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News for the Week 12-16-24
The Prepared Support - 5 days ago Make a top-level comment for a new story/topic. Discussions about the topic should be in the replies to the top-level comment. That way things stay organized and every main comment as you scroll down is a different piece of news.
Read MoreHow to sew and repair a leather glove
Watermelon Samurai - 5 days ago I have a pair of deerskin leather gloves that are fantastic. They have far outlasted any other pair of gloves I’ve owned. However, the stitching on the tip of one finger has ripped:
I want to repair them, and I suppose I could take them to the local shoe repair shop. But I think this is a good opportunity to learn how to fix it myself – I just don’t know the first thing about sewing. Can anyone guide me on how to do this and/or point me to a good YouTube video? (It’ll probably look like Frankenstein’s neck when I’m done, but I don’t care. 🙂
As an aside, the gloves were from the Oregon Glove Company. If you’re looking for holiday gift ideas, these would be a great gift. (And no, I’m not associated with the company in any way – just a happy customer.)
Thanks in advance,
– WS
Read More
Moooooooo…Can you rec a powdered milk?
JBinAZ - 5 days ago I have descended into the rabbit hole of instant / powdered milk and my eyes are about crossed with all of the info.
Simply, I just need recs from folks who have taste-tested an instant/powdered milk.
Looking for:
– long shelf life
– for cold cereal
– for cooking hot cereal
– for baking
We don’t really just “drink a glass of milk,” here. But, we do prefer whole milk as we use it in baking…and got used to that many years ago.
TIA!
Read MoreLight weight backpacking gear and techniques
Chance - 5 days ago New to this forum so apologies if I am missing something. Also I do not mean to criticize but there does not seem to be a nice way to say this.
Why is there nothing on this web site about light weight backpacking gear and technique?
All the BOB lists are pointlessly heavy and far less useful than they could be.
I am from the long distance thru-hiking community. We expect to hike 20 miles and climb 2,000 feet with a full wilderness grade backpack weighing in at (or less than) 20 pounds. Day after day after day for 4 to 6 months at a time.
Heavy weight gear will demand more calories & water, slow you down, make you so tired that you cannot think straight, roll outs will sprain your ankles, continuous impact will blow out your knees and damage all sorts of muscles.
There must be dozens of serious web sites, forums, and manufactures to research and choose light weight gear from. The professional grade stuff is crazy expensive but most pricing is comparable with heavy weight gear.
There are two concepts which are foundational to light weight backpacking and are totally free: 1) Look after the grams and the ounces will melt away 2) The more you know the less you need to carry.
Happy Trails!
Chance
Read MoreHow would an EMP affect a solar electricity set-up?
John Chamberlain - 5 days ago Can solar electricity survive a EMP?
Read MoreNews for the Week 2024-11-18
The Prepared Support - 1 month ago Make a top-level comment for a new story/topic. Discussions about the topic should be in the replies to the top-level comment. That way things stay organized and every main comment as you scroll down is a different piece of news.
Read MoreNews for the Week 2024-11-4
The Prepared Support - 1 month ago Make a top-level comment for a new story/topic. Discussions about the topic should be in the replies to the top-level comment. That way things stay organized and every main comment as you scroll down is a different piece of news.
Read More(Official discussion) Rainy day funds and cash on hand
John AdamaStaff - 1 month ago News for the Week 2024-10-28
The Prepared Support - 2 months ago Make a top-level comment for a new story/topic. Discussions about the topic should be in the replies to the top-level comment. That way things stay organized and every main comment as you scroll down is a different piece of news.
Read MoreNews for the Week 2024-10-21
The Prepared Support - 2 months ago Make a top-level comment for a new story/topic. Discussions about the topic should be in the replies to the top-level comment. That way things stay organized and every main comment as you scroll down is a different piece of news.
Read MoreNews for the Week 2024-10-07
The Prepared Support - 2 months ago Make a top-level comment for a new story/topic. Discussions about the topic should be in the replies to the top-level comment. That way things stay organized and every main comment as you scroll down is a different piece of news.
Read MoreNeutrality for the sake of survival and how to manage the full spectrum of ideologies
Watchtower - 2 months ago First most, politics are not allowed.
It’s very clear that society for Americans is rapidly transforming due to several factors and people are largely polarized in what they believe, how they choose to exist and what they expect others to be like in terms of their own beliefs.
In terms of prepping and long term survival from a SHTF event that could play out for the medium to long term changing society as we know it today,
What are people doing to prepare in terms of which side you may be on when things go bad?
Do you find yourself welcoming to all type of beliefs and ideologies?
Do you hold strong opinion and are more narrowly focused in an ideology?
Do you find it dangerous to be around certain types of ideologies more than other types?
Are you concerned about being subjected to aggressive type ideologies (cults, criminals, hordes) or even passive type ideologies (hippy, no-violence, share-the-wealth types) compromising your safety and survival during troubled times?
Do you just plan to go it solo or work with a small group of folks knowing that strength in numbers can also backfire at a certain point?
Please share your thoughts, you don’t have to answer any specific question from above.
-Watchtower
Read MoreRequest for gear review – Gloves
Bigwig - 2 months ago I’d like to see a gear review on gloves. There are so many types of gloves (work, winter, tactical, disposable, etc.) and so many brands that it is hard to know which ones area the best value.
Read MorePrep for fume event?
Marshall Findlay - 2 months ago Hi all,
This is my first post to the TP forum, though I’ve been diving into all the great resources since I discovered the site earlier this year.
Stephanie Arnold brought up in her update for December 17 the notion of “fume events” in which faulty seals result in toxic fumes entering into the main cabin. The article to which she referenced described pilots passing out and passengers/crew complaining of long-lasting side effects. I had no idea 1) that air was drawn from engine exhaust into the cabin after being scrubbed for toxins or that 2) this air could turn toxic with equipment malfunction. According to the article she references, 2019 saw 362 “fume events” although there are likely more that go unreported.
My question is as follows: would you all consider it a reasonable prep to invest in face masks with the potential to filter out carbon monoxide and other potential toxins? Would bringing such an item as a carry-on even be allowed? More practically, with 3 young children traveling in tow, has anyone looked into functioning masks (or hoods) for kids that would provide a sufficient seal to keep them from breathing all that nasty stuff in?
Thanks all!
Read MoreWhat three firearms would you have for prepping?
Paulino Martin - 2 months ago If you could only have three firearms and cared about preparedness, what would you have? Don’t want to start a “the one true caliber” debate (let’s not open that can of worms just yet!), so this is more about platforms/types that work together well if things really get bad in the world.
Read MoreNews for the Week 2024-09-30
The Prepared Support - 3 months ago Make a top-level comment for a new story/topic. Discussions about the topic should be in the replies to the top-level comment. That way things stay organized and every main comment as you scroll down is a different piece of news.
Read MoreNews for the Week 2024-09-23
The Prepared Support - 3 months ago Make a top-level comment for a new story/topic. Discussions about the topic should be in the replies to the top-level comment. That way things stay organized and every main comment as you scroll down is a different piece of news.
Read MoreTime to Replace Smoke Detectors-Looking for Recommendations
Bigwig - September 21, 2024 Looking for recommendations on smoke detectors, CO2 detectors, and heat detectors.
Like a lot of devices, smoke detectors have a limited life. My reminder was when my plug-in CO2 detector started beeping at 3AM with the message ‘end’, which means it is the end of life. Guess what happened at 3AM the next night? My second (of three) CO2 detectors did the same thing.
I currently have Kidde. I’m done with them because of false alarms. We had so many in the middle of the night that everyone had ear protection next to their bed. I ended up contacting Kidde and of the seven that I have, five were replaced. They claimed that there were a lot of issues with the dual sensor units.
This is my current plan:
Smoke alarm: First Alert hard-wired/battery backup dual photoelectric and ionization sensors Heat sensors (for garage): First Alert hard-wired/battery backup CO2: BRK (First Alert) combination explosive gas and CO2 plug-in/battery backupThought process:
I didn’t go with dual smoke detector/CO2 units because I’d rather get a dual sensor smoke detector and a separate CO2 detector. By doing a separate CO2 detector, I can get combo explosive gas/CO2 unit for each floor. My home inspector recommended heat sensors in the garage due to the false alarms from vehicle exhaust. I like the newer tech where you can connect you smartphone, but they are too expensive. I don’t really see much benefit for Wi-Fi connected devices in my situation since I already have the electrical wiring infrastructure in my house.Thoughts?
Read MoreHow to avoid losing your entire digital life in an instant
Supersonic - September 5, 2024 TL;DR: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Download all your data and store offline regularly.
A New York Times article this week, really got me thinking about how I organize my digital life. Sorry it is long but please take the time to read this, the lessons learned from this person’s experience can apply to 99% of us and there are things we can do now to prepare and be resilient against losing our entire digital life in an instant.
Here’s a brief summary of the article. A dad noticed a rash occurring on his toddler son’s genitals and took pictures with his Android smartphone to document the problem and track its progression. The parents contacted their doctor who requested the photos so they could review them in advance to their doctors appointment. The husband texted the photos to his wife’s iPhone and she then uploaded them to the doctor’s patient portal. The doctor prescribed antibiotics and the rash cleared up for the toddler.
Two days later, the dad’s phone received a message stating that his Google account was suspended because of “harmful content”. He then thought about it and realized that Google probably thinks he was sharing child porn. No big deal though, he could just contact Google and clear it up, he did nothing wrong. He filled out a form requesting a review of Google’s decision and explained his son’s infection and that the doctor requested those pictures. A few days after that, he received a response stating that they will not reinstate his account.
It gets worse… Google then contacted the authorities and the San Francisco Police Department opened up a case against this dad. He received a letter in the mail stating that they were investigating him, and served warrants to Google and his internet service provider. This would include all of his internet searches, location history, messages, documents, pictures, and videos. The dad contacted the investigator and tried to clear his name, the investigator responded that they have already closed the case because they could tell that no crime had occurred (and clearly had common sense).
The dad appealed his case to Google again sharing the police report that he is innocent, but Google was not going to budge. The New York Times also reached out to Google and asked if this dad could have his account back and they said no as well. He then got a notice that all of his information with Google was going to be permanently deleted. The sorta happy ending to all this though is that because the police had served that warrant with Google, they had a copy of all his data. They are in the process of getting this dad his information.
What a headache right!? Let’s look at all the real damage that was done.
This Google account was decades old and contained all of his emails for all that time. His contacts were stored with Google. All of his appointments were in his Google Calendar. All of his phone’s photos and videos were stored in the Google Cloud. His phone’s service plan was with the Google Fi provider so he lost that as well. He received is 2 factor authentication codes through text messages tied to that Google Fi phone numberThis dad really put all his eggs in one basket and got sucked into the convenient ecosystem that Google has set up. Look up at that list and think about what you would do if you could no longer receive, send, or view old emails, could no longer receive calls or texts, couldn’t get into your accounts that needed a text message verification code, lost all your calendar appointments, and years of pictures and videos of your family. I personally would be devastated! It could be even worse if you took important notes in Google Keep, bought lots of apps, music, movies, and books through your Google account, subscribed to various YouTube channels, and more.
The lesson here is that you could be totally innocent and did nothing wrong and get your entire account banned, and even if you plead your case and any normal person with common sense would be on your side, they can still have your account banned.
Below are my tips on what I do and want to do better to avoid situations like this from totally disrupting my life. Please share your thoughts and advice as well, I want to hear if there is some better or different approach I can take to make things better.
Email – This actually happened to me last month. I was switching email accounts and for a weekend didn’t have access to my emails. It made me feel vulnerable that I could no longer contact certain people, receive notices from my bank, or get important medical test results that I was waiting on. Email is vital.
Easy step – Download a copy of your emails through Google Takeout. This will give you an offline copy of your existing data.
Medium step #1 – Have all of your emails automatically forward to a secondary Google or other email account. That way if you got banned from one account, a copy would exist in another account.
Medium step #2 – Switch to another email provider that isn’t able to see the content of your emails. ProtonMail is a great solution.
Advanced step #1 – POP/IMAP your emails to your computer for offline viewing.
Advanced step #2 – Set up a custom domain. If your main email gets banned, you can then move it to another service and continue as normal.
Calendar –
Easy step – Export weekly/monthly your Google Calendar or any other calendar service you have. This offline file can then be imported into another Google account or pretty much any other calendar service and be rebuilt without losing all your appointments.
Medium step – Move to a totally offline calendar solution and don’t sync it to the cloud. Still keep your regular backups though in case your device gets broken. I like the app Simple Calendar for Android.
Photo and video storage – This all might have been avoided if he hadn’t set his phone to automatically upload his pictures and videos to the cloud.
Easy step – Turn off cloud sync with Google or iCloud. Yes, Apple also scans and flags potential bad pictures on their service too.
Easy step – Plug your phone into a computer monthly and download all your pictures and videos to it.
Medium step – Move to more secure cloud storage like ProtonDrive or Sync.com where they cannot access or see what you store with them.
Phone service –
Easy step – Having a different phone provider like Tmobile or Verizon will make it not as life disrupting if you lost you Google account.
Medium step – Create another Google account and use it solely for Google Voice, which gives you a free additional phone number that you can use to make and receive calls and text messages.
2 Factor Authentication –
Easy step – Prioritize software based 2FA over text or email based 2FA. It is commonly an option everywhere except for banks in my experience. That way if you lost access to your phone number, you can still get into accounts. An easy solution is to use Authy.
Easy step – Many sites will offer backup recovery codes if you don’t have access to your authenticator app, store these to get in again.
Medium step – Move to a totally offline 2FA application like Aegis for Android or OTP Auth for iOS. Back these up manually on a regular basis in case your device is ever lost or destroyed.
Advanced step – When setting up 2FA with each service, download your seed codes into your password manager. Then if your authenticator app breaks or whatever, you can manually rebuild.
Contacts –
Easy step – Download and backup your contacts offline monthly.
Medium step – Request alternative phone numbers and emails for each of your contacts and set up alternatives for yourself and give those to all your contacts. Make sure everyone can reach everyone at any time by any means possible.
Medium step – Print off your contact information and store in your emergency binder.
Good tip for all the above and everything else –
Download all your data regularly and store offline. If that’s through Google Takeout, or manually for each service, this is the best thing you can do to prevent total loss. Then back that up again somewhere else, preferably at a friend’s house.
Gone are the days you can take pictures of your kid running naked in the sprinklers without having to worry about getting your account suspended. There are many other situations where you can fall victim to such things like driving past a house where someone is getting murdered and your location data is on and police think you are the murderer, or someone uses your unlocked device and looks up bad things that then gets tied back to you. Don’t fall into the thinking that “This will never happen to me” because that dad probably was thinking that and look at what he has had to go through now.
Read MoreNews for the week of 2024-08-26
The Prepared Support - September 4, 2024 Make a top-level comment for a new story/topic. Discussions about the topic should be in the replies to the top-level comment. That way things stay organized and every main comment as you scroll down is a different piece of news.
Read MoreNew gun owners with questions?
Caliber Carpenter - September 1, 2024 Seeing as how the demand for firearms is at an all time high, and the number of new gun owners is exponentially increasing, I figured it would be good to open a thread for anyone new or inexperienced with firearms to throw out any questions they might have. So fire away (see what I did there?) I’m here to answer any questions and I’m sure Thomas can drop in as well
Read MoreTesting expired hand sanitizer for effectiveness
Bigwig - August 20, 2024 Are there any ways to test hand sanitizer? I have some that is beyond the ‘best by’ date and would prefer not to waste it if it is still viable.
Read MoreBest solar generator for HOT Arizona desert
JBinAZ - August 19, 2024 Trying to figure out which small portable solar generator would be best for us. We are in the Phoenix area and get temps up to 120+ F in the summer. Rarely go below 35 F in the winter.
I do have several of the small Novoos and Ruffwear solar fold up panels that were rec’d here on the prepared for charging smaller items.
Would like to get something bigger with plugs so we can run larger fans, etc. Not looking to run major appliances. And yes, we already have some mid size fans that run off of Li-ion batteries. Cost is not really an issue. Willing to invest in the best product to suit our needs.
Looking at Goal Zero Yeti 150 (lead-acid battery) and Goal Zero 200x (Lithium) and their appropriate solar panels.Q1: What type of battery is best for our hot desert environment?
Q2: What about Jackery? Better/ Worse/ Same? EcoFlow RIVER?
Q3: What would you recommend?Thanks for your help, should you decide to respond. Been having a health issue that has been making me foggy and tired, lately, so researching for me, right now, is draining.
Read MoreWater storage tanks
proco84 - August 19, 2024 Hi All
Thinking about getting some potable drinking water storage tanks installed in my home – any suggestions on how I should go about this and where I should look (UK based).
Read MoreNews for the Week 2024-08-19
The Prepared Support - August 19, 2024 Make a top-level comment for a new story/topic. Discussions about the topic should be in the replies to the top-level comment. That way things stay organized and every main comment as you scroll down is a different piece of news.
Read More