Water!!! (National Preparedness Month)

Dear Shadow Tribe,

September is National Preparedness Month. In today's post, I take a more detailed look about water storage, both how much and how to.

 

How Much Water to Store

The general recommendation most often given in preparedness circles for how much water to store is 1 gallon per day, per person. So, a family of four would need 12 gallons of water for a 3-day period (1 gallon X 4 people X 3 days). In my opinion, this is an absolute minimum recommendation, so low-ball that it is bordering on dangerous.

A better recommendation would be 2 gallons of potable water (that is, water safe for drinking, brushing teeth, cleaning wounds, food prep and cooking) per day per person, PLUS additional water for flushing toilets, general household cleaning, and bathing (external only; brush teeth & clean wounds only with potable water). PLUS, don't forget additional water for pets and livestock. 

Also, I would recommend storing at a minimum enough water for 2 weeks (14 days). This recommendation would be 112 gallons of potable water for a family of four (2 gallons X 4 people X 14 days), plus additional water for non-potable uses, pets, and livestock. How much additional water will depend on your situation, so use commonsense and your best estimates to come up with your target amount.  

NOTE: This is a bare minimum recommendation. More is always better, but water is bulky and takes up a lot of space.

Water for Washing Pots, Pans, and Dishes

Do you need potable water to wash pots, pans, and dishes? There is some disagreement on this issue. The following is my opinion, and what I do.

There is an adage "Germs dry, germs die." I have no problem washing cookware, dishes, and utensils with regular (non-potable) water, as long as they are allowed to dry thoroughly (perhaps in the sun) before their next use. I've never gotten sick from doing this while camping, and know of no one else who has. Many folks agree with me. Others don't. Decide for yourself. If you insist on washing dishes  only with potable water, you will have to add more potable water to your storage to account for this use.
 
Containers to NOT Use for Water Storage

• Milk Jugs - not designed for long-term storage and will eventually leak; difficult to completely wash out the fats & proteins from the milk which may promote bacterial growth; plastic is of a type that may leach chemicals into the water over time.
• Crystal Glass and Antique Glass Containers - the glass may contain lead.
• Bleach Bottles - bleach bottles are treated with a chemical agent that may leach into water over time. 
• Ozark Trail 6-gal water jugs - I've written about this before, but the giant X stamped into the sides is a major design flaw that will eventually spring leaks 100% of the time. My experience is with multiple Ozark Trail water jugs bought at different times - ALL eventually leaked along the X.
• Containers that previously held toxic substances - impossible to clean thoroughly enough to be made safe.

Containers to Use for Potable Water Storage

• Water Tanks designed for the purpose of water storage - many types and sizes available on Amazon (Amazon affiliate link).
• Water Containers designed for water storage - I use AquaTainers (Amazon affiliate link), and have never had one leak (they are also BPA-free). 
• Food Grade plastic and glass bottles -  used bottles with tight-fitting screw-on tops that once contained water, juice, soda, or wine can be cleaned and repurposed for water storage; I use many 1-gallon table wine bottles. Keep see-trough bottles in a dark room or closet, or otherwise covered to protect from light, to prevent growth of bacteria, algae, or mold.

Are Plastic Containers Safe for Water Storage?

Plastic can leach into water over the long-term, but not all plastic leaches equally. Stick to food grade and BPA-free plastics for your long-term storage. Remember this: You will die of dehydration (in days) long before you'll die from plastic toxicity (after years of consumption, if ever). In a true long-term emergency situation, plastic water containers will be the very least of your problems.

How Long Will Water Store?

Non-potable water stores indefinitely, without need for rotation. 

Potable water, assuming it is properly stored, also stores indefinitely, without need for rotation. However, potable water will begin to taste "flat" after about six months or so. It is still safe to drink, and the taste can be improved by introducing air into it (think bubbles). Of course, if you notice algae or mold in the water, do not use it without treating first.

Additional Tips

• Clean and thoroughly dry all bottles, tanks, and containers - both used and new - before filling with water for long-term storage.
• If your tap water is already safe for drinking, it should also be safe for long-term storage without additional treatment.
• Unsure of your water? Have it tested first, then treat if necessary. 
• Want some extra insurance? Add 2-4 drops of unscented bleach per quart of water.
• Store your long-term water away from direct sunlight and heat, and away from gasoline, kerosene, pesticides, and other chemicals (both to prevent contamination and to prevent possible degradation of plastic containers).

 

Between Shadows and Light, 

   Cade Shadowlight ☠ 

 

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AD:  Augason Farms Long-Term Food Storage - This is where I get powdered butter, eggs, cheese, milk, and other long-term foods for my Survival Pantry. Shelf-life up to 20+ years. Good quality, good taste, good value. For my money (literally, since I am a paying customer), Augason Farms is the best long-term foods option. 

September is National Preparedness Month

Dear Shadow Tribe,

September is National Preparedness Month. Here is my short, easy outline of the important steps for preparedness. do these and you're better off than 90% of your fellow Americans.

1) Food, Water, Supplies - Stock up on food, water, cleaning & hygiene supplies, first aid supplies, medicine & medical supplies, batteries for your flashlights & radios, etc. Don't forget any special needs your family may have, such as diapers and baby formula. 

ProTip: Don't be discouraged by the sheer amount of stuff to stockpile. Work in concentric circles. Get a week's worth, then two week's worth, then a month's worth, and so forth. You don't have to do everything at once.

2) Home and Personal Security - Learn about situational awareness and the OODA loop (link to my article), which is where security starts. Consider security upgrades to your home, such as heavier security doors, dead bolt locks, motion activated outdoor lights, getting a dog, etc. Every member of your family should take a good self-defense course. Buy a gun and learn how to use it. Stock up on ammo.

ProTip: Think about how your behaviors can enhance or hurt your personal security. Avoid bad neighborhoods and high crime areas. Avoid large crowds whenever possible. Park in well-light, highly visible spaces. Shop in groups. Let others know where you are going and when to expect you back. 

3) Vehicles - You may need to evacuate (bug out) at some point. Make sure your vehicles are maintained in good running condition, including tires. Make sure you have a good spare tire in your vehicle and the jack & tools needed to change a flat. Every driver needs to know how to change a flat tire. Keep the fuel tank topped off. I recommend you have a good first aid kit in each vehicle (Refuge Medical affiliate link). An auto accident is by far the most likely disaster you may experience.

ProTip: Money is tight and car maintenance adds up. But it is a lot cheaper to maintain your car in the first place, then it is to repair it after it breaks down. Don't skip oil changes and other routine maintenance.  

4) Bug Out Plans - Do you know where you would go if you suddenly had to evacuate your home for a few days or longer? Maybe there is a nearby chemical spill or an approaching wildfire. Figure out now where you would go, how you would get there, and what you would take. Pack bags now for each family member, as you may not have time to calmly pack during the emergency. These are known as bug out bags. 

ProTip: Have paper maps and written directions, instead of relying on GPS or Google maps, which may not be working during an emergency. 

5) Family Communications Plan - More than just an address book or contact list with phone numbers, a communications plan let's everyone know how and when to get in touch with each other, and what to do if they cannot.  

6) No Electricity? - You may have no electricity for a period of time. Having alternative ways to cook (a wood stove, or a gas, propane, or charcoal grill), stay warm (fireplace & firewood, heavy blankets, warm clothes, gloves, toboggans), and light your home (flashlights, headlamps, oil lamps, candles) is a good idea.  

7) Personal Finance - Set up an emergency fund (savings account). Also, keep some cash at home in a safe, well hidden space. Get on a budget. Pay off debt. Collect important papers (deeds, titles, insurance information, birth certificates, etc.) together in a safe, fireproof place so you can get your hands on them quickly if needed.

8) Training - Practice your bug out plans. Practice what to do in case of a fire, especially if you have young children. Learn first aid and CPR. Everyone in your family should take a good self-defense course (you can find age appropriate courses). If there are firearms in the house, everyone should take a gun safety course (age appropriate ones are available). Teach your children to respect guns, not fear them. 

9) Your Body - Begin working on your health and fitness now. Get good sleep. Eat healthy. Get plenty of exercise. Reach and maintain a healthy weight. Reduce sugar in your diet. Stop smoking and abusing drugs or alcohol. Take care of any medical, dental, or vision issues you may have, as soon as possible.  

10) Consider Your Location - I know this suggestion upsets many people, and even makes a few folks downright angry, so consider this only as a possible bonus step. If you are living in a big city or major population area, consider moving to a safer small town or rural area. Preferably one not under woke liberal control. 

ProTip: I assure you there are jobs in small towns and rural areas. There are doctors, even specialists, in small towns and rural areas (and they went to the same medical schools and passed the same licensing exams your big city doctors did). These are two of most often cited excuses I hear from folks who say they want to move but claim they just can't.

  

Between Shadows and Light, 

   Cade Shadowlight ☠ 

 

Please subscribe for free! Just click here.

 

Survivalist Family, by Pastor Joe Fox (Viking Preparedness) is currently available at Refuge Medical for only $20. Great guide to beginner and intermediate preparedness and survival. Highly recommended!

 

Useful EDC Gear Everyone Should Carry Every Day

Dear Shadow Tribe,

Today’s directive covers the EDC I consider non-negotiable if you want to function in this modern dystopia.

I’m assuming you already carry the basics: wallet (cash, cards, license, insurance info), keys, phone, and glasses or sunglasses if you wear them. Wear practical shoes. Flip-flops and high heels are a liability in an emergency. Keep a usable pair of shoes nearby if you must dress for the office or an event. Weapons I leave up to you, but I am a strong believer in self-defense and the second amendment (enough said).

What I actually carry and use.

Some of my actual EDC

1. USB key (memory stick / flash drive)

Almost a must-have in a digital world I don’t fully trust. Cloud storage can vanish, get locked, or get read by people you never invited. I don't use it. Instead, a USB lets me move files between home, work, and school, keep offline backups of important documents, and store a photo inventory of expensive household items for insurance after fire or theft. I keep mine on my keychain, encrypted and password-protected. I also keep a copy in a locked secure folder on my phone. Redundancy is cheap. Losing the only copy is not. (Amazon link for USB with encryption software)

2. A good multi-tool

I’ve carried one on my belt every day since 2008: a Leatherman model they no longer make. I use it constantly. The pliers alone justify the weight. Skip the $10 Walmart specials. Get a real Leatherman or Victorinox (Amazon link). Cheap tools fail when you need them.

3. A good pocket knife

Useful for a hundred small jobs: opening packages, cutting cordage, breaking down boxes, food prep, and a dozen other daily tasks. Pay a little more for something that holds an edge and opens reliably. My main EDC pocket knife is a Old Timer Trapper (Amazon link), a great knife that gets the job done. When I want something more rugged, the Cold Steel Finn Wolf (Amazon link) is my go to.

4. A quality pocket flashlight

Humans see poorly in the dark. Power outages, parking lots at night, under a sink, that dark closet... A small, reliable light should live in a pocket. Find a decent one on Amazon and actually carry it. (Amazon link)

5. A lighter

Fire is still one of the oldest and most useful tools we have. You do not have to smoke to carry a lighter. A cheap Bic works (Amazon link). A Zippo looks better and lasts if you maintain it (Amazon link). Either beats hoping someone else has a flame when you need one.

6. Extra cash

Obvious, and still ignored. Keep cash in the wallet, then keep a second stash on your person in a different pocket. I keep cash in my wallet plus some more in a money clip in a different pocket. Cards and apps die with the grid, your bank’s “system,” or a simple “card declined.” Small bills beat a single large one.

7. Notebook and a good pen (tactical is fine)

Something physical to write with and leave a note. It does not have to be fancy. I use a small stack of index cards held with a binder clip. I love these tactical pens: (Amazon link) They write great! 

8. Water

Staying hydrated is second only to staying oxygenated. Make it a habit to have a bottle with you. Thirst and heat make people stupid faster than most threats.

Bonus Gear (not on-body, but nearby)

You don’t have to pocket these every hour, but they should live in an office drawer, glove box, bag, or pack you actually take with you:

• Portable water filter (Amazon link)
• Real first-aid / trauma kit (not a box of Band-Aids) -- Check out Refuge Medical & Refuge Training (affiliate link for 10% off at checkout).
• Extra pair of glasses or sunglasses
• Phone charger and power bank
• Pair of work gloves

None of this is tacticool theater. It is the difference between solving a problem in thirty seconds and becoming someone else’s problem. Carry what you will actually use. Test it. Replace it when it wears out.

 

Between Shadows and Light, 

   Cade Shadowlight ☠ 

 

Please subscribe for free! Just click here.

 

Bread, Circuses, and the Modern Attention Trap

The Entertainment & Distraction Control Node

Dear Shadow Tribe,

If you haven’t read the foundational piece yet, you can find it here: Introducing Control Nodes: Understanding Power in the Modern Age.

Entertainment & Distraction is one of the oldest and most reliable Control Nodes. The Roman Empire perfected the formula with “bread and circuses.” Keep the population fed and entertained, and they will tolerate almost anything. The underlying strategy has not changed. Only the delivery systems have.

When people are constantly over-stimulated and mildly addicted to the next hit of content, their capacity for long-term thinking and meaningful resistance declines. In fact, outrage itself can become just another form of entertainment.

How the Entertainment & Distraction Control Node Operates

• Bread and Circuses, Updated.  Professional sports, streaming services, celebrity culture, and algorithmic social media provide endless entertainment. The goal doesn't have to be explicit propaganda. Often it is simply occupation of time, emotion, and attention so that deeper questions and personal agency receive less attention.
• The Power of Habit Over Outrage.  Consider the NFL “take a knee” protests. Large numbers of fans expressed genuine anger, declared they were done with the league, and vowed to stop watching. Yet week after week, most returned. Ratings and engagement proved resilient than outrage and patriotism. The emotional reaction was real, but the underlying addiction to the product was much stronger. Outrage became another cycle within the entertainment machine itself, rather than a lasting exit from it.
• Algorithmic Addiction and Doomscrolling.  TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and similar platforms are engineered to reward infinite scrolling. The result is widespread compulsive use: doomscrolling, video loops, and constant low-level stimulation. Documented consequences include reduced attention spans, increased anxiety, sleep disruption, eroded social skills, and the displacement of real-world relationships and productive activity. The platforms do not need to convince users of any particular ideology if they can simply keep them scrolling and distracted.
• Emotional Capture.  Modern entertainment rarely leaves audiences neutral. It is designed to provoke strong feelings towards ideological identification, victimhood mentality, moral superiority, or righteous anger. Strong emotion is sticky. It keeps people returning and makes detachment harder, and plays into identity politics.

This node works because it feels voluntary and pleasurable. People choose the distraction. That makes it far more effective than overt coercion.

Why This Node Is Effective

A population that is constantly entertained is less likely to organize, less likely to accept discomfort in exchange for long-term goals, and more likely to treat politics and culture as another form of spectator sport (us vs. them). 

Breaking the Entertainment & Distraction Control Node

• Audit Your Time: Track how much time goes to passive entertainment versus deliberate activity. Most people underestimate the total.
• Create Friction: Remove autoplay, turn off notifications, use grayscale modes, or set hard time limits. Make the default harder to access.
• Replace, Don’t Just Remove: Fill the void of less entertainment with reading, real world skill-building, face-to-face conversations, outdoor activities, working out, or productive hobbies. 
• Family and Tribe Standards: Establish household rules around screens, especially for children. Shared low-entertainment environments reinforce self-control.
• Recognize the Pattern: When outrage feels intense but changes nothing about your actual behavior, treat it as a signal that the system is working as designed.

The goal is not joyless austerity. It is reclaiming ownership of time and attention. A mind that is not constantly distracted is harder to steer and more capable of independent judgment.

 

Join the Shadow Tribe

Control Nodes are insidious means of manipulation and pressure by the system that push sanitized official narratives, rather than commonsense. Push back against the control by joining the Shadow Tribe for free by clicking here. 

 

Between Shadows and Light, 

   Cade Shadowlight ☠ 

Ad: Black's Law Dictionary, 12th Edition. The most comprehensive English-language law dictionary ever compiled, with more than 70,000 entries containing precise definitions and more than 4,800 scholarly and judicial quotations on legal terminology. (Amazon link)

 

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Attacking The Traditional Family

The Historical Foundation of Human Civilization

 

Dear Shadow Tribe,

If you haven’t read the foundational piece yet, you can find it here: Introducing Control Nodes: Understanding Power in the Modern Age.

Family & Demographic Structures is a foundational Control Node because the family, the historical building block of civilization, is the primary threat to the power of the state and large institutions. Strong, independent families transmit values, provide mutual support, raise the next generation, and create loyalty  that are difficult for centralized systems to penetrate. Policies and cultural campaigns that weaken, redefine, or bypass the traditional family unit therefore serve as a strategic lever of control.

How the Family Control Node Operates

• Redefinition of the Family Unit and Gender.  Across government, corporate, and educational institutions, the traditional two-parent, mother-father household and biological identities have been systematically attacked. Language, policy, and institutional norms increasingly treat the family as fluid, optional, or secondary to individual identity and state-defined priorities.
• Attack on Parental Rights.  Schools, health systems, and child welfare agencies have expanded their claimed authority over children in areas of gender, sexuality, medical decisions, and worldview formation. In multiple jurisdictions, parents have faced barriers to information, decision-making power, or even custody when they dissent from institutional orthodoxy. The pattern is consistent: the state or its institutional partners position themselves as co-parents, and even the superior authorities.
• Economic and Structural Pressures.  Housing costs, dual-income requirements, student debt, and tax/benefit structures often make traditional family formation more difficult. At the same time, cultural messaging from media, education, and corporations frequently portrays independence from family obligations as liberation while downplaying the long-term costs of family decline.
• Multi-Level Coordination.  Government policy, corporate DEI frameworks, and educational curricula reinforce one another. What begins as “inclusion” language in one domain becomes institutional practice across others, steadily shifting norms around marriage, child-rearing, sex, and parental authority. Inclusion quickly becomes exclusion of those that don't receive favored status.
• Language.  Political correctness and woke language requirements in government, schools, and workplaces goes far beyond pronoun confusion, with common words such as woman, man, husband, wife, father, mother, boy, and girl being considered problematic, and in some instances outright banned. 

When the family is weakened, individuals become more dependent on institutional systems for identity, support, childcare, eldercare, and meaning. That instilled dependency is the point.

Why This Node Is Powerful

A society of strong, multi-generational families is resilient, hard to monitor completely, and resistant to top-down narrative control. A society of isolated individuals is far easier to manage through financial, medical, educational, and digital levers. Demographic outcomes (birth rates, family formation, intergenerational continuity) also shape long-term political and economic power.

Breaking the Family & Demographic Control Node

• Prioritize the Family Unit: Treat marriage, child-rearing, and multi-generational support as strategic priorities rather than lifestyle options. Build practical competence in homemaking, financial independence, and mutual aid within the household.
• Defend Parental Authority: Know your legal rights. Document interactions with schools and agencies. Seek out educational options (homeschooling, private schools, co-ops) that respect parental authority.
• Create Parallel Culture: Transmit your own values, history, and moral framework deliberately. Limit institutional messaging that undermines family cohesion or biological reality.
• Tribe-Level Reinforcement: Form or join networks of like-minded families for mutual support, shared resources, childcare, and cultural continuity. Isolated families are more vulnerable than interconnected ones.
• Economic Realism: Reduce dependency on systems that penalize family formation. Skills, local production, and lower overhead increase freedom to live according to your priorities.

The traditional family is the original building block of civilization. Strengthening it at the personal, household, and tribal level directly reduces the leverage of every other Control Node.

 

Between Shadows and Light, 

   Cade Shadowlight ☠ 

------------------

AD: Augason Farms Long-Term Food Storage.
I stock my pantry with Augason Farms. They have powdered butter, eggs, cheese, milk, you name it. Shelf life up to 20+ years, solid taste, and real value. (Amazon link)

 

If this article inspired or helped you, then please buy me a coffee so I can keep exposing the things they don’t want you to know → https://buymeacoffee.com/cadeshadowlight  

 

Digital Identity & Mass Surveillance

The Glue Tying the Nodes Together

If you haven’t read the foundational piece yet, you can find it here: Introducing Control Nodes: Understanding Power in the Modern Age.

Digital Identity & Mass Surveillance is the emerging backbone that connects and amplifies the other Control Nodes. Once identity, location, transactions, health data, and online activity are linked and continuously monitored, previously separate levers of control become a unified system. What was once fragmented influence becomes real-time, personalized enforcement.

How This Control Node Operates
 

• Digital Identity Systems.  Digital IDs, biometrics, and linked accounts create a persistent, trackable profile. When tied to banking, healthcare, travel, or government services, access itself becomes contingent on compliance. Programmable money and social scoring become far easier once identity is centralized and digital.
• Mass Surveillance Infrastructure.  Cameras, license plate readers, facial recognition, phone location data, and online monitoring generate continuous streams of information. This data can be stored, searched, and shared across agencies and private partners with no practical constraints.
• The Flock Camera Example.  Companies like Flock Safety have rapidly deployed tens of thousands (now over 100,000) of AI-powered automatic license plate readers across the United States, from big cities to small towns and even rural areas. These cameras record every passing vehicle’s plate, make, model, color, and other characteristics, feeding into searchable national networks used by thousands of law enforcement and government agencies. Controversies have mounted: unauthorized or improper data access by federal agencies, documented cases of officers misusing the system to track personal relationships, and the ability to reconstruct a person’s movements without a warrant. Dozens of cities have canceled or suspended contracts amid bipartisan backlash over privacy, data sharing, and the creation of a de facto national tracking grid. The technology illustrates how localized surveillance tools quickly scale into a broader architecture of continuous monitoring.
• Convergence.  When digital identity, financial transactions, health records, movement data, and online behavior are cross-referenced, the system gains the ability to score, restrict, or reward individuals in real time. This is the operational foundation of technocratic control.

 
Why This Node Is So Powerful

It turns other nodes from blunt instruments into precision tools. Financial pressure, health compliance, legal enforcement, and cultural narratives become far more effective when the system knows who you are, where you are, and what you do at all times.

Breaking the Mass Surveillance Node

•  Minimize Digital Footprint: Reduce unnecessary accounts, location tracking, and always-on devices. Prefer cash and offline options where practical.
• Privacy Tools & Practices: Use strong privacy-respecting software, limit biometric enrollment, and treat data sharing as a serious decision. Avoid over-sharing on social media, and teach your family how to avoid it.
• Local Awareness & Pushback: Track surveillance infrastructure in your area (including ALPR networks such as Flock). Support transparency, warrants, and data-retention limits at the local level. Pressure local governments into not using ALPR networks.
• Parallel Systems: Build family and tribe networks that do not depend entirely on digital identity for trust, trade, or mutual aid.
• Skill & Mindset: Cultivate the habit of asking what data is being collected, who can access it, and how it might be used later. Assume persistence and sharing are the defaults. Be aware of the data collection points in your area.

 
The goal is not rejection of technology. It is to prevent the quiet fusion of identity and surveillance into an unaccountable system of behavioral control. Awareness and deliberate friction are the first lines of defense.

 

Between Shadows and Light, 

   Cade Shadowlight ☠ 

------------------

AD: Augason Farms Long-Term Food Storage.
I stock my pantry with Augason Farms. They have powdered butter, eggs, cheese, milk, you name it. Shelf life up to 20+ years, solid taste, and real value. (Amazon link)

 

If this article inspired or helped you, then please buy me a coffee so I can keep exposing the things they don’t want you to know → https://buymeacoffee.com/cadeshadowlight