Survival Craze!

Bucky from Manhauls here...

There has been a huge obsession sweeping the country lately... SHTF scenarios and survival! What's SHTF mean? Shit hits the fan. Well, the bug finally bit my ass. Living in the south (or just being "country" which means you can be from anywhere) certainly gives you a one up on tricks while outdoors or even how to take care of yourself in the wilderness in general, but there are so many things I'm beginning to learn about independent of my experience from living down here. There are two MAJOR categories of survivalists... Gonna call those doomsday preppers (in accordance with the show on tv), and we'll call the others true outdoor survivalists. Doomsday preppers consist of a -super- wide variety of methods and events they prep for... there is a ton of valuable information that permeates each type of prepper (and there are TONS of different ones), regardless of what they're actually prepping for. Some prep for a huge solar flare that EMP's the country's electric grid to totally dysfunctional... some prep for total economic meltdown, and some for World War 31 with nuclear fallout etc. They all seem like extremists, but I assure you... if you dig deep enough, you can find a prepper that will have a fear that specifically appeals to your personality type and sounds totally reasonable!!! I'm an EMP / solar flare type guy myself. True outdoor survivalists are the type that know how to survive off the land using basically a knife and some rope and not much else. Those are the guys I find myself more aligned with.... but it's gonna take a bit of both sides to feel totally prepared.

(Below is an example of how far reaching the solar flare's EMP would reach if it were to hit)

                                             

DID YOU KNOW?: 

It may not strike you as reasonable to fear a giant EMP that permanently kills everything that runs electronically... but, I was watching one of those science shows about space and junk on TV recently that stated there was at least a 12% chance that this type of solar flare could happen in the next 50 years. 1 out of 10 chance!!! Freaky, right? So, for me it all started with the will to be slightly more prepared than I was for it. Keep reading stuff like this blog and watching TV shows or reading survival / SHTF forums, and you'll KNOW what it means to have the survival bug bite you!

I have concluded it will take a -heavy- dose of both methods of survival-ism to feel totally prepared. One thing I can say is that I don't subscribe to the storage of 3 years worth of food for your family. Sure, stock pile a month or three worth of food to give you time to adjust to the new world, but if you don't teach yourself how to forage for food, grow food, or even kill animals and clean them... then you're sunk after that 3 years of stored food. The more I've read the survival blogs and forums out there, the more I become aware that buying tons of gear is less important than the knowledge and practice side of surviving. 

Here are Bucky's -current- tips on survival. THE FUN STUFF!

Gear you will need: 

• Backpack / rucksack
• Quality fixed blade and folding knives
• Rope (550lb para-cord is a good one)
• Quality boots with 2 pairs of socks
• Rain gear
• Tent with rain coverage
• Water carrying device
• Fire starter like a magnesium / flint stone
• Firearm(s) of your choice (cleaning kit and materials for them) Firearms make things easy, but aren't 100% necessary if you know how to trap. Guns are very heavy, and weight of what you carry is crucial to keep down when trying to survive and stay mobile)
• Something like a deck of cards for mental entertainment (very necessary)
• Perhaps a survival guide like the one below
• Remember: people are your biggest asset AND your biggest liability. They could be good and helpful, or they could be hostile and wish to take what you have. 

                                                     

I could make this list very long, and I'm sure I've missed a few essentials... but as far as I can think about on the spot like this, the rest would be "luxury" type items. One thing that you may find absurd is the deck of cards. One of the biggest enemies is time and boredom and stress when things seem bad. It is literally vital that you find an easy way to keep your mind somehow preoccupied or elsewhere at times. It is widely accepted as a necessity to train yourself to stay positive. This would be my choice.

Welp! Ran out of time to type, folks. Enjoy the fear I have purposefully instilled in EACH of you! Muhuhahahahahahahaha

Read more »

Expensive Sunglasses!

There are a few things in life worth spending money on... among those things, expensive eye-ware is close to the top of the list. We don't care about the statements they make about us... we're not doing it because we want you to envy us. Likewise, we don't care if you judge us for spending money on them! I think we could all agree that eyes are fairly important body parts. Not only can you protect your eyes against foreign flying objects moving at laser speeds, but more importantly you can protect them from Sun damage. That junk is important. LOOK WHAT AWESOME THINGS THE SUN CAN DO! 

Now that it's obvious you are with us on this matter... let us explain one more thing. If you want to get the cheapo sunglasses that you'll buy 10 pairs of over the next year or two, that's cool... but don't say we didn't warn you when you go blind tomorrow. Seriously.... blind.... tomorrow. Certain cheap lenses will allow your pupil to allow more light in but not protect it as it allows more UV rays in. We're warning you now that UVC, UVA, and UVB rays want to get you... they're not selective on who they hurt. We've interviewed them, so we are the resident knowledge here. K?

GET INTO SOME GOOD LENSES! We -strongly- recommend Oakley, Revo and Costa Del Mar as brands. Yes, you will pay a lot of money... but they will feel better, last longer, look better, protect you way better, and you can't imagine how much better a bright day can look to your eyes with a good set of lenses! Seriously. Here's a before and after pic of the way your day could look with good sunglasses.

Do yourself a favor and go to 

Revo.com, or Oakley.com, or Costa Del Mar.com!

Serious business though... go to a local retailer of fine sunglasses and get the info. Protect your balls.... eye balls... you, you knew what we meant. DO IT.

Read more »

How to slow smoke ribs!

So you want to learn how to smoke ribs, but are concerned with the learning process and how long it will take you to learn? HERE is the biggest key: -Enjoy- the entire process! If you don't have some level of interest or curiosity about it altogether, you'll never make it and you can also quit reading this. However, if you are still interested in learning to do ribs the right way, buckle up and enjoy the read. 

What you need for basic ribs!

1. Charcoal

2. Vinegar (apple cider form) and bottle spritzer

3. EVOO

4. Ribs

5. Whatever dry/wet rub you want for flavoring

6. Wood like hickory, cherry, or mesquite for smoke flavoring (soak in water for 30-45 minutes before use) If you use chips, they will burn up fast and may use a metal box to put them in on top of coals. If you use wood chunks, they go slow enough to put directly on charcoals, but they can spike your temp if they light on fire.

7. Yellow mustard to hold spices on rib racks while smoking (mustard flavor will be burned off and it will leave a nice little crunchy outer layer!)

8. Meat thermometer 

9. Beer (for drinking during the process ;)

10. 4-6 hours

Cooking Instructions! 

Once you have put your mustard and flavorings on the ribs, go ahead and get the grill/smoker heating up between 200-220 degrees. Every 45 minutes you can quickly flip/rotate the ribs and re-apply the vinegar and oil mix if you want. However, it's best to not open though because the temperature decreases really fast in a grill and takes a good bit of time to get back to 200. It's preferable to flip a total of 4 times and keep the grill shut if you want to get the job done in less than 5-6 hours.

Rules of thumb for smoking ribs:

1. TRY NOT TO PEEK at the ribs!

2. The ribs need to be at an INTERNAL temperature of at least 165 before they are safe to eat.

3. Relax and enjoy the process! 

4. Have a friend over and maybe a casual sports game on tv that won't distract you too bad ;)

5. The longer you smoke at a lower temperature the more it absorbs smoke flavoring and gets tender.

6. Be aware of the temperature gauge. If you have a set-up where fat can drip on the fire or you have too much wood, it can spike and over-cook your ribs.

7. Every grill behaves differently, so know where to put your ribs and how to use your own set-up. ALSO, ribs are supposed to be cooked on in-direct heat if you are doing a slow smoke cook.

8. If you hang your ribs, hang with fat at the top so the flavor of the fat drips down the ribs as they cook.

9. You can't really over smoke with hickory, but you can with mesquite!

10. ***never tried this one*** But you are supposed to be able to wrap your ribs in foil for the last bit of time to make them moisten up and fall off the bone easier. I'm not sure how long to wrap them in the grill, but I think I remembered hearing somewhere in the 5-10 minute range.

11. POST cook sauces shouldn't be necessary if you flavored it during the cook, but everything is all about YOUR preference. We love Dreamland BBQ sauce that can be bought in grocery stores around where we're from. 

That's it. You're a damn pro! IF you aren't excited and you actually got through this.... well, you're just not Amurican! ENJOY!

Read more »

Football in Alabama

Being born and raised in America's deep south means a few things... among those, a true pride in one's country and state, but probably more immediately important in each of our hearts is a pride in our own football team. Down here, we don't all have big cities with tons of things to do or boast about... but, by God.. we got FOOTBALL!

Living in Alabama, it is common knowledge that the Governor is a less powerful man than the head-coach of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide. We live it here, y'all. I'm thirty years old, and ever since I can remember living, my dad raised me understanding that the only thing we play for is championships. Period. I can't say that for every team in the great state of Alabama. We have rivals in a team called Auburn. Oh, you've never heard of Auburn? Perhaps you have heard our nickname for their fans, "boogs?" No? Oh well, they're still trying to be relevant. Anyhow, back on topic.... Yeah, here at Alabama we will even fill a stadium to capacity for SPRING FOOTBALL GAMES... Do you have any clue how damn hot it is in mid to late April with no shade down here? Yeah, it's miserable. Hell, I can't decide if it's the corn-bread or the heat down here that makes our players such badasses... It's something though. We got good genetics!

Next time you're in a college town USA in the deep south on game day for a team in the SEC, I would strongly suggest going to a game. It's a rare bird that can't appreciate the bad-ass-ness and contagiousness of it all. Besides, we'll have all of the most excellently smoked BBQ and hospitality you can ever imagine... not to mention beautiful women, and TONS of cold beer to quench your thirst.

30 days to kickoff y'all. ROLL TIDE!

~b

Read more »

Olympics 2012

Read more »

ManHauls vs Mad Dog 357 Hot Sauce

Published on May 19, 2012 by ManHauls

http://www.ManHauls.com TWEET US: http://twitter.com/ManHauls Facebook US: http://www.facebook.com/ManHauls

Read more »

ManHauls Episode 5: COD MW3

QOTV: Which is more manly - the Desert Eagle, Dirty Harry's .44 Magnum, or Sam Elliott's Mustache? TWEET US: http://twitter.com/ManHauls Facebook US: http://www.facebook.com/ManHauls music from jewelbeat.com

Read more »