Active New Top (30 days) Compact Card Getting home, bugging out, evacuating Bill Masen - August 20, 2021 This is quite brief, sooooo if you live in one place and commute to work / school etc and you have a plan to get home or bug out PDQ if something goes wrong…………. Does your area suffer from the risk of Flashfloods, Wildfires, Quakes, Tsunamis, Landslides or Avalanches etc then you need to consider a few points. 1 Normally when trouble turns up on a communities doorstep the first thing people have a habit of doing is jumping into the car and heading for the Freeway / Motorway. This very often leads to total gridlock and traffic chaos within minutes. You need Alternative routes if and where possible. And possibly alternative means of transport. Some years ago I read of people in the PNW who had boats , microlights, light aircraft, even helicopters which were positioned for a quick evac if neccessary (Though I dont know the validity of a boat in a Tsunami risk) . Though Bicycles, Motorcycles, Horses and 4×4 mules and quads were more affordable and popular alternatives. Either way the major highway routes are more than likely to be gridlocked very quickly, and possibly in ruins if the issue is Landslide or Quake. Your best route will nearly always involve NOT using Bridges, Tunnels, Mountainside roads or through Forests, But I accept its not always possible to avoid having to use such vulnerable routes. So if possible PERSONALLY Recce / Recon as many alternatives as you can find. And revisit them occasionally to ensure they are still open, and try to avoid vulnerable structures. 2 If you face inundation from flash floods or tsunamis or burst reservoirs your route out should ideally avoid any travel that involves going DOWNHILL, Common sense I know, but its not uncommon for folks to not do a realtime recce of their escape routes. I know of one fellow here in the UK whose original B O route involved crossing a river, but what he assumed was a bridge was in fact only a FORDING PLACE which for much of the year was under 4 feet of water. And flood water from failed dams or tsunamis can outruns cars easily so GO UP not DOWNHILL. 3 Disasters dont make appointments, and they can affect HUGE areas. If your BO/Get home plans rely upon motor vehicles please I beg you to consider TWO options. (A) never EVER let your fuel tank get under 50% full, EVER. (B) consider keeping one or two extra full fuel cans in your boot (UK) Trunk (US) . During a Hurricane in FLA some people bugged out with full tanks and extra fuels but still ran out in Nowheresville Georgia after heavy traffic caused a 14 hour crawl at 10 MPH which used up their fuel reserves. The Fuel (UK) Gas (US) stations they were not dry were closed by either the police or owners. 4 Forget Public Transport in all contingency plans, chances are if its not knocked out by the disaster it will be cancelled as a safety precaution or the staff will have bugged out themselves. 5 By all means assist friends and close neighbours if you SAFELY can, but under no circumstances get involved with strangers. During disasters whilst goodness and kindness is common but so is panic driven selfishness and criminality. Read More 5 9 NZ is back lockdown LBV - August 20, 2021 Yesterday (Tuesday) there was 1 positive community case of Covid. The government announced a Level 4 Lockdown from Midnight. 3 days for the entire country, and 7 days for Auckland and the Coromandel. Apparently there was a run on supermarkets and hardware stores – food and diy. The lockdown requires only essential stores stay open. Mandatory mask use on public transport and in stores. Read More 5 5 Storing emergency cash in a car safe Barb LeeContributor - August 18, 2021 We’ve been pondering the best place to stash a little emergency cash, and we’ve come to the conclusion that our new car may be the best place, if we can protect the money from smash and grab types. I’ve found a safe by Tuffy that is made specifically for our vehicle. It would be screwed in (to plastic, I confess) and covered by the console lid. It is legal for safe gun storage (not my issue). It doesn’t depend on a cable to secure it. We live where burglary is a very low likelihood, and we never go anywhere, except to the grocery store mostly, so the vehicle has little exposure to theft or vandalism. I would very much appreciate opinions on this idea! Read More 12 30 ♨️ How much cooking fuel for 2 weeks? Lowell - August 18, 2021 Having 2 weeks of food & water at home is a basic preparedness tenet. If the grid is out while I’m going through these reserves, I’d need enough fuel for my Jetboil to boil all the water for my emergency food supply. Based on my calculations, a single 450g canister ($10) would be enough to boil all the water I’d need for my partner and I to eat 14 days of Mountain House meals. Does that sound right to y’all? Have I made an error in my calculations? Read More 7 16 AdviceGearScenarios Wildfire preparedness and mindset – How to evacuate quickly, safely wildfireexpert - August 17, 2021 In July 2018, I wrote two articles for an online news magazine, “East County Magazine”: “PEACE OF MIND” 3-10 MINUTE EVACUATION PLAN FOR WILDFIRES PART 1, and “PEACE OF MIND” 3-10-MINUTE EVACUATION PLAN FOR WILDFIRES PART 2 Thirteen months later, much of the “Peace of Mind” I’d written about in Wildfires Part 2, was greatly reduced when I received a Non-Renewal Notice from my insurance company. I was, however, able to obtain government mandated insurance of last-resort for homes in areas prone to wildfires via the California Fair Plan insurance. (Twice as much money, and much less coverage.) Expensive or not, insurance is critical to your peace-of-mind if you live in a wildfire-prone area. On the news, you’ll see distraught people after every fire saying “We’ve lost everything!” In my opinion, there are two categories of importance: stuff and people. Stuff can be replaced, people cannot. The mindset of the importance of Stuff and People needs to be considered BEFORE a catastrophic loss. Nothing is worth the life of a family member or friend who stayed too long to protect Stuff from burning. In the 2003 Cedars wildfire in California, 15 people lost their lives. In the 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County in California, 88 people lost their lives. The information learned since I wrote those articles in July 2018 is the same. To distill the articles: DO NOT WAIT FOR ANYONE TO TELL YOU TO EVACUATE–LEAVE EARLY! People on theprepared.com have a different mindset about catastrophic events. The definition of preparedness is “a state of readiness, especially for ___________”(fill in the blanks). In this case, it’s wildfire. If there is a possibility of wildfire near you, fill your car with gas, park it next to your front door pointed out in the direction of travel, review your exit roads (use the Paper Map of the area you bought earlier). Take the hour or so to pre-pack the car. Then DO NOT WAIT FOR ANYONE TO TELL YOU TO EVACUATE–LEAVE EARLY. It may cost a family $200 to $300 for a hotel room and about 2 hours work to pack and unpack if no fire reaches your home. Money and time well spent. I could spend hours providing specific information about wildfire dynamics, insurance in urban-interface areas, and the many, many reasons why you need to leave early. However, if you follow the advice provided in Wildfires Part 1 and 2, AND if you pre-prepare your mindset and that of your family to leave everything behind and drive to safety–you’ll be ready. I have completely evacuated three times and been ready to leave about 5 times. My home only burned down once. Read More 16 69 Advice A fevered planet & the rise of fungal pathogens CamilleContributor - August 15, 2021 This information seemed relevant for other preppers to be aware of, and the scientific article linked is fairly new as it was published in April 2021: A professor of mine recently brought up how in the past, fungal pathogens have not been major health concerns for humans the way viral and bacterial pathogens have been. She spoke about how this was due to the fact that the majority of (although certainly not all) fungal pathogens don’t thrive at the temperature the typical human body is at, because it is much too warm for them. Essentially: “For the vast majority of fungal species, the capacity to grow at elevated temperatures limits their ability to infect and establish in mammals. However, fungi can be trained to evolve thermotolerance” (Nnadi et al). As the planet is essentially fevered and we see global warming (IPCC Report) the freedom we have previously enjoyed from the threat of fungal pathogens may be coming to an end as “gradual adaptation to increasing temperature caused by climate change could lead to an increase of organisms that can cause disease.” (Nnadi et al.) Warming the planet means that fungal pathogens are adapting to survive and thrive at higher temperatures, temperatures that are far closer to a human’s body temperature than we should be comfortable with. “In addition, climate change can increase the geographic range of pathogenic species or their vectors, leading to the emergence of diseases in areas where they have not previously been reported.” (Nnadi et al.) This is a major cause for concern because “fungi can arguably pose equal or even greater threats [than viruses and bacteria]: There are no vaccines available yet for fungal pathogens, the arsenal of antifungal agents is extremely limited, and fungi can live saprotrophically, producing large quantities of infectious spores and do not require host-to-host contact to establish infection. Indeed, fungi seem to be uniquely capable of causing complete host extinction.” (Nnadi et al.) Figure from Climate change and the emergence of fungal pathogens (Nnandi et al.) Official Citations of the Linked Sources: Nnadi NE, Carter DA (2021) Climate change and the emergence of fungal pathogens. PLOS Pathogens 17(4): e1009503. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1009503 IPCC, 2021: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Masson-Delmotte, V., P. Zhai, A. Pirani, S. L. Connors, C. Péan, S. Berger, N. Caud, Y. Chen, L. Goldfarb, M. I. Gomis, M. Huang, K. Leitzell, E. Lonnoy, J.B.R. Matthews, T. K. Maycock, T. Waterfield, O. Yelekçi, R. Yu and B. Zhou (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press. In Press. Read More 11 21 NewsScenarios Figure from Climate change and the emergence of fungal pathogens (Nnandi et al.) Where do you keep your BOB ham radios and how do you store them? Jonnie PekelnyContributor - August 15, 2021 This is a quick question for (radio) hams. Not those of you who have radio gear up to your ears in every space you occupy, but those who just have radios for emergencies (are there any hams like that?) I have one main, handheld Yaesu FT-60R radio, which I intend to have handy for emergencies. I do also have one spare, cheap, Baofeng handheld radio, but I’ve decided that that’s not emergency-worthy, so it’s just sitting in my basement. However, for the Yaesu, my plan is to store it in my BOB and to take it out of my BOB when I want to use it at home. I know, we’re discouraged from double dipping, but it seems silly to spend money for another, identical Yaesu when the one I have is sitting just a few feet away in my BOB. My question is, how do you store these? I could just seal the radio in a plastic bag and throw it in the BOB, but that seems a little precarious? Second, followup bonus question. I was considering keeping the cheap Baofeng in my car, but I understand that the batteries don’t do well in heat and can possibly catch fire! Which makes me wonder where people keep their mobile radios? Read More 5 9 Tracking consumption rate Bigwig - August 15, 2021 I took this ‘time of opportunity’ to start tracking the consumption rate of some of the products we use. Specifically, the rate of use of paper products such as toilet paper, paper towel, and tissue paper. For toilet paper and paper towel, I just simply collected the cores over time. I know this isn’t an exact science, since we may use different size rolls, but it gave me a a good approximation of the weekly and monthly consumption rate. Knowing my inventory, I can now predict how long my inventory would last. Did anyone else use this time to track consumption rates? Read More 6 7 Gamifying preparedness for children Matt Black - August 13, 2021 I recently went on a binge and ordered a bunch of materials from FEMA via Ready.gov. I plan to distribute the printed materials to loved ones, family, and neighbors. I’m also making moves toward my own CERT certification and I’m simultaneously refreshing First Aid training, so, I view these materials as a refresher to my own preparedness. Among these materials, I ordered Ready 2 Help – a card game geared toward developing skills in younger ones when facing a crisis or disaster. Of course, since this is geared toward children, they’re not going to be presented with the sort of gruesome, SHTF stuff that you or I might consider, but this will get that essential part of the brain thinking. And thinking is an important skill! I’ll spare you anything seeming like a hard sell and will just push on with the images so you can decide for yourself. Links after the break. Ready 2 Help Playing Card Deck Players are presented with an EMERGENCY scenario. Each player responds by throwing appropriate skill cards at the scenario. There are 5 types of skills cards (4 shown here). Each is color coded to help players learn what skills are appropriate to the scenario. Game play also includes Wild Cards and Work Together Cards to enhance game play and build cooperation. Oh, and there are a lot of EMERGENCY (scenario) cards. FEMA also produces a companion book to the card game. ______________________________________ You can find Ready 2 Help on Ready.gov’s order page: https://orders.gpo.gov/icpd/ICPD.aspx or https://community.fema.gov/game_download?lang=en_US Read More 7 3 AdviceScenariosSkills N95/NIOSH mask sizing for women? Ryan - August 12, 2021 Hello all, having a bit of trouble finding small/women’s sizing for N95/NIOSH masks and was wondering if anyone could point me towards the right product? Currently sitting on a couple of boxes of 3M 8210 masks, which fit me (male), but which don’t fit my wife (e.g. she can still smell odor through it). Did some searching on the website and Google, but haven’t found anything concrete, mostly KN95s in pastel colors. Unfortunately, half-face/full-face respirators won’t fit the bill for this particular need, as she can’t wear them at her work (school). Thanks! Read More 9 6 AdviceGear CNN airing short film that’s partly about TP and this community John AdamaStaff - August 12, 2021 Just wrote up details on the blog, but wanted to share here too. Premiers on CNN’s TV channel this Saturday Aug 7th. First airing at 9pm ET, second at 9pm PT. We were excited to participate in this — we got multiple of our families together and spent many days with the crew — because it was pitched as a serious look at how rational people from all walks of life are taking steps to be more self reliant. Tune in… at worst, you’ll have plenty of ways to make fun of me and others on the team 🙂 Edit: I just saw the film and it’s much better than the crappy marketing made it seem. I hate that it’s anchored around bunkers. But it starts off focusing on the “community” part of a bunker community. Then I/TP come in to say that bunkers are way down the priority list, how the community is growing and diverse, there are sane steps everyone can take without moving to a rural bunker, etc. I think CNN’s marketing dept (separate from the actual filmmakers) have this idea that they’ll hook in people with the “bunker porn” and then by the end of the show they’ve expanded their horizons. Not the approach I would take — especially anchoring the narrative around bunkers — but it’s one of the better attempts at this that I’ve seen on mainstream media. Read More 15 34 MetaNews “Grey Man” vs “Hard Target” Caliber Carpenter - August 11, 2021 It’s been brought up before in several discussions already but I figured it would be good to have an entire thread dedicated to it. So let’s hear your thoughts on Grey Man vs Hard Target strategies and when each should apply. My personal opinion is that they are entirely subjective and depend on your scenario and surroundings as to which will be more effective. I will say I believe that whichever you choose to do in the moment you need to go all the way to one side or the other. If you’re trying to go Grey Man, you need to completely blend, nothing that will stick out in the slightest. I personally think the molle on backpacks is a pointless argument for anything over a typical school sized backpack, anything bigger than that is likely to draw attention no matter what it looks like. People are used to seeing small to mid size backpacks every day, they are not used to seeing full size rucks, no matter what kind. My personal “Grey Man” loadout if I had to do any sort of urban evasion (which hopefully I wouldn’t) would be jeans, a hoody, nondescript ball cap, sunglasses, and my Swiss gear mid size backpack. No visible weaponry or other gear whatsoever. Curious to hear what everyone else’s thoughts and ideal loadouts would be. Read More 17 34 GearScenarios Brit Professor provides clear picture of “Variants” Bob - August 11, 2021 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/07/prof-francois-balloux-the-pandemic-has-created-a-market-for-gloom-and-doom Good morning, Yes, this newspaper plots out on the political spectrum at the usual band….Some articles like above link are well written with clearly-presented material. Link is an interview with a Professor Balloux of University College London. The professor provides clarity to the growing list of COVID variants. Article does contain expression “doom and gloom”, but the clarity Professor Balloux presents is about focus and reality. He had COVID-19 and explains in interview that a much longer recovery time is needed than the current info. Well worth reading – at least IMO. Hopefully of value. Read More 5 5 Anyone know of any gluten-free MREs? LCS - August 10, 2021 So far I have just used gluten-free granola bars in my bug out bag. I’d like something more calorie dense, that takes up less space, and has a longer shelf life. Read More 11 8 Gear How to harvest amaranth seeds Josh CentersContributor - August 9, 2021 If you’re growing amaranth in your garden this year, you might be wondering how the heck to harvest the grains. Our pal David the Good published a video on how to harvest them. Read More 8 6 Advice Axe or Saw Darkworldxl - August 7, 2021 I live in the Northeastern USA and I’m wondering which tool is preferred. For context I have a bag that has both a saw and an axe but I want to reduce its weight. I decided I want to forgo one of them. I have a Gransfor Bruks Small Forest Axe and a Silky Gomboy. I want to hear the pros and cons from everyone. I am an Eagle Scout and have experience with axes and I’m currently leaning toward the axe. Read More 7 7 Emergency toilet – bedside commode chair Bigwig - August 6, 2021 While I’ve seen a number of options for an emergency toilet, I’ve never seen using a bedside commode chair. An image of one is in the link below: https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/productImages/1000/02/02ba2a43-32b9-4632-9ab9-bab8c459ec3a_1000.jpg Most affordable options are a bucket with a toilet seat. I would think the advantages are: More comfortable – as it is purpose-built. It also has a frame and handles to make it more stable for the user. Cost-effective – the cost is not much more than a 5 gallon bucket and a bucket-specific toilet seat. Portable – can be folded up. Any thoughts on why a bedside commode chair is not being recommended? What are the downsides? Read More 8 17 AdviceGear Best way to store paper products to avoid mice Jen - August 6, 2021 I am a new prepper and looking for the best way to store tp and other paper for the long term. I live in a rural area so mice are an issue. I was thinking a military metal locker but am not seeing where I can buy one in good shape. Thanks! Read More 6 12 Gear Armed citizens defend their neighborhoods against extreme civil unrest and looting in South Africa Bill Masen - August 6, 2021 This is what I fear reaching the UK and UK from SA. Read More 9 28 Scenarios Smelling Scepter container, safe for water? Nick - August 4, 2021 Good morning! I bought a couple of brand new scepter water containers for water storage. My plan is to cycle them every 6 months. However, I’m still a bit concerned about filling them since they have that strong plastic smell. I already washed them out once and have them sitting there open for a couple of days but it still smells. Now I’m wondering if I can still use the container or if I should wait until the smell is gone. I haven’t used bleach for disinfecting yet so I could still wash it out again. I’m just not sure if the smell will affect the taste or even has an impact on the water quality. Any ideas? Thanks! Read More 7 9 Advice Which Go Bag backpack(s) do you like and why? Lowell - August 2, 2021 A couple months ago, I bought myself a 5.11 RUSH72 so that I could get started on my GB. I had spent a couple hours looking through the recommendations in the 45-55L premium section of this article, but gave up after feeling overwhelmed by a combination of the lack of reviews, the prices, and the lack of off-the-shelf internal organization compared to the RUSH72. Although an OK stop-gap, the RUSH72 doesn’t seem like the right fit for me. I went on a 9 mile hike yesterday, and my back/shoulders were killing me. I originally had attachments set up like in the photo below, and then my partner advised me to move these to the sides of the backpack which was a big help! However, even after that, I couldn’t get the back to fit right. I think a big part of this is that I cant cinch the waist straps down tightly enough; I’ve got a ~35″ waist, and the tightest these straps went still left some room. Somewhat relatedly, my buddy has the same pack, and the buckle broke just from tightening it! Also, the straps are notably less smooth than my Osprey Atmos AG. The Best bug out bag survival backpack article isn’t quite as sharply opinionated as others on this site in terms of *exactly* which options people prefer and for what reasons, so I’m opening it up to y’all: Which Go Bag backpack(s) do like and why? , Read More 20 55 AdviceGear , How do I prepare while off at college? Pizza Ninja - August 2, 2021 I just got accepted to a college out of state to study marine biology and this will be my first time living on my own. Well, with whatever roommates the college sets me up with. I will be living in the dorms this first year which brings with it a mandatory meal plan, which has it’s pros and cons. I don’t want to just rely on the college to feed me though. Even though they probably won’t leave us starving, I know that things can happen and want to be prepared. Hence why I am here. I also won’t have much room to store things like a generator or gas cans, but I am dedicating the area under my bed as my emergency supply stash. The beds are nice though and can be raised two feet in the air for plenty of space. Any other advice for someone going out into the world for the first time? I am pretty nervous…, but excited -Tim Read More 13 18 ‘Ten Acres Enough’ – A book on self sufficiency Barb LeeContributor - July 31, 2021 I was just recently recalling this book, which was much touted in Small Farmer’s Journal a few decades ago. The full title is Ten Acres Enough, A Practical Experience Showing How A Very Small Farm May Be Made To Keep A Very Large Family. It was published in 1866. I found the book for free on Google Books. It’s also been reprinted in this century. I used to have a copy of it. All I can remember of the book is how exceedingly intense the work seemed to be, but it was quite a slice of reality. I thought it might be interesting reading for those striving to become self sufficient. Just go to Google Books and enter Ten Acres Enough to read it for free. I’m going back for a read with much older and wiser eyes. Read More 6 4 Intro article for types of injections Bob - July 30, 2021 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/types-of-injections#intraosseous Good morning, Above link is a good intro to injections. Ideal for some preppers to have some familiarity. Ref para 1; They’re also known as “jabs” – at least in Hong Kong and UK. A non-health care person can also administer vaccines in some circumstances. It’s been done before. Don’t do any of this self-help stuff without getting some actual in person training with the required education involved in your particular situation. Not too sure which is which – auto versus jet – but the spring-leaded stringes are great when out in the thorns, sticks or elsewhere out of reach of an ALS – Advanced Life Support – clinic (ie more than Boy Scout/Girl Scout, CERT care. Some big city fire departments, besides their EMTs, EMT-Ps and Para folks teach “intersseod” (spelling – the bone marrow delivery type). Personally speaking, I’d trust them no less so than what passes for physicians nowadays. Didn’t know that root canals were “complex” dental procedures. For some years in retirement, I’ve been doing volunteer work with dentists and perhaps it’s a calibration matter. The dentists I have breakfast with when out in the field, don’t refer to root canals as “complex”. Perhaps with dangerous pain involving prevention of shock/loss of vital sign(s), it’s deemed “complex”. If considering self-administering anything with a string, do get some formal, in person training and education. The Army used to issue 3 (memory fading) auto-inject stringes along with gas mask in case of nuclear war of some sort. Again, I consider link to be a good intro article for preppers. Read More 5 2 < Prev 1 2 3 … 39 40 41 … 60 61 62 Next > Recently Active Fun ways to teach kids outdoor/survival skills - 6 days agoNews for the week of 2025-06-30 - 7 days agoNews for the week of 2025-06-23 - 2 weeks agoNews for the week of 2025-06-16 - 2 weeks agoNews for the week of 2025-06-09 - 4 weeks 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

Getting home, bugging out, evacuating

Bill Masen - August 20, 2021

This is quite brief, sooooo if you live in one place and commute to work / school etc and you have a plan to get home or bug out PDQ if something goes wrong………….

Does your area suffer from the risk of Flashfloods, Wildfires, Quakes, Tsunamis,  Landslides or Avalanches etc then you need to consider a few points.

1 Normally when trouble turns up on a communities doorstep the first thing people have a habit of doing is jumping into the car and heading for the Freeway / Motorway. This very often leads to total gridlock and traffic chaos within minutes. You need Alternative routes if and where possible. And possibly alternative means of transport. 

Some years ago I read of people in the PNW who had boats , microlights, light aircraft, even helicopters which were positioned for a quick evac if neccessary (Though I dont know the validity of a boat in a Tsunami risk) . Though Bicycles, Motorcycles, Horses and 4×4 mules and quads were more affordable and popular alternatives. Either way the major highway routes are more than likely to be gridlocked very quickly, and possibly in ruins if the issue is Landslide or Quake.

Your best route will nearly always involve NOT using Bridges, Tunnels, Mountainside roads or through Forests, But I accept its not always possible to avoid having to use such vulnerable routes.  So if possible PERSONALLY Recce / Recon as many alternatives as you can find. And revisit them occasionally to ensure they are still open, and try to avoid vulnerable structures.

2 If you face inundation from flash floods or tsunamis or burst reservoirs your route out should ideally avoid any travel that involves going DOWNHILL, Common sense I know, but its not uncommon for folks to not do a realtime recce of their escape routes.

I know of one fellow here in the UK whose original B O route involved crossing a river, but what he assumed was a bridge was in fact only a FORDING PLACE which for much of the year was under 4 feet of water. And flood water from failed dams or tsunamis can outruns cars easily so GO UP not DOWNHILL.

3 Disasters dont make appointments, and they can affect HUGE areas. If your BO/Get home plans rely upon motor vehicles  please I beg you to consider TWO options. (A) never EVER let your fuel tank get under 50% full, EVER. (B) consider keeping one or two extra full fuel cans in your boot (UK) Trunk (US) . During a Hurricane in FLA some people bugged out with full tanks and extra fuels but still ran out in Nowheresville Georgia after heavy traffic caused a 14 hour crawl at 10 MPH which used up their fuel reserves. The Fuel (UK) Gas (US) stations they were not dry were closed by either the police or owners.

4 Forget Public Transport in all contingency plans, chances are if its not knocked out by the disaster it will be cancelled as a safety precaution or the staff will have bugged out themselves.

5 By all means assist friends and close neighbours if you SAFELY can, but under no circumstances get involved with strangers. During disasters whilst goodness and kindness is common but so is panic driven selfishness and criminality.

Read More

5

9

NZ is back lockdown

LBV - August 20, 2021

Yesterday (Tuesday) there was 1 positive community case of Covid. The government announced a Level 4 Lockdown from Midnight. 3 days for the entire country, and 7 days for Auckland and the Coromandel. Apparently there was a run on supermarkets and hardware stores – food and diy. 

The lockdown requires only essential stores stay open. Mandatory mask use on public transport and in stores.

Read More

5

5

Storing emergency cash in a car safe

Barb LeeContributor - August 18, 2021

We’ve been pondering the best place to stash a little emergency cash, and we’ve come to the conclusion that our new car may be the best place, if we can protect the money from smash and grab types.

I’ve found a safe by Tuffy that is made specifically for our vehicle.  It would be screwed in (to plastic, I confess) and covered by the console lid.  It is legal for safe gun storage (not my issue). It doesn’t depend on a cable to secure it.

We live where burglary is a very low likelihood, and we never go anywhere, except to the grocery store mostly, so the vehicle has little exposure to theft or vandalism.

I would very much appreciate opinions on this idea!

Read More

12

30

♨️ How much cooking fuel for 2 weeks?

Lowell - August 18, 2021

Having 2 weeks of food & water at home is a basic preparedness tenet.

If the grid is out while I’m going through these reserves, I’d need enough fuel for my Jetboil to boil all the water for my emergency food supply.

Based on my calculations, a single 450g canister ($10) would be enough to boil all the water I’d need for my partner and I to eat 14 days of Mountain House meals. Does that sound right to y’all? Have I made an error in my calculations?

  

Read More

7

16

AdviceGearScenarios

 

Wildfire preparedness and mindset – How to evacuate quickly, safely

wildfireexpert - August 17, 2021

In July 2018, I wrote two articles for an online news magazine, “East County Magazine”:  “PEACE OF MIND” 3-10 MINUTE EVACUATION PLAN FOR WILDFIRES PART 1, and “PEACE OF MIND” 3-10-MINUTE EVACUATION PLAN FOR WILDFIRES PART 2

Thirteen months later, much of the “Peace of Mind” I’d written about in Wildfires Part 2, was greatly reduced when I received a Non-Renewal Notice from my insurance company.  I was, however, able to obtain government mandated insurance of last-resort for homes in areas prone to wildfires via the California Fair Plan insurance.  (Twice as much money, and much less coverage.)  

Expensive or not, insurance is critical to your peace-of-mind if you live in a wildfire-prone area.  On the news, you’ll see distraught people after every fire saying “We’ve lost everything!”  In my opinion, there are two categories of importance:   stuff and people.   Stuff can be replaced, people cannot.  

The mindset of the importance of Stuff and People needs to be considered BEFORE a catastrophic loss.   Nothing is worth the life of a family member or friend who stayed too long to protect Stuff from burning.   In the 2003 Cedars wildfire in California, 15 people lost their lives.  In the 2018 Camp Fire in Butte County in California, 88 people lost their lives.  

The information learned since I wrote those articles in July 2018 is the same.  To distill the articles:

DO NOT WAIT FOR ANYONE TO TELL YOU TO EVACUATE–LEAVE EARLY!

People on theprepared.com have a different mindset about catastrophic events.   The definition of preparedness is “a state of readiness, especially for ___________”(fill in the blanks).    In this case, it’s wildfire.  

If there is a possibility of wildfire near you, fill your car with gas, park it next to your front door pointed out in the direction of travel, review your exit roads (use the Paper Map of the area you bought earlier).  Take the hour or so to pre-pack the car.    Then DO NOT WAIT FOR ANYONE TO TELL YOU TO EVACUATE–LEAVE EARLY.  It may cost a family $200 to $300 for a hotel room and about 2 hours work to pack and unpack if no fire reaches your home.   Money and time well spent.

I could spend hours providing specific information about wildfire dynamics, insurance in urban-interface areas, and the many, many reasons why you need to leave early.    However, if you follow the advice provided in Wildfires Part 1 and 2, AND if you pre-prepare your mindset and that of your family to leave everything behind and drive to safety–you’ll be ready.

I have completely evacuated three times and been ready to leave about 5 times.  My home only burned down once.   

Read More

16

69

Advice

A fevered planet & the rise of fungal pathogens

CamilleContributor - August 15, 2021

This information seemed relevant for other preppers to be aware of, and the scientific article linked is fairly new as it was published in April 2021:

A professor of mine recently brought up how in the past, fungal pathogens have not been major health concerns for humans the way viral and bacterial pathogens have been. She spoke about how this was due to the fact that the majority of (although certainly not all) fungal pathogens don’t thrive at the temperature the typical human body is at, because it is much too warm for them. Essentially: “For the vast majority of fungal species, the capacity to grow at elevated temperatures limits their ability to infect and establish in mammals. However, fungi can be trained to evolve thermotolerance” (Nnadi et al).

 

As the planet is essentially fevered and we see global warming (IPCC Report) the freedom we have previously enjoyed from the threat of fungal pathogens may be coming to an end as “gradual adaptation to increasing temperature caused by climate change could lead to an increase of organisms that can cause disease.” (Nnadi et al.) Warming the planet means that fungal pathogens are adapting to survive and thrive at higher temperatures, temperatures that are far closer to a human’s body temperature than we should be comfortable with. “In addition, climate change can increase the geographic range of pathogenic species or their vectors, leading to the emergence of diseases in areas where they have not previously been reported.” (Nnadi et al.)

 

This is a major cause for concern because “fungi can arguably pose equal or even greater threats [than viruses and bacteria]: There are no vaccines available yet for fungal pathogens, the arsenal of antifungal agents is extremely limited, and fungi can live saprotrophically, producing large quantities of infectious spores and do not require host-to-host contact to establish infection. Indeed, fungi seem to be uniquely capable of causing complete host extinction.” (Nnadi et al.)

 

 Figure from Climate change and the emergence of fungal pathogens (Nnandi et al.)

Official Citations of the Linked Sources:

 Nnadi NE, Carter DA (2021) Climate change and the emergence of fungal pathogens. PLOS Pathogens 17(4): e1009503. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1009503

 IPCC, 2021: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Masson-Delmotte, V., P. Zhai, A. Pirani, S. L. Connors, C. Péan, S. Berger, N. Caud, Y. Chen, L. Goldfarb, M. I. Gomis, M. Huang, K. Leitzell, E. Lonnoy, J.B.R. Matthews, T. K. Maycock, T. Waterfield, O. Yelekçi, R. Yu and B. Zhou (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press. In Press. 

Read More

11

21

NewsScenarios

Figure from Climate change and the emergence of fungal pathogens (Nnandi et al.)

Where do you keep your BOB ham radios and how do you store them?

Jonnie PekelnyContributor - August 15, 2021

This is a quick question for (radio) hams. Not those of you who have radio gear up to your ears in every space you occupy, but those who just have radios for emergencies (are there any hams like that?) I have one main, handheld Yaesu FT-60R radio, which I intend to have handy for emergencies. I do also have one spare, cheap, Baofeng handheld radio, but I’ve decided that that’s not emergency-worthy, so it’s just sitting in my basement.

However, for the Yaesu, my plan is to store it in my BOB and to take it out of my BOB when I want to use it at home. I know, we’re discouraged from double dipping, but it seems silly to spend money for another, identical Yaesu when the one I have is sitting just a few feet away in my BOB. My question is, how do you store these? I could just seal the radio in a plastic bag and throw it in the BOB, but that seems a little precarious?

Second, followup bonus question. I was considering keeping the cheap Baofeng in my car, but I understand that the batteries don’t do well in heat and can possibly catch fire! Which makes me wonder where people keep their mobile radios?

Read More

5

9

Tracking consumption rate

Bigwig - August 15, 2021

I took this ‘time of opportunity’ to start tracking the consumption rate of some of the products we use.  Specifically, the rate of use of paper products such as toilet paper, paper towel, and tissue paper.  For toilet paper and paper towel, I just simply collected the cores over time.  I know this isn’t an exact science, since we may use different size rolls, but it gave me a a good approximation of the weekly and monthly consumption rate.  Knowing my inventory, I can now predict how long my inventory would last.

Did anyone else use this time to track consumption rates?

Read More

6

7

Gamifying preparedness for children

Matt Black - August 13, 2021

I recently went on a binge and ordered a bunch of materials from FEMA via Ready.gov. I plan to distribute the printed materials to loved ones, family, and neighbors. I’m also making moves toward my own CERT certification and I’m simultaneously refreshing First Aid training, so, I view these materials as a refresher to my own preparedness.

Among these materials, I ordered Ready 2 Help – a card game geared toward developing skills in younger ones when facing a crisis or disaster.

Of course, since this is geared toward children, they’re not going to be presented with the sort of gruesome, SHTF stuff that you or I might consider, but this will get that essential part of the brain thinking. And thinking is an important skill! I’ll spare you anything seeming like a hard sell and will just push on with the images so you can decide for yourself. Links after the break.

Ready 2 Help Playing Card Deck

Players are presented with an EMERGENCY scenario.

Each player responds by throwing appropriate skill cards at the scenario. There are 5 types of skills cards (4 shown here). Each is color coded to help players learn what skills are appropriate to the scenario.

Game play also includes Wild Cards and Work Together Cards to enhance game play and build cooperation.

Oh, and there are a lot of EMERGENCY (scenario) cards.

FEMA also produces a companion book to the card game.

______________________________________

You can find Ready 2 Help on Ready.gov’s order page:

https://orders.gpo.gov/icpd/ICPD.aspx

or

https://community.fema.gov/game_download?lang=en_US

Read More

7

3

AdviceScenariosSkills

N95/NIOSH mask sizing for women?

Ryan - August 12, 2021

Hello all, having a bit of trouble finding small/women’s sizing for N95/NIOSH masks and was wondering if anyone could point me towards the right product? Currently sitting on a couple of boxes of 3M 8210 masks, which fit me (male), but which don’t fit my wife (e.g. she can still smell odor through it). Did some searching on the website and Google, but haven’t found anything concrete, mostly KN95s in pastel colors. Unfortunately, half-face/full-face respirators won’t fit the bill for this particular need, as she can’t wear them at her work (school). Thanks!

Read More

9

6

AdviceGear

CNN airing short film that’s partly about TP and this community

John AdamaStaff - August 12, 2021

Just wrote up details on the blog, but wanted to share here too. Premiers on CNN’s TV channel this Saturday Aug 7th. First airing at 9pm ET, second at 9pm PT.

We were excited to participate in this — we got multiple of our families together and spent many days with the crew — because it was pitched as a serious look at how rational people from all walks of life are taking steps to be more self reliant. 

Tune in… at worst, you’ll have plenty of ways to make fun of me and others on the team 🙂

Edit: I just saw the film and it’s much better than the crappy marketing made it seem. I hate that it’s anchored around bunkers. But it starts off focusing on the “community” part of a bunker community. Then I/TP come in to say that bunkers are way down the priority list, how the community is growing and diverse, there are sane steps everyone can take without moving to a rural bunker, etc.

I think CNN’s marketing dept (separate from the actual filmmakers) have this idea that they’ll hook in people with the “bunker porn” and then by the end of the show they’ve expanded their horizons. Not the approach I would take — especially anchoring the narrative around bunkers — but it’s one of the better attempts at this that I’ve seen on mainstream media.

Read More

15

34

MetaNews

“Grey Man” vs “Hard Target”

Caliber Carpenter - August 11, 2021

It’s been brought up before in several discussions already but I figured it would be good to have an entire thread dedicated to it. So let’s hear your thoughts on Grey Man vs Hard Target strategies and when each should apply.

My personal opinion is that they are entirely subjective and depend on your scenario and surroundings as to which will be more effective. I will say I believe that whichever you choose to do in the moment you need to go all the way to one side or the other. If you’re trying to go Grey Man, you need to completely blend, nothing that will stick out in the slightest. I personally think the molle on backpacks is a pointless argument for anything over a typical school sized backpack, anything bigger than that is likely to draw attention no matter what it looks like. People are used to seeing small to mid size backpacks every day, they are not used to seeing full size rucks, no matter what kind. My personal “Grey Man” loadout if I had to do any sort of urban evasion (which hopefully I wouldn’t) would be jeans, a hoody, nondescript ball cap, sunglasses, and my Swiss gear mid size backpack. No visible weaponry or other gear whatsoever.

Curious to hear what everyone else’s thoughts and ideal loadouts would be.

Read More

17

34

GearScenarios

Brit Professor provides clear picture of “Variants”

Bob - August 11, 2021

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/07/prof-francois-balloux-the-pandemic-has-created-a-market-for-gloom-and-doom

Good morning,

Yes, this newspaper plots out on the political spectrum at the usual band….Some articles like above link are well written with clearly-presented material.

Link is an interview with a Professor Balloux of University College London. The professor provides clarity to the growing list of COVID variants.

Article does contain expression “doom and gloom”, but the clarity Professor Balloux presents is about focus and reality. He had COVID-19 and explains in interview that a much longer recovery time is needed than the current info.

Well worth reading – at least IMO.

Hopefully of value.

Read More

5

5

Anyone know of any gluten-free MREs?

LCS - August 10, 2021

So far I have just used gluten-free granola bars in my bug out bag. I’d like something more calorie dense, that takes up less space, and has a longer shelf life.

Read More

11

8

Gear

How to harvest amaranth seeds

Josh CentersContributor - August 9, 2021

If you’re growing amaranth in your garden this year, you might be wondering how the heck to harvest the grains. Our pal David the Good published a video on how to harvest them.

Read More

8

6

Advice

Axe or Saw

Darkworldxl - August 7, 2021

I live in the Northeastern USA and I’m wondering which tool is preferred. For context I have a bag that has both a saw and an axe but I want to reduce its weight. I decided I want to forgo one of them. I have a Gransfor Bruks Small Forest Axe and a Silky Gomboy. I want to hear the pros and cons from everyone. I am an Eagle Scout and have experience with axes and I’m currently leaning toward the axe.

Read More

7

7

Emergency toilet – bedside commode chair

Bigwig - August 6, 2021

While I’ve seen a number of options for an emergency toilet, I’ve never seen using a bedside commode chair.  An image of one is in the link below:

https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/productImages/1000/02/02ba2a43-32b9-4632-9ab9-bab8c459ec3a_1000.jpg

Most affordable options are a bucket with a toilet seat.  I would think the advantages are:

More comfortable – as it is purpose-built.  It also has a frame and handles to make it more stable for the user. Cost-effective – the cost is not much more than a 5 gallon bucket and a bucket-specific toilet seat. Portable – can be folded up.

Any thoughts on why a bedside commode chair is not being recommended?  What are the downsides?

Read More

8

17

AdviceGear

Best way to store paper products to avoid mice

Jen - August 6, 2021

I am a new prepper and looking for the best way to store tp and other paper for the long term.  I live in a rural area so mice are an issue.  I was thinking a military metal locker but am not seeing where I can buy one in good shape.  Thanks!

Read More

6

12

Gear

Armed citizens defend their neighborhoods against extreme civil unrest and looting in South Africa

Bill Masen - August 6, 2021

This is what I fear reaching the UK and UK from SA. 

Read More

9

28

Scenarios

Smelling Scepter container, safe for water?

Nick - August 4, 2021

Good morning!

I bought a couple of brand new scepter water containers for water storage. My plan is to cycle them every 6 months. However, I’m still a bit concerned about filling them since they have that strong plastic smell. I already washed them out once and have them sitting there open for a couple of days but it still smells. Now I’m wondering if I can still use the container or if I should wait until the smell is gone. I haven’t used bleach for disinfecting yet so I could still wash it out again. I’m just not sure if the smell will affect the taste or even has an impact on the water quality. 

Any ideas? Thanks!

Read More

7

9

Advice

Which Go Bag backpack(s) do you like and why?

Lowell - August 2, 2021

A couple months ago, I bought myself a 5.11 RUSH72 so that I could get started on my GB. I had spent a couple hours looking through the recommendations in the 45-55L premium section of this article, but gave up after feeling overwhelmed by a combination of the lack of reviews, the prices, and the lack of off-the-shelf internal organization compared to the RUSH72.

Although an OK stop-gap, the RUSH72 doesn’t seem like the right fit for me. I went on a 9 mile hike yesterday, and my back/shoulders were killing me. I originally had attachments set up like in the photo below, and then my partner advised me to move these to the sides of the backpack which was a big help!

However, even after that, I couldn’t get the back to fit right. I think a big part of this is that I cant cinch the waist straps down tightly enough; I’ve got a ~35″ waist, and the tightest these straps went still left some room. Somewhat relatedly, my buddy has the same pack, and the buckle broke just from tightening it! Also, the straps are notably less smooth than my Osprey Atmos AG.

The Best bug out bag survival backpack article isn’t quite as sharply opinionated as others on this site in terms of *exactly* which options people prefer and for what reasons, so I’m opening it up to y’all: Which Go Bag backpack(s) do like and why?

, 

Read More

20

55

AdviceGear

, 

How do I prepare while off at college?

Pizza Ninja - August 2, 2021

I just got accepted to a college out of state to study marine biology and this will be my first time living on my own. Well, with whatever roommates the college sets me up with. I will be living in the dorms this first year which brings with it a mandatory meal plan, which has it’s pros and cons. 

I don’t want to just rely on the college to feed me though. Even though they probably won’t leave us starving, I know that things can happen and want to be prepared. Hence why I am here.

I also won’t have much room to store things like a generator or gas cans, but I am dedicating the area under my bed as my emergency supply stash. The beds are nice though and can be raised two feet in the air for plenty of space.

Any other advice for someone going out into the world for the first time? I am pretty nervous…, but excited

-Tim

Read More

13

18

‘Ten Acres Enough’ – A book on self sufficiency

Barb LeeContributor - July 31, 2021

I was just recently recalling this book, which was much touted in Small Farmer’s Journal a few decades ago.  The full title is Ten Acres Enough, A Practical Experience Showing How A Very Small Farm May Be Made To Keep A Very Large Family.

It was published in 1866.

I found the book for free on Google Books.  It’s also been reprinted in this century.  I used to have a copy of it.  All I can remember of the book is how exceedingly intense the work seemed to be, but it was quite a slice of reality.

I thought it might be interesting reading for those striving to become self sufficient.

Just go to Google Books and enter Ten Acres Enough to read it for free. I’m going back for a read with much older and wiser eyes.

Read More

6

4

Intro article for types of injections

Bob - July 30, 2021

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/types-of-injections#intraosseous

Good morning,

Above link is a good intro to injections. Ideal for some preppers to have some familiarity.

Ref para 1; They’re also known as “jabs” – at least in Hong Kong and UK. A non-health care person can also administer vaccines in some circumstances.  It’s been done before. Don’t do any of this self-help stuff without getting some actual in person training with the required education involved in your particular situation.

Not too sure which is which – auto versus jet – but the spring-leaded stringes are great when out in the thorns, sticks or elsewhere out of reach of an ALS – Advanced Life Support – clinic (ie more than Boy Scout/Girl Scout, CERT care.

Some big city fire departments, besides their EMTs, EMT-Ps and Para folks teach “intersseod” (spelling – the bone marrow delivery type). Personally speaking, I’d trust them no less so than what passes for physicians nowadays.

Didn’t know that root canals were “complex”  dental procedures. For some years in retirement, I’ve been doing volunteer work with dentists and perhaps it’s a calibration matter. The dentists I have breakfast with when out in the field, don’t refer to root canals as “complex”. Perhaps with dangerous pain involving prevention of shock/loss of vital sign(s), it’s deemed “complex”.

If considering self-administering anything with a string, do get some formal, in person training and education.

The Army used to issue 3 (memory fading) auto-inject stringes along with gas mask in case of nuclear war of some sort.

Again, I consider link to be a good intro article for preppers. 

Read More

5

2