Share your knowledge & learn from experts
Because prepping and community go hand in hand
Rapid Radio EMR
Claire - August 15, 2024 Has anyone used the Rapid Radio EMR? Will it work in a gown scenario where there’s no cell tower coverage? Also, is it just a ham radio?
Read MoreNews for the Week 2024-08-12
The Prepared Support - August 12, 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 MoreSkills >> Gucci Gear
Caliber Carpenter - August 5, 2024 Wanted to make this post mostly pertaining to firearms as I’ve seen a lot of people on here asking questions about purchasing their first gun, but this advice can also be applied to just about anything prepping related. Keep in mind when going to purchase a firearm, or any piece of gear for that matter, that no matter how nice the gear may be, no matter how many cool features it may have, it is nearly useless in the hands of an unskilled operator. This mainly relates to firearms in the fact that far too many people get swept up in the game of trying to find “the best” weapon or optic or accessory out there and lose sight of what actually matters; Shooting the weapon. Sure that $2,000 LMT rifle looks super cool, runs like a racehorse, and has a ton of features, but if you can’t hit a 12″ silhouette at 50yds then it may as well be a pawn shop trade in special. What I’m saying is don’t assume that you can just buy skill with a weapon. Yes I love my Gucci ARs as much as the next gun nut, but if I blow my entire budget on a super expensive rifle setup and have no money for ammo to train with then it means nothing. Now I know right now circumstances are a little rough if you didn’t stockpile ammo before all this began, but the good news is there is still a way to hone your skills without ever firing a round. It’s called dry fire. Thomas and I touched on this in a previous thread, but dry fire is a wonderful way to build skills and muscle memory that are critical to fluid gun handling, particularly for handguns. The internet is full of videos of dry fire drills you can run at home without a single bullet fired that will greatly improve your speed, skill, and overall familiarity with the weapon. I’d be glad to post some of my personal routines if anyone is interested as well. Just running simple dry fire drills will help you begin to master the basics of sight acquisition, trigger press, grip/shouldering techniques, and weapon manipulation. It may feel silly at first, pretending to fire and reload your weapon with no ammo, but I can promise you the more dry fire reps you do the work for, the more it will pay off on the range and in real situations. Dry fire is no substitute for live ammo practice, as there are still fundamentals that can only be learned with live rounds, but it is a fantastic skill building supplement, especially for new shooters. No matter what caliber of shooter you are though, dry fire drills can and will help keep you at your top proficiency levels.
So let’s wrap things up:
1. Don’t buy a weapon so expensive you can’t afford ammo to train with it. I’m not saying don’t buy gucci guns if you have the disposable income, just don’t put yourself in a position where you have a high class weapon but you’re a low class shooter because you couldn’t afford to train with it.
2. Dry fire. A lot. Especially in times like these where ammo is scarce and priced like precious metal
3. Don’t get caught up in the hype about a certain weapon or optic or upgrade etc thinking that it will magically make you a better shooter. Higher quality gear allows good shooters to push their performance, but the increase is skill-driven, not gear-driven. Save up, buy ammo, train, and then once you have acquired a level of skill and confidence in your shooting begin looking for ways to enhance your performance.
I hope this was helpful to a lot of you good folk just getting in to the world of firearms, don’t be afraid to ask if you have any questions or would like any advice. I’m no master marksman but there are a lot of people on here with a lot of great knowledge who are glad to share it. The US has had a massive amount of new gun owners arise here in the past few months and it’s our job as experienced shooters to help educate and inspire them the best we can. If anyone would like links to videos of how to get started training or good dry fire drills to run just let me know, I would be happy to post them in the comments section.
And as always,
This is the way
Read MoreNews for the Week 2024-08-05
The Prepared Support - August 5, 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 MoreNews for the Week 2024-07-29
The Prepared Support - August 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 MoreEssential medical reference books for the prepper library
Scott P - July 26, 2024 I wanted to start compiling a list of great medical references at different levels that are useful for austere medicine and hopefully longer term survival. Also curious what books others have found useful to study or have on hand as reference.
Quick reference
Wilderness & Travel Medicine – fairly good first step and comes with larger AMK kits, which I like for the packaging. Written in an accessible and easily referenced way. NOLS WFA reference card – Good for rapid reference for those in your group who are less trained or practicedFirst aid
Wilderness Medicine (Forgey) – Well written and it has a good focus on being more remove from definitive care Fix Your Feet – A good reference on foot care. It is targeted more at runners and hikers, but if you suddenly increase time on your feet it will be valuable to know how to care for them Hypothermia, frostbite and other cold injuries – a good deep dive into cold injuries for those of us who live in climates with extreme cold.First responder
Outdoor Emergency Care – This is the textbook use for national ski patrols certification. I don’t love it, but it is a reasonable textbook at the FR/EMT level that also includes some more environmental emergencies and dealing with more austere situations such as backcountry rescue.Advanced
Auerbachs Wilderness Medicine – THE textbook for wilderness medicine. It is a 2 volume medical textbook, which is very comprehensive. Depending on your science background this could be a hard read.What have others found?
Read MoreNews for the week of 2024-07-22
The Prepared Support - July 26, 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 MoreAR15 stock weight
grntrkguy1964 - July 23, 2024 I am considering getting a stock weight for a target match AR 15 rifle. Has anyone used/tried one? Is there any preceived difference in performance? Thanks!!
Read MoreBurning Candles
Barb LeeContributor - July 22, 2024 This probably seems like a grade-school level subject, but I’ve tended to have a lot of difficulty burning candles efficiently. Boredom with the bad weather has encouraged me to relieve my ignorance. It turns out there’s a lot more to burning candles than just lighting the wick. And there are lots of articles on the internet about how to burn and maintain candles for optimal light and burn time, not to mention safety practices.
One of the main points (there are many!) is always trimming the wick. As I was reading an article, I was burning an Amish stearic acid carriage lamp candle (really!) in a little kerosene lamp that I converted for the candle. This candle was burning flawlessly (my last try with the candle that was just open to the air was a failure, yet these candles burn handsomely in carriage lamps!). To my surprise, when I looked up from reading about burning candles, the candle (which had been burning about an hour) was really “chugging” and smoking a bit.
So one of several rules about burning candles is that depending on the candle, it’s going to need its wick trimmed during extended burn times. After burning an hour the wick was about 3/4″ long! This candle looks like it needs attention about every hour.
I’d encourage folks who have a stash of candles for emergencies, but never actually gave a thought to burning them, to look up the many articles on burning them safely and correctly. This is a pretty good place to start.
Read MoreCan a regular refrigerator be used as a medical refrigerator?
Jeson - July 19, 2024 Due to some physical reasons, people have to take some medicines frequently. Some medicines that are frequently taken need to be kept at a certain low temperature for a long time. These medicines need to be refrigerated, but can they also be stored in a regular refrigerator at home? I tried to find the answer online. Professional medical refrigerators have temperature control between 2-8 ℃ and have some safety functions to ensure that your medicines are not damaged. What do you think?
Read MoreNews for the week of 2024-07-15
The Prepared Support - July 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 MoreBottom Water Dispenser
Gen - July 17, 2024 Hi everyone! 🙂
This is my first post, and I can already tell I’ll be doing a lot of reading here.
Since 2020, we’ve been building our log home in the woods. Every trip involves packing food, dog supplies, clothes, and—most importantly—water.
Over time, our packing has gotten easier, but one constant is the water situation.
We have a dug well that tests safe to boil, but it has a noticeable color and odor, so we prefer to bring our own water.
I’m considering getting a bottom-loading water dispenser. My concern is, when the bottle is open and in use – even if it is in the dark compartment and we keep it plugged in, how long will the water stay good?
It would be a hassle to replace it too often, especially since we might be away for a month or only visit a couple of times a month.
Thanks for any insights!
(I am watching youtube review videos so there goes the inspiration for the image!)
Canning lids and rings in Nm
Sammy’s mom - July 13, 2024 I once was a “seller” have several hundred of these. Because I’m in NM and shipping is too costly I’d be willing to trade for other gear but close to Santa Fe, Abq but when I make my every couple month trips.
Read MoreNews for the week of 2024-07-08
The Prepared Support - July 8, 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 MoreNews for the week of 2024-07-01
The Prepared Support - July 5, 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 MoreNews for the week of 2024-06-24
The Prepared Support - June 30, 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 MoreWhen and where to not carry concealed firearms
My name is Megan - June 24, 2024 I sometimes see signs like this on the entrances of businesses and restaurants. Banks, hospitals, schools, and even The Cheesecake Factory prohibit firearms on their premises. Is it outright illegal to carry a gun in these places or just their company policy? Will disobeying these signs result in a felony, a misdemeanor, or just being asked to leave?
The bad guys who are going to shoot up a place are not going to care if there is a sign on the window or not and might even target these locations knowing that all the good people inside are going to be disarmed. Weighing the pros and cons, I am leaning more to conceal carrying in my purse and worst case scenario being asked to leave rather than be left vulnerable against an active shooter like what happened in the Brooklyn subway the other day.
It probably will depend on the state or city you are in, so there might not be one overall right answer, but if you have any thoughts I’d like to hear.
Read More
Turn old bed sheets into durable waterproof tarps
Carter Murphy - June 24, 2024 The following video shows how to take old bed sheets and turn them into durable waterproof tarps.
The reason I am sharing this project here is because it looks to be a more durable tarp than the plastic tarpaulins you would buy at the hardware store and isn’t that expensive for what you get. A cheap tube of silicone caulk is about $5 and the gallon of Naphtha is $10.
From the video it says to find the volume of your bed sheets and use 3/4 of that volume in solvent (naphtha). Then using a ratio of 5:1 (Naphtha:Silicone) combine until the silicone is dissolved into a maple syrup consistency and soak your bed sheet in it. Hang to dry for a day and you have a waterproof fabric tarp.
To be honest I am tired of the UV rays of the sun and wind beating up my cheap plastic tarps and may try this out. This will probably hold up longer durability-wise and I don’t see it losing it’s waterproof ability like some fabrics do because it isn’t just a topical coating that can be rubbed off and silicone is a strong synthetic material that won’t break down as easily or quickly like bees waxed canvas would.
Read MoreNews for the week of 2024-06-17
The Prepared Support - June 21, 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 MoreNews for the week of 2024-06-10
The Prepared Support - June 10, 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 MoreNews for the week of 2024-06-03
The Prepared Support - June 5, 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 MoreRecipes for cooking with only non-perishable food
Adriaan - May 31, 2024 I was wondering if anyone could share some recipes for cooking with only non-perishable ingredients? I’m thinking canned fish and chicken. Thanks in advance 🙂
Read MoreAtmospheric water generators
Claire - May 27, 2024 Has anyone heard of atmospheric water generators (particularly for home use)? If so what are you thoughts and is there one you’d recommend?
Read MoreNews for the week of 2024-05-27
The Prepared Support - May 27, 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 MoreIs a portable solar-powered generator practical for powering my home?
Kristin Vogel - May 27, 2024 I don’t have solar panels on my house and I don’t have the money to invest in a rooftop array. I want something to power my home…the refrigerator as much as needed, lights at night, our on-demand water heater. Is a portable system with panels I can set up in my backyard practical for this purpose? I like the idea that we can take it with us if we need to. I would love your thoughts and thanks in advance.
Read More