Category: Skills / Knowledge / DIY
Recycling and Repurposing: Turning Trash Into Survival Resources for Preppers
When retail stores become unreliable, the resources around you—even trash—become your lifeline. Nothing goes to the landfill in a survival mindset. What you would usually consider junk, when seen differently, becomes gear, tools and storage. Recycling and repurposing become handy strategies. Aluminum, plastics, fabric and glass can be converted into essentials that keep you fed,…
PVC Ice Cooler Pods
Here’s another interesting DIY project that I may try one day, but I’m happy enough with hyper-insulating a cooler and using traditional ice packs for now. But if you’re bored this weekend, considering making your own DIY ice cooler pods for extended ice retention, which get down to chest freezer temperatures. Perhaps the only major…
Helene Prepping Takeaways
This video is a few months old now, talking about Hurricane Helene that struck in September 2024. Although the entire video is worthwhile to watch, especially if you live in a hurricane prone area and because he discusses his experience, you can skip to about the 15:00 mark to get to the heart of the…
How To Survive Without Electricity (Off Grid)
This family has been living off-grid for 25 years. While most of the advice they offer should be common knowledge to preppers, it’s always good to be reminded of what you can do. In this video, they discuss water storage and treatment options (pre-filtering, boiling, bleach, Lifestraw, Berkey), food storage (mostly about storing what you…
Study Uncovers Predictors of Preparedness?
I get weekly updates of preparedness-related news articles, most of which similar: “how to get prepared for disasters” or “unbelievable survival stories,” but this one caught my eye: study uncovers predictors of individuals’ preparedness for natural disasters and trust in disaster assistance. I was curious of their findings because I’ve long believed that people are…
Flash Flood Survival
A few weeks back, I wrote about the tragic Texas July 4th flash flood that killed over 100 people. That specific disaster got me thinking about flash flood survival because I don’t think I’ve written about it before. Surviving a flash flood isn’t really about what you do when the water is already rushing toward…
DIY Piezoelectric: Low-Tech Power Solutions for Your Bug-Out Bag?
Imagine sitting in a brightly lit living room when the power goes out. While many households have turned to renewable energy sources like solar panels to keep the lights on during blackouts, not everyone can afford them. Fortunately, there’s piezoelectricity. Piezoelectricity is a simple, sustainable power solution you can apply to homemade gadgets. The materials…
VPNs for Preppers: Worth the Hassle or Not?
I got to thinking about online privacy again. It seems like every other day there’s another story about massive data breaches or government surveillance programs expanding their reach. For those of us concerned with preparedness, maintaining digital privacy isn’t just about avoiding targeted ads – it can be about keeping your preps, finances, and personal…
15 Years Expired Pain Pills Still Work?
My mother-in-law is the queen of saving stuff, especially medications and sometimes foodstuffs that I would’ve tossed a long time ago. This bottle of Ibuprofen is a prime example: As you can see, the expiration date is stamped November 2010, which is nearly fifteen years ago! My guess is that neither my mother-in-law nor my…
