Most of my preps this week centered around sorting my freebie Kindle e-books into categories.  Some of the categories I set up are gardening, essential oils, cooking, food preservation and home healing.  It was really quite easy to do this on my free Kindle APP for PC.  I have amassed a collection of over 200 e-books – all free – so organizing them will make them a lot easier to access.

By the way, I try to put up one free e-book a day over on my Facebook page.  I don’t put them here on the website because they are often only available for a day or two.

In the gear department, I ordered another paracord lanyard and one of the over the door shoe hangers I wrote about in 16 Food Storage Tips for the Space Challenged Prepper.  I have not hung it up yet but from what I can tell, I should be able to get 3 cans of food in each of the 24 slots.

Last but not least, I roped the Survival Husband into building a 1000-hour flashlight for me from an off-the-shelf lantern style flashlight we purchased at Home Depot.

I have to give the credit to my friend Ron Brown who has been experimenting with the concept of a 1000 hour flashlight for a couple of months now.  Between us we are testing out the process so we can put it out in a simple little e-book for you.  It is a good thing I turned it over to Shelly (t.s.h.) because he found a couple of little bug-a-boos that needed to be fixed.  Enough of a tease – more about this in about a month when the test flashlight dims to nothing.

Okay, enough about me.  Let’s get on to the Sunday Survival Buzz.

SURVIVAL NEWS & ARTICLES FROM AROUND THE WEB

More Americans Committing Suicide than During the Great Depression:  There are a lot of credible statistics that tell us that things are not going as well as the Washington rat-finks would like us to believe. Suicide rates are tied to the economy and the economy stinks.

Venezuela is running out of toilet paper: First it was food and now it is toilet paper.  Which begs the question: how much TP do you have stored for SHTF? I have been saving old t-shirts as a backup but for now, my best guess is that I have at least a year’s supply hidden away.

It’s the End of the World but We’ll Be Fine:  It’s the end of the world as we know it, but the futurists feel fine. A new book explores the history of mass extinctions and how the human species can survive the next one. But will we survive?

Tyranny Raises its Ugly Head Again – But Preppers ARE the Target:  There are been rumors of the LDS canneries discontinuing the practice allowing folks to can their bulk goods on the premises.  We should know within a month of two whether this is true.

No Excuses – You Have to Do Something Now:  If you are overwhelmed at the idea of prepping – or just exhausted – be sure to read this.  Excellent piece by my friend Pat over at The Prepper Journal.

Sen. Warren: Why Can Banks Commit Crimes But Get Away Without Admitting Guilt?:  Good question.

BACKDOOR SURVIVAL READER TIPS

Dandelion season is here.  Reader “Brinda” has a great tip for a DIY non-toxic weed killer.  The best part is that it is safe to use in yards with pets & children.

1/2 gallon of Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 tbs. salt
1/2 tsp. Dawn liquid dish soap

Mix above ingredients in a spray bottle.  Spray weeds thoroughly.  The cost for 1/2 gallon is around $6.40.  It works better than Round Up (bad bad bad) and  kills weeds on 1st application.  The Dawn dish soap strips the weed of its protective oils so the vinegar can work with deadly force. Safe to use in a yard used by pets.

THE BACKDOOR SURVIVAL BLOGROLL

This week there is a new addition in the Prepping New Portal section of the Backdoor Survival Blogroll. Check out a new guy on the block: Prepping Blogs.

NEWS FROM OUR SPONSOR

I am thrilled to welcome Aspect Solar as a new sponsor.  You know how interested I have been lately in simple solar set-ups – well this is about as easy as you can get.  Be sure to read their easy peasy description for how solar generators work.  Even I could understand it!

SUNSOCKET™ Solar Generator, by AspectSolar™

The SUNSOCKET™ solar generator is an advanced technology portable solar power generator, which provides off-grid power to individuals and groups of users in various scenarios.  More specifically, this generator is the only generator in the world that uses sun-tracking technology.  This tracking technology is essential to maximize the efficiency of the solar panels throughout the day.  Without it, the user would need to manually reposition their solar panels at least every hour to ensure that they are collecting enough energy from the sun to recharge their batteries.

The SUNSOCKET™ solar generator is also the only generator in the world that includes a 250Wh battery with built in 60-watt solar panels in an all-in-one integrated case design weighing a mere 25 pounds.  Built into the generator are 4 USB outputs, a 12V DC output, and a 100-watt universal AC inverter, giving users the ability to power multiple devices simultaneously.  The use of a long life lithium iron phosphate battery makes this solar generator ideal for preppers as it can sit idle for years without losing significant power.  Users also never need to worry about losing parts or essential cables as everything they need is already built directly into the case.

As with all of my sponsors, please pay them a visit and let them know you saw them on Backdoor Survival. Speaking of which, check out the Backdoor Survival Sponsors page and support the fine companies that allow me to keep Backdoor Survival free for everyone.  (We are a donation-free zone!)

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?

Reminder: if you are interested in finding a past article on a specific topic, you can use the Search box on the right hand side or select SEARCH from the menu bar.

CURRENT GIVEAWAYS

Let’s talk for a moment about giveaways.

First of all, I want to let you know that the winner of the Camping Survival giveaway will be announced on Thursday.  The lucky winner will receive a Rothco Medium Transport Pack filled with paracord.  My thanks to Tom at Camping Survival for sponsoring this giveaway.

Between now and the end of the May, I am collecting giveaway entries for Ron Foster’s “The Prepper Trilogy”.  To enter, go here: Backdoor Survival Book Festival: Ron Foster and The Prepper Trilogy Revisited.  Ron is giving away two complete sets of three books – this is not to be missed.

Then coming up is a giveaway of some FREE FOOD sponsored by Theodore at Mother Earth Products and three LifeStraw water filters sponsored by the folks at EarthEasy.com.  All of this is in addition to the Summer Book festival starting up on May 25th with 17 authors and books lined up for your Summer survival reading pleasure.

Whew! That is a lot of giveaways and I will be trying out some new methods of gathering up the entries so that the process is easier for all of us.

THE FINAL WORD

Another busy week has passed with another one coming up.  I am trying to map out a week of hiking and biking in Alaska and with luck, that will happen in June.

I mention this because it is important to remind you that we all need to do more than just prep.  We need to get out there and enjoy life a bit too.  Do something for fun and for at least a few hours, shake away the stress of pending chaos and economic unrest.  Take a breath, and keep going forward.

Until, next time, remember to make every day a prep day!

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye

If you have not done so already, please be sure to like Backdoor Survival on Facebook to be updated every time there is an awesome new article, news byte, or free survival, prepping or homesteading book on Amazon. In addition, when you sign up to receive email updates you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

Bargain Bin: For your consideration today are some of the items mentioned in todays Sunday Survival Buzz.

Over The Door Clear Shoe Organizer/Storage Rack:  Think about using your closet doors for storing canned goods or even empty soda/pop bottles filled with rice, beans or grains.  This one is less than $14 although I ordered this one made of cloth for slightly more Natural Linen Soft Storage Over-the-Door Shoe Organizer.

LifeStraw Personal Water Filter: The LifeStraw is the award-winning personal water filter, designed to provide you with safe, clean drinking water in any situation. The ideal water filter for hiking & camping, travel, emergency preparedness & survival, the LifeStraw makes contaminated or suspect water safe to drink.

Black Paracord Lanyard: I cannot get enough of these paracord lanyards.  I now have one in black, gray and yellow.  I like to stash a lanyard and storm whistle in all of my packs so they are handy when I head out for a walk or a hike.

Rothco Medium Transport Pack: What I really like about this pack is the narrow profile.  As you can see in the picture, it is only as wide as my body.  Sure, it sticks out a bit in back but at least I do not bump in to things.  There are lots of compartments and pouches and it by far, the most comfortable pack I have ever worn.

Streamlight Nano Light Keychain LED Flashlight:  extremely small and light weight yet it will throw off a decent amount of super-bright light. At just .36 ounces and 1.47 inches long, the Streamlight Nano Light Keychain Flashlight will take up a minimum of space in your pocket or bag.

Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials: The monthly specials at Emergency Essentials feature discounts of up to 35% off sometimes a bit more.

One item I can recommend available is their Do It Yourself SuperPail Combo. It includes 8 x 6-Gallon Buckets with Lids, 8 x Metallized Storage Bags and a 10-Pack of Large Oxygen Absorbers.

Don’t forget that you do not need fancy equipment to seal the metalized bag. A cheap hair iron will do the job.

Like this and want more?

CLICK HERE to visit Backdoor Survival on Facebook.  And CLICK HERE to follow Survival Woman on Twitter.

Spread the Word – Tell your friends: Share Backdoor Survival with your friends. All you need to do to send them a short email. Now that was easy!

Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and the price is the same, no matter what.

Shop Amazon Tactical – Great Selection of Optics, Knives, Cases, Equipment
Amazon’s Most Wished For Items in Sports and Outdoors

Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!

Rod Davidson, the author of Survive Any Food Crisis, is a family man that has seen it all during his military career. He has seen the result of food shortages around the globe and knows that we are just one step away from experiencing a food crisis of our own.  I have been working with Rod for over five months and can honestly say that he is the real deal.

This is a great value at only $9.95 exclusively for Backdoor Survival Readers.  You will get all of the following items:

The Core Survival Manual: “Survive Any Food Crisis” Guide plus these bonuses:
    BONUS #1: Actionable Checklist for Food Preparedness
    BONUS #2: How to Use Local Plants for Medicine
    BONUS #3: How to Purify Water Fast and Easy

And of course, there is a no questions asked money-back guarantee if you change your mind.  But truly, you will not be disappointed.

The Sunday Survival Buzz – Volume 65 is the latest article from the Survival Woman at Backdoor Survival.

SURVIVAL AND PREPPING – BY GEORGE

1.  I’m new to all this and feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the stuff out there. One thing I do have is combat boots. I’m a medic. I don’t have a lot of money and I never will, so money and a good lawyer aren’t really possible.

Here’s my question: If the shit really hits what are the odds that anybody will be worried about house, land, car payments? If the infrastructure falls apart will things like this even matter?

This is one of the hardest questions there is to answer because it depends on so many variables.  The major one to think about is “If collapse were to happen, what form would it take?”

Let’s say – for the sake of discussion – that some country decides to launch nuclear weapons into low earth orbit and blows up a number of devices optimized to deliver to the US mainland the worst-case electromagnetic pulse (EMP) effect.

In this case (and remember this is one extreme) a good chunk of computers would be inoperable, most of the power grid would be down – many months – and people would be mostly stuck in place since without power the movement and refinery of fuels won’t be happening.

In this event (*see the novel One Second After for additional details) possession would likely be 99% of the law.  And, if there’s no law, then possession and a gun to defend it, is 99% of the law.  Anti-gun people hate me pointing this out, but that’s demonstrated time and time again in history.

On the shorter term devastation scale, a 8.0 New Madrid quake will likely cause widespread devastation, but order would prevail outside the impact area and recovery would be quick.  As soon as things get back to a working internet and control in areas of looting and such, then the debt collectors and repo men will be back.

In this scenario, the first phone call you’re likely to get when the cell systems start coming up would be bill collectors!

You really need a mindset of a flexible science fiction writer and even then you’ll undoubtedly get it all wrong.  So playing it by ear will be the order of the day.

If you are thinking about squatting in a government or bank-owned home, now might be the time to do it and claim the paperwork was destroyed.  Don’t let a good disaster go to waste.

2.  I think this may have been brought up already. But I have always wondered. In a financial collapse would landlords, banks and so on still try to come after money you owe? Would they start out and stop once they see money does not work any more? I have ask a few people and they always say I have no clue. Thank you.

We skirted around this in the previous answer, but again, I think it will be a matter of scale.  As long as there is a functioning national economy, and as long as you have attachable assets, then sure, people who you bought something from will want money for it.

But there’s a way to weasel around a bit.  In real estate it’s called “deed in lieu of foreclosure.”  In that process, you simply mail the mortgage company the keys and walk out of the home.  Where you go from there is up to you.

To a lesser extent, the same could be done with a car.  Don’t wait for the repo man to show up.  Drive the car to the bank and hand them the keys.

Usually what will happen is the bank will wholesale the car, figure how much money they lost on the deal and come up with a bill to present you with.  Say you borrowed $20,000 for a car.  You turn in the keys when the car is worth $10,000 but you still owe $12,000 on it, and they wholesale it for $5,000 because car prices would be collapsing.

The way they’d look at things, you would owe the difference between what you owed on the car ($12,000, remember?) and what they got at wholesale for it ($5,000) which means they’d present you with a bill for $7,000.  OR then would come after some other assets you might have if you were dumb enough to sign a loan document which pledges other assets like your home equity.

Obviously, you don’t want to have any money in the bank you’re stiffing on the car, because they might argue that the money in your account with them could be considered an attachable asset.

One thing you can depend on:  the creditor class is not going to go easy on the debtor class and that’s why violent economic collapses are often accompanied by revolutions (going back into historical detail here) because that’s the only way for the debtor class to reclaim its freedom.

So it will be key – in the wake of any collapse – to keep an eye on how much the “government” is willing to stick it to regular people on behalf of the people they work for:  The big donor and political contribution makers of the creditor class.

Worthless after collapse?

3.  We know that soon paper money will be worthless. Which is better to invest in, gold, silver, or tradable commodities?

Food and water.

I know it sounds simplistic, but there’s an old saying “You can’t eat gold.”  Think about that and then draw your pyramid of life.  Abraham Maslow developed something called the hierarchy of needs.  So have I.

The difference is I’m slightly overweight and intend to keep from starving to death in this lifetime (yeah, maybe it’s an unresolved past life carryover, but let’s not go there).

My personal pyramid of needs for Elaine and me is pretty simple: Water, food, shelter, clothing, money or stored goods to exchange, tools, and so on.

If we get into a full on collapse economically do you really think that at ANY price you could carry enough gold to pry my solar panels out of my hand?  Moreover, do you want to look down the barrel of a Ruger while “negotiating?”

See how this needs stuff works?  I know what we’ll need and what I will do to prevent others from “out needing us.”

4.  What is your feeling on stock piling nickels and/or junk silver?

Barring nuclear winter?  I would consider an odd alternative investment like buying solar panels.  In just about any future I can imagine, people will still want light and that means electricity.

Besides:  Right now there is a huge confiscation movement in America.  Police finding you with more than $5,000 or $10,000 in cash and precious metals are easily tempted to confiscate and – just to add insult to injury – in addition to claiming that you came by the metals through illegal trade (they might say you’re a drug dealer, for example) then then would come after your home which was obviously also purchased with untaxed money.

This is absolute hogwash, of course, but confiscations are real, damn near impossible to fight, and so on.  On the other hand, if you invest $50,000 in solar panels and other wealth-producing items and are selling power back to the local power company, you’re not likely to face confiscation, are you?

When was the last time you heard of a biker gang accepting 200-watt solar panels for drugs?  Yet the panels have value and pay for themselves in 20-years which means you get a tax credit, reduce monthly operating costs for your home, have a SERIOUS hedge against collapse and…oh, best of all,  you can sleep well at night until the SHTF.  Then you need a plan to protect your panels.  Messrs.’ Ruger and Mossberg, at your service.

5.  I’ve been out of work for over 3 years, so being able to live on $10K a year would be fantastic! I’ve learned a lot, the most important lesson being how little I really need to get by. I’ve been considering a used travel trailer as a small, long-term place to live. I’d like to get your thoughts on this, and whether you have any recommendations.

You are a genius.  All you need to do is shop the used trailers on Craigslist.  You would be shocked at what you can get for $2,000.  If you’re going to sell one, the prices usually go up a month or two before hunting season…just a heads up.  Kinda like motorcycles and airplanes cost more in spring when warm weather for comfortable flying and riding arrive.

Then, find some wide open state with some used tax foreclosed property.  Call the county tax offices and see what kind of “junk” property the county owns outright.  If you see something you like, see if you can park your trailer on it.

If you can, put in a vandal resistant building (no windows and such) and put in a few supplies.  Hey!  How about a half dozen solar panels, too?

Oh, and if it starts to look like the S if about to HTF then you can get some five gallon jugs of fuel, strap them down inside the trailer which you’ve also preloaded with food and supplies, and now you have a 600-mile range bug-out vehicle for what? $3-thousand bucks?

The neat thing about this is if it happens, you also have (ta-dah!) a fine weekend recreational property!

You’re gong to win no matter what happens.

And I think that is the real art and science to “right path prepping” that Gaye and I are on.

We’re not crazy revolutionaries and we leave all that sovereign individual, straw man, debate about whether income tax is legal – and all that other highly emotive stuff – to other sites on the net.

We pay taxes (an appalling number between our two households!) and go about our business.  Which, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, includes a lot of dual-use business models.  Which are, again?

If the crap hits the fan, it’s a great asset.  If the fan keeps turning….still a great asset play.

That’s the low-risk route into the future.  If I came into $30,000 out of the blue?  Another 40-acres somewhere with power and water on it.  If I found $60,000?  A complete second survival platform/summer home where it’s cooler.

Not that gold and silver won’t be valuable.  But the carry risks and exposures are under appreciated compared to other, and I think more valuable, asset classes.

(I’m still debating how much I will be charging folks who want to drop by and top off the batteries on their radios, or whatever, when TSHTF.  Might even hold out for gold.

THE FINAL WORD

In his recently updated book, How to Live on $10,000 a Year – Or Less,  my BFF George provides practical strategies for living your life with very little cash.  Think you can’t do it?  With his usual wry wit and humor, George says you can.  Not only that, you can do so and still be happy and live the good life.  This is good stuff and there are gems of wisdom for everyone in this readable little tome.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye

If you have not done so already, please be sure to like Backdoor Survival on Facebook to be updated every time there is an awesome new article, news byte, or free survival, prepping or homesteading book on Amazon.  In addition, when you sign up to receive email updates you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

JUST RELEASED: Real Time Machines: The Future is an APP by George Ure.  In his words:

This is a book about time machines….real ones. If the terms “web bot project” and “predictive linguistics” are not on your radar, you’re way behind the information curve. You see humankind’s ability to “see through time” is rapidly evolving new science. So in a sense, time travel is becoming REAL.

Even before Jules Verne, people were fascinated with being able to tell the future accurately. The huge popularity of Nostradamus and other “seers” is only the tip of the iceberg. In my latest book, Real Time Machines: The Future is an APP” I give you a complete course in how the future casts a shadow before it and how newly evolving software scanning wide or defined types of websites is improving the odds of being able to forecast future events correctly. 

Like this and want more?

CLICK HERE to visit Backdoor Survival on Facebook. And CLICK HERE to follow Survival Woman on Twitter.

Spread the Word – Tell your friends: Share Backdoor Survival with your friends. All you need to do to send them a short email. Now that was easy!

Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and the price is the same, no matter what.

Shop Amazon Tactical – Great Selection of Optics, Knives, Cases, Equipment
Amazon’s Most Wished For Items in Sports and Outdoors

Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!

Bargain Bin:  Here is a convenient list of some the books that I personally own and recommended in every Survival Library.

One Second After:  This is survival fiction at its best.  It will scare the you-know what out of you because and EMP as described in this tale could really happen.  Highly Recommended!

Clara’s Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from the Great Depression: If you don’t know about Clara, be sure to read Depression Cooking: A Visit to Clara’s Kitchen.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking: At an average cost of 50 cents a loaf, this bread is easy, delicious and inexpensive to make.  Also Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients.

How to Live on Wheat: Everything you need to know about wheat and grains including how to store them and how to cook them.

Holding Your Ground: Preparing for Defense if it All Falls Apart: An instructional guide and planning tool that addresses defensive preparation of a location. If the government can no longer protect your home, farm or property, Holding Your Ground will teach you how.

The Prepper’s Pocket Guide: 101 Easy Things You Can Do to Ready Your Home for a Disaster: Written by Bernie Carr at the Apartment Prepper blog, this is highly readable guide to all things preparedness.

All New Square Foot Gardening: This book will prove that you can grow a significant bounty in limited space. Just add seeds.

Desk Ref: This hand book includes 1280 pages of tables, maps, formulas, constants and conversions and will serve you will in an off-grid situation. 

Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials: The monthly specials at Emergency Essentials feature discounts of up to 35% off sometimes a bit more.

For May, all of their Mountain House Pouches are on sale as is their Freeze Dried Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese for $34.99, discounted from $40.95. (And you know how I love my cheese!  Great on those homemade pizzas or even as a snack right out of the can – yummy!)  Whole egg powder is also on sale at 27% off..

Another special to consider is the Kelly Kettle® Large Stainless Steel Base Camp Combo for $109.99, discounted from $132.92.   

11 Steps to Living a Strategic Life: This little book will provide you with the motivation to get started or stay on track with a self-reliant life. 11 Steps to Living a Strategic Life, co-authored with my long time pal, George Ure (www.urbansurvival.com), and can purchased from Amazon.

Absolute Rights is offering a free 8 page report “How to Identify and Avoid Chokepoints”. This refers to avoiding the crowds and obstacles to getting out of dodge when you need to flee in order to stay out of harm’s way following a disaster.

One of the tips they offer is to avoid roads that are near churches, hospitals, stadiums and schools.  This all makes sense but why didn’t I think of that?

Anyway, you will need to enter your email address but other than that, there is no pressure or obligation to purchase anything.  Here is a link to get How to Identify and Avoid Chokepoints.

George Ure Answers Your Winter Book Festival Questions is the latest article from the Survival Woman at Backdoor Survival.

It has been my experience that most prepper’s have this same penchant for wanting to use ordinary items for extraordinary purposes.  Myself?  I feel pretty clever in this regard.  But today I have to tell you, Above Average Joe has me beat.  Who would have thought that pantyhose could be put to practical use in a bug out bag?

Read on.

My BOB Has A Secret…And It Isn’t Pretty.

If you are heading out for a weekend camping trip or a disaster is on its way and you need to hoof it on foot to get out of dodge make sure you always have a few pair of these in your gear:

That’s right the secret weapon in my Bug out Bag is pantyhose… er maybe I should call them  Man-tyhose.

It might not be  a very manly thing to carry and I get a few funny looks when I step up to the counter at CVS with a pair of Pantyhose… but  this is survival planning and you looking manly is trumped by being prepared.

Not only are these cheap to buy but there are dozens of alternative uses for them and they take up practically no space.  Check out the list below for a small sampling of what these can be used for:

• You can wear pantyhose as extra layer beneath your normal clothes to keep warm in cold weather.
• Use pantyhose to prevent bites and stings. Wear pantyhose under your shorts or pants to protect against chiggers, ticks, and other biting insects.
• If you are going to be trekking through water, wear them to protect yourself from jellyfish stings and leaches.
• Stretch a pair of pantyhose over a “Y” shaped branch or stick and use as a skimmer or a fishing net. You won’t catch a 10lb catfish in this, but you may be able to pick up a few smaller fish to eat or use as bait for a larger fish
• Use pantyhose to secure bait while fishing. Place bait in the pantyhose and secure it to a tree or anything sturdy in order to to keep from losing bait while fishing.
• Use pantyhose as a pouch or bag to carry things.
• Use pantyhose to fasten or bind things together instead of twine or bungee cords..
• You can use pantyhose as a belt to keep your pants hiked up.
• In first aid, you can utilize pantyhose as a tourniquet or to hold and/or secure a bandage or hot and cold pack.
• Use pantyhose as a first round filter to strain any collected water.  The water will still need to be treated or boiled but this first line of defense will help to clear the water of any large particles.
• Use pantyhose to prevent blisters. I saw a lot of comments in one of my previous articles about using pantyhose to keep your feet blister free and I just wanted to highlight it again here. Cut the feet off of a pair of pantyhose at the ankles and wear them under your socks. They will help cut down on the friction between your shoe and your foot, thus reducing the risk of blisters.

Pantyhose look terrible on men… plain and simple, but they were never designed for us but the great thing about them is that they are extremely stretchy and most have a sizing guide so that you can take a guess at the size you should buy.

I’m not saying that these should be worn on a regular basis, but in a survival situation the benefit of having those in your pack outweigh any blow that your pride may take when purchasing them.  And if you really can’t break down and buy a pair of them for yourself,  I’ve actually seen a few places that sell them in camouflage for the real manly man.

Or if you have the extra cash you can always buy underarmour, but when you can get 10 pair of pantyhose for the cost of 1 pair of underarmour, I would rather save my money for something else.

These are just a few examples of what a little ingenuity can bring you in a survival situation; can you think of a few more that I may have missed?

About Joe

A little about me (‘Above Average’ Joe): I am just an average guy with a passion for learning. .I am excited to share the things I learn with you but I am most interested in learning from you. Survival Life is more than just one man. It is a growing and living community of individuals; all with the desire to be prepared to survive and thrive no matter what this world throws at us. I want to welcome you to the Survival Life community and look forward to growing with you! Thank you, Gaye, for inviting me to share the Survival Life with your readers!

THE FINAL WORD

Who would have thought it?  This is quite the secret!

Now surely when the Survival Husband reads this he may protest and say whoa! not me.  On the other hand, no one says anyone – man or woman, has to actually wear pantyhose.  For a buck a pair at the dollar store, it seems to me there are plenty of other reasons to keep a few pairs on hand.  Heck, even old worn out holey-ones will work.

Thanks, Joe, for a great idea!

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye

If you have not done so already, please be sure to like Backdoor Survival on Facebook to be updated every time there is an awesome new article, news byte, or free survival, prepping or homesteading book on Amazon.  In addition, when you sign up to receive email updates you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

Bargain Bin: The recent article on DIY cleaning turned out to be hugely popular all around the web. In cased you missed it, here is a link to the article Prepper Checklist: DIY Cleaning Supplies and to some of the products that I use to make my own cleaners.

Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds Liquid Cleanser: I know that Dr. Bronner’s Magic Castile soaps have a cult-like following but I prefer the Sal Suds. I call my DIY cleaner “Sudsy Sal”.

Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps Pure-Castile Soap: Of all of the Dr. Bronner’s castile soaps, peppermint is my favorite.   I use it to make “Peppermint Magic”, an all purposed cleaner.

Soft ‘n Style 8 oz. Spray Bottles: I happen to like these smaller bottles and you can not beat the price for a set of 3. Likewise for these Pump Dispensers.

NOW Solutions Glycerin Vegetable, 16-Fluid Ounces: You will need this for your Dirt Cheap Soft Soap. I paid almost as much for only 4 ounces locally. This is a great price and 16 ounces will last forever.

NOW Foods Peppermint Oil: I favor peppermint essential oil (okay, I like lavender too) so this is what I get. But there are many types of essential oils to choose from. Take your pick. One thing you will find is that a little goes a long way.

Microfiber “Magic” Rags: No list of cleaning supplies would be complete without these wonderful microfiber cloths. They will last you for years and will allow you to replace paper towels forever. Truly. I color code using green for glass and windows and the other colors for everything else. I love these.

Mobile Washer: This is hand operated washing machine. Like a plunger, it uses a technique of pushing and pulling the water through clothes to clean them well without wearing them out. It uses a minimum of water and less soap due to the agitation motion. Use in a bucket (5-gallon suggested), sink or tub. The best part is that it is only $14.95.

Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials: The monthly specials at Emergency Essentials feature discounts of up to 35% off sometimes a bit more.

For May, all of their Mountain House Pouches are on sale as is their Freeze Dried Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese for $34.99, discounted from $40.95. (And you know how I love my cheese!  Great on those homemade pizzas or even as a snack right out of the can – yummy!)

Another special to consider is the Kelly Kettle® Large Stainless Steel Base Camp Combo for $109.99, discounted from $132.92. 

Like this and want more?

CLICK HERE to visit Backdoor Survival on Facebook. And CLICK HERE to follow Survival Woman on Twitter.

Spread the Word – Tell your friends: Share Backdoor Survival with your friends. All you need to do to send them a short email. Now that was easy!

Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and the price is the same, no matter what.

Shop Amazon Tactical – Great Selection of Optics, Knives, Cases, Equipment
Amazon’s Most Wished For Items in Sports and Outdoors

Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!

New from Survival Life – the Home Survival Course.  I am 3/4s through this course myself and can tell you, the section on defense is, on its own worth the price.  Collecting food, storing water, establishing defense plans, and executing power strategies are all covered.  There are four main training modules plus a quick start guide, reports helping to avoid the most common mistakes, and more.

The best part?  The course includes both an audio version that you can listed to online or download to your computer plus written transcripts.  Everything is available online to be accessed at any time.  From what I can tell so far, this is a good value at $27.

11 Steps to Living a Strategic Life: This little book will provide you with the motivation to get started or stay on track with a self-reliant life. 11 Steps to Living a Strategic Life, co-authored with my long time pal, George Ure (www.urbansurvival.com), and can purchased from Amazon.

Shelf Reliance Virtual Party: Are you a fan of Shelf Reliance and Thrive products? Backdoor Survival hosts a virtual, online Shelf Reliance party with discounted party prices and some special packages not normally found at the Shelf Reliance site.

As a matter of fact, all of the packages you see available at Costco.com are available at my party and at better prices too!

Survival Friday: There is WHAT in your Bug Out Bag? is the latest article from the Survival Woman at Backdoor Survival.

Personally, I have shunned from printing out my survival and prepping reference material.  Why?  Well first of all, if bugging out, I would rather carry food, water and first aid supplies on my back than a pile of paper.  And second?  There are ways to charge the gizmos without power, the most practical being an emergency radio such as the Kaito that has a solar panel and a hand crank.  To me, it just makes sense to put a priority a device that serves such an important communications function (the radio, that is).

Kaito Emergency Radio with a Crank Charger – Can Also Charge Cell Phones and e-Book Readers

Beyond the crank up radio/power source, however, there are portable battery charges, generators, and of course, full size solar panels such as the Harbor Freight system I recently set up in my back yard.

But by far, the absolute coolest and most efficient thing I have discovered to date is the SunVolt Portable Solar Power Station coupled with an auxiliary battery pack.  This set up just works.

WHAT THE HECK IS A SUNVOLT POWER STATION?

The SunVolt is a portable solar panel that comes packaged in a ballistic nylon case with two D-loops for attaching a shoulder strap and non-slip pads on the bottom to help keep it stable when the panel is open.  It is designed to charge any device that uses 20 watts of power or less (sorry, no laptops).

Setting up the SunVolt is incredibly easy.  All you do is unzip the main section, open it up and position the solar panel on to one of the indentations on the case.  This allows you to adjust the panel so that it gets the best angle facing the sun, which can change depending upon the time of day.  There is a main cord that is attached to the SunVolt panel and this in turn passes through the large zippered pouch where you connect it to your various devices.

This is easier to do than to describe but you can get some idea of how it works from the photos below.

After attaching your device to the panel, you can tuck it in to the zippered pocket during the charging process to protect it from overheating in the sun.

CHARGING PORTS, USB TIPS AND ALL THAT STUFF

The SunVolt can charge one or two devices at a time.  The main connecter coming out of the case will, with the proper tip, charge a single device.  Included, however, is a splitter that will allow you to plug in two devices at once.  I tested charging both a cell phone and an external battery pack at the same time and they both charged up fine.

So what about tips?  This is the confusing part.  My unit is the “iPhone 4” version which is curious since I do not have an iPhone. That said, it came with a tip designed for all Apple 30 pin devices as well as a universal USB port that I could use to plug in my own charging cables (for example the cable that came with my Nikon camera.)

The reason I say confusing is that when shopping for a SunVolt, you need to pick the model that comes with with right tip for your device.  The descriptions of the various models are not always clear in that regard.  For example, the iPhone4 version, to my way of thinking, should be called the iPhone/iPad version.

That said, I was able to charge my iPad2, my Sony e-Book reader and my cell phone using the standard tips that came with my system.  If for some reason your device needs a different tip, there is an interactive chart on the Gomadic website that will help you determine which tip will work with your device or you can or you can use the universal USB port which works too.

There is pretty much a charging tip for everything – they mix and match.

Knowing which tip to use is important because you may have two tips that look the same but one may work and the other may not.  This happened during my testing when my Sony reader refused to charge.   I finally went to the FAQ on the Gomadic website and learned that different tips are wired differently and that I was using the wrong tip.

When you use the cross reference table on the Gomadic website, a “number” will come up.  Each tip is clearly marked with a number right on the connector.  Once I plugged in the #97 tip, my Sony charged up from 1 bar to full charge in about an hour and a half.

Extra tips are available for purchase for about $6.00 each.

AND THEN THERE IS THE EXTERNAL BATTERY PACK – WOW!

A really cool accessory for the SunVolt is the external battery pack.  This is an external lithium battery pack that you can charge up with your solar panel then throw in your pocket or backpack to power your devices on the road or on the trail or wherever you may need some extra power.  The wow-factor comes from having the ability to charge this external pack using the USB port on a laptop giving you added flexibility.

How well did it work? In my test, the fully charged external battery charged my iPad  from zero (dead) to 20% before it’s juice ran out. On the other hand, it fully charged my Sony reader and still had plenty of charging juice to spare.  The battery pack is abut the size of a deck of cards and weighs about 6 ounces so it is highly portable.

THE FINAL WORD

In the interest of full disclosure, I did not pay for my SunVolt. Gomadic sent it to me for review with the understanding that the opinion I would share with my readers would be an honest representation of my experience with their product.

As I mentioned above, if there is one weakness to their product, it is that ordering a SunVolt can be confusing.  To me it would be much easier to sell the basic setup with a universal USB plug then sell the tips separately.  Heck, I am not sure that you even need the tips if you still have your original device charging cable.

On the positive side, the SunVolt just works.  That, coupled with a lifetime warranty makes it a winner in my book.  For more information, visit the Gomadic website or give them a call.  You can purchase the SunVolt directly or if you prefer, on Amazon.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye

If you have not done so already, please be sure to like Backdoor Survival on Facebook to be updated every time there is an awesome new article, news byte, or free survival, prepping or homesteading book on Amazon.  In addition, when you sign up to receive email updates you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

Bargain Bin:  Here are some links to the SunVolt I used for testing purposes as well as some useful other grid-down items.

Gomadic SunVolt High Output Portable Solar Power Station:  This is the unit I have.  Using this, I was able to both charge and to power my iPad, e-Book reader and cell phone.  About $100.

Gomadic Lithium Polymer Rechargeable Battery Pack: This lightweight battery pack can be charged using the SunVolt solar panel or your laptop.  It is about $50 and worth it if you can afford it.

Kaito Voyager KA500 5-way Powered Emergency AM/FM/SW Weather Alert Radio:  This is the emergency radio that I own.  It has a mini-solar panel that can be used to charge its internal battery plus it has a hand crank that will charge it – and your cell phone – as well.  This type of radio – whether this one or one similar – should be a priority when it comes to your survival gear.  About $50.

Cyalume SnapLight Chemical Light Sticks: Read all about light sticks at Lighting Your Way With Chemical Lighting.

Coleman Candle Lantern: When the lights go out, there is nothing like a Coleman. They last forever because spare parts are always available. A candle lantern will not give out the bright light of say, a propane or kerosene lantern. On the other hand, candles are likely to be available when other fuels are not.

Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials: The monthly specials at Emergency Essentials feature discounts of up to 35% off sometimes a bit more.

For May, all of their Mountain House Pouches are on sale as is their Freeze Dried Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese for $34.99, discounted from $40.95. (And you know how I love my cheese!  Great on those homemade pizzas or even as a snack right out of the can – yummy!)

Another special to consider is the Kelly Kettle® Large Stainless Steel Base Camp Combo for $109.99, discounted from $132.92.

Like this and want more?

CLICK HERE to visit Backdoor Survival on Facebook. And CLICK HERE to follow Survival Woman on Twitter.

Spread the Word – Tell your friends: Share Backdoor Survival with your friends. All you need to do to send them a short email. Now that was easy!

Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and the price is the same, no matter what.

Shop Amazon Tactical – Great Selection of Optics, Knives, Cases, Equipment
Amazon’s Most Wished For Items in Sports and Outdoors

Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!

FROM THE ALMOST FREE DEPARTMENT

Survival Life is letting me offer my readers a business card sized survival tool for free.  The only hitch is that you must pay $2.95 in shipping charges.  This is a good deal that to the best of my knowledge has only been offered in the past to Survival Life newsletter subscribers.

Following along with the numbers in the diagram, here is what the took includes:

1.  Can Opener
2.  Knife Edge
3.  Slotted/Flathead Screwdriver
4.  Ruler
5.  Bottle Cap Opener
6.  4 Position Wrench
7.  Wing-nut Wrench
8.  Saw Blade
9.  Direction Ancillary Indicator
10. 2 Position Wrench
11. Keychain Hole

This tiny but powerful survival tool is no bigger than a business card and fits right in your wallet.  Now why wouldn’t you want one of these?

Here is a link were you can get it:  Free Survival Business Card & Multi-Tool.  (You can also click on the image above.)

The Amazing SunVolt Power Station is the latest article from the Survival Woman at Backdoor Survival.

Couple the lack of storage space with the need to be mindful of the six enemies of food storage (temperature, moisture, oxygen, light, pests and time) and the storage problem compounds exponentially.

This does not have to be an impossible situation.  With a bit of creativity, almost everyone can find a bit of extra space for their emergency food storage.  So with that in mind, today I would like to offer some ideas for storing food for the space challenged.  I am going to do this by using my own home as an example.  In the photos below you will see the results of my walk-around assessment of usable storage space in my own home.

As embarrassing as it might seem to expose my messes and disorganization for the world to see, I think it will help give you some ideas where you too can find some extra space in your own home.

16 FOOD STORAGE TIPS FOR THE SPACE CHALLENGED PREPPER

1. Build some shelves under the stairwell

If you are like me, that awkward space under the stairwell is a big mess.  I actually cleaned this area out before taking the photo – that is how bad it was.  If you don’t want to build shelves, consider putting some buckets along the back wall then placing a board on top.  On top of this make-shift shelf you can store #10 tins or canned and packaged foods.  This is going to be the number one makeover in my home.

2. Shelves above the washer and dryer

The area above the washer and dryer is not ideal since it is prone to heat and humidity.  Still, if you are diligent about rotating on an annual basis, this area is perfectly acceptable for storing some canned goods or Mylar bags filled with rice, beans or oatmeal.

In my case I have some dead space next to the cupboard – perfect for a shelf or two.

3. Build some shallow shelves behind the clothes in your closet

Most closets are far deeper than necessary for your hanging clothes.  Adding a shelf just wide enough to hold canned goods will take advantage of this extra space without compromising your clothing one bit.

4. Clear out the junk on the shelf above your clothes in the closet

Talk about a waste of space.  I have stored some decorative shams up on the closet shelf above my hanging clothes.  I used to keep the shams on the bed but to tell the truth, it made making the bed too much trouble so now I pull them out when company is coming.  Most certainly, these pillows can be stored in my garage where it gets really hot in the summer and really cold in the winter.

5. Shelves on the backs of doors

As an alternative to shelves, you can purchase some inexpensive over the door shoe organizers for storing canned goods or bottled water.

6. Stack canned goods or jugs of water behind the sofa

If your sofa is pushed up against a wall, consider moving it out a few inches and using this new found space for food and water storage.

7. Shelves under the sink

As long as the food you store under the sink is well sealed, it is perfectly okay to use this space for storage.  Consider a shelf just wide enough to hold soda or juice jugs filled with rice or beans – perfect.

8. Storage in the deep recesses of your cupboards

This is a storage area I had not thought of before.  The back on the very top shelves of my cupboards are areas that I consider to be no-mans land.  I climbed up on a step stool to peek inside and stored there are cups and saucers that I never use, odds and ends of glassware, and items I have dragged from home to home during my 38 years of marriage.  This stuff should be thrown out or given away.  Why do I keep this stuff?

Take a look inside your own cupboards.  Do you have casserole dishes you never use?  How about the “good china” that is only used once a year if that often?  These are candidates for the garage or the garage sale.  Box them up and make room for your food storage.

9. Storage above the refrigerator

Ditto the above.  Mine is too high to get to on a daily basis and too deep to be practical.  At the very least, the back of the area above the refrigerator can be used to emergency food storage.

10. Storage in decorative baskets

This is one of my favorites.  I love baskets and use them to store all sorts of things in plain sight.  I use one for my bread making supplies, another for pet food and treats, another as a potato bin.  These are right there in my living room but no one is the wiser.  Like I said, hidden in plain sight.

11. Storage behind the books on your bookshelf

If you happen to collect books, think about pulling the books out toward the edge of the shelf and storing food behind the books.

12. Storage under the bed

This one is easy so I am surprised more people don’t consider this option.  Not only that, you can use some well-placed bricks to raise your bed and to increase the height of your under-bed storage area.

13. Storage under the sofa or other pieces of furniture

Do not discount the shallow storage area under your sofa, chairs or other furniture.  This is where I store my extra large 15” cast iron skillet (my 12” skillet calls the oven home) as well as my baking sheets, pizza peel, board games and other items.  As you walk around your own home and inventory space, be on the lookout for things that can be moved around and stored in out of the way places such as under the furniture.

14. Fill up those empty suitcases

Unless you are a business traveler, chances are you only use your luggage once or twice a year.  Empty suitcases are ideal for storing food that has been packaged in Mylar or FoodSaver bags.  This works equally well for pastas, rice, cereals and other packaged items from the grocery store.

Consider storing the individual packages of food in a large garbage bag then stuffing the whole thing into a suitcase.  That way you can simply remove the single large bag when you are ready to travel, set it aside for the duration of your trip, then replace it when you get home.

As a bonus, if you need to evacuate, you can grab your suitcase full of food and take it with you.  Pretty neat, huh?

15. Store buckets in the bathtub

I know people that never take a bath or do so only occasionally.  This is not to say they are dirty – they simply prefer the shower.  Why not fill the bathtub with well sealed buckets of food?  You can put up a nice shower curtain and no one will be the wiser.  You could also store a bucket or two in the shower.  Removing it before turning on the water is not such a big deal, after all.

By the way, the reason you want to use a bucket in the shower is so that the humidity from the bathroom does not leach into your food.  That, plus the fact that is easy to just hoist the bucket and set it aside – so much easier than a bunch of separate packages or cans.

16. Build a loft for storage in the garage

We built a storage loft in our garage.  If you do not have a high peaked ceiling like we did, you can put a shelf around the upper perimeter of the garage instead.  This is a great place to store those little used kitchen appliances, off season clothes and other little used items – making room inside your home for more food.

MAKING IT ALL WORTHWHILE

There are some factors to keep in mind as you evaluate these hidden food storage locations in your home.  The first is simply this:  your stored food should be used, replaced and rotated.  This is especially true if your storage conditions are not optimal.

Let me give you an example.  You live in a warm, humid climate and do not have air-conditioning.  On a hot summer day, the temperature inside your home may be 80F and the humidity may be 80%.  Okay, it is what it is.  Rather than fret about the diminished shelf life of your stored food, plan on using it after a year or two.  As long as you replace what you use, you are fine.  You food will still be nutritious and edible so rotate it into your day-to-day food pantry and eat it.

The other thing is that your food storage is “not an inheritance for your grandchildren”.  I wish I can claim credit for that statement but it belongs to Barbary Salsbury, the author of Preparedness Principles: The Complete Personal Preparedness Resource Guide for Any Emergency Situation.  I had the pleasure of meeting Barbara a couple of months ago and I was knocked to my senses by this statement.

It is okay to purchase what you need to get you through a one month or even a one year emergency. But use your food.  Cook with it and it eat it.  Learn to cook your food outdoors, perhaps in a fire pit or on a rocket stove.  Try eating it cold.  Learn what you like and what you will take a pass on the next time around.  But most of all, don’t think that you have to hoard your food.  Eat it, enjoy it and replace it.

THE FINAL WORD

Now that you are armed with some great (I hope) ideas, take a stroll around your own home.  Look for your own set of hidey holes and or areas where junk has accumulated and think about how, with a wee bit or organization and handyman skills, you can store some extra food.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye

If you have not done so already, please be sure to like Backdoor Survival on Facebook to be updated every time there is an awesome new article, news byte, or free survival, prepping or homesteading book on Amazon.  In addition, when you sign up to receive email updates you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

Bargain Bin:  Challenged for space to store your stuff?  Here are a few ideas plus a link to Barbara Salsbury’s fabulous book on preparedness principals.

Preparedness Principles: The Complete Personal Preparedness Resource Guide for Any Emergency Situation:  I was lucky enough to meet Barbara at the Food Insurance Summit.  What a lovely lady – very smart and likable but perhaps even more important, she thinks like me or is it the other way around?  I really recommend this book for every prepper’s library.  Common sense and lots of ideas – one of the better ones.

Over The Door Clear Shoe Organizer/Storage Rack:  Think about using your closet doors for storing canned goods or even empty soda/pop bottles filled with rice, beans or grains.  This one is less than $14 although I prefer this one made of cloth for slightly more Natural Linen Soft Storage Over-the-Door Shoe Organizer. (I just ordered this one.)

Winsome Capri Foldable Fabric Baskets:  Baskets and bins are perfect for storing things in plain sight.

Do It Yourself SuperPail Combo:  This combo includes 8 x 6-Gallon Buckets with Lids, 8 x Metallized Storage Bags and a 10-Pack of Large Oxygen Absorbers.

Command Medium Hooks (6 pack):  Sometimes the best solution is to hang things up.  If you have items cluttering your floor space, think about hanging them up.  These hooks are the best.  Not only that I found that Amazon has some of the best prices around for the 3M hooks.  They are super strong and easy to use.

Mylar bags & Oxygen Absorbers: What I love about Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers is they protect against every single one of the food storage enemies. Prices do vary but for the most part, they are inexpensive and easy to keep on hand. And while you can seal them up with a FoodSaver, some tubing and a common clothes iron, I find it infinitely easier with a cheap hair straightening iron that you can pick up $20 or less.

FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer: As long as the unit has an accessory port (and this one does), and inexpensive FoodSaver will work just as well as the fancier models. That is my two cents, at least.

FoodSaver Jar Sealer: Already have a FoodSaver? If so, check out this jar sealer which can be used to vacuum seal your Mason jars. This is a great option for short to mid term storage of items such as beans, rice, sugar and salt. Store your jars in a cool, dark place and you are set with the added advantage of removing a small amount for current use without having to disrupt your large Mylar bag or bucket of food.

Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials: The monthly specials at Emergency Essentials feature discounts of up to 35% off sometimes a bit more.

For May, all of their Mountain House Pouches are on sale as is their Freeze Dried Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese for $34.99, discounted from $40.95. (And you know how I love my cheese!  Great on those homemade pizzas or even as a snack right out of the can – yummy!)

Another special to consider is the Kelly Kettle® Large Stainless Steel Base Camp Combo for $109.99, discounted from $132.92. 

Like this and want more?

CLICK HERE to visit Backdoor Survival on Facebook. And CLICK HERE to follow Survival Woman on Twitter.

Spread the Word – Tell your friends: Share Backdoor Survival with your friends. All you need to do to send them a short email. Now that was easy!

Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and the price is the same, no matter what.

Shop Amazon Tactical – Great Selection of Optics, Knives, Cases, Equipment
Amazon’s Most Wished For Items in Sports and Outdoors

Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!

New from Survival Life – the Home Survival Course.  I am 3/4s through this course myself and can tell you that the section on defense is, on its own, worth the price of the course.  Collecting food, storing water, establishing defense plans, and executing power strategies are all covered.  There are four main training modules plus a quick start guide, reports helping to avoid the most common mistakes, and more.

The best part?  The course includes both an audio version that you can listed to online or download to your computer plus written transcripts.  Everything is available online to be accessed at any time.  From what I can tell so far, this is a good value at $27.

16 Food Storage Tips for the Space Challenged Prepper is the latest article from the Survival Woman at Backdoor Survival.

I continued to organize my food storage this week and to tidy up in general.  I am finding myself buried in clutter which is not only distracting but taking up valuable space that could be used for extra food storage.  This is something I will be writing about in an article this week – finding space for your food storage when there is none to be had.

I also continued listening to the audio version of the Survival Life Home Survival Course.  The course is presented in a format that is friend to friend, almost like inviting Joe Marshall (Above Average Joe) into your living room for a chat.  Although I don’t agree with the some of the processed foods that are suggested for food storage, the part about water is excellent.  One thing I learned about was how to desalinate sea water for basically free.  I have two more sections to go then I will post a review.

Speaking of reviews, I am still buried in stuff to test and to write about.  Some items I have purchased and others were sent to me. Coming up this week is a review of the SunVolt Portable solar power station which, along with the secondary external battery pack, I simply love.  It charges my iPad, cell phone and my Sony reader.  But more about that later in the week – probably on Thursday.

Then, after that, I have an eye-opening and somewhat disgusting review on MREs so stay tuned for that.

Okay, enough about me.  Let’s get on to the Sunday Survival Buzz.

SURVIVAL NEWS & ARTICLES FROM AROUND THE WEB

You Are The Hope:  If you read nothing else today, please read this.  It starts out:

If there is hope, you are it. You are motivated to find truth. You can think outside the box. You can see through propaganda. You are the remnant with the common sense that once was a common American virtue. You come to this site, because you get explanations that are not agenda-driven, that are not BS, that are not right-wing or left-wing, conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat.

America Is Embracing The Secret Police Culture Of The Nazis:  I have been thinking this for quite some time.  From Michael Snyder who writes The Economic Collapse Blog.

The U.S. Government Is Monitoring All Phone Calls, All Emails And All Internet Activity: Also from Michael Snyder who by the way, has a new novel, The Beginning Of The End, that is definitely on my to read list.

Nation’s Biggest Honey Packer Admits ‘Laundering’ Chinese Honey: Sneaky corporations do not have our best interests in mind – only greed – in spite of what they say publicly. And if honey isn’t bad enough, how about Rat meat sold as lamb in latest China food scandal.

Ways to Reuse Plastic Milk Jugs:  There are some good ideas here, including a cool bird feeder.

Emergency Uses for Lipstick:  Who’d a thought it?  On the other hand, I always have lipstick on my person and in my bug-out bag.

Make Your Own Eyeglass Cleaner: And finally, another DIY cleaning recipe for you.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE SHELF LIFE OF BLEACH AND VINEGAR

Backdoor Survival reader “Rita” asked about me about the shelf life of both bleach and vinegar.

Bleach

The shelf life of bleach for disinfection purposes is 6 to 9 months.  Here  is an article for you: Chlorine Bleach Shelf Life.  For laundry whitening purposes, bleach is viable a lot longer than that.  I do not know about forever but jugs of bleach that are two years old still whiten up my laundry quite nicely,.

Vinegar

The Vinegar Institute conducted studies to find out and confirmed that vinegar’s shelf life is almost indefinite. Because of its acid nature, vinegar is self-preserving and does not need refrigeration.

White distilled vinegar will remain virtually unchanged over an extended period of time. And, while some changes can be observed in other types of vinegars, such as color changes or the development of a haze or sediment, this is only an aesthetic change. The product can still be used and enjoyed with confidence.

Note:  The Vinegar Institute is an international trade association representing the vast majority of vinegar manufacturers and bottlers.

BACKDOOR SURVIVAL READER TIPS

In response to the article Survival Friday: Reasons You Need Salt in the Prepper Pantry, my Mom sent me this tip: 

Hi Gaye!  I use  salt to kill slugs.  Enjoyed your salt e-mail   Love Mom.

Yeah, I remember doing that myself when I was kid.  So now we have another reason to keep salt in our survival pantry.  Also, just so you know, my Mom is 89 years young (almost 90) and still going strong! Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

And from reader Vic:

You should only use natural, unrefined sea salt. It includes all the other minerals you need and your body needs and your body handles it well. “Table salt” should never be used. Table salt has all the good minerals removed and is incredibly hard on your body. Your body can’t handle it without the other minerals and it causes chronic disease. That’s why you’re being told to limit your salt intake.

Pure, unrefined sea salt, like Celtic salt, is safe to use. This is what nature made and what people used long ago.

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?

Reminder: if you are interested in finding a past Backdoor Survival article on a specific topic, you can use the Search box on the right hand side or select SEARCH from the menu bar.  In addition, I am working on some site improvements that will make overall navigation easier.

One thing worth mentioning now, though.  If you receive Backdoor Survival articles by email, in order to comment you must click through to the website where you will see a comment area at the very bottom of each article.  You can not enter a comment from the newsletter that is emailed to you.

COME PARTY WITH ME!

Shelf Reliance has been renamed THRIVE LIFE and I don’t know about you, but I like that a lot better.  I have just updated my Thrive Life Party page with the May Specials.

On of my favorite combo packages is the freeze dried tropical fruits.  Think about smoothies, sangrias and just plain snacking right out of the can!  So good and healthy too.  The party price is $118.70 versus $139.99 at Costco.  Here is what you get:

Freeze-Dried Banana Slices
Freeze-Dried Mangoes
Freeze-Dried Pineapple Chunks
Freeze-Dried Peach Slices
Freeze-Dried Apricots
Freeze-Dried Pears

And just so you know, I do earn free product when you place an order making this a great way to support Backdoor Survival while eating deliciously both now and in the long term.  To get to the party page, click on the picture above or go to the Thrive link in the menu bar.

THE FINAL WORD

Remember last week when I told you about the momma bird nesting right outside my office window?  Here are some photos for you.  Seems appropriate given that its Mother’s Day.  So, for all of you Mom’s out there, enjoy the day and God Bless You for all that you do.

Until, next time, remember to make every day a prep day!

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye

If you have not done so already, please be sure to like Backdoor Survival on Facebook to be updated every time there is an awesome new article, news byte, or free survival, prepping or homesteading book on Amazon. In addition, when you sign up to receive email updates you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

From the Bargain Bin: I put some thought into the things I would want to have if there is another Great Depression. These are all items I currently own.

Lodge Logic 12-Inch Pre-Seasoned Skillet: Cast iron items were at the top of the list. My readers love cast iron and so do I. Also at the top were Lodge Set of 2 Pan Scrapers and the Lodge Max Temp Handle Mitt.

All New Square Foot Gardening: I put in a Square Foot Garden last year and was pleased with the results. It is not too early to start planning for spring planting.

Clara’s Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from the Great Depression: If you don’t know about Clara, be sure to read Depression Cooking: A Visit to Clara’s Kitchen.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking: At an average cost of 50 cents a loaf, this bread is easy, delicious and inexpensive to make.

Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients: Ditto.

How to Live on Wheat: Everything you need to know about wheat.

Fiskars 7855 8-Inch Hatchet: The Fiskars products are easily sharpened and will last a lifetime. For less than $25, what is not to like? Oh, and while you are at it, you might also like the Fiskars Axe & Knife Sharpener for an additional $10.

Kaito Voyager KA500 Solar/Crank Emergency AM/FM/SW NOAA Weather Radio: A lot of different hand crank radios were sold but this was by far, the most popular.

Emergency Mylar Thermal Blankets (Pack of 10): I do believe in helping my neighbors in the community so a supply of these will be handy to hand out to those in need. You will be surprised at how warm these will keep you. Be sure to test one out in advance so that you have the confidence to trust the blanket in an emergency.

Holding Your Ground: Preparing for Defense if it All Falls Apart: I You NEED this book if you care about defending your homestead.

Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials: The monthly specials at Emergency Essentials feature discounts of up to 35% off sometimes a bit more.

You know how I love my fruits and vegetables.  Well for May, the Freeze-Dried Fruit and Vegetable Favorites Combo is on sale for $99.99 which is 31% off the regular price of $145.74.  Included are Strawberry Slices, Banana Slices, Peach Dices, Green Peas, Tomatoes and Super Sweet Corn.

Also on sale are Mountain House Pouches and Freeze Dried Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese for $34.99, discounted from $40.95.

Like this and want more?

CLICK HERE to visit Backdoor Survival on Facebook.  And CLICK HERE to follow Survival Woman on Twitter.

Spread the Word – Tell your friends: Share Backdoor Survival with your friends. All you need to do to send them a short email. Now that was easy!

Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and the price is the same, no matter what.

Shop Amazon Tactical – Great Selection of Optics, Knives, Cases, Equipment
Amazon’s Most Wished For Items in Sports and Outdoors

Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!

Rod Davidson, the author of Survive Any Food Crisis, is a family man that has seen it all during his military career. He has seen the result of food shortages around the globe and knows that we are just one step away from experiencing a food crisis of our own.  I have been working with Rod for over five months and can honestly say that he is the real deal.

This is a great value at only $9.95 exclusively for Backdoor Survival Readers.  You will get all of the following items:

The Core Survival Manual: “Survive Any Food Crisis” Guide plus these bonuses

    BONUS #1: Actionable Checklist for Food Preparedness
    BONUS #2: How to Use Local Plants for Medicine
    BONUS #3: How to Purify Water Fast and Easy

And of course, there is a no questions asked money-back guarantee if you change your mind.  But truly, you will not be disappointed.

The Sunday Survival Buzz – Volume 64 is the latest article from the Survival Woman at Backdoor Survival.

Before we begin, however, I would like to announce the winner of last week’s giveaway.  “Wanda V” has won a copy of Holding Their Own: A Story of Survival written by Joe Nobody.  Congratulations! I have contacted you by email with instructions for claiming your prize.

Here is Wanda’s response to the question “What are you personally preparing for?”

We are preparing for several things from a personal financial crisis to a total economic collapse and a grid down situation. With the national debt climbing at the rate it is and the cut backs needed on the money Washington is spending, I am concerned we may be closer than we think to a total financial collapse.

Be sure to check out the details of this week’s giveaway below.

MORE FROM RON FOSTER

For this encore giveaway, I posed a couple of new questions to Ron.

1.  Given your background and knowledge, what do you feel are the three most important survival or prepping skills?

I would say first is your mindset. People react to disasters in different ways but true survivors are mentally prepared for pretty much any encounter or confrontation. There are few things as hard to define as survival mindset. Basically you need to remember and apply a mental toughness to a stressful situation. This thought process is essential for peak human survival performance in high stress situations.

A “Crisis” to our psyches occurs when our theories about ourselves in relation to the outside world go fundamentally wrong. It is the dissonance between our expectations and our outcomes that causes the pain or our sense of loss. This is based on not the outcome alone. Foremost among our expectations is our belief that pain or loss is something to be avoided at all costs; that can be bad always for you. In a survival situation expect to suffer. But plan on suffering well.

Suffering does not fit most folks mindsets or theories about what it takes to succeed or survive in life and so we fail to concede that pain and our losses are somewhat inevitable in each of our lives. Realizing this fact reduces the stress of a survival situation.

Be able to focus on “alternatives” rather than “plans.” Many people become dangerous in survival situations by having too rigid of an attitude. To survive means to be able to adapt, and to adapt is the capacity to change, but adapting to the actual environment, and not your pre-conceived notions of what “should be happening.”

One famous well heard quote is , ‘I’d much rather be on the ground wishing I were in the air than in the air wishing I were on the ground.’”

In other words realize a situation could be worse and keep a positive attitude.

2.  As an author in the survival and/or prepping niche, what are you personally preparing for?

A solar storm. Solar maximum is in 2013. A CME can take our electrical grid down and thrust us back to living like the 1800s.

AND FROM THE BACKDOOR SURVIVAL READERS

I also thought you might enjoy reading a sampling some of the reader responses to basically the same question: Why do you prepare and/or what you are preparing for?

“I was a Boy Scout. Thirty Eight years of service to Scouting later it’s still my motto. Some things never go out of style!”

“My husband has been prepping for years, but I have just begun REALLY prepping in the past year. I have begun paying attention to the way this country (and world) have degraded. It is very frightening how everything has changed. We are trying to prepare for anything, although we can never be prepared for every scenario.”

“I am prepping for an economic collapse. I am a single mom with two kids and raising chickens and rabbits. We have a small garden that keeps us in fresh vegies all year round.”

“I’m preparing for uncertainty at best and collapse of services taken for granted. Doing so by stocking food/ med supplies, planting my first garden, taking a CWP class, and perhaps … chickens!”

“I am preparing for economic collapse and the accompanying social chaos.”

“I’m prepping to become more self-reliant on the source of my food. I don’t like grocery shopping and I hate the prices of fresh organically grown produce. I figure it’s not only cheaper to grow my own, but at least I know where it came from and if it actually is organic.”

“I prep to take care of my family in the event of any situation. Geographically I don’t have to worry about earthquakes, hurricanes or tsunamis, however the economic and entitlement problems in this country cause me the most concern.”

“I was adopted from a 3rd world country where there was a lot of chaos due lack of resources, war, and incredible poverty. Things change in a moment’s notice. I can’t prep for everything but I am working to prep my family for fires, nature; disasters relevant to my region, and overall learning to be self‐sustainable.”

“I am a retired Master Sergeant from the Army Reserve and in my 26th year as a law enforcement officer. I have seen the best and the worst of mankind and the worst scares me. The Army taught me its better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. My own experiences as a first responder during hurricane season in Florida has shown me just how fragile our infrastructure is, how limited local governments are, and just how little people prepare to help themselves. The FEMA recommendations for having enough supplies for 72 hours is a placebo. Ask the recent victims of Hurricane Sandy about the 72 hour rule. I prepare because I know my government can’t and sometimes won’t help me. I don’t want to depend on them; the numbers are not in my favor. Regardless of what they tell you, there is not enough to go around. I need to be able help myself and take care of my family. That’s why I prepare.”

“I prepare for an economic problem, whether it’s the gov’t causing seriously high inflation or my hubby losing a job due to the economy or just a serious illness or injury, I believe in being prepared to take care of ourselves, and to an extent to be self‐sufficient.”

“I prep because it is good common sense. A few year ago I was without a job for a year and my preps helped a lot with expenses.”

“I prep for the survival of my family. “

“I started prepping back in 2010 and then lost my job shortly after. It was a great help having food stored up although we went through it pretty fast. When I think of prepping I prep for anything. We live in tornado alley, we have had ice storms that have left us without power for a week. There is all kinds of situations that can happen. “

“I am preparing for anything from an extended power outage (snow or thunderstorms) to societal collapse.”

“I prep in order to be prepared for an economic meltdown or an EMP event. It’s easier and safer to put aside what I’d like to have now, and know it’s there waiting than to become agitated that things aren’t available later on”.

“I am 75 years old and of course have been witness to the decline of my country.  I feel there are a lot of disasters out there waiting to happen.  I prepare for myself and whole family.  Most of all I fear a collapse of the grid.  We are in a real time of peril and everyone needs to be preparing as fast as they can!”

THE BOOK GIVEAWAY

Here is the deal.  Ron is giving away two additional sets of his Prepper Trilogy.  You read that right.  Two sets of Ron Foster’s Prepper Trilogy have been reserved for Backdoor Survival readers.

To enter this week’s book giveaway, you need to do two things.

1.  Enter a comment below having something to do with water storage.  It can be anything – a water storage tip, a suggestion, or simply sharing how you store water.

2.  Share Backdoor Survival with a friend, either by email or by sharing a post from my Facebook page.  You are on the honor system but I do hope you will do this to help spread the message of preparedness.

Because there are two sets of The Prepper Trilogy (two complete sets of three books), I am extending this giveaway until May 31st.  The winners were be selected at random  at random using tools on the random.org website and announced in June.

THE FINAL WORD

The question of why we prepare is one that I have asked often and more and more, I am hearing economic collapse and chaos being the number one reason with natural disasters being second.  I know that this is a real concern for both me and the Survival Husband.  And so we continue to add to our supplies and our skills, hoping we will never need to use them but prepared none the less.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye

If you have not done so already, please be sure to like Backdoor Survival on Facebook to be updated every time there is an awesome new article, news byte, or free survival, prepping or homesteading book on Amazon. In addition, when you sign up to receive email updates you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

Spotlight Items:  Preppers Road March, BUG OUT! Preppers on the move! and The Light In The Lake: The Survival Lake Retreat are the three books that make up the Prepper Trilogy.  The Preppers Trilogy covers what happens after a solar EMP knocks the electrical grid completely out.  As you read through the series, you will follow along as a displaced prepper attempts to get home from Atlanta to Montgomery and survive while making do the best he can given the dire circumstances.

Bargain Bin: Listed below are all of the books in the Backdoor Survival Winter Reading List. There are both fiction and non-fiction titles and a bit of something for everyone. Also, some of these books are Kindle e-books but you do not need a Kindle to read Kindle e-books. Simply download the free Kindle app from the Amazon site and you are good to go.

The Backdoor Survival Winter Reading List – Non-Fiction

The Prepper Next Door: A Practical Guide For Disaster And Emergency Planning (Author Charlie Palmer)

Rapid Fire!: Tactics for High Threat, Protection and Combat Operations (Author Max Velocity)

Lanterns, Lamps and Candles (Author Ron Brown)

An Operations Manual For Humankind – The Complete Compendium Of Natural Health: (Author: Paul Patrick Robinson)

Understanding the Use of Handguns for Self-Defense (Author David Nash)

Where There Is No Doctor (Authors David Werner, Jane Maxwell, Carol Thuman)

Making the Best of Basics – Family Preparedness Handbook: (Author James Talmadge Stevens)

How to Live on $10,000 a Year – Or Less – Newly Revised for 2013 (Author George Ure)

Barbed Wire, Barricades, and Bunkers: The Free Citizen’s Guide to Fortifying the Home Retreat (Author F.J. Bohan)

The Prepper’s Pantry: Building and Thriving with Food Storage (Author Anne Lang)

The Truth About Simple Unhooked Living (Author Estar Holmes)

The Backdoor Survival Winter Reading List – Fiction

Preppers Road March (Author Ron Foster)

BUG OUT! Preppers on the move! (Author Ron Foster)

The Light In The Lake: The Survival Lake Retreat (Author Ron Foster)

Patriot Dawn: The Resistance Rises: (Author Max Velocity)

Holding Their Own: A Story of Survival (Author Joe Nobody)

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Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials: The monthly specials at Emergency Essentials feature discounts of up to 35% off sometimes a bit more.

One item can recommend available is their Do It Yourself SuperPail Combo. It includes 8 x 6-Gallon Buckets with Lids, 8 x Metallized Storage Bags and a 10-Pack of Large Oxygen Absorbers.

Don’t forget that you do not need fancy equipment to seal the metalized bag. A cheap hair iron will do the job.

Conair Flat Iron 2″ Ceramic Straightener: I use a hair iron to seal my Mylar bags. Forget about a hose and a vacuum sealer. A $20 hair iron works great – just be sure to get one with 2” plates.

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Like this and want more?

CLICK HERE to visit Backdoor Survival on Facebook. And CLICK HERE to follow Survival Woman on Twitter.

Spread the Word – Tell your friends: Share Backdoor Survival with your friends. All you need to do to send them a short email. Now that was easy!

Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and the price is the same, no matter what.

Amazon has a cool feature called Shop Amazon – Most Wished For Items. This is an easy tool for finding products that people are ‘wishing” for and in this way you know what the top products are. Like I said, very cool.

Shop Amazon Tactical – Great Selection of Optics, Knives, Cases, Equipment
Amazon’s Most Wished For Items in Sports and Outdoors

Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!

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11 Steps to Living a Strategic Life: This little book will provide you with the motivation to get started or stay on track with a self-reliant life. 11 Steps to Living a Strategic Life, co-authored with my long time pal, George Ure (www.urbansurvival.com), and can purchased from Amazon.

Backdoor Survival Book Festival: Ron Foster and The Prepper Trilogy Revisited is the latest article from the Survival Woman at Backdoor Survival.

I made it my mission to determine whether  is salt a good thing, a bad thing or simply something best treated as an item to “use in moderation”.

SALT AS THE BAD GUY

According to the Mayo Clinic, lowering your salt intake can help lower your blood pressure and your risk of cardiovascular disease.  Furthermore, a recent article in the “New England Journal of Medicine” looked at the potential impact of reducing salt intake.

The report found that if Americans cut their salt intake by 3 grams a day, new cases of heart disease, stroke and heart attack would significantly drop — as would the number of deaths. The authors estimate that these changes could save between $10 billion and $24 billion in health care costs annually. In light of this, many experts are calling on food manufacturers and restaurants to lower the amount of salt in the foods they sell.

BUT IS THAT REALLY TRUE?

On the other hand, salt/sodium is vital to keep our bodies functioning normally. It is a main component of the extracellular fluids in the body and is important for regulating hydration and other body functions such as the transmission of nerve impulses and the contraction and relaxation of muscles.  So although I personally have issues when there is too much salt in my diet, I tend to think that the use of salt is an individual thing.

HOW MUCH SALT IS NEEDED FOR SURVIVAL AND WHY?

For most of us, the amount of salt needed to stay healthy can be found in processed, packaged or canned foods.  Let us hope that we have stored enough of these foods – especially the canned items – that we will never need to worry about adding more.

Which leads me to the next point:  what are the uses of salt in an emergency situation?

Here are a few off the top of my head:

1.  Preserving meat, fish and game that is caught in the wild

2.  Providing the nominal amount of dietary sodium once the canned and processed foods are gone

3.  Taste enhancement (perhaps this should be number one!)

4.  As a natural cleaner

5.  First aid & personal care (i.e bee stings,mosquito bites, gargle for sore throats, teeth cleaning)

Having gone most of my adult life avoiding salt, coming to terms with adding salt to my survival pantry was true mind-shift.  Not only is there a physiological need for our bodies to ingest salt in one form or another, but there are a multitude of other uses aside from food enhancement and food preservation.

What are some of those uses?  This week I am sharing some non-conventional uses of salt compiled by my colleague ‘Above Average’ Joe at SurvivalLife.com.

27 ADDITIONAL REASONS TO USE AND STORE SALT

Salt has been an integral part of civilization dating back as far as 6050 B.C.  It has been such an important element of life that it has been the subject of many stories, fables and folktales and is frequently referenced in fairy tales.

It served as currency at various times and places, and it has even been the cause of bitter warfare.  Offering bread and salt to visitors, in many cultures, is traditional etiquette.

Aside from all of the uses that salt performs in terms of baking, food flavor and food preservation, salt has a number of other uses that you may never have thought of.

Remove Rust

Make a paste using 6 tablespoons of salt and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Apply paste to rusted area with a dry cloth and rub. Rinse thoroughly and dry.

Perk Up Coffee Flavor

Add a pinch of Salt to the coffee in the basket of your coffeemaker. This will improve the coffee’s flavor by helping to remove some of the acid taste.

Dispose of Disposal Odor

To help remove odors from garbage disposals, pour 1/2 cup of Salt directly into the garbage disposal. By running the disposal following manufacturer’s directions, you’ll send those odors down the drain.

Eliminate Fish Odors

Removing fish odor from your hands is simple with Salt. Just rub your hands with a lemon wedge dipped in salt, then rinse with water.

Cut Cutting Board Odors

To help cut odors off of your wooden cutting board, simply pour a generous amount of Salt directly on the board. Rub lightly with a damp cloth. Wash in warm, sudsy water.

Soothe Sore Throats

To alleviate the discomfort of a mild sore throat, gargle several times daily with a mixture of 1/4 teaspoon Salt and 1/2 cup warm water*. It’s like taking a liquid lozenge.

Treat your Tootsie’s

To prepare a salt water bath, pour 6 quarts (1-1/2 gallons) warm water in a large basin. Mix in 1/4 cup Salt and 1/4 cup baking soda. Soak feet for up to 15 minutes.

Boiling Water

Salt added to water makes the water boil at a higher temperature, thus reducing cooking time (it does not make the water boil faster).

Testing egg freshness

Place the egg in a cup of water to which two teaspoonful’s of salt has been added. A fresh egg sinks; if it floats, toss it.

Cleaning greasy pans

The greasiest iron pan will wash easily if you use a little salt in it and wipe with paper towels.

Cleaning stained cups

Rubbing with salt will remove stubborn tea or coffee stains from cups.

Save the bottom of your oven

If a pie or casserole bubbles over in the oven, put a handful of salt on top of the spill. It won’t smoke and smell, and it will bake into a crust that makes the baked-on mess much easier to clean when it has cooled.

Fend Off Fire From A Rogue BBQ

Toss a bit of salt on flames from food dripping in barbecue grills to reduce the flames and calm the smoke without cooling the coals (like water does).

Removing pinfeathers

To remove pinfeathers easily from a chicken, rub the chicken skin with salt first.

Preventing mold

To prevent mold on cheese, wrap it in a cloth dampened with saltwater before refrigerating.

Keeping milk fresh

Adding a pinch of salt to milk will keep it fresh longer.

Scaling fish

Soak fish in salt water before descaling; the scales will come off easier.

Non-stick pancakes

Rub salt on your pancake griddle and your flapjacks won’t stick.

Keeping cut flowers fresh

A dash of salt added to the water in a flower vase will keep cut flowers fresh longer.

Keeping patios weed-free

If weeds or unwanted grass come up between patio bricks or blocks, carefully spread salt between the bricks and blocks, then sprinkle with water or wait for rain to wet it down.

Killing poison ivy

Mix three pounds of salt with a gallon of soapy water and apply to leaves and stems with a sprayer.

Deodorizing shoes

Sprinkling a little salt in canvas shoes occasionally will take up the moisture and help remove odors.

Relieving bee stings

If stung, immediately wet the spot and cover with salt to relieve the pain.

Deter ants

Sprinkle salt at doorways, window sills and anywhere else ants sneak into your house. Ants don’t like to walk on salt.

Clean teeth

Use one part fine salt to two parts baking soda–dip your toothbrush in the mix and brush as usual.

Melt snow and ice

Sprinkle salt on snow or ice to melt away.

Removing soot

Occasionally throw a handful of salt on the flames in your fireplace; it will help loosen soot from the chimney and salt makes a bright yellow flame.

The term “worth one’s weight in salt” means that a person is effective and efficient or deserving of one’s pay.

About Joe

A little about me (‘Above Average’ Joe): I am just an average guy with a passion for learning. .I am excited to share the things I learn with you but I am most interested in learning from you. Survival Life is more than just one man. It is a growing and living community of individuals; all with the desire to be prepared to survive and thrive no matter what this world throws at us. I want to welcome you to the Survival Life community and look forward to growing with you! Thank you, Gaye, for inviting me to share the Survival Life with your readers!

Now granted, some of these uses are handy dandy but not applicable to survival.  Still, as Joe has demonstrated, there are a ton of day to day uses for salt that will make our lives easier if not more pleasant.

THE FINAL WORD

I checked a number of sources and the consensus is that you should store 5 to 10 pounds of salt per person as a one year supply.  This seems like a lot to me but, given that salt is so cheap, there is no harm in stocking some for emergency purposes.  And now that I think about it, with so many uses, I would recommend storing a bit more for use as barter currency.

The other thing worth mentioning is that salt is easy to store.  You can use Mylar bags, buckets or even re-processed jars or soda bottles.  Just remember that you should not use an oxygen absorber because if you do, the salt will turn in to a solid brick!

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye

If you have not done so already, please be sure to like Backdoor Survival on Facebook to be updated every time there is an awesome new article, news byte, or free survival, prepping or homesteading book on Amazon.

In addition, when you sign up to receive email updates you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

Bargain Bin: Here are some of my favorite food storage items. Whether you are just getting started or a seasoned pro, here are the items you will need when purchasing food in bulk for long term, SHTF needs.

Mylar bags & Oxygen Absorbers: What I love about Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers is they protect against every single one of the food storage enemies. Prices do vary but for the most part, they are inexpensive and easy to keep on hand. And while you can seal them up with a FoodSaver, some tubing and a common clothes iron, I find it infinitely easier with a cheap hair straightening iron that you can pick up $20 or less.

60 – 300cc Oxygen Absorbers: This is one area where you want to make sure you are getting a quality product. Currently, a pack of 60 (in three 20 unit packs) is about $10 with free shipping.

Mylar Zip Seal Food Storage Bags: These are the zip seal bags that I used to package up my spices, herbs and butter powder. These are extra heavy, 5 mil bags. I found that the zip feature made packaging extra easy although I still seal the bags with my hair iron.

FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer: As long as the unit has an accessory port (and this one does), and inexpensive FoodSaver will work just as well as the fancier models. That is my two cents, at least.

FoodSaver Jar Sealer: Already have a FoodSaver? If so, check out this jar sealer which can be used to vacuum seal your Mason jars. This is a great option for short to mid term storage of items such as beans, rice, sugar and salt. Store your jars in a cool, dark place and you are set with the added advantage of removing a small amount for current use without having to disrupt your large Mylar bag or bucket of food.

Sharpie Permanent Markers: Sharpies were invented for preppers! And without question, Amazon is the cheapest place to buy them. Typically, the price on Amazon is less that $8 for a dozen.

Avery Color Coding Labels: These are perfect for labeling your emergency storage foods with the date purchased.

Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials: The monthly specials at Emergency Essentials feature discounts of up to 35% off sometimes a bit more.

You know how I love my fruits and vegetables.  Well for May, the Freeze-Dried Fruit and Vegetable Favorites Combo is on sale for $99.99 which is 31% off the regular price of $145.74.  Included are Strawberry Slices, Banana Slices, Peach Dices, Green Peas, Tomatoes and Super Sweet Corn.

Also on sale are Mountain House Pouches and Freeze Dried Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese for $34.99, discounted from $40.95. 

Like this and want more?

CLICK HERE to visit Backdoor Survival on Facebook. And CLICK HERE to follow Survival Woman on Twitter.

Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and the price is the same, no matter what.

Shop Amazon Tactical – Great Selection of Optics, Knives, Cases, Equipment
Amazon’s Most Wished For Items in Sports and Outdoors

Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!

I recently announced a new collaboration with Survival Life.  In honor of this new relationship, Survival Life is letting me offer my readers a business card sized survival tool for free.  The only hitch is that you must pay $2.95 in shipping charges.  This is a good deal that to the best of my knowledge has only been offered in the past to Survival Life newsletter subscribers.

Following along with the numbers in the diagram, here is what the took includes:

1.  Can Opener
2.  Knife Edge
3.  Slotted/Flathead Screwdriver
4.  Ruler
5.  Bottle Cap Opener
6.  4 Position Wrench
7.  Wing-nut Wrench
8.  Saw Blade
9.  Direction Ancillary Indicator
10. 2 Position Wrench
11. Keychain Hole

This tiny but powerful survival tool is no bigger than a business card and fits right in your wallet.  Now why wouldn’t you want one of these?

Here is a link were you can get it:  Free Survival Business Card & Multi-Tool.  (You can also click on the image above.)

Survival Friday: Reasons You Need Salt in the Prepper Pantry is the latest article from the Survival Woman at Backdoor Survival.

Come on.  I said just  five minutes.  And five minutes a day over the course of a year?  That 30 hours with a whole lot of prepping going on.  Today I am sharing some preparedness projects that can be accomplished in just five minutes.  So if you think you don’t have time to prep, think again.

Shall we start?  Here are some 5 minute projects, listed in no particular order.

5 MINUTE PREPPING PROJECTS FOR PEOPLE WITH NO TIME

1. Purchase a prepping notebook or binder where you can accumulate information you need in the event of an emergency.

2. Wash out empty juice jugs, swish with a bit of bleach and fill them with water for an emergency. Be sure to date them so that you that you can rotate them on an annual basis.

3. Place a pair of shoes, socks, work gloves, a whistle, and a light stick or flashlight with batteries under your bed for use during or after an emergency.

4. Talk to family members about how you will re-unite with each other following a disaster.

5. Choose an out-of-state contact person that is willing to be a relay point for information after-the-fact to your other family members and loved ones. (Following a disaster, telephone lines to an out-of-state location may work when local calls do not.)

6.  Introduce yourself to a neighbor you have not met.  Exchange emergency telephone numbers.

7. Purchase a manual can opener on your next visit to the store.

8. Fill empty milk jugs or other plastic containers with water and store them in your freezer.  The frozen jugs will keep your food colder for longer in the event of a power outage.  The water can also serve as a backup source for cleaning or sanitation purposes.

9. Read Food Safety When the Grid Goes Down and print out the food safety charts at the at the FoodSafety.gov website. Attach them to the inside of a cupboard door so you have them handy after a power outage or disaster.

10. Mark your calendar with a date one year from now so that you remember to rotate your canned goods out of storage.

11. Purchase extra canned goods each time you visit the grocery store.

12. Locate your utility shutoff valves and review the instructions for turning them off. Place a shut-off tool by the door nearest to them

13. Test your smoke alarms.

14. Make a list of all of your prescription drugs along with dosages and keep the list in your emergency kit.

15. Take digital photos of each room in your house.  Take five minutes for each room and do you best to capture as much as you can.  This will facilitate any after the fact insurance claims.

16. Write down your insurance policy numbers and your agent’s phone number, and put them in your wallet and in your emergency kit.

17. Add $1 a week to your emergency cash fund.  If you can afford it, add $5 per week (or more) to the fund.

18. Make digital copies of your important documents and store them on a flash drive.

19. Make a backup copy of the data on your computer hard drive and give it to a friend or relative to store for you.  In computer terms, this is called “off site backup”.

20. Locate a source of water outside of your home such as a lake, pond or stream.

21. Learn to cook a pot of rice.

22. Download free prepping, survival and homesteading for e-books from Amazon as they become available.  Check the Backdoor Survival Facebook page for almost daily announcements of books that are currently available – often for just a day or two.

23. Call (800-480-2520) or email FEMA (fema-publications-warehouse@fema.gov) to order a free copy of their excellent print book “Are You Ready Guide to Preparedness”.  For more information about this publication, see Free for You: The “Are You Ready Guide to Preparedness”.

24. Practice starting a fire using a bit of dryer lint, a cotton ball soaked in petroleum jelly or a flint and steel.

25. Sow some seeds, fruits and veggies that is.

26. Visit one of the websites in the article Special Report: The Best Prepper Websites.

So there you go, 26 prepping projects that will take only five minutes each.  Have some ideas of your own?  I would love to have you share them in the comments below.

THE FINAL WORD

Preparing for a disaster or crisis or even an economic collapse does not have to be an insurmountable task.  Breaking tasks down in to manageable chunks will make the job less chore-like and less of a burden.  As a bonus, when you are done, you will feel the sense of satisfaction that comes from knowing that you have done something to secure your safety and well-being if it all goes to heck.

One thing for sure, you need to make every day a prepping day!

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye

If you have not done so already, please be sure to like Backdoor Survival on Facebook to be updated every time there is an awesome new article, news byte, or free survival, prepping or homesteading book on Amazon. In addition, when you sign up to receive email updates you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

Bargain Bin: Everyone needs a portable pocket survival kit. Here are links to the items in my own Portable Pocket Survival Kit.

Kershaw OSO Sweet Knife:  This “oh so sweet” knife is solidly built, stainless steel knife that comes razor sharp right out of the package. It will pretty much cut through anything the price is amazing. About $23.

Streamlight Nano Light Keychain LED Flashlight:  extremely small and light weight yet it will throw off a decent amount of super-bright light. At just .36 ounces and 1.47 inches long, the Streamlight Nano Light Keychain Flashlight will take up a minimum of space in your pocket or bag. About $7.

Paracord Survival Bracelet:  Why a Paracord Bracelet? So you always have some of this useful cord on your person!  About $7.

Windstorm Safety Whistle:  This particular whistle can be heard a long distance away and above howling wind and other competing sounds. About $7.

Swedish Firesteel:  Using this basic pocket fire-starter, you can get a nice fire going under almost any conditions. This is a small, compact version. About $11.

Pepper Spray:  It is always good to have some form of defense that will temporarily halt a bad guy that is in your face. About $7.

Emergency Mylar Thermal Blankets:  These come in compressed packets small enough to fit in a pocket or wallet.  You will be surprised at how warm these will keep you. About $8 for a pack of 10.

Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials: The monthly specials at Emergency Essentials feature discounts of up to 35% off sometimes a bit more.

For May, all of their Mountain House Pouches are on sale as is their Freeze Dried Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese for $34.99, discounted from $40.95. (And you know how I love my cheese!  Great on those homemade pizzas or even as a snack right out of the can – yummy!)

Another special to consider is the Kelly Kettle® Large Stainless Steel Base Camp Combo for $109.99, discounted from $132.92. 

Like this and want more?

CLICK HERE to visit Backdoor Survival on Facebook. And CLICK HERE to follow Survival Woman on Twitter.

Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and the price is the same, no matter what.

Shop Amazon Tactical – Great Selection of Optics, Knives, Cases, Equipment
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Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!

New from Survival Life – the Home Survival Course.  I just started going through this course myself and can tell you, collecting food, storing water, establishing defense plans, and executing power strategies are all covered.  There are four main training modules plus a quick start guide, reports helping to avoid the most common mistakes, and more.

The best part?  The course includes both an audio version that you can listed to online or download to your computer plus written transcripts.  Everything is available online to be accessed at any time.  From what I can tell so far, this is a good value at $27.

26 Five Minute Prepping Projects is the latest article from the Survival Woman at Backdoor Survival.

Today I am sharing Part Two in the series “A Primer on Propane for Prepping and Survival”.  If you have not read it yet, part one covered covered propane safety, various types of tanks, the cost-benefit of refilling empty tanks and how to obtain free (or cheap) old-style bulk tanks.  What you learned in part one was how, with some creative scrounging and smart purchasing, to acquire enough tanks to provide at least minimal cooking and night lighting for about a year, at nominal cost.

If you haven’t yet read Part One, you’ll find it at here:  A Primer on Propane for Prepping and Survival.

INTEGRATING PROPANE INTO YOUR PREPPING STRATEGY – PART TWO

In this article we will cover the easy low-cost refilling of expensive (when new) green one pound canisters and some of the challenges that they can pose. We’ll also cover some of the main low-usage appliances for propane that will make life easier, and more secure, in a grid-down scenario while transitioning to a possible new world order.

Refilling One Pound Canisters from 20 Pound Bulk Tanks

With the right kind of adapter, described further below, it is a fairly simple process to transfer liquid propane from a bulk tank into small green canisters and vice-versa. There are a couple of critical things to keep in mind, however:

Propane in the container is in two forms: liquid and gas. These are both pure propane, but at room temperatures, the liquid will quickly and greatly expand in volume to a gas as the vapor pressure reduces. There are no practical uses for liquid propane, other than transferring it between containers, and lots of potential problems (such as explosive clouds of white gas), so you want to avoid releasing liquid propane, whatever it takes. If you deliver liquid form into a small propane heater, for instance, the liquid fuel can do some real damage, rendering the heater inoperable, with no easy repair.

A more critical example would be if you connected a one pound canister to a camp stove, with the canister either over-filled or upside down, so that the output is liquid, instead of gas: Liquid propane could jet out of the burners, it will quickly expand to a large cloud of gas just when you’re trying to light it and something’s going to go Boom! With any luck, the only thing that will get singed is your eyebrows, but you could also destroy the equipment and even suffer eye injuries that will be painful and take a long time to heal, just when you don’t have the time to waste.

But, if it was a huge cloud of flame and you happened to be sharply inhaling at the moment, such as from surprise at the huge cloud of flame that’s currently enveloping your face, you’ll end up literally breathing in the flame into your lungs. When you burn the lining of your lungs, they will start oozing liquid to the point of filling up and you will probably die of pneumonia within 15 minutes, if you’re lucky. If you’re not lucky, it will take even longer.

I can promise you that it will be the most miserable 15 minutes of your life. In a slightly different scenario, this actually happened five years ago to someone for whom I cared a great deal, and Julie did die, alone on the floor of her kitchen, with her traumatized dog lying by her side. The memory still makes me ill. So, I’m here to tell you that that this type of deadly injury really can happen.

Sorry to get so heavy, but this really happened in my life and my point in making this so personal is to hammer home the point that, when you play with propane, you’re literally playing with fire, and a more of it than you’ve probably ever experienced. Like a firearm, propane is a powerful and valuable survival tool, but it needs to be handled with the utmost of both understanding and respect. That’s why I keep hitting safety issues so hard and so frequently.

So, before you start down this propane road, especially if you’re going to color outside of the lines, you’d better have a very clear idea what you’re doing. That’s the whole purpose of this long article, which is intended to bring the average reader up to speed from a standing start.

But, if you keep a few possibly-new basic principals in mind and carefully read the all of the instructions that come with every propane appliance, propane can also save your life, or at least make it a lot more pleasant in a grid-down situation.

Propane: It’s Both a Gas and a Liquid, In the Same Tank

Again, propane inside the tank is in both a gas and a liquid form that can quickly expand into a surprisingly large cloud of gas and that can touch off into a large explosion with the slightest spark.

Fortunately, it is easy to choose which form, gas or liquid, that you want to dispense out of the container, depending upon whether you are transferring fuel between containers or using it for practical purposes:

When the container is standing upright with the outlet at the top, the liquid propane is at the bottom of the tank, so what will come out is the gaseous form, which will be quickly replenished from the liquid form as internal tank pressure goes down. When you’re using propane for practical purposes, this gas is what you want.

But, when the tanks are upside down or possible on their sides, what will come out is liquid propane. Generally, the only time that you want this liquid is when you’re transferring fuel from one container to another.

Just keep in mind, for consumer-level propane hardware: “Upright gets you gas and upside-down gets you liquid.”

The One Pound Canister Refilling Process

The key component that you need to refill small one pound propane canisters is an adapter which costs about $15 and is called a MacCoupler Adapter.

In the photo above, on the right side, you can see the black rubber O-ring that seals it to the bulk tank.

Here are photos showing it mounted onto a bulk tank.

Don’t forget, this is a reverse thread, so turn it *counter-clockwise” (lefty-tighty). You can start threading this in by hand. Tighten lightly, but still with a wrench.

The photos below show proper container orientation during various operations.

Above:  The proper position to transfer fuel from the bulk tank into the canister. (The plastic tank wrapper has since been removed.)

Above:  The proper orientation to transfer fuel from a canister back into the bulk tank. If you want to completely refill the bulk tank, you’ll have to go through this operation at least 20 times. But, if you’re throwing a big barbecue and run out of gas, this could save the day. Ditto, if you need to run something that’s set up for bulk tanks, but all of yours are empty.

The Fuel Transfer Process

Transferring fuel from one tank to another is relatively simple:

1. *With the tank valve closed,* install the reverse-thread adapter onto the bulk tank. Tighten it with a wrench until it is moderately snug, and don’t forget that it’s a reverse thread direction than normal. The actual sealing mechanism is a rubber O-ring on the adapter and these don’t require huge torque pressures to seal. “Just snug” is just right. You’ll find specific directions on tightening a little further below.

2. If refilling a small canister, turn the bulk tank upside down and place it on a flat sturdy surface to avoid tipping over. Remember, you want to transfer the liquid form, which is at the bottom, so the outlet needs to be at the bottom. Keep the bulk tank valve closed.

3. Attach the canister to be refilled onto the other side of the adapter. This time, however, the threads run in the normal “righty-tighty” direction. Again, the seal mechanism is a rubber ring, so just snug it in place. Important Note: If the adapter connection to the tank is too loose and you screw in the canister on the other side with too much force, you will actually start unscrewing the adapter from the tank, potentially releasing gas into the airspace that you’re currently occupying. Again, “no bueno.” This is why you need to keep the bulk tank valve closed at all times, except when you are making the fuel transfer.

4. Once everything is properly oriented and connected, now is the time to open the tank valve and let the transferring commence. Keep an eye and ear peeled for gas leaks, in the form of a cloud of white gas. It may take a minute or so to complete the transfer, depending upon the temperature and remaining contents in the supply tank, both of which impact the supply pressure. When the hissing stops, you’ve transferred as much as is going to move right now. This is going to give you about a 50% fill of the canister.

(Transferring fuel from a canister to a bulk tank is the same process, but the canister needs to be upside down and the bulk tank on its side, as in the above photo.)

Achieving a Full Refill

But, wait! We haven’t run out of surprises, yet! The most common challenge in refilling one pound canisters is that it is normally very difficult to completely refill the canister.

This latest surprise stems from the fact that, while the liquid fuel temperature drops as the supply diminishes, at the same time, as fuel enters into a new container, the internal pressure increases, the canister gets *hotter* as a result and the pressure resisting the transfer into the canister rises nearly exponentially. At the same time, during the transfer process, the supply tank pressure drops and the dispensing pressure decreases.

The bottom line result is that a one pound receiving canister typically will only become about half-filled during the transfer, not to mention becoming quite warm. So, it will only last half as long before it runs dry. Assumed is that we want a full fill-up, or nearly so.

The most accurate way to keep track of the fill level is to weigh the canister with a small scale when it’s empty (you can’t hear any liquid sloshing around inside) and then weigh it again after filling. With a full fill, it should weigh exactly 16 ounces more than when empty.

Safety Note: You do NOT want to over-fill a receiving canister, and this is possible by having the supply tank too hot. That risks dispensing liquid fuel into your appliance, even if the canister is properly oriented, which can cause flash clouds of flame and/or damage the appliance itself, as described above. Conceivably, you could even risk bursting the canister by overfilling, explosively releasing a pound of vapor. The package insert that comes with the adapter contains a couple of dozen warnings and you should read and memorize all of them, as well as the safety warnings that come with every appliance. This isn’t salad oil, here.

The factory that fills new canisters uses high pressure pumps to overcome this temperature resistance phenomenon. But, we don’t have that option, which is probably just as well.

What you want for the best fill is a warm (not hot) supply tank and a cold receiving tank. The Net is full of suggestions on how to achieve this, some good and some very bad.

One of the worst ideas that I’ve seen is to heat up the bulk tank by letting it sit in the sun for hours. As we learned in the scout camping cautionary tale above, again, no bueno. Do NOT fill or top off a one pound canister from a hot (more than 85 degrees F.) bulk tank. If the ambient air temperature is higher than 85, it’s just not a good time to refill canisters. If this is an issue in your situation, the first thing in the morning, after a cooler night, is the best time.

Other suggestions, including in the MacCoupler adapter insert, suggest pre-cooling the receiving canister by either sticking it in the freezer or dunking it in ice water prior to filling. These are fairly effective at pre-compensating for “thermal resistance,” but in a grid-down scenario, freezers and ice water may be very hard to come by.

Here’s the easy way to get a full fill: Fill the canister twice.

That is, fill the canister as full as it will get without special temperature tricks, turn off the bulk tank valve and then let the canister cool back down in the shade or, if you have it, some cool water. Then, once it has cooled back down, top it off with a second transfer. Generally, this will get you about a 90% fill, which is usually good enough and leaves a little extra safety cushion to avoid an over-fill. It never hurts to leave in a little safety cushion.

If you have a scale, you can get a strong handle on your fill rates by weighing the canister before and after both steps. With a little practice, you’ll be able to make a pretty good guess without a scale just by the heft of the canister and the amount of “slosh” that you hear inside.

Handle With Care

While we’re on the subject of using propane adapters etc., in a grid down situation, these will be simply irreplaceable. They are the critical link in the canister refill system and there’s no way to easily cobble one together out of salvage. For this reason alone, it would be wise to have a new spare adapter in stock. If you don’t anticipate being able to easily replace this adapter, or even if you can, you need to treat these things with some gentle care.

These adapters are made out of relatively soft brass. So, it’s very easy to damage or even wear out the threads from hard repeated use, which could render the adapter useless, and make it no longer possible to refill small canisters from bulk tanks. If that happens, you’ll be stuck with all these handy portable propane appliances, but with no easy way to fuel them.

Here are several things that will extend the life of the adapter threads:

1. The first, obviously, is to not drop the adapter onto a hard surface: Hitting a rock can totally mess up the threads. You might be able to clean up the threads with a file or by gently starting it into the bulk tank threads and carefully using a wrench to restore the position of the banged-up threads, though they won’t be as strong resisting pressures of up to 200 PSI. For sure, make certain that whenever you start threading in the adapter, you start it in straight, not “cross-threaded.” If you can easily screw it in for a couple of turns with just finger pressure, you’re in good shape.

2. Another life-extending strategy is to lubricate the threads of the adapter before screwing it in or screwing something into it. A thin coating of axle grease or Vaseline would work fine. But, be sure to not let any get into the end opening or it will end up inside your smaller canister and eventually into the appliance, which could clog it up and prevent it from working properly. In a pinch, pull the oil dipstick out of your vehicle’s engine and let a drop or two drip off the bottom of the stick onto the threads. Even a light rubbing with a bar of soap will help to extend the thread life. Just don’t use any more lubrication than it takes to reduce the friction wear on the threads.

3. Another tip to minimize thread wear is to start threading the adapter onto the tank by hand, as tight as you can get it, until it starts resisting. Only then, tighten it down with a 1 1/8″ wrench. Over-tightening is what will wear out the threads the fastest and with a wrench this large, that’s easy to do. The main sealing mechanism isn’t friction or compression, as with other fittings, but a small rubber O-ring on the adapter that mates with another O-ring inside the bulk tank throat. The new OPD type tanks have a second spring-loaded internal valve that prevents gas from escaping when the valve is opened, but nothing is hooked to it.

“Hand tight to first contact, plus about 2 to 2 1/2 turns more with a wrench” should be about right.

And, of course, when you’re removing the adapter, remember the reverse thread and rotate the adapter on the clockwise direction: Righty-Loosy. There’s no faster way to strip out the threads then cranking it in the wrong direction with a big wrench during removal.

Watch Out for Leaks!

Finally, something thing to be very aware of is that, when you refill one pound propane canisters, which are really intended to be a one-shot deal that you throw away when it empties, is that the internal valve on the canister just might develop a slow leak. This is not uncommon with multiple refills, or even just one.

At best, you won’t have the fuel when you need it. At worst, that pound of gas can leak into a closed environment, such as a hot car trunk or closet and make a very satisfying explosion, unless you happen to be in the middle of it.

So, when you refill a canister, always test it by dropping in a little soapy water into the top of the bottle. If you see bubbles forming, you’ve got a leaker that will slowly (or quickly) empty out. This is also a good way to test all new propane connections. Rinse soapy water out of the canister outlet with a little clean water and let it dry before using it.

You can usually smell a small leak, too. The refiners add a “smellorant” that is very distinctive. If you can smell it, you need to act fast.

If the canister leaks badly enough to hear the hissing and you see a cloud of white vapor, you need to carefully move the canister to a safe and well-ventilated outdoor location, move away, let it empty out and then throw it away. That one’s a goner, though you might find some use for it as, say, a fishing float or else recycle the sheet metal to repair something else. Remember, we’re talking about a grid-down situation that may be long term, so don’t throw away anything that can be recycled or repurposed. Even tin cans and leaky fuel canisters.

If you get a moderate leaker, there are some things that you can do about it:

1. Mark the canister, if only marking an “L” in the paint on top of the shoulder, so that you can easily identify it later. They all look alike.

2. Attach something to the canister threads that will prevent further leaking. This is not a bad idea, anyway, when storing and transporting canisters. This “something” will be either screw-on caps or some sort of appliance that has a shut-off valve.

The least expensive option that I’ve been able to find is the Mac Coupler Propane Bottle Cap aka MacCaps. Two of these heavy duty brass caps will run you about $8, plus shipping. They’re also fairly common in sporting goods stores and departments for about the same price, but without the shipping cost.

These will certainly stop leaks, as well as protecting the canister threads, which are actually fairly durable. But, if you have dozens of irreplaceable canisters in your inventory, this can get spendy.

Another option is to attach the leaky canister to a propane appliance and use the control valve on that to stop the leak. One of my preferences is a small and inexpensive propane torch, the kind that plumbers use to solder copper pipes and which can thaw frozen locks etc. These torches will also do a great job of starting campfires even in windy situations, at least with fairly dry wood.

For new torches, one good value option is the Mag-Torch MT200C Propane Pencil Flame Burner Torch. One thing that I like about this one is the all-brass construction, which should be durable under most conditions. Other brands use a lot of plastic and their durability might be questionable. With one of these and a welder’s flint striker (described below), you can just about kindle a flame in a hurricane and it’s very unlikely to blow out. In a pinch, you could even boil some drinking water in a small tin can without having to build a campfire.

A self-igniting small torch could also prove very handy as a sure-fire flame source in almost all conditions, sort of like a Bic lighter on steroids. But, these are going to tend to be not as durable, so they should be held in reserve when any torch use is needed.

You can also frequently find these torches, and other propane camping gear, cheap at yard sales, too, and it doesn’t hurt to have backups, especially if you need something to “cap” a small canister that has started leaking, in order to keep it in service. I’ve picked up used serviceable torches for less than the cost of a new cap. Of course, test out any used propane gear as soon as you can, preferably before you lay out any cash. But, it usually tends to be fairly durable. If you’re going yard-saling, it couldn’t hurt to bring along your own fuel canister for testing, properly stoppered, of course.

3. A third option with slow-leak canisters is the “just in time” method: Just don’t refill them until you need them, then quickly attach them to the appliance. Keep a couple of refilled standby canisters on hand with some sort of capping device and leave the bulk supply tank set up to quickly refill them on demand. The rest of your stockpile of empty canisters is your reserve to replace the inevitable bad leakers.

When working with slow leak canisters, if you must, do this outdoors away from ignition sources, for sure, and don’t dally about connecting it up or capping it. Again, if it’s a fast-leaking canister, unless there is no other choice, take it out of the inventory and find another use for it.

That’s it for refilling small green canisters from bulk tanks. With a little common sense and some patience waiting for the canister to cool back down for a top-off filling, you’re good to go.

Replacements, Hardware and Appliances

Now, we’ll touch on the other stuff that you need to best take advantage of propane.

Stock up on O-Rings!

As we saw in the above photo of the MacCoupler, at one end is small a rubber O-ring seal. Even with proper thread care, these seals will still slowly wear out from use and they’re not a DIY item to replace. They’re fairly durable, but they’ll still wear from normal abrasion and, when they wear out, you may start getting leaks at the tank valve, no matter how hard you tighten it. How quickly they wear out will depend upon how often you screw the adapter into a bulk tank, which will refill about 20 one pound canisters before it empties.

One O-ring preservation strategy is to not remove the adapter from the bulk tank until it is emptied. If you need a bulk tank to power something, grab another one from your stockpile.

But, prepare for this inevitable wear and pick up some extra O-rings of the proper size while you still have the chance. These are quite inexpensive and easy to find at most auto parts and hardware stores, as long as they remain open. The simplest thing is to gently pry off the original O ring that comes with the adapter, perhaps with a plastic knife, take it to the store and tell the clerk, “I want a dozen of these.” O-rings often come in bags of a dozen or so, they’re cheap and having a new one when you really need it just might save your life.

Striking Sparks

The biggest challenge in kindling a flame, for whatever purpose, is creating the initial spark. Lighters, matches and flint/steel etc. are normal parts of the prepping stockpile. But, these all create fairly small sparks that can be problematic in windy conditions.

Magnesium fire starters, which drop burning metal onto the tinder, have their place, too, at least if you don’t have a small propane torch for continuous combustion until the wood catches fire. But, without a spark source of some sort, or a heavy (Glass 10X) magnifying glass, you’ll have to resort to rubbing two sticks together to kindle a flame, and that’s a long tedious process, at best.

Another really nice feature with propane is that it lights very easily in almost all conditions, assuming that you want it to, with a simple, if irreplaceable post-SHTF, flint spark striker. the kind that welders use to light their torches. These industrial strikers fit over the torch output end, put out a large volume of big fat sparks just by squeezing the handle, and they’re cheap.

A good value in flint strikers is the “Hot Max 24172 Single Flint Striker with 5 Replacement Flints“.  This striker is designed for industrial use, it will last for a long time and, with five replacement flints, you are assured of all-weather fire-starting spark for years. With a little extra effort, you might even be able to spark fine dry tinder into flame.

For extra security, since these are so inexpensive, deliver so many sparks and it would be very difficult to MacGyver a striker out of salvage materials, I’d have at least a couple, with spare flints, in the stockpile. For $11, you’ll have two strikers and 10 replacement flints, and so be in good spark shape for a very long time. If you want to stock up on barter items with a very high potential demand and value, welder’s spark strikers are a good choice.

Heat

If you need a lot of heat in an open area or large vented space, nothing will perform better than a catalytic heater that mounts on top of a bulk tanks. But, these use up fuel like flushing a toilet. You’ll burn through a full 20 pound tank in less than a day, so these aren’t really a good option in grid-down, except maybe for an emergency. You’re better off with a campfire or wood stove.

The smallest and safest canister-fueled propane heater seems to be the Mr. Heater Buddy Indoor-Safe Portable Radiant Heater for spaces up to 200 square feet These will last for about 2 – 5 hours per canister, depending upon how high you crank it. At a low burn and five hours of heat per night, a bulk tank will last you about three weeks.

This heater comes with a built-in low-oxygen detector that shuts it down if the oxygen level gets consumed too far. The unit burns at a very high efficiency, so oxygen depletion is usually the biggest concern. If you find yourself gasping for air, you’re low on oxygen (O2) and building up carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air. So, get some fast ventilation from a door or window. But, it’s not going to silently kill you.

However, for suspenders and a belt, it sure doesn’t hurt to have a carbon monoxide (CO) detector, too. There are a variety of CO alarms available that range from $40 and up, but read the reviews carefully; Some are a lot better than others.

One of the best-reviewed seems to be the Universal Security Instruments Carbon Monoxide and Natural Gas Alarm. I like both that it’s a dual methane/carbon monoxide unit and that it has a battery backup.

Cooking

For compact cooking portability, I particularly like the Coleman PefectFlow 1-Burner Stove.  This is a minimalist 10,000 BTU burner that screws onto the top of a canister, with a canister base to keep it more stable. Depending on how hot you burn it, a canister will last about 2 to 5 hours.

But, there are many other choices, too.  My advice is to look for something that fits your budget, meets your needs and has good reviews.

For the best fuel efficiency, I really prefer a steel wok. With this, you can fry, steam and even make soup or boil drinking water, with just a small flame under the center of the bottom. You can also use it with just a tiny little campfire, which saves a lot of labor in finding wood. In Asia, they are frequently fueled by charcoal, which is easy to make off-grid, but the topic of a different article.

I especially like the fact that you can store a small screw-on stove, like the PerfectFlow, and a one pound canister, inside the wok, mostly. It would be a little cumbersome in a bug out bag, but it’s a lot of compact self-contained instant cooking capability to fit into about 1/2 cubic foot of space, with a total weight of just about three pounds. If you’re reduced to eating roots and grubs, they’ll taste a lot better if they’re sautéed.

One good option is the Town Food Service 14 Inch Steel Cantonese Style Wok which I also recommended in part one.  The Cantonese style has two small handles, which makes for easier transport. The Mandarin style wok has both a small handle and a long heat-proof handle, like a frying pan, that makes it easier to flip food and move with one hand, but is more cumbersome to carry and store.

I can’t think of a smaller, lighter family-size “Bug out Kitchen” and later night lighting for less than $75 than this combination of mini-stove, mini-lantern and wok.

As with cast iron cookware, you’ll need to pre-season the cooking surface of steel woks. Gaye has an excellent article on seasoning cast iron in another section of Backdoor Survival, so follow these same directions. Also, keep in mind that this steel has no rust-resistance properties at all. So, dry it well after use and, ideally, give it a light coat of oil inside and out.

Another option that won’t rust, though more costly, would be a stainless steel wok. You’ll find some choices here.

Light

One of the best and most-efficient uses for propane is for lighting. With a little forethought, you can even squeeze a little heat and cooking out of it, without using extra fuel. Typically, a two mantle lantern will run for about 7- 8 hours on a one pound canister.

You’ll find a variety of these at varying prices at here.  Again, read the reviews.

My top choice for minimalism is the Coleman One-Mantle Compact Propane Lantern. For absolute minimal fuel usage, weight and storage, this is the one. This is so small that you should be able to fit it inside the wok, along with the PerfectFlow stove, for no extra space and just handful of ounces of added weight. $24. They don’t mention how long a canister will last, but it should be on the order of 14 – 16 hours.

Since propane lanterns also put out a great deal of heat, and burn very cleanly/efficiently, they can do some nice double duty providing both heat and light. With proper ventilation and, ideally, a carbon monoxide detector, of course. When I’ve gone camping in my Scamp micro-trailer, normally a lantern has provided all the heat I need, for no extra fuel usage. If you mounted a rack above the lantern to hold your wok, you might even be able to make some hot coffee or tea and transfer some of the waste heat to inside your body, where it will do the most good.

And, geez, stock up on lantern mantles! When fired off, these are fragile ceramic nets that will crumble and become useless if you even look at them cross-eyed. Without a functioning mantle, your lantern, whatever the fuel, is worthless. These are definitely not a DIY item.

Refrigeration

Finally, propane is also a source off-the-grid refrigeration, usually by means of a gas absorption refrigerator, the kind that you find in RV’s, though some brands in RV’s seem to break fairly frequently and none are easy for amateurs to repair. Pulling a propane fridge out of an old RV and plumbing it for standalone use is possible, but not a recommended project for beginners.

On the plus side, propane refrigerators are not especially high consumers of fuel, so if food is hard to come by, preserving it with propane-powered cold might make sense. If you have medications that require refrigeration, having cold storage could save a life. For sure, place these in the coolest location available. But, if you’re going to go with propane refrigeration, increase your bulk tank stockpile.

One of the least expensive options, currently at $315 with shipping, is the Porta Gaz  3-Way Portable Gas Refrigerator.  A nice feature with this one is that it will also run on 120 volt AC power, as well as 12 volts. So, it could also be powered by solar cells or even a vehicle, if you have the gas. Or, a small wind turbine driving a car alternator. There was no indication of the power draw, but they don’t draw much compared to, say a tank-type water heater. If you’re going to go this route, more research to match solar power capability with the power draw, and some field testing, would be an excellent idea.

Conclusion

So, that about wraps up this long starting point to safely integrate propane into your prepping plans. The practical comfort that your stockpile can bring, and especially the labor that you won’t have to spend gathering wood from an ever-increasing distance, can make the difference between barely surviving and prospering toward a brighter future. The way to become proficient in using propane is the same way that you get to Carnegie Hall: Practice, practice, practice!

At the risk of sounding like Hank Hill, I’ve really just barely scratched the surface for propane. Unless you live in the city, there is much to be said for going whole hog into the propane lifestyle for your home. Millions of people have already done so. But, again, you need to have a good idea about what you’re doing and I’ll leave this research up to you: Just Google “propane” and you’ll find a wealth of information, much of it pretty good. When in doubt, ask your local residential propane delivery dealer.

Thanks for reading! And, remember: “Safety First!”

THE FINAL WORD

Backdoor Survival readers provided some great feedback, useful tips and good questions in the comments section from Part One.  Although many of the questions themselves were covered in this article (part two), there were a few issues that are worthy of some additional discussion, especially as it relates to safety.  For that reason, Chris has agreed to “Prepper Propane – Part Three” and of course, I am thrilled.

One last thing.  As you may know, Chris is the inventor of the Cubic Foot Gardening InstaBed system.  I met him when, as a reader, he invited me to stop by his place and look at his unique raised bed gardening system.  I plan to feature Chris and his work in a separate article – he really is an interesting guy – but in the meantime, if you are in the market for a raised bed gardening system that will not break the bank or your back, please visit his website and check things out.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye

If you have not done so already, please be sure to like Backdoor Survival on Facebook to be updated every time there is an awesome new article, news byte, or free survival, prepping or homesteading book on Amazon. In addition, when you sign up to receive email updates you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

Bargain Bin:  Today I share a list of the items mentioned in today’s article plus a few additional useful items.

Mr. Heater F276172 Propane One Pound Tank Refill Adapter:  This is the gizmo you need to refill your small, one pound propane canisters.

Mac Coupler Propane Bottle Cap aka MacCaps: This ingenious device protects the threads of disposable 1 pound propane bottles and helps prevent thread damage and seals out dirt. You will receive 2 caps per order. The Mac Caps makes a welcome addition to any camping gear, RV enthusiast, outdoorsmen, or home owner that needs to use a 1 lb. propane tanks. Now you can protect the threads of those tanks with the Mac Cap. Simply attach the Mac Cap to your 1 lb. tank when not in use to help prevent leaks and protect the threads.

Mag-Torch MT200C Propane Pencil Flame Burner Torch: Useful on leaky canisters, this small and inexpensive propane torch will also do a great job of starting campfires even in windy situations.

Hot Max Flint Striker with 5 Replacement Flints:  If you’re looking for some small item to reach Amazon’s $25 free shipping minimum, it’s a great add-on.

Mr. Heater  Buddy 4,000-9,000-BTU Indoor-Safe Portable Radiant Heater: This was first recommended to me by a number of Backdoor Survival readers.  This little buddy is a portable, indoor safe radiant heater. A single 4,000 heat setting delivers sufficient radiant heat for a space up to 200-square-feet. Safety features include a tip over switch that will shut the heater off if it gets knocked over and a low oxygen sensor that shuts the heater off when oxygen levels in the room get too low. The pilot design will also shut the heater off completely if the pilot light goes out. Heater uses a knob for ignition and a separate single button acts as a kill switch. Clean burning and nearly 100-percent efficient.

Coleman PefectFlow 1-Burner Stove:  This Coleman One-burner Propane Stove is an easy-to-use portable stove that should meet almost any camp cooking need. The PerfectFlow regulator provides consistent cooking performance by producing a steady fuel stream, even in cold weather, high altitudes, or when fuel is low. Equipped with one 10,000 BTU burner, this fully adjustable stove will last for 2.2 hours on high or up to nine hours on low.

Cantonese style hammered steel lightweight wok:  Cast iron cooking is my favorite but a bit heavy for bugging out.  You can cook almost anything is a wok and this model is both lightweight and inexpensive.

Coleman One-Mantle Compact Propane Lantern: Easy to use and portable. This Coleman compact lantern lights with matches and is pressure-regulated for consistent light, regardless of weather. The porcelain ventilators will prevent rusting and help this lantern last you a long time.

Universal Security Instruments Carbon Monoxide and Natural Gas Alarm with 9-Volt Battery Backup:  This is a dual sensing alarm – providing protection against two deadly household threats, carbon monoxide and natural gas.

Camping Cook Stove:  Everyone should have a camping cook stove.  Here is a listing of various models to consider.

Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials: The monthly specials at Emergency Essentials feature discounts of up to 35% off sometimes a bit more.

You know how I love my fruits and vegetables.  Well for May, the Freeze-Dried Fruit and Vegetable Favorites Combo is on sale for $99.99 which is 31% off the regular price of $145.74.  Included are Strawberry Slices, Banana Slices, Peach Dices, Green Peas, Tomatoes and Super Sweet Corn.

Also on sale are Mountain House Pouches and Freeze Dried Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese for $34.99, discounted from $40.95. 

Like this and want more?

CLICK HERE to visit Backdoor Survival on Facebook. And CLICK HERE to follow Survival Woman on Twitter.

Spread the Word – Tell your friends: Share Backdoor Survival with your friends. All you need to do to send them a short email. Now that was easy!

Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and the price is the same, no matter what.

Shop Amazon Tactical – Great Selection of Optics, Knives, Cases, Equipment
Amazon’s Most Wished For Items in Sports and Outdoors

Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!

Absolute Rights is offering a free 8 page report “How to Identify and Avoid Chokepoints”. This refers to avoiding the crowds and obstacles to getting out of dodge when you need to flee in order to stay out of harm’s way following a disaster.

One of the tips they offer is to avoid roads that are near churches, hospitals, stadiums and schools.  This all makes sense but why didn’t I think of that?

Anyway, you will need to enter your email address but other than that, there is no pressure or obligation to purchase anything.  Here is a link to get How to Identify and Avoid Chokepoints.

A Primer on Propane for Prepping and Survival – Part Two is the latest article from the Survival Woman at Backdoor Survival.

My own preps took a serious back seat to writing this week.  As you may have noticed, I posted some extra articles but, in addition to that, I have been working on another writing project to the exclusion of almost anything else.

Even so, I did have time to make up a batch of DIY Laundry Soap, work on getting my garden ready, and sold my outdoor patio dining set so I could install InstaBeds in its place.  The area only gets sun about 4 hours a day but that is fine for greens and cool weather crops.

BETTER THAN GOOD laundry soap – only three ingredients!

The other thing I did was get through the first two chapters of the Survival Life Home Survival Course.  So that’s it for me this week.  Let’s get on to the Sunday Survival Buzz.

SURVIVAL NEWS & ARTICLES FROM AROUND THE WEB

10 Tips to Make Sure Your Activist Group Isn’t Set Up by the Feds: While I firmly believe in community groups, you do need to know who your are dealing with.  Remember, trust needs to be earned.

Legitimate Problem: The City Of Oslo Is Running Out Of Garbage:  I found this interesting.  Two questions came to mind.  If the SHTF, could we generate some energy ourselves by burning our garbage, and two, what do the people in Oslo know about controlling pollution that we don’t?  Okay, a third question.  If this technology is available, why do we still have landfills her in the US of A.

Don’t let Ambien or other insomnia drugs send you to the ER:  Please spread this message – these drugs are bad news. Not once, but twice, the Survival Husband thought he was having a heart attack.  Many thousands of dollars in tests later, turns out it was the Ambien.  Dump it and pursue more natural sleep remedies.

Mosquitos and Diseases They Carry: When Dr. Bones and Nurse Amy give advice, I pay attention.  Be sure to read their suggested list of essential oils for use in repelling these nasty little bugs.

Washington’s Backward Retirement Policy: So Wrong, and Yet So Easy to Fix: The solution that this article suggests is that we eliminate tax breaks on private retirement funds and use the taxes that are generated to bolster Social Security.

21 Blogs with Advice on How to Create an Emergency Plan for Your Family:  If you have kids or grandkids, you will find some useful resources here.

To Silence Discontent, Chinese Officials Alter Calendar: Orwellian, to say the least.  But then again, so was establishing martial law in Boston.

BACKDOOR SURVIVAL READER TIPS

I had lots of tips come in as a result of the article Getting a Bead on Setting Up a Simple Solar Panel Kit.  Here is one:

If your current requirements for what you are going to run off of the battery are fairly low, you can use a car old car battery that will no longer start a car. I made 2 solar set ups using batteries that used to be in my cars but had to be replaced when they would no longer start my car. So I saved about $100 per set up (5 watt panel with battery and 20 watt panel with battery).

Here they are:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Uses-For-Dead-Car-Batteries-And-Sealed-Lead-Acid-B/?ALLSTEPS

And here is one that came from in Dwayne via Facebook regarding the use of a HF coupons (he paid me a nice compliment too!):

“Hello! I wanted to say something finally, as I have been using your information for a couple months now and felt it would be nice to contribute on something that might help, although not survival related.

I work at a Harbor Freight here in Washington, and can say that the information here is better than you will get with 90% of the people that work there because they get no training on this item to help them sell it, but there are rare individuals that actually seek out information to help the customers.

Also, the 20% off coupon actually has a list of things in the fine print that it won’t work on, so read that portion carefully when you are going to make a purchase. It does work on the solar panels, but if you look in magazines (Shotgun News, Hotrod, etc.) you can also find a coupon for the kit down to $139.99, which is pretty good too.”

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?

After fixing some bugs, I was able to get the Google Search feature working again.  If you are interested in finding a Backdoor Survival article on a specific topic, you can use the Search box on the right hand side of your screen or select SEARCH from the menu bar.

NEWS FROM OUR SPONSOR

This week we announced a new giveaway. Backdoor Survival sponsor Camping Survival is giving away one of my favorite packs, the Rothco Medium Transport bag.  Not only that, they are going to stuff it with a few hanks of paracord.

Camping Survival leader, Tom Sciacca says:

“Please check us out at http://www.campingsurvival.com/  from JHL supply, a 50+ year old veteran owned small family run business.  To learn more about, check us out and subscribe to our YouTube channel at  http://www.youtube.com/user/CampingSurvival.”

To enter, click HERE and answer the following question in the comments section. Good luck!

What aspect of prepping you would like me to cover in more detail in the coming months?

As with all of my sponsors, please pay them a visit and let them know you saw them on Backdoor Survival. Speaking of which, check out the Backdoor Survival Sponsors page and support the fine companies that allow me to keep Backdoor Survival free for everyone.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

A few people asked if I get “credit” or a commission on sales of the Harbor Freight Solar Kit that I wrote about this week.  In a word, no.  Harbor Freight sent me the kit and were interested in “counting clicks” to see how many folks in the prepping community clicked through to their website from the article.

I do, however, also have an affiliate relationship with Harbor Freight so if you are still interested in making a purchase, you can click on the banner below. One of the things I really like about HF is their flat rate shipping charge of $6.99 regardless of the weight or the size of the order.

BTW, when you click on the banner, a 20% coupon should appear at the top of the page.  At least how it appears as I am writing this article.

COME PARTY WITH ME!

Shelf Reliance has been renamed THRIVE LIFE and I don’t know about you, but I like that a lot better.  I have just updated my Thrive Life Party page with the May Specials.  Here is list for you.

Note that if you choose to purchase in quantities of six #10 cans you will receive an additional 5% savings.

• #10 can Instant Pinto Beans: $10.89
• #10 can FD Blueberries: $36.69
• #10 can FD Celery: $21.59
• #10 can FD Green Beans: $13.19
• #10 can Tomato Powder: $28.19  *** One of my favorites ***
• #10 can Nonfat Powdered Milk: $16.19
• #10 can Elbow Macaroni: $9.19
• #10 can Instant Brown Rice: $8.79
• #10 can Black Beans: $11.99
• #10 can FD Roast Beef: $43.59

But there is more.  I am currently in love with freeze dried tropical fruits.  Think about smoothies, sangrias and just plain snacking right out of the can!  So good and healthy too.  The party price is $118.70 versus $139.99 at Costco.  Here is what you get:

Freeze-Dried Banana Slices
Freeze-Dried Mangoes
Freeze-Dried Pineapple Chunks
Freeze-Dried Peach Slices
Freeze-Dried Apricots
Freeze-Dried Pears

And just so you know, I do earn free product when you place an order making this a great way to support Backdoor Survival while eating deliciously both now and in the long term.  To get to the party page, click on the picture above or go to the Thrive link in the menu bar.

THE FINAL WORD

The hummingbirds finally arrived this weekend and I have a robin’s nest with baby robin’s right outside my little home office.  They make me smile and make me think that in spite of the chaos in our world, life can be good.  I will try to get some pictures for you for next week.

Until, next time, remember to make every day a prep day!

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye

If you have not done so already, please be sure to like Backdoor Survival on Facebook to be updated every time there is an awesome new article, news byte, or free survival, prepping or homesteading book on Amazon.

In addition, when you sign up to receive email updates you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

Bargain Bin:  Cooking outdoors does not have to be a challenge.  Start with the Solo Stove and add some low cost items that will make cooking and bugging out less of a challenge.

Solo Stove:  I was so impressed that I renamed this the “Amazing Little Solo Stove”.  The price is $69.99 but for a small amount more, you can get a version that also burned alcohol.

Swedish Firesteel: Using this basic pocket fire-starter, you can get a nice fire going under almost any conditions.

Light My Fire Tinder Sticks:  Some people prefer to purchase tinder and this is a good choice.  I like to use cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly that I make up myself, a couple dozen at a time.  They store well in a small Ziploc baggie or re-purposed mint tin.

Lightweight Anodized Aluminum Outdoor Mess Kit:  This is a well-priced, under $20, mess kit that is lightweight and with decent reviews. 

Emergency Mylar Thermal Blankets: You will be surprised at how warm these will keep you. Be sure to test one out in advance so that you have the confidence to trust the blanket in an emergency. You will be amazed at how small and portable these are; a packet will easily fit in a back pocket.

Emergency Shelter Tent: The Emergency Tent is a lightweight and compact emergency shelter. It is wind and waterproof and easy to set up and is roomy enough for two people. Less than $10.

Emergency Sleeping Bag: Another low cost item designed to keep you warm in an emergency situation.

Potable Aqua Water Treatment Tablets: Water treatment tabs are a bug out bag essential.

Kershaw OSO Sweet Knife: This “oh so sweet” knife is solidly built, stainless steel knife that comes razor sharp right out of the package. It will pretty much cut through anything the price is amazing.

Rothco Type III Commercial Paracord: You can get 100 feet of Paracord for about $8. This is a real bargain but be aware that price can vary substantially depending on the color.

Amazon Top 20 in Camping & Hiking – Perfect for Preppers!

Like this and want more?

CLICK HERE to visit Backdoor Survival on Facebook.  And CLICK HERE to follow Survival Woman on Twitter.

Spread the Word – Tell your friends: Share Backdoor Survival with your friends. All you need to do to send them a short email. Now that was easy!

Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and the price is the same, no matter what.

Shop Amazon Tactical – Great Selection of Optics, Knives, Cases, Equipment

Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!

Rod Davidson, the author of Survive Any Food Crisis, is a family man that has seen it all during his military career. He has seen the result of food shortages around the globe and knows that we are just one step away from experiencing a food crisis of our own.  I have been working with Rod for over five months and can honestly say that he is the real deal.

This is a great value at only $9.95 exclusively for Backdoor Survival Readers.  You will get all of the following items:

The Core Survival Manual: “Survive Any Food Crisis” Guide plus these bonuses

    BONUS #1: Actionable Checklist for Food Preparedness
    BONUS #2: How to Use Local Plants for Medicine
    BONUS #3: How to Purify Water Fast and Easy

And of course, there is a no questions asked money-back guarantee if you change your mind.  But truly, you will not be disappointed.

The Sunday Survival Buzz – Volume 63 is the latest article from the Survival Woman at Backdoor Survival.

But first, I am pleased to announce the winner  of last week’s giveaway.  “Sue” has won a copy of The Truth About Simple Unhooked Living.  Congratulations! I have contacted you by email with instructions for claiming your book.

Everyone who entered the giveaway was asked to provide the name of their favorite Preparedness or Survival website, after Backdoor Survival,of course.  Sue likes Food Storage Made Easy – a website that I plant to check out myself.

Be sure to check out the details of this week’s giveaway below.

AN INTERVIEW WITH JOE NOBODY

You might recall that Joe was interviewed back in January when we featured his book The Home Schooled Shootist: Training to Fight with a Carbine.  This time around, I had some new questions for him that I am sure you will find interesting given his extensive background as an author in the survival niche.

1. Given your background and knowledge, what do you feel are the three most important survival or prepping skills?

I’m known for the quote:

“All the food and water in the world won’t do you a bit of good if armed, desperate men come and take it from you. Security must be job one.”

That being said, security isn’t really considered a “skill” by most preppers, so with that mindset taken into consideration, my list follows:

1) Hunter – In addition to providing food, the knowledge of firearms and the general outdoor skills associated with hunting would be extremely valuable. As an example, a hunter would have a better chance of defending his/her family versus someone who had never fired a weapon before.

2) Sprouter – Experience with gardening, and the associated supplies involved with this skill might become critical to survive. In this skill set I include knowledge of local edible/medicinal plants.

3) Medical – People will become ill after a collapse and medical training/knowledge will be indispensable. This applies both for your family/group as well as barter. In the old American West, having a local physician was critical for the survival of the community. Because a doctor’s specialized skills often governed life and death, healers could easily barter for goods and services as they needed. If an event occurs, I believe such skill sets would become critical again.

There are several honorable mentions that could be just a valuable: small engine repair, electrical engineer, pilot, dentist, seamstress, trapper, fisherman…the list could go on and on.

2. As an author in the survival and/or prepping niche, what are you personally preparing for?

I prepare for a grid-down level of collapse, most likely due to economic failure. Although the cause isn’t really that important, I think that without electrical and transportation systems being operational, our world would turn into a very inhospitable place within 4-8 weeks. Any number of variables could come into play as the primary catalyst, with secondary actions precipitating a downward cascade. For example, a terror attack on the scale of 9-11 could push our economy over the edge. The government might react with martial law, and that could degrade things further.

Regardless of the cause, a grid-down environment is my limit of preparing. We aren’t ready for radiation exposure, plague isolation or even volcanic winters. What my group can handle is a practically infinite amount of time having to provide our own food, water, medical treatment and security. This assumes we can operate outside with similar weather patterns as exist today.

THE BOOK GIVEAWAY

A copy of Joe’s book, Holding Their Own: A Story of Survival has been reserved for one lucky reader.  I know I have asked this question before, but given that Joe was asked this same question, I will ask you as well:

What are you personally preparing for?

To enter the giveaway, please respond with your answer in the comments section below.

The deadline is 6:00 AM Pacific next Friday. A winner will be selected next Friday at random using tools on the random.org website.

THE FINAL WORD

In closing this week, I would like to thank all of the Winter Book Festival authors for their time and for donating a book for the weekly giveaway.

Not only that, but a few of the authors are proving additional copies of their books for an additional giveaway.  I am overwhelmed by the generosity of Ron Foster, James Talmadge Stevens (Doctor Prepper) and Patrick Robinson!

Spring is half over so my next round of author interviews and book giveaways will be called the SUMMER BOOK FESTIVAL.  I am still putting the final touches on the list but hope to make an announcement in a a couple of weeks and definitely by the end of the month.  And as I have said before, I will keep doing this for as long as you are interested.

Backdoor Survival fans LOVE giveaways!

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye

If you have not done so already, please be sure to like Backdoor Survival on Facebook to be updated every time there is an awesome new article, news byte, or free survival, prepping or homesteading book on Amazon.

In addition, when you sign up to receive email updates you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

Spotlight Item:  The first in a series, Joe Nobody’s Holding Their Own: A Story of Survival is set in the year 2015, when the world is burdened by the second Great Depression. The United States, already weakened by internal strife, becomes the target of an international terror plot. A series of attacks results in thousands of casualties and disables the country’s core infrastructure. The combination of economic hardship and the staggering blow of the terror attacks results in a collapse of the government.

Bargain Bin: Listed below are all of the books in the Backdoor Survival Winter Reading List. There are both fiction and non-fiction titles and a bit of something for everyone. Also, some of these books are Kindle e-books but you do not need a Kindle to read Kindle e-books. Simply download the free Kindle app from the Amazon site and you are good to go.

The Backdoor Survival Winter Reading List – Non-Fiction

The Prepper Next Door: A Practical Guide For Disaster And Emergency Planning (Author Charlie Palmer)

Rapid Fire!: Tactics for High Threat, Protection and Combat Operations (Author Max Velocity)

Lanterns, Lamps and Candles (Author Ron Brown)

An Operations Manual For Humankind – The Complete Compendium Of Natural Health: (Author: Paul Patrick Robinson)

Understanding the Use of Handguns for Self-Defense (Author David Nash)

Where There Is No Doctor (Authors David Werner, Jane Maxwell, Carol Thuman)

Making the Best of Basics – Family Preparedness Handbook: (Author James Talmadge Stevens)

How to Live on $10,000 a Year – Or Less – Newly Revised for 2013 (Author George Ure)

Barbed Wire, Barricades, and Bunkers: The Free Citizen’s Guide to Fortifying the Home Retreat (Author F.J. Bohan)

The Prepper’s Pantry: Building and Thriving with Food Storage (Author Anne Lang)

The Truth About Simple Unhooked Living (Author Estar Holmes)

The Backdoor Survival Winter Reading List – Fiction

Preppers Road March (Author Ron Foster)

BUG OUT! Preppers on the move! (Author Ron Foster)

The Light In The Lake: The Survival Lake Retreat (Author Ron Foster)

Patriot Dawn: The Resistance Rises: (Author Max Velocity)

Holding Their Own: A Story of Survival (Author Joe Nobody)

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Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials: The monthly specials at Emergency Essentials feature discounts of up to 35% off sometimes a bit more.

I eat a lot of fruit (usually three whole fruits a night as a bedtime snack) and in a SHTF situation, fruits will be something I will really miss. The Freeze-Dried Fruit Favorites Combo from Emergency Essentials is something I use all year round. With the grocery store a 20 mile round trip journey, I like the thought of being able to rehydrate my own fruit, in the quantity I want, at a moments notice.

The selection includes Apple Dices, Bananas, Peaches, Pineapple Dices, Blueberries and Strawberries.

But not to be left out, there are veggies too. The deluxe supply of Freeze Dried Vegetables includes 18 #10 tins of the following veggies in various quantities: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Sweet Corn, Green Beans, Green Peppers, Green Peas, Mushrooms, Potato Dices, Spinach, and White Onions.

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Like this and want more?

CLICK HERE to visit Backdoor Survival on Facebook. And CLICK HERE to follow Survival Woman on Twitter.

Spread the Word – Tell your friends: Share Backdoor Survival with your friends. All you need to do to send them a short email. Now that was easy!

Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and the price is the same, no matter what.

Amazon has a cool feature called Shop Amazon – Most Wished For Items. This is an easy tool for finding products that people are ‘wishing” for and in this way you know what the top products are. Like I said, very cool.

Shop Amazon Tactical – Great Selection of Optics, Knives, Cases, Equipment
Amazon’s Most Wished For Items in Sports and Outdoors

Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!

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11 Steps to Living a Strategic Life: This little book will provide you with the motivation to get started or stay on track with a self-reliant life. 11 Steps to Living a Strategic Life, co-authored with my long time pal, George Ure (www.urbansurvival.com), and can purchased from Amazon.

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Shelf Reliance Virtual Party: Are you a fan of Shelf Reliance and Thrive products? Backdoor Survival hosts a virtual, online Shelf Reliance party with discounted party prices and some special packages not normally found at the Shelf Reliance site.

As a matter of fact, all of the packages you see available at Costco.com are available at my party and at better prices too!

Winter Book Festival and Giveaway: Joe Nobody Holding Their Own: A Story of Survival is the latest article from the Survival Woman at Backdoor Survival.

My favorite use?  Easy. Vinegar is the key component in my all purpose DIY cleaner aptly named, Peppermint Juice.  More about that later.

But first, I am thrilled to share an article from Joe Marshall also known as ‘Above Average’ Joe at SurvivalLife.com.  This article is all about vinegar and the 35 reasons why any respectable prepper needs vinegar – and lots of it – in their survival pantry. Follow along and of course, if you see something missing from this list, leave a comment and share your tip with the rest of the Backdoor Survival readers.

35 REASONS YOU SHOULD NEVER BE WITHOUT VINEGAR

Whether you are storing up supplies for hard times or just want to save a little grocery money on cleaning supplies, one thing you should never be without is vinegar.

People have been using it for ages – and not just for cooking or preserving foods. Vinegar’s versatility is virtually unmatched when it comes to having multiple uses.

There are literally hundreds of uses for vinegar around the home.

Check out below to see just a sample of how vinegar can be of use to you, hard times or not:

1. Disinfect wood cutting boards.

2. Soothe a sore throat; use 1 tsp of vinegar per glass of water, then gargle.

3. Fight dandruff; after shampooing, rinse hair with vinegar and 2 cups of warm water.

4. Remove warts; apply daily a 50/50 solution of cider vinegar and glycerin until they’re gone.

5. Cure an upset stomach; drink 2 tsp apple cider vinegar in one cup of water.

6. Polish chrome.

7. Keep boiled eggs from cracking; add 2 tbsp to water before boiling.

8. Clean deposits from fish tanks.

9. Remove urine stains from carpet.

10. Keep fleas off dogs; add a little vinegar to the dog’s drinking water.

11. Keep car windows from frosting up; use a solution of 3 oz. vinegar to 1 oz. water.

12. Clean dentures; soak overnight in vinegar and then brush.

13. Get rid of lint in clothes; add 0.5 cup vinegar to rinse cycle.

14. Remove grease from suede.

15. Kill grass on sidewalks and driveways.

16. Make wool blankets softer; add 2 cups distilled vinegar to rinse cycle.

17. Remove skunk odor from a dog; rub fur with full strength vinegar and rinse.

18. Freshen wilted vegetables; soak them in 1 tbsp vinegar and a cup of water.

19. Dissolve mineral deposits in drip coffee makers.

20. Deodorize drains; pour a cup down the drain once a week, let sit for 30 minutes, then rinse.

21. Use as a replacement for a lemon; 0.25 tsp vinegar substitutes for 1 tsp of lemon juice.

22. Make rice fluffier; add 1 tsp of vinegar to water when it boils.

23. Prevent grease build-up in ovens; wipe oven with cleaning rag soaked in distilled vinegar and water.

24. Kill germs; mix a 50-50 solution of vinegar and water in a spray bottle.

25. Clean a clogged shower head.; pour vinegar into a zip-lock bag and gang it around the shower head. let it soak overnight to remove any mineral deposits.

26. Shine patent leather.

27. Remove the smell from laundry that has been left in the washer too long; pour 1 cup of vinegar in with the load and rewash it.

28. Make propane lantern wicks burn longer/brighter; soak them in vinegar for 3 hours, let dry.

29. Act as an an air freshener.

30. Soften paint brushes; soak in hot vinegar then rinse with soapy water.

31. Remove bumper stickers and decals; simply cover them with vinegar-soaked cloth for several minutes.

32. Prolong the life of fresh-cut flowers; use 2 tbsp of vinegar and 3 tbsp of sugar per quart of warm water

33.  Prevent Mildew; Wipe down shower walls with a vinegar solution.

34. Soften calloused feet;  soak your feet in a mixture 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water for 30 minutes then scrub them with a pumice stone. The dead skin should slough off easily.

35. Treat Acne;  start with a solution of organic apple cider vinegar and water at a ration of 1:8, apply the toner to blemishes and  leave on a minimum of 2 minutes.

SO WHO IS THIS ‘JOE’ GUY?

Glad you asked.  Joe claims that he is just an average guy with a passion for learning.  Although he has been writing for Survival Life since its inception, he recently became the managing editor.  Well deserved, I would say.  Furthermore, he told me:

Survival Life is more than just one man. It is a growing and living community of individuals; all with the desire to be prepared to survive and thrive no matter what this world throws at us.

If you like my articles like this please subscribe to my biweekly newsletter or feel free to follow me on Facebook.

I am excited to have Joe as a regular contributor to Backdoor Survival and will be featuring the best of the best of his articles on Survival Fridays.

HOW TO MAKE ‘PEPPERMINT JUICE’

One of my favorite uses of vinegar is as an all-purpose cleaner.  And while 1/4 cup added to water in a spray bottle while do the job just fine, it is a lot more fun to make Peppermint Juice.  You will find the original recipe in the article Prepper Checklist: DIY Cleaning Supplies but I repeat it here for you as well.

Window, Floor, General Surface Cleaner aka Peppermint Juice

1/2 cup white vinegar
32 oz. (1 quart) cups water
1/4 tsp. to 1/2 tsp. peppermint essential oil

Make up a batch of Peppermint Magic in a repurposed juice jug.  Fill your spray bottles from this master supply.  Using different essential oils, you can make Tea Tree Juice, Lemon Juice or some other scent.  I prefer peppermint oil or tea tree oil for their antibacterial and antiseptic qualities.

THE FINAL WORD

Vinegar is just one of the many inexpensive super-items that are useful in the survival cupboard.  Some of the others include baking soda, salt, duct tape, aluminum foil, coffee filters and honey.  With limited storage space and a limited budget, it is good to know that there a multi-use items out there that can do the job performing a number of functions around the home, the garden in the great outdoors.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye

If you have not done so already, please be sure to like Backdoor Survival on Facebook to be updated every time there is an awesome new article, news byte, or free survival, prepping or homesteading book on Amazon.

In addition, when you sign up to receive email updates you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

Bargain Bin: The Backdoor Survival article on DIY cleaning turned out to be hugely popular all around the web. In cased you missed it, here is a link to the article Prepper Checklist: DIY Cleaning Supplies and to some of the products that I use to make my own cleaners.

Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds Liquid Cleanser: I know that Dr. Bronner’s Magic Castile soaps have a cult-like following but I prefer the Sal Suds. I call my DIY cleaner “Sudsy Sal”.

Soft ‘n Style 8 oz. Spray Bottles: I happen to like these smaller bottles and you can not beat the price for a set of 3. Likewise for these Pump Dispensers.

NOW Solutions Glycerin Vegetable, 16-Fluid Ounces: You will need this for your Dirt Cheap Soft Soap. I paid almost as much for only 4 ounces locally. This is a great price and 16 ounces will last forever.

NOW Foods Peppermint Oil: I favor peppermint essential oil (okay, I like lavender too) so this is what I get. But there are many types of essential oils to choose from. Take your pick. One thing you will find is that a little goes a long way.

Microfiber “Magic” Rags: No list of cleaning supplies would be complete without these wonderful microfiber cloths. They will last you for years and will allow you to replace paper towels forever. Truly. I color code using green for glass and windows and the other colors for everything else. I love these.

Mobile Washer: This is hand operated washing machine. Like a plunger, it uses a technique of pushing and pulling the water through clothes to clean them well without wearing them out. It uses a minimum of water and less soap due to the agitation motion. Use in a bucket (5-gallon suggested), sink or tub. The best part is that it is only $14.95.

Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials: The monthly specials at Emergency Essentials feature discounts of up to 35% off sometimes a bit more.

For May, all of their Mountain House Pouches are on sale as is their Freeze Dried Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese for $34.99, discounted from $40.95. (And you know how I love my cheese!  Great on those homemade pizzas or even as a snack right out of the can – yummy!)

Another special to consider is the Kelly Kettle® Large Stainless Steel Base Camp Combo for $109.99, discounted from $132.92.

Like this and want more?

CLICK HERE to visit Backdoor Survival on Facebook. And CLICK HERE to follow Survival Woman on Twitter.

Spread the Word – Tell your friends: Share Backdoor Survival with your friends. All you need to do to send them a short email. Now that was easy!

Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and the price is the same, no matter what.

Shop Amazon Tactical – Great Selection of Optics, Knives, Cases, Equipment
Amazon’s Most Wished For Items in Sports and Outdoors

Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!

Survival Friday: 35 Reasons You Should Never Be Without Vinegar is the latest article from the Survival Woman at Backdoor Survival.

In all fairness, in my boating days I was quite familiar with the operation of our house batteries and the inverter.  Using this set-up, I had fresh coffee in the morning and power for my laptop.  Life was sweet.  Although that was almost ten years ago, the lessons learned were simple: don’t discharge the batteries more than 60% and don’t mess with a working electrical system unless you know what you are doing.

Given my own thick head when in comes to all things electrical, I have always considered the prospect of installing a small solar system in my home a bit daunting.  I should not have worried.

HARBOR FREIGHT TO THE RESCUE

A few months ago I was contacted by Harbor Freight and asked if I would like to try out one of their Thunderbolt Solar Kits.  This was not the time to be bashful so of course I said yes, as long as they understood there would be little or no sun in the Washington State for a month or two. Having set the stage, I was sent the following items for testing:

Thunderbolt Magnum 45 Watt Solar Panel Kit
Thunderbolt Magnum 15 Volt Solar Power Panel
Cen-Tech 750 Watt Continuous/1500 Watt Peak Power Inverter
Thunderbolt 12 Volt, 35 Amp Hour Sealed Lead Acid Battery

So how did it go?  The first thing I did was recruit the Survival Husband to do the heavy lifting.  Then, together, we decided that we would install the solar kit on the roof of our garage which was angled just right and facing the south.  During the summer months, we should get six to seven hour of sun a day in this location.

We also agreed that climbing the roof was a task for someone younger – a lot younger – so until my brother and my electronics wizard nephew come to visit, we set things up on our upper patio and to heck with the patio furniture.

TIPS FOR INSTALLING THE THUNDERBOLT SOLAR KIT

The Thunderbolt solar kit comes complete with three 15 watt solar panels for a total of 45 watts.  It also includes all of the parts you will need:  a mounting frame, controller box, cables, connectors and even a couple of 12 volt lights that plug directly into the controller box.  Everything is included for a ground level installation.  On the other hand, a roof top installation will require some brackets – something we have not purchased yet.

The installation was simple.  We just followed the instructions in the manual and things worked.  Okay, truth be told, Shelly (the Survival Husband) does not always read manuals thoroughly so he put the frame together goofy and had to start over.  And then he could not find the power switch on the inverter and thought it was defective.  I found it, turned it on and had immediate power.

He did offer up some tips:

When assembling the frame, make sure the top bar marked front actually faces front.  Otherwise you cannot install the legs.

There are two sizes of screws with wing nuts.  The bag with eight screws are shorter and are the screws to be used when assembling the frame.

    

When attaching the three panels to the frame, it is easier to attach the middle panel first.  Other than that, just follow the instructions.

After completing the frame and panel setup, follow the directions by attaching the 3 leads from the panel to the splitter cable.  Add the extension cable and plug into the charge controller.  Next attach the battery terminals (on the battery) to the charge controller to confirm that you are receiving voltage from the solar panels.  There is a large LED display on the front of the charge controller indicating the voltage so that you will know right away if everything is working okay.

You need to use an inverter to convert the power to AC.  In that case, you need to attach the included cables from the inverter to your battery terminals.

    

The controller box itself, without an inverter, has a 12V cigarette lighter socket, 5V USB, 3-6-9V DC outlets and two 12V sockets for the included light kit.  Note that the USB port is only 5 volts, okay for cell phones, Kindles and tablets such as an iPad but not for devices or electronics that require higher voltage.

The battery is not waterproof so you will need to keep it covered and protected from the elements.

The Quick Start guide is well laid out and intuitive with accurate, easy to understand diagrams.  Plus, all of the manuals are available online so that they will always be handy, even if you lose the originals.

BUT DOES IT WORK?

The first thing I tested was my crock pot.  If the grid was down and I wanted to eat but I did not want to build a fire, a working crockpot would be a godsend.  It uses just a modest amount of steady power and can be used for soups, stews and even for baking quick breads.  I ran the crockpot for quite some time with no problems.

My next test was more challenging – a hair straightening iron. If my hair iron worked, then I not only would look good, but I would be able to re-seal the Mylar bags I opened to get to my stored food items.  Again, no problem.  From there I moved to lighting and to my alkaline battery charger.  Again, everything worked perfectly and I was pleased.

Using the Harbor Freight solar system was almost to easy – definitely a set it and forget it operation although the directions indicate you should not leave a charging battery unattended.

I am not done testing yet. The way these things work is that more batteries equals more amp hours equals more current.  Or, in plain English, more battery juice means you can run more stuff for a longer period of time.  We plan to add some marine deep cycle batteries and a large watt inverter to the basic set up so we can run more stuff.  But for the basics and for now, this system works just fine.

THE FINAL WORD

This Thunderbolt Solar Kit from Harbor Freight is inexpensive if not downright cheap.  But do not let the price dissuade you.  For lighting, small appliances and laptops, this system works great.  It would be even better with a larger battery.  You do not need to be an electronics genius to set it up but if you need help, you can find it online, especially at the New World Solar/DIY Solar Energy Forum.

It is my understanding that folks have tied two or three of these systems together for even more power.  As good as that sounds, it is beyond our technical capability at this moment but we are learning and just might get to that point.

Our goal for now is the get the complete system installed on the roof and to add some additional batteries, probably the marine deep-cycle type.  We will then use the solar to kit to power all of our outdoor security lighting as well as our power tools and and everything else that we have running off of our garage and outdoor receptacles.

This does not apply to us, but I think this would be an ideal backup power source for a well.  The price is right and it is oh so easy to install and use.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye

If you have not done so already, please be sure to like Backdoor Survival on Facebook to be updated every time there is an awesome new article, news byte, or free survival, prepping or homesteading book on Amazon.  In addition, when you sign up to receive email updates you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

Bargain Bin:  Here are some useful items to have on hand when the power is out.

Ambient Weather Emergency Solar Hand Crank Radio: This is becoming a popular choice with Backdoor Survival readers. This unit is a Digital AM/FM NOAA Weather Alert Radio and a powerful 3 LED flashlight, with smart charger, all in one portable package.

AA and AAA Solar Battery Charger: Another popular item. This unit will charge up to 2 pairs of AA or 1 pair of AAA batteries via USB or solar power.

Chemical Lighting aka Light Sticks: These are inexpensive, portable and easy to use. These come in a number of colors so take your pick.

EcoZoom Versa Rocket Stove: Burning twigs and pinecones, this stove will cook a big pot of rice in under 20 minutes. The stove is solidly built and will burn charcoal as well. There is also a version that only burns biomass for slightly less money.

Coleman Rugged Battery Powered Lantern: This sturdy Coleman has a runtime of up to 28 hours on the low setting and 18 hours on the high setting but does require D cell batteries. Personally, I have both a battery operated and propane lantern. Of course by now you know that I like redundancy with my preps.

Dorcy LED Wireless Motion Sensor Flood Lite: Don’t let the $20 price lead you to think this wireless flood light is wimpy. I have two of these (so far) and feel that these lights are worth double the price.

Bicycle Canasta Games Playing Cards:  Heck, you need something to keep yourself entertained!

100 Hour Plus Emergency Candle Clear Mist: My number one choice for emergency candles. This liquid paraffin candle will burn for over 100 hours. t is also odorless and smokeless, making it a great emergency light source that can be extinguished and re-lit as often as needed. Very safe to use.

Coleman Candle Lantern: When the lights go out, there is nothing like a Coleman. They last forever because spare parts are always available. A candle lantern will not give out the bright light of say, a propane or kerosene lantern. On the other hand, candles are likely to be available when other fuels are not.

Save up to 50% on Gerber Knives and Multi-tools at Amazon

Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials: The monthly specials at Emergency Essentials feature discounts of up to 35% off sometimes a bit more.

For May, all of their Mountain House Pouches are on sale as is their Freeze Dried Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese for $34.99, discounted from $40.95. (And you know how I love my cheese!  Great on those homemade pizzas or even as a snack right out of the can – yummy!)

Another special to consider is the Kelly Kettle® Large Stainless Steel Base Camp Combo for $109.99, discounted from $132.92.

Like this and want more?

CLICK HERE to visit Backdoor Survival on Facebook. And CLICK HERE to follow Survival Woman on Twitter.

Spread the Word – Tell your friends: Share Backdoor Survival with your friends. All you need to do to send them a short email. Now that was easy!

Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and the price is the same, no matter what.

Amazon’s Most Wished For Items in Sports and Outdoors

Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!

Spotlight Item:  New from Survival Life – the Home Survival Course.  I just started going through this course myself and can tell you, collecting food, storing water, establishing defense plans, and executing power strategies are all covered.  There are four main training modules plus a quick start guide, reports helping to avoid the most common mistakes, and more.

The best part?  The course includes both an audio version that you can listed to online or download to your computer plus written transcripts.  Everything is available online to be accessed at any time.  From what I can tell so far, this is a good value at $27.

Getting a Bead on Setting Up a Simple Solar Panel Kit is the latest article from the Survival Woman at Backdoor Survival.

Here at Backdoor Survival there have been some technical issues with my RSS feed that prevented email updates from going out. Then there were silly little problems like a computer mouse that stopped working just as I was sitting down to do some writing.  On the positive side, the prepping gear that was cluttering my dining area has been organized and put in its proper space and I can now see the dining room table.

Today I am taking a break from my normal posting schedule and sending out this news flash with a few announcements.  There is a winner to the Food Insurance giveaway, some free stuff for you, and brand new giveaway. There is a lot going on – so let us get started.

THE FOOD INSURANCE BACKPACK AND WATER FILTER GIVEAWAY

In March I attended the FoodInsurance.com Ready Set Prep Summit in Dallas in late March.  I came away from that event excited about the Food Insurance people, the company and their freeze-dried food products.

Each of the attendees at the Summit was presented with one of their lightweight, weather resistant backpacks plus a portable water bottle and filter.  Not being bashful, I asked if I could give away the same backpack and water bottle to one of my readers.  And of course, being the nice folks that they are, they said yes.

I am thrilled to announce that “Phil H.” is the winner of the Food Insurance backpack and water filter.  His response to the question “what is your greatest food storage challenge” was this:

My biggest challenge is balancing nutrition. Most freeze-dried entrees are exceedingly heavy on sodium. That can be remedied by stretching them with rice or pasta or potatoes, but my next concern is eating an abundance of starchy, high glycemic impact foods. I want low fat, low sodium, low glycemic impact foods with a decent amount of protein and nutritious vegetable content.

Now I must tell you, there were close to 200 entries in the giveaway when I have a chance, I plan to tally the responses and get back to you with a list of the top Backdoor Survival reader food storage challenges.

But in the meantime, a big THANK YOU to everyone that entered.  Even though you did not win this one, I have another great backpack giveaway starting today.  You will find the details below. And by the way, Food Insurance is currently offering 20% off and free shipping site wide on orders over $100.

THE PREPAREDNESS REVIEW – SPRING 2013

I have another great announcement for you today.  The Spring 2013 issue of The Preparedness Review is hot of the press and available for you absolutely free at The Preparedness Review website.

The Spring TPR is chock full of great articles from 17 of the best preparedness authors out there – including yours truly, of course. Here is a list:

• Chris Ray
• James W. Rawles
• Ray Gano
• Creek Stewart
• Dr. Bones & Nurse Amy
• Tess Pennington
• David Safewater
• Joe Nobody
• Gaye Levy
• Daisy Luther
• Erich
• Gary Griffin
• John Beck
• Jeff “The Berkey Guy” Gleason
• Brandon
• Michael Bunker
• Chris Newman

The theme for the Spring TPR is “skills” and you will not be disappointed with the selection or articles.  You are going to want to print this out and use it as a reference over and over again. Download your free copy now!

CELEBRATE MAY WITH THE CAMPING SURVIVAL BACKPACK GIVEAWAY

Starting today – another fabulous giveaway.  Backdoor Survival sponsor Camping Survival is giving away a Rothco Medium Transport Pack stuffed with a few hanks of paracord to one lucky reader.  I happen to own two of these packs and they are just perfect, even for a smaller person such as myself.

How to win?  In the comments area below, please share the following:

What aspect of prepping you would like me to cover in more detail in the coming months?

I am always looking for new ideas as well as old ideas that need to be updated so I hope you will take a moment or two to enter.  Besides, even if you do not need a backpack, paracord is neat stuff and infinitely useful.

The Camping Survival Backpack and Paracord Giveaway will run until May 15th and the winner will be picked at random from all of the entries.  Good luck!

AND FROM THE ALMOST FREE DEPARTMENT

In the Sunday Survival Buzz, I announced a new collaboration with Survival Life.  In honor of this new relationship, Survival Life is letting me offer my readers a business card sized survival tool for free.  The only hitch is that you must pay $2.95 in shipping charges.  This is a good deal that to the best of my knowledge has only been offered in the past to Survival Life newsletter subscribers.

Following along with the numbers in the diagram, here is what the took includes:

1.  Can Opener
2.  Knife Edge
3.  Slotted/Flathead Screwdriver
4.  Ruler
5.  Bottle Cap Opener
6.  4 Position Wrench
7.  Wing-nut Wrench
8.  Saw Blade
9.  Direction Ancillary Indicator
10. 2 Position Wrench
11. Keychain Hole

This tiny but powerful survival tool is no bigger than a business card and fits right in your wallet.  Now why wouldn’t you want one of these?

Here is a link were you can get it:  Free Survival Business Card & Multi-Tool.  (You can also click on the image above.)

THE FINAL WORD

In closing today, I want to welcome all of the new subscribers to Backdoor Survival email updates as well as the new fans on my Facebook page.  I am humbled by your interest in my website and salute you for taking time out of your busy day to visit.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye

If you have not done so already, please be sure to like Backdoor Survival on Facebook to be updated every time there is an awesome new article, news byte, or free survival, prepping or homesteading book on Amazon. In addition, when you sign up to receive email updates you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

Bargain Bin: For the benefit of the Backdoor Survival newbies, here are some foundation items for your bug-out-bag. Sure, you still need to add food, water personal care items and a whole lot more. But these basics will get you started.

Rothco Medium Transport Pack: What I really like about this pack is the narrow profile.  As you can see in the picture, it is only as wide as my body.  Sure, it sticks out a bit in back but at least I do not bump in to things.  There are lots of compartments and pouches and it by far, the most comfortable pack I have ever worn.

Kershaw OSO Sweet Knife:  This “oh so sweet” knife is solidly built, stainless steel knife that comes razor sharp right out of the package. It will pretty much cut through anything the price is amazing. About $23.

Kershaw Volt II Pocket Knife:  This is an alternative to the OSO Sweet but equally nice and similarly priced.

Flash Drive: I cannot over emphasize the importance of having important documents on a flash drive.  Sure, the power may be out temporarily but for the nominal price and virtually no weight, it is silly not to carry all of your documents and survival reference guides on a flash drive.

Streamlight Nano Light Keychain LED Flashlight:  extremely small and light weight yet it will throw off a decent amount of super-bright light. At just .36 ounces and 1.47 inches long, the Streamlight Nano Light Keychain Flashlight will take up a minimum of space in your pocket or bag.

Paracord Survival Bracelet:  Why a Paracord Bracelet? So you always have some of this useful cord on your person!  Or, if you prefer, a paracord lanyard or keychain.

Windstorm Safety Whistle:  This particular whistle can be heard a long distance away and above howling wind and other competing sounds.

Swedish Firesteel:  Using this basic pocket fire-starter, you can get a nice fire going under almost any conditions. This is a small, compact version.

Pepper Spray:  It is always good to have some form of defense that will temporarily halt a bad guy that is in your face.

Emergency Mylar Thermal Blankets:  These come in compressed packets small enough to fit in a pocket or wallet.  You will be surprised at how warm these will keep you. About $8 for a pack of 10.

Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials: The monthly specials at Emergency Essentials feature discounts of up to 35% off sometimes a bit more.

For May, all of their Mountain House Pouches are on sale as is their Freeze Dried Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese for $34.99, discounted from $40.95. (And you know how I love my cheese!  Great on those homemade pizzas or even as a snack right out of the can – yummy!)

Another special to consider is the Kelly Kettle® Large Stainless Steel Base Camp Combo for $109.99, discounted from $132.92.

Like this and want more?

CLICK HERE to visit Backdoor Survival on Facebook. And CLICK HERE to follow Survival Woman on Twitter.

Spread the Word – Tell your friends: Share Backdoor Survival with your friends. All you need to do to send them a short email. Now that was easy! Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and the price is the same, no matter what.

Shop Amazon Tactical – Great Selection of Optics, Knives, Cases, Equipment

Amazon’s Most Wished For Items in Sports and Outdoors

Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!

News Flash: Backpack Giveaway and More Free Stuff is the latest article from the Survival Woman at Backdoor Survival.

This little device is designed to deter intruders by setting off a charge when someone steps through the wire. I decided that this was a good job for the Survival Husband so I set him on a mission of getting the right type of charges and for testing the unit itself.

Before we get into his comments, here is short little video that will give you a sense of what it sounds like when the mini-sentry wire is tripped.

WHAT IS THE MINI-SENTRY?

The Mini-Sentry is a unique device that uses a 22 caliber blank charge to set off a loud “boom” when the wire is tripped.  The goal is to let intruders know that you are serious about security and to give you some warning that someone or something has encroached upon your space.

The device is small and can easily be mounted with a zip tie, wire or screws. The recommended charge is the Ramset 22 blank – the type that comes in a green box.  These are available at your local Home Depot for about $5.00 for a box of 100.  The lower powered Ramset brown (in the brown box) is not recommended.

TESTING THE MINI-SENTRY

Here are the results of Shelly’s (aka the Survival Husband) test.

I tested the Mini-Sentry by mounting it across the back entrance to my home.  I then triggered the device by walking through it.  The report is a very high decibel which I believe comes from its “bell” design.  I really do think it is loud enough to send a burglar running, especially if it is dark and he or she can’t determine where the noise came from.

    

There are many uses for this device such as across entries, attached to tools, and as security for a bicycle.

I would rate the Mini-Sentry at A+ for ease of use and affordability as well as for the loud boom that it makes.  Furthermore, I suggest purchasing multiple units so that you can surround yourself and maintain a complete, secure environment.

You will need a few supplies in addition to the Ramset charges.  I used a metal fishing leader 9” long, steel wire, and an eye hook.

Note:  After firing the device, the spent casing needs to be removed.  To do so, unscrew the cap on the bottom of the bell shaped section of the device.  You will need to insert something with a blunt end (such as the rear end of a drill bit) and force the shell casing out.  A rubber mallet works well, too.

THE FINAL WORD

The premise of the Mini-Sentry is to fire off the blank charge and scare away any would-be burglars or other bad guys.  It does indeed make a lot of noise and if nothing else, will let you know that you need to get out your pepper spray or shotgun and go out to investigate.

You can purchase the Mini-Sentry at http://minisentryalarm.wordpress.com/.  The cost is $24.95 and a quantity discount is available.

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!

Gaye

If you have not done so already, please be sure to like Backdoor Survival on Facebook to be updated every time there is an awesome new article, news byte, or free survival, prepping or homesteading book on Amazon.

In addition, when you sign up to receive email updates you will receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

The Absolute Rights $7 e-book, How to Hide Your Guns, is full of ideas for keeping your firearms hidden in plain sight. The suggestions are practical and with a few tools and materials available from your local hardware store, you will be on your way to hiding your guns in fully accessible manner with no one being the wiser.

Not only that, you can use the same tips for hiding other valuables and items you want to keep away from prying eyes within your home.

Bargain Bin:  Below are some additional ideas for securing yourself and your home.

Holding Your Ground: Preparing for Defense if it All Falls Apart: This is the book you need if you care about defending your homestead.

Sabre Family Home & Property Protection Pepper Spray: This small fire extinguisher-style pepper spray delivers a strong blast covering an entire doorway. Offering extremely practical protection, SABRE provides distance from your threat with its 30 foot range. I like that it includes a wall mount. About $36.

Dorcy LED Wireless Motion Sensor Flood Lite: This light is awesome. I use mine downstairs and when I get up in the middle of the night, it comes on automatically. It is quite unobtrusive (I own two in black) and gives off a ton of light. Runs for a year on 3 D size batteries. About $20.

Uniden Bearcat 200-Channel Portable Scanner: A hand scanner with ham band for less than $100. Very portable.

Two-Way Radios and Scanners For Dummies: I will say it again. Yes, I love these books for “dummies” even though I actually think I am quite smart.

Midland 36-Mile 50-Channel FRS/GMRS Two-Way Radios: These are the handheld radios that I own. There are lots of good uses for the these radios. Handy while hiking, traveling, or simply keeping in touch with your partner while out shopping.

Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials: The monthly specials at Emergency Essentials feature discounts of up to 35% off sometimes a bit more.  They are currently selling their Freeze Dried Tomatoes for $25.99, a discount of over 40% off the normal price of $43.95 for a #10 tin.

Tomatoes are good to have on-hand in your food storage for your favorite recipes. They are easy to store and rehydrate anytime you need them and are great for adding versatility to your home food supply.

Something else that is featured this month is the Volcano Collapsible Grill with Propane Attachment.  The price on sale is $126.99 including the propane attachment.  You can read about the Volcano stove in my review SurvivalWoman Review: Volcano Collapsible II Stove but note that I did not purchase the propane attached and wish I had,  It costs a lot more to add it later.

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The Mini-Sentry Trip Alarm Goes BOOM is the latest article from the Survival Woman at Backdoor Survival.