Kits (8)
Tornado Kit

Gear for dealing with tornadoes and their aftermath.

2 likes 2 copies
Cheap Trash Can EMP Shield
Cheap Trash Can EMP Shield

An affordable kit to protect and power small electronics in the case of an EMP. For more information and building instructions check out the blog post Making and testing a trash can Faraday cage.

2 likes 4 copies
Hospital Childbirth Go-Bag

2 likes 0 copies
Budget Cook Kit
Budget Cook Kit

An inexpensive go-bag cook kit built around the Stanley Adventure pot.

1 like 0 copies
BaoFeng Accessories
BaoFeng Accessories

Worthwhile accessories for your BaoFeng hand-talkie.

2 likes 2 copies
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Writing (155)
News roundup for Fri, Feb 18, 2022

All's quiet on the Canadian front. All border blockades have ended, and CNN reports that the protests may end soon as Ottawa police consider no-go zones. After the Canadian government gave banks the go-ahead to freeze protestors' bank accounts, there was speculation that it could cause a bank run. We haven't seen evidence of that, but Canada's five major banks experienced major outages on Wednesday. Don't read too much into it, but we'll keep our eyes on it. If you're in Canada, let us know i

February 17, 2022 7 comments
Can you remove volcanic ash from drinking water?

The recent eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai on the island nation of Tonga was one of the most violent observed in modern times. But the lava was only the beginning of Tonga’s problems — volcanic ash spread throughout the islands, contaminating drinking water and creating a humanitarian crisis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHIujMY1nj8 That led a student in the water survival course to ask if you can filter volcanic ash and debris out of drinking water. A thoughtful questio

February 16, 2022 4 comments
News roundup for Tue, Feb 15, 2022

In the news, we have big happenings on two fronts: Canada and Ukraine. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has invoked the Emergency Powers Act, putting Canada into a state of martial law to quell the trucker protest that has been happening for over two weeks. Trudeau stopped short of deploying the military but has empowered banks and financial service providers to freeze accounts without a court order, without fear of legal repercussions. https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/14933444

February 14, 2022 19 comments
Securing crypto passwords in physical steel with the Keystone Tablet Plus

If you hold cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, your digital money is held in a digital wallet. To keep that wallet private, you unlock it with a seed phrase, which is a long set of passwords in a specific order (think: “apple, car, boat, ball…”). You might hold your coins in a personal decentralized wallet like Metamask. But there’s no “reset password” function when running your own wallet — that’s why you hear stories of people who’ve lost massive amounts of money because they

February 7, 2022 4 comments
Review: the Halo Bolt Air jumpstarts dead car batteries and fills flat tires

One of the things we’ve been most excited about in the vehicle prepping market over the last few years is how modern battery technology enabled a new category of personal, portable chargers for jumping a dead battery and other power-hungry vehicle fixes. I’m a big believer in buying high-quality devices that do one thing well — many “survival products” that claim to do lots of various things are usually poor at all of them. Which is why I was skeptical when my wife gave me a Halo Bo

January 30, 2022 2 comments
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Discussions
How to set up a new axe for first use
15
18
Posted April 29, 2022
Reply to: Pooping in a pail and other prepper pastimes Posted February 4, 2022
Reply to: What are your 2022 prepping goals and plans? Posted February 2, 2022
Reply to: An experiment in growing mushrooms Posted February 2, 2022
Reply to: An experiment in growing mushrooms Posted February 2, 2022
Reply to: Pooping in a pail and other prepper pastimes Posted February 2, 2022

I will offer a quick rundown of the Humanure Handbook: You don’t need expensive composting toilets. The HH’s version of a compost toilet is basically pooping in a bucket, except you build a wooden box to contain it and attach a seat. Why not just poop in a bucket with an attachable seat? You can, but it’s easy to tip over the bucket. You do not want to tip over the bucket. You need a high-carbon material to cover the excrement. The best material is sawdust. Refer to my composting guide for more, but in essence, compost is all about nitrogen/carbon ratio. Since poop and pee are high nitrogen, you need high carbon to add bulk and keep smells down. Wood is about as high carbon as you get, but chips and shavings don’t break down well, thus sawdust. Put some sawdust in the bottom of the bucket and then thoroughly cover your droppings. Compost pile: dig a small bowl where you want the pile so things don’t seep out. Then you need something to hold in the contents. Some wire fence in a circle works well and is quick to put together. You’ll want a compost thermometer because you want this compost to get HOT. Like 160F, at least for a while. Once the pile is topped off, let it sit at least a year. If the pile starts to stink, add more carbon cover material. Sawdust, hay, shredded cardboard, shredded leaves, etc. If you’re uncomfortable using this compost in veggie gardens, use it for perennials. If the compost gets hot enough for long enough, it should be perfectly safe. As always, check local laws. Some places won’t like this. But it’s better than dumping it in the woods or the trash.

Reply to: Review: the Halo Bolt Air jumpstarts dead car batteries and fills flat tires Posted February 2, 2022
Reply to: How I built a power station in an ammo can Posted January 30, 2022
An experiment in growing mushrooms
7
11
Posted January 28, 2022
Reply to: Pooping in a pail and other prepper pastimes Posted January 27, 2022
FAQ: Apple AirTags for prepping
9
20
Posted January 24, 2022
Reply to: Sending text messages over ham radio with JS8Call Posted January 24, 2022
Reply to: Want to build your own ham radio antenna? The KM4ACK kit makes it easy Posted January 24, 2022
Reply to: Summary Report: Our power went out Posted January 20, 2022
Reply to: What are your 2022 prepping goals and plans? Posted January 20, 2022
Reply to: Review: The C. Crane Skywave SSB radio Posted January 20, 2022
Sending text messages over ham radio with JS8Call
18
18
Posted January 18, 2022
Reply to: What are your 2022 prepping goals and plans? Posted January 18, 2022

Both? Here’s my current regimen. Don’t take this as medical advice or even recommendations. This is me throwing the kitchen sink at COVID: Two shots of Moderna around spring 2021, no booster Magnesium chloride and/or magnesium glycinate mixed in my drinking water Black seed oil. I usually take 1 tablespoon per day but I’ve upped it to 2-3 tablespoons Vitamin D, 20,000 IU per day. I usually take half that and have been for some time. Zinc – 50 mg twice per day Lumbrokinase, 20 mg twice per day (breaks up blood clots) Baby aspirin twice per day (for blood flow) Mucinex, twice per day (keep my lungs clear) Cod liver oil, two capsules twice per day CO Q-10, 200 mg, twice per day (heart health) Vitamin C, 750 mg per day Herbal tinctures: Astragalus, Licorice, Rhodiola, Eleuthero, nettle, plantain, and marigold. One dropper of each mixed with water, twice per day. All of these are anti-inflammatory and/or antiviral. For more on herbal remedies for COVID, look up “Buhner Protocol” or check out Herbal Antivirals Second Edition 3-6 mg of melatonin at bedtime (for sleep and anti-inflammatory properties) Spray of magnesium chloride mixed with distilled water applied to the skin to reduce inflammation Fenugreek seeds to reduce inflammation  I was taking Pepcid twice per day on day one, but Stephanie Arnold warned me against it since it could increase the chance of foodborne illness. The data on Pepcid is inconclusive. Twice per day: Neti pot flush with room temperature distilled + boiled water, pink salt, baking soda, and three droppers of iodine. I also gargle with this mixture. This is standard protocol when I’m sick as I’m highly prone to sinus infections, and neti pot rinses without some kind of disinfectant are problematic because the water gets trapped in my sinuses and sometimes gives me an infection. I’m also hoping it’s keeping my viral load down. My positive line was very faint, so hopefully, it’s working. I also take my O2 multiple times per day. It hasn’t dropped below 97 so far. Plus I’m running a daily ECG with my Apple Watch. Diet: Mostly keto with a focus on fat and protein-rich whole foods: eggs, liver, cheese, pepitas, bone broth, sardines in olive oil, and lots of fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi. I avoid seed oils like canola because they’re inflammatory. I’m also adding to the mix: Inositol, both myoinositol and IP6 (increases blood oxygen uptake and ATP) Taurine Flush niacin (Not a fan so far, it makes my face burn. It’s supposed to help blood flow and flush crap out of your system.) Quinine tincture (Antiviral. Natural form of hydroxchloroquine.) Vitamin C adrenal cocktail with sodium and potassium Most of the day, I feel great. Better than I have in years actually. Until the COVID catches up and I get very tired all of a sudden. Other symptoms have been: mild sore throat, slightly runny nose, mild headache, and mild body aches. I address the body aches immediately with a hot shower, magnesium spray, and anti-inflammatory tinctures.

Reply to: Summary Report: Our power went out Posted January 18, 2022

I had a six-hour outage a few weeks ago and meant to write it up, so I’ll just piggyback on your thread. What went well: Having a blackout kit with flashlights and lanterns in a convenient place Having all batteries in a Harbor Freight case Small Jackery for light and to power small appliances Having two small power banks charged up that kept our phones going Gas fireplace to warm the house (wasn’t needed) Having a C. Crane Skywave to monitor the weather (we were under a tornado watch and needed to know if it became a warning) Having 15 gallons of water stored on hand (even if we didn’t need it) Having a Berkey style water filter from St. Paul Mercantile Having a gas generator and firing it up to confirm it runs I tested my HF transceiver setup and it worked great off-grid. Even better since all the noisy electronics were powered off. We had internet for most of the blackout because I have the router and modem connected to a small UPS. When it died I was able to power the router and modem with the Jackery. Board games for the kiddos What needs improvement: I have a gas generator, but it’s in a building 150 feet away. It’s extremely heavy, so moving it to the house would be a challenge. I had talked with my handyman about putting in an interlock and building a generator shed but got distracted with other projects. I need to get that done, as if the outage had been much longer it would have threatened our food stores. I could also do with better gas containers. I have a mishmash of plastic ones. The kids like to play with flashlights so some of them weren’t where they should have been. I need to get a lockbox for the blackout kit. I have a 100-watt solar panel and the cable to connect it to the Jackery, but the sun wasn’t out so it wouldn’t have helped. Plus it’s big and would be a pain to set up. I’d like a lighter folding panel to charge it. The water filter wasn’t full. I need to be better about cleaning it and keeping it full. I filled it from the tap but it took a long time to get water flowing out of it. Bigger UPS for the router and modem Overall, I think we did alright.

Reply to: What are your 2022 prepping goals and plans? Posted January 18, 2022
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How to set up a new axe for first use
15
18
Posted April 29, 2022
An experiment in growing mushrooms
7
11
Posted January 28, 2022
FAQ: Apple AirTags for prepping
9
20
Posted January 24, 2022
Sending text messages over ham radio with JS8Call
18
18
Posted January 18, 2022
That Augason Farms supply chain letter floating around social media is real, but their “shutdown” is just for wholesale distributors
4
9
Posted October 11, 2021
Lessons from my 2021 garden
8
9
Posted August 20, 2021
Do you fish?
8
7
Posted August 19, 2021
How to enable FEMA test alerts on your phone
6
11
Posted August 12, 2021
How to harvest amaranth seeds
6
8
Posted July 27, 2021
Clarkson’s Farm, a TV show about a man learning how to start a farm
8
9
Posted July 15, 2021
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Reply to: Pooping in a pail and other prepper pastimes Posted February 4, 2022
Reply to: What are your 2022 prepping goals and plans? Posted February 2, 2022
Reply to: An experiment in growing mushrooms Posted February 2, 2022
Reply to: An experiment in growing mushrooms Posted February 2, 2022
Reply to: Pooping in a pail and other prepper pastimes Posted February 2, 2022

I will offer a quick rundown of the Humanure Handbook: You don’t need expensive composting toilets. The HH’s version of a compost toilet is basically pooping in a bucket, except you build a wooden box to contain it and attach a seat. Why not just poop in a bucket with an attachable seat? You can, but it’s easy to tip over the bucket. You do not want to tip over the bucket. You need a high-carbon material to cover the excrement. The best material is sawdust. Refer to my composting guide for more, but in essence, compost is all about nitrogen/carbon ratio. Since poop and pee are high nitrogen, you need high carbon to add bulk and keep smells down. Wood is about as high carbon as you get, but chips and shavings don’t break down well, thus sawdust. Put some sawdust in the bottom of the bucket and then thoroughly cover your droppings. Compost pile: dig a small bowl where you want the pile so things don’t seep out. Then you need something to hold in the contents. Some wire fence in a circle works well and is quick to put together. You’ll want a compost thermometer because you want this compost to get HOT. Like 160F, at least for a while. Once the pile is topped off, let it sit at least a year. If the pile starts to stink, add more carbon cover material. Sawdust, hay, shredded cardboard, shredded leaves, etc. If you’re uncomfortable using this compost in veggie gardens, use it for perennials. If the compost gets hot enough for long enough, it should be perfectly safe. As always, check local laws. Some places won’t like this. But it’s better than dumping it in the woods or the trash.

Reply to: Review: the Halo Bolt Air jumpstarts dead car batteries and fills flat tires Posted February 2, 2022
Reply to: How I built a power station in an ammo can Posted January 30, 2022
Reply to: Pooping in a pail and other prepper pastimes Posted January 27, 2022
Reply to: Sending text messages over ham radio with JS8Call Posted January 24, 2022
Reply to: Want to build your own ham radio antenna? The KM4ACK kit makes it easy Posted January 24, 2022
Reply to: Summary Report: Our power went out Posted January 20, 2022
Reply to: What are your 2022 prepping goals and plans? Posted January 20, 2022
Reply to: Review: The C. Crane Skywave SSB radio Posted January 20, 2022
Reply to: What are your 2022 prepping goals and plans? Posted January 18, 2022

Both? Here’s my current regimen. Don’t take this as medical advice or even recommendations. This is me throwing the kitchen sink at COVID: Two shots of Moderna around spring 2021, no booster Magnesium chloride and/or magnesium glycinate mixed in my drinking water Black seed oil. I usually take 1 tablespoon per day but I’ve upped it to 2-3 tablespoons Vitamin D, 20,000 IU per day. I usually take half that and have been for some time. Zinc – 50 mg twice per day Lumbrokinase, 20 mg twice per day (breaks up blood clots) Baby aspirin twice per day (for blood flow) Mucinex, twice per day (keep my lungs clear) Cod liver oil, two capsules twice per day CO Q-10, 200 mg, twice per day (heart health) Vitamin C, 750 mg per day Herbal tinctures: Astragalus, Licorice, Rhodiola, Eleuthero, nettle, plantain, and marigold. One dropper of each mixed with water, twice per day. All of these are anti-inflammatory and/or antiviral. For more on herbal remedies for COVID, look up “Buhner Protocol” or check out Herbal Antivirals Second Edition 3-6 mg of melatonin at bedtime (for sleep and anti-inflammatory properties) Spray of magnesium chloride mixed with distilled water applied to the skin to reduce inflammation Fenugreek seeds to reduce inflammation  I was taking Pepcid twice per day on day one, but Stephanie Arnold warned me against it since it could increase the chance of foodborne illness. The data on Pepcid is inconclusive. Twice per day: Neti pot flush with room temperature distilled + boiled water, pink salt, baking soda, and three droppers of iodine. I also gargle with this mixture. This is standard protocol when I’m sick as I’m highly prone to sinus infections, and neti pot rinses without some kind of disinfectant are problematic because the water gets trapped in my sinuses and sometimes gives me an infection. I’m also hoping it’s keeping my viral load down. My positive line was very faint, so hopefully, it’s working. I also take my O2 multiple times per day. It hasn’t dropped below 97 so far. Plus I’m running a daily ECG with my Apple Watch. Diet: Mostly keto with a focus on fat and protein-rich whole foods: eggs, liver, cheese, pepitas, bone broth, sardines in olive oil, and lots of fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi. I avoid seed oils like canola because they’re inflammatory. I’m also adding to the mix: Inositol, both myoinositol and IP6 (increases blood oxygen uptake and ATP) Taurine Flush niacin (Not a fan so far, it makes my face burn. It’s supposed to help blood flow and flush crap out of your system.) Quinine tincture (Antiviral. Natural form of hydroxchloroquine.) Vitamin C adrenal cocktail with sodium and potassium Most of the day, I feel great. Better than I have in years actually. Until the COVID catches up and I get very tired all of a sudden. Other symptoms have been: mild sore throat, slightly runny nose, mild headache, and mild body aches. I address the body aches immediately with a hot shower, magnesium spray, and anti-inflammatory tinctures.

Reply to: Summary Report: Our power went out Posted January 18, 2022

I had a six-hour outage a few weeks ago and meant to write it up, so I’ll just piggyback on your thread. What went well: Having a blackout kit with flashlights and lanterns in a convenient place Having all batteries in a Harbor Freight case Small Jackery for light and to power small appliances Having two small power banks charged up that kept our phones going Gas fireplace to warm the house (wasn’t needed) Having a C. Crane Skywave to monitor the weather (we were under a tornado watch and needed to know if it became a warning) Having 15 gallons of water stored on hand (even if we didn’t need it) Having a Berkey style water filter from St. Paul Mercantile Having a gas generator and firing it up to confirm it runs I tested my HF transceiver setup and it worked great off-grid. Even better since all the noisy electronics were powered off. We had internet for most of the blackout because I have the router and modem connected to a small UPS. When it died I was able to power the router and modem with the Jackery. Board games for the kiddos What needs improvement: I have a gas generator, but it’s in a building 150 feet away. It’s extremely heavy, so moving it to the house would be a challenge. I had talked with my handyman about putting in an interlock and building a generator shed but got distracted with other projects. I need to get that done, as if the outage had been much longer it would have threatened our food stores. I could also do with better gas containers. I have a mishmash of plastic ones. The kids like to play with flashlights so some of them weren’t where they should have been. I need to get a lockbox for the blackout kit. I have a 100-watt solar panel and the cable to connect it to the Jackery, but the sun wasn’t out so it wouldn’t have helped. Plus it’s big and would be a pain to set up. I’d like a lighter folding panel to charge it. The water filter wasn’t full. I need to be better about cleaning it and keeping it full. I filled it from the tap but it took a long time to get water flowing out of it. Bigger UPS for the router and modem Overall, I think we did alright.

Reply to: What are your 2022 prepping goals and plans? Posted January 18, 2022
Reply to: What are your 2022 prepping goals and plans? Posted January 18, 2022
Reply to: What are your 2022 prepping goals and plans? Posted January 17, 2022
Reply to: What are your 2022 prepping goals and plans? Posted January 17, 2022
Reply to: Is anyone else seeing a meat shortage? Posted January 17, 2022
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