The National Self Reliance Organization (NSRO) sponsors the Self-Reliance Expos. The expo returned this year to Denver, Colorado on October 4-5, 2013. I also toured the prior Denver Self-Reliance Expo on Sep. 16-17, 2011 here and one last year (May 18-19, 2012) in Colorado Springs. Prior expos have been held in Salt Lake City, Utah (October 7-8, 2011), and during 2012 at Dallas, TX (July 27-28), Hickory, North Carolina (September 14-15) and Mesa, Arizona (October 26-27). Upcoming expos in 2014 will be held in Mesquite, Texas and back in Denver, Colorado. The next upcoming expo is featured here.
As usual, several of the vendors at the expo were SurvivalBlog advertisers. d
Multiple Expo Vendors
These expos showcase a diverse assortment of avid and amiable survival, self-reliance and preparedness presenters and vendors. Many of the companies showing their wares and services there are devoted SurvivalBlog advertisers and readers. I enjoyed meeting several new vendors for the first time as well as those who had been at the September 2011 Denver expo or May 2012 Colorado Springs expo or both. The vendors listed in this paragraph have had a presence at this expo as well as the prior two we've reported on. (Note that some of the vendors listed were listed on the web site, but might not have made it to the show.) Chelsea Green Publishing is always adding new titles to their books on sustainable living, such as From the Wood-Fired Oven New and Traditional Techniques for Cooking and Baking with Fire. Backwoods Home Magazine continues to add new issues which build on their and popular back issue inventory; we appreciate Dave Duffy's welcoming hospitality and enthusiasm at these shows. Other returning vendors included: American Preppers Network (self-reliance education), Daily Bread (food storage, including freeze dried), DoTerra (doTERRA essential oils), EnerHealth Botanicals (cocoa, coconut milk, meal powder, etc.), Life Sprouts (sprouters with a diverse assortment of sprouting seeds), Directive 21/LPC Survival (water filtration, storage and many other survival products), New Millennium Concepts (Berkey water purifiers), Project Appleseed (Revolutionary War Veterans Association, marksmanship clinics), School of Natural Healing (herbalist education, courseware), Shelf Reliance - THRIVE (food storage, racks, emergency kits), Solar Gadgets (solar phone chargers, flashlights), Sun Oven (solar cooking appliances; they introduced a new model of their popular solar oven, which features sun tracking indicators, larger size to handle larger baking pans, thicker glass, a leveling rack that hangs to minimize spills, and a wind-resistant alignment leg with ground stakes), and 4 Everlight- UV Paqlite (reusable glow sticks--these have been mentioned by several SurvivalBlog readers, and reviewed by Pt Cascio.).
Double Expo Vendors
The vendors listed in this section were attendees of the Colorado Springs 2012 expo as well as this most recent Denver 2013 event. In the arena of Alternate Energy, Lighting and Fuel, returning vendors included ARC Solar Systems (compact portable power systems with a flexible PV component that rolls up into a storage cylinder slightly larger than a sleeping bag) and GO Solar (portable solar power systems). Currency and Exchange exhibitors included Ann Haney Ministries (Living In Abundance Couponing and Swiss America (gold, coins). In the Education, books and media category, we saw returning exhibitors American Preppers Network (self-reliance education), Doom And Bloom (medical preparedness; Survival Medicine Handbook), and Sea Cadets (US Navy cadet programs). Food, Food storage, stores, and distributors were represented by Grandma's Country Foods (foods, spices, milk, preparedness, storage containers, kitchen appliances, contract packaging), My Patriot Supply (heirloom seeds/seed vaults, water, fire, food, survival gear, canning, books), Texas Ready (Liberty seed banks), and Tower Garden (aeroponic vertical gardening system). Shelter and Real Estate entries featured Cedar Log Systems (custom designed cedar log homes). In the Weapons and Defense department, there was Snake Blocker (knives, clothing, DVDs).
A few vendors were at both the Denver expos (2011 and 2013) we've reviewed but not the 2012 Colorado Springs expo reviewed here. These include: Tattler Reusable Canning Lids and Ullrich Insurance.
New Vendors
Numerous new vendors to the expo (at least new relative to those we've reported on within prior expo reviews in SurvivalBlog.) They included: A&E Building Systems (energy efficient building products), Angry American, Aircraft (ArtCraft?) Sports, Atlas Survival Shelter, Attack Pak (balanced load distribution packs/kits), Bar-Ricade (door security bars), Bear Claw Sharpening (tool, saw, knife, scissor sharpening), Big Smoke (Primitive Fire Making), Bill of Rights Press, Bridgford (meat and breads), Ceres Greenhouse (greenhouse renovations, controls, monitoring, consultation), Coast 2 Coast Communications, Colorado Aquaponics (sustainable fish/plant permaculture food production systems), Colorado Custom Sheds (serving Denver metro area), Colorado Cylinder Stoves (collapsable pack/tent stoves, accessories), Colorado Log Furniture Company, Colorado Mountain Man (budget survival/emergency preparedness items), Colorado Safe Outlet (gun safes), Colorado Solar Energy (alternative energy solutions), Coyote RV Inc./Phoenix Pop Up (Custom Campers), Doomsday Preppers Casting, Dragon Heaters (low emissions, high efficiency Wood Burning Rocket Stoves and Heaters), Family Shooting Center, Farris Survival (food, medical kits, water filters), Free Water Systems (rain capture equipment), Genesis Communications Network, Grape Solar (portable power, appliances, small off-grid, residential solar), Greg Brophy For Governor, Handy Sharp (pocket sharpener, magnesium fire starter), Hayes Military Outdoor (1911 pistol grips, camping and survival products, canteen and hydration systems), Health Force Nutritionals (superfoods, rejuvenation, longevity, immunity, cleaning, detoxification, education), Hesperian Health Guides (nonprofit health information and health education source), John Pierre (nutrition & fitness consultant), Just Water (Emergency, Disaster, and Survival Water Filters), Legacy Tractor, Life Straw, Lights Out Saga (motion picture), Liteye Systems (high resolution head mounted displays, micro imaging viewfinders, thermal surveillance systems), LS Tractor (compact and utility tractors, attachments, service), Lustre Craft (waterless, lifetime warranty cookware), Manifold Design and Development (certified passive house consultant), Midsouth Gold (gold, silver, platinum), MinuteMan Rx (life saving medical products used in battlefield or first-responder situations), Modern Harvest (canning labels and jar accessories), Peak 10 Publishing LLC (informational guides/videos on Survivalist, DIY Energy, Health and Financial topics), Penguin Publishing, Protec Sales, Provident Metals, Ready Made Water (home water storage), Republic Monetary Exchange (Gold, Silver, Gold IRAs), Rescue Tape, So Delicious Dairy Free (coconut milk), Top Pack Gear (emergency preparedness kits), Right to Thrive (Front Range backyard farms), Rockin Feet (liquid orthotics), Rocky Mountain Miners, Shelter Works (organic wall/building materials: insulated wood chip-cement forms), Silverfire (very efficient, clean-burning stoves), SunReady Power (portable solar power systems in rugged transportable trunks), Thrive Life (food, food rotation, food storage, emergency preparedness), Tony Dardano, US Navy - Sea Cadets, Vitamix (blender/food appliance), Water Pure Technologies (water storage/treatment kits, accessories), Wilderness Medicine Outfitters (classes: first responder, first aid, specialty), Youngevity (nutritional products), and Young Living (essential oils).
Upcoming Expos
The next scheduled Self-Reliance Expos will be at the Mesquite Convention Center, Texas, April 4-5, 2014 and also back again in Denver at the same venue as this year's event at the National Western Complex, Denver Colorado, Nov 7-8, 2014. These are worthy pilgrimages for anyone within driving distance to these events.
Exhibitors for the next expo (April 4-5, 2014 Mesquite Convention Center, TX) include - lots of familiar vendors and a few new ones: American Preppers Network, Doom and Bloom, doTerra, EnerHealth Botanicals, HarvestRight (geodesic domes and portable shelters), LPC Survival (Berkey Water Systems, accessories, food storage, heirloom seed banks, books, mills, tools, etc.), MinuteMan Rx, New Millennium Concepts (Berkey water purifiers), Project Appleseed, School of Natural Healing, Storm Dorms, Swiss America (precious metals, numismatics), Vitamix (high end blender/food appliance), and Young Living.
- L.K.O. (SurvivalBlog's Central Rockies Regional Editor)