OK, let me see if I have this right. You invest in being prepared, taking responsibility for yourself, not depending upon government to take care of you. This is supposed to be a good thing. Then, things go bad, the local government decides it’s short of whatever supplies and gear it needs to [...]

On the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11 it is, perhaps, a time to reflect on how we are doing at becoming equipped to survive. Depending upon which source you read and who you believe, Americans in general range from just marginally better prepared to a lot better prepared. The following [...]

September is National Preparedness Month according to the U.S. government. A whole pantheon of organizations are joining together to promote preparedness, from the expected, such as Homeland Security and the Red Cross, to some you likely never heard of.
Perhaps a little publicity, nightly news stories and community led efforts will help jump start those [...]

The first hurricane of the season with potential to seriously impact the U.S. is fast approaching. Are you ready? By that, I mean, have you prepared to either shelter in place or evacuate with adequate survival gear and supplies? You don’t have to go out and buy a commercially assembled kit, though that [...]

Time Magazine has published an excellent article on “the national culture of unpreparedness.” It notes,” Because the real challenge in the U.S. today is not predicting catastrophes. That we can do. The challenge that apparently lies beyond our grasp is to prepare for them.”
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/printout/0,8816,1229102,00.html

It’s time for my semi-annual trek north to Salt Lake City for Outdoor Retailer Summer Market. While this show rarely has anywhere near the number of new product introductions  as does SHOT Show, there’s usually something of interest to the survival and preparedness community.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to use this blog to make note [...]

When I designed my Doug Ritter Ultimate Aviator Survival Pak™ I needed a compact, very lightweight multipurpose LED flashlight/headlamp. After much searching, the light I settled on was the eQ Hands-Free Multi-Light™. I only wanted a couple changes. I wanted to use the same “twice-as-bright” LED as the Doug Ritter MkII Special [...]

Welcome to my new Blog. A special thanks is owed to John Savage, an ETS Survival Forum participant, without whose help this would never have seen the light of day. I was ready to give up, quite frankly. Please give John a big virtual hand for his able and much appreciated [...]