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Defeating Drones: How To Build A Thermal Evasion Suit

This article was written by Brandon Smith and originally published at Alt Market and republished here by permission from the author. Note that the article was written several years ago but the information should still be useful…

Asymmetric tactics rely on the idea of fighting smarter, rather than fighting directly, against a larger or more technologically advanced aggressor. It means turning your opponent’s strengths into weaknesses.

For instance, if your opponent relies on the superiority of his tanks and armor, make him fight in the mountains where his armor is useless. If he relies on air superiority, make him sift through a thick canopy where his eye in the sky sees nothing, or make it dangerous for him to land and refuel such vehicles at all.

If he relies on body armor for safety, make him fight uphill so that the extra weight wears him down. If his surveillance and security techniques are a little too sensitive and effective, create constant false positives, until he can no longer trust his own alert systems.

And, if most of his weaponry and soldiers are heavily reliant on a particular piece of technology, make that technology useless in the field. Force your opponent to fight on fairer ground, where the man with the most skill and intelligence prevails rather than the man with the most million dollar toys.

There is no such thing as fool proof combat technology. There is a way to trick or defeat or survive ANY weapon and any enemy. Period.

Drones and thermal vision have been held up to the common citizenry for years as the end-all-be-all of combat and surveillance technology. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the claim that no one can hide from thermal imaging and that predator drones herald the end of free resistance to tyranny.

I find this assertion to be rather absurd, considering militaries across the globe have already developed their own thermal evasion suits (which means it IS possible to hide from thermal vision) and drones seem to kill more innocent bystanders than actual enemy combatants. I will admit that thermal vision use is skyrocketing amongst military and police across the board, and this is because it is indeed effective to a point.

Thermal imaging and drones in the hands of a corrupt establishment make a couple of things very difficult for any resistance – First, you might be able to hide, but you won’t be able to move freely without risk, especially in groups. Second, you might be able to act defensively, but never offensively.

Advancing on an objective protected by thermal surveillance would be extremely difficult. Constantly being on the defensive takes the initiative away from those who want to fight back against tyranny. Without the ability to go on the offensive, you will inevitably lose. Hiding in a hole in the mountains for the rest of your life is not an option if you want your children and their children to experience liberty.

Today’s combat reality is that of the digitized battlefield. All modern military units now rely on full spectrum surveillance, computer models, and real time data. Thermal vision is a cornerstone of this model because it is currently the best way to identify potential threats before they can act, rather than after they act. Unfortunately, there is no doubt this kind of surveillance power will be misused, and the spread of drones for domestic applications proves that the establishment’s intention is to utilize thermal against the population, rather than in defense of the population.

Therefore, thermal vision must be negated if people are to remain free. We might not be able to fight against misused drones directly, but we can make their primary advantage useless. Here is how it is possible to remove thermal vision as a threat, and thus nullify the primary strength of the drones (and other weapons) in our skies:

Thermal Vision And Drone Misconceptions

Now that you know it is more than possible for civilians to obtain thermal evasion, lets go over some of the most common misconceptions about thermal imaging and drone technology.

Building a suit that hides a person from thermal imaging is impossible?

Clearly, this is false, as we have shown in the video above. Add to this the fact that military units field their own thermal evasion suits (multi-spectral camouflage) for special purposes, and I think we’ve permanently buried the ludicrous assumption that a thermal evasion suit is a fruitless endeavor. Most existing suits, including those used by governments, boast a thermal reduction rating of 60% to 80%. It is important to recognize that there is currently no organization or company offering thermal evasion suits for widespread use by civilians. We have given the public free access to information on building their own suits if they wish, and we are offering professionally made suits for sale with a thermal reduction rating of 90% or more at Snakebite Tactical.

We made no attempt to hide “heat spots” within the tests in the above video. We want to make it clear that this is a 90% effective suit, which is more than enough for almost any application. Achieving 100% reduction at distances of 10 ft to 10 yards in a wearable suit is very difficult, and a person would still need to practice proper field craft in order to remain unseen. However, we believe our suit design more than meets the standards of currently issued military grade suits; suits which are not available to the public anyway.

Thermal imaging sees through walls?

This is movie-land nonsense. A thermal imager can see the heat you emit through a very thin wall if you are leaning against it, but remove your body from contact with the surface and the heat signature will disappear. Thermal imagers have a difficult time identifying stationary people through leaves and the branches of trees, let alone walls. As long as you are not in contact with the item, your heat will not be seen through the item.

Thermal vision sees through forests?

No. Not a chance. In fact, if your only goal is to hide, then a thick forest is the absolute best place to be if thermal surveillance is in use, even without a suit. If your plan is to advance on an objective, then the situation changes, but if you are a lone individual that just doesn’t want to be found, staying in the woods and dense terrain away from people who might rat you out is your best bet. Apply a thermal suit to the scenario and now your are fully mobile without fear of detection.

You will never see a drone coming, so having a suit is meaningless anyway?

Gotta love this kind of fuzzy logic. The claim apparently assumes that drones simply fly miles above the Earth silently raining hellfire missiles down on random heat signatures on the ground without identification. This is not how drones operate.

Drones are mainly used as OVERWATCH for teams of men already on the ground. A drone might see your signature when you are not wearing a suit, but a drone pilot will not waste ordinance on you until you are identified as a viable target. Most of the successful strikes you see in the news and on YouTube are targets that were already lazed by a team on the ground (this is something the DoD rarely mentions, because they want to retain the mystic surrounding drones).

The drone is then sent in to attack the target that the team identified. When a military unit comes into contact with an enemy, a drone may be sent in to observe and identify targets. This is a situation where thermal evasion is essential. If those targets throw on thermal evasion gear, the drone becomes a useless platform.

If you are under threat by drones and ground opponents, you can leave the area at will without being traced, or you can advance and attack your aggressor without being betrayed by your own heat signature. Your suit does not need to be worn at all times in order to be useful.

I don’t need a thermal evasion suit, I can just buy a thermal blanket or tarp at a fraction of the cost?

The first and most obvious advantage to a thermal evasion suit is that it CAN BE WORN. There is no existing tarp or thermal blanket system that can be worn against the human body and still hide that body from thermal imaging. All of these items conduct heat which can be seen almost as soon as you touch them.

If a heat reflecting tarp was a practical working solution to thermal imaging, then you would see hundreds if not thousands of videos on the web proving their effectiveness and governments would not be keeping their own suits such a secret. The reality is, these items are only useful if you plan to stretch them out above you without physical contact, and stay in one place without moving. They are highly defensive in nature and severely limited in their application.

We have developed the very first thermal evasion system available to the public that can be worn for long periods of time and that also provides effective visual camouflage. Our suit works as a ghillie as well as a thermal evasion tool, meaning, it works in thermal, and in visible light.

A thermal cloak offers near total 360 degree coverage against thermal imaging devices in the air and on the ground while the person is also mobile. Meaning, instead of constantly hiding from the enemy and being on the defensive (a losing strategy), you can advance on the enemy if you wish without detection. There is no comparison whatsoever in the level of application between a thermal blanket and a thermal suit.

This does not mean a suit solves all your problems. If you walk through an open field and start break-dancing, someone will see you. A thermal suit does not necessarily hide blatant movement by the wearer. You still need to follow proper field craft methods including the use of cover and concealment. Add to this the thermal reduction properties of the suit, and you are much less likely to be detected, even under heightened scrutiny.

I don’t need a thermal suit, I can just hide in the city amongst the crowds and blend in?

I’m sure there are situations when operating in a city might be called for, but frankly, the idea is extraordinarily ill conceived when one considers the surveillance grids being put in place in most major metropolitan areas.

Thermal is not your worst enemy in the city. Try CCTV networks with facial and biometric recognition. Try numerous possible collaborators and quislings in a city environment (known for more passive and subservient populations permanently attached to the establishment umbilical cord) who might point the finger at you. The city is a BAD place to be under almost any circumstance that results in crisis and lost liberty, and probably the worst place to be if you are trying to avoid observation and surveillance.

That said, watch almost any police chopper thermal footage in a city and tell me the person being chased was better off without a thermal suit. Imagine you are being chased for simply being a proponent of liberty. Imagine that one day you wake up in the middle of your home city a designated criminal. Would you rather have a thermal evasion suit, or, do you plan to outrun the chopper?

Mud will hide your heat signature?

No, it will not. At least not for more than a minute, and it better be some thick friggin’ mud. Despite what Arnold Schwarzenegger may have taught you, heat transfers through mud just as it does through most other materials.

Drones will find you with LIDAR if they can’t see you with thermal vision?

LIDAR is a form of laser based radar which is bounced off surfaces to create a 3D map of a large area. I’m not sure exactly where the idea came from that drones use LIDAR for personnel detection, but this is simply not so, at least not currently. LIDAR is being tested by the DoD and private contractors for personnel detection using GROUND based 360 degree units, and the effective range of these experimental units is rather limited. Aerial LIDAR is used for mapping of terrain.

The complexity of ground based objects (think in terms of millions of objects in any given field of view) makes personnel tracking from the air all but impossible. Ground based LIDAR also requires a recognizable human shape at close range in order to “alert” on an intruder, which means the ThermTac suit (which removes normal human shape) would only HELP in preventing detection. From my research as of 2015, LIDAR for surveillance often suffers from numerous false positives, which means it is a very weak system for tracking personnel. Thermal vision is a far greater threat than LIDAR.

Even if you have a suit that blocks your body heat, you can still be tracked by your footprints?

Under perfect conditions and the use of a sensitive thermal imager on the ground, your footprints MIGHT be visible using a ground based unit right after you imprint them, but it is still unlikely you will be found. Quick thermal imprints (caused by footsteps) disappear within seconds, and are difficult if not impossible to pick out from any distance beyond a few yards. Rubber and plastic soled shoes do not in most cases transfer very much heat into the ground, and the theory that crushed grass releases more heat in thermal imaging is utter nonsense.

Too many ideas about thermal imaging are drawn from television and movies, which greatly embellish the capabilities of such devices. If footprints were an effective way to track people using thermal, then Search and Rescue units (many have access to excellent thermal devices) would have numerous examples of this along with numerous success stories (these examples do not exist).

One legitimate danger involving footprints occurs when a very large number of people (small groups are not an issue) travel together in single file. This constant imprinting on the same path by multiple footfalls can indeed leave a residual trail that can be found several minutes later, enough time to be tracked by a thermal imager.

Thermal evasion suits will help terrorists?

As stated in the video, the world’s worst terrorist groups are often trained by our own governments and covert intelligence agencies. If covert agencies have access to thermal evasion techniques, then it only follows that so do the people they train. I have no doubt that we will be accused of aiding terrorists by releasing this information, because that is really the only recourse the establishment has to try to stop the use and spread of thermal cloaks (or they will claim that the suit is a scam and doesn’t actually work.

Of course, people will be able to test this for themselves). They will have to try to shame people into refusing to adopt thermal evasion as a means of defense. Trust me, I’ve seen this kind of propaganda used against people merely for talking about methods that MIGHT work. Read any military forum where someone discusses thermal evasion, and invariably a dozen henpecking statists will ask them if they are “with ISIS or Al-Qaeda” to shut them up.

Self-defense is an inborn right, not a privilege granted by arbitrary authority. You do not need permission to obtain means of defense against a threat, even if that threat has thermal imaging at his disposal and a license from the state to kill you. Our thermal suit design is a culmination of three years of tireless effort.

We believe the information belongs in the hands of the citizenry, not only in the hands of governments and those they train. The greater threat to the common good is a lack of knowledge that makes free people weak and vulnerable. The goal of this project is to remove a clear weakness in the American people. If you are not informed, and not prepared, then you will never be secure. Some people would have you believe that thermal imaging and drones are for your safety.

We say YOU are the only person that can be trusted to provide for your own safety. If anything, thermal eyes and lurking drones present a more intense danger to you and your freedom than any terrorists they are supposedly intended to fight against.

Real (No B.S.) Survival Lessons from Ukraine

survival lessons Ukraine

Contributed By Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre – visit his blog at The Modern Survivalist

The war in Ukraine is a tragic event but it’s one that we can all learn from. Nothing provides as much valuable information as real-world situations where ordinary people are forced to deal with extraordinary events.

At the end of the day, the war in Ukraine gives us plenty of examples of what works and what doesn’t, and while personal experience is important, the wise person learns from other people’s mistakes so as to not repeat them himself.

There are several articles explaining what people have gone through in eastern Ukraine. This article over at Daily Mail provides a good visual image of what people are going through.

There’s also a thread in survivalist boards where a Dunbass resident that goes by the name of George1980 has been posting, sharing his experiences. I highly recommend reading it if you have the time.

Using this information, here are twelve important lessons based on what has happened so far in Ukraine:

Artillery & infantry beats survivalist hero fantasies. Every. Single. Time.

Maybe the most obvious lesson to be learned is how miserably all these fantasies about forming survival groups, living in a retreat while fighting against impossible odds would ultimately fail.

There’s simply no surviving against an occupation force when facing them as an individual or small group.

Houses, towns and even entire cities can eventually get surrounded and overpowered. A single house or compound represents a laughable resistance to organized armed forces, let alone ones with artillery and air support at their disposal. Once shooting at your position is no longer fun, they’ll just blow you up. It’s as simple as that.

Cover the basics. Food, water, shelter, and medicines.

In various parts of eastern Ukraine, People are suffering the lack of water, electricity and food shortages. You need to store food, food that requires no refrigeration and little or no cooking. You need water, not just a water filter (which you should have as well – click here for my recommendation @ Amazon.com) but actual jugs of water.

For true emergencies and survival situations, just like you can’t have too much food you can’t have too much water. Have a well, have a river if nothing else keep an eye out for large barrels on sale and keep some full of water.

Even the jugs for carrying water become valuable. Have a good supply of medicines: ibuprofen, vomit and diarrhea medicine, liquid ibuprofen for children, bandages, diapers, formula, and antibiotics.

Antibiotics are the difference between life and death when you need them (click here to legally order Antibiotics online without a prescription @ Camping Survival).

Have lanterns, flashlights and lots of batteries. Get an emergency crank radio. Get a solar charger (click here to see my recommendation @ Amazon.com)for your phone and batteries. Have alternative means of cooking and heating.

A wood-burning stove may do the trick, but make sure you always keep extra wood stored for emergencies.

Maybe you’re lucky enough to still have power, if so an electric burner can be put to good use then, saving other fuels for when the power goes out. Have extra fuel in storage for your vehicle, enough to make it to your potential bug out location in case you have to leave in a hurry.

Have a tent and sleeping bags. These can be used not only for sleeping in tents but also if you happen to find yourself in a refugee camp during winter or in an unfurnished flat after evacuation or if you’re staying with friends or family.

In a shelled city, underground is the only safe place to be, to some extent at least. An actual bunker would be ideal, but people try finding shelter anywhere underground. In buildings, windows and doors are covered with sandbags and people sleep in the interior room away from exterior walls and windows. Windows never survive shelling. The broken glass makes it impossible to stay warm in winter.

Plastic sheeting can sometimes be used to close openings and still allow light in, but this is far from an ideal solution and he loss of heat is substantial.

Don’t get involved.

From a survival perspective, the best way to go about conflicts that can develop into violent clashes is to not get involved in the first place. Avoid going to protests and marches. This is especially true in cases such as the one of Ukraine, where people are seen on one side or the other during protests and clashes, often filmed.

Something as simple as a rival remembering your face from the rallies can land you in jail or worse. In this kind of situation, it’s even neighbors, former friends, and coworkers that may remember your political affiliation. They may end up mentioning your name to the new authorities and they will come after you.

Attitude, clothes, and gear can get you killed or arrested.

Here is where the gray man approach comes into play. Be as neutral as possible not only regarding your actions and behavior, but also when it comes to insignias, clothes, and gear. Even beards or unusual or characteristic hairstyles can get you in trouble.

According to George1980 “There was a very unpleasant situation on the Ukrainian check-point when one soldier wanted to arrest me as separatist)) Fortunately, my wife and daughters were with me and this soldier did not stop me. Problem was that I have a beard and, maybe, my face was very “suspicious” ))) Soldier told me that)”.

Flag of Ukraine

Checkpoints in Ukraine are there for a reason: finding enemies. Having a weapon can get you into trouble, but also things such as maps, GPS, political propaganda, radios, this can all be considered espionage material. Adventurers traveling around the world have often mentioned how they get arrested in war zones because of their cameras and laptops.

You’re not local, you have electronics capable of being used for communication, then you’re a suspect until proven otherwise. Lots of people have GPS, radios, and maps in their Bug Out Bags. Just make sure to be smart about it and understand that in some cases, when dealing with factions fighting to overpower, it can get you in trouble and its better to get rid of some of it before reaching a checkpoint.

Learn to deal with checkpoints.

In checkpoints, women and children aren’t as carefully inspected as men. Private vehicles are checked much more thoroughly than public transportation. Maybe you’re better off taking a bus or train.

It’s important to travel light and be in good health and properly dressed to walk long distances if needed. Bribes may be needed so have cash. A hidden weapon may get you killed or arrested. Is it worth the risk to conceal a handgun among your belongings while evacuating?

Probably not, but you’ll have to decide that for yourself given your specific situation. Valuable items such as jewelry, cash, and even electronics may be “confiscated” or downright stolen by the troops. Conceal them as well as you can. Cash and small gold coins can be hidden in shoe insoles, inside children toys or dirty diapers in the baby’s diaper bag.

Coins can be sewed under jacket patches and insignias, under buttons. Women have managed to hide small rolls of cash inside them as if they were tampons, placed inside condoms. Refugees have swallowed small gold coins and jewelry so as to be recovered later.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. When it comes to gold vs silver, gold is more compact and easier to hide. I wouldn’t like to swallow 1000 USD worth or silver coins!

Guns can save you, but they can also get you killed.

According to George1980 “separatists very afraid Ukrainian saboteurs on their territory and try to catch every man with a gun who is not from their “Army”.”

Are you fighting along with one of the factions involved? If not, then make sure you’re not confused with one. If you just want to be left alone, then don’t openly carry a gun. Openly carrying a weapon means you are a fighter on either side of the conflict. If you’re not with either one, BOTH will consider you an armed enemy.

At the end of the day, a gun can save your life, but in a world of no easy black and white answers, a gun can also get you killed. Keep any weapons concealed, and be ready to ditch them, sell them or cache them depending on the situation you are involved in. Just going gun-ho is not the one and only answer to all problems.

I sure would like to be armed if I was still in Argentina today. If there’s trouble, 1000 bucks will most likely buy any cop’s silence. At the same time, in the 70’s during the military Junta and state terrorism, going around armed in Argentina wasn’t a good idea if you wanted to avoid trouble.

If you were caught and found to be armed, the security forces would immediately assume you were a montonero, a leftist terrorist, and you would be tortured, executed or go “missing”. During these torture sessions, people that had no involvement would often mention the names of innocent people, just to stop the tortures.

Just being in the wrong phone list of a coworker or fellow student was enough for the security forces to pay you a visit.

Get a Glock 9mm and a rifle with a folding stock.

As explained earlier, you want to be able to conceal your weapons. Eventually, you may have to leave behind your rifle and even your handgun. You sure won’t be boarding an evacuation plane with one. What about going through checkpoints? Is it worth getting killed or arrested?

Or are you better of selling your gun to someone that is staying behind, grab a few extra hundred bucks just as you board a bus or train leaving the conflict area? You want a gun that is ubiquitous, that fires a common round and has a well-known reputation.

Basically, you want a great weapon that works well for you, but you also want a weapon that is eventually easy to sell as well. Conflict or not, Glocks and AKs are great staples.

Passports and ID are crucial.

When traveling away from the conflict zones in Ukraine you better have your ID. Soldiers at checkpoints will want passports, driver licenses or other ID proofs. They may not ask for them all the time, but if they do, you better have them. They will want to know as much about you as possible.

If you get the chance to leave the country, you better have your passport ready as well. Other countries are already refusing to offer asylum to refugees. Here is where second citizenship would be just priceless.

While others are refused entry, having an EU passport would mean you could just board a plane and start over elsewhere while others are refused entry entirely or have to go wherever they offer asylum. Because of this, having updated documents is very important.

Many Americans fail miserably at this part and just don’t understand how important it is. My parents grew up in Argentina during the 70’s. Even years after the end of the dictatorship, I remember the look on their faces if they forgot their wallet when going out. They were terrified.

Back in the day, getting stopped by the police and being caught without your “documentos” meant you weren’t making it back home that night. If you couldn’t prove your ID, you were considered an enemy/extremist/spy.

The Triple-A (Argentine Anticommunist Alliance) were constantly looking for left-wing activists. People have been arrested and tortured just because they had long hair or dressed like hippies.

You wanted to be as gray as possible, literally gray, so as to avoid being thrown inside one of the Triple A’s infamous olive green Ford Falcons, never to be seen again.

Cash is king

Food was still available in Donetsk, but people just didn’t have enough cash to afford it. With inflation being about 30% a month, food prices go up accordingly, so you’re better off with Dollars or Euros rather than local currency.

They may not be accepted in some chain stores, but you can exchange them on banks or on the streets at the ongoing currency exchange rate, protecting your savings from inflation and only changing for local currency as needed.

At one point George1980 said, “So my conclusion is so: cash is the main tool of a survivor!” I couldn’t agree more. And don’t forget about silver and gold – Renaissance Precious Metals has a good inventory at competitive prices.

Work on your EDC

The poorest refugees arrive by train and bus, while those with means come by car.

When bombs began falling close to an elderly woman’s home near Lugansk’s airport, “the granny grabbed her granddaughter, and they jumped on a train and came here with only the clothes on their back,” Shapoval said.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/07/02/ukraine-war-refugees/11927955/

One day it may be all you have to work with. George1980 mentioned how important a good multitool was, how at times it was the only tool he had after leaving Dumbass and moving into an empty flat. This is actually a great point. I always think of my everyday carry kit in such terms.

If the flashlight I have in my pocket right now is the only one I’ll ever have or the one I’ll have to use to get by for years. Which one would I rather have? If my folding knife is the one I’ll have for defending myself, for prying open a window or a door after artillery hits my home or for preparing food, what kind of knife would I like to have?

How about having to sell that knife for much-needed cash or use it to bribe a Ukraine or Russian soldier in a checkpoint, which knife and multitool would I like to have to bargain with? What if I have to leave with nothing but the clothes on my back, I evacuate on foot with my family, everyone soaking wet, can I start a fire? As a matter of fact, do I even have enough cash to buy bus or train tickets for everyone?

Open an offshore account

Greece, Ukraine, Iceland, Argentina, doesn’t matter where it is, when things get ugly, the currency starts devaluating and banks close their doors you’ll want an offshore account. Maybe you keep some of your savings there. Maybe you make a transfer just in case when you hear some bad rumors floating around. Transfer fees aren’t very high and its cheap insurance.

One thing is for sure: Just like you can’t buy a gun when bad guys are kicking down your front door, you cant open an account in a foreign country just when the local economy is about to go to hell. You need to do these things ahead of time.

An offshore bank account means you can keep some of your savings abroad, move money around, move elsewhere and keep your money safe even if your country if falling apart. People in Ukraine sure understand the value of such an asset.

Be ready to bug out and know when to do so

If there is one thing we can learn from the war in Ukraine, as well as war and conflict in other parts of the world, is that not being there is the best thing you can do to ensure your survival and well-being of your family. Always have a bug out abroad plan, no matter who you are or where you live.

Just think about it. If you had to leave your country today, (don’t think of all the reasons you wouldn’t, just for a second, think about it as if you didn’t have an option). Where would you go? Do you know someone there that can help you?

Finally, know when it’s time to leave. This is something I address and emphasize in my book “Bugging Out & Relocating”. It’s about having a plan but also crucial, it’s about executing it at the right time. Those that hesitate, those that choose denial when the signs are all over the place, they may live to regret that.

A day too late, an hour too late may make all the difference in the world.

Why Ukraine is trapped in endless conflict


Bio: Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”.

Best Grain Mill for Home Use – My Recommendations After Extensive Testing

Best Grain Mill
Wonder Mill and Corona Grain Mills

Most homes will already have most of what you will need to process and cook the foods from your survival pantry, items such as pots, pans, and other common household kitchen utensils. So we will not get into that. What we will cover are tools that most typical kitchens do not have on hand but that are necessary for the prepper’s kitchen. So let us get started.

Choosing a Grain Mill

You need a grain mill now. Don’t put it off another day. Even one of the least expensive models would be better than not having one at all. I know many of you want the best, and that is great. Get the best if you can afford it. Just do not put it off any longer. Get a mill now. If you cannot afford one of the better models, get a cheaper one; buy two or three of the cheaper models – that way if one breaks and cannot be repaired, you will still have spares to fall back on.

This goes along with my philosophy of the rule of three. Always have at least three independent sources of any survival necessity. Never put all your eggs in one basket. Too many things can happen which will leave you with nothing, which is what we are trying to avoid by prepping in the first place.

While I cannot give recommendations on all the models currently available today (because I have not owned or used them all), I can tell you what I have and my thoughts on these which should, at least, get you started in the right direction.

I currently own four different grain mills, The Wonder Junior Deluxe Grain Mill, a Corona Landers, (check the current price on the Corona mill at Amazon.com) a Back to Basics, and a Grizzly H7775.

Wonder Junior Deluxe Grain Mill (Top Pick for the Best Grain Mill)

 

If you read my book “Dirt Cheap Survival Retreat”, then you already know that I use the Corona hand grain mill for all of my day-to-day milling. It is a strong and well-built grain mill, and for less than $75 it is hard to beat. The Mill to Table Clamping System is a very strong feature included with the Wonder Mill.

However, I have never liked having to run the meal through the Corona several times to produce usable fine-enough flour for baking. That is one reason I made my homemade sifter – to speed up the process. However, it was still always necessary to run the bulk of the flour through the mill two or more times.

Since I mill grain several times per week, I needed a more efficient mill. I considered the Country Living Grain Mill but never could find enough extra change for the purchase. Therefore, I started looking for an alternative. I eventually decided to order the Wonder Mill Deluxe – check the current price and availability at Amazon…

I have used the Wonder Mill for the past three weeks, and so far I have been extremely pleased with my new mill. In fact, I think I’ll retire the Corona and use the Wonder Mill Deluxe exclusively. Yeah, it is that good.

The Wonder Mill comes with both stone and steel grinding heads as shown in the photo above.

Best Grain Mill
Wonder mill also makes an electric mill – you can check the price on that here…

I love the one-piece construction of the mill and hopper. There is no separate hopper that can fall off during operation or any pins or clamps that could be lost. This is one thing I never liked about the Corona, as there were several times that the hopper fell off during aggressive cranking of the handle.

Another big improvement over most hand-operated grain mills is the double clamping system used on the Wonder Mill, which is the strongest I have ever seen on any mill. When properly clamped to the table, I had no problems with the mill moving out-of-place or coming off during grinding.

However, since all of my grinding is done in the same place, I will likely remove the clamp altogether and bolt the Wonder Mill directly to the table. This will provide the strongest possible mill to table mounting system.

Another thing I loved about the Wonder Mill is the quick change head system that allows you to easily switch from grinding dry grains, beans, and legumes to oily grains, nuts, and even coffee in just a couple of minutes. The Wonder Mill Deluxe comes with both steel and stone grinding heads, which can be changed out in less than one minute.

Here are the product specifications:

  • Weight: 10 pounds
  • Height: 12 ¾ inches (without the clamp)
  • Hopper capacity: one quart
  • Crank handle: 10 inches

Best of all, the Wonder Mill produces excellent, fine flour (with no sifting or re-grinding required). This saves a lot of time and effort. Moreover, the consistency is easily adjusted using a simple knob to adjust from pastry flour to cracked grains.

In fact, 90% of flour files through the sifter screen after the first pass through the mill. Again, this is a huge improvement over the Corona. In addition, because of the excellent bearing system (that never needs lubricating) cranking the handle is much smoother, but still requires effort.

The flour guide directs the falling flour into the catch pan or onto the screen without any mess around the milling heads or thrown flour on the table and floor. This is always been a problem with the Corona when grinding pieces of grain and flour would be thrown all over the place. One solution was to secure a plastic bag over the grinding head of the Corona to catch the flour and grain particles.

I wish that I had a Country Living Mill to compare against the Wonder Mill. I am sure there would have been some interesting findings with the comparison. The folks at WonderMill.com did perform a speed comparison between the two and according to their website: In a test performed at the Wonder Mill test kitchen, the Wonder Junior was able to grind 1 ¼ cups of flour in a single minute *80 turns*. This is 65% (about 1/2 cup) more than we were able to produce with the Country Living grain mill with the same flour setting and the same amount of turns *80 turns*, and for half the price.

I know what you are thinking, it sounds great but “can it be motorized?” Yes, it can. There is a motoring pulley available that will allow you to do just that; however doing so will void the warranty. They also make a special adapter which can be used with a power drill to make grinding any grains or beans a quick and easy process.

I only grind a small amount of flour at a time (why grind more than I need?). I will not be adding a motor, but it is an option to keep in mind.

Your next question is probably going to be “what will it grind?” I have used it to grind wheat, corn, and beans. It can also grind spices, herbs, oily grains, nuts, and seeds. See WillItGrind.com for more info on what the Wonder Mill will grind.

Based on my tests, comparisons, price, and use, I give the Wonder Junior Hand Grain Mill my highest recommendation for a grain mill. If you are looking for a hand grain mill this is the one you should get.

Check the price of the Wonder Mill on Amazon

Corona Landers Mill

It is strong, robust, well made and my second favorite grain mill. The Corona is a hand-cranked unit that uses rotating steel burrs to crack and grind corn, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds.

It is manufactured using cast-iron parts with an electro-tinned finish to guarantee a rustproof and easy to clean tool. I give it my second highest recommendation following the wonder junior hand grain mill.

Back To Basics Mill

This mill works well and is actually very easy to use. My main complaint is the small hopper that needs to be refilled after a few cranks of the handle. It is lightweight when compared to the Corona and I do not think it would stand up as well to continued usage.

Grizzly H7775 Mill

The Grizzly H7775 mill it is not my first choice but it sure beats having nothing at all. It sits low on the table, low enough that getting a large enough bowl under the head to catch the flour is difficult. I have the same problem when using the Corona. This is the main reason I use a homemade sifter to catch the grindings.

My other complaint is the small hopper, refilling it every few cranks can be an annoyance, at least for me. On the plus side, the grinder is efficient and the grinding plates are easily adjusted to the desired consistency.

While this is a good mill, it is not of the quality of the Corona; but note that it is half the price, so buying two or more is an option.

Country Living Mill

While I do not own this mill, it is given the highest recommendations by those that do. A recent advertisement proclaims: The Country Living Grain Mill is one of the highest quality grain mills ever made.  Living Grain Mill is one of those high-quality items that could be passed on to the next generation.

How to Grind Grains and Beans

When grinding, it is often necessary to regrind the grain several times before reaching the desired consistency. Some of the meal will come out perfectly fine the first time through, while other parts remain coarse and need to be reground several times.

One way to make grinding easier is to use a screen to sift out the finer flour while leaving the larger pieces of grain behind. The sifter is simply a four-sided box with sides but no top, and a bottom made of nylon window screen from the hardware store. Mine is 15″ X 12″ with sides made of a ¾ inch by 3-1/2 wood.

Cut the wood to length, and nail or screw the pieces together. Lay the screen out on a hard surface, sit the box down flat on top of the screen, and cut to fit with a utility knife. Turn the box over and tack the screen to the box with several thumbtacks or small nails to hold the screen in place.

Take all-purpose cement from the plumbing department of the hardware store, and spread generously around the rim of the over the edge of the screen, forming a permanent seal between the wood and the screen.

When grinding, place a section of newspaper under the grinder head and set the box on top. Grind as normal but after each pass through the grinder, shake the finer meal onto the newspaper and transfer into a bowl.

Pour the coarser meal back into the grinder and regrind, repeating until reaching the desired constancy. This saves running the finer meal back through the mill, making grinding easier and quicker.

If you’re looking for an off-the-grid cooking solution that never runs out of cooking fuel then watch the video below…

How to Clean Field Run Wheat

First off, never buy “seed” grain for human consumption. Seed grain is often treated with insecticides and fungicides. Seed grain is to be planted and grown not eaten. Buy untreated whole grain sold as “feed” that is meant to be eaten.

Look for “field run grain.” It is cheaper and because of fewer processing steps, it is less likely to be infected with mold or contaminated. Field run wheat will have dirt and detritus that will need to be removed before use, but cleaning wheat is not a big deal.

First, sort the grain by laying it out on a clean surface and pick out any chunks of dirt, rocks or darker grain. After sorting, you need to wash the grain. Place the grain on a sifter or screen and pour clean water over it until the water coming out the bottom is as clean as that poured in from the top.

After cleaning the grain, you will need to dry it before grinding. Pour the grain into a strainer and set it aside for about ten minutes. After it stops dripping, spread it out on a cookie sheet about ¼ inch deep, heat in oven at 180° degrees occasionally stirring until dry. Drying usually takes about an hour. If it takes longer that’s fine; just make sure it does not burn.

Alternatively, if you prefer you can dry it outside under the sun. This is better and cheaper but is dependent on the weather and time of day and the season. Just spread the grain out in a thin layer on newspaper or other suitable material in direct sunlight. A solar oven could also be used; however, I have never tried this method myself.

Greenhouse Gardening Tips – Growing Vegetables in a Greenhouse Year Round

by Crazy Joe

It is in the greenhouse that seeds are started so a larger seedling/plant can go out in the spring and increasing the chances of an earlier and better crop The larger scale greenhouses with their heating units, air circulation systems, automatic water sprinklers, and temperature controls are on a scale most homeowners could not afford or just not have the room or need for.

I have met so many people over the years who garden and stated how they wished they had a greenhouse. I have shown many folks and helped a few to build one the easy and cheap way out with a cold frame.

The most simple is to get some old storm windows of equal size – 4 for the four sides and 2 for the top. This is good enough to get a few dozen herb plants started or 20 or 30 tomato plants. It only takes a little time to read up on watering requirements for seedlings and the fact that even on a windless cold sunny day in March a small cold frame being 5 feet by 5 feet and 3 feet high can get up to the 60 to 70-degree range.

Getting old storm windows and putting them on a frame or making them with wood lathe and greenhouse plastic and securing them to the south side of any building will give you a much larger cold frame with some standing room.

I have built cold frames as small as 3 foot by 5 foot up to some in the 10 feet to 20 feet long range. On the larger angle cold frames a couple of hinges on a window gives you a window to prop open slightly for those cold sunny days and NO you cannot do this and go to work for 10 hours You will come home to dried out seedlings – as in dead seedlings. The same goes for watering.

Even on cold late spring days a closed cold frame or greenhouse can get up to 90 plus degrees – death for newly sprouting seedlings or very young plants. You want the advantage of a greenhouse or cold frame, therefore some attention is required. Believe me, the attention and advantage is well worth it. I have gotten way ahead on cantaloupe output by getting them started 8 weeks earlier in a small greenhouse.

Building a greenhouse, especially with scrap material (saves money), is not that difficult. It is the same as building a dog house only bigger and it gets covered with glass or plastic instead of plywood. One does not have to have the 3 foot high benches inside as the bigger houses have.

In a smaller greenhouse, with enough headroom to walk down the middle flower pots can sit on the ground or on some lattice or lattice type of structure raised on some bricks works fine At present my greenhouse is in a pile – I dismantled it. The 30 foot long 12 foot wide -at base – by 9-foot high center was all white so boring and it was warping-both deficiencies bothered me equally.

I found a web site with “Victorian Greenhouses” which some include scalloped cedar shake shingles on the bottom part of the greenhouse and some brass or bronze accents. I have about 120 recycled wood frame windows that I have trash picked from homes getting the new and improved vinyl windows. All of these were all white.

I chose an oil-based paint in a shade of forest green (semi-gloss) for the frames and will keep the caulked part of the window panes in an oil base gloss white. Now I have 30 or so painted. In the next 4 months, I hope to get as many done as possible but do not expect to rebuild the greenhouse by next July.

Last but not least is the upkeep and care of a greenhouse that brings me back to the day before Thanksgiving. Greenhouses can provide shelter for small critters seeking warmth on a cold January day. The glass gets dirty or the plastic gets old and brittle.

Weeds may have spouted up and you were busy doing other chores so they kept growing all summer in the empty greenhouse. This is the time to get that empty greenhouse or cold frame in shape. Spring is about 18 weeks or so away.

Here are some web sites for greenhouses, cold frames and their construction, care and what can be started in them. Trust me. Gardening is simple and with a cold frame or greenhouse, you get a major head start over the competition.

Even if you should just get a cold frame going you will reap the benefits.

Buying Used Canning Equipment (Buyer Beware)

Home canning. Pickled vegetables and jam

by Vickie from Frugal Canning

Although I tout the virtues of shopping at yard sales for canning equipment, it is time to give some words of caution. Know what you are buying! All canning equipment (check out this selection of canning equipment at Amazon.com) was not created equal.

Hot water bath canners are fairly simple to examine. Hot water bath canners are meant to can high acid foods like fruits, jams, jellies, preserves, pickles, relish, and tomatoes. Hold the canner up to the light. Can you see any light peaking through? Is it extremely rusted? Is it dented?

 
Does the lid fit? What size is it? Will it hold a double layer of jars? Are the handles made so that it will be easy to lift when full of water?
Hot water bath canners come in aluminum, enamel, and stainless steel. Since the water does not enter the jars and touch the food, an aluminum canner is safe to use.

Test a used water bath canner by filling it with water to ensure it does not have any leaks. Leave it in the sink for a while. Then put it on the stove and heat the water to boiling. If there aren’t any leaks and if the lid fits so that the steam does not escape and if the handles are sufficient so that you can lift it safely, you may have scored a useful find.

When you are finished canning, always dry out the canner and put it safely away in a dry place.

Pressure canners need careful examination and decision making before buying. Pressure canners are used to can low acid foods like vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, soups, stews. Don’t think because the pressure canner is being sold that it is safe.

 
There are many factors to consider. First how old is the canner? What condition is it in? Is the brand name familiar? Is the instruction booklet with it? Is the weight with it? Are the handles in good condition? Are there signs of staining around the seal?

Let’s be more specific. Does the age matter? Yes. If the cooker was made prior to 1960 it was probably manufactured using a process called die-casting. Molten metal, most likely aluminum, was poured into a mold to create the pot.

 
This was the standard manufacturing process during and after WWII, and such pans are not of the same quality as those made today. Modern manufacturing makes pressure cookers from rolled and stamped metal sheets that form the pot from one single piece of metal.

Cast metal is brittle and it is subject to tiny, microscopic cracks or thin spots that weaken the container. Pots and pans take a lot of abuse, they get banged around and they get dropped and may result in cracks in the metal.

 
All these tiny fracture lines or hairline cracks are microscopic and they can only be picked up through industrial X-rays, they are not visible to the naked eye. While you might be able to use that old cooker safely for a while, eventually such a fault will cause a failure, sometimes with catastrophic results.

The only way to be sure if an old pressure cooker or canner (MD Creekmore adds – this is the one that I use at Amazon.com) is safe is to send it back to the factory for testing. The original manufacturer – although sometimes other manufacturers may be willing or have the special equipment to test other brands.

 
Be prepared to pay a small fee, plus round trip shipping costs to have it tested for unseen faults. Be sure to call the manufacturer first, if they are no longer in service then Presto of Mirro may offer testing on some models.

Also, check with your country or university extension office. Often they will provide this service, although it may only be offered at certain times by appointment as the testing equipment travels from place to place.

Check for the brand name. If it is not a common name then it might be difficult to get parts or be able to send it back to the manufacturer for inspection. Stick with an American brand name like Presto, All American, Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry or Mirro. Foreign brands may be difficult to track down and more difficult to get parts from.

If it is a weighted canner is the original weight with it? It is important to use the same kind of weight designed for that model. I collect old weights and there are subtle differences that could affect being able to calculate the correct pressure.

Are the handles in good condition? Older canners had wooden handles and over the years they become brittle and crack. Check with the manufacturer to see if the handles can be replaced and at what cost. I had the handles break on an older canner once while canning and it was extremely difficult to get the lid off and remove the jars.

 
It was extremely hard to pick it up as well once the handles had broken. That canner became a planter in my garden collection of canning pot planters.

Are there signs of staining around the seal? If so possibly this canner leaked and did not seal tightly. Always get a new gasket for a used pressure canner. No matter what story the seller tells you always be on the safe side. Improperly canned foods can be fatal or at best make you sick as a dog.

 
Make sure you can find the model number so you will be able to order the right gasket. Take pressure canners in to have gauges checked annually by your local County Extension Agent.

Have I frightened you away from buying a used pressure canner? Good, that is what this article was meant to do. Study up or better yet do not buy an old pressure canner. Invest the money in a new model and save yourself time, money and most importantly your safety. New models are technologically safer and will inherently have fewer problems.

Please go to http://missvickie.com to read all about pressure canning. Miss Vickie is the Queen of pressure canning and pressure cooking information. When I grow up I want to be just like her! Thank you, Miss Vickie, from the Frugal Fraulein at Frugal Canning.

How to Get Free Food When You Don’t Have Much Money

By Frugal Canner

Being the Frugal Fraulein that I am, the word free gives me tingles. This is my favorite time of year. The gardens are calling to be harvested, the trees are laden with fruit, the fish are moving up the streams and the deer and elk are fattening up in orchards and berry thickets. I hear the sound of plink, plink, plink in my head while I have visions of full canning jars filled with free food.

Did you pick up on the word free? Yes, this time of year there is free food everywhere I look. I happen to be among the officially unemployed but no boo hoo hoo from me. I have stored food as a way of life for years and live simply.

Let me share with you some ways to get free food.

Be observant

All year I keep my eyes open for fruit trees and easy access berry thickets on the side of the road and in yards. It is fairly simple to tell which homes are probably not picking their fruit because it is still hanging on the trees.

If the tree sits in a yard, I stop and knock on the door and politely ask if I might pick some fruit in exchange for either leaving some picked fruit on their doorstep or bringing back some canned items. I have never had anyone say no to me in all the years I have done this.

Right now I am watching a plum, apple, Bartlett pear, Asian pear, crab apple, and elderberry trees for the right moment to pick. I have already picked all sorts of wild berries and blueberries. In the Pacific Northwest if you do not pick free blackberries there is something wrong with you!

My supplies are always in the car. I have a couple of “pickers on a stick” and tubs for large fruit and stainless steel bowls, zip lockable bags, handheld pruners and hand wipes for berries. A picker on a stick is simple to make. A bleach bottle is cut and bolted to a broom handle.

This tool allows you to reach higher and pull the fruit off the tree without having it fall and get bruised. Two Christmas’s ago a commercially produced fruit picker was given to me which I also like. I also have a hands free container which is a coffee can that has a wire coat hanger that hooks over the top of my pants.

I always clean up the area where I pick as a service to the homeowner and rake up the drops and deposit them on their compost pile. There are a few homes that actually look forward to my annual visit. I don’t know why they don’t seem to want any canned items but I don’t argue because that is more for me. They just don’t know what they are missing! All for free.

Put the word out

Tell everyone you know you are willing and very happy to take their year-end produce. Towards the end of the season, some folks are tired of zucchini boats, cabbage that might have some brown leaves or slug trails, too many tomatoes or cucumbers or can’t bear the thought of picking any more beans.

I volunteer to clean out the garden and take home the left overproduce. I put up signs, let church-going friends know, club members, post signs on Craigslist and at supermarkets and am not bashful about putting the word out that I will take garden leftovers. All for free.

Make an exchange

This year I offered to advertise for a fellow with a produce stand near my home in exchange for produce. He called me when he had leftovers and I was able to either get them free or at a very low price. Daily these guys have to throw away perfectly good food.

You are doing them a favor by cutting their disposal costs. This arrangement can be made with your local produce man as well. I have known people who said they were picking up produce for their chickens when they were really talking about kids, the humankind. All for free.

Gleaning

A friend of mine who happens to be a member of the L.D.S. church invited me to join a group of ladies that glean a corn farm annually. I thought I was bold taking two plastic tubs with me but to my surprise, these ladies showed up with pickup trucks! It seems the farmer picks two to three times a season and the last of the corn is not worth his effort.

Some are small but most were perfect. It is always an adventure to travel down the tall aisles of corn stalks looking for leftover ears of corn and smelling the sweet smell and hearing the fall crickets and birds chirping.

We have always done this activity late in the day so the sun is setting and fall is in the air. Since my first experience, I have picked corn, cucumbers, and pumpkins as gleaning activities. Most often a percentage is brought to the local Food Bank so others are benefiting as well. All for free.

Barter

This year I bartered my canning experience for fresh tuna fish. A local fisherman brought 60 pounds of fish ready to go and I did the canning. Yes, it was labor-intensive and time-consuming but I now have jars of the most delicious tuna in my food storage that is not comparable to that stuff in the can from the supermarket.

I also barter fresh salmon from a neighbor in exchange for babysitting and some extra camping equipment I had. The salmon is usually eaten fresh but I have canned it before. One year the local Native American Tribal caught more salmon than the market could handle and they put out the word to come and get it.

I brought home about 15 very large salmon and canned it. This year I have posted ads for hunters to can meat in exchange for a percentage of the bounty. All for free.

Learn to forage

If available take a class on foraging in your local area to learn which local plants are edible. If no classes are available in your area (and even if they are) then I suggest you get a copy Nature’s Garden: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants from Amazon.com and The Forager’s Harvest – Wild Food, 2 DVD Set. These are both excellent.

Once you have a knowledge base of what is out there, you can go out and pick, pick, pick. Items can be canned, dehydrated or made into tinctures for healing nutritional purposes.

This year I am picking wild elderberries to make a tincture. Elderberry tincture is good for the flu and it is a great additive to anyone’s medical kit. I have foraged fiddleheads, many types of greens, mint, leaves for tea, wild onions, Oregon grapes, berries, mushrooms. All for free.

MD Creekmore has several great articles here at MDCreekmore.com about foraging for wild foods and I will add links to those below.

Are you getting the idea? Are you inspired? All of you who smart enough to be ants and not grasshoppers do not have to have huge reserves of cash to do food storage.


Just be frugal, bold, polite and the Universe will provide. Please follow my blog frugalcanning.blogspot.com for more tips and articles on frugality.