What are you asking Santa for this year?

Liz Klein - November 21, 2020

Gear

Christmas is coming up, and family is starting to ask me for gifts I would like. So far I am going to be asking for some Darn Tough Socks, and a Bayite Ferro Rod.

What are you hoping to get for Christmas this year that is prepping/survival/outdoors related?

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I am asking for a wool base layer (tops and bottoms) and a good quality food vacuum sealer.  The vacuum sealer I have now is not good quality.  I definitely learned the lesson of buy once, cry once on that one!

 

That is awesome! I too would like to get some more wool clothing, as I have heard they are exceptional at things like wicking moisture, keeping you warm when wet, and antimicrobial.

 

ICOM IC-7300

 

I’m not really asking for any preps— mainly just some new clothing items to keep me warm while working from home, running, and hiking— but I am giving preps! One of the things I try to do for my mom every couple of years is go through her earthquake kit and replace or add the most crucial things and then give her a list of the other things to acquire or do over the course of the year, and we talk through all of it so she’s learning. She really appreciates it, and I usually do this in addition to getting her a couple of non-prepping things.

My father and stepmother, on the other hand, are really flippant about preparedness. When I asked them what they had on hand for emergencies a couple of years ago, my dad said, “Alcohol,” and my stepmother yelled from another room, “And chocolate! Don’t forget the chocolate!” They live 5 miles from the trace of one of the largest and most dangerous faults in North America, on liquefaction-prone soil, and they have three dogs who will depend on them after the inevitable earthquake. So I, um, sometimes am a little less nice to them and JUST give them prepping stuff. (Since my dad doesn’t care about receiving gifts and is notoriously uncooperative about telling me what he wants/needs, I don’t feel bad about this at all.) I actually bought them a prepackaged earthquake kit a couple of years back because I was so horrified by the state of their preparedness. My thinking was, “I can upgrade the inferior items in future years, but they just need the basics immediately.” I did not anticipate being unable to access the kit or their garage in those future years to assess what they have and what they need— which of course I can’t now because of Covid. So I’m going to go back through my Amazon order history to try to forensically construct an inventory of their preps on the (probably fair) assumption that what I’ve given them is all they have.

 

That is super great that you are spreading your prepping knowledge with others and giving the gift of prep. In the past I have made homemade candles and gave those out to family during Christmas. The girls got scented candles, and the guys got unscented ones in old tin food cans for prepping.

 

“Giving the gift of prep” — I love it! And the candles are a great idea. I bet they looked really cool in those old tin cans!

 

I’m not asking for anything. Won’t get it because my extended family is living pay check to pay check. 

However, I have made a wish list and am slowly filling it myself. 

Just bought myself everything I need for home canning. My next big purchase is going to be a food dehydrator. 

 

That is really cool! I’ve just watched my grandma can apples when I was very young, but would love to get into it myself. Is there a lot to get to start out? What are you planning on canning?

 

I bought the presto 16 quart canner, I hear it’s a good beginner canner. Between that and all the jars and lids I’ve spent a little over $300. Not all at once so I was able to manage the cost. I just picked up the last piece I needed yesterday so I’m excited to get started next weekend. 

I’m planning to can meats right now. My freezers are overflowing and I worry about losing power and losing hundreds of dollars in food. There is some stuff I just can’t get around storing in the freezer but I want to get most of my food to be as self stable as I can make it. 

 

That’s so great that you’re gifting yourself something so useful! About ten years ago I tried to thrift my way to a canning kit. I did not succeed. Nowadays I dream about getting a dehydrator. My friend has one and I’ve been so impressed by all the things she has prepared with it (tomato sauce for backpacking?!).

 

I currently have one that my roommate bought, but it’s this 4 in one machine. (it’s also a toaster oven and some other things ) It makes really small batches and I’m just not impressed. 

I plan to gift myself a big one sometime next year. 

I can’t wait to see what all I’d be able to do. 

Maybe get some more items out of my freezers 

 

I have a dehydrator and have made beef jerky on it. It turned out amazing! 

But meat is so expensive, I haven’t made it as much as I would like.

 

I am not expecting prepping-related gifts this year, so I am treating myself to a Fallkniven F1 knife and a Kelty Redwing 50 backpack, plus a few pairs of Darn Tough socks.

I bought a Schrade SCHF36 to gift to a close friend that is getting into camping and prepping, however.

 

Your friend is going to love that knife! Hope you guys have a lot of good camping memories this next year.

 

I have 2018 Kelty Redwings for our BOBs, the Schrade SCHF56L in our GHBs and Darn Tough socks, too.  I hope you like yours as well as I have.  We’re in sync!  🙂 

 

I got myself a good tent. Not a BOB ultralight tent, but a luxurious 4-person REI car camping tent. I don’t NEED it. But I saw all the people living in tents in parking lots after the West Coast fires and thought it might come in handy, and when this blasted pandemic is over I would like to do some camping trips with friends. 

I also got myself a SoloStove lite. Again, don’t NEED it, but Christmas isn’t for needs!

For family I get them things like power packs, rechargeable batteries, and solar lights. They all live in hurricane zones so I like to gift them with practical things that I know they never think of until the hurricane is on its way and then it’s too late. 

 

Hey, I don’t blame ya. If a disaster was to ever hit, I would want a 4 person tent vs a small 1 person ultralight tent and be all cramped. 

 

Santa will be good to me this year, leaving a hand turned camp washing machine and a new book titled ‘Bunkers, prepping for the end times’. My son usually gives me tool vouchers, which I use to expand my collection of Milwaukee battery powered tools, which I can recharge from my solar panels. 

I’ll be giving my two adult children a wilderness adventure, where the 3 of us will abseil down a waterfall and explore a canyon. Run by a close friend who owns a moutaineering school, and who’s business was hit hard by our bushfires and then Covid lockdowns. A double edged present, because the $660 I paid will also be a help to his business.  My daughter-in-law is getting an IFAK as part of her gift (this forum has already helped by reminding me to get some steri-strips).

 

OMG, please write a forum post about the hand-turned washing machine when you’ve had a chance to play with it!

 

Yes please! This is something that I need for my preps, but i’m afraid there are so many cheap and junky ones out there, and I haven’t bought one yet.

 

https://thefederalist.com/2020/12/17/10-gifts-to-give-your-favorite-prepper/

A perfect fit and timing for this topic is in above link.

The Federalist leads this article with term “culture”.  We are making progress.

Not familiar with author Dan Carpenter nor endorsing any suggested products but see the article as positive and well-timed.

I do suggest to funnel any funds for courses to TP.com rather than considering links at end of the Federalist article.

 

I did like the idea from that link of giving someone a concealed carry class.

And I do agree with your last comment of getting a course from the prepared. If you click the courses button at the top of this page, it takes you to the courses. I’ve done the knife sharpening course (A+ course by the way!), and am really looking forward to the water essentials course.

 

Commenting here to bring this back up to the top of the forum again. 

This year I would like some quality work gloves. I realized I will need some protective gear to clean up after a disaster like the tornado that hit Kentucky in December 2021.

I also asked for a surge protector to plug my computer desk gadgets into. Hopefully it will add some protection against spikes from the grid and prevent a cumbersome insurance claim.

 

While you’re at it you may as well ask for a hard hat and some knee pads. I use 5.11s with built-in pockets for knee pads and BOY does it make a difference when doing cleanup work, disaster or not. Your knees will thank you. If you don’t want to go the 5.11 route there are some inexpensive options in the drugstore that are basically glorified “knee socks” with padding in them, that won’t slip town.  Hard hats are very handy post-disaster.

 

Knee pads are a life saver. You only get one set of knees in this life and although they can repair them, they’ll never be the same if you mess em up.

 

An Artemis Snowpeak PP 700 air pistol which will be turned into a backpacking carbine.

 

That looks like a good prep! How many air rifles do you have now? I still need to get one. 

Have you seen John’s review of the Steambow Stinger 2 repeating mini crossbow?  I thought you might like it 🙂

 

So I’ve a Walther Reign bullpup for hunting and intimidating 🙂  one 22cal PP700 converted to carbine, and want a  second for the van. I also have a BSA Ultra CLX carbine.  I tried the Uk version of that bow, its to innacurate to be relied upon.

Reign .22 160 shots per fill.

BSA Ultra CLX .22  approx 60 shots per fill

SMK Artemis PP700 in 22 70 shots per fill, The cheapest but the most useful, easiest to modify and customise.

 

Those look like a lot of fun Bill! Thank you for sharing some pictures, now I’ll have to add one of those to my Christmas wishlist too.

 

Asking Santa?  Hell, I am Santa 365 days of the year.  He only works one day.  🙂

 

You’re just saying that because you’ve been naughty this year 😉 

Come on! What’s something you’d like? A free oil change for the John Deere? 

 

Nah.  I really don’t like the Christmas thing.  I wish it was only about a special child… and I’ll leave it at that.

I really don’t have any needs and if I want something bad enough… I get it then.  Guess I’m a party pooper.  🙂

 

Not a party pooper at all! I’m sure you have a lot less stressful December than most.

And you have a very good reason to do so.

 

This is a fun topic! I’m asking for a FATPack 5×8 First Aid Pack, a Bayite ferro rod, a nocking point kit for my bow and a folding shovel for my car trunk.

 

What are some of the reasons behind wanting a folding shovel? I have a small avalanche shovel in my car and luckily I haven’t had to use it to dig my car out of a snow ditch  in an emergency, but it is nice for some light scrapping and clearing around when I don’t have my larger one handy.

 

We don’t usually get a lot of snow where I live but the shooting range I go to is at a much higher elevation. Last year I did a course all day there and it started snowing in the morning so by the time I went to leave I needed help from others to dig my car out. It wasn’t a big deal but it would have been nice to have my own gear. With record heat waves here this summer and devastating floods last month I wouldn’t be surprised if we start getting heavy snowfall, even though that would be very out of the ordinary (what is ordinary these days?) so it feels like a shovel in my vehicle couldn’t hurt 🙂

 

Even though I agree with Redneck, I’m not gonna complain about people who want to spend money on me. I’m hoping to get a couple shotgun magazines for my shotty, a new multi tool, and some other gear.

 

I haven’t asked for anything preppy. We generally make a list for each other and then choose 3 items from that list to buy, so you get what you want/need, but it’s still a surprise. 

 

I originally commented on this post a year ago. Since then I’ve learned to use my pressure canner and have bought myself two more. I have that dehydrator I wanted but haven’t done much with it yet. 

I still don’t plan to ask Santa for anything this year.

My plans for this year is to get my basement organized so I’ll buy myself some selves. I need to see where I’m at before I can go forward. 

 

A four wheel ATV would be incredible!

 

This Christmas I asked for some cast iron pots and pans.  I understand they are great from a preparedness perspective and also provide a great cooking experience!

 

If you like them they will be the last set of pans you will ever buy and will last multiple generations. Cast iron is awesome! 

My little tip is that Less Is More. Don’t drench the thing when seasoning it, just a small dime size of oil will usually coat the whole pan. Maybe a nickel size for a larger pan. Also, after cooking, cleaning, and you are going to season, get it bone dry and then put it back on the stove until you can pinch the sides and hold for a second, that’s the optimal temperature at which to season. Any less and it will just get sticky, any more and you risk burning off your oil.

 

I’ve been working on my EDC this fall (now that I’m back to public transit commuting and walking around the city) and so I asked for a tiny flashlight, as well as this small-packing emergency kit from Uncharted Supply Co. to keep in my commuter bag and take on trail runs or shorter hikes (i.e., situations in which I can’t easily carry a full IFAK). Say what you will about pre-made kits, but I think the compactness of this one will make the difference between carrying it and not carrying it in a lot of situations. (My EDC has some emergency/first aid items, but is a little more civilization-oriented.) I also put a new pair of wool long underwear bottoms on the list, which isn’t a prep per se, but having a second pair would allow me to throw the ones I currently have in my BOB.

I didn’t gift my parents preps this year the way I usually do, but I have a friend who is in the process of getting more prepared, and I gave her some long-shelf-life emergency food bars and some individual packets of bougie instant coffee (since she told me that she would have trouble functioning in a disaster without her morning coffee). I figured it would be good to give her one thing that was an absolute necessity that she would be hesitant to spend some money on, and another that was a little more frivolous. 

 

I was wondering what prep you would get your parents this year, good to know that you still have someone to share the gift of being prepared with.

 

I might still get my mom some preps, but what she actually needs is information/document prep, and I feel like that process would test my patience in ways and to a degree that just aren’t advisable during the holiday season. :/

Btw, your EDC, which I only dimly remember from some past thread, was nevertheless kind of the inspiration for mine. I liked that it wasn’t so much, “What I need to shoot my way out of a siege, drink out of a puddle, and field dress a raccoon,” and more, “What I need if I get a headache, a blister, or a tear in my clothes.”

 

Well thanks for the compliment. That is my philosophy, I’ve never had to drink out of a puddle or field dress a raccoon but I’ve had countless mini emergencies of a zipper falling off, cutting a finger, or some pants ripping. Prep what is most likely to happen for you.

 

This year I gifted my parents with estate planning. I offered to pay for the attorney myself, though they ended up insisting on paying for it themselves, but the real gift I gave them was to sit down and fill out the paperwork for them. It was all psychological – the paperwork itself was not hard at all (What are the names of your children? for example!), but they just could not bring themselves to do it.  

In a way I think it was a gift to the whole family, since now all the paperwork is done and when something happens to our parents (it is a when, not an if, for all of us), everything will be less stressful.

The best gift they gave me was to agree to have a  professional trustee/executor, vs. having me do it. I could have done it, but given the complexity of our family dynamics it was in everybody’s best interests to have a neutral third party serve in that role.  

 

That is a wonderful gift to them, and having a professional trustee sure will cut out a lot of the tension and stress when the time comes to finally use them.

 

That’s a wonderful gift. How does one find a professional trustee / executor? Do they only make sense with trusts or complicated estates vs. estates handled with simple wills? Thank you.

 

We were fortunate enough to have a friend who had worked with an estate attorney for years and recommended him, plus I had him vetted by another friend who was a lawyer. So I lucked into one; I actually think this would be a great topic for a future article on the Prepared – how to find an estate attorney and/or professional trustee/executor that can be trusted.

Our attorney explained the pros and cons of using an attorney vs. a professional trustee vs. a law firm (etc etc etc) – it really varies by state, country, and family situation what would make sense for you. I suppose with some super-simple estates, it might be okay to just have a spouse/family member be the trustee or executor, but keep in mind that it is a very stressful job during a very emotional time. While it is true that a professional trustee or executor gets paid, I don’t see that as any different than paying a mechanic to fix my car or a dentist to fix my teeth. I could fill my own teeth, if I really wanted to. I really DON’T want to. I really DON’T want to have to figure out probate law and paperwork etc etc while also dealing with family dynamics.  

I found that asking my parents the question was all that was needed – they didn’t even know that a professional trustee or executor was an option.  So when they first proposed me as the trustee, I asked if they would be open to considering a professional instead (while making it clear that if they did not go that route, I was still open to the idea of doing it).

The attorney explained how it worked, the pros and cons etc. A big benefit is that if the trustee acts outside of the rules of the trust, we can take him to court and he has insurance to cover malpractice (the one we chose has never been sued for malpractice, after decades of work!). Whereas if a family member acts outside of the rules – well then you have a great big mess on your hands.  

“Simple” wills are rarely as simple as people think they are. For example, do you know if, in your state, a bank account has to have a “Payable upon death” beneficiary form to avoid having the account go through probate? Everyone should consult with an estate attorney just to find out what they don’t know. It’s really not that expensive. My cousin’s family (which had a very straightforward situation in terms of who would inherit what) was able to set up a living trust, wills, living wills, and financial and healthcare powers of attorney for a $350 flat fee through their credit union. Such a gift to their family to have all of that taken care of.   Sorry this turned into such a long reply – it’s just a topic I think is very important!

 

M.E., thank you very much for the detailed reply. I really appreciate it! My family member executor has a serious medical diagnosis. The situation is stable for now, maybe for years, but eventually things will take a turn for the worse. I wouldn’t want to add the stress of being executor to an already stressful situation. I’ll continue to investigate options. Maybe for me a key is to review my arrangements frequently and see if anything has reached the point of “OK, now arrangements have to change.” Thanks again.

 

You are very welcome. One option to consider is to name a “secondary” executor (there is an official name for it but I can’t remember what it is called – I am not a lawyer!)

What our attorney told us was that my parents could name each other as “primary” and then name the professional executor or trustee as “secondary”.  Then, if the primary is either unwilling or unable to do it when the time comes, my understanding is that having the secondary take over is no big deal. Whereas without having that in the paperwork to begin with, I think it would have to go to court to get a “backup” executor. 

Reviewing the arrangements annually – perhaps when you do your taxes – is a very good idea. It’s so easy to let time slip by and forget things. For example, my parents discovered that THEIR parents were named in their retirement plans as the secondary beneficiaries. Which made sense when we were kids and their parents would have used the funds to take care of us. But their parents have been gone for years now and the paperwork had never been updated. 

I have a large family and I don’t know why my parents chose me to help them with their estate. But I’m so glad they did because I was able to insist on transparency. I’ve asked that every child receive a USB drive with all of the paperwork so that everyone knows what’s what. I also asked that the originals be held in the vault at the attorney’s office (apparently a common thing to do – most states will take only an original and who wants to track that down during a crisis?) so that there can’t be any quibbling over which paperwork is the most recent. We had a bad experience when our grandmother passed away. She had repeatedly promised the grandkids certain things and emphasized that those stipulations were in her will – but the will that her son (our uncle) produced when the time came was decades old and contained none of those promises, and he walked away with everything. It was so hurtful. But since we didn’t have a copy of the will she had repeatedly discussed, what could we do?  We weren’t going to take him to court and cause a permanent family rift.

People always think their families will behave well, but people are – people. Making everything crystal clear and legal, and having a neutral third party responsible for making it all happen, is a priceless gift.  

 

We are planning on doing a future article on wills, trusts, POA, and other estate planning topics. Thank you for sharing your experiences, I made a note to look at this conversation again when we get to working on the article.