Active New Top (30 days) Compact Card Should you regularly check the space weather forecast like you do the weather forecast? Mensch - May 28, 2021 I recently came across the website for NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/) that includes space weather forecasts (and potential on-the-ground impacts), and it got me thinking—should we regularly check the space weather forecast like we do the weather forecast? I imagine people in certain fields (e.g., power grid operators, satellite controllers) or with certain hobbies (e.g., ham radio) already know about NOAA’s space weather forecasts. But does it make sense for the general (prepared) public, who would most likely only be affected by the most severe space weather events, to… Read More 15 16 HoverGlide floating backpacks UbiqueContributor - May 27, 2021 Has anyone tried this backpack? It looks like it would reduce fatigue. https://www.hoverglidepacks.com/ Read More 13 15 Gear Complete preparedness and the importance of inspection, maintenance, repair and replacement of items UbiqueContributor - May 26, 2021 Here’s a few examples of what can happen if preppers don’t practice routine inspection, maintenance, repair and replacement of their items. An emergency alert is issued. You and your family, which includes two young children under seven years of age and a six month old infant are ordered to evacuate immediately. You are prepared and grab your BOB’s and other gear and load the family into the vehicle in record time. You don’t make it out of the driveway because you have a flat tire. When you attempt to change your flat tire, you discover that your spare is also… Read More 8 4 AdviceScenariosSkills Running a 55 gallon drum of water into household pipes George - May 26, 2021 I’m on a well, so when the power goes out, I don’t have any water. The power company shut off the power to work on the lines today, so I decided to test out my backup water scenario. I installed a water faucet in the side of a 55 gallon barrel, at the bottom. The drum had been used for food previously. I sanitized it with bleach and water, emptied it out and then filled it with water from the well. (For long term storage, I’ll use 5 drops of bleach per gallon in the water according to this site’s recommendation.) I closed the valve between the well and the house and connected a 5/8″ RV water hose to a faucet on the outside of the house. I opened the faucets on both the tank and the house. The bottom of the barrel is 4′ above the level of the house. I wasn’t expecting lots of pressure, but the toilet tank takes about 3 hours to refill, yet I can get a gallon of water from the bathroom sink, which is about 6″ higher, in… Read More 11 7 The Everyday Grommet (humor) Seasons4 - May 26, 2021 I recently received a mailed catalog listing educational courses on a wide range of topics available for purchase. I flipped through the pages, skimming the titles. One caught my eye — “The Everyday Grommet.” Hmmm, I thought, that sounds interesting. I didn’t know there were everyday grommets and special grommets. Imagine my disappointment when I read the title more carefully — “The Everyday Gourmet.” 😉 I give credit to Ubique for giving me grommet brain. Have you ever caught yourself making assumptions or reading something wrong because prepping was on your… Read More 9 3 Psychological First Aid Bob - May 26, 2021 https://relief.unboundmedicine.com/relief/view/PTSD-National-Center-for-PTSD/1230010/all/Introduction_and_Overview#:~:text=Psychological%20First%20Aid%20includes%20basic,activities%20in%20a%20flexible%20manner. Good morning, Link above is a comprehensive intro to psychological first aid. It’s responder-oriented but the principles and concepts mentioned can be used for one’s family, for self, for “stranger” disaster “victim” who appears out of nowhere into your immediate… Read More 10 16 Drought and how to prepare for food production UbiqueContributor - May 26, 2021 I am posting this separately so it doesn’t get lost in the original thread “Adventures in survival gardening: planting, sunstroke and aphid apocalypse” that led to this thread on “Drought and how to prepare for food production.” There are two more issues to deal with: I just came back in from finding a carpenter ant. Luckily, I had experience with them once and now I spray any vector points for entry into my home including up between the foundation and stucco to ensure they don’t get in the house that… Read More 19 46 Prepping for economic collapse UbiqueContributor - May 26, 2021 What does economic collapse mean to you? To me, economic collapse isn’t the stock exchange disaster of the 1930’s. It is the slow decay and crumbling of our independence and self-sufficiency. I used to move money. It could be a fifty-dollar transaction bound for Vietnam or a boat in Indonesia or a fifty million settlement heading to another bank. It was a very high stress position with zero margin for… Read More 14 19 AdviceScenarios An analysis of the movie Red Dawn JB - May 24, 2021 I love the movie Red Dawn. There is the 1984 original and then a 2012 remake under the same idea but with updated modern day action. Here’s a quick summary of the plot. Spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen it: Kids are attending school when all the sudden enemy paratroopers begin landing outside of their school and attacking. A small group of students are able to escape and flee to the mountains to their summer cabin. They then enact guerrilla warfare on the town below where all the adults and their fellow students are held as prisoners of war under the name of their high school mascot the… Read More 9 4 Scenarios Easy raised bed trellis Josh CentersContributor - May 24, 2021 Trellises are essential when growing vining plants like indeterminate tomatoes and pole beans. And they can help you maximize limited garden space. Here’s how to make an easy trellis for your raised beds. For each eight-foot long raised bed you’ll need: Three ten-foot lengths of 3/4-inch PVC Two 3/4″ elbow connectors and one t connector Three 18-inch lengths of 1/2-inch rebar String Screws or sticks (thin bamboo works… Read More 17 26 Advice Selecting water purification strategies, method and equipment for bug out and bug in scenario LNMOt - May 24, 2021 Hello! I’ve spent the better part of the last 10 months working hard on getting a 8-12 month food supply in place – I’m pretty much there. I’ve got the beginnings of a decent first aid kit / medicine stock, etc – more work to do here but I have a good base to build on. We have a solid plan for home and property defense. But when I take a good hard look at my preps, I realize my water prep situation is in need of some serious improvement. And since, without water safe drinking water, my 8-12 month supply of food will be pretty useless, I figure I should go ahead and get things corrected as soon as… Read More 14 14 AdviceGear What is some bad prepping advice? Mike Hill - May 24, 2021 I’m sure we all have received some bad prepping advice over the years. Be it from the unprepared, misinformed, uneducated, or it could have been good advice at the time but has since been debunked. Two come to mind right now: Your entire food storage consists of beans and rice. You get some big rambo knife and think that’s all you need to bug out… Read More 20 33 “Rethinking Disaster Readiness” Bob - May 22, 2021 COLUMN: Rethinking Disaster Readiness Before a Potentially Active Summer Good evening, This is an article well worth reading. Note “the private sector truly controls a community’s destiny; the same is true after a natural disaster”. The FEMA Community Lifeline doctrine has categories applicable for private citizen preppers… Read More 8 1 Insect cuisine Bob - May 21, 2021 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cicada-cookies-recipe/ Good afternoon, In all seriousness, subject topic could be worth researching for some. Above link has a recipe for the cicada… Read More 12 15 Re-purposing items like radiant heated floor systems to create better gardens and for other prepping needs UbiqueContributor - May 21, 2021 I woke up this morning with radiant heated floors on my mind. I wondered if it could be possible to use this kind of heated floor system in the base of a raised bed garden to warm the soil for germination, and later turn if off so that the germinated seeds can develop properly at a cooler temperature. Water doesn’t bother heater floor systems. They last 100 years according to the info I read this morning and they use about 300 watts which are less than the average space… Read More 11 14 Advice Changing the way you write LBV - May 20, 2021 Just been thinking and thought I would talk about refillable pens. I initially went this way because of the plastic issue, as pens are essentially a disposible product. I ended up driving to another town to visit a specialised shop that deals with everything pen and ink related. That was my introduction to fountain pens. Being refillable, they are environmentally friendly, but recently looking at it from a different perspective, they are also a good prepper item as well. I ended up choosing a fountain pen over rollerball or ballpoint as you do not need to use pressure to write (which minimises pain when writing). The pen I chose (Lamy Al-star) was appealing, not only due to comfort, but also due to the fact that every part of the pen was replaceable,… Read More 11 9 Adventures in survival gardening: planting, sunstroke and flea beetle apocalypse – Edited to add frost and snow UbiqueContributor - May 20, 2021 Edit May 18: Pest now correctly identified as a flea beetle Edit May 17: To add frost and snow – please refer bottom of post Have you ever planned something to the very last detail and then had your project go completely sideways once you actually began executing the plan? All winter I had poured over gardening information. I made lists. I made more lists. Then I organized my lists and began buying supplies. There… Read More 12 21 Advice Canning jars: fabulous in freezer, reuse for decades CR - May 20, 2021 Hello All, I posted this as a reply to a thread by Ubique, but it occurred to me it would be useful as a forum topic on its own. Canning jars are awesome for freezing most anything that’s liquid or cut small enough to fit! Reusable for both jar and lid, and I’ve never had a case of freezer burn even 3-4 years in. Flavors don’t transfer or degrade, in my experience. Since gardens and fruit trees often alternate off years and bumper years, it’s nice to freeze extras for the poor harvest years. Make sure to pack food in tightly, and for something with lots of gaps like green beans add some water to reduce air. Be sure to leave the top inch empty (or even more headspace with larger half gallons) for freezing expansion, and DON’T crank lids tight; close lightly, and tighten after solidly frozen if… Read More 13 12 AdviceSkills I bought one of those “lifelike” masks from Facebook and it’s total garbage shtfhappens - May 20, 2021 Duh, I know, no surprise. But sharing to help you avoid the same mistake! Does anyone else see/remember those video ads on Facebook about lifelike face masks? The videos made it look like there had been some big improvement in the technology or something, and that these cheap masks were now good enough to fool people or cameras that are not looking too closely at you. I’ve seen other reports like this one that do show more lifelike masks, so I thought it was feasible. I’ve always thought about having some kind of identity concealment for those rare situations where you might need to hide who you are. Maybe… Read More 10 2 Gear Electric net fencing Josh CentersContributor - May 19, 2021 I don’t keep my chickens in a traditional hen house but in 4×8 chicken tractors made of wood and wire. They work great for giving the chickens fresh air and fresh ground, but I decided that my flock didn’t have enough room. I don’t have a lot of room to work with, and I never know when I’ll have to make room for something, so I wasn’t keen on a permanent fence. I wanted something mobile. I opted for the PoultryNet Plus starter kit from Premier 1. It includes 100 feet of electric net fencing, four extra support posts, a solar fence charger, and a fence… Read More 8 4 Gear Investing in gold/silver Cady - May 19, 2021 I’ve been talking with my partner about putting some of our savings into gold and silver – or other materials that will likely hold their value no matter what the stock market does and no matter what happens to US currency. Ideally we’d have some small pieces/coins easily accessible in case SHTF. Anyone do this or have suggestions for how to get started? Good resources to check out? Reputable sellers, etc.? I’m starting with very little knowledge. Read More 12 10 Historical forensic study; food scarcity diet Bob - May 18, 2021 http://modernworldsurvivalists.com/2021/05/18/study-reveals-food-scarcity-desperate-diet-of-marine-killed-in-korean-war-nebraska-today/ Good morning, This short article tells about a scientific research project on what some Marines ate during the Chosin reservoir battle of the Korean War. Note the article’s mention that “cinquefoils can be called starvation food – … only eaten … extreme scarcity …… Read More 8 2 Studying the limits and possibilities of knitted materials will lead to ultra-tough materials Bob - May 17, 2021 https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/math/a36276147/hidden-binary-of-knitting/ Good morning, Above article introduces different stitches that change the aspects of common fabrics. Mentioned is “knot theory” as it relates to… Read More 18 46 I was not prepared – Scrambling before a hail storm Robert LarsonContributor - May 16, 2021 For months I have thought about what I would do to protect my car against a hail storm. Living in the mountains of Colorado, we can get some nasty storms and I’ve seen too many cars get totaled because of a hail storm. My idea was to save up the bubble mailers and cardboard boxes of my Amazon packages and tape them into some sort of soft cushion that could be quickly deployed on my car before a storm. But plans without action are useless for when the disaster comes. We had about a 5 minutes heads up from a family member a couple miles away of the storm and quickly ran around and were thinking about… Read More 12 5 < Prev 1 2 3 … 42 43 44 … 59 60 61 Next > Recently Active News for the week of 2025-05-26 - 20 hours agoWater filters - 3 days agoNews for the week of 2025-05-19 - 1 week agoNews for the week of 2025-05-12 - 2 weeks agoNews for the week of 2025-05-05 - 3 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

Should you regularly check the space weather forecast like you do the weather forecast?

Mensch - May 28, 2021

I recently came across the website for NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/) that includes space weather forecasts (and potential on-the-ground impacts), and it got me thinking—should we regularly check the space weather forecast like we do the weather forecast?

I imagine people in certain fields (e.g., power grid operators, satellite controllers) or with certain hobbies (e.g., ham radio) already know about NOAA’s space weather forecasts.

But does it make sense for the general (prepared) public, who would most likely only be affected by the most severe space weather events, to… Read More

15

16

HoverGlide floating backpacks

UbiqueContributor - May 27, 2021

Has anyone tried this backpack? It looks like it would reduce fatigue.

https://www.hoverglidepacks.com/

Read More

13

15

Gear

Complete preparedness and the importance of inspection, maintenance, repair and replacement of items

UbiqueContributor - May 26, 2021

Here’s a few examples of what can happen if preppers don’t practice routine inspection, maintenance, repair and replacement of their items.

An emergency alert is issued. You and your family, which includes two young children under seven years of age and a six month old infant are ordered to evacuate immediately.

You are prepared and grab your BOB’s and other gear and load the family into the vehicle in record time. You don’t make it out of the driveway because you have a flat tire. When you attempt to change your flat tire, you discover that your spare is also… Read More

8

4

AdviceScenariosSkills

Running a 55 gallon drum of water into household pipes

George - May 26, 2021

I’m on a well, so when the power goes out, I don’t have any water.  The power company shut off the power to work on the lines today, so I decided to test out my backup water scenario.  I installed a water faucet in the side of a 55 gallon barrel, at the bottom.  The drum had been used for food previously.  I sanitized it with bleach and water, emptied it out and then filled it with water from the well.  (For long term storage, I’ll use 5 drops of bleach per gallon in the water according to this site’s recommendation.)  I closed the valve between the well and the house and connected a 5/8″ RV water hose to a faucet on the outside of the house.  I opened the faucets on both the tank and the house.  The bottom of the barrel is 4′ above the level of the house.  I wasn’t expecting lots of pressure, but the toilet tank takes about 3 hours to refill, yet I can get a gallon of water from the bathroom sink, which is about 6″ higher, in… Read More

11

7

The Everyday Grommet (humor)

Seasons4 - May 26, 2021

I recently received a mailed catalog listing educational courses on a wide range of topics available for purchase. I flipped through the pages, skimming the titles. One caught my eye — “The Everyday Grommet.”

Hmmm, I thought, that sounds interesting. I didn’t know there were everyday grommets and special grommets. Imagine my disappointment when I read the title more carefully — “The Everyday Gourmet.”  😉  I give credit to Ubique for giving me grommet brain.

Have you ever caught yourself making assumptions or reading something wrong because prepping was on your… Read More

9

3

Psychological First Aid

Bob - May 26, 2021

https://relief.unboundmedicine.com/relief/view/PTSD-National-Center-for-PTSD/1230010/all/Introduction_and_Overview#:~:text=Psychological%20First%20Aid%20includes%20basic,activities%20in%20a%20flexible%20manner.

Good morning,

Link above is a comprehensive intro to psychological first aid. It’s responder-oriented but the principles and concepts mentioned can be used for one’s family, for self, for “stranger” disaster “victim” who appears out of nowhere into your immediate… Read More

10

16

Drought and how to prepare for food production

UbiqueContributor - May 26, 2021

I am posting this separately so it doesn’t get lost in the original thread “Adventures in survival gardening: planting, sunstroke and aphid apocalypse” that led to this thread on “Drought and how to prepare for food production.”

There are two more issues to deal with:

I just came back in from finding a carpenter ant. Luckily, I had experience with them once and now I spray any vector points for entry into my home including up between the foundation and stucco to ensure they don’t get in the house that… Read More

19

46

Prepping for economic collapse

UbiqueContributor - May 26, 2021

What does economic collapse mean to you?

To me, economic collapse isn’t the stock exchange disaster of the 1930’s. It is the slow decay and crumbling of our independence and self-sufficiency.

I used to move money. It could be a fifty-dollar transaction bound for Vietnam or a boat in Indonesia or a fifty million settlement heading to another bank. It was a very high stress position with zero margin for… Read More

14

19

AdviceScenarios

An analysis of the movie Red Dawn

JB - May 24, 2021

I love the movie Red Dawn. There is the 1984 original and then a 2012 remake under the same idea but with updated modern day action. 

Here’s a quick summary of the plot. Spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen it:

Kids are attending school when all the sudden enemy paratroopers begin landing outside of their school and attacking. A small group of students are able to escape and flee to the mountains to their summer cabin. They then enact guerrilla warfare on the town below where all the adults and their fellow students are held as prisoners of war under the name of their high school mascot the… Read More

9

4

Scenarios

Easy raised bed trellis

Josh CentersContributor - May 24, 2021

Trellises are essential when growing vining plants like indeterminate tomatoes and pole beans. And they can help you maximize limited garden space. Here’s how to make an easy trellis for your raised beds.

For each eight-foot long raised bed you’ll need:

Three ten-foot lengths of 3/4-inch PVC Two 3/4″ elbow connectors and one t connector Three 18-inch lengths of 1/2-inch rebar String Screws or sticks (thin bamboo works… Read More

17

26

Advice

Selecting water purification strategies, method and equipment for bug out and bug in scenario

LNMOt - May 24, 2021

Hello! 

I’ve spent the better part of the last 10 months working hard on getting a 8-12 month food supply in place – I’m pretty much there.  I’ve got the beginnings of a decent first aid kit / medicine stock, etc – more work to do here but I have a good base to build on.  We have a solid plan for home and property defense.  But when I take a good hard look at my preps, I realize my water prep situation is in need of some serious improvement.  And since, without water safe drinking water, my 8-12 month supply of food will be pretty useless, I figure I should go ahead and get things corrected as soon as… Read More

14

14

AdviceGear

What is some bad prepping advice?

Mike Hill - May 24, 2021

I’m sure we all have received some bad prepping advice over the years. Be it from the unprepared, misinformed, uneducated, or it could have been good advice at the time but has since been debunked.

Two come to mind right now:

Your entire food storage consists of beans and rice. You get some big rambo knife and think that’s all you need to bug out… Read More

20

33

“Rethinking Disaster Readiness”

Bob - May 22, 2021

COLUMN: Rethinking Disaster Readiness Before a Potentially Active Summer

Good evening,

This is an article well worth reading. Note “the private sector truly controls a community’s destiny; the same is true after a natural disaster”.

The FEMA Community Lifeline doctrine has categories applicable for private citizen preppers… Read More

8

1

Insect cuisine

Bob - May 21, 2021

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cicada-cookies-recipe/

Good afternoon,

In all seriousness, subject topic could be worth researching for some.

Above link has a recipe for the cicada… Read More

12

15

Re-purposing items like radiant heated floor systems to create better gardens and for other prepping needs

UbiqueContributor - May 21, 2021

I woke up this morning with radiant heated floors on my mind.

I wondered if it could be possible to use this kind of heated floor system in the base of a raised bed garden to warm the soil for germination, and later turn if off so that the germinated seeds can develop properly at a cooler temperature.

Water doesn’t bother heater floor systems. They last 100 years according to the info I read this morning and they use about 300 watts which are less than the average space… Read More

11

14

Advice

Changing the way you write

LBV - May 20, 2021

Just been thinking and thought I would talk about refillable pens. I initially went this way because of the plastic issue, as pens are essentially a disposible product. I ended up driving to another town to visit a specialised shop that deals with everything pen and ink related. That was my introduction to fountain pens. Being refillable, they are environmentally friendly, but recently looking at it from a different perspective, they are also a good prepper item as well.

I ended up choosing a fountain pen over rollerball or ballpoint as you do not need to use pressure to write (which minimises pain when writing).

The pen I chose (Lamy Al-star) was appealing, not only due to comfort, but also due to the fact that every part of the pen was replaceable,… Read More

11

9

Adventures in survival gardening: planting, sunstroke and flea beetle apocalypse – Edited to add frost and snow

UbiqueContributor - May 20, 2021

Edit May 18: Pest now correctly identified as a flea beetle

Edit May 17: To add frost and snow – please refer bottom of post

Have you ever planned something to the very last detail and then had your project go completely sideways once you actually began executing the plan?

All winter I had poured over gardening information. I made lists. I made more lists. Then I organized my lists and began buying supplies. There… Read More

12

21

Advice

Canning jars: fabulous in freezer, reuse for decades

CR - May 20, 2021

Hello All, I posted this as a reply to a thread by Ubique, but it occurred to me it would be useful as a forum topic on its own. Canning jars are awesome for freezing most anything that’s liquid or cut small enough to fit! Reusable for both jar and lid, and I’ve never had a case of freezer burn even 3-4 years in. Flavors don’t transfer or degrade, in my experience. Since gardens and fruit trees often alternate off years and bumper years, it’s nice to freeze extras for the poor harvest years.  

Make sure to pack food in tightly, and for something with lots of gaps like green beans add some water to reduce air. Be sure to leave the top inch empty (or even more headspace with larger half gallons) for freezing expansion, and DON’T crank lids tight; close lightly, and tighten after solidly frozen if… Read More

13

12

AdviceSkills

I bought one of those “lifelike” masks from Facebook and it’s total garbage

shtfhappens - May 20, 2021

Duh, I know, no surprise. But sharing to help you avoid the same mistake! 

Does anyone else see/remember those video ads on Facebook about lifelike face masks? The videos made it look like there had been some big improvement in the technology or something, and that these cheap masks were now good enough to fool people or cameras that are not looking too closely at you. I’ve seen other reports like this one that do show more lifelike masks, so I thought it was feasible.

I’ve always thought about having some kind of identity concealment for those rare situations where you might need to hide who you are. Maybe… Read More

10

2

Gear

Electric net fencing

Josh CentersContributor - May 19, 2021

I don’t keep my chickens in a traditional hen house but in 4×8 chicken tractors made of wood and wire. They work great for giving the chickens fresh air and fresh ground, but I decided that my flock didn’t have enough room. I don’t have a lot of room to work with, and I never know when I’ll have to make room for something, so I wasn’t keen on a permanent fence. I wanted something mobile.

I opted for the PoultryNet Plus starter kit from Premier 1. It includes 100 feet of electric net fencing, four extra support posts, a solar fence charger, and a fence… Read More

8

4

Gear

Investing in gold/silver

Cady - May 19, 2021

I’ve been talking with my partner about putting some of our savings into gold and silver – or other materials that will likely hold their value no matter what the stock market does and no matter what happens to US currency. Ideally we’d have some small pieces/coins easily accessible in case SHTF. Anyone do this or have suggestions for how to get started? Good resources to check out? Reputable sellers, etc.? I’m starting with very little knowledge.

Read More

12

10

Historical forensic study; food scarcity diet

Bob - May 18, 2021

http://modernworldsurvivalists.com/2021/05/18/study-reveals-food-scarcity-desperate-diet-of-marine-killed-in-korean-war-nebraska-today/

Good morning,

This short article tells about a scientific research project on what some Marines ate during the Chosin reservoir battle of the Korean War.

Note the article’s mention that “cinquefoils can be called starvation food – … only eaten … extreme scarcity …… Read More

8

2

Studying the limits and possibilities of knitted materials will lead to ultra-tough materials

Bob - May 17, 2021

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/math/a36276147/hidden-binary-of-knitting/

Good morning,

Above article introduces different stitches that change the aspects of common fabrics.

Mentioned is “knot theory” as it relates to… Read More

18

46

I was not prepared – Scrambling before a hail storm

Robert LarsonContributor - May 16, 2021

For months I have thought about what I would do to protect my car against a hail storm. Living in the mountains of Colorado, we can get some nasty storms and I’ve seen too many cars get totaled because of a hail storm. 

My idea was to save up the bubble mailers and cardboard boxes of my Amazon packages and tape them into some sort of soft cushion that could be quickly deployed on my car before a storm. But plans without action are useless for when the disaster comes. 

We had about a 5 minutes heads up from a family member a couple miles away of the storm and quickly ran around and were thinking about… Read More

12

5