Making (and Keeping) New Year’s Resolutions

New Year’s Day is right around the corner. This time a year brings out two types of people: those making resolutions and those who poo-poo making resolutions. I happen to be a fan of making New Year’s Resolutions. I might get some grief but, hey – I kept mine. Today I’ll share some of the things that have helped me make resolutions that are possible to stick to for an entire year. Continue reading “Making (and Keeping) New Year’s Resolutions”

Tips for Using Sparking Fire-Starters

Sparking fire-starters are a mainstay of wilderness survival kits. They are rugged, waterproof, and have the potential to light thousands of fires. They aren’t terribly expensive and you can find one of just about any size or form-factor from keychain-sized models to large, purpose-built versions. For all their virtues, lighting a fire with them can be tougher than you might think. Today I will offer a few hard-won tips for using sparking fire-starters. Continue reading “Tips for Using Sparking Fire-Starters”

2020: An Outstanding Year in Review!

Twenty-twenty was a total “dumpster fire” in most peoples’ book. Coronavirus and associated quarantines/lockdowns/etc, the election, insane ammo prices, riots… The past year just seemed to keep on coming up with ways to make people unhappy. Happiness is a choice. Though a lot of shitty stuff happened this year, 2020 was an outstanding year for me personally. Continue reading “2020: An Outstanding Year in Review!”

Wilderness Survival Books, Part II

Welcome to Part II of my favorite wilderness survival books. In Part I I covered a mindset book, a how-to, and a survival story. This post will follow that same format. Unlike Part I this post will not have a bad example to share…but I will share a bonus book at the end and it’s one of the most fun books in this genre. Continue reading “Wilderness Survival Books, Part II”

Food Preparedness on $20 a Paycheck

For a long time I’ve been telling friends, family, and readers how easy and inexpensive preparedness can be. I recently got curious about what a reasonable dollar amount – say $20 a paycheck – could actually do for one’s preparedness. I decided to find out, first-hand, and report the results to you. I’m pretty excited and consider this little experiment a success! Continue reading “Food Preparedness on $20 a Paycheck”

Helikon Essentials Kitbag and My Minimal Survival Kit

I recently wrote about the contents of a theoretical minimalist survival kit. I love the concept of such a kit: the bare minimum stuff you’d want to survive in the wilderness, so I decided to put one together. I’ve walked with it several times now and here’s what I have to report. Continue reading “Helikon Essentials Kitbag and My Minimal Survival Kit”