In The Rabbit Hole Urban Survival

In this episode, we’re joined by Jonathan Hollerman of Grid Down Consulting. We discuss the basics of survival retreats and bug out locations that may save your life in TEOTWAWKI. ~ Become a supporting member here: http://www.itrh.net Bug Out Locations (aka BOLs) is a tough subject to tackle. And for this reason, it's not something we've covered too often. First, there's the expense. Researching, planning, purchasing, and stocking a survival retreat adds up quickly. Very quickly! Then there are areas most preppers just can't be sure of about their survival retreats. The how far away from a major city question comes up constantly. And the amount of research to come up with answers is staggering. It's easy to spend months reading about all the topics that go into building a remote place to take yourself and your family when the unthinkable happens. But there are a few professionals in the industry who commit themselves to helping others plan, find, and develop a bug out location for the worst case scenarios. An

We sit down with Jill from Remnant K9 360 to discuss how to train a dog to be a survival asset.   ~ Become a supporting member here:   http://www.itrh.net   ~ Resources from this episode can be found at:   http://www.intherabbithole.com/e236   Training a dog to be a valuable component of your survival tools doesn't get enough attention by most preppers. In fact, man's best friend gets very little attention in the community. And that's odd.   Mans' best friend has a long and storied history. Some say our friendship goes back 30,000 years.   And estimates place K9 ownership in the United States at 78 million. And it's estimated 36.5% of US homes have at least one dog. So you think the topic of how to train a dog would be a more frequent topic amongst preppers.   But only a small fraction of survival podcast episodes and blog posts are dedicated to our furry buddies. (We're culprits of this oversight too, to be fair.)   Perhaps the problem is thinking we need to turn them into full blow military working dogs. Th

Concealed handgun instructor Salvatore DeGennaro joins us to discuss practical gun training. He’s going to share his thoughts on handguns vs. long-guns and must have [EDC] items. We've all heard the adage, "You use your handgun to fight to your long-gun." It makes sense: long-guns are more powerful, easier to make accurate hits with, do more damage to the intended target, and tend to be immediate "fight stoppers." And long-guns posses a greater effective range. With a weekend's worth of instruction, it is possible to for someone to achieve a high degree of consistent precision out to 400 yards. By high degree, I mean the ability to hold a 4-MOA group, over the course of 40 rounds, at varying distances, while changing positions and magazines, engaging multiple targets, and under a time constraint. Good luck achieving that with a pistol in a weekend with a newer shooter. The newer shooter should be able to become effective out to 25-yards with a pistol. However, that is typically the limit. But what is realisti

Best-selling author Steven Konkoly joins us. We discuss how he crafts his prepper fiction books just for you. And we learn about his latest book: KILL BOX: A Post-Apocalyptic Pandemic Thriller. ~ Become a supporting member here: http://www.itrh.net ~ Resources from this episode can be found at: http://www.intherabbithole.com/e234 Pandemics don't get enough love in the prepper fiction niche. Often, we focus on EMPs and terrorist attacks. EPMs, like Zombies, are fun thought experiment: How would people survive in a total grid scenario. But when it comes to the most likely major disaster, pandemics are a ticking time bomb. Many say we are long overdue for a pandemic, in fact. And here's where Konkoly takes to ball and runs with it. What if we took the idea of a pandemic and brought it into the modern world were man's hands meddle with things. Do we see zombies? Who writes these kinds of terrifying nightmares of prepper fiction? We get to know the man behind the words in this episode with author Steven Konkoly. S

Joey King drops by to share news from the war front. The cryptocurrency war that is. He’s going to share with us some basics, history, news, and what to do with your BitCoin Cash. ~ Become a supporting member here:      http://www.itrh.net ~ Resources from this episode can be found at:      http://www.intherabbithole.com/e233 The cryptocurrency world is on fire. Some would even say war is ranging. Digital currencies are seeing crazy high prices. And there's a lot of confusion about what these cryptocurrencies are. The uninformed and uninitiated often ask, "What's the new BitCoin?" There's also a lot of misunderstandings about whether or not it's too late to get into BitCoin or if you should buy an altcoin do to cost. But people are using the wrong paradigms to think about and invest in cryptocurrencies. This has lead to some scams, confusion, and kept people out of the market altogether. So we've got a bit of work to do to bring people up to speed. There's a need for a shift in thinking and a bit of backstory

In this episode, Joshua Sheats of Radical Personal Finance stops by. He’s going to share with us some fundamental truths of how to increase wealth and how to survive the most likely disaster to impact your life. Money doesn't come up often enough in the preparedness community. Sometimes there's talk of having cash on hand for emergencies. Other times there's talk of gold and silver investing, bitcoins, and other more unconventional stores of wealth. And there's sometimes talk of being debt free. But what does it take to be financially secure, resilient, and having a life you love. After all, if you've got lots of money and hate your life, what's the point? Plus, if you don't know what you're working towards besides retirement do you know retirement is going to be successful? Today's guest helps us start on the road to taking a long hard look and action to get you closer to increasing your wealth so you can survive personal disasters. And it helps you live a better more fulfilled life today. ~ Become a support

In this episode, Josh drops by to discuss building up the best prepper gun battery on a small budget. Many preppers obsess over their gun battery. There's a good reason: they are among the best tools to help keep us safe and defend our lives with. And, let's face it, most of us like guns a whole lot. They're fun to play with and many find shooting to be a relaxing hobby. (I often call it yoga with loud noises and a little more smoke.) But building a full prepper battery of guns is expensive; especially if you are just starting out. And guns can be the most expensive part of a preppers overall kit. It’s easy to drop $5,000 just on guns and glass. Five bills or more is a big bite to take for a lot of people. Buying a full gun battery eats into what many long-time preppers feel is as important to nail down quickly: Food, medical supplies, and training. Then there's more training. So Josh and I discuss the best guns and strategies for starting out your prepper gun battery on a small budget. ~ Become a supporting

In this episode, we’re joined by Author RE McDermott. He shares with us who he is, his book Under a Tell Tale Sky, and how life after a coronal mass eject might go off the rails. ~ Become a supporting member here: http://www.itrh.net ~ Resources from this episode can be found at: http://www.intherabbithole.com/e230 Dystopian fiction books in the prepper niche often focus on EMPs. It's a seemingly easy target -- especially these days. North Korea and other bad actors are suspected of either being capable of or working diligently to produce a weapon that can destroy our grid. But it's not often we get a book based on a coronal mass ejection; CME for short. Under a Tell Tale Sky paints a picture of what life might look like immediately after a CME. And author RE McDermott uses this scenario to demonstrate some of the benefits of being on a boat if a CME it. A coronal mass ejection is an electromagnetic pulse caused by a solar flare, in simple terms. So it's a naturally occurring phenomenon. And there are such ev

In this episode, we sit down with Jay. He’s going to share with us how power grids are restored and put back together after a catastrophe. Plus, we'll discuss basic safety tips for during and after a power outage to keep you safe. Preppers like us are acutely aware of how delicate society is. And when it comes to the electric grid, we’re all at least a little freaked out. (Some a lot freaked out.) EMPs, Coronal Mass Ejection, Cyber Attacks, physical attacks on plans and substations are on a lot of prepper minds. Then there's simply the mundane weather event. This massively complex thing we depend on for modern society seems to be attacking threats from all over. But often, gaining a deeper understanding of something we worry about moves us closer to the sound part of staying safe and sound. To know a thing is to have some control over it. Maybe not a lot, but some. And it can put your mind at ease simple to understand what's happening and why. And knowing some simple tips of what to do and what not to do when

Justin Carroll drops back by to talk about the 1911 pistol. The US government paid a LOT of money teaching him to depend on one. And he shares real-world use lessons learned. For those who don’t know, he’s a former Marine Recon, Marine special operations, and former government alphabet soup guy who ran a 1911 and many other guns for a living. So Justin has just a wee bit of experience with what works and what doesn't. And today he’s going to share with us some basics about the reality of depending on one and must have options for neophytes. The 1911 pistol is a deep part American lore. If you're a child of the 70's and 80's, you probably have at least one grandfather who used one in war. And your dad might have used one in a "conflict" and most likely had a 1911 as his one go-to handgun for home defense. For this reason, many of us lust after them even though we're converts to the Tupperware warrior guns like the Glock. But there's still that lust begging to be satiated. So today we talk all things 1911 so yo

In this episode, Daisy Luther drops back by. We discuss starting and stocking your prepper pantry, cutting the grocery bills, and being a food in the apocalypse. Let's face it, building out and stocking a good pantry isn't sexy for most of us. It's meticulous work requiring a lot of thought and care -- especially for new preppers.  Stocking food and water doesn't go bang, isn't shiny, won't word off zombies, and isn't something we can brag to our friends about. (Well you could, but it's not advisable.) And it can require a lot of planning ahead. You must know what your family will and won't' eat. There's no point in stocking and squirreling away food items if it's going to go uneaten. You may be thinking, "they can just eat it or go hungry" or you may be thinking, "if they're hungry enough they will eat it". But this creates unnecessary stress for everyone. Why bother? But with a bit of thought, planning, observation, and smart buying you can put together a great pantry. Then it's just a matter of maintenance

We sit down with author Sara Hathaway; the creator of Day After Disaster and The Changing Earth series. She shares with us her writing story and thoughts on female preppers. Female preppers tend to be greatly outnumbered by their male counter parts. Most informal reports put the percentages at 30% female and 70% male. The disparity between sexes is also evident in prepper fiction. It is dominated by male characters -- often overly stylized super soldier types. And this get's boring after a while. So when something, anything, different comes along, we tend to take notice. Author Sara Hathaway is herself a female prepper. And she's damn proud of it -- as she should be. So her crafting a series of prepper fiction books featuring a strong female character is no surprise. But some women's reactions to Sara's works are rather surprising. Listen in to hear this and many other topics... Author Sara Hathaway: Who is she How did she become a writer What is Sara's go to rifle in the apocalypse If she could only have on

In this episode, we're joined by author Glen Martin to discuss navigation skills for preppers and survivalists. Navigation skills are an often overlooked skill. Partly this is due to the perception of it being a non-sexy skill. And this may also be due to the perceived difficulting in learning and practicing the skill. But it turns out, it’s easier than you might think. And there are some fun tricks. This includes one where your dog tries to tell you which way is north in an exceptionally odd way. ~ Navigation Skills for Preppers Topics Discussed: * His backstory * Why Martin wrote Prepper's Survival Navigation * The case for learning how to navigate overland * Teaching kids about how to navigate overland * Talent vs pure skill * Simple exercises for learning and retaining the skill * Why not simply use a GPS and forget about learning the skill * Wilderness survival tips for in case you get lost ~ Become a supporting member here: http://www.itrh.net ~ Resources from this episode can be found at: http://www.in

We sit down with Daisy Luther from the Organic Prepper. She’s going to tell us how canning can make a huge impact in our lives. Canning is a topic we've not given much love to, unfortunately. In fact, there's never been an ITRH episode dedicated to it. And this is a large oversight on our part. The skill of canning is important. It can play a large part in getting your pantry stocked, preserving the food you grow, and even saving you money. The truth is this: It intimidated us a bit because you hear all sorts of warnings about things exploding and people dying from botulism. And it's not a sexy activity like shooting. So we consistently put off engaging in or talking about it. But as it turns out, this isn't as hard or as dangerous as some might think. Daisy tells us all about it ~ Canning for Preppers Topics Discussed: * Daisy's story * The biggest obstacle people experience * Why we should invest the time and energy * Advantages of doing it yourself vs. buying canned goods at the store * The typical cost to

Financial prognosticator John Pugliano drops by to warn us of the robot revolution and Skynet taking your job. And, he’ll offer advice on how to be the John Connor of your own financial future. Automation is quickly becoming the new boogie man in the media. This isn't without good reason: the robot revolution is on and many are killing off old steadfast jobs. Most often, we hear about this in Most often, we hear about this in fast-food chains like McDonald's. And its rise is wrongly attributed to minimum wage hikes. These robots were coming regardless or raising the minimum wage, truth be told. These robots were coming regardless or raising the minimum wage, truth be told. Employees have always been the number one liability and expense any business has. Robots, on the other hand, do not complain, call in "sick" (aka hung over), or do any number of other things employers and managers grind their teeth over. Not to say all employees do this, but it is a daily issue. So this raises a few questions: Will the robo

We sit down with author CA Rudolph to discuss his book series What's Left of My World, his writing process, and survival lessons for Dads. What would it take to raise a strong female prepper? Two out of three hosts of ITRH struggle with this. The third just hasn't made any little preppers yet. So this is an important question for us, as of late. But this also speaks to a big piece of our community who tend to be under represented. Women are a minority in prepper circles. Perhaps men are wired to worry more about proactive survival measures. Maybe most of the personalities and information available just doesn't speak to them. Yet, figuring this out and including more women in preparedness is very important. Whatever the reasons, the first step is for Dad's and Mom's to take an active role in raising female preppers. So maybe more prepper fiction with strong female prepper character is a way to do something about this. And CA Rudolph's part in this is What's Left of My World. So let's find out more about... CA

Justin Carroll stops by to discuss his bug out vehicle. To Justin, it's not a BOV; it's home, freedom, practical, and an adventure. We're big on preparedness solutions with practical uses even if the zombie apocalypse doesn't happen. Gear and changes you make to your life should be something that makes your life better in the now. Doing things exclusively for an apocalypse become a burden otherwise. This makes Justin's approach perfect for bug out vehicles, opinion. You see, Justin travels all over the US teaching digital and physical security. And he's also still young and unattached. So the opportunity to turn work into an extended road trip just made sense. And, in the process, Justin has built what most of us would consider an awesome bug out vehicle. But this hasn't been an easy, straightforward process. He's wrestled with all sorts of issues and challenges. Most of these things he overcame. He joins us to share his trials, tribulations, triumphs, and secrets to talking to people about his unique living

We sit back down with Joey King of BytesOfMan.com to find out what happened after BitCoin forked into BitCoin and BitCoin Cash. We'll also discuss what to do next and what the future for the two crypto currencies may hold. ~ Become a supporting member here: http://www.itrh.net ~ Resources from this episode can be found at: http://www.intherabbithole.com/e220

In this episode, we sit down with Joey King; BitCoin blogger and developer. He’s going to tell us all about BitCoin and the fate of money as we know it. Several years ago, Joey left his fortune 100 job to pursue his passion for BitCoin. Since then he's become a figure and influencer in the movement. And he's just getting warmed up. The world of cryptocurrency is a huge subject. And this will be the beginning of many episodes on the topic. Although, we were the first in the survival podcast community to dive into the topic and say "we're in" long ago. Although, we were the first in the survival podcast community to dive into the topic and say "we're in" long ago. But it's been so long since our first episode on the topic we'll need to start at the start. So, we pick back up where we left off all those years ago. We'll discuss what crypto-currency is, the existing scams, pitfalls, politics, drama, and possible futures. This will be a high-level episode. We'll stay out of the deep weeds of daily use. And there'l

Night Vision for preppers: Own the night and see bad things before they can see you. These are the phrases often used to describe the technology for tactical applications. And it's an enticing premise. Who wouldn't want the advantage and superpower of seeing in the dark? It would be a game changer should polite society ever skid out of control. But many preppers end up with sticker shock as soon as they begin investigating night vision. And is seemingly creates a perceived need out of reach for most. And most preppers don't stop to ask if night vision makes sense. It could easily become an expensive toy that sits in a drawer only to be occasionally played with and never pressed into services as a life-saving tool. So this brings up the question: How do you decide if night vision for preppers makes sense? And what generation is even worth the investment? And then there's thermal. The mind swirls with indecisiveness. We'll clear this up. ~ Night Vision for Preppers Topics Discussed: * Usable Night Vision Genera