Active New Top (30 days) Compact Card FDA guidance on taking potassium iodide after a nuclear bomb goes off Jay ValenciaContributor - October 31, 2022 Many people’s minds are on nuclear war, radiation, and how to survive such a catastrophic event. Wanting to filter out the fact from fiction and the fear mongering from the rational way to prepare, I looked for a reputable resource on what to do. Click here to read the entire FAQ by the FDA about potassium iodide, but I will sum things up below. What does potassium iodide (KI) do? KI reduces the risk of thyroid cancer in people who inhale or ingest radioiodines by flooding the thyroid with non-radioactive iodine and prevents the thyroid from taking on the bad radioactive kind. The non-radioactive iodine then is excreted in the urine. My opinion – This pill won’t stop radiation from getting into your body. And if you shelter in place, have good filtered air, and aren’t eating or drinking things that have been outside and exposed to the radiation, then there really isn’t any point to take KI. Who really needs to take potassium iodide (KI) after a nuclear radiation release? The FDA says that infants, children, and pregnant/nursing women are at the highest risk of developing radioiodine-induced thyroid cancer and should be given priority if a limited number of KI is available. And they should be properly dosed as explained later. Anyone over 40 should only be treated if they are expected to receive a very high dose of radiation that would destroy their thyroid and induce lifelong hypothyroidism (thyroid deficiency). What potassium iodide (KI) products are currently available? These are the only FDA approved KI products on the market iOSAT tablets, 130mg, from Anbex, Inc. iOSAT tablets, 65mg, from Anbex, Inc. ThyroSafe tablets, 65mg, from BTG INTERNATIONAL, Inc. Potassium Iodide Oral Solution USP, 65mg/mL, from Mission Pharmacal Company Below is a chart with dosing depending on which above product you have. This would be good to print and store with whatever KI product you have. See the full post in the link above for a better view of this chart. When and for how long should I take potassium iodide (KI)? Don’t take KI as a preventative before radiation exposure. If there is a radiological event, officials will tell the public if there is a need to take KI. KI is best used within 3-4 hours of exposure, so you do have some time. Taking a higher dose of KI than is recommended in the chart above doesn’t give you more protection, your thyroid can only hold onto so much iodine and extra in your system will cause illness or death. KI protects for 24 hours, so take the above recommended dose daily until officials tell you the threat is over. Should I buy potassium iodide (KI) to keep on hand The Nuclear Regulatory Commission recommends that those within 10-miles of a nuclear power plant have some KI on hand. My opinion – If you live within 15 miles of a potential nuclear target, I would possibly consider it. My summary – Sounds like only certain people are recommended to have KI and only if they use it properly and are exposed to certain amounts of radiation. It isn’t a magic pill that lets you then walk around in the nuclear wasteland and is more limited than many of us probably think it is. Still, preventing thyroid cancer is something to think about. Read the entire FDA guide for more info, better details, and which people are not recommended to take KI. Read More 13 4 Scenarios Ways of heating a MA apartment without electricity? mr prepper - October 29, 2022 I am prepping for a winter power outage in Massachusetts. I live in an apartment with central heating that depends on electricity, so I need a way to keep warm when the power goes out. Looking at the article about emergency heating, it seems that a portable propane heater is recommended for indoor heating. However, I don’t know how to effectively prevent carbon monoxide buildup while using one indoors. Another concern is that I heard that it’s dangerous to store propane indoors, and I’m pretty sure someone will steal my propane if I leave it on the porch. So, I have a few questions about heating my apartment without electricity: Would I realistically be able to use a portable heater in my apartment without dying from carbon monoxide? Would cracking open a window provide enough ventilation without the risk of carbon monoxide buildup, and how possible is this during a snowstorm? How would I store the propane? What’s the most cost-effective way of prepping for at least 2 weeks when using a propane heater? Assuming that a 1 lb propane canister lasts 6 hours, I would need a lot of canisters to heat my space for 2 weeks. Other than using a propane heater, what would be some other ways of keeping my space warm? Read More 8 10 AdviceGearScenarios Any Jiu Jitsu enthusiasts here? adrianalindgren - October 28, 2022 I love how it makes me feel and I use it to cross out my cardio for the day lol Read More 8 12 Long-term wilderness survival skills Eric - October 28, 2022 Could I survive long-term in the wilderness? Probably not. I’m trying to study these skills anyway. If I can develop the skills to make it even a month or two, surely those skills will also be useful for more short-term emergency situations. I’ve bee reading Thrive, a long-term survival guide by Alone S9 participant Juan Pablo Quiñonez. (Thanks for the book giveaway, TP!) He clearly knows what he’s talking about, and is also an excellent teacher. He says in the introduction: “If one had to live in the wild for up to one year with only a single book, what would it contain?” I think he succeeded in writing that book, and I’ll be keeping it in by BOB until I’ve read it enough times to not need it anymore. Chapters include preparation, mindset, clothing, travel, water, fire, shelter, food/foraging, edible plants, fishing, trapping, hunting, bushcraft, winter, health, electronics, and natural hazards. Topics are clearly explained and seem to work well both for learning and for reference. What do you think about the role of long-term wilderness survival skills for emergency preparedness? Are there other books or resources that you like for learning these skills? Read More 9 18 Skills How long, really, is refrigerated food safe after a power outage? PrepPrepPrep - October 28, 2022 I see many many sites, including the CDC, foodsafety.gov, usdairy.com, etc., that tell me which foods are safe to keep and which need to be tossed, *after four hours* with no refrigeration. I do not see a single site that tells me what to do if the food that was “safe” after four hours has now gone 24 hours with no power. Some of my questions are: unopened cheddar cheese, thickly grated Parmesan, an open package of tortillas, the jar of olives that is opened, and basically everything in the freezer, since I was out of town and not there to check for ice crystals. What a nice day to give the fridge a thorough cleaning! 🙁 P.S., I will not be trying any of these foods but am not tossing the ones I have questions about until I resolve the question. No need to kill myself because I want to save a few dollars! Read More 12 11 Saw this great twitter thread about the “San Francisco Seawallpocalypse” quentin - October 28, 2022 Hello all! This is my first post after lurking for a couple months. I just saw this great twitter thread about the seawall situation in SF and thought I would post it here. Really fascinating. Earthquake today is a good reminder of the pending-urban-disaster-no-one-talks-about: San Francisco Seawallpocalypse! 🌊💀🔥 Thread/ — fry (@anniefryman) October 25, 2022 Read More 8 3 Scenarios A comparison of four electric lanterns under $75 Gideon ParkerStaff - October 28, 2022 This is a quick review of four electric lanterns you might want to consider. LuminAID PackLite Titan 2-in-1 Stats: 300 Lumens 4000mAh battery 12.5oz White and red light modes High, medium, low, very low, and SOS mode Pros: The small solar panel actually does charge this lantern. While it is recommended to have dedicated lanterns, solar panels, and power banks, if you were hard set on only having one product and were going to use this in your home preps, the LuminAID PackLite Titan could be a good option. Provides room filling light in both white and red colors. This does feel like a premium item and isn’t a cheaply constructed product. Can charge android tablet, cell phone, or gaming console and power light at the same time. Cons: Buttons are hard to see in the dark and difficult to press because they are not raised up very high. I don’t see many use cases for the very low and SOS settings. Not sure of how durable or rip resistant the plastic fabric is. If you throw this in a pack a sharp cook set or knife could slice it and while it still will diffuse the light, it might expose the electronics inside to moisture. Keep it wrapped in a shirt or bandanna to solve this. There was a strong plastic smell for the first three days of using it that smells like pool water wings that toddlers use. Survival Frog Pocket Light 3.0 Stats: Unknown lumen 1200mAH battery 5.75oz 4 modes – high, low, SOS (strobe), and flashlight mode Pros: Compact for storage and travel, large for use. Lightweight. Because of the diffusion material that the lantern uses, the normally harsh white light was actually very nice to read and work by for a long time. Great job Survival Frog from moving away from that crinkly plastic diffuser that many pop-up lanterns use, this fabric mesh is a much better solution. Cons: Unknown how well the solar panel works because there is no battery life indicator, but guessing not very well. The SOS mode is more of a flashing strobe light that hurts your eyes. Survival Frog QuadPod camping lantern Stats: 700 lumens 2400 mAh battery 8.8oz 6 lighting settings Pros: This really is a great camping lantern. The many settings and adjustable angles make it so you can light up any situation. Glow in the dark button and USB dust cover A very bright room filling light. Cons: USB dust/water cover doesn’t stay in place very well Doesn’t seem like it would survive too many drops onto hard surfaces before cracking. The solar panels are so small that they don’t do anything. I left this lantern in the sun for three full days and it didn’t get any more charged during that time. The SOS mode is more of a flashing strobe light that hurts your eyes. Streamlight Siege X Stats: 300 lumens 2600 mAh battery 7.2oz White and red light modes 7 lighting modes Pros: Durable and small Uses the popular, replaceable, and powerful 18650 battery. Cons: Although the red light is a welcome feature, it is rather dim and not very useful. Summary: Best shelter in place at home lantern: luminAID Titan Best collapsible and nicest looking light: Survival Frog Pocket Light Best lantern for camping: Survival Frog QuadPod Best bug out bag lantern: Streamlight Siege X https://youtu.be/rrXykQQDv0E Video review showing a close up of how the lanterns are constructed and function along with seeing the brightness levels and various settings. Stress testing To simulate these lanterns being left out during a cold winter night, the lanterns were sprayed down with a hose for 30+ seconds and then left in the freezer over night. They all survived the rain and freeze test, but the two lanterns by Survival Frog did get water inside of their housings, so they aren’t very water tight and it may not be the best to leave you lanterns out when it rains. https://youtu.be/7rjo3zZ0IvM Read More 11 4 Gear Lessons from the Great Shakeout Alicia - October 27, 2022 The only accurately predicted earthquake occurred on Oct 20th at 10:20am. And it happens every year. It’s the Great Shakeout earthquake drill exercise. My workplace participates and this year did the full “Drop, Cover, and Hold-On” through evacuation and assembly in a location away from buildings with personnel accounting. We’ve participated this before, but this was the first since the pandemic and we have partial teleworking now. Lessons I noted: No clear leadership in emergency preparedness at my workplace. I am a volunteer who helps with evacuation communication and personnel accounting for the floor of my office building. As such, I get a bit more information on the planning for these events. Months ago, I gently asked questions and made simple suggestions for clarification of assembly areas (many buildings were sent to a very large parking lot). This was pushed off to individual buildings to address but eventually did get some help the week before the shakeout. Expectations and scenarios weren’t communicated. The assembly area for my building is outside an entry gate, but the path that we were told to use was unintuitive and circuitous. Not one that anyone would take on a normal day. I had no idea that was the expected path. It confused everyone. And then, the plans for what happened after accounting completed were never mentioned in prep, or during execution. So we know where to go, but then what? I personally mentioned to my cohort that in the event of a real earthquake, we would be sent home from this assembly area without re-entering any buildings (which must be inspected for safety). If you don’t have your car keys with you, you’re not driving home. Overall, I received more questions than I could answer – like if the new parking garage would be inspected early so folks could get to their cars. The post pandemic teleworking reality has not been addressed. The processes that are in place were developed when everyone was on-site. Many people were working from home which creates a new challenge for how to determine if someone is still in a building needing help. Emergency preparedness is not well funded at my workplace. It is a large campus-like facility with many buildings and its own security and fire department. All other support is volunteer, including a Disaster and Rescue Team, Urban Search and Rescue team, and the building and floor accounting volunteers – called Fire Marshalls or Wardens. I didn’t test my personal earthquake plans like contacting my husband. He also works where I do, and our assembly areas are not co-located. Overall, I think this was more of a missed opportunity. Yes we participated, and some folks will have learned lessons, but clear guidance, goals, and process are lacking and could have been started beforehand to practice. I’ve not yet heard what outcome the institution reports from it. Did anyone else participate who is willing to share their experience? Read More 15 19 Scenarios Too cold, too hot – are you prepared Shaun - October 26, 2022 Many European countries are ordering government buildings and others to limit their air conditioning thermostat to 77F and heat to 66F. It’s not clear how they can enforce these limits aside from astronomical electricity prices. But if electricity prices rose dramatically and you were forced to implement something like this what would be the impact to you? How would you prepare or react? In my case, we keep the AC at 74F during the day and night. In the winter we set heat to 72F but turn it off around 9pm and back on at 4:30am. It is no lower than 50F at 4:30am and we believe we sleep much better in a cool room. I work at home permanently now and my ‘office’ is next to the garage and on a concrete slab. The room is not very efficient and it’s near 80F in the summer so I use a fan. The drawbacks are I tend to get heat rash and I need a shower at the end of the day. In the winter, the floor of this room is very cold and the room is usually in the low 60’s. I use a closed-cell foam pad to keep my feet warm, wear a vest and a hat. My concerns for the coming winter have less to do with the recommended range of temperatures and more with the reliability of power. How will you adjust? How will our European members adjust? Read More 10 18 Scenarios Safe deposit box vs. other off-site document storage Colorado Jones - October 25, 2022 I’m in process of compiling/inventorying/scanning/copying important documents (wills/titles/insurance policies/etc.) In the past, I’ve stored most of those documents in a fire-proof safe in my home and, as a result of the current process, expect to store digital backup copies on a flash drive (or two or three). I’m contemplating, however, the possibility of storing copies (either paper or digital or, perhaps, originals) in an offsite location such as a bank safety deposit box or, alternatively, in a fireproof safe in my parents’ basement (17 miles from here), my brother’s home several states away or, possibly, a combination of the above. While I do use secure cloud storage for digital files (photos, work files, etc.), my inclination is NOT to store highly sensitive personal information in the cloud. Mostly, I just want my wife to be able to easily locate and retrieve everything if, god forbid, something should happen to me. (Or, in the event that something happens to both of us, our next of kin.) But, secondarily, in the event of a major catastrophe or other SHTF scenario, obviously, I’d want backup copies of important documents in case the originals are destroyed or otherwise inaccessible. Just some initial thoughts on document storage. I would feedback from others who have already done this (or, at least, are further along in this aspect of prepping than I am). Thanks! Read More 7 2 Advice Survival Drill – Escape from quarantine Eric - October 25, 2022 You are working in a large drug manufacturing complex when a a virus escapes. The facility is quarantined. Can you find the anti-viral drug and escape before you are infected? We’ll be playing this Endure-style game on Friday, Oct 14, at 8pm CST / 9pm EST. No experience needed – anyone can join. Come 15 minutes early if you need help getting setup, especially with Discord’s audio chat. Try to arrive on time, but it’s still possible to join after the game has started. Players arriving late will start at a disadvantage and will have some inventory items chosen for them. Endure is about being in the wrong place at the wrong time and surviving in a harsh situation. You are not a hero – just a regular person trying to deal with a bad situation. And you’ll be part of a team of TPers trying to get through it together. Optional: Create a Character Endure characters have a background (who are you), an asset (skill or knowledge), and a trouble (weakness, disability, or flaw). You can create a character based on yourself, create a fictional character, or accept a pre-made character when you arrive. Join us on Discord, find more information in the “#prepper-chat-night > Game Night” thread, and let us know you’ll be joining. Read More 9 9 ScenariosSkills Making your own popsicles to stay cool Bradical - October 25, 2022 A nice frozen treat is a perfect remedy after a hot day outside. And while we are now in October and most of us aren’t thinking about having frozen foods, (I’m always late to the game, sorry) I hope this can be a resource in the future. Now I’m no scientist, but I think cold drinks and frozen food are a great way to stay cool because they go inside of you and cool down your organs and blood that is then circulated throughout your body. Whereas something like a fan or air conditioning cools your skin but takes a while to cool your core. Popsicles and ice cream are readily available and cheap at the store, but have you looked at the ingredients? While they taste amazing, they aren’t that amazing for our bodies. I wanted a healthier option. I could make my own popsicles using the style of mold that I grew up with which has a stick, but you have to constantly hold those and mostly just suck on or lick them, and they melt and get all sticky down your hand. Plus how do you eat the bottom without stabbing yourself down the throat with that stick? I liked the otter pop style of popsicle. These can be sealed if you want to take a break and set them down for a minute, the little caps prevent any melted juice from running out, and they are thin enough that you can bite down on it and swallow a piece of frozen popsicle that will then melt inside your stomach and cool you down more. This pack from Amazon is $10 for 6 silicone popsicle molds. During this past month, I’ve made several batches of these using a few different recipes. To be healthier and to make this more of a useful prep to cool me down and rehydrate my body, I started by making a homemade electrolyte drink and freezing that. Homemade electrolyte popsicles Squeeze a lemon or lime Magnesium glycinate powder Salt Cream of tarter (potassium) Liquid stevia sweetens and does not add calories or spike insulin. Water I’m not going to put down ratios because I don’t remember what I used and don’t claim to have the perfect mix. This tastes good as a drink, but when frozen as a popsicle, all the flavor migrates to one side and then the rest just tastes like an ice cube. The next recipe I tried was a store-bought electrolyte powder mix and I added half the recommended water so the flavor would be more concentrated when frozen. This worked better than the first attempt, but still had a majority of the flavor in the first few licks, leaving the rest pretty plain. I also tried using some leftover lemonade we had in the fridge and this by far was the best tasting because it had so much sugar in it. Go figure… If you aren’t so worried about tracking the amount of sugar you are consuming or don’t care for all those additional minerals then just some plain fruit juice can makes some good popsicles. Read More 9 1 Gear Case study: Long-term food storage without electricity Colorado Jones - October 25, 2022 A fascinating case study in survival and preparedness. What are your takeaways? Climate Change Comes for the Freezers, a Key Tool for Alaska Natives Threatened by stronger storms and a melting permafrost, Indigenous Alaskans are grappling with how to keep the power running to their freezers, which store their traditional subsistence foods. https://archive.ph/wkWn3 Read More 10 4 Scenarios Giveaway: New survival guide book from Alone’s S9 Juan Pablo Quinonez John AdamaStaff - October 23, 2022 Edit: All copies are spoken for To spread the news about the books release, current Alone season contestant JP is sending out 3 free copies to the TP community, with the expectation of a fair review shared here later! (Your help is how we keep the best books list updated too!) The book is THRIVE: Long-Term Wilderness Survival Guide. (It’s 120,000 words, so you’re not expected to read the whole thing. Just a fair shake.) Seems like more of a reference guide “covering modern survival skills with bushcraft techniques, step-by-step instructions, and over 400 illustrations.” First come first served. Reply here (we’ll email the address on your account) or contact us directly via email: hello@thissite Read More 10 15 GearNews Car battery jump starter advice SailorRunner - October 23, 2022 There are alot of vehicle battery jump starters out there these days. They seem like a great replacement to the old cables. I am fine tuning our 2 vehicles car kits in prep for winter in the Northeast of US and want to add 1 per vehicle in place of cables. That said I didn’t see any official TP gear review and wanted to see if anyone has any thoughts or advice? We have been AAA members for over 25 years so they are only a phone call away if needed but as everyone says on here, have backups to the backups and plan for the worst case. Thanks for any comments from those that have or used any of these jump starters. Read More 9 11 AdviceGear Bye bye landlines? Now how do we connect when there’s no power? Jonnie PekelnyContributor - October 22, 2022 Hi, everyone. I posted this on the Discord discussion but since I know that some people aren’t on that I’m also posting a duplicate question here. My question is about landlines (or more appropriately their alternatives in an emergency.) I LOVE my landline. First, because I talk a lot on the phone and my cordless phone has great sound and is comfortable all around. But also because in a power outage I’ll have connectivity — via a corded phone I have stashed for that purpose. But now it seems like the day is finally coming when the major phone companies will discontinue their copper wire services. What to do? I know that VOIP is available in most areas. I’m not really optimistic that the sound or reliability will be as good as my land line. But the other thing is that VOIP will go down if the power goes down. Even battery backups last only something like 12 hours. Not good in an extended power outage. I’m wondering what folks are thinking in terms of connectivity with remote loved ones or other things we might need to use a phone for if there is no power. I do have a cell phone, but reception in my house is not great. Read More 11 11 Nerd out on everything you ever wanted to know about batteries Jay ValenciaContributor - October 18, 2022 I came across a website called Battery University. https://batteryuniversity.com/articles has tons of articles on various battery types, best ways to charge batteries, how to prolong battery life, future technology, and so much more. It seems like everything we own relies on batteries. Phones, laptops, watches, ham radios, flash lights, power tools, and even our cars. The articles are in basic English that all of us here should be able to understand and comprehend, but does require a bit more focus than it takes to read a Facebook comment. Here are a few nuggets I’ve read so far and have been translated into Facebook comment easy reading – It’s better to slow charge devices than to use an ultra-fast charger. Have a slower charger (1 amp) by your nightstand for slow charging over night. And a faster charger (2 or 3+ amp) in another location for those occasions when you need a quick top off. It is better not to drain a battery fully but charge it more often. Lithium-ion batteries new from the factory start out at 100% capacity and lose their ability over time. Lead acid batteries start out at 85%, and actually gain more capacity as they age, but after hitting their peak will start to decline. Avoid aftermarket batteries and chargers to save some money. They might not have as much capacity or performance and are a safety hazard that take work arounds of knowing when to stop charging. Keeping lithium-ion batteries topped off at 100% actually stresses them out and causes them to decline and age. Keep batteries between 30-80% charge for longest life. This also means though for prepping that it’s important to have ways to charge devices without the grid. Elevated temperatures are one of the biggest contributors to battery decline. Table showing how temperature and battery charge affects capacity – One last note from myself. Don’t just throw away any electronics or your batteries. Electronics contain precious metals such as gold and silver, and other toxic materials like lead or acid. Best Buy recycles old electronics, or take things to your nearest Apple store for free recycling or they will even pay you for old devices, not just Apple products. https://www.apple.com/shop/trade-in Read More 12 1 Gear My experience of using a WaterBob during a personal disaster wildfireexpert - October 18, 2022 Recently, on another thread, Advice for a new prepper – hurricane/flood scenario in Florida, I spoke about actually using one of our water preps (for a family of five), a WaterBob. Biggest Pro: An opportunity to add 100 clean gallons of potable water in minutes without leaving the home. This water is safe to store/use for up to 16 weeks. Pro: The unit cost of $35-$40 is fairly reasonable. Buying 40 one gallon bottles takes up a lot of space. The WaterBob takes up a small amount of space and can be stored for years and only used during an emergency. Con: Once filled, the WaterBob is not reusable. If you don’t use it, it will need to be thrown away and another WaterBob purchased to be placed in your storage. Pro: If you think you may lose tap or well water: Hurricane, public health warning, possible wildfire evacuation, PSPS (California acronym for a Public Safety Power Shut off), or a broken water pump that has to be shut down for repair, this box can be pulled from under your bathroom sink, put in the bathtub, filled with 100 gallons of potable tap water. Con: Yes, you lose the use of the bathtub. But, perhaps baths/showers aren’t a best idea if you’re short of potable water. One could always take out a few gallons from the WaterBob, heat it on a stove and take a spit bath. Pro: WaterBob comes with a hand pump included. The hand pump does work. (However, if one doesn’t have strong hands, a new, $12-$14 liquid transfer pump that requires two D batteries is much easier than the included hand pump.) My personal experience: Family of 5 in rural San Diego county had a broken water pump. In the 3 weeks until that pump could be repaired, we used the 4 WaterBobs from our preps to fill all 4 bathtubs in the two homes on the property. We also used a lot of our stored 16 oz. bottles, 1 gallon water bottles, and 5 gallon water containers for donkey/goat/dogs and to flush the toilets. Showers and washing clothes was done at the home of a nearby family member, and the empty 5 gallon containers were also re-filled at the nearby family member home to be used again (and again….) until the crisis was over. Even being careful, we used nearly all of the 400 gallons available in the WaterBobs. We were grateful for the much easier battery-powered liquid transfer pumps vs. the hand pump. After the pump was repaired, we actually tried to see if the WaterBobs could be dried and reused, but after 3 weeks of use, it was not feasible, so I purchased 4 more for $140. Even at $140, this was still cheaper and easier all round than getting 400 potable gallons any other way. (Trust me–we explored ALL of our many water redundancies first!) Feel free to provide your own pro/con statements. If anyone else has actually used a WaterBob for any reason, please tell your story. Read More 13 9 Gear Advice for a new prepper – hurricane/flood scenario in Florida Henry Vamvas - October 14, 2022 I am a new prepper currently getting ready for a hurricane/flood scenario ( I live in Florida). Any advice, particularly on handheld water filters, which I don’t know if I can trust Read More 14 19 Advice Nuclear disaster and water purification Holly Bradley - October 14, 2022 So, obviously we have quite a bit of water for emergency use, but at some point the stored water runs out. Does anyone have some good information on the best purification of water after nuclear disaster. I have read a combination of reverse osmosis and carbon filtering…. we have 2 wells on the property but one has an open holding tank 1500 gal which is great for most other disasters, but nuclear disaster would contaminate this one. We do have another and a well bucket, but concerned water would be contaminated by pulling it up or even through the ground. Read More 8 8 Dressing up ramen Adriaan - October 13, 2022 I’m looking for ideas on how to dress up Ramen to make a healthy meal. So far I’ve tried an eggs with a little sauerkraut. Anyone else? Read More 9 6 The grape trellis analogy Robert LarsonContributor - October 12, 2022 I was thinking about Redneck’s muscadine harvest and tried to think how it relates to being prepared. Correct me if I’m wrong, but grapes, muscadines, beans, and other climbing plants won’t do very well if you plant them in a flat bed with nothing to climb on. They need something called a trellis. This could be something orderly and fancy like this picture, or even a chain link fence. Because this sturdy scaffolding provides stability and direction for the plants to climb, they can grow healthy and strong and produce lovely produce for us. This picture is from Redneck’s post, linked above. It’s a great example to me of a bountiful harvest. We are the grape plant, and if we try and just go off and prepare on our own, we won’t grow very well. We need a good trellis, a good piece of scaffolding to give us direction, and something to lean on. I have tried prepping on my own and I often make mistakes, waste money on bogus products, and try to climb onto things I shouldn’t. The Prepared has been that trellis for me. It has been a source of stability, rational thinking, and good product reviews and the results have been a healthy strong plant/prep and delicious fruit/being prepared. And because I now have delicious fruit, I can share that with others who then will plant the seeds from that fruit and start their own prepping plant/journey. Thank you to all the wonderful staff here at The Prepared who have been master gardeners. You have built a strong trellis for me to climb on, and through the forum have shaped, pruned, and watered me to grow my best. Read More 10 1 < Prev 1 2 3 … 15 16 17 … 59 60 61 Next > Recently Active How to sew and repair a leather glove - 6 days agoMoooooooo…Can you rec a powdered milk? - 6 days agoLight weight backpacking gear and techniques - 6 days agoNews for the Week 12-16-24 - 6 days agoNews for the Week 2024-11-18 - 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

FDA guidance on taking potassium iodide after a nuclear bomb goes off

Jay ValenciaContributor - October 31, 2022

Many people’s minds are on nuclear war, radiation, and how to survive such a catastrophic event. Wanting to filter out the fact from fiction and the fear mongering from the rational way to prepare, I looked for a reputable resource on what to do.

Click here to read the entire FAQ by the FDA about potassium iodide, but I will sum things up below.

What does potassium iodide (KI) do?
KI reduces the risk of thyroid cancer in people who inhale or ingest radioiodines by flooding the thyroid with non-radioactive iodine and prevents the thyroid from taking on the bad radioactive kind. The non-radioactive iodine then is excreted in the urine.
My opinion – This pill won’t stop radiation from getting into your body. And if you shelter in place, have good filtered air, and aren’t eating or drinking things that have been outside and exposed to the radiation, then there really isn’t any point to take KI.

Who really needs to take potassium iodide (KI) after a nuclear radiation release?
The FDA says that infants, children, and pregnant/nursing women are at the highest risk of developing radioiodine-induced thyroid cancer and should be given priority if a limited number of KI is available. And they should be properly dosed as explained later. Anyone over 40 should only be treated if they are expected to receive a very high dose of radiation that would destroy their thyroid and induce lifelong hypothyroidism (thyroid deficiency).

What potassium iodide (KI) products are currently available?
These are the only FDA approved KI products on the market

iOSAT tablets, 130mg, from Anbex, Inc. iOSAT tablets, 65mg, from Anbex, Inc. ThyroSafe tablets, 65mg, from BTG INTERNATIONAL, Inc. Potassium Iodide Oral Solution USP, 65mg/mL, from Mission Pharmacal Company

Below is a chart with dosing depending on which above product you have. This would be good to print and store with whatever KI product you have. See the full post in the link above for a better view of this chart.

When and for how long should I take potassium iodide (KI)? 
Don’t take KI as a preventative before radiation exposure. If there is a radiological event, officials will tell the public if there is a need to take KI. KI is best used within 3-4 hours of exposure, so you do have some time. Taking a higher dose of KI than is recommended in the chart above doesn’t give you more protection, your thyroid can only hold onto so much iodine and extra in your system will cause illness or death. KI protects for 24 hours, so take the above recommended dose daily until officials tell you the threat is over.

Should I buy potassium iodide (KI) to keep on hand
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission recommends that those within 10-miles of a nuclear power plant have some KI on hand.
My opinion – If you live within 15 miles of a potential nuclear target, I would possibly consider it.

My summary – Sounds like only certain people are recommended to have KI and only if they use it properly and are exposed to certain amounts of radiation. It isn’t a magic pill that lets you then walk around in the nuclear wasteland and is more limited than many of us probably think it is. Still, preventing thyroid cancer is something to think about.

Read the entire FDA guide for more info, better details, and which people are not recommended to take KI.

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Scenarios

Ways of heating a MA apartment without electricity?

mr prepper - October 29, 2022

I am prepping for a winter power outage in Massachusetts. I live in an apartment with central heating that depends on electricity, so I need a way to keep warm when the power goes out. Looking at the article about emergency heating, it seems that a portable propane heater is recommended for indoor heating. However, I don’t know how to effectively prevent carbon monoxide buildup while using one indoors. Another concern is that I heard that it’s dangerous to store propane indoors, and I’m pretty sure someone will steal my propane if I leave it on the porch. So, I have a few questions about heating my apartment without electricity:

Would I realistically be able to use a portable heater in my apartment without dying from carbon monoxide? Would cracking open a window provide enough ventilation without the risk of carbon monoxide buildup, and how possible is this during a snowstorm? How would I store the propane? What’s the most cost-effective way of prepping for at least 2 weeks when using a propane heater? Assuming that a 1 lb propane canister lasts 6 hours, I would need a lot of canisters to heat my space for 2 weeks. Other than using a propane heater, what would be some other ways of keeping my space warm? Read More

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AdviceGearScenarios

Any Jiu Jitsu enthusiasts here?

adrianalindgren - October 28, 2022

 I love how it makes me feel and I use it to cross out my cardio for the day lol

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Long-term wilderness survival skills

Eric - October 28, 2022

Could I survive long-term in the wilderness? Probably not. I’m trying to study these skills anyway. If I can develop the skills to make it even a month or two, surely those skills will also be useful for more short-term emergency situations.

I’ve bee reading Thrive, a long-term survival guide by Alone S9 participant Juan Pablo Quiñonez. (Thanks for the book giveaway, TP!) He clearly knows what he’s talking about, and is also an excellent teacher. He says in the introduction: “If one had to live in the wild for up to one year with only a single book, what would it contain?” I think he succeeded in writing that book, and I’ll be keeping it in by BOB until I’ve read it enough times to not need it anymore.

Chapters include preparation, mindset, clothing, travel, water, fire, shelter, food/foraging, edible plants, fishing, trapping, hunting, bushcraft, winter, health, electronics, and natural hazards. Topics are clearly explained and seem to work well both for learning and for reference.

What do you think about the role of long-term wilderness survival skills for emergency preparedness? Are there other books or resources that you like for learning these skills?

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Skills

How long, really, is refrigerated food safe after a power outage?

PrepPrepPrep - October 28, 2022

I see many many sites, including the CDC, foodsafety.gov, usdairy.com, etc., that tell me which foods are safe to keep and which need to be tossed, *after four hours* with no refrigeration. I do not see a single site that tells me what to do if the food that was “safe” after four hours has now gone 24 hours with no power. Some of my questions are: unopened cheddar cheese, thickly grated Parmesan, an open package of tortillas, the jar of olives that is opened, and basically everything in the freezer, since I was out of town and not there to check for ice crystals.

What a nice day to give the fridge a thorough cleaning! 🙁

P.S., I will not be trying any of these foods but am not tossing the ones I have questions about until I resolve the question. No need to kill myself because I want to save a few dollars!

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Saw this great twitter thread about the “San Francisco Seawallpocalypse”

quentin - October 28, 2022

Hello all! This is my first post after lurking for a couple months. I just saw this great twitter thread about the seawall situation in SF and thought I would post it here. Really fascinating.

Earthquake today is a good reminder of the pending-urban-disaster-no-one-talks-about:

San Francisco Seawallpocalypse! 🌊💀🔥

Thread/

— fry (@anniefryman) October 25, 2022

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Scenarios

A comparison of four electric lanterns under $75

Gideon ParkerStaff - October 28, 2022

This is a quick review of four electric lanterns you might want to consider.

LuminAID PackLite Titan 2-in-1

Stats:

300 Lumens 4000mAh battery 12.5oz White and red light modes High, medium, low, very low, and SOS mode

Pros:

The small solar panel actually does charge this lantern. While it is recommended to have dedicated lanterns, solar panels, and power banks, if you were hard set on only having one product and were going to use this in your home preps, the LuminAID PackLite Titan could be a good option. Provides room filling light in both white and red colors. This does feel like a premium item and isn’t a cheaply constructed product. Can charge android tablet, cell phone, or gaming console and power light at the same time.

Cons:

Buttons are hard to see in the dark and difficult to press because they are not raised up very high. I don’t see many use cases for the very low and SOS settings. Not sure of how durable or rip resistant the plastic fabric is. If you throw this in a pack a sharp cook set or knife could slice it and while it still will diffuse the light, it might expose the electronics inside to moisture. Keep it wrapped in a shirt or bandanna to solve this. There was a strong plastic smell for the first three days of using it that smells like pool water wings that toddlers use.

Survival Frog Pocket Light 3.0

Stats:

Unknown lumen 1200mAH battery 5.75oz 4 modes – high, low, SOS (strobe), and flashlight mode

Pros:

Compact for storage and travel, large for use. Lightweight. Because of the diffusion material that the lantern uses, the normally harsh white light was actually very nice to read and work by for a long time. Great job Survival Frog from moving away from that crinkly plastic diffuser that many pop-up lanterns use, this fabric mesh is a much better solution.

Cons:

Unknown how well the solar panel works because there is no battery life indicator, but guessing not very well. The SOS mode is more of a flashing strobe light that hurts your eyes.

Survival Frog QuadPod camping lantern

Stats:

700 lumens 2400 mAh battery 8.8oz 6 lighting settings

Pros:

This really is a great camping lantern. The many settings and adjustable angles make it so you can light up any situation. Glow in the dark button and USB dust cover A very bright room filling light.

Cons:

USB dust/water cover doesn’t stay in place very well Doesn’t seem like it would survive too many drops onto hard surfaces before cracking. The solar panels are so small that they don’t do anything. I left this lantern in the sun for three full days and it didn’t get any more charged during that time. The SOS mode is more of a flashing strobe light that hurts your eyes.

Streamlight Siege X

Stats:

300 lumens 2600 mAh battery 7.2oz White and red light modes 7 lighting modes

Pros:

Durable and small Uses the popular, replaceable, and powerful 18650 battery.

Cons:

Although the red light is a welcome feature, it is rather dim and not very useful.

Summary:

Best shelter in place at home lantern: luminAID Titan

Best collapsible and nicest looking light: Survival Frog Pocket Light

Best lantern for camping: Survival Frog QuadPod

Best bug out bag lantern: Streamlight Siege X

https://youtu.be/rrXykQQDv0E

Video review showing a close up of how the lanterns are constructed and function along with seeing the brightness levels and various settings. 

Stress testing

To simulate these lanterns being left out during a cold winter night, the lanterns were sprayed down with a hose for 30+ seconds and then left in the freezer over night. They all survived the rain and freeze test, but the two lanterns by Survival Frog did get water inside of their housings, so they aren’t very water tight and it may not be the best to leave you lanterns out when it rains.

https://youtu.be/7rjo3zZ0IvM

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Gear

Lessons from the Great Shakeout

Alicia - October 27, 2022

The only accurately predicted earthquake occurred on Oct 20th at 10:20am.  And it happens every year.  It’s the Great Shakeout earthquake drill exercise.  My workplace participates and this year did the full “Drop, Cover, and Hold-On” through evacuation and assembly in a location away from buildings with personnel accounting.  We’ve participated this before, but this was the first since the pandemic and we have partial teleworking now.  Lessons I noted:

No clear leadership in emergency preparedness at my workplace.  I am a volunteer who helps with evacuation communication and personnel accounting for the floor of my office building.  As such, I get a bit more information on the planning for these events.  Months ago, I gently asked questions and made simple suggestions for clarification of assembly areas (many buildings were sent to a very large parking lot).  This was pushed off to individual buildings to address but eventually did get some help the week before the shakeout. Expectations and scenarios weren’t communicated.  The assembly area for my building is outside an entry gate, but the path that we were told to use was unintuitive and circuitous.  Not one that anyone would take on a normal day.  I had no idea that was the expected path.  It confused everyone.  And then, the plans for what happened after accounting completed were never mentioned in prep, or during execution.  So we know where to go, but then what?  I personally mentioned to my cohort that in the event of a real earthquake, we would be sent home from this assembly area without re-entering any buildings (which must be inspected for safety).  If you don’t have your car keys with you, you’re not driving home.  Overall, I received more questions than I could answer – like if the new parking garage would be inspected early so folks could get to their cars. The post pandemic teleworking reality has not been addressed.  The processes that are in place were developed when everyone was on-site.  Many people were working from home which creates a new challenge for how to determine if someone is still in a building needing help. Emergency preparedness is not well funded at my workplace.  It is a large campus-like facility with many buildings and its own security and fire department.  All other support is volunteer, including a Disaster and Rescue Team, Urban Search and Rescue team, and the building and floor accounting volunteers – called Fire Marshalls or Wardens. I didn’t test my personal earthquake plans like contacting my husband.  He also works where I do, and our assembly areas are not co-located.

Overall, I think this was more of a missed opportunity.  Yes we participated, and some folks will have learned lessons, but clear guidance, goals, and process are lacking and could have been started beforehand to practice.  I’ve not yet heard what outcome the institution reports from it.

Did anyone else participate who is willing to share their experience?

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Scenarios

Too cold, too hot – are you prepared

Shaun - October 26, 2022

Many European countries are ordering government buildings and others to limit their air conditioning thermostat to 77F and heat to 66F. It’s not clear how they can enforce these limits aside from astronomical electricity prices.

But if electricity prices rose dramatically and you were forced to implement something like this what would be the impact to you? How would you prepare or react?

In my case, we keep the AC at 74F during the day and night. In the winter we set heat to 72F but turn it off around 9pm and back on at 4:30am. It is no lower than 50F at 4:30am and we believe we sleep much better in a cool room.

I work at home permanently now and my ‘office’ is next to the garage and on a concrete slab. The room is not very efficient and it’s near 80F in the summer so I use a fan. The drawbacks are I tend to get heat rash and I need a shower at the end of the day.

In the winter, the floor of this room is very cold and the room is usually in the low 60’s. I use a closed-cell foam pad to keep my feet warm, wear a vest and a hat.

My concerns for the coming winter have less to do with the recommended range of temperatures and more with the reliability of power.

How will you adjust? How will our European members adjust?

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Safe deposit box vs. other off-site document storage

Colorado Jones - October 25, 2022

I’m in process of compiling/inventorying/scanning/copying important documents (wills/titles/insurance policies/etc.)  In the past, I’ve stored most of those documents in a fire-proof safe in my home and, as a result of the current process, expect to store digital backup copies on a flash drive (or two or three).  I’m contemplating, however, the possibility of storing copies (either paper or digital or, perhaps, originals) in an offsite location such as a bank safety deposit box or, alternatively, in a fireproof safe in my parents’ basement (17 miles from here), my brother’s home several states away or, possibly, a combination of the above.  While I do use secure cloud storage for digital files (photos, work files, etc.), my inclination is NOT to store highly sensitive personal information in the cloud.

Mostly, I just want my wife to be able to easily locate and retrieve everything if, god forbid, something should happen to me.  (Or, in the event that something happens to both of us, our next of kin.)  But, secondarily, in the event of a major catastrophe or other SHTF scenario, obviously, I’d want backup copies of important documents in case the originals are destroyed or otherwise inaccessible.

Just some initial thoughts on document storage.  I would feedback from others who have already done this (or, at least, are further along in this aspect of prepping than I am).  Thanks!

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Advice

Survival Drill – Escape from quarantine

Eric - October 25, 2022

You are working in a large drug manufacturing complex when a a virus escapes. The facility is quarantined. Can you find the anti-viral drug and escape before you are infected?

We’ll be playing this Endure-style game on Friday, Oct 14, at 8pm CST / 9pm EST. No experience needed – anyone can join. Come 15 minutes early if you need help getting setup, especially with Discord’s audio chat.

Try to arrive on time, but it’s still possible to join after the game has started. Players arriving late will start at a disadvantage and will have some inventory items chosen for them.

Endure is about being in the wrong place at the wrong time and surviving in a harsh situation. You are not a hero – just a regular person trying to deal with a bad situation. And you’ll be part of a team of TPers trying to get through it together.

Optional: Create a Character

Endure characters have a background (who are you), an asset (skill or knowledge), and a trouble (weakness, disability, or flaw). You can create a character based on yourself, create a fictional character, or accept a pre-made character when you arrive.

Join us on Discord, find more information in the “#prepper-chat-night > Game Night” thread, and let us know you’ll be joining.

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ScenariosSkills

Making your own popsicles to stay cool

Bradical - October 25, 2022

A nice frozen treat is a perfect remedy after a hot day outside. And while we are now in October and most of us aren’t thinking about having frozen foods, (I’m always late to the game, sorry) I hope this can be a resource in the future.

Now I’m no scientist, but I think cold drinks and frozen food are a great way to stay cool because they go inside of you and cool down your organs and blood that is then circulated throughout your body. Whereas something like a fan or air conditioning cools your skin but takes a while to cool your core.

Popsicles and ice cream are readily available and cheap at the store, but have you looked at the ingredients? While they taste amazing, they aren’t that amazing for our bodies. I wanted a healthier option. I could make my own popsicles using the style of mold that I grew up with which has a stick, but you have to constantly hold those and mostly just suck on or lick them, and they melt and get all sticky down your hand. Plus how do you eat the bottom without stabbing yourself down the throat with that stick?

I liked the otter pop style of popsicle. These can be sealed if you want to take a break and set them down for a minute, the little caps prevent any melted juice from running out, and they are thin enough that you can bite down on it and swallow a piece of frozen popsicle that will then melt inside your stomach and cool you down more.  This pack from Amazon is $10 for 6 silicone popsicle molds.

During this past month, I’ve made several batches of these using a few different recipes. To be healthier and to make this more of a useful prep to cool me down and rehydrate my body, I started by making a homemade electrolyte drink and freezing that. 

Homemade electrolyte popsicles

Squeeze a lemon or lime Magnesium glycinate powder Salt Cream of tarter (potassium) Liquid stevia sweetens and does not add calories or spike insulin. Water

I’m not going to put down ratios because I don’t remember what I used and don’t claim to have the perfect mix. This tastes good as a drink, but when frozen as a popsicle, all the flavor migrates to one side and then the rest just tastes like an ice cube.

The next recipe I tried was a store-bought electrolyte powder mix and I added half the recommended water so the flavor would be more concentrated when frozen. This worked better than the first attempt, but still had a majority of the flavor in the first few licks, leaving the rest pretty plain.

I also tried using some leftover lemonade we had in the fridge and this by far was the best tasting because it had so much sugar in it. Go figure…

If you aren’t so worried about tracking the amount of sugar you are consuming or don’t care for all those additional minerals then just some plain fruit juice can makes some good popsicles.

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Gear

Case study: Long-term food storage without electricity

Colorado Jones - October 25, 2022

A fascinating case study in survival and preparedness.  What are your takeaways?

Climate Change Comes for the Freezers, a Key Tool for Alaska Natives

Threatened by stronger storms and a melting permafrost, Indigenous Alaskans are grappling with how to keep the power running to their freezers, which store their traditional subsistence foods.

https://archive.ph/wkWn3

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Scenarios

Giveaway: New survival guide book from Alone’s S9 Juan Pablo Quinonez

John AdamaStaff - October 23, 2022

Edit: All copies are spoken for

To spread the news about the books release, current Alone season contestant JP is sending out 3 free copies to the TP community, with the expectation of a fair review shared here later! (Your help is how we keep the best books list updated too!)

The book is THRIVE: Long-Term Wilderness Survival Guide. (It’s 120,000 words, so you’re not expected to read the whole thing. Just a fair shake.) Seems like more of a reference guide “covering modern survival skills with bushcraft techniques, step-by-step instructions, and over 400 illustrations.”

First come first served. Reply here (we’ll email the address on your account) or contact us directly via email: hello@thissite 

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GearNews

Car battery jump starter advice

SailorRunner - October 23, 2022

There are alot of vehicle battery jump starters out there these days. They seem like a great replacement to the old cables.

I am fine tuning our 2 vehicles car kits in prep for winter in the Northeast of US and want to add 1 per vehicle in place of cables. That said I didn’t see any official TP gear review and wanted to see if anyone has any thoughts or advice?

We have been AAA members for over 25 years so they are only a phone call away if needed but as everyone says on here, have backups to the backups and plan for the worst case.

Thanks for any comments from those that have or used any of these jump starters.

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AdviceGear

Bye bye landlines? Now how do we connect when there’s no power?

Jonnie PekelnyContributor - October 22, 2022

Hi, everyone. I posted this on the Discord discussion but since I know that some people aren’t on that I’m also posting a duplicate question here. My question is about landlines (or more appropriately their alternatives in an emergency.) I LOVE my landline. First, because I talk a lot on the phone and my cordless phone has great sound and is comfortable all around. But also because in a power outage I’ll have connectivity — via a corded phone I have stashed for that purpose. But now it seems like the day is finally coming when the major phone companies will discontinue their copper wire services. What to do? I know that VOIP is available in most areas. I’m not really optimistic that the sound or reliability will be as good as my land line. But the other thing is that VOIP will go down if the power goes down. Even battery backups last only something like 12 hours. Not good in an extended power outage. I’m wondering what folks are thinking in terms of connectivity with remote loved ones or other things we might need to use a phone for if there is no power. I do have a cell phone, but reception in my house is not great.

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Nerd out on everything you ever wanted to know about batteries

Jay ValenciaContributor - October 18, 2022

I came across a website called Battery University. https://batteryuniversity.com/articles has tons of articles on various battery types, best ways to charge batteries, how to prolong battery life, future technology, and so much more.

It seems like everything we own relies on batteries. Phones, laptops, watches, ham radios, flash lights, power tools, and even our cars.

The articles are in basic English that all of us here should be able to understand and comprehend, but does require a bit more focus than it takes to read a Facebook comment.

Here are a few nuggets I’ve read so far and have been translated into Facebook comment easy reading –

It’s better to slow charge devices than to use an ultra-fast charger. Have a slower charger (1 amp) by your nightstand for slow charging over night. And a faster charger (2 or 3+ amp) in another location for those occasions when you need a quick top off. It is better not to drain a battery fully but charge it more often.  Lithium-ion batteries new from the factory start out at 100% capacity and lose their ability over time. Lead acid batteries start out at 85%, and actually gain more capacity as they age, but after hitting their peak will start to decline. Avoid aftermarket batteries and chargers to save some money. They might not have as much capacity or performance and are a safety hazard that take work arounds of knowing when to stop charging. Keeping lithium-ion batteries topped off at 100% actually stresses them out and causes them to decline and age. Keep batteries between 30-80% charge for longest life. This also means though for prepping that it’s important to have ways to charge devices without the grid. Elevated temperatures are one of the biggest contributors to battery decline. 

Table showing how temperature and battery charge affects capacity –

One last note from myself. Don’t just throw away any electronics or your batteries. Electronics contain precious metals such as gold and silver, and other toxic materials like lead or acid. Best Buy recycles old electronics, or take things to your nearest Apple store for free recycling or they will even pay you for old devices, not just Apple products. https://www.apple.com/shop/trade-in

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Gear

My experience of using a WaterBob during a personal disaster

wildfireexpert - October 18, 2022

Recently, on another thread,  Advice for a new prepper – hurricane/flood scenario in Florida, I spoke about actually using one of our water preps (for a family of five), a WaterBob.

Biggest Pro:  An opportunity to add 100 clean gallons of potable water in minutes without leaving the home.   This water is safe to store/use for up to 16 weeks.

Pro:  The unit cost of $35-$40 is fairly reasonable.  Buying 40 one gallon bottles takes up a lot of space.   The WaterBob takes up a small amount of space and can be stored for years and only used during an emergency.

Con:  Once filled, the WaterBob is not reusable.   If you don’t use it, it will need to be thrown away and another WaterBob purchased to be placed in your storage.

Pro:  If you think you may lose tap or well water:  Hurricane, public health warning, possible wildfire evacuation, PSPS (California acronym for a Public Safety Power Shut off), or a broken water pump that has to be shut down for repair, this box can be pulled from under your bathroom sink, put in the bathtub, filled with 100 gallons of potable tap water.

Con:  Yes, you lose the use of the bathtub.   But, perhaps baths/showers aren’t a best idea if you’re short of potable water.    One could always take out a few gallons from the WaterBob, heat it on a stove and take a spit bath.

Pro:  WaterBob comes with a hand pump included.  The hand pump does work.  (However, if one doesn’t have strong hands, a new, $12-$14 liquid transfer pump that requires two D batteries is much easier than the included hand pump.)

My personal experience:  Family of 5 in rural San Diego county had a broken water pump.   In the 3 weeks until that pump could be repaired, we used the 4 WaterBobs from our preps to fill all 4 bathtubs in the two homes on the property.  We also used a lot of our stored  16 oz. bottles, 1 gallon water bottles, and 5 gallon water containers for donkey/goat/dogs and to flush the toilets.    Showers and washing clothes was done at the home of a nearby family member, and the empty 5 gallon containers were also re-filled at the nearby family member home to be used again (and again….) until the crisis was over.

Even being careful, we used nearly all of the 400 gallons available in the WaterBobs.   We were grateful for the much easier battery-powered liquid transfer pumps vs. the hand pump.  After the pump was repaired, we actually tried to see if the WaterBobs could be dried and reused, but after 3 weeks of use, it was not feasible, so I purchased 4 more for $140.    Even at $140, this was still cheaper and easier all round than  getting 400 potable gallons any other way.   (Trust me–we explored ALL of our many water redundancies first!)

Feel free to provide your own pro/con statements.    If anyone else has actually used a WaterBob for any reason, please tell your story.

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Gear

Advice for a new prepper – hurricane/flood scenario in Florida

Henry Vamvas - October 14, 2022

I am a new prepper currently getting ready for a hurricane/flood scenario ( I live in Florida). Any advice, particularly on handheld water filters, which I don’t know if I can trust

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Advice

Nuclear disaster and water purification

Holly Bradley - October 14, 2022

So, obviously we have quite a bit of water for emergency use, but at some point the stored water runs out. Does anyone have some good information on the best purification of water after nuclear disaster. I have read a combination of reverse osmosis and carbon filtering….

we have 2 wells on the property but one has an open holding tank 1500 gal which is great for most other disasters, but nuclear disaster would contaminate this one. We do have another and a well bucket, but concerned water would be contaminated by pulling it up or even through the ground.

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Dressing up ramen

Adriaan - October 13, 2022

I’m looking for ideas on how to dress up Ramen to make a healthy meal. So far I’ve tried an eggs with a little sauerkraut. Anyone else?

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The grape trellis analogy

Robert LarsonContributor - October 12, 2022

I was thinking about Redneck’s muscadine harvest and tried to think how it relates to being prepared.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but grapes, muscadines, beans, and other climbing plants won’t do very well if you plant them in a flat bed with nothing to climb on. They need something called a trellis. This could be something orderly and fancy like this picture, or even a chain link fence.

Because this sturdy scaffolding provides stability and direction for the plants to climb, they can grow healthy and strong and produce lovely produce for us.

This picture is from Redneck’s post, linked above. It’s a great example to me of a bountiful harvest.

We are the grape plant, and if we try and just go off and prepare on our own, we won’t grow very well. We need a good trellis, a good piece of scaffolding to give us direction, and something to lean on. I have tried prepping on my own and I often make mistakes, waste money on bogus products, and try to climb onto things I shouldn’t. The Prepared has been that trellis for me. It has been a source of stability, rational thinking, and good product reviews and the results have been a healthy strong plant/prep and delicious fruit/being prepared. And because I now have delicious fruit, I can share that with others who then will plant the seeds from that fruit and start their own prepping plant/journey.

Thank you to all the wonderful staff here at The Prepared who have been master gardeners. You have built a strong trellis for me to climb on, and through the forum have shaped, pruned, and watered me to grow my best.

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