Retirement (June 2022) has me reflecting on my lifework. The dust-covered rocking chair overlooking the pond tells me that it ain’t over. In between working on my new log cabin, I’ve been building my next adventure, the Survival Sherpa School!
Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.
~ Fred Rogers
December 2022 marks the 11th birthday of this blog. While writing over 600 articles here, I’ve never made a dime from the blog. I’m not more virtuous than others by offer all this free information over the years. I don’t hate money, it’s just the model I chose from the beginning.
However, the Survival Sherpa School is a separate site with a mission to offer hands-on classes to help you learn, prepare, and survive. With the help of my good friend, Melonie of Mel of the Mountains, we now offer a variety of classes on many primitive and traditional skills from bark baskets to hide tanning. I’ll be adding more class content in the near future.
Do me a favor and go check out the site to see what may interest you or someone you know.
While you’re visiting the Survival Sherpa School, hit that Subscribe button to join our community. You’ll be the first to be notified of upcoming classes, events, and exclusive content you won’t see on this blog, YouTube channel, or social media.
Some of our followers have been here from the very start and I can’t thank you enough for all your faithful support! We’ve learned a lot together through the magic of the internet. I’ll continue to post value-added content here, don’t worry.
After our Appalachian Bark Basket class at Little Rose Nature Adventures, we’ve taught three more classes in two states (GA and NC)! Below are some highlights of the experiential learning going on.
Appalachian Bark Baskets
More than an arts and crafts class, these eager students learned the context of making natural containers which their ancestors used many years ago.
Firecraft Essentials
Fire is life and learning many methods to achieve a sustainable fire is essential.
Modern ferrocerium rod in action.
Although we teach primitive and modern techniques, we stress that your fire kit should be simple enough that a five-year-old can use it.
Homeschool Co-op Demo in North Carolina
Melonie demonstrating the utility of turning raw animal hides into useful material for clothing and gear.
Axmanship 101
Students discovered and practiced hands-on techniques to safely fell, limb, buck, and split wood with their ax only. Thanks to Georgia Bushcraft, LLC for hosting this class.
Georgia Bushcraft Fall Gathering
A few of the classes we taught at this years fall gathering. Mel of the Mountains showing students how to make their own buckskin medicine pouches.
Two ladies getting their hands dirty practicing the Flip-Flop Winch.
As you can see, we’ve had a busy schedule recently! If you’d like to stay up to date on future classes and content, be sure to subscribe to our email list here. By the way, we will travel to you or your group’s location for classes and personal instruction.
I’d also like to thank my long-time blogging friend, Patrick Blair of NinjaWolf Studios, for his expert work in building the new Survival Sherpa School website! Be sure to check out Southern Dreams Homestead where he and Jessie are building a self-reliant urban homestead right here in Georgia.
P.P.S – If you find value in the blog, I would appreciate your vote on Top Prepper Sites! You can vote daily by clicking hereor on the image below. Check out all the other value-adding sites while you’re there…
This rustic swing bed provides mind-blowing naps! A swing bed is typically hung under a large porch or other roofed structure. Since I have neither of these structures, I decided to build one from rot-resistant Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) and hang it under the trees at the log cabin.
Here are the materials and tools I used.
Material List
Rot-resistant lumber milled or purchased. Pressure treated dimensional lumber could be used but will not offer the rustic feel I was going for. My main frame was approximately 4×4’s with live edges.
1x? boards for slats. Limbs used for footboard spindles.
Rope or chain. For hanging my bed from two trees, I chose 5/8 inch poly rope I already had for my log cabin projects.
Screws. Trim screws, 3 inch deck screws, and 6 inch TimberLoc screws.
Polyurethane to help preserve the wood and color of the red cedar.
2 – Two inch wide auto tow straps.
Tools
Chainsaw mill. My Alaskan chainsaw mill has provided lots of lumber for several projects over the years. See DRG’s dining room table.
Impact driver and drill… for driving screws and drilling pilot holes and rope/chain holes. Use appropriate sized drill bits as needed.
Size It Up
When this project came to mind, I had no real idea how large a frame I needed. Then I remembered DRG’s air mattress she bought for her tent but never got to use. The queen air mattress measured about four inches short on length than a typical queen mattress (60×80 inches). And since the swing would be under trees (no roof), the air mattress is waterproof and the best choice.
I built the frame to handle the 60×80 inch queen mattress if I ever move the swing under a roof. On the frame, I added 5 inches to the queen width and about 15 inches to the length to accommodate the mattress and give enough room for corner holes for hanging the bed.
These milled pieces have live edges.
Live edges had to be shimmed to make a flush top surface for the frame. I drilled pilot holes and ran the 6 inch screws in to secure all corners.
As you can see above, two of the three sides are taller. This is to provide a headboard of sorts for the top and side of the bed. The shorter side would of course be the footboard. The short side is about 16 inches tall with the others being about 24 inches.
I used the toenail method to screw the four corner posts to the frame. I used both deck and TimberLok screws. I was pleased with how sturdy it turned out.
I ran a 2×3 down the middle of the frame lengthwise to help support the bed slats. Since I didn’t want to mill one inch boards, I used 1×6 cedar boards from a box store. Trim screws secured the slats to the frame.
Corner posts and slats installed. A ledger board was screwed to the frame to give the ends of the slats a resting place.
Vertical spindles installed the two tall sides.
Red cedar limbs made the footboard spindles.
I attached the footboard spindles with trim screws. If you’ve ever cut down a red cedar tree, you know how many limbs become available to you for other projects.
Choosing non-natural rope will give your swinging bed longer life. Natural fiber rope tend to degrade in weather sooner.
Drilling 3/4 inch holes in the four corner beams to accept the 5/8 inch rope. Tip: tape the end of the rope tightly to form a sharpened pencil point to insert into the hole. You’ll thank me later.
A simple overhand knot holds the rope secure.
Applying an exterior polyurethane to highlight and protect the beautiful color of red cedar.
With a two-point connection, the bed is less stable getting in and out than if you had a four-point connection. I used two towing straps with hooks wrapped around two trees near my log cabin.
Philip giving it a test run after helping me hang the bed.
The air mattress is 18 inches high, too high really for this swing bed.
Bug proofing is handy here in the south. I bought two of the bug nets pictured below. One of these nets is intended for a twin size cot or mattress. I figured two sewn together would cover a queen size mattress. I was right. Melonie, who helped install the log cabin subfloor and porch deck, was nice enough to cut, design, and sew these two together in her “spare” time.
I bought two mosquito nets, which when sewn together, made a full-coverage net for the bed.
Queen size bug net hung with bamboo frame.
I enjoy cooler evening temperatures in the swinging bed at the log cabin. The whippoorwills serenade and I usually nap. It’s a peaceful place indeed!
P.P.S – If you find value in our blog, I would appreciate your vote on Top Prepper Sites! You can vote daily by clicking hereor on the image below. Check out all the other value-adding sites while you’re there…
Which word in the title lured you to this article? That’s a rhetorical question really.
Whatever the reason, thanks for reading!
We’re not analyzing all the different labels related to preparedness. That’s a waste of time. If you believe yourlabel (bushcraft, prepper, homesteader, survivalist, etc.) is superior to all others, stop reading now. Other venues are available which encourage you to crawl onto a pedestal of superiority.
Tess Pennington, author of The Prepper’s Blueprint, addresses the preparedness community’s cubical mindset in the intro of her book:
“Once again, we have compartmentalized ourselves. Well, I hate to break it to you all, but we are all one in the same. That’s right folks, same group; different names. Potato, potahto. There are however, varying degrees of preparedness and this is where the difference lies. Preppers range from people who have a first-aid kit in the car to those who have an underground bunker. That said, it’s about time that we start embracing one another as a preparedness community and be more positive and uplifting towards one another’s endeavors.”
With that out of the way, let’s get started with…
Primal (First) Skills
If you started your journey to self-reliance as a prepper, why should you be interested in mating primitive skills with prepping?
My philosophy of preparedness is in a constant state of evolution. Reliance on gear and tools has always been a key component. Humans have always been tool junkies. We’re really no different from our Stone Age ancestors. The difference is that their survival depended upon their ability to make said tools.
For instance, imagine your popularity if you were the first human to make fire by friction repeatable. Now your tribe’s mobility isn’t tied to carrying smoldering embers nestled in dry animal dung and plant fibers. The game changed. Grok can now make fire from materials found on the landscape. No previous fire required. This new technology expanded his survivability in a big way!
There in lies the conundrum with new discoveries and technologies…
For most of us, we’ve forgotten our roots. Domestication occurred. We’ve grown dependent upon modern tools and gadgets. Nothing wrong with modern stuff. I’ve got Bic lighters scattered throughout all my kits. The challenge is to practice primitive while carrying 21st century gear. To do so…
I’m I saying replace your carbon steel cutting tools and synthetic cordage and stainless steel water bottle for flint knives, nettle cordage, and deer stomach containers? Nope! Not even close. But you’ve gotta admit, owning the skills to do so would give you options. And options make us Anti-Fragile.
Here’s a truth Dave Canterbury drills into our self-reliant mindset. The 5 C’s of Survivability are the most difficult to reproduce in nature. To do so, you need knowledge, skills, and resources – which may not be readily available. These five; cutting tool, combustion device, cover, cordage, and container, most directly affect our number one priority in wilderness survival – core temperature control. So don’t hit the wildness without them.
But what if… you dump your canoe or lose all your stuff? Your belt knife is still attached but that’s about all. Will you be able to reproduce the missing 5 C’s from the landscape… even your cutting tool?
Primitive Skills Reduce Survival Stressors
Mors Kochanski’s bushcraft motto is, “The more you know, the less you carry.” Caught without modern gear in a survival situation can add lethal stress.
Knowing how to deal with the stress of having no cordage to lash a shelter together can be reduced if you know how to make cordage from plant and tree fibers. More time and calories are required to make natural cordage, but owning this skill gives you one less thing to worry about.
Learning primitive skills can be done at two speeds… incrementally or total emersion. I’ve chosen the incremental approach. Most moderns will.
Bill of Instinct Survivalist, another new buddy, Kevin, and I spent last Saturday at a local (Georgia) primitive skills workshop taught by Scott Jones. The class focused on fire, cordage, and sharp stuff (stone cutting tools) – 3 of the 5 C’s of Survivability.
This is a small fraction of the knowledge and skills our ancestors passed down for outdoor self-reliance and wilderness living. With that said, it’s a good place to start.
Primitive Skills Every Prepper Should Know
1.) Natural Cordage
18 indigenous cordage fibers Scott Jones has on display for demonstrations
Primitive skills take practice. Learn to identify, harvest, and process the local resources nature provides. Scott’s board (pictured above) revels a sample of 18 natural fibers suitable for cordage.
From L to R:
Red Cedar
Bald Cypress
Atlantic White Cedar
Red Mulberry
Black Locust
Yellow (Tulip) Poplar
Winged Elm
Paw Paw
Basswood
False Nettle
Blue Star
Milkweed
Dogbane
Evening Primrose
Spanish Moss
Button Snakeroot
Yucca
Cattail
We made 2-ply cordage from Yucca, Tulip Poplar, Okra, and Dogbane. Yup. Don’t compost all those okra stalks in the fall.
Indigenous cordage I made this weekend. Clockwise from 12:00 ~ Dogbane; Tulip Poplar; Okra; and Yucca. Moose, our dog, thought the okra and yucca were chew toys.
I filmed a video on making cordage with Dogbane Sunday. The fibers were too small to add much instructional value. I’ll use a larger material next time. Until then, you may find Dave Canterbury’s cordage video as helpful I did…
2.) Fire by Friction
I’ve made fires using a bow drill many times. However, Scott ruined my previously held belief that resinous woods like pine are not suitable for bow drills. That theory went down the drain as every student created glowing embers with a pine hearth board and pine spindle. Here’s a quick video of the fun…
3.) Stone Cutting Tools
Bipolar Flaking technique… wear eye protection and watch those fingers!
The simplest way to create a sharp edge comes from bipolar flaking. All you need is an anvil (large base stone), hammer stone, and a smaller rock (chicken egg size) to crack like you would a nut. Place the egg sized stone upright (pole to pole, hence the term bipolar) on the anvil and strike it with your hammer stone. If you miss hit, expect blood, swearing, and possible tears. Wear eye protection.
This crude technique takes little skill and provides sharp tools like scrapers, sharp flakes, and small stone drill points. You could make and use these simple tools even with no flintknapping knowledge.
Scott Jones demonstrates how to make an arrowhead from glass
Practicing primitive skills develops a Possum Mentality. You’ll become keenly aware of raw resources, especially other people’s trash. For instance, bottoms of glass bottles can be made into arrowheads and cutting tools.
Pictured below are a few products of my Possum Mentality over the years:
Possum Mentality: Top row is a sample of points I’ve found over the years. Bottom row are multi-functional products of bipolar flaking.
Be True to Your Nature
We preppers and self-reliance technicians love gear. But all gear and tools eventually fail. Having the knowledge and skills to use available resources to make stuff from the landscape is essential for both short-term and long-term survivability.
What happens when prepping and primitive skills have sex?
The offspring of this union breeds a self-reliance trait found only in prehistory which expresses our true nature. To tap into your true nature, I recommend Scott Jones’ book, A View to the Past: Experience and Experiment in Primitive Technology.
P.P.S – If you find value in our blog, Dirt Road Girl and I would appreciate your vote on Top Prepper Sites! You can vote daily by clicking hereor on the image below. Check out all the other value-adding sites while you’re there…
Thanks for Sharing the Stuff!
Copyright: Content on this site (unless the work of a third-party) may be shared freely in digital form, in part or whole, for non-commercial use with a link back to this site crediting the author. All links in articles must remain intact as originally posted in order to be republished. If you are interested a third-party article, please contact the author directly for republishing information.
“A set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them”
Paradigm and mindset are closely related. The emphasis on paradigm is geared towards our preparedness community. Mindset, for our purposes, will focus on the individual.
According to the Oxford American Dictionary, mindset is…
“an established set of attitudes held by someone”
Many believe mindset determines actions. Hipster life-coach gurus tell you to get your mind right before tackling a new skill, shedding pounds, or reaching goals. Your body follows your head.
This theory may sell books, but will it work in the real world?
Too often people believe they have to get mentally ready to start doing the stuff. A common result of information overload is prepper paralysis – drowning in a sea of knowledge.
It’s not complete gobbledygook that our thoughts determine our actions. However, I have found that my actions determine my mindset – for good or bad.
The act of doing a new skill or honing an existing one builds confidence in your ability. This cycle creates a circle, if you will, with no beginning or end. However, your circle remains broken until you take the first step… Action! Thoughts won’t get the job done.
Action (Doing the Stuff) is the light switch in an electrical circuit above. Flip the switch “On” and your circuit is closed or completed allowing electrical energy to flow to its target. Turn it “Off” and your circuit is open or incomplete. The energy is there but can’t bridge the open gap without action.
This should be applied to your preps – and life in general. And the good news is that it only takes 2% more time, energy, and resources to give you a slight edge.
Overrated Moments
There’s a dangerous mindset that new preppers embrace. This kind of thinking will sink you before you start. You have to have X amount of beans, bullets, and Band-Aids to be prepared. Once you’ve reached that defining moment, you’re prepared… for anything.
Nope.
Any veteran will tell you that preparedness is a journey, a marathon of skills, not a sprint to some illusive summit. Preparedness is a culmination of the tiny things over time.
Meaningful improvements happen with consistent, minimal changes. Don’t fall into the trap of large visible events.
The 2% Solution
The beauty of this mindset is that you only need an extra 2%. That may not seem like much, but over time it has a huge impact. This is why I say a daily process is more important than setting lofty goals.
In our Doing the Stuff Network, everyday people are challenging themselves to learn a minimum of one new skill this year. This is what we’re learning…
Our skills and abilities are not fixed… unless we decide they are.
Use 2% of Your Time and Energy
You’re life doesn’t have to come to a complete stop to learn how to safely pressure can your harvest or start a friction fire. Simply start giving 2% of your time to learn the basics. That translates to 30 minutes in a 24 hour day to learn a new skill. Take a Doing the Stuff lunch break.
When I coached football in the 80’s, I never understood why we asked our players to give 110%. Not a realistic goal. That’s when I began to understand the 2% Solution. I only asked my players to give 2% more than the guy they were competing against in practice or the player across the line of scrimmage in a game.
This was a mindset teenage jocks could understand and employ. They pushed themselves an extra 2% in fundamental drills, conditioning, strength training, and nutrition. Doing this stuff over the course of two seasons led to small gains over time which helped land us in the state playoffs after a years of losing seasons.
You can find 30 minutes a day to work on your skills, right? Set boundaries on common time sinks. Social media sites are one of the worst offenders. I mean how many cute cat videos are really necessary!?
Set a timer to budget the amount of time you’re willing to spend on Facebook or Twitter. When time is up, move away from the mouse! This saves you valuable time to devote 2% to your skill set.
Using 2% of Your Resources
Hopefully no one remembers my epic fail at fire by friction. Actually, failure is our best teacher if we fail forward. I created a bow drill on training wheels a year ago. What I learned from this experiment is that I don’t need training wheels to create an ember with a stick and string.
I successfully created an ember and fire with a bow drill last night with my friction fire kit!
Fire at last!
Here are the tutorials I watched (took less than 30 minutes) on the finer tips and tricks of friction fire by David Wendell at Bushcraft On Fire.
Resource gathering is an important part of preparedness. If you’re like me, you don’t have time to waste looking for value-adding resources. I’ll save you some time and point you to our Doing the Stuff Trusted Resource list. There are more out there, but these folks I know and trust. You’re welcome to add suggestions to our list.
The modern convenience-store mindset conditions us to want immediate results. If we could only reach that big event, we’d be ready. In reality, preparedness is not an event. It’s a chain of tiny stuff linked together over time.
How do you plan to leverage your 2% this week, month, or year? Share in the comments if you don’t mind.
P.P.S ~ If you find value in our blog, DRG and I would appreciate your vote on the Top Prepper Sites! You can vote daily by clicking here or on the image below. Check out all the other value-adding Prepper Sites while you’re there…
Thanks for sharing the stuff!
Copyright Information: Content on this site (unless the work of a third-party) may be shared freely in digital form, in part or whole, for non-commercial use with a link back to this site crediting the author. All links in articles must remain intact as originally posted in order to be republished. If you are interested a third-party article, please contact the author directly for republishing information.
With only the clothes on his back and a lighter in his pocket, William LaFever survived over three weeks in the Utah desert. His predicament was not part of some ‘reality’ TV show. There wasn’t a host describing the next reward challenge. No immunity necklace. No cameras or medics standing by.
This story is full of teachable moments. Here are some take-aways from LeFever’s brush with death.
1.) Recognize survival situations
Anytime your basic needs go unmet, you’re in a survival scenario – whether you admit it or not.
Seasoned woodsmen, survivalists, and preppers are familiar with the Rule of 3’s: 3 minutes without air, 3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food. Unless you find a way to meet these needs, you’re likelihood of dying grows exponentially.
2.) Ask yourself, “Do I feel lucky?” Well, do you, punk?
Dirty Harry’s classic line makes you re-think dependence on luck. With a 44 Magnum pointed at the perps head, he had to decide if Clint had fired 6 rounds, or only 5.
Don’t roll the dice with Mother Nature!
Your luck increases by applying the 7 P’s (Prior Preparation and Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance). It’s smart to leave a detailed itinerary with at least one or two trusted friends about your trip plans. Do it even if you’re taking a short day hike, fishing, hunting, or camping.
These safe mini-adventures land many outdoor enthusiast in trouble. Mother nature is not fair and she finds creative ways to toss the unexpected into the mix.
Your itinerary should include these three W’s as a bare minimum:
Where and when you’re headed out. Including a map of the trails and area would be useful in affecting a rescue if necessary.
When you plan on returning. Your family should know where you’re headed and when to expect your return. If your overnight excursion takes a turn for the worse, they will know you’re in trouble and begin the process of locating and rescuing you.
Who and how many are in your group. Are there any special needs in the group (age, special needs, health conditions, male/female, etc.). LeFever’s family described him as having autism. While that might seem trivial to most, it turned out to be very helpful in locating the lost hiker. All humans need water to survive but people with autism seem to be drawn to water. Search-and-rescue focused on following the river. It paid off.
3.) Know your limits
Before being lost, the son called his dad to ask for money.
LaFever said he had run out of money and someone had stolen some of his hiking gear. Authorities said they assumed he was given a ride to Boulder, as he did not have his own vehicle.
“He didn’t want me to come out there,” said LaFever’s father, John LaFever. “He wanted me to send him some money to get him to Page.”
The wise move after someone had stolen his gear and he had daddy on the phone would have been to accept the money and fly or ride home. His decision to go-it-alone with no gear almost cost him his life.
“He made the mistake ‘I know what I am doing and I will be OK,”’ Bronson told CNN. “There are many who have done that and paid the price.” [Emphasis mine]
Could you survive on your wits and a lighter? Forage wild foods? Everything is edible once.
4.) D0n’t leave home without a kit
William was found about 30 miles further along the river than most casual hikers traveled. Even though he had camping/hiking experience, this was not the time to attempt this long journey with nothing but his clothes on his back and a lighter in his pocket.
To his credit, he survived by foraging roots, eating frogs, and possessing one of the most important pieces of survival gear – FIRE.
It can happen to any of us outdoors. Taking a wrong turn or slipping on a root and tumbling down a ravine on a short day hike can turn into a serious situation – especially when you’re close to home.
The I’m-close-to-home mentality turns our preparedness mentality into mush. Spending the night in the woods unprepared can have dire consequences.
For short outdoor outings, a basic kit should include:
Water, filter, metal container
Fire making material and equipment
Cutting tool
First aid supplies
Cordage and duct tape
Signal mirror and whistle (your best chance of surviving is being found)
Snack/food
Shelter – tarp and/or contractor garbage bag
Security – sidearm and extra magazines/ammo
There’s no such thing as basic emergencies. Plan accordingly.
5.) Doing the Stuff makes you the luckiest Survivor out there
Knowledge, gear, and skills are survival aids. When your hands are wet and freezing in a 30 mph wind, that’s not the time to attempt your first friction fire. Have redundant backups.
Practicing your skills with your gear builds knowledge and confidence. Doing the Stuff closes the gap on sloppy skills making you the luckiest survivor in the world.
Do you feel lucky? Luck is unreliable.
What makes you the ‘luckiest’ survivor in the backcountry? Do tell!
Keep Doing the Stuff!
Todd
P.S.~Thanks for sharing the stuff! If anything from our site adds value to your life, please pass it on. You can also connect with us on Twitter, Pinterest, and our new Facebook page.
Copyright Information: Content on this site (unless the work of a third-party) may be shared freely in digital form for non-commercial purposes, in part or whole, with a link back to this site crediting the author. All embedded links in our posts must stay intact if you wish to repost our material. If you are interested a third-party article, please contact the author directly for republishing information.
[Todd’s note: I love Texas! My maternal grandfather came from the Lone Star State. A lot of great patriots and preppers call it home.
One of our readers, Jim, from somewhere in Texas, read my post about the Shaker Siphon hose and sent me a note on his fuel transfer system. I like it! I thought you might too.]
Thanks Jim for adding value with your Doing the Stuff Tutorial!
How to transfer fuel without ‘swallowing’
by jim w, somewhere in TX
Here is my electric fuel transfer board.
Jim’s compact DiY Fuel Transfer Pump wrapped up and pulled from storage
The board is plain pine that is 18″ long and 11.5″ wide. It has a 3″ long by 1″ wide hand hold cut in the top of it to grasp it easier.
Fuel board set up and unwrapped
I painted the board OD GREEN to go with my military equipment I collect.
It has a MR. GASKET diesel micro electric fuel pump #12D mounted to it, via two holes drilled and one bolt, two washers and one nut per hole that holds it in place. I also used the inline fuel filter supplied by Mr Gasket, though you could choose another type if you wanted to as there are lots of them available.
12-volt electric diesel fuel transfer pump is safe for diesel fuel use. Simple 2 wire design, self priming, includes 100 micron in line filter. 4-7psi 35GPH, small universal design allows easy set and installation anywhere. Solid state worry free electronics, 12 volt negative ground systems only.
Once the electric fuel pump was wired with an additional 6′ of wire, I added two alligator clips. I then attached the inline fuel filter to the fuel pump. Next I added two lengths of 1/4″ fuel hose. On the outgoing side, I put a 7.5′ piece of fuel hose. On the incoming side, I put a 6.5′ piece of fuel hose. That gives me a total of 14′ of fuel hose from source to destination.
It works great. I either use a battery in the vehicle I’m transferring fuel to OR carry a spare battery along when I’m out in the middle of nowhere to run this pump.
While 35 GPH (gallons per minute) sounds fairly slow (and it is), MOST fuel tanks these days are 20 gallons or less. So you could fill a 20 gallon tank in about thirty to forty minutes.
Please be aware that these days, new vehicles have some form of ‘anti-siphoning’ device built into the fuel filler tube before it reaches the tank. If, on the other hand, you drive military vehicles like I do, that is never an issue. Plus if you are just transferring fuel from one of your own fuel canisters, this is an easy, clean way to do so.
If you do not have ANY of these items on hand, as I did, your overall cost would be around $110. That does not include the battery to run it.
Pump $65
Fuel hose $20
Board $5
Two nuts/bolts & four washers $5
6′ wire and 2 alligator clips $10
With the exception of the fuel pump and hose, I’m guessing on the cost of the other pieces. I ACTUALLY HAD everything but a new pump on hand and splurged the $50 for it. I made this several years go and it works every time I hook it to power. I also have these installed in my military vehicles, one of which I’ve owned more than four years. They all work every time you turn the key.
If power is an issue, for fuel stored in barrels, I recommend a rotary hand pump. http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200129224_200129224 – that link is for a ‘Fill Rite’ from Northern Tool company $200 (again, NO AFFLIATION, I just got mine there). Not cheap but will last for your lifetime.
I hope that helps give insight into OTHER choices other than the fuel pump [Shaker Siphon] displayed here earlier. It’s a good alternative, but if you are serious about your preps, a great fuel transfer pump is the way to go. Whether you are transferring 5 gallons or 500, not having to do it by ‘sucking’ is a good thing.
This Doing the Stuff Tutorial contributed by WALLEW (aka – jim w – from somewhere in TX)
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If you have a Doing the Stuff project you’d like to share, drop me a line via email ~ survivalsherpa (at) gmail (dot) com
P.P.S – If you find value in our blog, Dirt Road Girl and I would appreciate your vote on Top Prepper Sites! You can vote daily by clicking hereor on the image below. Check out all the other value-adding sites while you’re there…
Thanks for Sharing the Stuff!
Copyright: Content on this site (unless the work of a third-party) may be shared freely in digital form, in part or whole, for non-commercial use with a link back to this site crediting the author. All links in articles must remain intact as originally posted in order to be republished. If you are interested a third-party article, please contact the author directly for republishing information.
I teach in a brick and mortar institution which takes an obscene amount of money to keep the lights on, salaries paid, kids fed, and the yellow school buses rolling.
The fate of the yellow school bus
There’s a growing consensus that our sacred system of compulsory schooling is a waste of time and money. I’m on record as having no disrespect for the teachers and concerned parents in the system. I’m simply pointing out a few observations, raising questions, and offering options.
Options make us anti-fragile.
What if there was a better way to educate yourself and your children? What if the brick and mortar buildings that eerily resemble prisons were no longer needed? What if students were free to follow their true interests without the use and threat of force?
To answer these questions, look no further than the medium that magically made this article appear on your device.
You are engaged in distant learning right now! The world-wide web is world-wide. Why limit yourself and your children to one teacher? You can easily click away from this site (after hanging out here a while!) and learn from anyone around the globe while wearing pajamas.
Here are some excellent distant learning resources for you and your family that I visit frequently for world-class learning:
Self-reliance and preparedness happens on an ultra-local level. It all starts with you. Take advantage of these distance learning resources to help you on your journey.
What resources do you find adds value to you? Let us know in the comments!
Keep doing the stuff,
Todd
P.S.~ As always, if anything from this site adds value to your life, please pass it on. You can also connect with us on Twitter, Pinterest, and our new Facebook page.
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All I heard was crying on the other end of the phone!
“What’s wrong!?”
My daughter told me, between sobbing, that their home had just been broken into. I’d never heard her that upset. She and our grandson got home from work and school to find the backdoor kicked in and their life violated. Thank God they didn’t come home with the invasion in progress!
Even though they escaped physical harm, emotionally they were wrecked. I took the day off work and put together a plan and found her a new place to live. Daughters need their daddy, especially in times like these.
As times get harder, I’m afraid these stories will become more common. Unknown to my daughter, thugs had broken in to homes on her street in December 2012 and July of this year. Had she known this info, she would have never moved to that neighborhood. She asked if there had been any crime or break ins before moving in. Her property manager, who is no longer employed there, told her it was a safe neighborhood. Sure it is.
As preparedness minded people, we want the best home security. We will protect our families by any means necessary. But the regular guy, like me, isn’t made of money and can’t buy all the fanciest bells and whistles on the home security market.
There are practical steps for regular guys to provide proactive and reactive defense and security. I had not planned on writing this installment of our Essential Pillars of Preparedness Series yet. Now it’s appropriate – and personal.
You may have seen articles dealing with security measures in a post collapse scenario. If you’re looking for info to defend against Mutant Biker Zombies, which I’m told will ravage our land, you won’t find a tutorial on building a fortified bunker in this post.
This is simply a dad’s advice to his terrified daughter and grandson.
To My Sugarbear
First off Sugarbear, predators pick easy prey.
There’s no such thing as living in total security. Taking security measures only buys you time to allow you to respond with the appropriate level of defense and slow them down. Thugs, even rookies, pick the low hanging fruit.
Together we will make you and your home less appealing.
Fortify Your Doors
An experienced thug knows the weakest links in security are exterior opens in the walls of your house. In modern homes, doors and windows are easy access points. They know that most doors can be breached with a swift kick – even with a deadbolt – unless properly fortified. The weak point in your home was not the metal door itself, but the wooden frame securing the bolt, latch, and hinges.
We could retrofit the doors of your new house with metal door frames. That’s too expensive. An intruder determined enough would go through a window. Installing one-piece strike plates on all your exterior doors will help. Don’t use the short screws that came with the strike plate. Use 3 1/2 inch or longer decking screws. These screws will reach the studs behind the door jam.
I’ll make sure the doors have at lease three hinges. The more points of contact a door has to the door frame the better. Long screws for hinges too.
Since you’re renting and won’t be able to install more dead bolts on your doors, these reinforcements will give you time to ready a response should you ever be home during a break in. I’ll talk to your landlord about installing added security measures to your doors. He seems to be a very reasonable man.
Security storm doors are available. I’ve installed a few of those for friends over the years.
Having neighbors (retired) adjacent and across the street now will also give you other sets of watchful eyes when you’re at work. They’re good folks to have on your side. Nosey in a good way. Get to know them.
Windows
Many methods exist for securing windows. Bars or window grills are available. But the problem with making windows secure from outside intruders is you’ve just creating a trap from the inside as well.
I will make some simple strips to stop the windows from being opened from the outside. If you need to make an emergency exit for from inside, simple remove the strip wedges and open the window.
A crook would have to break the window to enter. The sound of broken glass takes away his element of surprise and stealth.
Outdoor Lighting
Smart crooks like to operate in anonymity under the cover of darkness. Your new place doesn’t have motion detection lights at either door. I’ll install them for your back and front door. You simply leave the light switch turned on 24/7. They automatically turn on with any motion near your door.
Making A Safe Room
I know your duplex isn’t very large. I’ll replace the hollow core door in your bedroom with a solid wooden door. You and the boy can lock yourself in your bedroom giving yourself more time to access your tools of defense if ever needed.
Again, doors only slow down intruders. The weak links are the door jams and sheet rock walls. But this will slow them down. In your situation, this is all you can expect. But it’s enough time prepare to ventilate the intruder.
Just for informational purposes, a good blogging friend of mine, Laurie Neverman, offers helpful advice on safe rooms. While this isn’t an option for you now, keep in mind that you won’t always live in a rental. You’re just starting out. And doing an excellent job raising our grandson!
Tools of Defense
Getting the job done takes the right tools, no matter the situation. The handgun I gave you is just that, a tool.
In untrained hands, it’s a liability. Though you’ve shot my guns growing up, now is the time to up your training and start doing the stuff of self-defense. I’ll start training you in the proper use and safe handling of your handgun. You’ll learn to shoot a firearm safely, confidently, and accurately.
By the way, Dirt Road Girl and I have agreed to pay for your Concealed Carry Permit.
Here’s the best advice from an author I highly respect concerning firing your weapon in self-defense when your life is in danger:
“You shoot to stop – not to kill. Any kill is incidental, unless the only way to stop his lethal actions was to kill.” – Kenneth Royce, Boston Gun Bible
There are several options for concealing a weapon in your home with the boy present, yet making it easily accessible if the time to use it ever arrives. Remember our conversation yesterday? I’m working on that piece now.
You can start reading up on best practices of self-defense from these links:
Follow your gut, Sugarbear. That gnawing feeling is there to tell you something ain’t right. Listen to it. Even though your new place is in a better neighborhood, never take security for granted. In tough times, people get desperate.
Like our journey to preparedness and self-sufficiency, security is a step by step climb as well. One of the first steps towards your goal is to be aware of your surroundings.
There’s a color code for awareness created by Jeff Cooper years ago to help you stay in a state of readiness. I’ve listed it below.
White – unaware and unprepared; yellow – relaxed alert for potential danger; orange – specific alert, potential danger; red – threat identified; black or triggers – a fight is imminent unless circumstances change.
Keep in mind that doing the stuff in real life is different from reading about it. Practice Keeping It Sherpa Simple. Physical self-defense is not about fighting but avoiding being hurt by violence. To protect yourself and our grandson, you are justified in using the amount of force needed to avoid being violated, robbed, or killed.
You’ll find it difficult at first to live in the color yellow at all times. I even catch myself in ‘white’ from time to time. But the ‘white’ times grow less and less. We’ll cover this in detail together.
I’m so sorry this happened to you, Sugarbear. We are so thankful that y’all weren’t home. But I think it’s a blessing in disguise and a wakeup call to start your journey in earnest.
All of these measures are an attempt to deny easy access to your life and property. The more layers you provide, the less likely predators will target you.
It’s been one year since I started this blog in an ocean full of preparedness blogs. I’m just one little fish. For every site that promotes preparedness, offers original content, and practical prepping advice deserves a hat tip. Even more than a hat tip, a big fat thank you.
On a personal level, this year was the most challenging for my family. Through all the dark times we’ve continued to grow and build resilience in our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual life. We want to thank each of you who have offered words of support, prayers, and encouragement! and have become a part of the Sherpa family.
Though Dirt Road Girl and I haven’t met you face to face, we feel very connected to our online family and friends.
In April 2012, we saw a whopping 37 visitors. Not in a day, but the entire month. Last month we had 36,478 visits. Our best month so far. After 314 posts, 177,624 visitors, and a lot of hard work, we’re stoked about the coming year.
This may not seem like much to the big boys of the bloggersphere, but we’re thankful, and humbled!
We’ve found a whole community of very helpful and knowledgeable people this year. Some have contributed articles, many have become regulars in the comment section, and others quietly offering advice privately.
To celebrate, we’re sharing 10 of the top blog posts here on Survival Sherpa. Whether you just discovered us or have been with us the whole year, thanks for joining us on our journey!
One of the most liberating days in your life is when you come to realize you are responsible for your own success. No more excuses. No more blame game. You’ve entered the no-victim zone.
The concept of survival distills down to pain management and increasing pleasure. Bingo! You start planning. You spent long hours studying, reading, buying, and mining data to build the perfect system. You attend preparedness expos, interact on discussion forums, devour books, and maybe even start a blog.
Congrats! Your hard work has finally paid off.
Just as you finalize your sacred plan, even before the laminating film cools, some world event or local elected thug makes it a non-perfect plan. An unexpected health issue, job loss, or simply ignoring that nagging gut feeling about your family’s future can blow your plan to nothingness.
The beauty of pressure and time is its ability expose weaknesses. Ignoring science and history, you find yourself driving down the road to your fatal dead-mans curve clinging to your laminated preparedness plan.
I apologize up front to anyone reading this who happens to be “set in their ways” or downright rigid. You’re not going to enjoy what follows.
Adaptability and agility are two key elements you must develop to increase your chance of staying alive. Unplug your laminating machine, grab a pencil, paper, and several erasers because creating a living Individual Preparedness Plan gets messy.
First, let’s go back to your middle school (junior high in my case) science class for a refresher course on the 7 Characteristics of Living Things. And please, no spit-wads hurled at the teacher.
Learning Goal: The student (you) will identify and apply the characteristics of living things to your Individual Preparedness Plan for survival and resilient living.
1. Living things are highly organized, from the smallest part to the largest.
Cells are organized into tissue (muscle)
Tissue into organs (liver)
Organs come together to form organ systems (nervous system)
Organ systems work together to form an individual living thing
More than one living thing makes a population of these particular things (the population of wild turkeys on your back 40)
The population becomes part of a community composed of different kinds of living things (species). It’s were living things live, work, play, etc.
An ecosystem is then formed when all the living things, non-living things, environment, and energy come together in their happy place
2. Living things have the ability to get and use energy.
Without a constant supply of energy (food) living things die and become food (energy) for much smaller living things
For humans, we use energy (food and fuel) to maintain the our core body temperature around 98.6 degrees F – our happy place
3. Living things have the ability to respond (movement) to their environment.
Sensitive to changes and responds (movement) to the stimuli in the environment
For example, the ability to move your hand off a hot stove (pain), or marry a hot wife (pleasure)
4. Living things have the ability to remove waste
Living things use different methods to excrete waste
For humans, the simple act of breathing removes waste
If a living thing is unable to excrete waste, it quickly becomes an organism formerly known as a living thing
5. Living things grow
Living cells grow to a certain size and then divide
A living thing turns stuff unlike itself into more stuff like itself – eat kale (plant) and it chemically turns into more of the eater (human)
6. Living things have the ability to reproduce and pass on genetic information to baby living things
Reproduction is essential for the survival of the species
All living things reproduce by either asexual or sexual reproduction
7. All living things have the ability to adapt to their environment
Adaptation is a trait that helps living things survive in its environment
Living things that are better at adaptation increase their survival and reproduction rates, thus strengthening their species
Important note: only individual living things have the ability to adapt – species do not adapt, they evolve
Variations of individual living things makes the species stronger (individualism)
Now, let’s discuss the application of this mini-lesson to your Individual Preparedness Plan.
When evaluating your IPP to determine if it is living or non-living, all 7 of these characteristics must be present.
If your plan follows just a few on the list, it’s a non-living IPP. To stay in the living category, your plan must show all 7 characteristics. Granted, we are all individuals at different stages of development. Our progress in certain areas may be strong while other areas need immediate attention. A humble analysis will be required, as will ongoing monitoring to ensure you and your IPP maintain living thing status.
1.a. Applying “Living things are highly organized” requires, um, organization. Lists are popular with most preppers. Simply having a list of lists doesn’t mean your organized. Lists will get you pointed in the right direction, but energy and focus are required to fill the list. SurvivalBlog offers the best lists I’ve seen to help organize, acquire skills, and stay on the living things list. You can find the “List of Lists” link on the left side bar near the top of his blog.
Organization applies to more than just stuff. Your living IPP should include finding other prepper populations and building community. Lone-wolf living organisms rarely survive.
Now, if I could only remember where I put my list?
2.a. What’s your plan for “Living things have the ability to get and use energy”? To avoid becoming room-temperature, pay close attention to these basics: food and water. Plan now to secure the knowledge and skills for sustainable food and water – to be converted into energy for your body. We all need energy to push, pull, and move.
Also, since we don’t hibernate, alternative, sustainable methods of energy production keeps us in our happy place, warm and dry. Consider passive solar, geothermal, hydroelectricity, and wood heating. There’s more. Any suggestions?
3.a. Think movement when applying “Living things have the ability to respond to their environment.” Your IPP should include a plan for Getting Out Of Dodge if you sense or see that your present environment will soon be hosting a bunch of non-living things. Keeping a 72-hour emergency kit ready is for smart living things. Or, if you know your environment will be full of non-livers, avoid the rush, make the necessary sacrifices, and move already.
Physical movement takes energy (see 2.a.). Natural selection favors those living things that are able to move efficiently. Stop neglecting your fitness. Nuff said.
4.a. “Living things have the ability to remove waste” must be applied if you plan on being a living thing. Applied to your physical body, elimination is essential. For the purpose of your IPP, the same holds true. Apply the Sherpa Simple philosophy to your stuff. Cleaning out that colon you call a storage closet brightens your day and makes room for useful stuff. Today’s society of consumers collect shiny stuff that, unless eliminated, turns toxic. Eliminate and flush.
5.a. Applying “Living things grow” to your plan. Your paradigm of preparedness should grow exponentially. Your IPP should include specific skills that need to be developed for you to be a well-rounded living thing. This is not meant to be applied to your waist line. What you thought you knew was the best today, changes tomorrow. Stay informed on practical ways to grow physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Remember, to grow, we need energy.
6.a. Applying “Living things have the ability to reproduce and pass on genetic information to baby living things” to your IPP. Is your plan reproducible? Could your neighbor, neighborhood, or community reproduce what you, the individual living thing, are doing? The genetic information of preparedness and building resilience needs to spread to audiences outside the present prepper population. When each newbie living thing begins taking personal responsibility, the community and entire “ecosystem” becomes stronger.
7.a. How you apply “Living things adapt to their environment” is the cornerstone to all living Individual Preparedness Plans. When living things are involved, expect monkey wrenching. Mother Nature keeps a tool box full of monkeys and wrenches. Bouncing back is easier if you have flexibility and redundancy built into your systems. A rigid tree won’t last long in the coming storms.
The problem with life is it changes. Well, it’s not a problem, it’s just reality. As a matter of fact, change is what keeps us out of that state of atrophy. Avoid pain and increase pleasure by applying these middle school science lessons to your Individualized Preparedness Plan.
Change is inevitable. Survival is optional.
If you found this helpful, maybe you could help get the word out by sharing it with your social network, family, and friends. We certainly appreciate all the support we get from you!
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