Author: Guest Contributor

Editor’s Note: This post was generously contributed by Gary with Survive Worldwide  – Survival Gear and Tips. Gary shares how to make a survival bracelet with the Prepper Journal. A survival bracelet is an almost ubiquitous accessory for preppers, hunters and survivalists everywhere with varying patterns and colors that make the different combinations vast. The uses for this piece of prepper gear are endless. If you don’t have one already, this tutorial will show you how to make a survival bracelet for yourself or your family. It could even turn into a side business that you could do at home…

Editor’s Note: This post was generously contributed by Gary with Survive Worldwide  – Survival Gear and Tips. Gary shares the importance of a source of flame in your prepping plans with 5 ways to survive with only a lighter. Perhaps the single most useful tool for someone to have in a survival situation is a lighter. While some might argue that a lighter is a little bit of a cheat, and that a real survivalist would start fires from scratch, this argument doesn’t really hold water when your life is actually on the line. Starting a fire the Neanderthal way…

In the wild, it’s every animal for itself. Fortunately with the survival technology available today, you can have the tools you need to help in a dire situation. Often it is the tools of survival that we focus on initially as preppers because they fill a need quickly and their usefulness makes immediate sense. While some purists eschew the benefit of tools and advocate skills alone above all other things; we humans have evolved and survived because of our ability to make and use tools. It is a matter of practicality that when possible, we can take advantage of tools…

They’re powerful, unpredictable and the most destructive weather system on Earth. Tornadoes can devastate a town in a matter of minutes, ripping away rooftops and sending pickup trucks through the air. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information (NOAA), the United States has an average of over 1,000 tornadoes recorded each year. Every state in the U.S. has experienced a tornado at some point or another, as they’re not limited to one specific geographic location. But states like Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma are hit harder than others. If you’re moving to Tornado Alley, you’ve got to be prepared for…

Could a Bug out trailer be your get-out-of-dodge solution? As disaster prepping continues its precipitous rise in popularity it seems every conceivable gadget, defense rig, or bit of advice has been done or handed out. Everything’s been thought of, right? Not so fast. When you come right down to it, that advice, those how-to’s are what works for them. “Them” are all the people out there on the internet writing blog articles and posting videos. Most of them have the best intentions. They want to impart their knowledge to others who might benefit from it. But how do you take…

Editor’s Note: This article was generously contributed by Clarence Mason and in it he compares and contrasts two different survival bunker designs. Each have their advantages, but if you are considering building your own survival retreat option in the future, it makes sense to consider what is the best bunker design before you get too far down the planning road. I’ve read several excellent articles in the Prepper Journal. Many are written by Pat Henry, who I recently had the pleasure of having a conversation with. As a result of our conversation, I’ve decided to write this story, in the…

If you have made the choice to live a survivalist or prepper lifestyle, you did it knowing you were making a choice that included some degree of risk. The only question would be what form the risk would eventually take. For most of these resourceful men and women, the risk actually comes from a variety of sources and, like all other aspects of their lives, preparation is key to surviving and thriving. The Risk of Theft & Property Damage Whether you are an urban prepper or live on a remote homestead, a prepared lifestyle can be dangerous. Not only are…

Imagine a post-apocalyptic scenario in which you have access to all of the resources you could possibly need, but there are hundreds of thousands of other civilians battling for the same supplies; when the scenario is life or death, the potential havoc wreaked by the people could be as dangerous as the disaster itself and you could be killed for trying to reach the necessary resources to survive. This is just another reason why you need to be prepared now. The supplies will vary, but here is a basic guide to building a city-side emergency kit. The basics: If your…

Editors Note: This article has been generously contributed by Randy Wilson. Prepping comes in many forms. Few break down where prepping falls in terms of surviving.   Speaking in terms many former military can understand, individual preps are a means for achieving a way, being prepped, to achieve the ends, surviving. What does all this military-ish gibberish mean? It means that ‘being prepped’ is not the end-state of the operation. It’s just a way of achieving the real end state, surviving. If prepping is just another way, then should we not consider alternate ways to ensure the ends are achieved? Today,…

When your supply of freeze-dried food runs out and the survival garden isn’t producing as well as you hoped, there are plenty of food options to be found – provided it is the right season and you know what you are looking for. This infographic came from UK Oak Doors, but it is a beautifully informative resource for preppers looking to maximize their chances of survival. I know that many of you, myself included have these plants growing in your yard or not far away and if you are looking for an edible plant source when the grid goes down,…

Editors Note: This article has been generously contributed by Chris from Cookstoves.net. Imagine this scenario: It’s the dead of winter. The ground is covered in snow, the temperature is below freezing during the daylight and worse after the sun goes down. Your power goes out. You’ve got water and a decent amount of food in storage, but your heat source went with the power and the temperature inside your dwelling is rapidly dropping. What can you do? The best option, one that people have come back to time and again throughout history, is to fire up the stove. If you…

Editors Note: The following guest article has been generously contributed by reader Sideliner 1950 and discusses preparations many of us neglect. Disasters don’t only happen when we are expecting them, so to leave preparedness practices behind when you are traveling or on vacation could end up being a huge mistake. Sideliner’s article describes how one such incident changed his thoughts on preparedness for the future. It might adjust your perspective as well. When we travel, whether for business or pleasure, we leave behind the comfort, structure, and relative security of our home environment. Each time we venture to new…

Evaluating survival readiness takes more than just 13 questions. However these thirteen skills to learn in the areas of food, water, shelter, protection and communication will form a solid foundation of preparation and readiness. 1. Finding Food: The ability to locate wild game is essential for survival. This includes understanding habitats, wind direction and animal behavior. 2. Preparing Food: There’s no need to cook a grasshopper but for other sources of protein, proper field dressing and cooking is needed to prevent disease and sickness. 3. Agriculture: Hunting won’t always be a viable option so you’ll need to know which crops…

In cases of emergency and situations, in which the only thing you can think of is survival, personal hygiene first aid is something you need to have previously prepared. To stay clean and keep your hygiene on the necessary level, here are some useful advices, you can apply to make your survival easier and less painful. The most important ingredient you need to have is water. How to be prepared to stay alive and have the necessary water for drinking, washing and cleaning is a problem, which isn’t easily resolved. If you have the necessary materials to keep your body…

Test your Water to Know What’s Really in It Historically, people have occasionally been wide off the mark concerning water cleanliness and safety. Who can forget the iconic “Whites Only” drinking fountains of the last century designed to prevent disease-spreading between races? In the photo below from the Library of Congress archives, a young man is drinking water from a “colored” dispenser at an Oklahoma City streetcar terminal in 1939. Even with paper cups at hand, folks feared they would become ill if using the same water cooler. Many Caucasians actually believed they could catch a multitude of infectious diseases from…

This guest post was generously contributed by James Tolboe. When most people think of long term food storage, pantries filled with canned goods is what often comes to mind. However, we have to be very careful with what we store and buy. Things are not always what they seem when it comes to food storage many products claim to be made with the famed 25 year shelf life, but start to read the label and you will find ingredients that will not last more than 2-3 years. This article will teach you what to look for. When looking at long…

Editors Note: This post is a guest article from Viktor Jorkstam who wanted to share his perspective on living in other countries to avoid some of the pains that appear to be on our horizon. Viktor goes on to offer his own contact information for anyone who is considering a move abroad to get away from some of the overly harsh scenarios that seem to be painted for our future every day. If you have considered leaving the US as so many others are doing, it may be worthwhile to contact Viktor or someone from another country you are considering…

Update: 11/3/14 – The survey in this post is now closed. Previously, this had been an appeal for respondents to a piece of sociological research into the phenomenon of American prepping. The research is now under way, and the data is being processed. The required number of respondents has been reached, and so the original article has now been removed. If you would like to keep track of the publications and findings of this research, then feel free to check in at https://kent.academia.edu/MichaelFMills. You can, alternatively, contact me at [email protected], though a response to your enquiry may take some time.…

Editors Note: This post originally appeared on the TEOTWAWKI blog. In my dream scenario, I would have a stone castle with a drawbridge surrounded by a moat filled with sharks with lasers mounted to their heads. Sadly I have a traditional suburban home like most of the rest of us, but there are steps you can take to make your home more secure. This article and another video below outline various methods of reinforcing doors that could buy you crucial seconds if someone was trying to break in. On castles of old, the front gate was often the “soft spot”–the…

Editors Note: The following article has been generously contributed to our community by Akil Jones with AvalanchePrepared.com. In this article, Akil describes a method that he says will allow anyone to get around certain firearm restrictions which may be of interest to some of our readers. If this is something you are considering yourself, I would highly suggest you research this topic fully before you pull the trigger (pun intended) and do anything that could potentially put you on the bad side of law enforcement. We all know gun control has been a hot topic for debate, from banning semi-automatic weapons…

Have you ever looked at two different products that fell into two completely different categories and have been unable to tell them apart? I think, at some point, that has happened to all of us. We may not always say it, but our minds are screaming “What’s the difference?!?”. And so begins the saga of the best tactical knife and combat/fighting knives. In this article, we are going to taking a look at some of the characteristics that help to define the word “tactical” and wrap it up by picking what might be the best tactical knife on the market…

This article was originally published on the Tactical Intelligence blog. It is the second post in a three-part series on survival sanitation and it is one of the most overlooked but deadly topics of living through any type of disaster. As part of any grid-down plan you need to consider how to deal with human waste because that is probably the single biggest contributing factor to disease. Diseases like Cholera were so rampant in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquakes in no small part because of sanitation issues.   In a SHTF situation, proper sanitation is of utmost importance if you…

Today’s featured video is from YouTuber’s JoeandZachSurvival and they share a simple but effective way to waterproof your matches. As preppers we spend a fair amount of time talking about cooking when the grid goes down and there are numerous ways to start a fire out of natural materials, but I think having a lighter or matches is just easier. I personally have a firesteel for times when I don’t have a lighter but unless I want to practice making a fire, I will go the easy route and just light that Bic or strike a match. When it comes…

This article originally published on Mother Earth Living As the warm weather lures us away from the hearth and onto bicycles and hiking trails, our skin is bound to endure some cuts, burns and rashes on the way. Prepare your medicine cabinet to treat such ails with an herbal salve. Herbal Salve Recipe Skin-Soothing Calendula Salve Salves are thickened ointments that are used to soothe various skin problems, depending on the plant that the salve was made from. They can treat chapped hands, wounds, mild burns, bites, stings, rashes, boils, acne and inflammation. To make a basic salve, all you…

This featured video is about the will to survive. I don’t know the original source, but the title of this movie says it is FAA Aircrew Survival and it looks like a pretty cheesy film that could be used in training. The sound is grainy and the production isn’t stellar but I like the message they are trying to deliver. Is this a true story? I don’t know, but a scenario is a man (a pilot?) who walked through the desert after a crash 150 miles to civilization and lived. The Prepper Journal is almost exclusively focused on preparing to…

Today’s featured video is another interesting one from BlackOwlOutdoors and it demonstrates how to make a wool blanket camp chair. This is a pretty cool idea for using the materials you should have around you in the woods (logs, cordage, blanket) to make a nice little chair. This chair will keep you off the ground and offers a little comfort in the outdoors. In this video, Krik of Black Owl Outdoors will show you how to construct the chair and I think its worth a watch.

This week’s Featured Video is from Jim Wagner. Jim’s YouTube channel has a lot of videos dealing with the subject of Self Defense and Defensive tactics. This is the first of two videos that go into the use of tactical hand signals. Knowing how to use these signals yourself could help you out of a tricky spot. If you find yourself in a situation where you can’t hear or it is important to be as quiet as possible, tactical hand signals like this can signify what you see and what you plan to do to your group. Hope this is…

This article originally published on Zombease.com Welcome to ZE Top 5, where we layout the details on our favorite things from survival gear, zombie films, people to survive with, foods to eat, and much more. Our focus this month? The top 5 emergency evacuation tools for escaping a collapsed building (listed in no particular order). We did a lot of digging (no pun intended), and went with our absolute favorites for self-excavation and evacuation from a fallen building or survival shelter. Number One: The Trucker’s Friend This brute-force hatchet/hammer/pry-bar/chain-puller multi-tool is one hell of an emergency evac tool as well.…

Increasingly, people are looking for ways to have more control over the source of their food. They are also looking for ways make their food supply more sustainable. The answer, for many, is found in aquaponics, a fairly new method of gardening that is quickly becoming popular. Aquaponics gives people a sustainable way to grow their own food at home, regardless of what the soil in their yard may be like. “Aquaponics is an environmentally friendly route to growing food right at home, in schools, or pretty much anywhere,” explains Sylvia Bernstein, president of The Aquaponic Source, and author of the book…

Today’s featured video is from BlackOwlOutdoors and it covers the important subject of how to use a compass and a map. Most preppers are familiar with this concept, but have you ever really tried to navigate to a point using only a compass and a topographic map? If your grand plan for some catastrophic disaster is to Bug Out into the woods, you had better have maps of your area for starters, but these won’t do you much good without a compass and more importantly, the know how to use them together to find out where you are and get…