almost a year now. (I
have 'home invasions" as a google search alert and get messages on this
topic many times a day). First, I have noticed that most of these invaders
are not so much interested in carting away ill-gotten booty from the residence
that they have invaded as much as the first object is to terrorize and torture
those in the dwelling. This is a major change in the high level of deprived
violence of these burglars who are now being reported as "home invaders".
The attacks are sadistic, whereas, twenty years ago true sadistic attacks
were more rare as the goal seemed to be to steal and leave. Second, these sadistic
home invasions are world wide. I have not yet figured out why this is so. It
is, however, concerning that no place seems safe from this bizarre rise in
sadistic violence. Perhaps it can be linked to violent video games? I am not
sure what else could link these acts world wide. Third, unlike violent home
crimes in years past, the home invaders are attacking during the hours when
it is more likely that the residents are home. (Most of these
invasions seem to take place between 11 PM and 5 AM). Clearly, unlike in early
times when
the criminal element wanted to avoid the residents, this new class of thugs
want that violent encounter.
I think this does require that decent folks to have a change in understanding
what is taking place. These criminals are not just getting the pleasure of
taking your property but they want to cause you and your family extreme fear,
terror, and pain. Passive conduct by the victims that might have allowed these
thugs to rob your home and leave you alone might have worked twenty years ago,
but I think today's home invaders first literally will want a pound of your
flesh. On a positive note, I have also read of numerous residents who have
successfully fended off the invaders by being properly protected within their
homes. I am 'surprised" that the media doesn't seem to do much coverage
of these heroic deeds of the victim defending himself or family members from
these sadistic invasion. - Advocate for Survivors
of Violent Crimes
Dear Mr. Rawles.
Regarding your post on Tuesday December 30, titled "Letter Re: Home
Invasion Robbery Countermeasures". I would like to see you elaborate on
the "Countermeasures" portion of the title. Specifically, could you
show some real examples that people could use as "force multipliers" similar
to this . Maybe you can do a post on with and without grid power in SHTF scenarios.
For example I live in a suburb of a city of about 80,000 people. I live on
a corner lot and have a fenced in back yard. What low-tech methods could I
deploy
to
allow full coverage around the perimeter of my property to signal of coming
trouble. It would help if the ideas were designed to not create an abundance
of false alarms and not alert the surrounding neighborhoods like a trip alarm.
I don't have a retreat location but I'm getting my finances in order to allow
a property purchase soon. If TSHTF tomorrow, I would need some simple ideas
to keep my family safe as long as possible.
BTW, I read your "Patriots" novel
and it was awesome! I am about half way thorough your "Rawles
Gets You Ready" course and it too
is great. Thanks, - Steve F. in Louisiana
JWR Replies: A corner lot is problematic. Depending on the
landscaping that is prevalent in your neighborhood, if it would not look
too out of the ordinary then you might consider planting a
"decorative" thorny hedge around as much of your perimeter as
possible, and install a
gate across the front of your driveway. Make both the
maximum height that you can get away with,
without being branded as the Neighborhood Paranoid Poster Boy. The gate should
have a spiked top of some sort, to discourage gate jumpers. Just inside the
gate, position a passive infrared Motion Alert Transmitter (MAT) for a Dakota
Alert. You should also plant thorny
bushes below each of your windows.
Motion-activated floodlights are inexpensive and very easy to install.(They
are available at home improvement and hardware stores such as Home Depot and
Lowe's.) If the power grid goes down, you really should bug out ASAP, but if
you are forced to stay, then solar-powered floodlights might
suffice. (But note that their reviews mention that they have a short service
life. So it is best to just test them but not mount them outdoors until needed.)
Under those circumstances, a pair of night vision goggles would be a must.
(And if you have those, you might want to retrofit your floodlights to use
infrared bulbs. Being battery
powered, your
Dakota
Alert
system
will
continue
to
operate without grid power.
But
of
course keep plenty of spare batteries on had for all of your flashlights
and other home security and communications electronics.
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Letter Re: Home Invasion Robbery Countermeasures--Your Mindset and Architecture
Dear Mr. Rawles:
First and foremost thank you for your novel "Patriots" which
I am currently reading.
I live in the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex. As of late there seems to be a rise
in the number of "home invasion" type of crimes in this area. Every
morning that I go to work I hear about a new incident in the metroplex. This
has led me to put inside locks on my bedroom doors and purchase my first gun.
I consider myself one of those "know enough to be dangerous" people,
but am planning on taking a handgun safety course . I'd like to know your thought
on preparedness for these "home invasion" crimes which are on the
rise. Once again thank you for your novel which has opened my eyes to just
how unprepared I am. Sincerely, - Geoffrey T.
JWR Replies: You've surely heard the phrase "caught
off guard." In
my opinion, almost the entire American citizenry has been systemically "off
guard" since
the end of the US Civil War. There are two fundamental weaknesses that make
American homes vulnerable to home invasions: a condition white mindset, and
appalling
architectural weakness. I'll discuss each.
Condition White Mindset
First and foremost is an almost universal Condition White mindset. This refers
to the Cooper
situational awareness color code for "unaware and unprepared".
The vast majority of the urban and suburban population spends 90% of their
daytime hours in Condition White. They do a lot of idiotic things, like failing
to keep their doors locked at all times, and failing to keep loaded guns handy.
Most folks lock their doors only just before retiring each evening. So most
daytime and early evening home invasion robbers simply stroll in to
unlocked houses and catch the occupants flat-footed. By adopting condition
yellow as your norm, and by taking the appropriate security measures, you will
tremendously lessen
you vulnerability to violent crime, including home invasions.
Architectural Weakness
Secondly, 150 years of relative peace, stability, low crime rates, and cheap
energy have worked together to push American residential architecture toward
very vulnerable designs. Modern American homes are essentially defensive
disasters. They have huge expanses of glass, they lack barred windows
or european-style
security/storm shutters, they lack defensible space, and they often have
no barriers for the approach of vehicles. Another ill-conceived innovation
is the prevalence of floor plans that situate the master bedroom at the opposite
end of the house from the children's bedrooms.
For the past 25 years, one of the hallmarks of "bad neighborhoods" in
the US has been the prevalence of barred windows and beefed-up doors. These
are neighborhoods where
the prevailing
crime rates have pushed the majority of the population into Condition Yellow
as a full time baseline mindset. Given the upswing in crime rates that will
undoubtedly accompany the coming depression, I wish that everyone in the ostensibly "good
neighborhoods" had this same outlook. I don't find
it all surprising that criminal gangs now specifically target wealthy suburbs
for
home
invasions,
for two reasons: A.) That is where the good stuff is, and B.) These
residents
are sheep for the slaughter (given the prevailing condition white mindset.)
One of the most chronic defensive lapses is American suburban architecture
is exterior door design. Typically, entrance doors either have widows immediately
adjacent, or set into the doors themselves. Even worse is the ubiquitous
sliding glass door. Nothing more than a
brick or a paving stone tossed through the glass and bingo, instant access
for home
invaders,
with
the fringe
benefit of instant fright and surprise for the occupants just inside, who will
likely be startled by the crashing noise and flying glass. SWAT and MOUT trainers
call this a form of "dynamic entry". There are umpteen variations.
You may recall the use of a piece of patio furniture in Robert
DeNiro's dynamic entry of Van Zant's
house in in the movie Heat. Another
is the vigorous application of a 5- or 6-foot length of steel pipe
or a
more specialized tool, in (the proven "break and rake" technique
preferred by the British SAS and SFOD-D
(commonly called "Delta Team") to quickly clear any protruding shards
of glass).
America in the Near Future = Welcome to South Africa
In South Africa, the crime rate has been so high for so long that it has changed
the way that people live in a day-to-day basis. Every stranger is viewed with
extreme suspicion. Automobile drivers regularly refuse to pull over if they
are involved in a minor traffic collision, for fear that it is a pretext for
a car jacking.
Threat Escalation and Proactive Countermeasures
Modern military planners often talk in terms of threat spirals. In
essence, a given threat escalates and it inspires a defensive countermeasure.
The ideal
situation is "getting inside your opponents threat spiral"--meaning
that your
anticipate your opponent's next escalation, and proactively take
countermeasures, insulating yourself from the future threat.With that in mind,
here are some
thoughts on potential home invasion threat escalation and countermeasures
(perhaps some SurvivalBlog readers would care to add to this list):
1.) More frequent home invasions. The worse the economy gets, the more crime
we can expect. Home invasions and kidnappings are likely "growth" areas.
2.) Use of dynamic entry tools by home invaders. We can expect them to use
commercial or improvised door entry battering
rams and Hallagan
tools--like those use by
police.
This
means that just standard solid core doors by themselves will be insufficient.
Switching to steel doors and.or adding sturdy cross bars will become common
practice.
3.) Possible use of vehicle-mounted battering rams.
4.) More frequent and elaborate police
impersonation by home invasion gangs.
5.) Larger, better equipped, and better organized home invasion gangs. Larger
gangs will be able to invade a home--conceivably even when there is a party
in progress.
6.) The potential use of cell phone
jammers.
7.) More elaborate ruses as pretexts to get homeowners to open their doors.
For example, not only will the "point man" be dressed as UPS driver,
but there will be a very convincing looking UPS truck parked at the curb.)
8.) More home invasions at any time of the day or night.
9.) More use of pepper spray and other irritants by home invaders.
10.) Use of large diversion such as explosives to draw law enforcement to
"the other side of town."
11.) More elaborate intelligence gathering by home invasion gangs--researching
exactly who has cash, fine art, gemstones, precious metals, or jewelry in
their homes. (BTW, this is just another reason to practice good OPSEC.)
Given these possible threat spiral escalations, you might consider
building a dedicated "safe room". I can think of no better way to
get inside the bad guys' threat spiral. Such a room could serve multiple
purposes,
including "panic
room",
gun and valuables vault, storm shelter, and fallout shelter. (And hence, provide
you family with solutions for multiple scenarios. The folks at Safecastle (and
other specialty contractors) can build these both
aboveground or underground, with special order inward-opening vault doors.
You mentioned putting a lock on your bedroom door. This is usually insufficient,
since most interior doors are hollow core, they typically use lightweight
hinges, and they have insubstantial strike plates. Most of these doors can
either be knocked
down or knocked though, in very short order. I recommend replacing your bedroom
doors
with
heavy
duty exterior type
doors (preferably steel) with heavy duty hinges and one or more deadbolt locks.
If your house has all the bedrooms isolated on one hallway, then I recommend
adding a heavy duty
door
at
the end of that hall, and keeping it locked at night. (Basically a "safe
wing"
for your house) Then, inside of that safe wing, you
should have a far more secure dedicated safe room that your entire family can
retreat to, before
the outer layers of defense succumb to physical attack.
Redundant communications
are important, so you can solicit outside help. Both the master bedroom and
the safe room should have hard wire ("POTS")
telephones that are serviced by underground lines with no visible junction
boxes. Be sure to test using a cell phone, as a backup, from every room.
Having a CB radio in your safe room also makes sense. OBTW, one of my consulting
clients in New Mexico intentionally installed a vertical
3"-diameter
air exhaust vent from the ceiling of his safe room/fallout shelter to his
roof. Using
a broomstick,
he
can pop
the slip-fit flapper valve loose, and then use the pipe as a conduit
for flares from his HK P2A1 flare 26.5mm flare pistol! He reported that he
has tested shooting meteor flares "up the spout",
and
it
worked fine. Very clever.
The Ultimate Solution: Designing for Security from the Ground Up
I most strongly recommend that the next time that you move, that you buy a
brick or other masonry house and upgrade its security, or better yet, start
with a bare lot,
and custom build a stout house with and integral safe room, from scratch. As
previously discussed in SurvivalBlog, two good starting points for house
designs are Mexican walled courtyards and building with square bastions (also
known as Cooper
Corners). These projecting corners eliminate the "blind spots" that are
common to typical square or rectangular houses.
For greater detail on this subject, I recommend Joel Skousen's book "The
Secure Home." My novel "Patriots:
Surviving the Coming Collapse" also has some detailed design
description for ballistically armored window shutters and doors, as well details
on constructing neo-medieval door bars.
If you are
serious about custom building or retrofitting an existing house for
increased
security
and/or
adding a safe room,
then I recommend
the architectural consulting services of both Safecastle and Hardened
Structures.
« Letter Re: The Recent Storm in New England--A Ready and Able Family |Main| Notes from JWR: »
Mobile Choices for Survival Retreats by T.D.
Our family lives full time in our camping trailer and have found out there
would be
many
advantages
to
keeping
one
in any situation. I am not talking the big 5th wheel or the ones with a motor,
just a plain travel trailer [with a traditional vehicle hitch].
Our trailer is 27 feet long and weighs in at 9,500 lbs empty and almost 11,000
lbs full. It is a bunkhouse model and can sleep up to 11 people. It has a 40
gallon
fresh water tank, 40 gallon black water tank (waste) and a 40 gallon gray water
tank (drain off water from tub and sinks). It has 12 volt battery backup which
power
lights and the water pump when power is unavailable. The stove and hot water
heater run on propane, with the fridge working on both.
Storage can be short, but there is some – under the bottom bunk, the
full size bed in the bedroom, under the seats in the kitchen, 2 closets (very
small)
and cabinets in the living area and bedroom.
Our heater will heat up enough hot water for an eight minute shower and the
tub is the size of a 10 gallon bucket. When we are parked in an RV park with
power
included
in the lot fees, we heat our trailer with electric heaters. This saves us money
on propane. If we just cook and shower using the propane, then we will go through
two 35 pound tanks in just under one year.
We have been buying or having a friend collect empty older propane tanks and
then we have been trading them in at Wal-Mart for under $18.00 each. Small
solar panels were purchased from Harbor Freight Tools for under $40.00 each,
they
will [slowly] recharge
a 12 volt battery. We will be purchasing more panels as we go so that our entire
trailer could be run off them.
We have inline water filters and portable ones, we have potable aqua tablets
and shock. Our water tank can be filled by hose or in a pinch by bucket and
funnel. After Gustav most of the water here was very bad (boil water order
for all of
our parish, even for bathing in some areas). When some of our neighbors had
no hot water for their special needs family member they came to us and we hauled
hot water for them (we were they only ones in an RV to come right back within
72 hours of the passage of Hurricane Gustav). We also have an external shower.
We do have a propane burner for outside, most people here use those for crawfish.
We have one very cheap charcoal grill and a good supply of charcoal. We can
make our own if need be.
After Hurricane Gustav we were without power for two weeks and used our interior
12 volt DC lights for night time only and for about 20 minutes at a time. Our
battery
gauge didn’t indicate any voltage drop.
When we do our shows and are in practice we can be ready to move out within
1 hour and we are still working to par that time down even further. What this
means
for us is that here we could drive out quickly with our home or even put it
on a platform on numerous pontoons making our trailer into a riverboat. We
live
near a very rural area and large uninhabited waterways, where you can go out
all day and not see of hear anyone at all.
Our retreat will have a home and a large barn that will house our RV, keeping
prying eyes away from it and also giving us a place to go to if heating ever
becomes an issue. When the SHTF we can camouflage the RV in another location
for a further retreat position, still have shelter and a way to keep everyone
fed.
Our trailer is a 1995 and we bought it for under 5,000. You can get them
very cheap further north during the off season and move them fairly cheap now
that
gas has come down a lot. We went smaller because of the towing needs. No matter
what you still need to haul it, even if it’s to your retreat.
Granted, it would be more difficult, but not impossible, to utilize in colder
climates. Good windbreaks and insulation in the under compartments helps tremendously.
Plastic on the windows with the exception of the vents also helps.
In some states that get a lot of hurricanes also are places a lot of people
actually live in trailers year round. What sometimes happens when they are
lived all the
time is they get stripped out to the bare walls and customized. They are cheaper
and easier to reinforce that way. A 40 foot trailer stripped out can run you
about
$1,500 to $2,000
dollars. Most people here take out the kitchen area which I wouldn’t
do. They also remove the fresh water tank and if anything I would make the
fresh
water tank larger than 40 gallons, leaving in the electric pump. With full
solar capability you can leave the power system intact and go from there.
In our closets we added small shelves that will hold two weeks of clothing
for each of us, four all together. The fridge and freezer will hold 1 gallon
of
milk, a weeks worth of leftovers, four dozen eggs, one 2-quart juice pitcher
(from Camping
World, made for trailer size fridges), condiments and the freezer will hold
more than one week's worth of meat. The cabinets will hold three weeks of
canned goods, spices
and what we need for baking for six months. Under the little counter extension
we have flour, sugar and rice (large storage containers from Wall-Mart),
those last us about three months. We also have food stored under one bed and
under both seats in the kitchen. By the garbage can we keep a one month supply
of dog
food for our 90 pound German Shepherd cross.
To keep our space requirements smaller, we went small flat screen television,
a cheap and tiny DVD player
and low profile PC tower. Movies are not kept in single
cases,
they are kept in DVD folders with zippers. Our children are limited to what
toys they can have and it must all fit in toy hammocks or collapsible toy boxes
at
the end of their beds. Our guns are easy to stow in the trailer and are always
within reach. On hand we also keep quite a bit of ammo and buy more weekly.
We do
maintain an inexpensive storage unit elsewhere, and we keep the bulk of our
SHTF supplies
there for under $80 a month.
There are a lot of extras you can buy for your RV, including wheeled containers
to drain black and gray water into for disposal. Pots and pans made for smaller
areas, heavier dishes that will last through everything including travel. RV
size washers and dryers or the all in ones, which are no bigger than an RV
stove. Shower organizers can be installed easily to increase your bathroom
storage.
One of the biggest things to like about an older trailer is that no one even
looks twice at it, people who don’t own one have no clue how self sufficient
you can be in one. It’s not new enough or dressed up enough to get a
second look from a trouble makers and family never wants to come stay, none
of them
can figure out why you would want to trade down and live in something so small.
It also makes it easier if you have others that will join you when the SHTF
and you are running out of places to put people.
« Letter Re: Seeking Advice on Storing Guns and Magazines |Main| Note from JWR: »
Gardening and Seed Saving, by Carolyn W.
I see some people making choices that concern me because these choices may
cause them problems if they really have to survive on the food supplies that
they have stored for TEOTWAWKI. I am no great expert, but my husband and
I have been concerned about the possibilities of having an economic disruption
since the early 1970s when a friend let us borrow some tapes by Robert
Preston. We have learned quite a bit, but still have a long way to go. If this article
can
at least
encourage
people
to actually
try
to grow
a garden
and save seeds from one or two plant varieties this summer then I will feel
that the time spent writing this article will be well spent.
I see some people writing to this blog saying that they have their MREs stored
and it sounds like they figure the food supply is taken care of. Please look
at the MRE packages and notice the sodium content. It is usually fairly high.
Eating several meals per day with a high sodium content may not be good for
your health. Also the day will come when the last MRE has been eaten and another
food source will need to be found.
I also see people buy a #10 can of seeds for their survival storage program.
They may even have had these cans since the Y2K scare
so that the seeds are nine or ten years old. Onion and parsnip seeds are only
good for about two
years. After that their germination rate declines rapidly. Many other seeds
will be viable for 4-6 years depending on how they are stored and the type
of seed. Yes, I know Egyptian wheat grows after hundreds of years in storage,
but I do not have their storage methods. Potatoes and garlic need to be grown
each
year.
A few other considerations to think about would be: are the seeds in the can
right for your soil and length of growing season where they will be grown?
Will the seeds grow foods that you are used to eating? Will your growing season
be long enough for the plant to mature not just to produce food but go on to
produce ripened seed? Have enough seeds been stored to grow gardens for several
years in case of crop failure?
Finally I wonder if lack of experience will be a problem when it comes to growing
a garden for food and seed. I have been growing a garden for close to 35 years
that is large enough to put potatoes, beets, carrots, and cabbage in the root
cellar and canned vegetables in the pantry. I have saved seed from lettuce,
beans, peas, tomatoes, parsnips, beets, and squash, but even with this experience
I am not sure I would be ready to survive without the ability to purchase items
from outside sources. Let me encourage you to try following some of the procedures
I outline in the rest of this article and learn some new skills that may be
useful to you and your family in the future.
Gardening is a skill that is best
learned by doing it.
Soil and Growing Conditions
Different areas of the country have very different growing conditions. When
we lived near Los Angeles I had a small backyard garden all year long. Tomatoes
and zucchini grew in the summer, while broccoli and onions were grown during
the winter. The length of our growing season changed dramatically when we moved
to a northern state. In this location our frost free time period is from the
beginning of June to the middle of September. The winter temperatures can get
to -35 degrees which puts us in a zone 4 for hardiness. This is important to
know because it tells me that I need to order seeds with a shorter growing
season, onions that like longer hours of daylight which occur in the northern
areas of the USA, and fruit trees that can withstand - 35 degrees during the
winters. Most seed catalogues have maps of the USA with colors that show the
hardiness in each zone.
I have had soil tests done through the local Agriculture Extension Agent. I
know that the soil is some what base rather than acid, it has a bit if a salt
content, and tends to be more clay rather than sand. With this information
I know that I do not want to add wood ashes to the soil which would make it
even more base. Instead I add manure, gypsum, sulphur, grass clippings, leaves
and as much garden wastes as I have. I do not have time for the cute little
composting devices. I do what is called sheet composting which means spread
it over the garden area and let it rot over the winter then till it in when
spring comes. This has the added benefit of holding the soil in place over
the winter. Since I plan to eat what I grow I do try to grow as organic as
I can, but I do use commercial fertilizer and a few other products to help
me get a crop worth all of my time and effort. During the first few years of
gardening in a new area the preparation of the soil will be most critical.
Through improving the soil a better crops will result. If you are planning
to garden in a very large area you need a way to till up the soil. Spring can
be a very busy time so digging up the soil by hand would not be a very good
choice. We have a four foot rototiller on the back of our 20 horsepower garden
tractor. I also have a small Mantis tiller to help with smaller areas and weeding
between the rows.
Choosing Seeds
Saving seeds from every variety grown in the garden each year may not be a
realistic goal for a beginning seed saver. Most seeds will be viable for several
years. A better goal might to choose a few varieties of seed to save successfully,
thus gaining experience and confidence as the years of gardening go along.
If open pollinated seeds, which are sometimes referred to as Heirloom seeds,
are chosen as part of a storage program they will breed true to the parents.
In most seed catalogues the hybrids will usually have an F1 after the name
of the plant indicating that they are hybrid. Being a hybrid does not make
the seeds bad, it is just means that two different varieties were crossed to
create the hybrid seed. This is often done to create a plant that will grow
more vigorously. When seeds from the hybrids are grown in later years the offspring
will have some variations, but they will grow plants. For some crops that are
prone to inbreeding depression a few different traits may even be a good thing.
This is a topic that might be worth some study.
Some of the time I choose seeds that I know will produce plants with specific
characteristics such as store for a long time. Some onions taste great because
they are sweet and mild, but they do not store well and I want to have food
to eat after the long winter and into the next spring. Therefore I choose onion
seed that says that it is for a storage onion. Seeds
of Change sells seed for
Nutri-Bud Broccoli that was bred to have a higher nutrient content which may
make this variety worth choosing. Lutz Green Leaf beets are an old time variety
that grow very large red table beets and as an added bonus the leaves are as
good to eat as Swiss chard. These beets also keep in my root cellar until early
March. Seeds that mature quickly in the cool spring temperatures are also desirable.
Seeds of this type would be spinach and Hakurei Turnips which take 38 days
to mature.
I have grown cabbage for enough years to know that the early varieties will
not last in the garden until the end of the growing season, so I only grow
enough to eat right away in the summer or use for making sauerkraut. Many of
the large late green varieties seem to attract pests such as aphids and green
cabbage worms. In my garden the later types of Red cabbage grow without much
trouble and store very well in my root cellar. A good book that may help you
decide which variety of vegetable to grow for winter storage is Mike and Nancy
Bubel’s Root Cellaring Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables.
Get several seed catalogues and read up on what the different varieties have
to offer. I often order from the following companies: R.H
Shumway, Vessey's,
and Johnny Seeds. These companies seem to carry varieties that grow
well in my shorter season.
Starting Seedlings
Some seeds need to be started indoors before the ground is warm enough for
them to grow, or because their growing season is too long for my climate. One
of the first things that I plant is onions seeds in a container. They can be
planted where I live in early March. By March the days are starting to get
longer, and we usually are finished with the bitter below zero cold weather.
I have an unheated greenhouse that gives some protection to the plants. I will
start enough seed to have about 40 onions that will be saved to produce seed
and more onions to eat over the coming winter. About 2 months before I plant
the garden I start the peppers and tomatoes. Since I can eat the vegetables
that they produce and save seeds from the same plant I do not need to grow
many extra plants for seed saving.
About four weeks before the planting of the garden I start seeds for cabbage
and broccoli. If I plan to save seeds from cabbage I need to know that it is
a biennial like the onions it will not produce seed until the second year.
The cabbage will need to grow this year, be dug up roots and all, stored in
the root cellar at about 40 degrees where the roots can be kept damp. Next
spring I will plant the cabbages in the garden again. An X will be cut in the
top of each head of cabbage to allow the three to five foot stalk to emerge
and produce seed. I also need to know that it can be cross pollinated by other
members of the cabbage family which include broccoli and cauliflower. Another
small bit of information that might be helpful is that you may need to grow
20 to 40 plants for the seed to maintain genetic diversity and avoid inbreeding
depression. Some good books on this subject are Suzanne Ashworth’s Seed
to Seed which is very readable for the person who is beginning to learn about
saving seed. Another resource is Carol Deppe’s Breed Your Own Vegetable
Varieties which has more technical information. The cabbage that is grown for
seed will not be available for food therefore I need a few more plants to eat
this year. So lets say that I grow a minimum of 30 plants and hope that they
all survive and mature. Each plant will require about a square yard of garden
space. Thirty square yards of land just for cabbage. The books say that you
need to grow 100 to 200 corn plants to maintain genetic diversity plus the
corn that I plan to eat. This is getting to be a really big garden to weed
and care for!
Now that I have decided how many seedlings I need to grow of each vegetable
I can start to think about the soil, water, and sunlight that the seedlings
will require to mature into healthy plants. I have found that regular garden
soil is too heavy for the seeds to be started in. Regular soil may also have
damp off disease which will kill the young sprouts. Some years I have tried
to save money by using less expensive potting soil, but the young plants did
not grow as well. Now I buy large bags of Miracle Gro potting soil at Costco
in the spring and life is good. What I will do when I can no longer get this
potting soil will be a future learning experience.
I start my tomatoes and peppers in trays on my kitchen table because the greenhouse
is still cold at night in April. As soon as the little sprouts are up I take
then outside during the day to get sunlight so that they will be strong enough
to be planted outside when the time comes. As the little plants grow I often
repot them to larger containers so that they do not become root bound and stunted.
Each time that the plants are repotted they take up more space. Thirty cabbage
plants, the trays of onions, along with the broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes,
and peppers take up a lot of space. As the weather becomes warmer at night
I move the seedlings out to the greenhouse permanently. Shane Smith’s
book Greenhouse Companion is a good resource for more information
on using greenhouses. I have purchased greenhouse supplies from CharleysGreenhouse.com and TekSupply.com.
Season Extending Techniques
Over the years that I have gardened in my short season location I have actively
experimented with various methods that would extent the length of my 3-1/2
month growing season. One of my favorite season extenders is a cold frame.
It is a box with hinged lids and has an open bottom. The cold frame is set
on top of well prepared garden soil and anchored down so that the wind does
not blow it away. Can you tell that the last advice is the voice of experience
speaking? I usually set my cold frame out in the garden by mid-March and let
it warm the soil for a couple of weeks. When my soil thermometer reads 45-50
degrees in the morning I plant cool weather crops. By cool weather crops I
mean leaf lettuce, spinach, onions, beets, carrots, radishes, Swiss chard,
turnips, peas, and a few others. A word of caution: even though the outside
temperature may still feel chilly heat can build up in the cold frame on a
sunny day to the point of cooking the young plants. A cold frame needs to have
one of the lids opened a bit to vent the heat and closed again as the day cools.
I am not always home to do this. Therefore I found a solution which is the
Univent Controller. It is a solar powered unit that will automatically open
a cold frame lid when the temperature reaches between 60 and 70 degrees and
close the lid as temperatures cool. I have seen the Univent Controllers for
sale by CharleysGreenhouse.com and TekSupply.com. Both companies also have
cold frames for sale with aluminum frames and twin wall polycarbonate glazing.
A cold frame can also be used to extend the growing season into the fall. Often
the carrots I grow during the summer are not very sweet and mature too early
to store in the root cellar. As a result, I have been marking off a patch of
the garden that is the same size as my cold frame. I make sure this is in an
area with deep, well dug, weed free soil, and plant carrots in the middle of
July. When the cold weather arrives in September I put the cold frame over
the carrots and they continue to grow until mid-November. By then the cooler
weather conditions have made the carrots noticeably sweeter and the root cellar
is cool enough to store the carrots for several months.
In Spring I have used the Agribon garden cloths over curved wire supports to
form mini greenhouses, These can be used to harden off young plants before
they are planted in the garden or protect early plantings. Agribon comes in
several weights. The heavier weights can be used for frost protection, and
light weights can be used for insect control as floating row covers.
I have found some pup tent shaped cold frames made by FlowerHouses.com that are self supporting with net covered vents. I have used mine for four
years and so far it is still in very good condition. These structures are tall
enough to be put over Brussels sprouts in the fall and keep them growing until
Thanksgiving.
Even things like placing bales of straw on the north side of plants allows
warmth to build up in the soil faster. After I have planted the young plants
that I have started from seed I usually cover them with empty plastic gallon
milk jugs that have had the bottom cut away and the lid removed. The milk jug
can be placed over the young plant and dirt scraped up against the sides of
the milk jug to keep it from blowing away. The soil also provides more insulation.
By the time that the plant grows to fill the milk jug the weather has warmed
up. I try to remove the milk jugs on a day that is a bit cloudy to give the
plants a day to adapt. The milk jugs can have a string threaded through their
handles and hung out of the sunlight for use next year.
A couple of books that I have found useful are Eliot Coleman’s The
New Organic Grower and The New Organic Grower’s Four-Season Harvest. Lewis
Hill’s book Cold-Climate Gardening is also very useful.
Planting
the Garden
Every seed packet and most gardening books tell you how to plant the garden
so I will merely make a few comments about things that have been helpful to
me. I do keep a spiral notebook journal to record information about the garden.
I draw a simple map of where I plant each vegetable so I can rotate crops in
a progression that takes three or four years to complete. I also record the
dates that I start seeds indoors and plant seeds in the garden. I also notice
and record whether these dates should be moved for better results. After a
few years there is no need to guess when to plant each crop. I have learned
that even with my short growing season I can plant one block consisting of
three rows of corn by the end of May and plant another block of the same variety
three weeks later. This extends the length of time I have fresh corn on the
cob and I do not have to can all of the corn in a short period of time.
When I am planting the seeds I have learned to leave more space between rows
than I think is needed. One yard of space between rows of corn, potatoes and
at least a yard between tomato plants will be filled up by the end of the summer.
After the plants come up do not be timid about thinning the plants to the proper
spacing. If this task is neglected plants will not mature to the proper size.
Dropping a few radish seeds in the row when planting carrots or Swiss chard
will help mark the location of the row for weeding purposes. Both carrots and
chard are slow to sprout. This is a form of companion planting which is discussed
in greater detail in the Rodale Publishing book Successful Organic Gardening.
Gardening Companion
Crop Planting
When the potatoes are 6-8”tall I hoe the weeds one last time and cover
the whole area where they are being grown with a thick covering of old alfalfa
hay. The hay mulch will deter the weeds for the rest of the summer, and it
keeps the potatoes that grow near the surface from turning green. The green
parts of potatoes have the same chemicals that are in the plant’s stems
and leaves. These chemicals are not good for people to eat. After the potatoes
are dug up at the end of the summer the hay mulch is tilled into the soil.
One of the things that I still need to learn is how to grow new seed potatoes.
I have planted potatoes that grew in my garden for several years, but after
2-4 years they do not sprout or produce as well as they should.
The first year that a garden is grown in a new location the crops may be hard
hit by the local insects until a way to control them is found. I have trouble
with a few bugs on a yearly basis. I try to deal with them in an organic way
because I know that I will be eating what is grown in my garden. I use Bull’s-Eye
Bioinsecticide form GardensAlive.com for cabbage worms and a Rotenone/Pyrethrins
spray for Colorado Potato Beetles. Both products are organic and can be used
with in a day of harvest. For aphids I use Concern Multi-Purpose Insect Killer
with Pyrethrins as the main ingredient. This is ordered from Woodstream company
at 1-800-800-1819. I am very satisfied with the results from these products.
Depending on where a garden is located plans may need to be made to keep animals
out. A tall fence will hold some animals out. We also use an electric fence
around the sweet corn to discourage raccoons.
Storing the Vegetable Harvest
By late summer all of the hard work and planning have paid off producing a
lush garden with a bountiful harvest which needs to be preserved in some way
for the coming winter. There are many ways of doing this such as freezing,
canning, pickling, dehydrating, and root cellaring. All of these methods have
advantages and disadvantages, but most of them require some kind of equipment
and as always practiced skill.
Freezing is quick and easy. Peppers can be frozen after they have had the stem
and seeds removed. I chop peppers up either by hand or using a food processor
and put them in zip lock bags before freezing. Other vegetables should be blanched
which means cooked in a basket over boiling water for 5-8 minutes depending
on the type of vegetable. Freezing depends on a steady supply of electricity.
Food stored in this manner should be eaten with in a year or at most two. Having
enough freezer space for a whole garden might be costly.
Canned vegetables will store longer that frozen ones. A kettle for hot water
bath canning of high acid foods such as fruit and pickles is needed. A pressure
canner is a requirement for canning low acid foods such as corn, beans, peas,
beets, pumpkin, some tomatoes, and meat. Using a pressure canner is the best
way to eliminate most of the chance of food poisoning. Having to deal with
Botulism poisoning is not something to risk. When a pressure canner is purchased
there should be a booklet giving instructions on how to use it. Ball and Kerr
canning lid companies sell booklets with detailed directions for canning foods
safely. I have seen these books for sale on Amazon. After a few years of use
a pressure canner will need a new rubber gasket that fits in the rim of the
lid. Sometimes these need to be ordered from the manufacturer a few weeks ahead
of time. Canning lids have become harder to find and more expensive with fewer
people involved in home canning. The best price I could find this past summer
was $1.41 for a dozen regular size lids at Wal-Mart. They did not have wide
mouth lids at the store where I shop. Stores usually only carry canning supplies
from mid-summer through early fall. Real canning jars are safer to use than
empty glass mayonnaise jars which are not made as heavy and now often are plastic.
Sometimes canning jars are sold at yard sales. Be sure to check the rim around
the opening of the jar. Chips out of the glass rim will prevent the lid from
forming a vacuum seal. My voice of experience wants to say that glass top cooking
stoves may not be built to hold the weight of a loaded pressure canner. The
glass cooking surface can crack and are expensive to replace. Some of the modern
electric burners on stoves do not heat up as hot or as quickly as needed for
an efficient canning process. An older second hand stove can be wired to operate
in the garage just outside of the kitchen door. This has the added benefit
of keeping the heat out of the hot summer kitchen. With 30-40 minutes for a
canner filled with seven quart jars of corn to heat up, 85 minutes processing
time, and 30-40 minutes cool down time that is a lot of heat in the kitchen.
Dehydrating can be used for some foods such as herbs, jerky, and fruit leather.
Other foods that are dehydrated will be changed by the process and will be
best used in soups and casseroles. Plans for building your own dehydrator are
available in many books. There are also commercial units available.
Many bulky foods such as potatoes, beets, carrots, and cabbage will store for
quite a period of time if they can be kept a little cool. This is why a root
cellar can be a good choice. Onions, garlic, and winter squash like temperatures
between 45 and 50 degrees. A cool basement pantry where canned food is stored
would be a good choice for them. Check them on a regular basis for spoilage.
The saying “One bad apple spoils the barrel,” is true for all root
cellared vegetables. There are many plans for all sorts of root cellars available
in books. About eight years ago we decided that it was time to build a legitimate
root cellar that had most of the qualities my husband and I had read about.
A 12 x 12 foot hole was dug 8 feet deep. The forms for pouring the cement were
prefabricated from Styrofoam and reinforcing materials. They were called Logix
Blocks which are commonly used for home construction in our area. These Styrofoam
forms are left in place after the cement has been poured. The advantage of
this type of material is that cold from the surrounding soil will not be transmitted
through the cement into the root cellar. A small well insulated steel building
was constructed above the foundation. We even glued a layer of [foam] insulation
to the inside of the door.
The floor of the root cellar is dirt covered with gravel which allows
humidity to be higher and keeps the vegetables edible for a longer time. A
large vent was placed in the roof to allow the rising heat to escape. The vent
can be plugged up during very cold below zero weather. In the west wall a hole
was drilled for a four inch plastic pipe which makes a 90 degree turn inside
the root cellar and continues down almost to the floor where a second 90 degree
turn is made. This lets cold air into the root cellar since cold air sinks.
We had the root cellar wired for electricity. My husband bought two thermostats
from Charley’s Greenhouse and wired them in series. The first thermostat,
which is an Easy Heat Model SL1 made in Ontario Canada, measures the temperature
outdoors. When the temperature is below 40 degrees it supplies power to the
second thermostat. The second thermostat which is a Charley’s Greenhouse
Weatherproof Thermostat, measures the temperature inside the root cellar. When
the temperature is above 40 degrees it allows power to continue on to a muffin
fan located in front of the 4 inch pipe opening near the floor. The fan pulls
more cold air into the root cellar when it is needed. During extended periods
of below zero weather we unplug the thermostats and plug in a small space heater
set to maintain the temperature at 40 degrees. I still have potatoes that have
not sprouted or withered by the following May.
Like art and cooking, the way a person goes about gardening is developed with
practice and becomes a personal style. All of the skills and materials needed
take time to acquire. It is my hope that the information in this article will
help people move more quickly along the learning curve. Skills need to be practiced.
The worst thing that will result from growing a garden next summer is that
better food will be available, exercise provided, and peace of mind resulting
from experience gained.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: More About the Derivatives Bubble »
Three Letters Re: Advice on Sources for Sandbags and Sandbag Filler
Jim:
Here is a very low cost supplier of new-manufacture "poly" sandbags: eSandbags.com.
Regards,
- TinCan
Mr. Rawles,
Here in Ohio, (and other places, I suspect), the feed stores formerly bought
back used feed bags for 50 cents a piece. They no longer do. (If a used
bag got
bugs while on the farm, the bugs ended up going back to the mill.) All those
good, heavy, plastic weave bags are now being thrown away. For those of us
wanting cheap or free sand bags, just ask farms and
stables on your area to save them for you. - Jim Fry, Museum
of Western Reserve Farms & Equipment
James:
I'm a dude who used to live in Hurricane Central, Louisiana: Our city office
was one of those sites where whenever tropical trouble or floods threatened,
here would come the Public Works Trucks with a whole bunch
of sand and the sandbags [to distribute free to local residents]. The funny
thing is, they don't make quite the same effort to go around picking up all
these
perfectly
good
supplies
once
the
danger was
passed.
Those white plastic sandbags do indeed breakdown in sunlight, but if you grab
a bunch [before they do degrade] and store them away they will be okay to use
at any time. Even filled with
sand, and placed in a shed for storage, they will last a long time. How do
I know? Did you ever fill sandbags? That is heavy, heavy work!So there is all
this stuff that sat in the corner of our parking lot, free for the taking.
First I placed a box of empty
bags in
my trunk
to get them out of the sunlight. Then each day after work, I filled about
four bags and took them home in the trunk of my car. About 20 sandbags a week.
My former property had a boat storage shed, perfect for lawnmowers & sandbags.
Like the little Ant with the Rubber Tree plant, over time I acquired 300 filled
sandbags--stored for emergencies.
And indeed these bags were used during the approach of Hurricanes
Ivan and Katrina, while preparing my house. Damage was averted thanks to having
these
items on hand and kept ready.
Trust me, if you have to make 100 full load sandbags in a hurry, hen have an
ambulance stand by while you are doing it! As with all preparedness, do
it now while
time is still on your side. - Clyde
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Letter Re: Advice on Sources for Sandbags and Sandbag Filler
Mr. Rawles,
You mention about mass and the wisdom in buying
sand bags stating 'they are cheap'. I guess that is relative to 'something'.
I can not find them for less then $2.50 each and that is empty.
Have you priced sand lately? Where we live (midwest) it is not cheap. You
would need a huge pile of it to fill enough sandbags to do much good for
any purpose.
So, am I missing something here? Maybe I do not understand the 'sandbag
theory'. Please advise. Thanks, - Polly
JWR Replies: In the U.S. there are several good sources for
sandbags , but prices do indeed vary widely, so shop around. (From as
much as $3.75 each in small quantities to as little as 38 cents each if you
buy
in
lots of
1,000.)
For example, see:
Ranger Surplus
Preparedness.com
1st Army Supply
If you want to buy in quantity (perhaps a group purchase that you can split
several ways), it is best to order direct from a manufacturer, such as Dayton
Bag,
or Mutual Industries,
or United Bags.
(The latter charged $380 per thousand the last time I checked .)
And for our readers across the pond, here is a source in England: Surplus
and Adventure
OBTW, be sure to buy the later variety synthetic (such as polypropylene) sand
bags. The early burlap (or
"Hessian") bags tend
to rot and rip out too quickly. The latest and greatest mil-spec bags
use Linear Low-Density Polyethylene
(LLDPE) or Polyethylene film laminated with a third layer of molten
polyethylene. These have the best UV protection
(and hence the longest useful life out in the elements), but they are also
the most expensive. Even the standard
military polypropylene bags will last two to three years in full sun, and
much longer if painted or kept in the shade.
As for filler material. if sand
is expensive in your area, then do some comparison pricing on "one
half minus" road gravel,
delivered by the dump truck load. (This is gravel that has been screened
so that the largest
pieces are no more than
1/2-inch in diameter.) I don't recommend using soil, since sand or gravel
are superior for stopping bullets. If you must use soil, then try
to get either very sandy soil or heavy clay soil. Dry loam soil is the least effective
for use in sandbags. Remember: the more vegetable matter in the soil, the
lower its ballistic protection.)
« Letter Re: In a Tight Spot with Long Distance Travel Plans |Main| Sustainable Food Preservation, by Jen W. »
Letter Re: The Afghan Walled Courtyard Design for Retreat Architecture
James,
My daily internet traipsing brought me across a photoset
of Afghan walled compounds.
It seems that the basic unit of Afghan country life is the extended family,
all of whom live within a 12 foot walled compound. Since Afghanistan has lacked
real sovereignty for centuries, this seems to be the logical endpoint of the
evolution of retreat/farms. Note that they are not unlike the early spanish
missions in the American Southwest. - Isaac R.
« Three Letters Re: The Potential Perils of Bank Safe Deposit Boxes |Main| Notes from JWR: »
On Rural Retreat Safety and Secrecy, by E.I.D.
A major worry for many urbanites considering maintaining a rural retreat is their
ability to, from a distance, ensure the secrecy and security of their property.
Many of us cannot afford a full time retreat-sitter, and must use other legal
methods to ensure the security of our property and supplies in both grid-up and
grid-down scenarios.
First, county roads running to or through your property are always a liability.
I set my retreat as far back off of the gravel county road as possible by clearing
my own road, with the help of friends, through thick pine forest. My road is
wide enough for a single large vehicle, and is approximately a mile long. The
road is not straight, but rather, zig-zags like a large Z, with each leg of
the road intersecting with, and then continuing beyond, the next leg, and then
stopping
at a dead end. This design is advantageous for a few reasons: first, if someone
looks down a single leg of the road, they will see it die in a dead end some
distance ahead. The “turn off” onto the next leg is not visible
until you are almost right upon it, because of the acute angle of the turnoff.
Secondly,
these turns create many opportunities for barricades or defense concealment.
Vehicles must also make sharp turns onto each leg of the road, and thus must
slow down to a near stop, making them more vulnerable to fire at these locations.
To disguise the entrance to your road, use natural foliage. The county road near
my retreat has ditches dug on either side of it. Rather than putting a permanent
bridge or tin horn culvert, I left the ditch as it was. This provides an initial
defense, and helps disguise the entrance to casual drivers-by. Because I drive
a 4x4 vehicle, I cross this ditch by tossing large logs into the ditch, driving
over them, and then removing the logs when I leave and stashing them back in
the woods a short distance. One could also use a section of cattle-guard as
a portable bridge. Paint it camouflage and stash it back in the foliage.
To disguise the entrance further, I allowed the natural grass and weeds at
the first five feet or so of my forest road to grow as tall and thick as they
could.
I can easily drive my vehicle right over these weeds, but visually, they help
to conceal the 8 foot gap in the trees, and deter any unwanted foot-traffic.
I didn’t trim any of the tree limbs that stretched across the road (so
long as my vehicle could pass beneath them), and even used ropes to train younger
limbs to grow across the road as well. This helps to disguise the road itself
from air-traffic and satellite photos. It’s true that the limbs sometimes
fall across the road, but that just gives me an opportunity to add to my firewood
stash.
Make sure that your retreat itself doesn’t stand out too hard from the
surroundings. Paint your retreat using the colors of the surrounding area, perhaps
even in a camo scheme, and don’t forget about the roof! The roof is most
visible from the air, so take great care in painting it so that it blends.
Any outbuildings should also be disguised thusly, and some structures can merely
be covered with weather resistant camo netting. One of my past bosses lived
in
a subterranean concrete home that was visible from only one side. Three sides,
and the top of the home, appear as a natural grassy hill with small trees and
shrubs, but one side of the hill had a door and windows! This would be the
ultimate retreat home for anyone willing to invest in it, as he spent very
little on heating
and cooling the home, and never worried about tornadoes, heavy winds, or other
such destructive weather.
Remember that your clearing doesn’t need to be a pasture. My retreat
is built amongst the trees, helping to disguise it. I cut the shrubs and smaller
or dead trees out, but left the larger, aged trees behind to provide shade
and concealment. There’s plenty of room for everything I need beneath
these giants, and enough sun gets through for a variety of natural fruiting
trees,
shrubs, and wild vegetables to grow. Speaking of, make sure to plant many edibles
that naturally occur in your area and will grow without your constant attention.
My retreat features pecan trees, blackberries, wild grapes, persimmon trees,
and wild onions, and I’ll soon be adding other self-sufficient plants
to the mix.
It’s very possible that others will discover your retreat, and thus you
must take care to make sure your property is safe. Some items, such as guns,
ammunition, and other items purely stored for TEOTWAWKI can
be properly packaged and buried on site. I plan to bury such items in both
sealed ammo cans and
large rubber tubs. I also plan to build an underground brick pit, approximately
the
size of a small car, in which I can easily stash and remove large rubber tubs
full of supplies. This pit will be covered with a painted steel or aluminum
lid, and covered with a layer of soil and grass seed to disguise it. Some items,
however,
cannot be adequately hidden…such as your cabin, recreational vehicle,
or trailer. For this purpose, I once devised a cheap and simple idea to give
snoopers the
idea
that
someone
might be home. Simply hook up motion sensor lights, such as what you might
already have at home, but wire up the light inside the building, and make sure
the motion
sensors have adequate coverage of all likely areas of approach. If someone
gets too close, the lights turn on (inside your building), lighting up the
curtained/shuttered
windows and giving the appearance that someone has just turned on the lights.
This system can easily be powered with a solar 12 VDC system.
Speaking of windows, one should always use heavy shutters to cover all glass
windows on one’s
retreat. These shutters should lock from within, and the screws should not
be accessible externally. Again, if someone really wants in, they will likely
get
in, but this might be enough to deter a child looking to snoop or make some
trouble.
This setup could be utilized in other creative ways: for example, how about
a secondary motion sensor that initiates the playing of a loud recording of
a vicious
dog, snarling and growling, inside the building, or the sounds of a mountain
lion in a nearby thicket? (Thanks, Ferris Bueller.). Obviously, these “tricks” are
not a foolproof security system, but they may deter the casual local kid who
wanders upon your property – in some cases making him too fearful to
return.
« Two Letters Re: Advice on Versatile Pasture Fencing |Main| Note from JWR: »
The Summer Kitchen, by Boltlady
Reality set in when I received a copy of JWR’s novel "Patriots"
from my sister. I was hooked. I could see not only the possibility, but the
likelihood
of what could happen. The sheer realization of how pitifully unprepared I was
for any type of disaster launched me into high gear. I organized the bug-out-bags,
bought the camo & the ammo, and stocked an emergency medical kit. You know
the drill.
But now that the basic preparations are in place and the panic has subsided,
my thoughts have turned to the retreat. What does happen when the world as
we know it comes to an end? When there is no electricity and those without
solar-power are long-term without any power? Well, when the MREs are
long since gone and retreat life has become…well, life…, I envision
spending time in my summer kitchen.
The concept of the summer kitchen literally dates back a thousand years, yet
these practical outdoor kitchens are still used today all over the world. Its
purpose historically was quite simple – prepare food during warmer seasons
without heating up (or burning down) the house. However, for a retreat setting,
you could benefit greatly by expanding its duties.
Drawing upon a number of these older ideas and uses, this new summer kitchen
goes well beyond the original ‘cook-only’ area, to a multi-purpose
building that includes a smokehouse, a root-cellar, and a wood shed. Because
of the strategic importance of the kitchen, this should be one of the first
structures built in a retreat. While our family is still praying and saving
for our retreat property, the limited population in the area where we would
like to buy suggests that we will purchase land without any existing buildings.
Given the versatility of the Summer Kitchen, we could easily sustain ‘camp’ with
it on weekends while working on the rest of the property.
Whether you’re building on a distant site, or adjacent to your existing
home, careful consideration should be given to the positioning of your summer
kitchen. Choose a site that will allow a cool summer breeze to pass through
the kitchen, as well as carry away any smoke from the cook-stove.
The design I have determined to be best for my summer kitchen is a three-part
building. The center section, which houses the kitchen facilities, is approximately
20’L x 15’W, and is flanked on the right and left by a pair of
6’ x 8’ rooms. The three sections share a common wall at the back,
with the pitched (gable) roof-line over the center section rising about a foot
higher than those of the end rooms. Buried directly beneath the main kitchen
lies the root-cellar. The balance and form of the structure lends itself well
to the retreat setting. Click
here to see a drawing of this floor plan.
Materials for your Summer Kitchen should be chosen based on function – not
style. Although it is often easier to scavenge wood materials, I have chosen
to build my summer kitchen primarily out of masonry block. For me, masonry
materials are not only durable, but simple to maintain. (Note: If you have
a block manufacturing plant in your area, try contacting the manager to inquire
what they do with the seconds – that is the less than perfect, but still
perfectly usable blocks. You may be able to purchase these at a reduced price.)
The roof-line, composed of stout 2” x 6” trusses, rests upon the
block walls. Here in the Northwest, a metal roof is a must. Metal works well
to shed the often heavy snow-load in winter, and reduces the risk posed by
forest fires during dry, summer months. Topping off the roof of the summer
kitchen is a small cupola. While the cupola may appear as an unnecessary extravagance,
its true function is realized through added ventilation of heat and smoke.
Let’s take a virtual tour. You enter through symmetrically located, 36” doors
on either the front left or front right quarters of the kitchen. The large
doors provide smooth access even when carrying a sizable load. Running along
the entire length of the front wall, between the doors, is a 28” deep
counter top. All the counter tops in the Summer Kitchen are concrete. When
poured and polished, concrete counter tops are incredibly durable, surprisingly
attractive, and affordable if you do it yourself. The cupboards below store
pots and pans, dishes, and canning supplies.
At the far end of the counter, near the left-side door, there is a dumb waiter.
This pulley-driven, counter-weighted, mini elevator lifts or lowers your canned
goods, and other finished products, to and from the root-cellar for easy storage.
The box, (a 32” square, 36” high) which resembles a cupboard itself,
has a load capacity of 100 pounds, and is manually operated by a handle on
the side.
As you step through the right side door, just to your right is a wrap-around,
28” deep counter extending to the back wall and then left approximately
ten feet. Centered in the counter along the back wall is a deep, stainless
steel, double sink. The sink utilizes a high arching faucet that swivels flush
against the wall allowing easy access for even the largest items.
Food preparation and clean-up require an adequate water source. The water supply
to the sink can be provided for in several ways. Options include gravity-fed
plumbing from an external water source, or from a 55-gallon drum on a stand
outside the back wall. It may even be possible to mount the tank in the rafters
above the kitchen. Since the water tank is filled using a hand-crank transfer
pump, the positioning of the tank is quite flexible. Hot water may also be
achieved by plumbing a line from the reservoir on the wood-burning stove.
Beyond the end of the counter, in the back left corner of the main room, is
the heart of the kitchen – the wood cook-stove. It is coved in masonry
block to reduce the space required between it and the walls while minimizing
fire hazard. (You should always follow recommended clearances when fitting
your stove.)
For those of us who follow recipes with instructions like “bake at 350 degreesËš” or “simmer
over medium-heat”, cooking with wood-heat may prove to be a challenge.
For this reason your choice of cook-stove is vital. One of the best stoves
for a summer kitchen is the ‘Pioneer Maid’ wood burning stove available
at Lehmans.com.
(Situated in Amish country, Lehman’s is a fantastic
resource for functional, non-electric items.) This stove is not some dainty,
long-legged beauty meant to invoke nostalgic memories of yesteryear. This
is the workhorse of Amish country cook-stoves. With its oversized, temperature-controlled
wood box, an eleven gallon reservoir, warming oven, enameled cook-top and oven
lining, and more than half of its weight made up of stainless steel, it will
be the hardest worker you have come canning season. With all its amenities,
yet high price, a frugal builder may spend more on this stove than the entire
structure.
In the center of the kitchen you will find my beloved want-ad find – my
36” square, maple butcher’s block. This serves as the perfect prep
counter. It is well-suited for butchering small livestock or dressing out an
elk. For the retreat setting, or even your local gardening co-op, you should
prepare for a ‘canning party’ of six or more people. By forming
an assembly line of friends to complete large tasks, mundane retreat chores
should become much more bearable.
Next, there are the adjacent rooms. The room to the left, nearest the stove,
is firewood storage. A large sliding door gives easy access when putting up
wood. It will hold two to three cords of wood, cut and stacked. When the time
comes to fire-up the cook-stove, wood can be transferred to a small rack just
inside the left side door of the summer kitchen.
And on the right, we have a smokehouse, in perfect company with our kitchen.
When you enter the smokehouse through the insulated, sheet metal lined door,
you find that the interior is very simple; a concrete slab floor with a smoke
pipe in the middle, a removable workbench, a barrel of salt, and several adjustable
hangers overhead. Multiple vents are designed into the soffits surrounding
the smoke house. Extending four feet further right, and connected by a 6” concrete
pipe, you have a 30” x 36” firebox lined with firebricks. A 24” diameter
tapered concrete plug forms the lid, which forces the smoke up the pipe and
into the smokehouse.
Finally, on the backside of the building you will find the access door leading
down to the root cellar. The concrete stairs land in the middle of the room.
One side of the cellar has a poured concrete floor. The other side remains
open to the earth and is then covered with 6” of gravel. The exposed
area lends coolness to the room. Along the block walls, lining the concrete
foundation stands ample shelving for canned goods.
While I have included here a general idea of the design for my root cellar,
the subject of root cellaring would easily fill a book. Many things must be
taken into consideration regarding your particular location. Humidity, temperature,
ventilation, annual rainfall, ground water, and the types of products to be
stored, are all factors that influence the type of root cellar that would be
best for you.
Like any aspect of preparedness, if you do not plan ahead, the logistics could
be anywhere from difficult to impossible. So if you already have a retreat,
I suggest building a summer kitchen. Equip it. Practice in it. Enjoy it. When
you remember that God provides you with everything you need, self-sufficiency
is a truly fulfilling journey.
« Letter Re: Vision Care, Post-TEOTWAWKI |Main| Note from JWR: »
Letter Re: Remote Rural Retreats Versus Living in a Small Town
Dear Jim:
I found an
interesting article that argues against a remote, rural retreat for an urbanite.
He reasons:
1. local kids with time on their hands will sniff out your retreat in their
exploring
2. Any road to your place will get checked out eventually by kids, a utility
employee, a hunter, etc., etc.
3. A remote place gives a thief all the time in the world to break into a cabin
or recreational vehicle, pre-disaster.
4. When you are at a retreat, post-disaster, you are on the defense, the offense
(potential looters) gets to choose the time of attack; you are vulnerable to
long range sniping
His solution, a la Mel
Tappan, is to live in a small town and get integrated
into the local community. Your profile of buying, and growing, and helping
out locally should be high, but your wealth profile, and preparations profile
should be very low. Have lots of folks looking out for you, rather than relying
on remoteness.
For a slow slide, grid-up situation this makes a lot of sense. I question how
well this strategy would work if it is a true TEOTWAWKI situation where starvation
is widespread…
But he brings up serious issues about how to keep your retreat unmolested -
how likely is it that local kids would ignore fences? What measures can you
take to prevent burglary?
Regards, - OSOM
JWR Replies: I concur that "in town" retreats make
sense in a Grid
Up situation, where law and order are maintained and there is still
a functioning economy that keeps store shelves stocked. But in a Grid
Down societal collapse, a mutually-defended cluster of farmsteads will
probably
be
far more viable. With too many mouths to feed, even small towns may have their
citizenry
quickly
degenerate into the worst
sorts of savagery.
My position is that remote rural retreats can be quite viable, provided that:
1.) Your retreat has a full-time
caretaker for the present day circumstances
2.) Your retreat is occupied by three or more families, immediately after
the Schumer hits the fan (SHTF),
and you are prepared to man a 24/7/360 defense. (24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with full 360 degree perimeter coverage.)
For any readers that do decide to opt for "in town" retreating,
I highly recommend that
you set as key criteria a town that has reliable rainfall, preferably in a "truck
farming" region,
and
As I've stated many times, isolation just by itself will not protect
you and your family in a time of lawlessness. In Schumeresque times
it will take trustworthy friends and vigilant security to survive. I firmly
believe
that
looters will not pick
on well-defended retreats. They simply won't want to risk taking casualties.
Few would be that
suicidal.
Instead, they will prey on those that show no signs of an organized defense.
Why would
they
want
to
try cracking
a "tough nut", when they could pick on granny, down the road?
I posted the following in SurvivalBlog back in August of 2005. Since many
readers haven't worked their way through the Archives, it bears repeating:
Not everyone is suited to tackling the tasks required for self-sufficiency.
Advanced age, physical handicaps, lack of trustworthy family or friends,
or chronic health conditions could rule that out. If that is your situation,
then you will probably want to establish an inconspicuous “in town” retreat
rather than an isolated “stronghold” retreat.
If opting for “in town,” buy a masonry house with a fireproof
roof and on an oversize lot. (Make that wood frame construction
if you live in earthquake country.) Carefully select a town with a small
population—somewhere
between 1,000 and 3,000 if it has a true “end to end” gravity
fed water supply, or from 200 to 1,000 if the water system
is in any way dependent on the power grid. (The 1,000 upper limit is for
fear of sanitation problems.)
IMO,
towns any larger than 3,000 lack a cohesive sense of "our
community”,
and any town with a population smaller than 200 would lack a sufficient mix
of skills and the manpower required to mount a sufficient defense in the
event of a true “worst case.” I believe that it is best to avoid
larger towns. At some point over the 3,000 inhabitant threshold, the "we/they
paradigm" will be lacking, and in a true TEOTWAWKI it
could be every man for himself.
The late Mel Tappan wisely opined that if your house is at the end of dead
end of a road at the edge of town with no close by neighbors, then it might
just as well be five or ten miles out of town--since it will be psychologically
outside of the invisible ring of protection that will constitute “in
town.” Post-TEOTWAWKI, the “we/they” paradigm will be forcefully
if not painfully obvious. If you are “in town” you will benefit
from a de facto Neighborhood Watch on Steroids. Make sure that your
retreat is either clearly “in town”, or not. A property that
is halfway in between will have none of the advantages and all of the disadvantages.
Tappan championed the concept of “small town” retreating: owning
a mini-farm that is physically and psychologically inside of an
existing small community. This approach has several advantages. Before making
your decision, consider the following pro and con lists:
Advantages of “In Town” Retreats:
Better for a slow slide scenario or a “grid up” depression
wherein the local agricultural and industrial payrolls may still be viable.
You will be a member of the community.
You will benefit from local security arrangements.
Ready access to local barter economy.
Ready access to local skills and medical facilities.
Disadvantages of “In Town” Retreats:
Privacy is very limited. Transporting bulky logistics must
be done at odd hours to minimize observation by neighbors.
Fuel storage is severely limited. (Consult the local ordinances before you
buy a home.)
Poor sanitation in the event of “grid down” situation, unless
your town has a truly “end to end” gravity fed water system.
(More on this in a subsequent post.)
You can’t test fire and zero your guns at your own property.
You can’t set up elaborate antenna arrays or your house will look out
of place.
You can’t hunt on your own land.
You can’t keep livestock other than perhaps a few rabbits. (Consult
the local ordinances before you buy a home.)
You can’t make substantial ballistic and anti-vehicular barrier retreat
upgrades.
Greater risk of communicable diseases transmitted by casual contact.
Greater risk of burglary.
Greater risk of having your “hoarded” supplies confiscated by
bureaucrats.
Advantages of Isolated Retreats:
More room for gardening, pasturing, and for growing row crops.
Lower house and land prices. (More for your money.)
Better for a total wipeout “Grid Down” scenario when virtually
everyone will be out of work. (Hence the local payroll will be a non-issue.)
You can stock up in quantity with less fear of the watchful eyes of nosy
neighbors.
You can test fire and zero your guns at your own property.
You can build with non-traditional architecture (earth sheltered, for example.)
You can set up more elaborate antenna arrays--and other things that would
look odd in town.
Better sanitation in the event of a “grid down” situation.
You can hunt on your own land.
A place to cut your own firewood.
You can keep livestock.
You can make ballistic and anti-vehicular upgrades. (As described in my
novel "Patriots",.)
A “dog run” chain link fence around your house won’t
look too out of place.
Virtually unlimited fuel storage. (Consult your county and State laws before
ordering large gas, diesel, heating oil, and propane tanks.)
Much lower risk of communicable diseases. Particularly important in the
event of a biological warfare attack—but only if the bug is spread
person-to-person rather than airborne.
Disadvantages of Isolated Retreats:
Impossible to defend with just one family.
Cannot depend on much help from neighbors or law enforcement if your home
is attacked by looters or in the event of fire. You will likely be entirely
on your own to resolve those situations. If and when a gang of looters
arrives, it will be you or them--no second place winner.
Isolation from day-to-day barter/commerce.
A longer commute to your “day job”, shopping, and church.
A careful analysis of the preceding lists (plus specific localized considerations)
should lead you to concluding which approach is right for you, given your
family situation, your stage in life, and your own view of the potential
severity of events to come. Pray about it before making a decision of this
gravity.
These issues (and many other related ones) are discussed in my
nonfiction book "Rawles
on Retreats and Relocation"
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Letter Re: Thoughts on Static Retreat Defense
Mr Rawles,
Before I start, I must congratulate you on your remarkable and down to earth
approach to informing your audience of both the practical ins-and-outs and
theory of preparedness. I'm a mid-20s town planner with a minor in building
design, living
in Western Australia. I share many of the same concerns regarding the status
and direction of society as your audience. I came across your site in the
last four months, and have
then spent a great deal of time searching your archives. I recently ordered
your
"Rawles on Retreats and Relocation" book, and await it
eagerly. My town planning occupation has granted me various edges on location
viability, design versus
aspect, map interpretation,
cut and fill techniques, earth engineering standards and natural hazard assessment
- which I might add is imperative in initial design (landslide, flooding and
bushfire hazard) and maintenance (also very importantly for bushfire hazard).
Being a city dweller, I'm at the initial stages of designing our rural retreat,
and am meticulously working on the best design for retreat ballistic protection
(small arms) and safe and strategic return of fire in the event of TEOTWAWKI against
unwelcome and potentially harmful trespassers. I will be implementing the Vauban
principles through corner build-outs [a.k.a. corner bastions or "Cooper
Corners"] to
allow observation of all lengths and aspects of the retreat. However I'm eagerly
seeking your
opinion
on the design of the openings or 'ports' in which to station arms, observe
and return fire where necessary. The retreat walls will be steel reinforced
Besser
Block (cinder block) concrete filled (although I did watch your referenced
video on urban warfare and the effects of arms on standard building materials
- and was quite concerned), I feel concrete filled Besser block is probably
the safest option available to me in terms of funding at this point. I have
over
a thousand
sand bags to implement in the event of a worst case and consistent/prolonged
attack. So, I have a 200 mm thick wall, with an opening of any size I design.
The weapons for these build outs will be SMLEs
and other bolt action high-power rifles. I believe it is bad habit to have
a barrel extend out of an opening
for various reasons, primaries being visual detection of the defender's location,
weapon damage probability factor, and manipulation by undetected enemy at close
quarters (although retreat's [avenues of approach] observation design will
nullify the later's impacts), so therefore the weapon will be positioned back
just
behind
the wall,
however
this will limit the portal of observation given the opening would be small
to restrict incoming fire. I believe half inch steel reinforcement 'around'
these gun ports would be ideal given the position of these ports, in an unpleasant
scenario, would probably sustain significant ballistic hits in comparison to
other non-strategic defense positions. I do plan to have half inch steel slide
shutters for these openings when not in use, and for a myriad of other reasons,
however I am struggling with the setup of weapon position versus wall opening
size versus wall opening shape/design for observation and for safe return fire.
This also leaves my current design issue of 'standard window' design - for
habitable room ventilation, access to daylight and sunlight and for a 'taste
of the norm' feel. I envision half inch steel sturdy shutters welded to deliberately
exposed reinforcement of the retreat walls (as I have for the primary 'airlock'
style entry door hinges and lock studs to the retreat) is the finest option
given a SHTF scenario,
but openable on days of 'no threat'. I do however, believe it is an important
element to ensure the retreat does not feel like a jail
which, as in the event of TEOTWAWKI, would adversely impact on the retreater's
morale given the world/nation status and general situation. If you
have any information on 'standard window' design also sir, I would be most
appreciative.
In terms of retreat security, I have designed this retreat in response to the
ideals of two mindsets, 1.) myself as a defending retreat owner and 2.) myself
as an marauding woodsman intent on conquering that retreat. The latter may
sound
odd to some. However, to catch a thief, many say, is to
think like a thief. How would I disable my own retreat? Would I, if I were
the rogue woodsman, position myself in a temporary camouflaged OP and
snipe on the retreat from 300 meters at vital retreat hardware, such as downpipes
to rainwater tanks, or solar panels? Perhaps my response to that would be -
by location,
design
and security mechanisms, not allow the woodsman into those positions in the
first place, however you cannot stop all contact, as if you can view a landscape
from your retreat, someone can view your retreat from a landscape. I believe
that is how one must design a retreat or harden an existing one. The solutions
for these examples are many (internally fed downpipes, or clever roof design
and visually 'hidden' solar panels), however I believe it will come down to
thinking like the 'woodsman' to mitigate the majority of the adverse conflict
situations that may reduce the lifestyle and longevity of you and your family.
I leave you now in peace and gratitude with a many and true thanks for your
significant efforts in the survival niche, and am only certain you will have
guided many thousands to a better standard of preparedness and significant
increase
in their survivability. Thanks, - Shamus
JWR Replies: Retreat architecture and self-sufficient retreat
design involve a number of tradeoffs, including:
Security and ballistic protection versus construction expense.
Unobtrusive siting (such as behind a screen of trees) versus clear fields
of fire
Permanent security features versus aesthetic design and resale value
of
your
house
Ballistic protection versus visibility of potential attacker's approaches
Ballistic protection versus
ventilation and solar exposure (windows and PV panels)
Self-sufficiency versus security. (For example, livestock and their associated
outbuildings are
needed, yet they add complexity and some risk to defensive arrangements--most
importantly by blocking line of sight.
Tending
to livestock will necessitate greater exposure for retreat residents. The same
applies
to
gardening. A stove chimney is necessary, yet it represents an exploitable
weakness.)
Convenience versus security (A single, very stout "castle door" is
great for
security, but inconvenient in normal times. Ditto for sharp s-turns in your
lane.)
Security features versus "blending in" with the more mundane neighboring
homes
How you rectify these tradeoffs depends on a number of factors, including
your retreat locale (and the ambient population density/proximity to major
cities), how heavily manned your retreat will be, and your most likely envisioned
scenario.
I agree with your approach of laying in a large supply of sandbags. These
can be filled
and set
up in
a variety
of
configurations after times
get hostile, yet can be unobtrusively stored in the interim. (Ditto for rolls
of
razor wire
or
Concertina-type defensive
wire.) Buy plenty of extras. The excess will be ideal items for barter and
charity.
While setback from a shooting port is normally desirable, it requires a much
larger
shooting port, to avoid accidental near-muzzle bullet impacts and ricochets,
in the stress
of defensive shooting situations. My approach is to place muzzles nearly flush
with the armor plate. I've also laid in supplies of some "junk" barrels, including
some de-militarized scrap M16 barrels (complete with flash hiders) that I plan
to employ sticking out of false shooting positions, with the intent
of
having them draw fire.
I describe my standard ballistically-reinforced window and door designs in
my novel "Patriots:
Surviving the Coming Collapse".
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Notes from JWR »
After 10 Years--Some Observations and Lessons Learned by a Y2K-Era Prepper
It was June, 1998. Y2K was
a salient topic of conversation. It got my attention. When the electricity
went off and there would be no water to drink, and no
fuel to move food to the JIT grocery
stores, I could see things getting very ugly. I had been willing to fight
for this nation as a member of the US Army.
Now it was time to fight for my household. I bought a Springfield Armory
M1A. I bought a safe to store it in. I bought another M1A (for
the spousal unit of course!) I bought ammo. Lots of it. I bought gear. I
bought food.
I became awakened to the idea of being self-reliant.
That was 10 years ago. Y2K didn’t cause a global melt down. (Although
I have a friend in the service that sat in a command bunker holding his breath
at Y2K – the
government didn’t know what was going to occur.) I
have not had to live through or endure Hurricane
Katrina. No participation
in the 9/11 attacks.
In fact, I can’t claim a campaign ribbon for any
disasters. Am I upset or sorry that I have changed my life to follow a path
of self-reliance? Most definitely, absolutely not!
Let me share with you the good and the bad of what I have done in the last
ten years. So often, people new to self-reliance are like ants at the foot
of a mountain staring up with their head touching their back wondering how
in the world they will ever be able to replace modern society and be able to
take care of themselves WTSHTF.
Well, truth be told, you can’t do it
overnight unless you’re Warren Buffet. I am walking, talking living proof,
however, that you can make significant progress. Let me show you!
In order to show you that you do indeed have cause for hope, let me share
a
few of my screw-ups. How about the initial purchases I made
while in a state of “marked concern” when I became “self
aware” with
regard to self – reliance. The money I invested in self-reliance was
my spousal unit’s “down payment on a house”. Do you think
this view of “my nest” versus “the world may end” led
to some intense “discussions”? You bet your last dog flea it did.
For much of the intervening 10 years I have been the one prepping while my
wife harbored a severe grudge against the entire topic because I spent our
money for the house down payment on crazy self-reliance materials. A grade
of “F” to
me for consensus building. She is just beginning to come around in the last
two years. Poster child example of a bucket of wet sand. (If two guys fight,
they belt each other like two crazed wolverines. Eventually they realize they
were stupid for fighting, shake hands, forgive and are back to being friends.
Kinda like a cow urinating on a big flat rock – big splash and splatters,
but it dries up pretty quickly. Get in an argument with a gal and it is like
pouring water into
a bucket of sand – the surface may dry after a bit, but it stays wet
down in that bucket for a long time.)
I very religiously squirreled away Gillette Atra razors because that is what
I used each day. The handle that you click onto the blade cartridge gave up
the ghost after many years of faithful service. The stores don’t sell
them anymore! Now I have three dozen packs of five cartridges with no way to
use them to shave! Fortunately, I did find a second/spare handle in my stores
and
will
be able to use them up. Did I re-learn some valuable lessons? You bet!
Two is one, and one is none.
You need to see what you have (inventories!)
Store what you Eat/use – I did great on the cartridges, but forgot
spare handles!
In the run-up to Y2K I bought a dozen 6 volt golf cart batteries to be able to
set-up some kind of power system in the house. Great intent. No photovoltaic
panels No wiring until last year. They have been “stored” sitting
on pallets in a friends storage building for 9 years because I have not been
able to get
to the replacement power system yet. I could have used that money for a higher
priority item.
The spousal unit and I built our home last year. We did many things very right.
Some learning experiences occurred, however. Maybe chief amongst them is my
underestimation of the massiveness of the size of this endeavor! I joke with
friends about not being free from the To Do list to be able to get into trouble
for at least five years! Fix the septic pond berms. Sort out the “scrap” lumber.
Put a deck on the back of the house so the [building] code Nazis will give
us the permanent occupancy permit. Fix the leaking pressure tank in the basement.
Fix the DR
mower. Mow. Clear 30 trees dropped to get the septic pond clearance (not done
with that one yet). Cut and split and stack firewood. The list goes on. Don’t
get me wrong – I would not trade my homestead back for city living for
anything. Was I able to foresee the "second & third order effects” of
the change to a country homestead? Nope. Not even having read Backwoods Home
magazine for 8 years. Thank God I listened to my in-laws and did not try
to finish the upstairs interior construction while living downstairs!
Prior to Y2K I tried very hard to create a group. It failed in many ways. Had
Y2K caused the feared problems, we would have been road kill. Okay, we would
have been the third or fourth critter on the highway run over by life, but
we were
nowhere near ready to deal with WTSHTF/TEOTWAWKI.
The Yuppie Queen and her husband went right back to spoiling their princess/daughter,
buying Jaguars, clothes,
and hair implants. You know - living the typical American city life. The other
couple moved out onto 20 acres in a very rural county and raise goats and chickens.
I am on 20+ acres and moving in a self-reliant direction. Two out of three
ain’t
bad!
I endured the gauntlet of multiple careers trying to find a fit for who I am.
Thankfully, my spousal unit was trained well by her farmer parents. We never
carried any debt other than the mortgage. One thing we did do smart was under-buy
on our home with a condo (sixplex) in town. No car payments. No credit card
payments. We kept 3-6 months of expenses in savings. One business venture was
as a franchisee for Idiotstate. Massive mistake. Four years with no income
for me and a net loss of $60,000 overall. What preps could you get done with
an
extra $60,000? I am certainly not happy I put one in the “L” column.
I am not proud of failing. I am proud of jumping into the fight and giving
it my 110%. As they used to tell me in the military, “What an opportunity
for character building!” Learning lesson for me was that I should never
have stopped Soldiering. I simply have green blood. I have returned to the
Army by working as a tactical/leadership contractor at a nearby Fort and getting
reappointed into the National Guard. Will a deployment take me away from directly
protecting The Lovely Spousal Unit (TLSU)? Yes. Does staying employed doing
what God designed me to do mean we’ll have a steady income? Likely. Does
a pension check from age 65 on make us better able to care for ourselves? You
betcha. The world may not disintegrate in 30 days. It may actually remain fairly
normal. One has to prepare for that contingency as well.
By now you have to be thinking “What a knothead! This guy couldn’t
find his fourth point of contact if you put one hand on a cheek!” Well,
not so fast there Skippy! I have a thing or two that should go in the “W” column.
I should give you a massive dose of hope! Let me describe to you in a quick
overview where I have come to in my 10 year quest to become more self-reliant.
First, about our home…
Home
Your home is your castle, right? Well mine actually kinda is. It sets on a
chunk of land that is 20+ acres. The terrain is rolling and 95% wooded. It
butts up against a cemetery to the north, a 900+ acre conservation area to
the south, a river to the west, and a section line to the east. The home is
an Insulated Concrete Form (ICF)
structure. The walls are 1” of concrete
fake rock veneer, 2.5” of foam, 8” of reinforced concrete, 2.5” of
foam, 5/8” of sheetrock. It is “round”, being made up of
12 wall sections each 8 feet in width. Two stories with a basement. About
1,800 square feet of living space. (2,700 with the basement, however, that
area is not finished yet.) Geothermal heating/cooling and a soapstone wood
stove.
Metal roof. No carpeting – oak floors and tile. The wellhead
is inside the home so I don’t have to worry about winter breakdowns or freeze-ups,
nor losing access WTSHTF. We are running at top speed towards the 20% equity
checkpoint in order to get rid of the bankster-invented Private Mortgage Insurance
(PMI) extortion racket. (We have a credit rating of 804, so the “risk” the
bank incurs by carrying our note is a freaking joke!). It suits our lifestyle
very,
very
well. Our intent was to have a very low maintenance home. Having lived here
one year in two more weeks, it looks like we have a very big check mark in
the “W” column. More details on the design/floor plan in a future
article!
Weapons & Training
We have an M1A set-up for combat, and one set up for long-range precision work.
The Glock 21
[.45 ACP] is the base pistol for the household, with one for each of us and
a G30 [compact Glock .45 ACP] as back-up. The Lovely Spousal Unit (TLSU) doesn’t
carry a rifle or carbine, just the pistol. (More on that later.) Training for
both of us
includes Defensive
Handgun 1 and Team Tactics with Clint and Heidi Smith at Thunder Ranch. I have
also had General Purpose, Urban, and Precision Rifle with Clint. I completed
a special symposium at Gunsite (pistol, rifle, shotgun, carbine). I am an NRA Certified
pistol, rifle, and home defense instructor. I have several other weapon platforms
as a “Dan Fong” kind of guy. The two rifles with
accoutrements, and the four pistols with same were certainly not cheap. Nor
was the training. I do, however, know how to properly employ them now.
Food & Supplies
The spousal unit & I could stretch the on-hand food to cover two years.
Canned freeze dried is 45% of it, bulk buckets is 45%, and “normal use” food
is the last 10%. We have built a rolling rack set of shelves for the 3rd part
to ease rotation of the canned goods with each grocery store trip. No, I haven’t
found the secret spy decoder ring sequence on how to rotate the bulk and freeze-dried
stuff with our normal, both of us work, lifestyle. The sticking point for this
area I see is that WTSHTF, Mom & Dad in-law, Sister-in-law, Brother-in-law
with wife and two princesses (one with hubby), and my Mom & her husband
will
show up on our doorstep. That makes for an even dozen mouths to fee
Security
Now for a bit more detail. First topic up, IAW my military training, is Security.
The base of everything here is God. I have chosen to bend my knee to Jesus
Christ as my Lord and Savior. I can amass all the weapons, ammo, food and “stuff” you
can imagine, but He is the one ultimately in charge. I am charged to be a prudent
steward of His possessions - my family, property, vehicles, food, weapons,
ammo, etc.. I am definitely striving to be the ant storing things for the winter.
If you ain’t right in this area, it will really matter in eternity.
Part of your security is weapons. There are sheeple, wolves, and sheepdogs.
I am definitely in the 3rd category. In today’s world your “teeth” are
your firearms. I plan from a Boston T. Party paradigm of having a battle rifle.
Hence, the M1A. Were I starting over today, I would likely go with a FAL, but
now "I will dance with the one that brung me". Or maybe just accept the brilliance
of the M1
Garand at $620 delivered to your doorstep from the Civilian Marksmanship
Program (CMP).
I do have two of these. Hard to argue with .30-06 ball. I renovate Mausers
as my hobby and so have a .35 WAI scout rifle. A second one in the
more common 7.62x51 chambering is in work now. I laos have a Mossberg 835 [riotgun],
two Ruger 10/22s (one blued, one stainless), Ruger MKII stainless .22 LR pistol,
S&W
625 pistol in .45 ACP/.45
Auto Rim, a few Enfields, and a couple of Mosin-Nagants round out the field.
Let me detail for you the path to get to the Glocks. I think it may save you
some of your money. I received a Colt Gold Cup [M1911]
.45 ACP pistol from my Dad as a graduation gift from the Hudson Home For Boys
[aka USMA West Point].
Great
intent. A weapon as a gift – how can you ever be wrong in doing this?!
However, a terrible choice as a combat weapon. The Gold Cup is a target pistol.
Tight
tolerances.
Feeds only hardball, and that can be tenuous proposition. I carried it on the
East-West German border leading patrols. The rear sight broke twice. The front
sight shot off once and tore off twice. It was a jammomatic. I hated it. Sold
it to a guy that wanted to target shoot.
Took that money and bought a stainless Ruger P90DC. Sack of hammers tough.
always goes bang when you pull the trigger. Inexpensive as far as handguns
go. After some marked de-horning, you could even make it run in a fight without
shredding you at the same time. One marked problem. Two [different weight]
trigger pulls [for first round double action versus subsequent round single
action.]. This started to teach me to throw the muzzle down as I pulled the
trigger in
double
action.
This nasty habit caused a problem when you were firing the 2nd through X rounds,
as now it operates as a single action. TLSU had a heck of a time with it at
Thunder Ranch. Clint loaned her his G21. No more trigger problems.
Still bowing at the altar of the 1911, I bought a Kimber Compact to carry instead
of the Ruger. (I still have the Ruger – it is still “the gun that
my Dad gave me” and no one buys the P90 used for anywhere near it’s
initial cost, so I can’t sell it without taking a significant bath on
it.) The Kimber was going well. Then I got a little too aggressive at slamming
magazines home in the shortened grip and jammed it. Then the recoil rod unscrewed
itself during an IPSC run
and seized the gun while messing up the trigger. Off to Kimber. Free warranty
work and 48 hours without my self-defense pistol.
Now I have no confidence in the pistol. I Loc-Tite’d the recoil rod
and staked it so it wouldn’t come undone again. Then I sold it.
Glocks cost roughly one-half of what a Kimber does. Crummy factory sights,
but all my pistols wear tritium anyway. No ambidextrous safety required. My
short fingers are
mated to big palms, so I can handle the grip. TLSU has been trained on the
Glock Model 21 (G21). It ain’t an issue of psychological derangement
like many guys get about their 1911/Glock/H&K/Springfield, but it is a
comfortable and working relationship between Glock & I. I have a G21 and
a G30 for both of us. They always go bang accurately and they have never rusted.
I am
not
pleased
with Gaston [Glock]’s refusal to take responsibility for any mistakes
they make in manufacturing. No problems with the G21 however. A pistol is what
you
use
to fight your way back to your rifle, which you shouldn’t have laid down
in the first place.
M1As hit my safe because it is what I knew from the service. They also fire
a full power cartridge, 7.62x51. It makes cover into concealment. I don’t
have the other 10 guys in an infantry squad fighting with me so I can maneuver
under their covering fire. I have to hit the bad guy with a powerful blow once
and move on to the next wolf/bad guy. Mouse guns firing rabbit rounds don’t
scratch that itch for me. To each his own. My two are old enough to have USGI
parts and good quality control. Here are the mods I made to my “combat” M1A.
Maybe they will help you:
Krylon paint job to disrupt the "big black stick" look
M60 [padded] sling
Front sight filed down so that zero is achieved with the rear sight bottomed
out
Handguard ventilated
National Match trigger group, barrel, and sights (came as a “Loaded” package
from Springfield)
Rear aperture drilled out to make it a ghost ring
Skate board tape on slick metal butt plate
For the “Surgical” M1A (it shoots1/2 minute when I do my part):
National Match loaded package
Trigger assembly additionally tuned at factory
Unitized gas system
Factory bedded
Stainless barrel
Swan rings and QD bases
Leupold M3 3.5-10x40 scope
Handmade leather cheekrest
Other weapons - I have two M1
Garands. Both were bought from the CMP. One
is stored offsite with a "Bug-In Bag" (BIB). One is a Danish return, less
wood, that I re-stocked. TLSU has claimed this one as hers. Ammo from the CMP
is
cheaper
than any
other cartridge out there, save the communist surplus stuff. An M1917 Enfield
(also
from CMP) is in the safe, along with a 2A, a #3, and a #4. A VZ24 is stored
offsite. The first Mauser I renovated is sitting there as an additional .30-06
with a Trijicon 3-9x40 tritium-lit scope. A Remington 700 with Leupold VX-II
scope is in the safe, but likely to be sold soon. A Mosin-Nagant (M44 or
M38) ride in each vehicle.
I formerly had [Ruger] Mini-30s. I could never find any 20 or 30 round magazines
that would function reliably. I sold them and got SKS carbines. When I quit
holding out
for TLSU to become a Warrior and carry one, I sold them off to fund other
toys. I am pondering the purchase of an AK folder because it is a sack of
hammers
tough and can be transported discretely. I don’t know if I have ever
come out on the positive side when selling a gun. Now I have to re-buy an
AR-15 to have one for training purposes. The SKSs could be useful for arming
the
family showing up on your doorstep. Hindsight being 20/20, I would caution
against selling any gun you buy. (The 700 mentioned above is a 2nd precision
weapon and I have no AK to train with. Still deciding.)
Ammo is required to feed these weapons. I have over 10,000 rounds of 7.62x51.
I have over 10,000 rounds of .22 LR. No, I don’t think these amounts
are enough. Now that the costs of ammo have risen to heart stopping levels,
I really don’t feel like I bought enough in the past!
I need to plus up the quantities/smatterings of other cartridges that I have
like .30-30 Winchester, .270 Winchester,
.40 S&W.
The location of my home is the best I could get balancing competing requirements.
It is as far from the city as we can get and still stomach the drive to work.
It is between two major line of drift corridors – 12 miles to the major
one, 8 miles to the secondary one. It is bordered by neighbors on only one
side. The folks in the cemetery don’t say much. The critters in the
wildlife area are more vocal - the ducks, turkeys, geese, hoot owls, loons,
coyotes
sound off regularly. We don’t mind. About 95% of the property is wooded.
A few hickory, lots of oak. walnut, (unfortunately) locust trees are all
there.
The local river comes out of it’s banks about every other year and
blocks our driveway for several days, but never comes near the house. The
German Shorthair
is long in the tooth for security, but she is there. A new pup is in the
pipeline.
I would feel a great deal more secure if the homestead was picked up and
dropped into Idaho or Alaska. It is about as good as we can do, though, staying
near
a major city so we can have decent paying jobs. There are some improvements
we can make though. I just bought a weather alert radio from Cabela’s
today. Tough to hear tornado sirens when you live miles away and have 1 foot
thick walls! We need a driveway monitor/alarm. Again, the superior insulation
of
the walls means we hear nothing outside. I can see the utility
of sandbags if things got really ugly. Some more land line communication
assets would be
useful. I think an AR-15 for training people would be useful, as would an
AK. Overall, I think we have done pretty well in the security arena.
Our Home
We started the 10 years in a condo. It was part of a six-plex set on a small
pond. I hate Homeowner’s Associations and their covenants! We could afford
the mortgage on one of our two paychecks. Good thing! I didn’t get a
paycheck for four years. We scraped by. Two years after re-entering the job
market we built our house. We worked on the plans for five years. Beware! Finding
a property piece and building a non-shoebox home on it is not for the feint
of
heart!
You effectively are funding the construction of a mini town. You build and
maintain mini roads (your driveway). You must build and maintain a mini sewage
plant (Your septic system/pond). You must build and maintain a mini water plant.
(Your well.) You must perform mowing and tree removal for the mini parks of
your town (Your “yard”/acreage). I will write a separate article
detailing our construction woes.
Let me highlight some of the self-reliant features of the house for you. We
did not want to spend a constant stream of Federal Reserve Notes [FRNs]on
maintenance. We used insulated concrete form (ICF) construction for the structural
strength
and the energy efficiency. The metal roof should outlast us. The geothermal
and
the
R-50 walls
of the
ICF are paying us back the initial investment in construction costs. We opted
for no carpeting due to the track in mud nature of the property, having a dog,
and me having allergies. Wood and tile floors don’t hold dirt like carpets
do. Less fire hazard as well. We used commercial steel doors for the exterior
and security-need spots. They have ASSA
[high security] locks. They have peepholes.
The basement has a 10’ square root cellar for the storage of canned produce
from the garden. It also has a safe room/shelter. 12” of concrete overhead.
The well head is enclosed in it. Land line telephone and power service into
it via buried lines. Food stored in it. DC wiring
in place to the attic for when we get to the photovoltaic [PV]
system. We also ran DC wires to each room in the house for the use of LED lighting
off of a battery system. The soapstone
wood
stove
augments the electrically driven geothermal. (In spite of several damaging
thunderstorms this past year, we have not lost power so far – great job
juice Coop!)
The stairwell was kicked out onto the W/NW of the house. This shields the house
from the hottest part of the day’s sunlight, and the coldest winter winds.
We made the stairwell an extra foot wide. What a huge nice difference that
foot makes to walking up and down each day, not to mention moving stuff up
or down them! The mud porch/entry was set up for coming in with muddy boots,
or for snow covered coats. We should have made it 1’ wider, as it can
be a little tight. The bench is great for donning/doffing boots. The tile is
easy to clean the muddy paw prints, human or canine, off of.
Windows were one of the few areas that caused some fireworks. TLSU wanted a
green house in order to take advantage of the great view of the property. I
wanted firing ports to defend against mutant zombie hordes. I am still hugely
uncomfortable with the nakedness the windows leave us with. Yes the view is
great, but what about when we experience incoming rounds, or more mundanely,
when someone comes out to the property while we are away from the house all
day at work and they help themselves to our stuff? Some relief is in sight,
however. We are pricing Shattergard vinyl film for the ground floor windows.
Things That are Still Need on the Home
The great thing about the R-50 ICF walls is that they are R-50 and pretty tough.
The bad thing is that they are R-50 and pretty tough. We can’t hear anything without
a door or window being open. Hence the just purchased weather alert radio for
us from Cabela’s this week. It is kind of eerie waking up at
0200 hours and having no idea if the thunderstorm is just a thunderstorm or
if it is a tornado. The television is useless when the rain is so heavy that
the dish won’t get a signal. With regard to 2-legged varmints, a driveway
MURS Alert
system is on the purchase list as we have had multiple invited guests show
up, beat on the front door, and have to walk around to the living room
windows to get our attention so they can be let inside. Okay for invited guests – certainly
too close for uninvited varmints!
The entry hallway was one of TLSU’s “must haves” in the house
layout. It has worked out well in terms of traffic flow and such. The security
door at the foot of the stairs is a tough choke point to deal with at 0500
in the dark. No light installed there means nothing is visible through the
peephole.
I will have to install a camera and/or light so I don’t open it to let
the dog out in the morning and get rushed by 2-legged varmints.
So far, the only commo needs are between myself and TLSU. When the sister-in-law,
brother-in-law, parents-in-law and my Mom show up and we start pulling
security, we will need to be able
to talk more. I have an old set of TA-312 [field telephone]s and wire for the
primary LP/OP,
but obviously will need more in this area. Just not a sexy/fun area to spend
FRNs on for a combat arms kinda guy, but I am working on the self-discipline
needed.
We did look ahead and sink the FRNs into running 12V wires in the home for
future installation of PV panels and batteries. Obviously things like the Shattergard
film, more food, more Band-aids, etc., are of a higher priority though. We
are working our tails off to reach the 20% equity mark to get rid of the PMI
extortion as well. I still have an ASSA lock to install on the shelter door,
and one to put into the basement door. Other projected door enhancements include
armor plates for the front, outside basement, shelter, and outside storage
doors. There just never seems to be enough $ to go around, does there?
The other major source of fireworks during the home design/build was on-demand
water heaters. Having taken a 30 minute hot shower with one in Germany for
5 marks while on an FTX, I well understand what a brilliant piece of technology
they are. TLSU, having never been outside of CONUS cannot give up on the electric
water heater. She still doesn’t believe that the electricity will ever
go out for more than an hour or two. Wouldn’t it be great to be able
to draw hot water at the kitchen sink, and take a hot shower from a propane
fired on-demand heater? She doesn’t get it yet. Obviously not something
to break up a marriage over. We really did very well on the whole house building
thing. The opposite of what everyone warned us about. I am pretty proud of
that performance!
Food
We started a garden this spring. So far, it is an endeavor run by TLSU. Spinach,
onions, carrots, lettuce, potatoes, beets, and some herbs. I have not been
able to convince her to expand the size. She wants to learn in steps and I
am the whacko that orders 100 seedlings at a time from the conservation department,
which then overwhelms us in the planting department. For example, the first
iteration of this tree-planting endeavor, we got them the Thursday before Easter
weekend. Friday night and all day Saturday we planted our buns off. TLSU was
indeed a great Trooper about it, planting right along with me. Sunday was spent
at church
and pigging out at family’s homes for Easter. Monday I had shoulder surgery
to grind off bone spurs and remove cartilage chips. Too much, too fast. But
at 7 FRNs per 12 seedlings, how can you argue? I have to admit though, that
after two years of the 100 seedlings, I am ready to give it a rest. This year
we settled for seven apple saplings. Initial inspection of the cherry, pecan,
oak, walnut and persimmon seedlings around the house reveals about an 80% survival
rate. Only another 10 years and we will be getting food from them!
The initial freeze dried and bulk storage food needs to be rotated. Anyone
figured out how to do this kind of at home cooking when the two of you work?
The canned/”normal” food is now being rotated with each grocery
store trip. We have canning jars for this year’s veggies and the root
cellar has a robust collection of shelves to store them on. How much is enough?
I
don’t know. Four geographically separate and secure stashes of three
year’s
worth of food for all of the family? Who knows!?
Medical
I have Boo-boo kits just about everywhere now. You know, the band-aid and antibiotic
salve with ibuprofen kit that handles 90% of life’s issues in this area.
Now comes the high-dollar investment stuff. The combat blow-out packs for gunshot
wounds or serious car wrecks. I did go along on a buying trip to a medical
warehouse and got some catheters, sutures, gauze pads, etc.. I did get in on
the last great iodine buy before our loving big brother government banned the
sale of iodine to us mere citizens. (It is a stewable ingredient to make drugs,
you know – “we must deprive/punish all to protect you from a few.
Oh, well, you don’t need to be able to sterilize water anyway – we’ll
take care of you on that too….”)
TLSU and I eat very healthy food – locally raised beef with no antibiotics
or growth hormones. No growth hormone dairy products from a local dairy. Spinach
from the garden. There are sugar detectors on the doors. Also, no chips allowed.
We get to the dentist regularly. We both do Physical Training (PT)
. She jogs 3 miles, 3-4 times per week. I run over lunch at work about 4 miles,
4-5 times
per week
and
lift
weights twice per week.
“Needed Still” list includes: Blow out kits, more bandages, more
hospital type stuff, more medicines, syrup of ipecac, more antibiotics, more
feminine
stuff (think of a vaginal yeast infection with no drug store open), drinking
alcohol, poison Ivy soap and remedies, athlete’s foot cream, more baby
wipes, more hand sanitizer, all forms of baby stuff, get the bone spur ground
smooth in my other shoulder and the cartilage chips taken out, get rid of the
cat (allergies).
Vehicles
We still have the same vehicles we had in 2001. A 1998 Toyota Corolla bought
with 30,000 miles, and a 1999 Ford Explorer bought with 45,000 miles. Both
were
paid in full when bought. Both avoided the 25% loss of value when driving a
new car off the lot. The Corolla gets 37 MPG.
I hate it. Every bit of plastic on it has broken – the car door locking
mechanisms, the trunk lock, the ventilation system fan. It gets 37 MPG. I can’t
find anything to touch that. The Ford is too big to get decent mileage, and
too small to really be
a useful truck. It is paid for and has AWD/4WD.
It always starts. Both vehicles have BIBs and gas masks in them. Both have
trunk guns. Both have roadside gear
to help ourselves out of a jam. We are saving for the replacement of them both.
We are going to be saving for quite a while. We need more cash in the BIBs
and Bug Out Bags (BOBs)
All of the preps in this section were done via Cabela points. I bought gas
and paid for business expenses - everything I could pay for with a credit card
was paid for with the Cabela’s credit card. You get points at some sickening
rate of $.01/FRN spent, $.02/FRN in the store. However, when you buy $6-8,000/month
of stuff between personal and business stuff, it adds up! The gear for the
BOBs & BIBs, weapons gear and parts – a significant percentage – 85%+
- came from Cabela [credit card bonus] points. When I got birthday or Christmas
monetary gifts I spent them on self-reliance items. We did this never incurring
any
interest
penalties because we zero the balance out each month. Our BOBs are set-up to
sustain us for 10 days. They are packed in Cabela’s wet bags for load
out in five minutes. Originally I sought to wear a tactical vest and ruck.
After two unsuccessful winter BOB campouts where I could barely waddle one
mile with
both of them on at the same time, I dropped the vest. TLSU’s back is
in tough shape due to scoliosis, so she is not humping any mammoth rucks with
the extra three mortar rounds and can of 7.62 linked. We also decided that
the G21 was what she could carry and dropped the SKS and chest pouches of 10
round stripper clips. Her ruck is a Camelback Commander. That is as big of
a ruck as she can hope to carry without killing her back. We are not leaving
home to go on a combat patrol in Hit or Fallujah. We are fleeing some kind
danger and have every intention of avoiding additional entanglements, to include
government hospitality suites in stadiums.
The Lovely Spousal Unit (TLSU)
I started self-reliance the wrong way. No consensus development. I saw a danger
and acted. I am a male/sheepdog/warrior type. I am not sure that I could have
ever persuaded her to participate in any meaningful manner before Y2K. She
has only recently begun to do so after eight years of seeing me provide for
and protect her. I was, however, stubborn/strong enough to do what I thought
was
the right thing and to heck with what was popular. Most “males” check
their gender specific anatomical gear at the wedding alter and continue on
in sheeple status. I get that females are the nurturers. I get that they work
from an emotional starting point, not logical. Not wanting the tornado to destroy
the house or the hurricane to wreck your and the adjoining three counties is,
at best, the French method of addressing life. TLSU is finally helping me to
rotate food via the grocery store purchases. She no longer rolls her eyes or
sighs disgustedly when I spend my Cabela points to buy gear. Once I explained
to her that I was planning to shelter and feed her parents and siblings and
that our one year of food wasn’t going to feed all of them for very long,
she started to get on board. She even likes spending the points off of her
Cabela’s card now. She is running 3-4 times per week and gets some PT
from work outside in the garden. She has come a long way. As best as I can
tell, she will not ever be a warrior. We have come a substantial distance from
sleeping on the couch each time a self-reliance topic hits the table of discussion
though. A definite and growing check mark in the “W” column!
Skills
Skills that I have acquired:
Rifles – renovating Mausers and training at Thunder Ranch helps
your ability to use these tools immensely.
Soldering – fixing plumbing leaks myself vs. paying a plumber $200
to show up and start billing me for work
Building – I invested 13 full work weeks of time during the building
of our home helping the contractor. Some of it was the nubby work of cleaning
up the scrap and sawdust. Some of it was banging in joist hangers. I laid
all the tile and 95% of the wood flooring in the house.
Fix-it – the DR Brush mower has long passed it’s warranty
period and while performing quite admirably, does need attention every now
and then.
The 1974 F100 demands attention regularly. Each of these repair work challenges
teaches me a little more about mechanical items and taking care of things
myself.
Sewing – Yes, my dear Grandmother taught me to sew buttons, and
my Mom taught me to survival sew/repair things. A 1960 gear driven Singer sews
nylon
gear though!; )
Skills still needed:
More First Aid – it appears that a first responder or wilderness 1st
aid course may be in the cards for this year.
More Hand to Hand – my goals and objectives list has had this goal
on it for several years. Good news – I got started on knocking it off the
list. Bad news, it revealed an “old man” shortcoming in my shoulder.
Good news, I am getting the shoulder fixed (hopefully) during “normal” times
versus after Schumerization. I just may get ambushed and not have my trusty
M1A in hand. Having unarmed defense skills means never having to be a steak
dinner/victim.
More riflesmithing – each birthday or Christmas gift of money has
been partially apportioned to the purchase of gunsmithing tooling. I need more
practice
with the tools I have. I still need more tooling. I recently secured Parkerizing
gear, but have not gotten the metal stands for the tanks built. Still,
progress is progress and I can already do more to maintain weapons than
95% of the
population.
Knife making – I just cringe at the idea of spending $300 for top
quality knives. CRKT is my friend. Even better is learning to assemble the
scales and
blank myself. Eventually, knowing how to forge blanks myself would be useful.
Mill lumber – with 95% of my property wooded, I have the material
to be self-reliant with regard to my lumber needs. I need a way to saw the
tree into lumber though. First, the mill, then the skill to use it. Then
I have
the gear to diversify my income and help others.
Have I always done the smartest thing? Absolutely not! Much to the crazed
satisfaction of a former operator buddy, I have cycled through the “best/high
dollar” gear
approach to the “sack of hammers USGI/AK” school of self-reliance.
Don’t get me wrong – I ain’t surrendering my Kifaru rucks
anytime soon! However, there were a great number of FRNs spent on those self-reliance
tuition payments! Have I learned a lot? Absolutely, yes! Am
I better able to maintain my independence and protect and provide for my
family? Absolutely,
yes! Could you do better than I did? Good chance. Have you
done as much as I have in the last 10 years? Only your freedom, loved ones,
and the quality
of your life post-TEOTWAWKI depend on the answer to that one.
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Letter Re: The Northwestern US as a Retreat Locale--the Downwind Issues
Hello;
We are on board with what is coming. Regarding location, my concern for
the Idaho and Montana areas are the Yellowstone
caldera - should it have a
massive
eruption and being downwind from the Seattle area should there be a nuke attack
there. What are your thoughts, please? Thank you - John
JWR Replies: All of Idaho is upwind of Yellowstone except for during the most unusual weather conditions.
Ditto for any parts of Montana where you would likely want to live. This is
because anywhere that is east (downwind) of Yellowstone is
also potentially downwind
of the Montana missile fields. (Headquartered at Malmstrom Air Force Base
near Great Falls, but dispersed across an area of several hundred square miles.).
As for your mention of the anticipated fallout from targets like Seattle and
Bremerton, essentially the only portion
of the continental US that is not downwind of a potential nuclear target is
California's
northern
coast (from Mendocino County northward), and southwestern Oregon. And even people
living there have to worry about residual fallout from nuclear strikes in Asia.
The bottom line is that every family in the US should have a fallout
shelter. And some families that live near anticipated nuclear targets need
a combination fallout and blast shelter.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Four Letters Re: Advanced Medical Training and Facilities for Retreat Groups »
Letter Re: EcoBeam Construction for Ballistic Protection
Hi Mr. Rawles,
I read your reply reharding "EcoBeam Construction for Ballistic Protection".
Three years ago, a friend of mine and I shot
a concrete wall until we made a nice size hole in it. This was just to
see how much small arms fire it could take. [We used handguns.] Here is a web
page
I made
about
it with photos.
Readers will get a idea what you meant about sand and and gravel being better
at stopping small arms fire than even reinforced concrete.
Take care, - Wes
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Letter Re: Advanced Medical Training and Facilities for Retreat Groups
Mr. Rawles,
Last month I wrote to SurvivalBlog about what do one would do medically in
TEOTWAWKI, when
all systems are down. I had received three very good replies, and have
ben thinking about what was said. I want to thank those people for their valued
replies. Now, I have more questions and concerns.
From what I've read concerning medical advice leaves me wondering.
All of the advice given has stated to get a good quality Field Surgical Kit,
and two books: "Emergency War Surgery"; and, "Where there is no Doctor". Then
these articles went on to [imply that] when a medical emergency arises, grab
your surgical
kit and the Emergency War Surgery Manual, and handle the situation. This is
where I am concerned.
First: The human body is not like the family car. Both are made up of many
complex parts that must work together to provide transportation, in the sense
of a car, and life, in the sense of the human body. There are numerous maintenance
manuals for the car, and the repair of your auto can be learned in a short
time. However, This is not the case for the human body. The human body is composed
of many systems, that are inter-related. It takes a highly trained individual
to repair us, and sometimes, complex medical instruments to help him do his
job. The skills are not learned over night or in the quietness of your family
room. They must be used and practiced on a continual basis in order to do the
job properly. Anyone that says he can operate on a human being with a Field
Surgical Kit in one hand and an Emergency War Surgery Manual in the other,
in my humble opinion is wrong! This individual is about to break the Cardinal
Rule of Medicine: First, "Do Thy Patient No Harm!"
Second: For those either setting up a retreat or are already living with theirs,
I ask this question: Are you prepared for medical emergencies? I'm talking
about a specific area for treatment (i.e. disease and trauma)? If you do not,
then now is the time to prepare for that need. A treatment facility need not
be very large--about the size of a two-car garage. Inside this structure would
be an operating suite, intensive care unit for two patients, and a small laboratory.
You will need specialized training to utilize each area. You can add wind or
solar power systems, running water, or whatever you feel is necessary. It takes
a lot of work and effort to build something like this. It will also be expensive
to supply the right equipment.
Third: If you are a member of a group, you may be in a better position to set
up a treatment facility, and to find a General Practitioner Physician/Surgeon.
Finding such an individual is like having gold in hand. This individual would
be the most important member of your group. He would take care of all the aches,
pains, sniffles and sneezes.
Think about these things and give me your feedback. It will be valuable information
to all the readers. In advance I want to thank you for your replies. - DS in
Wisconsin
Not every retreat group is blessed with finding a doctor to be part of their
group. In the absence of a doctor, I recommend that at least one group member
get EMT training.
This is best accomplished by volunteering with your local Emergency Medical
Service. These are usually paid positions, so the pay offsets
the training expenses.
JWR Replies: Regardless of whether or not your group has
a medical professional,
I recommend that all adult group members get as much training as time
allows. Start out by taking the Red Cross basic and advanced courses and their CPR course.
Then take the field medic course offered by Medical
Corps. Several SurvivalBlog readers have taken this course, and they all
have all commented to me about how impressed with their training. In fact,
one of our readers from Hawaii flew all the way to Ohio to take this course,
and he reported that it was worth the expense. Their upcoming class
(May, 2008) is full, but get on the waiting list for the next one.
I also
recommend the Practical Medical Course taught by the Western
Rifle Shooters Association. (This course is subtitled: "Field Expedient
Medical Care for Outdoorsmen in Austere Environments.") Coincidentally, they
have one scheduled for May 16-17-18, 2008 in Brookings, Oregon.
Check their web site regularly, for announcements of other course dates and
locations. This modestly-priced training, led by an Emergency Room doctor with
35 years of experience,
will teach you many
things that the Red Cross doesn't teach you!
For example, their classes place an emphasis on treating gunshot wounds.
Only the largest and best-financed groups could afford to set up a surgery
suite and lab like you described. It is a worthy goal. But keep in mind that
even modest medical training, instruments, facilities, and logistics are better
than no preparation--which sadly is the state of 98% of American families.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: Ropes and Knot Tying »
Letter Re: EcoBeam Construction for Ballistic Protection
Mr. Rawles,
I recently stumbled upon a magazine article highlighting a new home construction
technique for people living in some of the most impoverished lands of Africa.
It's called EcoBeam.
The system uses very little lumber or concrete and gains most of it's structural
support from sandbags. Since the walls are essentially stacks of sand bags
it has great
mass (read: it will hold up in adverse weather conditions - doesn't require
a foundation) and has anti-ballistic properties. Since the bulk of the structure
is sand and sand bags little if any heavy equipment is needed to build it .
In fact, no power tools would even be required as evidenced by the
test structures being built in Africa right now.
See this site: EcoBuildTechnologies.com
Vertical i-beams made of wood and a metal zigzag web in middle are used to "stick
build" the frame using what looks like approximately 36-to-48" centers
(or what looks like 2 , 3, or 4 sandbag [width]s.) Sand bags are filled and
stacked in
the space between the beams. The whole assembly is then covered with a mesh
or
expanded metal mesh and plastered. North Americans, having far more lumber
resources, could probably substitute this wood/metal I-beam for some pre-fabbed
plywood I-beams commonly used as floor joists in modern home construction.
This might make for a great construction technique for building retreats in
remote or low access regions or as a method of construction for support structures
like observation/listening posts, etc. I could envision the integration of
indigenous stone, soil, brush, etc. on the plaster coating to aid in camouflaging
the structure. The other great benefit to the system is it's thermal properties.
It retains heat and cold quite well.
I hope this serves as some benefit to the community. Thanks for bringing us
all together. - Tanker
JWR Replies : For many years I've been a
fan of Earthship
construction, (compressed soil-filled tires) which has many
of the same attributes a the new EcoBeam method. Sand and and gravel are better
at stopping small arms
fire
than even
reinforced
concrete.
This is because they shift and refill voids after they are created by bullet
strikes. From a practical standpoint nothing stops bullets better!
Keep in mind one important proviso: Beware of any unreinforced
construction method, especially in earthquake country. You will recall from
news stories about earthquakes in many Asian countries that they have high
death
tolls.
This is often because in many impoverished countries metal reinforcement ("re-bar")
is omitted, to reduce construction costs. In an earthquake, such buildings
just
collapse. Sandbag construction and Earthships must be
reinforced. This is best accomplished by placing re-bar vertically on two-foot
(or narrower) centers through the wall stacks, making sure
that the top of each piece
of re-bar passes through a wood top sill, or that it is at least firmly wired
in place.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Christianity and Physical Preparedness »
From David in Israel: Peace Corps Remote Area Development Guide Available Online
I have finally found one of my favorite books available as a PDF. This
Peace Corps Remote Areas Development Guide is just what anyone would
need to jump start a agricultural settlement and
everything else the small town would need.
Unfortunately the [photo reproduction] quality [of the PDF file] is low, I
have packed my hard copy of this practical pocket guide with me for many years
from
my
college
Bugout
Bag
to
here in Israel.
« Letter Re: Do It Yourself Coffee Roasting |Main| Note from JWR: »
Letter Re: Retreat Locales in the Eastern United States
Mr. Rawles:
I see that [in your Recommended
Retreat Areas page] you only list information
for retreat selection in 19 western states. Do you not think other states are
worthy
of
retreat locations?
We live on 300 acres in southwestern Missouri (Polks County). Not totally ideal
I am sure, but it is home, children and grandchildren are here and more over
we
feel placed here by our Lord over 35 years ago.
I would be very interested in hearing your thoughts pro/con on the state
of Missouri so that we might be better prepared. -- Paulette
JWR Replies: I consider Missouri marginal as a retreat locale,
primarily because of it population density. The state of Missouri is on the
safer (lower population density) side of the
Mississippi River but it is still
far from ideal, since the state is bisected by the
Missouri River and the dramatic
drop in US population density is west of
the Missouri. (As I will discuss later in this reply.)
My choice of reviewing retreat
locales
in just 19 western
states has been discussed
a
few times before
in
SurvivalBlog, but for the benefit of the
many
newcomers, I will reiterate:
After much consideration, all of the eastern
states were intentionally excluded for my recommendations because
they are all either downwind of nuclear targets and/or are in areas with
excessive population density. This wasn't just the result of subjective
bias. I try
to use the dispassionate mindset of an actuarial accountant.
Take a look at The
Lights of the U.S. photo
maps.
These montages of satellite photos make it clear that most of America's population
is east of the Missouri River and is highly urbanized.The population density
of the U.S. is dramatically lower in the west. In troubled
times fewer people means fewer problems. In the event of a social upheaval,
being west of the Missouri River will mean a statistically much lower chance
of coming face to face with lawless rioters
or looters When The Schumer Hits The Fan (WTSHTF).
The other startling thing you will notice when looking at the Lights photo montage
is that even in the western states, Americans live in a highly urbanized society.
Roughly 90% of the population is crammed into 5% of the land area, mostly
within
50 miles of the coast. But there are large patches of the west where there are
virtually no lights at all--particularly in the Great Basin region that extends
from the back side of the Sierra Nevada mountains to Utah and Eastern Oregon.
The average population density in this region is less than two people per square
mile.
As an example of the low population density in the west, I often like to cite
Idaho County, Idaho: This one county measures 8,485 square miles--bigger than
Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. But it has a population of just 15,400.
And of those residents, roughly 3,300 people live in Grangeville, the county
seat. Who lives in the rest of the County? Nary a soul. There are far more deer
and elk than there are people. The population density of the county is 1.8 people
per square mile. The county has more than three million acres of U.S. Forest
Service
land, BLM land, and designated Federal
wilderness areas. Now that is elbow room!
The northeastern states depend on nuclear power plants for 47% of their electricity.
South Carolina is similarly dependent. This is an unacceptable level of high
technology systems dependence, particularly in light of the emerging terrorist
threat. You must also consider that virtually all of the eastern states are
downwind of major nuclear targets. In a full
scale exchange, the eastern US would be a bad place to be. See the target
lists, fallout projections, and other data at Richard Fleetwood's excellent SurvivalRing
web site. Not only are there lots of nuclear targets in the east, but easterners
will also get considerable additional fallout carried on the winds from
strikes farther west--including SAC bomber
bases, the strategic missile fields (in Montana, the Dakotas, and northern
Colorado), Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado), Offutt AFB (Nebraska),
and others. The majority of the military targets are expected to be hit with ground
bursts, which are the type that produce fallout. Because of the Coriolis
Effect, the prevailing winds in most of the United States are from west
to east, so the farther east you live, the greater the accumulated fallout
that you are likely to receive. Sorry!
My general advice for easterners: If for one reason or another you are stuck
in the northeast, then consider New Hampshire or Vermont. They are both gun
friendly and
have more
self-sufficient
lifestyle. But unless you have some compelling reason to stay in the East,
I most strongly encourage you to Go West!
With all that said, there are some areas in the eastern US that will
be safer than others (like parts of Tennessee and Maine), and there are
ways
to mitigate the risks that I mentioned.:
Risk Mitigation
The
risk posed by the higher population density of the eastern states can
be mitigated by both carefully choosing your retreat property (look for bypassed
areas that are far from "channelized
areas" and lines of drift") and by having heavily-manned
24/7/360 armed
and vigilant security at your retreat. (See my novel "Patriots:
Surviving the Coming Collapse" for a detailed description
of what might be needed to mount such a guard.) This will of course mean
extra mouths to feed--which in turn dictates the
expense
of
extra
storage
food, extra gardening space, extra housing, and extra stored fuel. But
this could be
viable,
especially if you are wealthy.
The other obvious risk mitigation is to construct a blast/fallout shelter
with a forced-air HEPA filter.
If your house already has a basement, and you are willing to do some of the
work yourself, a retrofit can be done for
under $5,000. Constructing a new, dedicated shelter can be a $15,000 to $70,000
proposition, depending how large and elaborate you want to make it. The folks
at Safecastle
have extensive experience in building such shelters, tailored for all budgets.
They specialize in combination storm/nuke/gun vault shelters. I highly recommend
them.
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Three Letters Re: Hiding Things in Plain Sight
Jim,
I have very carefully concealed my gun safe but in order to fool potential
crooks, but I also have an old one that is very poorly hidden. It has stickers
on it from
my favorite firearms manufacturers. Once the [burglars] get it back to their
den and peel it open, they will find themselves the proud owners of
five large sandbags full of gravel. - Andy B.
James,
My
wife and I were recently discussing hiding places - what about inside
a bucket of paint? Securely wrapping "the valuables" up in appropriate
containers (likely several layers of Ziploc sandwich bags) and just dropping
it in. If the valuables aren't heavy enough to sink, a rock or piece of metal
should be added to keep them at the bottom. Hey, you could even write "Treasure" on
the bucket of paint and people would just think it's the name of the paint
color, but it would
help you remember which one has the stash.
Jim:
Take a look at Habitat
For Humanity’s ReStore directory. ReStore
only accepts new paint or stain donations, so you don’t have to worry
about buying some toxic brew some schmuck dumped off. I buy from here because
the only thing I care about is that it is water based latex paint, and that
it is in five gallon buckets. I don’t care about the brand, or color,
and it’s inexpensive and the money goes to what I happen to believe
is a laudable effort. Never mind Jimmy Carter.
I then go to another hardware store and buy new, metal one gallon paint cans
and lids. The ones that have the lids that fit into the center of the can,
and have to be hammered down, and then pried up with a screwdriver. The plastic
ones don’t work that well, so don’t bother with them.
A suitable amount of paint is removed from the five gallon can.
I place my gold, and silver into the one gallon cans along with a desiccant,
hammer the lid on, and then submerge them into the five gallon can. Each five
gallon container will hold two one gallon containers without any problem.
More than that, they get a little heavy, and the paint doesn’t always
conceal what is inside the can if the lid should be opened.
I only use this technique for things I will not need to get at readily. It
might be good for long term hiding of small handguns, and ammunition as well.
Your site is a welcome find. Have fun! Sincerely, - JTH
JWR Replies: It is interesting that two readers both mentioned
the same idea. Because steel paint cans might rust when submerged in water-based
paint, I'd recommend
using
only
plastic
containers.
One of my favorite "in plain sight" caches that can be used outdoors
is a length of 4" diameter PVC pipe,
with a glued-on cap on one end, and a threaded cap on
the other end. The pipe is buried vertically, with the threaded end cap
left protruding from the ground, looking just like a typical septic
clean-out cap. Unless
you hire someone to pump your septic system or to "snake" your drain pipes,
it
is highly
unlikely
that
anyone
would
ever
disturb
one of these caches.
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The Precepts of My Survivalist Philosophy
In the past week I've had three newcomers to SurvivalBlog.com write and ask
me to summarize my world view. One of them asked: "I could spend days
looking through [the] archives of your [many months of] blog posts. But there
are hundreds
of them. Can you tell me where you stand, in just a page? What distinguishes
the "Rawlesian" philosophy from other [schools of] survivalist thought?"
I'll likely add a few
