Active New Top (30 days) Compact Card Prepping new year’s resolutions Gideon ParkerStaff - January 10, 2021 With 2020 almost over (thank goodness!), many people make new year’s resolutions of things they want to improve on and do better the next year. The most common one people usually make is losing weight and exercising more. While this is a great tradition, and for most of the month of January people usually stick to their goals, we tend to get lax and by February or March, many have let their goals go. I believe that accountability is a way that can help encourage and remind us to keep going. Since this is such a great community, I want to do a little experiment and see if people would be interested in not only sharing their new year’s resolutions related to prepping, but to be a way that others can check in on them and remind them of their goals if they would like. And if you are reading this in March, June, or August, feel free to hop in at any time! Here is the format if you would like to be involved. List your goal and if/how often you would like people to check in with you on how you have accomplished it. For example:Goal: Do some form of exercise 5 days a week for the entire year. Check in: Yes, if someone could ask me for an update at least once a week, that would be extremely helpful. Other info: I bought a calendar specifically for this goal. I’ll mark off on there to keep track of my progress. I want to be in better shape so that if I had to bug out, run for my life, or just work on surviving after a disaster, that I would be more prepared physically to do so. I’ll do a mix of strength training and cardio. I hope this can be a valuable tool for everyone to think about what they can do better to prepare, but also to continue to build up this great community of friends. Some other prepping new year’s resolution ideas: Lose weight, build a BOB, have at least 3 months of food storage, learn how to can food, start a garden, learn how to reload your own ammo, share a prepping idea with a friend and family member each month, store 50-100 gallons of water, take a first aid class, read 4 books about preparedness, learn basic orienteering, learn to change the tire and oil on your car… Read More 14 12 Does anyone have a rain water harvest system? Mike Hill - January 8, 2021 (random rain collection system from Google) I’m interested in collecting rain water as a backup source, but have many questions and don’t know where to start. I’ll probably leave this source to watering my garden, but want to be able to drink, cook, and bathe with it if needed in an emergency. Does anyone here collect rain water? Do you use your roof? How do you filter and prevent contaminates like bird droppings, insects, algae growth, and chemicals from the roof tiles? I’d love to see pictures of yours if you do! Read More 14 12 Dedicated shelter/sleeping bag/pad for BOB — is it a must? pnwsarahContributor - January 7, 2021 I have a pretty solid/complete BOB at this point, but there is one thing I keep putting off adding to my pack: Shelter, and the Level 2 sleeping apparatus that would go in a shelter like bags and pads. We’re outdoorsy types, so we have (lightweight, good quality) tents, pads, and sleeping bags. I don’t really want to keep backpacking/camping gear we regularly use in our BOBs prepped for an evac: The dude would object, the stuff would routinely not end up back in the BOBs after weekend adventures, and even if it did, it would be bad for our down bags to keep them bunched up in our packs. So then I think, “Buy duplicates?” That approach has the advantage of allowing me to shop for prepping-oriented items (e.g., no inflatable sleeping pads), but honestly I think our tents and bags are fine for prepping, and we know that things like tents and tarps are “get what you pay for” items where going the cheap route isn’t advisable. And finally, there’s this emotional element: The idea of spending significant money on a second sleeping bag (that will live an unhealthfully compressed life) or a third tent chafes me to a degree that my other prepping expenditures to date have not. Those purchases have felt practical, but this idea just feels inescapably wasteful— even at the level of a good-quality tarp. Maybe that’s because I have a really hard time envisioning a scenario in which we would be able to grab the BOBs but not the tent, bags, and pads. When I think about what I’m prepping for (i.e., what’s actually likely), I think about camping out in our backyard for a few weeks or months after a major earthquake (which our house is overwhelmingly likely to survive, because of how it’s built, so even if we can’t live in it post-quake, we’ll be able to get things out of it), or having to evacuate due to wildfire. We have a 4WD vehicle with a bed in the back, so most “leave the property” situations that I can envision involve throwing stuff in the adventure/bug out vehicle. But then I circle back to feeling like I should have something in my BOB to provide shelter and/or warmth, and I start thinking about a cheap bivvy like this one. Then I berate myself for even thinking of buying something so poorly constructed and doomed to fail. Can you all help me get back to Sane Prepper on this? Am I allowed to rely on my existing high-quality outdoor gear? Should I back it up with a cheap bivvy and call it good? Can you talk me into a tarp? And how do people deal with the fact that sleeping bags aren’t meant to be stored compressed? I figure there have got to be a lot of you out there who have optimized shelter based on similar considerations, so please, tell me what you think! Read More 16 46 Advice Just for fun: Kit pics! pnwsarahContributor - January 6, 2021 Disclaimer: This is frivolous— but I think it could be fun, and perhaps a good conversation starter, too. 🙂 I love it when people post pictures of the contents of their BOB or EDC laid out all nicely, so I took advantage of the fact that I’m staying with my mother (who just refinished her floors, giving me a nicer-than-usual backdrop with which to work) to do a full BOB layout and take some photos of my own. I’m hoping some of you will be Covid-winter-stir-crazy enough to get excited about doing the same and post your own kit pics here. My BOB is not finished and is clearly missing some important things (no, I don’t have a tarp yet), so no pressure to have a complete perfect set of things to post. I think part of the fun of this could be asking questions about what’s what and why it’s there. It’s like a Where’s Waldo for preppers. Okay, your turn! Time to show off your kit! Read More 12 32 Gear FCC to start charging $35 for ham license applications Josh CentersContributor - January 5, 2021 The FCC has approved a rule charging $35 for new ham licenses and renewals. Until now, the licenses have been free, though you typically have to pay a nominal fee to a club to take the required test. The fee hasn’t been implemented yet, so if you’ve been considering a ham license, now would be a good time to go for it. (It doesn’t take long to prepare for, and in fact, you’re better off studying and testing in as short a timeframe as possible.) https://swling.com/blog/2020/12/fcc-adopts-a-35-license-fee-for-amateur-radio-service-applications/ Read More 9 3 Great survival crop Winston Smith - January 5, 2021 I’ll be sowing Amaranth and Sorghum this year (Thanks “Redneck”). I planted Jerusalem Artichokes last year. They are great survival plants. https://youtu.be/Eiy0F6HFqlA Read More 13 25 Better gas cans Jay ValenciaContributor - January 4, 2021 I read through the guide on storing gas but it didn’t recommend a specific type of can if you’re not going to store a large amount. I can get pretty cheap cans at the store but I know there are more heavy duty cans that are priced higher. Are the more expensive ones worth it? Like the NATO cans for example. Read More 17 10 Gear Prepping organization (diary / journals / to-do / lists / etc) 10 Canadian Winters - January 4, 2021 I’m fairly new to prepping though I’ve been looking at The Prepared for a while now. There’s a lot going on and a lot of data to take in, and I’m feeling a little bit overwhelmed about how to organize all of it; how to prioritize all of it. What are your ways to organize all your preps? So far I have some food and water, half constructed bug out bags, some car safety stuff. Not much for winter yet. Different things are stored in different parts of the house. My skills are also a little bit over the place. Last night I thought about some sort of Prepping Journal, something similar to Gardening Journals, but specifically for prepping. I found a website which recommended making a bullet journal, but otherwise there really isn’t much out there. I do feel like getting a hold of the organization will help me know where to focus and how to prioritize. I’m happy to hear how everyone organizes all of it. Read More 12 10 AdviceMeta Prepper closet RedneckContributor - January 3, 2021 I’m curious if anyone else has built a dedicated prepper closet. I did so a few years ago because my wife was getting tired of my stuff being everywhere. So I cleaned out a corner of my upper barn & built a 16′ x 12′ closet. The back wall is an exterior wall & I needed one for the AC unit to keep everything cold year round. Living in north Mississippi means dealing with extreme summer heat so it is very well insulated, especially so for an interior room. Lots of junk plus extra prepper gear, such as bee hives, are stored on its roof. Read More 12 26 What are some good preps that don’t require you to buy something? Olly Wright - January 3, 2021 Some things I can think of are fitness, knowing how to cook, being able to do maintenance,… Thought if I had a good list of preps that I can do for free, that I’ll have no excuse to keep prepping even when money is tight. Read More 16 49 Skills Worried about generator noise attracting attention Jay ValenciaContributor - January 3, 2021 Was looking at reddit when I saw question about generator noise and wanted to get some advice and your opinion on what I should do. I have a large whole house generator that I store in a shed, but will pull out and plug into the side of my house if the power goes off for more than a couple of hours. If there was a true disaster and the whole neighborhood goes dark for a week or more, I can see this as a security issue. I don’t want my generator to be the only noise and house the only one lit up on our entire block. I can see people trying to come and steal it, or think that I have tons of preps(which I do), coming over and asking to charge their phones, or heat something in my microwave. I want to help others, but also keep my family and our preps safe. Read More 14 14 Advice Gardening books – recommendations and reviews? C P.Contributor - January 1, 2021 This is a thread to review and recommend (or discommend) gardening and small-scale livestock books. I worked with John Ramsey on revising The Prepared’s books page (the revisions aren’t live yet), but I know that there are many more interesting books than what fit on that list. I thought it would be useful for community members to be able to recommend the books they’ve found most helpful and share about things they are reading. To keep things organized, I suggest making each book review a separate post (even if it’s just a short paragraph), rather than listing multiple books in one post. Read More 19 14 AdviceGear Canning yourself or buying cans from the store – I found the cheaper option Winston Smith - December 31, 2020 I started prepping years ago. Dehydrated (freeze dried) #10 cans of food were reasonably inexpensive. Unbelievable the difference a year can make. I still buy #10 cans because today’s prices may seem cheap next year. But good deals are still available. Over the last month I’ve bought hundreds of small cans of vegetables (peas, corn, beans) for 38 cents at my Walmart. Actually both Walmarts in town have the same price. I’ve given my kids most of them. You can’t plant, grow, fertilize, and can for this price. By stocking up on these, I save time and my canning supplies for an emergency. I took this picture 2 days ago. Read More 13 17 Anyone have a nicely formatted 4×6 template for printing information? Dan - December 31, 2020 Hey all! This is sort of an oddball question, but here goes. I have lately been very in to printing out hardcopy explanations of things around the house, and laminating them. Think “Here is the writeup for how to hook up the generator with pictures and stuff, so my wife can figure it out if I am not around” or “Here is the manual for that heater, printed out on 4×6 cards, and laminated and attached to the heater with a zip tie” or “Here’s that nice printout of the ham bands in color, laminated and stuck on my FT-991a in case I forget, or get stressed”. So originally I was printing things out on 8.5×11 paper, and doing full laminations. But lately, I have moved more towards 4×6 cards, because they are big enough to see, but small enough to carry with you, or stick in the glove box, or whatever. So, my question is, does anyone have a nicely formatted (think, nice border, and place to put information in boxes and stuff) template for 4×6 printing? I am not a very good designer, and I’d love to have something I could plug different kinds of info in to for printing. 4×6 is sort of a weird size, so Word doesn’t have many templates for this. Thanks in advance if anyone has this! Read More 8 1 Skills Nashville bombing Dog lover - December 30, 2020 I’m sure most have heard of the Nashville Tennessee bombing early this Christmas morning. I can’t imagine any reason to ever have to resort to anything like this. The only good thing that has come out in the news from this is the RV that was loaded with the explosive had a recording playing that warned people there was a bomb going to go off. Apparently it even had an audible fifteen minute countdown when it was activated. At least this gave time for police to evacuate most in the immediate area. Could you imagine a cop banging on your door at 6am Christmas morning and telling you to evacuate immediately? It looks like there was at least one fatality but considering the size of the blast that alone is miraculous. It will only be a matter of time before the motive and persons involved are known. One thing the FBI is really good at is sifting through all the debris and finding clues. I wish everyone affected by this the best, including the FBI agents that left their families on this holiday to begin sorting this out. Read More 10 9 Winter storms and safety Bob - December 29, 2020 https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/duringstorm/indoorsafety.html Most appropriately timed; saw this article at CDC’s site. Material actually from a speciality agency of National Center For Environmental Health. One point in link I ask you to review. At “Conserve heat” … “Stuff towels or rags in crack under doors” … Consider modifying this by adding, for example, some fluorescent para cord attached to the stuffed towel/rag and draping the cord over the door handle. In case of power failure or tree branch drops into this portion of dwelling, no need to do bending to remove towel/rags that also can become a door wedge. Always consider you might have to vacate premises ASAP or even faster. Safety must govern. Had thought hair dryers were for the frozen truck doors……… Read More 12 15 Upcoming food shortages? LNMOt - December 28, 2020 Wanted to get thoughts and insight on the likelihood of food shortages as a result of this massive “third wave” of COVID-19 in the United States – I mean above and beyond panic buying but impacts to food manufacturing plants and transportation. It seemed like earlier this year food shortages (empty grocery store shelves) were mostly the result of panic buying, however the meat industry was hit hard by the virus which resulted in decreased manufacturing output and plants being shut down for periods of time. I am very concerned what this country wide surge in COVID-19 cases will do to the food industry as a whole (plants closing down due to a large number of infected employees on a wide-spread scale, etc). Read More 14 17 Just wishing everyone a merry Christmas. Dog lover - December 26, 2020 I believe life is short, and I think celebrating it as much as we can is a good thing. Reguardless of your religion, political beliefs or ideologies I hope everyone here has a chance to be with the ones they care about and can enjoy a good meal together this holiday. Read More 10 9 Article mentioned theprepared.com in article: Doomsday preppers stock up on luxury survival kits, emergency food supplies and million-dollar bunkers Bigwig - December 24, 2020 This site was mentioned in the article ‘Doomsday preppers stock up on luxury survival kits, emergency food supplies and million-dollar bunkers’. The link is https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/19/what-doomsday-preppers-stock-up-on.html. I’d like to get any opinions from the forum, especially the moderators. Some of the companies mentioned are either Johnny-come-lately with little or no track record and maybe a celebrity endorsement, offering products of questionable quality (25 year shelf life for food pouches, caloric content), or pre-made kits which we know are often filled with inferior quality products. I find it hard to believe that the customers of these product are really part of the true prepper community. Read More 8 15 What’s the best starter radio for a person who doesn’t have a lot of time to devote to ham? Jonnie PekelnyContributor - December 23, 2020 I’m aware of the pages here that talk about HAM radios. I’m actually interested in learning about them and getting into them eventually, but I don’t have the bandwidth for for any complex or expensive radio project right now. I’m just trying to rustle up a basic emergency preparedness radio that doesn’t have a big learning curve. Is there a simple (simplest) version of HAM radios or should I just stick with NOAA type radios? Read More 11 13 Clue me in about portable solar panels, please Jonnie PekelnyContributor - December 23, 2020 In recent months I’ve acquired two “solar generators” — the MAXOAK Bluetti 150 and the massive Goal Zero Yeti 3000X. (Hot tip: if you are in Northern California and are a PG&E medical baseline customer, meaning you use some sort of medical equipment and get a special electricity rate for that, you can actually apply to receive a free Yeti 3000X, which normally runs over $3000.) Now I’m trying to acquire solar panels to charge these batteries. But I know almost nothing about electricity and about solar panels specifically. I have some specs from the manufacturer and some customers on Amazon (listed at bottom), but what else do I need to keep in mind? I notice different panels are listed as being made of different materials? Does it matter? Some panels are flexible, which wouldn’t work for setting them outside when I need to charge my generator, but is there a way to attach these to a rigid surface, like a board? Some of them come with controllers. I don’t know what these are for? I know that the generators come with their own hardware that’s their interface for the panels. Anything else I should keep in mind? Because otherwise I would literally go out and buy the cheapest panels I can find that meet the specs. Which are: Bluetti 150*≈10 Hours (Using 200W Solar Panels simultaneously with full sun) The recommended solar input for the Bluetti EB150 is 400 watts at 12 Volts. This will fully recharge your unit in around 3.5-4 hours of ideal sunlight. Solar/AC Recharge: 1)This Power Generator Can be Recharged from the Sun with Solar Panel (Open Circuit Voltage must be 16V～60V(Max),Max 500W,Solar Panel not Included). This is the solar panel set they sell, which looks nifty but is way overpriced: https://www.bluetti.com/products/120w-solar-panel Yeti 3000x 100W (Boulder/Nomad 100 (BC) ): 36-72 Hours200W (Boulder (BC) ): 18-36 Hours400W (Boulder 200 X 2): 9-18 Hours600W (Boulder 200 X 3): 6-12 Hours800W (Boulder 200 X 4): 6-9 Hours1200W (Boulder 200 X 6): 6 Hours Read More 9 12 What are the implications of the recent SolarWinds hack, should I change my preps? LNMOt - December 23, 2020 Hello! Looking to get everybody’s thoughts on the potential implications of the recently discovered hacks? Unsure how serious these are and if I should consider adding to / adjusting my current preparedness strategy. Read More 11 14 Prep for fume event? Marshall Findlay - December 22, 2020 Hi all, This is my first post to the TP forum, though I’ve been diving into all the great resources since I discovered the site earlier this year. Stephanie Arnold brought up in her update for December 17 the notion of “fume events” in which faulty seals result in toxic fumes entering into the main cabin. The article to which she referenced described pilots passing out and passengers/crew complaining of long-lasting side effects. I had no idea 1) that air was drawn from engine exhaust into the cabin after being scrubbed for toxins or that 2) this air could turn toxic with equipment malfunction. According to the article she references, 2019 saw 362 “fume events” although there are likely more that go unreported. My question is as follows: would you all consider it a reasonable prep to invest in face masks with the potential to filter out carbon monoxide and other potential toxins? Would bringing such an item as a carry-on even be allowed? More practically, with 3 young children traveling in tow, has anyone looked into functioning masks (or hoods) for kids that would provide a sufficient seal to keep them from breathing all that nasty stuff in? Thanks all! Read More 9 2 Scenarios How I built a trellis for grape vines RedneckContributor - December 22, 2020 IMO, grapes are a great choice for home gardeners and especially for preppers. In the warm areas of the country, such as where I live in North Mississippi, the grape of choice is the muscadine. Below is how I built my trellis a few years ago. First I set my treated posts, where I use 6×6 posts on the ends and 4×4 posts down the line. To attach and tension the 12.5 gauge high tensile wire, I use the Gripple product, which in this case includes the wirevise, the wire joiners, ground anchors and the tensioning tool. With this product, you feed the wire into a slot & the wire can only keep going forward. It can’t be pulled back out, like Chinese finger traps. Makes tensioning the wire exceptionally easy… especially with their tool. You can purchase the product from Amazon but I get my orchard supplies from Orchard Valley Supply. https://www.orchardvalleysupply.com/…ons/trellising I drilled a hole thru the 6×6 end posts, slid in a wirevise on the outside of the post & fed the 12.5 gauge high tensile wire thru the wirevise, then tensioned from one end & then attached stainless guides on top of the 4×4 line posts. I’m holding a wirevise so you can see how it looks. Even though all posts are set 2 1/2 – 3 feet deep with concrete, you want to brace the end posts to keep them from leaning under the tension of the wire… especially when the wire is loaded with fruit and vines. On this end, I’m using Gripple earth anchors. They are driven, in this case, 3 feet into the ground, until the loop just barely sticks out. You then pull the drive rod out, slide it thru the loop and then pull up. This causes the anchor to pivot underground and then lock in place. When done the loop is now about 6 inches above ground. Ready to pound the anchor deep underground. This is where you pull up the rod, slide it thru the wire loop & pull upward until the end rotates & locks in place. I then use the end post kit, which includes the Gripple wire joiner & the galvanized wire with a loop on one side, to tension the end post to the ground anchor. One trellis now fully tensioned and braced. Three trellises wired, tensioned & braced by myself in about 1 1/2 hours. You can’t get any easier & anytime it needs to be tightened, you simply attach the tool to the end of the wire. Two years later, here is a variety called Supreme. And here is Magnolia. Read More 11 24 AdviceSkills < Prev 1 2 3 … 50 51 52 … 57 58 59 Next > Recently Active Chickens for preppers: Important considerations - 11 hours agoNews for the Week 2024-04-15 - 3 days agoAlexapure - 7 days agoPlants with Saponins - 2 weeks agoNews for the week of 2024-04-08 - 2 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

Prepping new year’s resolutions

Gideon ParkerStaff - January 10, 2021

With 2020 almost over (thank goodness!), many people make new year’s resolutions of things they want to improve on and do better the next year. The most common one people usually make is losing weight and exercising more. 

While this is a great tradition, and for most of the month of January people usually stick to their goals, we tend to get lax and by February or March, many have let their goals go. 

I  believe that accountability is a way that can help encourage and remind us to keep going. Since this is such a great community, I want to do a little experiment and see if people would be interested in not only sharing their new year’s resolutions related to prepping, but to be a way that others can check in on them and remind them of their goals if they would like. And if you are reading this in March, June, or August, feel free to hop in at any time!

Here is the format if you would like to be involved. List your goal and if/how often you would like people to check in with you on how you have accomplished it.

For example:
Goal: Do some form of exercise 5 days a week for the entire year. 
Check in: Yes, if someone could ask me for an update at least once a week, that would be extremely helpful. 
Other info: I bought a calendar specifically for this goal. I’ll mark off on there to keep track of my progress. I want to be in better shape so that if I had to bug out, run for my life, or just work on surviving after a disaster, that I would be more prepared physically to do so. I’ll do a mix of strength training and cardio.

I hope this can be a valuable tool for everyone to think about what they can do better to prepare, but also to continue to build up this great community of friends.

Some other prepping new year’s resolution ideas: Lose weight, build a BOB, have at least 3 months of food storage, learn how to can food, start a garden, learn how to reload your own ammo, share a prepping idea with a friend and family member each month, store 50-100 gallons of water, take a first aid class, read 4 books about preparedness, learn basic orienteering, learn to change the tire and oil on your car…

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Does anyone have a rain water harvest system?

Mike Hill - January 8, 2021

(random rain collection system from Google)

I’m interested in collecting rain water as a backup source, but have many questions and don’t know where to start. I’ll probably leave this source to watering my garden, but want to be able to drink, cook, and bathe with it if needed in an emergency.

Does anyone here collect rain water? Do you use your roof? How do you filter and prevent contaminates like bird droppings, insects, algae growth, and chemicals from the roof tiles?

I’d love to see pictures of yours if you do!

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Dedicated shelter/sleeping bag/pad for BOB — is it a must?

pnwsarahContributor - January 7, 2021

I have a pretty solid/complete BOB at this point, but there is one thing I keep putting off adding to my pack: Shelter, and the Level 2 sleeping apparatus that would go in a shelter like bags and pads. We’re outdoorsy types, so we have (lightweight, good quality) tents, pads, and sleeping bags. I don’t really want to keep backpacking/camping gear we regularly use in our BOBs prepped for an evac: The dude would object, the stuff would routinely not end up back in the BOBs after weekend adventures, and even if it did, it would be bad for our down bags to keep them bunched up in our packs. 

So then I think, “Buy duplicates?” That approach has the advantage of allowing me to shop for prepping-oriented items (e.g., no inflatable sleeping pads), but honestly I think our tents and bags are fine for prepping, and we know that things like tents and tarps are “get what you pay for” items where going the cheap route isn’t advisable. And finally, there’s this emotional element: The idea of spending significant money on a second sleeping bag (that will live an unhealthfully compressed life) or a third tent chafes me to a degree that my other prepping expenditures to date have not. Those purchases have felt practical, but this idea just feels inescapably wasteful— even at the level of a good-quality tarp.

Maybe that’s because I have a really hard time envisioning a scenario in which we would be able to grab the BOBs but not the tent, bags, and pads. When I think about what I’m prepping for (i.e., what’s actually likely), I think about camping out in our backyard for a few weeks or months after a major earthquake (which our house is overwhelmingly likely to survive, because of how it’s built, so even if we can’t live in it post-quake, we’ll be able to get things out of it), or having to evacuate due to wildfire. We have a 4WD vehicle with a bed in the back, so most “leave the property” situations that I can envision involve throwing stuff in the adventure/bug out vehicle.

But then I circle back to feeling like I should have something in my BOB to provide shelter and/or warmth, and I start thinking about a cheap bivvy like this one. Then I berate myself for even thinking of buying something so poorly constructed and doomed to fail.

Can you all help me get back to Sane Prepper on this? Am I allowed to rely on my existing high-quality outdoor gear? Should I back it up with a cheap bivvy and call it good? Can you talk me into a tarp? And how do people deal with the fact that sleeping bags aren’t meant to be stored compressed? I figure there have got to be a lot of you out there who have optimized shelter based on similar considerations, so please, tell me what you think!

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Advice

Just for fun: Kit pics!

pnwsarahContributor - January 6, 2021

Disclaimer: This is frivolous— but I think it could be fun, and perhaps a good conversation starter, too. 🙂

I love it when people post pictures of the contents of their BOB or EDC laid out all nicely, so I took advantage of the fact that I’m staying with my mother (who just refinished her floors, giving me a nicer-than-usual backdrop with which to work) to do a full BOB layout and take some photos of my own. I’m hoping some of you will be Covid-winter-stir-crazy enough to get excited about doing the same and post your own kit pics here. My BOB is not finished and is clearly missing some important things (no, I don’t have a tarp yet), so no pressure to have a complete perfect set of things to post.

I think part of the fun of this could be asking questions about what’s what and why it’s there. It’s like a Where’s Waldo for preppers. 

Okay, your turn! Time to show off your kit!

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Gear

FCC to start charging $35 for ham license applications

Josh CentersContributor - January 5, 2021

The FCC has approved a rule charging $35 for new ham licenses and renewals. Until now, the licenses have been free, though you typically have to pay a nominal fee to a club to take the required test. The fee hasn’t been implemented yet, so if you’ve been considering a ham license, now would be a good time to go for it. (It doesn’t take long to prepare for, and in fact, you’re better off studying and testing in as short a timeframe as possible.)

https://swling.com/blog/2020/12/fcc-adopts-a-35-license-fee-for-amateur-radio-service-applications/

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Great survival crop

Winston Smith - January 5, 2021

I’ll be sowing Amaranth and Sorghum this year (Thanks “Redneck”).  I planted Jerusalem Artichokes last year.  They are great survival plants.  

https://youtu.be/Eiy0F6HFqlA

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Better gas cans

Jay ValenciaContributor - January 4, 2021

I read through the guide on storing gas but it didn’t recommend a specific type of can if you’re not going to store a large amount. I can get pretty cheap cans at the store but I know there are more heavy duty cans that are priced higher.

Are the more expensive ones worth it? Like the NATO cans for example.

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Gear

Prepping organization (diary / journals / to-do / lists / etc)

10 Canadian Winters - January 4, 2021

I’m fairly new to prepping though I’ve been looking at The Prepared for a while now. There’s a lot going on and a lot of data to take in, and I’m feeling a little bit overwhelmed about how to organize all of it; how to prioritize all of it.

What are your ways to organize all your preps? So far I have some food and water, half constructed bug out bags, some car safety stuff. Not much for winter yet. Different things are stored in different parts of the house. My skills are also a little bit over the place.

Last night I thought about some sort of Prepping Journal, something similar to Gardening Journals, but specifically for prepping. I found a website which recommended making a bullet journal, but otherwise there really isn’t much out there.

I do feel like getting a hold of the organization will help me know where to focus and how to prioritize. I’m happy to hear how everyone organizes all of it.

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AdviceMeta

Prepper closet

RedneckContributor - January 3, 2021

I’m curious if anyone else has built a dedicated prepper closet.  I did so a few years ago because my wife was getting tired of my stuff being everywhere.  So I cleaned out a corner of my upper barn & built a 16′ x 12′ closet.  The back wall is an exterior wall & I needed one for the AC unit to keep everything cold year round.  Living in north Mississippi means dealing with extreme summer heat so it is very well insulated, especially so for an interior room.  Lots of junk plus extra prepper gear, such as bee hives, are stored on its roof.

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What are some good preps that don’t require you to buy something?

Olly Wright - January 3, 2021

Some things I can think of are fitness, knowing how to cook, being able to do maintenance,…

Thought if I had a good list of preps that I can do for free, that I’ll have no excuse to keep prepping even when money is tight.

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Skills

Worried about generator noise attracting attention

Jay ValenciaContributor - January 3, 2021

Was looking at reddit when I saw question about generator noise and wanted to get some advice and your opinion on what I should do. 

I have a large whole house generator that I store in a shed, but will pull out and plug into the side of my house if the power goes off for more than a couple of hours. If there was a true disaster and the whole neighborhood goes dark for a week or more, I can see this as a security issue. I don’t want my generator to be the only noise and house the only one lit up on our entire block. 

I can see people trying to come and steal it, or think that I have tons of preps(which I do), coming over and asking to charge their phones, or heat something in my microwave. 

I want to help others, but also keep my family and our preps safe. 

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Advice

Gardening books – recommendations and reviews?

C P.Contributor - January 1, 2021

This is a thread to review and recommend (or discommend) gardening and small-scale livestock books.  I worked with John Ramsey on revising The Prepared’s books page (the revisions aren’t live yet), but I know that there are many more interesting books than what fit on that list.  I thought it would be useful for community members to be able to recommend the books they’ve found most helpful and share about things they are reading.

To keep things organized, I suggest making each book review a separate post (even if it’s just a short paragraph), rather than listing multiple books in one post.

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AdviceGear

Canning yourself or buying cans from the store – I found the cheaper option

Winston Smith - December 31, 2020

I started prepping years ago.  Dehydrated (freeze dried) #10 cans of food were reasonably inexpensive.  Unbelievable the difference a year can make.  I still buy #10 cans because today’s prices may seem cheap next year.  But good deals are still available.  Over the last month I’ve bought hundreds of small cans of vegetables (peas, corn, beans) for 38 cents at my Walmart. Actually both Walmarts in town have the same price. I’ve given my kids most of them.  You can’t plant, grow, fertilize, and can for this price. By stocking up on these, I save time and my canning supplies for an emergency.

I took this picture 2 days ago.

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Anyone have a nicely formatted 4×6 template for printing information?

Dan - December 31, 2020

Hey all!

This is sort of an oddball question, but here goes.  I have lately been very in to printing out hardcopy explanations of things around the house, and laminating them.  Think “Here is the writeup for how to hook up the generator with pictures and stuff, so my wife can figure it out if I am not around” or “Here is the manual for that heater, printed out on 4×6 cards, and laminated and attached to the heater with a zip tie” or “Here’s that nice printout of the ham bands in color, laminated and stuck on my FT-991a in case I forget, or get stressed”.

So originally I was printing things out on 8.5×11 paper, and doing full laminations.  But lately, I have moved more towards 4×6 cards, because they are big enough to see, but small enough to carry with you, or stick in the glove box, or whatever.

So, my question is, does anyone have a nicely formatted (think, nice border, and place to put information in boxes and stuff) template for 4×6 printing?  I am not a very good designer, and I’d love to have something I could plug different kinds of info in to for printing.

4×6 is sort of a weird size, so Word doesn’t have many templates for this.  Thanks in advance if anyone has this!

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Skills

Nashville bombing

Dog lover - December 30, 2020

I’m sure most have heard of the Nashville Tennessee bombing early this Christmas morning.  I can’t imagine any reason to ever have to resort to anything like this.  The only good thing that has come out in the news from this is the RV that was loaded with the explosive had a recording playing that warned people there was a bomb going to go off.  Apparently it even had an audible fifteen minute countdown when it was activated.  At least this gave time for police to evacuate most in the immediate area.  Could you imagine a cop banging on your door at 6am Christmas morning and telling you to evacuate immediately? It looks like there was at least one fatality but considering the size of the blast that alone is miraculous.  It will only be a matter of time before the motive and persons involved are known.  One thing the FBI is really good at is sifting through all the debris and finding clues.  I wish everyone affected by this the best, including the FBI agents that left their families on this holiday to begin sorting this out.

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Winter storms and safety

Bob - December 29, 2020

https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/winter/duringstorm/indoorsafety.html

Most appropriately timed; saw this article at CDC’s site.

Material actually from a speciality agency of National Center For Environmental Health.

One point in link I ask you to review. At “Conserve heat” … “Stuff towels or rags in crack under doors” … Consider modifying this by adding, for example, some fluorescent para cord  attached to the stuffed towel/rag and draping the cord over the door handle. In case of power failure or tree branch drops into this portion of dwelling, no need to do bending to remove towel/rags that also can become a door wedge. 

Always consider you might have to vacate premises ASAP or even faster.  Safety must govern.

Had thought hair dryers were for the frozen truck doors………

 

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Upcoming food shortages?

LNMOt - December 28, 2020

Wanted to get thoughts and insight on the likelihood of food shortages as a result of this massive “third wave” of COVID-19 in the United States – I mean above and beyond panic buying but impacts to food manufacturing plants and transportation.  It seemed like earlier this year food shortages (empty grocery store shelves) were mostly the result of panic buying, however the meat industry was hit hard by the virus which resulted in decreased manufacturing output and plants being shut down for periods of time.  I am very concerned what this country wide surge in COVID-19 cases will do to the food industry as a whole (plants closing down due to a large number of infected employees on a wide-spread scale, etc).  

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Just wishing everyone a merry Christmas.

Dog lover - December 26, 2020

I believe life is short, and  I think celebrating it as much as we can is a good thing.  Reguardless of your religion, political beliefs or ideologies I hope everyone here has a chance to be with the ones they care about and can enjoy a good meal together this holiday.

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Article mentioned theprepared.com in article: Doomsday preppers stock up on luxury survival kits, emergency food supplies and million-dollar bunkers

Bigwig - December 24, 2020

This site was mentioned in the article ‘Doomsday preppers stock up on luxury survival kits, emergency food supplies and million-dollar bunkers’.  The link is https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/19/what-doomsday-preppers-stock-up-on.html.

I’d like to get any opinions from the forum, especially the moderators.  Some of the companies mentioned are either Johnny-come-lately with little or no track record and maybe a celebrity endorsement, offering products of questionable quality (25 year shelf life for food pouches, caloric content), or pre-made kits which we know are often filled with inferior quality products.  I find it hard to believe that the customers of these product are really part of the true prepper community.

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What’s the best starter radio for a person who doesn’t have a lot of time to devote to ham?

Jonnie PekelnyContributor - December 23, 2020

I’m aware of the pages here that talk about HAM radios. I’m actually interested in learning about them and getting into them eventually, but I don’t have the bandwidth for for any complex or expensive radio project right now. I’m just trying to rustle up a basic emergency preparedness radio that doesn’t have a big learning curve. Is there a simple (simplest) version of HAM radios or should I just stick with NOAA type radios?

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Clue me in about portable solar panels, please

Jonnie PekelnyContributor - December 23, 2020

In recent months I’ve acquired two “solar generators”  — the MAXOAK Bluetti 150 and the massive Goal Zero Yeti 3000X.  (Hot tip: if you are in Northern California and are a PG&E medical baseline customer, meaning you use some sort of medical equipment and get a special electricity rate for that, you can actually apply to receive a free Yeti 3000X, which normally runs over $3000.)

Now I’m trying to acquire solar panels to charge these batteries. But I know almost nothing about electricity and about solar panels specifically. I have some specs from the manufacturer and some customers on Amazon (listed at bottom), but what else do I need to keep in mind?

I notice different panels are listed as being made of different materials? Does it matter?

Some panels are flexible, which wouldn’t work for setting them outside when I need to charge my generator, but is there a way to attach these to a rigid surface, like a board?

Some of them come with controllers. I don’t know what these are for? I know that the generators come with their own hardware that’s their interface for the panels.

Anything else I should keep in mind? Because otherwise I would literally go out and buy the cheapest panels I can find that meet the specs. Which are:

Bluetti 150
*≈10 Hours (Using 200W Solar Panels simultaneously with full sun)

The recommended solar input for the Bluetti EB150 is 400 watts at 12 Volts. This will fully recharge your unit in around 3.5-4 hours of ideal sunlight.

Solar/AC Recharge: 1)This Power Generator Can be Recharged from the Sun with Solar Panel (Open Circuit Voltage must be 16V～60V(Max),Max 500W,Solar Panel not Included). 

This is the solar panel set they sell, which looks nifty but is way overpriced: https://www.bluetti.com/products/120w-solar-panel

Yeti 3000x

100W (Boulder/Nomad 100 (BC) ): 36-72 Hours
200W (Boulder (BC) ): 18-36 Hours
400W (Boulder 200 X 2): 9-18 Hours
600W (Boulder 200 X 3): 6-12 Hours
800W (Boulder 200 X 4): 6-9 Hours
1200W (Boulder 200 X 6): 6 Hours

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What are the implications of the recent SolarWinds hack, should I change my preps?

LNMOt - December 23, 2020

Hello!  Looking to get everybody’s thoughts on the potential implications of the recently discovered hacks?  Unsure how serious these are and if I should consider adding to / adjusting my current preparedness strategy.

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Prep for fume event?

Marshall Findlay - December 22, 2020

Hi all,

This is my first post to the TP forum, though I’ve been diving into all the great resources since I discovered the site earlier this year. 

Stephanie Arnold brought up in her update for December 17 the notion of “fume events” in which faulty seals result in toxic fumes entering into the main cabin. The article to which she referenced described pilots passing out and passengers/crew complaining of long-lasting side effects. I had no idea 1) that air was drawn from engine exhaust into the cabin after being scrubbed for toxins or that 2) this air could turn toxic with equipment malfunction. According to the article she references, 2019 saw 362 “fume events” although there are likely more that go unreported.

My question is as follows: would you all consider it a reasonable prep to invest in face masks with the potential to filter out carbon monoxide and other potential toxins? Would bringing such an item as a carry-on even be allowed? More practically, with 3 young children traveling in tow, has anyone looked into functioning masks (or hoods) for kids that would provide a sufficient seal to keep them from breathing all that nasty stuff in?

Thanks all!

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Scenarios

How I built a trellis for grape vines

RedneckContributor - December 22, 2020

IMO, grapes are a great choice for home gardeners and especially for preppers. In the warm areas of the country, such as where I live in North Mississippi, the grape of choice is the muscadine. Below is how I built my trellis a few years ago.  First I set my treated posts, where I use 6×6 posts on the ends and 4×4 posts down the line.  To attach and tension the 12.5 gauge high tensile wire, I use the Gripple product, which in this case includes the wirevise, the wire joiners, ground anchors and the tensioning tool. With this product, you feed the wire into a slot & the wire can only keep going forward. It can’t be pulled back out, like Chinese finger traps. Makes tensioning the wire exceptionally easy… especially with their tool. You can purchase the product from Amazon but I get my orchard supplies from Orchard Valley Supply. https://www.orchardvalleysupply.com/…ons/trellising

I drilled a hole thru the 6×6 end posts, slid in a wirevise on the outside of the post & fed the 12.5 gauge high tensile wire thru the wirevise, then tensioned from one end & then attached stainless guides on top of the 4×4 line posts.  I’m holding a wirevise so you can see how it looks.

Even though all posts are set 2 1/2 – 3 feet deep with concrete, you want to brace the end posts to keep them from leaning under the tension of the wire… especially when the wire is loaded with fruit and vines. On this end, I’m using Gripple earth anchors. They are driven, in this case, 3 feet into the ground, until the loop just barely sticks out. You then pull the drive rod out, slide it thru the loop and then pull up. This causes the anchor to pivot underground and then lock in place. When done the loop is now about 6 inches above ground.

Ready to pound the anchor deep underground.

This is where you pull up the rod, slide it thru the wire loop & pull upward until the end rotates & locks in place.

I then use the end post kit, which includes the Gripple wire joiner & the galvanized wire with a loop on one side, to tension the end post to the ground anchor.

One trellis now fully tensioned and braced.

Three trellises wired, tensioned & braced by myself in about 1 1/2 hours. You can’t get any easier & anytime it needs to be tightened, you simply attach the tool to the end of the wire.

Two years later, here is a variety called Supreme.

And here is Magnolia.

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AdviceSkills