Since yesterday’s runway accident, when Vice Presidential nominee Mike Pence’s plan ran off the runway at LaGuardia Airport, two more planes have had some sort of catastrophic equipment failures. [...]
The post Two More Planes Crash since Trump/Pence Plane Crash appeared first on Off Grid Survival - Wilderness & Urban Survival Skills.
I’ll say from the outset that I’m less familiar with air guns than “traditional” guns. Air rifles, to me, have always fallen into the 
category of a BB gun, the “Red Rider” type that Ralphie wished for in the classic movie, A Christmas Story. A “rifle” that kids use as a precursor to getting a rimfire rifle, something they can use to understand the principles of gun safety while knocking soda cans over with an air-powered BB. This book, along with some independent research, shattered my preconceptions of the air rifle. As it turns out, the air rifle has a rich history and a variety of applications. As much as it hurts to admit, the air rifle may be a valuable tool in skirting gun control laws. As bleak as it may sound, plinking around with an air rifle may be the only option in the future.
By Mark Puhaly, a contributing author to Survival Cache & SHTFBlog
In any event, let’s dispense with the gloom and doom and get into the world of air rifles. Exploring the details of miscellaneous weapons types is always fun. It’s even more fun when it brings you back to the days of plinking around the backyard as a kid.
The modern air rifle, in case you’re unaware, is vastly different from its predecessor. The first air rifle, it seems, dates back to around 1580 
and now sits in a museum in Stockholm. After a bit of cursory research, I learned early, advanced air rifles were used for hunting wild boar and deer. Of course, these rifles were a bit more hardcore than your traditional BB Gun. In fact, old air rifles were used in military applications as well. Today’s more modern air rifle can do just that in a survival situation. And with what seems like ever-increasing risks of additional gun control measures and expensive ammunition, the air rifle makes sense to add to anyone’s collection of survival firearms. The book covers air rifles from start to finish. All types are covered: CO2 powered guns, spring guns, multi-pump pneumatics, single-stroke pneumatics, and pre-charged pneumatics. The book then moves into the many types of projectiles (more than a novice might think). For preppers, there’s even an entire chapter devoted to “The Survival Springer”. These include models of all types and price ranges. The book also covers sights, scopes, velocity, accuracy, range, targets, training tips, and accessories. Truly, this book seems to cover everything on air rifles.
Related: Back to Basics – Rifle Accuracy
After reading “Air Rifles: A Buyers and Shooter’s Guide” by Steve Markwith, I’m much more familiar with the versatility of the air rifle and have a newfound respect for them. I’m even itching to buy one (or two) now. The modern air rifle could serve as an excellent, low-cost training tool for people that live in more suburban environments where shooting bullets off your back deck is less of a… neighborly thing to do.
Rich in photos and description, Markwith’s conversational yet informative writing style from his Survival Guns – A Beginner’s Guide holds true here, too. This should be a go-to book for, as the title suggests, anyone thinking about buying an air rifle or anyone that shoots one. I don’t care if you’re a beginner or an expert air rifleman, there’s something in this book that will help.
Also Read: The Evolution of the Black Rifle
My biggest complaint is that, like Survival Guns, the images are informative but are presented in black and white. The book would be richer if they were in color. The writing is better than the image presentation. $12.95 seems fair for the paperback, but $7.95 for a Kindle version feels a bit high. I generally prefer paperback anyway, particularly where this one is in 8×10” size, but Kindle buyers should be able to get this book for something more like $5.95.
If you’re new to air rifles, or are even a moderate user, there’s something of use for you here, I’m certain of it. This book would, however, best serve the individual that’s thinking about getting an air rifle, because the money spent on the book up front would save you money many times over by both helping you choose the right air rifle to suit your needs from the outset, and also help you get the most out of it.
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A hollow book is the ideal way to keep your possessions safe. On the outside, it’s an ordinary hardcover book – but on the inside, it’s a secret storage compartment. Check out this awesome way to keep your valuables safe and sound.
If you’re looking for a way to keep your valuables safe, look no further. A hollow book is the perfect disguise for expensive jewelry or an emergency cash supply, and it’s surprisingly easy to make. Check out this tutorial to learn how to stash your stuff in plain sight.
Check out the video below to see the full tutorial:
Want more storage ideas? Check out the posts below!
10 Food Storage Solutions for the Urban Prepper
Being susceptible to a auditory attack is something few people think about on a daily basis. Unfortunately, there are those out there who seek to attack in stealthy ways and you shouldn’t leave yourself, or your family, in a state of passive vulnerability. Read on and understand the need for protection from damaging sounds that attackers can weaponize.
If you could build a sonic gun it would function much like the design in Figure 1. The frequency generator would be set to produce a single frequency—like a tuning fork. Or it could be designed to produce two frequencies with a warbling sound. Its output would be applied through an amplifier set to the volume (dB intensity) desired. The amplifier output would pass through a tube-like barrel to focus the sound wave into a narrow beam—a directed sound beam.
Fig-1 Sonic Gun
The enclosure would be protected by a sound insulating material so the only energy released is at the focus horn. The output of this sonic gun could then be used for protection based on the frequency and decibel intensity produced. Its range could be adjusted using the amplifier controls.
Generating a sound signal with a sonic gun to protect you and your family from threat is one thing, and it’s important to keep all of you from exposure to harmful sound waves. Protection from sound waves generated by an adversary is another issue. Both events require protection from sonic energy that can cause harm. You must protect you and yours—not the threat.
Whether we can hear it or not, sound is a wave of energy with frequency and amplitude components. This energy is produced by a vibrating source that causes the medium around it to vibrate with an effect that travels in all directions away from the source of the sound—unless the direction is controlled like the focus horn in Figure 1. If it’s audible, any ear in the path will vibrate in unison, causing the inner ear to vibrate sending tiny electric signals to the brain where it’s interpreted as sound.
Sound requires a medium such as air, glass, metal, or liquid to exist. (The English scientist, Robert Boyle showed that sound waves can’t exist in a vacuum.) The sonic energy from a source travels in a straight line, thumping energy through the medium and vibrating the medium in the same direction as the wave’s travel. But the path of the sound wave can be altered by temperature, humidity, nearby objects, various materials, and by various surface shapes.
Once a sound wave is created, it will travel at a speed determined by the medium. At sea level, sound travels through the air at approximately 340 meters per second (760 miles per hour). In sea water, sound travels at 1531 meters per second (3,425 miles per hour). And it travels at 5950 meters per second (13,310 miles per hour) through granite rock—close to its speed through steel (5960 meters per second). Its speed through wood is between 3850 and 4670 meters per second—861 miles/hour and 1,045 miles/hour respectively.
Reflection means the wave can bounce off a surface like an echo.
Interference occurs when a sound wave encounters an obstacle in its path, or when other sounds are present, such as the sound of rain or wind.
Refraction is a change in the direction of a sound wave at it travels at different speeds along the movement of the wave front.
Diffraction is the spreading of a sound wave as it bends around the edge of an obstacle in its path.
Your goal is to reduce the sound energy to a minimum so it can’t hurt you. There are several ways to reduce the sound pressure reaching you—increase the distance between the source and you, dampen or block the sound waves, absorb some of the sound, or reflect the sound up and away.
A sound wave loses energy as it travels through a medium. By doubling the distance between the source of the sound and yourself, the intensity of the sound is reduced by 6 decibels. Every doubling in distance reduces the sound by another 6 dB. This is shown in Table 1 below.
If you wanted to reduce the power of a sound source by 30 dB, increase the distance by 32 meters. Thus, using the above table, a 100 dB sound source—measured 1 meter away and blasting through an environment with an ambient noise level of 65 dB will be reduced by 30 dB to 70 dB (5dB above ambient) simply by placing the listener at a distance of 32 meters (105 feet) from the sound source. Therefore, the farther away you are from a sound source, the lower the intensity that sound is in your ears.
As shown in Table 1, a 100 dB sound can be further reduced to just 46 dB (a 54 dB reduction) by increasing the distance to 512 meters—a full 1,680 feet! This is like reducing the sound of a loud garbage truck to the sound of soft rain at three tenths of a mile away. This table can be extended to a point where little or no sound can be heard. Just increase the distance and reduce the loudness of that sound source.
If you can’t distance yourself from sound, then block it, reflect it away, or attenuate it so much that it is no longer a threat. You can construct your home so sounds are blocked by the material used—think of the adobe and earth berm homes. Their walls are thick and their interiors are quiet.
You could install obstacles between you and the sound source, reflect it away from you—roadway berm walls are constructed to reflect sound away—usually up. A berm barrier around your home could keep loud sounds from reaching you. The barrier wall should be solid and tall enough to block potential sound sources.
You could install materials that absorb sound energy, or you could “decouple” the inside of your home by constructing a room within a room, so vibrating sound energy remains outside your quiet sound sanctuary.
The idea is to take all steps you can to reduce incoming sound. Block sound paths as much as you can, and combine sound reduction techniques where possible. This could include installing material that will absorb or dampen the sound energy that does get in.
Sound reduction techniques to provide protection from damaging sounds include the installation of floor carpeting, lined drapes, foam ceiling tiles, and insulated double-paned windows. There are also baffles, and wall coverings that reduce the sound energy that gets in and then bounces off walls and other interior surfaces at lower sonic energy.
Cover walls so 25% of every room has drapes, blinds, fabric wall decorations or canvas paintings, and place filled bookcases along the walls, and use deep, upholstered furniture with thick rubber or cork pads on the legs. You can install rubber or cork tile on the backs and shelves of cabinets and picture frames. And you can add insulation inside the walls, ceiling and attic. Insulating the attic and walls—doubling the insulation thickness—can lower the effective sound by 5 decibels.
You can replace hollow-core doors with heavy solid doors that block sounds from getting through and you could add weather stripping to all exterior and interior doors. Caulk all windows and install good weather stripping. Seal any opening that could let sound enter. Since the elements take a toll, consider storm windows and shutters on windows.
You can install flexible rubber threshold door seals or “draft catchers” in the spaces below doors. Likewise, you can also plant conifers and broadleaved trees near your home to help block outside noise. Also, you can use noise-canceling headphones to keep sound waves from reaching your inner ears during moments of sonic threat.
Even the angle of a sound wave as it reaches your home exterior affects the acoustic energy that gets in. Table 2 shows how sound transmission loss is adjusted for the angle of incidence—the more perpendicular to the building, the greater the sound energy. At low angles of incidence, the resultant dB level is reduced (adjusted down).
A sound source striking a building at an angle of 60 to 80 degrees produces +2 dB more sound energy than it would if it struck at a small angle of incidence.
Absorbing materials soak up incoming sound energy vibrations and convert them into heat. These materials include foam, fiberglass, rubber, or vinyl plastic with ceramic. Any sound that isn’t absorbed is reflected into the room, but this sound travels a longer path so its sonic energy is lower.
Do everything you can do to lower the sound intensity. By reducing incoming sound energy by just 10 dB, you make the sound half as loud. This is shown in Table 3.
Transmitted sounds that pass through ceilings and walls are measured in decibels. So, table 4 shows transmitted sound reductions for various materials.
Table 5 describes the percent of sound energy absorbed by various materials. So, just by doubling the amount of insulation in walls and ceilings can reduce sound energy in a room by 5 decibels.
Notice that acoustic foam, ceiling fiberglass, porous fiberglass padding, and fiberglass panels have major impact on reducing sound.
An acoustic soundproofing blanket can reduce sound by 20-40+ decibels. Just reducing the sound energy by 9 dB will eliminate 80% of unwanted sounds.
Sound reduction really works! There are many ways to protect you and your family from damaging sound. Adopt all you can so your home is soundproof and safe. Everyone knows that information is knowledge, and forewarned is forearmed. Keep safe. Be silent and use sound as your friend. In the next article, I’ll describe where you can get sonic weapons and products specifically designed to reduce sound.
Did you enjoy our post on Sound as a Weapon Part 3: Protection from Damaging Sounds? Have you ever experienced sound being used as a weapon in action? We would love to hear your story. You can share your story in the comment section below.
Interested in soundproofing your own home? These could help:
An Oregon Jury on found Ammon Bundy, his brother Ryan Bundy and five co-defendants not guilty of conspiring to prevent federal employees from doing their jobs through intimidation, threat or force during the 41-day occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. [...]
The post Jury finds Bundy Brothers and all Oregon standoff defendants Not Guilty. appeared first on Off Grid Survival - Wilderness & Urban Survival Skills.
Tensions are rising as police prepare to remove Standing Rock protestors from private property that they have illegally seized to protest the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota. [...]
The post Police Move on Dakota Pipeline: Environmentalists Start Tire Fires to Prove they are for Environment appeared first on Off Grid Survival - Wilderness & Urban Survival Skills.
It’s that time of year again! Colder temperatures have fallen over most of the United States. Some states have already had their first snowfall of the year which means knowledge of surviving hypothermia is a must. This time of year, people are at an increased risk for hypothermia – a huge threat to any outdoor survivalist! I’ll take you step by step to learn how you or loved ones can survive hypothermia if symptoms occur.
Hypothermia occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can produce heat. You can get hypothermia if you are exposed to cold weather or are immersed in a cold body of water such as a frozen lake or river. You can also get hypothermia if you are exposed to indoor temperatures below 50°F (10°C) for an extended period of time. The risk of developing hypothermia increases if you are exhausted or dehydrated. If left untreated, hypothermia can be life-threatening. Due to this, it is a good idea to always have a winter survival kit with you at all times when going out in the winter.
In this article, we’ll go over the symptoms of mild to moderate hypothermia. We will also discuss how to treat the symptoms of hypothermia while waiting for medical help to arrive such as:
We’ll also go over what to do after medical help has arrived.
Get immediate medical attention if any of the following symptoms are present. Even if the person is suffering from mild hypothermia, you should seek medical care for them right away. Mild hypothermia can quickly turn into a more severe condition if it is not treated.
No matter what type of hypothermia the person is experiencing, it is important to call 911 for immediate medical care. The first half hour after the person’s symptoms become clear are the most critical phase of hypothermia management. You can treat the person while you wait for the ambulance or medical professionals to arrive.
Place the person in a room-temperature spot indoors. If going indoors isn’t possible, protect the person from the wind with other clothing, especially around their neck and head. Use towels, blankets, or other clothing to protect the person from the cold ground.
Note: Do not let the person help in their own treatment, as this will only expend more of their energy and worsen their condition.
Replace their wet clothing with warm, dry clothing or blankets.
Avoid rewarming the person too quickly with a heating lamp or a hot bath. Instead, apply warm, dry compresses to the center of their body, on their neck, chest, and groin area. If you use hot water bottles or a hot pack, wrap them in a towel before applying them to these areas.
Do not attempt to warm their arms, hands, and legs. Heating or massaging these limbs can cause stress on their heart and lungs which could lead to other serious health issues.
Do not try to warm up the person by rubbing their body with your hands. This will only irritate his skin and cause shock to his body.
Ask them if they can swallow before you offer them any liquids or food. Herbal tea that is caffeine-free or hot water with lemon and honey are good options. Sugar in the beverage can help to boost energy. You can also offer them high energy foods like chocolate.
Avoid giving them alcohol as it will slow down the rewarming process. Don’t give them cigarettes or tobacco products. These products can interfere with their circulation and slow down the rewarming process.
Once the person’s body temperature has increased and some of their symptoms have lessened, keep them wrapped in dry, warm blankets or towels until medical help arrives.
If the person is not breathing, coughing, or moving around and their pulse has slowed down, you may need to perform CPR.
**Disclaimer: this is intended for informational purposes only. Before performing CPR please seek proper certification and training.
Once the ambulance arrives, the emergency medical technician, or EMT, will assess the person’s condition. A person with mild to moderate hypothermia and no other injuries or issues will likely not need to be taken to the hospital. The EMT may recommend more home treatment, with gradual rewarming of the person. But a person with more severe hypothermia will need to be observed in the hospital.
If you have called for an ambulance and the person is unconscious or unresponsive, the emergency medical technician will likely perform CPR.
Once the person arrives as the hospital, speak to the doctor about possible treatment options, especially if the hypothermia is severe.
When it comes to outdoor survival, it’s important to have a supply of survival fuel on hand. Check out these recipes for no-cook overnight oats that are packed with nutrients and require almost zero effort.
A great survivalist knows that a well-stocked food supply is absolutely essential to outdoor survival. Make sure you’re prepared by keeping a jar of these overnight oats in your bug out bag.
These no-cook overnight oats take minimal effort – just layer the ingredients, throw it in the fridge overnight, then grab it on your way out the door. Each recipe is an entire meal in one mason jar, so it requires very little time and no cooking whatsoever. Check out the three recipes below, and be sure to leave your own survival food tips in the comments.
Step 1: Layer each ingredient in a mason jar or other airtight container.
Step 2: Seal and refrigerate overnight (or for at least 4 hours).
Step 3: Enjoy in the morning warm or chilled.
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
Check out the full recipes in the video below:
Want more survival food ideas? Check out the posts below!
9 Survival Foods You Should NOT Store Long Term
How to Repackage Survival Foods
Since midsummer, thousands of Native Americans have assembled near the Missouri and Cannonball Rivers to protest the construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline, Over the last week things have taken a turn for the worse... [...]
The post Standing Rock Protest Intensifies: Arrests & Claims of Government Abuse Over Dakota Access Pipeline appeared first on Off Grid Survival - Wilderness & Urban Survival Skills.
If Democrats take the White House and Congress in the coming election cycle, guns stores throughout the country are gearing up for a major run on firearms and ammunition. [...]
The post Major Firearm and Ammunition Shortages Expected After Election appeared first on Off Grid Survival - Wilderness & Urban Survival Skills.
I recently got a few samples of Backpacker’s Pantry freeze-dried meals to review, and I was very excited to try them 
out, because Backpacker’s Pantry is one of the few large-scale freeze-dried meal producers to not just feature, but promote and develop a large variety of gluten-free and/or organic ingredient options. Backpacker’s Pantry, based out of Boulder, Colorado, offers a huge selection of meals – breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snacks. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, no nuts, no soy, low sodium – it’s all there. A huge selection of different meals is available for people or families with dietary restrictions, or selective diet through personal choice. I was particularly excited to try these out, because my wife is viciously gluten-intolerant. This makes life tough not only for her concerning her daily diet, but also for the guy who gets to try to stockpile and save long-term food supplies.
By Drew, a contributing author to SHTFBlog & Survival Cache
Trying to find a variety of foods that can keep over the long haul is definitely a challenge, and I’ll take all the help I can get; so color me tickled pink to see some decent gluten-free options available.
When rooting around in the box of sample meals, the first Backpacker’s Pantry meal I came upon that was gluten-free was the Persian Peach Stew With Chicken. The combination of flavors sounded interesting – definitely different – so I pulled it out of the box and read the package. The ingredient list was straightforward, with no 26-letter-long names of made-up ingredients I couldn’t pronounce, no preservatives, no “other natural flavors”. There are two servings per package, each 290 calories, with 9 grams of sugar, 12 grams of protein, 47 grams of carbohydrates, and – the Achilles heel of freeze dried food – a heavy dose of sodium at 660mg. Everything looked on the level and up to snuff, so I decided to take the meal for a test drive.
Related: The Survival Food Pyramid
Upon opening the package, you’ll find the standard-issue oxygen/moisture absorbing package, as well as a small package of organic extra virgin olive oil (a new one to me), and the dried contents of the meal. When you’re ready to whip up the meal, be sure to pull out the oxygen absorbing package out of the meal before installing the olive oil and 2 cups of boiling hot water, right in the packaging the meal comes in. Reseal the package and set aside for 13 minutes.
There is a note on the package that states “rehydration time doubles every 5,000 feet of elevation gain. Our directions are set for 5,000 feet.” Since my homestead elevation is about 400 feet above sea level, I went with the standard 13 minute cook time. If you live/bug out at above 5,000 feet elevation, you’ll want to adjust the cook time accordingly, lest you have crunchy rice.
Related: Role of Freeze Dried Food in your Food Storage
Once the timer went off, I opened the package to find that the long grain white rice actually looked like rice, and all the rest of the food had nicely reconstituted from nondescript-looking chopped matter into a delectable-appearing meal. The aroma was promising as I dumped some of the contents into a bowl for its taste-bud audition.
And you know what? Backpacker’s Pantry Persian Peach Stew With Chicken was surprisingly good! The peach flavor hits quickly, along with a hint of cumin. But the flavor medley plays nice with the rice and chicken, and the meal is really not bad considering 13 minutes ago it had been completely dried out and sealed in a package meant for long-term storage. Granted, it’s not homecooked, but it’s every bit as good as any off-the-shelf seasoned rice meals you can pick off the shelves at your local grocery store. The rice was a bit mushy and the small cubes of chicken were rather devoid of taste – to be expected, but all things considered, I was pleasantly impressed, especially compared to other freeze-dried meal packets I’ve tried.
Perhaps the greatest compliment that I can give to the Persian Peach Stew With Chicken is that my uber-picky 16-year-old son tried the meal and approved. Normally you couldn’t get him to eat rice if his life depended on it, but he actually said that he would eat this anytime as a side dish to a main meal. He was surprised when I told him it could be considered to be survival food, and said we should keep some on hand for camping chow. My wife wasn’t available for the sampling, but I’ll make sure she tries the next gluten-free sample from Backpacker’s Pantry.
Further Reading: Mountain House Freeze Dried Food Review
Overnight gastrointestinal implications were nil – while everyone has different gastrointestinal reactions to freeze-dried foods, I did not suffer any “morning-after” races to the toilet like some preservative-sodden offerings do to me. The high sodium levels (probably combined with the tasty Narragansett Lager I had with the meal) made me a little parched the next morning, but otherwise there were no personal ugly side effects. Always a bonus, especially when toilets are a long ways from camp or the tree stand.
The Backpacker’s Pantry Persian Peach Stew With Chicken definitely would be a great addition to a bug-out bag, or your long-term storage plans. It isn’t available in #10 cans (yet), just 5.1 ounce freeze-dried vacuum-sealed foil packages. The food quality was very good (say 4 out of 5 stars compared to other freeze-dried foods), uniquely tasty with its peach flavor, and has good amounts of protein to help keep you moving when you’re on the trail. The one-half package serving size was acceptable, but if you’re on the move or expecting lots of sustained movement for the day, you might want to chow down on the whole package. The price tag per pouch is a touch higher than other freeze-dried offerings, but I’d rather pay a couple more bucks and know that I’m not getting lambasted with preservatives and unpronounceable ingredients.
I’m looking forward to trying a couple of the other packages in the sample box; maybe the Multigrain Buttermilk Hotcakes for breakfast? Keep an eye out for further reviews of Backpacker’s Pantry products by the SHTFBlog/Survival Cache crew.
