Prepping is a lifestyle

Six Common Mistakes that Preppers and Survivalists make - Part 6 of 6

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 18:00:00 +0000

According to Rob Richardson of Off Grid Survival there are six very common mistakes that they see people make, in their opinion, could be detrimental to their ability to survive.

Not Understanding that People will become a Threat During a SHTF Crisis

During a crisis situation, people will likely become one of the top threats to your safety and security.

While the world may be filled with millions of good and decent people, in a crisis situation these people can and will quickly become unpredictable. In the opinion of Rob Richardson of Off Grid Survival, during a disaster of any size, the most dangerous locations will be large cities, or areas that have a high density of people. This is a threat that must be considered.

Six Common Mistakes that Preppers and Survivalists make - Part 5 of 6

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 18:00:00 +0000

According to Rob Richardson of Off Grid Survival there are six very common mistakes that they see people make, in their opinion, could be detrimental to their ability to survive.

Becoming too dependent on your Guns & Ammo

Rob Richardson of Off Grid Survival state that guns are one of the most important items that you can have. That being said, there are a number of people who he has encountered over the years that think having a gun means they’re somehow prepared to survive anything. He states that he has actually heard people say, “I don’t need to stock up on supplies. I’ve got all the guns and ammo I need to survive.”

In his opinion, that type of thinking is not only juvenile, but it also shows a complete misunderstanding of what it really takes to survive. Stocking up on guns and ammo is definitely important, without them you’re putting yourself and your family at risk, but it’s also not the be-all-and-end-all of survival.

Again I have to strongly agree with Rob on this one as well. This is why it is so important to make sure you have other means of weaponry. Again with knowledge is key, expand your knowledge on items such as knives, bows, and anything and every thing else that could help you protect yourself and your family.

Six Common Mistakes that Preppers and Survivalists make - Part 4 of 6

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 18:00:00 +0000

According to Rob Richardson of Off Grid Survival there are six very common mistakes that they see people make, in their opinion, could be detrimental to their ability to survive.

The Rice & Beans Mentality

you need to tweak your plans to fit your unique situation. If rice and beans is what you normally eat, then by all means go ahead and stock up on rice and beans.

Just remember that buying a truckload of emergency food that you’ve never tried, or would never normally eat, is not only expensive, but it could get you killed.

An emergency situation is never the time to find out how your body will react to certain foods. The last thing you need during a survival situation is to find you don’t like the food you stocked up on; even worse would be finding out you have a life threatening food allergy. And even if something that drastic doesn’t happen, do you really want to be stuck eating foods you hate?

In my case this would totally apply to me with MRE's. I've never had tasted them before so it doesn't make sense for me to stock up on them right now. So I do what I can. I stock up on canned goods for the most part but we will definitely need to progress to dry foods eventually such as rice and beans.

Six Common Mistakes that Preppers and Survivalists make - Part 3 of 6

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 18:00:00 +0000

According to Rob Richardson of Off Grid Survival there are six very common mistakes that they see people make, in their opinion, could be detrimental to their ability to survive.

They lack the Knowledge it takes to Really Survive

KNOWLEDGE in the key to survival.

You can own every piece of survival gear ever made, but if you lack the skills to survive, that gear is useless. To be truly prepared you need to learn how to survive without your gear. Once you have a good grasp of what’s needed to survive without it, then you can start to focus on what gear you should buy.

We just discussed yesterday in our Part 2 of 6 Series how knowledge is key. Knowledge is key in our everyday lives. Think about the job that you go to everyday. When you gain knowledge it is key for your future and the potential career you have. The same goes with surviving, obviously you have to know how to survive without gear, basic survival I would think would be key. Then you can enhance your chances of survival with the necessary gear.

Are You Ready Series: Best Practices For Long Term Food Storage Part 3 of 6

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Food Liner

Research has shown that over time, slow amounts of oxygen seep through the walls of plastic containers. Consequently, over time natural elements, and even insects can find a way inside the container. To add additional protection, adding a food liner, such as Mylar bags will ensure that there are multiple barriers for the food to be protected in. Investing in the thickest grade of Mylar would be a good investment for your food storage endeavors. Simply because if properly cared for, mylar bags can last up to 20 years! Additionally, the thicker grade Mylar makes a big difference in the taste of food. The greatest part of investing in these food liners is that because they are so durable they can be reused over and over again.

For those who are investing in a shorter term food supply, many simply pour the food contents into mylar bags, add an oxygen absorber and properly seal the bag closed. This will keep a short term food supply fresh over a given period of time.

Six Common Mistakes that Preppers and Survivalists make - Part 2 of 6

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 18:00:00 +0000

According to Rob Richardson of Off Grid Survival there are six very common mistakes that they see people make, in their opinion, could be detrimental to their ability to survive.

Part 2 of 6 of our series

Preppers put too Much Importance on Their Gear

This is one of the top questions that Off Grid Survival receives from new readers, it’s also something that takes away from what you should be focusing on, knowledge.

Newbies, and even some old timers, often obsess over their gear. They sometimes put so much emphasis on stockpiling gear that it can actually start to hinder their ability to survive without it.

We love survival gear as much as the next guy, but the problem highlights something I see in all aspects of society; our culture has become addicted to the quick and easy fix. In survival that doesn’t exist. There’s no silver bullet, there’s no magic piece of gear, and nothing except good old fashion knowledge and training will improve your odds of surviving a disaster.

One thing about SHTF Marketing is that we strive to provide our readers with new information. We agree with Rob here because knowledge is key. We understand that gear is important, it is important to know and understand the gear as well. But gear is not the where all to be all.

Are You Ready Series: Best Practices For Long Term Food Storage Part 2 of 6

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Storing Food in Containers

Any food that you plan to store indefinitely, should be stored in food grade containers. These containers will not transfer any non-food chemicals into the food, nor are their any chemicals within the container that are hazardous to humans. Typically a food grade container has a #2 by the recycle symbol or the acronymn ”HDPE” stamp on the bottom (HPDE stands for “high density polyethylene”). Before any food is to be stored, clean the containers with soapy water, rinse and dry thoroughly. 5 gallon plastic containers are the most popular amongst those who store bulk quantities of food.

Additionally, make sure that the lid you purchase for your container is air tight and spill proof. Lids with gaskets and gamma lids are great lids as they do not require a lid opener. They are typically a little more expensive compared to the traditional bucket lid. However, they are easier to open and close, and are worth every penny!

Canning Meatloaf Balls

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 20:00:00 +0000

Canning Meatloaf Balls
Mom’s Meatloaf Ball’s
Jalapeno Gal on American Preppers Network

(I got about 7 quart jars out of the recipe I am sharing.)

Canning meatloaf balls can be a pleasure to add to food storage. In the long run, it can save you money when the price of meat sky rockets and its easy to grab a jar if your hungry or want to make meatloaf balls for dinner.

There are a few different ways to make meatloaf balls out there. The way I do it is a little different from your basic recipe, but tastes delicious. Keep in mind, if you prefer the traditional way, then please do that way.

Ingredients:

    6-7 pounds of lean hamburger (I use Angus 90/10)
    6 large eggs
    3 cups whole wheat bread crumbs (or plain)
    2 sweet yellow onions, diced (about 1 1/2 cups when finely diced
    2-3 teaspoons salt (to taste)
    2-3 teaspoons black pepper (to taste)
    3/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce (original)
    1 cup powdered milk, prepared
    3 tablespoons minced garlic
    3 tablespoons vegetable oil for sautéing onions and garlic

For the Glaze:

    2 1/4 cup ketchup
    1 1/2 cup brown sugar
    6 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (original)
    3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients to make the glaze. Mix well and set aside.

Adjust your oven rack to lower middle position. Preheat oven to 350° F.

Heat vegetable oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Sauté the onions and garlic until onions are caramelized and golden brown. (about 5 minutes string occasionally.) This will bring out the sweetness of the onion.

In a small mixing bowl, combine your wet ingredients; Eggs, milk, Worcestershire sauce, and half of the glaze you made earlier. Use a fork to mix well.

In a large mixing bowl, combine meat, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, browned onion/garlic mix, and wet ingredients.

Using your hands mix ingredients quickly. You don’t want to overwork it but you want everything distributed evenly.

Form mixture into 2 inch round balls and place on 2 baking sheets.

Bake at 350° for about 25 minutes or until balls are firm.

While your meatballs are baking, get your pressure canner and supplies ready. Put your extra glaze in a sauce pan and get warm but not boiling. You may even want to make another batch of glaze at this time. It really depends on how much glaze you want to add to the jars.

After your meatballs are cooked:

Using wide mouth quart jars, place your meatballs in the jar and fill about half way.
Spoon in your glaze sauce until jar is about half full. Fill jar the rest of the way with meatballs leaving a generous 1 inch head space. You can add one or 2 more tablespoons of sauce on top of those meatballs if you want, but it isn’t necessary. Remove air by gently tapping the jar on a dish towel or using a plastic utensil to push the meatballs around. Be careful not to smash them or cut them. Wipe your rims with a clean paper towel dipped in white vinegar. Put on lids and ringers and screw it finger tight. Place jars in your pressure canner, add water and 2 teaspoons white vinegar (to avoid rusting or mineral buildup) and vent for 10 full minutes. Bring to 11 pounds of pressure and process quart jars for 90 minutes. (pints for 75). If your manual suggests a different time and pounds of pressure, then follow your manual for canning ground beef.
When processing is complete, let pressure drop completely. Remove jars from your pressure canner and wipe with a hot soapy dish cloth. Label the contents and date.

The following is the Pressure Canner that Jalapeno Girl used

But here are some cheaper ones

Standardized Amateur Radio Prepper Communications Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 19:00:00 +0000

Standardized Amateur Radio Prepper Communications Plan

The above link is a free download.

Six Common Mistakes that Preppers and Survivalists make - Part 1 of 6

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 18:00:00 +0000

According to Rob Richardson of Off Grid Survival there are six very common mistakes that they see people make, in their opinion, could be detrimental to their ability to survive.

Because their is so much information that Rob has provided and because we would like to also provide you with our opinion as well as suggest a few products, we have decided to turn this into a full series. We hope it is chock full of information for you!

Not Having Enough Water

Stocking up on water is not glamorous, it’s certainly not sexy, but your life sure as hell depends on it. This is one of the biggest mistakes they see; it’s also the deadliest one we can talk about.

They really can’t overemphasize how important it is to have a clean drinkable emergency supply of water. While stocking up on water may not be as exciting as buying guns, ammo and gear; it’s one of the most important things you can do, and should be number one on your list of priorities.

Water without a shadow of a doubt is such an important piece to surviving. In a state of emergency it is crucial that we as preppers/survivalist have some form of water filtration. If the grid goes down for any reason water will stop moving, which means it will not be drinkable. Take a look at some of the water filtration and storage products we have available via Amazon.

How Cool is this water storage container? It is collapsable. This is definitely something that could fit inside your BOB

Are You Ready Series: Best Practices For Long Term Food Storage

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Best Practices For Long Term Food Storage

Archaic food caches have been found all over the world. The fact that our ancestors planned for the unexpected gives us a clear picture into their unpredictable lifestyle. Foods such as nuts, extra tools and foraging tools were put away for a time when they were needed the most (Source). Of course, the lifetimes of these preps were contingent upon proper storage methods.

These days, we know much more about proper techniques for food packaging. With the proper storage tools a person can store many different types of foods indefinitely. Learning how to store food is cost effective, simple to understand and is a life saver if an emergency arises.

Many preppers like to choose a multi-barrier system to store their food. This barrier system is for long term purposes, and will keep natural elements such as sunlight, moisture and air out of the container when sealed.

Join us for this new series about Long Term Food Storage we hope that it will provide you with lots of information on the various practices of Long Term Food Storage.

Terrorism and the Electric Power Delivery System

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:00:00 +0000

A definite must read. I have downloaded the pdf myself and we might be making a series of posts based on this documentation. Thank you so much The Rumpled One for posting this must read.

PREPPING - 2012 EMERGENCY RESPONSE GUIDEBOOK

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:00:00 +0000

A Guidebook for First Responders During the Initial Phase of a Dangerous Goods/ Hazardous Materials
Transportation Incident.

Click the below link and download the pdf.

PREPPING - 2012 EMERGENCY RESPONSE GUIDEBOOK

Thank You The Rumpled One for providing us great information.

Do you have 5 Ways to Make Fire?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 01:00:00 +0000

Do you have 5 Ways to Make Fire?

Survival Cache states they would put the ability to make fire right behind water, shelter, and food in the list of most important things in a survival situation, and before food and shelter in some cases.

Since being able to start a fire is so important, are you really going to rely on only one or two ways to do it? They think you should have at least 5 fire starters in your Bug Out Bag or in any survival preps for that matter.

Be sure to notice that they are not talking about different types of tinder, like cedar shavings, fire log, paper etc. They are talking about 5 ways to actually make fire, to get that first spark. Without that, the rest really doesn’t matter. Updated Topic: 5 Ideas for Fire Tinder

1. Matches

No surprises here. Check out Stormproof matches, Survival Cache has tested these things and according to them these matches pretty tough to beat. If you decide to go with regular matches there are two important things to remember about your matches.

1.They need to be waterproof. Outdoor Life posted a good article on how to waterproof your matches.

2. You need to store matches in multiple places. Even if you have a pile of waterproof matches, if they are all in the same bag or box and you lose them, that’s it. So use a couple of empty film canisters or an element proof Loksak bag and store matches in several places.

2. Lighters

Notice lighters is plural. You need several lighters. It might be a good idea to get one waterproof and windproof lighter and a couple of cheap gas station lighters.

If you are going to buy a nice lighter like that one, you should carry some Butane refill fluid and it will last you 5 times as long as any of the throw away lighters.

3. FireSteel and Scraper

A firesteel and scraper, or what used to be a flint, is a tubed piece of metal, usually steel or magnesium, that creates sparks when you run the metal scraper down the tube.

A firesteel and scraper is important to have for a couple of reasons. First, it works even if it’s wet. So if all of your other fire starters got completely soaked or ruined for some reason the firesteel will still work.

Cool ones that Survival Cache have tested include:
1. BlastMatch Fire Starter
2. StrikeForce Fire Starter
3. Sparkie Fire Starter (Can use with only one hand)

Also, it will most likely outlast all of your matches and lighters put together. Many firesteels advertise 3000 strikes, and some as many as 7000.

4. 9v Battery and Steel Wool

This is one of Survival Cache's favorites that they think should be in every survival gear set up. If you take a 9v battery and simply touch both poles to a piece of steel wool it will catch fire. Here’s a quick youtube video showing this: Steel Wool and 9V Batter Fire

I don’t consider this in the fire tender category because it is the steel wool itself combined with the battery that actually makes the fire.

Two things to remember: The finer the steel wool the better. Also, it only takes a tiny bit of steel will for this to work. Just enough to cover both poles of the battery. Here is a video demonstration brought to you by Survival Central

5. Rub 2 Sticks Together

The most cliche survival tactic ever, rubbing two sticks together. Just know that you should have at least one other way to make a fire without any tools at all.

5 Ideas for Fire Tinder

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 04:00:00 +0000

5 Ideas for Fire Tinder

Some time ago Survival Cache asked their readers "Do You Have 5 Ways to Make Fire?" This particular article concentrated on fire starters; steel and flight, lighters, and a few less common systems. However, according to Survival Cache most of those will be useless for building a fire if you don’t have some tinder to put the flame to. Here are 5 great ideas for fire tinder, both natural and homemade.

1. Dryer Lint

Everybody can collect it for free, and even get it from the bottom of your pockets in a pinch. It’s light, compressible, and burns like crazy. Drawbacks are that it really must be dry and lint from some clothes (synthetics) does not burn well.

Again this why I do what I do! I would never have thought that dryer lint could be apart of bugout bag and it dryer lint costs us nothing additional. What an awesome find.

2. Cedar Shavings

Collect the stringy shavings from the bark of a cedar tree for the best (in my opinion) natural fire tinder. Rub it between your hands quickly to create a small fluff ball of shavings that will light quickly.

Being in the desert I'm not so sure if we have any cedar trees but this is still a very inexpensive way for some of you that are on the east coast.

3. Cotton Ball and Vaseline

This might be the oldest survivalist trick in the book. Coat some cotton balls in Vaseline and store them in a container in your Bug Out Bag. Vaseline (petroleum jelly) is flammable and this set up will burn great for longer than you would expect.

Survival Cache mentions that this is the oldest survivalist trick in the book, but for those of us that are new to this world it amazes how something so basic that you use in your day to day life could definitely help you in your survival-ism.

4. Cattails

Obviously these won’t be available in all areas, but when you can find them the light feathery material inside cattails is like burning paper or cotton. Quick and easy.

Again being in the desert I'm not so sure if they have these but I hope that it can maybe help someone else that have these in their area.

5. Birch Bark Shaving

Like cedar, just shave some bark off of a birch tree. The cedar shavings are like stringy wood, whereas birch shavings are basically nature’s paper. Thin, light, and easy to burn. Also very easy to peel off the tree.

I remember when I lived in California we had trees that had these shavings, little did I know that these were flammable as well.

Why do I do what I do?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 00:55:00 +0000

I do what I do because I truly believe that the life of Prepping is truly not about something you do but it is definitely a lifestyle choice like any other. Making the decision to become a prepper, survivalist, or any other name within this community is definitely a choice. The one common denominator is that we all know that is a lifestyle that we choose to learn and change the way we live.

On a personal note as I come across great articles and as I learn about the various things within this lifestyle, I feel it is my duty to share it with the world. There are so many things that are in our day to day life that could assist us in being prepared. This is why I do what I do!

#5 - The 7 Types of Gear you must have in your Bug Out Bag

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Survival Cache has a great article about the 7 types of gear you should have in your bug out bag. This is Part 5 to that series.

Trying to cover everything you need in your Bug Out Bag First Aid Kit is another article entirely to itself, probably several more. I won’t try to cover it because I would surely leave something out.

Survival Cache recommends that you build your own First Aid Kit instead of buying one of those prepackaged first aid kits that claim to have 1001 things to get you through any emergency. While some are ok, in their experience these types of kits are usually filled with a lot of stuff you are unlikely to need and not enough of the things you will probably need a lot of.

Plus, building your own first aid kit gives you an intimate knowledge of what it contains and how to use it. How many people buy one of those pre-made set ups and just assume they are prepared because there’s so much crap in it there must be what I need? Bad Idea.

First Aid Gear: Have a Sawyer Extractor for Poisonous Snake Bites

#4 - The 7 Types of Gear you must have in your Bug Out Bag

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Survival Cache has a great article about the 7 types of gear you should have in your bug out bag. This is Part 4 to that series.

4. Shelter

If you are going to survive for 3 days you are going to need protection from the elements and a warm dry place to sleep. You need at least:

Some type of tent or tarp and a way to set it up
A ground tarp for underneath your shelter to stay dry or a sleeping pad (Never underestimate the importance of this)
Some type of Bedroll, preferably a good sleeping bag.

#3 - The 7 Types of Gear you must have in your Bug Out Bag

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Survival Cache has a great article about the 7 types of gear you should have in your bug out bag. This is Part 3 to that series.

3. Clothing
Your Bug Out Bag clothes should be similar to what you would pack for a weekend backpacking trip.

A pair of sturdy boots or shoes
A pair of long pants (preferably not blue jeans)
2 Pairs of socks (preferably not cotton)
2 Shirts (Maybe 1 long sleeve and 1 short sleeve for layering)
A Jacket that is both warm and protection from rain
Warm long underwear of some kind
A hat
A Bandana (30 Uses for a Bandana)
This list could go on for a while and many people would never dream of leaving their Bug Out Bag without twice that much, but in a pinch that set up could get you by for 3 days.

Be sure to plan for the weather in your area: Do You have Seasonal Clothes in Your Bug Out Bag

How to Treat Migraines with an Herbal Tincture at Home T

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Thank you to Frugally Sustainable for helping us a start our new series entitled Herbal Medicines. It goes without staying that in order to survive in emergency you may need to know how to use herbs for medicinal purposes, because when the SHTF, we will not have the capability to simply go to the local Walgreen's. ;o)

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) abounds in my garden! It is one of the most easy to grow medicinal herbs and has some pretty amazing healing properties…making it a great addition to the home pharmacy. Historically, lemon balm has been used to treat all kinds of nervous system ailments and is known for it’s ability to:
>calm an irritable child.
>act as an antiviral in treating cold sores due to the herpes virus.
>heal wounds and protect the skin.
>treat the symptoms of the common cold and flu when combined with other medicinal herbs.
>relieve the symptoms of migraine headaches, anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

Likewise, feverfew is unbeatable when it comes to treating the common headache, migraines, stress/tension headaches, and those headaches associated with PMS symptoms. It truly is a wonder herb and a must in the garden of those who suffer these ailments.

Latest and Greatest Partner

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 16:30:00 +0000

Introducing our latest and greatest partner, LPC Survival. LPC Survival has been an authorized distributor/reseller of many survival preparedness products for many years. And we are super excited to become one of their many partners.

With their assistance we will have the capability to share a variety of survival preparedness products to our readers. Feel free to stop by and take a look at their website to see what they have to offer.

#2 - The 7 Types of Gear you must have in your Bug Out Bag

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Survival Cache has a great article about the 7 types of gear you should have in your bug out bag. This is Part 2 to that series.

2. Food
For a 3 Day Bug Out Bag Backpack Meals and Energy Bars can be sufficient. Back pack meals are freeze dried meals that you just add boiling water to. They are light weight and last a long time.

Obviously you will need a longer term food solution in any type of wide area catastrophe, but for your basic Bug Out Bag backpack meals are a good set up.

#1 - The 7 Types of Gear you must have in your Bug Out Bag

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Survival Cache has a great article about the 7 types of gear you should have in your bug out bag. Well you should know me by now I usually turn these types of articles into a series. It's a great way to ensure that I don't overload readers.

For someone new to being a Survivalist building your first Bug Out Bag can seem like a big task. Everybody you read about has been tweaking theirs for months or even years and has a pile of gear built up. It’s hard to know where to start, but if you cover all of the basics in a survival situation you will still be much better off that 99% of the people.

A Bug Out Bag, (also called a BOB, Get Out of Dodge Bag, GOOD, or 72 Hour Bag) is usually designed to get you out of an emergency situation and allow you to survive self-contained for up to 3 days. A lot of people plan their Bug Out Bag to sustain them for much longer than that, but there is always a limit to what you can carry on your back and a 3 day target is a good place to start.

Here is the first of the 7

Water

It should go without saying that water is a survival basic for any situation. In a survival situation water quickly becomes the most precious commodity. 1 Liter per day per person is really the bare minimum. So your 3 day Bug Out Bag should have at least 3 liters of water. To expand your capability or survive longer than a couple of days you will need a water purification system. This can be as simple as boiling water and iodine tablets, or a serious water filter.

You can use a Collapsible Water Bottle for extra storage.

Make water collection easier with a Backpacking Bucket.

Use Coffee Filters to extend the life of your water filtration system. Yep Your basic coffee filter

Survival Sanitation: It all Begins with the Hands Section 3 for Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 14:00:00 +0000

Homemade Sanitizing and Handwashing Solution

Survival Sanitation: It all Begins with the Hands

by Tactical Intelligence on August 12th, 2011

In a recent article I talked about how to make your own chlorine bleach that can be used not only for water disinfection but for sanitation as well. To make a simple solution that can be used for hand sanitizing, you’ll want to add one cup of household bleach (or homemade bleach) to a gallon of water.

To use, after washing your hands with soap and water simply rinse your hands with the sanitizing bleach solution.

HOMEMADE ANTHRAX KILLER

For an even more effective disinfectant that is actually powerful enough to kill anthrax spores, you’ll want to add a cup of vinegar to the cup-to-gallon sanitizing solution above.

According to Norman Miner the president of MicroChem Lab, vinegar changes household bleach from alkaline to acidic which will make it 80 to 200 times more effective at being an antimicrobial product.

(Nancy Kerchevel – Bloomberg News) “Bleach has been used as a disinfectant for decades. People just assume it will kill everything on a countertop,” Miner said in an interview. “It’s one of the myths.”

Bleach can’t be bottled in an acidic state because it’s unstable, Miner said in an interview. After a day, it would start losing the chlorine that gives it its bleaching power.

Researchers tested the vinegar recipe on dried bacterial spores, considered the most resistant to disinfectants used on microbes, the Euless, Texas-based company said.

After researchers swabbed surfaces with the acidic dilution, all the spores were dead in 20 minutes, Miner said. An alkaline dilution left only 2.5 percent of the areas free of microbes after the same amount of time.

EMERGENCY AID

“In the event of an emergency involving Bacillus anthracis spores contaminating such environmental surfaces as counter tops, desk and table tops, and floors, for example, virtually every household has a sporicidal sterilant available in the form of diluted, acidified bleach,” Miner said in a statement.The vinegar-laced bleach also killed aspergillus negri, commonly recognized by most people as the black fungi that infect the tile grout of shower stalls, Miner said.

“Diluted bleach at an alkaline pH is a relatively poor disinfectant, but acidified diluted bleach will virtually kill anything in 10 to 20 minutes,” Miner said.

Keep in mind that this solution will lose it’s effectiveness after about a day, since it will start losing the chlorine that gives it it’s bleaching power. For household use, given the short effective shelf-life of this solution, you’ll want to make it in smaller amounts that can be used on a day-to-day basis.

Survival Sanitation: It all Begins with the Hands Section 2 for Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Homemade Sanitizing and Handwashing Solution

Survival Sanitation: It all Begins with the Hands

by Tactical Intelligence on August 12th, 2011

Just like we preppers like to practice fire-making, off-grid cooking, cooking from our food storage and all the other skills we do during non-emergencies, it’s important that we “practice” getting in the habit of keeping our hands clean during normal times. That way, if things get bad — whether it’s 3-days or 3-years, we’ll have one less thing to think about. This also includes getting rid of habits that involve hand-to-mouth contact (other than eating of course).

HABITS TO DEVELOP

washing hands after going to the bathroom

washing hands before eating

washing hands after coming into contact with another person’s hands

sneezing or coughing into the crook of your elbow instead of your hands

HABITS TO AVOID

fingernail biting

chewing on objects (pens, pencils etc)

coughing or sneezing into your hands

general hand to near-mouth contact (many people have the habit of putting their hands near or on their mouth when they are deep in thought).