There used to be a yearly event every September (for National Preparedness Month) called 30 Days 30 Ways (https://www.30days30ways.com/), where anyone who was participating had a daily task / challenge to complete. It was designed to be a social activity, with people sharing how they responded to the daily task so that others could learn from it and interact. Obviously, the goal was to have improved your preparedness by the end of the month. I would occasionally do some of the tasks, but wasn't always able to do them (on the specified days) due to other commitments and/or lack of interest in doing that specific topic.
Last year they didn't have the event and so far this year there hasn't been anything posted about holding the event (there is a UK version (https://www.30days30waysuk.org.uk/) which is still active). So I've decided to undertake my own version, albeit with less specific planning involved!
My goal is to undertake at least one preparedness activity every day of September, and post about them here each day. Me being me, I've already scratched out a list of well over a hundred ideas to pick from, anything from posting a product review here on UFoZS, to reorganizing bags, to a range trip, to writing up specific response plans for local events, or even just checking your smoke alarm batteries. Some items in my list are small, others are larger. Recognizing that it's a "daily" task, most of them are on the smaller side to allow me to complete them without it having to take up all of my free time (after all, I do still have other things going on). There may be a few days where I'm unable to do a task that day and in those cases I'm hoping to double-up the day before/after to make up for it.
Anyone else interested in doing this? Because it's not a structured thing, what you do each day is up to you, but I'd encourage you to share what you do. That helps the rest of us to get ideas and to share input. So who's up for some prepping? :smiley_clap:
Sign me up! When do we start? Sept 1st?
Quote from: majorhavoc on August 28, 2023, 12:49:12 PMSign me up! When do we start? Sept 1st?
That's the idea, although you can start doing some planning now if you'd like. Of course, if you want to start doing something RIGHT NOW, that's up to you too! Can't hurt to do more than 30 things!
But so far I've only come up with about 10 daily tasks. I'm sure I'll come up with more but I want full credit during the actual 30 day challenge, and not waste any of those ideas, lol.
Yeah, I'm weird that way. So Sept 1 - the official start date for the first annual UFOZS 30 Days of Preparedness ChallengeTM ?
Quote from: majorhavoc on August 28, 2023, 02:30:16 PMYeah, I'm weird that way. So Sept 1 - the official start date for the first annual UFOZS 30 Days of Preparedness ChallengeTM ?
Sounds like a plan to me!
I'll see about typing out my idea list and posting it here, just in case people need some suggestions.
Okay, some of these are quite specific to me, but there are a bunch of different ideas in there, so maybe something will work for you as well. And no, they're not in any particular order. I'd been brainstorming a list and every so often over the past week or so I'd think of something and add it. There might also be a few duplicates too, although I did catch and remove some of those as I went.
Here are some ideas:
Prepping Idea List.txt
Had to search "Preparedness Mind Map" because I wasn't familiar with that term. Interesting.
(https://i1.wp.com/fortunefavorstheprepared.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Preparedness-Master-Planning-2020-05-11-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1)
Ok so I have some idea's/ things I did today, with this thread in mind. I just don't know if they count, or are too low hanging fruit to be really considered.
Like I do every first weekend of the month, I checked fluids, air in tires on both vehicles. Both are daily drivers and bug out vehicles.
Also while i mowed the yards I made a song for this thread, sung to the Twelve Days of Christmas.
" On the first day of prepperedness what did for me ( then what ever i did) ". Then it keeps going on for 30 days.
Quote from: Rednex on September 01, 2023, 06:34:22 PMOk so I have some idea's/ things I did today, with this thread in mind. I just don't know if they count, or are too low hanging fruit to be really considered.
Like I do every first weekend of the month, I checked fluids, air in tires on both vehicles. Both are daily drivers and bug out vehicles.
Also while i mowed the yards I made a song for this thread, sung to the Twelve Days of Christmas.
" On the first day of prepperedness what did for me ( then what ever i did) ". Then it keeps going on for 30 days.
Those definitely count. Especially the song. :icon_crazy:
Day 1 for me:
Changed the cartridge in my household water filter
Gassed up the motorcycle
Finished photography for Part 3 of the Surviveware 72-hour Emergency Preparedness Survival Backpack review (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=1687.0).
Day 1 - smoke / CO / explosive gas / high water alarm batteries
Despite getting an early release from work, it's been a very long day and I didn't have much time to spend, so I went with one of the easiest items on the list. Rather than using disposable, I have lithium-ion rechargeable 9v batteries that I pull out and recharge several times a year. They cost about $5 each, but it doesn't take all that long for them to pay for themselves.
It was bugging me that I don't have any spares right now (they're all in use in the alarms), so I ordered more of them in order to have some in reserve. Plus, the explosive gas detector and a high water alarm are both using disposables and it would be nice to switch them over as well. The battery in the high water alarm (which sits in my sump pump crock) was low, but I'd just replaced the one in the explosive gas detector last month and it pegged out as fully charged, so I left that one alone. New batteries will arrive Sunday.
There is also a CO detector in my truck that I'd gotten for camping. Amusingly, I'm sure that it has a good battery in it, because the alarm went off while I was having the truck rustproofed this week! The guys working there thought it was an anti-theft alarm and were cycling the ignition when my memory kicked in and I explained it to them. We all had a laugh and fortunately it turned off fairly quickly. Apparently, the dust/vapors from the oil spray were enough to trigger it. For such a little thing (it's about the size of a hockey puck) it's damned loud!
Quote from: Rednex on September 01, 2023, 06:34:22 PMOk so I have some idea's/ things I did today, with this thread in mind. I just don't know if they count, or are too low hanging fruit to be really considered.
Like I do every first weekend of the month, I checked fluids, air in tires on both vehicles. Both are daily drivers and bug out vehicles.
Also while i mowed the yards I made a song for this thread, sung to the Twelve Days of Christmas.
" On the first day of prepperedness what did for me ( then what ever i did) ". Then it keeps going on for 30 days.
I demand the full lyrics of the song! :D
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 01, 2023, 11:05:58 PMRather than using disposable, I have lithium-ion rechargeable 9v batteries that I pull out and recharge several times a year. They cost about $5 each, but it doesn't take all that long for them to pay for themselves.
Linky, please! :icon_crazy:
We
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 01, 2023, 11:09:49 PMQuote from: Rednex on September 01, 2023, 06:34:22 PMOk so I have some idea's/ things I did today, with this thread in mind. I just don't know if they count, or are too low hanging fruit to be really considered.
Like I do every first weekend of the month, I checked fluids, air in tires on both vehicles. Both are daily drivers and bug out vehicles.
Also while i mowed the yards I made a song for this thread, sung to the Twelve Days of Christmas.
" On the first day of prepperedness what did for me ( then what ever i did) ". Then it keeps going on for 30 days.
I demand the full lyrics of the song! :D
Well its going to take 30 days to write it.
I been using the Amazon Basics rechargeable batteries for my alarms, lights, everything. Not sure which i got some have black ring, some have green ring, some have grey ring.
Quote from: majorhavoc on September 01, 2023, 11:23:54 PMQuote from: EBuff75 on September 01, 2023, 11:05:58 PMRather than using disposable, I have lithium-ion rechargeable 9v batteries that I pull out and recharge several times a year. They cost about $5 each, but it doesn't take all that long for them to pay for themselves.
Linky, please! :icon_crazy:
The ones that I bought initially were Powerowl (https://a.co/d/3EG7z18) brand and came with a 4-station charger. Since I've got a charger, the new ones that I ordered are just batteries and are EBL (https://a.co/d/dfwZsDR) branded. What I forgot to do yesterday was test those rechargeable batteries to see how far down they were before putting them on the charger. Given that the longest any of them took to recharge was only 45 mins, I think they still had quite a bit of juice left.
The only drawback to the Powerowl batteries is that they're just slightly larger than a regular 9v, so it's a bit hard to get them in/out. They'll fit, but there's quite a bit of friction and I had to use a screwdriver to lever them out of the CO detectors. Maybe the EBLs will be better.
Quote from: Rednex on September 02, 2023, 09:12:12 AMWe
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 01, 2023, 11:09:49 PMQuote from: Rednex on September 01, 2023, 06:34:22 PMOk so I have some idea's/ things I did today, with this thread in mind. I just don't know if they count, or are too low hanging fruit to be really considered.
Like I do every first weekend of the month, I checked fluids, air in tires on both vehicles. Both are daily drivers and bug out vehicles.
Also while i mowed the yards I made a song for this thread, sung to the Twelve Days of Christmas.
" On the first day of prepperedness what did for me ( then what ever i did) ". Then it keeps going on for 30 days.
I demand the full lyrics of the song! :D
Well its going to take 30 days to write it.
I been using the Amazon Basics rechargeable batteries for my alarms, lights, everything. Not sure which i got some have black ring, some have green ring, some have grey ring.
Drat! I was hoping that you had all the lyrics ready to go as a guide for us!
Supposedly, some of those Amazon Basics batteries are rebranded Eneloops. I like the Eneloops (and the Ikea, 'Ladda' rebrands which I have quite a few of). I've got a bunch of older EBL AA batteries that I'm not a fan of because they have a really high rate of self-discharge. (They're seriously bad, like charge them up to today and a month from now they'll only have about 50% left!)
A few years ago I won (back when Amazon used to have those daily giveaways that you could just click to enter) a 24-count box of Tenergy NiCd rechargeable AA batteries that I've never even bothered to open up. They're meant as replacements for cheap solar landscape lights, but I don't have any of those lights that use AA (mine are all 18650) and I've never felt the need to open the box up, since I've got plenty of AA rechargeables. Maybe I should break those out and see if they're any better than the EBLs. Sounds like a possible head-to-head test opportunity for a future thread! :D
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 02, 2023, 09:20:57 AMQuote from: majorhavoc on September 01, 2023, 11:23:54 PMQuote from: EBuff75 on September 01, 2023, 11:05:58 PMRather than using disposable, I have lithium-ion rechargeable 9v batteries that I pull out and recharge several times a year. They cost about $5 each, but it doesn't take all that long for them to pay for themselves.
Linky, please! :icon_crazy:
The ones that I bought initially were Powerowl (https://a.co/d/3EG7z18) brand and came with a 4-station charger. Since I've got a charger, the new ones that I ordered are just batteries and are EBL (https://a.co/d/dfwZsDR) branded. What I forgot to do yesterday was test those rechargeable batteries to see how far down they were before putting them on the charger. Given that the longest any of them took to recharge was only 45 mins, I think they still had quite a bit of juice left.
The only drawback to the Powerowl batteries is that they're just slightly larger than a regular 9v, so it's a bit hard to get them in/out. They'll fit, but there's quite a bit of friction and I had to use a screwdriver to lever them out of the CO detectors. Maybe the EBLs will be better.
Thanks! I'll start with the Powerowl brand because it comes with a charger.
You gotta love the product descriptions found on Amazon. The EBL offering is:
QuoteEBL 9 Volt Batteries 600mAh Li-ion Rechargeable 9V Battery Lithium-ion, 6 Packs
Which matches the 6 batteries pictured. But then the product description says:
QuoteNumber of Batteries: 4 9V batteries required. (included)
:rolleyes1:
On the Second day of Preparedness What I did for me, redid my EDC bag.
See here for the topic.
https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=1697.new#new
Day 2:
Went through my get home bag (GHB), which lives in my car and did a full inventory. Things I discovered:
- Oh, so that's where my Sawyer Mini water filter was. With the Seychelle filtration water bottle visible in the outside mesh pocket, I had completely forgotten I also had the Sawyer filter stowed inside the main compartment.
- All my lights worked except for a small, cheap keychain light in my FAK. It was my back up to my back up to my back up. The 3 button cells were beginning to corrode. Enough that it wouldn't work, so I replaced those.
- The alcohol prep pads in the IFAK were fine, but the BZK antiseptic towelettes had dried out. Replaced those and the alcohol pad I tested.
- The food stores were rough - I'll definitely be shopping for replacements tomorrow. Not worried about the two Mountain House freeze dried meals or the dry goods (hot chocolate, coffee and powdered drink mixes, etc). But the tuna packets, Belvita breakfast biscuits, Jif to Go peanut butter packs and the Clif bars need to be replaced. There's a package of flour tortillas with a July 2021 best buy date that still feels nice and soft. But I'll get a fresh package just to be safe. I sampled one of the the Belvita biscuit packs (Best buy Oct 2020) and it was still quite edible. But I could sort of tell they were nearing the end of their shelf life. The tuna, tortillas and peanut better may appear in the Near Death Experiments with Food thread. But not the dried cranberries - they looked frightening. What the hell was I thinking? Those went straight into the compost bin.
Day 2 - Vehicle checkup - tires, wipers, battery, fluids, air filter
The new tires are good on the truck (they've got about 100 miles on them so far) and holding air well. The tires on the car are still in good condition, but the left front tire is slowly losing air, to the tune of about 4 psi since I filled them two weeks ago. Probably just needs to be re-sealed, as a puncture would likely lose air faster. The rims on that car have a fair amount of corrosion and sometimes it's hard to get a good seal.
Topped off the washer fluid in both vehicles, but all other fluids were full. The trans fluid on the truck is pretty dirty though, so I'll have to take that in and have it flushed. I'll see if I can talk the shop into either adding a bottle of Lucas Transmission Fix (https://a.co/d/ixp7pka), or leaving the fluid level a bit low so that I can add it myself (I've got one ready to go). It helped the shift quality a lot on both my car and my old truck. I'll also ask my mechanic about changing the fluid in the front & rear differentials and the transfer case, since all of the maintenance on the truck is unknown.
The air filter in the truck is a bit dirty too, so I put that on my shopping list, along with new wipers for the car (the ones on it are okay, but I'll probably replace them before winter arrives). Both vehicles could use batteries, but I've been limping them along via battery tenders for the time being (I carry jumper cables and jump boxes in both, just in case).
And a teaser shot of a new battery-powered work light that I picked up recently. Worked great for doing these checks at night! I would've taken it off the tripod to use the magnetic base, but hoods on vehicles have so many bumps on them now that it's hard to find a flat spot to attach it! I'll put up a review sometime for this and for a few others as a sort of head-to-head comparison.
Suburban_Fluid_Check_Light.jpg
UPDATE: Wipers and air filter ordered, along with an interior LED light kit for the truck.
Day 3:
Shopped for, and stowed all-new food supplies in my GHB.
Going through the GHB top to bottom was such a good exercise. I've picked away at it periodically, but this is the first time in years I've given it a thorough evaluation. It was/is my original emergency bag. There's a lot of old gear there purchased when I was pretty unsophisticated prepping-wise. Not the stuff that I'd buy today, but I must admit it all remains functional. Some of the lighting options are pretty out of date performance wise, but I'm having a hard time rationalizing buying replacements. Back in the day, 100 lumens was plenty of light to do what you need around the camp after dark. Turns out it still is.
Here's the GHB next to the Surviveware 72-hour Preparedness Survival Backpack I recently reviewed. Along with a spare set of boots I always keep in my car. In case an emergency situation catches me wearing inappropriate footwear.
(https://i.postimg.cc/SNxxMd5L/Next-to-GHB.jpg)
Started about 6 quarts of spaghetti sauce in the slow cooker to can tomorrow. Weeded the garden and spent some time with my neighbor and her boyfriend. We chatted some bout prepping, she was an on the fence prepper before COVID, defiantly one now.
"Defiantly" or "Definitely"? Either works. :smiley_bril:
lol, spelling correctly is always optional with me! :smiley_shrug:
Day 3 - Work light reviews (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=1699.0)
As I alluded to yesterday, I had a review coming. Well, it wasn't just one review, it was four! (click the link above to read them all)
I'm a bit of a light snob and all of the lights that I just reviewed are ones that I would recommend (with some caveats, as noted in the reviews). Work lights aren't specifically preparedness related, but since 3 of the 4 are battery powered, they're certainly useful in situations where you don't have power. And overall, lights are good to have. The prices run anywhere from about $17 for a single Warsun or Innofox light up to a list price of $200 for the Lutec (I got it on sale). I keep a Warsun or Innofox in both of my vehicles, since they make an excellent side-of-the-road light for tire changes, repairs, or other emergent situations.
Well yesterday day 3 I went through all my flashlights and changed the rechargeable batteries/charged them. Also smoke detectors got fresh rechargeable batteries.
Picked up a 8 oz. piece of cheese and some (solid) coconut oil from Wally World Added it to paraffin to see if it will make the wax softer for cheese waxing. Cut the cheese into 4 equal parts, one for waxing, one to go into straight vinegar, one to go int straight olive oil, one for reference. I'll post results in "Adventures and Misadventures in Food Storage."
Day 4 - Basement clothing bag
A little over a week ago, we had a string of powerful storms blow through my area, including six (last I'd heard) confirmed tornadoes. I headed down into the basement of my house when the weather radio started issuing warnings, stopping to grab a book that I was reading, my phone, and some shoes.
Once down in the basement, I prepped a USB light where I could quickly plug it into a one of my power stations if the electricity went out (it had flickered several times by now). My basement is 2/3 finished, so I was "roughing it" on a comfortable couch, in a carpeted room with good lighting, including a wall sconce just above me to provide just the right angle of light for reading. I already have a weather radio down there, which I plugged in and set to the proper station for ongoing updates. Then a friend from our CERT called to chat about the storm, so I didn't get back to the book before the storms had passed.
Anyway, it reminded me that it would be a good idea to pre-stage some clothing down there, in the event that I had to take shelter quickly (violent weather, active shooter, etc.) and didn't have time (or the presence of mind) to grab things as I went. The basement is my main storage for preps, camping gear, and workshop tools, so I was already set for food, water, toiletries, and even bedding (the couch I was using is actually a nice futon and I've got all the sheets and blankets for it in a storage bin underneath). The biggest thing to make sure that I have is some shoes, but I figured the whole shebang wouldn't hurt.
Here's what I packed, using a cheap "string backpack" that I'd gotten as a freebie a few years ago: shoes, jeans, socks, underwear, shirt, 1/4 zip sweater, and a handkerchief. All of it fits, but isn't in my top-tier of daily wear. Yes, it all fits in that bag, but just barely!
Bsmt_clothing_bag.jpg
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 04, 2023, 01:03:33 PMDay 4 - Basement clothing bag
A little over a week ago, we had a string of powerful storms blow through my area, including six (last I'd heard) confirmed tornadoes. I headed down into the basement of my house when the weather radio started issuing warnings, stopping to grab a book that I was reading, my phone, and some shoes.
Once down in the basement, I prepped a USB light where I could quickly plug it into a one of my power stations if the electricity went out (it had flickered several times by now). My basement is 2/3 finished, so I was "roughing it" on a comfortable couch, in a carpeted room with good lighting, including a wall sconce just above me to provide just the right angle of light for reading. I already have a weather radio down there, which I plugged in and set to the proper station for ongoing updates. Then a friend from our CERT called to chat about the storm, so I didn't get back to the book before the storms had passed.
Anyway, it reminded me that it would be a good idea to pre-stage some clothing down there, in the event that I had to take shelter quickly (violent weather, active shooter, etc.) and didn't have time (or the presence of mind) to grab things as I went. The basement is my main storage for preps, camping gear, and workshop tools, so I was already set for food, water, toiletries, and even bedding (the couch I was using is actually a nice futon and I've got all the sheets and blankets for it in a storage bin underneath). The biggest thing to make sure that I have is some shoes, but I figured the whole shebang wouldn't hurt.
Here's what I packed, using a cheap "string backpack" that I'd gotten as a freebie a few years ago: shoes, jeans, socks, underwear, shirt, 1/4 zip sweater, and a handkerchief. All of it fits, but isn't in my top-tier of daily wear. Yes, it all fits in that bag, but just barely!
Bsmt_clothing_bag.jpg
Lose the shoes. Have a pair of sturdy work boots . In the event of a catastrophic nature event you will need them. The day after the Northridge earthquake , I was back at work servicing Grocery, Liquor and Drug stores . That had been severely damaged by the quake. The amount of sharp, pointy things covering the ground inside the stores and outside was insane. Tornados, derechos and floods would cause the same hazards
Quote from: flybynight on September 04, 2023, 06:10:13 PMQuote from: EBuff75 on September 04, 2023, 01:03:33 PMDay 4 - Basement clothing bag
A little over a week ago, we had a string of powerful storms blow through my area, including six (last I'd heard) confirmed tornadoes. I headed down into the basement of my house when the weather radio started issuing warnings, stopping to grab a book that I was reading, my phone, and some shoes.
Once down in the basement, I prepped a USB light where I could quickly plug it into a one of my power stations if the electricity went out (it had flickered several times by now). My basement is 2/3 finished, so I was "roughing it" on a comfortable couch, in a carpeted room with good lighting, including a wall sconce just above me to provide just the right angle of light for reading. I already have a weather radio down there, which I plugged in and set to the proper station for ongoing updates. Then a friend from our CERT called to chat about the storm, so I didn't get back to the book before the storms had passed.
Anyway, it reminded me that it would be a good idea to pre-stage some clothing down there, in the event that I had to take shelter quickly (violent weather, active shooter, etc.) and didn't have time (or the presence of mind) to grab things as I went. The basement is my main storage for preps, camping gear, and workshop tools, so I was already set for food, water, toiletries, and even bedding (the couch I was using is actually a nice futon and I've got all the sheets and blankets for it in a storage bin underneath). The biggest thing to make sure that I have is some shoes, but I figured the whole shebang wouldn't hurt.
Here's what I packed, using a cheap "string backpack" that I'd gotten as a freebie a few years ago: shoes, jeans, socks, underwear, shirt, 1/4 zip sweater, and a handkerchief. All of it fits, but isn't in my top-tier of daily wear. Yes, it all fits in that bag, but just barely!
Bsmt_clothing_bag.jpg
Lose the shoes. Have a pair of sturdy work boots . In the event of a catastrophic nature event you will need them. The day after the Northridge earthquake , I was back at work servicing Grocery, Liquor and Drug stores . That had been severely damaged by the quake. The amount of sharp, pointy things covering the ground inside the stores and outside was insane. Tornados, derechos and floods would cause the same hazards
I thought about it, but I didn't have any old boots to include. This is an edge case anyway, so I didn't want to spend any money buying new things. Thus, everything was just old stuff that I pulled out to set aside in this bag. My thought was: any kind of shoes are better than bare feet! :D
Day 4:
Not much prepping-related today. I replaced the batteries in my smoke detectors and got my 10,000 steps in.
Day 4 I didn't do anything, hell i didn't even get dressed. Is R&R prep related?
Day 5 I got my hunting license for the season.
Quote from: Rednex on September 05, 2023, 06:12:14 PMDay 4 I didn't do anything, hell i didn't even get dressed. Is R&R prep related?
Yes! In fact, if you read the list that I put up with ideas in it, one of them was to take a personal day! Everyone needs a break now and then, regardless of societal pressures to always be doing things / being productive. Screw that! Take the day off and feel good about it! :smiley_clap:
Day 5:
Took NT2C's seasonal tire pressure check thread (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=1694.0) to heart and checked the air pressure in my car and motorcycle. The car's donut spare was low, as was my rear motorcycle tire.
14,384 steps
Day 5 - Maintenance, repairs, and updates on the Suburban
You know, a smart person would have waited for the cooler weather that is arriving, um, now. Instead, I worked on the truck this afternoon and again this evening, when it was in the 90s with high humidity... But, "nobody tells me how stupid I can be!" (and if you know where that quote comes from, I'm impressed!)
The new air filter arrived today and I removed the old one. I also spent some time cleaning and polishing the backup camera. The image had been fairly hazy and while it's not perfect, it is quite a bit better now. There was a broken plastic tab on the hatch trim which left a piece loose so that it caught on the side every time it was opened. Fortunately, the trim tool set that I bought a few years ago came with a variety of replacement bits and one of them was a perfect fit. A bit of trimming to the frayed edge of the trim and it opens fine. I also cleaned up the tape reside left over from the loose piece being taped down and also removed the goo on the windshield from some old stickers.
One of the things I really dislike on the truck is that it came with very dark tint. It's so dark that it's very near to being limo tint. Which means that even in broad daylight and without my sunglasses on, I can barely see out the back window. At night, any vehicles behind me are reduced to dim blobs where their headlights are. At some point I'll have the tint removed (I may do most of it, but the back window has the heater elements and the passenger rear window has the radio antennas in it, so I'll leave those to the professionals), but that's off in the future.
So for now, I swapped in some LED reverse light bulbs and bought a package of LED interior lights. Those are all installed, with the exception of the bulbs for the puddle lamps under the mirrors. It was dark and starting to rain and those are the hardest covers of all of them to get open.
LED interior lights. MUCH brighter than it used to be!
Suburban_LEDinterior.jpg
LED reverse lights and license lights
Suburban_reverse&license_lights.jpg
I also have new HID headlight bulbs for my car, but didn't have time to do those tonight. The ones in there right now still work, but they're original and have likely lost over half of their output (the car is 18 years old and has almost 150,000 miles on it).
Oh, and the Partphoner work light was awesome for doing this work! I set it up behind the truck to see how to do the taillights, license lights, and the cargo area light. Then I moved it up to the doors while I replaced the 1st and 2nd row lights. I didn't use it for the air filter because it had started raining by that point and the light isn't waterproof. So I did the old standby: hold a pocket flashlight in your mouth while you work! :D
EDIT TO ADD: Forgot to finish explaining about the tint. It's so dark, that I _have_ to use the backup camera at night, as I can't see anything out the window. Thus, cleaning the camera lens and installing brighter backup lights.
The Interior LEDs are for a similar reason. With black leather seats and carpet, plus the dim incandescent lights that came with the truck, trying to see anything inside of it at night was sort of like looking for a black rock, at the bottom of a well, in a cave, at midnight, when it's cloudy, during the new moon, with a black bag over you head, while wearing a blindfold, and you're blind. *checks list off on fingers* Yep, that's about right.
Pressure canned 8 pints of corn and pickled 3 quarts of hot banana peppers.
Note: an easy way to clear your sinuses is to forget to wash your hands after pickling hot banana peppers - I seem to relearn this lesson every time... :headbang: :headbang: :headbang:
Quote from: Z.O.R.G. on September 05, 2023, 08:56:37 PMPressure canned 8 pints of corn and pickled 3 quarts of hot banana peppers.
Note: an easy way to clear your sinuses is to forget to wash your hands after pickling hot banana peppers - I seem to relearn this lesson every time... :headbang: :headbang: :headbang:
I have one of those sort of lessons that I keep forgetting and then relearning each time: After you've added the seasoning to the fajitas you're cooking, don't breathe in the steam! :nuke:
Day 6 added used boot's to my truck( I just got new one) and checked trucks GHB,
Day 6:
Added $200 to my hidden cache of, er emergency cash. That gives me about $800, including the $200 hidden in my car.
15,897 steps.
Day 6 - Rotated food / water in vehicles
I made a grocery run tonight and picked up some stuff for the vehicles. Each of them now have at least a dozen bottles of water (the truck has 24, since there's more room), a half-dozen Millennium bars (https://a.co/d/a6Tbn4m), a 1lb bag of trail mix, some Wint-O-Green mints, a tuna snack pack, and some Nature Valley protein bars.
The food isn't really meant for anything more than, "crap, I'm hungry, but I don't have time to stop somewhere and get food," and isn't really intended to be for survival. I'll probably prep my winter kit sometime this month and that'll have more in it, since a potential scenario for those is to survive for several days if I were to get stranded in a storm, but that's a post for another day.
I'll check to see if any of the old food & water can be consumed, or if it's been frozen / baked into oblivion from living in my car / truck for the past year. That's a rough environment to survive!
Day 7:
Went through my motorcycle GHB, a trimmed down version of my car GHB, all in a largish fanny pack. Maybe a bit too slimmed down. I had only one light source in there, so I subbed out the headlamp for a smaller, CR2032 powered model and freed up some room for a single AAA flashlight. And shelter supplies solely consisted of a lightweight nylon tarp, some paracord and a contractor (i.e. heavy duty trash) bag. I have a spare emergency bivy sack (glorified mylar space blanket that's folded over and sealed on the sides and bottom) that I think might fit in there. Plus, the food supplies need rotating, so more food shopping again this weekend.
16,648 steps.
Day 7 - Inspect fire extinguishers
Short version - I have a lot of fire extinguishers. Not because I'm all that concerned, but it's one of those "cheap insurance" sort of things to have. The total cost to me was probably around $300. The house came with three (it was a rental when I bought it 18 years ago), and two of those were replaced by Kidde during a recall in 2017. When that recall happened, I decided to get some more, so that I'd have newer, higher capacity ones in multiple areas. At the time I had one in the kitchen, one in the basement, and one in the garage. I now have:
- 5 lb extinguisher in my bedroom on the 2nd floor
- 5 lb extinguisher hanging by kitchen door (side entrance to house)
- 5 lb extinguisher in front coat closet
- 5 lb extinguisher in basement workshop (which also has a walk-out)
- 2.5 lb extinguisher in basement rec room
- 5 lb extinguisher in garage
- 2 lb extinguisher in garage (very old; came with house)
- 5 lb extinguisher in the Suburban
- 2 lb extinguisher in the car
Additionally, I have a 60x60 fire blanket & fire resistant gloves in both the truck and the workshop. I may get some more of these, just to have one in the kitchen, garage, and car as well.
All of the extinguishers are made by either First Alert or Kidde, use dry, A-B-C chemical, and everything except the two smallest have hoses to direct the spray. The 5 lb extinguishers are all refillable as well.
They're all showing in the green, hoses are secured (where applicable), no visible damage (dust and cobwebs don't count!), and the pins are secure. It's probably a good reminder exercise for me just to go around and touch all of them, as a physical reminder of where they're all located. For example: I'd forgotten about the small, 2nd extinguisher in the garage at first, then remembered and had to look for it (it was behind the garbage cans).
Day 8 - Winter emergency heater prep - accessories for Mr. Buddy Big Buddy heater
Last year I had my first extended power outage during the winter - just over four days without power due to an ice storm. I had purchased a Mr. Buddy Big Buddy heater and had a 12 pack of gas bottles for it (plus an older 4-pack, several of which turned out to have leaked and were empty), for just such an occasion. It wasn't ideal (it made my basement smell like I was running a gas grill down there), but did put out quite a bit of heat. I preferred to run my small gas generator outside and use it to power an electric heater, which is what I did during the day, but I ran the gas heater down in the basement each night to ensure that there was enough heat that nothing would freeze. (yes, I had multiple CO detectors as well)
Well, I didn't have an adapter to use the larger 20lb propane bottles and those little 1lb bottles only last about 5 hrs. So tonight, after picking up a 6-pack of the 1lb bottles during a Sam's Club visit, I came home and ordered the adapter (https://a.co/d/582Mm1I) to use the larger bottles, plus a storage bag (https://a.co/d/8XKrXCD) for the heater, some D-cell batteries for the built-in fan, and a reflective / fire-resistant mat (https://a.co/d/2Osya5q) to go underneath it.
The heater, adapter hose, batteries, 2 gas bottles, and the CO detector should all fit into the bag. That will give me a ready-to-go solution, either for myself, or to loan to someone else if needed.
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 08, 2023, 08:25:46 PMDay 8 - Winter emergency heater prep - accessories for Mr. Buddy Big Buddy heater
[snip] and ordered the adapter (https://a.co/d/582Mm1I) to use the larger bottles, plus a storage bag (https://a.co/d/8XKrXCD) for the heater, some D-cell batteries for the built-in fan, and a reflective / fire-resistant mat (https://a.co/d/2Osya5q) to go underneath it.
The heater, adapter hose, batteries, 2 gas bottles, and the CO detector should all fit into the bag. That will give me a ready-to-go solution, either for myself, or to loan to someone else if needed.
@EBuff75 I envy you having the Big Buddy (2 propane bottle) heater. I have the regular Mr. Buddy heater. It's adequate for my needs (I rent a very small house), and performed admirably during a few extended New England winter power outages. But I really like the idea of the built-in fan on your model to better distribute that heat. Relying on D-cells can be a pain though. I don't know about you, but I've slowly phased out all my D-cell appliances. The last two were an ungodly oversized 4x D-cell LED lantern, and a battery powered inflator for air mattresses.
Before I got rid of those last two items though, I had purchased a bunch of D-cell adaptors. They're basically plastic cases the size and shape of D-cells, that accept rechargeable AA batteries wired in parallel. The ones I got accept only two AA batteries and run down pretty quickly in power-intensive appliances like the inflator. They sell ones now that accept three and even four AA cells (https://www.amazon.com/EBL-Battery-Converter-Adapter-Separator/dp/B075CJT65G/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1T2EPU80QZ31X&keywords=d+cell+adapter&qid=1694225932&sprefix=D+cell+ada%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-4).
If you have AA rechargeable batteries, the D-cell adaptors are pretty inexpensive and a great backup. They still can't quite match the run time of quality (Duracell, Energizer, etc) disposable alkaline D-cells. But as long as you have a means to recharge your AA batteries, they're an alternative way to running your Big Buddy's built-in fan if you need to do so for the long term.
Day 8:
Completed the mandatory online training module for my upcoming (9/18) in-person American Red Cross Adult CPR/First Aid class. Spoiler alert: now you know what my Day 18 prepping activity is going to be. :smiley_knipoog:
14,817 steps.
Quote from: majorhavoc on September 08, 2023, 09:33:06 PMQuote from: EBuff75 on September 08, 2023, 08:25:46 PMDay 8 - Winter emergency heater prep - accessories for Mr. Buddy Big Buddy heater
[snip] and ordered the adapter (https://a.co/d/582Mm1I) to use the larger bottles, plus a storage bag (https://a.co/d/8XKrXCD) for the heater, some D-cell batteries for the built-in fan, and a reflective / fire-resistant mat (https://a.co/d/2Osya5q) to go underneath it.
The heater, adapter hose, batteries, 2 gas bottles, and the CO detector should all fit into the bag. That will give me a ready-to-go solution, either for myself, or to loan to someone else if needed.
@EBuff75 I envy you having the Big Buddy (2 propane bottle) heater. I have the regular Mr. Buddy heater. It's adequate for my needs (I rent a very small house), and performed admirably during a few extended New England winter power outages. But I really like the idea of the built-in fan on your model to better distribute that heat. Relying on D-cells can be a pain though. I don't know about you, but I've slowly phased out all my D-cell appliances. The last two were an ungodly oversized 4x D-cell LED lantern, and a battery powered inflator for air mattresses.
Before I got rid of those last two items though, I had purchased a bunch of D-cell adaptors. They're basically plastic cases the size and shape of D-cells, that accept rechargeable AA batteries wired in parallel. The ones I got accept only two AA batteries and run down pretty quickly in power-intensive appliances like the inflator. They sell ones now that accept three and even four AA cells (https://www.amazon.com/EBL-Battery-Converter-Adapter-Separator/dp/B075CJT65G/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1T2EPU80QZ31X&keywords=d+cell+adapter&qid=1694225932&sprefix=D+cell+ada%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-4).
If you have AA rechargeable batteries, the D-cell adaptors are pretty inexpensive and a great backup. They still can't quite match the run time of quality (Duracell, Energizer, etc) disposable alkaline D-cells. But as long as you have a means to recharge your AA batteries, they're an alternative way to running your Big Buddy's built-in fan if you need to do so for the long term.
Yeah, I've got some of those adapters too (both the single-AA (https://a.co/d/b9KYikb) style that Panasonic/Sanyo include with some of their Eneloop kits, and some 3-AA versions (https://a.co/d/dhN0e8i)). The problem is that the heater takes 4 D-cells for the fan, and that's a lot of AAs to keep it running! I mainly use rechargeable batteries, but I do keep some single use batteries around, just in case. For that matter, I have a handful of rechargeable D-cells that I picked up on a whim a few years ago. They work fine, but at 10,000mah each they take forever to charge!
Quote from: majorhavoc on September 08, 2023, 09:37:26 PMDay 8:
Completed the mandatory online training module for my upcoming (9/18) in-person American Red Cross Adult CPR/First Aid class. Spoiler alert: now you know what my Day 18 prepping activity is going to be. :smiley_knipoog:
14,817 steps.
All of my first aid certifications have expired. Our CERT group keeps trying to line up another class for us all, but we haven't gotten anything scheduled yet. The last medical training that we got was last year for Narcan (we all received an overdose kit with two doses to put in our First Aid bags). We did watch the training videos for our AED a couple of months ago in one of our meetings, just to make sure that people have seen how to use that specific model, so that's better than nothing!
Catching up here.
Ok so checked fires extinguisher's ( 1 in each truck, 1 next to my bed, 1 in kitchen, 1 in shop. Going to get 1 for laundry room. Thanks Ebuff75.
Checked first aid kit in home, need to go to dollar tree and get ace bandages ( they work and are $1.25 each ).
Sighted in deer rifle.
I walk a lot for work like 10 to 15K steps a day , but I don't exercise/workout .
Day 9 - Organize all my mosquito repellent
Recently I was looking for the refills for my Thermacell (https://a.co/d/4CewtrE) mosquito repellent and was getting slightly frustrated at how widely spread out all my various sprays and such were. So, I grabbed an empty storage bin and started rounding everything up. The Thermacell (and refills), Flextail Tiny (https://a.co/d/2J2vNnJ) (and refills), various Off! sprays (including the discontinued Off! Explore (https://www.13deals.com/store/products/44277-off-explore-insect-repellent-with-refillable-case-with-2-additional-refills-ships-free) mini spray bottle refills), wipes, and candles; all of it went "in the bin!"
I might expand it to include all types of bugs, by adding spider spray, yard guard, wasp/hornet spray, etc. that I also have knocking around in various places. And I'm sure that I've missed some, as I kept finding more and more of it in closets, boxes, hanging on walls, and so on and so forth. I'm not including the ones which are deliberately packed in bags or that I keep in my vehicles, just the ones which are held "in reserve" or for use here at home.
Day 9:
Did sort of a mock day trip bug out at a local land trust hiking system. Mostly for the exercise, but also to to consume the out-of-date food stocks I recently replaced in my get home bag (GHB), and hopefully live to tell the tale. (Detailed report of gastronomic results can be found in the Near Death Experiments with Food thread, here (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=370.msg34445#msg34445).)
13,928 steps
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 08, 2023, 11:55:45 PMQuote from: majorhavoc on September 08, 2023, 09:37:26 PMDay 8:
Completed the mandatory online training module for my upcoming (9/18) in-person American Red Cross Adult CPR/First Aid class. Spoiler alert: now you know what my Day 18 prepping activity is going to be. :smiley_knipoog:
14,817 steps.
All of my first aid certifications have expired. Our CERT group keeps trying to line up another class for us all, but we haven't gotten anything scheduled yet. The last medical training that we got was last year for Narcan (we all received an overdose kit with two doses to put in our First Aid bags). We did watch the training videos for our AED a couple of months ago in one of our meetings, just to make sure that people have seen how to use that specific model, so that's better than nothing!
Yeah, I last took this employer-sponsored course 3 or 4 years ago. I manage retain the basics, but it's amazing how much of the little details you forget. All the acronyms and protocol steps (Check to make sure the surroundings are safe! Call or tell someone to call 9-1-1! If victim is conscious, explain what you are going to do and get consent!)
On one level, it's unfortunate that ARC charges any money at all for these courses - it's in everyone's best interest to have as many First Aid-certified citizens as possible. I get it ARC is a non-profit that needs funding streams where ever it can find them. But especially for a regular, lifetime blood donor like me, they should provide the training free of charge. And if someone can organize a group of motivated students (like you and your CERT group), ARC should totally jump at the opportunity to give you guys that training.
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 09, 2023, 01:56:09 PMDay 9 - Organize all my mosquito repellent
Recently I was looking for the refills for my Thermacell (https://a.co/d/4CewtrE) mosquito repellent and was getting slightly frustrated at how widely spread out all my various sprays and such were. So, I grabbed an empty storage bin and started rounding everything up. The Thermacell (and refills), Flextail Tiny (https://a.co/d/2J2vNnJ) (and refills), various Off! sprays (including the discontinued Off! Explore (https://www.13deals.com/store/products/44277-off-explore-insect-repellent-with-refillable-case-with-2-additional-refills-ships-free) mini spray bottle refills), wipes, and candles; all of it went "in the bin!"
I might expand it to include all types of bugs, by adding spider spray, yard guard, wasp/hornet spray, etc. that I also have knocking around in various places. And I'm sure that I've missed some, as I kept finding more and more of it in closets, boxes, hanging on walls, and so on and so forth. I'm not including the ones which are deliberately packed in bags or that I keep in my vehicles, just the ones which are held "in reserve" or for use here at home.
Ended up using 3 different types of repellent this evening (the Thermacell, FlexTail Tiny, and one of the citronella candles) while a group of us were hanging out at a campfire. The mosquitos were BAD tonight, at least until the temperature dropped, but they probably would've been worse without those three running the whole evening!
And yes
@majorhavoc, the candle was one of the Coleman ones that you posted about the sale on Amazon (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=1070.0)! Only drawback to them is that once you blow them out, they take forever to cool off and harden back up.
Today I helped my buddy out working his chicken farm. 8 houses and around 470,000 chicken in them 8 houses. Been doing it a while now so I have a working knowledge of how to raise meat chickens. The walking a few miles, and keeping a secure bond with an Apocalypse/ bug out Buddy. He also has a few farm's I can hunt, he is a deer hunting machine.
Quote from: Rednex on September 10, 2023, 12:19:21 PMToday I helped my buddy out working his chicken farm. 8 houses and around 470,000 chicken in them 8 houses. Been doing it a while now so I have a working knowledge of how to raise meat chickens. The walking a few miles, and keeping a secure bond with an Apocalypse/ bug out Buddy. He also has a few farm's I can hunt, he is a deer hunting machine.
Those personal connections are important and are frequently overlooked in our online world.
Last night a friend invited several of us over to hang out around the fire at her place. It was the first time in a couple of months that we've managed to get together, just due to how busy this summer has been. Our hostess is a serious gardener and the kids got a kick out of looking for fresh things to pick (a few leftover strawberries, carrots, beans, peppers) and even tried eating the greens off of a carrot after being told that they are edible (they weren't fans though).
It was a nice night, we had some fun food (some friends brought gourmet cookies from a local shop!), and even the kids seemed to enjoy themselves. All in all, it was a good evening!
Day 10:
Bought replacement food stores for my motorcycle GHB.
5,937 steps
Day 10 - Oukitel P501 power station review (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=1716.0)
It's sort of a "meh" power station for me, but I figured that I should go ahead and post the review. I'm still compiling my notes on a few others which I'll probably post this month as well. Short version for this one: decent specs, but it powers off if there's no load after 1 min on DC/USB or 5 mins on AC, which is a bit of a deal-breaker for me.
Day 11:
I've actually been chipping away at this for a few days now, but I'll take credit today. Recharging everything I own - power banks, Rockpals power station, various rechargeable flashlights, headlamps and lanterns, and all my AA and AAA NiMH batteries.
Including my lithium jump starter, which I hadn't checked in quite a while. It was down to one bar (out of 4). I wonder if it would have done anything had I actually needed it to self rescue from a depleted car battery.
Who knows? This might come in handy if Hurricane Lee makes a beeline towards New England.
11,685 steps.
Day 11 - Clean / sharpen my EDC pocketknife
I'm a bad knife owner, in that I've had this knife (SOG Aegis II (https://bladereviews.com/sog-aegis-review/)) for something like 7-8 years now and I've never taken it apart to clean it... Bad EBuff! *smacks hand* Yeah, it was pretty dirty in there. One of my most frequent uses is for opening packages, so the first step was actually to clean off all the tape goo that was all over the blade.
Here's what the inside looked like (I'd already cleaned off the tape goo by this point, which is why the blade is so clean):
20230911_222326.jpg
Ewww!! I broke out the gun cleaning kit and started scrubbing. I carefully removed each piece and was glad to discover that this knife uses an updated spring assist that was much easier to reassemble than what was in the video I'd watched beforehand. No histrionics required, just slip the one end of the spring into the pinhole on the blade and lay the whole thing back onto the scale. Done! I touched up all the moving parts with some Hoppe's lube (I've got one of those bottles with the needle applicator, which made it easy to get in everywhere without making a mess) and put it all back together. A bit of fiddling with the pivot screw to get the tension just right and it was back to normal.
I did think far enough ahead to wait to sharpen it until after I'd done the cleaning. That way I'd have less of a chance to cut myself! A couple of passes on the coarse side of my sharpener (I have an older versions of this Smiths sharpener (https://a.co/d/0iGf5yT)) with a few drops of honing oil, then 10 passes on the fine side (again, with some oil) got it fairly sharp. Another 10 passes and it's slicing like a razor again! I had to sort of eyeball the angle as I went, but I tried to aim for somewhere in the 20 degree range and it seems to have worked out. I'm all ready for my next Amazon delivery now! :smiley_clap:
BTW, the decision to clean/sharpen the knife was partly a reaction to my other fails today on mechanical-ish preps that I had planned to do for the daily prep - changing the headlights on my car (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?msg=34504) and reassembling/reinstalling the pump (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?msg=34507) on my hydroponics setup. Glad I was able to figure out how to take apart, clean, reassemble, and sharpen a knife! Whew!
Day 12:
Oh boy. Really scrapping the bottom of the barrel here. Um ... still finding more AA NiMh batteries to charge in anticipation of Hurricane Lee, now headed straight to the Gulf of Maine, my AO.
Ah ... posted here on ZS, a couple of bargain prepping deal posts, and contributed to
@Moab's Your Team - finding others who prep and the knife chat threads. True, those last two were bullshit posts. But look at it as: building the prepping community, passing along prepping knowledge, etc.
OK, lame. Tomorrow's not likely to be better. I do have a life people, you know.
Even step count is pathetic: 8,004.
Quote from: majorhavoc on August 29, 2023, 07:23:41 AMHad to search "Preparedness Mind Map" because I wasn't familiar with that term. Interesting.
(https://i1.wp.com/fortunefavorstheprepared.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Preparedness-Master-Planning-2020-05-11-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1)
Ok. This 30 day thing is very cool.
Can you link to image or post a .pdf? That is incredible.
Just read thru the thread. A few things came to mind.
Batteries:
I just bought a new set of rechargeable batteries. And charger. I've been using Tenergy rechargeable nimhs for 20 years. They are always reasonably priced. Not the cheap brands that come and go. But not crazy expensive either. Each set has lasted me at least 10 years of regular use. As did their ten bay charger I originally bought with a set of batteries. That actually lasted closer to 15 years.
I don't buy lithium because AA and AAA get lost all the time. I use the nimhs in everything. Except my two good flashlights. They use 18500s. I did recently find a charger that does them and nimhs. Which is pretty handy.
GHB:
Now that I'm not driving a soft top Jeep. I can actually put together a decent sized GHB. Although I still have not decided how to hide/secure it in the back of my hard top Jeep Wrangler JK 4 door. I like the black blanket idea. Anything else is going to be seen and invite a break in. Like a lock box or something.
I would like to carry at least one milk crate of vehicle only stuff. Meaning just things for the Jeep itself. And a medium sized backpack that holds everything. Including boots and clothing.
Vehicle preps:
Since I just got this new to me Jeep a couple weeks ago. Most of my time has been spent working on it. Other than cosmetic things like cleaning it and dyeing the exterior plastics. I'm upgrading all the lighting to LED. And eventually adding light to the interior. Like the liftgate and back has little to light. I plan to put a light strip up there. Better footwell lights. And some battery operated led lights to strap to the roll bars. Externally I plan to add backup lights. With a separate manual switch. So I can flash tailgaters. Lol.
Mechanical repairs are coming this week. 02 sensors, spark plugs, wires, oil pump. I had the oil changed. But the rest of the fluids look great.
It came with an excellent roof rack with ladder. So I need to come up with some sort of waterproof system for storing things up top.
Preps:
I still need to transition into my new bug out/inch/go bag. I have everything from my old bag. I just need to repack it.
Tomorrow is hopefully dyeing the external plastics, upgrading the backup lights to led, and fixing an led issue with the rear dome light.
Quote from: Moab on September 12, 2023, 09:20:42 PMQuote from: majorhavoc on August 29, 2023, 07:23:41 AMHad to search "Preparedness Mind Map" because I wasn't familiar with that term. Interesting.
(https://i1.wp.com/fortunefavorstheprepared.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Preparedness-Master-Planning-2020-05-11-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1)
Ok. This 30 day thing is very cool.
Can you link to image or post a .pdf? That is incredible.
If you right click and then 'Open image in new tab' it's much larger. It's also available from several websites as a poster if you search on "Preparedness Mind Map." Here is a link to one of them: https://fortunefavorstheprepared.com/product/preparedness-mind-map-16x20-copy/
Day 12 - Labels - organize, organize, organize!
This is something that I've been trying to keep up on, actually labeling which cords go with which items! I'd gotten behind lately, so I spent some time tonight printing out labels and attaching them to all sorts of power cords. This wasn't just power stations, but was also a few others items that were sitting around (dash cam, Garmin GPS, etc.). The picture doesn't even show all of them, just a selection of what I got around to tonight.
PwrSt_Labels.jpg
The mesh bags were how the cords came for the two Rockpals power stations that I haven't reviewed yet. I have a bunch of colored tags sitting around and I picked ones that correspond to the case color on each power station so that it's easy to tell which bag goes with which station. Inside the bags, the power brick and the cigarette plug both have individual labels on them too.
I still need to do more labels, mainly for cords that go with various flashlights (I'm talking about your magnetic chargers Olight!), as well as power bricks for battery chargers and such. Not to mention that once I get around to building my storage shelves in the basement, I'll have to make labels for all of the totes that go in there, but that's a later project!
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 12, 2023, 10:29:36 PMDay 12 - Labels - organize, organize, organize!
This is something that I've been trying to keep up on, actually labeling which cords go with which items! I'd gotten behind lately, so I spent some time tonight printing out labels and attaching them to all sorts of power cords. This wasn't just power stations, but was also a few others items that were sitting around (dash cam, Garmin GPS, etc.). The picture doesn't even show all of them, just a selection of what I got around to tonight.
PwrSt_Labels.jpg
The mesh bags were how the cords came for the two Rockpals power stations that I haven't reviewed yet. I have a bunch of colored tags sitting around and I picked ones that correspond to the case color on each power station so that it's easy to tell which bag goes with which station. Inside the bags, the power brick and the cigarette plug both have individual labels on them too.
I still need to do more labels, mainly for cords that go with various flashlights (I'm talking about your magnetic chargers Olight!), as well as power bricks for battery chargers and such. Not to mention that once I get around to building my storage shelves in the basement, I'll have to make labels for all of the totes that go in there, but that's a later project!
Thanks for the heads up on the diagram.
I need to do this label thing. I replaced all my pouches and heavier dry bags and containers many years ago with lightweight, black, silnylon bags. Even tho they are different sizes. I still forget what is in each.
The other thing I have been working on the last year is inventory. I've started an inventory of everything in the 4 different bug out bags we have. One, to keep track of what still needs to be added or upgraded. But also because some items are split up between bags. The tent, rainfly, poles etc for one. Same with food.
Like I know each bag has a cutting tool. But its helpful to know which one and where in the bag. As I continue to upgrade or exchange things between bags. Otherwise 6 months later when you want to add or swap something out. You've long forgotten which one is in each bag, or where its at. Which means emptying every bag until you've found what your looking for. A long tedious process of unpacking and repacking.
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 12, 2023, 10:29:36 PMDay 12 - Labels - organize, organize, organize!
This is something that I've been trying to keep up on, actually labeling which cords go with which items! I'd gotten behind lately, so I spent some time tonight printing out labels and attaching them to all sorts of power cords. This wasn't just power stations, but was also a few others items that were sitting around (dash cam, Garmin GPS, etc.). The picture doesn't even show all of them, just a selection of what I got around to tonight.
PwrSt_Labels.jpg
The mesh bags were how the cords came for the two Rockpals power stations that I haven't reviewed yet. I have a bunch of colored tags sitting around and I picked ones that correspond to the case color on each power station so that it's easy to tell which bag goes with which station. Inside the bags, the power brick and the cigarette plug both have individual labels on them too.
I still need to do more labels, mainly for cords that go with various flashlights (I'm talking about your magnetic chargers Olight!), as well as power bricks for battery chargers and such. Not to mention that once I get around to building my storage shelves in the basement, I'll have to make labels for all of the totes that go in there, but that's a later project!
I use a silver permanent marker. It's quicker and more permanent IMO. I have a big box of those adapters and got fed up with looking at the device amps and voltage and then searching thru the box matching up the amps/voltage/and connection. I don't have too much problem with the cords but you can mark on them too, black or silver.
Quote from: MacWa77ace on September 13, 2023, 08:43:09 AMQuote from: EBuff75 on September 12, 2023, 10:29:36 PMDay 12 - Labels - organize, organize, organize!
This is something that I've been trying to keep up on, actually labeling which cords go with which items! I'd gotten behind lately, so I spent some time tonight printing out labels and attaching them to all sorts of power cords. This wasn't just power stations, but was also a few others items that were sitting around (dash cam, Garmin GPS, etc.). The picture doesn't even show all of them, just a selection of what I got around to tonight.
PwrSt_Labels.jpg
The mesh bags were how the cords came for the two Rockpals power stations that I haven't reviewed yet. I have a bunch of colored tags sitting around and I picked ones that correspond to the case color on each power station so that it's easy to tell which bag goes with which station. Inside the bags, the power brick and the cigarette plug both have individual labels on them too.
I still need to do more labels, mainly for cords that go with various flashlights (I'm talking about your magnetic chargers Olight!), as well as power bricks for battery chargers and such. Not to mention that once I get around to building my storage shelves in the basement, I'll have to make labels for all of the totes that go in there, but that's a later project!
I use a silver permanent marker. It's quicker and more permanent IMO. I have a big box of those adapters and got fed up with looking at the device amps and voltage and then searching thru the box matching up the amps/voltage/and connection. I don't have too much problem with the cords but you can mark on them too, black or silver.
These cords don't get beat around too much, so the labels should stay on fairly well. If it were for something like tools that were getting banged around, then I'd probably do it differently. I use colored paint markers for things like mags, keys, or even on assembly poles for my outdoor projector screen (they all look the same, so I color coded them for each side of the screen to make it easier to figure out how many to use). In fact, I discovered recently that some of them have gone missing and I really need to buy replacements.
And an explanation about the colored tags. I bought those a huge bag of those a while back to use on various preps. It's not the "Colors of Prepping" that the Urban Prepper does, but was more to differentiate between similar looking bags. I've still got another few hundred of them ready to go. Hopefully that will be enough to last me! :D
Quote from: MacWa77ace on September 13, 2023, 08:43:09 AMQuote from: EBuff75 on September 12, 2023, 10:29:36 PMDay 12 - Labels - organize, organize, organize!
This is something that I've been trying to keep up on, actually labeling which cords go with which items! I'd gotten behind lately, so I spent some time tonight printing out labels and attaching them to all sorts of power cords. This wasn't just power stations, but was also a few others items that were sitting around (dash cam, Garmin GPS, etc.). The picture doesn't even show all of them, just a selection of what I got around to tonight.
PwrSt_Labels.jpg
The mesh bags were how the cords came for the two Rockpals power stations that I haven't reviewed yet. I have a bunch of colored tags sitting around and I picked ones that correspond to the case color on each power station so that it's easy to tell which bag goes with which station. Inside the bags, the power brick and the cigarette plug both have individual labels on them too.
I still need to do more labels, mainly for cords that go with various flashlights (I'm talking about your magnetic chargers Olight!), as well as power bricks for battery chargers and such. Not to mention that once I get around to building my storage shelves in the basement, I'll have to make labels for all of the totes that go in there, but that's a later project!
I use a silver permanent marker. It's quicker and more permanent IMO. I have a big box of those adapters and got fed up with looking at the device amps and voltage and then searching thru the box matching up the amps/voltage/and connection. I don't have too much problem with the cords but you can mark on them too, black or silver.
I'm going to buy one of those. Much more economical. And a variety of uses. I used magnetic tags in my ammo cans. I think permenant marker would be better. Its portable too.
I have a label maker, but I can't find the adapter to plug it in. :smiley_crocodile:
Quote from: MacWa77ace on September 13, 2023, 12:28:18 PMI have a label maker, but I can't find the adapter to plug it in. :smiley_crocodile:
Oh, the irony! :icon_crazy:
I ain't " done" much the last few days. Go to work, get home, eat, shower, sleep. Only things i have done are random thoughts during the work part of my day. Like tonight plan to go to walmart this weekend grocery shopping and what to get and get " extra" of. Also i guess i lost my replacement battery terminal's so i need to grab 3 sets of them this weekend.
Day 13 - Recharge car jump starter packs
I had a CERT meeting this evening and sort of ran out of time to do much tonight. So I pulled out the jump starter packs from both vehicles and have them charging right now.
The GooLoo GP4000 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HJH1S41?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_XJKFKHW2PZQQ1WESVN80) from the truck was showing 75% and is charging at the blistering rate of 12 watts. The FlyHi (https://saintlucia.desertcart.com/products/75165680-fly-hi-n-18-1200-a-peak-portable-car-jump-starter-up-to-7-0-l-gas-6-5-l-diesel-engine-12-v-battery-booster-with-dual-smart-usb-5-9-12-v-quick-charge-12-v-6-a-output-cigarette-lighter-socket-led-flashlight) (no longer available) from my car was initially showing less than 25%, but after being plugged in for just a couple of minutes at the ultra-super-mega-stupendous charging rate of ... 0.15 watts, is now showing 75%. I would guess that the battery level indicator is off and that it's almost fully charged, which is why it's going so slow. Both of these have been pretty good about holding a charge for long periods of time.
If you're interested in a jump pack, the GooLoo jump starters are on-sale on Amazon right now. My GP4000 is on sale for $90 between an Amazon Deal and a $10 coupon. The smaller GP3000 (https://a.co/d/1pFIORE) is even cheaper at $66 from the Amazon sale.
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 13, 2023, 09:33:20 PMDay 13 - Recharge car jump starter packs
I had a CERT meeting this evening and sort of ran out of time to do much tonight. So I pulled out the jump starter packs from both vehicles and have them charging right now.
The GooLoo GP4000 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HJH1S41?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_XJKFKHW2PZQQ1WESVN80) from the truck was showing 75% and is charging at the blistering rate of 12 watts. The FlyHi (https://saintlucia.desertcart.com/products/75165680-fly-hi-n-18-1200-a-peak-portable-car-jump-starter-up-to-7-0-l-gas-6-5-l-diesel-engine-12-v-battery-booster-with-dual-smart-usb-5-9-12-v-quick-charge-12-v-6-a-output-cigarette-lighter-socket-led-flashlight) (no longer available) from my car was initially showing less than 25%, but after being plugged in for just a couple of minutes at the ultra-super-mega-stupendous charging rate of ... 0.15 watts, is now showing 75%. I would guess that the battery level indicator is off and that it's almost fully charged, which is why it's going so slow. Both of these have been pretty good about holding a charge for long periods of time.
If you're interested in a jump pack, the GooLoo jump starters are on-sale on Amazon right now. My GP4000 is on sale for $90 between an Amazon Deal and a $10 coupon. The smaller GP3000 (https://a.co/d/1pFIORE) is even cheaper at $66 from the Amazon sale.
Whats the mah on the 3000? I trust your research on electronics. This looks like a good unit for a very decent price. Going in my shopping list.
Quote from: Moab on September 13, 2023, 11:36:30 PMQuote from: EBuff75 on September 13, 2023, 09:33:20 PMDay 13 - Recharge car jump starter packs
I had a CERT meeting this evening and sort of ran out of time to do much tonight. So I pulled out the jump starter packs from both vehicles and have them charging right now.
The GooLoo GP4000 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HJH1S41?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_XJKFKHW2PZQQ1WESVN80) from the truck was showing 75% and is charging at the blistering rate of 12 watts. The FlyHi (https://saintlucia.desertcart.com/products/75165680-fly-hi-n-18-1200-a-peak-portable-car-jump-starter-up-to-7-0-l-gas-6-5-l-diesel-engine-12-v-battery-booster-with-dual-smart-usb-5-9-12-v-quick-charge-12-v-6-a-output-cigarette-lighter-socket-led-flashlight) (no longer available) from my car was initially showing less than 25%, but after being plugged in for just a couple of minutes at the ultra-super-mega-stupendous charging rate of ... 0.15 watts, is now showing 75%. I would guess that the battery level indicator is off and that it's almost fully charged, which is why it's going so slow. Both of these have been pretty good about holding a charge for long periods of time.
If you're interested in a jump pack, the GooLoo jump starters are on-sale on Amazon right now. My GP4000 is on sale for $90 between an Amazon Deal and a $10 coupon. The smaller GP3000 (https://a.co/d/1pFIORE) is even cheaper at $66 from the Amazon sale.
Whats the mah on the 3000? I trust your research on electronics. This looks like a good unit for a very decent price. Going in my shopping list.
I can't find that number for the GP3000, but their website (https://us.gooloo.com/products/gt-3000?variant=41961079800004) claims that the upgraded model (GT3000) is 22800mah and another site (https://jumpstarter.io/product/gooloo-gp3000-jump-starter-3000a-portable-car-jump-starter-for-12v-battery-supersafe-lithium-jump-box-booster-pack-for-up-to-8-0l-diesel-10-0l-gas-engines-auto-jump-starter-with-usb-quick-cha/) has the same number for the GP3000. Take those with a large grain of salt though. When Project Farm tested these battery jump starters, he found that almost all of them only delivered about 50-75% of their claimed mah. The GooLoo GP4000 was one of his picks, with the GP2000 farther down the list. Since the GP3000 would fall in between those, it would likely be a decent option.
The caveat is if you have a diesel engine. Then you'd probably want to go toward the higher output ones, as diesels take a bit more to get going.
Well, it turned out to be good timing on the sale. After letting it charge overnight, my old FlyHi was still showing 75% and taking a charge. However, when I unplugged it and tried to turn it on, no dice. I plugged it back in, unplugged it. tried plugging things into the USB and 12v outputs, and nothing. Looks like it's dead.
So I ordered another GP4000 to put in the car. Definitely glad that I checked and found this issue now, rather than discovering it sometime later when I needed the jump starter!
Haven't been up to much prepping wise. Nothing worth reporting yesterday. Today I did a few things for hurricane prep. Picked up a few last minute items at the store and started freezing water bottles so I can bulk up the thermal mass in my fridge. I'm almost certain to lose power Saturday. The question will be for how long.
13,929 steps.
Quote from: majorhavoc on September 14, 2023, 07:26:21 PMHaven't been up to much prepping wise. Nothing worth reporting yesterday. Today I did a few things for hurricane prep. Picked up a few last minute items at the store and started freezing water bottles so I can bulk up the thermal mass in my fridge. I'm almost certain to lose power Saturday. The question will be for how long.
13,929 steps.
That sounds like some important "prepping wise" stuff right there. Getting the last minute preps in place prior to a major weather event is pretty much the sort of stuff this entire forum is about!
Day 14 - Rule #32 (Enjoy) The Little Things (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccp4Rud28Vc)
Zombieland is still one of my favorites, and that clip is appropriate to today's post. You see, it's not one big thing, it's a bunch of little ones that I've been accumulating over the past few weeks.
It's easy to lose track of that final few percent of a project. The one last bit of trim that you ran short of when finishing a room, or painting that one spot that nobody can really see, or organizing the junk drawer after getting done cleaning the rest of the kitchen.
So I've been consciously trying to finish up those little things.
In late August, I removed the tint on the front windows of my truck so that it's legal to drive here in Michigan. Great, but even though I'd scrubbed the windows with regular glass cleaner, there were still a bunch of streaks. So I picked up some Invisible Glass spray (https://a.co/d/bRGn7nQ) and went back to those windows tonight to finally get all the streaks cleaned up so that I can see clearly at night. I've also had a recurring issue with the volume knob in the truck not working well, so I pulled it off and sprayed it with contact cleaner, rather than just cursing whenever it jumps around during use. Much better!
Day 1, where I didn't have enough 9v batteries for all of my alarms? I bought more rechargeables, received them, but I also took the time to check and make sure that they're all working and then charge them up. No sense in replacing partly used batteries just yet, but they're all ready to go as soon as I need them.
Day 5, I replaced all the interior lights on the truck with LED, but it started raining before I could finish up putting the replacements into the puddle lamps. Finally put those in a few days ago so that everything from the kit is finally done.
Day 8 was the winter heating prep for my Mr. Heater Big Buddy. I picked up more gas bottles to replace the ones that I'd used last year and also ordered some accessories, including a storage bag. Everything has arrived, so I packed it all up into the bag (other than the gas bottles, which stay in the garage) and tucked it away for use.
MrHeater_packed.png
I ordered a few items for future preps, which probably won't get done this month. One was to buy a Retekess TR110 (https://a.co/d/7Um7YUl) multi-band pocket radio. It's about the size of a deck of cards, but covers AM, FM, SW, Weather, Air, Ham, VHF, UHF, and CB and is destined for a bag update. I also ordered the compact molle pouches that
@majorhavoc posted about (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=1722.0), to use for a first aid kit.
And tonight I finally did something that I've been neglecting since I bought my house 18 1/2 years ago - I went out and searched the front yard with a metal detector to find my water shutoff! (if you're interested, it's 6ft south of the walkway up to my front door, right next to the house side of the sidewalk, under about 2-3" of grass and dirt) I did see one neighbor looking at me through their front curtains. Apparently it's weird to see someone using a battery powered work light (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?msg=34218) and digging around in their yard with a shovel at 9pm... :smiley_shrug:
None of these were big things, but the big things are made up of lots of little things. And sometimes, those little things are easy to miss!
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 14, 2023, 08:30:15 PMDay 14 - Rule #32 (Enjoy) The Little Things (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccp4Rud28Vc)
Zombieland is still one of my favorites, and that clip is appropriate to today's post. You see, it's not one big thing, it's a bunch of little ones that I've been accumulating over the past few weeks.
It's easy to lose track of that final few percent of a project. The one last bit of trim that you ran short of when finishing a room, or painting that one spot that nobody can really see, or organizing the junk drawer after getting done cleaning the rest of the kitchen.
So I've been consciously trying to finish up those little things.
In late August, I removed the tint on the front windows of my truck so that it's legal to drive here in Michigan. Great, but even though I'd scrubbed the windows with regular glass cleaner, there were still a bunch of streaks. So I picked up some Invisible Glass spray (https://a.co/d/bRGn7nQ) and went back to those windows tonight to finally get all the streaks cleaned up so that I can see clearly at night. I've also had a recurring issue with the volume knob in the truck not working well, so I pulled it off and sprayed it with contact cleaner, rather than just cursing whenever it jumps around during use. Much better!
Day 1, where I didn't have enough 9v batteries for all of my alarms? I bought more rechargeables, received them, but I also took the time to check and make sure that they're all working and then charge them up. No sense in replacing partly used batteries just yet, but they're all ready to go as soon as I need them.
Day 5, I replaced all the interior lights on the truck with LED, but it started raining before I could finish up putting the replacements into the puddle lamps. Finally put those in a few days ago so that everything from the kit is finally done.
Day 8 was the winter heating prep for my Mr. Heater Big Buddy. I picked up more gas bottles to replace the ones that I'd used last year and also ordered some accessories, including a storage bag. Everything has arrived, so I packed it all up into the bag (other than the gas bottles, which stay in the garage) and tucked it away for use.
MrHeater_packed.png
I ordered a few items for future preps, which probably won't get done this month. One was to buy a Retekess TR110 (https://a.co/d/7Um7YUl) multi-band pocket radio. It's about the size of a deck of cards, but covers AM, FM, SW, Weather, Air, Ham, VHF, UHF, and CB and is destined for a bag update. I also ordered the compact molle pouches that @majorhavoc posted about (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=1722.0), to use for a first aid kit.
And tonight I finally did something that I've been neglecting since I bought my house 18 1/2 years ago - I went out and searched the front yard with a metal detector to find my water shutoff! (if you're interested, it's 6ft south of the walkway up to my front door, right next to the house side of the sidewalk, under about 2-3" of grass and dirt) I did see one neighbor looking at me through their front curtains. Apparently it's weird to see someone using a battery powered work light (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?msg=34218) and digging around in their yard with a shovel at 9pm... :smiley_shrug:
None of these were big things, but the big things are made up of lots of little things. And sometimes, those little things are easy to miss!
That pocket radio is decent. It was on my top 5 list. But the Tecsun sold by Countycomm is better. And cheaper if you buy it on Amazon. I did a very deep dive on these awhile back in the Communications section. This thread does not include all of my subsequent research. But if you compare their specs the Tecsun is better. Countycomm also sells excellent accessories. The main and very important difference has something to do with shortwave iirc. But I could be mistaken.
https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=1270.0
Here is an excellent review on swling.com. But read the comments. The 368 a big jump up from the 360. There are other reviews of it on swling as well.
https://swling.com/blog/2021/07/tecsun-pl-368-an-everyman-review/
This is the Tecsun PL368 for $79.99 on Amazon.
Tecsun Digital PL368 AM/FM/LW/SW Worldband Radio with Single Side Band Receiver (Black) https://a.co/d/b68X8JW
Or the previous model for $50.
Tecsun PL-360 Digital PLL Portable AM/FM Shortwave Radio with DSP, Black https://a.co/d/6XO7TJl
Check Countycomm. They make a deak stand that is a handy puck and several other things. Like spare bats. Here it is on their site. It may be worth buying directly from countycomm. As you want the one with the latst firmware. But I think the Amazon one is sold with the latest firmware. I would confirm that with the Amazin seller.
https://countycomm.com/products/countycomm-gp-5-ssb-general-purpose-radio
Quote from: Moab on September 14, 2023, 08:56:40 PMQuote from: EBuff75 on September 14, 2023, 08:30:15 PMDay 14 - Rule #32 (Enjoy) The Little Things (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccp4Rud28Vc)
Zombieland is still one of my favorites, and that clip is appropriate to today's post. You see, it's not one big thing, it's a bunch of little ones that I've been accumulating over the past few weeks.
It's easy to lose track of that final few percent of a project. The one last bit of trim that you ran short of when finishing a room, or painting that one spot that nobody can really see, or organizing the junk drawer after getting done cleaning the rest of the kitchen.
So I've been consciously trying to finish up those little things.
In late August, I removed the tint on the front windows of my truck so that it's legal to drive here in Michigan. Great, but even though I'd scrubbed the windows with regular glass cleaner, there were still a bunch of streaks. So I picked up some Invisible Glass spray (https://a.co/d/bRGn7nQ) and went back to those windows tonight to finally get all the streaks cleaned up so that I can see clearly at night. I've also had a recurring issue with the volume knob in the truck not working well, so I pulled it off and sprayed it with contact cleaner, rather than just cursing whenever it jumps around during use. Much better!
Day 1, where I didn't have enough 9v batteries for all of my alarms? I bought more rechargeables, received them, but I also took the time to check and make sure that they're all working and then charge them up. No sense in replacing partly used batteries just yet, but they're all ready to go as soon as I need them.
Day 5, I replaced all the interior lights on the truck with LED, but it started raining before I could finish up putting the replacements into the puddle lamps. Finally put those in a few days ago so that everything from the kit is finally done.
Day 8 was the winter heating prep for my Mr. Heater Big Buddy. I picked up more gas bottles to replace the ones that I'd used last year and also ordered some accessories, including a storage bag. Everything has arrived, so I packed it all up into the bag (other than the gas bottles, which stay in the garage) and tucked it away for use.
MrHeater_packed.png
I ordered a few items for future preps, which probably won't get done this month. One was to buy a Retekess TR110 (https://a.co/d/7Um7YUl) multi-band pocket radio. It's about the size of a deck of cards, but covers AM, FM, SW, Weather, Air, Ham, VHF, UHF, and CB and is destined for a bag update. I also ordered the compact molle pouches that @majorhavoc posted about (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=1722.0), to use for a first aid kit.
And tonight I finally did something that I've been neglecting since I bought my house 18 1/2 years ago - I went out and searched the front yard with a metal detector to find my water shutoff! (if you're interested, it's 6ft south of the walkway up to my front door, right next to the house side of the sidewalk, under about 2-3" of grass and dirt) I did see one neighbor looking at me through their front curtains. Apparently it's weird to see someone using a battery powered work light (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?msg=34218) and digging around in their yard with a shovel at 9pm... :smiley_shrug:
None of these were big things, but the big things are made up of lots of little things. And sometimes, those little things are easy to miss!
That pocket radio is decent. It was on my top 5 list. But the Tecsun sold by Countycomm is better. And cheaper if you buy it on Amazon. I did a very deep dive on these awhile back in the Communications section. This thread does not include all of my subsequent research. But if you compare their specs the Tecsun is better. Countycomm also sells excellent accessories. The main and very important difference has something to do with shortwave iirc. But I could be mistaken.
https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=1270.0
Here is an excellent review on swling.com. But read the comments. The 368 a big jump up from the 360. There are other reviews of it on swling as well.
https://swling.com/blog/2021/07/tecsun-pl-368-an-everyman-review/
This is the Tecsun PL368 for $79.99 on Amazon.
Tecsun Digital PL368 AM/FM/LW/SW Worldband Radio with Single Side Band Receiver (Black) https://a.co/d/b68X8JW
Or the previous model for $50.
Tecsun PL-360 Digital PLL Portable AM/FM Shortwave Radio with DSP, Black https://a.co/d/6XO7TJl
Check Countycomm. They make a deak stand that is a handy puck and several other things. Like spare bats. Here it is on their site. It may be worth buying directly from countycomm. As you want the one with the latst firmware. But I think the Amazon one is sold with the latest firmware. I would confirm that with the Amazin seller.
https://countycomm.com/products/countycomm-gp-5-ssb-general-purpose-radio
One of my requirements was that the radio have the NOAA weather band radio, which the Tecsun doesn't have. I still have that radio on my list as well (and yes, I've ordered things from CountyComm in the past :D ), but the Retekess had the weather band, was smaller, and I got it on sale for $55! (I also received an email from them that they're sending me a free antenna adapter of some type, which wasn't even mentioned in the original sale) Since it's intended for an EDC bag that's already limited on size/capacity, the smaller the better for the radio, and the Retekess is the size of a deck of cards.
Interestingly, both radios use the same battery: a BL-5C 3.7v 1000mah lithium-ion rechargeable. I've already got some spares that I bought for another Retekess radio (a V115 that I've had for a couple of years) that uses them too.
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 14, 2023, 09:40:25 PMQuote from: Moab on September 14, 2023, 08:56:40 PMQuote from: EBuff75 on September 14, 2023, 08:30:15 PMDay 14 - Rule #32 (Enjoy) The Little Things (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccp4Rud28Vc)
Zombieland is still one of my favorites, and that clip is appropriate to today's post. You see, it's not one big thing, it's a bunch of little ones that I've been accumulating over the past few weeks.
It's easy to lose track of that final few percent of a project. The one last bit of trim that you ran short of when finishing a room, or painting that one spot that nobody can really see, or organizing the junk drawer after getting done cleaning the rest of the kitchen.
So I've been consciously trying to finish up those little things.
In late August, I removed the tint on the front windows of my truck so that it's legal to drive here in Michigan. Great, but even though I'd scrubbed the windows with regular glass cleaner, there were still a bunch of streaks. So I picked up some Invisible Glass spray (https://a.co/d/bRGn7nQ) and went back to those windows tonight to finally get all the streaks cleaned up so that I can see clearly at night. I've also had a recurring issue with the volume knob in the truck not working well, so I pulled it off and sprayed it with contact cleaner, rather than just cursing whenever it jumps around during use. Much better!
Day 1, where I didn't have enough 9v batteries for all of my alarms? I bought more rechargeables, received them, but I also took the time to check and make sure that they're all working and then charge them up. No sense in replacing partly used batteries just yet, but they're all ready to go as soon as I need them.
Day 5, I replaced all the interior lights on the truck with LED, but it started raining before I could finish up putting the replacements into the puddle lamps. Finally put those in a few days ago so that everything from the kit is finally done.
Day 8 was the winter heating prep for my Mr. Heater Big Buddy. I picked up more gas bottles to replace the ones that I'd used last year and also ordered some accessories, including a storage bag. Everything has arrived, so I packed it all up into the bag (other than the gas bottles, which stay in the garage) and tucked it away for use.
MrHeater_packed.png
I ordered a few items for future preps, which probably won't get done this month. One was to buy a Retekess TR110 (https://a.co/d/7Um7YUl) multi-band pocket radio. It's about the size of a deck of cards, but covers AM, FM, SW, Weather, Air, Ham, VHF, UHF, and CB and is destined for a bag update. I also ordered the compact molle pouches that @majorhavoc posted about (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=1722.0), to use for a first aid kit.
And tonight I finally did something that I've been neglecting since I bought my house 18 1/2 years ago - I went out and searched the front yard with a metal detector to find my water shutoff! (if you're interested, it's 6ft south of the walkway up to my front door, right next to the house side of the sidewalk, under about 2-3" of grass and dirt) I did see one neighbor looking at me through their front curtains. Apparently it's weird to see someone using a battery powered work light (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?msg=34218) and digging around in their yard with a shovel at 9pm... :smiley_shrug:
None of these were big things, but the big things are made up of lots of little things. And sometimes, those little things are easy to miss!
That pocket radio is decent. It was on my top 5 list. But the Tecsun sold by Countycomm is better. And cheaper if you buy it on Amazon. I did a very deep dive on these awhile back in the Communications section. This thread does not include all of my subsequent research. But if you compare their specs the Tecsun is better. Countycomm also sells excellent accessories. The main and very important difference has something to do with shortwave iirc. But I could be mistaken.
https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=1270.0
Here is an excellent review on swling.com. But read the comments. The 368 a big jump up from the 360. There are other reviews of it on swling as well.
https://swling.com/blog/2021/07/tecsun-pl-368-an-everyman-review/
This is the Tecsun PL368 for $79.99 on Amazon.
Tecsun Digital PL368 AM/FM/LW/SW Worldband Radio with Single Side Band Receiver (Black) https://a.co/d/b68X8JW
Or the previous model for $50.
Tecsun PL-360 Digital PLL Portable AM/FM Shortwave Radio with DSP, Black https://a.co/d/6XO7TJl
Check Countycomm. They make a deak stand that is a handy puck and several other things. Like spare bats. Here it is on their site. It may be worth buying directly from countycomm. As you want the one with the latst firmware. But I think the Amazon one is sold with the latest firmware. I would confirm that with the Amazin seller.
https://countycomm.com/products/countycomm-gp-5-ssb-general-purpose-radio
One of my requirements was that the radio have the NOAA weather band radio, which the Tecsun doesn't have. I still have that radio on my list as well (and yes, I've ordered things from CountyComm in the past :D ), but the Retekess had the weather band, was smaller, and I got it on sale for $55! (I also received an email from them that they're sending me a free antenna adapter of some type, which wasn't even mentioned in the original sale) Since it's intended for an EDC bag that's already limited on size/capacity, the smaller the better for the radio, and the Retekess is the size of a deck of cards.
Interestingly, both radios use the same battery: a BL-5C 3.7v 1000mah lithium-ion rechargeable. I've already got some spares that I bought for another Retekess radio (a V115 that I've had for a couple of years) that uses them too.
At $55 I like it. :) Countycomm used to sell a shortwave radio that was the size of a deck of cards. I had one it was great. You might consider storing it with some disecant(sp?). To keep it dry. I only used mine a few times. But it was stored in my pack for years. And died.
I know the noaa problem. I don't know why alot if radios don't include those freqs. I have a scanner. So I use that for noaa.
After my research I decided I wanted the Uniden Home patrol scanner. It does trunked pokice stations without having to kniw anything about it. You just diwnload the latest siftware. And it picks up all the trunked police stations. It also has a complete range of freqs. But its like $450.
I used to be a scanner head. Before trunking came along. I had a pretty advanced set up for the time. As I was a working PI. I could videotape someone talking on their cellphone. And include the audio from the phone call on the videotape. I also got local pd car radio traffic. So I knew whenever there was a cop in the area. Their radio would immediately come up on my audio. And I could hear what they were saying.
But the funnest thing was listening to the hams talk shit to each other. I heard the greatest come back ever on ham radio one night. While sitting on surveillance. But it was very dependant on its delivery. This one guy was fed up with some other guy. He said "Come on up to my place. You'll be pickin' teeth out of your shit for the next three weeks.". I laughed for a good half hour from that one. But you had to hear it from the redneck that said it. It was funny as hell. Thise guys would sit and talk shit to each other all night.
You get bored while on surveillance. ;)
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 (https://www.18650batterystore.com/products/gyrfalcon-all-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 (https://a.co/d/bbo4Fi5), two other work lights (similar to these (https://a.co/d/2XaghRJ)), and one more like this (https://a.co/d/58wMmHy)
- Recharged all my USB power banks (I think I counted 15)
- Recharged several "light bulbs (https://a.co/d/gjfDtkL)" / hangable lights (https://a.co/d/czuq1Q5)
- 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 (https://a.co/d/c1VEzVR) / PA system
- Recharge wireless microphones (https://a.co/d/26inIn4) 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!! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfC0V0ivNCM) 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!
Battery_charging.jpg
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.
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 15, 2023, 09:45:52 PMDay 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 (https://www.18650batterystore.com/products/gyrfalcon-all-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 (https://a.co/d/bbo4Fi5), two other work lights (similar to these (https://a.co/d/2XaghRJ)), and one more like this (https://a.co/d/58wMmHy)
- Recharged all my USB power banks (I think I counted 15)
- Recharged several "light bulbs (https://a.co/d/gjfDtkL)" / hangable lights (https://a.co/d/czuq1Q5)
- 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 (https://a.co/d/c1VEzVR) / PA system
- Recharge wireless microphones (https://a.co/d/26inIn4) 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!! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfC0V0ivNCM) 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!
Battery_charging.jpg
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.
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 (https://greatlakespreppers.com/), 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 (https://www.dixielandfleamkt.com/), 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.
Quote from: Moab on September 16, 2023, 11:02:32 AMYou 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!
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 16, 2023, 02:00:38 PMQuote from: Moab on September 16, 2023, 11:02:32 AMYou 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.
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 16, 2023, 01:57:50 PMDay 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 (https://greatlakespreppers.com/), 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 (https://www.dixielandfleamkt.com/), 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!
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 (https://a.co/d/81q6F6i), 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 (https://a.co/d/4Ea0zgS) 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...
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 17, 2023, 08:11:38 PMDay 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 (https://a.co/d/81q6F6i), 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 (https://a.co/d/4Ea0zgS) 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.
Quote from: Moab on September 17, 2023, 11:13:31 PMQuote from: EBuff75 on September 17, 2023, 08:11:38 PMDay 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 (https://a.co/d/81q6F6i), 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 (https://a.co/d/4Ea0zgS) 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.
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 18, 2023, 08:18:02 AMQuote from: Moab on September 17, 2023, 11:13:31 PMQuote from: EBuff75 on September 17, 2023, 08:11:38 PMDay 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 (https://a.co/d/81q6F6i), 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 (https://a.co/d/4Ea0zgS) 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.
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).
Attic_After.jpg
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.
Day 18 - Restart hydroponics and microgreens
The new pump arrived today and I jumped right in and restarted the hydroponics (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?msg=34780). 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!
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.
AnkleKit_updated.jpg
Left pocket: Two pairs of nitrile gloves, a 4" Israeli bandage, a Sting-Kill (https://a.co/d/5yJ6e6D) 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 (https://a.co/d/7UaFC4w) antibacterial bandages (1x3.25 in) in place of some old generic band-aids.
Right pocket: Rolled gauze (non-sterile), Celox granules (https://a.co/d/6QOnn9V), SWAT-T tourniquet (https://a.co/d/1DcGc5T), 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 (https://a.co/d/3dx0WHW), 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 (https://a.co/d/9K8ImOa) (2x2in), Care Science Hydrogel burn pad (https://a.co/d/0g5oyfp) (2x3in), and a 3M Tegaderm Film (https://a.co/d/baS7Rka) (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 (https://a.co/d/8cAjdjN) and a package of aspirin (if directed, can be chewed for treatment of heart attack (https://www.healthline.com/health/heart-attack/aspirin-for-heart-attack#during-a-heart-attack))
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 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! ;)
Quote from: Raptor on September 19, 2023, 11:15:17 PMI 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.
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/~7AAAOSwgTFZ3wwr/s-l400.jpg)
Quote from: MacWa77ace on September 20, 2023, 10:14:56 AMQuote from: Raptor on September 19, 2023, 11:15:17 PMI 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.
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/~7AAAOSwgTFZ3wwr/s-l400.jpg)
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!
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?
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 20, 2023, 08:05:34 PMDay 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.
Day 21 - Review of Rockpals Freeman 600 power station (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=1739.0)
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!
Day 22 - Air filters
I've usually read that you're supposed to change your furnace / air conditioning filter every three months, but I've generally gone longer than that, just because I don't have any pets, I don't smoke, and it's just me here. Usually about 6 months is more realistic for my house.
Umm... Okay, so the one that was in there was dated from 2 years ago. Bad homeowner! *smacks hand* I've been using 3M Filtrete MPR 2200 MERV 13 filters (https://a.co/d/4jS1BHb) since Covid hit. It's a bit of overkill, but given that I have a number of environmental allergies, it can't hurt (other than costing a bit more). The filter was dirty, but I could still see light through it, even after 2 years!
I also have a Blueair 311 Auto air filter (https://a.co/d/3n8Mwk5) in my bedroom for my allergies. I swapped the filter on it a few months ago, so that's fine, but there is a cloth bag that fits around the unit as a pre-filter. The idea is it take it off and wash it, but it's so hard to get it fitted back on correctly, that I don't want to risk any shrinkage / becoming misshapen due to being washed. Instead, I just vacuum the exterior of it periodically to get an accumulated dust off. I did that this morning, so in theory, the air in my house will be cleaner and fresher after taking these two actions today!
This was a quick one today, as I'm off to work at our Oktoberfest this evening and wouldn't have time for anything else.
Well since we got that storm coming last night/today topped off battery banks, cell charging, made sure the usb hanging lights are with the battery banks. Umbrellas/ rain gear by the door.
Mowed the yard, firewood is always on the porch for the fire place. The extra/give away flashlights are also counted and staged.
Quote from: Rednex on September 22, 2023, 03:43:20 PMWell since we got that storm coming last night/today topped off battery banks, cell charging, made sure the usb hanging lights are with the battery banks. Umbrellas/ rain gear by the door.
Mowed the yard, firewood is always on the porch for the fire place. The extra/give away flashlights are also counted and staged.
Getting that sort of stuff dealt with beforehand really helps with feeling like you'll get through a storm like that, doesn't it? I always try to do the same thing here if I know a big storm is coming. I also usually add in some housekeeping items, like vacuuming and laundry, just in case I lose power and can't do it for a few days.
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 22, 2023, 10:40:34 AMDay 22 - Air filters
I've usually read that you're supposed to change your furnace / air conditioning filter every three months, but I've generally gone longer than that, just because I don't have any pets, I don't smoke, and it's just me here. Usually about 6 months is more realistic for my house.
Umm... Okay, so the one that was in there was dated from 2 years ago. Bad homeowner! *smacks hand* I've been using 3M Filtrete MPR 2200 MERV 13 filters (https://a.co/d/4jS1BHb) since Covid hit. It's a bit of overkill, but given that I have a number of environmental allergies, it can't hurt (other than costing a bit more). The filter was dirty, but I could still see light through it, even after 2 years!
I also have a Blueair 311 Auto air filter (https://a.co/d/3n8Mwk5) in my bedroom for my allergies. I swapped the filter on it a few months ago, so that's fine, but there is a cloth bag that fits around the unit as a pre-filter. The idea is it take it off and wash it, but it's so hard to get it fitted back on correctly, that I don't want to risk any shrinkage / becoming misshapen due to being washed. Instead, I just vacuum the exterior of it periodically to get an accumulated dust off. I did that this morning, so in theory, the air in my house will be cleaner and fresher after taking these two actions today!
This was a quick one today, as I'm off to work at our Oktoberfest this evening and wouldn't have time for anything else.
We change our furnace filter every month . Buy them by the six pk off Amazon.
Day 23 (ish) - Fill 2 additional gas cans
The ice storm this past February had me refilling my two gas cans about every other day until the power came back on, as my generator runs through around 6 gal per day. Just to give myself a little extra time without needing to fill up, I ordered two new 5 gallon gas cans (https://a.co/d/0jae3YG) (no, nothing cool, just plain plastic ones). Of course, they arrived today while I was working at Oktoberfest all day, so I didn't technically do this on Saturday, as it was a little after midnight when I took them to the station to fill. Back home, I added Sta-bil to each can (I do this every time I fill one up) and put them with the others.
It's now 1am and I worked 13 hours at our Oktoberfest event on Saturday, so I'm going to sleep. G'night everyone!
Day 24 - R&R and a few small things
This weekend was exhausting. Friday was a regular work day, plus an additional 6+ hours of standing / walking around at our Oktoberfest as part of CERT. I got home around 11:30 that evening and basically collapsed in bed.
Saturday, I got up early enough to sort of reset and then headed over again at 10:30 that morning to sand down some rough edges on our hay wagon. There had been some repairs made to the loading / unloading area, but the wood was roughly cut and hadn't been sanded. Since I wasn't looking forward to removing splinters from people all day, I brought one of my power stations and an angle grinder with a flap disc and spent about 5 mins smoothing everything out. This is a good example of why I wanted to have at least one large power station (a Rockpals 1300, which I haven't reviewed yet) that can handle power tools. The wagon was sitting in the middle of a parking lot, and while I could've strung out some extension cords to get to it, this was a lot easier!
After that, I left and ran a few quick errands before returning and spending 13 hours there again, most of it standing around in a parking lot. And even after that, I pushed through and filled two new gas cans and then treated the gas before I called it a night, finally wrapping things up around 1am.
So today I didn't do a whole lot, because I needed some time to relax and recover! Of course, my computer monitor (a 43" 4k TV) died first thing this morning and I had to order a new one. But I did get a few small things done in the last few days that I'll claim for today.
After inspecting my ankle kit last week, I ordered a few new things for it. Most of those have arrived and I've updated the kit to include: a new triple antibiotic packet, an hydrogel burn pad, a package of Steri-Strips, a sheet of Tegaderm film, and a CPR mask. The CPR mask was a bit of an issue because it made the pocket so thick that I couldn't get the Velcro to close around my ankle. I finally solved it by sticking the Velcro retainer for the scissors through the keychain and then Velcroing the whole thing down. I'm still waiting on the bleed-stop gauze pad, but I'll tuck that in as well once it arrives.
The CPR mask is the yellow thing under the black Velcro strip right in the middle. The other yellow thing that is sticking out of the small pocket is the aspirin packet.
Ankle_revised.jpg
In addition to the hydroponics that I restarted this week, I also restarted my microgreens. A few months back, I'd ordered some digital timers to use with the grow lights, but then ended up pausing my microgreens for a while and never even unboxed the timers. Today I pulled them out, set the time and the on / off times and plugged the lights in. One more thing off the list. I still need to get some new plastic wood pieces to make the shelves a little larger, which is something else I may get to this week.
And finally, I went down in the basement and took some measurements for where I want to put the new storage shelves, along with measurements for the bins that will go into them. It works out to being able to hold up to 20 bins, which is more than what I have. That's a good thing though, as it'll let me put other items on the shelves too. Now I just need to finalize the design. Hopefully I'll get those built this week.
Quote from: flybynight on September 22, 2023, 10:43:07 PMQuote from: EBuff75 on September 22, 2023, 10:40:34 AMDay 22 - Air filters
I've usually read that you're supposed to change your furnace / air conditioning filter every three months, but I've generally gone longer than that, just because I don't have any pets, I don't smoke, and it's just me here. Usually about 6 months is more realistic for my house.
Umm... Okay, so the one that was in there was dated from 2 years ago. Bad homeowner! *smacks hand* I've been using 3M Filtrete MPR 2200 MERV 13 filters (https://a.co/d/4jS1BHb) since Covid hit. It's a bit of overkill, but given that I have a number of environmental allergies, it can't hurt (other than costing a bit more). The filter was dirty, but I could still see light through it, even after 2 years!
I also have a Blueair 311 Auto air filter (https://a.co/d/3n8Mwk5) in my bedroom for my allergies. I swapped the filter on it a few months ago, so that's fine, but there is a cloth bag that fits around the unit as a pre-filter. The idea is it take it off and wash it, but it's so hard to get it fitted back on correctly, that I don't want to risk any shrinkage / becoming misshapen due to being washed. Instead, I just vacuum the exterior of it periodically to get an accumulated dust off. I did that this morning, so in theory, the air in my house will be cleaner and fresher after taking these two actions today!
This was a quick one today, as I'm off to work at our Oktoberfest this evening and wouldn't have time for anything else.
We change our furnace filter every month . Buy them by the six pk off Amazon.
This one thing, regular filter changes, is key to efficient hvac operation.
The high MERV filters can be problematic if system is not designed with this level of filtration in mind. It reduces airflow and hence efficiency. They clog faster which further reduces airflow. There is not really one size fits all solution since there are so many variables.
That said if you go with the high MERV filters change them frequently.
I use a lower MERV filter (800) and change them every 30 days in June, July,August & September when the HVAC runs a lot and extend the interval to 60 days the rest of the year. YMMV.
Day 25 - Clean my concealed carry & bedroom guns
I'd neglected cleaning my carry guns for a while and both my Ruger LCP II and LCP Max were particularly bad, given the opening at the back for the hammer (they'd each gotten quite a bit of lint in them). Probably still would have worked, but I obviously need to be better about cleaning them on a regular basis.
I think that one of my Para Ordnance Warthog mags has a spring in it from a full-sized (14-round) mag, rather than the shorter, 10-round mag for that gun. It was at least three inches longer than the others when removed and I have some punctures on my hand from finally stuffing it all back in there. I managed to get the mag loaded again, but I really had to put some muscle into it, even with a MagLula. Shouldn't have any feed problems with that one!
And I'd forgotten how hard it is to get new-ish Glock mags apart for cleaning (my bedside table gun is a G23). Those base plates just about killed me to get them loose! But after applying enough leverage with the punch, I managed to pry them off. That part of the cleaning probably wasn't needed, as they haven't been shot since I last cleaned them, but it's the principle of the thing. As long as I'm cleaning the gun, I should clean the mags too.
Finally, the shotgun really just needed to be dusted off. I wiped everything down, lubed it, and made sure that the batteries in the Surefire foregrip light were still good and then reloaded it.
Here's your gun-cleaning-PSA: Make sure that you have your med kit handy, just in case.
Cleaning guns is a frequent time for a negligent discharge, but it's also a time when it's easy to get fingers caught in slides, gash your hands open on sharp surfaces, or just punch various holes in your fingers from the damned mag springs... Some of those aren't all that bad, but it's better to be safe than sorry!
Oh, and I watched Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves while I was cleaning the guns. I'd never seen it, but it's on Amazon right now and I'd heard good things. I enjoyed it, although it's relatively predictable and the main characters didn't really ever seem to be in much peril.
Day 26 - Misc - headlights, covid tests, winter vehicle bags, and cleaning out the car
Today was a miscellaneous day. With the announcement that you can get free covid tests (https://www.covid.gov/tests) mailed to you again, I ordered mine this morning. I've got a few left over from before (some of which I bought myself), but I'll add to my stash for the next time I need to use them.
I'm taking my car to the shop tomorrow for a few repairs. The most urgent is to get an exhaust leak fixed, but I'm also having the mechanic change out the low beam bulbs (mine are original - 18 years old!) for a newer, and hopefully brighter, set. Because it'll likely end up parked at the shop for a few days, I cleared out the trunk and interior, so that there isn't anything of value left in it. While it's there, I'll also have him check for any codes that might be stored after the electrical freakout a week and a half ago, but I doubt that he'll find anything.
My Suburban has regular halogen lights in it and they're extremely pathetic (maybe 200 lumens each). I'm considering swapping out the whole headlight unit for one with projector lenses, but for now, I've gone ahead and ordered some LED bulbs (https://a.co/d/8LDXQMM) that'll fit my current setup. Hopefully, the existing housings will still focus the light enough that I'm not blinding other vehicles, but I'll have to see once I get the bulbs. My test method for this is easy - park the truck behind my car, turn the truck headlights on, and then sit in my car and see if I'm blinded! I try very hard not to be one of those a$$#*!&s out there with ultra-bright, badly-aimed headlights that blind everyone, even with upgraded lights. So far, I've managed to do a pretty good job of that!
I've also started the process of getting my winter vehicle bags together. I still have a few food items to pick up and then I'll go through each of the bags to see if there is anything else missing that I need to fill in. I think that they're all set from last year, but I"ll have to check and make sure. I've got the list and I'll pull everything out of each bag to check them off as I go.
You may want to consider an LED light bar instead. If you mount it on the front bumper and point it down they provide ample illumination.
https://www.amazon.com/Slim-Light-Bar-Waterproof-Lightbar/dp/B0BJ71SZTR/ref=sr_1_4?crid=28P92GYN9I8TF&keywords=led%2Blight%2Bbar&qid=1695833441&s=automotive&sprefix=led%2Blight%2Bbar%2Cautomotive%2C85&sr=1-4&th=1
I drive on 2 lane highways at night a lot lately. I have noticed that a properly aimed light bar ( a small one) when aimed properly is not as dazzling as regular low beam headlights on vehicles like trucks.
Quote from: Raptor on September 27, 2023, 11:54:48 AMYou may want to consider an LED light bar instead. If you mount it on the front bumper and point it down they provide ample illumination.
https://www.amazon.com/Slim-Light-Bar-Waterproof-Lightbar/dp/B0BJ71SZTR/ref=sr_1_4?crid=28P92GYN9I8TF&keywords=led%2Blight%2Bbar&qid=1695833441&s=automotive&sprefix=led%2Blight%2Bbar%2Cautomotive%2C85&sr=1-4&th=1
I drive on 2 lane highways at night a lot lately. I have noticed that a properly aimed light bar ( a small one) when aimed properly is not as dazzling as regular low beam headlights on vehicles like trucks.
Unfortunately, that's not an option in Michigan. Any additional lights like that (ditch lights, light bar, light rack, even underglow or wheel lights) are only legal if you're off-road. On-road you're limited to at most 4 lights: low+fog, high+driving (if equipped, which is very unusual nowadays), or low+high. (and no, I have no idea how that works with some of the newer cars that have multiple LED lights for the headlights, but presumably they've re-written the law to account for OEM lights while still outlawing aftermarket lights)
This generation of Suburban is "4-way" high beams (low+high) and the fog lights shut off automatically if you turn on the highs. My old one also shut off the fog lights, but then would switch to high-only, which is why I put in a mod to leave the low beams on when the highs were activated. As an aside, if you're running xenon HID lights in your lows, they need to stay on so that you aren't momentarily without useable light when switching back from high to low, due to the warm-up required for xenon bulbs.
Supposedly, the factory light housings have a fairly decent cutoff to them. I'll find out when I install the new "bulbs" and if there is too much glare, I'll return them so that I won't be "that guy." If it turns out to be the case I'll have to get some aftermarket headlights that have projector lenses in them. Unfortunately, unless I spend an absurd amount of money (like $1800), all of the aftermarket headlights use H1 / H7 bulbs, which aren't as easy to find high-end LEDs for.
Quote from: EBuff75 on September 27, 2023, 12:53:17 PMQuote from: Raptor on September 27, 2023, 11:54:48 AMYou may want to consider an LED light bar instead. If you mount it on the front bumper and point it down they provide ample illumination.
https://www.amazon.com/Slim-Light-Bar-Waterproof-Lightbar/dp/B0BJ71SZTR/ref=sr_1_4?crid=28P92GYN9I8TF&keywords=led%2Blight%2Bbar&qid=1695833441&s=automotive&sprefix=led%2Blight%2Bbar%2Cautomotive%2C85&sr=1-4&th=1
I drive on 2 lane highways at night a lot lately. I have noticed that a properly aimed light bar ( a small one) when aimed properly is not as dazzling as regular low beam headlights on vehicles like trucks.
Unfortunately, that's not an option in Michigan. Any additional lights like that (ditch lights, light bar, light rack, even underglow or wheel lights) are only legal if you're off-road. On-road you're limited to at most 4 lights: low+fog, high+driving (if equipped, which is very unusual nowadays), or low+high. (and no, I have no idea how that works with some of the newer cars that have multiple LED lights for the headlights, but presumably they've re-written the law to account for OEM lights while still outlawing aftermarket lights)
This generation of Suburban is "4-way" high beams (low+high) and the fog lights shut off automatically if you turn on the highs. My old one also shut off the fog lights, but then would switch to high-only, which is why I put in a mod to leave the low beams on when the highs were activated. As an aside, if you're running xenon HID lights in your lows, they need to stay on so that you aren't momentarily without useable light when switching back from high to low, due to the warm-up required for xenon bulbs.
Supposedly, the factory light housings have a fairly decent cutoff to them. I'll find out when I install the new "bulbs" and if there is too much glare, I'll return them so that I won't be "that guy." If it turns out to be the case I'll have to get some aftermarket headlights that have projector lenses in them. Unfortunately, unless I spend an absurd amount of money (like $1800), all of the aftermarket headlights use H1 / H7 bulbs, which aren't as easy to find high-end LEDs for.
Headlights have been a big issue in the Jeep community. As both the TJ and JKs both have terrible factory headlights. The best solution that anyone came up with for less money is the Trucklite LED knockoffs from China. Trucklite makes some of the best LED headlights out there. But they are very expensive. Several hundred dollars. I and many others have way to much other stuff to spend money on than $500 headlights! Which I think is a ridiculous cost.
So many Jeep guys switched to these exact replicas for under $100 a set. I had them on my TJ for 3+ years. And plan to put them on my new JK.
These are specifically for Jeeps. But I know Trucklite makes them for Suburbans. So there must be a knockoff for your suv as well. I don't have time to research which ones would work for you at the moment. But I'll try later. They are a direct fit. No mods. And they plug right into your existing wiring harness.
They are WAY WAY better than stock. Don't heat up like a HID or need special wiring figured out and customized. They won't blind incoming traffic. But provide some of the best light I have ever seen.
Here's the thread on them at the Jeep forum with pics.
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/replaced-headlights-with-truck-lite-knockoffs.6239/
Here are mine listed in Amazon. But better orices can be found in ebay. Once you figure out which ones you need.
WHDZ 7 Inch Round Led Headlight for Wrangler CJ JK TJ Motorcycle Offroad Vehicles https://a.co/d/5HQancK
What year is your suburban?
My (new to me) Suburban is a 2013 and the headlight assembly is the same on the Tahoe and Avalanche (roughly from 2007-2013, but there's some variation on start/end dates between those models). There are a number of aftermarket replacement headlamp assemblies for it which are clustered in the $250 range (Akkon, AmeriLite, Acanii - no idea why they all start with an 'A'). Higher end units are available from companies like AlphaRex ($1130) or Black Flame Customs (everything is customizable and pricing starts at $1100).
The stock bulbs are H11 and 9006, but those aftermarket assemblies in the $250-range all use H1 and H7 bulbs. On my old truck, the aftermarket assemblies used the same as the stock, which made switching over a lot easier.
Aftermarket support for trucks like mine is just a fraction of what's out there for Jeeps and even getting parts can start getting difficult. I've been waiting for four months on a new door panel, with no end in sight for when it'll finally be in stock through the local dealer. And no luck whatsoever at finding one online through a salvage place.
If these bulbs don't work out, I'll probably bite the bullet and order a set of the aftermarket assemblies and start searching for bulbs that I like to go in them. I've been upgrading my headlights ever since high school, back when the best options were just to get a higher-quality version of the sealed beam lights that went on my cars! That was the first time I was exposed to some of the earliest SilverStar bulbs.
Nowadays, things are much, much better, but I still spend a ton of time doing research! I'm subscribed to several YouTube channels who do bulb reviews (Bulb Facts and Car Light Reviews (https://www.youtube.com/@CarLightReviews)) and I've been using the Bulb Facts website (https://www.bulbfacts.com/) now for years. I use those to sort out some of the chaff each time that I'm doing upgrades. My car is all set right now, but I'm still sorting the truck.
Day 27 - Time with friends & winter car bags
I'm on vacation this week, but my team at work had an outing planned, so I tagged along. The fun part was that it included two people who have retired in the last few years and one former team member (who moved to a different department). So I got to see some people that I haven't seen in a while. We all met up at a cider mill, had doughnuts & cider, did a lot of laughing and catching up, then left and had dinner at an upscale Mexican restaurant. All in all, I think that everyone had a great time, although the spit take (a real Hollywood-style one!) while at the cider mill was probably the best moment! (we keep a running list of funniest / most memorable times and then go through the list at the end of the year - that will definitely be on it)
Since our company is work from home (you can go into the office if you'd like, but most people don't), we don't see each other in person all that much (we've been WFH since Covid started) and it's nice to get to hang out and do something fun like this. We were missing two people who are in Texas right now doing a client visit, but everyone else was there.
Tonight I spent some time going through the winter bags for each vehicle. I'm not quite done yet, as I had to order a few items, but they're pretty close now. I laid everything out on the floor, went through it all, checked it against the list, and repacked what I've got so far. The kits aren't exactly the same, since there's quite a bit more room in the Suburban than in my Mazda hatchback, but quite a bit of it is. Most of the items should be here by Friday and I'll post some pictures with the whole list once they've arrived.
And don't worry - I did a "quality check" of the candy bars that I put into the bags and the one I tested was good. However, I might have to check some of the others too, just to be sure... :smiley_chinrub:
Day 28 - New headlights in the truck
The new LED "bulbs" arrived today and I installed them this evening. HUGE difference! And yes, I did check the aim and the cutoff (I even checked that the truck was sitting level and measured the height of the point of aim compared to the headlight height). If anything, I could probably aim them upward a bit more, but I'll leave them the way they are for a while to make sure that I'm not blinding other drivers (I'll keep an eye out for people flashing their lights at me).
Before. Yes, they really were that dim.
Suburban_headlights_before.jpg
Halfway along. The cutoff is better than it looks (the camera was having difficulty with how bright the glare was off the door).
Suburban_headlights_half.jpg
And after! (I need to clean the camera lens on my phone)
Suburban_headlights_after.jpg
Now that I've confirmed that the low beams are okay, I'll go ahead and order high beams and probably fogs as well. I went for a quick drive after installing them this evening and the new ones are just soooo much better. The truck will be a lot safer to drive at night now.
I'm headed to my 30th high school reunion this weekend, which was a big part of why I wanted to get this done. I'll be driving back after dark and really didn't want to make a 2hr drive at night with the old bulbs.
UPDATE: I've ordered new high beams and fog lights that will arrive next week.
Day 29 - Prepping the basement for shelves & misc purchases at Menards
I had hoped to get some storage shelves built this week, but it's looking like that might not happen. However, I did spend some time today clearing out the space where the shelves will go and double-checking my measurements. The space isn't huge, so the shelves will only be about 6'6" wide. One of the reasons for double-checking the measurements was to confirm that there will be enough space on the top shelf for my 12v fridge (which is a little over 17" tall). The top shelf has variable clearance due to pipes and vents which cross that area. Having a 45 lb fridge on the top shelf isn't ideal, but if I made one of the lower shelves large enough to fit it, the top shelf would have to be much shorter. Since that top shelf will only be at 64", it won't be too bad.
The Menards trip was actually supposed to be for the materials to build the shelves, but the pickings were slim in the lumber department, so I did some miscellaneous shopping instead. I have a number of small projects to do and picked up some of the items for them - outlets to replace a few in my bedroom that are worn out (will barely hold plugs), oversize outlet covers for a couple of very badly cut openings in my office, and some winter work gloves to go in the truck.
There was also a sale bin full of various "tie downs" aka rope & bungees. So I brought back a few packages of jute rope and some "550" cord (which isn't the real stuff, but is fine for general light-duty rope use). After all, you can never have too much rope! Finally, I picked up some 1 pound gas cylinders, as they were on sale for $60 / 12-pack. I'd already gotten a 4-pack at Sam's Club, so this puts me in a good place if I need to run my Mr Heater Big Buddy heater again this winter.
I would've gone across the street to Home Depot to see if they had the lumber that I needed, but Fridays there are a zoo and I didn't want to deal with it. I may hit them up Sunday evening or sometime next week when they aren't as busy. Technically, Menards had everything that I was looking for, but the 2x4s, 2x2s, and half-sheets of plywood that I needed were all picked over and everything that was left was ragged, chipped, warped, broken, or all of the above.
On the plus side, they may have some paneling that is a match (or at least close enough) for my basement! That would let me finally finish up some areas down there where I needed paneling to fill in gaps. I've searched on and off for years to find something that would work down there and it's exciting that I might've finally found it!
Day 30 - Reorganize the Suburban
It's hard to believe that I made it through the whole month! There were a few days where the "prep" was a little iffy, but I really tried to do something every day. And here we are!
The truck was badly in need of some reorganization. Ever since I'd bought it, I'd sort of tossed everything in and just left it. But after clearing most of it out yesterday to prepare for my trip to Menard's, the time was ideal to reorganize it all. I went to the carwash, vacuumed, cleaned the windows, and tightened up the spare tire (it wasn't fully seated up under the truck) before I started reorganizing.
Yes, this is still quite the pile, but previously this filled up the whole back end, including the space where the driver's side 3rd row seat was (I had removed it) and the space behind the 2nd row! I think this is a lot better! Some of the items in the picture are just temporary (tools for working on new lights and some stuff just for the weekend), but most of it will be staying in here long-term.
Suburban_loaded.jpg
Here's a list of what all is in there (left to right):
- Gooloo car jump starter (https://a.co/d/9Mf0lYS) (black case with red zipper)
- Jumper cables (black bag on far left)
- Arcturus wool blanket (https://a.co/d/5tVHqy4)
- Under the blanket: large first aid kit, large container of cleaning wipes, roll of paper towel, roll of shop towel, magnetic LED rooftop warning light (https://a.co/d/3B9DsHT)
- Frogg Toggs (https://a.co/d/3r8ROty) (round stuff sack on top, middle)
- Oukitel P501 (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=1716.0) power station (temporary, just for the weekend)
- 24-pack water
- Bit driver kit (small flat box right in the middle of the picture - temporary - just until all new lights installed)
- Recovery straps (https://a.co/d/hfNwFCd) (black bag in middle of picture)
- CERT bag (red back in middle)
- Small tool bag (bottom middle)
- Big tool bag (next to other tool bag)
- Trauma bag (gray bag)
- Conpex work light (https://a.co/d/70iuAwd) / flood light (blue case in back)
- Fire extinguisher (directly under the blue case with the work light)
- GHB (dark red bag on the right)
- Trim removal kit (https://a.co/d/ecgzi9u) (black bag with blue trim - temporary - just until all new lights installed)
- Socket set (temporary - just until all new lights installed)
- GSPSCN air compressor (https://a.co/d/drDUyhe) (far right black bag)
- Behind air compressor: warning triangle (https://a.co/d/1G3uKbr) and magnetic light
- Flushable wipes (white/blue package in right hand storage bin)
Not pictured:
- Located with the jack in the fender storage area: Fix-A-Flat, LED flares (https://a.co/d/8GYBLBt), and Orion road flares (https://a.co/d/7cfYNPD)
- Located in the small storage compartment on the left side: D-ring hitch (https://a.co/d/2zFGRG5) with pin and soft shackles (https://a.co/d/glnWfdU)
- 2nd row underneath seats: Marbero power station (https://ufozs.com/smf/index.php?topic=1151.msg33727#msg33727), TP, fire blanket (https://a.co/d/5XzSfez), water rescue throw bag (https://a.co/d/b42JU0w), car door step (https://a.co/d/15v6fhw), waterproof blanket, Kleenex
Yes, that's a lot of stuff, but it's not like my truck was ever going to get very good fuel economy anyway!
Thanks for everyone who participated this month in any way, whether you posted about it or not. Hopefully we all continue to improve our preparedness and this is helpful for ideas along the way. Obviously, this isn't the end of things for me, but I'm not going to go out of my way to keep doing this sort of stuff every day.
Keep on Prepping!
:smiley_clap:
I keep fire extinguishers/IFAKs under the front passenger seat so i can reach them in case I need one and can't get out of the car. I have longish arms and the only access is from the back side of the seat in my cars, so it works for me. Hidden but accessible. [why/when did the car designers take away front access to under the front seats?]
'Squad FAKs' kept in the back.
Quote from: MacWa77ace on October 02, 2023, 09:39:09 AM:smiley_clap:
I keep fire extinguishers/IFAKs under the front passenger seat so i can reach them in case I need one and can't get out of the car. I have longish arms and the only access is from the back side of the seat in my cars, so it works for me. Hidden but accessible. [why/when did the car designers take away front access to under the front seats?]
'Squad FAKs' kept in the back.
One of the big disappointments for me with my 2013 vs the 2004 is the lack of storage / inability to put things out of the way but easy to access. The center console armrest area is huge, but that's almost the only storage in the front of the truck (glove box is a joke and the is just a shallow tray for drinks & everything else).
The 2nd row seats now have the frame all covered up with plastic, so I can't store much under them, nor can I attach things to the frame. I used to attach the fire extinguisher to the frame of the 2nd row seat, with quick release velcro straps that could just be ripped loose to release it. No-can-do with the new one, and the space underneath the seat is only a couple of inches tall. Large enough for a few small items, but not for the extinguisher (it's a 5lb refillable unit). :(
I need to do a clean out / refilling of the first aid bag in the back. It's a large bag (https://a.co/d/3WNCGtW) that came fully stocked. I've revised it since then, but it's been a few years since I really cleared it out and made sure everything is still ready to go. *knock on wood* I haven't had much need to use it, other than for a few small boo-boo type things.
I could probably fit an IFAK in the center console but i feel that it stays cooler under the seat. Other than that, some sort of bracket mounted under the dash would be the only other option. I don't really want anything visible.
I can't find the pic. But a .50 cal ammo can fits upright under the center of the back seat in my 2012 Jeep JKU. Not that thats easy to get to. But there is alot of storage under the back seat. And I think if I painted it black to match the interior it might go un-noticed.
Both front seats have good sized pockets on the back. But underneath the front seats is pretty much blocked by manual sliding seat mechanisms. Idk if the power seats are any better. But I prefer more manual items on my vehicles than power. Bestop does sell a locking drawer that fits under them. But its a slide out or very deep at best. Which I don't know how easy the access is to get into them.
There are probably mounted boxes you can buy for the rear seats. But I don't think the rear seat swivels up.
The roll bars offer ample space for nylon webbed fire extinguisher carriers. And the same for holding led lights, holsters, flashlight holders etc etc.
But I have not looked closely for a space to hold a pistol lockbox or other pistol mounting location. I guess the bestop under seat box would work in the passenger side. But it requires a key. Which is slow and cumbersome. I do have a 5 button lockbox but it only holds one pistol and one extra mag. And is from a long time ago. I don't know what is available today.
I think the seat back pockets are the best place for ifak. But my big concern with anything permanently stored is theft of course. For now my plan is a couple usgi improved duffle bags, covered with a black fleece blanket that matches the carpet, in the far back cargo area. Which is a huge area. But eventually I would like to build a false 6 inch or so floor in it. Cover it in matcging carpet. With a lock.