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Earthquake specific food store question
Geezer - February 17, 2022 Hi there,
Brit in WA state. Aware of this earthquake situation, and although I am trying to cover all emergency my bases, earthquake seems like a good one to be ready for.
I have a couple of questions about food storage that I would really appreciate people who have more experience than I do to chime in on.
I would like to keep my longer term food stores in the garage (concrete slab), but we have an apartment above it so the whole thing really could come down. Thing is, everytime I put anything even slightly edible in a sealed plastic bucket in the garage mice start chewing thier way through.
1. Is it just a ‘find a rodent impenetrable chest’ that is about the right size’ situation? In which case any recommendations?
2. Where do I keep it in the garage obviously near a door / window, and the furthest up any slopes, but what is the best way to not get stuff buried in an earth quake.
Forgive me if this question has already been asked, I did my best to search around in old comments for something similar, I’m sure I just missed it, so any links to old conversations I’d also be grateful for.
Thank you kindly,
G.
Read MoreBooze recommendations for barter during SHTF
Sharon - February 16, 2022 Happy new year all!
Every once and awhile, I like to add on to our little larder, so I’m looking for recommendations for sales/value/brands of alcohol that you might like to trade when SHTF? I used to drink tequila and scotch, but know next to nothing about other types of alcohol.
Is the food too old? / aka when to can the can
TraceContributor - February 13, 2022 (Recently I saw a forum question, “How to tell when to toss cans that have rust on the outside?” And it got me to thinking more about what was inside the can.)
As preppers we store food. We rotate and use our items regularly. (First in First Out ) But sometimes we don’t, it gets old and unused for whatever reason.
What is too old? First, you have to at least open it up (don’t just throw it away based on what the outside looks like). Assess what’s inside. Do you own little prepper experiment.
IF you HAD to eat it to survive, could you? Modern day food processing is pretty amazing. Look at the color and consistency. Smell it. If it looks okay and smells okay, taste a little (it won’t kill you). Again, could you eat it if you had to?
Here are the timeframes we’ve (very unofficially) determined that we’re generally comfortable with:
– Cans (that require a can opener): 6 years
– Cans with pull rings: 2 years (these are not sealed as well and mold frequently develops in them prematurely)
– Cheese: I’ve left a sealed package out in the garage as an experiment for 10 months, the package swelled, and some oils pooled, but it tasted fine — just much sharper. In the refrigerator: 2+ years
– Sour cream (16oz) / cream cheese (12oz) (refrigerated): 6 months. We buy small containers — once opened use them within about a week.
– Half and Half (64oz) (refrigerated): 3+ months
– Greek Yogurt (32oz) (refrigerated): 6+ months
– Cottage Cheese (16oz): <6 weeks (and it’ll be obviously moldy if it’s bad)
– Beer: room temperature/dark: 3 – 9 months, refrigerated: up to 2 years. It’s important to remember old beer doesn’t become dangerous to drink, it just gets old and can taste skunky or sour — but it’s harmless to the body. Essentially if it tastes fine, drink it.
– Saltines: I recently came across a sealed packages from ‘13, they tasted sour/salty almost like baking soda — but the sheep and chickens loved them.
– Frozen Meat: At the bottom of the (big) deep freezer we came across some butchered pork from ‘17, 5 years old. I was skeptical and gave some to the dogs, but it didn’t look bad. It was wrapped in plastic, then in butcher paper and the meat still looked good and wasn’t freezer burned. Experimentally we cooked some up in the crock pot, letting the pork shoulder cook on low overnight — and it was great. Great flavor and great consistency, we’ll (carefully, inspecting as we go) use the rest of it. (Edit added 2/13)
What to do with TOO OLD? I make pigcycles. I pour the contents of all the old cans into large bowls, stir them together into a slop, spoon them into quart ziplock bags, then freeze them. Then I’ll give them to our pig, or chickens, or occasionally our dogs on a hot day as a treat.
[Disclaimer: This is only my opinion and advice, old food should only be eaten in a survival situation.] Read MoreMini greenhouse out of scrap materials
Magic 8 Ball - February 10, 2022 While spending way too much time on Reddit, I came across a project that I wanted to talk about with someone. To avoid hurting the creator’s feelings, I didn’t want to comment on the actual Reddit thread itself. It’s a great project, but there are some changes I would make.
I don’t have a sunny windowsill, so I made a mini greenhouse to start my seeds
The creator of this project used standard pane glass and scrap wood from a previous project. Cost them $10 to build.
People in the comments said that the creator needs to provide some ventilation so that the plants do not cook and the creator responds that they did put some small holes in and filled the holes with cotton so bugs don’t get in. This probably won’t provide enough ventilation.
Changes I would make:
Place a hinge on one side so you could prop it open or easily gain access without having to remove the entire lid. Drill holes in the sides for ventilation and staple squares of screen window over the holes to prevent bugs. Add a thermometer inside to monitor temperatures. If things get too toasty I would prop open the lid or turn away from the sun. If things were not warm enough, painting the box black would absorb more warmth. Create 3″ feet in each corner to get the box up off the floor to prevent it from sitting in water and rotting.Has anyone made a mini greenhouse like this before? What changes would you make to this design?
Read More
It is critical you prune your muscadines
RedneckContributor - February 10, 2022 I’m a firm believer that if you live in the south and are a prepper, then you should grow muscadines… preferably commercial varieties. Around here they grow wild almost everywhere. Unlike many food crops, muscadines really require little care. Diseases and insects don’t bother them and they can handle dry spells. Muscadines love the heat & humidity of the south. A mature vine can get 30 -40 feet long but I keep mine around 15 feet long. A mature commercial plant can produce around 60 pounds of grapes each year and they are soooooo good!
I have most of my vines inside my orchard and they are on a trellis system, but that is not necessary. They easily will grow up & along any fence line. And boy do they every grow. Muscadines mostly only fruit on new growth, so if you want a large crop, you need to prune back the vines each year and thin them out. I cut off all but a few inches, so that I have a few buds on each shoot. From that, each bud will put out several feet of new vine. The fruit forms on these new vines. That is why it is critical to prune your vines when they are dormant in the winter.
I just took these pics today. I pruned one row and called it a day.
In the spring, they will leaf out, grow new vines & set new fruit.
Read More
7 things to prepare before it’s too late
Mike Hill - February 6, 2022 I’ve been thinking about TEOTWAWKI or The End of the World as We Know It. To be clear, I believe that there are many other more likely scenarios to happen before this, but if you plan for the worst you will be prepared for the rest.
As part of my family’s plan I wanted to make a list of the things we need to get in order before it’s too late. They are in no particular order and is just a very short list of things we need to do. I am planning on expanding my description of and notes for each point once I finalize the list. What do all you preparedness experts think of this list and what would you add or change?
1) Have ways to collect, treat, and store water
Water is life, we all need a lot of it not only for drinking but cleaning, cooking, and hygiene. Not having it will quickly lead to disease, dehydration, and death. Not only is storing clean water important, but have ways to collect and clean more.
2) Store food and ways to cook it
Start with a week of food, then a month, then three, then six if possible. Have ways to cook and prepare multiple recipes with the food we store and don’t just do beans and rice every day.
3) Learn basic first aid and have a supply of medical supplies
Be able to treat wounds, sprains, cuts, and breaks. Store medications and don’t forget about dental and eye health. Store more than we think we will need.
4) Have backup sources of energy
Have alternative ways to stay warm, cool down, modes of transportation, and power the various devices and appliances in our home.
5) Fortify our homes and self
Secure our home against nature, humans, and animals. Learn personal self defense and carry some defense tool with us at all times if possible. No use preparing if we get our stuff stolen or die.
6) Create a reference library and practice various skills
The internet may not always be available, have some paper reference material and practice skills so we aren’t trying new things during the disaster.
7) Work with other preppers
We want to create a network of other like minded individuals and have goods and skills ready that can be used for trade and bartering.
Read MoreElectrical surge protection for older homes
Seasons4 - February 6, 2022 I just bought several surge protectors for outlets used for electronic devices in my home (computer, radio power supply, printer, modem, router, TV). Now I wonder if those surge protectors will do more harm than good since my older home uses a two-wire system (hot wire and neutral, no third wire for ground, as I understand it).
Can anyone here speak to that issue? Does anyone have experience with Zero Surge protectors? Apparently they use a different approach to handling surges. Instead of directing surges to ground or neutral wires (again, my house doesn’t have ground wire at outlets), they handle it differently.
https://zerosurge.com/ungrounded-buildings-older-homes/
Thanks!
Read MoreDehydrating food at home
matthew.Contributor - January 28, 2022 Hello fine people, I hope everyone’s new year is off to a good start.
For the holidays, my wife and I bought ourselves a food dehydrator, a Nesco Gardenmaster to be exact, and while we’re definitely having fun with it, I know we are only scratching the surface. Is anyone here currently dehydrating their own food? I’d love to know not only what you are doing, but how you are working it into your preps.
So far we’ve had a blast dehydrating fruit and making our own jerky, and our next adventure will be to make a soup mix. But where I’m struggling is trying to figure out how to best incorporate it into our preps. When it comes to long-term food storage, so far it seems safer, and often cheaper, to simply buy packaged dehydrated foods. But I’m hoping I’m wrong on that, so please share your success stories!
Read MoreHas anyone actually made their own soap and liked it?
Conrad B - January 26, 2022 Has anyone tried making their own soap? Yes, I was watching Fight Club.
I’ve seen it mentioned in a few places and was curious if it’s worthwhile now that we’re all washing our hands more.
Read MoreWater storage issues–water bricks contaminated after 1 year
AShields - January 23, 2022 This is my third year doing an annual swap of water stores but the first time I have had an issue with contaminated water. I have Water Bricks and my method is to 1. wash them out with Dawn 2. rinse and dry 3. refill with tap water 4. add unscented bleach. This is the first year I have opened them up to find white threads floating in the water and what I can only describe as orange blobs in one. One container had a visibly discolored and slimy lid, too. The most obvious thing to me is that maybe the bleach was too old, but I still feel like in a clean, air tight container, it shouldn’t have been an issue? I’m not sure. Any help or advice on how to prevent this is greatly appreciated.
I am very glad I do an annual check on the water and I am going to be ordering a Berkey or similar to have a way to filter water faster than my Sawyer mini filters could if this ever happens again and I need to use my stores. I’m also glad I have purification tablets on hand, too. (crossposted to r/preppers)
Read MoreGear question – recommendations for a first aid case to fit in a BOB?
Falcon - January 15, 2022 I’m looking for a “good” case for my first Aid Kit that I want to fit in a BOB or have as a not to large ride along. As a note and personal assessment – bit of an organize freak, everything needs its place!
I like the Large First Aid Kit by Surviveware that you can find here – clearly labeled mesh pouches, easy to find what you are looking for. I’m looking at the bag specifically here. And honestly, one of the better pre-assembled kits that I’ve seen. Contents list below for those interested.
Cons – It does not have everything that I’d like to have a kit (fine, again few do). Given that, it in itself seems pretty full as is – does not leave much room for adding in my own materials.Then I set out to look for just a case – preferably something easily organized that can be adjusted to suit my materials and needs, something like the Pelican EMS case found here. I love the Pelican aesthetics.
Cons – The price is out of range by a large degree, as are the dims (16-7/8″ W x 20-5/8″ L x 8-1/8″ H) – too large to lug about unless I was using it constantly such as a lifeguard or park ranger. Definitely not a BOB option. Perhaps kept in the home.Finally I was looking at JUST a case such as the NANUCK910. Its nice enough. Good sized at exterior dimensions of L 14.3″ x W11.1″ x H4.7″, not too large and not so small its pointless. The price point is decent (its just an empty case).
Cons – it is literally just a shell. Any material placed in here is going to be dumped in haphazardly and a pain to find the item needed rapidly.Not too be put of this last solution to quickly, I was looking for pouches like these or like these. They are not the perfect solution — I’d like to get something closer to the Surviveware example.
A final option would be getting pre-made single purpose kits like the Red Cross Professional Trauma Pak with QuikClot or the Everlit equivalent and throwing all the specialized baggies in a case. But that is disorganized and likely to get rather expensive.
But as you all must have thoughts on this matter and must have solved it for yourselves (and as I cannot be the only organize central fellow in the ether) I thought I’d post the question and see what advice was to be had!
Large First Aid Kit by Surviveware Contents:
600D Polyester Bag(1), 7.5″ Shears(1), 18″ Splint(1), Cold Pack(1), Combine Dressing(1), Conforming Bandages(6), Gauze Swabs(5), Ear Buds(20), Emergency Blanket(1), Eye Pads(4), Hydro Gel(5), Tape, Non-Adhesive Dressings(10), Laminate Baggies(6), Refuse Bag(1), Pressure Bandage(1), Safety Pins(10), Splinter Probes(10), Strip Closures(9), Triangular Bandage(2), Tweezers(1), Whistle(1), Wound Dressings(2),Adhesive Bandages: Butterfly – Large(5), Butterfly – Medium(5), Large(5), Standard(30), Square(5), Mini(5), H-Shape(5),First Aid Handbook(1).
Read MoreHelp if possible please, home made bread preservation
Bill Masen - January 12, 2022 Do any of you good people know of ways of extending the shelf life of home made bread made in a free standing bread maker?? We have one and we like the bread it makes but it goes off or stale within 24 hours. Any suggestions on extending its shelf life.
Read MoreBest ways to store #10 cans
pnwkraken - January 5, 2022 I’ve been building up my supply of #10 dehydrated food cans & am just getting around to organizing them. Anyone have suggestions for tall shelving that fits these specific cans? I live in earthquake country so something with a bar holding them in would be great too. I’d love to build some custom wood shelving but that’s way beyond my skill set. I’m also wondering about rodents. Should I be concerned about the metal cans attracting mice/rats & putting them in totes on the shelves (they’re going in my garage) or are the metal cans safe on their own? Thanks guys!
Read MoreEDC FAK for classroom/school use
Colorado Jones - January 4, 2022 Good afternoon!
I teach at a commuter college in a major metropolitan area that in recent years has experienced a disproportionate number of school shootings (mass shootings, drive-bys, and the occasional random disgruntled student shooting at a classmate). In at least one instance, a couple of students lives were saved by quick-thinking campus security guards who applied tourniquets while waiting for EMS to arrive. Fortunately, none of these incidents have affected my school yet BUT it does seem like a reasonable situation to be prepared for.
While I do keep FAKs in my truck and office, I’m thinking about putting together a small EDC (sub-Level I) that I could stash in my book bag or briefcase while in meetings or classes where, in certain types of emergencies, it wouldn’t be practical or possible to retrieve a larger FAK from my office or truck.
Another variable that I’d like to consider is tornadoes, since we live in tornado country, which would likely be the other main scenario where I might find a need for a FAK but am unable to retrieve my main kit from my truck or office.
For most other likely scenarios, if the smaller EDC classroom kit was insufficient, I’d most likely be in a position to retrieve my main kit or, at least, hold things together until campus security and/or EMS showed up. Another piece that’s helpful is our school now has AEDs on every floor of every building. I’ve heard that some schools now stock basic “trauma kits” in each and every classroom so, if that’s a things, perhaps I could suggest that our school consider doing that as well.
With this background in mind, here’s my question: Based on this prioritized FAK list, how far down the list would you recommend that I go in assembling an EDC FAK for the purposes described above AND would you recommend changing adding or deleting anything from the topi-tier Level I list?
Thanks for your input!
Read MoreBOB plus Get Home Bag?
Pat - January 4, 2022 First, I would like to say what an impressive site this is. I have never joined any forums; but wanted to, in part, to thank you for the very clear, factual and thorough information!
My question is about the Get Home Bag. Is it best to create a duplicate of your main BOB? I am taking an inventory of my BOB, and with the help of this site, working on upgrading it. Should I create two bags exactly the same–one for home and one for away? Or, is the Get Home Bag typically a smaller kit?
Thank you for any advice!
Read MoreAnnual, periodic, seasonal maintenance checklists?
CR - January 3, 2022 I searched for this topic & didn’t see it addressed yet. Being the start of a new year, it occurred to me that I don’t really have a workable (read: simple) timeframe checklist for some basic preps. For example, I change out the water in our extra storage tank annually (when I think of it.) So I thought I’d ask you organized people to share yours!
Odd things like: how often should you charge rarely used rechargeable battery powered electronics that you have in your preps so they last a long time? Rechargeable batteries? How often do you rotate the really long term foodstuffs? Beans will last many years but become resistant to cooking/softening after a while. Start up that generator how often?….Please share!
Read MoreShould I start with a bug out bag or preparing my home first? – New and need advice
MrsPrep - January 3, 2022 Hi all, I am very very new to the prepping community. I am a young mom with a son, Husband, and a dog. We live in Canada, my biggest concern is winter, and I am unsure of where to begin.
I have lots of questions, but I will start with the basics. Do I begin with a bug out bag or prepping my home first? This is tricky because we are currently renting till March 2022 and have a limited space for storage. My budget is also minimal as my husband doesn’t totally see the value of prepping at this moment in time. I’m also unsure of what should be my first buys for our climate. Thanks!
Read MoreIf our public servants focused on enlightening the unpreppared, what would they say?
inthso - December 30, 2021 I’m running for president (LP) not with any hope of winning even the nomination, but to try to change the discussion. Eventually- I can’t broach this ‘radical’ notion ’til I get name recognition- I aim to focus on our declining air, water & food quality, extreme weather, dwindling resources, diminishing sperm counts and testosterone levels; basically all the things that went into the 1972 MIT study that says societal collapse around 2040, and everything we’ve learned since then. Any ideas on what to say and how to say it would help. My basic message of now is, “You can’t count on the gov’t, learn some stuff, and build a community.”
BTW, my handle is short for, International Thrival Society: a coalition of like-minded groups who accept things change, and the best way to meet those challenges is through fortitude & community endeavor. And, the more prepared there are, the less hysteria there will be.
What are your grid-down reference resources?
Ess Dub - December 29, 2021 I’ve recently recognized that a fair number of my preparedness resources require electricity to access, whether they’re out on the internet or just saved to my computer. While there are plenty of disaster scenarios where I might still have power, I also recognize that’s not a given—that’s a weak point in my preparation!
Naturally, the ideal situation would be to have every skill I’d possibly need practiced to familiarity, and every iota of relevant knowledge committed to memory. Let’s just say I’m not there yet. 😅
What are your reference resources that you could turn to if you didn’t have electricity? Are there certain books (or zines) you like? Have you printed hard copies of particular guides? Neighbors or community members you know you could count on? Or maybe you’ve compiled your own hand-written reference materials?
I figure building these resources out for myself could be a useful stopgap, at least until I reach the Platonic ideal of ingrained preparedness. 😜
Read MoreBest survival knife: Complete Guide
UnknownPrepper - December 26, 2021 In this post, I will write about survival knife, or simply knife for those who don’t do outdoor activity.
This post will be a little bit longer, but it will cover almost everything, including steel, size, and etc.
Disclaimer: I do not have connection with any affiliate, I simply share my own knowledge.
If you are picking up a knife for prepping purpose, you will want durability as first, so I can only recommend fixed blade in this purpose, no matter how strong a folding knife, it is still not one piece, no matter how the advertisement say, you will want a fixed blade.
You will also want a full tang and not rat tail tang, this is not always the case, but if you can, always look for full tang, skeleton tang is also as durable (maybe slightly different) as full tang.
First most important: Steel
A steel is the most important point for knife (of course), I simply list steel in three type, followed by different grade.
Type 1: Carbon steel: as it name suggested, a steel with some carbon added (actually ANY steel need to add carbon or boron to be able to harden well), and forged into a knife. It is my favorite steel, carbon steel knife will rust badly if left in moisture for a long time, especially salt water, so most carbon steel knife come coated, but you will still need to take care of the exposed edge. However aside from rust, carbon steel can be sharpen easily to wicked sharp, hold an edge quite long, while still very tough and can handle lots of abuse.
Type 2: Stainless steel: The name speak for it self, a steel thats stainless and resist corrosion well. They are rust resistant but not rust proof, they will still rust (With the exception of H1), but only if you done intentionally (throwing it outside for a year). Stainless steel will not rust because it contain at lease 11% chromium, the more chromium, the more it resist corrosion well, but at the same time it also decrease the toughness. This is the reason why functional long machete or sword are made of carbon steel, if you see one in stainless, they are wall hanger for sure.
Type 3: Semi-Stainless: this one is a little bit special, its carbon steel with little amount of chromium (around 7-8% but no guarantee), these steel have a balance between the two steel above, with toughness from carbon steel, and fairly well corrosion resistant. Some tool steel fall into this category.
Second important: Heat treat
If steel is the body of knife, heat treat is the soul. depending on different heat treat, same steel and be brittle, tough, springy, and much more. Most manufacture will heat treat their steel base on the intention use of the knife, and if the manufacture is a well known brand, their heat treat should not have issue. you won’t be needed to worry about their heat treat much. However, do pay attention to what the designer hope the knife to do, so you won’t be buying a combat knife for wood working.
Third important: Grind
Grind means the blade edge shape, there many much grind available, I will only mention some here:
1. Scandi grind: This is the grind that the popular morakniv companion use, best for wood working and bushcraft, is it easily to sharpen as you could lay the bevel on stone, best for beginner)
2. Convex grind: This is the edge without bevel (some have micro bevel), it can be done thick to offer good and strong edge, or go thinner side to be better at bushcraft, the popular Falkniven F1 use this grind, you can also see this grind in Condor machete and some other large tool in a thicker version, notable mention, katana also use this grind, the only downside is it is harden to sharpen without proper skill.
3. Full flat grind: Full flat grind is one of the most versatile grinds, it can be thick and heavy, or it can be extremely thin and sharp, or it can be a balance between the two. This grind work on most (if not any) knife, it is also easy to sharpening if you have basic sharpening skill, and this is the one I prefer.
Fourth Important: Handle
Many would go straight for the steel and forgot about this one, but having good handle is just as important as the steel itself, bad handle could make your handle blister in long work (which is very bad in a disaster), or the handle itself could crack, sometimes the bad handle material would give your hand lots of shock in big chopping knife.
Luckily its easy when choosing handle, most people prefer G10 or Micarta, they are near indestructible and will last longer than the steel itself. G10 is made from glass reinforced plastic, it have a plastic feel and resist water very well, while micarta is made of natural canvas, paper, or other material, micarta will absorb water a bit, and will be grippy under wet condition. Notable mention: G10 is slightly durable than micarta. Micarta will develop patina after some use and have a special character, when you look at like and a same knife, you could tell the difference like: yes thats my knife.
Fifth important: Sheath
Lets keep it simple:
Kydex: Good durability, waterproof, most custom sheath maker use kydex. Some kydex will scratch blade, some bad sheath will in contact with edge and dull the blade.
Glass reinforced plastic: Indestructible, but if you like to pull out knife with edge rubbing the sheath, then you would be better just wrapping knife in paper. Glass have high hardness that dull blade, cold steel old sheath have bad design that will dull the blade, but they have remodified the design.
Leather: The old and classic, good looking, some expert will instantly pick this one. Leather need care, and you need to avoid water unless treated with bees wax. Not a good sheath for humid and wet environment. You can also find some very good custom leather sheath maker.
Now we have basic understanding (above seems much, but its only basic), we will talk about how to pick a knife for what you intended to use.
You can skip to conclusion below if you don’t want to read this long article.
Best carbon steel: There are lots of best carbon steel, S7 for legendary toughness and shock absorb, 9260 and 5160 for the durability of long blade, but for short-mid size knife, you will want 1095, or even better, Sharon Steel 50110B (1095 cro-van or Carbon V). Carbon steel work best for those who don’t like a long sharpening time, tough as nails when heat treated properly, but will rust very quickly in salt water or left wet. You might not care about rust if you use the knife daily, since most carbon steel knife is coated, the rusted edge will be sharpen and removed by the end of day.
Best stainless steel: I am the one that hate stainless steel, despite years of outdoor experience, I still can’t bring myself to like stainless steel(with the exception of m390/20cv/204p), the only reason to choose stainless is for working in a wet environment. Personally I think m390/20cv/204p is currently the best steel in the market (For the jack of all kind): It has superior edge retention: While not as good as those super hard s125v, you will only need to sharpen after weeks of works. Good corrosion resistant: top tier with H1 in lead (H1 is the only steel that will not rust no matter what you do with it). Ease of sharpening: Super steel is hard to sharpen, but m390 is fairly easy if you not trying to reprofile, ceramic and leather strop work well for normal touch up. Toughness: when properly heat treated, can be as tough as s35vn. If you want slightly tougher than m390, elmax will be the go, with little drawback of slightly less edge retention.
Best semi-stainless steel: Now come to the interesting one: I personally thing the best steel for toughness is cpm-3v, tougher than even 1095 carbon steel, while still offer some corrosion resistant when compared to tougher S7, better edge retention than most carbon steel. Crucible also have some other great steel that could compare to 3v: cpm-4v(or Bohler vanadis 4e) that have lower toughness than 3v but higher edge retention, cpm-m4 is also a notable popular option. Sleipner used in Lionsteel knife is also a good semi-stainless if you can’t get American steel knife for whatever reason.
Conclusion: 1095cro-van or 1095 for carbon steel, m390/20cv/204p or elmax for stainless steel, cpm-3v or cpm-4v for semi-stainless steel. The only reason to chose 1095 over 3v is that not much 3v knife on the market to choose, and not every maker could bring out the steel potential, or one of the most important things: price, which bring us to the next topic.
Th best knife would be: cpm-3v steel, with maker heat treated it for hard use, come with g10 or micarta handle, in kydex sheath. Currently Lionsteel M5 with cpm3-v is the only knife that match all these expectation (except sheath), if you don’t like the design, you can only go custom, which again, cost a lot of price. Notable mention: if you work with corrosive chemical daily, you will need a H1 knife rather than normal stainless.
Now goes the price:
You can find the good durable knife under $100, with the better handle and sheath going up to $150 (either after market accessory or including with knife), the premium one are around $200-$250. If you want to go custom, be expected to pay for $300-$500, or even more, depending on how you want it.
And the knife length: 4″ blade length is the sweet spot for most people in small knife, 7″is the best for those who like those do it all blade, 9″ and above is a little big, you will be better with a better tools in this case, but I myself carry two knife (4″ and 9″) for different purpose in almost every outdoor activity.
About the knife I recommended:
In case you missed the words above, I would type it again: I do not have connection with any affiliate, so this is only my person opinion, and I only recommend what I use.
Short knife:
Ultimate Pick:
SURVIVE! GSO Series
This is recommended by my friend, who have more experienced than me in survival knife. Semi custom knife, Multiple length to choose from, CPM-3v steel or other steel you prefer, heat treating expertly with cryo treating, G10 or Micarta scale, Kydex sheath, which match every terms listed above. Around 200-250$, it is expensive, but you get what you pay for and its worth every penny.
Carbon Steel:
KA-BAR BK16 Short Becker Drop Point Fixed 4.375″ Carbon Steel Blade, Zytel Handles, Cordura Sheath (You could also get BK2 if you want a longer edge)
ESEE Knives ESEE-4P-MB Plain Edge, Coyote Brown Sheath, MOLLE Back and Clip Plate
Both are very durable and could take a lot of beating. Kabar use slightly better 1095 cro-van, while esee use plain 1095, esee has better handle and sheath, if you buy kabar, trust me you will want to buy the aftermarket micarta handle, kabar sheath is usable. kabar heat treat their steel around 56-58 HRC, esee is around 55-57 HRC, while not much big different in numbers, I notice kabar have a slightly better edge retention, vanadium added in the 1095 cro-van might slightly affect it too some also report it is better rust resistant than plain 1095. Lower HRC on esee give it almost bomb proof, I once see someone use a metal hammer to baton with esee knife on youtube (destruction test), the knife bend and did not break, still remain usable afterwards, while I am sure kabar would break in the same circumstances. Personally I pick kabar over esee, since both is durable, I would take the edge retention and better steel, since I would not do stupid things with my knife.
Stainless Steel:
Fallkniven F1 Swedish Pilot Survival Knife 3.8″ VG10 Satin Blade, Black Thermorun Handle and Leather Sheath – F1L
Fallkniven R2 Scout Fixed Blade Knife 3.15″ Elmax Satin Blade, Black Thermorun Handle, Zytel Sheath – R2z
Stainless steel is not better than Carbon steel or semi-stainless if you want a indestructible knife, but if corrosion is important for you, you can also choose to go stainless. Fallkniven F1 one of the most popular bushcraft knife, laminated VG-10, which is VG-10 as the edge, and 420J2 as outer soft layer, VG-10, while not being any special, is still a time proven knife in the field and good stainless steel that hold an edge. The Fallkniven R2 scout is cyro treated Elmax steel, which is a steel with closed performance to m390, but tougher, cyro treated Elmax let it stay at 61-62 HRC which is very hard, I through it would be a little bit brittle, but Fallkniven make the knife super thick at a crazy 4.8mm, which make up for the hardness. It has a shorter edge at 3.25″, also shorter handle which is suitable for medium to small hand, so its not for everyone. Having 62 HRC also make it incredibly hard and stay sharp for a long time, its also mean you will certainly need diamond stone to resharpen easily, ceramic and leather strop as usual will be fine for the touch up.
Semi-Stainless Steel:
Benchmade 200 Puukko Fixed Blade Knife 3.75″ CPM-3V Satin, OD Green Santoprene Handle, Black Leather Sheath
Cold Steel 36CB Master Hunter Fixed 4.5″ CPM-3V Stonewashed Blade, Kray-Ex Handle, Secure-Ex Sheath
I have a chance to handle the Benchmade puuko from a friend that collect knifes, comfortable and good to use. I truly wanted to buy this one, but since its humid where I live, I choose a stainless and carbon combo. I am currently resisting the urge to buy this one, but might give up somewhere. I don’t have experience with Cold Steel master hunter, but having tried their 3v knife, I could say their quality is good. One note mention is the master hunter has a more durable sheath than puuko.
Mora Pick:
Morakniv Garberg Utility Knife Fixed 4.3″ Black Carbon Steel Blade, Black Polyamide Handle, Multi-Mount Sheath – M-13147
Strongest mora available, for those who swear by their knife and skandi grind, also available in stainless steel. Its an upgrade over the morakniv companion, full tang compare to the cheaper model. However if you want scandi grind in the best steel (3v), there are choice available by other brand, but the size might not meet your need.
Mid size:
Carbon steel:
KA-BAR BK7 Becker Fixed Combat Utility Knife 7″ 1095 Carbon Steel Blade, Zytel Handles, Nylon Sheath
The modern upgrade over classic Kabar USMC, do it all type knife, but same as the bk16, you will want a better aftermarket micarta handle. I once used only this knife and was happy, but eventually I switch to the two knife combo since I need higher chopping power.
Big Size:
Carbon steel:
KA-BAR BK9 Becker Fixed Combat Bowie Knife 9″ Carbon Steel Blade, Zytel Handles, Nylon Sheath
ESEE Knives Junglas-II-E Machete 8.375″ 1095 Black Blade, ESEE Logo, Micarta Handles, Kydex Sheath
Big knife is for the experienced user only, you will wanted to replace bk9 handle with aftermarket micarta to reduce shock of chopping. One of the most important is, you are NOT rambo and you will not be fighting with a big knife, the big knife listed is suitable for wood working and utility task, you will want a lighter knife for combat purpose. Most people won’t need a big knife, but if you know you have reason to, there’s no problem with it. Why I need big blade: I personally live in humid tropical environment, I will want to bring a machete anyway, and bk9 done the machete and heavy duty wood work perfectly, that’s the reason I choose it.
You will notice that I use lots of becker knife, mainly because of the handle is so comfortable, and thee finger choil on BK7 and BK9 make the work of small task like carving work so well like a small knife. The only dream knife I want is BK9 in cpm-3v, but its not going to happen without custom.
The current knife combo I carry is Lionsteel m4 + Kabar Becker BK9. I don’t list weapon style knife here because I don’t think they would suit here, might post them soon if I have the time, feel free to share your opinion too.
Update:
EDC knife and the folding category
Thanks for the comment, I agree that a best survival knife is the one that at your hand when you need it, I once think about that when I am cutting thick manila rope with plain edge knife, while leaving the serrated at home.
Other than outdoor use, we end up using our EDC knife more. While the Lionsteel m4 above work great for normal use, some might want a folding knife to get rid of the sheath. When buying folding knife, most of them are stainless since they assume you won’t be hard use on it, when it come to folding knife, lock matter more than steel, by the lock, I mean the mechanism that secure the blade so it wont break flip around when you are using it, which is dangerous.
Lots of lock and the explaination:
Knifeinfomer: Lock Types
After buying some folder from different company, and have them take apart for cleaning after some use, I could say that the Cold Steel tri-ad lock is the most durable, but someone on Youtube do baton with a ZT folder which is Framelock without any problem: Video
So in the end, assuming you are not trying to do hardcore things with folding knife, buy whatever you like about the look of the knife from a company with good reputation. I will still list some folder with durability in mind.
Cold Steel 27BT Recon 1 Tanto Folding Knife 4″ S35VN Black DLC Plain Blade, Black G10 Handles
If you ask me about the most durable folding knife, this come in mind. Bombproof G10 scale, s35vn which I consider a premium steel (But not super steel), American tanto point which stronger than clip or spear point, which is also available as choice for the Recon 1. While their marketing video cutting meat seems a little bit weird, I love the abuse part of their video, which proof they could withstand the extreme condition.
Cold Steel 58B American Lawman Folding Knife 3.5″ S35VN Black DLC Blade, Black G10 Handles
Short pick if you want a shorter blade or not so aggressive lock for legal problem.
Self defense:
Now this is an interest topic, many people will overdo this, but if you can use gun in this purpose, gun is better, if gun is illegal in your country, only then you consider knife. I only cover knife here so I will not include other things such as pepper spray. The following scenario assume that you see the treat coming and not realize the treat after being shot or stabbed, which is useless even if you have anything, so be aware of surrounding is the most important.
Disclaimer: I did not encourage violence and it is not the best way to solve problem. There are better way than knife for self defense, only consider this after you see other option for self defense. The best way to solve conflict is to get away before the fight start, while you might think it is a coward act, but the coward get home safely while the brave one lying at the hospital.
Facts above knife for self defense:
1. Run away wins the fight, assume you are not surrounded (of course) and you have confidence you could out run the attacker.
2. If the attacker also have a knife, you will have bigger chance to get wounded in the knife fight if the fight is longer, so don’t thinking about knife fighting like the movie, aim for a cut and run.
3. If pull out the knife enough to intimidate the attacker, then you don’t need to use the knife, but don’t put back the knife until you sure you are safe.
I will recommend some choice, no dagger here since its for the aggressive use.
Spyderco Matriarch2 Lightweight Folder 3.57″ Black VG10 Serrated Blade with Wave, Black FRN Handles – C12SBBK2W
Emerson wave to open the knife once out of pocket, Spyderco classic serrated edge that slice very well, black coating that reduce light reflection, one swipe to the hand or face will certainly cause a real pain and giving you chance to run away. Having cut my accidently before, I am sure self serrated wound are generally more painful than plain edge.
Spyderco Civilian Folding Knife 4-1/8″ VG10 Serrated Blade, G10 Handles – C12GS
Same as the matriarch, the civilian has a bigger and more intimidating look, the only downside is it doesn’t have the emerson wave, you could use zip tie as make shift wave, but it will certainly not as good as the emerson.
The most important part is, no matter which knife you get for self defense, be sure to practice with it, for example you will need to familiar with how the wave feature work. Don’t always assume the attacker will go easy on you, even if the serrated wound in painful, if the attack is very piss off or drugged, he/she might not care at all. If the attacker have a more dangerous weapon: dagger, pure fighting dagger, big machete, it is best to run, if you cannot, fight like your life is on the line, because it is.
Fighting Knife: The ultimate pick
Cold Steel 13QMBII Magnum Tanto II Fixed 7-1/2″ 3V Blade, Kray-Ex Handle, Secure-Ex Sheath
While I owned some fighting knife, including the SOG and the famous Kabar USMC, neither is “PURE” for fighting and have some utility consideration built into them, which make them not the best for this task. The magnum tanto come with cpm-3v steel, DLC coated to prevent light reflection, powerful pommel that could do lots of damage and break bone or glass, and most important the American tanto point point which can make snap cut and pierce very goodly, tanto point with cpm-3v combo make it also suitable for light prying. 7.5″ blade also make it could reach vital organ easily and cause fatal damage. I am also surprise to found out it is the only knife I have that is truly balanced, if you put it on table table it could stand by the guard, which means it has 0″ point of balance.
Keep in mind if you are buying knife for self defense this is NOT the one. This is knife mean for aggressive use and hard use, it is better suited for those who have trained in knife fight, or someone who is on mission and want a fighting knife as backup, but do remember if you are in the US gun is still better than knife.
Dagger will not be listed here as I don’t view them as “knife”.
Prying, Break and Enter
KA-BAR BK3 Becker Tac Tool 7″ Carbon Steel Blade Rescue and Tactical Knife, Zytel Handles, Plastic Sheath
The knife that also seen used for rescue team, 527.3011 Kg in weight, if you try to chopping something, you will feel like rather that cutting, its like hitting something with a steel bar. This is the knife that specially built for prying, breaching and entering, perfect for rescue team purpose, or someone who’s lock outside by their wife because drinking with friends whole night (Just a joke). Its a chunk of monstrous steel and not suitable for any other wood working, having tried this first hand, don’t even thinking about using it for wood work or fined task, unless you reprofile the edge first, but that defeat the purpose of this knife.
My Choice: Short and Long combo, the Fallkniven R2 (More suitable for Humid rainforest and for my medium sized hand), the Becker BK9 (Big chopper is a must for rainforest), if I am bugging out in SHTF, I might also bring the Magnum Tanto 2, a blade that wont break, work for utility task, better suited for urban environment (strong tip for stabbing and prying, blunt force pommel), while also suitable to ty to a stick as spear with the lanyard hole at the pommel.
Final conclusion: As you see what I choose above is mostly based on the environment. First know what suit your environment, then know what suit you, and finally know what you want to do and what you are able to do. Try go camping with your knife, even just in your backyard, that help you better understanding with your knife and gear. I tried to cover as many thing as possible, if you like nothing above thats fine, after reading you should know what you want, go for what suits you and your environment.
FINAL UPDATE: Changed some choice on the stainless and ultimate pick, after discussion with a friend which is more expert than me. Added mora pick, fighting knife, and prying knife. I might as well not update this in the future, but will still reply to comment, if you need anything please let me know. Also fixed some typo.
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Rotation in food storage
JennyWren - December 23, 2021 I was viewing another forum and came across a topic regarding using OOD stores. the OP was saying about how all the items used in a recent meal were at least 18months out of date. I know I am easily confused, but why on earth would you by choice consistently eat food past it’s best in times of plenty?
I would call that an epic fail!
I practice rotation. Even my deep stores are rotated out to keep them fresh. It is well known, that the older preserved and packaged food is, the nutritional value becomes compromised. So with just this in mind, why on earth do it?
Now don’t get me wrong, I have eaten OOD food myself when a bag of flour has gone unnoticed or a tin of something has hidden, but it’s not something I want to do on a regular basis.
Maybe I’m being too precious, but am I the only one who would put themselves in the naughty corner for allowing so much slacking?
Read MoreDoes anybody have a game plan for rare/refrigerated medication?
ride - December 22, 2021 Hi everyone. I’m a long time lurker but a first time poster. In January I got diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and “failed” a couple of the first line treatments, so I have recently started a super-expensive, refrigerated, injectable medication. I’m not new to the chronic pain game; I had an experience similar to the one Ubique has described a few months back. I got mono in college, had a mysterious post-viral syndrome, developed some auto-immune stuff, including pre-clinical RA. Luckily, and nobody has been able to explain this to me, a lot of the symptoms went away after about two years. My experiences with health are part of the reason I got into emergency preparedness.
Anyway, I’ve known since 2015 that I was going to eventually get full-blown RA, and now it’s here. Last year my shoulders got gradually stiffer, then it quickly moved to my hands, feet, ankles, knees… you name it, it hurt. It was aggressive, and debilitating. Thankfully I was still mostly working from home, so I didn’t have to take too much time off. Now, thanks to a medicine with a $15k/month sticker price (I pay $5 a month due to my income) I am back to normal. It feels good, and once again I feel pretty lucky.
I used to feel powerful when I was able to keep living despite chronic pain, through a combination of rationing my energy and just keeping going, but RA is another beast. I couldn’t move the fingers on my right hand for all of April. I couldn’t do most daily life tasks without this medicine. I am getting my PhD in biological engineering, and making decentralized, disaster-resilient biopharmaceutical manufacturing tools is something I’m hoping to eventually tackle in my research. But for now… I’m doing a lot of yoga to build more strength and flexibility. I’m learning all I can about the disease and what people did before treatments existed (which mostly sounds like suffering). I have some great people in my life who took care of me during my flares earlier this year and would do it again. I can’t buy myself an emergency stock of this stuff, but I’m looking into stocking up on the other medicines I take (an NSAID and a more traditional RA med that just didn’t do enough). Do you or your loved ones rely on refrigerated medicine? What do your plans look like?
Read MoreBest online first aid course?
Lowell - December 21, 2021 I just took an online first aid course from the Red Cross called “Adult, Child and Baby First Aid/CPR/AED Online” for $35 and found it very informative. In addition to the material mentioned in the title, it also covers some of heat stroke, hypothermia, bleeding, diabetic emergency, and other stuff. It’s an interactive course where you work through scenarios and click on the screen to apply pressure, perform CPR, etc.
Have y’all found any other courses you’d recommend?
I also recently took First Aid for Severe Bleeding Online ($30), which was brief and not as interactive but still informative. Next up I’m planning on First Aid for Opioid Overdoses Online ($11) because I regularly interact with IV drug users, and I’m scheduled for REI/NOLS Wilderness First Aid ($245) in June (with 4 fully vaxxed buddies). My final plan is to take REI/NOLS Wilderness First Responder ($765) after WFA.
The Red Cross courses described what is useful in various scenarios, but did not get into how to carry the gear in an EDC so that you have it when you need it. I’ve been doing that part myself, with substantial assistance from this site! I’ve got stuff for bleeding (shears, tourniquet, quikclot, etc.), various pills (aspirin for heart attack, diphenhydramine for anaphylaxis), and other stuff like an emergency blanket in case of shock, all in an EDC that I take whenever I leave my home. See: https://theprepared.com/forum/thread/what-do-you-carry-with-you-every-day-and-how#reply-52254
Read MoreLooking for opinions on OTF Knives
Thumper - December 8, 2021 Howdy all. I’ve been reading posts on here for awhile, but this is my first post.
What are y’all’s opinions on OTF (Out-The-Front) knives? I’m thinking about purchasing one but wanted to get some possible input from people who know more about OTF knives.
Thanks in advance!
Read MoreWhat to do if you are lost while hiking?
Liz Klein - November 29, 2021 You all probably have seen the recent news headline about a lost hiker that didn’t answer calls from Search and Rescue because he didn’t recognize the phone number. I take it he wasn’t desperately lost otherwise he would call for help if he has service and is receiving calls from unknown numbers right? Anyways, it got me thinking about what we should do if we are lost while hiking.
The number one thing you should always do when hiking is give an itinerary to loved ones at home and if you don’t keep by it let them know, otherwise you will have Search and Rescue out looking for you. Also, bring a small survival kit with you, even if it’s just a day hike.
What are some actual things you should do though if you are out in the middle of the woods and have no idea where you are because you got distracted by the beautiful scenery?
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