How To Survive a Bear Attack

There are several natural events that, for whatever reason, engage our survival instincts at a primal level. Tornadoes, poisonous snakes, and, yes, bear attacks all just seem to get something going in our prepper brains. I don’t know about you, but I have dreams about dealing with these things… I wouldn’t really call them nightmares, because they’re so fascinating and primal. To put things into perspective, you’ll most likely never have to deal with an angry bear in your lifetime. Even if you live in “bear country,” the chances that you’ll be attacked are slim to none… RELATED: Will a […]

8 Items You MUST Keep in Your Vehicle

Bug Out Basics: Your Bug-Out Vehicle Checklist In my first “Outsmarting the Gridlock” post, I discussed the importance of building a comprehensive bug-out bag for each member of your family. Timing is crucial and there’s no time to pack. But that article left out one critical piece of information: How will you actually get out of dodge? You’re not planning to hike out to that remote cabin in the woods are you? For most of us, our bug-out location (whether it’s a family farm or a relative’s house) is simply beyond a reasonable walking distance, WAY outside… More than likely, […]

Outsmart the “Bug-Out Gridlock” [Part One]

In a crisis situation, panic is the only given… If you intend to “bug-out,” then you must hit the roads before they become gridlocked, or even shut down by authorities. All experts agree that the first 72 hours of a crisis are the most critical. This is the time after the disaster strikes, but before aid arrives to quell the panic. What they often leave out is that: If you intend to escape to a remote location, a cabin in the woods perhaps, you’re going to need to leave within an hour of the crisis event… within the first 20 […]

5 Survival Items Within Arm’s Length

Initially, I was going to limit this list to items that fit in your pocket, but then I started digging around and found a few extremely handy items (which I call “hyper-multipurpose”) that I’d have to leave out, like newspaper or aluminum cans… Instead, I’ve settled on items that are most likely within arm’s length of you right now, as you’re reading this. My goal: To turn as many common household items into multi-tools as possible. Changing the way we look at everyday items sharpens our minds in the event that we truly do need to improvise in a SHTF […]

What the Heck is a Survival Tin?

It’s great to have emergency supplies stockpiled in your home. Unfortunately, that won’t do you much good if disaster strikes when you’re on your lunch break downtown or caught in traffic. When you think about it, how much of your day do you really spend at home? For some of us, that’s an hour in the morning, an hour after work, and however long we’re asleep… That’s why the concept of a “survival tin” has become a mainstay for those who live by the Boy Scouts motto: Always be prepared. What is a Survival Tin? Simply put, a survival tin is […]

Selecting the Right Rain Barrel

It’s springtime and the rain is coming down in buckets across many regions of the country. Aside from the farmers, however, few are capitalizing on the precious resource that’s falling out of the sky. Some are taking advantage of it though. And if you’re not among them, you sure as heck should be… Saying that water is essential to surviving a crisis is cliché. So I’m going at it from a different angle. If your goal is to become truly self-reliant, then you must have a way to provide your own water. In the movies, you’ll see folks collecting dew […]

Navy SEAL Says Prepare Your Blackout Kit [VIDEO]

Of all the threats that the mainstream media has glossed over in the past year, perhaps the most alarming is the treat to our energy grid. Not only have dozens of experts warned us about the fragile nature of the grid itself, but a recent low-tech attack on a California substation (one that knocked the station offline for 27 days) was barely a blip on the radar. I guess the networks would rather talk about figure skating… Watch the latest video at video.insider.foxnews.com As former Navy SEAL Christopher Heben explains in this video, it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to […]

5 Tips for Small Space Preppers

We can’t all live on a self-sufficient ranch in the foothills of Montana. And truth be told, most of us really don’t want to… despite our romanticized impressions of living in out “in nature.” There’s an awful lot to be said for living within a reasonable driving distance of a doctor’s office, grocery store, movie theater, etc. The truth is, not everyone is cut out for living in isolation, no matter how beautiful the views are. And that’s OKAY. Don’t think you can’t practice self-reliance because you live in a small apartment or condo or even a zero-lot line home […]

Top 7 Food Hoarding Blunders

Q: What’s better than a survival food cache?  A: A survival food cache that you can actually use in a crisis… You might think I’m being disingenuous, but I’m really not. Creating a survival food cache takes a lot more effort than just piling up some canned goods in the hall closet. And believing you have a comprehensive food cache when you really don’t can be more dangerous than not having one at all. Not only should you spend some time thinking about nutritional needs and how your store foods can be used to make actual meals… there are countless other considerations that can […]

9 Easiest Veggies for Beginners

Getting off the grid isn’t just about electricity. If you truly want to be self-sufficient, you have to get off the “food grid.” Shopping at your local farmers market is not enough… The local farmer’s market is a very good resource, however, because it helps you learn about what kinds of veggies are grown on local farms. It also puts you in contact with others who can help give you guidance as your start planting your own survival garden. Gardening is a learning process, to say the least. You’ll never know it all, but you want to avoid getting in […]