What Should I Do?

We are pleased to announce that The Ready Store is offering ChrisMartenson.com members a special discount of 30% off their DELUXE 2-Week Supply of Food Storage package.

If you are just starting to build up your long term food storage or need to add some variety to your current deep pantry or DIY food storage, this is a great way to get started.  These freeze-dried meals and foods are very convenient and easy to prepare. The meals have a shelf life of 20-30 years and come from the two most trusted brands in the industry - Saratoga Farms (TM) and Mountain House (TM). By simply adding water you’ll be able to add additional food resiliance to your food storage plan.

The offer gives you the following: 1 can Scrambled Eggs, 1 can Beef Stroganoff, 1 can Pasta Primavera, 1 can Hearty Beef Rotini, 1 Can Super Sweet Corn, 1 Can Banana Slices.

Specifically, The Ready Store is offering us:

• A 30% discount on the DELUXE 2-Week Supply of Food Storage (savings of $56.99 off the list price)
  
  *Note: Long-term food storage systems and products differ greatly by size, quality, servings, etc and are non-standard.  This makes long-term food storage pricing inconsistant across product lines and package offers.  As a long time cm.com merchant, The Ready Store has agreed to provide price matching if you find this product offer at a lower price with an establish vendor. 

Click here to take advantage of this offer and use Coupon Code: CHRIS2WEEK, exclusive to ChrisMartenson.com readers. Offer will be valid till midnight on Friday, February 24th.

 read more »

Part I. Practical Survival Equipment

In this segment of the Emergency Assessment series, we’re going to discuss equipment, but not in a way that is commonly seen.

We’re going to take the information from the previous segment (Understanding Emergencies) and set up some definitions that we will use to frame what we need in order to meet emergencies head on.

Most of the time, this discussion is what you hear when you hear “survivalists” consider their options. It’s the equipment - What rifle for deer? What (this) to accomplish (that)? It’s intentionally placed halfway through this article, because before we decide on any sort of equipment, it’s imperative that we shape our demands, and our demands are not equipment - our demands are skills. A set of lock picks aren’t going to do you any good if you’re trying to escape a dead city and you can't tell a rake from a torsion wrench.

In short, our priorities are:

1. A cogent assessment of the situation
   
2. A detailed plan on what you have, lack, and need, in terms of skill set, mindset, and know-how
   
3. The skills to perform the given task
   
4. The tools to perform the given task  read more »

What do you do when the power goes out?

In the past two decades, non-disaster related electricity blackouts have increased by 124% in the US. These numbers are further compounded by the increasing incidence of large disasters that knock out power for extended periods of time in the US and longer wait times before you see your electricity back on. Furthermore, lots of folks have been in situations where grid power is either not available or impractical at the location in need.

Portable solar generators and hybrid emergency backup systems can be solutions to the increasing power reliability issues. However, there are some key points that must be addressed for the success and efficiency of such products. These critical ideas include the current state of fuel-based generators, trends in solar, understanding kwh and electricity terminology, the benefits of solar power, rethinking your power usage, measuring that usage, incorporating hybrid systems for prolonged activity, and utilizing knowledge to make informed buying decisions.  read more »

We are pleased to announce that St. Paul Mercantile (SPM) is offering ChrisMartenson.com members a special discount on select heating systems. Members get 10-20% off the retail price through the month of February. 

Specifically, St Paul Mercantile is offering us:

• 10-20% off select heating systems (Mr. Heater, Procom, Kozy World - VentFree / Vented Heaters)
  

Click here to take advantage of this offer, exclusive to ChrisMartenson.com readers.

 read more »

Know the facts about do-it-yourself packing

The purpose of this article is to present specific details and recommendations for packing your own shelf-stable foods for food storage. We will cover what works and what doesn’t in creating an oxygen-free atmosphere for long term food storage, and common misconceptions about how to do your own packing. While there are many different types of dried foods that can be stored for extended periods of time, most folks are interested in how best to store grain and bean products.

While I could write a book on every specific detail of every packing option and all of the technical specifications of all available packing containers, that is not the purpose of this article.  I will cover important highlights, facts, insights, and information gained from over 37 years in the preparedness and outdoor recreation industry.  It is important to keep in mind that I have not only been a retailer of preparedness and outdoor foods, I have also been a manufacturer, developer of hundreds of recipes, packaging and product  innovator, and researcher of shelf-stable foods.

Some of the material presented here will contradict and challenge information available on the Web or in some do-it-yourself circles.  Many people assume preparedness information to be accurate without careful consideration of the source's expertise or the validity of the facts.  I encourage you to research on your own any of the information presented in this article – or in any article, for that matter – and to use basic critical thinking skills to evaluate the evidence and data you are offered.  A little common sense goes a long way in assessing many of the claims being made about shelf life and do-it-yourself issues.   read more »

We are pleased to announce that PrepareDirect is offering ChrisMartenson.com members a special discount of 5% off all GoalZero Components and kits.

GoalZero offers portable, expandable, and affordable backup and off-grid power solutions for lighting, communications and small 12V coolers. It's also great for powering smaller electronic devices when traveling, camping and backpacking. The GoalZero product line offers entry-level resilience building opportunities for your backup power needs.

Specifically, PrepareDirect is offering us:

• A 5% additional discount on all GoalZero Power Products and Kits
• Free shipping on orders $99 or more

Click here to take advantage of this offer and use Coupon Code: CHRISGOAL5, exclusive to ChrisMartenson.com readers. Offer will be valid through the month of February, 2012.  read more »

Most of us dress ourselves each morning with garments that were grown, processed, designed and sewn by an anonymous supply chain. A combination of animal, plant, machinery, imagination, and technical skill came together to clothe you, but it is rare to have connection to any of these real life elements.

It is the goal of one central Californian community's members to put a face on their wardrobes, and to uncover, develop, and build a new way of engaging with the textiles of their lives. A bioregional supply chain known as a Fibershed is being grown out of a region with a 150 mile diameter — the epicenter just north of San Francisco. 

The project aims to bring a thriving local alternative to conventional textile manufacturing systems and to support communities in reviving, sustaining, and networking their raw material base with skilled design and artisanal textile talent.  read more »

Some CM.com members may have become interested in beekeeping as one possible means of increasing resilience in their lives. In this What Should I Do (WSID) article, Small-Scale Beekeeping, user apismellifera gives a great introduction to the topic (the pictures are of Langstroth equipment; you may want to remember this for later in this article). In this article, we'll be getting a lot more specific about a particular task unique to winter beekeeping.

Beekeepers would, ideally, like to be able to winter our bees without supplemental feeding. Bees, after all, have been getting through winter far longer than humans have been managing bees. Bees, planning ahead, store honey and pollen specifically for this purpose. These days, with winter losses frequently hitting 30-40% of colonies dying each year, many of us are turning to feeding as a way of increasing our chances of getting to spring with live bees. Where Old Man Winter can keep temperatures down in the 20s (F) or below for extended periods of time, it's nice to have a way to get supplemental feeding to your bees without dealing with liquid syrup feeders. Liquid feeders, especially in cold temperatures, can potentially do harm by chilling your bees, which is clearly not what you set out to do when you decided to feed them.  read more »

[Note: This WSID Article is an updated version of an article Aaron previously submitted in March 2011 (see original). There will be additional follow-on articles that will compliment this one on Understanding Emergencies. This article still complements Aaron's earlier "Practical Survival Skills 101" posts on fire, water, and shelter.] 

Preface: What is an emergency? 

There is an awful lot of academic banter in which we try to “identify” emergencies before they happen. Pedantic issues are categorized and specifics are assigned to them as potential resolutions. This is not a “flawed” approach, but it’s endemic in the American mindset, which is obsessed with micromanagement.

In order to distance ourselves from the details, which are too stochastic and specific, we can generally state that an emergency is a shortage of resources.

Resources can be defined as:  read more »

Water is essential to life, for we cannot exist without it. We are running short of fresh, clean water in many parts of the USA. That is also the case in many other countries. Those who live in the northeastern quadrant of the lower 48 states are generally in good shape for now, water-wise, though there may be local issues with clean water in places. But as you travel west of the Mississippi, average annual rainfall drops off sharply, particularly in the desert southwest, which includes portions of the Chihuahua, Sonora, and Mohave Deserts.

The situation is particularly foreboding in the Colorado River Basin. There are more demands for the water than the river can reliably supply. Las Vegas is vulnerable to a water emergency, as are Phoenix and Tucson. Thirsty Los Angeles gets drinking water from far away Northern California via the California Aqueduct. As the podcast from a few weeks ago highlighted, water management and access is becoming an ever-increasing concern for many parts of the country.   read more »