31 Days To Survival - A Complete Plan For Emergency Preparedness - M.D. Creekmore - Paladin Press - 2012

31Days to
Survival
A Complete Plan for
❏ Emergency Preparedness
M.D. Creekmore
Paladin Press • Boulder, Colorado
Also by M.D. Creekmore
Dirt-Cheap Survival Retreat
31 Days to Survival:
A Complete Plan for Emergency Preparedness
by M.D. Creekmore
Copyright © 2012 by M.D. Creekmore
ISBN 13: 978-1-61004-648-0

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DAY Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................... 1
Day 1: Check your skills ................................................................................. 3
Day 2: Start your preparedness binder .......................................................... 7
Day 3: Find storage space and build a rotating canned-food shelf ..............11
Day 4: Make a list of what and how much your family eats in a week ......15
Day 5: Build a solar cooker............................................................................19
Day 6: Let’s go shopping for your 72-hour kit ............................................ 25
Day 7: Schedule a CPR and first aid class for you and your family ........... 29
Day 8: Optimize your time for prepping...................................................... 31
Day 9: Let’s go shopping for your year’s food supply ................................. 35
Day 10: Get a checkup and build your medical kit ....................................... 41
Day 11: Get your spouse onboard for your preparedness journey............... 45
Day 12: Learn to sprout seeds for fresh greens all year ................................ 49
Day 13: Let’s take a trip to the hardware store ............................................. 53
Day 14: Put together a bug-out bag ................................................................ 57
Day 15: Let’s go shopping for basic survival supplies................................... 63
Day 16: Build a box trap ................................................................................. 65
Day 17: Get a dental checkup and put together a dental first aid kit........... 73
Day 18: Make a water filter and learn water storage and purification ........ 75
III
Day 19: Avoid these 10 prepping mistakes .................................................... 83
Day 20: Take a firearms safety and/or hunter-education class .................... 87
Day 21: Let’s make a small-game snare.......................................................... 91
Day 22: Prevent and manage stress................................................................ 97
Day 23: Plan your survival garden ................................................................103
Day 24: Take a trip to the gunshop ...............................................................107
Day 25: Put together a survival kit for your automobile..............................113
Day 26: Brainstorm ideas and look for gaps in your preparation................117
Day 27: Build a deadfall trap with a figure-four trigger...............................121
Day 28: Put together your every-day carry (EDC) kit .................................125
Day 29: Learn to cook in a Thermos bottle ..................................................129
Day 30: Find like-minded survivalist friends ...............................................133
Day 31: Learn to tie a knot............................................................................137
14 lessons I’ve learned about survival ...........................................147
Final thoughts: Why aren’t you meeting your survival goals?.........151
IV 31 DAYS TO SURVIVAL
DAY Introduction
elcome. Who among us doesn’t want to survive? We’re
W born with the desire to survive, but unfortunately

many in our increasingly dependent society look to oth-
ers for relief and assistance following a disaster. The fact is that
help from government, family, or neighbors is often unavailable
when needed most, and in the end you may have only yourself to
count on. Will you be ready? Do you know what to do and how
to do it? Have you made plans and stored the necessary supplies
and gear to see you through a long-term disaster?
If not, 31 Days to Survival will help you prepare to survive
both short- and long-term disasters. You just have to make up
your mind and get started. Anyone can do it; all you have to do is
follow the step-by-step advice in this book. I can assure you that
my plan is not difficult—I’ve made every step as clear and easy to
follow as possible.
Each day in the 31-day project outlines a specific task for
you to do. This approach is designed so that you come away
from each day’s assignment having not only read about how to
do it (or how someone else has done it), but having actually
completed a survival task yourself using the knowledge pre-
sented for that day, thus increasing your survival skills and your
readiness to survive a long-term disaster.
Don’t be intimidated by the “31 day” schedule. You can take
as much time as is necessary to complete each assignment.
1
Indeed, for most readers some tasks will certainly take longer
than one day to complete. Some could require a month or more,
depending on each individual’s abilities, schedules, and
resources. Complete each assignment at your own pace. The
most important thing is to persevere with each assignment;
before you know it, you will have accomplished your goal of
being prepared to survive a long-term disaster. Trust me—it is a
great feeling.
Because you can proceed at your own pace and in your own
way, 31 Days to Survival will work for anyone. It is the most ver-
satile and helpful resource in the crowded survival field.
By the end of the 31 days you will have:
✔ Built a rotating canned-food shelf and filled your pantry

with nutritious, durable food
✔ Accumulated the right firearms for both foraging and defense
✔ Assembled both first aid and dental kits
✔ Constructed a homemade water filter
✔ Put together a functional 72-hour and an every-day carry
(EDC) kit
✔ Learned firearms safety and first aid techniques
✔ Made and used traps for small game and fish
✔ Collected tools for your survival garden
✔ Acquired a survival tool kit
✔ Found like-minded friends
✔ Learned to tie a knot
✔ And much more . . .
Are you ready? Let’s get started . . .
2 31 DAYS TO SURVIVAL
DAY Check your skills.
1
ny person who sets out to acquire a set of survival skills
A must start with a brutally honest self-assessment. If you

don’t make a truthful appraisal of where you are in
terms of your survival skills and knowledge, you have no reli-
able means of getting to where you want to be.
Do an inventory. In what areas are you most skilled? Where
are you definitely lacking? Are you well versed in firearms but
lack knowledge about water purification? Have you amassed an
impressive food pantry but have no way to protect that food
should the need arise? Do you have an excellent first aid kit but
don’t know how to use it?
Just as a business that fails to take regular inventory cannot
succeed, neither can a survivor who doesn’t tabulate his
resources. You need a starting point, and today’s assignment is
to take an inventory of your essential survival skills.
As you read though the following list, check off those skills
you have mastered so you can focus on those skills on which
you need to improve.
1. Food processing. Many survival planners overlook food

processing in favor of more exciting elements of pre-
paredness. This is a mistake. Learning how to prepare
basic survival foods is one of the most important ele-
ments of long-term disaster preparedness.
3
2. Bulk food storage. Without adequate quantities of
stored foods, your demise is virtually guaranteed after
a major catastrophe. Storing and rotating basic grains,
beans, and other foodstuffs isn’t difficult; anyone can
learn how to do it properly in an hour or two. You
will find everything you need to know within the
pages of this book.
3. Emergency medical care. Every survivalist should
have sufficient medical training. A good start is tak-
ing a basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and
first aid class; check with your local Red Cross for
scheduling. If time and finances allow, taking EMT
classes is an excellent idea. Don’t overlook herbal
medicine, which may be all you will have to work
with after a disaster.
4. Gardening. Because of space and finances, most of us
cannot cache enough food to last the rest of our lives.
We’ll need to replace our stored foods with fresh sup-
plies. Gardening is an excellent way to do this and can
be easily learned with instruction and practice. It is
amazing the amount of food that can be grown in a
small space under proper conditions.
5. Preserving food. Food preservation is an important sur-
vival skill, as most fresh foods spoil fairly quickly,
resulting in a loss of quality, edibility, and nutritional
value. You should learn to can, dry, freeze, cure (salt
or sugar), smoke, pickle, bury, vacuum-pack, jelly,
and/or pot food.
6. Hunting. Contrary to popular belief, all wild game will
not disappear after a collapse, natural or manmade.
Most people would rather stand in a food line waiting
for a handout than scour the backwoods for game.
And let’s not forget that the extent of most people’s
hunting skills doesn’t go beyond the latest hunting-
themed video game.
7. Trapping. Trapping is more practical under survival
conditions than hunting. By setting a trap, you can be
other places doing other things while the trap does the
hunting for you. Learn to build and set snares, dead-
falls, box traps, fish traps, and steel traps. Becoming a
proficient trapper is not difficult—all you need to do
is get off the couch and learn by doing.
8. Firearms repair. Basic firearms repair (replacement of
broken parts) isn’t difficult if you have the parts
needed when something breaks. You don’t need to
learn how to repair every make and model of firearm
in existence. You do need to have an in-depth under-
standing of your firearms: how they work and how to
maintain and repair them.
9. Self-defense skills. The most effective self-defense tech-
niques are also the easiest to master. Striking vulnera-
ble points, biting, and eye gouging are simple and
effective techniques that can be learned quickly and,
when applied with aggression and precision, can bring
down the most determined attacker.
10. Firearms proficiency. If you’re new to firearms, a basic
safety course is highly recommended before learning
defensive skills. Concealed-carry permit classes are
held in most areas, as are hunter education programs.
I suggest you participate in both. The National Rifle
Association (NRA) offers a number of classes that are
most helpful.
11. Water purification. Another simple skill often over-
looked is water acquisition and purification.
12. Using tools. You should have a survival toolbox of
basic tools, including hammers, saws, drills, screw-
drivers, winches, vise grips, wire cutters, and files.
Your toolbox should also include the skills needed to
put these tools to good use.
13. Raising small livestock. Raising livestock for food
goes hand-in-hand with gardening, hunting, and
trapping to ensure sustenance during hard times. I
highly recommend Barnyard in Your Backyard by
Gail Damerow, which covers everything you need
CHECK YOUR SKILLS 5

to know about making livestock part of your
survival food plan.
14. Home power. While it may be possible to survive with
no electrical power at all, having some source of elec-
trical current will make life much easier. My solar
setup cost me under $600, including the batteries, and
the price of building my homemade electrical genera-
tor amounted to just under $100.
15. Investing. After getting your survival necessities in
order (e.g., food, water, medical supplies, shelter,
defense), you need to start thinking about investing
in barter goods, such as .22-caliber ammo, pock-
etknives, and “junk” silver coins. Just be sure not to
make the mistake of going into debt while investing
in these metals.
❏ Today’s Assignment:
Check your skills (be honest!) against the list above. If there
are areas in which you are lacking (and there will be if you’re
being honest), then get to work filling in the gaps. Most of what
you need to know can be found in the following pages.
DAY Start your
preparedness
2 binder.
hat’s the most important component of your prepared-
W
the above.
ness preparation? Is it water, food, shelter, emergency
medicine, defense? The correct answer is . . . none of
Yes, you need those essential life-supporting items, but if

you ask me what the most important part of survival planning is
I would say information. Some will disagree with me on this,
but that’s OK. We all have our opinions, and that’s great. Just
don’t let your beliefs nullify your good judgment and lessen
your chance of survival.
Information and individual survival skills are key to your
survival, and both require a well-rounded and well-organized
survival library. Having a good survival library is, in my opin-
ion, just as important as having a well-stocked pantry. As they
say, knowledge is power; when it comes to survival, you can’t
have too much information or knowledge.
But books are expensive, and building a survival library cover-
ing all the needed skills can run into hundreds or even thousands of
dollars, which most of us don’t have. If you have an extra $2,000 to
purchase books and other related research materials, buy all the
books, periodicals, and videos you can. Unfortunately, most of us
don’t have that kind of money. How are you supposed to build a
survival library without taking out an extra mortgage on your
home, selling your bodily fluids or parts, or pimping yourself out
on the street corner?
7
Well, you can buy used books, and one economical source for
used books is online vendors, especially Amazon. This is not to
denigrate yard sales, library sales, estate sales, or used book
stores, but survival and gun books are rarely found at “sales.” At
Amazon you can find anything, and the search takes seconds.
Even buying used books may be more than your budget can
afford these days, so I have a cheaper option for you: a survival
binder or binders. Let’s get started . . .
WHAT IS A SURVIVAL BINDER?
A survival binder is simply a book of collected information

gathered from various sources both online and offline. You can use
any type of binder you want, but I prefer the cheapest three-ring
one I can find that is sturdy enough to be handled or transported.
Most office supply stores carry 20-pound, 8.5 x 11-inch,
three-hole-punched paper for use in this type of binder. If you
can’t find the paper with the holes in stock, a three-hole paper
punch works well. That’s what I use so I can add pages taken
from magazines, newspapers, letters, or books to the binder, and
not just items I have copied onto the punched paper.
You might consider waterproof paper. There are a number
of suppliers of various grades; simply Google “waterproof
paper.” A poor-man’s alternative is to haunt new house con-
struction sites for scraps of Tyvec “house wrap.” It’s printable,
waterproof, durable, punchable, and usually free in scraps, and
it cuts with scissors. Of course, waterproof paper doesn’t do
much good if the ink is not also waterproof. Some copy/printer
inks are waterproof; some are not. So use the good stuff to print
downloads you want to keep through hell and high water. For
your own note-taking, the Sharpie waterproof marker is
durable. Some ballpoint ink is waterproof; some is not. Water-
based inks often do not go on, and pencil usually rubs off.
Another option is using clear plastic three-ring envelopes
(the soft ones, not the stiff glassine ones). They come in all sorts
of configurations, including ones with half-pockets for clippings
and ones that zip-lock watertight. They also make a heavy-duty
version as used in factories for holding work orders that is also
oil resistant and comes three-ring punched.
To make it easier to access information in your binders, you
should label each with the subjects covered. If you don’t do this
from the beginning, as your library grows you’ll have to spend a
lot of time flipping through each binder to find the one with the
information you need. I write the subject on a 1-inch-wide by 8-
inch-long strip of paper and tape it to the spine with clear 2-inch
packaging tape encasing the label. If your writing isn’t legible, you
can type the labels or use a label-maker (a good one runs about
$12). Index tabs make retrieval quicker if you have individual
“chapters” in your binders.
One of the great things about the survival binder system is
that—unlike many survival books out there covering a broad
range of subjects, with only one or two being relevant to you—
your binder includes only those subjects that you need, saving
you time, space, and money. Plus, the binders take less storage
space and are more portable than books or video cases.
What you put in your survival binder will depend on several
factors, including but not limited to your location, survival
plans, and skill level. For example, if you retreat to an area
where raising a garden isn’t feasible, then adding information
on gardening wouldn’t make a lot of sense. Or if you live on the
Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee, then you won’t have a binder
devoted to desert survival skills. You get the idea. Don’t waste
time or resources on things you won’t use.
Now where to find reliable, printable information for free? (I
love that word . . . FREE.) Well, blogs are one great source. For
example, my blog (www.the survivalistblog.net) is a treasure
trove of information on a wide variety of survival topics from
knowledgeable sources, and the articles are all free for the taking.
Check out the print-friendly button at the bottom of each post.
Where else can you find free material? A good place to start
when looking for information on gardening, livestock, and
homesteading is cooperative extension publications from
county, state, and federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department
of Agriculture. Here is the URL for my state extension office:
START YOUR PREPAREDNESS BINDER 9

https://utextension.tennessee.edu/Pages/default.aspx. Your state
will have a similar agency, as will most counties. Go online and
Google “state extension office” or “county extension office.”
Most of the publications are free or reasonably priced.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and
the American Red Cross have a wealth of free information on
emergency preparedness and survival on their respective sites
ready to download and print. A great place to start your prepa-
rations is FEMA’s Are You Ready?, which is available at
www.ready.gov/are-you-ready-guide.
Your state’s department of natural resources web page is a
terrific place to find advice on such topics as trapping, butcher-
ing game, hunting, vegetation, and other relevant topics.
If you’re looking for military tactics, sites abound that allow
you to download and print manuals detailing everything from
outdoor survival and weapons training to demolitions.
Another good link is http://publications.usa.gov/USAPubs.
php. This federal government site provides a lot of publications
for free or at minimal cost, although you may have to weed
through a lot of garbage to find what you need.
A quick and useful way to find printable information on any
subject is to do a Google search for the topic with PDF (portable
document format) added to the search term: for example, “rais-
ing tomatoes PDF.” PDF files are great because they are easy to
print and put into your binder.
If you want to be more selective about what you include in
your binder, you can highlight the information of interest, cut
and paste it to a Word file, and then print that out and add it to
your binder. This way, you have only what you want.
Take a close look at your survival plans and skills, and write
down those areas where you need more information. Then start
a survival binder system with the correct information to fill in
the gaps.
DAY Find storage space
and build a rotating
3 canned-food shelf.
f you live in an apartment, mobile home, travel trailer, or
I other small space, you may be wondering where in the heck

you’re going to put all the food and survival gear recom-
mended in the following days’ assignments.
Well to be honest, you may not have enough storage space
for everything, but you probably have more available space than
you think. Here are a few ideas to help you find the necessary
space to get your food storage squared away after your shopping
trip on day nine.
This is an example of what you don’t want your food storage to look like.
Disorganized shelves make it difficult to manage and rotate food properly.
11
1. Under the bed. Flat rollout bins for under-bed storage
work great. Also consider putting risers (such as con-
crete blocks) under your bed so you can fit more
things underneath.
2. In the bedroom closet. Be sure to add a lock to the door
to keep anyone from looking inside.
3. Under a staircase. The space under staircases can be
enclosed and perhaps made into hidden storage rooms.
4. Under or inside a coffee table. With some types of tables,
the contents can be completely hidden from view.
5. In the laundry room. Adding shelves or cabinets in the
laundry room can provide storage for certain types of
foodstuffs. But be aware that heat and moisture could
be a problem and may shorten the shelf life of certain
foods. Do your research and see what items can safely
be stored in this environment.
6. In the attic. Again, heat or cold may be a problem here
and could limit shelf life of certain foods. Be selective
about what you store here.
7. Under the floor. If you have a large crawl space, you
may be able to partition a storage area here. You could
even build a secret door through the floor into the
storage area. You also have to be careful what type of
foodstuffs you store here, factoring in exposure to
heat and cold and rodent-proofing your stash.
8. Between wall studs. Add cabinets or shallow shelves
between the studs along inside walls. You could easily
retrofit a removable panel that is backed by magnets
to hold it in place for a secret storage area. Just be sure
the panel material matches the rest of the wall.
9. Floor-to-ceiling wall space. When building shelves or
cabinets, utilize all the space from floor to ceiling.
Many people ignore valuable overhead or lower stor-
age space because it isn’t as easy to access.
10. Inside furniture. Buy furniture with built-in storage
space. Examples include coffee and occasional tables,
ottomans, storage cubes, and trunks, which do double-
duty as tables or seating areas.
11. And the most important tip of all: declutter your
home and storage area. This increases your storage
capacity and makes retrieval faster and easier.
For storage of canned goods, consider buying or building a

rotating shelving system. This type of shelving unit does the
work of turning and rotating the cans for you automatically,
thus extending shelf life by ensuring that the oldest cans in your
shelf are used first. Shelfreliance.com sells ready-made units, or
you can build your own to fit your needs by going to www.wiki-
how.com/Build-a-Rotating-Canned-Food-Shelf and following the
step-by-step instructions.
When building a rotating canned-food shelf, you don’t need
to get fancy with the woodwork (unless you want to) or follow
the directions given on the site too rigidly. For example, the
measurements given can be modified to meet your space limita-
tions or storage requirements.
Find and prepare space in your home/retreat to store your
survival food and gear. In the coming days, you’ll be going shop-
ping, and you’ll need a place to store all those items.
FIND STORAGE SPACE 13

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DAY Make a list of what
and how much your
4 family eats in a week.
rint the worksheet on page 16 and write down everything
P you and your family eat for each day in the corresponding
blocks. By doing this simple exercise, you’ll get a much better
idea of what and how much food you’ll need over a given period
than you could from any other list or online storage calculator.
FOOD-STORAGE SHELF LIFE
Print a copy of the food-storage shelf life chart on page 17 and

post it in your storage area. Listing specific foods and their shelf
life is nothing more than an educated guess, as there are too many
variables involved, such as altitude, age and condition of food
when it was bought, and the storage conditions in your pantry.
Generally speaking, most foods remain edible past the listed
expiration date, but they may lose some or most of their nutri-
tional value. If the food looks and smells normal past the listed
use-by date, then it is probably still safe to eat . . . but then again,
maybe not. Check the FDA site www.fda.gov/Food/ScienceRe-
search/LaboratoryMethods/BacteriologicalAnalyticalManual-
BAM/ucm109398.htm for a wealth of information on determining
the safety of canned foods. I toss out cans that are swollen or
rusted around the seams, but in the end you’ll have to use your
own judgment. Remember, the listings in the chart on page 17 are
only suggested shelf life times; they are not guaranteed.
15
DAILY FOOD CHART
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:
Sunday:
Notes:
FOOD-STORAGE SHELF LIFE
Food Type Estimated Shelf Life

Baking powder 18–24 months
Baking soda 2 years
Beans, dried (e.g., black, lima, pinto, navy) 1–5 years
Bouillon products 1 year
Cake mixes 6–9 months
Canned foods 1–5 years or more
Chili powder 6–12 months
Cocoa mixes 8–12 months
Coffee, canned 2 years, unopened
Coffee, vacuum-packed 8–12 months
Corn, dried in kernel form Indefinitely; viable as seed for generations
Corn syrup 3–5 years
Cornmeal Dry and unopened, up to 5 years
Crackers 3 months
Dry soup mix 1–2 years
Flour, enriched white Dry and unopened, up to 5 years
Fruit drink mix, powdered 1–2 years
Gelatin, flavored (e.g., Jell-O) 6–12 months
Honey Indefinitely
Jams and jellies 1–3 years
Legumes 1 year (10 years or more if properly stored)
Lentils 1–4 years
Mayonnaise 2–3 months
Molasses 2–3 years
Milk, evaporated 6–12 months
Milk, nonfat dried 2–5 years (store in a cool place)
Oats, rolled Dry and unopened, up to 8 years
Pasta, dried 2 years or more
Peanut butter 1–3 years
Pectin 1 year
Popcorn 1–2 years
Rice, white Indefinitely
Salad dressings, bottled 1 year
Salt, iodized Indefinitely
Sauce and gravy mixes 6 months
Shortening 3 months
Soybeans 1–5 years
Spices 1–3 years
Sugar, brown 4–6 months
Sugar, white Indefinitely
Tea bags 18 months
Tea, instant 2 years
Vanilla extract 1 year
Vegetable oil 6–12 months
Vinegar 2–3 years
Vitamin and mineral supplements 1–3 years
Whole wheat Indefinitely
Yeast Pkg. exp. date
MAKE A LIST OF WHAT YOUR FAMILY EATS 17

DAY Build a solar cooker.
5
f you live in an area that receives a lot of sunlight
I throughout the year, solar cooking can be a great way to

use this resource. Solar cooking is a simple, safe, conven-
ient, and infinitely renewable way to cook food without deplet-
ing your liquid fuel storage or alerting anyone to your location,
as you would if cooking over a fire or on top of a wood stove.
If you live in the southwestern desert areas, solar may be
your best and only easily renewable energy source for cooking
This simple solar cooker can be built with nothing more than a cardboard box,
aluminum foil, and tape.
19
and day-to-day energy needs. Walking for miles to collect
enough wood to cook isn’t an efficient trade-off of time and
energy spent versus calories received. Solar cooking uses the
least amount of individual energy and makes the most sense
from a survivability standpoint, and I suggest you use it to your
advantage whenever possible.
You could buy an elaborate (and expensive) reflective-type
solar cooker, but I prefer to keep things simple and cheap, using
scrounged materials if possible. All you need to build this solar
cooker is two or three cardboard boxes (a wooden box is even bet-
ter), aluminum foil, tape or glue, and a box cutter or sharp knife.
This solar cooker design is nothing more than a box with
foil-covered panels set at the appropriate angles to efficiently
reflect the sun’s rays and heat back to the inside of the box, thus
providing heat to cook.
This design is idiot simple, but you could improve the con-
cept by building your cooker from such materials as wood and
constructing a framed glass and hinged door. There are numer-
ous efficient homemade solar oven designs available in books
and online, and I’m sure as you experiment you’ll come up with
some great improvements of your own. What you do is limited
only by your imagination, needs, and time.
CONSTRUCTION
To start, you’ll need two or three cardboard boxes: one for

the oven itself and the others from which to cut the panels and
other needed pieces. The box for the oven itself should be rec-
tangular and taller than the inside width. For example, the box I
used for the oven shown in the photos measured 16 inches long,
12 inches wide, and 19 inches high.
The first step is to draw a line approximately 2 inches above
the bottom of the box along one of the wider sides and then cut
down from the top along each corner seam to that line and care-
fully fold down the front panel at that point.
From one of the other boxes, cut and fit enough rectangular
pieces to build up the bottom of the box to correspond with the
Top view of the solar cooking box showing the proper angles of the cardboard
inserts and how they are positioned inside the box.
Side view showing the adjustable front panel and the string used to hold the
panel in the desired position.
BUILD A SOLAR COOKER 21

“hinge” where the front panel folds down. I glued each piece
one to the other as I built the bottom of the box up to the desired
level, but this is optional.
Next measure and cut two pieces of cardboard from one of
the boxes to form two panels set at a 90-degree angle inside the
box, as shown in the photo. Now cover and tape, staple, or glue
aluminum foil over these two panels as well as to the bottom of
the box and the inside of the hinged panel.
Now fit and secure the two inside panels inside the box, as
shown in the photo. I used clear tape for this step. You could
make the oven more efficient by filling the open spaces behind
each of the inside panels with insulation and covering the top of
the space with cardboard pieces cut to fit over the top corner
spaces. You could also paint the outside of the box with a flat
black paint, thus increasing heating efficiency.
When you are cooking something in this oven, set it in the
sun and adjust the front panel to an appropriate angle to catch
and reflect as much sunlight and heat as possible into the box.
As you can see from the photo, I used two screws and a piece of
string to adjust and hold the panel at the desired angle. During
the cooking process, you need to adjust the box and front panel
to correspond with the angle of the sun as it moves.
When looking for cooking pots to use with your solar oven,
keep in mind that dark-colored pots made with thin materials
work best and that metal pots heat faster than ceramic or earth-
enware ones. You can order solar cooking pots online from sev-
eral different sources. If you’re going to do a lot of cooking in
your oven, these solar pots may be worth looking into because
the finish is specifically designed to absorb the light and the heat
from the sun instead of reflecting it, as many conventional cook-
ing pots do.
The time it takes for water to reach a desirable cooking
temperature depends on season, time of day, altitude, and sev-
eral other factors. In July and August, I can have hot soup in
under an hour, but on cool or cloudy days it can take several
hours for the food to even become warm. Solar cooking is not
an exact science and is learned mostly by doing.
Using a clear cover on your pots provides two advantages:
you get the hothouse effect, and you minimize heat loss due to
casual air circulation or, especially, a stiff breeze.
There are a number of great books available with solar
cooker designs, recipes, and cooking tips. I haven’t read them
all, but I can recommend Solar Cooking by Harriet Kofalk.
Build a solar cooker using a cardboard box and prepare a
dish from your food-storage pantry.
BUILD A SOLAR COOKER 23

DAY Let’s go shopping
for your
6 72-hour kit.
s with any prepping shopping list, you’ll need to tailor
A the suggestions listed below to meet your specific needs,

skills, location, budget, and circumstances. No single
shopping list can cover the needs of everyone in every situation.
The items below make up what is commonly referred to as a
“72-hour kit”—i.e., enough critical supplies to see you through
at least three days during an emergency. This is where you
should start your overall preparation. In the following days,
we’ll build and expand your stockpile to the point where you
will be prepared for both short-term and long-term disasters
(i.e., those lasting six months or more).
Now let’s head to your local shopping mall or department
store. Here is your shopping list:
1. Water. A three-day supply of bottled water—roughly

equal to 1 gallon of water per person per day.
2. Food. A three-day supply of nonperishable foods ready
to eat without cooking and with minimal water is best.
3. Radio. A portable, battery-powered AM/FM radio
(shortwave bands are a plus) and at least one set of
replacement batteries and one replacement bulb if ap-
plicable. Also stash a crank-type radio to use if your
battery supply becomes depleted.
4. Flashlight. Get one or more good-quality flashlights
25
and at least one set of replacement batteries and bulbs
(don’t skimp here; get a good-quality light). Add a
crank/ shake type flashlight, and consider solar-charge
LED area lights, which are available for a few bucks
each and give enough light to last almost all night to
allow you to get around camp or inside a tent/cabin.
5. Basic first aid kit.
6. Toiletries. Personal hygiene items for 72 hours, includ-
ing toilet paper, feminine supplies (if applicable),
hand sanitizer and soap, toothbrush and toothpaste,
unwaxed dental floss (for flossing as well as sewing
and suturing), and whatever else you need.
7. Matches. Make sure you have matches and a water-
proof container in which to store them.
8. Lantern. Battery-powered lantern and at least one set
of replacement batteries.
9. Whistle. Make it sturdy plastic if you live in a cold
climate.
10. Clothing. Extra clothing and footwear suitable to the
local climate and season. (Most of you will already
have what you need in this area.) The operative
words here are warm and dry.
11. Cookware. Kitchen accessories and cooking utensils;
manual can and bottle openers (the old military P-38
opener is cheap, always works, and takes up no
space); disposable plates, bowls, and silverware; nap-
kins/paper towels.
12. Special needs. Personal items, such as prescription med-
ications and supplements; eyeglasses; extra contact
lenses, solution, and case; hearing aid and batteries, etc.
13. Baby items. Infants need formula/food, bottles and
nipples, diapers and wipes, diaper cream, blankets,
sterilization equipment, baby medicines, pacifiers,
toys, and various other essentials.
14. Sleeping bag or blanket for warmth. This should be
appropriate for the season, location, and climate. A
space blanket takes up little room and works wet.
15. Personal tools. A multitool, crowbar, hammer, staple
gun, adjustable wrench, bungee cords, roll of wire
(stovepipe or single-conductor electrical), and heavy-
duty work gloves are nice to have.
16. Water purification. Water purification tablets, a puri-
fying filter, or a small bottle of unscented liquid
household bleach and an eyedropper will work.
17. Plastic sheeting, duct tape, and utility knife. These can be
used for covering broken windows or sheltering in place.
18. Sanitation items. Large heavy-duty plastic bags and a
plastic bucket for waste and sanitation uses.
19. Stove. A small multi-fuel backpacker’s stove is ideal
(Coleman makes an excellent one).
20. Masks. Dust masks are essential for each person.
21. Rope. You need approximately 100 feet of 550-pound
para cord or similar rope product.
Along with these purchases, it’s a good idea to keep photo-

copies of credit and identification cards, health and property in-
surance policies, and other important documents in a
waterproof container. You also need an emergency cash stash: I
recommend about $100 in small denominations and several rolls
of quarters for phone calls. Don’t forget photos of family mem-
bers and pets for identification purposes if you get separated.
You’ll need to put together a list of emergency and personal
contact phone numbers as well as a complete list of allergies to
any drug (especially antibiotics) or food for each person in your
group. Finally, it’s a good idea to have an extra set of keys to
your house and vehicles.
HOW TO PACK AND STORE YOUR 72-HOUR KIT
The 72-hour kit is designed primarily as an at-home kit but

can serve as an evacuation kit if needed, so it needs to be stored
in an easy-to-transport container. You want to be able to “grab
and go” if you are forced to evacuate your home quickly.
I prefer to “double pack.” First, I neatly pack everything into
LET’S GO SHOPPING FOR YOUR 72-HOUR KIT 27

duffel bags or backpacks, and then I store these in plastic totes,
making it easy to quickly load everything into my car while still
having the option of splitting up the gear among group members
if forced to evacuate on foot.
Put together your 72-hour survival kit. This kit will provide
what you need to survive 95 percent of disasters and is a great
starting point for your preparedness journey.
DAY Schedule a CPR
and first aid class for
7 you and your family.
or medical training, at a minimum everyone in your group
F should pass a basic CPR/first aid class. Additionally, nurs-

ing, home-health care, or paramedic/EMT classes are well
worth the time and will take you well beyond the skills taught in
a basic first aid class.
Get as much training in this area as possible. You can’t know
too much, and you can always learn something new. Plus, these
skills will come in handy in many nonemergency situations.
Start by contacting your local Red Cross office and signing up
for the next available class. Be sure to get all the information
and schedules for other medical classes or courses being offered.
The second part of today’s assignment is to put together
your own medical library. To help you get started, here is a short
list of books that I have and recommend:
• Auerbach, Paul S. Medicine for the Outdoors. Philadelphia,

PA: Elsevier/Mosby, 2001.
• Craig, Glen K. U.S. Army Special Forces Medical Handbook.
Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, 1988.
• Dickson, Murray. Where There Is No Dentist. Berkeley, CA:
Hesperian Health Guides, 2010.
• Handal, Kathleen A. The American Red Cross First Aid &
Safety Handbook. New York: Little, Brown, & Company,
1992.
29
• NATO. Emergency War Surgery. Palm Springs, CA: Desert
Publications, 1992.
• Porter, Robert S., editor. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and
Therapy. West Point, PA: Merck, Sharp, & Dohme Corpora-
tion, 2011.
• U.S. Public Health Service. Ship’s Medicine Chest and Med-
ical Aid at Sea. Amsterdam, the Netherlands: Fredonia
Books, 2001.
• Werner, David, Jane Maxwell, and Carol Thuman. Where
There Is No Doctor. Berkeley, CA: Hesperian Health Guides,
2011.
Enroll in some type of medical training course and start
assembling your medical library.
DAY Optimize your
time for prepping.
8
ven though time is a limited resource, we still have 24
E hours in a day, which is plenty to do what needs to be

done. You just have to reevaluate your priorities. No,
I’m not suggesting you abandon spending time with your fam-
ily or anything so drastic. But then again, isn’t safeguarding
your family the reason you’re prepping in the first place?
Some readers may work 10 or more hours a day and sleep
another six to eight, leaving only a few hours for other activi-
ties, such as family and prepping. So let’s find ways to maxi-
mize your prepping time and effectiveness without
abandoning the ones you love in the process.
Here are six tips to help you make the most of your time:
1. Stop reading and start doing. Reading is important,

but only to a point. Remember, to actually learn a
skill and retain it, you need to put the book down or
get away from the computer and do it. If you’re read-
ing about gardening, for example, then go dig up
your yard and plant a garden. It’s hard to beat hands-
on experience.
2. Focus on the tasks that have the highest impact. Don’t
sweat the small stuff—instead, concentrate on tasks
that have the most impact on meeting your goals. For
the survivalist, the goals usually are to build up your
31
supply of stored foods and survival gear and to learn
new skills. If what you’re doing isn’t furthering this
end, stop doing it and reevaluate your plan.
3. Don’t get distracted. When learning new survival
skills, it’s easy to become overwhelmed, leading to
distraction and lack of progress. I’ve found the best
way to learn needed is to break things down into
smaller parts. For example, you might study storing
food one month, preparing it the next month, and
trapping game the next. The key is to master one
area before moving to the next.
4. Throw away your television. You’re not going to gain
many survival insights watching American Idol or
another rerun of That ’70s Show. It’s amazing how
much time we spend in front of a television, and for
the most part it’s not going to bring you closer to
your emergency-preparedness goals.
5. Maximize your health. If you’re healthy, you’ll have
more energy to get things done. Eat healthy foods,
exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. Getting into
shape will improve your productivity and increase
your chances of survival under any circumstances.
6. Kill two birds with one stone. You should spend time
with your family, but if possible make that time serve
double-duty. For instance, take your children camping
and use the time to teach them survival skills. To
increase their skills, Boy/Girl Scouts and other similar
programs are worthwhile for getting kids familiar
with the outdoors, learning basic first aid, and so
forth. If nothing else, get them old copies of the Scout
manuals to read—the older the better. Spend the
weekend with your spouse learning to prepare basic
foods. Take a first aid course as a couple or, even bet-
ter, as a family. Go shooting. The most important
things are to include your family as much as possible
and to make it fun, which will make you closer.
Brainstorm ways to maximize your time as a family for
prepping and learning needed survival skills.
OPTIMIZE YOUR TIME FOR PREPPING 33

DAY Let’s go shopping
for your year’s
9 food supply.
elow you’ll find three one-year food storage plans. Each
B one is geared to different budgets and individual needs.

Please note that the items and quantities listed are only
suggestions, and it is best to tailor the list to your specific needs.
For example, you may not care for split peas and opt to re-
place them with an equal amount of a comparable food you pre-
fer, such as 10 pounds of pinto or black beans. Doing this will
personalize your food storage and help to avoid the waste and
shock that can result from a dramatic change in diet.
“I HAVE A FULL-TIME JOB, ONE-PERSON,

ONE-YEAR FOOD STORAGE PLAN”
Basics:
❏ Cornmeal, 25 pounds
❏ Flour, 25 pounds
❏ Oats, rolled, 25 pounds
❏ Pasta, 25 pounds
❏ Rice, 50 pounds
❏ Wheat berries, 150 pounds
Fats and Oils:

❏ Mayonnaise, 2 quarts
❏ Peanut butter, 4 pounds
35
❏ Salad dressing, 1 quart
❏ Shortening, 4 pounds
❏ Vegetable oil, 4 gallons
Legumes:
❏ Dry soup mix, 5 pounds
❏ Lentils, 10 pounds
❏ Lima beans, 5 pounds
❏ Pinto beans, 50 pounds
❏ Soybeans, 10 pounds
❏ Split peas, 10 pounds
Sugars:
❏ Brown sugar, 3 pounds
❏ Corn syrup, 3 pounds
❏ Gelatin (flavored), 1 pound
❏ Honey, 5 pounds
❏ Jams and jellies, 5 pounds
❏ Molasses, 1 pound
❏ Powdered fruit drink mix, 6 pounds
❏ White sugar, 40 pounds
Milk:
❏ Dried milk, 75 pounds
❏ Evaporated milk, 12 pounds
Cooking Essentials:
❏ Baking powder, 1 pound
❏ Baking soda, 1 pound
❏ Salt, iodized, 10 pounds
❏ Vinegar, 3 gallons
❏ Yeast, 0.5 pound
Spices (choose from these based on your tastes and preferences):

❏ Basil
❏ Black pepper
❏ Cayenne pepper
❏ Chili powder
❏ Cinnamon
❏ Garlic salt or powder
❏ Marjoram
❏ Oregano
❏ Rosemary
❏ Sage
❏ Thyme
Canned Foods:
❏ Fruits and vegetables, 25 pounds
❏ Meats, 50 pounds
Supplements:
❏ Multivitamin and mineral supplement, approximately 365
count
❏ Vitamin C 500 mg., 365 count
Water/Beverages:
❏ Bleach (unscented), 1 gallon
❏ Coffee or tea (optional), based on your drinking habits
❏ Water, 14 gallons. (Note: If you live in an arid region, you’ll
need to store considerably more.)
“I HAVE A PART-TIME JOB, ONE-PERSON,

ONE-YEAR FOOD-STORAGE PLAN”
Food:
❏ Baking powder, 2 pounds
❏ Beans (e.g., pinto, black, navy), 100 pounds
❏ Dried or canned fruits and vegetables, 100 pounds
❏ Feed wheat from your local farmers market, 300 pounds
❏ Honey or sugar, 25 pounds
❏ Multivitamin, vitamin C (500 mg.), and mineral supple-
ments, approximately 365 count
❏ Rice, 100 pounds
LET’S GO SHOPPING FOR YOUR YEAR’S FOOD SUPPLY 37

❏ Yeast, 1 pound
Water/Beverages:
“I DON’T WANT TO MESS WITH WHOLE WHEAT

AND HAVE VERY LITTLE MONEY, ONE-PERSON,
ONE-YEAR FOOD-STORAGE PLAN”
Food:
❏ Baking powder, 2 pounds
❏ Beans (e.g., pinto, black, navy), 50 pounds
❏ Cornmeal, 25 pounds
❏ Dried and canned fruits and vegetables, 100 pounds
❏ Flour, 50 pounds
❏ Multivitamin, vitamin C (500 mg.), and mineral supple-
ments, approximately 365 count
❏ Oats, rolled, 25 pounds
❏ Rice, 50 pounds
❏ Split peas, 25 pounds
❏ Sugar, white, 25 pounds
❏ Tuna, 50 cans
❏ Yeast, 0.5 pound
Water/Beverages:
RECOMMENDED BOOKS THAT
DEAL WITH FOOD STORAGE
• Layton, Peggy. Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook:

Everything You Need to Know to Keep Your Family Safe in a
Crisis. New York: Clarkson Potter/Crown Publishing, 2002.
• Layton, Peggy, and Vicki Tate. Cookin’ with Home Storage.
Self-published, 1991.
Make your shopping list for a year’s supply of food and start
adding the foods to your storage pantry. Most of you will need to
space your buying over several weeks or even months, and that
is fine. The important thing is that you get started. And remem-
ber that you also have to learn how to cook these types of
unprocessed food, so fix a few meals using ingredients from
your pantry.
LET’S GO SHOPPING FOR YOUR YEAR’S FOOD SUPPLY 39

DAY Get a checkup
and build your
10 medical kit.
ndividual health is an area many preppers overlook. You
I need to get regular medical and dental checkups; do at least

moderate exercise, such as walking 30 minutes a day; eat a
nutritious diet; maintain a healthy weight; and learn how to
relax and get rid of stress.
If disaster strikes, being unhealthy will make it much more
difficult to survive. Plus, being healthy can only make your
everyday life better. Think about it . . . and then start a health-
improvement program and stick to it. After a few weeks, it will
become part of your normal routine, and you’ll do it without
consciously having to think about it.
Before you start, you need to find out where you stand
healthwise. So today’s assignment in your 31-day survival pro-
gram is to make an appointment with a doctor for a complete
checkup, including bloodwork.
I know—I don’t like going to the doctor or giving blood
either, but doing so will tell you a lot about your current health
and will give you a baseline indicating where you need improve-
ment. Look at it as a challenge to bring your health, weight, and
vital numbers (e.g., blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides,
blood sugar) in line with the recommended numbers.
If you’re uninsured and your income is minimal, you can get
a lot of health services from your local county health depart-
ment, including immunizations. In the Denver area, one televi-
41
sion station sponsors an annual health fair (and I assume there
are similar programs all over) where you can get a complete
blood workup up for a few bucks, with other screenings at nom-
inal costs. Also check at local health clinics that treat uninsured
patients on a sliding-scale basis.
You can do it. You just have to make up your mind and
get it done.
After you get back from the doctor’s office with a clean bill
of health, it’s time to start building your survival medical kit.
Below, you’ll find my suggestions about what should be included
in such a kit, but keep in mind that these are only suggestions.
The final contents will depend on your individual skills, needs,
and budget. The books listed on pages 29 and 30 describe how
to use many of these items in a medical emergency, as will the
literature that comes with these items. Retain all boxes and
instructional inserts.
SURVIVAL MEDICAL KIT
❏ Antibacterial soap
❏ Antidiarrhea medication
❏ Bandages and dressings (large)
❏ Basic surgical kit
❏ Bed liners or plastic sheeting
❏ Blood pressure monitor
❏ CPR shield
❏ Crutches, adjustable
❏ Epsom salts (makes a good laxative in a pinch)
❏ Examination gloves (preferably nonlatex), several boxes
❏ Eyeglasses (if applicable), extra pair
❏ Glucose monitor and test strips (even if you’re not diabetic)
❏ Hearing aids and batteries (if applicable)
❏ Injectable antihistamine
❏ Injectable epinephrine
❏ IV electrolytes
❏ Laxatives
❏ Needles and silk thread if not in surgical kit
❏ Ophthalmic salve
❏ Oral and injectable antibiotics/sulfas
❏ Pain medications
❏ QuikClot clotting agent (some people prefer “Israeli battle
dressings” for stopping bleeding)
❏ Razor or scalpel set
❏ Rubbing alcohol, peroxide, iodine, betadine (copious
amounts)
❏ SAM splint
❏ Scissors
❏ Sterile IV kit
❏ Sterile needles and syringes
❏ Stethoscope
❏ Thermometer
❏ Tweezers
I recommend that folks get their eyes examined at least

every three years. Older folks and those with hearing problems
should get their hearing checked and pack extra hearing-aid bat-
teries as suggested above.
Get a checkup. Buy the best basic first aid kit available at
your local pharmacy and then expand the contents to include
the items on the above list that are appropriate to your health
needs and skill level.
GET A CHECKUP AND BUILD YOUR MEDICAL KIT 43

DAY Get your spouse
onboard for your
11 preparedness journey.
’m lucky that I live by myself, with my girlfriend living in a
I nearby town. Marriage isn’t a bad thing; in fact, marriage

can be a wonderful gift if you have a compatible partner.
Unfortunately, for many, the spouse may not be supportive of
the partner’s concerns and, in some instances, may even be hos-
tile toward the whole concept of emergency preparedness.
At first, my girlfriend didn’t know the extent of my prepara-
tions; she thought that I was just into living cheaply and prepar-
ing for bad weather and such. Over the past several months, I’ve
slowly introduced her to more “extreme ideas” regarding long-
term disaster preparedness.
If you’re constantly fighting resistance from your spouse, you
won’t be able to sustain the required effort for the long haul. The
way your spouse views your emergency-preparedness pursuits
will be determined by the way he or she is affected by your ef-
forts and where the spouse feels he/she fits into your priorities.
Here are some tips that should help keep your spouse happy
and supportive of your efforts.
FIVE TIPS FOR BUILDING SUPPORT

FOR YOUR PREPAREDNESS EFFORTS
1. Set priorities. Trust me; I know how easy it is to

become totally obsessed with prepping, planning,
45
reading, and learning. This is necessary if you want to
have a chance at surviving the coming mayhem; you
just need to learn to set priorities. You may see col-
lapse around every corner, but you should avoid con-
stantly communicating your fears to your partner.
I’m not saying that you shouldn’t mention potential
threats or your plans to your partner; just don’t talk
about them all the time. If you do, he or she will
quickly grow tired of your constant ramblings . . . and
possibly of you. A good conversation ratio would be 95
percent sweet-talk and 5 percent doom and gloom.
2. Communicate your reasons for prepping. This may
sound contradictory to point one above, but it is nec-
essary if you want to get your spouse onboard. You
just have to do it in the right way. Take it slow and try
not to shock his or her senses or worldview too much
at any given time.
For instance, say the two of you are watching the
news, and the broadcaster gives an update on the cur-
rent natural disaster (and there’s always one some-
where in the world). Now would be a great time to
ask your partner something like, “If something like
that happened here, what would we do? Could we
protect ourselves and our children?”
3. Seek input from your spouse. Try to get your partner
involved in some way. Ask for opinions and sugges-
tions. Encourage him or her to put together a bug-out
bag in case a natural disaster happens in your area.
No one can deny the fact that natural disasters do
happen, and even the federal government recom-
mends that everyone have an emergency kit . . .
4. Watch movies. As far as I’m concerned most movies
are a waste of time, but the latest disaster flick could
be a good way to help your partner visualize possible
events and start thinking about the need to prepare.
Again, don’t shock the senses—a story line about a
massive earthquake, tsunami, or tornado, for instance,
would have more influence than a zombie apocalypse.
Try to keep it real and point out the need for you two
to prepare for a similar event.
5. Read books. This can be a great way to break down the
wall of resistance, especially if your significant other
likes to read. Buy a book that deals with some aspect
of survival—for example, One Second After by William
R. Forstchen (don’t overlook the instructional value
in good fiction)—and give it as a present on a holiday
or special occasion.
Come up with a list of things you can do to make you spouse
more supportive of your preparedness plan. Resolve to make the
activities fun as well as educational.
GET YOUR SPOUSE ONBOARD 47

DAY Learn to sprout
seeds for fresh
12 greens all year.
resh sprouts are full of vitamins and minerals that aren’t
F readily available in the unsprouted seed. Sprouting allows

you to have fresh greens even in winter and will expand
the bulk of your food storage many times over without any extra
expense to you.
To start sprouting, you’ll need at least one wide-mouth quart
canning jar (a quart mayonnaise jar will also work) and a 6x6-
inch square piece of nylon window screen or cheesecloth. Both
the screen and cheesecloth are easy to cut with scissors or a
sharp knife.
Sprouts are easy to grow, safe, and nutritious.
49
Nylon window screen held in place by a metal canning jar ring.
Draining excess water from freshly soaked seeds.
Next, put approximately 3 to 4 ounces of wheat, alfalfa,
chickpeas, lentils, mung beans, pumpkin seeds, rye, sunflower
seeds, or other sprouting seed in each jar and cover the mouth
with the nylon window screen. You can use a large rubber band,
string, or a canning jar ring to hold the screen in place over the
mouth of the jar.
Fill each jar with water to within 2 inches of the top and let
stand overnight. When you get up the next morning, pour out
the soak water and tilt the bottom of the jar over the sink and
leave for an hour or two so the rest of the water can drain off
the seeds.
After this initial soaking and draining, you’ll want to flood
the jars about every four hours and then drain any excess water
by tilting the jar bottom up into a bowl or sink. Repeat two to
three times per day. At this point, you want to keep the seeds
moist but not covered with water.
In a few days, the seeds will begin to sprout. When the
sprouts reach 1 to 2 inches in length (for most seeds), they are
After three days, sprouted seeds have filled the jar.
LEARN TO SPROUT SEEDS FOR FRESH GREENS 51

ready to eat. Sprouts can be eaten raw, cooked, or dried. If
dried, they can be ground into flour and used for bread or other
baked items.
To keep a steady supply of fresh sprouts, simply start a new
jar 24 to 48 hours after the last sprout jar has finished sprout-
ing. Repeat cycle. This is a great routine that will keep you in
fresh greens year round.
And that is all there is to it.
If you want to learn more about sprouting, including in-
depth but simple recipes using sprouts, order a copy of The
Sprouting Book by Ann Wigmore. This excellent resource is a
must-have for any serious survival seed sprouter.
Warning: Even though the risk is low, because sprouts can
contain bacterial contamination, people with compromised im-
mune systems (e.g., individuals with AIDS, organ transplants,
undergoing chemotherapy) are advised to avoid eating them.
Use the method described above to sprout at least one batch
of seeds.
DAY Let’s take a trip
to the hardware store.
13
ou need tools for building and repairing things, and you
Y could easily spend several hundred dollars building a tool

kit. It would be worth it, but most of us simply don’t have
that kind of money. Below you’ll find the contents for both a
basic and a bare-bones tool kit.
Most department/hardware stores will have everything you need to build a

survival tool kit.
53
BASIC SURVIVAL TOOL KIT
❏ Adjustable wrenches, 6-inch and 18-inch

❏ Bolt cutters
❏ Bow saw
❏ Carpenter’s string and chalk
❏ Chain saw, extra chains, two-cycle, spare parts, safety gear,
chain oil, and chain files
❏ Claw hammer
❏ Crosscut saw
❏ Double-bit ax
❏ Duct tape, five or more rolls (might also consider one or
more rolls of glass strapping tape)
❏ Electrical tape, five or more rolls
❏ Hand cleaner (waterless is best, for example GoJo)
❏ Hacksaw and extra pack of cutting blades
❏ Multitool
❏ Needle-nose pliers
❏ Round-nose pliers
❏ Rubber mallet
❏ Safety glasses
❏ Screwdriver set
❏ Shovel
❏ Single-jack hammer for starting wedges
❏ Sledgehammer
❏ Socket and ratchet set
❏ Spirit (or bubble) level; also line level
❏ Tape measure
❏ Teflon thread-sealing tape
❏ Wedge
❏ Wheelbarrow
❏ Wire (soft iron or copper)
❏ Wire cutters
❏ Wire strippers
❏ Wood-splitting maul, 8-pound
❏ Wood-splitting wedges (steel), two
❏ Work gloves (several pairs)
BARE-BONES SURVIVAL TOOL KIT
❏ Adjustable wrench, 6-inch

❏ Bow saw
❏ Claw hammer
❏ Duct tape, two rolls
❏ Flat-head and Phillips screwdrivers
❏ Hacksaw and extra blades
❏ Safety glasses
❏ Tape measure
❏ Vise grips
❏ Work gloves, extra pair
Note: Whenever you buy tools, get good-quality ones.

Cheaply made brands won’t last, and you may not be able to
find replacement tools when you most need them. Plus, you’ll
end up spending more in the long run if you have to replace the
tool because it broke or wasn’t up to the task you needed it for.
That doesn’t mean that you have to buy the most expensive
tools, however. Garage sales and flea markets are great sources
for tools, and name-brand tools are often available at discount
stores, such as K-mart or Walmart, as well as online.
Put together either a basic or bare-bones survival tool kit. It
would be better for you to have the basic kit, but if you cannot
do so now, assemble the bare-bones kit and supplement it as you
can. (Note: Gardening tools are covered on day 23.)
LET’S TAKE A TRIP TO THE HARDWARE STORE 55

DAY Put together
a bug-out bag.
14
ome people might consider a bug-out bag and a 72-hour kit
S as essentially the same thing. For the purposes of this book,

I consider them as two separate kits. The 72-hour kit listed
on day 6 is more of a “stay at home and ride out the short-term
disaster” kit, while the bug-out bag described below is more of a
“grab and go” kit.
The very idea of leaving the security of your home to “bug
out” to the woods has never set well with me. In nearly every
instance, it is better to hunker down or “bug in” than to bug
out. Why leave the safety and familiar surroundings of your
home for the open and unforgiving wilderness?
For many people, fleeing is their first line of preparation
against disaster. Unfortunately, most will end up joining the
multitude of other refugees freezing in a cave; dying from expo-
sure, starvation, or violence at the hands of the mob; or becom-
ing wards of whatever government entity is still functioning.
I live in a fairly safe area and have prepared to survive at
home. I can conceive of only a few scenarios that would force
me to leave. Even then, I would go to the house of an out-of-
state relative with whom I have an agreement: if need be, he can
come to my place or I can go to his after a disaster.
I know what you’re thinking: what about an “end of the
world as we know it” type of event? Well, if such an event
does take place, there will be no 100 percent safe place for
57
most of us anyway, and do you really think you would be bet-
ter off trying to hide in the open wilderness than hunkering
down at home?
Don’t get me wrong—I’m not saying you should never bug
out; you should keep all options open. What I am saying is that
there are better ways to survive most disasters than heading into
the bush.
You need to weigh the risks of bugging out vs. hunkering
down and make your final decision based on logic and type of
threat. That’s the way decisions should be made. Unfortunately,
when making survival decisions, many people rely on emotion
(to run and hide) rather than more tried-and-true logic.
Relying on emotion instead of logic can make for some inter-
esting adventures. However, without sound planning, those
adventures are likely to be short-lived. For example, I recently
asked a fellow in his late 30s what he would do if disaster struck
his area. He thought for a moment and said he would gather his
family and all the food, guns, and ammunition he could find and
head for the mountains that lie some 75 miles north of his home.
Depending on the type of disaster, his “plan” might work
short-term for a lone survivor or a small group of individuals in
good physical condition and equipped with proper gear and
mindset. But he is the father of a newborn, and his wife thinks
missing an appointment at the nail salon is the end of the world
as she knows it. Making matters worse, the young father has no
outdoor survival training or skills other than watching reruns of
Les Stroud’s Survivorman television show and camping at a
national park campground with all the utilities and hookups
provided. Why he thinks he can survive in the wilderness while
dragging his young family along, I don’t know. He isn’t thinking
logically, and if he ever has to put his plan to the test during a
real emergency, his family will likely suffer or possibly even die.
Unfortunately, this “batman in the boondocks” mentality
will continue to be the chosen survival plan for many who
haven’t thought survival through logically and come up with a
realistic plan.
When making survival plans for your family, you have to
honestly weigh the risks of your decision based on logic. In al-
most every disaster scenario, it is better to stay put (bugging in)
or head to a prearranged safe place at an out-of-town relative’s
or friend’s house than it is to head to the woods to eat twigs and
pine bark.
Therefore, for most people an evacuation bag is a better
choice than a bug-out bag. An evacuation bag should contain the
gear necessary to get you from point A to point B, whereas a
bug-out bag (in most cases) is geared more toward wilderness
survival. I have both, but admittedly my bug-out bag is an option
of last resort.
Knowing when to go is much more important than the con-
tents of your survival pack or even where you will go. You don’t
want to jump and run before you need to, but if you wait too
long you may never reach your destination. If you wait for the
authorities to give the order to evacuate, it may already be too
late. The roads leading to safety could be blocked or impassable
by motor vehicle, and walking to your destination may be impos-
sible or too dangerous to attempt.
On the other hand, if you jump and run in response to every
potential disaster, you’ll soon deplete your resources and the
patience of your family, school, and employers. For example, say
you live in an area prone to tornadoes, like Texas, and you evac-
uate to Arkansas (which has also suffered its share of killer tor-
nados over the years) every time the clouds turn dark or the
wind shakes the leaves. You would be on the road nonstop dur-
ing tornado season—which seems to be most of the time in
Texas. But waiting until the twister is at your door will also put
you at an unnecessary risk.
There are no easy answers. All you can do is weigh the dan-
gers of bugging out vs. hunkering down logically based on the
situation at hand. You have to consider the nature of the threat
and ask yourself which option gives you the better chance of
surviving the type of disaster you are facing.
Of course, there are times when evacuation is a no-brainer.
Say, for example, you live on the Florida coast and a category 5
hurricane has been predicted to hit your area within 72 hours.
PUT TOGETHER A BUG-OUT BAG 59

In that case, you would be foolish not to go as soon as possible,
even if you have no prearranged bug-out location.
On the other hand, let’s say there is a snowstorm heading
your way and you have food, water, heat, and a way to cook
even if the power goes out for an extended time. Then you are
probably better off to hunker down where you are.
In my opinion, the bugging out vs. hunkering down debate
is moot because it all comes down to the type of threat you face,
your personal situation, and your preparedness level. In the end,
you’ll have to decide what to do on a case-by-case basis.
BUG-OUT BAG CONTENTS
Please note that the following list is intended only as a sug-

gestion. Your bug-out bag should be customized to suit your
individual needs, plans, and location.
❏ Antibacterial hand wipes

❏ Cash—$100 in ones, fives, and tens
❏ Cell phone and charger
❏ Change of clothes
❏ First aid tactical trauma kit
❏ Fishing kit
❏ Fixed-blade knife
❏ GPS navigator (handheld)
❏ Handgun and 200+ rounds of ammunition
❏ LED flashlight (small) with extra batteries, as well as a
crank-type flashlight that doesn’t require batteries
❏ Lighters (small), two
❏ Map of area (detailed) and compass
❏ Multitool
❏ OC spray
❏ Para cord, 25 feet
❏ Prepaid calling card
❏ Prescription medications, as needed
❏ Sewing kit (small)
❏ Space blanket
❏ Sterno folding stove
❏ Trail mix, box of energy bars (15), and electrolyte packets
❏ Wooden matches in a waterproof container
❏ Water filter or bottle
Note: If forced to bug out by car, load both your 72-hour kit
and bug-out bags.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR CHILDREN
In stressful situations, it is important for you to appear

relaxed, confident, and in control—even if you are a trembling
bag of nerves on the inside. The last thing children need is extra
stress brought on by a panicked parent.
Another consideration concerning children is familiarity. Dur-
ing a bug-out situation, you will be away from home, and this can
be extremely stressful for children. It is important to eliminate as
much of the stress as possible. One way to do this is by bringing
along items that are familiar to them. If they have a favorite blan-
ket, pillow, stuffed toy, or other object that comforts them, be sure
to pack it before heading out the door. This is very important.
Children tend to bore easily, so adding items to forestall or
extinguish their boredom will make the time away from home
much easier for all of you. You may want to put together a pack
just for them consisting of toys, books, cards, writing/drawing
materials, and games. Don’t forget extra batteries for those
games and toys that need them. Of course, children aren’t the
only ones who get bored; include things that will keep your
boredom in check as well.
Put together your bug-out bag, as well as a separate one for
your children if applicable.
PUT TOGETHER A BUG-OUT BAG 61

DAY Let’s go shopping for
basic survival supplies.
15
oday, you’ll be taking another trip to your local discount
T or hardware store for basic survival supplies. Now you

are building on the stuff you assembled for your 72-hour
kit on Day 6. Again, the list below isn’t written in stone; it
should be tailored to meet your individual needs.
❏ Batteries for the flashlights, radio, and head lamps

(at least 24 sets)
❏ Cigarette lighters, 12
❏ Diapers and other supplies for infants (e.g., baby wipes, rash
cream, bottles, nipples, pacifiers, baby toiletries)
❏ Feminine-hygiene supplies, approximately 500 count per fe-
male in your group
❏ Fire extinguishers, two per household
❏ Food storage bags (e.g., Ziploc), five boxes, various sizes
❏ LED flashlights, two
❏ LED headlamps, two
❏ Matches (wooden), five boxes
❏ Playing cards and several board games (avoid battery-pow-
ered games)
❏ Propane stove (two-burner) and 12 one-pound propane
cylinders (Note: A dual-fuel model increases versatility.)
❏ Radio, AM/FM
❏ Razor blades (double-edged), 100. (Note: If you don’t have a
63
razor, you may have to order one, and don’t forget a brush
and bowl.)
❏ Soap (bath), 12 bars per person
❏ Soap (dishwashing), 12 bottles
❏ Toilet paper, as much as you can reasonably store
❏ Toothbrushes, 12 per person in your group
❏ Toothpaste, 6 large tubes per person in your group
❏ Trash bags (28-gallon), five 28-count boxes
❏ Wool socks and thermal underwear, three pairs per person
Head to the store and assemble your basic survival package.
DAY Build a box trap.
16
o doubt many of you have read about various improvised
N and homemade traps in one of the many outdoor survival

books and thought, Wow, what a great idea—I could do
that. Indeed, many of the ideas and diagrams shown are ingenious,
and a few of them actually work to trap game—with practice.
After seeing all these trap designs in these books, you might
think you need to learn how to make them all yourself, or that
these homemade traps are somehow more proficient than com-
mercially manufactured traps at putting food on the table or
keeping pests out of your garden. You don’t, and they’re not.
The main (and possibly only) advantage homemade traps
have over most of their store-bought counterparts is that they
can be built from scrounged materials. That is a huge advantage
and the reason you should learn how to make several different
types of do-it-yourself traps. But don’t go overboard here or dis-
count a factory-made trap as somehow inferior for survival
because you did not carve it out of three twigs that are held
together by a strand of your own hair.
Generally, factory-made traps are superior to most home-
made designs, and you should take full advantage of their use.
When you are planning for survival, the last thing you want to
do is limit yourself in any way. The best course of action is to
blend primitive techniques and tools with modern advance-
ments, therefore increasing your chances of survival.
65
Simple, homemade box traps, such as this one, are very effective for trapping
small game.
The #110 Conibear body trap is the best commercially manufactured trap for
catching small game.
For best results when trapping small game, I recommend that
you invest in a good supply (at least 10 traps, with 20 or more
being ideal) of #110 Conibear body traps. They are easy to use
for most people and are very effective for filling the stew pot.
Plus, they are quick-kill traps and are therefore more humane.
With that said, the best homemade trap for the average
survivor is the wooden box or cage trap, as they are commonly
called. I am sure most of you have seen or heard about the live
traps made by Havahart (www.havahart.com). These traps are
lightweight (compared to the homemade version illustrated
here) and work great, but they’re expensive, running upwards of
$30 for the smallest trap. Sizes for larger animals, such as rac-
coon, can cost $100 or more depending on the retailer.
I didn’t have the money to purchase several of these traps,
and it didn’t make good economic sense to do so anyway, since I
could make as many as I need for little or nothing. Box traps are
cheap and easy to build using plywood or scrap lumber that can
easily be found while scavenging through construction site
Dumpsters or around abandoned structures or other locations
in the country.
These traps are easy on the critters trapped inside, unlike
other traps that rely on killing or maiming to secure the animal.
An added plus is that game caught in a box trap is kept safe from
hungry predators until the trapper returns to check the trap.
When I was growing up in the Appalachian Mountains of
Tennessee, just about every boy knew how to build a homemade
box trap out of scrap wood. Now kids are more interested in
watching TV or playing video games than learning such useful
skills. This is sad, because one day this type of skill could make
the difference between going to bed hungry or on a full stomach.
To construct this trap, begin by putting together a box using
outdoor plywood, lumber, or other suitable material. Each end is
left open and should be approximately 6 or 12 inches square,
depending on the intended game.
The top piece should be 2 or 3 inches shorter on one end—
or if you intend to build a trap with double doors, make the top
piece 2 or 3 inches shorter at both ends—which will allow room
for the sliding door(s).
BUILD A BOX TRAP 67
Top view showing the slideway for the door and the top of the trap.
For larger animals, such as raccoon, opossum, and wood-

chuck, the box should be at least 36 inches long and have at
least a 12-inch doorway. For smaller game, such as squirrels,
rabbits, muskrat, and mink, a 24-inch box with a 6-inch opening
works well.
You have to construct a slideway for the doors to fall
through and lock in. You can make the trigger system out of
branches or other improvised materials. Explaining here in writ-
ing how the pieces go together is difficult, but it should all be
clear when you look at the photos.
Use the heaviest wood you can find for the doors, as the
weight will cause them to close faster and go all the way down
and lock into place when the trigger is tripped.
Close-up view of key trigger points that hold the door in the open position until
dislodged by an animal, at which time they collapse, dropping the door and trap-
ping the animal inside.
BUILD A BOX TRAP 69

HOW TO USE THESE TRAPS
Most traps of this type are set with bait. If you are baiting
for raccoon, use peanut butter or fish guts; for opossums, use
cut-up apples, peanut butter, or just about anything with a
strong odor. Cats like fish guts; squirrels like acorns and corn;
pheasants and quail like wheat or crushed dried corn. When in
doubt, use a spoonful of peanut butter, as most animals seem to
be attracted to it.
Many of us who keep chickens know how frustrating it is to
watch our prized hens disappear one at a time to a seemingly
invisible predator. Catching the phantom culprit can be a bewil-
dering problem, since in many cases we don’t know exactly
what we are trying to catch or when it will make its next foray
into the henhouse.
I keep two of these traps set and against the outside walls
of my henhouse. I conceal the traps with hay to look like a nat-
urally occurring run or passage and usually catch several
would-be chicken thieves (mostly raccoons) each month. They
seem to just meander into the traps while searching for a way
inside the coop.
A dandy rabbit-producing method is to set out boxes in
known rabbit country, with brush piled on top of the trap to
make it look like a natural hiding place. Make sure that the
brush you use doesn’t interfere with the trigger assembly or
keep the door from closing all the way.
I like to funnel the rabbits into the trap by placing “wings”
made from scrap lumber in a V pattern that lead from the en-
trance of the traps. This seems to guide the animals naturally
into the traps. These winged traps do not even have to be baited;
the rabbits just wander into them while looking for a place to
hide. Be patient: don’t expect to catch anything in the first cou-
ple of weeks. The rabbits need to become accustomed to seeing
the traps before they will start to come in.
If you can find a copy, I suggest you buy Being Kind to
Animal Pests: A No-Nonsense Guide to Humane Animal Control
with Cage Traps by Steve Meyer (the book is out of print, but
new and used copies can be purchased from Amazon and
other online booksellers). It is a great guide to using this type
of trap effectively.
Build one or more box traps designed to capture the type of
animals you want to serve for dinner or keep out of your garden
or henhouse.
BUILD A BOX TRAP 71

DAY Get a dental checkup
and put together a
17 dental first aid kit.
he health of your teeth is directly linked to the health of
T your body, and being unhealthy when disaster strikes

will make it much more difficult to survive. Plus, being
healthy—whether or not an emergency arises—will improve the
quality of your life now and make you more productive.
Make an appointment with your dentist for a checkup and
get any dental problems taken care of. It’s better to get it done
now with proper dental care than later by Uncle Bob with a pair
of pliers and a gulp of homebrew for pain.
Even if you’ve taken all the proper precautions, dental emer-
gencies do happen, and you need to be ready with the necessary
tools and know-how to fix the problem. So, after your dental
checkup, the next parts of your assignment are to put together a
dental first aid kit and obtain the knowledge to use it properly.
SURVIVAL DENTAL KIT
❏ Clove oil (a natural pain reliever)

❏ Cotton
❏ Dental mirror
❏ Dental pain reliever (e.g., Orajel)
❏ Dental pick
❏ Dental wax
73
❏ Exam gloves (nonlatex, as some people are allergic to latex;
try nitrile or rubber)
❏ Gauze
❏ Hand sanitizer
❏ Ibuprofen (e.g., Advil or Motrin) to relieve pain and
inflammation
❏ Temporary filling material (e.g., Temparin or Cavit)
❏ Toothpicks
❏ Tweezers
Of course, you should stock up on the basics: toothpaste,

floss, and brushes. Buy extra since in a long-term, grid-down sit-
uation, these make great barter items. As recommended earlier,
I encourage you to get a copy of Where There Is No Dentist, avail-
able at amazon.com or Hesperian.org (where it is also available
as a downloadable title).
Get a thorough checkup from your dentist, have any dental
problems fixed, assemble a dental emergency kit, and learn how
to use the items in it.
DAY Make a water filter
and learn water storage
18 and purification.
hen asked where they should start their survival
W preparations, most people answer food storage. Wrong.

In fact, food isn’t even in the top three survival priori-
ties. The most important elements of survival are oxygen, shel-
ter from extreme weather, and water.
Depending on health, physical activity, and environment,
and with limited activity, humans can survive:
❏ Five minutes or less without oxygen

❏ 10 days or fewer without water at 50°F (and even fewer
as temperatures rise)
❏ Four to six weeks without food
Today’s task involves making sure your survival plan

includes a reliable source of clean water. Imagine how disap-
pointed you’d be after investing all that time and money to build
your stockpile of survival food only to realize that you were
about to die of dehydration because you neglected to adequately
address your need for water. Having food storage without a reli-
able source of clean water is like eating soup with a fork. You’re
only getting some of what you need.
Before getting started, a few words on terminology are in
order. Sometimes the terms filtration, purification, and steriliza-
tion are used interchangeably in relation to water. This is
75
This homemade water filter works as well as any commercial model and costs
considerably less.
incorrect. Filtration removes solid matter (or in some cases
emulsified liquids). Purification removes that which is not water
(stuff in solution and/or emulsion). Sterilization kills microbes
in the water. The confusion of terms is understandable, as many
commercial filter units also remove microbes by filtering them
out, and many units include activated charcoal or other ele-
ments that both filter out solids and remove a lot of metals in
solution by adsorption (as opposed to absorption). In fact, they
now have filters that are so specific and so fine they actually can
filter out molecules: a “watermaker” that filters out salt from
seawater would be an example.
I’m a fan of the Berkey water filters. Having used a Big
Berkey filter extensively for more than three years, I can person-
ally attest to its performance. However, a lot of people can’t or
won’t spend $250 or more for a water filter no matter how criti-
cal it is to their survival. Fortunately, it isn’t difficult to make
your own homemade water filter using only the Black Berkey Pu-
rification Elements and a few odds and ends you probably have
lying around your house. The total cost for such a unit at the time
of this writing is less than $150, including the Black Berkey Pu-
rification Elements.
Black Berkey Purification Elements can be ordered online
from a number of vendors, including Amazon.com and LPC
Survival (www.directive21.com), with current prices ranging
from $99 to $110. I’ve found LPC Survival to be very reliable,
with superfast shipping and great customer service.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
❏ Two Black Berkey Purification Elements

❏ Two 5-gallon food-grade buckets with lids
❏ Food-grade spigot (available at most hardware stores or
online; the type used for large water coolers works great)
❏ Drill with 1/2- and 3/4-inch bits
First drill two 1/2-inch holes in the bottom of one of the buck-
ets and two 3/4-inch holes through one of the lids. The holes
MAKE A WATER FILTER 77

Black Berkey Purification Elements secured through the bottom of the top
bucket using 1/2-inch holes and supplied wingnuts. Note how the elements
protrude through the bottom of the top bucket and align with the holes
through the lid of the bottom bucket.
This spigot was taken from a busted water cooler.
should be approximately 4 to 6 inches apart to facilitate changing

the filters as needed. Both sets of holes in the bottom of the bucket
and those in the lid should match up perfectly when mated.
Next, drill a 3/4-inch hole in the side of the other bucket.
This hole is for the spigot, so drill about 2 inches up from the
bottom of the bucket. This way when it is set on a table or
bench, the spigot isn’t touching the surface, where it can be
damaged or broken.
Install the Black Berkey Purification Elements securely
through the 1/2-inch holes that you drilled in the bottom of the
first bucket, using the supplied rubber washers and wingnut fas-
teners. Be careful not to overtighten the nuts or you could cause
a leak or even break the tip of a purification element.
To use this unit, put the lid with the 1/2-inch holes on top
of the bucket with the spigot and set the other bucket with the
filters installed on top, aligning the holes so the Berkey filter
tubes extend through the lid of the lower bucket.

Pour the water to be filtered into the upper bucket and cover
with the remaining lid. The water in the top bucket will drip
through the filter elements and into the lower bucket, filling it
with clean drinking water.
As you can see from the photos, it’s very simple. The whole
process takes about 20 minutes.
WATER PURIFICATION
After filtration, water can be purified through various

means, including adding household bleach, boiling it, and using
the SODIS (solar water disinfecting) method.
Bleach
If you suspect the water contains contaminants, add eight
drops of regular, unscented, liquid household bleach (e.g., Purex,
Clorox) to each gallon of water, stir it well, and let it stand for
30 minutes before drinking.
Boiling
Boiling is one of the surest methods of water purification.
All you need is a heat source, a suitable container, and water.
Bring the water to a rolling boil to kill any contaminants that
may be present. Boiled water tastes like, well, boiled water, but
the taste can be somewhat improved by pouring back and forth
between two containers to reoxygenate.
SODIS Method
Clean a transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle
(e.g., soda bottle) with soap and water. Then fill the bottle with
the water to be disinfected and place the bottle in full sunlight
for at least six hours.
Note: It is the ultraviolet rays from the sun, and not heat, that
kill the waterborne pathogens. Go to www.sodis.ch/methode/an-
wendung/index_EN for detailed instructions and illustrations.
WATER STORAGE
For water storage, I have six 5-gallon containers bought in

the sporting goods department at Walmart. Thirty gallons of
water isn’t much, but I don’t see water being a major issue at
my location. If you live in a drier region, such as the American
southwest, water will likely be a major concern, which may
necessitate the storage of hundreds or even thousands of gallons
for an extended emergency.
Don’t store water in used 5-gallon milk jugs. They’re not
strong enough for long-term storage and eventually break down
and leak. The 5-gallon containers sold in the sporting goods sec-
tion of most department or hardware stores work great, as do
the 55-gallon plastic water drums sold by preparedness gear
retailers, such as Emergency Essentials at BePrepared.com.
If you must use small containers, empty 2-liter soda bottles
work well. They are stronger than milk jugs, have better lids,
and are more convenient. Avoid glass containers because they
break too easily.
TAP WATER CONSIDERATIONS
If you’re storing tap water from a municipal water system,

there’s no need to add bleach as suggested by some. Water
from the municipal tap already contains enough chlorine to
thwart any bacterial growth, so it can be stored without any
other additives.
Construct a water purifier and educate yourself about water
purification and storage.

DAY Avoid these 10
prepping mistakes.
19
elow are 10 common mistakes I’ve seen survival planners
B make over the years (I’ve made several of them myself),

and I don’t want you to end up doing the same.
1. Giving up too early. Many new survivalists start out

with a lot of energy and enthusiasm, only to give up
before meeting their goals. The main reason: they
think they have to spend thousands of dollars on a
retreat, survival food, and a weapons arsenal. Since
they don’t have the money, they give up altogether.
2. Procrastinating. Don’t put off starting your prepared-
ness program. The number-one excuse given is a lack
of money—see point 1 above.
3. Not making their own plan. Many new survivalists, not
knowing where to start, attempt to follow the plans of
others. Granted, there will be a lot of similarities between
most survival plans, but it is important to look at your
location, needs, and budget, and plan accordingly.
4. Overlooking the need for shelter. Many new (and vet-
eran) survivalists fail to realize the importance of a
paid-for plot of land and shelter. They seem to think
that their debt will miraculously disappear or be for-
given. Sorry, folks, it doesn’t work that way. My book
Dirt Cheap Survival Retreat (available from Paladin
83
Press) gives a complete plan for setting up a paid-for
survival retreat on a paid-for plot of land with very lit-
tle cash.
5. Planning to bug out. Bugging out can work if you have
a place to go and can make it there unscathed. But the
“throw on a pack and live in the woods” plan is unre-
alistic and impractical. Some may be able to pull it
off—most won’t.
6. Investing in too many guns. Firearms are very important,
but many new (and veteran) survivalists have more
guns than pounds of wheat. Get the life-sustaining
basics squared away first.
7. Buying books but not reading them. I’m sure many of
you do this. You read a review of a preparedness book
and immediately send for it. When it arrives in the
mail, you open the package, thumb through it, and
think, I’ll read it when I have more time. And on the
shelf it goes, where it does you no good.
8. Buying books but not doing what they teach. Some peo-
ple actually read the books, but that’s as far as it goes.
They never go out and test what they’ve read. Reading
is great, but you need to get off the couch and put
what you’ve read into practice.
9. Not planning for unexpected arrivals. What will you do
when unexpected visitors arrive at your door looking
for a handout post collapse? It is a good idea to buy
extra food and assemble care packages now.
10. Having a closed mind. Some people become fixated
with their plans (or the plans of others—see point 3).
If something works, great; if not, you need to find out
what the problem is and fix it, even if it means a com-
plete overhaul of your original plan.
Do a self-evaluation (be honest), keeping the 10 points above
in mind. If you find you’re guilty of making any of the mistakes
listed, then get to work correcting the issues.
AVOID THESE 10 PREPPING MISTAKES 85

DAY Take a firearms
safety and/or
20 hunter education class.
any of you probably have at least a basic knowledge of
M firearms safety and shooting fundamentals. If not, then

I suggest you seek out qualified instruction to acquire
those skills before buying a gun. The National Rifle Association
offers fundamental classes as well as more advanced training.
For more information about the classes, see the NRA website:
www.nra.org/programs.aspx.
Other possible options are hunter-education classes offered by
the wildlife or natural resources agencies in most states. These
classes are usually free to anyone (at least in every state I
checked) and are a good starting point for learning general
firearms safety and handling, as well as a few basic outdoor sur-
vival skills. Best of all, the classes can be a lot of fun. Contact your
state’s appropriate agency for information and class schedules.
Most states also offer concealed-carry permit classes; as of
this writing, these classes cost around $50 to attend and last
eight to ten hours. Most cover general handgun safety, care,
responsibility, and laws regarding firearms and self-defense in
the sponsoring state. Contact your state’s department of public
safety or whatever the relevant agency is called in your state for
information about class schedules.
Once you have the basics mastered and can shoot well
enough to place all your shots into a 6-inch circle or less at 25
yards, then it is time to broaden your skills. If attending a
87
A .22-caliber revolver is an excellent choice for new handgun shooters to learn
how to shoot safely.
dedicated defensive-shooting course is possible, what are you
waiting for? Do it. Be sure to check the instructor’s credentials
before signing up for the course. For example, just because some-
one was once a police officer or in the military doesn’t always
make hin a good shooting instructor. Consult others who have
taken firearms instruction and see what they have to say.
If attending a dedicated defensive course isn’t possible, then
instructional DVDs are a good alternative. Paladin Press offers
hundreds of this type of instructional videos, and I recommend
the offerings by Kelly McCann and his Crucible team. His Defen-
sive Shooting Series video is excellent. (Note: The byline on the
Defensive Shooting Series DVD is Jim Grover because at the time
McCann was using that pseudonym for his published works.)
With the cost of ammo going through the roof, practicing
with live ammo can be a wallet-flattening ordeal. Sure we need
to use live rounds in training, but a lot of realistic and construc-
tive practice can be done with CO2 powered pistols, which are
sold in most sporting goods and department stores.
Another advantage of this type of training is that it can be
done in your backyard, even in town, if you have a good fence to
keep your activities private and materials to set up a proper, safe
backstop. Your practice can even be undertaken in a basement
or extra room if needed. Just remember to make it as realistic as
possible and always reinforce what you learn with live fire
when possible.
Find the nearest firearms-related class, sign up, and make
sure you show up for class.
TAKE A FIREARMS SAFETY CLASS 89

DAY Let’s make a
small-game snare.
21
nares can be used to trap a variety of animals from mice to
S elephants, and no survival book would be complete with-

out plans for making and setting a snare. Since, I don’t
think many of you will be snaring elephants (or mice), we’ll
concentrate our efforts here on making and setting a snare sized
for rabbits and squirrels. However, most of the same principles
work just as well for smaller and larger animals.
Effective snares can be improvised from any pliable wire, cable,
string, or rope, but in my opinion the best material for making a
small-game snare is appliance wire. I get mine for free from dis-
carded appliances found at the local dump, but you can also buy
the wire at any hardware store for a few cents per foot.
To start, take a piece of wire 20 inches long and split it
down the center, leaving you with two 20-inch pieces. Next,
peel the rubber insulation back about 2 inches and use pliers to
pull the wire out of the insulation. It may be necessary to split
the insulation with a sharp knife before the wire and the rubber
insulation can be separated.
The goal is to pull the copper wire free from the insulation
in such a way that the strands don’t unravel and tangle when
pulled free. Don’t worry if you have trouble the first few times;
you’ll get better with practice.
Once you have the wire and insulation separated, cut the
ends off the wire evenly. Then measure a section 3 inches long
91
A small-game snare connected to a spring pole via a peg and nail trigger.
from one end and tightly wrap this around a small twig (slightly
larger than the wire) or matchstick, forming a small loop. Now .
break and remove the stick, opening up the loop. Take the other
end of the wire and pass it through the loop you just made,
forming a lasso.
At the other end of the wire, opposite the lasso, securely tie
another small loop. This will be used to secure the snare to a
longer line or string. Now, you’re probably asking why not just
use a string in the first place, thus avoiding the wire altogether?
Well, you could do that, but wire makes a much better snare for a
number of reasons but mainly because it holds its shape when set.
Another possibility, if you want to make some up ahead of
time and disperse through your various kits and bags, is to go to
a fishing shop that caters to fishers of large fish (e.g., deep sea,
steelhead), which will have lovely steel line, factory eyelets, and
swivels that make great snares. A thin, stiff wire (aka wire
leader) makes a great snare because it is inclined to cut the
throat of whatever it has caught on the first lunge as it tightens.
First, twist a small, secure loop at each end of the wire and then thread one
end through the other.
LET’S MAKE A SMALL-GAME SNARE 93

Two different trigger designs that can be used to connect the snare to a spring
pole, which will lift the animal into the air when the trigger is tripped.
Twitch-up snare.
This gives nicely bled-out meat. These are sometimes used

where deer jump a fence in the brush at the same spot all the
time. This type usually does not require a spring-lift arrange-
ment, as larger game will lunge as soon as they think they may
be caught, doing themselves in by tightening the noose. Some
poachers are rumored to use aircraft cable for larger animals.
Make a small-game snare using appliance wire. For more
information about this topic, read Into The Primitive: Advanced
Trapping Techniques by Dale Martin (available from Paladin Press).
LET’S MAKE A SMALL-GAME SNARE 95

DAY Prevent and
manage stress.
22
here is no such thing as a stress-free life. Most of us deal
T with stress on a daily basis, from getting the kids off to

school on time to driving to work in rush-hour traffic to
taking care of a sick family member.
Our bodies were designed to deal with stress on a short-term
basis and then to relax and recuperate before facing the next
stressful event. Our reaction to short-term stress is a “fight or
flight” response, which in the past was necessary for our sur-
vival (and still is, depending on the situation).
Short-term stress doesn’t have the same effect on our bodies
as extended periods of tension and stress do; most healthy peo-
ple can deal with stress without developing any long-term prob-
lems. It’s those periods of long-term stress that we need to be
concerned with, which is precisely what we would face during
an extended emergency or grid-down situation.
During a prolonged emergency, our stress levels will natu-
rally rise, possibly affecting both our physical and mental health
and judgment. For this reason, it is important to know what
stress does to your body and how to manage it so that it doesn’t
become a problem in a survival situation or in everyday life.
WHAT LONG-TERM STRESS DOES TO YOUR BODY
According to medical authorities, when you’re stressed the
97
brain’s sympathetic nerves signal the adrenal glands to release a
number of chemicals into the body, including epinephrine (aka,
adrenaline) and cortisol. Persistently high levels of these chemi-
cals can impair memory and the ability to learn, which can
inadvertently lead to mistakes. Mistakes can be deadly.
Stress triggers the body to produce extra blood sugar, which
provides energy to power our innate fight-or-flight response. In
some instances this is a good thing, but if your stress is pro-
longed, such as would be the case during a long-term survival
situation, raised glucose levels may over time turn you into a
full-blown diabetic, especially if you are already at risk.
Long-term stress can lead to cardiovascular problems, espe-
cially if you’re already at risk due to lifestyle or heredity. Stress
can raise blood pressure and over time[, lead to narrowing of
the arteries and raised cholesterol levels, which increase your
chances of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Ongoing
stress can cause a loss of sleep, thus weakening your immune
system and decreasing your body’s ability to fight off infection
and heal itself.
Stress can cause indigestion and nausea, possibly leading to
diarrhea or constipation. This can lead to a loss of appetite or
dehydration, both of which can cause other health problems.
TIPS FOR MANAGING STRESS
Below are 10 tips that I’ve found effective for dealing with
stress. I hope you can adopt some of these strategies to help you
manage stress now, as well as “after the balloon goes up.”
1. Be prepared. Need, I say more? Being prepared is the

most effective way of dealing with stress during and
after a disaster or TEOTWAWKI (the end of the
world as we know it). Nothing beats being prepared.
While everyone else is running in circles, you can
relax and watch the show. But you have to start.
2. Take vitamin B-complex. Supplementing with B-
complex can play an important role in stress reduc-
tion. In addition to B-complex, passionflower and
skullcap may help to relieve stress and improve
sleep patterns. I take a tablet that has all three in
one capsule. Ask your doctor first and start with a
small dosage.
3. Get enough sleep. While I can’t say for sure how long
before you or I would die without sleep, it is a medical
fact that a lack of sleep can wreak havoc on your
health and mental functioning. I’ve gone several days
without sleep, and my mental functions, coordination,
and reaction times were definitely subpar. No matter
what type of disaster you face or how bad things are,
you have to sleep.
4. Try valerian supplements. Valerian has been used for
centuries for treating nervous conditions, sleepless-
ness, epilepsy, depression, and hysteria. I’ve taken
valerian supplements during periods of insomnia, and
they work well. Other dietary supplements or herbal
remedies frequently taken to aid in sleep include
melatonin and chamomile. With any supplement, ask
your doctor before taking and start with a small dose
until you know how your body will react.
5. Keep some semblance of normalcy. This may sound
nonsensical, but try to keep your life as normal as pos-
sible during these anything but normal times. For
example, if you read before going to bed and work out
in the morning, continue to do so. By keeping a famil-
iar schedule, your mind and body will be better able to
deal with the stress caused by a long-term disaster.
6. Entertain yourself. By keeping your mind busy during
periods of downtime, you can limit stress and its nega-
tive effects on your body. I have a plastic tote full of
unread (by me at least) paperback books that I’ve
picked up at yard sales and flea markets for 10–20
cents each. Altogether they probably cost me less than
$25 total, and they will provide invaluable entertain-
ment value post collapse (or before). I also enjoy lis-
PREVENT AND MANAGE STRESS 99

tening to music and have a number of CDs and
rechargeable batteries to keep the music playing.
7. Keep children happy. If the kids aren’t happy, then no
one is happy. It is important to eliminate as much
stress and unfamiliarity from their lives as possible,
especially at first while they adjust. Children tend to
bore easily, so adding things to your cache to stave off
their boredom is a good idea. As mentioned earlier,
you should have a special pack just for kids consisting
of toys, books, and games. Don’t forget extra batteries
for electronics.
8. Meditate. Long used for stress reduction and as a
means of relaxation, meditation involves clearing your
mind of what is around you while focusing on proper
breathing techniques to reach a calm state. See the
online article “Benefits and Different Types of Medi-
tation Techniques” (stress.about.com/od/low-
stresslifestyle/a/meditation.htm) on the About.com
website for more information and techniques on this
subject.
9. Pray. If you are religious, prayer can be a great help
for relieving stress and instilling a feeling of well-
being and hope. Here is the best example I’ve ever
read of a prayer to help you deal with stress (sorry,
but I can’t remember the original source):
“Lord, I pray that you provide me your hand and

walk me through the dark times. I ask that you re-
duce the burdens in my life or show me the path to
get things done or rid myself of the things weighing
me down. Thank you, Lord, for all you do in my life
and how you will provide for me, even in these
stressful times.”

Learn how to control your stress level. Trust me—this is
one of the most important parts of your preparedness plan.
PREVENT AND MANAGE STRESS 101

DAY Plan your
survival garden.
23
et’s face it: we cannot realistically store enough food to
L last for the rest of our lives (unless, of course, that life is
very short). That is where such skills as hunting, trap-
ping, foraging, raising livestock, and gardening come into play in
the total survival food plan.
The most common excuse I hear for not planting a survival
garden is that the person lacks either time or space or both. A
lack of time or space can be challenging, but if done right plant-
ing a garden doesn’t require a lot of either. We’ve already dis-
cussed how to prioritize to use time more efficiently, and
gardening isn’t that time consuming if done properly.
Regarding space, most people have more than they think;
they just need to look at their situation from a different angle.
When I lived in the city, I successfully raised tomatoes and other
vegetables in a window box and in several hanging baskets on
the terrace. Remember, even a small garden is better than no gar-
den at all, and starting small has several advantages: less space re-
quired, less expense to get started, less time involved, and
perhaps, most important, a chance to obtain the skills needed to
eventually plant and grow a full-size garden if space permits.
TOOLS NEEDED
Contrary to what you might think, you don’t need a lot of

expensive tools to plant and tend a garden. My most important
103
A few good gardening and food-preservation books, as well as a supply of non-
hybrid seeds, should be on every substance gardener’s shopping list.
recommendations when buying tools are to buy the best tools

you can afford and to choose forged tools over stamped ones.
Even though top-quality forged tools cost more, they last consid-
erably longer and make the job of gardening much easier.
The tools needed will depend on several factors, such as
your location and what, how, and how much you intend to
grow. At a bare minimum, I suggest a peasant hoe (also called an
eye hoe), regular garden hoe, mattock, pitchfork, rake, digging
shovel, classic round-point shovel, and digging fork.
WHAT TO GROW
Plant what grows well in your area. How do you know what
crops thrive where you live? Well, the best way is to ask people:

talk to local gardeners, vendors at farmers market stalls or road-
side stands, employees at nearby nurseries and seed stores, and
staff members at your local county extension agency or farmers
co-op. A wealth of information can be gained just by asking.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) climate zone maps
provide a rough estimate as to what will grow best in your area
of the country and planting guidelines. Every seed catalog I’ve
seen has this type of climate zone map printed on the first cou-
ple of pages, or you can find one with a simple online search.
CHOOSING SEEDS
When it comes to gardening, you obviously must start with

seeds, and the one question I’m asked most often pertaining to
survival gardening is, “Should I choose hybrid or nonhybrid
seeds?” My answer is always the same: both.
Seed from nonhybrid (“heirloom”) varieties can be saved
from one year to the next and will grow true to the parent
plants. Hybrid varieties tend to grow more vigorously the first
planting and are easier to grow, but saved seeds are unpre-
dictable at best.
I suggest you start with hybrid seeds and proceed to grow-
ing nonhybrid varieties exclusively as your gardening skill
improves. But with any seeds, you need to actually plant
them, tend the plants, and watch them grow before you can
learn or reap the harvest. One of the biggest mistakes I see
among would-be gardeners is buying seeds but never putting
them in the ground.
FINDING MORE INFORMATION
Obviously, this isn’t a how-to book on gardening. For in-

depth gardening information and plans, I suggest you purchase
The Resilient Gardener by Carol Deppe, Gardening When It
Counts by Steve Solomon, or The Sustainable Vegetable Garden
by John Jeavons and Carol Cox.
PLAN YOUR SURVIVAL GARDEN 105

Evaluate your space and needs and then plan a survival gar-
den. Research your region for the best crops and planting times,
buy gardening tools, and assemble your seed assortment. Be
ready when the time comes to plant the various seeds.

DAY Take a trip to
the gunshop.
24
What’s the perfect survival gun? That question has been
asked many, many times over the years, and more than a few
survivalists have attempted to answer with their own favorites.
But for the most part the effort has been in vain because the real
answer is: none exists. Some firearms are indeed more versatile
than others, but none is up to the task of doing everything well.
Repeat after me: “There is no perfect survival gun.”
You need a battery of firearms to cover defense, foraging,
concealed carry, and other tasks, but you don’t have to spend a
lot of money. Below I have outlined five arsenals, each covering
a broad range of tasks, needs, and budgets. If nothing else, my
suggestions should generate discourse.
“I WORK AT WALMART” ARSENAL
❏ Mosin-Nagant ’91 rifle

❏ Single-shot 12-gauge shotgun
❏ Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolver
“GOVERNMENT WELFARE” ARSENAL
❏ Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE) rifle

❏ Mossberg Maverick 88 12-gauge shotgun
❏ Smith & Wesson Model 10 revolver
❏ Ruger 10/22 rifle
107
Above: Most sporting-goods stores
stock a good selection of firearms,
but you should know what you need
before you walk through the door.
Right: A Mossberg 12-gauge pump-

action shotgun and a Savage Scout
rifle in .308 will suffice for most
foraging needs.

“I HAVE A FULL-TIME JOB” ARSENAL
❏ Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle or AR-15

❏ Mossberg 500 12-gauge shotgun
❏ Glock Model 19 pistol
“TWO JOBS AND MAXED CREDIT CARD” ARSENAL
❏ Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle or AR-15

❏ Remington 870 Express 12-gauge
shotgun with spare riot barrel
❏ Glock Model 19 pistol
❏ Winchester Model 70 bolt-action rifle in .308 Win.
❏ Taurus CIA Model 850 .38 SPL revolver
“YUPPIE SURVIVAL” ARSENAL
❏ L1A1 or Springfield Armory M1A rifle

chambered in .308 Win.
❏ Remington Model 7 bolt-action rifle in .223
❏ Winchester Model 70 bolt-action rifle in 308 Win.
❏ Remington 870 Express 12-gauge shotgun
with spare riot barrel
❏ Colt 1911 A1 .45 ACP
❏ Taurus CIA Model 850 .38 SPL revolver
❏ Savage Model 24F combo, .223 Remington over
12-gauge (if you can find one used)
❏ Barrett 82A1 .50 BMG rifle
It should be noted that these firearms are merely suggestions

based on what I’ve owned and can recommend from personal
experience (with the exception of the Barrett 82A1, which I
have never owned). These recommendations aren’t written in
stone, and there are many substitutes you could make without a
TAKE A TRIP TO THE GUNSHOP 109

If the shooter does his part, .22-caliber pistols and revolvers are excellent for
taking small game.
Having the option of nonlethal self-defense is always a good thing: OC spray,

Taser, and extendable baton will take care of many personal-defense situations.

loss in quality or versatility. For example, a Smith & Wesson
revolver of equal dimensions or even a Glock 26 could replace
the Taurus CIA. Or you could switch the Colt 1911 A1 for one
made by another company or even a Springfield Armory XD
chambered for the .45 ACP.
GUNS NOT TO BUY FOR SURVIVAL
Countless books and magazines advise you how to choose the

“best” survival gun. What I haven’t seen is a list of firearms that
should be avoided. I think this is a mistake, because knowing what
not to buy is just as important as knowing what to buy.
I’m sure many will disagree with my conclusions or have
other examples that I’ve failed to mention. In some cases, it isn’t
a matter of my overlooking or forgetting to mention a certain
manufacturer or firearm, but simply that I have no experience
with that particular firearm or manufacturer. I only give advice
on things I’ve personally used, tested, worked on in my shop,
and fully evaluated. Here are my thoughts in this area. Take
them for what you will . . .
• Phoenix Arms: low price and low quality

• Lorcin: cheaply made, with poor quality parts
• Hi-Point: carbines, fair; handguns, prone to failure
• Bryco: jam, fire, jam, fire, jam, jam, broken firing pin
• FIE: well known for inferior quality; currently out of business
• Llama: some good weapons, others junk—best to avoid the lot
• Sterling: mediocre quality and usually unreliable; currently
out of business
• Charco Arms (formerly Charter Arms): chambers rough, ac-
tion tends to lock up, and exhibit tendency to shave lead
• Intratec Tec-9: low-quality construction, inaccurate, will not
reliably feed hollowpoint ammunition
• Norinco: quality control hit and miss; some products seem
pretty good considering the price, others not so much
TAKE A TRIP TO THE GUNSHOP 111

Get a copy of Boston’s Gun Bible by Boston T. Party and con-
sult it before putting together your survival firearms arsenal.
Then head to a dealer to buy firearms based on the recommen-
dations above, in Boston’s Gun Bible, or from someone you trust
who is experienced in all aspects of survival firearms. And don’t
forget ammo.

DAY Put together a
survival kit for
25 your automobile.
ost of us spend a lot of time in our cars, so we need a
M car kit in addition to our every-day carry (EDC) kit.

Below are lists of items for two different kits: the
deluxe and basic. Choose the one that best fits your needs.
DELUXE KIT
❏ Change of clothes, depending on season

❏ Duct tape
❏ EDC kit (see day 28)
❏ Energy bars or similar food
❏ Fire extinguisher
❏ First aid kit
❏ Fix-a-Flat can
❏ Flashlight and extra batteries
❏ Folding shovel
❏ Fuses
❏ Hand cleaner, waterless (e.g., GoJo)
❏ Hose clamps
❏ Ice scraper
❏ Jack and lug wrench
❏ Jumper cables
❏ Light sticks, two
❏ Matches
113
This auto survival kit has gotten me out of many tough spots while on the road.
❏ Motor oil, windshield washer fluid, engine coolant; 1 gallon

each
❏ Road flares
❏ Sleeping bag or wool blanket (weight appropriate for season)
❏ Socket set
❏ Spare tire
❏ Special needs items: prescription medications, eyeglasses,
hearing aid batteries, and items for infants if applicable (e.g.,
formula, diapers, bottles, pacifiers)
❏ Tire chains for snowy climates
❏ Tire plug kit
❏ Toilet paper
❏ Tools: flat-head and Phillip’s head screwdrivers, pliers, vise
grips, and adjustable wrench
❏ Tow chain or rope
❏ Water (drinking), 1 gallon
❏ Whistle
❏ Wire

BASIC KIT
❏ Duct tape
❏ EDC kit
❏ Fire extinguisher
❏ First aid kit, small
❏ Fix-a-Flat can
❏ Folding shovel
❏ Hand cleaner, waterless (e.g., GoJo)
❏ Jack and lug wrench
❏ Jumper cables
❏ Spare tire
❏ Toilet paper
❏ Water (drinking), 1 gallon
Put together a car survival kit based on your budget, terrain,
and needs.
PUT TOGETHER A SURVIVAL KIT FOR YOUR AUTOMOBILE 115

DAY Brainstorm ideas and
look for gaps in your
26 preparations.
simple trick I use to find gaps in my emergency pre-
A paredness plan is to ask myself what I would do if I

knew TEOTWAWKI was going to start in 31 days. Keep-
ing this in mind, I look at my situation, skills, and supplies, and
make a list of ideas using a “mind map.” (Wikipedia defines a
mind map as a “diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks,
or other items linked to and arranged around a central key word
or idea. Mind maps are used to generate, visualize, structure,
and classify ideas, and as an aid to studying and organizing
information, solving problems, making decisions.”)
This trick has helped me find shortcomings that would have
gone unnoticed had I not set a deadline for starting my prepara-
tions for TEOTWAWKI and mind-mapped ideas. For example,
the last time I did this, I found that I needed to learn more about
trapping wild game, expanding my use of spices for cooking, and
using hydrated lime for waste disposal. I try to do this exercise
at least every other month.
When you do this mind-mapping exercise, it is important to
have the correct mindset. While it’s true that none of us knows
the exact start date for TEOTWAWKI (or has it already started?),
for this exercise to be most effective you have to do your best to
envision it happening on your chosen date. If you don’t take the
date seriously, you’ll fail to see important deficiencies in your
plan, thus ensuring that the process is a waste of time.
117
Learn more about
trapping and buy
or make traps.
Order a good book
on the subject.
Order one dozen Buy another 500
#110 Conibear rounds of .22-
traps and four caliber CB caps.
dozen snares.
TEOTWAWKI
Put away more will start in Go through first
comfort foods: six months. aid kit. Add more
hard candy, hot betadine; replace
cocoa mix, Tang. aspirin.
Buy trash bags and five Pick up

bags of hydrated lime vet-grade
for waste disposal. antibiotics.
Once you have the proper mindset, in the middle of a piece

of paper write down your start date for TEOTWAWKI. Now
brainstorm ideas for what you need (and can) do to prepare for
that date. For each gap in your plan, draw a conversation bubble
around your TEOTWAWKI date and write down how you
intend to fill in the gap. The key at this point is to be creative
and think outside the box as much as possible. Any idea is al-
lowed at this point. Don’t overthink; just write down the ideas
as they enter your mind. The illustration above contains a six-
month TEOTWAWKI start time and some sample tasks that
might be appropriate for your plan.

Set your TEOTWAWKI date and mind-map what you need
to do to increase your preparedness for that date.
BRAINSTORM IDEAS AND LOOK FOR GAPS 119

DAY Build a deadfall
trap with a
27 figure-four trigger.
hose of you who have been following my blog
T (www.thesurvivalistblog.net) already know that I plan

on using trapped and hunted wild game to supplement
my stored food, domestic animals, and garden. I don’t think hav-
ing only one food source after the crash is wise, as many things
could happen to my primary food storage. My motto is to always
have plans C and D to back up plans A and B.
Most trappers consider the figure-four trigger to be a dispos-
able resource to be made, used, and thrown away; however, I
prefer to make and use the same trigger multiple times and at
different locations as needed. This saves a lot of time and energy
when contrasted with having to make a new trigger every time
one is needed.
Because of this, I tend to take more time and care when
making triggers than most trappers do. I choose only dry, sea-
soned hardwood pieces that are approximately 1-inch thick so
they won’t warp or shrink during the natural aging process. I
also take great care when cutting out the notches that hold the
trap together.
The most crucial element, and the one most often over-
looked by beginners, is that all the notched and grooved areas
that make up the trigger assembly should be squared, with all
bark removed. If this is not done, the trigger will likely fly apart
when the drop weight is activated. The weight can be a large
121
From this photo it is easy to see how the figure-four trigger goes together.
Figure-four trigger and rock deadfall set and ready to go. Note the barrier placed
around the back and side. This will help guide the animal into the correct posi-
tion. You can tie bait to the end of the horizontal bait stick or do as I have done
here and partially bury the bait behind the trigger (under the drop weight).

rock, log, or another object heavy enough to kill your intended
prey. You don’t want to merely injure the critter. If possible, you
want its death to be quick, painless, and humane.
Bait should be fastened to the bait stick before setting the
trigger under the drop weight. Otherwise, the weight might fall
on your arm. Another option is to partially bury the bait in a
small jar at the rearmost point under the drop weight. As the
animal digs for the bait it will dislodge the trigger and cause the
weight to fall, crushing the critter underneath.
Make a figure-four trigger and deadfall trap. (Note: Follow
all game laws and set this trap where domestic pets cannot get
into it.)
BUILD A DEADFALL TRAP 123

DAY Put together your
every-day carry
28 (EDC) kit.
our EDC kit is one of your most important survival tools
Y because it is the kit that you will always have on your

person if an unexpected disaster occurs while you are
away from your home, office, or vehicle.
Even though an EDC kit is a much abbreviated version of a
larger, more comprehensive kit and is not meant to supply all
your long-term needs, it will drastically increase your chances of
getting back home to your main survival supplies or surviving
an immediate threat to your personal survival, such as a crimi-
nal assault or a natural or physical disaster.
For example, let’s say you have the misfortune of being
trapped alive under the rubble after your office building col-
lapses during an earthquake. Because you have your EDC kit,
you are able to use your cell phone or whistle to help rescuers
find you. Your handgun or OC spray from your EDC kit can be
used to ward off a criminal attack, and you can use the multitool
or Swiss Army knife to repair a critical item or fabricate an item
from scrounged materials should the need arise.
At the end of the day, the gear that matters most is what you
have when you need it, and that gear should be in your EDC kit.
Its uses and possibilities for saving your life are infinite, and its
contents should be carefully selected.
What you include in your EDC kit will depend on your per-
sonal needs and individual location, but certain items should be
125
Among other things, my EDC kit contains a cell phone, flashlight, handgun,
lighter, and Swiss Army knife.
included in most kits. These items are what we will consider

here. Include these items in your kit if they fit your needs and
add other things that are personally essential to you.
Weight is one of the most important considerations when
selecting items for your EDC kit. You’ll be carrying this kit with
you at all times (or you should be). The last thing you want to
do is to leave your kit behind on the very day you need it
because you thought it was too heavy or bulky to bother with.
Keep it light, tight, and ready to go.
SUGGESTED EDC KIT CONTENTS
❏ Antiseptic wipes, large and individually sealed (first aid,

health, and repairs)
❏ Bic lighter (starting fires)

❏ Cash in small bills (general use, paying for emergency serv-
ices, and bartering)
❏ Cell phone (communication, emergencies, GPS navigation)
❏ Flashlight, small, and extra batteries (signaling, emergency
light)
❏ Handgun, OC spray, or Taser (self-defense)
❏ Multitool or Swiss Army knife (general use, repairs)
❏ Prescription meds, at least a two-day supply (health)
❏ Whistle (alerting help)
Once you decide what you need to carry, you’ll need to fig-
ure out how to carry those items in the most convenient and
comfortable way. If you usually carry a purse or backpack, how
to carry your kit isn’t a problem because you already have a
ready-made container. Just organize the contents in the purse or
pack so that they are easy to reach by their anticipated order of
importance. For example, you want to have your handgun, OC
spray, or Taser in an easily accessible inside location or in an
outer purse pocket.
A number of purses/packs have a specially designed pocket
for secure and discreet handgun carry, and most also have an
assortment of outside and inside pockets for other items in your
EDC kit. (Note: Because of the possibility of having your
purse/pack snatched, you may want to carry your defensive
weapon separately.)
Men who don’t generally carry a backpack or briefcase have
a more difficult time of finding a suitable way to carry a kit. If
the kit is kept small and light (as it should be), it isn’t much of a
problem. I carry the bulk of my kit on my belt, with the other
items distributed in my pockets and on my key ring.
Several companies sell specially designed vests for concealed
handgun carry that have plenty of pockets, and these work great
for carrying and distributing the components of an EDC kit.
Because of the general design of this type of vest, the weight being
carried is evenly distributed, making the kit barely noticeable.
Another option for men is a small fanny pack, such as the
PUT TOGETHER YOUR EVERY-DAY CARRY (EDC) KIT 127

Uncle Mike’s Off-Duty and Concealment Nylon Fanny Pack
Gunrunner Holster. These are great for carrying EDC contents
with a well-designed and easily reached pocket for your self-
defense option.
Put together an EDC kit and start carrying it with you
whenever you are away from home. (Note: Be sure to follow all
weapons laws in your area and those areas you travel to or
within—it is your duty to know these laws before you purchase
or carry the items in question.)

DAY Learn to cook in
a Thermos bottle.
29
first learned of Thermos cooking while reading Kurt Saxon’s
I The Survivor newsletter back in the late 1980s and have

been using this thermal cooking method to save propane
ever since. I have no way of knowing for sure, but I would esti-
mate a savings of $40 to $50 per year from my doing this.
In a grid-down situation, using less fuel will be a top prior-
ity, and cooking with a Thermos (or other insulated vacuum
bottle) will help you get the most from the smallest amount of
fuel possible. All you’ll need is a small-mouth vacuum bottle (I
prefer the Stanley vacuum bottle) and a funnel. Let’s take a
closer look at how to cook this way.
1. Start by preheating the vacuum bottle. Simply bring

enough water to a boil to fill the bottle, screw on the
cap, and set the bottle aside while you do the follow-
ing steps.
2. Heat the food in a pot on your stove until it is boiling
3. Pour out the water used to preheat the vacuum bottle.
4. Using your funnel so you don’t waste any, pour the
boiling food into your preheated bottle, and let the
heat inside finish the cooking.
That’s it . . . Simple, isn’t it? Here are several tips to make it

even more energy efficient.
129
❏ Lay the bottle on its side so the food will cook more evenly.
❏ Wrap the bottle in a blanket to retain more heat.
❏ I recommend a small-mouth Stanley (formerly Aladdin-
Stanley) bottle and not some cheap knockoff. But if you do
get another type of bottle, be sure it has stainless steel insula-
tion inside and not glass.
❏ A gallon plastic bottle (e.g., milk, bleach, vegetable oil) cut in
half makes an excellent free funnel. Just make sure it’s clean.
❏ Shake the bottle every few hours so the contents don’t coag-
ulate or stick to the sides.
Cooking time depends on what you are cooking, the type of

insulated bottle you use, and the amount of preparation you do
before adding the food to the bottle. You’ll learn by doing. But
don’t get in any hurry, because your food will not burn or be
overcooked.
You’re probably wondering what foods you can cook in a
Thermos bottle. I cook whole-wheat breakfast cereal, steel-cut
whole oats, rice, beans, lentils, and pasta. One of my favorite
dishes is rice with chopped vegetables.
THERMAL COOKING WITHOUT A BOTTLE
Thermal cooking can be done without using a vacuum bot-

tle. This method is more convenient when cooking larger
amounts of food, such as for beans.
Thermal-Cooked Beans
You need a large pot with a tight-fitting lid, a wool blanket, and
a cooler with lid.
1. Sort and presoak beans overnight.

2. Bring the contents to a rolling boil for about 10 min-
utes, cover the pot with the lid, and quickly remove
the pot from the heat and wrap it tightly in the wool
blanket. Cover the pot completely because you don’t
want any heat to escape.

3. Carefully set the wrapped pot of beans into the cooler,
filling any remaining space between the cooler and
blanket with insulating material (e.g., old newspaper),
and place the lid on the cooler. Pinto beans take
approximately three hours to cook completely this
way. If the beans are not done to your liking, simply
reheat, rewrap, and let stand for another hour.
Thermal cooking can be used to cook anything that you nor-

mally slow cook. The advantages of thermal cooking are numer-
ous: you get three hours of cooking time for only 10 minutes of
fuel; food does not stick or burn if left unattended; water use is
minimal because it does not boil away or need to be refilled
while cooking. In short, thermal cooking is the most cost-
effective and least labor-intensive method I know.
Note: Some of you may have heard about “cooler corn,”

where you put raw corn on the cob in an insulated picnic-type
cooler and then fill the cooler with boiling water. Then a couple
hours or so later (it keeps just right for a long time), you have
corn on the cob. The problem is that “cooler” plastics are made
to take cold, not heat, and they may leach bad plasticizing chem-
icals into the cooking water at high temperatures. Now, if you
have one of the old aluminum-lined Coleman coolers, you’re OK
to cook this way.
Buy a good-quality insulated vacuum bottle and cook some-
thing in it. Also try thermal cooking beans or other dish without
the thermal bottle.
LEARN TO COOK IN A THERMOS BOTTLE 131

DAY Find like-minded
survivalist friends.
30
any readers of my blog (www.thesurvivalistblog.net)
M have asked me: “Where or how do I find like-minded

folks to form a survival group to help man our retreat?”
Unfortunately, I know of several survival groups that are no
longer together. It’s my observation that most groups fail within
the first two years due to a lack of funds, the varying level of seri-
ousness among the members, and infighting. People just can’t get
along, no matter the need, at least not for long. But I’m sure
there are exceptions . . . the successful survival groups are the
ones you never hear about.
Those groups that make it through the collapse will be those
who meld into their surroundings and avoid making themselves
targets. Remember, a fight avoided is a fight won. Having a large
group in place can eliminate this impromptu blending. I firmly
believe that survival groups should be kept as small as possible
while allowing for a complementary skill set within the group.
Finding people with complementary skills, compatible be-
liefs, and common interests who can form a group and work to-
gether for the long haul may seem impossible, and in some cases
it is. Yet, no man is an island. Finding the right survivalist
friends could mean the difference between a long life and a
quick demise.
Several readers of my blog have questioned my living alone
in the backwoods. What they don’t understand is that although
133
I live alone, I’m not alone. I have friends and family in the area
who will help me if I need it. We will pull together and help
each other, naturally forming our own survival group without
having to plan it.
Take a look at your family members and friends—would
they be there for you and each other if a serious survival situa-
tion occurs? What are their skills? What do they have to offer?
Have they been storing food, water, and other essential sup-
plies? Can they work together?
If the answers to the above questions are negative, then you
need to look elsewhere for support. But where do you look?
And, perhaps more important, how do you do it without draw-
ing attention to yourself or inviting danger into your retreat?
Consider looking into the following:
❏ Churches with similar religious convictions as your own

❏ Hunting clubs
❏ Gun clubs
❏ Garden clubs
❏ First aid and CPR classes
❏ Martial arts schools and self-defense groups
I’m sure you can think of other possibilities, but you get the
idea: look for like-minded people with beliefs that are compati-
ble with your own.
Consider starting your own club, as a ruse to attract like-
minded people for an initial feeling-out process. Even if you
don’t find a worthy candidate, you’ll at least have gotten off the
couch. I know a former U.S. Army Ranger who offered free
wilderness survival classes to find potential members for his
survival group. The students would spend a weekend out in the
woods learning various outdoor survival techniques, while he
secretly evaluated each individual to see how he or she would
fit into his group.
Often, finding potential survivalist friends is as simple as
networking. But, obviously, you don’t want to tell everyone you
meet about your survival plans. Even those who seem like likely

candidates could be the opposite of what you’re looking for
when you learn more about them.
It’s best to start slow, keeping your options open. Act like
you are just as unprepared as everyone else but yet concerned
about the future and recent disasters. Say that you would like to
be better prepared for such an event but you don’t know where
to start. If people start giving you advice, listen closely. If the
advice is sound, you may have hit pay dirt. Informally talking
about your fears and concerns may open up the conversation,
but you should still be very careful with whom you share your
actual plans.
Trust must be earned over time. You don’t want to share
your secrets with a government snitch or a future looter. And no
matter what happens or how much you’re offered, never do any-
thing illegal if asked to do so. Remember Randy Weaver?
Make a list of the skills you want to have represented in
your survival group. Then get out there and start evaluating
potential friends to see which ones possess those skills.
FIND LIKE-MINDED SURVIVALIST FRIENDS 135

DAY Learn to tie a knot.
31
his is one area where many “end of the world” survival
T manuals fall short. Most incorporate information on

choosing firearms and storing food, but few tell you how
to tie a secure knot. This is an important survival skill, and you
can learn how to tie a knot by following the instructions below
(reprinted from the U.S. Army Survival Manual).
TERMINOLOGY
To be able to construct shelters, traps and snares, weapons

and tools, and other devices, you should have a basic knowledge
of ropes and knots and some of the terminology used with them.
The terms are as follows:
Bight.
A simple bend of rope in which the rope does not cross
itself.
Dressing the knot.
The orientation of all knot parts so that they are prop-
erly aligned, straightened, or bundled. Neglecting this
can result in an additional 50 percent reduction in
knot strength. This term is sometimes used for setting
the knot, which involves tightening all parts of the
knot so they bind on one another and make the knot
137
operational. A loosely tied knot can easily deform
under strain and change, becoming a slipknot or,
worse, untying.
Fraps.
A means of tightening the lashings by looping the
rope perpendicularly around the wraps that holds the
spars or sticks together.
Lashings.
A means of using wraps and fraps to tie two or three
spars or sticks together to form solid corners or to
construct tripods. Lashings begin and end with clove
hitches.
Lay.
The lay of the rope is the same as the twist of the rope.
Loop.
A loop is formed by crossing the running end over or
under the standing end to form a ring or circle in the
rope.
Pigtail.
That part of the running end that is left after tying the
knot. It should be no more than 4 inches long to con-
serve rope and prevent interference.
Running end.
The free or working end of a rope. This is the part of
the rope you are actually using to tie the knot.
Standing end.
The static part of rope, or the rest of the rope besides
the running end.
Turn.
A loop around an object, such as a post, rail, or ring,
with the running end continuing in the opposite di-
rection to the standing end. A round turn continues
to circle and exits in the same general direction as the
standing end.
Whipping.
Any method of preventing the end of a rope from
untwisting or becoming unwound. It is done by wrap-

ping the end tightly with a small cord, tape, or other
means. It should be done on both sides of an antici-
pated cut in a rope before cutting the rope in two.
This prevents the rope from immediately untwisting.
Wraps.
Simple wraps of rope around two poles or sticks
(square lashing) or three poles or sticks (tripod lash-
ing). Wraps begin and end with clove hitches and get
tighter with fraps. All together, they form a lashing.
Bight
Overhand
Loop
Running
End
Whipping
Underhand
Loop
Round Turn
Turn
Standing
Part
Wraps.
LEARN TO TIE A KNOT 139

BASIC KNOTS
The 10 basic knots and methods of tying them that you should
know for survival purposes are as follows:
1. Half-hitch. This is the simplest of all knots, and it used to be

the safety, or finishing, knot for all U.S. Army knots.
Because it had a tendency to undo itself without load, it has
since been replaced by the overhand.
2. Overhand. This is the simple knot that most people tie every-
day as the first step in tying their shoes. It can also be used
to temporarily whip the end of a rope. This knot should
replace the half-hitch as a finishing knot for other knots.
This knot alone will reduce the strength of a straight rope by
55 percent.
Overhand knot.
3. Square. A good, simple knot for general-purpose use, the

square knot is basically two overhand knots that are
reversed, as in right over left, left over right. It is used to tie
the ends of two ropes of equal diameter together (just like
your shoe laces) and must be secured with an overhand on
both ends. It is easy to inspect, as it forms two loops and is
easy to untie after being loaded.

Square Knot
Square knot secured by overhand knots.
4. Round turn and two half-hitches. This is the main anchor

knot for one-rope bridges and other applications where a
good anchor knot is required and high loads would make
other knots jam and be difficult to untie. It is used most fre-
quently to anchor rope to a pole or tree.
Round turn and two half-hitches.

5. Clove hitch and end-of-the-line clove hitch. These knots can be
used to fasten a rope to a tree or pipe, and they put little
strain on the rope. They are easy anchor knots, but tension
must remain on the knot or they will slip. This can be reme-
died by making another loop around the object and under
the center of the clove hitch.
Clove hitch.
End-of-the-line clove hitch.

6. Sheep shank. A method of shortening a rope, a sheep shank
may also be used to take the load off a weak spot in the rope.
It is a temporary knot unless the eyes are fastened to the
standing part of the rope on both ends.
Sheep shank.
7. Double sheet bend. This knot is used to tie together the ends
of two ropes of equal or unequal diameter. It will also join
wet rope and not slip or draw tight under load. It can be
used to tie the ends of several ropes to the end of one rope.
When a single rope is tied to multiple ropes, the bight is
formed with the multiple of ropes.
Double sheet bend.

8. Prusik. This knot ties a short rope around a longer rope (for
example, a sling rope around a climbing rope) in such a man-
ner that the short rope will slide on the climbing rope if no
tension is applied and will hold if tension is applied on the
short rope. This knot can be tied with an end of rope or
bight of rope. When tied with an end of rope, the knot is fin-
ished off with a bowline. The nonslip nature of the knot on
another rope allows the climbing of ropes with footholds. It
can also be used to anchor ropes or the end of a traction
splint on a branch or ski pole.
Prusik, end of the line.
Prusik, end of line, and centerline.

Prusik, end of line with bowline for safety.
9. Bowline and bowline finished with an overhand knot. The

around-the-body bowline was the basic knot used for rescue
for many years, as it provided a loop to place around a body
that would not slip or tighten up under strain. It has been
replaced by the figure eight in most applications because the
latter does not weaken the rope as much.
Bowline and bowline finished with overhand knot.

Figure eight and retractable figure eight.
10. Figure eight and retractable figure eight. This knot is the main
rescue knot in use today. It has the advantages of being
stronger than the bowline and easier to tie and check. One
disadvantage is that when wet it may be more difficult to
untie than the bowline after being stressed. The figure eight
(or figure of eight) can be used as an anchor knot on fixed
ropes. It can also be used to prevent the end of a rope from
slipping through a fastening or loop in another rope when a
knot larger than an overhand is needed.
Get some rope and teach yourself how to tie the 10 basic
knots described above. Check out www.animatedknots.com for
step-by-step interactive photos for knot tying. This is a fantastic
resource, and there are several other sites devoted to knotcraft
that you may want to check out as well.

DAY 14 lessons I’ve
learned about survival.
n your journey to preparedness, I hope that you have
I learned a lot of things that aren’t necessarily quantifiable on

a survival checklist. Below are 14 bonus survival lessons,
tips, and tricks that I learned along the way on my journey.
1. You can’t do it all at once. This is a mistake that I and

many others have made: we want to get it all done . . .
yesterday. You run around frantically determined to
become prepared for a major disaster within a week of
starting, but all you end up doing is wasting money
and time. Relax, make a plan, and work toward your
goals steadily but prudently. You’ll get there sooner
than you think.
2. You don’t have to be rich to have a viable survival plan. By
reading some survival blogs and books, you’d get the
impression that you need to spend $100,000 to reach a
suitable level of preparedness. Unfortunately, this
causes many to give up before they start. You don’t
have to prep like the rich—you just need to prep smart.
3. Make your own plan. No two survival plans should be
exactly the same. Granted, there will be some similari-
ties, but each plan must be customized to meet the
needs of the individual. For example, I often suggest
wheat as the backbone of the survival food storage
147
plan, but a small percentage of the population is aller-
gic to wheat and will need to store gluten-free foods in
equal or greater value. You need to take a long look at
your location, skills, and needs, and plan accordingly.
Make your own plan.
4. Preparedness isn’t measured by how many guns you
have. I’m sure many of you have made this mistake.
When I started prepping, I worried more about find-
ing the perfect survival gun and building an arsenal
than completing my other survival preparations. Guns
are fun, and it’s easy to get lost in their appeal; just
don’t let other areas suffer while you try to build your
dream arsenal.
5. Skills are more important than gear. We’ve all heard the
expression, “He who dies with the most toys wins.”
I’m still trying to figure out what the winning prize is.
I have nothing against using the latest technology and
gear—just don’t depend on it. Things break, get lost
or stolen, or don’t work as intended. The most impor-
tant piece of survival gear is your brain. Learning sur-
vival skills should be your number-one priority.
6. You’re not Rambo. Many new survivors fall into what
I call the Rambo mindset: they can’t wait for the col-
lapse and breakdown of law and order so they can
take to the woods and engage in one firefight after
another. They see themselves as the ultimate killing
machine taking down the bad guys in a burst of gun-
fire. These “Rambo wannabes” won’t last long.
7. Get a life. Preparedness is serious business, and it is
easy to become obsessed. Don’t do it. I love learning
new skills, reading survival books, and planning for
different possibilities. But these things take a lot of
time, and I’ve learned that, unless I take time off, the
rest of my life tends to fall apart. Go see a movie,
spend time with family, and relax. Then when you
come back to all this, you will do so with a fresh
mind, which will allow you to get more done and

make fewer mistakes. The key is maintaining bal-
ance between living your life now and preparing for
what the future may bring.
8. Don’t just read how to do things. Most books on survival
and self-reliance aren’t even read, much less put to use.
They are bought, flipped through, and put away—
never tested or learned from. This is a mistake. Study
the books and attempt top do the activities yourself.
This is the only way to learn what actually works.
9. Have a backup plan. When I started prepping, I
thought all I needed to be prepared was a full pantry.
We have all heard the warning, “Don’t put all your
eggs in the same basket.” This is good advice in life as
well as in survival planning. Too many things can go
wrong—and probably will. You need a backup plan,
which brings us to our next point . . .
10. Remember the number three. You need to have at least
three independent sources to meet all your essential
survival needs. Let’s take heat for example; you could
have a wood stove, propane heater, and cold weather
sleeping bags. Power might consist of a backup genera-
tor, a small solar setup, and a stockpile of disposable
batteries. Food could include an in-home food storage
pantry, a home garden, and a secret cache in a secure
location away from home.
11. Include your family. If possible, get your family on-
board so your prepping becomes a family affair. This
way, you can learn and spend time together. A family
working together toward their preparedness is the
best survival group. For example, take a first aid class,
hunter safety course, self-defense workshop, or shop
course together. Try to make it fun and interesting,
and include your family as much as possible.
12. Diversify your skills. Diversification ties in with num-
bers 9 and 10 above and the age-old advice of not put-
ting all your eggs in one basket. Learn as many
survival skills as possible. Being a master gardener, for
14 LESSONS I’VE LEARNED ABOUT SURVIVAL 149

example, is a great skill that you can make even more
valuable by also learning how to preserve and store
what you grow. An expert trapper can increase his
chances of survival by also learning to forage for edi-
ble plants. You get the idea.
13. Try to do something every week. By setting a goal of
doing at least one thing each week, you will meet your
goals earlier and be more efficient in doing so.
14. Eat what you store. Most of us have been guilty of this
at one time or another—we fill our pantry with unfa-
miliar foods, thinking we will adapt our diet “when
the time comes.” This is nonsense. You need to learn
to prepare and eat your stored provisions now so they
become familiar. This way you weed out waste and
any food allergies before “the time comes.”

DAY Final thoughts:
Why aren’t you meeting
your survival goals?
ongratulations! You have completed your 31-day emer-
C gency preparedness survival plan. Give yourself a hand.

You’ve not only learned how to plan for survival food
needs, you have assembled a rotating food pantry, planted a gar-
den, and learned how to cook with solar and thermal heat.
You’ve built a water filter and learned other methods of water
purification. You’ve assembled survival kits of various sizes and
purposes, as well as your own survival and gardening tools and
reference libraries. Plus, you are putting together a group of like-
minded people with the survival assets you lack. That’s a lot of
survival knowledge and actions in just 31 short days.
I hope you actually completed each day and didn’t just skip
over the days while actually doing nothing. If you fall into the
latter group (you know who you are), the information here on
meeting your survival goals is for you . . .
WRITTEN VS. STORED
Having your goals written on paper instead of stored in

your head means you can refer to that list daily, thus reinforc-
ing those goals and making them easier to do. I carry my list in
my pocket and look over it at least once a day. Short-term goals
are written on Post-It notes and stuck on my refrigerator door
and mirror.
151
Writing down your survival goals makes them harder to for-
get. Storing goals in the back of your mind isn’t very efficient.
Stress and day-to-day life make it easy to become distracted,
and eventually you lose sight of those goals altogether. Making
a list is the best way to stay on track and get things done. Plus,
you get the satisfaction of checking off those goals that you
have attained.
Writing your goals on paper makes something happens.
They go from imaginary targets to real objectives. They go from
dreams to concrete things to do.
A few weeks ago, I wrote down several survival goals of my
own. Some, I never thought I would actually meet, but as I took
steps to complete them, I saw that they were achievable. Com-
bined with determination and drive, I found that writing my
goals down helped turn them into reality.
BIG ENOUGH TO STRETCH
I’ve set my survival goals high: my main short-term goal is to

move to a safer retreat area (or at least one I like better) within
the next six months and have a garden started at my new loca-
tion by the beginning of next growing season.
Those will be challenging, but I figure if I work hard
enough, I can do them. And it appears now that I’ll meet my
goals. I’ve found land in my chosen area and am working out
the details with the property owner.
I’m setting similar fitness and survival skill goals, making
them real by writing them down, and then working toward
achieving each. My long-term fitness goal is to run two miles
with a loaded pack. My skill goals include learning at least one
new survival skill per week. That means not just learning by
reading, but actually doing when possible.
START NOW
The last piece of advice I have for you is to make your list
now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not next month. Now. If

you haven’t written out tangible goals, figure out what you
would like to do within the next month and the next year. Go
ahead—I’ll wait.
Remember, goals can change. If you realize that a goal on
your list is no longer applicable to your situation, cross it out. It
is not written in stone. Look over your list and work on these
goals daily. By the way, every survival goal you complete builds
confidence, empowering you to complete the bigger ones on
your list. It’s a domino effect.
Now get busy—your survival depends on it.
FINAL THOUGHTS 153

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31Days to

ISBN 13: 978-1-61004-648-0

Published by Paladin Press, a division of

Direct inquiries and/or orders to the above address.

PALADIN, PALADIN PRESS, and the “horse head” design

All rights reserved. Except for use in a review, no

Neither the author nor the publisher assumes

Visit our website at www.paladin-press.com

elcome. Who among us doesn’t want to survive? We’re

W born with the desire to survive, but unfortunately

✔ Built a rotating canned-food shelf and filled your pantry

Are you ready? Let’s get started . . .

A must start with a brutally honest self-assessment. If you

1. Food processing. Many survival planners overlook food

CHECK YOUR SKILLS 5

hat’s the most important component of your prepared-

Yes, you need those essential life-supporting items, but if

WHAT IS A SURVIVAL BINDER?

A survival binder is simply a book of collected information

START YOUR PREPAREDNESS BINDER 9

f you live in an apartment, mobile home, travel trailer, or

I other small space, you may be wondering where in the heck

For storage of canned goods, consider buying or building a

FIND STORAGE SPACE 13

rint the worksheet on page 16 and write down everything

FOOD-STORAGE SHELF LIFE

Print a copy of the food-storage shelf life chart on page 17 and

Food Type Estimated Shelf Life

MAKE A LIST OF WHAT YOUR FAMILY EATS 17

I throughout the year, solar cooking can be a great way to

To start, you’ll need two or three cardboard boxes: one for

BUILD A SOLAR COOKER 21

BUILD A SOLAR COOKER 23

s with any prepping shopping list, you’ll need to tailor

A the suggestions listed below to meet your specific needs,

1. Water. A three-day supply of bottled water—roughly

Along with these purchases, it’s a good idea to keep photo-

HOW TO PACK AND STORE YOUR 72-HOUR KIT

The 72-hour kit is designed primarily as an at-home kit but

LET’S GO SHOPPING FOR YOUR 72-HOUR KIT 27

or medical training, at a minimum everyone in your group

F should pass a basic CPR/first aid class. Additionally, nurs-

• Auerbach, Paul S. Medicine for the Outdoors. Philadelphia,

E hours in a day, which is plenty to do what needs to be

1. Stop reading and start doing. Reading is important,

OPTIMIZE YOUR TIME FOR PREPPING 33

elow you’ll find three one-year food storage plans. Each

B one is geared to different budgets and individual needs.

“I HAVE A FULL-TIME JOB, ONE-PERSON,

Fats and Oils:

Spices (choose from these based on your tastes and preferences):

“I HAVE A PART-TIME JOB, ONE-PERSON,

LET’S GO SHOPPING FOR YOUR YEAR’S FOOD SUPPLY 37

“I DON’T WANT TO MESS WITH WHOLE WHEAT

• Layton, Peggy. Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook:

LET’S GO SHOPPING FOR YOUR YEAR’S FOOD SUPPLY 39

ndividual health is an area many preppers overlook. You

I need to get regular medical and dental checkups; do at least

SURVIVAL MEDICAL KIT