The NYC Survivalist Holiday Gift Guide

     With the holiday season upon us, I wanted to give you some gift suggestions for friends and family that I have found I prefer to give.  This guide is for all people no matter what religion you are, and is geared towards the spirit of giving that we sometimes forget in this consumer driven country we live in.  It is also meant for any budget no matter how large or small.

     My first suggestion is something I personally have given as a ‘gift’ to my family members for a few years now; a donation in their name.  Why I do this stems from my beliefs in minimalism, and from traveling to other parts of the world allowing me to witness just how fortunate I really have been.  Since I grew up a white, middle-class American man, I really never knew, and may not ever know, real poverty.  What I consider “real poverty”, is when something as basic as fresh drinking water and food are precious commodities to you.  

     For years I fought the system, telling friends and family members to forgo gift giving to me, as I would to them.  I felt that I did not want to buy a stupid _____ (insert pointless gift here), just to receive something of equal value and of no use.  Or the ridiculous gift cards that people so often give these days.  At some point you realize that you gave a $25 gift certificate to store “X”, just to be gifted a $25 gift card to store “Y”!  I got disappointed, and disillusioned around the holiday season because it started to occur to me that we really lost the spirit of giving, and found the spirit of shopping instead.  Beyond that, I noticed that there was nothing I, nor my family members really “needed” as we have all grown up at a time of amazing wealth in this country.  So there was my dilemma; what can you buy a person that has virtually everything?

     Becoming a survivalist, and self-reliant over the last few years helped me to have the confidence to realize that I don’t have to conform to what other people are doing, or what people deem ‘acceptable’ and ‘expected’ in this society.  This confidence led me to a revelation; to give money to a trusted charity in the name of the gift recipient so I would not have the guilt the holiday season made me feel.  I know it seems pretty obvious, but truthfully I had not thought of it before.  You can give as much as you would spend on that person, and it will make a world of difference to the people receiving the gift.  Just think, instead of buying your co-worker “Bob” a new tie that he probably won’t wear, you can give a village part of the funds to help build a water pump that serves all the people.  If that is not the spirit of giving, then I don’t know what is!  I usually buy a big box of cheap holiday cards and write my holiday greeting along with a note that this year they gave the gift of water (or whatever I decide for that person) to someone who needed it.  A great site for a bunch of worthwhile charities is GlobalGiving.  I’m fond of giving donations to charities that give solar ovens this year.  Solar ovens are a simple, yet very functional way to cook without fuel.  It is also an excellent, environmentally sound way for third world countries to make water potable.  I will do an article on them soon, and suggest them in the NYC Survivalist long-term apartment preps (also coming soon.)

     If you want to give a more ‘personalized’ gift to close friends and families, then start them off on the path of survivalism without them even realizing it!  The way to do this would be to buy some of the bare minimum items that every household shouldn’t be without.  Things like a hand-crank radio and hand-crank flashlights make great gifts to the unprepared, and can possibly be very useful to them someday.  You could also send them a case of #10 cans with different freeze dried foods from a company like Shelf-Reliance or from my sponsor The Freeze Dry Guy to help get their food storage started.

     If you have a brother, or someone whom you consider a brother, I feel one of the most honorable gifts you can give that person is a good knife.  A knife signifies respect in many cultures for good reason.  Here is a site that has some great handcrafted knives.  I prefer to give a knife that can be used in the field, is practical, and does not cost an arm and a leg.  Here is a link to my post on what I suggest and use.  I also own a Ka-Bar utility knife that I mention I carry with my B.O.B.  Ka-Bar's make great gifts, and I will be doing a post on that knife soon.

     For children, I suggest giving them what The Survival Podcast host Jack Spirco recommends; precious metal coins.  This is a great way to get children to understand the value of an object, and can also start a realistic savings program for their future.  My Grandfather used to often gift me minted coins, as his generation saw the long-term value of metals and coins.  We can see a revival of that with the present "gold boom".  Here is a link to a great site for precious metals.

     
     Because NYC is a “Holiday Mecca”, it’s easy to get lost in the sales and deals of the stores we pass on a daily basis.  Try and remind yourself that you really don’t need anything beyond you and your family’s health and happiness.  Appreciate all you have, and all you have had in the past.  This holiday season skip the updated laptop, or 'newer' shoes and give to someone much less fortunate.  Being a survivalist goes beyond just helping you and your family live, prepare, and survive.  A true survivalist wants humanity to live on, prepare for the future, and survive, so we can grow. 

Some additions to previous posts

     I recently starting adding the occasional picture to posts as well as a few archived posts per suggestion of a handful of readers to give the blog more appeal.  I would also like to mention that I continually revise and edit some of my former posts like my EDC necklace post here.  This blog is continually growing and evolving with the more knowledge I gain and is attempting to become an invaluable 'free' resource for those New Yorker's that have awakened to the world of self-reliance as I have.

Bare Minimum: Manual Can-Opener

     This is just a quick "Bare Minimum" post to remind you of something fundamentally essential for every household; a manual can-opener.  Most people will have one or more of these around the house, though I know some people that don't.  If you use an electric can-opener for convince that's fine, just make sure you have a cheap, back-up 'manual' one to use in case you lose power.  You could open a can with-out one, but it is dangerous and you risk injury.  Any injury in times of a disaster, even a scratch, can be life threatening.  If you don't own one or don't know where you placed it, do yourself a favor and get one as soon as possible.

The little one below can be placed on a necklace or on your EDC key-chain so you can have one on you at all times if you prefer.

Quick Pick: Wool Pants

     Since the temperature gauge has been dropping significantly around these parts as we approach winter, I am going to suggest something to you today that might make your morning commute a bit easier to deal with; wool pants.  Wool pants are standard military issue to troops in many of the colder countries of the world for good reason.  Places like Sweden and Switzerland commonly see temperatures far below the freezing point, and can make even our coldest days in the city seem mild.

     Wool makes an excellent mid-layer for use in the three-layer system as it is one of the best insulating materials available.  It is also wonderful at allowing the body’s natural moisture (sweat) to escape, helping you stay dry and much warmer.  You can combine a good polyester base layer with your wool mid-layer to help the wool 'wick' your bodies sweat even more efficiently.

     Because the three-layer system is not always convenient for our city lifestyle, you can invest in either wool dress slacks or even a wool suit.  These items could be useful for some of the colder days in the winter and can even be proper dress attire for your job.  If there's snow in the forecast, a nylon or Gore-Tex outer shell would leave you feeling warm, and dry no matter what conditions were thrown at you.

     If you are a backpacker or hiker, and don’t mind going into the bush during the colder winter months, like myself, then I would suggest a good pair of military surplus wool pants.  These can be a bit difficult to find, but a search like this one can get you going in the right direction.  A pair like these Swedish wool pants is ideal for outdoor use.  I personally find that I prefer to wear a pair of comfy wool pants while lounging around the apartment and for running local errands in the winter as they’re durable and warm.

     
     I really am a big proponent of wool products as they are, and have been, one of the best fabrics available to us for generations.  Do yourself a favor this winter and get a few articles of clothing that are made of wool as it's cheap, and very functional.  The littlest bit of effort, and proper planning can keep you much warmer and comfortable this winter.  

     The first pair of pants below is from Cabela's, look up their website here, as they have great deals on products like these pants.  I'm putting the suit link from Amazon below as a frame of reference.  If you are to buy a wool suit, I would suggest going to one of the cities many department stores like Syms to get a better deal, and a more tailored look.   

Guide for Beginning Preppers

     I recently was informed by a close friend that he wanted to start taking survivalism/prepping more seriously and needed some help with the basics.  The subsequent e-mail I sent him, outlining the fundamentals to help him in his first steps of prepping became a “Guide for Beginning Preppers”.  This guide reaches beyond the scope of New York, and could easily be applied to any household in The U.S.:

     Glad to see you are awakening to the world of self-reliance!  The following is the basics that I believe every household should have to prepare them for a short to mid-term disaster;

• Water – A few gallons at first will do.  You can fill up a 5-gallon Gerry Can or two and keep them in the closet.  Or you can stock five or more gallon jugs (depending on how big your family is) as well.  Water is life as you can only live about three days without it, so don’t skimp.  You can set up a rain catch if you run out.
• Food – Set up a Q over at Shelf Reliance as soon as possible and start having food delivered in #10 cans right away.  You can set up the Q to spend any amount, but I suggest $50 to $100 a month depending on your budget.  The next step will be to go out and buy about ten to twenty cans (once again depends on your family size) of food to keep in your pantry.  Make sure the food is edible out of the can (can safely be eaten cold) and don’t worry about the food being organic or not.  Buy the cheap ‘on sale’ stuff.  Also make sure you have a manual can opener so you can open your cans.  You can start buying ‘bulk’ items like dried whole grain rice and beans as well, as these items will last many years if stored properly.
• Emergency gear - By that I mean a portable hand-crank radio so you can stay "in the know".  Also a hand-crank flash light so you can find things in case the electric grid goes down.  You should keep a few candles in case the flashlight does not work, or if you don't feel like cranking it all the time.  Keeping a few spare lithium batteries and a good medical kit on hand couldn't hurt either. 
  
• Security – The next thing you’ll need is security, because without that, all your preps can become someone else’s instantly.  It’s up to you what you decide to use for home and personal security.  I suggest acquiring your handgun license and buying a handgun so that you can practice with it and store it in your apartment.  Here is the gun license permit page for NYC.  Here is a link to a company that helps you deal with the red tape if you want to spend the extra money.  If you opt not to own a gun, then look into things like pepper spray (link to my post about legal pepper spray in NYC.)
• Cash – Make sure to have an adequate amount of cash on hand in case you can’t pull money from your bank account.  You can keep anywhere from $500 - $3000 depending on your financial situation.  While I’m on the subject of cash, do your best to get out of debt while building your prepping supplies.  It’s a tall order I know, but debt is a cancer that will grow and consume you.  Try your best to limit your expenses, spending only on things you need, and sell the things you don’t.  Also stay away from credit cards at all costs, they are a trap.
• Trade items – I call these trade items, but they could also be considered investments.  The old adage; “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” really applies here.  Start investing small amounts of money into things you can see being trade items if the economy collapsed and paper money was worthless.  A few things that would be worth trade to people would be; 

1. Precious metal jewelry 
2. Precious metal coins and bars like gold and silver (Gold is very over priced right now and you might be better off with silver, it’s best to own a few coins and bars of each though.  Here is a link to a great site that offers both.) 
3. Bullets (Even if you choose not to own a gun, or are in the process of getting one, getting a few boxes of common ammo like .22 and 9mm will trade easily.  Here is a bulk ammo website.)
4. Boxes of cigarettes (People who do smoke will kill for cigarettes if they can’t get them.)
5. Extra cheap knives
6. Razor cartridges for common razors
7. Multi-vitamins (What makes these nice is that they are small, and you can use them as well.) 

     There are limitless possibilities here.  Items like these can have a much better value in the long run then something like a mutual fund or bond.
       
     There you have it, some basic preps to help you and your family become more self-reliant.  If you want to go beyond these basic preps, you can start looking into building a proper EDC system, and a B.O.B.  You can also start looking into buying some rural land if you have reached a level of prep you are comfortable with, and are looking for a 'next step'.  If you are interested in further information start reading over past posts in my blog, and start looking over some of the blogs I suggest in the side bar.  The information is at your finger tips with many books on the subject and the internet.  It just takes a willing mind and some dedication.  Good Luck!!

Loss of Electric! Keeping Warm Indoors

     There you are lying in bed in your warm apartment reading a good survival book.  You put the kids to sleep a few hours ago and your wife is sleeping soundly besides you.  You’re all tired because you spent the day making sure your apartment preps were in order due to a big, “storm of the century” snow storm on the way to the city.  You know that media has been wrong many (many) times before about storm intensity on The East Coast, but you figured it never hurts to go over your supplies.  As a prepper you believe in always being prepared.  You are also aware that when the city does get hit by a major snow storm, it cripples us (mainly due to our lack of preparation and knowledge of how to handle big snow.)  Though you love your book and could read one more chapter, you decide to turn off the lamp and retire for the night.  As your about to close your eyes, you decide to get up and take a brief glance out your window.  You see maybe six inches of snow accumulation on the ground already, maybe this time they could be right?

     You awake early to notice that your head and face are strangely cold.  In fact it’s so cold in your bedroom, that you can see a hint of your breath when you breathe.  You look over at your digital clock, it's dead.  You try your lamp, same deal.  Electric is out.  "No problem" you think to your self, "I have a hand-crank portable radio so I can check the news to see what the deal is, and when the electric is expected to come back on."  You turn on the radio to get the news and happen to look outside just as the radio announcer states;  “storm of the century hits the East Coast…  Twenty feet…  Electric grid down from New York to Chicago!”

     This little piece is intended to paint a very plausible picture of what happens to us in the city when we are faced with a mini-disaster.  Now most people who are prepared should be able to get through this type of disaster with little change to their lives.  They may in fact enjoy the snow, and make the best of the situation by learning how effective their preps were for the few days they lost power.  By taking stock of what worked, what didn’t, and what they lacked most, if anything, they could help bolster confidence in their preparation for future events.  I mentioned this story to help you get a glimpse of all that is possible in our day-to-day lives in New York.  The story is also meant to get you to start thinking about how sufficient your families preps are, and if you could handle something as simple as being without electric for a few days in the winter.  Imagine the disaster laid out above and play it over in your mind’s eye.  Would you have enough water, food, and supplies for your family to live comfortably in your apartment for a few days without electric?  How would you handle you and your family’s safety if your apartment’s temperature dropped into the low 40’s?

     I mentioned this topic briefly in yesterdays post about portable stoves, and it’s something that needs to be addressed with winter quickly approaching.  My main problem with using your stove or even a propane heater to heat your apartment is that they are extremely dangerous if left on for long periods of time due to carbon monoxide poisoning.  Carbon monoxide is very dangerous.  It’s invisible, does not smell, and you won’t know what hit you until your dead.  Another problem with portable fuel heaters is the risk of fire.  The fire department will have enough problems with the grid being down, and starting a fire could have very deadly consequences.

     There are a few safe ways of keeping you and your family much warmer if stuck with no heat, all of which just require some proper prep, and knowledge (of course.)  The first line of defense against the cold will be the proper use of clothing.  I go over a wonderful three-layer system in this post.  After getting an understanding of the proper use of layers, the only other thing about clothing I would like to add is to make sure everyone in the family has a comfortable wool hat, and wears it at all times while in the cold apartment.

     The next step will be to either locate the smallest room in your apartment, besides the bathroom, or set up a tent where you can fit it.  This location will be where you will sleep.  By shrinking the space you and your family sleep in, you’re conserving the heat from your bodies.  I prefer the tent method as it’s easy to place in the living room with some sleeping pads/bags and is very efficient.  If you have kids, I suggest making it into a fun indoor camping trip hot chocolate and all.  The less you stress about disasters, the less they will.  If you don’t have a tent, place blankets in the doorways of the room to help keep the heat confined to that room.  You could also build a “fort” like you did as a child with pillows and sofa cushions.  You should place a bunch of beds on the floor as well, so you’re not directly on the floor.

     The next step will be to cover your windows with clear plastic and duck tape.  Make sure to use clear plastic, and if it is a window that gets lots of natural sunlight don’t block too much of the sun’s rays.  You could also use mylar space blankets, but I would only suggest those if the window gets no sun.  Also place a towel at the bottom of your front door if there is a draft.

     The last and probably most effective way of staying warm is to sleep next to each other.  Your body’s natural heat will fill up your small sleeping space quickly.  If you have animals, invite them into your tent or fort as well.  You should also be sure that everyone ups their calorie intake as that helps heat up the body’s ‘internal furnace’.  Drinking hot liquids also heats the body core up, and boosts morale.  Try and have some hot coco or caffeine free teas on hand to drink before going to bed.  You can heat the water up with your portable stove.  Just do me and your neighbors a favor; don’t leave it on to heat your apartment up.

     A few preps can really make a difference in how you handle disasters large or small in The Apple.  If something like this does occur in the future you will be able to take it in stride.  Who knows, you may even get time to get in some sleigh riding in Central Park while everyone else is digging out.