Category Archives: Videos

Emergency Seed Banks and Open Pollinated vs Hybrid vs GMO

In this video I don’t just review the emergency seed bank from Directive21.com I dispel many myths about GMOs vs. Hybrid Variety seeds.  Emergency seed vaults are in my view an outstanding addition to your long term preps but the hype in the emergency seed industry is really misleading.  Tune into this video for hard and somewhat harsh facts about emergency seed products and the real reasons to invest in them vs. the fear based marketing of many other manufactures.

Having seeds is a vital part of preparation and survival. One really great seed bank is the seed bank that comes with 37,000 seeds or 1.4 Lbs of Non-Hybrid seeds, sealed in an airtight military grade Seed Vault from Directive21.com  You can find this seed bank at www.directive21.com/emergencyseedbank.html

The Seed Bank Contains

  • Beans, Kentucky Wonder brown Pole – 580 seeds
  • Beets, Detroit Dark Red – 1350 Seeds
  • Broccoli, Waltham 29 -­ 950 Seeds
  • Cabbage, Golden Acre – 3100 Seeds
  • Cantaloupe, Hale’s Best – 250 Seeds
  • Carrot, Scarlet Nantes – 10330 Seeds
  • Corn, Golden Bantam – 675 Seeds
  • Cucumber, Straight 8 – 460 Seeds
  • Onion, Utah Sweet Spanish – 4200 Seeds
  • Pea, Lincoln – 640 Seeds
  • Pepper, Yolo Wonder – 1250 Seeds
  • Spinach, Bloomsdale Longstanding – 800 Seeds
  • Squash Zucchini, Black Beauty – 130 seeds
  • Swiss Chard, Lucullus – 870 Seeds
  • Tomato, Rutgers – 1750 Seeds
  • Parsnip, Harris Model – 1250 Seeds
  • Winter Squash, Waltham Butternut – 260 Seeds
  • Winter Squash, Pink Banana Jumbo – 45 Seeds
  • Radish, Champion – 1420 Seeds
  • Lettuce Leaf, Black Seeded Simpson – 3000 Seeds
  • Lettuce Romaine, Paris Island – 3000 Seeds
  • Pepper, Jalapeno – 1500 Seeds
  • Watermelon, Crimson Sweet Jumbo – 185 Seeds
  • (Seed counts are approximate based on weight)

Monetary Myths and the Debt Ceiling

Right now the congress is supposedly “debating raising the debt ceiling”. This video explains…

  • Why the debate isn’t a debate and nothing but political theater
  • Why they will and must raise the ceiling under the current system
  • Why we can never pay off the national debt with the current system
  • Why those calling to not raise the ceiling probably don’t know what they are asking for

Of course I am for elimination of the national debt but capping the debt in a system where money is debt just simply isn’t possible.

Resources mentioned in this video

http://www.trtam.com/

http://www.trtam.com/the-book

http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com

http://www.chrismartenson.com/crashco…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l37Rhd…

The Gerber EAB – A Perfect Tool for Your EDC

Most of the listeners will know that EDC, stands for “everyday carry”.  This is the stuff you carry with you all the time, perhaps a knife, some cordage, a means of defense or may be even a micro survival kit.  It isn’t your Bug Out Bag or your Go Bag or anything you don’t have directly on your person at all times when out and about hence the EVERY in EVERYday.  I think the Gerber EAB belongs  in your EDC and when you see the video below I think you will understand why.

If you are going to make an item part of your EDC to me it must meet certain criteria, not necessarily all of these but a few of them…

  • Something you will use often or rely upon in certain situations when nothing else will do
  • Provide some sort of every day function, (like a cordage bracelet)
  • It must small and lightweight (comparatively speaking of course a gun is bigger then a pen light)
  • It must be convenient to carry so that you will actually carry it EVERYday
  • Provide for multiple functions or provide a way to preserve other EDC items from excessive use
  • Afford the ability to create things that you can’t carry
  • It must be concealable or blend it so as not to arouse the interest of others

Like I said you don’t have to have all of the above but I won’t make something part of my EDC unless it fills a few of the roles listed above.  Well I just found the Gerber EAB Folding Razor Knife (EAB means exchange a blade).  You can find these on Amazon for between 9-12 bucks via this link.  I will leave it to you as to which of the above roles this nifty little tool will fill for your needs but suffice to say I think it can do a lot for most of us.

Additionaly I just want to be clear, I am not saying to carry this as your primary knife but as one of your knives.  There are many things you may need a knife for that the Gerber EAB will not do well and there are some things it will do better then a full sized knife.  To me the chief advantage is that I can replace very cheap blades as I need to and I save my primary knife blade for the critical tasks that I need it for.  The EAB may also be one of the very best small game skinning tools I have ever found.

Lastly hey folks it is Christmas time, what a great and inexpensive little gift or stocking stuffer.  Again you can find them on Amazon.com for about 9-11 dollars.

Review of the Cold Steel Spartan Knife

I have carried the Cold Steel Spartan on and off for about 6 months now as part of EDC.  It is a good knife and well built but not with out its flaws.  Honestly I don’t really like it as an EDC tool but must admit it is a formidable self defense tool.

The Good

  • Very solidly built
  • The lock has amazing strength and zero play
  • Good self defense tool
  • Excellent feel in the hand
  • Can be used as an impact weapon for non lethal use
  • Opens extremely fast once you get familiar with it
  • Despite being large carries very nicely due to the high clip placement

The Bad

  • Not practical for EDC, draws to much attention when in use
  • Curved blade is not practical for any type of intricate use
  • The over-sized handle is not practical for a lot of tasks
  • Might be seen as a “weapon” by under informed LEOs
  • Doesn’t open easily with one had, need to flick or pocket draw

This knife is a very good tool as a defensive weapon over all but not very practical for much else.  They are available on Amazon.com for about 55 dollars.  My recommendation only buy this knife as self defense tool or to add to your collection if you simply collect knifes of all types.  It is a purpose built tool in my view and not the best thing for EDC.

The Survival Podcast M3 Medical Bag

The M3 Medic bag is a top choice for US Military and various first responders across the U.S and abroad.  Our version is designed for the civilian, it features the official TSP Medical Patch (an original design by Tiffany Rockwell of Rockwell Survival) and is made in high visibility red.

This bag is designed to keep your first aid kit, blow out kit and other emergency medical supplies close at hand, easy to access and ready for quick deployment.

Our supplier is Voodoo Tactical located in Gardena, California.  We choose Voodoo due to their excellent quality and rugged off the shelf design of the popular M3 Medical Kit Bag.

These bags are available at the TSP Gear Shop and retail for $29.95. http://bit.ly/gAz5TS

Making Biltong Video Series

No show today folks as I have to take my wife to the dentist.  Nothing major but they do have to sedate her and therefore she can’t drive afterwords so I am choosing today to release the long awaited video series on biltong.  I talk about it all the time on the show, now you can see how to do it step by step.

The method you see me use is slightly different from some others I have seen online.  I have chosen my recipe and method from the writing of Peter Hathaway Capstick who spent half his life living on Traditional South African Biltong in the bush as a professional hunter and game control officer in the African bush.

A few things about this series in particular…

  1. I used a dehydrator for the bulk of the biltong because some people live in very humid areas
  2. The dehydrator was not necessary, the traditionally hung meat actually finished just as fast
  3. The quality of both batches was similar but I actually found the traditional a bit better
  4. The dehydrator was not any faster, the initial rapid drying formed a shell and the centers in the dehydrator took much longer to cure
  5. My advice don’t use a dehydrator unless climatic humidity requires it and then I would try a fan before doing anything else.

Anyway for some reason the final videos came out a little fuzzy in image quality, I am going to try to figure out what caused that but the videos will definitely show you exactly how to make biltong and how easy it really is.   As for how good it tastes, you will have to make your own to find out.  Beef works great but the leaner the better, the best comes from red game meat like venison, elk or bison.

Oh and if you like any of the shirts shown in this series those and a few others can be found in the gear shop at the bottom of this page.

Check out this Video of the Shelf Reliance Cansolidator Pantry

Just heard from Mike at Shelf Reliance they are doing a special discount now, for the month of October, you can get 10% off all our food rotation systems, from the Cansolidator Cupboard to the Harvest 72, and 20% off the Cansolidator Pantry, which comes out to only $26.99 at 20% off. The code for 10% off any Food? Rotation System is FRS10 and the code for the Cansolidator Pantry at $26.99 is PODCAN.

This video reviews the Shelf Reliance Consolidator Pantry which is the mid sized system fitting in between the Cupboard and the Pantry Plus. I really like these smaller systems from Shelf Reliance, items like the Harvest may be over kill for some people. For many you won’t need Cansolidators for all your cans just the items you use the most. I can’t tell you what a difference these items have made for me. Automatic rotation and better use of space what more could you ask for. Really check out how much one unit holds when I fully empty out the Pantry Plus.

Review of the Moultrie Easy Fill Deer Feeder

A few weeks ago I set up a Moultrie Deer Feeder at the BOL in Arkansas.  This weekend I went back up to check on progress and do a quick review of it on video for you guys.  This video is more than a feeder review though, tune in to this video to learn…

  • What a feed can and can’t do for you
  • How to utilize a feeder in inhabited area
  • Avoiding true “conditioning” of deer
  • Setting up a good location for a deer feeder
  • Understanding how to set up a stand “cross wind”
  • How valleys form natural deer funnels

Wagan 400-Watt Power Dome EX – Power Inverter Test One

This video will be the first in a series of test I will be doing with the 400 Watt inverter function of the Wagan 400-Watt Power Dome EX. In this test I ran a Sony Vario Laptop playing a DVD and a Seville Classic Tower Fan on Medium Speed.  The Laptop was run with out the battery to insure the results measured the actual power draw.  In an actual power outage of course you would not do that.

Some additional tests will measure the PC doing various tasks both with and with out the battery, running a DSL modem, running a small television and DVD player and some other ideas I have.

  • This device has a lot going for it,  some features include….
  • 600 cranking amp auto jump starter
  • 260 PSI high power motor air compressor
  • 400 watt AC power inverter, high intensity LED light
  • Built-in AM/FM radio with iPod™ input
  • 2 AC Outlets and 1 DC outlets

I have used the jump starter and it worked perfectly,  we also use the radio feature by our pool and on our decks often.  I have used the compressor and it was effective but not stellar, certainly good enough to air up your tire enough to get to better services.  I firmly believe that one of these belongs in every car or truck you own.  The tests I am doing with the inverter for back up power is really more a nice to have, the main function of this device is to keep you mobile, informed and with lighting on the road.

Note that even when the power was to low to run the devices that the light and radio still worked for a long time.

If you do choose to order one from Amazon please consider using my link to help support the work I do with The Survival Podcast and on Youtube http://amzn.to/bWOtKL

New Video on Using Yoders Canned Bacon

So I seem to always be going on and on about Yoders Bacon on the show because it is one of my favorite prepper foods for both long term storage and day to day use.  I think a lot of folks wonder how you get 50-60 slices of bacon into a can the size of standard soup can and have it still be usable and look  like sliced bacon.

The key is packing it really tight, folding he layers in half and separating each layer with wax paper.  When you open it this stuff is swimming in grease, heck though it is bacon what do you expect.  In this video I show you what to expect when you open it, how to get rid of a lot of the grease and how to package it for use after opening.

Of course in a SHTF scenario you would want to reserve the grease for use in cooking, etc.  Many people will do that day to day as well but as for me I am in the middle of continuing to drop weight and cutting out any excessive intake of fat.  This is one of the best long term storage foods that is also great for day to day you that you can make part of your food storage regiment.