What have you done recently to prepare? Please include How-To's also

I bought a new 30" bow saw with 6 blades (these will also fit my old saw), I figure it's a little hard to carry a chainsaw on a bugout. I also am looking at a Hennessy Hammock http://hennessyhammock.com/catalog/specs/survivor_universal_camo/ - this one to be exact. I'll need the 4 season insulation kit pared with my GI Sleeping Bag system - I should be pretty happy.
 
I have an explorer and my wife and kids all have Hennessey's as well. Love them. If you want to use it below 40F I strongly suggest you also buy the radiant double bubble pad. With a nice sleeping bag, low setup and a 360deg wind break it's useable to 20F without thinking you might die, 10F if you don't mind worrying about whether or not you'll wake up again. I've never been dumb enough to try it below 10F.

Clarks are also worth a look for hammocks, but I don't like their fly setup as much. Upside is they have models that are double layer on the bottom with a stuff space for insulation.
 
I've decided to start storing food based on what I eat, not what keeps. Basically I'm just going to buy extra of stuff and rotate it through. A novel idea, I know.

In support of my newly invented idea, I bought a couple dozen pint and quart Ball jars, a fancy Ball jar funnel and a vacuum sealer attachment for the jars. I'm not quite sure what all of the jars will be used for, but at least now I can start filling them up.

I know it's not much, but it's more than I've been doing.
 
ToddDubya said:
I've decided to start storing food based on what I eat, not what keeps. Basically I'm just going to buy extra of stuff and rotate it through. A novel idea, I know.

In support of my newly invented idea, I bought a couple dozen pint and quart Ball jars, a fancy Ball jar funnel and a vacuum sealer attachment for the jars. I'm not quite sure what all of the jars will be used for, but at least now I can start filling them up.

I know it's not much, but it's more than I've been doing.
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Better than nothing and a good way to go about it. When I started I bought a variety of canned veggies so we would have choices. Sounded like a good plan. Until I ended up with several cans of beets and other things that would just make any emergency worse.


Here's another idea for the jars. Haven't tried it yet but it sounds like a good way to divide up and store some dry foods if you're not concerned about breakage.
http://theprepperproject.com/oven-canning-for-long-term-storage/
 
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It's good to store things you actually eat. Which is why I don't store a lot of freeze dried stuff. Drastic diet changes are not going to be helpful in a bad situation.
 
add to list:
seam-sealer for tent
duct tape for just about anything
teflon tape for water bottle leaks and other plumbing chores
electrical tape for whatever the first two don't cover
thin, flexible, strong wire for everything else
 
Bailing twine. Comes in huge rolls.

Also switch to gorilla tape instead of duct. It's awesome.

Never under stock garbage bags, ziplock bags and TP. You can't have enough tp
 
ToddDubya said:
I've decided to start storing food based on what I eat, not what keeps. Basically I'm just going to buy extra of stuff and rotate it through. A novel idea, I know.

In support of my newly invented idea, I bought a couple dozen pint and quart Ball jars, a fancy Ball jar funnel and a vacuum sealer attachment for the jars. I'm not quite sure what all of the jars will be used for, but at least now I can start filling them up.

I know it's not much, but it's more than I've been doing.
Click to expand...

if you have a pressure canner, you can preserve bacon. Yes, I said it. I canned 12 pounds of bacon almost 2 years ago, and I've tried a can every 2-3 months. The bacon has been quite edible. Since you're supposed to post the how to, Enola Gay over at Paratus Familia blog gave the instructions, which I followed to the letter, except I used my wife's parchment paper as the layer paper, and I used 'thick cut' bacon as suggested.

Even though it says you don't HAVE TO, I'd sterilize the shit out of those jars. My practice has been to run them through the dishwasher to get the chemical smell out of them, then cook them like this: http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_01/sterile_jars.html
Instructions for the bacon: http://www.paratusfamiliablog.com/search?q=bacon

If times get hard, I can think of no better comfort food than bacon. I am putting up 15 pounds of bacon ( a case of jars) every time market Basket bacon goes on sale. you get very strange looks when you buy 15 pounds of bacon, so say it is for a church breakfast.

I've also been dry canning (o2 absorbers) organic corn meal with the foodsaver and vacuum attachment with quart mason jars. If you evacuate the air from the jars and put 02 absorbers in, I have found it stores for over 2 years (so far) without spoiling. If it starts to get yucky, my chickens will make short work of it.
 
browniee said:
FIRE POWER. is all you need. and everything else is yours for the taking.
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Until you meet up with one or many with more firepower, better training, better knowledge of the surroundings, better perimeter security, more will to survive.

If that's your plan A, B and C, you'd better seriously contemplate staying home, you probably won't survive the first encounter.

Hopefully you state that with complete sarcasm in mind.
 
Picked up 7 Dakota alert MURS motion sensor transmitters, 3 MURS base stations, 6 dual band portable antennas, 6 VHF 1/4 wave antennas, adapters from SMA female to BNC female to adapt to cable to feed better antennas on transmitters. Planting food plot for upcoming deer season in Kentucky.

Have a family member mounting a game camera to maybe see how many fawns were dropped this past season to increase the herd on and around the property. I'm guessing with possible attrition from predators, there should be at least ten new herd members, maybe more.
 
Finalygotabeltfed said:
Until you meet up with one or many with more firepower, better training, better knowledge of the surroundings, better perimeter security, more will to survive.

If that's your plan A, B and C, you'd better seriously contemplate staying home, you probably won't survive the first encounter.

Hopefully you state that with complete sarcasm in mind.
Click to expand...

Remember this guy from Doomsday Preppers ?? [rofl]

Smith appeared in an episode of the National Geographic Channel’s ‘Doomsday Preppers’ reality show.

“We’re not in it to stockpile,” Smith says of what he plans to do in the event of a Doomsday event. “We’re in it to come take what you have, and there’s nothing you can do to stop us.”

Read more: http://q13fox.com/2014/01/16/doomsd...n-pierce-county-on-gun-charges/#ixzz37dmIV1iV
Click to expand...
 
Finalygotabeltfed said:
Picked up 7 Dakota alert MURS motion sensor transmitters, 3 MURS base stations, 6 dual band portable antennas, 6 VHF 1/4 wave antennas, adapters from SMA female to BNC female to adapt to cable to feed better antennas on transmitters. Planting food plot for upcoming deer season in Kentucky.

Have a family member mounting a game camera to maybe see how many fawns were dropped this past season to increase the herd on and around the property. I'm guessing with possible attrition from predators, there should be at least ten new herd members, maybe more.
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Jealous on both counts! Do you have a link to a MURS tutorial? I have the bambi thinning part covered.
 
I honestly just started emergency food and water storage for my family the other day. I find myself being a little overwhelmed since I'm really not sure of best storage methods, best places to order supplies, etc. I've started with food that I can get at the local supermarket and 2.5 gallon containers of water. I also bought some 5 gallon buckets to store food in to keep rodents and whatnot at bay. My first goal is to get a month supply of food and water for my daughter, wife and myself. I have a long way to go, but it feels good to finally get going on this.
 
Harpua said:
I honestly just started emergency food and water storage for my family the other day. I find myself being a little overwhelmed since I'm really not sure of best storage methods, best places to order supplies, etc. I've started with food that I can get at the local supermarket and 2.5 gallon containers of water. I also bought some 5 gallon buckets to store food in to keep rodents and whatnot at bay. My first goal is to get a month supply of food and water for my daughter, wife and myself. I have a long way to go, but it feels good to finally get going on this.
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Good for you! I have a lot of websites saved but this one has a lot of info that might help.
http://web.archive.org/web/20100212...vival-center.com/foodfaq/ff1-toc.htm#contents
 
JayMcB said:
Jealous on both counts! Do you have a link to a MURS tutorial? I have the bambi thinning part covered.
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Tough posting a link on this tablet but can give you the abc of it. MURS is a group of 5 VHF channels in the 151 and 154 MHz range that are limited to use with FCC type accepted radios of two watts max output. There are a couple of antenna restrictions also for fixed stations. Both voice and data can be transmitted on these freqs.

The units also have standard PL tone capabilities to eliminate co channel chatter if there is other users on the frequency.
The MURS motion sensors/transmitters are combination passive IR and motion and transmit a preprogrammed, voice message that is determined by setting of a four position switch in the unit. "Alert zone one", thru four....transmits three times. Having 2 watts output, they will cover a large area, like beyond a mile or so reliably with a 1/4 wave antenna(about 18 inches). The detection area is to about 80 feet out from sensor with a wide field.
They have an external antenna jack that facilitates changing to a better whip antenna or using a cable to an antenna mounted up high in a tree or inside or outside a building.
They have a plastic housing that is gasketed and pretty much waterproof, with mounting tabs ready to tie, screw or nail to what ever mounting post or tree or wall you have available. I've had two mounted for two years with no weather penetration into the casing.

With five frequencies and four zones, you can get up to twenty different areas of coverage if you had a transmitter for each location and a monitor for each frequency.
I'm placing them on primary routes and one inside the building. Giving a neighbor a base station to monitor when I'm off the property and the other two are going in my house and garage for my use while home.
The base station has a pair of terminals on the rear that are normally open and 12vdc is applied when an alert is received. These can be used to power a relay which in turn can be used to power a siren, a horn, a bell, electric match, a bulb, ect.

These frequencies can also be monitored on a scanner or two-way portable. I plan to use a portable when working around my property and can be kept aware of any activation while also maintaining communications around the farm if needed on the same channel.

These are very capable and expandable units/ system and would fit well into most any remote security
plan. They'll also run on 12vdc(gel cell) or car battery.

Check Amazon for best pricing. I bought from "home controls" on there. Any specific questions let me know.

Go to Dakotaalert.com for their explanation and info on their product.
 
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Working on putting together a get home bag. Used to keep my ar in the trunk, on a police car type locking system, but now driving a company pickup, so it's just the handgun I have on me at the time and extra ammo.
So what are some suggestions for the bag?
Nothing elaborate, 3-4 days rations, water, knife, em tent, etc.
 
Palladin said:
Working on putting together a get home bag. Used to keep my ar in the trunk, on a police car type locking system, but now driving a company pickup, so it's just the handgun I have on me at the time and extra ammo.
So what are some suggestions for the bag?
Nothing elaborate, 3-4 days rations, water, knife, em tent, etc.
Click to expand...

A sweatshirt or light jacket, change of pants and shirt, a pair of walking/ running shoes, good cushion socks, bug spray(mosquitoes in road ditches will eat you alive BTDT), roll of cash in 5,10 and 20s, a large contractors type trash bag(use as poncho or ground cloth or stuff with leaves as a mattress), AM/FM radio with an earphone and spare batteries(batteries out of the radio to prevent leak damage) also one that uses common batts, like AA or D

A headlamp, good flashlight( a 3 D cell makes a good baton), bandana or medical cravat(can be used as water filter, dust mask, tourniquet, or tied up into a carry bag or used as a sling shot), small bolt cutters?(might have to grab a bicycle), couple of Bic lighters, area or state road map with secondary roads shown, 100ft of OD or Black para cord, a small metal cup or vessel to boil water in if needed.

Maybe some antacids, ibuprofen or whatever other NSAIDS might take for pain, water purification tablets, a few vitamins, small roll of duct tape or adhesive tape, a roll or two of green or black vet wrap, some examination gloves in ziplock baggie, ten feet of steel bailing wire.

There's a start and most of it is pretty compact.
 
Palladin said:
Working on putting together a get home bag. Used to keep my ar in the trunk, on a police car type locking system, but now driving a company pickup, so it's just the handgun I have on me at the time and extra ammo.
So what are some suggestions for the bag?
Nothing elaborate, 3-4 days rations, water, knife, em tent, etc.[/QUOTE]

I would start by figuring the furthest point from home and plan for that plus how much you want to carry.
I keep wool socks in my bag as well as some hiking boots and include moleskin in the FAK in case of blisters.
I skipped the tent and went with a very large sheet of plastic (takes up less space) I can use that several ways to rig up some shelter.
I keep 2 bottles of water in the bag as well as a life straw and water treatment since water is heavy plus the treatment takes time to work.
I spent the money for a few Millenium Bars since the have a long shelf life and are supposed to stand up to the temp changes in the car and a few other food items.

Can't think of anything really unique. I have a rolling plastic bin with useful things so I can re arrange my bag as needed. or I could live out of the car for a week. Probably not a good plan for a company truck.
Click to expand...
 
Palladin said:
Working on putting together a get home bag. Used to keep my ar in the trunk, on a police car type locking system, but now driving a company pickup, so it's just the handgun I have on me at the time and extra ammo.
So what are some suggestions for the bag?
Nothing elaborate, 3-4 days rations, water, knife, em tent, etc.
Click to expand...

can't believe nobody has mentioned toilet paper yet......
 
xtry51 said:
TP (I keep half of a roll), a couple baby wipes and a few tampons. Nothing plugs a bleeding hole like a tampon.
Click to expand...

Pro tip on the TP. Ditch it and pack some paper towels instead. If TP gets damp, it's useless but paper towels will actually work better. They are easier to pack than a roll of TP anyway. Keep them and any other gear you want to keep dry in Ziploc freezer bags.

Sent from my KFTHWI using Tapatalk
 

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