Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — April 8, 2026

On April 8, 1796, the German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss proved the quadratic reciprocity law (the ability to determine the solvability of any quadratic equation in modular arithmetic.)

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Today’s feature piece is a guest post that was too short to qualify as an entry for the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running the contest.  Round 124 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

The First Nine Survival Items You Should Buy, by Big John

I’ll make my list of the first nine survival items that you should buy really simple for you.

The first two big-dollar items that you should buy are the Self Reliance Outfitters Canteen set and heavy duty space blanker/tarp. These two items are really must-have items. Dave Canterbury of Self Reliance Outfitters had these items custom-made. They are industrial strength and designed just like I would have done so myself.

The canteen. It is similar to the old metal army canteen setup. But it is bigger and has a bigger mouth. It is nested in a canteen cup with a handle for drinking from and to use for cooking food and boiling water. You get a cooking cover too, to go over the canteen cup. Then you get another stacking cup with holes in it that serves as your cooking stove. So you can cook with twigs. The idea is that the canteen cup sits on top of the Stove. A ferro rod is included with the canteen along with some sort of cordage.

The canvas canteen cover has a pocket so that you can put in a little bottle of water purification pills and some lifeboat matches and packets of tea or coffee. All things considered, this is a lot of problem solving for the buck, $89.99. There is a dumbed-down version but you want the fully stocked one. But you gotta make sure that you add a sealed plastic bag of some dryer lint, fire-starting pellets or fire-starting pads for use in the rain.Continue reading“The First Nine Survival Items You Should Buy, by Big John”

SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets

Our weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters.

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Some wisdom from Temple Grandin: Recommended Basic Livestock Handling.

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A video from SecDef Pete Hegseth: Our Military bases became gun-free zones—leaving troops EXPOSED. That ends today.

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GOP Senator Opposes More Than 60 Days Of War On Iran Without War Declaration. An excerpt:

“Curtis didn’t say whether he would vote to declare war on Iran, focusing instead on his opposition to “funding for continued military operations without Congress having the opportunity to weigh in.” There have already been several attempts to block further military action without congressional approval — all of them have been thwarted. To this point, only a few Republicans have backed these war-power resolutions: Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul joined Democrats in supporting a Senate measure, while Kentucky Rep Thomas Massie introduced one in the House, and was joined by Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson, who is a former Army Ranger. “

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Reader Tim J. suggested this Brushbeater video: Best New Guerrilla Radio? Baofeng AR-152 PRO.

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — April 7, 2026

On April 7, 1902 the Texas Oil Company (Texaco) was formed.

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On April 7, 1994, Rwandan Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana, a moderate Hutu, was assassinated by Hutu soldiers—a day after the deaths of Juvénal Habyarimana, president of Rwanda, and Cyprien Ntaryamira, president of Burundi—as Rwanda entered a period of anarchy and genocidal killings.

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April 7th is the birthday of Colonel Bob Denard (born 1929, died October 13, 2007). He had an amazing life as a mercenary, including four attempted coups in the Comoros.  The 2011 film Mister Bob is a slightly fictionalized account of his earliest mercenary adventures in the Congo.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three-Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value).
  2. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  3. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.
  4. Heaven’s Harvest is providing one of their Original Heirloom Seed Kits (a $139 value.)
  5. Harvest Guard is providing a 200-Piece Bulk Mix Pack of their Regular and Wide-Mouth Reusable Canning Jar Lids & Gaskets. This is a $161 + shipping value.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is providing a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

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More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 124 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Making Repairs, by Big John

So you are living in a societal collapse and something breaks. Let’s say that your generator dies. You’ve gotta fix it. The following describes what have I learned about fixing things:

I used to go through the repair process in my mind a few hundred times. I would pull the cover by loosening two screws, then unbolt the coil with a socket wrench. Then pull the coil and inspect for a broken winding. But first of all, I must borrow my friend’s socket set.

I have learned over the years that the most efficient route is often to just tear into the project cold. So I don’t have the sockets, I just start the project. So I get the cover off and guess what, it is not bolted, it is attached with big screws requiring a big Phillips screwdriver. I just saved a trip to my friend’s house, to find him not home and a second trip to borrow the sockets which were never needed.

Often, tearing into the project gives the most bang for the buck. It is like an army patrol going out and getting intelligence. It is very easy to go on a wild goose chase in your mind of how the job will go. It can be the paralysis of analysis.Continue reading“Making Repairs, by Big John”

SurvivalBlog’s American Redoubt Media of the Week

This weekly column features media from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. The public domain photo above was taken Bonnie Moreland, in Eastern Oregon.

Send Your Media Links

Please send your links to media from the American Redoubt region to JWR. Any photos that are posted or re-posted must be uncopyrighted. You can do so either via e-mail or via our Contact form.

The Editors’ Quote Of The Day:

“But, you know, we have these entrenched entities – and I’m talking about both Republicans and Democrats – who believe that when you’re elected to office, you become some kind of member of the aristocracy, and that anyone who challenges you is attacking you and is unpatriotic. This is foolishness.” –  Dr. Ben Carson

Preparedness Notes for Monday — April 6, 2026

On April 6, 1652 Cape Colony, the first European settlement in South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company under Jan van Riebeec.

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April 6, 1768: French explorer Louis-Antoine de Bougainville’s expedition arrives in Tahiti, claiming it for France and naming it New Cythera.

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This new Southwestern Oregon listing at SurvivalRealty.com caught my eye: Turnkey Off-Grid Survival Compound — Rogue Valley — Water, Power, Food, Multi-Family Ready.

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Our feature piece for today is by Field Gear Editor Tom Christianson.

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We now need entries for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 124 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Henry Lever Action Supreme in 5.56 NATO, by Thomas Christianson

A rifle chambered in 5.56 NATO probably offers the most widely available and varied selection of ammunition in America today. A quick visit to cheaperthandirt.com revealed a total of 144 different ammo options in a variety of bullet weights available in 5.56 NATO or .223 Remington at the time of this writing. These options also tended to be more economically priced than ammunition for other center fire rifle chamberings. Rifles chambered in 5.56 NATO also tend to produce negligible recoil and are generally light and easy to carry. Factors like these make rifles chambered in 5.56 NATO attractive options for a variety of uses such as varmint control and home defense.

The most common civilian rifle chambered in 5.56 NATO is the AR-15. But there are other exciting rifles chambered in 5.56 NATO that are not AR-pattern. The delightful Henry Lever Action Supreme in 5.56 NATO is one of these.Continue reading“Henry Lever Action Supreme in 5.56 NATO, by Thomas Christianson”

Recipe of the Week:

The following recipe for Reduced-Carbohydrate Trail Mix is from SurvivalBlog reader F.C..

Ingredients
  • 2 cups mixed dry-roasted nuts. (Any combination of peanuts (not truly a nut), almonds, hazelnuts, and/or pistachios.)
  • 1 cup toasted seeds, unsalted. (Such as pumpkin, squash, and/or sunflower seeds.)
  • 2 ounces unsweetened shredded coconut.
  • 1⁄2 cup raisins and/or craisins.
  • Sneak in a few M&Ms, if desired.
Directions

Just measure, and mix it up!

STORAGE

This stores best in airtight containers.

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Do you have a well-tested recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long-term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven recipes, slow cooker recipes, and any recipes that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

SurvivalBlog Graphic of the Week

Today’s graphic: Northern European flags share the same Christian cross design. (Graphic courtesy of Reddit.)

The thumbnail below is click-expandable.

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Please send your graphics or graphics links to JWR. (Either via e-mail or via our Contact form.) Any graphics that you send must either be your own creation or uncopyrighted.

Preparedness Notes for Sunday — April 5, 2026

On April 5, 1242, Russian Prince of Novgorod Alexander Nevsky defeated the Teutonic Knights on the frozen Lake Peipus between Estonia and Russia. This became known as the Battle on the Ice.

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April 5, 1424 Scottish King James I returned to Scotland after 18 years of detention at the English court. During his captivity in England, James married Joan Beaufort, a cousin of Henry IV. On 28 March 1424, a ransom agreement amounting to £40,000 sterling, after deducting a dowry payment of 10,000 marks, was established in Durham, with James affixing his personal seal to the document. The king and queen, accompanied by nobles from both England and Scotland, arrived at Melrose Abbey on April 5th, where they were greeted by his uncle Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, who surrendered his seal of office as governor.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 124 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A Gunsite Academy Three-Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any of their one, two, or three-day course (a $1,095 value).
  2. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses. Their course catalog now includes their latest Survival Gunsmithing course.
  3. HSM Ammunition in Montana is providing a $350 gift certificate. The certificate can be used for any of their products.
  4. Heaven’s Harvest is providing one of their Original Heirloom Seed Kits (a $139 value.)
  5. Harvest Guard is providing a 200-Piece Bulk Mix Pack of their Regular and Wide-Mouth Reusable Canning Jar Lids & Gaskets. This is a $161 + shipping value.

Second Prize:

  1. A SIRT STIC AR-15/M4 Laser Training Package, courtesy of Next Level Training, that has a combined retail value of $679
  2. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from TOUGHGRID.com (a $287 value).
  3. Preparedness author Jennifer Rader is providing a $200 purchase credit for any of her eight published food storage and medical preparedness books, including the Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café series, the Armageddon Pharmacy series, and the Medicine Surrounds Us series.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of gun purchasing privacy!

Third Prize:

  1. A Berkey Light water filter, courtesy of USA Berkey Filters (a $305 value),
  2. Two sets of The Civil Defense Manual, (in two volumes) — a $193 value — kindly donated by the author, Jack Lawson.
  3. A $200 credit from Military Surplus LLC that can be applied to purchase and/or shipping costs for any of their in-stock merchandise, including full mil-spec ammo cans, Rothco clothing and field gear, backpacks, optics, compact solar panels, first aid kits, and more.
  4. A transferable $150 FRN purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun.

—

More than $984,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest.  Round 124 ends on May 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. In 2023, we polled blog readers, asking for suggested article topics. Please refer to that poll if you haven’t yet chosen an article topic.

Stocking Items for Barter, by Big John

Along with all of the other items that a seasoned Prepper has, barter items are critical. You undoubtedly will need items that you forgot to stockpile during the good times. This area of prepping needs to be approached with the same meticulous logical order as all of your other prepping gear.

Your trading partner, the one with those critical items that you need to survive must be satisfied. You’ve gotta have stuff that he really needs, not just stuff that fit into the category of general prepping items. He may have no need for ammo but desperately needs antibiotics. So antibiotics are what you want to have on hand in excess…in that particular situation.

So how do you know exactly what this random stranger will be wanting? The answer is, you don’t. So you must diversify in your acquisition of trade items. Obviously, having cartridges, salt, antibiotics, and gasoline is better than just one of them.Continue reading“Stocking Items for Barter, by Big John”