Survival Buzz: The Very Best Tool For Prepping

Have you ever stopped to consider the very best tool in your preparedness arsenal?  I am asked this question all of the time.  Requests come from readers, other bloggers looking for a quote, and even from independent authors doing research for their next book.

Now you might be thinking that I am setting you up to pitch a list of the top 10 items in my survival storage locker. Although that list may be interesting, nothing could be further from the truth.

What, in my opinion, is the very best tool for prepping?

The very best tool a person has to survive is the gray matter between their ears. That’s it.

By using common sense and becoming a critical thinker, survival becomes instinctive.  In most situations, knowledge and skills will trump stuff.  To that end, my number one survival tip is to read study, and learn as much as you can, then follow that up with a lot of practice.

What do you think?  Do you agree or do you think I am grossly over-simplifying the complex and highly variable quest for survival?

News Flash!  Articles from Around the Web

Have you heard about the Zika virus? It started in South America but is spreading rapidly across the globe. The symptoms are fairly minor unless you happen to be a pregnant woman, in which case it can result in horrific birth defects or miscarriage. The World Health Organization is getting involved now, calling the spread of the mosquito-transmitted virus “explosive.”

Another town has joined Flint, Michigan as victims of a tainted water cover-up. It has been discovered that the residents of Sebring, Ohio have been consuming water contaminated with lead.

Since 2012, hundreds of badges, credentials, and guns from the Department of Homeland Security have been stolen. The possibility for terrorist activity using these stolen credentials is great, since they are easily altered. “Officials entrusted with protecting the American public cannot consider the loss of sensitive items normal or routine,” Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said.

Social Shares for this Week

For your discernment, here are the best prepping, survival, and homesteading articles from my colleagues in the Professional Prepared Bloggers Group.  I hope you enjoy and learn from them.   Want more?  Visit my Facebook page for daily articles and links to free eBooks.

With the water issues in Flint, Michigan, does anyone really believe we can trust what is coming from our taps? This article explains how to test your water and tells you what you should be testing for. How to Test Your Drinking Water (And Why You Should Do It)

Digestive upsets can make you feel just awful. Here are some simple, natural remedies for heartburn, indigestion, and gas.  Natural Digestive Relief

Every bit of weight and space counts in your bug out bag. Ounce per ounce, these 20 foods will help you get the most nutritional bang for your buck.  20 Best Foods For Your Bug Out Bag

Did you ever think that making your own homemade pasta would be too complicated? Not true at all. This easy recipe uses only 4 simple ingredients, and all but the eggs will come right from your food storage pantry.  Homemade Noodles From Scratch

These winter survival tips come from a man who lived in the wilds of Alaska as a trapper. With a background like that, his advice is sure to be sound.  Winter Survival Basics

The downside to those little emergency stoves is the expensive fuel tablets they require. Did you know that you can easily make your own? This article gives you illustrated step-by-step instructions.  Homemade Fuel Tabs

Prepare Your Family for Survival: Tip #3

Here are this week’s prep tips from Linda Loosli’s recently published a book, Prepare Your Family For Survival.

These tips comes from Chapter 3 – “Let’s Cook: Emergency Cooking Devices and Fuel”

Tip: Your city or county government has requirements for how and where fuel can be stored on your property. Find out what they are and then follow them.

Tip: Color-coding makes identification easier. I have several 5-gallon (19-L) buckets with Gamma Seal Lids in different colors that I use for storing supplies. For example, I use red with lump charcoal, blue with briquettes, and black for pinecones.

For more about the book, visit the article 11 Ways to Prepare Your Family for Survival.

Current Backdoor Survival Giveaways

Prepper Book Festival 10: Emergency Evacuations + Giveaway

With all giveaways, winners are notified by email and have 48 hours to claim their prize or an alternate will be selected.  Once selected, the names of winners are also displayed in the Rafflecopter on the original giveaway article.  This usually happens on the Friday following the end of the giveaway.

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Other Announcements

Those of you that receive my emails know that since last Monday, Backdoor Survival sponsor Buy Emergency Foods has been having a sale on their 120-serving Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Bucket.  You also know that BEF and Legacy Foods is what I have chosen to stockpile in my Arizona home.

There is still time to get in on this offer.

The cost of the bucket is $199 and shipping is free.  Total calories in the bucket are 44,640 so assuming 2,000 calories per day, that is enough food for 22 days for one person or 11 days for two people.  That works out to less than $10 a day per person.

Why Buy Emergency Foods?

• I have confidence that their food products are sourced from the USA
• They are 100% GMO free, and MSG-free plus there are 100% Gluten-Free options
• Pound per pound, and calorie per calorie, BEF delivers the best value out there
• Every single order, regardless of size, is shipped free
• Meal buckets include lunch and dinner entrees plus breakfast items, not fillers such as sugary drinks.

Shop Buy Emergency Foods for the Best Quality and Value in Food Storage

The Final Word

Prepping wise, this week I scoured the surrounding area for biomass to add to my growing collection.  Although suitable scrub can be found here in Arizona, it does take some effort.  Back home in Washington State, steps from my door I can find old pine cones, twigs, broken branches, leaves and other types of burnable biomass for my rocket stoves.

A couple of my rocket stoves burn charcoal, so, just to be safe and to achieve redundancy, this week I purchased 4 large bags of charcoal from the local Home Depot.  Still, this is one area of my preps that needs some work.  As the weather warms up, you can bet that I will be out in the desert collecting more dried out scrub.  Hopefully I won’t have any encounters with snakes and for sure, I will be wearing gloves (such as these).

It has been awhile since I have asked about your preps.  How are you doing?  Is there something you especially need to work on this year?

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye

If you enjoyed this article, consider subscribing to email updates.  When you do, you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-Book, The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

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Bargain Bin: For your discernment, here are articles related to today’s Survival Buzz plus some personal favorites.

The Prepper’s Water Survival Guide:  You can survive up to three weeks without food, but only three days without water. When catastrophe strikes, having enough water can spell the difference between life and death. This book offers a step-by-step plan with straightforward information you can easily follow.  Written by my friend Daisy Luther, I recommended the book for everyone’s survival library!

US Forge 400 Welding Gloves Lined Leather: These well-priced gloves provide complete heat and burn protection. They are perfect for keeping your hands and arms safe while working outdoors or cooking outdoors over an open fire. They also perform double duty when searching for biomass in snake country!

Solo Stove:  I personally own three solo stoves.  They are compact yet well-built and perfect for cooking off-grid with just a bit of biomass.  This is one item that you should gift to yourself if you do not have one already.

EcoZoom Versa: This rocket-type stove burns wood, charcoal and biomass. It is easy to use and fast. It will cook a pot of rice, as an example, start to finish in less than 20 minutes.  I actually own two.

Cast Iron Skillet with Hot Handle Holder: Likewise, I feel that everyone should own a basic, 12” cast iron skillet.  In spite of the myth, they are easy to care for and over time, will become a family heirloom.  On grid or off grid, cooking with cast iron is the way to go.

The Ringer Cast Iron Cleaner – Stainless Steel Chainmail:  I purchased one of these in October 2015 and it is friggin’ fantastic.  You will never ever have to scrub cast iron again.  I can’t say enough good things about this gizmo.  You want one (and I definitely need to do a review).

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Shop the Emergency Essentials Daily & Monthly Sales for Fantastic Deals!

For over 25 years Emergency Essentials has been providing the highest quality preparedness products at great prices.  Plus, each month they feature sales that quite honestly are fantastic.

Their prices on Mountain House products continue to be heavily discounted as are the Emergency Essentials brand of food storage items.  This month they are featuring a #10 tin of Mountain House® Ground Beef for $37.99, a discount of 37%.

Emergency Essentials also carries a wide variety of equipment and supplies – all at competitive prices.

Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials

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Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and the price is the same, no matter what.

Amazon has a feature called Shop Amazon – Most Wished For Items. This is an easy tool for finding products that people are ‘wishing” for and in this way you know what the top products are.  All you need to do is select the category from the left hand side of the screen.

The Amazon Top Most Wished For and Best Selling Outdoor Items
Emergency Preparedness Items from Amazon.com
Shop Amazon Tactical – Great Selection of Optics, Knives, Cases, Equipment
Amazon Gift Cards

Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!

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Essential Oils: Deal of the Week

Each week I update a special page with the Spark Naturals item of the week?  You can find it here:  Essential Oils from Spark Naturals – Weekly Deals. Every once in awhile there will be free shipping or a free gift offered as well as a product discount.  And then sometimes, it is as simple as a huge discount.

SHOP THE WEEKLY SPECIALS AT SPARK NATURALS

And remember, you can always use the code BACKDOORSURVIVAL for an additional 10% off your entire SN order.  When it comes to saving money, every little bit helps.