30 Days of Prepping - 2023

[Moab]

Day 15 - Recharge. All. The. Batteries...

*sigh*  Okay, you might be aware that I have a bit of a thing for lights, power stations, rechargeable batteries, and everything under the sun that uses rechargeable batteries.  I'm not done yet (as the recharging will extend overnight and into tomorrow), but I've got most of them recharged now.  What all did that entail?  *ahem*

• Recharged assorted lithium-ion batteries: 18650, 26650, 21700, 14500, 16340, 9v
• Recharged any flashlights / pistol lights that use built-in chargers for the internal batteries
• Recharged all the NiMH batteries:  lots and lots and lots of AAs and a few AAAs, plus some D cells.  The D cells are the ones that it takes forever to recharge.  This is partly because they're 10,000mah each, but it's mostly because I have 8 of them and only 2 adapters for my Gyrfalcon-88 charger (which is the only one of my chargers that they'll fit into). 
• Recharged all the power stations (I'm up to 10, plus the Marbero, which barely counts)
• Recharged all the battery-operated work lights - 4 of the Warsun / innofox, the one on the tripod, two magnetic cabinet lights, two other work lights (similar to these), and one more like this
• Recharged all my USB power banks (I think I counted 15)
• Recharged several "light bulbs" / hangable lights
• Recharged my Milwaukee power tool batteries (M18 and M12)
• Recharged BL-5C radio batteries
• Recharged 4 plasma lighters
• Recharged 2 fans
• Recharged night vision "binoculars" (I haven't done a review on these yet; that might be a future item)
• Recharge camera batteries (misc proprietary batteries for each camera)
• Recharge 5 Rovyvon keychain lights (plus the copy that NT2C sent me!)
• Recharge two Bluetooth speakers
• Recharge earbuds & 2 Bluetooth headsets
• Recharge EcoXGear portable speaker / PA system
• Recharge wireless microphones and receiver

Aaaand, I think that's it.  I'm still finishing up a bunch of the AA batteries and the D-cells will take half the weekend to finish up, since I can only charge 2 at a time.  I've thought about trying to build additional adapters out of some scrap sheet metal, but it's one of those things that I've never gotten around to, mostly because I know it'll be a major pain to get them exactly the right size/shape to work. 

I'm not counting anything that just stays on the charger, or my phone (which I try to keep between 50-85% as much as possible), or the jump packs that I just recharged the other day.  Some of the lights above (flashlights, batteries, and work lights) were in my vehicles and came inside to be recharged.  I'm still waiting on the two Letour work lights to finish charging and then I'll move them back out to the vehicles. 

I use a cheap roll-top desk in my bedroom as a charging station so that I can close it at night to block all the blinking and beeping and flashing lights!  I can't take it anymore!!
blinking and beeping and flashing lights!  I can't take it anymore!!  Ah, sorry.  Anyway, it helps me to sleep if I can block all those out.  It was quite the mess of batteries, cords, and chargers earlier tonight!

You cannot view this attachment.

And did I miss any?  That's almost a guarantee, although I did my best!  Most of the lights in my bags use lithium primary (disposable) batteries.  I need to go through my bags as well, just to check expiration dates and such, but that's another day.

You should save that list and the date. For next time. And when to do it again. 

[EBuff75]

Day 16 - Went to the Great Lakes Emergency Preparedness Expo and bonus trip to the Dixieland Flea Market

Today was a twofer, just because the flea market was on the way back from the expo. 

It's been a few years since I'd attended the GLEPE, but it was about the same as what I remember.  Basically, a number of different vendors, mostly selling the same sort of stuff that you'd find at an army surplus / camping store, with a few specialty companies (solar, radios, long shelf life food, etc.) as well.  They had some speakers, but then you have to decide if any of them might be interesting and time the whole trip to coincide with their timeslot.  There were also a number of health booths, some of which were run by for-profit businesses, but others were public health entities and there were a few non-profits there, looking to sign people up.  

Outside there were some first responders (fire, medical, police, Coast Guard) and some tiny house builders / examples to see.  Those were probably my favorite, although they were definitely on the pricier end of things.  One family was there showing off their converted cargo trailer and she said that the upconvert on it was $60k on top of the cost of the trailer!  It only took me about an hour and twenty minutes to see everything.  I chatted with some of the vendors or people who were running displays, but didn't buy anything (a few of them were fairly aggressive in their sales techniques, which is always a major turn-off for me). 

On the way back I decided to hit up the Dixieland Flea Market, since it was on the way.  As advertised, it was a big flea market.  Indoors, people rent spaces, some of which have been there for many years and are essentially small stores.  It's your typical flea market kind of stuff - lots of "antiques" or collectibles, jewelry, T-shirts, religious artwork, and the like.  There were a few booths with services as well (psychic readings, massages, aromatherapy sessions, custom T-shirts, and so on).  

Outside there are marked spaces on one side of the parking lot where people had basically set up mobile garage sales.  They'd show up with their truck / van / trailer and just pile everything onto tables and on the ground.  Lots and lots of tools (some of which were probably acquired legally), clothes, furniture, and even a few places where you could get some simple food (burgers, brats, etc.). 

The flea market was a bust for me.  The prices weren't any better than what you'd get at a garage sale, but the provenance of the items was a bit sketchier!  I saw a handful of cheap used knives, a few bicycles, or even a bunch of old flip phones.  Oh, and there was a non-running Craftsman generator for sale at one booth too.  Overall, it was kinda sad.  A rather telling thing that I noticed was that my 225,000mi, 2013 Suburban was probably in the top 10% of vehicles there!  It was an interesting place to visit, but I doubt that I'll go back.

[EBuff75]

You should save that list and the date. For next time. And when to do it again.

I'm actually pretty good about keeping up with this, it was just getting to be time to do it again.  Those D-cell batteries could probably be charged every month - NiMH aren't that good about holding a charge when not in use.  Otherwise, a lot of these were really just topping them off.  The first hour is a bit frenzied, as I'm constantly putting batteries on chargers, only to have them show full after just 5-10 mins.  Which means pulling them back off, putting something else on, etc.  As I'm also having to retrieve the lights from all over the house, it sometimes means that by the time I get the lights from the first floor and bring them upstairs to charge, there are batteries which have finished charging and need to be swapped! 

[Moab]

You should save that list and the date. For next time. And when to do it again.

I'm actually pretty good about keeping up with this, it was just getting to be time to do it again.  Those D-cell batteries could probably be charged every month - NiMH aren't that good about holding a charge when not in use.  Otherwise, a lot of these were really just topping them off.  The first hour is a bit frenzied, as I'm constantly putting batteries on chargers, only to have them show full after just 5-10 mins.  Which means pulling them back off, putting something else on, etc.  As I'm also having to retrieve the lights from all over the house, it sometimes means that by the time I get the lights from the first floor and bring them upstairs to charge, there are batteries which have finished charging and need to be swapped! 

Sounds like you've got your system down. I don't use to many batteries besides AA nimh. And only a couple 18500's. So I basically just always have a rotation going on, on my desk, of AAs. A pile of charged and a pile of need to be charged. Which rarely last long before getting recharged in one of my two charges. But as more and more usb charged, internal battery devices come into my life. I can see the need for a list or regular rotation of charging.

The longer amount of time I spend prepping. And just everything really. The more I find myself relying on lists. Lists of what is where. Down to detailed bag and backpack lists. Lists if plans for bugging out. Plans for strategy. Plans for new or better equipment. But mostly for research.

I am usually researching 3 to 4, if not more, products, strategies, tasks, methods, techniques etc.on a weekly basis. My conclusions usually come from a myriad of sources. And I got tired of having a given subject come up. And forgetting what those conclusions were and the source material I derived them from.

Keeping detailed notes, bookmarks, and lists. Has really helped me stay organized. And not repeating things. 

I can't tell you how many times I've spent hours researching upgrades to my Glock or the best way of securing a remote location or the best product to do "X"  with. And completely forgotten what my plan was. Or which oieces of equipment I wanted buy. Lol.

This also helps me with time management. As along with lists of what to buy. I organize them into order if importance. But also the order in which I want to learn or research new things in. 

My notes app holds extensive lists and information. That is always being reorganized into what things I want to do next. And storage of what I already know.

[Moab]

Day 16 - Went to the Great Lakes Emergency Preparedness Expo and bonus trip to the Dixieland Flea Market

Today was a twofer, just because the flea market was on the way back from the expo. 

It's been a few years since I'd attended the GLEPE, but it was about the same as what I remember.  Basically, a number of different vendors, mostly selling the same sort of stuff that you'd find at an army surplus / camping store, with a few specialty companies (solar, radios, long shelf life food, etc.) as well.  They had some speakers, but then you have to decide if any of them might be interesting and time the whole trip to coincide with their timeslot.  There were also a number of health booths, some of which were run by for-profit businesses, but others were public health entities and there were a few non-profits there, looking to sign people up. 

Outside there were some first responders (fire, medical, police, Coast Guard) and some tiny house builders / examples to see.  Those were probably my favorite, although they were definitely on the pricier end of things.  One family was there showing off their converted cargo trailer and she said that the upconvert on it was $60k on top of the cost of the trailer!  It only took me about an hour and twenty minutes to see everything.  I chatted with some of the vendors or people who were running displays, but didn't buy anything (a few of them were fairly aggressive in their sales techniques, which is always a major turn-off for me). 

On the way back I decided to hit up the Dixieland Flea Market, since it was on the way.  As advertised, it was a big flea market.  Indoors, people rent spaces, some of which have been there for many years and are essentially small stores.  It's your typical flea market kind of stuff - lots of "antiques" or collectibles, jewelry, T-shirts, religious artwork, and the like.  There were a few booths with services as well (psychic readings, massages, aromatherapy sessions, custom T-shirts, and so on). 

Outside there are marked spaces on one side of the parking lot where people had basically set up mobile garage sales.  They'd show up with their truck / van / trailer and just pile everything onto tables and on the ground.  Lots and lots of tools (some of which were probably acquired legally), clothes, furniture, and even a few places where you could get some simple food (burgers, brats, etc.). 

The flea market was a bust for me.  The prices weren't any better than what you'd get at a garage sale, but the provenance of the items was a bit sketchier!  I saw a handful of cheap used knives, a few bicycles, or even a bunch of old flip phones.  Oh, and there was a non-running Craftsman generator for sale at one booth too.  Overall, it was kinda sad.  A rather telling thing that I noticed was that my 225,000mi, 2013 Suburban was probably in the top 10% of vehicles there!  It was an interesting place to visit, but I doubt that I'll go back.

Why can't anyone build a low cost prefab home?!! I've been following those for decades. And for some reason even the tiniest modern design feature puts the price into the stratosphere.

Used mobile homes still remain the best option to me. Why they can't build one with a simple shed roof for less than 300k is beyond me. 

If the typical, cheaper, premanufactured home builders put a shed roof on one of their models it would sell out. Instead they've been using the same nicotined stained designer from 1972!

[EBuff75]

Day 17 - Organizing things and car battery tenders

When I went to leave for the preparedness expo yesterday, my car started acting fluky right as I pulled out of my drive.  It's done this a few times in the past and it generally goes away after a few ignition cycles.  Radio, nav, and HVAC all turning on and off randomly.  Various error lights (check engine, trans, steering, battery, oil, etc., etc.) were flickering on / off and the electric power steering kept cutting out.  To be on the safe side, I pulled back into the garage and took the truck instead.

When I got home, I put the car on the Noco smart charger, which showed very low state of charge and left it to do it's thing.  By this morning, it was all topped up and the car ran perfectly.  I'm guessing that the voltage was low enough that the computer was having issues, which is what caused everything to go haywire.  My mother's Bonneville did something similar years ago which turned out to be a bad battery.  I know that mine is past end-of-life and I'll probably replace it before winter gets here.

So I finally went ahead and swapped the two battery tenders around so that they're each plugged in and ready to go, one for each vehicle.  Since the Suburban seems to be less sensitive to not being driven all the time, I left it with the old Stanley "dumb" charger and kept the Noco with the Mazda.  Having each of the chargers plugged in, sitting on the shelf right in front of each vehicle, ready to go should make me more likely to use them on a regular basis.  It would be even better if I'd just get some quick connect/disconnect leads that were wired right to the batteries, but one thing at a time!

While I was out there, I also went through the shelves, tossing some stuff, dumping all the used light bulbs from various vehicles into a box, putting cleaning materials together, and generally tidying things up a bit.

Thus inspired, I came back inside and spent several hours working to organize the attic.  It's got a long way to go, but I did sort through a bunch of magazines (both piled and randomly stored in boxes) to organize them by magazine type.  I also dragged out a few old printers to go off to hazmat collection, pitched some beat up boxes that weren't any use, and vacuumed up some of the cobwebs / dead bugs / dust / roof granules that had accumulated over time (my house uses roof boards, not OSB, so when I had the roof replaced some years ago, a ton of granules from the shingles fell through in the process - they're everywhere in the attic, even though I've cleaned it a few times since the roof was done!).

Finally, the replacement battery jump box for my car arrived yesterday.  It took about 8 hrs to top it off and now it's in the car, ready to go. 

Overall, it's been a busy day.  Now I need a shower and some sleep...

[Moab]

Day 17 - Organizing things and car battery tenders

When I went to leave for the preparedness expo yesterday, my car started acting fluky right as I pulled out of my drive.  It's done this a few times in the past and it generally goes away after a few ignition cycles.  Radio, nav, and HVAC all turning on and off randomly.  Various error lights (check engine, trans, steering, battery, oil, etc., etc.) were flickering on / off and the electric power steering kept cutting out.  To be on the safe side, I pulled back into the garage and took the truck instead.

When I got home, I put the car on the Noco smart charger, which showed very low state of charge and left it to do it's thing.  By this morning, it was all topped up and the car ran perfectly.  I'm guessing that the voltage was low enough that the computer was having issues, which is what caused everything to go haywire.  My mother's Bonneville did something similar years ago which turned out to be a bad battery.  I know that mine is past end-of-life and I'll probably replace it before winter gets here.

So I finally went ahead and swapped the two battery tenders around so that they're each plugged in and ready to go, one for each vehicle.  Since the Suburban seems to be less sensitive to not being driven all the time, I left it with the old Stanley "dumb" charger and kept the Noco with the Mazda.  Having each of the chargers plugged in, sitting on the shelf right in front of each vehicle, ready to go should make me more likely to use them on a regular basis.  It would be even better if I'd just get some quick connect/disconnect leads that were wired right to the batteries, but one thing at a time!

While I was out there, I also went through the shelves, tossing some stuff, dumping all the used light bulbs from various vehicles into a box, putting cleaning materials together, and generally tidying things up a bit.

Thus inspired, I came back inside and spent several hours working to organize the attic.  It's got a long way to go, but I did sort through a bunch of magazines (both piled and randomly stored in boxes) to organize them by magazine type.  I also dragged out a few old printers to go off to hazmat collection, pitched some beat up boxes that weren't any use, and vacuumed up some of the cobwebs / dead bugs / dust / roof granules that had accumulated over time (my house uses roof boards, not OSB, so when I had the roof replaced some years ago, a ton of granules from the shingles fell through in the process - they're everywhere in the attic, even though I've cleaned it a few times since the roof was done!).

Finally, the replacement battery jump box for my car arrived yesterday.  It took about 8 hrs to top it off and now it's in the car, ready to go. 

Overall, it's been a busy day.  Now I need a shower and some sleep...

Did you figure out why your car battery was in a low state if charge? Maybe your alternator needs replacing? I think they are easy to test. Or you might look for a code if you have a reader 

I was recommended this one. Which connects to your phone. 

Veepeak Mini Bluetooth OBD II Scanner for Android ONLY, Auto Check Engine Light Code Reader Car Diagnostic Scan Tool https://a.co/d/fWXCGCM

It has over 15,000 reviews and 4.3 stars. Highly recommended on my off road forum. 

Apparently the Torque app is the way to go. The free version will work. But the pro version is even better. You can have it show just about every system with a live monitor on your phone. Some guys buy an old or pay as you go smartphone. And mount it on their dash for continuous monitoring. 

I'm going to do the same. As the transmission on my Jeep has an electronic temp gauge you can tap into. 

[EBuff75]

Day 17 - Organizing things and car battery tenders

When I went to leave for the preparedness expo yesterday, my car started acting fluky right as I pulled out of my drive.  It's done this a few times in the past and it generally goes away after a few ignition cycles.  Radio, nav, and HVAC all turning on and off randomly.  Various error lights (check engine, trans, steering, battery, oil, etc., etc.) were flickering on / off and the electric power steering kept cutting out.  To be on the safe side, I pulled back into the garage and took the truck instead.

When I got home, I put the car on the Noco smart charger, which showed very low state of charge and left it to do it's thing.  By this morning, it was all topped up and the car ran perfectly.  I'm guessing that the voltage was low enough that the computer was having issues, which is what caused everything to go haywire.  My mother's Bonneville did something similar years ago which turned out to be a bad battery.  I know that mine is past end-of-life and I'll probably replace it before winter gets here.

So I finally went ahead and swapped the two battery tenders around so that they're each plugged in and ready to go, one for each vehicle.  Since the Suburban seems to be less sensitive to not being driven all the time, I left it with the old Stanley "dumb" charger and kept the Noco with the Mazda.  Having each of the chargers plugged in, sitting on the shelf right in front of each vehicle, ready to go should make me more likely to use them on a regular basis.  It would be even better if I'd just get some quick connect/disconnect leads that were wired right to the batteries, but one thing at a time!

While I was out there, I also went through the shelves, tossing some stuff, dumping all the used light bulbs from various vehicles into a box, putting cleaning materials together, and generally tidying things up a bit.

Thus inspired, I came back inside and spent several hours working to organize the attic.  It's got a long way to go, but I did sort through a bunch of magazines (both piled and randomly stored in boxes) to organize them by magazine type.  I also dragged out a few old printers to go off to hazmat collection, pitched some beat up boxes that weren't any use, and vacuumed up some of the cobwebs / dead bugs / dust / roof granules that had accumulated over time (my house uses roof boards, not OSB, so when I had the roof replaced some years ago, a ton of granules from the shingles fell through in the process - they're everywhere in the attic, even though I've cleaned it a few times since the roof was done!).

Finally, the replacement battery jump box for my car arrived yesterday.  It took about 8 hrs to top it off and now it's in the car, ready to go. 

Overall, it's been a busy day.  Now I need a shower and some sleep...

Did you figure out why your car battery was in a low state if charge? Maybe your alternator needs replacing? I think they are easy to test. Or you might look for a code if you have a reader

I was recommended this one. Which connects to your phone.

Veepeak Mini Bluetooth OBD II Scanner for Android ONLY, Auto Check Engine Light Code Reader Car Diagnostic Scan Tool https://a.co/d/fWXCGCM

It has over 15,000 reviews and 4.3 stars. Highly recommended on my off road forum.

Apparently the Torque app is the way to go. The free version will work. But the pro version is even better. You can have it show just about every system with a live monitor on your phone. Some guys buy an old or pay as you go smartphone. And mount it on their dash for continuous monitoring.

I'm going to do the same. As the transmission on my Jeep has an electronic temp gauge you can tap into.

The reason the battery was low was that it's beyond end of life and I don't drive the car enough to keep it charged up.  The alternator was replaced a few years ago and is (as far as I can tell) working just fine, as this isn't a new issue.  I've had periodic freak-outs like this with the car for many years and it's usually after the car has been sitting for a while, particularly if there has been a drop in temperature (when I was leaving the house on Saturday it was about 51F outside, compared to being in the 90s just a few days earlier). 

I do have a code reader on my "to buy" list, I just haven't gotten around to getting one yet.  My mechanic is usually happy to run a quick diagnostic check if I have a check engine / transmission light, mainly because he knows that I'll probably go ahead and schedule a repair for whatever is wrong.  My mechanical skills are fairly limited, so while it might be useful from a knowledge perspective, the likelihood of me being able to fix an issue that the scanner diagnosed is minimal!  Hell, my old red Suburban had a check engine light on for most of the 7 years that I owned it, and even the mechanic couldn't figure out why!  He'd diagnose and fix something, the light would go out, I'd take it home and then the light would be back on a day or two later.  After a few years of that, we just gave up and I drove with the light on, rather than continuing to shovel money into it.

[Moab]

Day 17 - Organizing things and car battery tenders

When I went to leave for the preparedness expo yesterday, my car started acting fluky right as I pulled out of my drive.  It's done this a few times in the past and it generally goes away after a few ignition cycles.  Radio, nav, and HVAC all turning on and off randomly.  Various error lights (check engine, trans, steering, battery, oil, etc., etc.) were flickering on / off and the electric power steering kept cutting out.  To be on the safe side, I pulled back into the garage and took the truck instead.

When I got home, I put the car on the Noco smart charger, which showed very low state of charge and left it to do it's thing.  By this morning, it was all topped up and the car ran perfectly.  I'm guessing that the voltage was low enough that the computer was having issues, which is what caused everything to go haywire.  My mother's Bonneville did something similar years ago which turned out to be a bad battery.  I know that mine is past end-of-life and I'll probably replace it before winter gets here.

So I finally went ahead and swapped the two battery tenders around so that they're each plugged in and ready to go, one for each vehicle.  Since the Suburban seems to be less sensitive to not being driven all the time, I left it with the old Stanley "dumb" charger and kept the Noco with the Mazda.  Having each of the chargers plugged in, sitting on the shelf right in front of each vehicle, ready to go should make me more likely to use them on a regular basis.  It would be even better if I'd just get some quick connect/disconnect leads that were wired right to the batteries, but one thing at a time!

While I was out there, I also went through the shelves, tossing some stuff, dumping all the used light bulbs from various vehicles into a box, putting cleaning materials together, and generally tidying things up a bit.

Thus inspired, I came back inside and spent several hours working to organize the attic.  It's got a long way to go, but I did sort through a bunch of magazines (both piled and randomly stored in boxes) to organize them by magazine type.  I also dragged out a few old printers to go off to hazmat collection, pitched some beat up boxes that weren't any use, and vacuumed up some of the cobwebs / dead bugs / dust / roof granules that had accumulated over time (my house uses roof boards, not OSB, so when I had the roof replaced some years ago, a ton of granules from the shingles fell through in the process - they're everywhere in the attic, even though I've cleaned it a few times since the roof was done!).

Finally, the replacement battery jump box for my car arrived yesterday.  It took about 8 hrs to top it off and now it's in the car, ready to go. 

Overall, it's been a busy day.  Now I need a shower and some sleep...

Did you figure out why your car battery was in a low state if charge? Maybe your alternator needs replacing? I think they are easy to test. Or you might look for a code if you have a reader

I was recommended this one. Which connects to your phone.

Veepeak Mini Bluetooth OBD II Scanner for Android ONLY, Auto Check Engine Light Code Reader Car Diagnostic Scan Tool https://a.co/d/fWXCGCM

It has over 15,000 reviews and 4.3 stars. Highly recommended on my off road forum.

Apparently the Torque app is the way to go. The free version will work. But the pro version is even better. You can have it show just about every system with a live monitor on your phone. Some guys buy an old or pay as you go smartphone. And mount it on their dash for continuous monitoring.

I'm going to do the same. As the transmission on my Jeep has an electronic temp gauge you can tap into.

The reason the battery was low was that it's beyond end of life and I don't drive the car enough to keep it charged up.  The alternator was replaced a few years ago and is (as far as I can tell) working just fine, as this isn't a new issue.  I've had periodic freak-outs like this with the car for many years and it's usually after the car has been sitting for a while, particularly if there has been a drop in temperature (when I was leaving the house on Saturday it was about 51F outside, compared to being in the 90s just a few days earlier). 

I do have a code reader on my "to buy" list, I just haven't gotten around to getting one yet.  My mechanic is usually happy to run a quick diagnostic check if I have a check engine / transmission light, mainly because he knows that I'll probably go ahead and schedule a repair for whatever is wrong.  My mechanical skills are fairly limited, so while it might be useful from a knowledge perspective, the likelihood of me being able to fix an issue that the scanner diagnosed is minimal!  Hell, my old red Suburban had a check engine light on for most of the 7 years that I owned it, and even the mechanic couldn't figure out why!  He'd diagnose and fix something, the light would go out, I'd take it home and then the light would be back on a day or two later.  After a few years of that, we just gave up and I drove with the light on, rather than continuing to shovel money into it.

I know exactly what you mean. I'm fairly mechanical. I've changed transmissions, alternators, tune ups etc. But on modern cars its often cheaper and easier to just have someone do it. It's why I drove a Jeep TJ the last 4 years. Any problems I could fix myself. 

The problem where I live is that akmost every repair shop is a scam. Whatever they can convince you of fixing they will. I had a good mechanic for many years. That was very honest and fairly priced. But ye got a contract maintaining airport vehicles. So he could care less about privately owned vehicle repairs now.

That leaves you to basically diagnose your own problems and strategy of repair. Taking your vehicle in and telling them only what you want done. Big national chains like Pep Boys, Walmart eyc can be trusted to the extent that if they f up the exact repair you have them do. They have the resources to back it up and redo or fix it. And they usually have the best price for simple things like brake jobs, alignments etc.

Occasionally you'll find a single mechanic working on his own that you can trust. I recently found one. He's a good guy that works out of his own garage. He has done great work for a number of local families. But he's not a diagnostician. And his english is limited. So you kind of have to know what you want done.

I have found better advice on repairs from car forums. There are usually several mechanics that frequent my Jeep forums. And a ton of guys with vast knowledge of the given vehicle they are fond of. Alot of the codes these days are very vague too. They could mean any number of problems. The forums also keeo lists of exact oarts to buy. Sometimes you have to use oem. Ither times a soecific afternarket part is superior to oem. 

But you can usually come up with a sound strategy for identifying what you actually need to fix if you have all the codes, a good description of your problem, and websites and long term forum members to help. 

So now that I'm back into a more modern car (2012 Jeep Wrangler) I need to be able to run the codes. I could go on and on about the many well known shops around here with perfect reviews that have attempted to rip me off on thousands of dollars of repairs. And as cars get more complicated its harder and harder for the average person to even understand what they are talking about. 

[EBuff75]

Day 17 - forgot the picture of the attic after cleanup

Prior to starting the cleanup, there were boxes covering most of that old carpet.  What you can't see is that the attic extends off to the left slightly (it's roughly shaped like an upside down 'T' with the top where I'm taking the picture from).  That area on the left is where I'm stacking the organized boxes of magazines.  Probably 3-4 more of those green/white paper boxes are also full of magazines that have yet to be sorted.

And the far end is where I've been tossing boxes for items that I've purchased which are still under warranty.  Some of them can be recycled now, I just need to go through and sort them.  You might notice that a few of them are for power stations, or the jump starter that I just bought, or solar panels (yet to be reviewed). 

You cannot view this attachment.

[majorhavoc]

Day 18:

Had my 2-hour in-person ARC First Aid/Adult CPR class.  Just recert for me, but felt good to get the refresher and looking forward to my up-to-date certification card.  The practical part reminded me that doing CPR correctly for any length of time is a lot of work.  Assuming EMTs arrive in say 10 minutes, you're going to be physically exhausted if you're administering chest compressions and rescue breaths the whole time.  Better hope another bystander steps forward to spell you for a bit or else they may have to rescusitate you ...

Two (admittedly minor) nuggets from the class:

• If you're about to treat someone and you have a first aid kit with lots of bandages, it's not a bad idea to put a band-aid on any cuts or scrapes on your own hands before administering aid.  We had a whole unit on blood-borne pathogens, and barriers to infection vectors is really important.  Not just to protect you, but to prevent transmitting any nasty bugs to the person you're treating.  Especially if PPE isn't available.
• All first aid kits really should have a biohazard bag.  I kind of poo-pooed them in my review of the Surviveware 72 Hour Emergency Readiness Survival kit, but the blood-borne pathogens module really hammered it home.  A red bag with the biohazard symbol is a nice to have, but any clean plastic bag will do in a pinch.  I'm thinking for really small IFAKs, either those grocery store produce bags that come off a roll, or better yet, the doggie-doo bags you get from dispensers in dog parks and a lot of public recreation areas. 

[EBuff75]

Day 18 - Restart hydroponics and microgreens

The new pump arrived today and I jumped right in and restarted the hydroponics.  I'm not doing tomatoes this time, so I don't have to worry about them taking over the entire thing.  Instead, I've got three kinds of greens (Butter Crunch lettuce, spinach, and arugula) and two kinds of herbs (chives and oregano).  All but the arugula are ones that I grew (or tried to grow) last time.  The chives, oregano, and spinach all failed, but I'm hoping for a better showing this time around!  I'm really looking forward to the fresh BC lettuce again.  That was a great find last time, to the point that I used to just pull off a leaf to eat as I passed by!

I'd sort of stalled out on the microgreens a couple of months ago.  I'd had several batches of them fail for reasons unknown (probably related to heat and/or not enough water) and just never got them going again after that.  So I pulled everything out again tonight to start things up again.  With the usual 10-14 day time from starting to harvesting, I might even have a salad by the end of the month!

[EBuff75]

Day 19 - Review / update ankle medical kit

I've shown my ankle medical kit before, but I pulled it all apart tonight and made a few updates.  This is meant more for trauma / serious injury and not as much as a daily "boo-boo" kit, although I have some items on that end as well.

I removed a mask and dried out alcohol prep pads as not being particularly useful and went through the rest of the kit, making some updates and ordering a few items to add to it. 

You cannot view this attachment.

Left pocket:  Two pairs of nitrile gloves, a 4" Israeli bandage, a Sting-Kill swab (I picked some of these up after a co-worker was stung by a bee at our company picnic last month), and a small flashlight

Middle pocket:  Medical shears, triple antibiotic ointment (which is probably expired, so I've ordered some fresh ones and will swap it out as soon as they arrive), and 2x Curad Performance Series antibacterial bandages (1x3.25 in) in place of some old generic band-aids. 

Right pocket:  Rolled gauze (non-sterile), Celox granules, SWAT-T tourniquet, and a mini Sharpie

Back pocket (flat pocket which is about 1/2 the length of the entire kit):  North American Rescue HyFin Vented Compact Chest Seal 2-pack, 2x large gauze sponge, 2x XL Curad bandages (2x4 in), and 2 more Curad bandages (1x3.25 in).

I've ordered a few more items to include when they arrive later this week.  I'll be adding one each of the AllaQuix hemostatic gauze square (2x2in), Care Science Hydrogel burn pad (2x3in), and a 3M Tegaderm Film (2.375x2.75in).

It's stuffed pretty full right now as it is, but I might be able to squeak in a few more small items if you have any suggestions.  Again, this isn't meant to be a full first aid kit, but more of a trauma (or at least a significant injury) kit.  And yes, I really do wear this almost any time I go anywhere, or if I'm doing any sort of work around the house, just in case!

EDIT:  I added a single Dude Wipe and a package of aspirin (if directed, can be chewed for treatment of heart attack)

[Raptor]

I too have a lot of rechargeable batteries. I top them off every 45 days. That said I have reduced the types of batteries I support to only usb battery banks. AA and 18650 batteries.

I have noticed the handiness of 18650 batteries and slowly starting to use more of these, but I do not think AA will get bumped from my support inventory.


I am phasing out all items that use D cells. I purchased adapters that let me use AA in place of D cells. These work well for the few d cell lights i cannot being myself to discard,albeit with a shorter run time.

[Moab]

I didn't get as much done as I wanted today. I did do a much needed supply run to Costco and Food4Less. Froze some meat, chicken and fish. Tritip was on sale for $3.99 lb. About the same price as chicken here. Unless you can find the 10lb blocks of rear quarters for $10. Bone in with lots of water. But not to bad. For around a $1 a lb its good chicken. I can get the tritip for $2.99lb sometimes at Superior Grocer. Which is a hispanic market in a different part of town. But anytime it goes below $4lb. I buy as much as I can of it. Seared and baked to medium rare. It slices like steak or a firmer prime rib. Hard to beat these days. 

I ordered 4 sets of medical shears off Amazon that came today. I was impressed. They were cheap but much better made than the old HF set I had for around the house. Well sharpened flat with good teeth. I updated the set in our main FAK. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B2CTGJDH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&th=1

I wanted to dye the last parts on the rear of my Jeep so I could get the spare mounted and put back on the tailgate. I got the door handles, rear view mirrors, and fenders stripped of any wax or contaminates. I'll have to tape and dye tomorrow.

I did get a new power window switch put in the dash. Youtube is me friend!

[MacWa77ace]

I too have a lot of rechargeable batteries. I top them off every 45 days. That said I have reduced the types of batteries I support to only usb battery banks. AA and 18650 batteries.

I have noticed the handiness of 18650 batteries and slowly starting to use more of these, but I do not think AA will get bumped from my support inventory.


I am phasing out all items that use D cells. I purchased adapters that let me use AA in place of D cells. These work well for the few d cell lights i cannot being myself to discard,albeit with a shorter run time.

I like those 18650 so much that now when I look for tactical flashlights I look for 'dual fuel' capable. those will use 2 CR123 or 1 18650. The more choices the better. I have too many items that use CR123's side by side to eliminate them, and all of those are NOT rechargeable.

I don't like any of those tri cell AAA battery packs, because they don't pull power from ALL batteries evenly, so IME you'll get a dead device, but only one battery is dead and it pulls the others down shortening their lifespan. YMMV.

I have some experience with duel cell units but they are rechargeables. These I haven't tried.

[EBuff75]

I too have a lot of rechargeable batteries. I top them off every 45 days. That said I have reduced the types of batteries I support to only usb battery banks. AA and 18650 batteries.

I have noticed the handiness of 18650 batteries and slowly starting to use more of these, but I do not think AA will get bumped from my support inventory.


I am phasing out all items that use D cells. I purchased adapters that let me use AA in place of D cells. These work well for the few d cell lights i cannot being myself to discard,albeit with a shorter run time.

I like those 18650 so much that now when I look for tactical flashlights I look for 'dual fuel' capable. those will use 2 CR123 or 1 18650. The more choices the better. I have too many items that use CR123's side by side to eliminate them, and all of those are NOT rechargeable.

I don't like any of those tri cell AAA battery packs, because they don't pull power from ALL batteries evenly, so IME you'll get a dead device, but only one battery is dead and it pulls the others down shortening their lifespan. YMMV.

I have some experience with duel cell units but they are rechargeables. These I haven't tried.

Raise your hand if you've ever taken batteries out of a flashlight, swapped them around, and then been able to use the light again once they're rearranged!  *raises hand*  I only have a few lights that use those three-AA-battery setups, and they're all in my spare lights bin as loaners, so I haven't done it with those, but I imagine it's the same thing.  But I remember rearranging the batteries in older flashlights as the initial option when the light went out.  Most of the time it worked, at least for a little while!

[EBuff75]

Day 20 - Preparedness magazine subscriptions

I've picked up a few magazines here and there over the years and had a subscription to Survivor's Edge until that publication went under a few years back.  While I was organizing the magazines in my attic the other day, I pulled out a few examples of past magazines and went back and read them. 

I decided to subscribe to two of them, just to see if I find their current versions to be worthwhile:  Prepper Survival Guide and Recoil OffGrid. I have examples of both of them and while PSG seems to get better reviews, I actually preferred the format and articles of ROG.  Hopefully I'll find them both to be a useful source of articles going forward.

I used to subscribe to Emergency Manager magazine as well, back when they still had a print edition.  They're all electronic now, but I get multiple emails each week with links to various articles relating to emergency management topics, so it's still a good source of info.

What about you?  Do you have any magazines that you subscribe to that have an emergency preparedness intent?

[Moab]

Day 20 - Preparedness magazine subscriptions

I've picked up a few magazines here and there over the years and had a subscription to Survivor's Edge until that publication went under a few years back.  While I was organizing the magazines in my attic the other day, I pulled out a few examples of past magazines and went back and read them. 

I decided to subscribe to two of them, just to see if I find their current versions to be worthwhile:  Prepper Survival Guide and Recoil OffGrid. I have examples of both of them and while PSG seems to get better reviews, I actually preferred the format and articles of ROG.  Hopefully I'll find them both to be a useful source of articles going forward.

I used to subscribe to Emergency Manager magazine as well, back when they still had a print edition.  They're all electronic now, but I get multiple emails each week with links to various articles relating to emergency management topics, so it's still a good source of info.

What about you?  Do you have any magazines that you subscribe to that have an emergency preparedness intent?

I think the last time I got anything prepping related from a printed document it came from Paladin press. Lol. Before that it was Mother Earth News. My father used to subscribe to it. 

[EBuff75]

Day 21 - Review of Rockpals Freeman 600 power station

Surprise!  Another power station review!  I like this one quite a bit, although it does have some drawbacks, not the least of which is a sudden shift with the company no longer responding to warranty calls / emails.  This might be something temporary, or (as some are concerned) it could signal that the company is in trouble and may go out of business.

This is still a nice, medium-sized power station of 614Wh.  It has some quirks (no AC pass-through during charging, 10% battery life cutoff when using AC, proprietary "Anderson"-ish solar connector), but it also scored an impressive 91.7% DC efficiency during my testing and has a 600w AC output, with a 1000w surge.  Not bad! 

The build quality is pretty good, it has a decent screen, and at less than 18lbs is easy to move around.  And the price is excellent, with it currently being available through the company's website for just $209.  That price might be due to them trying to liquidate their stock before closing up, or it could just be a sale.  I'll keep an eye on the situation and hope that any issues are just temporary. 

I have one more power station to review (right now) and it's the big brother of this one.  Stay tuned!