You're out in the open wilderness scouting out the next safe spot for your family to settle in. The late summer heat makes the tall brush wave and shimmer in the distance. You pull out your canteen and take a deep drink, half-full, you'll need to save the rest for the way back to camp. You hear a rustle off to your left. Your instincts kick in. Friend? Foe? Animal? Would be thieves coming to attack and take your provisions? You stop and calm your breathing, pulling out your sidearm and slowly taking your safety off. You hear the rustle again, and see two men crouched with guns. There is a tense moment while you wait for their next move. One of them starts to raise his pistol. You know what to do, you've trained for this. You square your shoulders, line up your shot and – Crack! Crack! "HIT!" comes from one of the voices, "Awww man! We thought we had you!" whine the "victims". All in a good day's fun.

What I've just described isn't the latest Hollywood action film: it's the sport of Airsoft, and while fun, can be a valuable tool in teaching real world skills for emergency preparedness and survival.

Airsoft is different from air rifles and pellet guns in that they use standardized airsoft 6mm plastic bb's that weigh far less than metal pellets or sabots, and are perfectly safe in a controlled play environment.

There are an increasing number of airsoft clubs and organizations organizing multiple day events that can be attended for a set fee. They're run on weekends, usually centered around military scenarios, and the core skills practiced are valuable to real world preparedness. There are varying degrees of immersion, ranging from "play and go back to the car for a snack" to full airsoft milsim, where one acts, functions, and performs like a real military force for the entire duration. These latter are great for testing the survival skills you already have. You'll make camp and have to spend one or two nights in the wilderness. You can practice making your tent or sleeping area using local materials and a tarp. You'll have to bring your own food and water and manage it. If possible, you can research local flora in order to gather and prepare it while immersed in the event as a way to supplement your initial supply. These games are full immersion, so even when you're ready for bed, you have to be alert for surprises coming at a moment's notice. If there's local sources of water, like a stream, water filtration devices can be put to the ultimate test so you know their true reliability.

On a recent excursion, we arranged night watch shifts, nothing feels greater than being the only one awake in your unit scouting for moving shadows that could be the enemy. During the day you'll work with your group or squad and practice maneuvers such as stalking, advancing, assault, and defense. Make sure to ask the event planner if you can practice first aid on "injured" soldiers with faux sprained ankles, cuts, and broken bones using a real First Aid Kit. Another great thing is familiarizing yourself with firearms and learning how to use them properly for self-defense. Airsoft teaches proper weapon usage, maintenance, and safety precautions. Most airsoft guns in the mid-range price look, feel, and function as close to the real steel guns as possible. Some gas airsoft pistols even disassemble the same way as the real thing! Real firearms training is great for becoming accustomed to the physical feel of shooting a gun, but airsoft simulation events teach valuable self-defense tactics.

The most important skill learned at these events is mindset. You can put all your survival gear through real world paces and determine what works, and lose what doesn't. Working in a team, you're depended upon and also forced to rely upon others. Trust is crucial to any worst-case survival scenario. You have to be constantly aware of your surroundings, because you are a set of eyes and ears for your group. You learn to distinguish between friend and foe. You'll hone your aiming and marksmanship skills on real targets who will react and move. You'll train yourself how to respond - rather than react – to surprises and potential threats. And if you're "killed" you can learn from your mistakes, so you survive next time!

Airsplat also has a site with a comprehensive listing of fields across the US.

John Durfee is a Gulf War veteran and the marketing manager for Airsplat, the nations largest retailer of Airsoft Guns and Apparel

My 25th high school reunion was this past July. I was unable to attend as it was in Ohio, but I have been thinking much about the parallels of high school and prepping for a while. Before one enters high school there is a bit of nervousness because of unknowing what to expect. As a prepper, that is how I was when I began. I did not know what kind of crises or disaster or economic issue may happen and I was extremely fearful.

Over the past few years I have worked very hard to prepare myself for any type of crises and in this I have come to an incredible conclusion. All is well. I am prepared. I do not know what is coming our way, although it does not require a doctorate degree to see the impending economic crisis racing towards the American public. No worry, as I am prepared.

How on earth can one reach this point of preparation? Do you wonder if my house if filled from floor to ceiling with prep items, so much that I squeeze around the house instead of walking? Do you wonder how I was able to pay for so much?

Let me help you all in how easy this transformation has been for me. Like high school, I was nervous until I went to school, and realized it was the same as junior high or middle school. This is what has happened to me in prepping. I no longer worry about what may happen, as I am ready.

I have learned how to make food from scratch...you know from the very base ingredients. I can look in a pantry and create a menu without looking at a cookbook.

I have learned to grow foods in a desert climate. I have also learned how to utilize the sun and a solar well. In addition, I have mastered how to salvage and actually use gray water. From the foods I have grown, I then learned how to preserve the foods by dehydrating, canning, pickling or smoking.

I have learned to mend clothing, sew clothing, and refashion clothing into other items.

I have learned how to clean my home with minimal cleaning products...
I have learned how to wash my clothing by hand with home made soaps...

I have learned how to utilize the environment I am in- as in harvesting mesquite beans the fruit of cactus, and the likes. Mesquite beans feed the animals, make a great coffee, and can be ground into a flour.

I have studied and grown herbs...and taken this further to understand the human body and the healing process. More importantly I have learned more about living a healthy lifestyle and exercising to maintain health.

I have learned how to raise chickens, collect their eggs, build their pens, feed them, allow them to free range, and then butcher them. I followed the butchering up with canning the chicken.

I have learned how to raise turkeys and can do the same with them as I can with a chicken. Dollar for dollar and pound for pound, turkey's are more economical.

I have learned how to raise ducks and geese...in the desert. The eggs from a duck are the best ever to bake with!

I have learned how to raise goats and can milk them, feed them, help deliver the kids, and of course butcher and preserve the meat.

I have learned how to raise sheep, how to sheer them, how to feed them, and help deliver the lambs, and of course butcher and preserve the meat. In addition, I have learned how to wash the wool, and use it.

I have learned how to raise a cow to butcher and preserve the meat. In addition we have attempted(but not mastered the tanning of the hide...we will soon though as practice does make perfect).

You see prepping is about obtaining knowledge and skills to hold you over if in fact you cannot rush down to the local grocery store. Prepping is not about the hording mentality as supplies have a shelf life and of course cost $$$.

I am not afraid for what may happen in my life or my nation's. I can only say that I am grieved for the times as they are reflecting a change in the way America will be forevermore. I am prepared to help when times get tough, and prepared to help our nation come to stand once again. As a prepper I can only pray that you understand how important it is to study and learn how to live as much as it is to acquire items.

Jennifer

If you have not heard of Neem oil I would strongly suggest doing research and learn of this amazing oil and it's multiple uses and applications. With all the preparing that we each do in all categories forever branching out and expanding into infinity and beyond, I've come to learn and use this oil ritually.  Neem is a natural plant and tree, it is widely referred to as the "village pharmacy" in India.  With a multitude of uses and applications too much to think of even typing, here's 1001 uses of Neem Oil.  I've discovered this oil in desperation when heat rash struck my skin like a vengeance.  My regular physician I truly trust not because all that I received was a steroid shot, some topical ointment and antibiotic pills, which are all probably synthetic and really heals nothing at all.  While doing the regular homepathy treaments on myself I needed something more than just lavender oil or tea tree oil.  I needed more than tumeric, cayenne pepper, coconut oil, aloe and I can go on and on here, but I needed something that really packed a punch, a walloping punch to my sensitive skin problem.

While reading of remedies for skin problems across the web I've stumbled upon this particular oil.  With nothing to lose and forever in a state of itch I decided to try it out.  TheraNeem products are what I am currently using.  I needed to find soaps, lotions and anything else that had Neem oil in it, in otherwords I needed to get my hands on this ASAP.  Wholefood's was the first place I decided to check to see if they carried anything with this oil in it and fortunately they did.  Pricey indeed it was, one bar of soap maximum strength is $9 and the skin and body lotion is $16 8 fl oz.  Naturally I made the purchase and have no regrets on money well spent.  Recently, I found the same brand products at another health food store much lesser pricewise and various other products under the same brand name, I for one was definitely an even happier camper discovering the lower prices.  But not only this but the store was so much closer to where I live, not only was I relieved in my pocketbook but in my travel time as well.

I also have a waterless pet shampoo for cats that has neem oil within it, this one I purchased a while ago and periodically whip it out giving the cats a surprise bath.  My cats really don't like it but I just smother and lather each of them in it without their knowledge of it until they're pretty lathered up, it's really funny because I always catch them off guard.  It works great on fleas and garden bugs.  Fleas is something we also should be aware of while preparing, here's a little bitty past history for you, The Black Death or The Bubonic Plague.  Now here's a big bitty current history for you on Bubonic Plague.  If anything, prepare for everything plagues and all.  Get all the essential oils that will be needed to battle what may come on a physical level as well.

        

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Unfortunately, as in alas and alack, it doesn't look like we are going to get much edible produce from our garden this year. Our raspberries have come through admirably, however, and that is some consolation. Even our pumpkin(s)--yes, even plurality is in question at this point--are not prospering as they usually do. We will have to see...

I saw some information on the life expectancy of seeds, so went searching on the internet and found this site. The article not only provides a chart for the life expectancy of a list of seeds, but also outlines a way to determine if your seeds are still viable. If your garden doesn't meet expectations this year, (I feel your pain) then hopefully there's always next year, if you take good care of your seeds. I will go looking (again) for non-hybrid seeds, because they seem to be getting harder and harder to find, and put them in storage. Seeds in the hand, and all that...

Hope your garden is doing/has done better than ours this year. Who knows? Maybe our garden will surprise us. One can but hope.... :)