Episode-97- TSP Rewind – Prepping from Starting Out to Advanced Tactics

The Survival Podcast Posted on by  
Episode-97- TSP Rewind – Prepping from Starting Out to Advanced Tactics Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today is an episode of TSP Rewind, commercial free versions of past podcast episodes.

Today’s episode was originally Episode-626- Prepping from Starting Out to Advanced Tactics and was originally published on March 17, 2011.  A lot has changed since this show originally aired and a lot has remained the same.  One thing is clear though my call at the time to not freak the hell out over the Fukushima incident was pretty damn accurate.

The following are the original show notes from that episode…

With the disaster in Japan I am getting a lot of emails from brand new people and long time listeners, the basic question is “what should we do”? Well this may be hard for you to believe given the non stop media coverage of the burning reactor but the answer is, unless you are in Japan you should probably not do anything. That said getting out of Japan unless you are part of the relief efforts probably isn’t a bad idea.

You certainly shouldn’t go spend 100 dollars for a bottle of potassium iodine on eBay because you will be able to get all you want for about 15 bucks a bottle in about a month, there is really nothing for you to do, perhaps other than make a contribution to the relief efforts in Japan.

What we all should be doing right now personally is using this current disaster as a gut check of sorts. Rather than worry about some fictitious cloud of death, that just isn’t going to happen you should be asking the following. What would it have meant to me had this disaster occurred in California or New York? What if it had just been a tsunami, just a nuclear accident or just an earth quake but had happened much closer to me, would I have been prepared enough to shelter in place or get out of dodge?

With that in mind I think it is time we take a show to go back and just talk about prepping in general, the tenets of preparedness and self evaluation of how we would handle a disaster that wasn’t thousands of miles away.

Join me today as we discuss…

  • Why now is not the time to panic but to plan
  • Why 30 days is the absolute minimum amount of food you should have on hand
  • Why having a means of water purification is more important than water storage
  • Why you need both lethal and non lethal methods of self defense
  • Getting started with personal energy independence
  • Understanding how most people are enslaved by the systems
  • Realizing the link between liberty and prepping

 

Additional Resources for Today’s Show

 

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK and you might hear yourself on the air.

Omeals Now Offers MSB Members 20% Off Everything

The Survival Podcast Posted on by  

About a month ago a representative from Omeals.com approached me about working something out for the MSB.  They offer a civilian version of the dreaded military MRE (meals ready to eat).  They promised me that what they had to offer was far better than anything I remembered from my military days.  I may not be from Missouri but I am the show me type of individual so I asked for some samples.

They sent me their top 5 sellers which are…

  • Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal – link
  • Turkey Chili – link
  • Southwest Chicken – link
  • Beef and Vegetable Stew – link
  • Pasta Fagioli (fagioli means beans) – link

 

Here were my impressions of each.  The oatmeal was good, well for oatmeal.  I am not big on oatmeal but it was decent and most importantly not mushy.  The steel cut oats actually stand up.  The turkey chili I really liked, my wife not as much but even though it is made with turkey it really reminded me of Wolf Brand Chili a staple in Texas by the way.  The Southwest Chicken was really good, especially the meat itself, tender, moist, well seasoned.  The beef stew was good, like a solid home canned beef stew.  Again good texture and flavor on the beef.

The last one the Pasta Fagioli I had my doubts about because it is vegetarian.  It has a soy protein crumble instead of ground beef.  I am in general not only not a fan of soy meat replacements, I hate them.  I have to say if I was not told it wasn’t beef, I would never have known.  Not only did I like this one the best, so did my grandson!  Check this one minute video on Instagram out.  Folks when you can get a picky kid to happily eat backpack and emergency food, you know they are doing something right.

So once I was sold I hit them up hard for a solid discount.  No 5 points here, how about a full 20% off on this great product.  These are flameless, self heating, home style meals with a 20% Discount on every purchase from www.omeals.com.   There are currently 11 flavors to choose with additional flavors coming soon!  The discount code is already in the benefits section of the MSB.

You want healthy, convenient, and simple meals to take with you on all of life’s adventures. Omeals are cost effective and made with lightweight materials so you can throw them in your gear and forget about them until you’re ready for a nutritious hot meal at the end of a tiring day. In under 4 minutes to heat ready to eat, no fire necessary, non-toxic self contained heating unit, with a 2 year shelf life.

Oh and if you have never used meals that heat like this before let me tell you, yes they get hot.  Steaming hot!  So hot you can boil an egg in one while you make your breakfast, check this video out for that.  These are simply a great product and at an average cost of 6-7 bucks a meal they are great value.  Add a 20% discount to that price and you really have something awesome here.

The best uses for Omeals to me are as follows…

  1.  Backpacking and camping
  2.  Bug Out Bags
  3.  General Emergency Meals
  4.  Back Yard Fun with the Kids

 

Don’t over look the last one!  One big concern every parent has is, will my kid eat this stuff.  My suggestion is try some varieties, have some fun in the back yard.  If you have kids get them on board and then stock up on the ones you all like best.  Use them when you camp, use them for emergencies.  The two year shelf life is likely dot gov protectionism.  I am sure they can last longer based on how they are packaged.  But the good news is since they taste great even if you don’t need to use them, you can rotate them by making an occasional work lunch out of them.  They are that good.  Again the discount code is already in the benefits section of the MSB.  I’d like to extend a big welcome to Omeals as a new MSB Vendor and member of the TSP community.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This new discount is just one more reason to consider joining the MSB today if you are not already a member.  MSB membership is only 50 dollars a year.  With great discounts like this new one MSB Membership doesn’t just pay for itself, it is a profitable annual investment.

In just the past 60 days we have added Omeals, Hemp Magik, Food Forest Farms Coffee and Fishnuer Fertilizer to the MSB.  These alone can easily save you more than an entire year of MSB and yet there are more than 60 other supporting partners that offer MSB discounts.  To see them all and sign up as a member, see this link.  To log into your existing account use this link.

Dr. Earth Premium Gold Organic Fertilizer – Item of the Day

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 2

Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is Dr. Earth Premium Gold Organic Fertilizer.  This is part of my 4 core item regime for producing healthy and heavy bearing plants.   I have written about this before but my four core items are, GS Plant Foods Liquid Kelp Fertilizer, Garrett Juice Plus, Endo Mycorrhizae Fungal Inoculation and of course Dr. Earth Premium Gold Organic Fertilizer.  You can find them all under the tag “fertility” in one place.

So given there are many fine quality organic solid fertilizers, why have I settled on Dr. Earth Premium Gold?  First is that it is a balanced fertilizer, with an NPK ratio of 4-4-4 and what that means is that you are always giving your plants a good boost of all three primary nutrients.

Next is the make up, here are the ingredients: Fish meal, fish bone meal, mined potassium sulfate, soft rock phosphate, kelp meal, seaweed extract, and earthworm castings. Also contains humic acid (5%), aloe vera (2%), and yucca extract (1%), and prebiotic microbial food – soluble sugars (7%). In other words it doesn’t rely on any single source and hence you get a much more balanced source of nutrients for plants.   Also note the humic acid included here, this goes beyond just fertilizer, it helps build soil and make all nutrients easier for the plants to absorb.

Of course you know that I am big on building soil as well, which is one reason I recommend a fungal inoculation in addition to fertilizers and foliar sprays.  Well Dr. Earth Fertilizer builds upon that, because it contains seven strains of beneficial soil microbes plus ecto and endo mycorrhizae to build up even more soil biology.

To really dive home how well this combination works take a look at one of my wicking beds.  These beds were planted with small plants about 5 weeks ago.  On planting the roots were dusted with fungal inoculation, I put a small pinch of Dr. Earth Premium Gold Organic Fertilizer into the hole with them and they have been twice sprayed with a mix of Garrett Juice and Liquid Kelp.  I think you will agree the vigor, growth and health are all very evident.

Click for Full Sized Image

So give Dr. Earth Premium Gold Organic Fertilizer a shot on your garden today.  You can get a 4lb bag for only 12.00.  And two bags will serve most vegetable gardeners well over a season, possibly two. Again I just drop a small amount into the hole when I plant and about once a season I pull back mulch, add a pinch around my plants and water it in after replacing the mulch.

If you want to load up though they now have 25 pound bags on Amazon as well.

When I establish a new bed I also scatter a small amount across the entire surface before adding the mulch layer.  If you want to really push things into super high biological activity, sprinkle a small amount of dry molasses on the soil at that time as well.   Due to shipping costs I recommend  you source dry molasses locally, most garden and landscape shops will have it.

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

 

Episode-2405- Bryan and Laura Emerson on Life in a Fly In Only Location

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 3
Episode-2405- Bryan and Laura Emerson on Life in a Fly In Only Location Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Bryan and Laura Emerson moved from a high-rise in Houston, TX to a two room log cabin – with an outhouse – in Bush Alaska, a 20 minute flight from the nearest road. They have lived there full time for six years and part time for a prior five. They enjoy a kayaking happy hour in the summer and wood fired hot tub at 10 below.

They join us today to talk about the reality of living in a totally remote environment.  The challenges with getting supplies, transportation where there are no roads, staying prepared when there is no other real alternative and more.

Resources for today’s show…

 

Sponsors of the Day

 

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK (866-658-4465) and you might hear yourself on the air.

Join the MSB Today

Join the MSB Today

Want Every Episode of TSP Ever Produced?

Remember in addition to discounts to over 40 vendors who supply stuff you are likely buying anyway, tons of free ebooks and video content, MSB Members also get every edition of The Survival Podcast ever produced in convenient zip files in blocks of 24. More info on the MSB can be found here.

Catahoula Manufacturing Tarred Bank – Item of the Day

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 3

cmitwineEvery day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Amazon Item of the day is one of my go to essentials for BOBs, Vehicle Kits and around the homestead, and frankly everywhere.  It is Catahoula Manufacturing #36 Tarred Bank Line.  Let me say that any size bank line by Catahoula Manufacturing Incorporated (aka CMI) is fine, if you want heavier or lighter stuff there are many options, check here.

I personally recommend that you get at least one 550 foot roll of #36 because it is such a good bang for the buck.  At 30 dollars with free shipping it isn’t just a monetary value either.  As a pack item you are talking about a spool that weighs only a pound and yet gives you 550 of 320 pound tensile strength line.  Tarred line is the best go to as a twine and binder for everything from “red neck repairs” to setting traps, building survival structures or fishing with limb lining or trot lines.

The key here is ONLY BUY Catahoula Manufacturing Line.  Most bank line is in a word, shit, it isn’t tarred line just because the label says so.  CMI is the only manufacturer I trust when buying this stuff online when I can’t inspect it by hand prior to purchase.

Look I know it sounds obvious but the entire point of tarred line, is that it is well, tarred.  Let me explain a bit further.  Tarred doesn’t mean it is black, or it has some trace bit of a tar like substance on it.  No it is supposed to mean that the twine is fully impregnated with tar.  It should be sticky, you should smell tar when you open it, get it tarred.

You know how they say you can’t push a string?  Well if it is a tarred string you should easily be able to push a foot or so of it.  Again, get it, tarred!

The point is that this twine doesn’t unravel and it holds both in knots and in wraps, the tar is what makes that happen.  That way the part you red neck reparied stays put till you fix it right, or you lean to doesn’t fall on your head, or that big catfish doesn’t yank it off the sapling you used for a limb line set.

Most so called bank line or tarred line has little if any tar on it.  CMI, is the real deal.  So consider adding some Catahoula Manufacturing #36 Tarred Bank Line or other sizes of it to your preps.  Again it is something I consider an absolute essential.

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

P.S. – Yes the prepper/survivalist/bushcraft world is enamored with parachute cord.  Yes I do think it has its uses, but it can’t come close to the versatility, usability and bang for the buck good tarred line gives you.

 

 

Episode-2404- Container Gardens for Food Production

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 3
Episode-2404- Container Gardens for Food Production Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today we take a  look at a subject we really haven’t gone into for a long time, container gardening. I know many listeners have very small yards or no yards and are regulated to growing things on a balcony. Containers though to me are for everyone, they short cut soil prep time, offer many advantages and can be used in a variety of ways that improve your production regardless of your land or lack thereof.

Get ready and strap in, I am on fire today with information and resources, this is one of those shows that will overload and work your brain.

Join me today as we discuss…

  • Why containers are for all gardeners
    • Grow crops outside of your geographic zone
    • Use your land for plants that really need the space
    • Allows you to grow food anywhere you can find sun
    • Opens up new spacing opportunities
    • Turn some “annuals” into “perennials”
  • Advantages of Container Gardens
    • Very few weeds
    • Easy and fast to build fertility
    • Easy to work, harvest, etc.
    • Easy to extend seasons with
    • Easy to teach others how to do
    • Fits perfectly into zone one design
    • Lots of cheap and free container options
    • Protected to a degree from your lifestock
  • Crops that are ideal for containers
    • Greens of all kinds but here are some people over look
      • Swiss Chard
      • Celery Heart Regrow
      • Amaranth
      • Orach
      • Cress
      • Argula
    • Tomatoes
    • Peppers
    • Patio Blueberries
    • Carrots
    • Daikon
    • Herbs – Basil – Oregano – Parsley – Sage – Rosemary – Chives – Dill
    • Green/Bunching Onions
    • Beans
    • Peas
    • Nasturtiums and other flowers
    • Sweet potato (dual crop)
  • Self Watering Containers – AKA Wicking Beds
    • Perfect for water conservation
    • Actually a lite form of hydroponics/aquaponics
    • Easy to fertilize
    • Allow you to go a week or longer with out gardening
  • Getting really creative
    • No limit to container size
    • Companion planting and succession planting
    • Getting permission to use the space of others
    • Get started anytime of year
    • Growing from seed, why not?
    • Using vertical spaces to increase growing area
    • Expand as you so desire

 

Resources for today’s show…

 

Sponsors of the Day

 

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK (866-658-4465) and you might hear yourself on the air.

Join the MSB Today

Join the MSB Today

Want Every Episode of TSP Ever Produced?

Remember in addition to discounts to over 40 vendors who supply stuff you are likely buying anyway, tons of free ebooks and video content, MSB Members also get every edition of The Survival Podcast ever produced in convenient zip files in blocks of 24. More info on the MSB can be found here.

NEBO Big Larry 400 Lumen Magnetic Work-Light – Item of the Day

The Survival Podcast Posted on by  

Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Item of the day is NEBO Big Larry 400 Lumen Magnetic Work-Light.  I really love this light, it provides a wide swath of very bight light.  The magnetic base is strong and it just works and works great.

I have previously reviewed the “Little Larry” which is a great light in an of itself.  So this got me thinking about other NEBO lights and I decided to check out the Big Larry.  This light is bright, 400 lumens bright, the video below can show you just how bright that really is.

While some of my tactical lights certainly throw light further in a beam, this is more like a flood style of light.  It is outstanding as a work light and that is its main purpose.  It was also designed as a mechanics inspection light.  It excels for that as well.  Anyone that has ever tried to fix or check something mechanical on a vehicle knows what a pain in the ass most lights are.  The center is blindly bright, then the light fades as it goes out.   Most men my age remember being boys holding a light for a dad or an uncle and being told we were doing it wrong. It wasn’t our fault guys, it was a crappy light for the purpose.

The Big Larry fixes that!  It is like turning on a very bright room light.  Another thing I have been using it for is my night time trips to put the ducks to bed.  Unlike a solid beam it lights the entire path ahead of me.  I have been thinking as I have been testing it this way what a great light it is for camping, etc.  You know when you are the only fricken person with a light and a group of people is walking in the dark.

You go in front and the people following you can’t really see, you go behind them and they block the fricken beam.  We have all been there.  Not with this thing, it creates damn near day light for about 20 yards on a dark night with about a 30 degree spread on the vertical of the light.  Hold it above your head and you can easily lead a group with people both behind and in front of you.  That alone makes this a hell of a prepper item.  In addition to my tac light and my C-Cell Mag Light one of these is going in my BOB.

Personally I think if you give the NEBO Big Larry 400 Lumen Magnetic Work-Light you will really like it and for under 20 bucks it is a hell of a great deal.  I am so impressed with NEBO I am going to be reviewing more of their lights, you can see everything they make here.  In fact I plan on reaching out to NEBO about working together in some way, I am that impressed with them so far.

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

Video of this Light in Action

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Video of the Little Larry I Previously Reviewed in the Same Location

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Episode-2403- Listener Feedback for 3-18-19

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 3
Episode-2403- Listener Feedback for 3-18-19 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Today on The Survival Podcast I take your questions on taxes, the election, ducks, technology, guns, higher education, online media, fnords and more.

Make sure if you submit content for a feedback show that you put something like “comment for jack”, “question for jack” or “article for jack” in the subject line to assure proper identification for my screening process.

Please understand I receive several hundred emails a day and can’t get them all on the air.

I also do put out a lot of information on Facebook from emails that I can’t fit on the program though so keep em coming.

Join Me Today As I Respond to Your Calls and Discuss…

  • Why not paying your taxes is stupid and will result in misery
  • Why I am not yet paying even remote attention to assclown circus 2020
  • Another step forward in driverless vehicles
  • Homesteading with ducks and making baby ducks
  • The truth about the “Sandy Hook Lawsuit”
  • Now even a Harvard professor agrees with my prediction on higher education
  • Tim Ferris talks about the self policing monkeys whether he knows it or not
  • The real lesson in the recent facebook and instagram outage
  • Why I say the Government is lying about a mumps infection on a US Warship
  • It is becoming apparent that the “Green New Deal” is a perfect example of a Trump like extreme position

 

Resources for today’s show…

 

Sponsors of the Day

 

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon. Also please enter our listener appreciation contest and help spread the word about our show. Also remember you can call in your questions and comments to 866-65-THINK (866-658-4465) and you might hear yourself on the air.

Join the MSB Today

Join the MSB Today

Want Every Episode of TSP Ever Produced?

Remember in addition to discounts to over 40 vendors who supply stuff you are likely buying anyway, tons of free ebooks and video content, MSB Members also get every edition of The Survival Podcast ever produced in convenient zip files in blocks of 24. More info on the MSB can be found here.

“Sand Salt Surf and Sun” – Wicking Fishing Shirts – Item of the Day

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 1

Every day I bring you an item on Amazon that I personally use or has been purchased by many members of the audience and I have researched enough to recommend.

Today’s TSP Item of the day is “Sand Salt Surf and Sun” – Wicking Fishing Shirts.  Now “Sand Salt Surf and Sun” is a brand of design put out by a company called Vapor Apparel.  I happen to like my shirts with something interesting on them, but you can also get these shirts in long and short sleeve in a generic version (plain no design) for on average 10-12 bucks less per shirt if you are so inclined.  Links to all the options are at the end of this review.

Note that the “Sand Salt Surf and Sun” branded stuff and the stuff with no design are the exact same shirts, from the exact same company.  Just one has some sort of art work on it and the other is plain.

There is a lot I like about these shirts, lets start with UPF 50 as a sun protection rating.  UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) is a new standard measure for how well fabrics protect your skin from the sun.  A rating of 50 means only 1/50th of the suns UV radiation will pass though the fabric.  More importantly this is for both UVA and UVB solar radiation.  Most sun screen does a really good job on UVB radiation but is pretty poor at the UVA radiation.

Next is the wicking technology.  To put it bluntly being covered in sweat sucks and the only thing worse is a soaked in sweat shirt that just won’t dry.  It feels like wearing a fricken giant body diaper!  Nasty.  These shirts wick the sweat off you and dry quickly, they turn your sweat into fricken air conditioning.

I wear them all the time now when working in the heat and when fishing in hot weather as well.  I really enjoyed them while wade fishing in the surf recently on Sanibel Island.  Talk about wearing an air conditioner.  When I would get too hot I would just kneel down and soak the entire shirt up to my shoulders (holding the reel above the water of course).  As soon as you stood up  you could feel your core temp drop as the moisture began wicking away and evaporating.

This isn’t really how an air conditioner works, it is more like how an evaporative cooler works, it is actually exactly how they work.  These shirts are great of course for swimming too.  And unlike sunscreen they don’t wash off and don’t expose your skin to chemicals.

As to price that varies based on color, size, designs etc but basically the branded design stuff ranges from about 26-35 dollars a shirt on average.  And the more generic non design plain shirts range from 16 to 19 dollars.

Remember you can always find all of our reviews at TspAz.com

P.S. – I really like the short sleeved shirts for wearing around the house, out in the yard and even out to dinner.  They look great and are very comfortable.  But when it comes to a day in a boat or at the shore, I vastly prefer the long sleeved ones.

Few reasons.  First it covers your arms from the sun and protects them.  Next especially when fishing and getting wet it increases the cooling power of the evaporative fabric.  Lastly, I can easily push long sleeves up if I want that look or feel, but I can’t stretch short sleeves down if my arms are getting too hot or burned.

P.S.S. – There is a lot of talk that “sun screen causes cancer” and such on the web today.  While there is a vein of truth to it, it isn’t that simple and most of what is online about it is total bullshit.  The best info on the subject and the info I personally trust is from Dr. Mercola.

 

Hemp Magik Joins the MSB with a Massive 20% Discount on CBD Products

The Survival Podcast Posted on by 4

In episode 2390 I had Blair Wirkkala on to discuss CBD Oils.  Blair among other things is an advisor on the Hemp Magik Board of Advisors.  So I reached out to her to get your guys a discount on their products.  I am currently using their Rest Plus formula with great results.  I have also started using their pets formula on my dog Max.

Any of you that know how much I love and care for my dogs know, how much I must trust any company I trust with my dogs.  It seems to be helping Max and I absolutely can say it has helped me, especially on really hard work days or really high stress days.

Hemp Magik brings the healing power of HEMP to you! Sourced from raw organic hemp, their products contain extracts from the whole plant–over 100 cannabinoids (including CBD) as well as terpenes–which work synergistically to produce an ‘entourage effect’. Produced under cGMP compliance they specialize in high potency, full spectrum CBD hemp sublingual oils, topicals, and pet formulas.

Again you can check out my personal experience in episode 2390 with Rest Plus.  MSB members now get 20% off your order with the code that is already added to the benefits section of the MSB.  For those that use high quality CBD this discount alone could pay for your MSB membership several times over per year.