Active New Top (30 days) Compact Card Transparent authority Shaun - January 29, 2023 A forum like TP is unique in providing a community to share information and opinion. It is civil, welcoming and non-political. That’s why I read so much here. One concern I have at TP, and elsewhere, is the appeal to authority. Most of us post our experience and opinions. Sometimes we suggest our opinions or advice is a little more. That it’s highly informed because we are especially informed and experienced. Most of the time, that is benign. If someone at TP says they have a better understanding of a problem because they work in IT, I listen carefully, because I have worked in IT a long time and can recognize a phony from the real deal. This is really an appeal to our experience and not authority. An appeal to authority almost always is an appeal to a position of authority. For example, if we are discussing how a regional power outage has affected a large area and how long it’s going to take to restore power, most of us are offering experience, opinion and links to news articles. But if I say ‘I am the Director of Disaster Recovery for a major State and I know what I am talking about’, another standard applies. I am appealing to authority, my own authority. If I am unwilling to identify myself by legal name and contact information and only offer an avatar named ‘CreepyBunny’, most of us will discount anything I say – forever. Or if you write that expert opinion about XYZ is clear and settled, but your links are to other articles saying the same thing, without publicly available facts and named authorities, you are misleading your audience. It is sleight of hand to trick them into believing your view is ‘authoritative’. Manipulation. When a journalist writes about a topic and quotes ‘anonymous sources’, it may be exciting and dramatic, it might support your opinion too, but it’s still between the peanuts and the beer. Why? Because authority is always transparent. If your comments, advice or orders are not offered with your full name and verifiable contact information, then you are just like the rest of us, or maybe another ‘CreepyBunny’. Wikipedia can be like this. It can be wonderful to get up to speed on a topic like Calculus, the Ford F150 and Italian cooking. There can be many documented authorities quoted in the articles too. But many of the editors that write these articles are anonymous. If I read about a fast developing story or a controversial topic it takes a lot of time to read the links and see if any of the editors are transparent. So what’s the big deal? Read this: Wikipedia and Saudi Arabia Borncity transparency Read More 2 7 Outer coats for the seasons, watcha wearing? Bill Masen - January 28, 2023 Sooo in the cold weather here in the UK I wear a modified water resistant, fleece lined Regatta professional soft shell with the velcro (hook and loop) removed and replace with elastic or press studs. And extra inside pockets added, plus some 1 inch webbing for guiding cables or clipping radios, flashlights, knives etc to. In the warmer weather I use either or both Craghopper Nosilife adventure 2 Jacket, And Or a Nosilife adventure 2 multi pocket gilette, again much modified for hanging assorted items of kit off. All rather drab and unassuming to meet the Grey Man concept I support, So what do you folks like to wear as outerwear? Read More 9 23 Anticipatory grief Seasons4 - January 27, 2023 I’m wondering if people here may feel a sense of “anticipatory grief” relating to others who aren’t into prepping or who aren’t into avoiding infection with pathogens? As I understand it and as I’m putting it in simple words, anticipatory grief is grieving for someone who hasn’t literally died yet even though they’re on that trajectory. It’s complicated grief because there aren’t cultural supports for the grieving process and because there are plenty of unknowns. As background, some of my friends and acquaintances act like it’s 2019 or earlier and are traveling, going to large in-person gatherings, and doing other activities that seem risky even as they aren’t taking rudimentary preparedness actions or taking care of their general health. I try to lead by example in my circles, but I’m not invested in trying to change their behavior otherwise (staying in my lane). I’ve caught myself thinking, “Say good-bye inside. He won’t be around in 5 years. “Say good-bye inside. She won’t be around in 10 years.” Of course, the so-called Doomsday Clock is at what, 90 seconds to midnight? Anyway, I’m just curious. Best regards to all. Read More 4 4 Iodinated Providone for water treatment Black Club - January 23, 2023 Is 10% Iodinated Providone the same as “normal” Iodine for water sterilisation? i.e. can I dilute the 10% solution to 2% and use a few drops per quart/litre? I use it at work, so it would be handy to know. Read More 2 7 First aid expiration dates? Amy S. - January 19, 2023 Hello everyone! I just cleaned out and reorganized my first aid/over the counter medications. I did a search in the Forum, and don’t think this question has been covered, but please let me know if it has already been talked about. I feel comfortable with the shelf life (expired) over the counter medications in pill form that I have, but I am unsure if I need to worry about the dates on the lotions and creams and similar stuff. I was going to do some research, but I am thinking someone here might already know or have a reliable source for this topic. FYI, I’m talking mainly about the stuff like antifungals, antibiotic ointments, allergy/antiinflammatory creams, other lotions/creams/gels that are on The Prepared’s Home Medical Supplies List. (I replace alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and Pedialyte, but those are about the only things I have been rotating in my whole medical cupboard and I’m wondering if I need to replace anything else.). Thanks in advance for any advice on this topic. Read More 4 5 Sump Pump Kit: Keeping your basement dry (and your neighbour’s too) brownfox-ffContributor - January 17, 2023 (image credit: Magnolia Field Flooding by Doc Searls. Licensed under Creative Commons CC-BY 2.0) It’s 2 am. Your neighbour bangs on the door. Their house is flooding, and their sump pump just broke. The hardware store is closed. Can you help? .. If you live somewhere with a basement and water, you may use a pump to keep your basement dry. This kit contains everything needed to get water out of your house. This kit may seem expensive, because you are buying a pump. But it’s cheaper than an emergency call to a plumber. And it’s cheaper than an insurance claim and a flooded basement. A sump pump is a perfect example of something worth preparing in advance. When you need it, you *really* need it. And chances are – everyone else may too. Better to have a kit ready than to be part of the crowd, rushing to the out-of-stock hardware store during a flood. How To Use It Usually you want to send the water one of two places: into the storm drain system (in a city) or out onto the lawn or road. The farther away from the house, the better – at least 20 feet. Note it is illegal in many areas to permanently connect your sump pump to the _sewer_ system (it should connect to the _storm drain_ system), including a floor drain. But in an emergency, if choosing between a floor drain and a flooded house – put the water wherever it needs to go. You can point the hose at the floor drain and remove water, if the hose is not long enough to reach outside of the house. How To Store It You have several ways to store this: One Bucket, stuff sticking out. If you use a standard hose kit, it is unlikely everything will fit into one bucket. If you’re not concerned about being neat and tidy, this is the cheapest, easiest way to do it. You could also measure the hose length to your floor drain and cut the hose to save space. Two Buckets, one for hose, one for pump. If you coil it nicely, 20 feet of 1-1/2″ hose will juuust fit inside a 5 gallon bucket. Put the pump and other items into a second bucket. This lets you put lids on top, to keep it all together. You must carry two buckets around. One Bucket, smaller hose. If you buy an adapter, you can use a marine hose (strong garden hose) instead of a regular hose. This lets you fit everything in one bucket. The marine hose may be longer, but have a smaller diameter, so it will move water more slowly. Can I Really Use A Garden Hose? You should *not* use a garden hose for a permanent setup. But in an emergency a hose will move water. It’s an option. I spent twenty hours of research and one hour of testing creating this kit. I found a dozen people online and one person in my real-world prepping circle who have used (real life) or claimed to have used (online) a pump with an adapter and garden hose. I called three pump manufacturers and two plumbers to ask about pumps, PSI, and setup. All of them recommended *NOT* using a garden hose as your permanent pump setup. A garden hose or marine hose has a smaller diameter, so it will move the water more slowly.Your first bet should be the main discharge hose that is sized for your pump.But if you want to buy a $15 adapter, you can. References https://www.bobvila.com/articles/best-sump-pump/ https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/waterquality/documents/check-you-sump-pumps-now https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/164984/sump-pump-ok-to-reduce-1-5-to-3-4 Related Threads https://theprepared.com/forum/thread/protecting-homes-from-water-infiltration/ https://theprepared.com/forum/thread/flood-barriers-alternatives-to-sandbags/ https://theprepared.com/forum/thread/prepper-home-safety-how-to-prevent-and-avoid-accidents-in-the-home-during-a-crisis/ Read More 13 16 GearScenarios (image credit: Magnolia Field Flooding by Doc Searls. Licensed under Creative Commons CC-BY 2.0) News for week of 2023-01-09 (all current event convos go here) Carlotta SusannaStaff - January 16, 2023 Make a top-level comment for a new story/topic. Discussions about the topic should be in the replies to the top-level comment. That way things stay organized and every main comment as you scroll down is a different piece of news. Read More 3 49 News The dead of winter is a great time for pruning. RedneckContributor - January 14, 2023 There is so much to do on a homestead, even in the winter when nothing is growing. Lately I’ve been cleaning up the garden, getting rid of all the dead plants. That material all goes in the compost pile. I’ve also been pounding in a dozen 8 foot T-posts, to hold my 6 foot trellis netting for a new location of pole beans. For many plants, the best time to prune is in the winter when they are dormant. I finished cutting back most of my roses and now I am working on my muscadine grapes. They get real leggy because each shoot can put out a stem that can be 10 feet long… or longer. They bear fruit on new growth, so it is extremely important to cut them way back each winter. When done with the muscadines, I have around 150 fruit trees to prune next. Read More 3 0 Advice Favorite source for storm warnings? Hardened - January 13, 2023 There have been some extreme weather effects in the US lately and San Francisco is about to have an another one. The National Weather Service’s Bay Area office issued “a frank and dire warning to citizens”: “To put it simply, this will likely be one of the most impactful systems on a widespread scale that this meteorologist has seen in a long while,” the warning read. “The impacts will include widespread flooding, roads washing out, hillside collapsing, trees down (potentially full groves), widespread power outages, immediate disruption to commerce, and the worst of all, likely loss of human life. This is truly a brutal system that we are looking at and needs to be taken seriously.” I find it helpful to get a “heads-up” about storms like this and sometimes they will appear in my regular daily news (The New York Times), but I’d like a more specialized source to check regularly. My built-in iPhone weather app is pretty good at providing forecasts when things are normal but it didn’t warn me about the artic blast we received in December. What’s your favorite source to check for storm forecasts? Read More 2 20 AdviceNews An example of off-grid apartment living in Manhattan atlanticrando - January 13, 2023 From Ars Technica: tl;dr – An NYU professor living in an apartment goes off-grid for 8 months. “Today, more than half the world lives in cities. I’ve always thought that living “off the grid” meant living “off in the woods,” where you can live simply and set up an alternate power source. But I’m a professional in Manhattan and need to earn a living… …Even though corporate and policy choices matter more than those of any individual, I was still curious to see if I could make my own practices more sustainable. Personal responsibility matters to me, so polluting less motivates me; it’s a small thing, but one I can control, even if it’s important to make policy and political changes, too. And I wanted to see how easy (or difficult) this might be for other city dwellers—both to help with sustainability and with utility bills. In addition to the obvious benefits that reduced power consumption brings, there’s also the issue of grid resilience. If everyone could stand a few days without grid power, we could build grids that aren’t made for 99.9 percent uptime but for 95 percent or lower uptime (with dedicated power for essential services like hospitals, police, and subways). At some level of local resilience, we could power cities exclusively with solar and wind despite their intermittency, with much lower battery needs.” There are some major caveats: 1) Heat (which he’s basically leaching from the building and neighbours) 2) This is a VERY minimalist setup that just won’t be practicable, especially for a family or someone with medical devices However, I thought some folks here might find it kind of neat as a proof of concept or food for thought. The classic ‘cabin in the woods, plop down as many solar panels as you can’ setup is not really compatible with the way most people live, which is in more urban environments. Read More 2 2 Has anyone trained a dog to carting? Lindsey - January 12, 2023 Has anyone trained a dog to carting before? As urban dwellers, a horse or pony isn’t an option for our family but well-trained dogs are allowed in pretty much every neighborhood I know of. I like the idea of training a dog to carting but am not sure what all is involved and was wondering if someone else had tips to share. In regular situations, I envision the dog pulling a cart when we go out to apple-picking to collect more apples or ferry the 1 year old. In a more serious situation, the dog already being trained to carting would add capacity to the supplies we could bring. Of course, the dog also adds to the supplies we need for an evacuation! So perhaps it’s a wash from the capacity perspective. For clarity, we do not yet have a dog and will be adopting the dog from a rescue. I had rescue dogs growing up but we never trained the family dogs beyond the basic obedience classes to be good dog citizens. In other words, a dog will be joining our family whether it is trained to carting or not. Read More 4 12 Advice Prepping with infants? Kamaria Wingender - January 11, 2023 So, I’ve decided to start prepping. I’ve been reading all these articles bout prepping and gear. I’ve even read how to prep with kids but I’ve found nothing about prepping with infants. And so I don’t even know how to start prepping with infant. Read More 3 3 AdviceGear The economy Steve Martin - January 10, 2023 Just a heads up. I have 2 people in my family who are over-the-road truck drivers for one of the big carriers and both have been sitting still waiting on load assignments for the last 4 days in different parts of the country. Just 3 months ago, they were being pushed to the maximum on hours because they couldn’t keep up with demand…but nearly over night, demand evaporated. There’s an economic storm coming and the “experts” seem to be divided/unaware about it. Read More 5 3 News for week of 2023-01-02 (all current event convos go here) Gideon ParkerStaff - January 10, 2023 Make a top-level comment for a new story/topic. Discussions about the topic should be in the replies to the top-level comment. That way things stay organized and every main comment as you scroll down is a different piece of news. Read More 3 34 News Anyone else wondering if recent substation attacks are “white hat” efforts to accelerate/prioritize grid hardening? Rearden - January 7, 2023 These actions, regardless of the true intentions, are hardly costless alarm sounding exercises. Hence the quotations around “white hat” here. Do these actions help place grid hardening (and prepping more generally) more on the front burner? I think many people here would agree that some type of long-term grid down situation is one of the worst reasonably plausible scenarios. And as has also been discussed in here recently, another very bad state of affairs is massively underprepared neighborhoods / communities, which can effectively undermine your own preparation (unless you’re extremely isolated/ well fortified?). Thoughts? Read More 1 13 News for week of 2022-12-26 (all current event convos go here) Carlotta SusannaStaff - January 1, 2023 Make a top-level comment for a new story/topic. Discussions about the topic should be in the replies to the top-level comment. That way things stay organized and every main comment as you scroll down is a different piece of news. Read More 3 13 News News for week of 2022-12-19 (all current event convos go here) Carlotta SusannaStaff - January 1, 2023 Make a top-level comment for a new story/topic. Discussions about the topic should be in the replies to the top-level comment. That way things stay organized and every main comment as you scroll down is a different piece of news. Read More 4 25 News Foraging for cooking fuel and haybox bean soup Barb LeeContributor - December 30, 2022 Everywhere I look I see fuel! I went foraging for fuel for my new EcoZoom rocket stove a couple of days ago. I hauled in a long, skinny maple branch that had fallen a couple years ago in an ice storm. Brought it into the shop and cut it into 1 ft lengths with hubby’s miter saw, then split (as best I could) the thicker end into kindling. Everything’s wet from the recent rain so I hauled my treasure into the house to dry out (there is no part of the house that is off limits to my projects!) I got the brilliant idea that the rocket stove and the hay box were a match made in heaven. Since I needed something more challenging to cook with both, I decided to make a pot of bean soup. It took 30 minutes to bring the room temperature ingredients and cold ham hocks to a boil from the time I started the fire in the stove. About 8 quarts. Rushed the pot to the haybox (which was about 40 degrees to start!) and let the soup cook for three hours. It was 165 degrees. At that point I needed to add veggies, so I prepared the food, started the stove again, dumped the veggies in the pot and heated it to boiling again before putting the pot back in the box. It’ll simmer for another hour or two to cook the veggies. So, except for a flick of the lighter, there was zero energy cost to slow cook a giant pot of bean soup. (don’t remind me about using the miter saw! LOL!) And I barely skimmed the top few sticks off the top of the fuel box. There are worse things than tending a fire on a cool, cloudy Fall day. Edit to add: After two more hours in the haybox, the carrots and celery were cooked al dente, the beans were perfect and the ham hock meat was falling off the bone. This is really a delicious recipe and the “alternative” cooking devices did not disappoint! Read More 2 7 Skills Crampons (ice traction for your feet) matthew.Contributor - December 29, 2022 I’ve been meaning to write a post about crampons, and how I believe they are an important prep for anyone living in an area with the potential for ice storms. Seeing that a significant chunk of North America is blanketed with snow and ice at the moment, now seems like a good time to discuss. If you’ve ever experienced a significant ice storm, you know it shuts down everything. Simply walking from your front door to the sidewalk can be dangerous. An ice storm can paralyze an entire city or region – forget driving, you’ll struggle to simply walk. If you don’t believe me, I suspect you’ve never experienced a true ice storm (lucky you!). Sadly, I live in an area that gets them routeinly. They are not fun, but far more manageable if you have a good pair of crampons. Crampons are a traction device that attach to your shoes and allow you grip and navigate the otherwise impassable icy world. They work very much like the chains you’d put on your tires, so you’ll want to identify and size the shoes/boots you’d planning on wearing when using them before you make your purchase. Crampons come in differing designs ranging from purely urban use to climbing a glacier. Your choice will largely be dictated by your environment, especially how hilly it might be. Navigating ice on a flat surface is one thing, navigating it on an incline something completely else. I am a particular fan of the Ice Trekkers Diamond Grip crampons. They are a medium-duty crampon that are well made and good for varying conditions. I use them when I’m walking my dog or going for a winter hike, and paired with my Vasque Breeze winter hiking boots they make me feel secure whether I’m walking down a sidewalk or up the side of a mountain. There are lighter-duty models out there as well which are significantly easier to attach/remove from your boots. If you struggle with hand strength you might consider one of the rigid/flat-bottomed ice cleat models that are solely designed for urban use. If you plan on using your crampons for winter hiking/ ice climbing only, get a heavy-duty model, but don’t expect to be able to walk on a sidewalk with them. One additional note- crampons are a lot like tire traction chains. They take a beating when you use them, and they will eventually break. Like chains, I think crampons are definitely worth spending a few extra bucks on. Read More 15 10 Just another reason to be prepared! Steve Martin - December 26, 2022 News story this morning out of North Carolina where a massive power outage hit….deliberately caused by gunfire. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/intentional-vandalism-leaves-40-000-without-power-in-n-c/ar-AA14SalO Read More 8 19 News 90% dead at the end of a year after complete grid loss - December 24, 2022 It only takes two 5 kiloton nukes in orbit at particular places to blow the entire U.S. grid. The U.S. death toll at the end of a year without electricity is the high end estimate. Some crucial parts for our grid are no longer made in the U.S. 1. Reliable protein source you raise yourself. Cuy. Floor to ceiling shelves, plywood boxes, wire tops. Got the idea from a family in Peru. 2. Water. A well. In some urban environments you can hand drill a well…. if you know how. There are you tube videos that will show you how. I bought a hand pump from a local hardware store for 64 bucks. 3. Tools to grow food. 4. Protection. You can learn about what else you need by thinking about what you will need. For cooking…. Folding hand grills over cinder block stoves fueled by dried wood for me. Can also boil water.. Read More 2 12 Do you know who the enemy might be? Steve Martin - December 24, 2022 Under the “situational awareness” heading, is knowing who to watch and who to trust in our preparations for anticipated emergencies and dealing with them afterwards. During the recent political unrest, I had a local who was a member of a certain fringe group and he was bold enough to put a huge sign in his front yard advocating changes to our government he was demanding, and on a particular day in January, he made a trip to DC to express his opinion. He’s one I’ll keep an eye on if things go from bad to worse. I am also aware of a neighbor who has that ” if the SHTF I’ll just use my firepower to take whatever I need from everyone else” attitude. Another one I’ll keep an eye on. Be aware of the extremist in your midst, not paranoid but aware, BEFORE the SHTF. They might be a potential problem when the time comes, or an ally. I tend to be too suspicious of others motives….a hazard of having spent some time in military intel: everyone is up to something, you just have to figure out what it is and if it’s good or bad. Read More 3 5 Advice Help me decide on a portable generator. Single fuel but fuel injected or tri fuel with a carb? Steve Martin - December 22, 2022 Alright I’m ready to pull the trigger on a new electric start 11000 watt portable generator…but I have to choose one over the other of two possibilities. #1 is elect start, fuel injected so no carb to worry about…but is only gasoline powered. #2 is same brand, same wattage but with typical carb and is tri fuel…gasoline, nat gas or propane. So there’s trade offs. The tri fuel version is also $200 cheaper. I did the generac whole house estimate which came back at $10, 790. YIKES! There will still be some electrical contractor expense as I’ll get them to put in that sub panel so I can plug this portable in. I have a nearly new generac 3500 watt portable I’ll be selling so I can recoup part of the purchase price. So….which would YOU consider? Single fuel but fuel injected or tri fuel with a carb? I have a torn rotator cuff with damage so pull starting ANYTHING is out of the question now. So I’ll be selling the new chain saw, weedeater and generator. Read More 2 4 AdviceGear < Prev 1 2 3 … 12 13 14 … 59 60 61 Next > Recently Active News for the Week 2025-4-14 - 2 days agoNews for the Week 2025-4-7 - 2 weeks agoNews for the Week 2025-3-31 - 3 weeks agoNews for the Week 2025-3-24 - 4 weeks agoNews for the Week 2025-3-17 - 1 month ago RULES This forum is heavily moderated to keep things valuable to as many people as possible. Full community policies are here. The basics: 1. Be nice to each other. 2. Stay focused on prepping. 3. Avoid politics, religion, and other arguments. 4. No unfounded conspiracies, fake news, etc. 5. Debate ideas, not people. FILTER Show all Advice Gear Meta News Scenarios Skills

Transparent authority

Shaun - January 29, 2023

A forum like TP is unique in providing a community to share information and opinion. It is civil, welcoming and non-political. That’s why I read so much here.

One concern I have at TP, and elsewhere, is the appeal to authority.

Most of us post our experience and opinions. Sometimes we suggest our opinions or advice is a little more. That it’s highly informed because we are especially informed and experienced. Most of the time, that is benign. If someone at TP says they have a better understanding of a problem because they work in IT, I listen carefully, because I have worked in IT a long time and can recognize a phony from the real deal. This is really an appeal to our experience and not authority. An appeal to authority almost always is an appeal to a position of authority.

For example, if we are discussing how a regional power outage has affected a large area and how long it’s going to take to restore power, most of us are offering experience, opinion and links to news articles. But if I say ‘I am the Director of Disaster Recovery for a major State and I know what I am talking about’, another standard applies. I am appealing to authority, my own authority. If I am unwilling to identify myself by legal name and contact information and only offer an avatar named ‘CreepyBunny’, most of us will discount anything I say – forever.

Or if you write that expert opinion about XYZ is clear and settled, but your links are to other articles saying the same thing, without publicly available facts and named authorities, you are misleading your audience. It is sleight of hand to trick them into believing your view is ‘authoritative’. Manipulation.

When a journalist writes about a topic and quotes ‘anonymous sources’, it may be exciting and dramatic, it might support your opinion too, but it’s still between the peanuts and the beer.

Why? Because authority is always transparent. If your comments, advice or orders are not offered with your full name and verifiable contact information, then you are just like the rest of us, or maybe another ‘CreepyBunny’.

Wikipedia can be like this. It can be wonderful to get up to speed on a topic like Calculus, the Ford F150 and Italian cooking. There can be many documented authorities quoted in the articles too. But many of the editors that write these articles are anonymous. If I read about a fast developing story or a controversial topic it takes a lot of time to read the links and see if any of the editors are transparent.

So what’s the big deal?

Read this:

Wikipedia and Saudi Arabia

Borncity transparency

Read More

2

7

Outer coats for the seasons, watcha wearing?

Bill Masen - January 28, 2023

Sooo in the cold weather here in the UK I wear a modified water resistant, fleece lined Regatta professional soft shell with the velcro (hook and loop) removed and replace with elastic or press studs. And extra inside pockets added, plus some 1 inch webbing for guiding cables or clipping radios, flashlights, knives etc to.

In the warmer weather I use either or both Craghopper Nosilife adventure 2 Jacket, And Or a Nosilife adventure 2 multi pocket gilette, again much modified for hanging assorted items of kit off.

All rather drab and unassuming to meet the Grey Man concept I support, So what do you folks like to wear as outerwear?

Read More

9

23

Anticipatory grief

Seasons4 - January 27, 2023

I’m wondering if people here may feel a sense of “anticipatory grief” relating to others who aren’t into prepping or who aren’t into avoiding infection with pathogens? As I understand it and as I’m putting it in simple words, anticipatory grief is grieving for someone who hasn’t literally died yet even though they’re on that trajectory. It’s complicated grief because there aren’t cultural supports for the grieving process and because there are plenty of unknowns. 

As background, some of my friends and acquaintances act like it’s 2019 or earlier and are traveling, going to large in-person gatherings, and doing other activities that seem risky even as they aren’t taking rudimentary preparedness actions or taking care of their general health. I try to lead by example in my circles, but I’m not invested in trying to change their behavior otherwise (staying in my lane). 

I’ve caught myself thinking, “Say good-bye inside. He won’t be around in 5 years. “Say good-bye inside. She won’t be around in 10 years.” Of course, the so-called Doomsday Clock is at what, 90 seconds to midnight? 

Anyway, I’m just curious. Best regards to all.

Read More

4

4

Iodinated Providone for water treatment

Black Club - January 23, 2023

Is 10% Iodinated Providone the same as “normal” Iodine for water sterilisation?

i.e. can I dilute the 10% solution to 2% and use a few drops per quart/litre?

I use it at work, so it would be handy to know.

Read More

2

7

First aid expiration dates?

Amy S. - January 19, 2023

Hello everyone! I just cleaned out and reorganized my first aid/over the counter medications. I did a search in the Forum, and don’t think this question has been covered, but please let me know if it has already been talked about.

I feel comfortable with the shelf life (expired) over the counter medications in pill form that I have, but I am unsure if I need to worry about the dates on the lotions and creams and similar stuff. I was going to do some research, but I am thinking someone here might already know or have a reliable source for this topic. FYI, I’m talking mainly about the stuff like antifungals, antibiotic ointments, allergy/antiinflammatory creams, other lotions/creams/gels that are on The Prepared’s Home Medical Supplies List. (I replace alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and Pedialyte, but those are about the only things I have been rotating in my whole medical cupboard and I’m wondering if I need to replace anything else.). Thanks in advance for any advice on this topic.

Read More

4

5

Sump Pump Kit: Keeping your basement dry (and your neighbour’s too)

brownfox-ffContributor - January 17, 2023

(image credit: Magnolia Field Flooding by Doc Searls. Licensed under Creative Commons CC-BY 2.0)

It’s 2 am. Your neighbour bangs on the door. Their house is flooding, and their sump pump just broke. The hardware store is closed. Can you help?

..

If you live somewhere with a basement and water, you may use a pump to keep your basement dry. This kit contains everything needed to get water out of your house.

This kit may seem expensive, because you are buying a pump. But it’s cheaper than an emergency call to a plumber. And it’s cheaper than an insurance claim and a flooded basement.

A sump pump is a perfect example of something worth preparing in advance. When you need it, you *really* need it. And chances are – everyone else may too. Better to have a kit ready than to be part of the crowd, rushing to the out-of-stock hardware store during a flood.

How To Use It

Usually you want to send the water one of two places: into the storm drain system (in a city) or out onto the lawn or road. The farther away from the house, the better – at least 20 feet.

Note it is illegal in many areas to permanently connect your sump pump to the _sewer_ system (it should connect to the _storm drain_ system), including a floor drain. But in an emergency, if choosing between a floor drain and a flooded house – put the water wherever it needs to go. You can point the hose at the floor drain and remove water, if the hose is not long enough to reach outside of the house.

How To Store It

You have several ways to store this:

One Bucket, stuff sticking out. If you use a standard hose kit, it is unlikely everything will fit into one bucket. If you’re not concerned about being neat and tidy, this is the cheapest, easiest way to do it. You could also measure the hose length to your floor drain and cut the hose to save space. Two Buckets, one for hose, one for pump. If you coil it nicely, 20 feet of 1-1/2″ hose will juuust fit inside a 5 gallon bucket. Put the pump and other items into a second bucket. This lets you put lids on top, to keep it all together. You must carry two buckets around. One Bucket, smaller hose. If you buy an adapter, you can use a marine hose (strong garden hose) instead of a regular hose. This lets you fit everything in one bucket. The marine hose may be longer, but have a smaller diameter, so it will move water more slowly.

Can I Really Use A Garden Hose?

You should *not* use a garden hose for a permanent setup. But in an emergency a hose will move water. It’s an option.

I spent twenty hours of research and one hour of testing creating this kit. I found a dozen people online and one person in my real-world prepping circle who have used (real life) or claimed to have used (online) a pump with an adapter and garden hose. I called three pump manufacturers and two plumbers to ask about pumps, PSI, and setup. All of them recommended *NOT* using a garden hose as your permanent pump setup.

A garden hose or marine hose has a smaller diameter, so it will move the water more slowly.
Your first bet should be the main discharge hose that is sized for your pump.
But if you want to buy a $15 adapter, you can.

References

https://www.bobvila.com/articles/best-sump-pump/ https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/waterquality/documents/check-you-sump-pumps-now https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/164984/sump-pump-ok-to-reduce-1-5-to-3-4

Related Threads

https://theprepared.com/forum/thread/protecting-homes-from-water-infiltration/ https://theprepared.com/forum/thread/flood-barriers-alternatives-to-sandbags/ https://theprepared.com/forum/thread/prepper-home-safety-how-to-prevent-and-avoid-accidents-in-the-home-during-a-crisis/ Read More

13

16

GearScenarios

(image credit: Magnolia Field Flooding by Doc Searls. Licensed under Creative Commons CC-BY 2.0)

News for week of 2023-01-09 (all current event convos go here)

Carlotta SusannaStaff - January 16, 2023

Make a top-level comment for a new story/topic. Discussions about the topic should be in the replies to the top-level comment. That way things stay organized and every main comment as you scroll down is a different piece of news.

Read More

3

49

News

The dead of winter is a great time for pruning.

RedneckContributor - January 14, 2023

There is so much to do on a homestead, even in the winter when nothing is growing.  Lately I’ve been cleaning up the garden, getting rid of all the dead plants.  That material all goes in the compost pile.  I’ve also been pounding in a dozen 8 foot T-posts, to hold my 6 foot trellis netting for a new location of pole beans.

For many plants, the best time to prune is in the winter when they are dormant.  I finished cutting back most of my roses and now I am working on my muscadine grapes.  They get real leggy because each shoot can put out a stem that can be 10 feet long… or longer.  They bear fruit on new growth, so it is extremely important to cut them way back each winter.  When done with the muscadines, I have around 150 fruit trees to prune next.

Read More

3

0

Advice

Favorite source for storm warnings?

Hardened - January 13, 2023

There have been some extreme weather effects in the US lately and San Francisco is about to have an another one. The National Weather Service’s Bay Area office issued “a frank and dire warning to citizens”:

“To put it simply, this will likely be one of the most impactful systems on a widespread scale that this meteorologist has seen in a long while,” the warning read. “The impacts will include widespread flooding, roads washing out, hillside collapsing, trees down (potentially full groves), widespread power outages, immediate disruption to commerce, and the worst of all, likely loss of human life. This is truly a brutal system that we are looking at and needs to be taken seriously.”

I find it helpful to get a “heads-up” about storms like this and sometimes they will appear in my regular daily news (The New York Times), but I’d like a more specialized source to check regularly.  My built-in iPhone weather app is pretty good at providing forecasts when things are normal but it didn’t warn me about the artic blast we received in December.

What’s your favorite source to check for storm forecasts?

Read More

2

20

AdviceNews

An example of off-grid apartment living in Manhattan

atlanticrando - January 13, 2023

From Ars Technica:

tl;dr – An NYU professor living in an apartment goes off-grid for 8 months.

“Today, more than half the world lives in cities. I’ve always thought that living “off the grid” meant living “off in the woods,” where you can live simply and set up an alternate power source. But I’m a professional in Manhattan and need to earn a living…

…Even though corporate and policy choices matter more than those of any individual, I was still curious to see if I could make my own practices more sustainable. Personal responsibility matters to me, so polluting less motivates me; it’s a small thing, but one I can control, even if it’s important to make policy and political changes, too.

And I wanted to see how easy (or difficult) this might be for other city dwellers—both to help with sustainability and with utility bills.

In addition to the obvious benefits that reduced power consumption brings, there’s also the issue of grid resilience. If everyone could stand a few days without grid power, we could build grids that aren’t made for 99.9 percent uptime but for 95 percent or lower uptime (with dedicated power for essential services like hospitals, police, and subways). At some level of local resilience, we could power cities exclusively with solar and wind despite their intermittency, with much lower battery needs.”

There are some major caveats:

1) Heat (which he’s basically leaching from the building and neighbours)

2) This is a VERY minimalist setup that just won’t be practicable, especially for a family or someone with medical devices

However, I thought some folks here might find it kind of neat as a proof of concept or food for thought. The classic ‘cabin in the woods, plop down as many solar panels as you can’ setup is not really compatible with the way most people live, which is in more urban environments.

Read More

2

2

Has anyone trained a dog to carting?

Lindsey - January 12, 2023

Has anyone trained a dog to carting before?

As urban dwellers, a horse or pony isn’t an option for our family but well-trained dogs are allowed in pretty much every neighborhood I know of. I like the idea of training a dog to carting but am not sure what all is involved and was wondering if someone else had tips to share.

In regular situations, I envision the dog pulling a cart when we go out to apple-picking to collect more apples or ferry the 1 year old.

In a more serious situation, the dog already being trained to carting would add capacity to the supplies we could bring. Of course, the dog also adds to the supplies we need for an evacuation! So perhaps it’s a wash from the capacity perspective.

For clarity, we do not yet have a dog and will be adopting the dog from a rescue. I had rescue dogs growing up but we never trained the family dogs beyond the basic obedience classes to be good dog citizens. In other words, a dog will be joining our family whether it is trained to carting or not.

Read More

4

12

Advice

Prepping with infants?

Kamaria Wingender - January 11, 2023

So, I’ve decided to start prepping. I’ve been reading all these articles bout prepping and gear. I’ve even read how to prep with kids but I’ve found nothing about prepping with infants. And so I don’t even know how to start prepping with infant.

Read More

3

3

AdviceGear

The economy

Steve Martin - January 10, 2023

Just a heads up. I have 2 people in my family who are over-the-road truck drivers for one of the big carriers and both have been sitting still waiting on load assignments for the last 4 days in different parts of the country. Just 3 months ago, they were being pushed to the maximum on hours because they couldn’t keep up with demand…but nearly over night, demand evaporated. There’s an economic storm coming and the “experts” seem to be divided/unaware about it. 

Read More

5

3

News for week of 2023-01-02 (all current event convos go here)

Gideon ParkerStaff - January 10, 2023

Make a top-level comment for a new story/topic. Discussions about the topic should be in the replies to the top-level comment. That way things stay organized and every main comment as you scroll down is a different piece of news.

Read More

3

34

News

Anyone else wondering if recent substation attacks are “white hat” efforts to accelerate/prioritize grid hardening?

Rearden - January 7, 2023

These actions, regardless of the true intentions, are hardly costless alarm sounding exercises. Hence the quotations around “white hat” here. 

Do these actions help place grid hardening (and prepping more generally) more on the front burner?

I think many people here would agree that some type of long-term grid down situation is one of the worst reasonably plausible scenarios.

And as has also been discussed in here recently, another very bad state of affairs is massively underprepared neighborhoods / communities, which can effectively undermine your own preparation (unless you’re extremely isolated/ well fortified?). 

Thoughts?

Read More

1

13

News for week of 2022-12-26 (all current event convos go here)

Carlotta SusannaStaff - January 1, 2023

Make a top-level comment for a new story/topic. Discussions about the topic should be in the replies to the top-level comment. That way things stay organized and every main comment as you scroll down is a different piece of news.

Read More

3

13

News

News for week of 2022-12-19 (all current event convos go here)

Carlotta SusannaStaff - January 1, 2023

Make a top-level comment for a new story/topic. Discussions about the topic should be in the replies to the top-level comment. That way things stay organized and every main comment as you scroll down is a different piece of news.

Read More

4

25

News

Foraging for cooking fuel and haybox bean soup

Barb LeeContributor - December 30, 2022

Everywhere I look I see fuel!

I went foraging for fuel for my new EcoZoom rocket stove a couple of days ago.  I hauled in a long, skinny maple branch that had fallen a couple years ago in an ice storm.  Brought it into the shop and cut it into 1 ft lengths with hubby’s miter saw, then split (as best I could) the thicker end into kindling.  Everything’s wet from the recent rain so I hauled my treasure into the house to dry out (there is no part of the house that is off limits to my projects!)

I got the brilliant idea that the rocket stove and the hay box were a match made in heaven.  Since I needed something more challenging to cook with both, I decided to make a pot of bean soup.

It took 30 minutes to bring the room temperature ingredients and cold ham hocks to a boil from the time I started the fire in the stove.  About 8 quarts.  Rushed the pot to the haybox (which was about 40 degrees to start!) and let the soup cook for three hours. It was 165 degrees. At that point I needed to add veggies, so I prepared the food, started the stove again, dumped the veggies in the pot and heated it to boiling again before putting the pot back in the box. It’ll simmer for another hour or two to cook the veggies.

So, except for a flick of the lighter, there was zero energy cost to slow cook a giant pot of bean soup.  (don’t remind me about using the miter saw!  LOL!) And I barely skimmed the top few sticks off the top of the fuel box.

There are worse things than tending a fire on a cool, cloudy Fall day.

Edit to add:   After two more hours in the haybox, the carrots and celery were cooked al dente, the beans were perfect and the ham hock meat was falling off the bone.  This is really a delicious recipe and the “alternative” cooking devices did not disappoint!

Read More

2

7

Skills

Crampons (ice traction for your feet)

matthew.Contributor - December 29, 2022

I’ve been meaning to write a post about crampons, and how I believe they are an important prep for anyone living in an area with the potential for ice storms.  Seeing that a significant chunk of North America is blanketed with snow and ice at the moment, now seems like a good time to discuss.

If you’ve ever experienced a significant ice storm, you know it shuts down everything.  Simply walking from your front door to the sidewalk can be dangerous.  An ice storm can paralyze an entire city or region – forget driving, you’ll struggle to simply walk.  If you don’t believe me, I suspect you’ve never experienced a true ice storm (lucky you!).  Sadly, I live in an area that gets them routeinly.  They are not fun, but far more manageable if you have a good pair of crampons.

Crampons are a traction device that attach to your shoes and allow you grip and navigate the otherwise impassable icy world.  They work very much like the chains you’d put on your tires, so you’ll want to identify and size the shoes/boots you’d planning on wearing when using them before you make your purchase.  

Crampons come in differing designs ranging from purely urban use to climbing a glacier.  Your choice will largely be dictated by your environment, especially how hilly it might be.  Navigating ice on a flat surface is one thing, navigating it on an incline something completely else.

I am a particular fan of the Ice Trekkers Diamond Grip crampons. They are a medium-duty crampon that are well made and good for varying conditions.  I use them when I’m walking my dog or going for a winter hike, and paired with my Vasque Breeze winter hiking boots they make me feel secure whether I’m walking down a sidewalk or up the side of a mountain.  There are lighter-duty models out there as well which are significantly easier to attach/remove from your boots. If you struggle with hand strength you might consider one of the rigid/flat-bottomed ice cleat models that are solely designed for urban use.  If you plan on using your crampons for winter hiking/ ice climbing only, get a heavy-duty model, but don’t expect to be able to walk on a sidewalk with them.

One additional note- crampons are a lot like tire traction chains.  They take a beating when you use them, and they will eventually break.  Like chains, I think crampons are definitely worth spending a few extra bucks on.

Read More

15

10

Just another reason to be prepared!

Steve Martin - December 26, 2022

News story this morning out of North Carolina where a massive power outage hit….deliberately caused by gunfire. 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/intentional-vandalism-leaves-40-000-without-power-in-n-c/ar-AA14SalO

Read More

8

19

News

90% dead at the end of a year after complete grid loss

- December 24, 2022

It only takes two 5 kiloton nukes in orbit at particular places to blow the entire U.S. grid.

The U.S. death toll at the end of a year without electricity is the high end estimate.

Some crucial parts for our grid are no longer made in the U.S.

1. Reliable protein source you raise yourself. Cuy. Floor to ceiling shelves, plywood boxes, wire tops. Got the idea from a family in Peru.

2. Water. A well. In some urban environments you can hand drill a well…. if you know how. There are you tube videos that will show you how. I bought a hand pump from a local hardware store for 64 bucks.

3. Tools to grow food.

4. Protection.

You can learn about what else you need by thinking about what you will need.

For cooking…. Folding hand grills over cinder block stoves fueled by dried wood for me. Can also boil water..

Read More

2

12

Do you know who the enemy might be?

Steve Martin - December 24, 2022

Under the “situational awareness” heading, is knowing who to watch and who to trust in our preparations for anticipated emergencies and dealing with them afterwards. During the recent political unrest, I had a local who was a member of a certain fringe group and he was bold enough to put a huge sign in his front yard advocating changes to our government he was demanding, and on a particular day in January, he made a trip to DC to express his opinion. He’s one I’ll keep an eye on if things go from bad to worse. I am also aware of a neighbor who has that ” if the SHTF I’ll just use my firepower to take whatever I need from everyone else” attitude. Another one I’ll keep an eye on. Be aware of the extremist in your midst, not paranoid but aware, BEFORE the SHTF. They might be a potential problem when the time comes, or an ally. I tend to be too suspicious of others motives….a hazard of having spent some time in military intel: everyone is up to something, you just have to figure out what it is and if it’s good or bad.

Read More

3

5

Advice

Help me decide on a portable generator. Single fuel but fuel injected or tri fuel with a carb?

Steve Martin - December 22, 2022

Alright I’m ready to pull the trigger on a new electric start 11000 watt portable generator…but I have to choose one over the other of two possibilities. #1 is elect start, fuel injected so no carb to worry about…but is only gasoline powered. #2 is same brand, same wattage but with typical carb and is tri fuel…gasoline, nat gas or propane. So there’s trade offs. The tri fuel version is also $200 cheaper. I did the generac whole house estimate which came back at $10, 790. YIKES! There will still be some electrical contractor expense as I’ll get them to put in that sub panel so I can plug this portable in. I have a nearly new generac 3500 watt portable I’ll be selling so I can recoup part of the purchase price. So….which would YOU consider? Single fuel but fuel injected or tri fuel with a carb? I have a torn rotator cuff with damage so pull starting ANYTHING is out of the question now. So I’ll be selling the new chain saw, weedeater and generator. 

Read More

2

4

AdviceGear