How You Can Prevent (and Treat!) Venomous Snake Bites

Leave a Comment / Fire Safety / Brett

If there’s one thing that is guaranteed to send shivers down the spine of even the most experienced trekker, it’s the sight of a venomous snake.

Every year in North America, there are a reported 8,000 bites by venomous snakes – and the figures unreported bites are thought to be much higher. This might sound like a startlingly large number, however, the truth is that very few of these bites result in death. In fact, it is estimated that there just five fatalities per year. To put things into perspective, you are nine times more likely to be killed by lightning than a snake.

That said, it doesn’t mean you should become complacent around snakes, as they are still very capable of delivering a damaging bite. Although death is unlikely, being bitten by a venomous snake can result in breathing difficulty, blurred vision, and potentially even temporary paralysis.

In this guide, we’re going to cover everything you need to know while wandering through snake country. We’ll go through effective preventative measures, snake identification, and what you should do in the unlikely event of a bite.

Identifying Snakes and Myth Busting

First things first, let’s tackle the many myths that are abound when it comes to snakes. Whether it’s because someone is quoting an antiquated piece of advice they found in a magazine from the 1970s or are unscrupulously trying to sell you a useless snakebite kit, there are plenty of untruths floating around online.

Slit-Shaped Eyes = Venom?

One of the most commonly known identifiers of a venomous snake is the shape of its eyes. Many people believe that a venomous snake has slit-shaped eyes. That’s not necessarily true.

A 2010 study found that there is absolutely no correlation between the presence of venom and pupil shape. In fact, it was found that pupil shape might be determined by its predatory/foraging behavior.

Do Snake Bite Kits Work? (TLDR: NO!)

This is a particular bugbear for serious trekkers and snake enthusiasts alike. When it comes to venom treatment, snakebite kits are probably one of the biggest scams out there. These kits simply don’t work. Not only that, they’re potentially extremely dangerous.

Let’s have a look at one of the more popular kits out there: the Sawyer Extractor Pump. Full of 5-star reviews and first-rate sales copy, a medical study from 2004 concluded that the pump removes virtually no venom.

These kits will, for example, work for less serious bites. Think bees or wasps, but not snakes. In fact, using these kits can actually increase local tissue damage by concentrating the venom. Not only that, you’re also going to significantly increase the chance of an infection developing.

Identifying Snakes

One of the most important things you can do when it comes to avoiding a bite is learning how to identify a venomous snake and taking a moment to learn some of its most common behaviors.

There are four main species of venomous snake in North America, each with their own unique markings. Additionally, each species comes with its specific behaviors and having an awareness of this can help you when you’re preparing an outing.

Coral Snake

The coral snake is one of the most identifiable of the deadly snakes, so long as you can correctly remember the following saying: ‘red and yellow, kill a fellow; red and black, friend of Jack’. The saying refers to the colored banding on the snake. If the red and yellow bands are together, then you know you’ve got a venomous snake on your hands.

The coral snake tends to be found in forested areas, hiding under leaves or underground. Knowing this will make you aware when walking on or near piles of leaves. It generally displays reclusive behavior i.e. it will retreat unless provoked. In other words, if you stay out of its way, a bite is highly unlikely.

Rattlesnake

This is the most widely known species of venomous snake and is primarily identified by the rattle on the end of its tail, which can be both seen and heard. Furthermore, rattlesnakes tend to have thick, heavy bodies and a diamond-shaped head.

Although their warning sign is a rattle, it is important to remember that baby rattlesnakes may not have developed the rattle yet (but are just as venomous!). Additionally, it is possible that an adult snake loses its rattle, meaning you should learn more identifying features than just the tail.

In case where the rattle seems to be missing, it’s probably easier to do the identification process the other way around: in other words, if it looks like a rattlesnake but the tail is pointed, then you know it’s probably a harmless snake that has similar features.

Cottonmouth

This is North America’s only semi-aquatic venomous snake, which can usually be found in damp environments, like swamps or in and around water. During the day, the cottonmouth can be found basking on rocks to heat up its body temperature.

The key identifying feature of a cottonmouth is the dark cross bands with light brown shading. That said, it can be hard to spot this in older ones because the coloring becomes incredibly dark.

Copperhead

This snake is known for its predatory ambush attack, typically hiding under rocks or leaves until its prey walks by. They’re thought to be the most likely to bite humans out of all the venomous snakes, although their venom isn’t very potent.

Rather than always displaying reclusive behavior, copperheads are known to sit still when they encounter a human, unless it can easily retreat. They are generally the most defensive of venomous snakes, striking the moment they feel threatened.

As the name suggests, this snake has chestnut-brown cross bands shaped like an hourglass or dumbbell, on top of slightly lighter colored skin. The banding is usually wider on the sides and narrower on top.

How to Prevent a Bite from Occurring

Being able to identify a venomous snake and knowing its usual habitat are just the first steps in being able to prevent a bite. We also want to mention that this article is in no way designed to instill an irrational fear of encountering a venomous snake. Rather, with a simple understanding and better awareness, you’ll be able to keep some tactics in the back of your mind while out on the trail and this will put you in a much better position.

You don’t need to write down and memorize but digest the following few pointers and be sure to practice them while out and about:

Always check under logs, rocks, and leaf piles – bites commonly occur without the victim even knowing the snake was there
Stick to the beaten path – snakes generally stay off tracks
Avoid long grass when possible – this is the perfect hiding place for them
Consider snake proof clothing, like boots, chaps, and gaiters – most bites occur on the lower legs or feet
If you spot a snake, give it a wide berth and don’t bother it – snakes only bite if they feel threatened
Don’t attempt to move or prod the snake, even if it looks dead – snakes do a good job of appearing still and even a dead snake’s head can bite

What You Should Do if Bitten by a Venomous Snakes

First of all, don’t believe everything you read. There is so much misinformation out there on the best practices and there are even conflicting medical journals.

Being bitten by a venomous snake is serious business, even if it’s unlikely you’ll die from it. The venom from a snake can begin to destroy skin and muscle tissue and it isn’t unknown for a bite to result in limb amputation.

Stay Calm

If you find yourself bitten by a venomous snake, your first responses will likely be that of shock and pain. It is important, however, that you remain calm and think logically through the next few steps. Panic can elevate your heart rate, speeding the process of venom spread.

Call 9-1-1

You should call the emergency services as soon as you can and never attempt to treat the bite without professional medical help. If you can, you should inform the emergency services as to what type of snake it was as this can help them in deciding which type of antivenin treatment to use. If you can’t figure out the species of snake, you can take a photo of it so long as it is absolutely safe to do so.

Don’t Try to Catch the Snake!

Snakes often strike twice; the first bite acting as a warning (and thus often don’t have much of any venom present). This is one of the reasons you should avoid a second bite as best you can. You should leave the snake alone and don’t attempt to catch it or kill it.

Keep the Wound at Heart Level

You should keep the wound still and at heart level, making sure not to take any painkillers or attempt to suck the venom. Although ingesting venom isn’t necessarily harmful, it can pose problems if you have cuts in your mouth and will be of no help in actually removing any venom.

Avoid Snake Bite Kits

Additionally, and as we’ve already mentioned, you shouldn’t use suction kits. These have been proven to be ineffective in removing any substantial amount of venom, if any, and can cause more harm than good.

Remove Tight Clothing and Jewelry

Finally, you should remove any particularly tight clothing and restrictive jewelry as this can contribute to greater swelling. Do this as soon as you’ve been bitten – don’t wait for symptoms to appear, as it may then be too late to easily remove your jewelry.

From the Editor: Here’s a fantastic infographic that summarizes the article:

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SHT Blue Blaze Blitz

Leave a Comment / Fire Safety / Brett

Our weekend on the Superior Hiking Trail.
2019 #BlueBlazeBlitz
We had a wonderful weekend doing trail volunteer work on the Superior Hiking Trail this weekend. We painted blazes on about 17 miles of trail as our part of the #BlueBlazeBlitz that saw pairs of volunteers blazing the majority of the 300+ trail miles along the north shore of Lake Superior.

The trail was completely blazed in 2006-2007 by two people contracted by the SHT Association. At that time, the standard of a vertical blue blaze measuring 2-inch by 6-inch and positioned about 6 feet from the ground every 1/10th mile was set. Over the past dozen years, those blazes have faded, or the trees they were on have fallen. On my thru-hike, I joked that the SHTA should use a paint that wouldn’t kill the trees since I saw so many on the ground. 🙂

Our blazes in 2019 are still blue, and about the size of a dollar bill, but we were instructed to place them about every 100 yards, so they are about half the distance apart as the originals.

#HikeThatSHT
The process is pretty simple.
Count 100 steps and find a tree for a blaze. Clean an area 6 feet up. Paint the blaze. Repeat 20 times every mile. But, there are some things to learn to make ‘good’ blazes.

A Good Tree is large enough to fit a blaze on, not a spindly sapling. Birch and White Pine should be avoided because their bark peels or flakes and won’t hold the blaze long. A tree that is visible from far down the trail works well, rather than one just around a corner, or covered by brush.

Scraping off lichen, moss, and debris to create a smooth canvas makes for a better blaze. We were given a template and scraper to define the blaze location.
Using a small amount of paint and brushing up from the bottom reduces newbie drips.
If there’s an old blaze in the general area that would work, just repainting it is the thing to do.

2019 Superior Hiking Trail Blue Blaze Blitz

For our volunteering, we blazed on both Saturday and Sunday. Our longest assigned section was on Saturday and it rained the entire day, non-stop. But, we were told the blazing would go on ‘rain or shine’, so we successfully covered the 5 miles out and 5 miles back in about 7 hours. After we finished, we learned that some groups chose to not blaze due to the rain, so now we hope our blazes hold up. We did meet another blazer leaving the trail and she had done her section – Good Job!
You can see we are wet under our disposable rain ponchos. Most of that was from perspiration being trapped and we were plenty warm the entire time. The only time I cooled off was when we stopped for a quick lunch in a very convenient snowmobile shelter along the trail. As long as we were walking along, it was comfortable – wet, windy, and cool, but still comfortable.

Sunday’s hike was so much more fun! The sun was out and it was a perfect fall day. Our second section was 7 miles round-trip and the blazes were much easier to paint without rainwater to deal with.

We tromped through a lot of water left over from the storm, but stayed dry overall. A nice lunch at the Big Bend campsite at our halfway point was our only rest in the 5 hour hike.

It was nice to be out in the woods at this time of year. Lots of colors changing, cool temps, and no bugs. These were just a few of the beautiful trees we passed. My favorite part was walking through a maple forest with a canopy of orange and red lit by sunshine.

If you take advantage of hiking on trails, please consider contributing to their maintenance. The SHT is volunteer maintained, as are many trails across the country. It takes many hours of commitment by many people to keep trails open and available for you.

Hike On

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Finding Your Perfect Everyday Carry (EDC) Lighter

Leave a Comment / Fire Safety / Brett

This is a Guest Post by Jeremy Rogers

EDC lighters I have carried over the years.

If you’re like me, you probably have a lighter
as part of your EDC. It’s hard to imagine life without one. I’d like to briefly
discuss the ones I’ve used in the past, as well as my current EDC lighter.
Moisture resistance, fuel retention, and durability are the main attributes I
look for in an EDC survival lighter. Other features are nice, but these are the
most fundamental and important aspects, in my opinion. I’ve used the standard
BIC, BIC Mini, Zippo, QIMEI Peanut Lighter, and the Anodized XL Maratac Peanut
Lighter.

BIC is the first lighter I carried for a long
time. I still use them around the house, at camp, and for survival kits. Water
and leak proofing a BIC has been challenging. I always worried about fuel
leakage if the ignition button became held down in my pocket. I put a zip tie
under the ignition button to prevent this from happening. Unfortunately, this
makes the lighter inconvenient to use if it’s needed quickly. Also, because the
zip tie has to be cut off to use the lighter, replacement zip ties have to be
carried.

I started using a Zippo about three years ago.
Zippo has an optional belt pouch with a metal clip and a fuel canister that I
purchased. My Zippo hasn’t failed me yet. I fretted over the case getting bent
because I’ve heard of this happening. However, the main issue I’ve had is fuel
evaporation. I used a piece of bicycle inner tube to prevent this. It helped,
but it didn’t eliminate the problem. Plus, the inner tube made the lighter
inconvenient to deploy and it tore easily.

While searching for something better, I ran across peanut lighters. The QIMEI was my first one. It came with a spare O-ring, flints, and a wick. It’s durable, leakproof, and waterproof. The only problem I’ve had is that its tiny size makes it difficult to hold and it gets hot fast. Other than that, I liked the design better than anything I’d found until that point. I later obtained a Maratac Peanut Lighter as a replacement for my QIMEI. The Anodized XL Maratac Peanut Lighter is my current EDC survival lighter. I’ve carried it on my keychain for almost a year now. I’ve never had a single problem with the Maratac. Its larger size makes it a lot easier to grip and light. Spare flints, wicks, and O-rings are sold separately

THE MARATAC PEANUT LIGHTER IS WATERPROOF

The Maratac Peanut Lighter comes with a rubber
O-ring to seal out dirt and moisture. Neither one of these has affected my
Maratac. I put a small amount of lip balm or Vaseline on the O-ring and threads
as an extra precautionary measure against moisture. The aluminum case also
makes this lighter impervious to the elements.

The Maratac Peanut Lighter is a strong option for a dependable EDC lighter.

THE MARATAC IS LEAKPROOF THANKS TO THE O-RING

I have not been able to note any fuel evaporation for the long length of time that I have carried this lighter. I’ve also never had a skin burn from fuel leakage while carrying the Maratac in my pocket. Skin burn from fuel evaporation is a reason that I carried my Zippo in a belt pouch.

THE MARATAC IS DURABLE

It’s built like a tank due to the robust aluminum case. The case is considerably thicker than a Zippo’s. It can be used as a waterproof container for small items by removing the brass insert. My Maratac has some cosmetic wear, which I expect.

The Maratac peanut lighter will hold five extra flints at the bottom of the brass insert. I still carry my Zippo fuel canister along with my Maratac lighter. I’ve carried the fuel canister for a long time and it’s never leaked. I can use the extra fuel as a firestarter in poor conditions. I keep a spare wick coiled inside the cap of my fuel can. I’ve been very pleased with my Maratac lighter. I can no doubt make it last a very long time if I had to.

I still carry my Zippo fuel canister along with my Maratac lighter.

I hope you’ll find something useful in this article. I’d love to hear your thoughts and thanks for reading.

Jeremy Rogers is an up and coming freelance writer. His blog address is http://www.heritageoutdoors.net.

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A festival of pie.

Leave a Comment / Fire Safety / Brett

Tomorrow we’re attending a Thanksgiving celebration hosted by DF’s son and daughter-in-law, and we’re not going empty-handed. He’ll be doing a turkey in the oven plus prime rib on the Weber, and I’m bringing three pies.

Not just any pies, mind you. These are Alaska pies, made with fillings grown less than three miles from where they’ll be consumed.

Specifically, they were grown in our own dirt. The apple pie filling was made mostly by DF over many days in August and September. He sliced the Nordland apples and mixed them with sugar, cinnamon, and a dash of ginger and nutmeg, then froze the result in pie-sized portions.

Lots of pie-sized portions: We have enough filling for more than two dozen desserts. Although the trees are less than five years old, the weirdly warm summer had them producing like gangbusters.

The second pie will be raspberry and rhubarb, with a hint of cinnamon. The berries went nuts this year, too, producing nearly three dozen quarts for the freezer, a bunch eaten fresh, and still more picked by family members. (Especially DF’s granddaughters, who love eating a path through the patch.)

And the last pie will be the best pie: pumpkin. It’s one of my favorite flavors anyway, and this one is special because it was the first year we tried to grow pumpkins. Although it was a jack o’ lantern cultivar rather than a pie pumpkin, that didn’t seem to matter much. Frankly, I had my doubts when I made a test pie a couple of weeks ago, since the pulp was a bright yellow. (See the illustration above.) But apparently it’s the cinnamon, ginger and cloves that are mostly responsible for the orange/brown hue of pumpkin pie filling.

Another reason for the color: Since the homemade puree was a bit on the bland side (not that pumpkin is known for its strong flavor), I added a splash of molasses to liven things up. And oh, my, didn’t the molasses and ginger dance well together, especially since I used brown sugar instead of the white sugar the recipe calls for – and brown sugar is, of course, flavored with molasses.

Every bite of those pies will remind me of summer hours well-spent. We cheered on nascent pumpkins (and sighed over the ones that didn’t take), harvested fungo-bat-sized rhubarb stalks, dodged yellow jackets in the berry patch and gazed rapturously at apple trees so heavily laden that we had to rig up a cloth sling to keep one tree from breaking under the weight of all that fruit. The Nordlands were visible from the living room, ruby dots among the green, green leaves.

Thankful for pie

Right now only the bottom crusts are completed. Well, ready to be completed. They were par-baked earlier this evening, then cooled and wrapped until tomorrow.

At that point I’ll stir together the flour and salt, and put this and the shortening outdoors to chill. Normally I put the mixture in the fridge, but there’s no room right now because DF got a really big turkey.

A couple of hours before I want to do the baking, I’ll take out a package of apples to begin thawing. The raspberries and rhubarb will be mixed with sugar, cinnamon and a little flour while they’re still frozen; I don’t want them to give off too much juice before it’s time to bake. The pumpkin puree is already thawed and in the fridge; it needs to drain it a bit more to get the right consistency. (Next year we’ll be more careful about that.)

I’ll have to bake in stages. If the apples thaw too much they, too, give off an excessive amount of juice, so the first top crust I roll out will go on that pie. The next crust will top the raspberry-rhubarb, and while those two bake I’ll make the pumpkin custard for the last pie, which doesn’t need a top crust.

The house will smell absolutely delicious, and I will need to exert considerable self-restraint to keep from eating a piece of each of the three. The fact that we’re taking them to a gathering will help me keep my hands to myself.

Besides, it’ll be worse the next day, when DF is stirring up gravy and carving the prime rib and turkey (taking the meat over pre-cut makes it easier on the buffet setup). At the very least I’ll be standing by with a glass of iced tea and a shaker of salt, ready to pounce on the crispy parts of the turkey skin. That, to me, is the best part of the Thanksgiving dinner.

So yes, I’m thankful not just for having enough to eat, but having a variety of delicious foods. I’m thankful for my daughter, who is blooming after a difficult divorce. I’m thankful for midlife love that grows deeper every day. I’m thankful for extended family, and great friends, and the chance to do work that helps people help themselves.

In short, I’m thankful for a life that’s richer than I ever imagined it could be. And I hope that you, dear readers, have joy in your own lives, on Thanksgiving and every day.

The post A festival of pie. appeared first on Surviving and Thriving.

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What Are Survival Optics and Why You Need Them?

Leave a Comment / Fire Safety / Brett

The use of optics on rifles and shotguns has become standard in the tactical realm, and for a good reason. An optic can:

increase the accuracy of a shooter
decrease the time it takes to get on target
make transitions between targets substantially easier

In 2005, the Marines entering Iraq were equipped with ACOG rifle combat optic and were massively successful. So much that there was a congressional investigation regarding the number of headshots that the Marines were making.

Optics increase the ability of any shooter and are a substantial force multiplier.

Optics and Prepping

It’s easy to dismiss optics, especially modern tactical optics, as being unneeded on combat rifles. They can often be seen as an aid or a crutch when it comes to combat rifle shooting.

However, keeping this attitude means living in the past. In the modern realm, if you are involved in a self-defense shooting, you want every advantage possible.

Any prepper or survivalist carrying a rifle should consider investing in a quality optic. But this doesn’t mean that iron sights are inefficient or outdated. If you are going to let me choose between a scope or iron sights, I’d advise iron sights.

Iron Sight

Every rifle should be equipped with iron sights even when it’s rocking a scope. They are:

simpler
less prone to failure and breaking
a fraction of the cost of a quality long gun optic
they do not need glass or electronics

With all that being said, a high-quality rifle optic makes shooting simpler and faster. The downside of iron sights is the fact that the front sight often obscures your vision when it comes to long range shooting.

For close range shooting, the process of aligning iron sights and getting on target is significantly slower than utilizing a proper optic.

Rifle Scope

A quality rifle scope allows shooters to engage targets at extended ranges easily.

With a quality optic and a good rifle, you can hit a man-sized target out to 500 yards with an AR 15. That’s an unlikely shot, and it’s somewhat hard to justify a self-defense shooting at that range, but it’s possible.

Fighting at 200 to 300 yards, it will be substantially easier to engage an attacker especially when they are hiding behind cover and presenting a smaller target.

Outside of combat situations, an optic makes hunting much easier. In that same realm, it makes scouting easier as well.

In Afghanistan, optics are often used to scout the surrounding area. 4 power ACOGs make searching the road for IEDs much easier. In a survival situation, a variable optic or even spotting scope makes road damage and debris easy to spot from a distance.

You’ll also be able to identify friend from foe at a distance. The presence of an optic on a rifle is an invaluable tool.

If you live in an urban environment, a variable or magnified optic may not be the best solution. However, a red dot scope increases your ability to hit a target accurately and quickly.

In close quarters combat, speed is king so you have to get to the target faster than your opponent. Red dot optics are ideal for close quarters combat.

Optics with illuminated reticles are much easier to use in low light situations and even in the dark of night. Iron sights are nearly impossible to use effectively at night. Red dot optics can be teamed up with magnifiers to increase their range when necessary.

In a running gunfight, your opponent is going to be moving, they’ll like be running, maneuvering, hiding behind cover and shooting back. In these situations, it’s much easier to track your opponent as they run and move.

With iron sights, the sight picture is often too obstructed to track an enemy effectively.

Variable

Variable optics offer higher magnification levels and a range of different magnification levels. They are quite versatile and can serve well in various types of rifles.

They are commonly used on hunting rifles. They allow shooters to see and shoot targets near and far. They are becoming very popular for modern defensive rifles like the AR 15 or AK 47 as well, and tend to make use of both close and long range ability.

For Bolt Action Precision Rifles

Primary Arms 4-14×44

This straightforward and affordable optic is a first focal scope with significant power and a good reputation. The FFP design means the reticle grows and shrinks as you increase or decrease the magnification so the holdover points are accurate at any magnification range.

Primary Arms is one of the most affordable FFP optics and is built to last. This particular model is higher on the magnification range and is best suited for long range bolt action and precision rifles.

For Modern Combat Optics

Burris MTAC 1-4×24

The Burris MTAC utilizes the very popular 1 to 4 power range. A 1 to 4 power scope allows shooters to easily use the close and longer range aspects of modern semi-automatic rifles.

At 1X with its illuminated reticle, it’s a half decent red dot scope; and dialed up to 4 power, a good shot don’t have any issues seeing and hitting targets that are 200-300 yards away.

Fixed Power

Trijicon ACOG

The Trijicon ACOG is the king of fixed power combat optics. Designed with combat in mind, this optic can and does go to war and come back.

The ACOG is available in a wide variety of magnification levels, with 4x being the choice of United States Marines and soldiers. The biggest downside is its high price tag. It’s often over a grand in price.

A more affordable alternative is the Primary Arms Compact Prism Riflescope. It is a lightweight, 3 power optic that is built for the 5.56, the 7.62 x 39mm, and the 300 Blackout. Each has a reticle that is tuned to its respective round and feature ballistic drop compensation.

Red Dot

Red dot optics are insanely simple optics with little to no complication. They utilize a red dot as the reticle, although some people use a green dot.

Red dots are perfect for close quarters combat and offer shooters a precise and accurate means of engaging a target rapidly. They are suited for rifles and shotguns.

SIG Sauer ROMEO7

SIG’s newest line of red dot optics is becoming quite popular. Designed to be functional, utilitarian SIG has even met the FBI standard for red dot optics.

It is a full sized red dot optic that is well suited for any rifle or shotgun. It’s large, easy to use, and incredibly durable. The SIG Sauer ROMEO7 is also priced affordably.

Sighting In

Optics are designed to make a shooter’s life a lot easier. With a high-quality optic, the user can accurately and rapidly engage targets.

A high-quality optic should be water-, shock- and fogproof. Any prepper and survivalist should consider an optic for hunting, combat, and scouting.

This post was contributed by Almo Gregor. Almo is a firearm enthusiast, an avid hunter, and a strong lifelong 2nd amendment supporter. Outdoors, hunting and shooting were a big part of his childhood and he continues with these traditions in his personal and professional life, passing the knowledge to others through freelance writing.

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Oak Grove Trail to High Point Hike

Leave a Comment / Fire Safety / Brett

The 13.5 mile Oak Grove Trail to High Point hike starts in historic Warner Springs and gently makes it’s way up to one of the only active fire towers in San Diego County, which also happens to be the tallest fire tower in California. On the way you’ll be rewarded with panoramic views of San Diego County and the high mountains of Southern California. The hike is not too technical and includes fire roads, but it is still a decent challenge with a fair amount of climbing.

The post Oak Grove Trail to High Point Hike appeared first on HikingGuy.com.

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A Looter’s Tale: A Thief’s Guide to Stealing from Preppers

Leave a Comment / Fire Safety / Brett

Disclaimer: This article is a piece of speculative fiction written from the perspective of the “bad guy.” It is in no way intended to inform, encourage or incite any criminal or malicious activity under any circumstances. It is intended to be used as a thought-provoking exercise so you can shore up any weaknesses in your own survival plan and skill set.

Am I what? Ready for the end? The end of what? Oh, The End, with a capital ‘E’. Yeah, sure, I guess. I tell you what I am ready for: shopping. I’ll tell you one thing, young gun; these people are gonna wake up to a whole new way a life when the big machine breaks down.

Things will be bad for them. For you and me, they’ll just get a dose of the way things were, and always have been.

Law of the Jungle. Survival of the fittest. Hell, I’ve been surviving the concrete jungle since I was barely old enough to stand up and take a leak. Peppers? Who or what is ‘Peppers’? Oh, preppers.

Yeah, yeah. I have seen the shows. Even known a couple of legit ones. No, I didn’t rob ‘em. I figured the long con play was best, like an investment. I ever need to make a quick withdrawal- guns, food, vehicles, you know, real loot- I know my buddy Tim will just have it waiting for me as ready as you please.

What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is also mine.

Okay, listen young gun; I know things are hairy out there. A child like you can feel it. Heh, animals always know when a storm’s comin’. Don’t take a genius weather watcher, if you get my drift. But you’ve gotta be ready.

Gotta be smart, and fast, and mean. The jungle doesn’t care who you are; you can’t cheat it. But lucky for us these busybody nerds have done the hard part for us. They worked hard so we can prosper.

All you need to do is keep your eyes and ears open. Opportunity is on the wind, my boy. People yabber. They yabber on social media. Gab away on forums. Hell, they’ll give away the keys to the kingdom to some total stranger they don’t even know.

So eager to make friends, to be cool and interesting. And secrets got a way of walking off on you. You tell your niece what’s up with your cabin on the side of a mountain topped to the brim with guns, food and water, and next thing you know some young con like you overhears her blabbin’ to her friend about what a great place for a party it is while you are trying to get her to come home with ya.

Something like that, ask the right questions, feign interest in the ditz for 30 seconds and you’ll know just about where to look. See, folks talk too much. They are far too trusting, lad. Preppers are just people, no different. No different except they got more to lose when the chips are down.

Don’t mind me, I’ll just help myself.

Oh, yeah, you best believe we’ll hit it and every other numbskull’s little bolt-hole when things get froggy. Tell you what, form what I see, it won’t be any tough job to roll them even if they live there.

Can do it real quick and clean, pick the lock, pop a window, jimmy the attic louvers, whatever. Hell, we can kick the door in easier than you can kick that trashcan over. Half a dozen ways to let ourselves in, no problem.

Trust me, I did a dime for burgling’ some homes while the owners were home. That was the only one I got caught on in my long and preeminent career, and I can tell you there isn’t one in a hundred homes that has any kind of reinforced doors or windows.

The ones that do, they omit to harden the next obvious ways to get in, like sliding glass doors, second story windows and those little basement windows that little guys like you can wriggle into.

Push, meet Shove.

If going quiet fails, or I don’t want to pussyfoot around I’ll just toss that propane tank off the grill or a concrete pot right through the sliding glass door and walk in.

Now, listen, going loud like that is a sure way to draw heat in normal times, but the way I see it it won’t be normal times when we go shopping. I’m banking on things being so Jay-Zus jumped up bonkers that the Lice won’t even waste time on a “disturbance” call when the world is brewing up around them.

That’s assuming the neighbors even think to call it; they’ll be dealing with their own problems. Heh, that’s assuming the call will even go through. Point is, we won’t be worried about anyone riding to the rescue.

What? You scared of a dog now, young gun?! You turning chickenshit on me, boah?! Look, five will get you ten it’s only some little yappy mop-dog. It might wakeup master dearest just in time to get shushed, but that’s no concern if you time it right. Now, bigger dog can give you a good chomp, but these ain’t police dogs, kiddo.

Trust me, I’m sure every one of these slobs thought their untrained family pooch was going to save the day, and they don’t; they just bark. Even so, some risks ain’t worth it when there is an easier score right around the bend a few streets over.

Any of these joints even smells like a hard job we pick a new one. It’s about getting paid, young gun, not proving anything, you get me? The one time the master of the house is up and alert with gun in hand and itching’ to use it is one time you pay the butcher’s bill.

Well, so what if the dog’s outside? What, you think he’s walking the perimeter, searchlights and all? Give me a break! Listen, if everything else looks green, we can deal with the dog. A juicy cut of meat, some pepper spray or a rat poison pepperoni will deal with the damn dog.

Soft as soft can be.

Now, if one of these fat nerds is home, we’ll do what we need to to get ‘em compliant. The full sturm und drang usually does it. Sound and fury, whatever.

Blow in there, screaming your head off, rough ‘em up and shove a gun in their face and they wilt pretty quick. Then you just corral the rubes while your buddy does the digging. Now, any of them gets outta line, they need an education about following directions.

Naw, man, not worried about a fight, no way no how. Look at these dorks: pick out two of these camo-wearing fools that looks like they could outrun Grammy on her walker without having a coronary.

If that’s too hard pick one. If they think they can go mano-y-mano with your uncle here, they’re dreaming, and if they are dreaming they better wake up and apologize.

Kiddo, your uncle here spent 10 long years pushing iron on that rusty pile in the yard and walking the wall. I was doing 500 pushups a day out of boredom. I could probably pull your little arms off and pick my teeth with ‘em.

And I sure learned how to fight, really fight. You had to, you had to or you were dead. Only the strong got out of Washington C.I. with all their teeth. Well, most of them…

Yeah, they may have guns, may have lots of ‘em. In fact, I’m counting on it. Listen, these cats are always swimming in gear, dripping in it, but they don’t know how to use it. None of ‘em do. All show, no go.

Last one pulled a gun on me on some ass end of nowhere road in LaRue county, thing wasn’t even loaded. No shit, the turd didn’t have a round in the pipe. I stuck him good and left him to die. Kept the gun though for a time before I sold it.

They read plenty of fantasy camp bullshit about this and that, old Army manuals about camo and concealment and some “hi-ya!” fighting style, eat up all this fiction about the end of the world.

Yeah, they think themselves is going to be kings of this ruined earth. Heh, gonna be sad little kings with no crown and no kingdom on a sad little hill of empty shelves when I get done with them.

You’ll know the zebra by its stripes.

Another way you can spot these walking loot boxes: the brand. No, not REI, you idiot. I mean their M.O., the way they dress. It’s like a tribal thing. You ever see those paramilitary cats hanging in the background in all that war correspondence?

The guys wearing the ball caps, the button-downs and the khaki cargos? Yeah, that’s it. Long odds you see someone dorked-up like that in public they are either a cop or one of these prepper bozos.

That, or they dress so frickin’ blah and plain they look like they are trying to blend into the scenery. Right, okay, Colombo. You sure fooled me. They call it “gray man attire.” I know, I know!

Apparently they think it’s your clothes and not your demeanor that makes you blend into a place. Like any amount of gray and tan will hide who they are. There’s only a few kinds of people who dress like that. You see some cat looks either way, you start taking notes.

Another thing, peep the cars in the lots, especially at gun shops, outdoor stores, that kind of thing. You see a truck or SUV bedazzled with stickers, slogans and all that, big lifted suspension, bars on the front and back, chances are you found the mythical “tactical lifestyle” prepper.

I know, don’t make it too hard on me! They deserve what they get, some people act so damn cartoonish you don’t feel bad no matter what you do to them.

All you need to do is trail that thing home, and I promise you you’ll have the mother of all gun caches inside. Wait till the owner is away one day and you can help yourself.

It is crazy, a bit, at least if you want to keep what’s yours, kiddo. But, human nature. People want to identify with something, and broadcast that identity to the world, friend and foe alike.

It’s like a baby seal that clubs itself, see? I mean, sure, why not dare, just dare, someone like me to relieve you of what you have since you want to advertise it. Happy to oblige, nerd.

Weapon of opportunity.

Now, me, I don’t carry on the regular. Naw, man, nothing more than my little penknife. Hey, size don’t matter if you know what you are doing. Knock it off.

I already did extra time for packing a real blade on my last stint. Now I just make use of what I find laying around, tools, screwdrivers, stuff like that. I can make a shiv if I need to.

That’s something else that half cracks me up. These people leave the keys to their castles just lying around in sheds, in garages, on their back porches, everywhere!

Saws, ladders, crowbars, all the stuff I need to rob them blind, left out like cookies for Santa. I know, kid, signs and wonders. If they were smart, and they’re not, they’d keep it all under lock and key so I could not make use of it on my little expedition.

Now, when everything goes tits-up, I’ll have no compunction about packing again. Right now, it may not be worth it, but you need not think your trusty uncle here can’t take a weapon right off someone and put it to them.

Lots of people carry tools of the trade, but it is the rare disciple that really knows how to use one. See, they haven’t thought it through. They haven’t really thought about what it would mean for them to put a bullet in a body, or sink that blade home in a guy’s neck.

They freeze. “Oh, shit! What do I do now?!” Too late, dingus. Bap! Like that. They’re like dogs chasing cars, man. They catch it, and it destroys them. You can usually tell which ones are the real hard dudes; they have that easy confidence, like a big cat.

You can see it. They pull, they’ll shoot you. None of that stand-off business that gives you time to think. Just two to the chest and off to Hell with ya. Heh, you get there you tell him your uncle said hello, huh?

Of course it’s all, as the lofty would say, theo-retical: people are so checked out these days you can be on them before they react. You strike hard and no mercy, they’ll never have a chance to haul their burner out on you, or stick you with a knife.

That’s the other thing! The ones that do carry a gun, and know how to use it, take it from me, they can’t fist fight worth a damn.

Like, at all. Treating that bang-bang like a magic wand. You can tell, too, when you take it from them, the look on their face. Thinking like, “Damn, why didn’t he just run away?”

Well, he can ponder that while I pistol whip his ass with his own gun. Serves them right, thinking this is some kind of spaghetti western.

I see you. Can you see me?

Now, listen up, kid. When the big bang happens, things won’t be the same ever again, at least not for a long time. We won’t be able to buy what we want at the stop-n-rob, even with ill-gotten bills.

Nah, it might have to be this way for a while. Dog eat dog and all. You need to be able to pick these cats out of a crowd. It won’t be like it is today, where they practically advertise their pile of goodies in flashing neon.

You’ll need to be a bit canny, see? But a good hunter always goes where the food is. You shouldn’t think people are just going to button up in their homes like little moles in their burrows.

After the shock wears off they’ll peek out their heads. People will start meeting for wheeling and dealing. Bartering, like the old days. That’s where you nab them.

Pull the old confidence play. Act interested in something they have. Feel them out. Offer something you have, well, something you took, am I right?

You play your cards right, chat with them a bit, act like a good, upstanding survivor of the apocalypse and you can just about get their inventory off of them. Now, that done, you depart and have me or another pal trail them wee-wee-wee all the way home. Then you’ll know where the goods are.

Or, if you are feeling bold, you can try and nick what you need right there. Old fashioned, honest daylight robbery.

Another trick, pay attention in the weeks after, see who doesn’t look quite so skinny as all the other poor shmucks. Toil and rationing will see the baby fat melting off the population. But not some people. Oh, no.

You see, some cat looks like he is still pulling a few extra pounds, odds are that is one of your prepper potpies in the flesh. He might only have been hoarding food, the fat ass, but we’ll take food all day and twice on Sunday. Watch where they go.

You play your cards right, son, stick with your old Uncle Badger here, and when this thing kicks off we’ll have the time of our lives and be living high on the hog.

Conclusion

As stated in the beginning, this has been a theoretical work of fiction, intended to make you think about your vulnerabilities as the Opposing Force, or “bad guy” would see them. It is our hope you will use this exercise as motivation to improve your own state of readiness.

A Looter’s Tale: A Thief’s Guide to Stealing from Preppers Read More »

Backdoor Survival Holiday Gift Guide 2019

Leave a Comment / Fire Safety / Brett

It is that time of year again. It can be easy to get overwhelmed at the holidays. I have attempted to put together some pointers and gift ideas to get through this time of year without going over budget or … Continued

Backdoor Survival Holiday Gift Guide 2019 Read More »

Will Climate Change Attract More People to Prepping?

Leave a Comment / Fire Safety / Brett

Climate change is all over the news. Let’s take a look at what this might mean for preppers and the prepping market as a whole, but first…

Is Climate Change Real?

Climate change is a political subject, and in today’s political climate, that means it’s a polarizing subject. Those on the right say it isn’t happening. Those on the left say the sky is falling. There isn’t much common ground.

By Rangerman, contributing author to SHTFblog and Survival Cache

Farmer examining corn plants in field during a drough

Self-identifying as the political middle, I generally try to avoid political subjects these days. Those on the left call me conservative while those on the right call me liberal. Where I stand really depends on the issue, however. As for climate change, I believe the science. It’s real. It’s happening.

That puts me in a precarious position. I write to preppers, and preppers are an overwhelming conservative audience. It’s not uncommon, if I write something about climate change, to hear people call me names, tell me I’ve been duped, and just stop following me altogether. But one thing you quickly learn after throwing yourself out there online, is that you can’t please everyone. People will call you names no matter the position you take. You need thick skin.

I have seen the conversation change over time, however. Fewer people are outright denying that climate change is happening. People are transitioning from “it’s not real” to “it’s real, but it’s not man-made.” Alternatively, they are going from “it’s not real” to “it’s happened before, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

But this post isn’t about whether climate change is real or not. I’m not going to cite the evidence that climate change is real, or that humans are the major cause of global warming. This post assumes that climate change is happening.

Climate Change will Draw More People to Prepping

I’ve been in the prepping business long enough to see the ebbs and flows of the market. I was on the early side of it, when “prepper” was still associated with the fringe “survivalist” folks – loners in the woods sitting on stockpiles of guns and ammo. Since then, “prepper” has become a household term with prepping becoming far more mainstream than it has ever been to the point freeze dried food can be purchased in everyday places like Costco. Reasonable people are preppers. In fact, once you look at the many reasons to prepare, “reason” follows that you must prep!

The same as 9/11, the government’s poor response to Katrina, and the Great Recession, global warming will draw another wave of people to prepping. It may be the biggest draw ever. This may be a different crowd than your typical recession prepper, civil unrest prepper, etc., but the climate change prepper will grow in numbers. You can see this already through events like climate change preparedness forums. These preppers will be younger, as today’s youth will face more of the consequences of global warming.

Climate Change Preppers Will Prep in Both Similar and Different Ways

Similar Ways of Prepping for Climate Change

What will prepping for climate change look like? In many ways, not that much different from prepping for anything else. A big part of prepping is preparing for natural disasters. Natural disasters and climate change go hand-in-hand. According to NASA, some of the effects of climate change on the United States will be:

Rising Temperatures – This will not be uniform across the country or over time.
Frost-free Growing Seasons Will Lengthen – Food-wise, this could be seen as a good thing, but read on.
More Droughts and Heat Waves – Just when you think the growing season will extend, heat waves and droughts will stress food security.
Hurricanes Will Become Stronger and More Intense – Storm intensity and rainfall from hurricanes will increase will require greater preparation for hurricanes.
Sea Levels Will Rise – Expect greater storm surges and higher tides. Don’t forget that warming oceans also impacts fishing.

Also read: Killer Climate

As preppers, we should already be aware of the necessary basics for prepping. If you’re new to prepping, you can start by reading FEMA’s Are You Ready? book… but many preppers have pretty strong feelings about FEMA and their Katrina response. Still, the book covers the basics. If you’re following sites like SHTFblog and SurvivalCache, however, you’re already ahead of the game.

The basics, of course, include everything from having an emergency plan, having food and water stored, making a bug out bag, to the more mundane subjects of having financial protection for your house, apartment, etc. These are not new ideas for most preppers, but in what ways will climate change require new means of prepping?

Different Ways of Prepping for Climate Change

The same as prepping for a recession requires different methods than prepping for civil unrest, prepping for climate change will require different methods as well. While climate change will require preparing for more hurricanes in certain areas, there are longer-term issues that will need to be addressed. Here are a few:

Environmental Migration – There are already indications that climate change is driving mass migration around the globe. While the United States may not face the type of migration problems that people in Bangladesh, Africa, Central America, and Australia might face, the people in these places will have to go somewhere when drought and famine strike. Their migration will cause political and economic challenges around the globe. How can you prepare for that as an individual? I don’t know.
Food Shortages – Erratic weather will wreak havoc on agriculture. Farmers will experience drought, then abnormally heavy rainfall, then drought, then hail, etc. Food prices will swing up and down. The household impact will be felt at the grocery store checkout.
- Gardening – Preparing for this could, and should, include growing more food at home. That could mean anything from an herb garden off your deck to a full-size family survival garden. Gardening, and doing it well, requires knowledge and experience. You can’t just go and plant a garden expecting results. Good soil often takes years to produce. Knowing how to prevent pests and crop disease also takes experience. That’s not even covering seed saving.
- Preserving Food – If you’re growing your own food, you will eventually graduate to producing food that will take you through winter. That means not only growing more but preserving it. Buy a copy of the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning and learn how to can. Maybe you will build a root cellar and/or dry storage.
- Stocking Up – Remember that what hits farms will also hit you, so your garden could be subject to the same erratic weather. Stocking up on non-perishables is a basic tenet of prepping. For climate change, you will want to do more of that. Take advantage of sales. Stock a pantry and rotate stock. When there are shortages and prices are high, you can use the stock you already have.
Finances – Having your financial house in order makes sense on every level, and it also applies here. Energy may cost more. Homeowner’s insurance may cost more. Food may cost more. And, depending on where you live, you may also be face with…
Moving – Some people are already experiencing the urge to flee (think people in California who are under a near-constant threat of wildfires). People living along the coast may also be finding an urge to move inland. More and more people will be wondering where to escape climate change in the United States. Real estate prices will decline in some places, rise in others. If you are not wedded to a particular area, or your kids/grandkids are wondering where to live, getting ahead of the population move may be wise.

Why Climate Change Preppers Should be Welcomed

h2o survival storage Whether you believe climate change is happening or not, whether you think it’s man-made or not, climate change preppers should be welcomed into the prepping community. Even if they don’t align with the typical prepper’s political beliefs, the more people that are prepared the better – regardless of their reasons!

Think of this practically, even if you have distaste for those with dramatically different political beliefs. If your neighbor is prepared, and your neighbor’s neighbor, that means greater security for you WTSHTF. Every prepared person means one less hungry person looking for what you might have. How can that be a bad thing?

And remember! When the apocalypse hits, when disease is rampant, politics will all get tossed aside when people band together for mutual survival. That bleeding-heart liberal down the street might be covering second watch when the neighborhood defenses go up against the hordes of zombies.

Will Climate Change Attract More People to Prepping? Read More »

Prepper Christmas Guide – Survival and Self-Reliance Gifts for Everyone on Your List

Leave a Comment / Fire Safety / Brett

Prepper Christmas gifts comes in as many shapes, sizes, and types as the survivalists who will use and cherish them. Our prepping holiday wish list includes gift ideas for everyone on your Christmas shopping list – no matter their age, self-reliance level, or even the degree of reluctance, they have shown to embrace the preparedness lifestyle.

Unlike so many prepper lists you will find floating around the internet, this is not merely a list of gear. Sure, there will be awesome and essential gear showcased in our Prepper Christmas Guide, but having all of the gear in the world will not save your life if you do not know how to use it or possess any other survival or survival homesteading skills.

The Prepper Christmas Guide list was created to an in-depth grouping of skill-building, emergency readiness, and survival retreat development.

Who Are These Prepper Christmas Gifts For?

Rural Preppers
Urban Preppers
Suburban Preppers
Tiny House Preppers
Prepping Families
Prepper Kids
Apartment Preppers
Senior Citizens
RV Preppers
Homeschooling Preppers
Survival Homesteaders
Off Grid Preppers
Newbie Preppers
Expert Level Preppers
Unprepared Family and Friends
Liveaboard Preppers

Yes, as you can clearly see the Prepper Christmas Guide has something for everyone… including yourself.

House and Home Essentials

Preppers who live in an off grid or tiny house home often live in modest houses that rely either solely or partially alternative fuel. These folks are also typically doing some type of homesteading and are extremely space conscious.

Survival themed gifts for tiny house and off grid preppers should not only enhance their prepping efforts, but embrace their particular lifestyle, and not take up space unnecessarily, and serve a vital function.

Tiny Salamander Stove

The Tiny Salamander Stove is perfect for an off the grid prepper with a home to heat. It will work equally well in either either a mobile or stationary tiny house.

In addition to warming an off grid house or tiny home, the Tiny Salamander Stove can be used to both cook upon and boil water. A stainless steel cooktop can be factory added to the base unit, as well as a rea water boiler and outside air intake.

The Salamander Stove is made of cast iron, but due to its petite size, weighs only 110 pounds. It will fit in small space but yet is still suitable for a vast array of uses. It still boasts all of the same common attributes and prime features of larger and equally efficient large cast iron stoves.

This survival stove was designed to function with pre-heated secondary combustion technology to ensure it is clean burning, and can harness the utmost energy out of ever single 8-inch long log or lump of coal placed inside.

Even if the prepper who receives this fine gift has never installed a cast iron wood stove before, he or she should still be able to set it up in a short amount of time and get a nice cozy fire started.

Greenlight Planet Home Solar Indoor Hanging Lights

These solar light sets can be hung from a ceiling indoors or outside of an off grid prepper home or tiny house. The Greenlight Planet Home Solar lights sets come with three wall mountable switches and boast 200 lumen per lamp to provide multiple room lighting.

The lights are powered by solar and USB charging systems. The set of lights come with adjustable brightness settings.

Mr. Heater Big Buddy Indoor Propane Heater

The Mr. Heater portable propane heater boast an output of 4,000 to 18,000 BTU radiant heat. This indoor and outdoor safety approved propane heater is capable of heating up to 450 square feet of space and is 100 percent efficient.

This Mr. Heater Big Buddy model features an automatic shut off function if the heater is tipped over, if low oxygen levels inside the structure it is heating are detected, or if the pilot light goes out.

This Christmas gift idea has low, medium, and high temperature level settings, and connects in seconds to a propane tank for immediate use.

Wall Mount Ductless Mini Split Air Conditioner Heat Pump

This Wall Mount Ductless Mini Air Conditioner is designed to be powerful enough to heat a typical small room, making it perfect to cool a tiny house or small off grid cabin.

If the tiny house prepper is not living off the grid, he or she may also like the Wi-Fi kit that can be purchased additionally to be able to control the functions of the wall mount unit for a smartphone when they are on the go.

This cooling unit has a sleep mode function, smart pre-heating setting, low-voltage start up, and a dehumidifier function.

Lavario Portable Clothes Washer

This compact non-electric portable clothes washer is large enough to do a decent load of even thick materials like hoodies and jeans.

The Lavario Portable Clothes Washer is manually powered and cleans clothing in fewer than 20 minutes, while giving the user a decent arm workout in the process.

The Lavario Portable Clothes Washer is small enough to fit inside an RV, tiny house, apartment, or small on grid or off grid cabin.

Survival Homesteading

Preppers who live on a small to large parcel of land have far more options when it comes to raising livestock and growing your own groceries.

Even though rural preppers are better positioned to hunker down on a prepper retreat they create for themselves, their family, stockpiling the supplies they need to bug out with as much of their livestock and growing operation intact should also be taken into consideration when searching for a Christmas gift.

Urban, suburban, apartment, and small town preppers will not be able to raise large livestock on their survival homestead, but they too can often keep small livestock and grow a large portion of the fruits and vegetables they will need to feed the family.

Space conscious livestock enclosures, vertical gardening systems, and portable planters make ideal Christmas gifts for preppers and non-preppers who live in these types of environments.

The self-reliance seeds you plant (pun intended) by giving gifts that can be used to grow, raise, and preserve food to non-preppers can spark an interest in delving deeper into the preparedness lifestyle.

Children, especially homeschooled ones, can learn a great deal from homesteading related gifts. Senior citizens who may feel like a less vital part of a prepper group physically, may be able to provide a priceless amount of knowledge if they are included more in the daily self-reliance activities, perhaps ones they grew up doing on a family farm years ago.

Even if an elderly loved one might have mobility issues or staying at an assisted living facility, he or she could most likely be able to grow a planter vegetable in a room or herbs in a windowsill. Honestly, folks, granny really has no use for yet another pair of slippers this Christmas.

Lazy Buddy Chicken Coop

This small chicken coop is ideal for a prepper who does not have much space to keep chickens, or who may have large acreage that is already claimed by other structures and use.

Even if the beloved prepper on your shopping list has a chicken coop already and ample space, he or she may have been dreaming of keeping a different chicken variety or poultry bird entirely, and need a place to house them or something to use as a brooder.

A chicken coop is one of the great self-reliance gifts that does not immediately scream, “Prepper!” and could entice someone who might be more willing to consider themselves a homesteader or farm to table supporter, to engage in this type of common prepping activity.

A sturdy and easy entry poultry bird habitat like this LAZY Buddy Chicken Coop would also make a great gift for prepper kids and senior citizens. The egg box boast an easy entry from outside of the coop and is designed in a manner which will make it easy to clean.

This prefab chicken coop boasts a waterproof run for the small flock, and both an indoor and outdoor walking area, as well as sleeping quarters. Meat rabbits could easily reside in this habitat, as well.

The LAZY Buddy Chicken Coop is built from quality natural fir wood and finished with a non-toxic and eco-friendly varnish.

Portable Livestock Electric Net Fence

This portable livestock fence is designed to keep medium livestock like goats and sheep in place.

It can be used to rate the animals around a survival homestead when browsing for food or in a bugout scenario when the animals are taken along and need to be contained while feeding.

The Family Portable Livestock Electric Net Fence comes with 14 step in posts – no post hole digging or pounding required to set up this livestock enclosure.

The fence can be purchased in either 35-inch or 42-inch tall varieties, and is 165 feet long. A solar energizer – charger must be purchased separately to power this portable electric fencing system.

Terra Color Vertical Stacking Planters

These compact yet fairly deep vertical stacking planters are excellent for not only small space preppers, but also for folks living on a large survival homestead who also want to engage in portable gardening and indoor growing during the cold weather months.

Large Walk-In Portable Tunnel Greenhouse

This plastic and coated steel greenhouse offers a large amount of space to start seeds and to extend the growing season. You can walk through this hoop house without ducking, and have ample room to move about while working on your potted vegetables, dwarf fruit and coffee trees, as well as herbs and medicinal plants.

This economical greenhouse model also boast eight plastic flap windows to help ventilate the growing structure.

Greenhouse kits come in a vast array of sizes, prices, and materials. You could spend about $1,500 and purchase a glass greenhouse kit that would fit in a large backyard on large acreage, or go small scale and buy a closet style greenhouse kit that can be set up on a small patio or balcony.

Grow Lights

Growing plants indoors over the winter or to give greenhouse plants an extra boost of heat and light will require the purchase of grow lights. Like greenhouses, grow lights come in various sizes and price ranges.

Indoor plant grow lights can be hung from the ceiling, an accompanying stand, or are made with a weighted base so they can sit on a table or stand next to plants.

Like several other survival homesteading items in this section of our Prepper Christmas Guide, plant grow lights are another way to gently push some self-reliance skills and activities onto loved one who are resistant to your lifestyle – but could change their minds when continually urged into simple preparedness “hobbies” that seem more mainstream.

Insulated Coveralls

Survival homesteaders have a plethora of chores to get done no matter what the season or weather outside. A pair of insulated coveralls will be highly useful now as well as when the SHTF.

They come in multiple varieties, some with hats and some without, as well as designed in sizes specifically to fit men, women, and children.

Portable “Silent” Generator

Unless your prepping loved one is new to the self-reliant lifestyle, he or she should already have a generator to power their home. Smaller and portable generators, especially ones deemed to be “silent” or extremely quiet can be quite useful around a large survival homestead both not and during a long-term disaster.

A generator like the one linked in this section can also provide a clean and safe source of power for folks living in or bugging out in an RV, as well as those engaged in tiny house or off grid prepping.

Self-Reliance Hobbies and Self-Defense

There is probably no better way to encourage non-prepping loved ones to garner some self-reliance skills and greater appreciation for DIY skills than parlaying something they want to embark on as a hobby into a survival or homesteading skill.

If someone you care about has shown an interest in one of your skills or at least enjoyed the benefits of your abilities, consider expanding upon that initial interest with a hobby style prepping gift this Christmas.

A prepper on your holiday shopping list may also want to delve more deeply into a skill they are already mastering with an upgrade in their existing supplies and equipment.

Increasing your ability to defend yourself and your preps is an ongoing state of affairs. The affordable items in this section can help preppers with both their self-defense goals as well as hunting prowess.

Brother Sewing and Embroidery Machine

Learning how to make and repair your own clothing is a vital self-reliance skill. Sewing by hand or with an old-fashioned manual pedal machine would likely be necessary during a long-term disaster.

However, helping someone you love get bitten by the sewing bug with an awesome new machine that not only sews, but embroiders as well, could be the first step on the road to off grid sewing greatness.

Once your loved one learns how to sew (and embroider) with this combo Brother sewing machine, she could then be inspired to learn how to make her own patterns, turn old clothing into fabric and give it new life as something else useful – perhaps outfits for babies and little ones in your survival tribe.

Blacksmith Forge

Blacksmithing will be an essential skill to have during a long-term disaster – and for the years afterwards as society begins to rebuild itself. A single burner portable blacksmith forge won’t break your wallet, and is a perfect size for beginners to learn this pioneering skill.

Pottery Wheel

A compact or tabletop version of a pottery wheel is yet another affordable self-reliance skill training gift that is perfect for a prepper, no matter where they live.

These small electric pottery wheels are large enough to make cookware and similar items, yet still small enough they can easily be moved after use, and tucked away until needed again.

If you are handy, free plans abound on the internet teaching you how to extremely economically make your own manual kick wheel pottery wheel – which would be ideal for an off grid prepper – or someone preparing to be once the SHTF.

3D Deer Hunting Target

If a prepper on your list is an avid deer hunter – or would like to be, invest in a lifelike 3D deer hunting target, especially one with a replaceable core.

Even if your beloved deer hunter already has a similar target, getting one or two more would allow him or her to set up a full on 3D hunting trail in their woods for survival training.

Boot Knife

A boot knife is both a handy survival homesteading tool and a self-defense weapon. The knives are almost always fixed blade, and remain entirely hidden inside of a standard set of cowboy boots, work boots, hiking boots, or muck boots.

Books, Games, and Training

During the long, cold months of winter preppers have a little bit of idle time on their hands. There is no better way to fill a long evening than curling up with a great book that offers self-reliance tips or gathering around the kitchen table with loved ones and playing a survival game.

Doom And Bloom Survival Board Game

This board game for preppers was developed by Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy (Dr. Joe Alton and his wife, Amy) and focuses on realistic survival scenarios in a world after a SHTF pandemic event. Doom and Bloom Survival can be played alone or with up to four players (an up to eight player version is coming soon).

Medical prepping supplies and skills are always the most difficult to master as part of your survival plan. Dr. Joe and Nurse Amy are not only expert preppers, they are also wonderful people who stive to teach others how to protect and treat themselves when calling 911 is no longer an option.

Secret Garden of Survival

One of my favorite prepping mentors, Rick Austin – AKA the Survivalist Gardener, wrote this best-selling survival gardening book. Rick teaches the reader how to grow in guilds in the Secret Garden of Survival, and to create a sustainable food forest that will not be detected easily by prying eyes during a SHTF.

To increase your beloved prepper’s self-reliance skills even more, consider buying Rick’s Secret Greenhouse of Survival and Secret Livestock of Survival books, as well and gifting this complete survival homesteading set this Christmas.

Prepper Camp

Rick and his wife, Survivor Jane, left lucrative professional jobs in the city to relocate to a small patch of heaven in western North Carolina to become full-time preppers.

Their dream of living a sustainable lifestyle has not only inspired, but helped tens of thousands of other prepping Americans to become skilled survival homesteaders, as well.

Just a few short years ago Rick, Jane, and a handful of like-minded and dedicated folks launched Prepper Camp. The three day hands-on fully immersive survival homesteading retreat takes place every September in Saluda, North Carolina.

It is about as far from being a prepper expo as you can get. Prepper Camp is more like a prepping summer camp for adults – a temporary community that you never want to leave.

Each year, preppers (both new and seasoned) come from around the country to learn and have fun at Prepper Camp.

No matter how far anyone has driven or flown, I have never heard one of them say it was not worth the trip. In fact, I have heard a few folks say they were going to make it there again even if they had to walk.

Take advantage of holiday season discounts and get your tickets for next years Prepper Camp for someone you love this Christmas.

Herbal Academy

If a prepper or gardening non-prepper you love is (or could be ) interested in medicinal herbs, consider an annual members to the Herbal Academy to put in their Christmas stocking.

An economical membership grants access to written text and detailed guides as well as illustrations, educational videos about herbal remedies, and growing tips.

I thought I was a fairly accomplished amateur herbalist until I took advantage of a membership sale. I only then learned that I had so much more to learn and excitedly began doing so – to the benefit of my family and survival tribe.

One Second After

No prepper must have book gift ideas list would be complete without One Second After. Bill Forstchen, who has often been dubbed the father of the prepping movement, who this best seller and launched an awakening across America.

Forstchen has now completed the One Second After trilogy as well as has written two other incredible survival books – Day of Wrath and 48 Hours.

Bill not only has been the featured speaker at Prepper Camp on several occasions, but proposed to his wife at this self-reliance gathering.
Children and Family Fun

Children are never too young to begin learning about self-reliance and survival homesteading. Our youngest grandchildren began taking responsibility for the chicken coop feed and watering at the age of 3, could identify at least six wild edibles before the age of four, could identify nut trees on our survival homestead, and helped in the making of natural remedies.

Older grandchildren helped with the processing of deer in our homestead butcher shop and went hunting under the guidance of adults.

Even if you live in the suburbs or the city and cannot engage in some of these important self-reliance skill training activities on a regular basis, you can introduce the concepts through hands-on and interactive games, activity kits, books, and role playing – pretend play toys.

Maybe some of the little loved ones on your Christmas shopping list were not born to prepping parents, but that does not mean you can’t play a significant role in helping them to grasp the importance of self-reliance.

Many of the items on this Christmas gifts for preppers kids would also make excellent hands-on learning resources for homeschooling parents.

Top 25 Christmas Prepping Toys

If the children are being raised by prepper parents or on a homestead, consider expanding upon their growing skill set by investing in a new pair of cowboy boots, muck boots, or maybe even a pony or goat of their very own to raise.

Gathering with your extended family members for a Christmas party at grandma’s house can be stressful – especially when you must find a gift for your liberal brother or aunt that thinks all preppers are hiding out in a bunker 24/7, and preventing their children from being exposed to the big wide world.

While it might seem like it at times, it is not impossible to get those folks you care about to see the light. Don’t let those you love be like the “Kungfu Panda” guy in the video above.

Help the unprepared loved ones in your life and all the preppers on your list become as ready as they can be for whatever might be looming around the corner.

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