The Poor Man’s Guide To Survival Gear. Special Note: Obviously, an entire book could be written on this subject, which is a task beyond the scope of this article.
The purpose of the following piece is to give those with financial difficulty a foothold on prepping without added pain. It is meant to be a starting point, not a compendium. A friend of mine took note recently that a large portion of activists involved in the Liberty Movement had hit extremely hard times, or had been struggling financially even before the general economic collapse began to take hold. He asked me my theory on why it was that so many of us are always so broke. I could only relate that it is almost always the working class poor in any society that first sees the effects of a corrupt government and a faulty economic system. While I consider this fact a source of solace in these extraordinarily hard times, it still does little to put food on the table, or survival gear in the bug-out-bag.
Yard Sale Survival. With Spring now in full swing here in the Northeast, it’s the beginning of the yard-sale season again.
Each weekend throughout the nation, you can go into most suburban neighborhoods and find several homeowners offering up their old “junk” for sale at fire-sale prices. But don’t let the “junk” in the word junk fool you. You can often find brand-new items for sale that people don’t have a use for, but for the budding “preparation/self-reliance specialist” (that would be you), it’s a gold mine. So what do yard sales have to do with emergency preparedness and self-reliance?
Well, if your budget is small and you’re looking to build your supply of emergency essentials, then yard sales are one of the best resources for building your supply at the cheapest costs available. Hiking, Walking, Rambling & Climbing. How-To - Long Lasting & FUN Shooting Targets. Tired of paper targets or trying to find something to use for plinking that won't make a mess like glass?
Then try bowling pins! I'll tell you they are surprising durable and last quite a long time, even after eating lead from .50 cal black power rifles! You can usually get some for free from your local bowling alley. They always have damaged ones that can't be used for bowling anymore. I hauled away 11 cases from one place that was glad to see them go. The way I use them is I string a small nylon rope between two trees, then using more rope, 'hang' the pins from that main rope line. Ricocheting isn't a problem since even a .22 will penetrate the 'skin' of the bowling pin and the slug usually stays inside the wood. Another fun target is over-ripe fruit.
5 Essential Pieces Of Gear For A Winter Power Outage. Improvised Seating. *Improvised Seating With a Towel and Para-cord*By: RollingHitch04 April 2003 Situation- You're on a camping trip, boating, or having a picnic and for whatever reason there aren't enough chairs to go around.
The ground is wet or not level. The Near-Perfect Tent: Design and Build a Recycled Tent. DIY - My Designs - Summer Ttents. Send any questions or comments to the designer Roger Caffin Contents Commercial Status The tents I have described here have been for sale, but at present I have ceased production as it wasn't economic.
However, things may change. They involve precision designs and superb materials, but if you want to treat them brutally they will suffer damage, and fail at an embarrassing time. Summer Designs - Two Man - Two Poles I have a couple of designs which may be used in summer, depending on how sheltered an environment is available. The poles on all these designs come to a point at the top, a little like an old A-frame tent.
All the above prototypes worked, but they weren't good enough. My final 2M 2P Tent So I redesigned the whole pole sleeve system after a bit more testing, to put the poles in sleeves on the outside of the tent. The current state of the art is the V8 tent, shown to the right. The tent is single-skinned, with mosquito netting internal doors and side walls. Henry Shires' Tarptent. The following document has appeared in print since 1999 and details plans for making your own tarptent.
While neither as easy to set up, nor as storm and wind resistant as the next generation Tarptents, these tents are excellent do-it-yourself projects for even the first-time sewer. We will be happy to offer tips and suggestions should you decide to make one. The Tarptent sleeps 1+ (me, gear, +) and weighs 18 ounces complete with poles, stakes, tie lines etc. The Tarptent-for-2 sleeps 2 (or huge for one), weighs 24 ounces complete including generous beak, and has some additional room for gear. Both tents are floor-less, completely screened with zipper opening door and made from 1.1 oz silicone-coated nylon. Introduction Shelter Comparison All in the Fabric Anatomy of a Design Materials The Plans Some Assembly Required.
Carry Your House on Your Back With Vessel by Justin Gargasz. This truly is the greatest thing since Michael Webb of Archigram's Suitaloon, (shown below the fold)- Industrial and fashion designer Justin Gargasz has developed a jacket that unfolds into a tent.
Talk about carrying your house on your back! Justin calls it "Vessel" and writes: Individuals feel the need to escape interactions in their environment everyday. Whether it be interactions with excessive technology or other people, this psychological and physical need to get away is where I began my investigation. If it is too hot, it folds up further into a sling pack.
A physical as well as psychological escape is achieved when the user has the option to efficiently get away from inside of building and come back when ever they choose. Very neat stuff from Justin Gargaz, via Design blog. Service Issued New & Used Military Gear. Preppers Helpers. Wilderness Supplies.