SHTFPreparedness might acquire a share of gross sales or different compensation from the hyperlinks on this web page.
I’ll be the primary to confess that I’m a Jon Hollerman “fan-boy.” I used to be first launched to him by way of podcasts. I quickly invested in his bug out bug out bag DVD, and books. Whereas I hope to someday make use of his consulting companies, that may be a whereas off. Till then, I’ll proceed to comply with him and particularly study from his better of the very best guide “Survival Idea: A Preparedness Information.”
On this article, I take a tough take a look at Survival Idea chapter by chapter. Whereas I’ve learn this guide cowl to cowl a half-dozen instances, I nonetheless acquire a bit extra on every studying. I’ll summarize the contents of the chapter and offer you an sincere opinion of the place this quantity matches in a well-stocked survival library.
Survival Idea Introduction
Jonathan begins this quantity with an sincere appraisal of the place all of us stand if the more severe involves move. In doing so, he introduces not simply his opinions, however these of a number of specialists inside the trade (e.g., electrical firm executives) and the US federal authorities.
Most of the warnings are stark and dire, particularly contemplating the sources.
“On November 20, 2014, Admiral Rogers, who’s the Commander of US Cyber Command, testified earlier than the Congressional Intelligence Committee that America’s crucial infrastructure (together with the electrical grid) is totally weak to assault by a number of enemy nations and teams who presently have the data and the power to actually “flip the swap” on our electrical grid at any time.”
— Survival Idea: A Preparedness Information by Jonathan Hollerman
As soon as he has laid out a strong footing for our shaky future because of the surrounding threats, he questions your present standing. As he acknowledges, you’ve picked this guide up for a purpose.
“If you’re studying this and also you haven’t began getting ready, it’s most probably for a number of of the next three distinct causes: 1-You aren’t satisfied that the risk is actual. 2-You’re overwhelmed and also you don’t even know the place to start out. 3-You don’t need to be stigmatized by your family and friends as a “Survivalist.””
— Survival Idea: A Preparedness Information by Jonathan Hollerman
With the muse laid, he will get into specifics… In nice element.
Survival Idea Chapters 1-6, Threats In every single place
“What are you getting ready for” he asks within the first chapter. All of us got here to prepping and survival for a purpose. Possibly you’re a baby of the 80s and grew up with the specter of nuclear battle. Or perhaps you latterly got here to it by way of the pandemic. On this word, he was significantly prescient.
Additionally, explicit to the present age, is his warning about monetary collapse. The place he spends a lot of the textual content although, is within the failure of {the electrical} grid.
Jonathan spends the following three chapters detailing how EMPs, cyber assaults, and bodily assault. I believe everyone knows that our grid is fragile. Having it specified by such a vogue is eye opening to even essentially the most seasoned prepper.
From the 2007 Aurora Venture, that demonstrated bodily injury from a cyber assault, to the Metcalf assault. He presents a sensible view of the true fragility of the grid. We’re just a few missteps away from whole and long-lasting grid failure.
Every of the situations offered echoes what everyone knows. The grid is fragile at greatest, and worse but, little or no is being finished to guard us. The exploitations are many, nonetheless; the voices preaching the hardening of the grid usually go unheeded.
That is particularly the case for photo voltaic flares and electromagnetic pulse occasions. In any other case often called EMPs. He defines each occasions and their relation to one another. Additional, he supplies a historical past lesson that it’s not a matter of if. Simply once we will get hit.
From the CME close to miss of July 12, to potential Iranian sea-based missile launches. The threats are there for anybody who chooses to look. It doesn’t take a lot to search out them.
Life After Grid Down
The ultimate chapters of this part current a view of life after a grid-down occasion. He states that such a occasion will transport us again to the 1800s. We merely now not have the talents to outlive such a sudden change. Particularly, the US Authorities doesn’t have the means to answer a catastrophe of that scale. FEMA is designed, staffed, and provided for under regional disasters.
Briefly, we will likely be on our personal.
He then paints the image of the non-public affect. Most households buy groceries each three days and have lower than two weeks of meals. Emergency companies will shortly fail to reply, and important companies will likely be unavailable.
Right here, he supplies a view of non-public expertise as a SERE teacher. Throughout this expertise, he noticed the impact of starvation on well-trained women and men. Hunger causes desperation and an all-encompassing deal with meals. Additional, he asks the extents a father would go to in an effort to feed a ravenous and withered little one.
These two chapters are significantly arduous to learn as he confronts you with an sincere evaluation of the common particular person’s lack of ability to deal with a catastrophe of this scale.
Survival Idea Chapters 7-8: Getting Off The ‘X’
He dedicates the following two chapters to the method of shifting you and your loved ones to a location of elevated security and survivability. Right here, he appears on the choices of going lone wolf, eternally roaming, the suburban bug-in, and eventually bugging out.
He truthfully doesn’t have a whole lot of love for the lone wolf. That is the person who plans to go to the hinterlands alone to outlive on wits alone. Once more, he brings a voice of expertise to the dialog. As a SERE teacher, he spent a a lot of his time surviving within the woods and coaching others to outlive the expertise. Even with a small group, primary survival is close to unattainable as meals and warmth occupy nearly your entire time and vitality.
He then presents the challenges of roaming the countryside in an armored bug out automobile. The primary assumption is that roads will likely be passible. It’s extremely possible that they won’t be. Even when they’re, the problem of gasoline could also be insurmountable.
Even the bugging in, in his view, will likely be troublesome to outlive. Something wanting a distant group will in the end result in ravenous individuals at your door. You merely can not defend yourselves from the numbers all days every single day. Finally, you’ll slip up or they are going to outnumber you.
Bugging Out
Subsequent within the guide is a advice of bugging out and the related timeline. Any grid down state of affairs would require swift motion to acknowledge the scenario, get organized, and bug out. As the times progress, his plan contains shifting from populated roads (highways) to again roads, and shifting with elevated safety and consciousness (e.g., no fires).
As a preparedness marketing consultant, specializing in bug out properties, he has loads to say right here. However we are going to get into his ultimate bug out location in a couple of chapters.
Survival Idea Chapter 9: Staffing Your Retreat
One of many largest challenges of grid down life is tips on how to handle the 24/7 actions of well being, sanitation, meals, and safety. One particular person can’t do it on their own. You have to have a bunch. This requires discovering individuals you possibly can belief your life with.
This isn’t with out its challenges, and he presents a optimistic plan for assembly, recruiting, and bringing individuals into the fold.
Survival Idea Chapters 10-13: BOBs and Provides
No survival guide well worth the paper it’s printed on can go with out a part on bug out luggage. Survival Idea has an fascinating method to the varieties of luggage. Right here, Jonathan presents the Get House Bag, Lone Wolf Bag, Assault Pack, and the 3-Day bag. His description of the 3-day bag most intently matches the frequent bug out bag description.
These chapters element the use and contents of every bag. He leaves it to the reader to find out the very best luggage for his or her scenario. Most may have a get residence bag, 3-day bag, and probably an assault bag.
Subsequent, he properly layers the contents of the luggage, spending applicable time on the important thing contents, together with instruments for fireplace, water, a knife, flashlight, and medical parts. Being a self-professed flashlight man, his suggestions for energy and batteries are properly thought out and we will study from them.
Likewise, he presents wonderful protection of medical provides. That is particularly within the case for separating trauma provides from the usual first support equipment. Particularly, he states.
“What I carry on this compact trauma equipment is: 1-Pair of nitrile gloves 1-Pair of Hyfin Vent chest seals 1-Israeli 4” battle dressing or a 4” flat fold H-battle dressing 1-Z-fold Celox impregnated gauze 1-Celox granule plunger 1-Fight utility tourniquet (CAT) connected to the aspect of the pouch”
— Survival Idea: A Preparedness Information by Jonathan Hollerman
Lastly, he covers an encyclopedia of “different” provides to think about in your luggage.
Survival Idea Chapters 14-15: Weapons and Gear
I particularly appreciated his properly thought out chapters on weapons and kit. Briefly, a contemporary battle rifle, dependable pistol, and clothes/equipment all fall beneath the class of purchase high quality.
He spends fairly a little bit of time recognizing that there are lots of instruments on the market that can match the necessity of your survival scenario and he doesn’t faux that his suggestions are scripture. Learn his suggestions and incorporate his opinions into your personal techniques.
Survival Idea Chapters 16-17: Meals
A few of the most useful chapters within the guide are these on meals. As acknowledged, his expertise as a SERE teacher has given him a novel perception into the impact of hunger on the human psyche.
Leveraging this expertise, he has pushed deep into the subjects of short-term meals, long-term staples, and buying freeze dried.
For the brand new prepper, the guide introduces copy canning as a elementary device for rising your short-term meals shops. That is basically shopping for extra of what you already eat, so long as it may be saved for a 12 months or extra. By spending a little bit additional every procuring journey, you possibly can shortly construct up your short-term storage.
His long-term plan depends closely, because it ought to, on staples together with rice and beans. The place he begins to warn the reader is when buying long-term storage kits. Usually these pre-packaged, and overly costly, units both fall far wanting actual calorie wants, or displace the energy into high-sugar meals. Neither will get you thru a real disaster.
Inside Survival Idea, he supplies the Basal Metabolic Fee (BMR) calculator as a vital device for figuring out your true caloric wants.
https://www.calculator.internet/bmr-calculator.html
He closes these chapters out with suggestions for elevating animals for meals. He extremely recommends rabbits then chickens. A single female and male will present for the protein wants of 1 particular person with their offspring. Subsequently, a male and 4 females will meet the wants of a household of 4 over the course of a 12 months.
He closes out with a number of suggestions on tips on how to retailer and develop meals in your homestead animals. That is accompanied by the warning that you should begin now. Elevating animals requires data and apply.
Survival Idea Chapter 18: Constructing Up Your Retreat
The ultimate preparedness chapter in Survival Idea is devoted to build up your retreat. That is purely from his perspective and expertise as a preparedness marketing consultant.
I at all times study one thing new from this part on every studying. On the core he preaches preserve it distant, preserve it hidden. Suggestions such because the size, form, and situation of the driveway go a good distance with this plan.
He really doesn’t advocate the fortress feel and look for a retreat as that can ultimately make it a goal because it screams “prepper” which in the end equates to meals and provides. That is properly taken recommendation.
Truthfully, among the suggestions will likely be unapproachable to the common reader. I personally will in all probability by no means be within the place to dig an underground escape tunnel. Take these suggestions with the angle of your means and objectives. Acknowledge, although, that there’s a lot to study in these pages.
Survival Idea Afterward: Biblical Views
Jonathan closes out with a properly thought out treatise on the biblical facet of prepping. He addresses the query of ought to I put together like Joesph or let God maintain me just like the isralites within the dessert.
These are very properly offered factors and are greatest learn and prayed upon.
Closing the Cowl on Survival Idea
In closing, that is certainly one of my favourite and most useful preparedness guides. I’ve learn it a number of instances and don’t cover my appreciation for the guide.
That being stated, I really consider it ought to discover a place in your library.
Bonus: Root Cellar That Can Be Used as a Bunker
Do you bear in mind the outdated root cellars our great-grandparents used to have? Actually, they in all probability constructed it themselves, proper of their again yard.
If you wish to discover ways to construct a yard bunker like your grandparents had, with out breaking the financial institution, then you definately want Simple Cellar.
Simple Cellar will present you:
- How to decide on the best website
- Price-effective constructing strategies
- The right way to defend your bunker from nuclear blast and fallout
- The right way to conceal your bunker
- Reasonably priced primary life assist choices
Simple Cellar may also reveal how a veteran, with solely $421, constructed a small nuclear bunker in his yard.
