Ken R, - Member - The Prepared

Discussions

Reply to: Is a portable solar-powered generator practical for powering my home? Posted May 27, 2024

Kristin – I have a 2000WH Bluetti unit and a 400W solar array. All readily portable. LED lights at night – no problem. Fridge – probably not. Electric on-demand hot water heater – too much power draw. Probably better to plan on boiling water on the BBQ. Ideally, you would have two Bluetti units. One in use and one being charged via the solar array. But it is likely the fridge will drain the first unit before the second one is fully charged. You could add a second set of panels or a third Bluetti, but then you lose your portability. I hope this helps. k

Reply to: Turn old bed sheets into durable waterproof tarps Posted April 3, 2024

You need an oil soluble solvent. Vineager and acetone are water soluble. Mineral seal oil is still available in CA I think. This will work fine, but it dries much, much slower. If you cannot find Mineral Seal Oil, let me know. I buy several thousand gallons at a time, so I can send a sample gallon for you to try,

Reply to: Can 5 gallon buckets be stacked? Posted March 26, 2024

Claire – Stacks of 2 or 3 pails are fine. Be sure to label the pails with the contents. Long term, I find a vinyl pressure sensitive label sticks better and withstands humidity better than a paper label. Also, use a large font when labeling the pails because in a deployment scenario it will be easier to read. Lastly, assume you may not be the only person needing to carry the buckets or food. Adjust the fill weight accordingly.

Reply to: Packing 5 gallon buckets Posted March 25, 2024

Claire – I started with 5 gallon pails myself but evolved to 19 gallon plastic totes. The 19 gallon size isn’t too heavy when full, packs easily in a car and easily fits through doorways. Two servings are packed in a mylar bag with an oxygen absorber. Then 21 mylar bags are packed in a 5 gallon flat bottomed mylar bag with an oxygen absorber. Two big bags per bin provides 84 meals. If you package a combination of breakfast, lunch and dinner bags, each bin will provide 4 people with B/L/D for 1 week. I went with the double mylar containment for the added protection against mice, etc. Be sure to label each pouch, each big bag and each bin with contents. Good luck. Ken

Reply to: What three firearms would you have for prepping? Posted December 15, 2023

9mm Glock 17, 9mm takedown carbine – use the same ammunition and said ammunition is readily available. 12 gauge pump shotgun. These cover self defense and food procurement.

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Reply to: Is a portable solar-powered generator practical for powering my home? Posted May 27, 2024

Kristin – I have a 2000WH Bluetti unit and a 400W solar array. All readily portable. LED lights at night – no problem. Fridge – probably not. Electric on-demand hot water heater – too much power draw. Probably better to plan on boiling water on the BBQ. Ideally, you would have two Bluetti units. One in use and one being charged via the solar array. But it is likely the fridge will drain the first unit before the second one is fully charged. You could add a second set of panels or a third Bluetti, but then you lose your portability. I hope this helps. k

Reply to: Turn old bed sheets into durable waterproof tarps Posted April 3, 2024

You need an oil soluble solvent. Vineager and acetone are water soluble. Mineral seal oil is still available in CA I think. This will work fine, but it dries much, much slower. If you cannot find Mineral Seal Oil, let me know. I buy several thousand gallons at a time, so I can send a sample gallon for you to try,

Reply to: Can 5 gallon buckets be stacked? Posted March 26, 2024

Claire – Stacks of 2 or 3 pails are fine. Be sure to label the pails with the contents. Long term, I find a vinyl pressure sensitive label sticks better and withstands humidity better than a paper label. Also, use a large font when labeling the pails because in a deployment scenario it will be easier to read. Lastly, assume you may not be the only person needing to carry the buckets or food. Adjust the fill weight accordingly.

Reply to: Packing 5 gallon buckets Posted March 25, 2024

Claire – I started with 5 gallon pails myself but evolved to 19 gallon plastic totes. The 19 gallon size isn’t too heavy when full, packs easily in a car and easily fits through doorways. Two servings are packed in a mylar bag with an oxygen absorber. Then 21 mylar bags are packed in a 5 gallon flat bottomed mylar bag with an oxygen absorber. Two big bags per bin provides 84 meals. If you package a combination of breakfast, lunch and dinner bags, each bin will provide 4 people with B/L/D for 1 week. I went with the double mylar containment for the added protection against mice, etc. Be sure to label each pouch, each big bag and each bin with contents. Good luck. Ken

Reply to: What three firearms would you have for prepping? Posted December 15, 2023

9mm Glock 17, 9mm takedown carbine – use the same ammunition and said ammunition is readily available. 12 gauge pump shotgun. These cover self defense and food procurement.