Most preppers and survivalists are familiar with these excruciating exquisite packages of dag-nasty necessity called MREs, or Meals Ready to Eat.  You love ‘em you hate ‘em, you can’t live without ‘em…  I remember when MREs were fairly new, and unlike today, you could only get them at the PX/BX of your nearest military installation – meaning you had to be active service or knew somebody who was in order to get your hands on some.

At least I don’t think they were sold anywhere else.  We didn’t have the internet back in those days and I had a friend who was stationed at a nearby A.F.B. who used to pick them up for me, so I never had to look around for them.

If you think MREs are bad now, they were slightly worse back then…  Well, ok, they were more than slightly worse…  They were awful…  Everything except the main entree was dehydrated.  The fruit, the pudding, the crackers…  

Oops, sorry, the crackers were dehydrating, not dehydrated.  

And they didn’t have any fancy entrees like they do now.  I think there were only like 4 flavors:  

• Ravioli-ish in tomato sauce
• Beef something-or-other
• Chicken slurry
• and…..  uh…  I wanna say…  Meatloaf?  

I don’t really remember the last one, but I do remember how revolting they were.  And I loved them!

I loved the fact that they were compact and easy to pack for camping and backpacking trips, or to keep in the car in case you get stranded.  I loved the fact that they would last for 15-odd years (and I wasn’t even a prepper back then), and I loved the fact that it was a no-hassle method of bringing food with you in a hurry (sometimes I would bring ‘em to work with me if I didn’t have time to make a lunch…  Should have seen some of the looks I got!)

It’s not surprising that MREs are popular with preppers and survivalists, and the food really isn’t that bad .  When you’re starving, everything tastes better anyway.  But the full meals can be a little bulky and they cost between $7 and $9 each, (a little cheaper by the case) depending on where you get them.  

You can save quite a few dollars by making  your own MREs at home. They won’t have nearly the shelf-life of a military MRE (maybe about 2 years if you seal it up), but for about $3.50-$4.00 each, you can’t really go wrong.  

In the amusing video below, a former Marine builds his own MRE from items purchased at a dollar store and compares it to the military MRE.  

Hey Folks.. I made a HOMEMADE Equivalent to the real military MRE’s..fun times. now build yer own for fun and profit,or further your ability to establish a storage medium

Dollar stores are great places to find packaged food items that you can keep in your bug-out bag or use in a homemade MRE.  I typically don’t recommend eating processed food as part of your regular diet, but in this case, I make an exception.  In a survival situation, a few single-serve containers of beef stew or pasta will do the opposite of kill you.

I also like to get the 4oz. tins of Poland brand smoked kippers (that’s Herring folks) at the dollar store in my area.  They’re thin and lightweight and you can slide a bunch of them into all kinds of spots in your BOB, pack or car.  There’s a day’s worth of protein right there.  And they’re tasty…  I eat them all the time with wheat thins.  Mmmmm-boy.

The only other recommendation I would add, that wasn’t mentioned in this video is the use of a vacuum sealer, rather than a ziplock bag.  That will keep the baked items from going stale and molding.

I’m surprised I haven’t posted about the Patriot Nurse on Survivalist.com yet.  I featured some of her videos on one of my older websites a while back, but just haven’t gotten around to posting some of her stuff up on here yet…   Well, there’s no time like the present to correct that, I reckon!  She’s got a great channel on YouTube with tons of videos with solid medical advice for SHTF situations.  

Some of the topics that she covers include: treating gunshot wounds, diseases that will explode when SHTF, how to give injections, top antibiotics to store for SHTF and tons of other great medical topics.  Most of her videos are geared toward prepping for TEOTWAWKI/SHTF survival and it’s ALL important to know.

This video is about getting your essential med kit together on a budget and how to make decisions on what items are most important for your own personal situation.

Here we discuss the formulation of a medical kit based on a hierarchy of needs and probability of disease. This is designed for folks who are starting from scratch

You can also check out her channel HERE.

With this post, I wanted to kill two birds with one stone. First off, some of you may be familiar with my friend; Scott B. Williams’ work through his book: “Bug Out: The Complete Plan for Escaping a Catastrophic Disaster Before It’s Too Late”, which is an awesome resource, of not only great information about bugging out and bug out preparedness, but it also contains valuable information about the various geographical regions of the United States, so you’ll know what kind of terrain, weather, wildlife and flora to expect in different parts of the country. In my opinion, this is a “must-have” book for every prepper and survivalist that has earned a permanent place in my own personal survival library.

Recently, Scott has released his follow-up: “Bug Out Vehicles and Shelters”. Scott touched a bit on bug out vehicles in his first book, but due to space constraints, there was only so much that could be covered in a book that was already so rich in bug out information to begin with. Ever since then, everyone (including myself) has been clamoring for more on the subject, and now it’s finally here! This book is a comprehensive guide to just about every vehicle you could possibly bug out with, (including motorcycles, boats and kayaks) with valuable information on which types of vehicles are appropriate for each given situation and how to prep your ride into first class escape vehicle. 

Both “Bug Out” and “Bug Out Vehicles” are available at Amazon.com and I highly recommend adding both books to your library of survival and preparedness resources! 

And the second bird? 

On Scott’s blog: Bug Out Survival, he posted about a You Tube channel that I have not come across yet called: The Daily Prep, which features daily videos by “Dan the Urbivalist”. His channel features over 100 episodes (or “prepisodes” as Dan calls them), with quick tips on a wide range of survival and preparedness topics. Judging by the view counts of his videos, it looks like not a lot of folks have gotten hip to his channel yet. He’s got a lot of good, easily digestible information on there, such as: How to Find Survivalists in Your Area, How Krav Maga Can Save Your Bacon and How to Get ANYTHING for $5.00, as well many reviews of books and products (his review of “Bug Out Vehicles” is posted below, as well as a video of Dan’s own vehicle bug out kit). I recommend checking out his channel if you haven’t seen it already.

One important factor to consider when planning for disaster survival is communications. The vital role that communication plays in self-reliance and emergency preparedness cannot be downplayed, but it is often overlooked. In a disaster, you may find yourself without even a single “traditional” communication system (cell phones, land-lines, etc) left functioning. This doesn’t even have to be a “worst case” TEOTWAWKI scenario. It could be something as simple as a blizzard, ice storm or hurricane. Here in northern New England, ice storms have been known to take out the power over large areas for weeks at a time. If there’s no power that also means no internet (unless you have an alternative power source).

HAM radio is a great solution, and one that’s most recommended among preppers and survivalists.  Depending on your equipment and licensing, you can either talk locally to other HAM operators or around the world.  Being able to communicate locally is of utmost importance in an emergency. Not only will is it a method of contacting help when needed, it’s a your most direct means of gathering information about what’s going on around you.

To become a HAM operator you need to get an FCC license. There are 3 different levels of licensing; Technician, General, and Extra. Each higher license allows you to do more. Licensing is relatively simple and requires you to take a test, usually offered by local HAM clubs.

The first level of licensing is Technician. The test is comprised of 35 multiple choice questions.  There all kinds of resources available on the internet including study guides and practice tests.

Equipment costs can run from about $150 for a hand-held radio to thousands for a serious base station.  Most recommendations I have seen for a first radio is either a handheld or a mobile radio (installed in a vehicle or as a base station).  For starters, it might be a good idea to purchase a hand-held radio. The entry-level investment is relatively low (about $150-$200 for a decent radio) and there’s no need for any other equipment.

Once you’ve gotten your feet wet and would like to take the next step, it’s advisable to get a mobile system to be used as a base station. This will require the additional purchase of a power supply, which can run another $170-$270.

In years past, I was an avid CB radio aficionado (another good emergency communications option) and I’m getting ready to take the next step into HAM radio. I’ve had the great fortune of meeting a lot of cool folks in the HAM radio world through my work with the magazine and I’m planning on getting my Technician license in the near future. I think all preppers should have some form of radio communications ready to go, even if it’s just a couple of 2-way radios, or “walkie-talkies”..

Here’s a couple of good resources for those interested in learning more about HAM radio:

AARL (National Association for Amateur Radio) http://www.arrl.org/

QRZ (forums, info and all kinds of HAM resources) http://www.qrz.com/

A preparedness topic that doesn’t get as much consideration as it should is the special requirements for those of us who are hard of hearing or deaf. People with hearing disabilities are at a much greater disadvantage when it comes to the traditional methods of acquiring emergency information.

A large chunk of information conveyed through TV – and ALL the information delivered via radio, sirens and police loudspeakers – are dependent on one’s ability to hear. Sure, there’s closed captioning and the internet, but what if the power is down? In that situation a solar or hand-cranked radio will be of little or no use to a hearing impaired or deaf person. 

Today I came across some great tips on BackdoorSurvival.com for the hearing impaired, to improve communications in a disaster or survival situation. Even if you don’t know anyone who is deaf, you may find yourself needing to help a stranger who is dear or hearing impaired.  Also, many of us have a neighbor, relative, spouse or friend who has a hearing problem and refuses to admit it. Knowing how to help them prepare and communicate in a disaster when fast action is required could help avert a tragedy.

If you happen to know someone that is hard of hearing, practice these communication tips now, before they are placed in a life threatening position. 

1. Get the other person’s attention before attempting to talk or communicate. Making eye contact is a good way to do this. If needed, you can use a light touch on the hand or shoulder to get the person’s attention.

2. Stay in the field of vision and face the person directly. Try to keep your eyes at the same level and don’t turn your head away. Don’t stare, but maintain eye contact and make sure the other person can see your face and your hand gestures. Body language is important, too. 

3. Speak in a normal voice and tone. For heaven’s sake, don’t shout. Many people that have difficulty hearing can actually read lips even though they may be unaware that they are doing so. Shouting distorts your lip movements, making it difficult for a deaf person to follow your words. Also, increasing the volume or shouting has the negative effect of drawing attention from other people around you, making the person you are addressing feel self-conscious. Remember, if the person does not seem to hear or understand you, you can always communicate with a notepad and a pen.

4. Go to a quiet place where there is not a lot of background noise. Many hard of hearing people who can understand you perfectly in a quiet room will be unable to do so in, say, a noisy, crowded area or wherever the background noise is high. 

5. Use gestures and visual cues. Point to or hold up any items that you’re talking about, and wait until they’re looking at you again before you resume speaking. And continue to maintain eye contact. 

6. Be patient and polite and don’t give up by saying “never mind”. It is easy to get frustrated, especially when you have to repeat yourself again and again. Just try again and if you have to, go back to the notepad and paper. One other thing: don’t pick on the person and make fun of them. Yes, it would be nice if they had good hearing aids but hearing aids are expensive and not something that everyone can afford. So take your time, be nice, and soldier on until the person understands what you are trying to communicate.

Click here to Read More specific preparedness tips for the hearing impaired
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Nothing is more prominent in the pursuit of self-reliant living and survival than being able to produce your own food. Just about everybody knows this, but not many people have the first clue about gardening or raising their own crops. Many people think it’s as simple as broadcasting your seeds in the ground and letting nature take it from there (including myself, at one time). Well, I can tell you from personal experience (and failures) it’s not all that simple. Now I’m no expert myself, but I’ve learned a few things along the way from friends who are, and I believe all preppers and survivalists should have a seed bank for long-term self reliance.

The first thing that you need to know when starting a seed bank is; what kind of seeds not to get. Among the seed types are: Heirloom, Hybrid and GMO seeds.

GMO seeds should be avoided at all costs. They are the result of genetic manipulation between two or more organisms (for example; there are GMO tomato seeds that are the result of combining tomato DNA with that of a FISH!) and the plants they produce haven’t even been tested as safe for human consumption by the FDA (it is now believed that consumption of GMO plants and meat products from animals that have been fed GMO plants are the cause of increasing in food allergies and other disorders). 

Furthermore, when these plants are introduced into nature, they contaminate and alter natural, organic plants, causing all kinds of chaos to the ecosystem. GMO seeds are designed with a “terminator gene”, which means that the plants produced from these seeds will not produce viable seeds of their own. So if you want more GMO crops, you have to go out and buy more GMO seeds. Which is a highly lucrative plan for Monsanto, but not a very self-sufficient plan for survival.  

For more info about the dangers of GMO foods, watch the video below:

Everything You HAVE TO KNOW about Dangerous Genetically Modified Foods from Jeffrey Smith on Vimeo.

Hybrid seeds are also another non-starter. While not technically genetically modified, hybrid seeds come from plants that have been “inbred” by cross-pollination by another plant variety in order to combine the superior qualities of both plants. This is to optimize size, yield and appearance, as well as produce plants that are resistant to diseases. Hybrid plants are also bred to be less susceptible to damage from mechanical processing and shipping. 

Sounds pretty good doesn’t it? Well, that’s about where hybrid plants run out of road. While the commercial hybridization of plants has been going on for almost 100 years, and it’s not quite as creepy or dangerous as genetically modified food, hybrid plants do not “breed true” in the second generation. Meaning the seeds produced by the inbred plant will not produce a plant of the same quality – or may not even produce seeds that germinate at all. So you’re right back where you were with GM seeds. In order to grow more hybrid plants, you’ll have to buy more hybrid seeds. And the time and effort that goes into producing hybrid seeds makes them much more expensive.

So we’re left with what are called Non-Hybrid, or Heirloom seeds. These seeds are the result of “open pollination” going back to the days before humans started messing around with hybrids and GMOs. The
lineage of some heirloom seeds may go back hundreds or thousands of years. They’re unmodified and unadulterated, just the way nature made them! They’re called “heirloom” because back in the days before commercial farming, people would literally pass down seeds from one generation to the next. 

Heirloom seeds breed true, and each subsequent generation of seeds will product the same plant that came before it. When buying heirloom seeds, make sure they are proven heirloom varieties, and look for germination rates on the packaging. This will indicate that the seeds are fresh. 

Some fruits and vegetables that come from hybrid seeds may look a little strange to folks who have bought their produce from the supermarket all their lives (such as the tomatoes and the carrots shown). This is because they haven’t had their natural characteristics bred out of them as hybridized produce has. But regardless of what they look like, produce grown from heirloom seeds are tastier and more nutritious than hybrids. 

“A lot of the breeding programs for modern hybrids have sacrificed taste and nutrition,” says George DeVault, executive director of Seed Savers Exchange, the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to saving and sharing heirloom and other rare seeds.

“The standard Florida tomato is a good example. Instead of old-time juicy tangy tomatoes, it tastes like cardboard. It was bred to be picked green and gas-ripened because that’s what was needed for commercial growing and shipping.”

Knowing how to grow your own food is vital for your survival and there’s no time to keep putting off learning how.  Even if you don’t have a lot of land for gardening, you can still grow fruits and vegetables in the space you have through container gardening.

To read more about the benefits of heirloom seeds and produce, check out: Heirloom Vegetables: 6 Advantages Compared to Hybrids and Industrial Farming is Giving us Less Nutritious Food from Mother Earth News.

Farmers are standing up to Big Agro giant; Monsanto, launching a landmark lawsuit against the mega corporation for widespread genetic contamination of our food crops.

This coalition, known as the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA) are concerned that Monsanto’s aggressive agenda to genetically alter the planet will ultimately result in a severe threat to the organic integrity of farms worldwide. It’s easy to see that many ‘organic’ farms have already been contaminated with GMO crops, as nearly 93% of all soybeans are now admittedly genetically modified.

You can’t stop the wind! Once you introduce a contaminant into the eco-system, it’s going to proliferate. It’s not going to stop at the perimeters of the factory farms where GM crops are grown… Evidence of genetically modified corn has been found as far as 1000 miles away from any “farm” growing GM corn.

But that doesn’t stop Monsanto from rolling up and suing the life out of every organic farmer whose crops have been contaminated by their mutant, genetically modified frankenfoods and calling it a violation of their “intellectual property rights”, as Monsanto has a patent on every genetic abomination they concoct.

In fact, between 1997 and 2010, Monsanto filed 144 lawsuits against American family farmers. Another 700 lawsuits were settled out of court for undisclosed amounts. And that’s just in the United States. Monsanto has the same MO when it comes to their GMOs all over the world. Driving literally thousands of farmers out of business (and in some cases – to suicide) while the cash keeps rolling in!

Monsanto has an agenda to take out American family farms and dominate the global agricultural industry with their own mutant seeds. Or as the derisive slogan that someone came up with goes: “Monsanto – No Food Grown That We Don’t Own”.

Here’s more about the case from the Prepper Podcast Network News:

The Public Patent Foundation originally filed the lawsuit in March of 2011 in a case known as Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA) et al v. Monsanto.

The organization launched the suit in the name of the very individuals and organizations threatened by Monsanto’s widespread GMO crops: family farmers, farming organizations, and seed businesses.

The intent of the case is to dispute Monsanto’s patents on GMO seeds and ultimately safeguard farmers from Monsanto’s own vicious lawsuits.

The first phase of the case began January 31^st. Over 50 farmers and plaintiffs arrived in Manhattan to listen to verbal debates as Monsanto attempted to dismiss the validity of the lawsuit.

Monsanto has been destroying our food supply, ruining organic farmers both here in the U.S., and all over the world for over a decade. To say that they’ve earned my deepest, darkest contempt over the last several years would be a massive understatement!

You can take action now by voicing your opposition to Monsanto and their insidious practices. Your submissions will be shared with farmers around the globe who will ultimately play a vital role in the determination of whether Monsanto will be able to continue its mass manipulation of the food supply.

Click this link to show your support!