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Thursday, December 29, 2016

Serious Survival: How much food should you stockpile?

It seems that for every blogger or forum member there’s a survival expert as well. That’s great because there’s such wealth of information and you can learn from different experiences and accounts.
Then again the downside… every blogger and member thinks he’s an expert.
You see, for realistic survival and preparedness it’s crucial to differentiate the “I think” and “I believe” from the “this is how it went down” “this is why”.
We all know that food is essential for survival. No food and you won’t last long. Same goes for water (and I see it overlooked more often). Keep in mind that while a day without food may suck a bit, but a day without water will be tough indeed. In certain warm climates it can be downright dangerous.
We all get how important food and water is, but then there’s the classic survival question: How much food should you have stored for emergencies?
Doomers say you need years worth of food. Decades even. After all you die if you don’t eat. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) are famous for their year worth of food approach, although many have far less than that.
Officially speaking, what would a real expert recommend? Ready.gov says to have 3 days worth of shelf stable food and bottled water. That may seem as very little but in general most emergencies are either resolved within that time frame or help becomes available. Still, tell this to anyone that spent a week or more snowed in during a storm and he’ll find it lacking.
So how much? A Week? A Month? A year?
The first piece of advice is one you’ve probably heard before and that it is to store what you eat. If your kids don’t even know what rice looks like then having buckets full of the stuff isnt that much of a good idea. Either store something else or actually start eating rice.
There’s two very important reasons for this.
First, if you don’t rotate your food supply it just becomes one of those “just in case” things, and you’ll find yourself throwing food away every few years. This makes keeping large quantities of food stored a great waste of money. Second, if you store what you eat there wont be any difference between emergencies and “normal” times, at least food wise.
In our home we love rice and lentils and prepare rice and lentils stews often. Its tasty, very healthy, stores well for years and its pretty affordable too. Some canned tomato and vegetables and you have all you need for a great nutritional meal.
Another important point is understanding how much calories you actually need. The standard reply here is 2000 calories. Sure, if trekking the north pole you’ll need 5000 instead but even if some manual labour may be needed during disasters there’s people that stay healthy AND active with a lower caloric diet. 2000 will do well enough.

OK ... SO HOW MUCH DO I NEED?
The 3 day recommendation by ready.gov is based on a rather optimistic government recommendation. If they have said instead to have 7 days immediately people would be wondering “Wait, so you’ll let me hang there for an entire week?!” People don’t react well to uncertainty and avoiding panic is a government’s #1 priority. Two weeks worth of groceries is just common sense. It doesn’t put a significant dent in your wallet if done correctly, and yes, it is true that it will cover 99% of the disasters and emergencies you’re likely to face in your lifetime.
I already imagine people thinking “but I want to be ready for SHTF, a worst case scenario, the real end of the world stuff!”.
OK, lets do that. Lets say it’s a worst case, total SHTF scenario. But lets keep it real and look how does it actually play out in the real world rather than fantasize about it.
Related image
Lets say you have 2 years, no, 10 years worth of food. Lets say you have that plus means of producing more, a fully working farm.
Now lets suppose you have your ten year supply of food, plus a farm, plus a pile of guns and ammo… and you’re sitting in Eastern Ukraine when the Russian troops roll in. Or Aleppo when they are levelling every structure around you with barrel bombs. Or in South Africa when white farmers were exterminated and kicked out of their homes. Or in Fukushima when the tsunami destroyed everything and the radiation scorched the land. Do you see a trend here? More food, or a bigger farm would have done you no good. In all of these sometimes like more cash or gold to take along with you when you bug out or even better money in an offshore account would have been far more useful.
“But… I want the end of the world to be more convenient…”
Ok, what about Venezuela? You have out of control inflation, out of control crime and poverty with people starving. Even farmers starve there(posted about just this a few weeks ago), just like Irish farmers starved during the genocide known as the Great Famine or Ukranian farmers died during Holodomor, reduced to cannibalism. Yes, sometimes its natural disasters, but in others its lack of means of production, and an authoritarian government ensure that people starve in spite of having land and the knowledge to work it.
In my experience after the collapse of Argentina’s economy I would say it was somewhat similar to Venezuela during the times of Chavez. By this I mean horrible inflation, but not reaching the levels of food poverty seen today in Venezuela. Food was available, just two or three times more expensive than before. Just imagine how you would deal with such a scenario if you woke up to it tomorrow. Indeed, we all wished we had more food stocked up, and we rushed to buy more right away desperately trying to beat the nonstop inflation. I sure kept several months worth of food stockpiled. But still, at the end of the day if you had money you ate.
I stayed for over a decade after the collapse of 2001. In retrospective I probably should have left sooner. Personal circumstances, heck, life I guess, made us delay our departure. Still, we always had the resources to leave ASAP if needed. This is more than what most people in Venezuela can say.
Image result for irish great famine
In such a complex situation would a 10 year supply of food, or a farm, made much of a difference? Not really. The food would have been nice, but the money to buy it was just as good besides having a conservative stockpile. A farm? Maybe more of an anchor to the country at a time when leaving was the clear path. A farm in a place like Venezuela, where you cant sell it, or if you do you don’t get anything for it, really does you no good.
So, start with a couple weeks worth of stockpiled food. Work towards a month. Then 6 when you can afford it and have the room for it. 6 to 12 months is the maximum I would recommend, with 6 months being the most realistic objective for most people. Six months of food gives you plenty of time for things such as unemployment, family problems. 12 months helps greatly when dealing with inflated prices, food shortages, and overall instability in the country where you maybe spent several months maybe saving money and looking for a job abroad, for a way out of the country entirely.
The lesson being, If you need more than 12 months worth of food, then more food will do you no good because what you really need is to get the hell out of there!
Take care folks,
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Monday, December 26, 2016

What did we get for Christmas???


Sunday, December 25, 2016

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Merry Christmas!
We had a great time in Sierra Nevada.
Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day.
mcf
FerFAL

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Reply: Best Concealed Carry Glock for California?

Image result for chopped g19 to take g26 mags
Chuck Haggard said...
A very real issue with the Glocks is that the ten round "Clinton" magazines are not reliable, especially with JHP ammo.
For a ten round limit I'd go with a G30 or a G26, both are designed around the ten round mags and are very reliable.
An option some explore is doing a grip chop on a G19 to take G26 magazines, that gives greater velocity and sight radius while allowing the shooter to use a reliable magazine, enhances concealment, and allows one to use the 15 or 17 round mags if they travel to a state where those are legal.
...
OK, I like the idea and I think it makes sense, for the reasons you just mention:
1)More reliable mags.
2)Better sight radius. I at least like having a bit more distance between sights, I find it helpful although some people argue that a shorter one is quicker to align, which in theory is correct.
3)More barrel length, more velocity and better terminal ballistics.
Having said all this if you have larger hands you may still be better off with the Glock 19 or 17 in their original size. I have used those 10 round mags (gift from an American friend) and I at least never had a problem with them so they can work for you after extensive testing with the ammo you intend to carry.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Bought a couple of these… maybe you should too.

If you don’t have a good set of electronic earmuffs, get these:

Best Sellers in Amazon. For under 40 bucks, I just don’t think you can beat them. Not many products get over 10.000 reviews, a 4.5 star average. I was about to get some fancy Peltors but after seeing these and such overwhelming positive feedback I went for these instead.

earmuffs
I got a couple, one for myself and another for my oldest son that is now shooting with me. Hearing is just too important, and it makes no sense for any avid shooter not to have a quality set of earmuffs.
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Monday, December 19, 2016

Relocating to Australia?

Image result for melbourne
Message:
Hi Fernando I live in the UK currently things are going downhill. I'm
aware though that it's not limited to just here it's more of a global
thing. I've been offered the chance to go and live and work in
Australia. Do you think this would be a beneficial location to
relocate to or will it be much the same as here in UK?. Currently
re-reading your "Bugging out and Relocating" book. I notice you say
Melbourne is a pretty good place to live. It's definitely one area we
are looking at. Any advice on this is greatly appreciated. Thanks,
Ashleigh
..
Hello Ashleigh,
Please accept my apologies for not replying sooner. It gets pretty busy this time of the year. :-)
I wouldn’t doubt it for a second and yes, I would go to Australia if I was living in UK. Having said that here are the reasons I would go for it and some of the other considerations you should keep in mind.
Since you read my book “Bugging Out and Relocating” you probably understand some of these already. Australia simply has a lot going for it. The weather, the quality of life and standards of living in general are among the best in the world, especially in Melbourne, Perth and if you can afford it, Sydney(very expensive!). You’re talking about some of the best ranking cities to live in, in the entire planet.

The one thing every source I have mentions is cost of living. It can be an issue if you don’t make enough money, especially in Sydney, the most expensive city in Australia. Maybe the second most common problem people face when relocating to Australia is actually getting the visa to move there. If you have the opportunity and the money is good you really should give it a try if you feel strongly about it.  What happens sometimes is that people move to a “better” place but then just miss good old home and eventually move back. People that move to Australia though tend not to regret it. Another thing I’ve learned over the years and verified it on others time and again: Going “up”, as in a better place, it’s easier than going down. I’d say Australia is definitely an improvement in general quality of life, especially if you already have a job in line.

As for the situation in UK, I just don’t see it getting better any time soon. True, everywhere is complicated these days but some are worse than others. Right now UK is going through some serious changes given Brexit. Some believe it will be better on the long run, some are less optimistic, but what all serious analysts agree on is that the next few years will be hard indeed. I can very much assure you this: It will be very hard for at least the next 5 -10 years, at least it will be for most people. You are already seeing where this is going with the NHS cutting budget and services and with inflation. If there’s one thing I know, that’s inflation and there’s simply no way around your currency dropping 20% or more. Everyone gets that much poorer.  Then you also have to accept that many companies are preparing for more complicated times ahead, reduction of staff, drop in sales. Out of the common market sales will simply drop and many companies will have to move operations within the EU where they intend to still do business.

I say go for it. Worst case scenario you don’t like living there and just have one more significant experience that makes your life richer although chances are you’ll love it and stay there permanently.
Good luck!
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Friday, December 16, 2016

Cheap and Great Results: Red Lithium Grease for Guns

glocklithium
Next time you’re in Walmart, remember This:  High Temp Lithium grease. Its costs just a few bucks for a lifetime supply of the stuff. In Amazon you can get a pound of it for just under eight bucks.
High temp Red lithium grease is intended for vehicles and other high temperature, metal on metal friction.
What’s wrong with gun oil? Nothing really. It just doesn’t last nearly as long. After over a decade of using it I can say that grease just stays around more, doesn’t dry away nearly as fast. You simply see it where you last placed it in the gun after weeks of use, while oil just seems to go away after a couple trips to the range. Not very scientific but that’s my impression.
One final tip though: don’t overdo it. As cheap as it may be a very small amount of it goes a VERY long way. Just a pinch on the rails and other contact areas, heck use a tooth pick for good measure. If you overdo it you end up with a greasy mess which may even attract unwanted dirt in dry, sandy climates.
Other than that, it’s what I’ve been using mostly for keeping my guns lubbed and I’m happy enough with it to recommend it to you folks.
Have a great weekend!
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

3 Items to pick up Next time you’re in IKEA

ikeabat
1)Batteries. Their primaries are cheap and pretty good quality but the best deal is their rechargables. These are made in Japan and great quality. I read somewhere that these are the same as Eneloops. Not sure if its true or not but “made in Japan” does point in that direction and again, the quality is there. I’m using these to replace the AA and AAA in my kits given that all alkalines seem to leak eventually. This is much safer and works well with the second item in the list.

2)AA and AAA USB charger. Its cheap, compact and works. I bought one of these for the car. If It goes well I’ll get one or two more. Can’t remember the price but it was just a few bucks. You don’t find cheap and well-made chargers that often, especially this small.

3)USB LED light. Missing in the picture here but it’s a small black LED light that connects to a USB port. I found it close to the batteries and charger. Very minimalistic like IKEA usually does it and cheap too. It could be a bit longer but its small so as to be out of the way. Maybe not as much of a bargain as the first two but I’m giving it a try to see how it does.
Take care folks!
FerFAL
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Monday, December 12, 2016

The Venerable Pump Action Shotgun


Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Gunfight Video: 10 Lessons Learned


1)Carry a gun,  a FIGHTING gun, not a microsubcompactnano pocket carry special in 25 ACP with a capacity of 2+1.
2)Train. A lot.
3)Awareness. Enough of it and you may even avoid the fight entirely.
4)Apendix carry isnt that great. Its more obvious when drawing and that can get you killed. Stick to strong side, 4 oclock.
5)When shooting, shoot to kill and shoot a LOT.
6)If you’re not shooting, get out of the way (like his wife did)
7)Even at just a foot away, you can still miss.
8)Down doesn’t mean dead. Make sure he’s no longer a threat, kick his gun away.
9)Look for his friends, there may be more.
10)Brazilian cops do NOT mess around.
Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Monday, December 5, 2016

Some new stuff: Pocket EDC December 2016


Titanium Casio Pathfinder Triple-Sensor in Amazon on sale for $139
Casio Men's PRW-2500T-7CR Pro Trek Tough Solar Digital (similar to mine) $227.99