Active New Top (30 days) Compact Card Need advice on my winter vehicle emergency kit Liz Klein - October 27, 2021 Winter is coming. I hate my commute during this time of year and always dread getting stuck. So I’m trying to prep now before it gets cold and miserable. I have snow tires on my car, am up to date with repairs, and have my normal everyday get-home-bag that has maps, fire starters, food, first aid kit, etc… But I wanted to get your advice on my Winter additions. And The Prepared has a pretty nice Kit builder that I thought I would try out. Here is a link to my kit: My budget is kinda small so these are things I just had around the house, but is there anything you recommend that I add or replace? Tell me the why behind your suggestion too. Thanks guys!! Read More 16 47 AdviceGear Fox news ” Twitter boss reports likelyhood of hyperinflation Bill Masen - October 27, 2021 Something to definately be monitoring fairly closely. https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/twitter-ceo-jack-dorsey-hyperinflation-warning Twitter founder Jack Dorsey has issued a cryptic warning that “hyperinflation” will “change everything.” In typical Dorsey style, the social media CEO tweeted out his comment, saying that “it will happen in the US soon, and so the world.” Hyperinflation is typically very high and accelerated inflation. Researchers have documented 57 cases of hyperinflation as of 2018, with the first recorded episode occurring between 1795 and 1796 in post-revolutionary France, according to The Economist. Some economists and writers have looked at possible hyperinflation in the U.S. as early as March 2021 when the economy started to get back on track after an artificially depressed year due to lockdowns and immense restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic – policies that officials started reversing as vaccines became more available. The term raises some grim images, with Venezuela the most recent example and Zimbabwe perhaps one of the most famous examples of hyperinflation. “This is meme economics,” Bloomberg Businessweek wrote earlier this year. “Fear of inflation – if not outright hyperinflation – helps explain the meteoric rise of Bitcoin,” the article argued. “It’s behind distrust of the Fed. And it feeds congressional opposition to President Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic relief plan.” Indeed, Republicans have warned of inflation since the start of the summer when gas prices first started to tick upward and prices followed shortly after: consumer prices rose 5% over the 12 months between June 2020 and June 2021, The Associated Press reported. This marked the largest one-year increase since 2008, and possibly the biggest since 1992 – excluding more volatile items such as food and energy. Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said his constituents have “seen the higher prices on gas in particular, but also groceries and the cost to keep their businesses running.” Such voters, he said, “know, intuitively, that this is due to Democrats’ economic agenda and big spending plans.” Prices have continued to trend upwards as an historic global shipping backlog delays the transport goods and services across the board, slowly driving up prices for everything from toilet paper to toys. Gas prices in some have hit around $4.00 a gallon, such as in California, Hawaii and Nevada, according to AAA. Premium in these states is almost at $5 a gallon. Read More 5 9 News “Listening to Katrina” website: Bugging out is a tool to escape danger and then find home RS - October 27, 2021 The recent discussions about Hurricane Ida reminded me of a website I had skimmed years before called “Listening to Katrina” (see here: http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/blogs/klessons/ ). I re-read the website in full, and think it has a key idea that people here may appreciate thinking and talking about, so I made this new thread. (I did a quick search, and didn’t see too many official The Prepared contributor articles on the recovery process, aside from making sure that important documents are in the Priority #1 bag for bugging out.) The “Listening to Katrina” website is an extended read about the author’s personal experience with evacuating for Hurricane Katrina, starting the recovery process for his family, and a lot of discussion of what he learned about general emergency preparation from his experiences, listening to the experiences of others and combing through additional information available. It’s mostly the view of one person, so in addition to the news and historical records he draws from, it’s replete with anecdotes, opinions and personal color. I don’t anticipate readers here will agree with everything on the site. Instead, I want to point out the part of his discussion that struck me the most: his philosophy about the ultimate goals of preparing (especially bugging out, but also bugging in). If you would like to read it in his words, that specific page is here: http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/blogs/klessons/p/0025.html Here’s my summary of that page: the point of bugging out (and bugging in) is to… First, Safeguard your health and wealth by letting you escape from/avoid danger Second, Help you “Go Home” Third, Help you profit by using “the rebuilding as an opportunity to grow wealth” The second point is what made the biggest impression on me when I reread the website (years after first encountering it and not remembering much beyond “put information about insurance and identification into your bug out bag”). A lot of discussions around bugging out and bugging in rightly emphasize how this lets you avoid/reduce danger. But equally important is to emphasize how bugging out/in is a tool to facilitate your recovery process. Whether Getting Home is returning to your previous home, or finding/building a completely new home, the goal of bugging out/in isn’t to be bugged out/in forever, it’s a stepping stone. It’s a tool you use to safeguard your health and wealth, and to create the launching platform for Finding Home, wherever that may be. So, planning to bug out/in shouldn’t be divorced from planning to recover/Find Home. Connecting the two addresses the question “after you’ve successfully evacuated to ____/after The Event has passed, then what?” I’m adding this philosophy to the toolbox I use for evaluating my personal preparations — specifically, asking the question “will this prep also help me Get Home, wherever that may be?” Hopefully that is useful food for thought. Read More 10 6 AdviceMeta DIY swamp coolers for emergency use? Jonnie PekelnyContributor - October 24, 2021 For those of you lucky enough not to be in California just now, we’re having record heat and also record levels of wildfires, caused by a series of mostly dry thunderstorms that came through last week (NoCal doesn’t GET thunderstomrs usually, and certainly not in August.) The air is bad and I’m trying to figure out how to keep the place cool and filter air. So far I haven’t been able to convinece myself to sleep with closed windows. As part of my solution I started looking at swamp coolers. The ones that particularly interest me are homemade ones, like this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-Coleman-Red-5qt-Portable-Swamp-Cooler-Air-Conditioner-4-USB-Fan-Adapter/153685876714?hash=item23c8645fea:g:W8EAAOSwsQ5e9Aec. They also come in larger sizes. I’d probably buy one rather than build it myself because I don’t really have the right tools or level of handiness to make one out of the plastic coolers, and styrofoam seems too breakable. Since I’m mostly interested in using these when I sleep I’d probably try to fill the cooler with a few frozen 2 liter bottles and maybe some extra ice so the cool air production lasts. I’m just wondering if anyone has used similar contraptions. Do they work to cool a medium sized bedroom? I know they’re not like air conditioning but if they can drop the temp some that would help a lot. Do they work if the window is open? I live in coastal Northern California with a relatively mild and relatively humid climate (although getting dryer and hotter by the year!) Do swamp coolers still cool down a room in that kind of climate if you fill them with ice? How much ice or what configuration of ice would I have to put in and what size cooler would I be looking for to keep it going for say 6-8 hours while I sleep? What size of fan would I need to be able to feel the air some feet away? I would ideally like a USB fan so I can rechage it from a power pack if the power goes out. Read More 17 4 What triggered you to prep? CR - October 23, 2021 Hello All! I’ve observed that many preppers have had some sort of (sometimes traumatic) event that woke them up to the fragility of normal modern life. In my case, when I was about 10 years old my family was snowed in at our remote farm in northern Montana for 6 weeks. I learned to drive the bulldozer so my dad could pitch hay to the cattle. I vividly remember seeing the snow machines from town 26 miles away bringing supplies to the stranded farm families after a several weeks of isolation. I didn’t give much thought to it until I had little ones of my own and the Y2K scare came along. I’m really enjoying the tidbits of stories that I’ve seen here on the forum and have gotten curious. What sorts of things have motivated y’all to feel the need to prep? Read More 25 113 Bike trailers Sun Yeti - October 22, 2021 I recently upgrade my bicycle into an ebike, and I love it. Got me thinking though. I could get over 20 miles on my bike before the battery ran out, and I had to work a bit harder; I could probably get 40+ miles away in the first day. But, I don’t have a good way to carry my stuff. Can anyone recommend a nice sturdy bike trailer? Ideally from your personal experience and use? I’d like something that could hold probably 250 or 300 pounds, so it could hold my bug out bag (40 lbs), my cat and her go bag (maybe 15 lbs together), some of my wife’s stuff (she could ride her own bike but it also doesn’t have cargo capacity), and still have spare capacity to carry my wife or myself if one of us became injured or incapacitated. Having some kind of mesh top with rain fly would also be good in case there’s a feline and/or human riding in there. If it could fold up to take up less space that would be ideal as well, but it not the top priority. I’ve prepared pretty decently for Plan A (bug in), Plan B (bug out by car), and Plan D (bug out on foot), but I’m thinking Plan C (bug out by bike) needs some more thought and preparation, thus my question. Read More 22 7 AdviceGear Winter 2021/22 energy outlook – expect increased prices Pops - October 22, 2021 Just received the EIA, Short-Term Energy OutlookOctober 13, 2021 Release We forecast that average U.S. household expenditures for all major home heating fuels will increase significantly this winter primarily because of higher expected fuel costs as well as more consumption of energy due to a colder winter. Average increases vary by fuel, region, and weather assumptions. Compared with last winter, we forecast propane expenditures will rise by 54%, heating oil by 43%, natural gas by 30%, and electricity by 6%. We expect space heating demand to generally be higher this winter based on forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that U.S. average heating degree days will be 3% higher than last winter. Altering our assumptions for a 10% colder-than-expected winter significantly increases forecast expenditures, while a 10% warmer-than-expected winter still results in increased expenditures, because of price increases. https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/ If the budget is tight, add a little padding for heat this winter. Maybe think about sealing up the windows (tape up some plastic sheeting), maybe add a lining to the curtains—walmart has small pieces of precut fabric or maybe you can find some cheap sheets. If you are ambitious check/repair/add weatherstripping to exterior doors. Change the filter in the furnace. For the worse case, lay in some Goodwill coats and blankets, space blankets are awesome (but don’t tuck them in because they trap moisture) and know where the pup-tent is, you can always camp out in the living room. Read More 11 10 News What creative ways do you manage your trash when city services are falling behind EzlyAmuzzed - October 22, 2021 If your city is having waste removal problems, what creative ways are you managing your trash? I have adapted in many ways but since this community is very resourceful I would like to hear what others have done as well. My city and surrounding counties has been having waste removal issues as well. Lawn debris has been stacking up on streets for months and garbage pickup is unpredictable, leading to garbage in the streets and an increase in the rat population. This is also a hazard if we had a hurricane which thankfully this year we didn’t. Our mayor decided to suspend recycling pickup so that workers can focus on the backlog of waste pickup complaints. On Nextdoor there is a huge amount of complaining and arguing about this which I find pointless. I have adapted in several ways, mostly through changing how I compost. Because of the rats I tried several methods and found the ONLY method I found that doesn’t feed them is Bokashi composting which is fermenting the food first. I tried making the fermenting the compound myself and that experiment didn’t work but I know what I did wrong and could try again but got lazy and bought the granular mix online. I’m impressed at how the granular keeps the smell down and with a seal tight bucket you can’t even smell it in the house. On recycling I educated myself on what can and cannot be recycled so that I’m not adding garbage to the mix and keeping less in our recycle bin. We have drop of locations to take the recycling, you just have to time when to go and not find it full. Since these very large rats can chew through any plastic no matter how thick I had to go on a shopping hunt for the old fashioned galvanized steal can for the rest of the garbage. Regarding the lawn debris I need to explain that I live in a semi-tropical area where anything and everything grows prolifically and some of it you don’t want to compost in your yard to have it grow back. What I do is let it compost in the bins first until it is half its size, then spread it in our alleyway then mow it. Our alleyways are all green and look more like hiking trails and already have everything growing there. Anything larger like limbs I keep for weekend backyard fires for a safer way of hanging out with friends. Read More 15 24 AdviceScenarios Survival experts debate if man is still alive in Florida’s Carlton Reserve after 3+ weeks Bob - October 21, 2021 https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/10/us/could-brian-laundrie-be-alive-survival-experts/index.html Good afternoon, Article is about a possible criminal matter involving someone hiding in a Florida wilderness to evade the authorities. I’m posting this article for the wilderness statements some experts say. Article mentions Urban Survival Academy and The Survival University. Note article’s ” … when you don’t sleep you … making bad decisions, bad choices”. Read More 4 12 News Pick axes and axe repair Watermelon Samurai - October 21, 2021 Two questions: 1) Does anyone have a recommendation for a company that makes good quality pick-axes? I’m not happy with the quality of steel that comes on most tools imported from China or Mexico these days: I bent the last pick-axe I bought from Home Depot, and I’m not interested in replacing it with the same problem. 2) While replacing the handle on a chopping axe, I noticed a significant crack in the axe head. The crack is on the side where the handle enters the head. The head is probably 50 years old and has outlasted several handles. Can I have the crack repaired by a welder or has it reached the end of it’s life? Thanks in advance,-WS Read More 10 17 AdviceGear Article, Pacific NW disaster in the making Bill Masen - October 20, 2021 https://e360.yale.edu/features/on-the-klamath-dam-removal-may-come-too-late-to-save-the-salmon A truly apocalyptic nightmare coming to pass. Read More 3 2 News Best practices after a burglary – Police reports, insurance, safety, etc. M. E.Contributor - October 19, 2021 Per the excellent advice of Gideon Parker in another thread, I’m starting a forum topic about what to do AFTER a burglary. (There are already plenty of threads about how to prevent one; this thread is about what to do if it happens anyway. There are already plenty of threads about identity theft etc. too, which is also a concern after a burglary if they stole any of your files, so I won’t repeat that content here). Here’s some advice from personal experience: Take a deep breath. Take another one. And another. Pause. Realize that it is just stuff. Recognize and appreciate the fact that you are, actually, fine. This is just another experience in a long line of experiences. Touch nothing. The moment you recognize a burglary has taken place, get out of the house and call the police. Resist the urge to go all over the house and find out what is missing, etc., until after the police have dusted for prints, taken photos, and finished their report – not to mention ensured that the burglars are gone. Call the police first, and then immediately call your insurance company. They will likely have a service that can come right away to do any immediate repairs necessary to secure the property (in our case boarding up the door and window that had been smashed in) Take lots of photos and videos. Be aware that the police may have caused just as much damage as the burglars and that, too, is covered by insurance. If their fingerprint powder ruined your carpet, carpet shampooing and/or replacement is likely covered by your insurance. Ask the police for advice on removing the fingerprint powder from your furniture, carpet, and walls. Recognize that their advice will likely be useless and that fingerprint powder is never coming out. This is the part of the crime scene aftermath that none of those TV shows warn you about. Be prepared for STUPID comments from friends. A good friend, upon being told that you experienced a burglary, will say, “I’m so sorry that happened to you. How can I help?” A person who should likely be ejected from your social circle will say, “Did you have a light on? Was your alarm activated? Did you have deadbolts?” or other victim-blaming statements. Practice this response, “Why do you ask?” and then pause and stare at them. Kind humans will recognize their error and perhaps recognize that the victim-blaming is a pathetic attempt to feel a sense of control over the uncontrollable. The burglary is solely the fault of the burglar. Practice compassion for the burglars. Really. Whoever burglarized you probably has a far worse life than you do (and in my case, an even worse life when he realized that the stuff he or she stole was actually worthless). As that famous quote says, “Resentment is like swallowing poison and expecting the other person to die.” If you’re on this forum you were likely smart enough to have insurance and you’ll move on with your life. The burglar is still skulking around trying to make ends meet by putting his or her liberty at risk. Practice compassion for yourself. It is possible you will blame yourself for not having secured things better or what have you, and this self-blame will make you do irrational things like not claiming everything that was lost, or not going back to your insurance to add on to the claim when you realize that the fingerprint powder is never coming out of the carpet. You paid for that insurance for years. Claim everything (and not a penny more – don’t let a burglar tempt you into committing insurance fraud.) Check your keys and access cards. In the adrenaline-filled moments after a burglary, you might not think about the fact that if the burglar took a set of car keys, office keys, or access cards to other facilities, they might burglarize those at a later time. Think about that and check that you still have all of them. Change your locks immediately and practice extra awareness for several weeks after the burglary. Skilled burglars apparently know that they have roughly seven minutes to grab what they want before the police will arrive (assuming an alarm system was in place). If, during those seven minutes, they saw some other things they want that they don’t have time to grab, they might come back in the following days to finish their work. They might also have stolen a set of keys to make it easier to break in. Have some chocolate. Chocolate makes everything better. Looking forward to additional insights from the community. Read More 15 11 Book Review: Countdown to Preparedness, by Jim Cobb brownfox-ffContributor - October 15, 2021 A practical, easy to follow guide that helps you to build a good mindset in addition to realistically growing your preps. I recently read “Countdown to Preparedness”, by Jim Cobb. Cobb’s book is a reasonable list of actions that is broad and covers most bases. It covers the basics: Stocking food. Storing water. Creating an emergency ‘go’ bag. It covers advanced topics: Situational awareness. Creating hidden storage. Securing your shelter. But it also covers all of the mundane-but-important topics that may not first come to mind. Discussing emergency preparedness with your family or spouse, and agreeing on the goals and methods. Staying on top of your medical, dental, and medication work so you can take advantage of professional medical care when it is available. And how to tackle entertainment, build a library, and learn how to actually cook all of those supplies you’re collecting, so you’re not left with a bunch of food you don’t know how to eat. In my mind, this shows the true depth of experience and wisdom. All of this is wrapped in weekly lessons that are clear, short, and easy to follow. Each week you complete a task or two, add a few dollars to a savings fund, and buy a few extra items for your groceries or pantry. The idea is that over time the small bits add up. Not only do you end up with a decent supply of food, you also build the habit of looking for sales, buying a few extra items, and scraping together a few dollars to save. Long after you have finished the course and the buying, the habits may continue to be useful. The book is also realistic from the outset: it takes time to do things well. Cobb isn’t working to make you panic or rush to complete hundreds of tasks in a weekend. He’s there, calmly explaining and guiding, week after week, helping you to get things sorted and explaining why. I’ve been a prepper for seven years, and have some of the basics covered. I really enjoyed this book. Disclaimer: I have not spent 52 weeks following his advice. But I used this as an opportunity to review all of my skills, plans, and supplies as he went through each area. I learned a lot. There are many areas where I could improve and I’d like to tackle in the near future. I have added tasks to my to-do list and I plan to read through the book again to review. If I had this book when I first started it would have been quite useful. Cobb makes some assumptions about his audience: that they are rural land owners. If you don’t own land or have a house’s worth of space, not all of the lessons may apply to you – such as chopping firewood, owning a gun, or putting in an outhouse. The author also spent one or two lessons on preparations that are farther into the “collapse” spectrum than I am personally – e.g. advice on organizing a supply run in a town beset by chaos. However, the book still contains a wealth of wisdom that can be useful even if you skim or skip a few lessons that aren’t relevant to you. At the end of the day, if you follow and are able to complete most of the lessons from Cobb’s book you will emerge much better off, with a stable base of supplies, knowledge, skills, and mindset. This book definitely has use for anyone at the beginner and intermediate level, and may serve as a useful checklist for those who are quite advanced. I’m happy to have a copy in my library. Read More 11 12 Looking for a shell jacket MarcusAurelius - October 14, 2021 I am looking for an outer shell that I can use potentially for a BOB but more so for hiking in inclement weather. I prefer low-key colors like gray, olive, or brown. I’m fine with saving if some of the more pricey options are worth the money. Any suggestions? Read More 9 6 Gear Effective mosquito repellant? Watermelon Samurai - October 13, 2021 I am the favorite food of a mosquito. In a room with 100 people & one mosquito, the little bugger will find me & bite me – repeatedly – and leave everyone else alone. When I step out into the Great Outdoors, it’s like throwing chum into shark infested waters. If I come back with less than a dozen bites, it’s been a good day. I’ve tried a variety of chemical repellants with varying degrees of success. Unfortunately, the more toxic-sounding the ingredients, the better it works. I know it’s not good to slather that stuff on my skin, but if that’s what it takes to keep hiking from being a bloodletting, so be it. If you’re bug bait like me, what repellants work for you? (…and no need to mention citronella, skin-so-soft, essential oils or Deep Woods ‘Off’ – mosquitos plow headfirst through those.) Has as anyone had any success with those ultrasonic mosquito repellent devices? Thanks in advance, WS Read More 13 13 Advice A BBC report on the vulnerability of the global supply chain Bill Masen - October 13, 2021 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/business-58743372 The BBC report on the Global Logistics Issues. It help us realise just how totally vulnerable we are to the insanely delicate and vulnerable Global Supply Chain, and how we need to insulate ourselves by PREPPING. And every single report I read from anyone anywhere reports its likely to get worse BEFORE it gets better, with many saying IF it gets better. Read More 6 20 News That Augason Farms supply chain letter floating around social media is real, but their “shutdown” is just for wholesale distributors Josh CentersContributor - October 13, 2021 Augason Farms is a popular purveyor of survival food. Recently, they’ve had a message on their website: Due to an extremely high order volume through all sales channels we are currently not able to receive any orders through our web site. All orders previously placed will still be shipped. Augason Farms Products are still available through other national sales channels both on line and in-store and also through other reputable on-line vendors. We expect to turn this site back on just as soon as possible. As a manufacturer we are intent on making sure our vendors inventory is top priority. Thank-you for choosing Augason Farms. On social media, a letter has been circulating from Mark Augason saying that due to “global raw-material shortages,” they can’t fulfill orders and are suspending business for the next 90 days. I contacted Augason Farms to find out if the letter is legitimate. It is. Here’s what they said: Thank you for reaching out to us for clarification. This letter was to our wholesale customers that carry our products on their websites. We are still open for business and producing products. We have had an over whelming amount of orders that have come in and we have stopped taking our wholesale customers orders and orders on our own website so that we can get caught up. We are working around the clock to fulfill orders and to keep producing inventory. You can still find our products on Amazon.com, walmart.com and local Utah grocery stores. In short, they’ve had overwhelming demand and supply chain shortages, so they are suspending wholesale and direct orders until they can get caught up. Read More 9 4 News Going vegetarian after an event – would you? JennyWren - October 13, 2021 After reading the thread How to desensitise myself to be able to kill and process and animal by Pizza Ninja, it got me thinking. I was born and raised in a farming community and regularly helped my parents processing animals we had raised. I also did a lot of shooting and beating at drives. It was a big part of my life. Spool on 30 years and I can now barely bring myself to kill a bug and I know I would really struggle to kill an animal, the exception possibly being if it were suffering and it was the humane thing to do. To this end, I have turned away from meat production/procurement for after an event and have instead decided to become vegetarian. As it is I don’t eat a lot of meat, I would probably miss it, but I know the alternative would be hard for me to deal with. I have, over the years found a number of plants that do well in my area and I save the seed from these year on year, I still trial new varieties of things, just in case I find one that does better. I have a number of perennial plants that I not only have in my garden, but I have planted out in the local area, a kind of guerilla gardening if you will. It’s insurance against any catastrophic loss in my own garden patch. I don’t intend going full vegan, as I want to keep some fowl for eggs and I do like milk in my tea and there is the whole B12 issue. So, has anyone else given this idea some thought? Read More 9 29 Scenarios What do you prep that you don’t see on BOB lists? Frenchiepants - October 12, 2021 For me it is definitely a hairbrush and a solid conditioner. Granted in a long term situation the conditioner is quickly consumed but I have very long hair and keep a folding brush and a comb in my kit. The comb weighs almost nothing. Read More 17 58 Do you practice what you prep? pint of beer - October 11, 2021 You have the gear, but do you know how to use it? Running mock disasters or using your supplies is sometimes the only way to know what you are lacking or missing. For example, can you cook that spaghetti that you have been preparing and buying extra of? You have the pasta, sauce, water, and even can cook it without electricity out on your bbq, but did you remember some spices or cheese? You may not know about it until you do it. This weekend, try out one of your preps and see what you are lacking or what you can do to make things easier on yourself. Read More 6 9 Meta “Micro-Prepping” for a visually challenged partner Barb LeeContributor - October 10, 2021 Hubby is highly – but not totally – visually challenged. I’ve made some life decisions recently that eliminate some physical risk to myself so I have less likelihood of leaving him in the lurch if I take an unscheduled trip in an ambulance (or worse). But it’s all too possible, so I need to do more to get him through a sudden crisis until he can get plugged in to services. We don’t have family or friends nearby that could help him, although a neighbor or two would probably pitch in for the short term. Anyway, since the earlier decision was made, “the rest of the story” has been weighing heavily on my mind. So, novel assistive devices are on our gear-to-acquire list. He has a talking watch and a talking tape measure, the latter of which has been nearly life-altering for an active DIY person. But…he can’t operate the heat pump thermostat. We will be getting an Alexa-enabled thermostat installed, as Alexa already assists him with things like playing the radio, setting timers, etc. He participates in the Library of Congress program that provides free reading material for the blind and disabled. These audiobooks are so critical to his well-being. I need to download dozens of books for him even in the simple event that we “enjoy” a power outage together. He can’t use any sort of touch screen. In our newly created storage space, I’m dedicating the most easily accessible shelves to heat-and-eat, or eat-out-of-the-can foods so it doesn’t matter what he grabs, he can get good nutrition. Doing the same with a freezer, and adding unheard-of-around-here things like frozen dinners and Pizza. He has tactile “bumps” on the stove so that he can use both the stove top and oven. The microwave is not so friendly, but he can definitely use it for some things. He is on top of feeding all the animals. He is highly adapted to his disability, uses all the power equipment, etc., but I will be continually refining this new direction in prepping so that he can stand alone for as long as it takes. I am more than open to thoughts and ideas to help “micro-prep” for this amazing man. Read More 6 5 Advice Lebanon, worth watching for lessons on urban survival Bill Masen - October 9, 2021 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-58856914 Lebanon has been left without electricity, plunging the country into darkness amid a severe economic crisis. A government official told Reuters news agency the country’s two largest power stations, Deir Ammar and Zahrani, had shut down because of a fuel shortage.The power grid “completely stopped working at noon today” and was unlikely to restart for several days, they said.For the past 18 months Lebanon has endured an economic crisis and extreme fuel shortages.That crisis has left half its population in poverty, crippled its currency and sparked major demonstrations against politicians.A lack of foreign currency meanwhile has made it hard to pay overseas energy suppliers. In a statement, Lebanon’s state electricity company also confirmed the shutdown of the two power plants, which together provide some 40% of the country’s electricity.Their closure led to the “complete outage” of the power network, the statement reportedly said, “with no possibility of resuming operations in the meantime”.Al Jazeera reports protests in the northern town of Halba, outside the offices of the state power company, as well as residents blocking roads with burning tyres in the city of Tripoli.The country is also grappling with the aftermath of the Beirut blast in August 2020, which killed 219 people and injured 7,000 others.After the explosion its government resigned, leaving political paralysis. Najib Mikati became prime minister in September, more than a year after the previous administration quit.Last month the militant group Hezbollah brought Iranian fuel into the country to ease shortages. Its opponents say the group is using the fuel delivery to expand its influence. Read More 5 4 News Vacation traveling and bugout bags: How do you pack to stay prepared? Crysis - October 8, 2021 So I’m about to travel back to the US for the first time in almost three years to visit my family. I’ve got all the paperwork in order, checked and tripled checked every detail and cleaned the house, I’ve even got everything laid out in order to pack my bags days ahead of schedule. But while doing that, the same question that I ask (and answer) every time I travel pops into my head: “Should I take my Bugout Bag?” Usually the answer is always yes, and I find myself making room for a BOB taken apart and placed in a suitcase and carry-on, only for it to be reassembled at the destination. This takes time, space, and weight, all of it I end up paying for one way or another. And even though I am asking for advice in this forum, I know that my need to keep telling myself to stay prepared will eventually result in my mind rambling on and on. “But what if you need it? It’s crazy out there, you never know what might happen…that’s why you keep this thing!…” So, here’s my question and plea for advice: How would you pack your Bugout Bag for travel via commercial airlines? Do you have a bag that is already perfect for checking, and it only needs you to remove any sharp objects or other contraband? Or do you just take it apart and put it all into your checked bag and carry-on. Or, do you have another system all together. Do you just leave it at home and travel light, or do you opt to not travel at all? Or am I just crazy and paranoid? That might actually be the case. Any advice would be much appreciated! Even if you’re just telling me I’m crazy and need to calm down. 😉 -Crysis Read More 11 12 AdviceGearSkills Alternatives for packing Yaesu FT-60R cradle in BOB? Jonnie PekelnyContributor - October 8, 2021 This is another newbie ham radio question. I’ve packed my Yaesu FT-60R in my BOB and was about to pack the cradle that goes with it, but jeez, all that adds up to a lot of bulk! I already have a 12V cigarette lighter adapter for charging the Yaesu in my BOB. Unlike the wall adapter, it doesn’t need the cradle. But I would feel better if I had an alternative to charging from a car in a bug out scenario — what if I don’t have access to a car? Same also goes for a sheltering in place scenario when the power is out, although in that case, bulk isn’t an issue. I’m wondering what options are available? I did look at this third party USB charger cable, but I don’t know how well it works and I’m not sure whether it still requires the cradle. Read More 6 5 Gear < Prev 1 2 3 … 34 35 36 … 60 61 62 Next > Recently Active News for the week of 2025-09-01 - 4 days agoNews for the week of 2025-08-25 - 2 weeks agoNews for the week of 2025-08-18 - 3 weeks agoNews for the week of 2025-08-04 - 1 month agoNews for the week of 2025-07-28 - 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

Need advice on my winter vehicle emergency kit

Liz Klein - October 27, 2021

Winter is coming. I hate my commute during this time of year and always dread getting stuck. So I’m trying to prep now before it gets cold and miserable.

I have snow tires on my car, am up to date with repairs, and have my normal everyday get-home-bag that has maps, fire starters, food, first aid kit, etc… But I wanted to get your advice on my Winter additions. And The Prepared has a pretty nice Kit builder that I thought I would try out. Here is a link to my kit:  

My budget is kinda small so these are things I just had around the house, but is there anything you recommend that I add or replace? Tell me the why behind your suggestion too.

Thanks guys!!

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AdviceGear

Fox news ” Twitter boss reports likelyhood of hyperinflation

Bill Masen - October 27, 2021

Something to definately be monitoring fairly closely.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/economy/twitter-ceo-jack-dorsey-hyperinflation-warning

Twitter founder Jack Dorsey has issued a cryptic warning that “hyperinflation” will “change everything.”

In typical Dorsey style, the social media CEO tweeted out his comment, saying that “it will happen in the US soon, and so the world.” 

 Hyperinflation is typically very high and accelerated inflation. Researchers have documented 57 cases of hyperinflation as of 2018, with the first recorded episode occurring between 1795 and 1796 in post-revolutionary France, according to The Economist.

Some economists and writers have looked at possible hyperinflation in the U.S. as early as March 2021 when the economy started to get back on track after an artificially depressed year due to lockdowns and immense restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic – policies that officials started reversing as vaccines became more available. 

The term raises some grim images, with Venezuela the most recent example and Zimbabwe perhaps one of the most famous examples of hyperinflation. 

“This is meme economics,” Bloomberg Businessweek wrote earlier this year. 

“Fear of inflation – if not outright hyperinflation – helps explain the meteoric rise of Bitcoin,” the article argued. “It’s behind distrust of the Fed. And it feeds congressional opposition to President Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic relief plan.”

Indeed, Republicans have warned of inflation since the start of the summer when gas prices first started to tick upward and prices followed shortly after: consumer prices rose 5% over the 12 months between June 2020 and June 2021, The Associated Press reported. 

This marked the largest one-year increase since 2008, and possibly the biggest since 1992 – excluding more volatile items such as food and energy. 

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said his constituents have “seen the higher prices on gas in particular, but also groceries and the cost to keep their businesses running.” Such voters, he said, “know, intuitively, that this is due to Democrats’ economic agenda and big spending plans.”

Prices have continued to trend upwards as an historic global shipping backlog delays the transport goods and services across the board, slowly driving up prices for everything from toilet paper to toys. 

Gas prices in some have hit around $4.00 a gallon, such as in California, Hawaii and Nevada, according to AAA. Premium in these states is almost at $5 a gallon. 

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News

“Listening to Katrina” website: Bugging out is a tool to escape danger and then find home

RS - October 27, 2021

The recent discussions about Hurricane Ida reminded me of a website I had skimmed years before called “Listening to Katrina” (see here: http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/blogs/klessons/ ). I re-read the website in full, and think it has a key idea that people here may appreciate thinking and talking about, so I made this new thread.

(I did a quick search, and didn’t see too many official The Prepared contributor articles on the recovery process, aside from making sure that important documents are in the Priority #1 bag for bugging out.)

The “Listening to Katrina” website is an extended read about the author’s personal experience with evacuating for Hurricane Katrina, starting the recovery process for his family, and a lot of discussion of what he learned about general emergency preparation from his experiences, listening to the experiences of others and combing through additional information available. It’s mostly the view of one person, so in addition to the news and historical records he draws from, it’s replete with anecdotes, opinions and personal color. I don’t anticipate readers here will agree with everything on the site.

Instead, I want to point out the part of his discussion that struck me the most: his philosophy about the ultimate goals of preparing (especially bugging out, but also bugging in). If you would like to read it in his words, that specific page is here: http://www.theplacewithnoname.com/blogs/klessons/p/0025.html 

Here’s my summary of that page: the point of bugging out (and bugging in) is to…

First, Safeguard your health and wealth by letting you escape from/avoid danger

Second, Help you “Go Home”

Third, Help you profit by using “the rebuilding as an opportunity to grow wealth”

The second point is what made the biggest impression on me when I reread the website (years after first encountering it and not remembering much beyond “put information about insurance and identification into your bug out bag”). A lot of discussions around bugging out and bugging in rightly emphasize how this lets you avoid/reduce danger. But equally important is to emphasize how bugging out/in is a tool to facilitate your recovery process.

Whether Getting Home is returning to your previous home, or finding/building a completely new home, the goal of bugging out/in isn’t to be bugged out/in forever, it’s a stepping stone. It’s a tool you use to safeguard your health and wealth, and to create the launching platform for Finding Home, wherever that may be. So, planning to bug out/in shouldn’t be divorced from planning to recover/Find Home. Connecting the two addresses the question “after you’ve successfully evacuated to ____/after The Event has passed, then what?”

I’m adding this philosophy to the toolbox I use for evaluating my personal preparations — specifically, asking the question “will this prep also help me Get Home, wherever that may be?” Hopefully that is useful food for thought.

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AdviceMeta

DIY swamp coolers for emergency use?

Jonnie PekelnyContributor - October 24, 2021

For those of you lucky enough not to be in California just now, we’re having record heat and also record levels of wildfires, caused by a series of mostly dry thunderstorms that came through last week (NoCal doesn’t GET thunderstomrs usually, and certainly not in August.) The air is bad and I’m trying to figure out how to keep the place cool and filter air. So far I haven’t been able to convinece myself to sleep with closed windows.

As part of my solution I started looking at swamp coolers. The ones that particularly interest me are homemade ones, like this one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-Coleman-Red-5qt-Portable-Swamp-Cooler-Air-Conditioner-4-USB-Fan-Adapter/153685876714?hash=item23c8645fea:g:W8EAAOSwsQ5e9Aec. They also come in larger sizes. I’d probably buy one rather than build it myself because I don’t really have the right tools or level of handiness to make one out of the plastic coolers, and styrofoam seems too breakable.

Since I’m mostly interested in using these when I sleep I’d probably try to fill the cooler with a few frozen 2 liter bottles and maybe some extra ice so the cool air production lasts.

I’m just wondering if anyone has used similar contraptions.

Do they work to cool a medium sized bedroom? I know they’re not like air conditioning but if they can drop the temp some that would help a lot. Do they work if the window is open?

I live in coastal Northern California with a relatively mild and relatively humid climate (although getting dryer and hotter by the year!) Do swamp coolers still cool down a room in that kind of climate if you fill them with ice?

How much ice or what configuration of ice would I have to put in and what size cooler would I be looking for to keep it going for say 6-8 hours while I sleep?

What size of fan would I need to be able to feel the air some feet away? I would ideally like a USB fan so I can rechage it from a power pack if the power goes out.

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What triggered you to prep?

CR - October 23, 2021

Hello All! I’ve observed that many preppers have had some sort of (sometimes traumatic) event that woke them up to the fragility of normal modern life. In my case, when I was about 10 years old my family was snowed in at our remote farm in northern Montana for 6 weeks. I learned to drive the bulldozer so my dad could pitch hay to the cattle. I vividly remember seeing the snow machines from town 26 miles away bringing supplies to the stranded farm families after a several weeks of isolation. I didn’t give much thought to it until I had little ones of my own and the Y2K scare came along. I’m really enjoying the tidbits of stories that I’ve seen here on the forum and have gotten curious. What sorts of things have motivated y’all to feel the need to prep?

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Bike trailers

Sun Yeti - October 22, 2021

I recently upgrade my bicycle into an ebike, and I love it. Got me thinking though. I could get over 20 miles on my bike before the battery ran out, and I had to work a bit harder; I could probably get 40+ miles away in the first day. But, I don’t have a good way to carry my stuff. 

Can anyone recommend a nice sturdy bike trailer? Ideally from your personal experience and use? I’d like something that could hold probably 250 or 300 pounds, so it could hold my bug out bag (40 lbs), my cat and her go bag (maybe 15 lbs together), some of my wife’s stuff (she could ride her own bike but it also doesn’t have cargo capacity), and still have spare capacity to carry my wife or myself if one of us became injured or incapacitated. Having some kind of mesh top with rain fly would also be good in case there’s a feline and/or human riding in there. If it could fold up to take up less  space that would be ideal as well, but it not the top priority. 

I’ve prepared pretty decently for Plan A (bug in), Plan B (bug out by car), and Plan D (bug out on foot), but I’m thinking Plan C (bug out by bike) needs some more thought and preparation, thus my question. 

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AdviceGear

Winter 2021/22 energy outlook – expect increased prices

Pops - October 22, 2021

Just received the EIA, Short-Term Energy OutlookOctober 13, 2021 Release 

We forecast that average U.S. household expenditures for all major home heating fuels will increase significantly this winter primarily because of higher expected fuel costs as well as more consumption of energy due to a colder winter. Average increases vary by fuel, region, and weather assumptions. Compared with last winter, we forecast propane expenditures will rise by 54%, heating oil by 43%, natural gas by 30%, and electricity by 6%. We expect space heating demand to generally be higher this winter based on forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that U.S. average heating degree days will be 3% higher than last winter. Altering our assumptions for a 10% colder-than-expected winter significantly increases forecast expenditures, while a 10% warmer-than-expected winter still results in increased expenditures, because of price increases.

https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/

If the budget is tight, add a little padding for heat this winter. Maybe think about sealing up the windows (tape up some plastic sheeting), maybe add a lining to the curtains—walmart has small pieces of precut fabric or maybe you can find some cheap sheets. If you are ambitious check/repair/add weatherstripping to exterior doors. Change the filter in the furnace.

For the worse case, lay in some Goodwill coats and blankets, space blankets are awesome (but don’t tuck them in because they trap moisture) and know where the pup-tent is, you can always camp out in the living room.

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News

What creative ways do you manage your trash when city services are falling behind

EzlyAmuzzed - October 22, 2021

If your city is having waste removal problems, what creative ways are you managing your trash? I have adapted in many ways but since this community is very resourceful I would like to hear what others have done as well.

My city and surrounding counties has been having waste removal issues as well. Lawn debris has been stacking up on streets for months and garbage pickup is unpredictable, leading to garbage in the streets and an increase in the rat population. This is also a hazard if we had a hurricane which thankfully this year we didn’t. Our mayor decided to suspend recycling pickup so that workers can focus on the backlog of waste pickup complaints. On Nextdoor there is a huge amount of complaining and arguing about this which I find pointless. I have adapted in several ways, mostly through changing how I compost.

Because of the rats I tried several methods and found the ONLY method I found that doesn’t feed them is Bokashi composting which is fermenting the food first. I tried making the fermenting the compound myself and that experiment didn’t work but I know what I did wrong and could try again but got lazy and bought the granular mix online. I’m impressed at how the granular keeps the smell down and with a seal tight bucket you can’t even smell it in the house. 

On recycling I educated myself on what can and cannot be recycled so that I’m not adding garbage to the mix and keeping less in our recycle bin. We have drop of locations to take the recycling, you just have to time when to go and not find it full.

Since these very large rats can chew through any plastic no matter how thick I had to go on a shopping hunt for the old fashioned galvanized steal can for the rest of the garbage.

Regarding the lawn debris I need to explain that I live in a semi-tropical area where anything and everything grows prolifically and some of it you don’t want to compost in your yard to have it grow back. What I do is let it compost in the bins first until it is half its size, then spread it in our alleyway then mow it.  Our alleyways are all green and look more like hiking trails and already have everything growing there. Anything larger like limbs I keep for weekend backyard fires for a safer way of hanging out with friends.

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AdviceScenarios

Survival experts debate if man is still alive in Florida’s Carlton Reserve after 3+ weeks

Bob - October 21, 2021

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/10/us/could-brian-laundrie-be-alive-survival-experts/index.html

Good afternoon,

Article is about a possible criminal matter involving someone hiding in a Florida wilderness to evade the authorities.

I’m posting this article for the wilderness statements some experts say.

Article mentions Urban Survival Academy and The Survival University.

Note article’s ” … when you don’t sleep you … making bad decisions, bad choices”.

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News

Pick axes and axe repair

Watermelon Samurai - October 21, 2021

Two questions:

1) Does anyone have a recommendation for a company that makes good quality pick-axes? I’m not happy with the quality of steel that comes on most tools imported from China or Mexico these days: I bent the last pick-axe I bought from Home Depot, and I’m not interested in replacing it with the same problem.

2) While replacing the handle on a chopping axe, I noticed a significant crack in the axe head. The crack is on the side where the handle enters the head.

The head is probably 50 years old and has outlasted several handles. Can I have the crack repaired by a welder or has it reached the end of it’s life?

Thanks in advance,
-WS

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AdviceGear

Article, Pacific NW disaster in the making

Bill Masen - October 20, 2021

https://e360.yale.edu/features/on-the-klamath-dam-removal-may-come-too-late-to-save-the-salmon

A truly apocalyptic nightmare coming to pass.

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News

Best practices after a burglary – Police reports, insurance, safety, etc.

M. E.Contributor - October 19, 2021

Per the excellent advice of Gideon Parker in another thread, I’m starting a forum topic about what to do AFTER a burglary.  (There are already plenty of threads about how to prevent one; this thread is about what to do if it happens anyway. There are already plenty of threads about identity theft etc. too, which is also a concern after a burglary if they stole any of your files, so I won’t repeat that content here).  Here’s some advice from personal experience:

Take a deep breath. Take another one. And another. Pause. Realize that it is just stuff. Recognize and appreciate the fact that you are, actually, fine.  This is just another experience in a long line of experiences. Touch nothing. The moment you recognize a burglary has taken place, get out of the house and call the police.  Resist the urge to go all over the house and find out what is missing, etc., until after the police have dusted for prints, taken photos, and finished their report – not to mention ensured that the burglars are gone.   Call the police first, and then immediately call your insurance company. They will likely have a service that can come right away to do any immediate repairs necessary to secure the property (in our case boarding up the door and window that had been smashed in) Take lots of photos and videos. Be aware that the police may have caused just as much damage as the burglars and that, too, is covered by insurance. If their fingerprint powder ruined your carpet, carpet shampooing and/or replacement is likely covered by your insurance.  Ask the police for advice on removing the fingerprint powder from your furniture, carpet, and walls. Recognize that their advice will likely be useless and that fingerprint powder is never coming out.  This is the part of the crime scene aftermath that none of those TV shows warn you about. Be prepared for STUPID comments from friends. A good friend, upon being told that you experienced a burglary, will say, “I’m so sorry that happened to you. How can I help?” A person who should likely be ejected from your social circle will say, “Did you have a light on? Was your alarm activated? Did you have deadbolts?” or other victim-blaming statements.  Practice this response, “Why do you ask?” and then pause and stare at them. Kind humans will recognize their error and perhaps recognize that the victim-blaming is a pathetic attempt to feel a sense of control over the uncontrollable. The burglary is solely the fault of the burglar. Practice compassion for the burglars. Really. Whoever burglarized you probably has a far worse life than you do (and in my case, an even worse life when he realized that the stuff he or she stole was actually worthless).  As that famous quote says, “Resentment is like swallowing poison and expecting the other person to die.”  If you’re on this forum you were likely smart enough to have insurance and you’ll move on with your life. The burglar is still skulking around trying to make ends meet by putting his or her liberty at risk.   Practice compassion for yourself. It is possible you will blame yourself for not having secured things better or what have you, and this self-blame will make you do irrational things like not claiming everything that was lost, or not going back to your insurance to add on to the claim when you realize that the fingerprint powder is never coming out of the carpet.  You paid for that insurance for years. Claim everything (and not a penny more – don’t let a burglar tempt you into committing insurance fraud.) Check your keys and access cards. In the adrenaline-filled moments after a burglary, you might not think about the fact that if the burglar took a set of car keys, office keys, or access cards to other facilities, they might burglarize those at a later time.  Think about that and check that you still have all of them.  Change your locks immediately and practice extra awareness for several weeks after the burglary. Skilled burglars apparently know that they have roughly seven minutes to grab what they want before the police will arrive (assuming an alarm system was in place).  If, during those seven minutes, they saw some other things they want that they don’t have time to grab, they might come back in the following days to finish their work.  They might also have stolen a set of keys to make it easier to break in.   Have some chocolate. Chocolate makes everything better.

Looking forward to additional insights from the community. 

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Book Review: Countdown to Preparedness, by Jim Cobb

brownfox-ffContributor - October 15, 2021

A practical, easy to follow guide that helps you to build a good mindset in addition to realistically growing your preps.

I recently read “Countdown to Preparedness”, by Jim Cobb. Cobb’s book is a reasonable list of actions that is broad and covers most bases. It covers the basics: Stocking food. Storing water. Creating an emergency ‘go’ bag. It covers advanced topics: Situational awareness. Creating hidden storage. Securing your shelter. But it also covers all of the mundane-but-important topics that may not first come to mind. Discussing emergency preparedness with your family or spouse, and agreeing on the goals and methods. Staying on top of your medical, dental, and medication work so you can take advantage of professional medical care when it is available. And how to tackle entertainment, build a library, and learn how to actually cook all of those supplies you’re collecting, so you’re not left with a bunch of food you don’t know how to eat. In my mind, this shows the true depth of experience and wisdom.

All of this is wrapped in weekly lessons that are clear, short, and easy to follow. Each week you complete a task or two, add a few dollars to a savings fund, and buy a few extra items for your groceries or pantry. The idea is that over time the small bits add up. Not only do you end up with a decent supply of food, you also build the habit of looking for sales, buying a few extra items, and scraping together a few dollars to save. Long after you have finished the course and the buying, the habits may continue to be useful.

The book is also realistic from the outset: it takes time to do things well. Cobb isn’t working to make you panic or rush to complete hundreds of tasks in a weekend. He’s there, calmly explaining and guiding, week after week, helping you to get things sorted and explaining why.

I’ve been a prepper for seven years, and have some of the basics covered. I really enjoyed this book. Disclaimer: I have not spent 52 weeks following his advice. But I used this as an opportunity to review all of my skills, plans, and supplies as he went through each area. I learned a lot. There are many areas where I could improve and I’d like to tackle in the near future. I have added tasks to my to-do list and I plan to read through the book again to review. If I had this book when I first started it would have been quite useful.

Cobb makes some assumptions about his audience: that they are rural land owners. If you don’t own land or have a house’s worth of space, not all of the lessons may apply to you – such as chopping firewood, owning a gun, or putting in an outhouse. The author also spent one or two lessons on preparations that are farther into the “collapse” spectrum than I am personally – e.g. advice on organizing a supply run in a town beset by chaos. However, the book still contains a wealth of wisdom that can be useful even if you skim or skip a few lessons that aren’t relevant to you.

At the end of the day, if you follow and are able to complete most of the lessons from Cobb’s book you will emerge much better off, with a stable base of supplies, knowledge, skills, and mindset. This book definitely has use for anyone at the beginner and intermediate level, and may serve as a useful checklist for those who are quite advanced. I’m happy to have a copy in my library.

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Looking for a shell jacket

MarcusAurelius - October 14, 2021

I am looking for an outer shell that I can use potentially for a BOB but more so for hiking in inclement weather. I prefer low-key colors like gray, olive, or brown. I’m fine with saving if some of the more pricey options are worth the money. Any suggestions?

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Gear

Effective mosquito repellant?

Watermelon Samurai - October 13, 2021

I am the favorite food of a mosquito.

In a room with 100 people & one mosquito, the little bugger will find me & bite me – repeatedly – and leave everyone else alone. When I step out into the Great Outdoors, it’s like throwing chum into shark infested waters. If I come back with less than a dozen bites, it’s been a good day.

I’ve tried a variety of chemical repellants with varying degrees of success. Unfortunately, the more toxic-sounding the ingredients, the better it works. I know it’s not good to slather that stuff on my skin, but if that’s what it takes to keep hiking from being a bloodletting, so be it. 

If you’re bug bait like me, what repellants work for you? (…and no need to mention citronella, skin-so-soft, essential oils or Deep Woods ‘Off’ – mosquitos plow headfirst through those.) Has as anyone had any success with those ultrasonic mosquito repellent devices?

Thanks in advance,

WS

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Advice

A BBC report on the vulnerability of the global supply chain

Bill Masen - October 13, 2021

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/business-58743372

The BBC report on the Global Logistics Issues.

It help us realise just how totally vulnerable we are to the insanely delicate and vulnerable Global Supply Chain, and how we need to insulate ourselves by PREPPING.

And every single report I read from anyone anywhere reports its likely to get worse BEFORE it gets better, with many saying IF it gets better.

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News

That Augason Farms supply chain letter floating around social media is real, but their “shutdown” is just for wholesale distributors

Josh CentersContributor - October 13, 2021

Augason Farms is a popular purveyor of survival food. Recently, they’ve had a message on their website:

Due to an extremely high order volume through all sales channels we are currently not able to receive any orders through our web site. All orders previously placed will still be shipped. Augason Farms Products are still available through other national sales channels both on line and in-store and also through other reputable on-line vendors. We expect to turn this site back on just as soon as possible.

As a manufacturer we are intent on making sure our vendors inventory is top priority. Thank-you for choosing Augason Farms.

On social media, a letter has been circulating from Mark Augason saying that due to “global raw-material shortages,” they can’t fulfill orders and are suspending business for the next 90 days.

I contacted Augason Farms to find out if the letter is legitimate. It is. Here’s what they said:

Thank you for reaching out to us for clarification. This letter was to our wholesale customers that carry our products on their websites. We are still open for business and producing products. We have had an over whelming amount of orders that have come in and we have stopped taking our wholesale customers orders and orders on our own website so that we can get caught up. We are working around the clock to fulfill orders and to keep producing inventory. You can still find our products on Amazon.com, walmart.com and local Utah grocery stores.

In short, they’ve had overwhelming demand and supply chain shortages, so they are suspending wholesale and direct orders until they can get caught up.

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News

Going vegetarian after an event – would you?

JennyWren - October 13, 2021

After reading the thread How to desensitise myself to be able to kill and process and animal by Pizza Ninja, it got me thinking.

I was born and raised in a farming community and regularly helped my parents processing animals we had raised. I also did a lot of shooting and beating at drives. It was a big part of my life.

Spool on 30 years and I can now barely bring myself to kill a bug and I know I would really struggle to kill an animal, the exception possibly being if it were suffering and it was the humane thing to do.

To this end, I have turned away from meat production/procurement for after an event and have instead decided to become vegetarian. As it is I don’t eat a lot of meat, I would probably miss it, but I know the alternative would be hard for me to deal with.

I have, over the years found a number of plants that do well in my area and I save the seed from these year on year, I still trial new varieties of things, just in case I find one that does better. I have a number of perennial plants that I not only have in my garden, but I have planted out in the local area, a kind of guerilla gardening if you will. It’s insurance against any catastrophic loss in my own garden patch. 

I don’t intend going full vegan, as I want to keep some fowl for eggs and I do like milk in my tea and there is the whole B12 issue. 

So, has anyone else given this idea some thought? 

 

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Scenarios

What do you prep that you don’t see on BOB lists?

Frenchiepants - October 12, 2021

For me it is definitely a hairbrush and a solid conditioner.  Granted in a long term situation the conditioner is quickly consumed but I have very long hair and keep a folding brush and a comb in my kit.  The comb weighs almost nothing.  

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Do you practice what you prep?

pint of beer - October 11, 2021

You have the gear, but do you know how to use it? Running mock disasters or using your supplies is sometimes the only way to know what you are lacking or missing.

For example, can you cook that spaghetti that you have been preparing and buying extra of? You have the pasta, sauce, water, and even can cook it without electricity out on your bbq, but did you remember some spices or cheese? You may not know about it until you do it.

This weekend, try out one of your preps and see what you are lacking or what you can do to make things easier on yourself. 

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Meta

“Micro-Prepping” for a visually challenged partner

Barb LeeContributor - October 10, 2021

Hubby is highly – but not totally – visually challenged.  I’ve made some life decisions recently that eliminate some physical risk to myself so I have less likelihood of leaving him in the lurch if I take an unscheduled trip in an ambulance (or worse).  But it’s all too possible, so I need to do more to get him through a sudden crisis until he can get plugged in to services.  We don’t have family or friends nearby that could help him, although a neighbor or two  would probably pitch in for the short term.  Anyway, since the earlier decision was made, “the rest of the story” has been weighing heavily on my mind.

So, novel assistive devices are on our gear-to-acquire list.  He has a talking watch and a talking tape measure, the latter of which has been nearly life-altering for an active DIY person.  But…he can’t operate the heat pump thermostat.  We will be getting an Alexa-enabled thermostat installed, as Alexa already assists him with things like playing the radio, setting timers, etc.

He participates in the Library of Congress program that provides free reading material for the blind and disabled.  These audiobooks are so critical to his well-being.  I need to download dozens of books for him even in the simple event that we “enjoy” a power outage together.

 He can’t use any sort of touch screen.

In our newly created storage space, I’m dedicating the most easily accessible shelves to heat-and-eat, or eat-out-of-the-can foods so it doesn’t matter what he grabs, he can get good nutrition.  Doing the same with a freezer, and adding unheard-of-around-here things like frozen dinners and Pizza.  He has tactile “bumps” on the stove so that he can use both the stove top and oven.  The microwave is not so friendly, but he can definitely use it for some things.  He is on top of feeding all the animals.  He is highly adapted to his disability, uses all the power equipment, etc., but I will be continually refining this new direction in prepping so that he can stand alone for as long as it takes. 

I am more than open to thoughts and ideas to help “micro-prep” for this amazing man.

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Advice

Lebanon, worth watching for lessons on urban survival

Bill Masen - October 9, 2021

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-58856914

Lebanon has been left without electricity, plunging the country into darkness amid a severe economic crisis. A government official told Reuters news agency the country’s two largest power stations, Deir Ammar and Zahrani, had shut down because of a fuel shortage.The power grid “completely stopped working at noon today” and was unlikely to restart for several days, they said.For the past 18 months Lebanon has endured an economic crisis and extreme fuel shortages.That crisis has left half its population in poverty, crippled its currency and sparked major demonstrations against politicians.A lack of foreign currency meanwhile has made it hard to pay overseas energy suppliers.

In a statement, Lebanon’s state electricity company also confirmed the shutdown of the two power plants, which together provide some 40% of the country’s electricity.Their closure led to the “complete outage” of the power network, the statement reportedly said, “with no possibility of resuming operations in the meantime”.Al Jazeera reports protests in the northern town of Halba, outside the offices of the state power company, as well as residents blocking roads with burning tyres in the city of Tripoli.The country is also grappling with the aftermath of the Beirut blast in August 2020, which killed 219 people and injured 7,000 others.After the explosion its government resigned, leaving political paralysis. Najib Mikati became prime minister in September, more than a year after the previous administration quit.Last month the militant group Hezbollah brought Iranian fuel into the country to ease shortages. Its opponents say the group is using the fuel delivery to expand its influence.

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News

Vacation traveling and bugout bags: How do you pack to stay prepared?

Crysis - October 8, 2021

So I’m about to travel back to the US for the first time in almost three years to visit my family. I’ve got all the paperwork in order, checked and tripled checked every detail and cleaned the house, I’ve even got everything laid out in order to pack my bags days ahead of schedule. But while doing that, the same question that I ask (and answer) every time I travel pops into my head: “Should I take my Bugout Bag?”

Usually the answer is always yes, and I find myself making room for a BOB taken apart and placed in a suitcase and carry-on, only for it to be reassembled at the destination. This takes time, space, and weight, all of it I end up paying for one way or another. And even though I am asking for advice in this forum, I know that my need to keep telling myself to stay prepared will eventually result in my mind rambling on and on. “But what if you need it? It’s crazy out there, you never know what might happen…that’s why you keep this thing!…”

So, here’s my question and plea for advice: How would you pack your Bugout Bag for travel via commercial airlines? Do you have a bag that is already perfect for checking, and it only needs you to remove any sharp objects or other contraband? Or do you just take it apart and put it all into your checked bag and carry-on. Or, do you have another system all together. Do you just leave it at home and travel light, or do you opt to not travel at all? Or am I just crazy and paranoid? That might actually be the case. 

Any advice would be much appreciated! Even if you’re just telling me I’m crazy and need to calm down. 😉 

-Crysis

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AdviceGearSkills

Alternatives for packing Yaesu FT-60R cradle in BOB?

Jonnie PekelnyContributor - October 8, 2021

This is another newbie ham radio question. I’ve packed my Yaesu FT-60R in my BOB and was about to pack the cradle that goes with it, but jeez, all that adds up to a lot of bulk! I already have a 12V cigarette lighter adapter for charging the Yaesu in my BOB. Unlike the wall adapter, it doesn’t need the cradle. But I would feel better if I had an alternative to charging from a car in a bug out scenario — what if I don’t have access to a car? Same also goes for a sheltering in place scenario when the power is out, although in that case, bulk isn’t an issue. I’m wondering what options are available? I did look at this third party USB charger cable, but I don’t know how well it works and I’m not sure whether it still requires the cradle.

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Gear