Estel - Member - The Prepared

Reply to: Budget emergency radio – is this a reasonable option? Posted July 22, 2022

Thanks for the opinion and suggestions. I am definitely thinking that if it’s in my go bag, it’s also in my apartment and therefore could also be good for home use. I think I will go ahead and buy it when I order from that site.

Budget emergency radio – is this a reasonable option?

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Posted July 21, 2022

Reply to: Poison ivy, oak, and sumac – how to identify, treat, and a fun little game Posted March 2, 2022

Not preparedness-related, but my favourite fact about poison ivy etc. is that urushiol, the compound that people react to, is the exact same compound that’s polymerized to make lacquerware: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urushiol The lacquer tree, Toxicodendron vernicifluum, is in the same genus as poison ivy/oak/sumac.

Reply to: What’s in my everyday backpack? Posted February 3, 2022

By torch I’m guessing you mean what I as a North American call a flashlight, in which case those do both sound like good ideas.

Reply to: What’s in my everyday backpack? Posted February 3, 2022

After thinking about this a bit more, I think the Hydroblu Sidekick would actually be better for my situation, for the very reason that it has a shorter gallon lifetime. The 50 gallon limit on the Sidekick is coming from its activated carbon filter (which is replaceable). The LifeStraw lasts for more gallons because doesn’t have an activated carbon filter. In the urban environment where I live, there are likely to be chemical contaminants in water around me so it would be good to have an activated carbon component to my filter. But the LifeStraw will do for now while I work on other aspects of preparedness, and maybe eventually I’ll come back and upgrade it to a Sidekick.

Reply to: Heads up massive CME alert for 2 February 2022 Posted February 1, 2022

It does not seem like this is a strong enough storm to pose much risk. Spaceweather.com has some good details and says: ‘Moderately-strong G2-class geomagnetic storms are possible after the CME arrives. During such storms, auroras can spill out of the Arctic Circle into northern-tier US states from New York to Minnesota to Washington. Power grids and satellites are in no danger, however. This is a low hazard “auroras only” space weather event.’ The NOAA’s scale of geomagnetic storm ratings is available here. You may need to click an arrow to open the section on geomagnetic storms – you’ll know you’re in the right section if the levels are labelled G1, G2, etc. G2 geomagnetic storms are quite frequent – according to this website they occur approximately 600 times per 11 years (1 solar cycle) – so you’ve lived through many before. So – if you’d like to see an aurora, the next few nights would be a good time to look for them.

Reply to: What’s in my everyday backpack? Posted January 27, 2022

Redneck, I am keeping my eye out for a Klean Kanteen bottle but I’m trying to avoid buying it on Amazon and so far I haven’t seen them at any of the places I regularly shop or where I’ve put in an order recently. I’m sure I’ll find one eventually or find somewhere that sells them along with enough other things I want to be worth the shipping.

Reply to: What’s in my everyday backpack? Posted January 27, 2022

I didn’t learn about the Hydroblu Sidekick until after I’d already ordered my LifeStraw, or I might have gotten it instead for greater compactness. But now that I have the LifeStraw, I might as well stick with it.

Reply to: What’s in my everyday backpack? Posted January 27, 2022

Thanks for the tip, Ivy B!

Reply to: What’s in my everyday backpack? Posted January 27, 2022

I’m keeping an eye out for a non-insulated water bottle for my go bag, and I’ll think about switching the one in my everyday backpack as well.

Reply to: What’s in my everyday backpack? Posted January 27, 2022

I do actually have bandaids and grocery bags listed already. Food is something I’m actively working on figuring out – even the beef jerky is new since this post – so yes, I am keeping an eye out for something like a granola bar, or maybe I’ll add some dried fruit. A pen is a good idea. And here’s a picture of my medieval-style bone comb. I got it at a Society for Creative Anachronism event a few years ago and figured it’d probably see more use in my backpack than at home where I’d just use my brush. (And it has. I don’t use it often, and right now my hair is too short to need a comb, but when my hair’s at the longer part of the haircut cycle I have used it from time to time.)

Reply to: What’s in my everyday backpack? Posted January 27, 2022

Yup, as Redneck points out, I have a Swiss Army Knife in my pocket. One of these.

Reply to: What’s in my everyday backpack? Posted January 27, 2022

I don’t have a way to boil water because my main thought with the teabags has been that maybe I want to make tea when I’m at a friend’s house and they don’t have the kind of tea I like, not maybe I’m stuck outdoors and want to make tea. I’m unsure if it’s worth carrying a stove around on my back every day given that the range of circumstances where I’d need it seem pretty slim. Similarly, a folding saw seems like a bit much to carry around every day; hopefully the saw on my Swiss Army Knife will get the job done if I do need to saw something. Paracord and a CAT are things I would like to add. I need to figure out how to source decent-quality ones in Canada. I’m not confident yet about my ability to know when and how to apply an Israeli bandage so I think I’ll hold off on that until I learn more.

What’s in my everyday backpack?

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Posted January 26, 2022

Reply to: Looking for ideas for nut-free snacks for my backpack Posted January 18, 2022

I am planning to try out some Datrex at some point, but am a bit caught in “I don’t really want to pay shipping but I’m not sure I want to order enough stuff from this website to get free shipping”. And I haven’t found anywhere in my area to buy it in person. EDIT: Ah, I think I found somewhere I could buy it in person. Maybe I’ll head out there when the pandemic calms down a bit.

Reply to: What are your 2022 prepping goals and plans? Posted January 12, 2022

The article is very helpful but even with its help, choosing a bag is still daunting. I’m somewhat inclined to buy myself a new everyday backpack first and let my current everyday backpack serve temporarily as my go bag until I can get an upgraded go bag backpack. My everyday backpack is a second-hand Eddie Bauer 29L Cargo Pack, and it’s almost exactly what I want for an everyday backpack except that the previous owner cut off the hip belt straps and sternum strap. More and more the lack those straps is bothering me, and since it’s something I wear all the time, fixing that problem seems like a fairly high priority. So I might just get a new one of the Eddie Bauer bag for everyday and use the old one for my temporary go bag. A 29L bag should be big enough for a Level 1 go bag, and maybe when I’m ready to progress to Level 2 or 3 then I can upgrade the bag to something bigger and more purpose-specific.

Reply to: What are your 2022 prepping goals and plans? Posted January 12, 2022

I’ve already started but where I’m at is kind of piecemeal so it’s hard to summarize. I think Step 1 is mostly good-enough-for-now – although I should look at estate planning. I figure it makes sense to work on Step 2 (prepared home) and Step 3 (go bag) [for some reason I don’t like the term “bug out”] in tandem, since things in your go bag are also good for home. I’m gradually accumulating things for a go bag, and I’d like to finish at least a Level 1 bag this year. I think the hardest part of that will be the bag itself, but that’s probably mostly a matter of building up my budget for it over a few months until I can afford a good one. (Currently I have my go bag items in a suitcase, which I know is not ideal, but at least it will keep them together until I get a proper backpack.) For home preparedness, I’ve bought water storage containers but still need to get around to cleaning and filling them. I also need to put together a less haphazard food storage plan and make sure I will actually use and rotate the things I buy. I also need to figure out where in my small apartment I can store enough food (I was using the space under my kitchen sink for cans, but now it’s half full of my water storage, so I need another place for cans), which probably means cleaning out stuff that doesn’t need to be in my apartment, finding storage boxes that can fit under my bed, etc. I also need to deal with most of the other items on the home checklist. It’s hard to say how far through that I will get. For Step 4, the only applicable part is everyday carry (I don’t have a vehicle, and there’s no away-from-home location where it would make sense to keep a get-home bag). I already have a pretty substantial but haphazard everyday carry in the form of my backpack (and pocket contents); I would like to do review that to see what I think I should add (I think I’ll add a LifeStraw, for instance), and probably also remove some items that realistically aren’t that important, or overlap too much with other items to be worthwhile. Ideally I’d also organize it better so I can more readily find what I’m looking for. Steps 5 and 6 (learn/practice and share) I don’t have much of specific plans for, but I am talking about preparedness with family and friends, and I do want to try out my gear and practice for some basic scenarios like power or water outages.

Reply to: Looking for ideas for nut-free snacks for my backpack Posted January 12, 2022

I just noticed Moon Cheese on the MEC website last night. It looks like an interesting option – I love dairy products. It sounds from their FAQ like their cheese-only products are produced in a nut-free facility: Q: “Is Moon Cheese Nut Free?”A: “Yep, free and clear. No nuts here. Our products are produced in a totally nut-free facility. However, our Protein Blitz Mix Moon Cheese varieties directly contain almonds or pecans so this isn’t for Moon Cheese lovers with nut allergies.” I’ll have to see if I can find it at any of my local stores. (And then figure out how the price-per-food-value compares to other options like jerky.)

Reply to: What are your 2022 prepping goals and plans? Posted January 12, 2022

Go right ahead! I hardly have an exclusive claim 🙂

Reply to: What are your 2022 prepping goals and plans? Posted January 12, 2022

I think my goal is working through the beginner checklist and getting as far as I can.

Budget emergency radio – is this a reasonable option?

What’s in my everyday backpack?

Budget emergency radio – is this a reasonable option?

What’s in my everyday backpack?

Looking for ideas for nut-free snacks for my backpack

A clothing puzzle – Looking for advice for sensitive skin