FreEBook: Bulletin of Primitive Technology

The second free publication I'm featuring is actually a magazine, not a book: Bulletin of Primitive Technology, first issue.  At 52 pages, though, it rivals much of what is being published today as e-books.  The only thing that makes it a magazine is the variety of articles.  Some are deeply philosophical, others are intensely practical.  The magazine is no longer being published, but the material has been collected into several books put out by the Society for Primitive Technology (which are not free).

Shopping List....

Everyone is on a budget these days, especially preppers.  It's hard enough when you are just trying to deal with today's needs, but when you are trying to set aside for the future, it's that much more difficult.  One way to prioritize is to buy things which are relatively inexpensive now but which will become much more expensive later on; Urban Survival Site has a list of 40 of these.  It's mostly common sense, but it's nice to have a list to make sure you are missing any.

Foragers Beware....

Of course before you go picking wild plants to eat, you will need to know how to identify them.  Probably of greater importance is being able to distinguish plants that look similar but are poisonous.  Outdoor Life has an article on 3 Dangerous Plants That Look Like Edibles.  They are:

• Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) looks like carrot or cow parsley
• Moonseed (Menispermum canadense) looks like grapes
• Horse nettle (Solanum carolinense) looks like tomatoes

Off-the-Grid News adds several more Dangerous Look-Alikes:

• Water hemlocks (Cicuta sp.) look like carrot
• Blue flag (Iris versicolor) and yellow flag (Iris pseduacorus) look like cattails
• Indian strawberry (Potentilla indica) looks like field strawberries
• Daffodils (Narcissus sp.) look like wild garlic
• and of course, many edible mushrooms have deadly look-alikes.

Old School Warmth

The Wood Trekker has an in-depth discussion on Classic Backpacking Gear - Blankets.  Sometimes the old ways are better, but in the case of wool blankets in the period from 1880 to 1930, it really was a case of just doing the best they could with what they had.  That's still a good attitude to have, but it doesn't mean that we should blindly copy their results.

Dry for Cheap...

You're probably familiar with the simple PVC ponchos and thinner-than-paper Mylar blankets that, while cheap, do not always provide the protection from the elements they promise.  Here is another, repurposed option:

$3 Rain Gear That Doesn’t Act Like $3 Rain Gear

The reviewer includes instructions for making it waterproof with duct tape.

Real Fire Breathing Dragons

When it comes to my favorite mythological creatures, dragons are only second to flying pigs.  I love things decorated with dragon, both Western and Chinese, especially metal objects.  But when they actually produce flame, well, that puts it over the top.  So I was quite tickled to find this dragon belt buckle with removable lighter:

Now if only I had a belt to go with it.  Perhaps I could make one out of paracord.  Of course, I would need a lot of it; Paracord Galaxy has a huge selection and seems to have decent prices.

Careful Without That Ax, Eugene

Need to cut some wood but don't have an ax or saw?  If you have a knife, you can use a technique called batoning:


 You do have to be careful, though, or you will break your knife; and if there is another way to split the wood, you want to use that, because no matter how careful you are, you are still making it duller.

Bug Out Checklist

Bitsy Pieces over at TheSurvialistBlog produced a checklist to give out to family and friends who show up at her doorstep looking for help after a disaster strikes.  Commenters pointed out a number of problems with this, but also an alternate use: to make sure you are well-prepared.

The Sao Paulo Challenge

If you're not ready to go completely without running water (hat tip to Øyvind Holmstad), here's a suggestion: try living without running water for 5 days a week.  It doesn't have to be in a row; you can go 2 or 3 days without, one day with.  This challenge is inspired in part by the water crisis in Sao Paulo and partly by the second time my pipes burst last winter. I decided rather than repairing it right away and risking them freezing a third time, I decided to wait a couple weeks until the weather got warmer.  In the meantime I would turn on the water every couple days to wash up and store up water for the off days.

Related articles

• Sao Paulo Drought Perception Impedes Government Action
• Permaculture: the design arm of a paradigm shift
• Sao Paolo: The Psychology of Drought
• Megacity drought: Sao Paulo withers after dry 'wet season'

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If I Could Keep Time In A Bottle...

Everyone has their own version of making a survival kit out of a small metal tin.  It is a fun challenge to see just how much functionality you can get into such a tiny space, and it has the advantage of being something you can carry around with you every day.  One function it decidedly lacks, however, is being able to carry significant quantities of liquids.  Tim MacWelch over at the Outdoor Life Survival Blog solved that by putting a survival kit in a water bottle.  While it's a little more difficult to carry on your person at all times, you can easily throw it in a briefcase, backpack, large purse, or bug out bag, and you can put a lot more stuff in it than a little metal tin.  I definitely think this is a challenge I will be working on in the near future.

Related articles

• Survival Kit, Ready Access, Modular (SKRAM)
• Dropping Off the Grid: Advice from Experienced Homesteaders
• A Green Beret's Guide To Action Bags: "Your Go-To-Kit When You Have To Pop Smoke & Depart In a Rapid Manner"
• Best Prepper Resources and Recommendations
• Built for Gear Geeks: Gearizer is an App for Getting your Gear Organized

B.O.M.B. Making 101

No, this isn't a recipe from The Anarchist's Cookbook, it's a variation on the Bug Out Bag: the Bug Out Medical Bag.  A souped-up version of a first-aid kit, these are more commonly known as gunshot wound or gunshot trauma kits.  Survivopedia has instructions on how to assemble your own for less than $100. The main components:

1. Tourniquet
2. Compression Bandages
3. Suture Kit
4. Splint/Sprain Wrap
5. Blood Clotting Agents
6. Miscellaneous

Credit Card Survival....

No, this has nothing to do with financial advice....  People are taking notice of SurvCo's new Credit Card Ax.  While it is fairly unique to have something that can be turned into a hatchet be the size of a credit card, there are too many multi-tools to mention that fit that dimension.  Indeed, you could easily end up needing a second wallet if you got them all!

ReadyMan has an interesting break-apart version (shown on the right) which they are giving away for "free", plus shipping and handling.  They do have a video showing you how to use it they send a link to you when you order.  Of course, they do try to get you to sign up for a monthly membership in their organization.


One of the oldest and probably one of the best values is the 11-function one on the left.  I've had it so long I've forgotten where I put it!  It's hardly worth buying by itself, the shipping is more than the cost of the item.  My guess is any patent protections have run out, that's why there are so many inexpensive copies.

To my eyes, one of the sleekest of the genre is the Wallet Ninja.  Having a Phillips screwdriver is unusual in itself for a credit-card survival tool, but I think the function I would use most is the box cutter/letter opener; that's what I wish I had on my Gerber shard.  Interestingly, while I've never tried them yet, KnifeCenter lists 30 items in this category (although a number only differ by color), some of them quite pricey.

Perhaps the most whimsical of the entire bunch is the PocketMonkey.  At only 1 ounce and 1 mm thick, I don't expect it to be the most durable, but it might just be the most convenient to carry around -- they even say it is TSA compliant!

Related articles

• Tactical Credit Card Axe Multi-Tool Fits In Your Wallet
• Top 4 Survival Freebies

3 Steps To Survival

1. Accept
2. Plan
3. Act

Daisy Luther of The Organic Prepper goes into much more detail in this article at The Daily Sheeple.

13 Essentials for Survival

ScottishGent at The Survivalist Blog has updated the concept of 10 essential survival items to 13 categories of items to carry everyday or put in a get-home bag.

1. Navigation
2. Sun protection
3. Insulation
4. Illumination
5. First-aid supplies
6. Fire
7. Repair kit and tools
8. Nutrition
9. Hydration
10. Emergency shelter
11. Signaling
12. Personal Protective Equipment
13. Self-Defense / Weapons

He goes into detail in the article.

Dome Sweet Dome

Michael Matthews is offering plans for what he calls the "Ultimate Survival Fortress".  I haven't bought it (yet), but it seems to be a fairly standard earth-bag type of dome home.  That said, the price he is asking seems quite reasonable for the knowledge he seems to be providing (and I am not an affiliate, so I am not getting any commissions).  While $1 a square foot is literally a dirt-cheap price for living space, I certainly would not want to make a mistake after putting in dozens or maybe hundreds of hours of heavy labor.

Hot, Hot, Hot...

M. D. Creekmore at The Survivalist Blog has 6 options for cooking without utilities.  While it is by no means comprehensive, it does give a nice range of possibilities.

Critical Points for Off-Grid Solar

Patty Hahne at Preppers Illustrated has some important things to consider in designing an off-grid solar power system.  Anything but the smallest flashlight-battery system will not be plug-and-play, and if you are expecting to just take it out of the box and have it work perfectly, you will be disappointed.

3 Crucial Steps for Digging Water Wells

While I have no plans in the immediate future for digging a well for water, this article by Chris Black on Survivopedia looks like an extremely useful reference if I ever do need to.

Related articles

• DIY Projects: 15 Ideas For Using Cinder Blocks

When It's A Cat's Ear....

When is a dandelion not a dandelion?

When it is Hypochaeris radicata, also known as Flatweed, False Dandelion, and Cat's Ear.  My mom asked me what the yellow flower out in the yard was, and my first answer was "DYC", which stands for "Damn Yellow Composite".  That gives some indication of the, um, "affection" botanists have for that class of flowers, because of the difficulty in narrowing down exactly what it is.  In the end, the Peterson Field Guide to Wildflowers: Northeastern and North-central North America on Google Books ended up being most helpful in coming up with an identification, but IdentifyThatPlant.com Dandelion and Cat's Ear made me confident that I had identified it correctly.

Learning more about it, Cats Ear is quite interesting.  It is edible, although it may be toxic to horses in large quantities.  Unlike dandelion, it is not supposed to be bitter, and like chicory, you can dry and grind the root for a coffee substitute.  I don't drink coffee, so I won't be trying that, and it's a bit late in the season to be eating the leaves, as they are probably quite chewy by now, but I look forward to sampling some next year.

Related articles

• Dandelions Need Love too.
• 7 Little-Know "Superfoods" You Can Find In Your Backyard
• Common And Powerful Healing Plants You Can Find In Your Back Garden
• Why Should You Eat Dandelion Greens?
• Natural rubber from dandelions

Preparing for Storms

While this article at Planning and Foresight is focused on winter storms, we're having some stormy weather this week.  Except for not needing so desperately to keep warm, there isn't that much difference between summer and winter storms.