It seems that the delays are over so its a good time to order if you are missing one!
Lots of you probably read "The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse" which is once again very relevant given the economic impact of the pandemic. If you liked "Surviving the Economic Collapse" then you'll love "Street Survival Skills" , my latest book which is packed full of practical advice for surviving tough times. https://amzn.to/2V7qe6v
This is a fully objective review, I didn’t send a copy for him to
review, he procured one himself so shout out to you Loup and thanks for
supporting my work! (Link to the review in his website).
“Street Survival Skills” is available in Amazon
and covers a number of practical skills, focusing mostly on safety and
self defense but also covers more general practical preparedness
concepts, from power outages to cooking and water purification. Lots of
drawings and sketches throughout the book explain skills and tips in
detail.
If you have the book already and liked it, please take a minute and leave a review in Amazon, it would be greatly appreciated.
Take care folks!
It was nearly 10 PM when the Amazon guy finally showed up with the copies of my new book.
Until you actually see the book yourself, you worry about blank pages, terrible printing mistakes and similar disasters but no, if I may say so myself its a damn fine handsome book! ;-)
Folks, my 3rd book is finally out. It’s available in Amazon:
The proof copies where printed in Poland, the retail one was printed in Germany. Both have nice thick paper, classy mate finish cover. The cover looks gorgeous in the physical copy. I used a photo from an old military canvas satchel for the background to give it that “notebook” feeling.
The book is 99% practical skills, with a page with sketches and drawings for each point so as to explain it in greater detail. Yes, those are my drawings. No, I’m not much of an artist but I believe the sketches and drawings do explain what I’m trying to say and that’s the point. (inlcuded below)
Guys, I honestly believe it turned out quite well. It’s the book I’m the most proud of and the one my family liked the most. I believe it goes along well with my first one, explaining many of the techniques mentioned there in greater detail plus another decade of additional experience, tips and thoughts.
If you do buy it and you find that you do like it (you can always return it if you don’t ;-) ) I would greatly appreciate if you left a review reflecting that in Amazon. Takes just a couple minutes and you wouldn’t believe how much it helps.
I’m pretty tired so I’m going to bed now. Happy but tired. I’ll do a video tomorrow showing how the book looks on the inside.
Take care, and if you buy it let me know what you think about it when you have the chance.
-Fernando
Index
Introduction…………………………………………9
Chapter 1: Survival Basics…………..…..……. 15
Survival Rule of Three……………..……………….16
Seven Circles of Preparedness……………..………..18
Mind and Body…………………..………....…….…20
Bugging Out……………………….………...……...22
Politics and Media…………………………..………24
Chapter 2: Awareness ……………….…....….. 27
Awareness………………………………..…………28
Controlling Emotions and Body Language……….…30
Assessing Surroundings and Resources……….….….32
Suspicious Behavior………………………....………34
Awareness when Indoors…………………....………36
Estimating Distances……………………..…………38
Crowd Estimation……………………………..……40
Chapter 3: Gear…………..………………....… 43
Everyday carry Gear………………………..….……44
Clothing………….…………………….…...….……50
Shemagh, Scarf and Tie………………………..……54
Home Survival Kit………………………………….56
Car Survival Kit…………………………...…….…..58
Firearms………………………………...……….….60
Chapter 4: Security ……………………….…...65
Home Security……………………………….……. 66
Avoiding Scams and Frauds…………….…….…... 70
Formation when Walking……………………..……72
Safety when traveling on Foot……….……………74
Stalkers and Creeps……………….……....……….76
Safety at the ATM………………...………………78
Chapter 5: Firearms and Self-Defense….…. 81
Firearms Safety....…………………....…….…..…. 82
Handgun Grip……………………………...….… 84
How to Hold a Gun……………………...….……86
Point Shooting……………………………………88
How to Draw a Gun………..……………….……90
Drawing from Concealment…….………..……….92
Extreme Close Quarters Shooting ….…….………96
Room Clearing……………………………………98
Moving and Shooting……………………….…..…100
Using Cover……..…………………………….…..102
Gunfight Dynamics……………………..….……..104
What to do after a Shooting………..……….…….108
Ballistics……………………………………….….110
Force Multipliers………………………………….112
Punches and Gunshots: Reality vs Fiction……..….114
Using a Handgun as an Impact Weapon…………..116
Firearms Training…………………………..……..118
Firearms Training Tips……………………………120
Chapter 6: Bare Hand and Knife Fighting…. 125
Bare hand Fighting………………………….…….126
Self-Defense with a Knife……………………...….132
Where to Strike………………………….………...136
How to Defend Against a Knife Attack………..….138
Handgun Disarm Technique………………...…….140
Chapter 7: Improvised Weapons and Armor……… 143
Improvised Body Armor…………....….…….……..…144
Improvised Weapons………………………..…….…..146
Belt as a Weapon……………………………….…..…148
Flashlight as a Weapon………………..…....……….....150
Umbrella as a Weapon…………....................…….……152
Chair as a Weapon…………………………….….…...154
Making a Leather Coin Pouch…………….….………..156
Chapter 8: Defensive Driving………………..…….. 159
Awareness in Vehicles……………………...………….160
Ram a Vehicular Roadblock………………..………….166
How to do a Bootleg Turn and Handbrake Turn ..……168
How to do a J Turn……………………...….…………170
PIT Maneuver…………….………………………...…172
Using a Car against an Armed Attacker…………..……174
Car Ambush……………………………………..…….176
Using a Car for Cover………………………...………..178
Chapter 9: Moving, Barricade and Gaining Entry… 181
Safety Roll……………………………………..………182
Step Vault………………………………..…………….184
Jump Landing………………………………………….186
Dropping……………………………………...……….188
Going Over a Wall………..……………………………190
Lock Picking……………………………………...……192
Door Breaching ……………………….……...………..194
Barricade a Door……………………………….....……198
Chapter 10: Food and Cooking………………..….. 203
Start a Fire…………………………………….………..204
Filtering and Purifying Water………………...…………206
Food Storage……………………….…….……….208
Recipes……………………………………....……210
Make a Can Stove…………………………...…….214
Thermos Cooking and Shopping Cart Grill……..…216
Chapter 11: First Aid and Sanitation……………… 219
First Aid and Home Remedies………………….…220
Fireman's Carry and Walk Assist ………….………226
Ranger Roll ……………………………...…….…..228
Homemade Hand Sanitizer………………..……….230
Washing Clothes……………………………..…….232
Drying Clothes………………………….…………234
Chapter 12: Improvisation and Practical skills…… 237
Power Outages…………………………………….238
Homemade Insecticide……………….……………240
Homemade Body Armor………………..…………242
Knife Sharpening…………………………………..244
Gun Cleaning………………………………………246
Gun & Ammo Modifications………………...……..248
Detecting Counterfeit Money……………...………..250
Detecting Counterfeit Silver Coins………………….252
I have been enjoying your videos and their very informative content....I ran across this video series and was impressed by how the Cuban's have creatively adapted to their isolation in a technologically advancing world....please do not post my name on the blog...you may post it as Felixdacat if you wish...I hope the content of the Cuba videos will motivate you to conceptualize appropriate technologies to include in your new book...best of luck and please keep your videos flowing...
F-
.
Thank you for your email!
The video is quite good, worth the 8 minutes for sure.
My upcoming book is shaping up nicely. I’m sure people will like it. It will have plenty tips and tricks people can put to use, especially in regards to security, awareness, self defense, driving and SHTF in general. It will complement my first book nicely, “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse”, with practical information.
It’s interesting to see how people get creative to find solutions when they lack resources. I’ve seen many similar things done in Argentina. Maybe not so much because of complete lack of availability like in Cuba but because the prices were beyond the capabilities of so many.
The two books he mentions “El Libro de la Familia” and “Con Nuestros Propios Esfuerzos”, these are books on tips and advice, basically DIY for Cubans that need to pretty much improvise with anything and everything they get hold of. The first one seems to mostly “borrow” from Popular Mechanics and similar publications, the second one is advice from Cubans themselves on how to improvise on several fields from tools, making toys, transportation, health, food and so on.
The first book “El Libro de la Familia” isn’t available, couldn’t find a PDF or even a copy to buy anywhere. If anyone has a pdf link or a copy they are willing to sell I’d love to get one.
The second book, “Con Nuestros Propios Esfuerzos” that one I did find a link to and its free to download:
https://we.riseup.net/assets/198729/Con-Nuestros-Propios-Esfuerzos.pdf
Of course it’s in Spanish but it’s mostly short lines and paragraphs which you should understand even with basic Spanish. Some of the cooking recipes are even easier to understand since they mostly just list the ingredients.
I found these to be rather interesting from a survival perspective, how to be creative with limited ingredients.
Anyway, hope everyone had a great Easter and if you know even basic Spanish the book is well worth downloading.
Simon Maguire said...
Off topic I hope no one minds. From Matt Bracken via Twitter https://twitter.com/MattBracken48 My first Dan Kilmer novel Castigo Cay will be on a Kindle “free run” on Sunday October 1st through Monday the… Link: http://a.co/5ChQt4O ...........
No, I dont mind at all, Matt Bracken is a great guy, great friend and he's also the best survival novelist in my opinon.
Grab the "free run" while it lasts!
Here's the direct link to Castigo Cay in Amazon
FerFAL
The
new Survival Evasion Resistance Escape (SERE) Operations Manual is
available free online and it’s actually pretty great. It’s a rather
large file so rather than opening it with the browser I suggest to right
click and directly download the PDF. AF Handbook 10-644 SERE 21 March 2017
The
USAF survival manual has always been a solid survival literature
staple, often used as reference or downright plagiarized by more than a
few survival manuals out there. This latest version is packed full of
good updated info.
Keep a copy in your PC, you phone and flash drive, heck, take the time and print a hard copy of it as well. 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”.
Danielle Kidnapped: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Ice Age
Danielle Kidnapped is a new survival novel written by John Silveira, senior editor of Backwoods Home Magazine.
Because of Silveira’s significant experience as a writer, this is a
well written novel. Many survival novels floating around are reduced to a
dream list of gear and resources to have. There’s a perfect, almost
godlike protagonist, and the book becomes a report of how everything
pretty much goes along as planned.
In this case extreme cold weather has marked the begging of a new ice
age. Crops have failed and caused a widespread socioeconomic collapse.
Food has become very scarce and millions escape the colder northern US
states looking for warmer weather down south.
Sixteen year old Danielle is escaping to the southern states with her
family when they are attacked by a gang that prays on refugees. After
being robbed, her parents and brother are left to die at the side of the
frozen road. She along with her baby sister are taken captive by the
ruthless gang and her nightmare beings. The beginning of the book is
pretty dark and grim. After being abused by her captors Danielle is just
another mouth to feed, so the future doesn’t look very good for her and
her baby sister.
Another character is soon introduced. He’s more of a classic
survivalist type, and while not unrealistically well prepared, he does
have previous skills and knowledge that allow him to fare better after
disaster strikes. In spite of this, he’s far from perfect and does have
his own demons to deal with. These two characters present a nice
contrast between someone that is better prepared, also more experienced,
and someone that is basically a typical teenager with a strong will to
survive and keep her baby sister alive.
I definitely recommend Danielle Kidnapped. I read it all the same day
I got it, which I believe says a lot of how it keeps you turning pages
wondering what will happen next. It is a trilogy, so there’s two more
books coming up. In my opinion, its there with some genre classics like
Matt Bracken’s Enemies trilogy and Castigo Cay David Crawford’s Lights Out. All of them highly recommended.
Hey guys, here's a few nice downloads to put in a thumb drive or maybe print some of the more relevant ones. Its all free doc.google stuff, lots of good reading.
Enjoy!
First, I want to compliment you on having such an excellent and useful blog. I have purchased and enjoyed your book, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to others who are interested in truly surviving and thriving in a world becoming more unstable on a daily basis. I discovered your site during the whole 'Coast to Coast JWR controversy', and if there's one positive thing which can be said about that incident, it's that you now have one more avid fan. Thank you for promoting a realistic presentation of survivalism rather than one that's not grounded in reality - as is the majority of survivalism currently being peddled in America.
With the holiday shopping season fast approaching and video games and DVD movies being pretty much a staple of modern day gift giving, do you know of any which you feel accurately reflect a SHTF/TEOTWAWKI scenario to a reasonable degree? While there are a TON of post-apocalyptic movies and video games out there to choose from, which do you feel comes the closest to representing what really happens in a societal collapse similar to what happened in Argentina? Or are there any out there at all?
It seems that SHTF would be a great topic to develop - especially for a video game, given the current world situation and exploding interest in survivalism . One can almost imagine the possibilities: it could be an RPG scenario with preparedness as its primary objective, or maybe a shooter with staying alive as the main focus - or of course some combination of the two. The possibilities are endless, and it could serve both as individual entertainment and of course, as training.
I hope I'm not trying to re-invent the wheel here, as there may be some games/films out there which already represent what I've described. I don't mind a little SciFi, but I'm pretty well saturated to the point of madness with games/films of buxom Amazons kickboxing and blasting their way through hordes of post-apocalyptic zombies. I've seen you mention and advertise the Fallout series of games on your blog, and they look interesting. I don't have much experience with them, although I have recently picked up Fallout New Vegas. Haven't had a chance to really get into it yet.
Thanks for all the hard work that you do, Fernando, in putting together your book and maintaining your blog, and good luck in your plans on immigrating to the United States. I hope you are eventually successful in your endeavor, as such talented and resourceful individuals such as yourself should be welcomed here with open arms.
Hasta Luego
Rodrigo
Hi Rodrigo, nice to have you on board. Actions speak lauder than words and people that have met me have a pretty good idea of who I am.
Lets just say that if, for example, you boast about how charitable you will be after the end of the world, yet you claim not to have enough money to pay those that you refer to as your “correspondents” for their work, then those words are empty indeed.
Its like we always say guys, if you just talk about how great (or generous, or brave, etc) you’ll be “after SHTF”, that means nothing. Its what you do NOW that matters. That goes for training, personal and home security, working out, getting rid of debt, sorting out your life, your finances, your job, your relationship with your family and loved ones, taking care of things now, not later. Its specially pointless when you make all these plans for after the end of the world, specially since the world isn’t ending any time soon. Pretty convenient. Survival reality vs Survival Fantasy is topic that I’ll cover in another post. I’ve written about it before but its worth revising, specially these days where everything on TV is “Survival” “Apocalypse”, “End of the world” and such. Unfortunately this confuses people who honestly want to prepare for real world events, yet end up wasting time, money and energy in things that aren’t useful, preparing for events that occur in movies rather than the real world.
Holydays are just around the corner indeed. Before I forget I’d like to mention something. I’ve received several emails about dropping the price of my book for a few days. Readers such as yourself have read it, liked it and want to give it away as a gift for loved ones for Christmas. The book has been selling beyond my own expectations for over a year now in spite of the high price, (Thank you SO much, all of you!) so I’ve decided to drop the price 40% ($10 drop in price) so that those interested can buy more to give away. This will not be permanent, just a couple days, after that I’ll go back to the 24.95 price which is the price that allows me to keep writing and blogging.
Back to your email, can’t say I find much practical info in most end of the world movies. Mad Max is fun but other than the fun factor what are you learning? Fun is good enough though, so I highly recommend it! :-)
Alive is a good movie and most of you have seen it already I guess. Makes it painfully clear how important it is to have food, water, shelter and means of signaling/communication. A little planning goes a long way, specially when traveling in the Andes.
I liked The Road, actually liked the movie better than the book. Didn’t like the writing style, no matter what critics say.
Savior and Empire of the Sun are both good movies that show what happens to people that get caught in a war. Savior was pretty accurate in terms of how unrealistic it was regarding facing superior forces, when hiding and evading is your only option. The Empire of the Sun has lots of good stuff in it. I’ve watched it as a kid a long time ago, saw it again this year a couple times and always found new bits of food for thought. Its based on the personal experiences of the novel author, so its realistic enough to learn one or two things from it.
If you want something from Argentina, there’s “The Take” which is a Canadian documentary, workers reopening the factory that broke, leaving them without jobs, turning it into a worker cooperative.
“Bombon: The Dog”, is about a 50 something year old knife seller that doesn’t find anyone that can afford his knives in the post 2000 Argentina, at 50 he’s not likely to find a job either. His luck start to change for better after a good Samaritan action gets him a Dogo Argentino. Haven’t seen this movie but its on my short list since I’ve heard good comments.
Regarding videogames, similar to Argentina’s 2000 crisis? I don’t think that would be a fun videogame to play. :-) Bored, jobless and worried about being mugged or shot isn’t good videogame material. Maybe they could do a free roam game with some of those elements, a bit of bartering, job hunting and shooting, but soon enough it would get unrealistic because otherwise it wouldn’t be fun. Starts to sound like GTA, and its true that criminals here get away with that kind of stuff. I just don’t think there’s nothing you’ll be learning from them regarding real survival, but hey, as long as its fun that’s all I ask of a video game.
I’ve been playing Fallout: New Vegas these days. It’s been several months since I turned the xbox on, not much free time to play with a family, training, writing and other activities. Maybe its missing that coolness found in the old Fallouts, I and II, but if you liked Fallout III you’ll sure enjoy Fallout: New Vegas. Fallout New Vegas mentions that you can shoot 38 Special and 44 special out of 357 magnum and 44 magnum guns so that’s a bit of real info there. The character also uses reloading benches he finds occasionally and can put together ammo if he has the cases, primers, powder and lead. That’s as far as it goes in terms of reality.
If anyone has other recommendations, both movies and videogames, I’d like to hear them so please comment.
Take care Rodrigo,
FerFAL
PS: Just changed the price to 14.95 but it said it may take up to 5 days until the price is updated.
I just ran across one very interesting book while cleaning and organizing my stuff. It’s a book by Penelope Ody called “Home Herbal”. I have a few others but the one by Penelope Ody is simple to understand, full of color pictures that explain things in detail. You really need no prior experience whatsoever to start making concoctions, oils and ointments using this book (yes, I did make a few). It basically explains what each plant and a few other home ingredients are capable of, its applications, and how to process them into home remedies. It even has some sort of herbal first aid kit for you to put together.
This is the book I’m talking about:
Home Herbal
She also has another book somewhat similar but bigger. I don’t have this one but the previews on Amazon show the same kind of editing, with plenty photographs: Complete Medicinal Herbal (Natural care)
This one is much more expensive, and while it titled "Complete Medical Herbal", its 192 pages long. The first one is cheaper and 144 pages long, so even though I dont own this one I'm not so sure its worth the difference. Also, this last one was published in 1993, while the first one, "Home Herbal" was published in 1995 so its bascially the latest edition. Again, I haven't read "Medical Herbal" but I do like "Home Herbal" very much, one of the few books that I consider must haves for the survival minded person's shelf.
Guys, unless specifically told not to, I'll post the reply here in the blog so everyone can read it. I'll just leave the first name, and remove the last name, email or any other specific information for privacy reasons. Thanks
Leatherman Charge Ti
Fenix Lights
I love this light. Runs on a single AAA and is capable of big boy lumen output (80 lumens) in a keychain package. Also has low and mid mode for longer runtime.
Fenix PD20
Single CR123 cell. 6 modes including 180 lumen turbo mode.
General Mode: 9 lumens (35hrs) -> 47 lumens (6.5hrs) -> 94 lumens (2.6hrs) -> SOS
Turbo Mode: 180 lumens (1hrs) -> Strobe
15 days of survival use (2 continuous hours per day on the lowest setting)
Thanks for the Positive Reviews!
Energency gadget... on steroids.
Asus Eee 1005HA
Basic Door/Window Alarm
Emergency gadget
Both tool and weapon, just the right size
Straight edge makes it easier to sharpen, + tougher tip
Gorilla Tape
By all accounts and reviews I’ve read so far, it truly is “The toughest Tape on the Planet”
Transportation
I talked about these some time ago in an article, remember someone asked where to get one.
"Alternative Transportation"
Just found one reasonably priced and with excellent reviews in Amazon.
Best Folder
Emergency blankets. I Have several of these around.
Katadyn water filter
for the kits
and food ...
Got to have water: Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel
Moleskine, the ultimate little black cover notebook :)
Fenix L0D-CE. Perfect keychain light. 80 Lumens in a single AAA
Nice combo. The Soldier is an excellent product.
Sabre Red OC spray
Made in USA
This is the brand I use and always have one in my bag and car. ( same brand used by NYPD)
My wife keeps one in her purse too.
Sabre Red Tear Gas
Sabre Red for ladies
You guys have the coolest stuff up there.:)
Jack Bauer’s bag.:) I’d like to get one of these and try it out.
Fox OC Spray
Don’t have this one but it’s the hottest OC spray out there.
Someone once called it “bottled lava”
Pick your poison people, but do carry OC
1) Even if you carry a gun
2) SPECIALLY if you don’t carry a gun
Firesteel
Classic, and one of the few things I’d call a “must have” I own two of these.
My EDC bag: M1936 Musette Bag
Victorinox I bought recently. Most excellent tool, review coming up soon.
Make that "potable" water
And a more pricey alternative by Tikka
Just added one of these to my EDC bag, mostly for smoke, dust and debris
Posts
is fun but other than the fun factor what are you learning? Fun is good enough though, so I highly recommend it! :-)
is a good movie and most of you have seen it already I guess. Makes it painfully clear how important it is to have food, water, shelter and means of signaling/communication. A little planning goes a long way, specially when traveling in the Andes. 
, actually liked the movie better than the book
. Didn’t like the writing style, no matter what critics say.
and Empire of the Sun
are both good movies that show what happens to people that get caught in a war. Savior was pretty accurate in terms of how unrealistic it was regarding facing superior forces, when hiding and evading is your only option. The Empire of the Sun has lots of good stuff in it. I’ve watched it as a kid a long time ago, saw it again this year a couple times and always found new bits of food for thought. Its based on the personal experiences of the novel author, so its realistic enough to learn one or two things from it.
which is a Canadian documentary, workers reopening the factory that broke, leaving them without jobs, turning it into a worker cooperative.
, is about a 50 something year old knife seller that doesn’t find anyone that can afford his knives in the post 2000 Argentina, at 50 he’s not likely to find a job either. His luck start to change for better after a good Samaritan action gets him a Dogo Argentino. Haven’t seen this movie but its on my short list since I’ve heard good comments.
, and its true that criminals here get away with that kind of stuff. I just don’t think there’s nothing you’ll be learning from them regarding real survival, but hey, as long as its fun that’s all I ask of a video game. 
these days. It’s been several months since I turned the xbox on, not much free time to play with a family, training, writing and other activities. Maybe its missing that coolness found in the old Fallouts, I and II, but if you liked Fallout III you’ll sure enjoy Fallout: New Vegas. Fallout New Vegas mentions that you can shoot 38 Special and 44 special out of 357 magnum and 44 magnum guns so that’s a bit of real info there. The character also uses reloading benches he finds occasionally and can put together ammo if he has the cases, primers, powder and lead. That’s as far as it goes in terms of reality.
Fenix PD20
Single CR123 cell. 6 modes including 180 lumen turbo mode.
General Mode: 9 lumens (35hrs) -> 47 lumens (6.5hrs) -> 94 lumens (2.6hrs) -> SOS
Turbo Mode: 180 lumens (1hrs) -> Strobe
15 days of survival use (2 continuous hours per day on the lowest setting)
