Single female prepper resources?

lyn83 - May 28, 2020

I was just wondering if anyone knew of any single female preppers that may have blogs, YouTube channels, etc.

The prepping community seems to be male dominated and geared towards families (but I’m very new so I could be wrong!) And I feel like being a single female prepper is sort of a unique thing.

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Hi.  Not single but also female and a lot of the prepping conversation does seem directed by males.  I have found Daisy Luther has some books and information out that are specifically for women (she’s a single mother).

 

Great question! Not single but husband isn’t worried about being prepared so… But I do agree it seems male dominated and would love to find a community of women who might give feedback.

 

Welcome! Just wanted to share a couple things about this topic so you know where we stand:

• You’re obv right that most of the existing prepper websites/forums/youtubes/etc are very male oriented.
• But you are NOT alone! A huge percentage of modern preppers are women, including younger and/or single women. We’re proud that, as best we can tell, about half of the people in the TP community are women!
• Part of why we started TP was to be much more inclusive. So, FWIW, we’ve been making an effort from the start to include female voices (eg. many of our writers/contributors are women) and be considerate of female needs when doing product reviews (eg. the backpacks: https://theprepared.com/blog/maxpedition-tiburon-34-backpack-review/)
• We do plan on having dedicated guides about female-specific needs. It’s not that we’ve been ignoring it, it’s that we’ve still been working on the universal basics like food and water 🙂
• We’d love for more women to help us put together those guides. So feel free to have the conversations here in the forum and we’ll ingest/publish the good bits!
• For example, we wanted to ask the forum / a bigger sample size of women how they feel about menstrual cups in go-bags — there’s an interesting tradeoff between “it’s washable and should last a while, which is nice for an emergency” vs. “but you might not have clean hands or good general hygiene for insertion/removal in an emergency, which could cause problems.”

 

It’s so interesting that you brought up the menstrual cups because I just purchased these: https://www.amazon.com/Teamoy-Menstrual-Super-Absorbent-Comfortable-3pcs%C3%9711-6/dp/B078S6KRX2/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=washable+menstrual+pads+for+women&qid=1590713081&sr=8-5

Not for my Go bag, because I’m looking for something smaller, but these are GREAT and will work for when the power is out during a stay at home event and I can just wash them by hand.

 

I too use cloth pads (and a menstrual cup too) when at home! I love that the pads are so soft <3 (although just bulkier than normal pads). At the beginning I used to soak before washing them, but now I can’t be bothered and I just throw the in the washer with some natural oxi stuff and they come out just fine 😀

 

I love my Diva Cup! Have been using one since 2013 (I swap it out for a new one every year) and would never go back. The learning curve on menstrual cups is pretty huge (or at least it was for me in 2013). Look forward to hearing what you think! I’d recommend trying it out when the power is on, fyi. 🙂

 

Second this – learn now. It took me several cycles to get the hang of using a cup. Also, I’ve had friends have better luck with different brands, so not all brands work for every body.

 

As far as menstrual cups go–the vagina isn’t a sterile environment, the idea that it needs to be fully sterilized is good if you’re able but not really required. So if you can wipe your hands down and rinse them off, you’ll honestly probably be fine.

Also they can be left in for twelve hours on the high side, so having to change them less frequently is good, and in an emergency you don’t have to worry about it really.

That being said, they work for some and they don’t for others. I had nothing but problems with mine and ended up with urinary tract trauma because of it.

For me I’d rather have reusable liners and pads and a small stock of traditional tampons to use when I know I’ll be able to get more.

But i’d be interested in sharing a more thorough opinion if you open a discussion on it some time.

 

Another option (or additional option) is Thinx period underwear.

Also, on the topic of filling out the information to be more inclusive, right now the gear list/kit guides have all male clothing listed—adding a tab for women’s options would be great. (acknowledging basics being dealt with first).

 

I’m going to copy-paste my response from another comment here:

I think undergarments and reusable pads are the best option personally but I would warn against the thinx brand specifically, there have been some questionable materials showing up in their underwear linked to cancer and fertility problems.

here is a link:

https://www.fastcompany.com/90450618/report-thinx-menstrual-underwear-has-toxic-chemicals-in-the-crotch#:~:text=A%20University%20of%20Notre%20Dame,chemicals%2C%20in%20Thinx%20menstrual%20underwear.&text=An%20intrepid%20reporter%20for%20Sierra,magazine%2C%20has%20uncovered%20something%20disturbing.

to an article discussing the findings and statements from Thinx, and I’d encourage you to also look into it and not just take my comment as proof. Theree are a lot of smaller creators on etsy and instagram making handmade period underwear if you do decide to look for an alternative.

 

I agree with MrsG about considering THINX period underwear over menstrual cups as a go-bag option because they are more customizable to an individuals menstrual cycle which I feel is important. Also instead of packing a separate item specifically for menstruation, THINX can just be worn as regular underwear whether or not someone is menstruating and they are easy to wash and are also pretty durable. I personally keep THINX in my go-bag for all of the above reasons.

 

I think undergarments and reusable pads are the best option personally but I would warn against the thinx brand specifically, there have been some questionable materials showing up in their underwear linked to cancer and fertility problems.

here is a link:

https://www.fastcompany.com/90450618/report-thinx-menstrual-underwear-has-toxic-chemicals-in-the-crotch#:~:text=A%20University%20of%20Notre%20Dame,chemicals%2C%20in%20Thinx%20menstrual%20underwear.&text=An%20intrepid%20reporter%20for%20Sierra,magazine%2C%20has%20uncovered%20something%20disturbing.

to an article discussing the findings and statements from Thinx, and I’d encourage you to also look into it and not just take my comment as proof. Theree are a lot of smaller creators on etsy and instagram making handmade period underwear if you do decide to look for an alternative.

 

Ya’ll rock, thanks for getting the convo going!

 

Hi John,

It’s great that “The Prepared” will be considering the needs of female preppers when doing product reviews!

I hope that some of the items covered will be good quality tools sized for smaller hands and/or for people who can’t lift very heavy things (including not only hand tools but electrical items such as chain saws, circular saws, drill/drivers, etc.).

It would also be very helpful to know, for example, which tents (if any) can be put up by one woman on her own, and which generators (if any) can be easily transported, filled, and operated by one woman on her own.

Thanks!

Zabeth

 

Thanks for the great feedback Zabeth. When we field tested portable water cans, for example, we knew carrying a bit of weight by hand was one of the core uses, so we tested the “carryability” with both men and women of different sizes/strengths.

 

You’re very welcome John!  I’ll be sure to check out the information about water containers 🙂

Zabeth

 

Hi again John,

I read the great TP article reviewing water containers!  Sadly, because of my prior rotator cuff tears, and overall lack of upper body strength, the only water container I’d have had a chance of safely carrying would have been the 3.5 gallon “waterbrick” – and that’s assuming I only filled it up partway.

As is the case with many people who have sustained arm, back, or shoulder injuries in the past (including some disabled veterans BTW), I’m not supposed to lift more than 25 lbs.  Now I see why I can only comfortably pick up 3 gallons of water at a time

If I may, I’d like to suggest that future gear reviewers include at least one person who has that sort of physical challenge or, if that’s not possible, that future gear reviews perhaps suggest alternative methods or types of gear that a person with that sort of physical challenge could utilize?

Thanks

Zabeth

 

@Zabeth I hear you on the weight and wrestling limitations.  I’m ordering the similar Aquabrick.  It holds 3 gallons (so a bit lighter), is sturdier, more opaque and has 2 molded handles which I’m hoping will help me handle it more easily.  Plus the handles aren’t in the way of the spigot if installed.

 

Alicia, thanks for the tip.  I’ll check out the “Aquabrick” also!

Zabeth

 

They were in back in stock and arrived surprisingly quickly.  We filled them already as I was pretty excited.  A single Aquabrick filled nearly to the brim (it doesn’t freeze here) weighs 26.4 lbs.  The double handles do indeed make it easier for me to manipulate.  I also like that the cap and therefore spigot is lower on the side so when in use it will empty more of the container.

 

My Reliance Aquatainers are 7 gallons and so weigh 58.3 pounds. I cannot lug them around them by myself, but I have them and can access them, and can scooch them across the floor and probably could lever them into a vehicle if I had to, but probably injure myself in the process, which is bad prepping. I also fill all 15 of the single gallon containers I have left over from when I had to buy water. We had well issues a number of times. The well is good now. I have some 5-gallon containers, which are about 42 pounds. If I have to bug out, the big containers stay. For immediate needs, I can use the 15 (or maybe it’s more) gallon containers, can siphon out the bigger ones to get them started and then move them. The tall ones can be tipped (I just tried it). The bricks, less so, but I have a drinking grade hose I can use to empty them.

 

I am trying to edit my comment above but can’t seem to do so right now. I do not have “15-gallon containers” but 15 one-gallon containers, if that was not clear.

 

This would be great for me, too. I am not all that strong, even though I want to be. Just the way my body is. I have spent my life feeling like the “90 pound weakling.” Vice grips help with a lot of things, they are EDC for me as I have weak hand and wrist strength, but I am trying to not let that stop me- never far away from me and I don’t let people walk off with them if they get to borrow them in the first place. Also, for leverage, I have been known to carry metal pipe to lengthen a tire iron, for example, and two-by-fours, which I have used to pry stuff apart when the car broke down. I have had a number of jobs where I needed to have physical strength, which I do not actually have, and always looked for women in whatever profession/workplace to show me how certain things could be done. I would *love* to know about generators, as that is my next big ticket (for me) item.

 

Very glad this conversation is happening. I would love to see more resources for people who have physical limitations. Like others here I am not able to carry anything heavy. While I’m working on strengthening myself I’m very limited by my physical condition and don’t see a future where I’ll be able to carry more than 25 lbs (and honestly that seems like a stretch).

As someone who is prone to UTIs and yeast infections and who has a history of gynecological pain, that has to be a part of my prepping. I’ve been hoarding antibiotics, anti-yeast meds, and analgesics for emergencies. I’ve never dealt with my period in the wilderness but my gut says Diva Cups and the like would not be the way to go for me because of my medical history. I’d probably go with tampons – good reminder to add them to my go bag! As well as the TP I like.

 

I’m trying to find links for prepping while disabled that are from the POV of someone with a disability, not of an abled person trying to make the gut-wrenching decision to leave their loved one behind. I found this. Is it OK to post links to other sites? https://www.askaprepper.com/prepping-tips-for-the-disabled/

 

I remember when everyone started sheltering in place because of COVID I came across a number of tip-sharing articles from people with (physical) disabilities, who have long had to be prepared and do mutual aid because emergency situations tend to become deadly for them more quickly.

 

I would definitely put a menstrual cup or two in my kit. In an ideal situation you would need to sterilise it before using, and before each insertion, however you can empty, wipe with toilet paper and reinsert. I would recommend that you sterilise before first use, and that can be done by boiling for 5 minutes. Baby wipes and/or soap and water should be sufficient for genereal cleanliness. The vagina is self cleaning and is not as fragile as the ‘wellness community’ might suggest. However the issue with menstrual cups is that one size does not fit all, so if people try a cup that does not work for them, they may not try another. However, cups do hold more than tampons, which does give arguement to their inclusion.

If you do choose to do an article in relation to this subject, I would recommend reading “The Vagina Bible” by Dr Jen Gunter as there is so much misinformation out there on the topic.

 

I agree, Daisy Luther at OrganicPrepper is good reading. If you expand the search to women who don’t declare if they are married or not, or if you don’t mind that they are married, I have a few suggestions. There is a YouTube channel by an Austrian woman, Survival Lily at https://www.youtube.com/user/alonewolverine1984 you might check out. I have learned a lot from her channel. She is making shelters, practicing archery and slingshot, honing her skills with primitive equipment while also knowing her way around modern woodworking tools. She also has a gardening channel. She’s not in the U.S. so she’s operating under a different society, but even that is very interesting to me. There is another link you can take a look at on Canadian Prepper. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0juVc9_ypM     On this link he interviewed a variety of women; you can see if any one of them resonates with you. ApartmentPrepper (https://apartmentprepper.com) is a longtime blog that you might like. (She is married also, but it doesn’t make the blog any less useful.)  Prepping may seem like a male dominated genre, but I think prepping is universal. It’s even possible that women have been prepping under the radar for ages and they are just not being recognized for it. If you look beyond the prepper genre and look at the homesteading genre, you may find someone who you can connect to there. Whether you are single or married, women do tend to do a lot of the caregiving duties in society, and that requires a lot of grit and organizational skills.  By the way, I hope you keep an open mind and not tune out the male preppers. All of them have mothers, some have sisters, daughters, nieces. My guess is that given the opportunity, they do want to share their knowledge and would be very interested in your knowledge and experience too. I think that on a one-on-one level, people do want to understand one another. At least, I very much hope so.

 

Thank you so much for all the resources!

And, I absolutely agree and don’t plan on tuning out the male preppers 🙂 It’s all been incredibly helpful and I think it’s a shame that this has such a stigma attached to it.

For example, I get teased in my office for having the bag with everything in it– but I can’t tell you how many times co-workers have come to me for things in it!

 

I knew about Survival Lily, but not the others. Will check them out, thanks!

 

Looks like I’ll be spending a lot of time with Survival Lilly this weekend! Thank you for the links. Love finding something I didn’t know I needed if that makes sense 🙂

 

Hi Lyn83,

I run a wilderness survival school and prefer running women’s classes.  There are not nearly as many female survival/prepper oriented types for sure.  I’m prior military and SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) and was the only woman in my flight of 30 men for the 4 years I was in.  My focus is more survival than prepping per say, but they work hand in hand.  I see prepping as a spectrum: gear focused on one end and skills focused on the other.  I work heavily on the skills end and teach how to work with what you may find or have with you in an emergency.
Beyond classes I run Meetup groups (occasionally now through Zoom) and have one called “Survival Sisters” in Boulder.  It’s a free group and we’ll be having a Zoom discussion/analysis of a survival story (about Bram Schaffer’s experience in 1995 in Montana being attacked by a grizzly) this Wednesday from 6-8 pm if you’d care to join us. Just find us on Meetup.
I work with The Prepared as well and have some videos on knots and map and compass reading for now.  We’ll be adding more later.  If you’d like my emailed newsletter which also includes links to other resources just send me an email at [email protected].  I send them out about 4 times per year and you can remove yourself at any time.
Do you have any questions about survival skills that I may be able to answer here on the forum?

 

At the moment, I’m interested in learning First Aid and the self-defense women use.

I signed up for a concealed carry permit finally (located in PA), and have been to a shooting range exactly one time.

 

Lyn83, I’m located in South Central PA.

Zabeth

 

Another PA gal here! Southwestern part of the state.

 

Hi Jess,  the female YouTuber “Pennsylvania Prepper” lives in Southwestern PA also.  She posts videos on several prepping topics, including freeze-drying food for long-term storage, shopping for great bargains on prepping items, gardening, etc.

Zabeth

 

Sweet! Will check her out! Thanks Zabeth.

 

You’re very welcome Jess!

Zabeth

 

Oh, I just love this thread! Thank you for starting the conversation. FWIW, I’m a woman and one of the editors at TP! I was initially a little nervous about joining a prepping community because I also thought most preppers were men, but I’ve been so pleasantly surprised by the community here. The prepping groups I’ve joined on Facebook also seem to have a lot of women in them.

I feel like we as women have historically been tasked with SO MUCH of what it means to prepare our families, homes, and communities. We have long been responsible for feeding people, doing medicine work, shopping, carrying knowledge about the home, etc. So it honestly makes so much sense that women should be included in emergency preparedness circles! I also think that’s why so many essential workers are women (nurses, caregivers, etc).

Anyway, I’d love to hear from you about what you want to see on the blog! And from all women about the prepping concerns that feel most pressing to you. I know everything I write and edit I view through my lived experience as a woman!

 

Also, random reminder: Don’t forget to stock up at home, and pack in you BOB/EDC/VEDC etc any kind of menstrual pain reliever, if you need them. My first day is always so painful that I can’t do anything (a part from pacing around and try not to faint) until the Naproxen Sodium (Aleve) kicks in.

 

Another important addition (someone on this forum shared her go pack contents and this one was a lightbulb moment for me): Plan B.

 

Yeah, @Jess, that started some conversations with my husband.  I am past the need, but something we discussed for a first aid kit. SHTF has some very negative aspects.

 

hey! i’m a newer prepper too and while I’m prepping for my family I definitely share your assessment of the scene. the big emphasis on family prepping comes in part from heavy over-representation of mormons, too, I think.

you might like this resource, which heavily delves into the topic of mutual aid in communities that are….not made up of dudes and families:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rIdpKgXeBHbmM3KpB5NfjEBue8YN1MbXhQ7zTOLmSyo/edit

and I wanted to share the rule of thumb I’ve developed to decide if a prepper’s advice is full of shit or not: if they don’t include hot sauce/seasonings in emergency food supplies and monistat in medical supplies, they’re goofy military cosplayers

 

Thank you for sharing this! I hadn’t seen that Google Doc before, but it’s great!

 

Hbic, Of course, if they’re only including the hot sauce in their preps so they’ll have it to dab under their lower eyelids (ouch!) to help stay awake during long “night ops”, they might still just be “goofy military cosplayers”, lol!

Zabeth

 

Same boat!

 

I don’t have a video or blog, and I’m not advanced enough in my prepping to give advice to others anyway, but I just wanted to say that I’m single and female (though don’t exactly identify as a woman) and have been following and appreciating TP for probably about a year and a half now. Great resource!

One female-specific need that I’m coming up against just now in our times of COVID-19 is bathroom issues. Since I’m not going inside people’s houses, when I visit them outside I can’t take a bathroom break. I wind up hunting the neighborhood for a discreet place to go. It’s a bit awkward. So, I just purchased a “female urinal” — one of the many out there. We’ll see how it works.

 

Thanks for this topic!  I have discovered TP pretty recently and enjoyed it.  I also noted that there are areas that females would need that aren’t touched upon, at least not yet..  I’ve been prepping in some way for most of my life having grown up in a rural area with true winters and resourceful parents.  I mostly have double dipped with the infrequently used backpacking supplies and in the last few years started getting a bit more organized and added GHBs for my husband and myself.  I no longer require menstrual supplies so cannot truly contribute to that thread. I did just purchase a Pstyle female urination device.  I got the hang of it from the first try, but am still testing all the scenarios (different clothing, pressure/urgency, etc).  I also got TravelJohn disposable urinals for our cars/truck because sometimes you need the privacy or cannot exit the vehicle safely.  I was surprised how small they could get for storage.  Between the two, most of those needs would be covered.  TravelJohn makes a solid waste version as well, but it couldn’t be shipped to my location.

 

TravelJanes [the pink version 😉 ] have saved my dignity more than once — especially on road trips. Got stuck in an awful Interstate traffic jam once. Couldn’t find a restroom at an exit on another trip. And there was the time I threw out my back getting out of bed — a TravelJane saved the carpet. I now keep a few in the car and one in my daily tote bag, in a small baggie with a bit of TP and a sanitizing towelette. Menopause requires a whole new category of preps! 😉

 

oh, if only I had found this website back in early March (before COVID), when I threw my back out and made a perilous army crawl journey from the floor to the toilet.

am off to buy a TravelJane right this very moment.

 

Thanks for this tip!!  Definitely getting these.  They’re sold out on Amazon though:

 

I understand that the TravelJanes are just a pink version of the TravelJohns so possibly try them.  I also learned about Biffy Bags which are for solid waste scenarios – strap on sort of like a diaper catcher.  Packed they are pretty small as well 3x3x0.5″. Those did ship to my location.

 

lyn83,

When I threw my back out last year I found that a 5-gallon bucket, lined with a standard size “Double Doodie” bag (that has absorbent bio-gel inside), and topped with a snap-on plastic “Luggable Loo” seat/lid combo, was incredibly helpful.  I put it on the floor close to the foot of my bed, (along with some toilet tissue and baby wipes), and it really came in handy!

Even though my sore back has long since healed, I now keep that DIY commode in my bedroom closet, all setup and ready to use, just in case.

It also comes in handy for long road-trips, when I stash it in the trunk of whichever vehicle I’m driving, ready to be deployed on the side of the road if necessary.  I also stash a large collapsible golf umbrella in the trunk of the car with the DIY commode, to be used (when opened and set on its side) as a make-shift privacy screen.

That DIY commode setup, although bulky to carry, works better for me than the TravelJane-type products.  With my lower back pain and stiffness (and, unfortunately, my protruding tummy, lol!), I find it hard to reach forward and down far enough to use the TravelJane-type products effectively.  However, I’m sure they would work very well for many other women

Zabeth

 

That’s my camping potty! I use heavy trash bags and Poo Powder, but exactly the same setup. Works so well — and will serve nicely if we need it for a more dramatic purpose.

 

Cheri, yes, that sort of DIY commode is great for camping too!  Plus, it really came in handy at my former residence where the electrical power would often go out, causing the well water pump to fail for days at a time.

Zabeth

 

I have lived that traffic jam scenario due to icy roads.  Southern Indiana is still on my #$#%^ list because I didn’t have a travelJohn/jane and so was miserable…

 

we’re talking toilet preps in this thread too! https://theprepared.com/forum/thread/toilet-when-theres-no-water/

 

I’m a single, mom prepper with a youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/c/ReadyToDieFighting. It follows me and my 11 year old as we get in shape, learn to garden, build self defense skills and goof off. Fun stuff if you ask me!

I agree with someone else who said women have been prepping under the radar. Women, especially moms (of children or man-children), have always been preppers, we just don’t usually call it that. And it looks very different from the male narrative of prepping.

I once heard someone say “men prepare to fight the war, eomen prepare to survive it.” I also think this is accurate.

 

Hi,

I’ve been a single, female prepper for the past 20 years :-). I don’t have a blog or YouTube channel myself but will be happy to discuss preparedness topics and resources with you if you’d like.

Zabeth

 

Oo! I teach couples (and single women and teens) how to charge fertility to avoid pregnancy or for family planning and general health awareness.

I started a topic post on just this subject, I think it’s in approval mode right now. 🙂

Would love to talk to anyone that needs information on this!!

 

I am female and was a semi prepper most of my life in terms of always having water and food supply. I have taken survival courses and read books.  When covid 19 hit the US I went into survival mode and signed up for prepper news which has helped me to prepare for worse case scenarios.  I am new to this site but glad to see there are other women whether married or single here.

 

I’m a single mom and am thrilled to see fellow female preppers!  I’ve only been prepping for a couple years, but my preps already really helped me during this pandemic and my family doesn’t think I’m so crazy now.  Thanks for the great information here, I’ve already found it very useful!

 

“my family doesn’t think I’m so crazy now” – I can identify!  My husband who has always been supportive of my prep mentality is more of a believer now.

 

I think you would really enjoy the “Prepper Potpourri” YouTube channel.  The very knowledgeable lady who owns/runs it is married with grown children rather than single, and runs her own successful medical billing company when she’s not doing an amazing amount of prepping!  Her wide-ranging videos are very useful, well made, and focus on how women can successfully prep 🙂

Zabeth

 

there is one lady utuber that is great and that is survival lilly, she is fantastic

 

Single mom, have spent more than a decade doing the “financial prepping after the divorce” thing. Prepping comes very naturally to me, as it’s kind of how I exist anyway by default, as there are constant little disasters to anticipate- long story. I still don’t can or garden but that’s being added to my list of things to do now that the pandemic has hit.

 

AnnieP,

Im also learning to garden and can. It is the best! How did I not do this before? Props for being a kickass single mom, teaching real skills!

 

Not entirely exclusive to women but I had a UTI this weekend, what fun 😩 I’m adding cranberry pills to my home first aid supplies but thinking about asking my doctor for a backup bottle of Macrobid (antibiotics.) Anyone done this?

 

My mother was suffering recurring UTI and her urologist was concerned about antibiotic resistance. She suggested taking 1000 mg D-Mannose twice a day and it was very effective at keeping this at bay. It does not require a prescription. It is worth considering if UTI is recurring and of benefit to reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance setting in. My mother was at high risk for UTI because she was suffering paralysis and required straight catheter several times a day. I think if the D-Mannose was working for her, it is even better for someone in good health and would not have to be taken daily as she did. But the bottle will have to be stored well to prevent moisture getting in (desiccant is helpful) because it does appear to be hydrophilic. I realize this is purely anecdotal account, but thought I’d mention this as an alternative to antibiotics and cranberry for people who have chronic recurring UTI. (Having cranberry is fine too if that worked for you.)

Seeing how this thread is evolving into toileting discussion, it reminds me of an issue of women in car trip and camping situations where we are a little more concerned about when and where we will go than men tend to be; unconsciously we may tend not to drink enough water to avoid having to go. I should know better, but I do this myself if I know there aren’t going to be facilities for a while. But being well hydrated is very important for our kidneys.

I hope that you are feeling better now!

 

I can second the D-Mannose for UTIs.  It prevented me from needing antibiotics with a bladder infection that shows up infrequently a couple times now.  It was in powder form that is mixed with water and tastes pretty good (cranberry I believe).  It does get clumpy between uses but was still effective after I blended it back into a powder.

 

Hbic, with regard to antibiotic options to treat a UTI in a SHTF situation, you might find this article by Joseph Alton, M.D., helpful:  https://www.doomandbloom.net/sulfonamides-sulfa-drugs-in-survival/   .  Also (apologies if you’ve already thought of these), you might want to store a box or two of over-the-counter AZO Urinary Tract Infection Test strips with your medical preps in addition to storing and taking cranberry juice tablets as a preventative, staying well hydrated, wearing only cotton (or, preferably, no) underpants, practicing “double voiding”, always wiping from front to back, and always voiding shortly after intercourse.  (As you can probably tell by all this advice, I’m a person who used to get recurrent UTIs but, thanks to following these practices, I haven’t had one in over 20 years).

Zabeth

 

Mariko — thanks for the rec! I will look into D-Mannose

Zabeth — I haven’t had UTIs in a very long time, but in dealing with this one it occurred to me that a lot of those preventative measures might be harder in a disaster situation, particularly around hydration and hygiene. Good to know that sulfa drugs are good enough for UTI treatment. I don’t know why, but the fish antibiotics thing feels like a bridge too far into prepper-land for me….interested to hear how other people feel about it!

 

Hbic, I agree!  Good hydration and hygiene could become very hard to maintain in a disaster situation, particularly one that’s long-term.

Zabeth

 

I thought the menstruation options for bags deserved a separate thread:

https://theprepared.com/forum/thread/what-do-you-keep-in-your-bob-for-menstruation/

Would love to see how everyone else is addressing!

 

Hey, everyone. This thread hasn’t been active for a while, but I thought I’d post a question/brainstorm on it. This is really not specifically single oriented, but female in general. So, I’m a genderqueer, masculine-leaning living, for legal and general social purposes as female. That is, I don’t really identify as a woman, but I was labeled female at birth and if you were to look at me without knowing me or my gender identity you would say that I present as a butch women probably. I’m also short and rather large around.

What this has to do with prepping is that clothes that fit me and that feel halfway descent to me to wear (meaning feel anything at all like “me”) are always a pain in the butt to acquire. I almost never feel like the way I look on the outside represents the real “me” so I’ve settled for the understated geek look of t-shirts and polo shirts and jeans, but even that clothes is hard to get in sizes and styles that fit me. When it comes to specialized prepping and outdoors clothes? Sheesh! Forget it!

So, I’m looking for options. Right now I’m looking for a bottom layer for my BOB. I was hoping to find the convertible pants that this size recommends, but in women’s sizes I can’t find anything larger than a 24W, which would normally fit me but in this case runs small and doesn’t. I could try big and tall men’s sizes, but the places I usually shop for those don’t carry outdoor clothes. Plus men’s bottoms are hugely long on me and have to be hemmed by like a mile. LOL.

I’m also looking for a large top base layer. I know we’re not supposed to go for cotton, because it’s slow to dry, but I was hoping to avoid 100% polyester and also hope to get something that’s loose fitting. I tend to run too hot and really don’t like form fitting clothes, especially bottom layers. Right now the only thing I’ve found that’s remotely my size (maybe) is 100% marino wool stuff, but it’s not really a good style for me and also I understand that 100% wool is also to be avoided because it’s slow to dry and pills easily.

So, I’m a bit stuck. Does anyone have any suggestions of where I might look and what I might look for?

 

I can’t help with bottoms but have you considered a silk base layer as a top? The one’s rei stocks are like, ultraultralight.

here’s just a basic long sleeve one.

https://www.rei.com/product/802210/rei-co-op-silk-long-underwear-crew-shirt-mens

 

My experience with silk is that it’s pretty hot, actually, even though it’s lightweight. Also, I don’t know how well it works as emergency material. Doesn’t it tear easily?

 

I can’t help with your clothing questions, either— I wish I could, but my body type, gender identity, and hobbies intersect in such a way that I’ve never had to be very creative or resourceful to find good clothing preps for myself. (Plus I already gave you some meager suggestions in another post, so anything I would say here would be repetitious of ideas that probably weren’t very helpful the first time around!) I just wanted to thank you for bumping this thread up to the top of the forum again— I hadn’t seen it before, but it was a good, informative read that made me feel a lot of warm fuzzies for this community. I hope others can steer you to clothing that works for you!

 

I sympathize. I tend to like ‘boy’ colors and styles but am too small and curvy for boy clothes – especially their shoes.  (Oh the conversations I’ve had with my husband and male friends on the social norms/expectations of women’s clothing – especially shoes, but I digress) So I must wait until those colors and styles cycle into women’s wear trends. And for convertible bottoms, it’s not the season yet for the selection to be larger. Columbia, The North Face, Eddie Bauer, REI and others will have more options by March as they put out their summer camping/hiking inventory. A bit of patience on that may help.

As for tops, I suggest you try out a fitness tee from Target, Walmart or Kohls. I just saw this one at target with perforated sides that could possibly be cool enough if it fit loosely while still wicking and drying quickly.  It’s just an example of another option to try with potentially less cost commitment.  You could then add a long sleeve button up performance shirt or a windbreaker jacket from a sports brand to layer for the chillier days. Athletic wear is also at plus size specialty stores like Carolines.  

I have been quite surprised by 150 lightweight merino tee not being hot.  I’ve not fully tested this as much as I should as I still have memories of lightweight merino wool sweaters being sweltering (so I get your reluctance).  It does take longer to dry than polyester but not cotton of the same weight.  As for pilling – in a BOB, we likely will never wear it (hopefully) and I don’t think I’ll care so much if I do have to wear it.  My merino socks have pilled (only the ones I sleep in) but not my wool baselayers that I have worn and washed with drip dry.  And I also have memories of polyester not breathing (being hot) and feeling too slick/plasticy.  Many of the new tech polyester fabrics are nearly as soft and comfortable as cotton to me as long as they’re loose fitting.  They don’t breath as much as the merino 150 and 250 shirts I have so they’re warmer in some ways.  And one point of skipping cotton is that it doesn’t insulate when wet while wool and the wicking synthetics do.  So even if you’re wet, you’re not freezing which you would be in cotton.  

 

Thanks for the awesome suggestions!

 

Jonnie, I wore the 150 weight merino tee shirt all day today:  in the car, in the sun, in the high 80s, in a truck with old AC (works but not icy cold).  My jeans were hot but the shirt was not even in dark blue.  It is pretty thin and the knit is more open than most of my tee shirts so its ‘breezier’ and in dark color to prevent show through.  Felt like a thin cotton tee and didn’t itch (ultrafine merino makes the difference here and ups the price).   I did sweat a bit in the sun and it doesn’t smell this evening when I took it off.  I will wash it in a mesh bag and drip dry.  That’s a bit more of a hassle than cotton tees.  For the  insulating properties, lighter weight, and lack of smell, worth it for travel and BOB.  

 

Lyn,

https://www.outsideonline.com/2417402/best-hiking-pants-women

There is much women’s prepper stuff on the web.  It’s just not organized that well.

Madam bought some pants mentioned in above link.

For a newcomer to the prepper / preparedness environment, the best – and least costly – effort is to affiliate with a local/area club or organization of some sort.  Like always, good quality stuff costs more than the non-good quality stuff.  Individuals in person will provide the best focus for you and your environment.