Because Your Survival Depends On It…
I thought I would try my hand at making an infographic of my own and I figured why not start with solar cookers. Anyway, I would like to hear your feedback about it… is it helpful, interesting, too big, ugly, not enough info, just right, or what? If it’s interesting, please choose to pin it on Pinterest and Like on Facebook. Thanks!
NOTE: Links to these solar ovens and more can be found below this infographic.
I was helping my mother-in-law the other day bring up some canned food from her food storage so she could make spaghetti for various friends that needed a bit of help. Cooking meals for other people is, in fact, something my in-laws do quite a bit in part because they enjoy doing so as well as being one of their ways of doing charitable work.
Anyway, by then time I was done I had brought up a dozen 28-ounce cans of spaghetti sauce. This was almost an entire row of cans from her Harvest food storage racks! And the sad part is that it was for a single meal. Granted, there were at least a handful of families that benefited but I couldn’t help but ponder “what if we had to feed these people three meals a day, every day?” Obviously, our food storage wouldn’t last long at all.
For those that have seen the recent Hobbit movie I found myself cringing when the Dwarves showed up to the Hobbit’s house unexpectedly and ate him out of house-and-home the whole time thinking “yup, that’s exactly what happens!”
While I’m not worried about feeding people I don’t even know, close family and friends would be people that are very likely to show up TEOTWAWKI+1 with their hands out and mouths open. And, while I’ve written about this topic in the past it’s always been from a standpoint of a moral obligation to do so, not purely from a logistical “can I do it?” standpoint.
You see, the “can I do it” standpoint has little to do with whether I should be helping people that otherwise could do so but choose not to; Rather, it’s simply asking whether I, according to my expectations of the disaster, can feed people who need help… in this case, most likely family and friends?
I would say that in all but the most devastating of scenarios I could do so. Should I? Well, I’ve often heard people comment on forums and other blogs that they would have no problem shutting the door on anyone that didn’t show up with a U-Haul of food and equipment. To me, that’s just not being either realistic or a good human being.
After all, I would think I would have a hard time willfully surviving if all of my family and friends had perished. Maybe a honest-to-goodness civilization-altering scenario would change my mind, I don’t know.
Back to the point of the post, I was shocked at how much food had disappeared from my mother-in-laws food storage for one simple meal. If this was food saved for just my family, for example, we could have had enough for several dinners (maybe a week’s worth) rather than just one meal. Multiply this scenario out over a few weeks and what you thought was enough to last your family for months was quickly depleted.
So, we’re back to square one: do I or don’t I share my preps? Honestly, I flip-flop almost every time I think about the topic. It’s a tough call either way. I truly hope you make the right one.
I’ve just put up a reader poll and would appreciate a brief moment of your time to answer the questions posed. The poll is located in the left-hand sidebar below my sponsored ads and featured blogs list. I’m looking to make this blog more functional and useful for you and would like to know your opinion about many of the posts and pages that I either update daily or that require a lot of TLC on my part. Until you speak, I won’t do anything differently. Thank you!
I’ve never considered myself a hoarder. In fact, I do my best to remove clutter and keep things organized, after all, I do have an interest in organizing too. But, before jumping to conclusions, it would be helpful to know the definition of a “hoarder” as per Dictionary.com:
noun
1. a supply or accumulation that is hidden or carefully guarded for preservation, future use, etc.: a vast hoard of silver.
verb (used with object)
2. to accumulate for preservation, future use, etc., in a hidden or carefully guarded place: to hoard food during a shortage.
verb (used without object)
3. to accumulate money, food, or the like, in a hidden or carefully guarded place for preservation, future use, etc.
Well, when you put it like that… I’m definitely a hoarder!
The thing is that when I think of a hoarder I envision scenes like these (click images to enlarge):
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That’s more like it. 😉
I would say pictures are worth a thousand words, so I’ll let them speak for me. I will say, however, that hoarding is only a problem when (1) your stuff dramatically affects your ability to live–especially with regards to health and safety concerns–and (2) when it takes you more than a minute to routinely find what you’re looking for, which is more likely a simple lack of organization rather than a hoarding problem.
Well, what do you think? Are (we) preppers hoarders or not? Does it even matter?
I thought I would quickly mention that even the smallest of prepping acts can pay off. I’m referring to the fact that my wife locked her keys in the car while at her office (about a 45 minute drive one way) which would have required me to either drive down there to unlock the car or pay someone to do so… can you say “bye bye $100 or a few hours of my time?”
Fortunately, I’m such a wonderful husband that I had the foresight to include a spare key in her day planner for just such an occasion. Of course, if she had locked her day planner in the car as well then it wasn’t so much of a great plan… will have to fix that too… argh!
Many articles have been written regarding Get Home bags (GHB) but for the sake of providing a different option I’ll share what I use. First-off, one must obviously have the bag accessible to be of any benefit if things suddenly start falling apart.
So, how do we have them accessible? Well, we carry them to work in the car or on the train or subway. After we arrive at work we leave the GHB in the trunk or carry it into our work area where we hang it up or place it in, or under our desk. So let’s review where we’re at, at this point.
In the car. Locked in the trunk. That’s where I used to store my GHB en route and while at work along with some good walking shoes, extra outerwear to accommodate the weather, extra food, a walking stick (to deter dogs and other undesirables), a firearm and ammo and other items I might need.
Problem. What if I can’t get to the car when that bad thing happens? I’m up the creek. So I carry it into work. You may have already surmised that I want to be as prepared as possible so I had a full back pack (day pack size) and filled up with as many emergency supplies a possible, remember two is one and one is none. The difficulty here is that you’re setting yourself up for co-workers to razz you about whether you’re getting ready to go camping in the middle of New York City or “What are you prepared for, the end of the world?” In any event you are standing out or profiling yourself when you don’t want to.
Further, and I am so lucky to live in New York State (Hi Chuckie Schumer, all those other liberals and high taxes, to boot) and have occasion to take a train into, or out of Grand Central Station. Whenever the stuff hits the fan that place is loaded with cops, state troopers and even, when they deem it appropriate, soldiers. Now imagine them on high alert for something and picture me trudging through there with an overloaded back pack jammed full of emergency supplies. Not good. Now, admittedly, many others also wear day packs but they always seem half full and are not anywhere near as conspicuous as mine.
Solution, at least for me. I have taken a neutral colored, un-insulated outdoor or photographers vest, the one’s with a hundred little pockets and filled them up with my multi-tool, powerful LED light, l/t raincoat and other appropriate gear. I fold it up and along with a couple bottles of water and sandwich bars, place them all in a computer carrying bag. It’s got a shoulder carrying strap should I want to keep my hands free at some point. It can be carried anywhere without attracting attention AND, when things starting falling apart I step off to the side, slip the vest on, but under my work or sport jacket and it becomes both unnoticeable and helps provide a little warmth if needed.
I then grab whatever extras I might need from my work area, hallway or cafeteria and stuff them in my now, almost empty computer bag and book out. I’ve accomplished my need for a carrier that I can have with me at all times, that doesn’t attract attention and meets my needs to enable me to get home safely. That firearm that you might want to have? That depends on your local laws.
Good luck.
[NOTE from millenniumfly: I’ve taken the liberty in assuming the type of vest MorrisB is referring to is shown below.]
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First, I want to welcome JM Bullion to our list of wonderful sponsors:
I think I’ve found my newest source for gold and silver. 🙂 |
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I would also like to welcome Adventure Survival Equipment to the sponsors group as well. To be honest, I wasn’t even aware this site existed until recently and the more I browse their offerings the more I like them!They sell all sorts of emergency preparedness gear, including lighting, signaling, medical, food prep, fire-starting, and plenty more.Check them out today!! |
This post is neither meant to ruffle any feathers with regards to a person’s gun-toting rights nor does it have anything to do with the recent school shooting tragedy. I’m all for a person’s second amendment rights and my heart definitely goes out to all those affected by such a senseless act.
Rather, it’s meant to get you to re-consider your actions and assumptions with respect to firearms safety when you lay your head down at night. While I strongly believe in proper firearms safety for those families that have young children (like me) that’s not what this post is about either.
Instead, it’s about something I hadn’t fully contemplated until I began to wonder about the unlikely probability that I could actually get my hands on my firearms in the middle of the night if/when I really needed to, considering that they are currently in a gun safe (check out these top gun safes under $1000). In fact, it would likely take me a minute or more to get to my weapons if I really had to. Certainly, in a life or death situation that’s an eternity, but that’s my current reality considering my children are still young enough to see weapons as toys. I know I need to educate them and will begin doing so when I see fit.
Anyway, I understand that many people choose to keep handguns, in particular, outside of a safe, perhaps in an end table, behind the headboard, or for the more paranoid among us… right under the pillow. Really anywhere that is readily accessible at your bedside and not in a gun safe is what I’m talking about. You know, ready to point and shoot! Now, with the expectation that many of us have not been in the military and are not police officers, my assumption is that we may not have been fully trained to function with a firearm in split-second situations. Certainly, appropriate training is in order.
So, my question to you is this: would you be competent, awake, and cognizant enough to be able to function properly enough to make a split-second life or death decision in the middle of the night? Not when you just laid down but literally in the middle of the night when you’re fast asleep and in Never Never land? And let’s not forget that many people either consume a few adult beverages before bed or may be on any number of prescription medications that can affect or impair their judgement… I assume all those medication warning labels mean something.
Think about that last paragraph for a brief moment. Can you answer “yes” to your abilities with certainty? If you truly can, then great!
Still not sure?…
Take me for example. I’m a very light sleeper. You would think this quirk about me would be a good thing if you expect to be able to defend your family and home from something like a home invasion or robbery. Personally, I think it’s a bad thing because, although I wake up at the slightest of noise, it’s a restless sleep at best. And, as a result, I’m often quite groggy and not very with it whenever I have to get up in the middle of the night to deal with something out of the ordinary, such as a sick child or funny noise I may have to check out. In other words, it takes me some time to get going and figure out what I’m doing!
My wife, on the other hand, can wake up at a moment’s notice and be ready to function for hours on end without even flinching (part of being a midwife, I guess). I have no idea how she does it. But that’s a glaring different between us that shows how different a person can be with respect to being able to function when they otherwise wouldn’t anticipate doing so.
I can hear you saying “ok, just put the gun on her side of the bed.” That might be a good plan but (1) she has zero interest in firearms which means it’s up to me or nothing and (2) I like to keep obviously deadly weapons away from her side of the bed lest I not wake up in the morning. Really, I’m just kidding here. Honestly, she’s a saint and wouldn’t hurt a fly… I’ve got nothing to worry about… I’m almost positive, anyway. 😉
Really, what I’m trying to ask you is what kind of person are you, really, in the middle of the night? Do you (not *can* you) function with a clear mind at a moment’s notice like my wife can? Or, are you more like me and need some time to clear your head?
You might think that a pure rush of adrenaline would be enough to overcome any grogginess but I’m not so sure about that. You are who you are and without significant training I would find it difficult to believe that you can be anything else, even when you most need to be. Remember, it’s the middle of the night, perhaps pitch black, your head may not be in the game, and you want to bet that you’ll make the correct decision? Hmmm… I wouldn’t be my family’s lives on it… who knows, I might have thought my kid standing at the doorway is a burglar or worse.
As for me, I’m thinking that the time it takes for me to physically retrieve a handgun from my gun safe is the best thing for our situation right now. It gives me time to clear my head and figure out what’s going on. That said, I certainly understand that in a situation where seconds count, fumbling to retrieve a weapon from a safe may very well be too late. Unfortunately, that’s a chance I’ll have to take considering my quirks and knowing myself. After all, the last thing I want is to be wrong and end up shooting my kids because my head wasn’t in it… my dog… he’d better duck. 😉
I’ve been into lighting lately. I’ve compared popular lanterns recently, tried my hand at a Crisco candle (and again here) but one thing I haven’t figured out was how to provide expedient long term lighting that could work with my small solar setup. In fact, when I originally attempted my solar setup, I bought two 8-Ah (amp-hour) batteries but later decided that they were simply too small for running a laptop, our portable DVD player, and so on. But then I had an idea when I was going through some of our camping supplies and came across an extra LED camping light.
The setup was about as simple as it can get (pictured right). I clipped off the plug end of the camp light, split the positive and negative wires to give me something to work with, and attached two female (spade?) connectors to the wires. I used these connectors because the small 8-Ah battery that I wanted to use had male ends. I should point out that you do need to know which wire is positive and which one is negative. I guessed (sort of) and got it right but I decided to test the setup with the wires on opposite terminals and the light didn’t work, so that confirmed I was right. It’s probably best NOT to do that but I honestly didn’t know how else to be sure!
Anyway, I then decided to try it out and left the light on for a little over four hours. After taking some voltage readings (using a basic multimeter) and then doing some research I realized that I had discharged the battery WAY too far! Oops. 🙂 Here’s what I found:
I was actually very impressed with the setup. Here’s a comparison of what a bedroom looks like with this setup and others (click images to enlarge):
| OVERHEAD LIGHTS: This is the bedroom with the overhead light on (4 lights total). | NO LIGHTS: Believe it or not, this is the bedroom with the lights off (it’s not really THAT dark but the camera isn’t picking up the very little light coming through the window.) | CAMP LIGHT: And here is the bedroom with the camp light setup. It’s quite bright and I’m sure I could read by the light provided. | RAYOVAC LANTERN: As another comparison, here’s the bedroom lit up with only my Rayovac LED lantern. |
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In my opinion, it’s hard to tell a difference between my camp light and lantern. Since I happen to have a second 8-Ah battery and another camp light (it’s a bit different in design) then I could essentially provide descent light in more than one room. The only major problem I would have is needing to rely on my solar panel and enough sunlight to properly recharge my batteries each day. Certainly, this is not going to happen but even if I could get proper sunlight half of the time then I have effectively doubled my other lighting options. That’s worth it to me.
