Quote from: Crosscut on April 02, 2022, 10:30:37 AMThe NRG-5 Emergency Food Rations ordered last week are a bust as survival food on-the-go imo.  Very dry and bland, turns almost to a powder in your mouth so better have plenty of liquid to wash them down with.  Our dogs wouldn't touch them either, and the one is very non-fussy about eating most anything.  Instructions mention "crumble and mix into previously boiled drinking water to prepare a porridge suitable as infant food", so I tried that this morning adding boiling hot water and some brown sugar for taste.  It's more palatable this way, cream of wheat type texture, but still very 'blah' tasting.  Non-fussy dog still wouldn't even taste it after a quick sniff.  Suppose it might have some value if pulverized and used to thicken soups or stews, not for taste but just for the added nutrional value, but near useless for my intended BOV use. 

Fixed a minor plumbing problem, hot water valve to the clothes washer sprung a leak.  Only mention it because I previously was not much of a fan of the SharkBite brand plumbing fittings, quick to install sure, but expensive.  I'd only used them once before, and in an area where the plumbing was easily accessible, didn't see any advantage over sweating the copper the old fashioned way.  In this case however I had to cut the leaking valve out, inside an interior wall, so not much room to work and with a sweated "T" a few inches below the cut, and a plastic enclosure a few inches above that would have been difficult to remove.  Probably child's work for an experienced plumber, but I didn't have much confidence that I could sweat the new fitting in while not weakening the solder on the "T" below, or melting the plastic enclosure above.  Couldn't have went much smoother using the SharkBite though; cut pipe, 'push-until-it-clicks' the SharkBite on, screw new valve into other side of fitting, and tighten. Now I'm thinking about getting a few more of these fittings to throw into the plumbing supplies. 

Picked up a USB powered POWXS Universal Lithium 18650 Battery Charger for 3.7V Li-ion 18650 AA AAA C batteries, tried it for the first time last night and seems to work very well when powered from a power bank.  Auto-senses the battery type/voltage automatically so no worry about having to modify the settings manually for charging different battery types, or having to carry / read the manual each use since this'll end up in the BOV and likely not get used much.  Also starting to play with a USB step up/down regulator and charger I bought last year, with inspiration taken from Moab's BOB power thread.  First test might be if it'll trickle charge a car battery from a USB power bank.

I have some emergency rations with the yellow packaging. Forget the brand. The apple n cinnamon are good. I bought them like 15 yrs ago. 

But what I've since learned is that emergency rations like this are for lifeboats. Meaning something to keep you alive in a lifeboat. Not moving. Not hiking. Not expending any energy. Namely they will constipate you badly. And leave you with that cheap carbs feeling with no energy. Like if you only ate cheap bread for days on end.

They are also very heavy. Your better off getting carb heavy mountain house. Or other starch heavy dehydrated meals. There are many dehydrated meals comoanies tho. Do a google search. You'll be surprised at the selection. Some aren't to expensive. 

The more I read tho the more I see the simple food dehydrator as the answer to cheap and good quality survival food. The machines arent that expensive. And there are many many great recioes for things you wouldnt imagine could be made that way.

I spent a good portion of yesterday getting the last of the garbage and cardboard out of the garage. Week prior i went thru every box and bag and tote. And moved everything into sections. Garbage, keep, yard sale and things my wife and son still need to go thru.

I'm in the process of turning this back into a workout room. After going thru our collected stuff after 15 years and 4 moves. I got alot of yard sale, garbage and keep things separated.

I've always tried to use this litmus test for all the crap we save.

"If I haven't used it in 6 months. It's because I couldnt find it. So it needs to go.".

But after so many moves we had taped up boxes thrown together that I had not looked inside for years. I got rid of alot of shop supplies and equipment. That you figure oh ill use that some day. But that day never comes.

Now all we have left is to have a yard sale. And get rid of as much as we can. And throw the rest out. I ordered an extra garbage can for 3 months. Only cost 11.90 a month extra. 

Now that I have the garage completely organized my son wants to buy a pool table. Lol. I have to admit i love the idea. But workout space has to be our number one priority. 

Been looking for a dedicated go bag knife for a while... picked up a couple of Ka-Bar variants to try (Mark I and a D2 Extreme). 

Between those, a Varusteleka puukko, my normie USMC Ka-Bar from Civil Air Patrol when I was a kid, and a handful of bushcrafty carbon steel blanks in various stages of completion... we should be covered.

Wouldn't mind a coating or something rust resistant but I can see this being the puukko for a while. Done enough batonny chop shit with it to be comfortable that it isn't going to break. Rat tangs will get you killed in the street or whatever but the D2 supposedly handles heavier uses well enough... still should prove that out.

While I have plenty of methods of making fire today I finished my first batch of homemade Scout firestarters:

- cardboard egg carton
- saw dust
- wax
- melted crayons
- dryer lint

Currently drying. Made enough for thirty.
https://diyprojects.com/make-fire-starter-egg-carton-dryer-lint/

Simple as could be.

Also have a number of these complete as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uevKyuP4eZc

Closed another gap in the preps. I got my son a medium ALICE Pack and will be modding it similar to mine*. The best part is the frame is a brand spanking new aftermarket one in perfect condition along with a surplus ALICE ruck in really good shape. I won't have to modify the straps as much as I did with mine but the snaps for it on the way to swap out all the metal with parachute quick connect ones. Back pad is brand new, while not a MOLLE II its will work for his teenage self perfectly.

Best part Supported a semi local business and got the first responder discount, who says only the military should benefit !@

* = I've had bags for the whole family for years (evening getting one ready for the dog!) but I've been trying to get commonality across all four bags. Makes sense for my son and I who will be carrying the heavier loads. For my wide and daughter I had considered the after market small ALICE packs but they were too small.

Finally installed the awning and a solar panel on my SUV.  I'm actually planning to use it for some camping this summer, but it would serve well for a bugout too.  Still need to install the LED strip lighting on the awning.  Hopefully I'll get that done this weekend.

Added a few more plants to the garden, and got preliminary permission from SWMBO to add some more perennial edible plants...
Garden now has
Tomatoes
Peppers
Cabbage (kohlrabi)
Potatoes (doing the pail method)
Walking onion
Watermelon
Cucumbers
Basil
Mint
Lemon Balm
Chamomile

We have a Loquat tree and are beginning to start some blackberries/raspberries. 
I'm about to plant a raised bed with asparagus.
I've surrounded the garden with Marigolds and Nasturtiums as edible pest deterrents.
I've got loofah and dipper gourds growing. 

Sometime this week, I'll pull the genny out of storage and warm her up / make sure she's running ok for hurricane season. 

- Field stripped the MREs for my Bug out Bag; getting the rest of the families bags to the same
- Tested out my ultra light ground mat, a Klymet 4 season, expensive but worth. Temps got cold this weekend while camping, didn't even notice the cold.

Today was a big day for me. We (the wife and I) bought the 13.5 acres that are around my house. Added that to the 5.2 that we already own gives us almost 19. Only 1.5 or so is the house with yard. The rest is woods. I don't have any current plans to hunt it but that may change. I could definitely see me doing some ethical trapping in the coming years.  

That is awesome!  

That gives you a bit more "buffer space" and opportunities for additional resources all in one.  I might be a little bit jealous.  

Quote from: SCBrian on April 24, 2022, 09:37:07 AMAdded a few more plants to the garden, and got preliminary permission from SWMBO to add some more perennial edible plants...
Garden now has
Tomatoes
Peppers
Cabbage (kohlrabi)
Potatoes (doing the pail method)
Walking onion
Watermelon
Cucumbers
Basil
Mint
Lemon Balm
Chamomile

We have a Loquat tree and are beginning to start some blackberries/raspberries. 
I'm about to plant a raised bed with asparagus.
I've surrounded the garden with Marigolds and Nasturtiums as edible pest deterrents.
I've got loofah and dipper gourds growing. 

Sometime this week, I'll pull the genny out of storage and warm her up / make sure she's running ok for hurricane season. 

Basil, Asparagus and Basil are all great companions for tomatoes.  As well as French Marigold and Nasturtiums.   


But keep the Kohlrabi away.

Sticky catchfly is also great and helps against tomato blight. Be careful where you plant it though, it´s a neophyte in the US.

I finally got my refill of tortoisegear fire starters. My SAK is now it´s own little survival tool all in one again (admittedly more often used for camping and barbecue)

Got my knee replaced today. The other knee gets done hopefully this fall. So I can, you know, outrun the zombies. 
#rule1cardio

Quote from: Lettuce Pray on May 18, 2022, 04:52:22 PMToday was a big day for me. We (the wife and I) bought the 13.5 acres that are around my house. Added that to the 5.2 that we already own gives us almost 19. Only 1.5 or so is the house with yard. The rest is woods. I don't have any current plans to hunt it but that may change. I could definitely see me doing some ethical trapping in the coming years. 

Thats awesome. Do u mind saying what state or area?

Last week or so:

Finally put the water distiller in the attic, not that the wife was nagging me about having to sweep around it for the last 3 months or anything, along with 4 empty 1-gallon plastic jugs which is enough to hold one 'batch' from the distiller.  Thought about some attic re-organization, but changed my mind with it being 95 degrees up there today.

3 battery shell cases for our aging Puxing 777 and UV9R model HT radios.  These are for emergency spares, and require 6 AAA batteries (not included).  Don't really plan to use them normally but the regular Li-ion battery packs are getting harder to find so I didn't want to be left with otherwise working radios we couldn't get batteries for.  I need to upgrade at some point but I do like these radios, we have 3 of the 777's (VHF only) we've been using for almost 8 years and 2 of the newer UV9R models (dual band, with crossband repeat) for about 5 years and they've stood up to some punishment and still work. 

The two additional 1-gallon Garden Sprayers/SHTF showers/fire extinguishers arrived. 

A Gorilla Cart for yard work, the wife actually requested this after using a friends.  We upgraded to this model that can be towed behind the lawn tractor.  Not sure this qualifies as a prep, but when my wife asks for yard tools I don't argue

A tactical pen from one of Moab's bargain posts.  The diameter of it isn't comfortable yet for writing, but it works better than the cheap  dollar store pens I'd been using.  It'll be added to the business mini-bob for travel though.

Took down a couple medium-sized dead oaks from the yard, victims of the gypsy moth (sorry, "Spongy moth"
"Spongy moth" ) infestation last year.  We'll be getting out to cut more wood on federal land later this week too, we went crazy during the first summer of covid getting wood but not sure we'd make it through the next winter on what we have left.

Quote from: Crosscut on May 30, 2022, 02:20:04 PMLast week or so:

Finally put the water distiller in the attic, not that the wife was nagging me about having to sweep around it for the last 3 months or anything, along with 4 empty 1-gallon plastic jugs which is enough to hold one 'batch' from the distiller.  Thought about some attic re-organization, but changed my mind with it being 95 degrees up there today.

3 battery shell cases for our aging Puxing 777 and UV9R model HT radios.  These are for emergency spares, and require 6 AAA batteries (not included).  Don't really plan to use them normally but the regular Li-ion battery packs are getting harder to find so I didn't want to be left with otherwise working radios we couldn't get batteries for.  I need to upgrade at some point but I do like these radios, we have 3 of the 777's (VHF only) we've been using for almost 8 years and 2 of the newer UV9R models (dual band, with crossband repeat) for about 5 years and they've stood up to some punishment and still work. 

The two additional 1-gallon Garden Sprayers/SHTF showers/fire extinguishers arrived. 

A Gorilla Cart for yard work, the wife actually requested this after using a friends.  We upgraded to this model that can be towed behind the lawn tractor.  Not sure this qualifies as a prep, but when my wife asks for yard tools I don't argue

A tactical pen from one of Moab's bargain posts.  The diameter of it isn't comfortable yet for writing, but it works better than the cheap  dollar store pens I'd been using.  It'll be added to the business mini-bob for travel though.

Took down a couple medium-sized dead oaks from the yard, victims of the gypsy moth (sorry, "Spongy moth"
"Spongy moth" ) infestation last year.  We'll be getting out to cut more wood on federal land later this week too, we went crazy during the first summer of covid getting wood but not sure we'd make it through the next winter on what we have left.

Thats how I used that pen too. I had cheap ballpoints. So I threw that tactical one in my bob. With a couple of the refill cartridges. It is a bit big. But way better than a Bic. Lol. 

Went skeet shooting on Saturday with a couple buddies, burned through two boxes of shotshells and a personal hit rate of about 75%.  About the same as I shot last year, which was the first time I'd been out in 10 years or more.  More practice needed for sure, many of the hits weren't well centered and only clipped/winged the clay.  It was only the second time skeet shooting for one of guys, and he enjoyed it so we're going to try getting out more often.  BTW NT2C, he said to say Thank You for the weather radio

Also traded some med supplies with him too, he came away with some IV 0.9 saline bags and I got an expired EpiPen.  Expiration date is July 2014 , but the solution is still clear with no particulates visible in the viewing window so I'll hang on to it for now.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10808186/

Chart from the study above:


It'll go into the home FAK, much more stable temperature inside the house than leaving it in one of the truck FAKs even though it'd probably make more sense to have it in the truck.  Once discolored I'll disassemble it before discarding it as described here so at least I'll have some experience with the process in the event that was ever needed.

Not really " today" but im on vacation

Bought a 10K lbs equipment trailer can haul anything the family has vehicle wise, plus lumber or put a shed on it as a camper/ bugout shelter.

Checked a few new closer to home fishing spots. One is good for food ,the other seems more for fun.

Got all the parts to tune up all the vehicles , got 1 of the 3 done so far.

Along Rednex post, not just today, more of a 'lately'...
Cleaned/cycled the generator (I do it monthly). Let it run for 10 minutes or so, under load depending on what I'm doing at the time. 

Tune up on Wifes and daughters car.  Truck next. 

Beginning to setup a rain barrel for water harvesting for the garden. 

Setting up an asparagus bed.  Trying to setup more perennial plants and trees.  I'm a big fan of the '1 and done' school of thought 

Been picking up shifts at local restaurants. I earn ~150$ a night from picking up a shift. My skill set allows me to do a lot more in the kitchen than normal folks, but I really only pick up dishwashing/line cook shifts because "Not my monkeys, not my circus" 
- If anyone needs to hustle for quick money - I REALLY recommend looking into the local F&B scene.  I use an app called "GigPro" that has rolled out to a number of the larger southeastern cities, and I can get paid almost immediately (for 3% charge) or credited to my debit card in 2-3 days.  Even without this app, your local F&B place is likely looking for solid people to work. 
Post for an example: