# What was your prep for today?



## scout24 (Mar 25, 2019)

Hi all! If you're reading this, the title intrigued you. That's the idea. I wanted to start a thread where members could come for ideas, to document, to keep the idea on your radar if it's not already. Not just disaster/zombie/bugout prep, but camping/self sufficiency, etc. Got out in the garden and got dirty? Post it. Aired out your tent and inventoried gear? Post it. Ran your generator for it's quarterly exercise? Put it here. Added to your pantry? Got to the range? It belongs here. NO POLITICS please. I'm starting not quite from ground zero after spending the last 13 months rebuilding after a good 20 years of accumulating gear, knowledge, and supplies so your posts will act as motivation. Let's hear what you did today!


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## scout24 (Mar 25, 2019)

I'll start. The last couple weeks, I've been jogging two miles after walking my dogs in the morning, weather permitting. It's been a while, and I need to lose a few pounds, build some endurance, and start getting back in shape. So that was todays prep.


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## StarHalo (Mar 25, 2019)

Oat smoothie breakfast - 25 g oats blended into oat flour, 133 ml water, 16 g whey protein, 16 g casein protein, 12 ml omega oils, blended into the consistency of a melted milkshake. Nearly 1:1:1 macros with fiber and no sugar. Enjoyed with coffee made through a paper filter to not raise bad cholesterol, followed by a tall glass of Animal Pak vitamin powder which covers micros/antioxidants/probiotics. Pretty much feels like I can lift a car after that, and I'm down 20 lbs since New Year's.


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## bignc (Mar 25, 2019)

Scout..... I just.... I KNEW you were my internet flashlight hero. And this is proof. Well, at least top 10- with much respect to Arch and the others for sure. Uncle reppans and WoodsWalker and many, many others. But yes. YAAAAAASSSSSSS.


I am a life long Floridian and always had "hurricane" threats in the back of my mind. I am only 40 so don't remember the 70's gas and inflation issues and shortages. I didn't live through a WW or a Missile crisis. But the "cold war" threat had me thinking about the "worst case" at a pretty early age.

Really, as a younger married adult with a child, I started out a firearms geek. During the y2k scare and the (later)first real "panic" over ammo and gun control, etc., I realized we COULD have limited access to more than just ammo and firearms. That's when I learned about "just-in- time" inventory and the limited foods in peoples pantries and the stores.


SO- yesterday, I planted some more food (just some herbs, tomatoes and bell peppers,) reorganized some camping gear for an upcoming couple of car and then backpacking trips, fertilized the orchard (manure) AND worked out.

This morning, I took the garbage (trash discipline ranks up there for me with keeping gas tanks at half full- if you've ever gone a while without trash service, you know) and cleaned out the chicken coop. While I was doing that, I topped off and rotated my 18650s in my EDC bag. Basically just maintenance stuff. 

Good thread- I hope to get some reminders and tips and maybe give some too!


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## ven (Mar 25, 2019)

Well today was an early start, 5am so up around 4 ish to get in. Extra jobs getting done with a shut down, robots, conveyors, all kinds of stuff. So naturally i get quite tired come afternoon haha. Making a start on doing bits of the garden, been maybe 3 months due to winter, so the grass is in tufts and i just cant stand it any more. This week has forecast 18oC temps, been cold (4oC) ish at night, but not freezing with the clear skies. So hopefully catch up on other days. Between this, dog walks, usually a later one and a torch of some type(mostly either a BOSS or MD2 of late) gets some use . Also Callum has his MMA classes, so this gets fitted in Mon/Wed/Thu and Sat for sparring class. My chill daily when i get a minute, is some netflix series of sort, also PS4 . Recently completed resident evil 2 and devil may cry 5,. Soon Sekiro should be here for some samurai kick a55 lol Thats my chill/unwind to help keep me sane.

Planning for some future camping trips also, be it roof box or trailer for out gear. Will update with pics once i decide. The ven family camping bus set up!.


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## tech25 (Mar 25, 2019)

Great thread!! 

Today, I just organized some lights and checked batteries. I recently moved so I want to put some lights around the house. Now that I have gotten used to the layout, I know where the spots that make the most sense are. 

A downside of me moving was going away from a nice big hilly park where walks and runs were more challenging. I will have to figure out how to make up for that.


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## Mr. LED (Mar 26, 2019)

My prep today was buying another Zebralight SC32 for my GHB. I work just a mile from home in a super small village, and usually walk to work.


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## lion504 (Mar 26, 2019)

100 pushups, 100 situps, 4 mile run.


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## archimedes (Mar 26, 2019)

bignc said:


> Scout..... I just.... I KNEW you were my internet flashlight hero. And this is proof. Well, at least top 10- with much respect to Arch and the others for sure. Uncle reppans and WoodsWalker and many, many others. But yes. YAAAAAASSSSSSS....



Honored to be included in this list, and will have something to post here at some point, I'd imagine


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## bigburly912 (Mar 26, 2019)

My prep for today was searching for the right place/price to start prepping. I’m wanting to start easy and get some Mylar bags and buckets and maybe just keep rice and beans. For now. Easy to store, easy to prepare, easy to move if need be.


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## scout24 (Mar 26, 2019)

Bignc- You're far too kind- Arch and Woodswalker have forgotten more than I know about this... 

Today, 2 mile jog again and picked up an 8 pack of Energizer lithium AA's at Home Depot. 

Bigburly- Mylar and oxygen absorbers are a great way to add to the long term pantry. Thick bags, ziplock as well as iron the top, and oversized O2 absorbers took some of the worry out for me. Don't forget Quaker instant oats, in the big cardboard can. They "mylar" quite well. And don't forget to label the bags! There's tons of good youtube videos on the subject.


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## bignc (Mar 26, 2019)

I embellish a little bit it’s nice to not be alone in my paranoia. There are a ton of smart folks here I listen to for sure. . Today, I lifted weights and meal prepped some. Not much else yet.


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## bignc (Mar 26, 2019)

Bigburly912 said:


> My prep for today was searching for the right place/price to start prepping. I’m wanting to start easy and get some Mylar bags and buckets and maybe just keep rice and beans. For now. Easy to store, easy to prepare, easy to move if need be.



Depending on many factors (spouse/s.o., finances, space, etc) I always say to start buying ONE more (unit, item, $ amount- whatever works) of whatever canned or dried things you currently eat. Can you get by TODAY for a week? 2 weeks? A month? Set a goal for that personal apocalypse before spending money on the zombies. And have multiple ways to get water!!! This is important for short and long term planning imho.


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## desert.snake (Mar 26, 2019)

Great theme! Exchange of experience is invaluable 

Today I sharpened a knife and wondered what would happen if I lose all my grinding stones? Tools should always be able to sharpen, I have nothing suitable in the area, all the soils are clay and black soil, even there is no silicon deposit to make a stone chopper. And then I remembered the old way that my great-grandfather used. It is necessary to take clay, red or river, it should be cleaned, crushed several times and crushed. Need to find sand, fine sand, sift sand. Next we need to mix clean clay with clean sand. Put this mixture in the form of a circle, stick a suitable stick in the center and leave to dry. Then you can rotate this circle on a stick and sharpen the tools like an emery wheel.


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## scout24 (Mar 26, 2019)

Desert.snake- Both good ideas! I've been trying to use the bottom of a ceramic coffee cup, and also the top edge of one of my truck windows as knife sharpeners. I've got a long way to go, but both work in a pinch. Just can't use Mrs. Scout's coffee mugs...


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## aginthelaw (Mar 26, 2019)

i don't know if i'm missing the point of this but here's my prep: Thinking of myself...i've been too worried about my family, clients, work that my doc forced me into an early vacation. i meditated this morning like Deepak Chopra taught us in the 80's when we worked together at Muhlenberg Hospital, Plainfield, NJ where he interned (my mother was his nurse in the e.r., and she has all his books personally signed by him). When i was a police officer, i would mentally prepare myself before i went to work. then, soak in everything the sgt would tell us before we hit the road. Then, get into character before i drove out the parking lot to do my duties. it became second nature. since i retired, i don't do that any more, but i live in the outskirts of a bad neighborhood, distracted drivers still try their best to ruin my day. i'm more vulnerable now, and my current mental health is proof. i'm too stressed out. My patrol car was shot up 3 times and i remained calm, cool, and collected every time because i was always ready. one of those times, i was calling out the pursuit, and my sgt yelled at me on to get off the radio because i was so calm, he thought i was horsing around and couldn't possibly have been in a shootout and car chase.


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## bignc (Mar 26, 2019)

I like it. Having gear and skills is useless if you’re dead from a stroke or heart attack because you were in bad physical or mental shape.


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## StarHalo (Mar 26, 2019)

aginthelaw said:


> get into character before i drove out
> distracted drivers still try their best to ruin my day
> my current mental health is proof. i'm too stressed out.



Funny to think that people reading this a couple decades from now when transporting yourself by autonomous car won't involve driving will have no idea what you're talking about; if you read the book _Blue Zones_, about areas of the world where people live longest, they talk to a 100+ year old shepard [still at it] in Sardinia, who relates the story of once seeing a traffic signal when he was a teenager. Not really any secret to a long life there..

Add fish/omega oils to your morning routine, that can help take the edge off of stress.


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## StarHalo (Mar 26, 2019)

bignc said:


> I like it. Having gear and skills is useless if you’re dead from a stroke or heart attack because you were in bad physical or mental shape.



^This is key. It's a bit shocking seeing how many of these prepper folk are fully prepared for Soviet zombie ground attack but not for a blood test. If you won't last that long in civilization, you'll just go faster without it..


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## aginthelaw (Mar 26, 2019)

StarHalo said:


> ^This is key. It's a bit shocking seeing how many of these prepper folk are fully prepared for Soviet zombie ground attack but not for a blood test. If you won't last that long in civilization, you'll just go faster without it..



At least we’ll know where to find a good cache


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## scout24 (Mar 27, 2019)

I'll be taking inventory on paper today, and keeping that list with my canned goods. And some Eneloop AA's are "out for delivery"


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## bykfixer (Mar 28, 2019)

I prepared for an evening chef's salad by swiping 2 hard boiled eggs off the breakfast bar at a hotel. Already had everything else ready, just needed sliced eggs. 

Later I did some knee isometrics as prep for climbing stairs after the salad.


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## lion504 (Mar 28, 2019)

Fran. And a NAS backup.


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## bykfixer (Mar 29, 2019)

Today's preps were load pockets with smallest, lightest flashlights since a quarterly checkup means step on the scale and I wanted to gauge how things are going weight-wise. Grams mattered today. (Spare batteries in jacket pocket.)

Put on comfy shoes in case car breaks and walking is required. 

Next was guzzle a half bottle of water to ensure a sample could be produced for checking kidneys etc. Also swells veins slightly for easier blood draw for checking other 'old guy' stuff. Second half of water was sipped on during visit to thwart off bad breath during the process. 

Make sure check book had extras since doc don't take plastic for co-pays. 

Carry spare garments in case last nights salad causes sudden digestive tract purge. Years of poor eating habits are replaced with healthy stuff so my body is still adapting. 

Next prep was carry battery pack in case of auto breakdown and extra celphone battery capacity was capable.

Carry spare phone from alternate carrier in case breakdown occured in no signal zone of carrier A.

Give car once over for basic fluids etc. 

Give myself a pat down prior to leaving to ensure basic items are loaded in my pockets. Knife, clippers, chap stick etc. Check.

Carry extra vape gear so I won't smoke if vehicle breaks.

Carry cigarettes in case vape gear fails during auto break down.

Carry spare lighter.

Look to passenger side of car to ensure I didn't forget to bring Mrs. Fixer.

Go to doctor, receive goods news then go home and drink a cup of coffee left in the microwave in case the kids drank the last cup in the coffee pot. Get home and coffee pot is empty.


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## Lumen83 (Mar 29, 2019)

I've been stocking up on canned fermentables lately. Malt Extract, Fruit Extracts, etc. In addition to Food, water, tools, etc. I'm gonna need some beer and wine when the Zombies take the grid down. Its pretty easy to make home made beer and wine and not a lot of tools are necessary beyond that you would also find useful toward other areas of prepping. For example, brew kettles can be used to boil pathogens out of large quantities of water, Mash Tuns can be used for long term water storage, as can the fermentation vessels, etc.


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## scout24 (Mar 29, 2019)

Today, I'm looking into a wild edibles woods walk class in my area in late spring. I missed one last year, and have been looking forward to another one. Books are great, but nothing beats hands on training. Also, it's Friday. Putting a case of Red Feather butter into my shopping cart online to purchase Monday. Oils and fats don't store well, but this stuff has a 10 year shelf life.

Mr. Fixer with the most important prep of all- Don't forget The Wife!!!


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## bignc (Mar 30, 2019)

Yesterday laid out some gear for camping. Today we are taking a short shakedown trip to a state park for an overnight car camping trip. It's been too long and we are backpacking in a few miles next weekend- gotta make sure the gear is still all good before living out of our packs for even 2 nights.


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## StarHalo (Mar 30, 2019)

Those of you who are ready to try out some of what you've prepped - tonight's power outage practice is your opportunity..


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## scout24 (Mar 30, 2019)

Thanks for the link, SH. Proper Prior Planning and all... (Google "The seven P's") A couple of good friends and I are scheduling a "Bugout Weekend" this spring, basically car camping but the idea is one of the wives is going to actually pick the date and time, and "GO!" You have 20 minutes to have the car packed with what you need for an extended stay off the grid. Drive roughly 2 hours, meet up at our rendevous point, and take everyone's inventory before camping from scratch for the weekend. Makes you have gear in labeled totes, inventoried and checked. In theory. And makes you triage what fits in and on your vehicle.


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## Rubicon1000 (Mar 31, 2019)

Friday I ordered 4 cubic yards of garden soil. 
I have a tractor with a front loader and we are going to add 10 more raised garden beds. 
We have 10 beds that are 4'x12' and they also need some fresh soil added. We pressure can enough vegetables every year so we know what we are eating. This year we will have beats, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, zucchini,squash, spinach, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, green beans, onions, peppers, soup beans, sweet corn and popcorn, cucumbers, and I'm sure I'm missing something. 
My wife enjoys the garden and it's pretty nice having a couple years worth of canned food. 
We canned venison for the first time last fall and it turned out great. I'll add some pictures when I start building the new beds with details on what has worked for us and what we have learned from past mistakes. Dan


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## bignc (Mar 31, 2019)

Rubicon may be my new hero. Lol. I come from farmers and gardeners but when we moved back to the country, I had weather issues and bug issues with my row garden. So, this year we are starting over small in containers and a small raised bed.... I did out fruit trees that are thriving where my original garden was. Btw, I’m the idiot that ignored Granny and moved the garden somewhere else. Dur.

did break camp pretty quickly this morning and wifey and I discussed some changes to our load-outs both for bugging home and for backpacking.


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## scout24 (Mar 31, 2019)

Good to see fellow gardeners on here. We also have some fruit trees, apple peach cherry and pear. Two hazlenut trees. A mulberry tree. Some grapes and raspberries. All put in two years ago, no real fruit crop yet. This is my Wife's "orchard". 

There's also a 25x50' high fenced garden with raised beds and a small greenhouse. We canned 40+ jars of tomatoes last year, and a ton of pickles. Some green beans. Some eggplant, lettuce, potatoes, peas, and herbs. Eight blueberry bushes, but they're still small. What we do have are blackberries. Tons. I picked four one-gallon freezer bags last summer, made two dozen jars of jam. Rubicon- what tractor do you have? We're running a small New Holland that we bought used five years ago.


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## aginthelaw (Mar 31, 2019)

Where are we getting water? Can’t dig a well depending on the disaster, can’t catch acid rain...I’m getting worried [emoji45]


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## bigburly912 (Mar 31, 2019)

Survival-supply .com EW1 pallet. [emoji16]


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## scout24 (Apr 1, 2019)

Went and picked up two 50 pound bags of whole corn today from my local Agway. We keep it stored in a metal garbage can that's never been used for anything else. A bit here and there keeps the deer happy, and if needed it would stretch my pantry a bit... By the way, the garlic we planted last fall has started to poke through the surface in two of our beds. 40+ coming up so far... 😁


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## bigburly912 (Apr 1, 2019)

I went and ate 2 50 pound bags of corn............ oh wait should that be a storage amount? [emoji52]

Really enjoying this thread so far!


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## Lumen83 (Apr 2, 2019)

aginthelaw said:


> Where are we getting water? Can’t dig a well depending on the disaster, can’t catch acid rain...I’m getting worried [emoji45]



I'm personally planning on getting my from the various streams and the big river that borders my property. But, whats wrong with catching the rain?


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## scout24 (Apr 2, 2019)

If things go that far sideways, I'll boil or filter what gets into my rain barrels or what I can collect from nearby streams or ponds. We do have well water here, but it's too deep to hand pump. I do need to have an old well checked on adjacent property we own to see if that one is shallow enough to have a hand pump installed. It's on the endless, endless list. No prep for today, but we do have marigold seeds starting to sprout in the livingroom starter trays. Veggies should be close behind!


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## KITROBASKIN (Apr 3, 2019)

Lehman's well bucket; needs 4" ID, holds almost 2 gallons. I used a tripod pulley (+8 feet) above well in order to use muscles to pull down rather than trying to pull the bucket up out of the well (less-used muscles and a back killer)

https://www.lehmans.com/product/leh...drBQoCQlJn34PJ2nA0yIyt68d62lCNDAaAjZFEALw_wcB


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## scout24 (Apr 3, 2019)

KITRO- That's ingenious. Thanks for the link! And the tripod tip. I'll be dropping a fishing line with sinker and bobber down my well this weekend to find depth. (While common to write depth on the underside of the cap, mine's not there...) 👍👍👍


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## KITROBASKIN (Apr 4, 2019)

Well you made my day if that info is helpful to you, given how helpful you are to us. 
Plenty of old-school Amish stuff from that company.

The seal at the bottom of the well bucket is not perfect, so some dripping will occur; gives me an excuse to not waste time retrieving it. The well I use it on is less than 200 feet, and there is not a lot of water depth down there. The action of the bucket tends to stir silt/fine particles, so a settling time in your collection tub/barrel is good. A well driller some years ago told me that an old well can be improved by actually using a bucket like that to remove fine particles from the well water in marginal conditions.


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## peter yetman (Apr 4, 2019)

So the access to your well is just a 5 inch pipe? That must be a really cost effective way of accessing the water.
In my ignorance I imagine a well shaft to be 3 feet or so diameter, like the ones in the Nursery Rymes.
P


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## bykfixer (Apr 4, 2019)

Nothing.

Prep'd for nothing today. I'll just let fate take her course for a while.


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## idleprocess (Apr 4, 2019)

I'm reminded that it's been at least a year since I cycled the water in my 5 gallon containers - I might want to do that before the local reservoirs start churning out algal blooms. I might also consider replacing them outright - one had accumulated a bit of crud about the opening last time I cycled them. Might also grab another case of bottled water for convenience uses.


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## scout24 (Apr 5, 2019)

KITRO- You're too kind, but thank you. I know of Lehman's but have never seen that product. Anything that makes water less of a worry is high on my list. So, as soon as I see how deep my well is, that, rope, and a pulley setup will be "in my cart". QUOTE=bykfixer;5298905]Nothing.

Prep'd for nothing today. I'll just let fate take her course for a while.[/QUOTE]

There's wisdom in your post, sir. Sometimes we have to take a step back.


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## Rubicon1000 (Apr 5, 2019)

Been way too busy with the kids and all of their school activities but I'll hopefully get some work done this weekend and get some pictures up. I did get all the filters and fluids changed in both tractors and the atv's this week.


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## bykfixer (Apr 5, 2019)

My prep for today was to add another uber long run flashlight to the pile.






43+ hours on cabon zinc aa's. 

Went to a drug store to pick up my old guy scrips and the nice lady said "it'll be about 15 minutes" so I poked around the joint and picked up some pepto chewables for in case eating nuts and berrys in the forest causes upset tummy. Also nabbed some ingrown toenail sauce for when a toe nail from one I smashed into a table while goose stepping bare foot becomes ingrown on its way out (like the last two did before), and a scale replica Ferrari for my grand sons 4th birthday in October (that I know I'll forget again). 

Lastly I plopped in a battery sipping M61NLL in a de-anodized 6P that arrived in the mail today that came with a pat pend M61CW.


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## bignc (Apr 6, 2019)

Set up the Mountain Hardware Optic 2.5 in a little state park. Wifey an I planned on hiking and backpacking in GA but yucky weather changed our mind. And now it looks like the weather men were wrong and we could’ve done it anyway. It’s all good tho- got camp set pretty quickly and chilling in the tent now.


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## scout24 (Apr 7, 2019)

Moved and re-assembled an 8'x10' metal storage shed today. Friends needed a chicken coop for the 20 chickens and 12 ducks they are almost ready to put outside. It was honestly going to be on the scrap metal pile here, I'm glad to see it go to good use. We're in the loop for eggs. 😁 I'm debating going and picking up 8 or so chicks just to see how it goes raising them. They're cute little buggers! High in protein, too...


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## Lumen83 (Apr 8, 2019)

Attended Search and Rescue training over the weekend. Covering such things as pack essentials, wilderness first aid, litter carries, wilderness searches, emergency shelter and fire building, etc. All of that stuff ties in great for the prepper minded folks. I highly recommend some of those types of classes/training for anyone interested in prepping.


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## bykfixer (Apr 9, 2019)

Prepared for lights out during a thunderstorm. The knife is incase someone tries to jack my Chex Mix.


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## scout24 (Apr 9, 2019)

Savory Chex mix? Can't blame you...  Got four garden beds turned over and ready to plant yesterday, and got cold frames put in place in two of them. Cleaned the dead mice out of Mrs. Scout's greenhouse so she can get ready to start plants out there...


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## bignc (Apr 9, 2019)

Just maintenance stuff this morning. Also, trying to thin the house and shed of "extra" stuff that isn't really extra- it's just stuff. Posted some items for sale and trade here and other places and am laying out (mentally and on paper) what I HAVE and what I need- an inventory and a wish list sort of.


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## scout24 (Apr 9, 2019)

Spent part of the afternoon digging a small trench about 100' long from the underside of my deck out to Mrs. Scout's garden. Going to bury a garden hose for plant watering so I don't hit it with the mower and have to repair it again...


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## idleprocess (Apr 12, 2019)

Kind of passive, but working from home today so I'm cycling LSD NiMH cells: put charged cells from storage into devices and recharging the pulled cells. 16 ports across 4 chargers and I've _still_ got a pile of cells waiting for the next available port.


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## Rubicon1000 (Apr 13, 2019)

scout24 said:


> Spent part of the afternoon digging a small trench about 100' long from the underside of my deck out to Mrs. Scout's garden. Going to bury a garden hose for plant watering so I don't hit it with the mower and have to repair it again...


This is a really good idea. I might look into doing something similar. I hate rolling up the hoses every day. Thanks for the sharing this, small things like this make life so much easier. Dan


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## scout24 (Apr 15, 2019)

I figure if I blow the air out of it before winter, I should get maybe five years out of it. Mrs. Scout also asked for a small outdoor slop sink in the garden to wash veggies before bringing them inside. I figure I can just drain the muddy water into a spackle bucket and use it to water pots or bags. We run soaker hoses in the beds.

Did my 2 mile jog this morning in the mud, we had a whole bunch of rain and wind last night. Parts of roads washed out, etc. Still windy as can be, but knock on wood we didn't lose power. Ran my eu2000i for about an hour on Saturday to run a circular saw, so it got it's quarterly exercise. It's big brother will get run next week. I need to fill two cans with non-ethanol gas next time I head to that side of town.


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## idleprocess (Apr 18, 2019)

Local media suggested that there was the potential for _civilization-ending_ hail last night so I spent a couple hours feverishly clearing a spot in the garage for my daily driver, parking it indoors for the first time in years. Naturally, there was not only no hail but the thunderstorms passing through the area were almost mild. The experience did drive home that I need to dispose of a lot of stuff that's just taking up space.


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## thermal guy (Apr 21, 2019)

After Easter festivities we’re over settled downstairs and moved my shtf food backup supplies. Finished up a runtime test on a light I just got and started researching what’s needed to make a survival doll. Then contemplated what some might think if I did put one together. Think I will anyways


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## StarHalo (Apr 21, 2019)

[Photographed the wife as she] prepared the eggs:





Hid the eggs:


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## peter yetman (Apr 22, 2019)

thermal guy said:


> After Easter festivities we’re over settled downstairs and moved my shtf food backup supplies. Finished up a runtime test on a light I just got and started researching what’s needed to make a survival doll. Then contemplated what some might think if I did put one together. Think I will anyways


I'll bite.
What's a "Survival Doll"?
P


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## Burgess (Apr 24, 2019)

Found THIS with Google --


https://www.homeschooling-ideas.com/survival-doll.html


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## peter yetman (Apr 24, 2019)

Ah, thank you. Nothing sinister, then.
P


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## thermal guy (Apr 25, 2019)

Lol I’m sorry yes that’s what I was talking about 😁


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## scout24 (Apr 26, 2019)

Picked up our order of fruit trees and bushes from our local County Extension today. They'll go in the ground tomorrow or Sunday. Another pair of apple, and another pair of peach. 20 Chokecherry bush seedlings, too. I also took out my small solar panel to charge up some batteries if it's sunny tomorrow. I've been setting 18350's and 16340's aside for a couple weeks rather than putting them on my house charger.


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## bykfixer (Apr 26, 2019)

I filled my truck with fuel in case the weekly spring storm-a-gedan knocked out power so the fish could have o2 if the Honda generator failed.


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## Rubicon1000 (Apr 26, 2019)

Been a busy week. My 13 year old daughter was inducted into the national honor society this week. Proud papa here. I know it's not a prep but I'm hoping to prepare her with a great education and make good decisions.


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## archimedes (Apr 27, 2019)

Mind prep is best prep.

Skills, training, judgment, and strength of mind is generally far more important than having the "right" collection of "stuff" to deal with adverse situations.


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## bykfixer (Apr 27, 2019)

In that case I'm in deep deep trouble.


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## bignc (Apr 27, 2019)

bykfixer said:


> In that case I'm in deep deep trouble.



I sense that you'll do better than most. 

I have been studying for an exam next week- retirement and finance related. Maybe I can help a few more folks be financially prepared before the shtf.


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## nightshade (Apr 27, 2019)

archimedes said:


> Mind prep is best prep.
> 
> Skills, training, judgment, and strength of mind is generally far more important than having the "right" collection of "stuff" to deal with adverse situations.



The best survival device is the mind. 
My preps were adding increased desalinization capacity to my relatively small boat and I added more beautiful and edible Purslane plant space on my little rental dock. 
Now, for a bit of levity. Life should be fun and happy too. Or why prep?

Added lighting equipment to a very important piece of equipment.


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## reppans (Apr 29, 2019)

nvm....


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## bignc (Apr 29, 2019)

reppans said:


> nvm....



Dangit, I hope I didn’t miss anything cool!


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## scout24 (May 1, 2019)

Went out to my Wife's greenhouse today to water, we now have zucchini, cucumbers, crookneck squash, basil and marigolds beginning to pop up through the dirt. It's small, 6x9', but we get a lot of veggies out of it. Tomatoes and peppers still doing well inside the house but they're not ready to go out yet. We have frost risk until about the 19th of May here. Peas and carrots doing well under cold frames in their raised beds and asparagus is coming back from last year.


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## bignc (May 1, 2019)

Yesterday did some tree trimming (dead limbs in the old pecans) and weeded and fertilized (with out chicken poop supplemented compost) the herbs and tomatoes as well as the fruit trees. Today grabbed some “bogo “ items from Publix and spent some time with the wife on the round trip. My favorite “prep” is making sure my partner for life and I are on the same page.


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## peter yetman (May 2, 2019)

bignc said:


> My favorite “prep” is making sure my partner for life and I are on the same page.


That, is all that matters.
P


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## scout24 (May 2, 2019)

The importance of that can't be over stressed. Mrs. Scout took a while to come around, though she's always been a garden lover and does a lot of sewing. It's been a journey, but she no longer rolls her eyes at some of my purchases.


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## bignc (May 3, 2019)

Mrs. Lilnc honestly was into guns before me. “Prepping” for her started after hurricane Andrew but wasn’t perhaps as obsessive or well rounded as it is for us as a couple with children. Some decent flashlights made sense to her. 25+ with hundreds of cells and dozens of charging, battery and solar options? That took a little patience on her part. 

Today, rotated some of my gas cans.


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## bignc (May 4, 2019)

Today inventoried and consolidated ammo. Including replacing or adding desiccant as needed. My handgun jhp needs replenishment but otherwise ok. We have a small house so balancing preps with space is a big challenge.


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## scout24 (May 4, 2019)

There's always that balance, space vs. how much of what do I think I need. I had it brought home to me with astounding clarity last February that the old adage is true: You only own what you can carry at a dead run. The rest is bug in versus bug out, what can I fit in my Tundra with the cap on it, etc. 

My daughter was in the Tampa area when the hurricane came through two years ago, it was forecast to be a Cat.4 at landfall up until a day before it hit. Damage wound up being minimal thank God, but I was amazed what we loaded in the truck ready to go down and get her if damage was bad. Food, water, enough fuel to make it from Georgia to her and back to Georgia, chainsaws, recovery gear, cooking and sanitation, tools, sleeping gear, and the means to keep all of it if someone else wanted it more than we did. It was an outstanding dry run for us to bug out. It was interesting to triage what was going vs. what was staying home.


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## bignc (May 4, 2019)

Been there many times sir. I am often reconsidering a travel setup vs an “I’m never coming home “ setup. I’ve evacuated my family and stayed behind for work, evacuated all of us, and all just stayed. All different things for sure. It’s real life, absolutely but every time I get new ideas and find new problems. 
Part of the reason I made “lists” was to insure things and feel SOME better if I had to pick what stays/ goes!


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## bykfixer (May 11, 2019)

I scanned through a manual one last time and re-tab'd it more logically before taking a test on said manual.

The extra prep paid off as it was a timed test with lots of questions whose answers were hidden or required a logical thought process to decide the answer.

I passed with an hour spare time after reviewing my answers. Example would be I thought the answer was C for question #57 and while scanning for the answer to question #122 saw #57 was actually D (all of the above). 

I had jotted down on a scratch pad the correct answer to ensure I changed it during the review. Not my first timed test so I have learned a few time saving tips and preps along the way.


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## scout24 (May 16, 2019)

We have some leaf curl on our peach trees that we planted two years ago, so I sprayed them down with a copper fungicide today. I need to get more, and spray regularly apparently. If not, it can kill the trees. We planted four more apple and peach trees from our county conservation sale, as well as a half dozen butternut trees. They take a while to mature, but worth planting. Also built one more raised bed for the garden today. It'll be outside the fence with onions in it. Busy busy spring here. A good busy.


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## scout24 (Jun 1, 2019)

Finally got the last of the veggies planted today. Eggplant is now in. Tomatos, peppers, peas, carrots, sweet potatos, russet potatos, garlic from last fall, cukes, spaghetti squash, zucchini, asparagus, here's hoping it dries out a bit here! Having rain barrels full is nice, but wow have we had a lot of rain.


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## Rubicon1000 (Jun 4, 2019)

Was finally able to get 10 more garden beds out. These will mostly be green beans, carrots, tomatoes, beets and a variety of other vegetables. We have 10 more on the other side of the yard and we usually can enough food for the next year. 
I'll post pics and update regularly. 
We grow our sweet potatoes in wooden barrels and usually end up with over a hundred pounds.


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## bignc (Jul 7, 2019)

Revived!!!!! I've been slacking. Had two power outages in the last month and that caused some reorganization. Thankfully, neither went past three hours but were annoying.

Rubicon, I'd love to see more. How big are the beds? How do you space your plants in them? I am trying to go smaller - a gardening by the foot type deal instead of rows like most around here do.


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## Monocrom (Jul 11, 2019)

Got a pile of preps. (stuff) sitting literally behind me on the floor. Large pile just waiting to be stored away. If I bought nothing else for a decade, I'd have basically all my BOB, camping, and hiking needs covered.


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## bignc (Jul 11, 2019)

Monocrom said:


> Got a pile of preps. (stuff) sitting literally behind me on the floor. Large pile just waiting to be stored away. If I bought nothing else for a decade, I'd have basically all my BOB, camping, and hiking needs covered.



I am pretty close- except ammo, food and med are ALWAYS on my mind to beef up. Picked up some gauze and 91% alcohol today on the way home then celebrated a family birthday.


ETA: NEEDS covered- not WANTS or even all the "nice to haves."


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## scout24 (Jul 15, 2019)

Finally able to post some pics again. Here's our garden... a bunch of raised beds, some bags, and a couple pots. 6' fenced to keep the deer out. Garlic, cilantro, potatos, tomatos, peas, carrots, lettuce, spinach, peppers, cukes, a couple kinds of squash, pumpkins, asparagus, eggplant, and rhubarb is new this year. Oh, and onions. Some baby sunflowers and blueberry bushes outside but fenced, too. It's about 25x50. Slowly but surely...





Edit to add some of the fruit trees we planted three years ago- a variety of apples, cherry, peach, plum, hazlenut, raspberries and a couple grape vines. Bad pic, but you get the idea.


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## bignc (Jul 16, 2019)

Awesome! I might can get the wife on board with raised beds like those - throw a bench and some flowers around for an English garden look. She didn't mind my old row garden but this is more tolerable I am sure. Good stuff!


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## Monocrom (Jul 17, 2019)

That is a sweet looking garden. :twothumbs


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## scout24 (Jul 18, 2019)

Thanks folks! Slow but steady this year. Tomatos are all green still, blueberries shoul be fully turned by Aug 1, here's some stuff starting to look like something...

Bignc- I'm sure you're familiar with companion planting where flowers that are beneficial to the veggies for whatever reason are planted side-by-side with your veggies. This year my Wife planted a bunch of marigolds, some in each bed. I'll grab a pic tomorrow. 

View attachment 10612

View attachment 10613


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## bignc (Jul 19, 2019)

Absolutely! I have at least a quart of saved marigolds seeds from the last full garden we did (I only bother with heirloom seeds) and they helped.

I tend to have more issues with moisture management than bugs but DID lose a red potato crop to ants one year!

Also had good luck planting three sisters. Corn with a vining pea plant and a squash at the bottom . Works well!


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## scout24 (Jul 20, 2019)

Awesome on the marigold seeds. Heirloom is the only way to go. I took advantage of the 93+ humid day we had today to run my generators for a little while. Good to be ready for rolling power outages and all. When we had our home rebuilt, an outside generator plug with a blocking plate on the breaker panel was one of the first things that made our list.


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## bignc (Jul 20, 2019)

Good call! Honestly, I only have a small Yamaha generator to keep the fridge and freezer going. Those, two fans and charging devices seem comfy and I get almost 8 hours on a gallon of gas.

I would like to put the well and softener and hot water on backup too but haven't spent the dough.

Today, replaced our work gloves, mowed the yard and rotated the gas cans.


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## bignc (Jul 26, 2019)

Forgot to note on Sunday that we went to the great Wal of Mart. Not by my choice but the wife needed a craft item for a camp she was headed to. BUT I took the opportunity to go to the camping section. Generally low quality on their actual camping stuff i know- but i thought i would find something..... And i did- snagged a Reliance BPA free 6gal water cube. So dumb that i have limited storage space and never bought one-usually store in 2l bottles but those are awkward. 

That's all. Yay me.


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## Rubicon1000 (Jul 27, 2019)

Been busy getting firewood split. The garden beds are 5x10' I'll get some pictures up as soon as I get time but they are doing great. Dan


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## Rubicon1000 (Jul 27, 2019)

Me and my youngest son have been going out to our hunting property and trying to get some food plots in but it's been pretty hot out lately so we are slowing down some.


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## scout24 (Jul 30, 2019)

Nice tractor! One size up from my New Holland I guess. Mine's 28hp 3cyl diesel. We pulled about 60 garlic plants today, used the foodsaver to put up 12 cups of diced carrots in the freezer, and re-planted the garlic bed with pea plants and carrots. Bed is about 12x3. Peas and carrots have done great this year.


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## nightshade (Sep 1, 2019)

Added additional marine deep cyle batteries and just added extra water hyacinth to floating gardens, to increase size and yield.


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## bykfixer (Sep 1, 2019)

Hurricane prep day. 
Fresh oil and fuel for my Honda 2200 generator, a modern hand crank flashlight/radio, mini camping lanterns and batteries for them.
The LifeGear hand crank light from WalMart for $16.











The 3aaa camping lanterns have 100 lumen high, what appears to be about 15 lumen low and a fairly dim red. Also from WalMart for $3.97ea.





We'll refresh the stockpile of canned foods and veggies along with nuts and beans for fat and protein. I eat nuts instead of junk food anymore so those won't go stale and the beans will go in crock pot meals if we don'tlose power. I'll eat the canned foods at work on days a lunch break isn't practical. 

During the summer my marathon running vegan coworkers take suppliments for heat when a can of chicken noodle soup straight out of the can is better than any of those sports drinks for replacing salts and other things. Everyday? Uh, no not a good idea. 

Now at Wal Mart if you can do the math it costs less for some batteries in smaller quantities. 6 packs of C cells by Rayovac were about. 87 cents each while 8 packs were a buck twenty two each. I bought 24 for the pair of 3C Maglite ML25's we use on eco to light the kitchen table and den during power outs. The 3D ML300's are for emergencies. And I've got lots of D cells set aside. We have a few power banks stashed as well.


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## StarHalo (Sep 1, 2019)

bykfixer said:


> The LifeGear hand crank light from WalMart for $16.



Those are great for the kids, but not much else; if anything goes wrong with the internal battery or [plastic assembly] crank, you're dead in the water. That one doesn't have AM either, so unless you've got an FM news station, you're only cranking for music. You're much better prepared with that stash of D cell batteries, big cells are ideal for emergency radios for max runtime and not having to stop to switch out/source new batteries - get a radio that can put them to use, like a Kaito KA390 (which also has a built-in light.)


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## bykfixer (Sep 2, 2019)

Lemmee guess, the KA390 is available at Amazon?


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## StarHalo (Sep 2, 2019)

bykfixer said:


> Lemmee guess, the KA390 is available at Amazon?



Both Wal-Mart and Kaito themselves have it with free shipping.


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## Monocrom (Sep 5, 2019)

KA390, not bad at all. 

I don't think this counts as a prep., but good way to get free gear.
(Yes, there's a catch. You know there always is.)
Since I have an AMEX card; did notice something.
Wal-mart's official website, you can pay for items using rewards points.
They charge you the amount, but then AMEX returns the money. 
And uses your points, instead. 
Got a new water filter pitcher and extra filters doing that. 
Just an idea.


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## Poppy (Sep 7, 2019)

Scout,
Thanks for starting this thread.

I think it is time to refresh my stored gasoline, and service my snowblower.

Now that the temps are starting to drop, it may be time to put a sleeping bag back into the trunk of my car. Winter preps are a little different than summer preps.


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## scout24 (Sep 8, 2019)

Glad you're enjoying it Poppy! The more posting the better. We finally pulled some jalapeno peppers from the garden today, Mrs. Scout and I made up a batch of salsa. Our tomatos, garlic, jalapenos, bell peppers, and cilantro. Just salt, sugar, cumin powder, and vinegar from the store.


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## bykfixer (Sep 10, 2019)

My prep did not occur today. Today was the day I had prepped for already. 

Company internet went down and the entire office building shut down because everybody uses the cloud, the internet and this skype thing. Not this fella. I mean yeah I do but I don't rely on it. 

Because I save everything to my physical laptop or to portable storage, I had the place to myself minus two other old koots like me. Even the printer is tied to their internet. My portable printer worked dandy. Celphones and texts are also tied to their internet. I just reached into my pocket at a nearby gas station and dopped quarters into a pay phone to cancel appointments.

After that I went shopping for a floor sweeper so I can still keep my home vacuum'd in a power outage.


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## StarHalo (Sep 10, 2019)

bykfixer said:


> Celphones and texts are also tied to their internet.



You'd just turn off/forget your phone's default wifi connection and carry on using cell data. Phone calls and texts take place over the data connection and wouldn't use wifi unless you're using some sort of app.


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## bykfixer (Sep 12, 2019)

My company phone has a bunch of proprietary tech installed. 
I get zero spam on it so there is that. Great until the system goes down. 

Only robo-calls get through at times though. 

Today I prep'd my work laptop by sending everything to a double mirrored backup drive. My young trainee was pissed when I made him do the same. He kept making sigh sounds and asked why he had to go to such trouble when the cloud does it automatically. I said "and yet the cloud was so useful that day it was broken,right?" 
He reluctantly agreed.


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## scout24 (Sep 12, 2019)

Whippersnappers... Hopefully they learn right. Sounds like you're teaching him well.


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## Poppy (Sep 12, 2019)

scout24 said:


> Glad you're enjoying it Poppy! The more posting the better. We finally pulled some jalapeno peppers from the garden today, Mrs. Scout and I made up a batch of salsa. Our tomatos, garlic, jalapenos, bell peppers, and cilantro. Just salt, sugar, cumin powder, and vinegar from the store.


Scout that's awesome!
Bobby Flay would love that! 

My vegetable garden is limited to basil.
My allergies are not as bad as they were, but back in the day I had 2 - 2x20 foot raised beds garden. Pulling weeds was my penance for any wrong-doings. My wife wouldn't eat anything from the garden, and by time the tomatoes were ripe, they were crazy cheap at the store.

So now I grow basil  I pickle cucumbers and red onions bought from the store, but not things as fancy as you!

My best friend's mom used to pickle eggplant with garlic and oil. Slap that on a hoagie with sun-dried tomatoes in oil, with fresh mozzarella and any variety of meat, and it is heaven on a bun. It is great that you are prepping with foods that you will eat normally, so that there is less stress should you ever have to rely on your prepped food. Smart... very smart.

Many of our daily calories come from bread. A week into an apocalypse we may want to start making some. Do you have flour and yeast in your list of supplies?
LOL... how about hops and yeast?


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## scout24 (Sep 13, 2019)

That eggplant sounds great! Heaven on a bun indeed... Raised beds are all that works here without a tremendous amount of work. We have soil with a lot of clay and rocks. We keep some flour here, Mrs. Scout likes to bake on occasion. I've been experimenting with our barbecue this summer, using it on low for indirect cooking. Did a couple corned beef pieces we would normally do in a crock pot. May need to try to bake bread or cookies in there this fall...


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## idleprocess (Sep 13, 2019)

bykfixer said:


> I just reached into my pocket at a nearby gas station and dopped quarters into a pay phone to cancel appointments.



I find it even more astounding that you found a _working payphone_. It's been the better part of a decade since I've seen one of those in DFW, TX.


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## Poppy (Sep 13, 2019)

While Boy Scout leadership training we cooked lasagna in a cast iron, dutch oven, over and under charcoal.
It was really great! Not because we were starving, and I know, because the stew made from processed cold cuts etc, was terrible!

I made sausage, peppers, and onions on the grill, chicken Marsala, and Mrs. Dash seasoned chicken with cilantro, coriander, lime juice, white wine, celery, onions, and carrots, (the Holy trinity) a little brown sugar in a deep stainless frying pan on the grill, with the cover on. Just awesome, and all the heat is OUTSIDE the house!


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## Poppy (Oct 3, 2019)

Today I looked at a couple of "On the trail meals" 
One was made by boiling water, and mixing it with a bag/box of Ramen noodles, some instant potatoes, and cut up pieces of spam. I think I would use canned or bagged chicken or tuna before spam. But all blended together in a freezer quality zip lock bag.

I think that it makes sense to practice, if even in your mind, how to prepare foods on the run.

Today I made another one pot meal.
Montreal chicken seasoning, and some flour in a baggie. Threw in some chicken and then fried it up in some olive oil.
Poured out the excess oil, added some chicken stock (water with a little salt or a bullion probably would have done as well) and a bag of frozen veggies. Later I added some bulking grains such as rice, couscous, quinoa.


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## lion504 (Oct 13, 2019)

Ordered my LT1 lantern. Psyched to add this to the portfolio. 

Would like to add a small solar charger. Maybe 10 watts. The ones I’m looking at supply 12volts, which I can step down to 5, if necessary (my batt chargers take either 5 or 12 V in). Any issues with just plugging the batt charger straight into the panel? I’m tracking the possibility for a charge error if the amps/volts drop. Anything else to keep an eye out for? Thx.


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## bykfixer (Oct 20, 2019)

What was left of a tropical storm was slated to pass over my state today. No big winds or any of that, but a bunch of water falling from the sky was predicted. After a dry period in late summer that was beginning to enter drought status my trees started dropping leaves at a fast rate much earlier this year. 

Each year in September I spread a 50/50 mix of leaves/grass clippings over the front yard as a fertilizer and topsoil builder under big oak trees where grass really struggles to grow. Sure one could install rain bird gear and spread chemicals over it and have a Jack Nicholas approved lawn. In April and May my creeping red fescue is marvelous looking. By July, not so great. By September much has gone dormant brown looking. If we get hurricane rain the stuff pops back up all through October and spreads like a brush fire. If we don't get those August and September rains much of it does not return to life. Hence the 50/50 mix to protect the soil when it does rain again. 

This year I decided to water the lawn in early September. Then place a covering of grass clippings without the leaves. I had let my back yard grow extra tall back in the spring and bagged the clippings, which were placed in a sealed plastic drum for straw if it did the drought thing this year. After spreading the clippings I watered again to glue it to bare spots under the trees out front. 

As the storm approached yesterday I pulled a leaf blower out and commenced to blowing leaves toward the street for pickup by the city leaf pickup crews. Leaves usually ground up for next years batch of fertilizer. But there's still last years batch cooking in the compost pile. The thinking there is they'll be placed in real late winter this time to cover new grass seed. By gently moving the leaves to the street versus scraping the ground with a rake it left most of the straw glued down to the bare spots. Moving the leaves while they were still dry paid off. So today while tropical storm what's his face passes over and soaks the ground the thick covering of leaves won't be glued to bare spots thereby preventing the seed placed in September from sprouting. Surprisingly underneath of those early fallen leaves the drought had not completely destroyed most of the fine blade fescue. Sure it was a hay color but much was still hanging in there. So using the blower instead of a rake also reduced the divets caused by plucking weakened grass plants out of the ground. 

I spread more seed too. Leaf blower cleaned the rain gutters on the house ahead of the storm prevents them from over flowing and getting the wood they are fastened to wet. So yesterdays lawn prep and gutter cleaning will make it so I can wait another year to paint the soffets and replant the lawn.

Oh, I place my lime a day before predicted snow storms arrive. That way as the snow melt soaks the ground it also aids wicks the lime into the soil faster. It's not unusual for neighbors to see me out front well after dark spreading lime guided by a headlamp when Mother Nature is predicted to cover us with snow on a weekday.


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## bykfixer (Dec 13, 2019)

Not really a prep today, but a prep in case of today type thing. 

I'm heading home from work when the low tire thingy chimed. Thank Heavens for those pressure sensors. 
My digital dash said the tire was 21 pounds. Well it should've gone off at 28 so I wonder why it hadn't already but being in traffic I kept going. A button on the steering wheel cleared the notification. 

A minute later it chimes again saying 18 pounds, then 16, 14…… uh oh. 

I pull into a filling station to contemplate the next step(s). Call a wrecker? Wait, I have a tire plug kit. Oh, there's an umbrella too, and a rain coat. "I got this". By the time all the gear was in place the tire was 2x4 flat. But as luck would have it, the hole was located at a position that was easy to work the plug into the hole. 

Don't know what I ran over, or where but there was a hole in the tire with nothing in it. Oh, and the portable air compressor meant I could fill the tire where it sat too. 

Yup, got lucky this time.


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## scout24 (Dec 13, 2019)

Gotta love it when the Seven P's is proven correct... 👍👍👍😁


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## Monocrom (Dec 13, 2019)

Technically not today.... But for Christmas I ordered a bunch of titanium cook pots, and titanium cups to pretty much custom design the ultimate one-person titanium cook kit when I'm done playing around with everything in a variety of different combinations. What am I going to do with all the left-over ones? Give a couple away, keep the rest as extra cook kits. Maybe give a couple more to friends. We'll see. But I'll be sure to show off the legoed winner at a future time in this thread, _if my phone cooperates.
_
And yes, I already have a perfectly customized two-person titanium cook kit I put together.


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## bignc (Dec 13, 2019)

Sounds awesome. And pricey lol. Can't wait to see!


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## Monocrom (Dec 14, 2019)

bignc said:


> Sounds awesome. And pricey lol. Can't wait to see!




Yes, very pricey.


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## bykfixer (Dec 27, 2019)

We prep'd for Christmas rubish my downsizing everything this year. The kids had a blast crushing cans. I showed them how you can stand on one, poke it on the sides and have it instantly fold into a compact format. Wrapping paper was folded instead of balled up, leftover food left in styrofoam doggy containers and plastic bottles were run over by my truck (while the kids crushed cans). 
In the spare room was a portable generator in case the power went out and things that needed to be chilled or remain cold were stored outdoors in the cold to save on ice use or electricity used when the refrigerator door keeps opening. My tree hugger family members were impressed and learned a few tricks. Boxes were all collapsed and some went home with others to use for storing kids toys when they get bored with them. While the neighbors cans on the street were over flowing ours was only half full. 

Typically at most homes folks use plastic cups that are all the same color. "Hey, Johnnie is drinking my drink" little Jane wails to mommy. We had accumulated several colors over the last few years so nobody had the same color cup as anybody else as the stack was already sorted in individual colors. If two kids wanted purple Uncle Fixer whipped out a secret stash and made the child promise not to get their drink mixed up with their little cousins. 

But my favorite prep was loading up on vitamin C with a product called Emergen-C to thwart all of the germs the little kids share each year. I tried to advise Mrs Fixer to join me in that. Well today she's sorry she didn't.


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## scout24 (Dec 30, 2019)

Yikes! Hopefully whatever bug it is passes quickly. I've been in and out of our local hospital since Christmas (visiting) and knock on wood have stayed healthy. Lots of hand sanitizer and actually wore a mask once into the waiting room when it was crowded. Which led me to buy another box of N95 masks for home. Also, some metal rat traps to add to my zombie stash.


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## bykfixer (Jan 1, 2020)

My prep today was buy duct tape, cord and e3000 glue with Christmas money. 

Oil for the generator, plugs and filters for the lawn equipment and fresh fuel for spare tanks.


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## scout24 (Jan 7, 2020)

Ran one of my Honda generators for an hour today, and a backup "woobie" poncho liner showed up in the mail...


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## idleprocess (Jan 7, 2020)

Circumstances aligned and only upon deciding to gas up the third and final household car did I ponder geopolitics when weighing the decision: this morning out of necessity, this evening the other vehicle out of necessity (better now than in the morning on the way to work), and later this evening the SO's vehicle upon discussing events that may lead to difficulties transiting the Straits of Hormuz.


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## scout24 (Jan 8, 2020)

Idleprocess- Along your lines, I went this morning and filled my empty cans with ethanol free fuel and topped off my truck. Better safe than sorry.. 🙂


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## Poppy (Jan 20, 2020)

In preparation for winter, I threw a sleeping bag into the trunk of my car.

Without the engine running for heat, a car can get very cold very quickly. A sleeping bag traps heat more effectively than a throw blanket. I also have a few fleece pull-overs that have saved the day many times. Last year, I added a pair of insulated gortex bibs, and the previous years 3 season parker that is also gortex lined.


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## scout24 (Feb 9, 2020)

I have over the counter medicine refills on the way for two of my FAK's. I'm embarassed how out of date they were. Also bought a bigger bag, a Condor 3 day. It's not a Maxpedition, but for what I need it for it'll work just fine.


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## Burgess (Feb 10, 2020)

Just a Heads-Up --

One well-known flashlight manufacturer in China
has reported that due to Corona Virus,
many factories are shut down.

Future production will be delayed by this.


I'm sure this applies to OTHER critical items,
besides flashlights !

Be Advised . . . .


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## Mr. LED (Feb 11, 2020)

Zebralight returned their production yesterday.

Yes, many factories are not operating or under normal circumstances, so the supply chain will be lower for a while.

Prep for the day was buying more toilet paper to stock, it was on sale at the supermarket.


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## scout24 (Feb 11, 2020)

T.P. is always a good prep. My local supermarket has canned veggies on sale with Dec. 2022 "best by" dates. After talking with Mrs. Scout, I'm going to head over later today...


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## Poppy (Feb 20, 2020)

I am going to take a look at the respirator masks I have. I have four of them. They have replaceable filters. I'm on my way to the HD to get new air filters for our furnace, and may pick up some replacement filters for the respirators too. I just want to make sure that I get the correct size/style.

I saw in the news the other day that surgical masks are getting into short supply, due to the demand of the corona virus. Little do people know that surgical masks do little to protect the wearer, but are to prevent coughs and sneezes from infecting others.

One is better protected with a N95 filter. It is designed to fit more snugly, and has an exhaust valve to make it a little more comfortable to wear. Regardless... they are not all that comfortable.

Better yet is an actual respirator with replaceable filters, that are designed for specific particulates. They are MUCH more effective, but not comfortable to wear for a long time.

EDIT:
Not surprising... the respirator mask shelf was barren of replacement filters, and had ONE mask left on the shelf.
Walmart had none, and I didn't try the next HD, I'm sure it would have been an exercise in futility.


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## scout24 (Feb 26, 2020)

I went to my local wallyworld today and picked up a decent sized spool of 10lb test fishing line, and a couple hundred hooks.


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## idleprocess (Mar 8, 2020)

Semi-annual _recharge-a-palooza_ has commenced:


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## bykfixer (Mar 11, 2020)

scout24 said:


> I went to my local wallyworld today and picked up a decent sized spool of 10lb test fishing line, and a couple hundred hooks.


Great idea. 

I bought a 6 pack of toilet paper. We aint scared o no beer virus. Besides, I save my old work out socks and scivies as dust rags so we're good for a bit if the toilet paper factory closes.


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## bigburly912 (Mar 15, 2020)

5 pounds of rice and 5 pounds of beans which are somehow available everywhere here.


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## jrgold (Mar 16, 2020)

Organized some of my stay home kits:

Kit 1 stay

First aid kit
Various meds 
Water filter, sawyer w/ hanger
Waterbob
Wipes 
Alcohol prep pads
Fire starter kit 
Candle
Stove MSR pocket rocket, butane, cooking kit
Duct tape
Leatherman
Knife, esee 6, brk gunny hunter elmax
Can opener
Bleach
Tinc Iodine
Various maps 

Faraday box

Flashlight and charger: md3 with sleeves, m61NLL
Cell charger
Portable battery, goalzero venture 70
Radio: midland er310 (crank, solar, or 18650)
Ham radio baofeng uv5r
Solar panel, BioLite 10+
Various charging cords
Various extra batteries


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## Poppy (Mar 20, 2020)

Fortunately none of us are on any regular meds, but occasionally, someone needs a few days of albuterol in a nebulizer form. Called the doc a couple of days ago for a new script. 
They are doing tele-doctoring as much as possible.
Picked up the albuterol this morning.
While I was there, I also picked up a bottle of Tylenol, and a bag of Ruffles, and a box of cheese-tid-bits.
Can't go wrong with a couple of extra snacks.


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## Chadder (Mar 20, 2020)

I almost forgot about this thread! I have been to busy prepping to read it. I do have plenty of toilet paper. I found gloves and grabbed a couple of boxes. I never thought I would need to prep for virus. This has made me rethink everything.


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## Keitho (Mar 21, 2020)

scout24 said:


> T.P. is always a good prep. ...


One of the many reasons to travel, and not just to the richest 30 countries on earth, but the other 160...one learns quickly that in most places on earth, t.p. isn't a right, it's a privilege. And, one quickly learns why it is so impolite in most places on earth to pick up food or reach towards someone else with one's left hand...

I don't enjoy seeing suffering, but I do enjoy the experience of being reminded of what a privileged life I lead, and seeing others being reminded (many for the very first time) of the same.


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## bykfixer (Mar 21, 2020)

I added a BiC lighter to my stockpile. 

Mrs Fixer ran out of coffee filters this morning. She forgot to stop by the store for more. She asked if I have any stashed."who me, stash stuff?", "uh no". See I figure if I let her know I have 1000 stashed away they'll end up like my BiC lighter stash……depleted when I need them. She knows darn well I have some stashed somewhere but also knows if the day ever arrives we are stuck with campfire coffee that I've got a supply set aside for grounds free percolated coffee.


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## HaileStorm (Mar 22, 2020)

Long-time-no-post here. I’m not actually a prepper of sorts, I’m just into gear and general edc stuff. But lately, before the virus severely hit us, I’ve stockpiled on canned goods. Here’s what I have so far to endure COVID-19:

Food - Good for 2mos
Water - Good for 3 weeks
Alcohol - 3 gallons
Latex gloves - Good for 2mos
Surgical Masks - Good for 3mos
Booze - Good for 2mos
Lights - Armytek Predator v2.5, Nightcore SRT-3, Olight S1R II Winter, S1R, S10, 2x i3T + others
Knives - Paramilitary 2, CRKT CEO, Maven & Squid, Ganzo FH-11, etc. 
Firearm - Springfield Armory XDM-9 3.8 + Olight Valkyrie Mini II
Ammo - 300rds
Tools - Leatherman & SAK
Radio - Baofeng uv5r x 2
Powerbank - Anker Powercore 20000 PD, Anker Powercore 10000 PD + others
“Button Pushers” - numerous lighters with paperclip attached to the ends (you get the idea) to press elevator buttons & quickly sanitize thereafter. 

My list is by no means extensive as I live in the city. Tomorrow, I’ll be heading out to buy more food & water (and booze [emoji2957]). Hoping the shelves will be restocked.


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## Poppy (Mar 22, 2020)

HaileStorm said:


> Latex gloves - Good for 2mos
> Surgical Masks - Good for 3mos
> Booze - Good for 2mos
> 
> ...


Thanks for your post.
During 9/11 I served at ground zero, and was given a mask.
Afterwards I bought three more, one each for my wife and two kids.
So I have a total of four.
My wife passed away, and my daughter and her two kids live with me.

Tonight I called my doctor and offered him my mask.









At first he refused, and we discussed that each filter has a limited amount of usefulness, time wise, and that the replacement filters aren't available. I suggested that a N95 filter rubber band connected to each on the sides would make it more effective, and they can be replaced, if available, or disinfected, and reused.

An hour later he accepted my offer. 
He is more likely to come into contact with infected people than I. And currently his position in society is more important than mine.

In reality we should only need one for the care-taker of who-ever gets sick in our family. The sick one will be confined to his/her bedroom. Besides, I have faith that when I am exposed, that I will be among the 98% who survive.


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## 5S8Zh5 (Mar 23, 2020)

On hand can, box, bottle, and refrigerated food won't last forever. MREs and freeze dried will pick up the slack later. Goal is to be able to avoid 6 feet & < contact for the duration.


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## HaileStorm (Mar 23, 2020)

Poppy said:


> Thanks for your post.
> During 9/11 I served at ground zero, and was given a mask.
> Afterwards I bought three more, one each for my wife and two kids.
> So I have a total of four.
> ...



Sorry, I may have failed to mention that the masks I have is a single box of 50. Since only one person per household is allowed to go out to get supplies, I figured this box of 50 would last me 3mos. Maybe more since I rarely go out for a supply run to the grocery. We are under lockdown in my country at the moment so movement is severely restricted. 

Im sorry to hear about your wife. I salute you for being one of 9/11’s true heroes. My respect goes out to all front-liners be it because of COVID-19 or previous disasters and outbreaks.


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## StarHalo (Mar 23, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> Mrs Fixer ran out of coffee filters this morning. She forgot to stop by the store for more. She asked if I have any stashed."who me, stash stuff?", "uh no". See I figure if I let her know I have 1000 stashed away they'll end up like my BiC lighter stash……depleted when I need them. She knows darn well I have some stashed somewhere but also knows if the day ever arrives we are stuck with campfire coffee that I've got a supply set aside for grounds free percolated coffee.



It's a good time to learn the French Press - no filter, no mechanical parts, accepts water heated by any method. 



HaileStorm said:


> Booze - Good for 2mos



You hard liquor guys have it easy, I'd hate to try to store two months of craft beer..


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## P_A_S_1 (Mar 23, 2020)

StarHalo said:


> It's a good time to learn the French Press - no filter, no mechanical parts, accepts water heated by any method.
> ..




Been drinking French press almost everyday for the past 24 years, makes very good coffee. The press also makes a good tea pot for loose leaves. They're practical. Much prefer the stainless steel ones over the glass.


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## Burgess (Mar 23, 2020)

BTW --

Canned Goods, stored at room temperature
are CERTAINLY usable well past their
stamped Use By dates ! ! !

< just sayin' >


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## idleprocess (Mar 23, 2020)

Burgess said:


> BTW --
> 
> Canned Goods, stored at room temperature
> are CERTAINLY usable well past their
> ...



So much this. The ... deterioration ... of "Best if used by..." dates might lead cynics to conclude that the marketing hucksters had taken over from the steady improvement in food safety we've seen over the last century.


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## bignc (Mar 27, 2020)

Bought a surefire Aviator a2 for parts for $60 here. LOL 
Bought a couple more pounds of rifle powder.

Finally organized and spreadsheeted (spreadshat?) my ammo and reloading components....


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## lion504 (Apr 1, 2020)

Nice catch on that A2. Made a DIY face mask to work with cannibalized vacuum cleaner bags. Started updating the Emergency folder on my computer. Purpose of the folder is to tell my wife how to continue with financial operations if something happens to me (bank accounts, bills, investments, etc.). I do all the money stuff, and while not overly complex, it would probably be a real pita for her to figure it out without a cheat sheet.


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## bykfixer (Apr 4, 2020)

We bought a backup DVD player.


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## bignc (Apr 4, 2020)

Bought 2 more pounds of Reloader 15. ( they don't carry jugs locally so whatever. Lol)

Had some pretty frank discussion with friends and extended family this week. Not "this is the end!" talks but " are you paying attention at all? "

Also a couple of- let's say good acquaintances - asked about guns. One I told to get a time machine and go back to any of the other times that I told him to buy. The other I made buy something and gave her the ammo for it. 

I also closed the lobby of my office to walk in traffic. We can still do all our regular business over the phone and electronically and actually have stayed pretty busy.


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## Poppy (Apr 4, 2020)

I was happy to hear last week that crime in NJ has dropped, and so have shootings. 

Kennesaw Georgia, back in the late 70's passed an ordinance that every household had to have a firearm.
The police training officer gave free hand-gun safety courses, and women by the hundreds signed up for them.

Burglaries dropped to ZERO. I remember reading a study years ago, that burglars in the US were more concerned of being shot by a home-owner than a police officer. They therefore tried to NOT enter the home if someone was at home. Now we have more people staying at home.


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## scout24 (Apr 5, 2020)

Been a bit since I posted here. Mrs. Scout and I have peas and carrots coming up under two cold frames in her garden, I built a third cold frame for her for spinach and lettuce. She has some herbs coming up in her greenhouse, it's still early here but it's nice to get moving on it. Spent yesterday starting to build our chicken coop for the six Rhode Island Red chicks we picked up on March 12th. Should be close to done today. Pics to follow...

Chicken coop day 1
https://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad56/scout24cpf/20200404_152436.jpg

Cold frames
https://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad56/scout24cpf/20200405_134331.jpg

Pea plants
https://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad56/scout24cpf/20200405_133845.jpg


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## bykfixer (Apr 5, 2020)

We know where to get eggs now. Just travel 478 miles and make a left at the big oak near the fire hydrant……

I bought 1000 coffee filters today. Recycled paper kind. Those things are pretty handy for a lot of things.


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## jrgold (Apr 5, 2020)

I quit drinking since the beginning of this and have gotten out for a walk or bike ride daily. Have been taking plenty of vitamin C, eating fresh fruits and veggies. The body needs to stay prepped too, even more so important with a situation like the current one


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## bykfixer (Apr 6, 2020)

Agreed j r. Agreed. 

I prepped this morning by taking an antihistimene allergy pill I found helps each year. Pollen is dusting my world and with everybody on pins and needles everywhere I did not want to be sneezing and wheezing around the few people I do see lately. It helped. Face itches a lot less too. 

Usually I just let pollen allergy run its course but this year I'm trying to be cognizant of those around me. 

Covid-wise I opened doors with my elbow or carried scrap paper to use as a disposable glove. I keep my beard trimmed closer to halt the itch too. Screw shaving anymore.


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## Poppy (Apr 6, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> Agreed j r. Agreed.
> 
> I prepped this morning by taking an antihistimene allergy pill I found helps each year. Pollen is dusting my world and with everybody on pins and needles everywhere I did not want to be sneezing and wheezing around the few people I do see lately. It helped. Face itches a lot less too.
> 
> ...


LOL... I shaved closer so that the mask fits tighter! :nana:


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## scout24 (Apr 26, 2020)

Built two more raised beds for Mrs. Scout and finally screened the topsoil to fill them this week. Our chickens spent their first night outside in their new coop last night. Hard to believe they're six weeks old. Pea plants are looking great under the cold frames. Pics later...

Peas and carrots. It's been in the high 20's/low 30's at night since we planted them. 6-7" tall. What didn't sprout has been re-planted.


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## bykfixer (Apr 29, 2020)

We prepped for a potential slow down in certain foods in the near future before the hoarders begin their thing. What I mean is we went in with others to buy a couple of cows through a local butcher. Not many folks knew you could drop in a little store and invest in a cow. No we did not buy a whole cow, a pig or a bunch of chickens. We commited to buying X Y and Z over the next few weeks from a local butcher who receives product from local farmers. 

When the whole thing began we bought food like normal but ate a lot more take out. Idea being help out small business while preserving what he had in the freezer.


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## Poppy (Apr 29, 2020)

Interesting comment Mr Fixer.
Kinda goes with the fact the there is much disparity in different parts of the country. I don't know if we have ANY local butchers near me anymore. Placing orders for the future is like buying "future markets" Smart! And you are supporting local business.... that's great too! :thumbsup:

I was speaking with a long time friend yesterday about the possible coming meat shortage do to the processing plant closings. 

About 5 years ago... maybe it was longer. Many of the large supermarkets starting laying off butchers, and started relying on centralized meat processing. I said to my friend "I wonder if they will bring the butchers back and process the meats, in store as they used to. Buy a side of beef, and do it up!

As I previously stated, the supermarket I go to has started selling bulk chopped meat, (5 and 10 lb packages) and more vacuum packed roast cuts of beef. Both probably aimed at the restaurant suppliers. 

I may have missed any current news about the processing plants, but last I saw they were taking steps to protect the workers with plastic barriers between workers, and temperature takings before admissions.
Hopefully, their steps will protect the workers, and they will be able to re-open, if even at a reduced capacity.

If FEMA can add 2,500 beds in the Javits center in a week, they can certainly extend the length of the conveyor belts so that there is more distance between workers on the line.


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## Poppy (Apr 29, 2020)

scout24 said:


> Built two more raised beds for Mrs. Scout and finally screened the topsoil to fill them this week.* Our chickens spent their first night outside in their new coop last night.* Hard to believe they're six weeks old. Pea plants are looking great under the cold frames. Pics later...
> 
> Peas and carrots. It's been in the high 20's/low 30's at night since we planted them. 6-7" tall. What didn't sprout has been re-planted.



scout... nice prepping.

We have this little nest 20 inches from the back door to our garage.
My grandkids are convinced that it is a robin's nest... sure as snot... Poppy doesn't know anything. 
Yesterday, I saw a female Cardinal sitting there, in the rain. 
Made me think... they do such a nice job of building a nest, why don't they build a roof?





Your chickens are lucky.

BTW the eggs hatched, and they have to sit in the rain when mommy isn't around.


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## bykfixer (Apr 30, 2020)

You've gotta think small Poppy. Small town that is. My former mentor raises a few dozen cows each year and told me about that option several years ago. 

Ironically he don't eat beef. lol "Beef? That stuff'll kill ya" he says.


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## jrgold (May 7, 2020)

Going back to work inspired me to update my car kit. This kit is multi purpose between items needed for work, hunkering down in my car, or putting predetermined items in my backpack to trek home. I work from a range of an 8 hour walk, to a 18 hour walk from home. Getting home to my family is always priority one, and being in the Bay Area there is many scenarios where the freeways could be shut down. I’ve seen it happen during Loma Prieta. I’ve practiced loading my bag and hiking with my kit and it seems manageable. Feel free to offer pointers, or recommendations on my kit. 

Sawyer Water filter kit (blue bag)
Case Water bottles (I always keep a case + in the car and use them as needed)
Stainless steel single wall water bottle
Water storage bladder
First Aid kit with meds
Knife (mora garberg)
Lighter/ ferro rod/ fatwood/ tinder (red bag)
Food ration bars
Wool blanket
Hammock (also great for lunch breaks)
Compression sack (to strap wool blanket to backpack)
Cordage
Compass 
Maps with potential water refills marked
Flashlight hd super md4 and headlamp, Armytek tiara c1 pro warm 
Cr123 batteries
4 ea 18650
Charger power bank combo pb2s
Charging cables
Biolite solar charger
Small radio (I wish there was a cr123 option)
Leatherman Wave
Pepper Spray (I’m in CA so can’t keep a firearm with me during work)
Shemagh
Tp
Hand sanitizer 
Biodegradable Wipes
Military poncho/ tarp
$100, creatively hidden 
Osprey backpack 

Items below are for emergency car use and work:
Hardhat
Gloves
N90 masks
Rope 
Flares
Caution tape
Duct tape
Reflective vest
Car starter power bank combo
Jumper cables
Bolt cutters
Crowbar
Screw gun
Tape measure/ laser measure
Empty gas can
Tire pressure gauge


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## scout24 (May 8, 2020)

Nice list! I like the map with potential water sources marked. May have to add that... If any of your travels take you through urban/ industrial/ strip mall areas, I'd consider adding a sillcock key to access water from buildings, just for redundancy. I think mine was $15.00 at the Big Orange home store. Maybe a spare pair of socks as well. (Moleskin in your FAK?)


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## jrgold (May 8, 2020)

scout24 said:


> Nice list! I like the map with potential water sources marked. May have to add that... If any of your travels take you through urban/ industrial/ strip mall areas, I'd consider adding a sillcock key to access water from buildings, just for redundancy. I think mine was $15.00 at the Big Orange home store. Maybe a spare pair of socks as well. (Moleskin in your FAK?)



I’ve got the moleskins in my fak but the sillcock key and some extra socks are excellent ideas. Might come in handy for work too. Thank you!


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## scout24 (May 8, 2020)

I store my socks and some parachute cord inside my water bottle... 😁👍Takes up no room in storage.


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## idleprocess (May 8, 2020)

With WFH looking to be A Thing™ for much of the rest of the year, I'm putting serious thought into a backup generator for the house that can run critical 120V circuits (i.e. the home office, indoor/outdoor lighting, lower-power kitchen circuits). A 3000W model seems like it should handle critical 120V loads. I've got a convenient place outdoors for a doghouse to situate it in near the service entry and secure it when idle. I'd likely hire an electrician to install a transfer switch.

Question I need to answer is whether this is worth low 4 figures money to me for the ~annual 4-8 hour blackout with its 30-mile trek to the office as well as shorter blackouts.


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## scout24 (May 8, 2020)

Purchasing a Honda or Yamaha inverter generator with an hour meter and saving service receipts is probably the best way to get as much money back out of your purchase if you consider selling down the road. Not sure if future return helps justify the outlay, but there it is. I've had my smaller Honda for almost 20 years, wouldn't trade it. My big one will also run 220v for my well pump if needed, we've had it about 4 years. It also is a keeper...


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## jrgold (May 8, 2020)

scout24 said:


> I store my socks and some parachute cord inside my water bottle... [emoji16][emoji106]Takes up no room in storage.



Thanks buddy, good option. 


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## Poppy (May 9, 2020)

In the winter I keep a long handled shovel in the trunk, and a 100' length of 1/2" or 5/8" line, and a pulley.
I usually don't wear waterproof shoes/boots, so I also keep some of those really thin bags that are in the grocery isle or in the meat section, in the trunk. I can put them on, over a pair of dry socks, and slip them inside my (non-water proof sneakers, or dress shoes) to keep my socks dry, and my feet warmer, when it is wet outside.

I also have a coffee can with TP, a couple of garbage bags, deodorizer and sanitizer, in the trunk. A few years ago, people got stranded on the New York Thruway for 27 hours in a snow storm. Bumper to bumper.


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## lion504 (May 10, 2020)

Overhauled the medical kits for our two vehicles and repacked each in a bright red bank deposit bag. Fits very nicely in the compartment at the bottom of the driver's door.


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## ledbetter (May 12, 2020)

25 pounds of green coffee beans!! What’s the point of survival if you don’t have good coffee?


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## StarHalo (May 12, 2020)

ledbetter said:


> 25 pounds of green coffee beans!! What’s the point of survival if you don’t have good coffee?



That's some proper prepping, like the pioneers. What are you using to roast?


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## ledbetter (May 12, 2020)

Stovetop popcorn popper with stirring handle. About 15 min for a half pound of great coffee. And cheap! Best done outdoors if your range exhaust fan isn’t the greatest because of smoke. sweetmarias.com is an easy source.


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## Monocrom (May 14, 2020)

Not trying to darken the mood, but spent the last few weeks buying the items needed to make effective DIY hand-sanitizer at home, along with buying 1-3 homemade and sewn masks from various sellers on Etsy. Washable and thus reusable. (Some ended up being definitely better made than others.) Along with plenty of filters. Even reusable/washable ones.

With the planetary pandemic already here, maybe those don't count as preps. But the way a significant percentage of the population has been acting lately. Not caring about social distancing, even some walking around without masks.... I just see things continuing to get worse. So, I guess I'm prepping for the virus to linger on. Some experts have predicted that if we're lucky, things will get truly back to normal by September. If we're not, September; of 2021.


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## tech25 (May 15, 2020)

My preps as of late have been carrying less stuff to work. I work in an ER and everything gets washed, cleaned or thrown out after each shift. Cutting down on what I use means less clean up. Additionally, with the PPE that we wear it’s hard to get to pockets so another reason to cut down on stuff. 

Of course, I keep a lights on me! Lumintop IYP 365 and HDS rotary.


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## lion504 (May 15, 2020)

Monocrom said:


> Not trying to darken the mood, but spent the last few weeks buying the items needed to make effective DIY hand-sanitizer at home, along with buying 1-3 homemade and sewn masks from various sellers on Etsy. Washable and thus reusable. (Some ended up being definitely better made than others.) Along with plenty of filters. Even reusable/washable ones.



These definitely seem like preps to me. How did the DIY hand-sanitizer turn out? I was going to try, then read some articles that indicated it was really difficult to achieve same gel-like consistency. Abandoned the plan before even starting. 

Can you share the name of the Etsy masks you prefer and what kind of filters your using? Either here or in the Cafe masks thread? I bought some vacuum cleaner bags to cut up as DIY filters. Then read that many HEPA filters contain glass particles hazardous to breathe.


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## Monocrom (May 16, 2020)

lion504 said:


> These definitely seem like preps to me. How did the DIY hand-sanitizer turn out? I was going to try, then read some articles that indicated it was really difficult to achieve same gel-like consistency. Abandoned the plan before even starting.




Yes, unfortunately what makes many of those HEPA filters so incredibly effective at filtering is their use of fiberglass in their construction. Definitely don't want to be breathing in fiberglass. 

You're simply not going to get the typical gel from DIY hand-sanitizer formulas that you do from the commercial stuff. However, the effectiveness is going to be exactly the same. And even commercially, there are hand-sanitizer formulas out there with the consistency of water. You can use a spray bottle from the local hardware store or the local .99 cent store. But for a small 30ml or 50ml spray bottle that you can EDC, one that comes with a clear hard plastic top to prevent accidental depression of the button, check Amazon or Wal-mart.com for empty spray bottles in those sizes. Thankfully, no one is hoarding those. 

Two truly effective DIY hand-sanitizer formulas:

1 cup (8 fluid ounces) of Isopropyl (Rubbing) alcohol. *Do *NOT* go below 91% to start.
1 tablespoon of Hydrogen Peroxide 3%
1 teaspoon of liquid glycerin
---Optional--- Add a couple of drops of scented Essential Oils. (For a nice smell.)
Stir together.
Very carefully add purified water, or room temp. water that was boiled, until this mixture is exactly 1-1/3 cup in volume. Stir a bit more. Use a funnel to pour into your spray bottle.

The reason you can't go below 91% purity for the rubbing alcohol is because it's going to get diluted by the time you're done mixing. This is extremely important! For this formula, the purity is going to decrease by approximately 24. So 91 minus 24 will equal 67. That's good. You don't want the final mixture to fall below 65% purity. 91% and 99% being the two most easily found purities of Isopropyl alcohol out there, which are appropriate. 

Now, if you can't get Isopropyl alcohol; you can use ethyl alcohol instead. The stuff folks like to drink. But again, purity matters. For hand-sanitizer, I prefer Everclear at 190 proof (95% pure). But you can use any spirits that are 180 proof or higher. Don't go below 180 (90% pure). Keep that factor of 24 in mind. 

An even easier formula is mixing any of the above purity levels of Isopropyl or ethyl alcohol with Aloe Vera. Again there's going to be dilution. Very easy, 2 Parts alcohol to 1 Part Aloe Vera. Stir together, Done! Best thing about this formula is that it allows you to make smaller batches of hand-sanitizer than the other formula. For example: 2 fluid ounces of Alcohol to 1 fluid ounce of Aloe Vera gives you 3 fluid ounces. Enough to fill up a combination of spray bottles that are EDC sized. 

These are the only two truly effective formulas I've found out there for killing germs and viruses. The rest, especially formulas that rely on all-natural ingredients only; not good enough. 

As far as Homemade/hand-sewn masks go on Etsy, I'm currently working on getting 1-3 examples of various masks from various sellers on that site to feature in a video on my main channel on YouTube. So, still gathering masks and data. That project won't be done until after the start of June. However, I've already received a few and gotten to inspect them. Here are a couple that will be going up on my recommended list when that video is done. Keep in mind, I don't personally know these sellers. I'm not affiliated with them in any way except as an online buyer. That's it. Also, I have a ton of experience on Etsy buying other items. I'd say only 40% of the time, I was happy with what I got from various sellers. That percentage has been better when it comes to masks.

Also, keep in mind that ALL Homemade/hand-sewn masks bought over the internet cannot be certified. They're not sold as medical grade. Wearing a mask though can slow the spread of infection from person-to-person. Especially if social distancing and self-quarantine is observed. (I get it, we all have to go out to the supermarket, the grocery store, and the pharmacy at a bare minimum.) 

*Edit ~*
_Removed a good chunk of my original post here, as new information came to light regarding the best mask sellers on Etsy._

Speaking of filters, best one is the PM2.5 disposable filter. I just wish it came in an overall slightly longer and wider size than it does. Uses Activated carbon sandwiched in between two other types of layers for filtering. 

I did very recently discover re-usable filters, and even mentioned those a few hours ago on my YouTube channel (NGMonocrom) in the latest video I uploaded onto there. You can check it out if you'd like. It details other aspects of using protective masks. Still doing research into those types of filters though. I really hope this post helps you out. Please stay as safe as you possibly can. I've also got a "CV-19 Directory" video up on my channel. You would not believe how many videos I had to watch to find seven good ones that deal with making DIY masks of various kinds, DIY effective hand-sanitizer, and DIY effective anti-bacterial wipes. Sooo much misinformation out there. Found seven worth linking to. Have those in the Description Box below that video. Also, each of those other content creators made it clear they want their videos out there; reaching as many people as possible.


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## jrgold (May 16, 2020)

scout24 said:


> Nice list! I like the map with potential water sources marked. May have to add that... If any of your travels take you through urban/ industrial/ strip mall areas, I'd consider adding a sillcock key to access water from buildings, just for redundancy. I think mine was $15.00 at the Big Orange home store. Maybe a spare pair of socks as well. (Moleskin in your FAK?)



Picked up a $9 husky sillcock 4-way key from the depot today, great recommendation. [emoji1303]


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## bigburly912 (May 16, 2020)

Today I purchased some Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers to store some rice and beans for long term food storage. Gonna build up a substantial amount and put them in buckets with orings I guess. Any other suggestions for long term storage foods? Noodles, beans, rice.........?


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## scout24 (May 16, 2020)

BB- Plain Quaker oatmeal in the round cardboard box stores really well that way.


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## Poppy (May 17, 2020)

A couple of weeks ago I watched a Les Stroud Survivorman Pandemic/Disaster Home Food

video. Pertinent to the discussion, he recommends getting foods that you actually like to eat. Not just because someone has it on a survival list.

Here is the video from the beginning



Sounds like good advice to me. 

Years ago, I was actively trying to do more prepping than I currently am. I tried Spam. You'll NOT find a single can of that in my cupboard! 

IMO the above video is a worthwhile watch, especially for newbies to prepping.

Also, I'd like to suggest experimenting with the use of a variety of spices, and try using your dried goods in a variety of ways. You may find, as I have, that I like to use a variety of Grill Masters pre-mixed spices for ease of use.


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## Poppy (May 17, 2020)

Monocrom said:


> <SNIP>
> 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) of Isopropyl (Rubbing) alcohol. *Do *NOT* go below 91% to start.
> 1 tablespoon of Hydrogen Peroxide 3%
> 1 teaspoon of liquid glycerin
> ...


Since all this started, alcohol has been unobtainable in my area.
Last week I finally found some 70% alcohol.

Provided one doesn't dilute it with water, I believe that your above formula would work as well.
Your thoughts?


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## Monocrom (May 21, 2020)

bigburly912 said:


> Today I purchased some Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers to store some rice and beans for long term food storage. Gonna build up a substantial amount and put them in buckets with orings I guess. Any other suggestions for long term storage foods? Noodles, beans, rice.........?



In this instance, best to take a page out of the Mormon handbook. They have an excellent food storage plan in place. Too extensive to get into here. But the 4 main foods are the following:

Salt
Honey -or- Sugar
Powdered Milk 
Wheat

All rather inexpensive. Rather basic too. Like I said, there's more to it than just a list of the 4 main foods. You can learn more by typing Moron Food Preps. into the general Search function you use when online.


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## Monocrom (May 21, 2020)

Poppy said:


> Since all this started, alcohol has been unobtainable in my area.
> Last week I finally found some 70% alcohol.
> 
> Provided one doesn't dilute it with water, I believe that your above formula would work as well.
> Your thoughts?




I'm afraid it won't. Both mixtures dilute the purity by a factor of 24. 
70 - 24 = *46*

That is _far_ too low. At 46% purity for the alcohol, the virus is going to live. 
I'm assuming you found that 70% locally? 
All of the raw ingredients I have were bought online. 
Wal-Mart.com for most of the ingredients. 
But best to do a general search online for 91% or 99% Isopropyl alcohol.
Especially check medical supply shops that sell online. 
Those are going to be your best bet. Many are backordered. But a few have stock.
It'll be expensive, and the volume will be likely quite big. With a bit of delayed shipping.

That's just how it is now, unfortunately. 
You can make your own hand-sanitizer. 
With the exception of the plastic spray bottles to put it in, the rest is too high in demand.

Local supermarkets and pharmacies in my area are now carrying hand-sanitizer. For $8.oo for a 6 oz. bottle. Outrageous! The stuff inside is clearly the first DIY mixture mentioned above in my earlier post. 

Honestly, the Aloe Vera mixture likely will be easiest for you to find the raw ingredients online. Just that, and a big jug of 91% or 99% Isopropyl alcohol from a medical supply site. All you need more is a measuring cup, and containers. 

Not sure if Liquor stores in your area have begun to re-open. If they have, you might be able to buy a bottle of Everclear 190 proof, and use that as the alcohol.


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## Poppy (May 21, 2020)

_1 cup (8 fluid ounces) of 70% Isopropyl (Rubbing) alcohol. _
_1 tablespoon of Hydrogen Peroxide 3%_
_1 teaspoon of liquid glycerin_
_---Optional--- Add a couple of drops of scented Essential Oils. (For a nice smell.)

NO WATER ADDED...
leaves about 69.90 % alcohol.


_


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## Monocrom (May 25, 2020)

Poppy said:


> _1 cup (8 fluid ounces) of 70% Isopropyl (Rubbing) alcohol. _
> _1 tablespoon of Hydrogen Peroxide 3%_
> _1 teaspoon of liquid glycerin_
> _---Optional--- Add a couple of drops of scented Essential Oils. (For a nice smell.)
> ...




It doesn't work that way. Both the Hydrogen Peroxide and the glycerin dilute the alcohol significantly more than that. Absolutely no clue how you came up with a dilution percentage of 1/10th of 1%. 

All I can do is give you a reliable mixture created by scientists. One that works. What you choose to do with that information is up to you. I would have responded sooner, but I'm busy giving away protective re-usable/washable masks to my subscribers on YouTube who need and request them.


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## Kingz (May 26, 2020)

4 mile run. 100 Pushups, 100 Situps, Plank to exhaustion. 

3 month Quarantine has turned me into Elmer Fudd.


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## Poppy (May 26, 2020)

I guesstimated but was wrong. I didn't realize that 4 teaspoons equal 0.666 ounces. One tablespoon is = to 3 teaspoons.

So for accurate math
8 oz alcohol diluted to 8.66 oz mixture, times 70% alcohol equals 64.66 % alcohol.

8/8.66 * 70% = 64.66%

_______________________________

1/3 cup = 2.66 oz 
8 oz alcohol diluted to 10.66 oz, times 91% alcohol equals 68.29 % alcohol

_____________________________

2 parts alcohol 1 part aloe vera 

8 oz alcohol plus 4 oz aloe vera = 12 oz mixture

8 oz alcohol diluted to 12 oz, times 91% alcohol equals 60.66% alcohol.

8/12*91%= 60.66%

_____________________________

[h=2]Why Is 70% the Most Effective Concentration of Isopropyl Alcohol for Disinfection?[/h]

Isopropyl alcohol, particularly in solutions between 60% and 90% alcohol with 10 – 40% purified water, is rapidly antimicrobial against bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Once alcohol concentrations drop below 50%, usefulness for disinfection drops sharply. Notably, higher concentrations of alcohol don’t generate more desirable bactericidal, virucidal, or fungicidal properties. ... more....


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## Monocrom (May 27, 2020)

I'll be honest, not looking to pick a fight; those percentages just don't seem right to me. But, I'm no math professor. Main thing is that you stay safe. If you believe 70% diluted is still going to be effective, I won't argue the point. Please stay safe.


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## peter yetman (Jun 22, 2020)

Not really prep but I think it's relevant...
We had a real life scenario on Saturday evening when the only supermarket in our small town caught fire and burned to the ground.
Once we'd established that there was a risk to our house from the burning building 100 yards away we got the dogs ready and moved the car as far away from the house as we could.

Being in such a low risk region we'd never considered a bug out bag or anything like that so Mrs Yeti packed an overnight bag and I packed the practical stuff. 
As to which flashlight I packed, well all of them! I only have about a dozen in total, so they were all swept into the box along with juicepacks and spare cells, phones, iPad etc. I then put the bags in the car and waited.

Fortunately after a few hours the fire was under control and we stood down.
Thank you to Firecrews, police and medics the world over. We'd have certainly been damaged without their tireless work.
P


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## archimedes (Jun 22, 2020)

Thank you for sharing your experience Peter, and glad you are safe.


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## scout24 (Jun 22, 2020)

Close call, and probably a good "dry run"... Glad you're ok!!!


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## Monocrom (Jun 22, 2020)

Glad to hear that you and your family are safe.


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## JimIslander (Jun 22, 2020)

Prepped for a root canal with 200 mg of tramadol. It went well.


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## Poppy (Jun 25, 2020)

Mr Yeti,

I'm glad everything worked out ok for you and the Mrs. !

My prep for the day was actually for my Dad.








He's in Florida.

He keeps his AC set at 78, and runs the ceiling fans.
I see that as a problem if there is a power failure, because for me, without a fan 78 is already too hot. In a few short hours, the inside temps can rise into the 80's, maybe 90's and with the Florida humidity, that can be dangerous. 
I'd prefer him to keep the AC at 74, which would give him some additional buffer time before the house got too hot. But he won't listen to me.

At any rate, this fan is currently $49 at the HD, and a 2 pack of 4 Ah batteries with charger and bag are $99. But they are doing a buy the batteries special and get a tool for free. So for $105 with free shipping, they are on their way.

EDIT:
Ryobi prices at the HD often go up and down. Last year a single 4 Ah battery was $99 but a 2 pack could be had for the same price during big sale days such as Black Friday (which would last for a week) or Father's Day, etc.


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## scout24 (Jun 25, 2020)

Good info on the Ryobi fan, Poppy. I've got a few of their tools and batteries here, the fan looks like a great idea. They make a 12v cigarette lighter plug-in charger that I recommend as well.


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## Poppy (Jun 26, 2020)

scout24 said:


> Good info on the Ryobi fan, Poppy. I've got a few of their tools and batteries here, the fan looks like a great idea. They make a 12v cigarette lighter plug-in charger that I recommend as well.


Yes Scout, I'd been eyeing that 12v charger for quite a while, and about a year ago, I broke down and bought it. Just in case!

I used it the first day I got it, and charged up two batteries. It worked great!

I'm not a tradesman, so, for me, it won't get much use, maybe never, but like a lot of preps, it's good to have, just in case.






A nice feature of the charger is that it will turn itself off if the car's battery runs too low.


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## bykfixer (Jun 29, 2020)

Todays prep was to hydrate well before sunrise in anticipation of being in the heat all day. Heat cramps suuuuuck!!! 
No deed goes unpunished, right? 

I spent the day in an air conditioned office when I wasn't walking to the rest room to pee all day.


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## Poppy (Jun 29, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> Todays prep was to hydrate well before sunrise in anticipation of being in the heat all day. Heat cramps suuuuuck!!!
> No deed goes unpunished, right?
> 
> I spent the day in an air conditioned office when I wasn't walking to the rest room to pee all day.


LOL... That's funny.

Not a prep, but this morning I went for a covid test.
I thought it was a throat swab test. Great.. no Q-tip up the nose until you cry.

Instructions were to NOT drink or eat anything or chew gum for 30 minutes prior.

Driving over, I realized I was a bit dehydrated, my mouth was a bit dry, and I couldn't drink anything.

After standing in line for about 30 minutes, not too bad, I was handed a SPIT Test kit. In it was a test-tube vial, that I was to fill with spit.
I sat under a canopy with another 9 or so people, many had been there a while trying to generate enough spit.
I looked at the women next to me (8 feet away) spit into her tube... a little dribble. Oh NO!!! I hope that's not me!

So I sat there, sucking at the underside of my lips, and under my tongue, coaxing my salivary glands to release some fluid.

One good spit, and FULL ! I was done!
Some times things just work out right.


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## bykfixer (Jun 30, 2020)

Q-tip? Mrs Fixer spoke like they ran a cactus up her nose on one side then the other. 

Spit test sounds like the way to go. Crossing fingers your test comes back - instead of +


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## Poppy (Jun 30, 2020)

bykfixer said:


> Q-tip? Mrs Fixer spoke like they ran a cactus up her nose on one side then the other.
> 
> Spit test sounds like the way to go. Crossing fingers your test comes back - instead of +


About a month ago, my daughter, with a prescription, did the, up the nose test, and had to sit in line in her car for three hours, to get it.

When I called her and showed her that the line was about 30 minutes long, she grabbed her two kids, and got them tested too.

Although we were told to expect 48-72 hours for results, we got ours, this morning in the email, (less than 24 hours!), all four of us tested Negative.

Thanks for your kind thoughts bykfixer.


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## Poppy (Jul 2, 2020)

I plan to take inventory, and stock up on those things that were virtually unobtainable, when people started hording due to the covid-19 out-break.
Just in case there is another stream of hording coming as a result in the uptick of covid cases.


----------



## scout24 (Jul 2, 2020)

Probably a good idea. I fear it's far from over.


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## bigburly912 (Jul 2, 2020)

I finally got my Mylar bags packed up. 55 gallons of rice/beans/pasta. Next will be some dried fruits or nuts.


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## scout24 (Jul 2, 2020)

Don't forget the plain Quaker oatmeal. 55 gallons is a heckuva stash! 👍🏻


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## Monocrom (Jul 2, 2020)

scout24 said:


> Don't forget the plain Quaker oatmeal. 55 gallons is a heckuva stash! 



Practically live off of that stuff for years with that much stored away.


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## bigburly912 (Jul 2, 2020)

It’s gonna be passed around family members. I’ve been accumulating since before the covid hit. Small store locally gets 50 pound bags of rice/pasta/beans all the time for super cheap.


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## Monocrom (Jul 2, 2020)

bigburly912 said:


> It’s gonna be passed around family members. I’ve been accumulating since before the covid hit. Small store locally gets 50 pound bags of rice/pasta/beans all the time for super cheap.



Well, that makes stocking up easy. Wish there was a store like that by me.


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## Poppy (Jul 2, 2020)

bigburly912 said:


> It’s gonna be passed around family members. I’ve been accumulating since before the covid hit. Small store locally gets 50 pound bags of rice/pasta/beans all the time for super cheap.


Do you have flour and yeast for making bread and pancakes?

During this covid thing my brother has really gotten the hang of making bread.


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## bigburly912 (Jul 2, 2020)

Poppy said:


> Do you have flour and yeast for making bread and pancakes?
> 
> During this covid thing my brother has really gotten the hang of making bread.



I can’t find yeast in bulk anywhere. It’s been sold out everywhere for months


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## Poppy (Jul 2, 2020)

I've never made bread, but I think that baking powder, or baking soda (they are different) can be substituted for yeast, maybe either.
Also I *think* yeast has a limited shelf life, whereas the others may not.

They may be a good alternative.


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## Monocrom (Jul 2, 2020)

bigburly912 said:


> I can’t find yeast in bulk anywhere. It’s been sold out everywhere for months



Ironically yes, for some incredibly odd reason; yeast has been horrendously difficult to find. Supermarkets in my area have been out since the pandemic arrived in America. Toilet paper is now easy to get a hold of, but not yeast! Had to order some online. 

Centuries ago in the Middle East, gold was once traded nearly ounce for ounce for salt. (Livestock need salt, or they die.) At the current going rate online, on some sites that have yeast.... It's obviously not to that point, ounce for ounce. But it sure feels like it! Bulk? Hate to think how much that would set someone back.


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## scout24 (Jul 3, 2020)

In anticipation of canning items being hard to find, I brought home two years worth of Ball jar lids yesterday. We had enough here to get through this year but they won't go bad. Also found some Neem oil concentrate, kind of a jack-of-all-trades flying/crawling pest killer for the garden.

BB- How much yeast would you be looking for?


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## Poppy (Jul 3, 2020)

Monocrom said:


> Ironically yes, *for some incredibly odd reason; yeast has been horrendously difficult to find*. Supermarkets in my area have been out since the pandemic arrived in America. Toilet paper is now easy to get a hold of, but not yeast! Had to order some online.



Flour without yeast doesn't make particularly good bread. Unless baking powder is a good substitute.

In the first week of hording, many products were swept from the shelves. Flour was one of them, and guess what? Yeast.


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## KITROBASKIN (Jul 3, 2020)

Baking yeast has been an issue here as well, still is as I understand it. One coworker a couple weeks into the lockdown brought it up in a Google Meet. Another person chimed in, 'I can give you some. I bought all of them at such-and-such store recently'. There was quiet; a selfish/panic hoarder in our midst, kind of scary how some people can get. 

For people who like to make bread consistently, sourdough starter is the way to go if you like the taste. No need to buy yeast. A bakery in San Francisco has starter 160 years old.


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## ledbetter (Jul 3, 2020)

Poppy said:


> Do you have flour and yeast for making bread and pancakes?
> 
> During this covid thing my brother has really gotten the hang of making bread.


Pancakes are really better with baking powder and soda and buttermilk. A little cornmeal to the flour and minimal stirring and you’re good to go. If anybody wants actual recipe, feel free to ask. I’ve been perfecting them for almost 40 years!


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## Poppy (Jul 3, 2020)

Sure ledbetter,
Post up the recipe, I'll share it with my brother. He's been playing farmer/rancher, baking bread, and making pancakes, while locked in due to covid.
I'm sure he'll appreciate it.

Me personally, I'm on an anti-inflammatory diet. No grains. Although for the past 5 months, I'm only on a 'make believe' diet.


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## ledbetter (Jul 3, 2020)

Best Buttermilk Pancakes

Recipe can be doubled, tripled, etc.

Mix dry together in large bowl:

1 cup flour
2 tbs medium to coarse corn meal
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar

Mix together wet:
1 egg 
1 cup buttermilk (room temp is best)
1 tbs oil or melted butter

Add wet to dry gently with folding motion and STOP when all flour is absorbed. Do Not Overmix! They will not rise!. Sometimes you may need to add small amounts of flour, milk, or simply water if batter is too dry or wet.

Preheat griddle, cast iron will take longer and non stick pans are easiest. Start at medium heat. If you want, you can add small tab of butter to pan before each batch. This will also indicate temp of pan.

Add batter to pan in any size you wish. Covering pan with lid will speed cooking. Flip when small bubbles pop. Adjust heat as needed. Typically best cakes are from last batches. Cool on rack or serve immediately. They freeze well and are great reheated.

Great alternatives: 
Add fresh blueberries when you are adding wet ingredients to dry. Frozen will add too much moisture.Or,
Add chocolate chips.Or,
Add mashed bananas, cinnamon(add to dry mix to prevent lumps),and pecans or walnuts for an easy banana bread like pancake.
Enjoy!


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## Poppy (Jul 3, 2020)

ledbetter,
It looks great!

Your instructions give a lot more detail than most recipes... Thanks for that!

I already sent it to my brother.

We'll sometimes put M&M's in them.
Or even fruit cocktail. Makes them particularly juicy.


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## scout24 (Jul 7, 2020)

My Ryobi fan arrived today, this thing moves some air, even on low. I like it. It's got multiple ways to hang or mou t it, and appears robust. Poppy- regarding the 12v charger, one can charge up batteries in the car if the power is out, and if it's sunny today I'm going to see if I can charge from a small solar panel with 12v socket. 

BigBurly- Are you still looking for yeast?


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## Poppy (Jul 7, 2020)

scout24,
I had mine for about a year, and have been using it each night for a couple of hours for the past few weeks.

I'm a bit disappointed with it in that the head does't stay at the angle I set it at, but gradually tilts upwards.
There is no obvious way to tighten it down.

Does your's stay in place?


----------



## scout24 (Jul 7, 2020)

Poppy- The two round grey covers on the pivot points will pry out very carefully. There's phillips screws in there. I put an o-ring approx the same size as the outer diameter of the washer, under the washer. (There is a post that the screw secures into, o-ring must be outside that post.) I'll update after use, but it seems there is a good bit more resistance now to up/down movement. The o-ring had to be just about to the outside of the washer, you'll see why if you take it apart. It was in an assorted pile in a drawer, I don't know the size. Screws go into plastic, so go easy...


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## Poppy (Jul 7, 2020)

Thank you Scout!

Using a O-ring is clever! 

I'll employ your method of improvement. A very simple fix, something their engineers should have built into the design.


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## scout24 (Jul 8, 2020)

It just allows a bit more tightening of the screw, the pivot post sits flush with the bracket surface when tight, so over tightening accomplishes nothing. O-ring allows for a bit of over tighten...


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## scout24 (Jul 29, 2020)

Bought a second Nesco dehydrator yesterday, we're going to try to dry peas and beans this year in addition to traditional canning. I'm trying to not freeze as much, too, as convenient as it is. Eggs in several baskets and all...


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## scout24 (Aug 23, 2020)

As garden has passed peak production, we've been canning like crazy. Green beans, salsa, tomato sauce. I'm still dehydrating beans and peppers. Ran one of my generators for a while today, and got my compound bow out to practice with.


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## Poppy (Aug 24, 2020)

Very nice scout24!

We don't have a garden, and other than perhaps an herb garden, it is unlikely that we will.
We are discussing getting a freezer though.

The kids are big enough now, to mow the lawn, so rather than pay a lawn guy, I'll give them an allowance.
In preparation for fall, and all the leaves, yesterday, I bought a ride on lawn mower with grass catchers.

Yesterday we spent a lot of time doing the lawn, spreading mulch, and pulling dead ugly bushes. It was too hot for me and I had to quit before we were done, so today is another day. Wishing I still had access to my brother's kubota tractor with back hoe.


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## scout24 (Aug 24, 2020)

Poppy-If you want a freezer, start looking now. There's a legitimate shortage for the last 4-6 months, none to be found...


----------



## archimedes (Aug 24, 2020)

scout24 said:


> Poppy-If you want a freezer, start looking now. There's a legitimate shortage for the last 4-6 months, none to be found...


Saw some chest freezers at Costco last week. A really nice Honeywell generator, too.


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## bykfixer (Aug 26, 2020)

For all you preppers: 

Laura is expected to take a weird turn so just in case………


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## Poppy (Aug 26, 2020)

Chest freezers are becoming unobtainable.

I wanted to get a white one in 7 cubic feet, but had to get one in black only 5 ft cu.

We'll hide it in the utility room.
We'll start to stack up on those frozen items that became unobtainable during the first hording session.


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## bykfixer (Aug 27, 2020)

Hoarding boats too? :wave:





Laura track potential.
Looks like it may stall over W. VA/Ohio area.


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## Poppy (Aug 28, 2020)

Hording boats! That's funny 

During Super Storm Sandy I had a generator that I ran for 3.5 days. I then loaned it to friends who had a senile mom, and when their power came back on, it went to my brother, and then to a friend of his. It eventually came back to me, and I let it go with my house, when I sold it. Man... it was LOUD! When it ran out of gas, I sighed relief.

Today, I picked up a 3500 watt Harbor Freight Super quiet inverter generator.

We have the tail end of Hurricane Laura coming through tomorrow. Depending upon the report, it may be just about nothing by time it gets here.
I have a 1 gallon, and a 2 gallon gas can. I filled them up, and my car's tank.
I recall that during Sandy, gas cans became unobtainable. So today I also bought a 5 gallon spare.

This gennie should run a little over 4 hours per gallon of fuel. It is a fuel sipper compared to my 10 hp Briggs powered Coleman.

Turbodog in another thread recommended getting two of the little honda's 2200 watt generators, which gives the flexibility of using one or two (with the parallel) adapter. I hope that I don't regret NOT following his advice.

This unit is a bit heavier than I anticipated, and bought it anyway.
One negative about this is that it is ONLY a 110 unit, NOT 220 volts. Therefore I can run a window AC, but not my central AC.

I will however be able to run my furnace and the hot water circulator pumps.


----------



## peter yetman (Aug 29, 2020)

How do you connect the generator into the house Poppy?
Do you have a dedicated circuit or just run extension cables everywhere?
P


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## Poppy (Aug 29, 2020)

Good morning Peter!
During SuperStorm Sandy, I used an illegal suicide cord to back-feed my panel.
As soon as the dust settled, I installed a interlock kit, and ran a dedicated line to a generator power inlet box outside.
That was a 220V generator, and I owned the house, so running a dedicated line was a no-brainer. 
When I sold the house it was a selling point.

My next house had a professionally installed natural gas generator with an automatic transfer switch.

This house is a rental that we will be in for 4 years. Then the kids will be in college and we'll move to where the cost of living is less. I'm looking into how to feed the panel (which is a 220V panel) with a 110V generator. Likely I'll use a interlock, and feed only one leg of the 220 circuit. I need to see if that will pass code, or if there will be a problem due to the fact that I do have a 220V Central air conditioning AC unit, (which of course will not run). I don't know, if somehow power to one leg of the AC can back-feed through it to the other leg. IF that is possible, then I may have to get an interlock that will block both the MAIN breaker, AND the 220V AC unit breaker, when the generator breaker is ON.

During Sandy, I learned that I had to balance my panel such that one refrigerator was on one 110V leg, and the other refrigerator was on the other 110V leg.
However, running only 110V, I would want both my refrigerator, and freezer, on the same leg, AND the heating system. 

Regarding powering the heating system with an extension cord, I've seen it suggested that one may turn the power to the heater into an outlet receptacle, and connecting a pigtail to the heating unit. Then if power to the receptacle fails due to an outage, one may run the furnace with an extension cord from the generator. There was a discussion stating how that might not meet electrical code. So I'll have to do some research.

Certainly it would have been cheaper and easier to get a 220V portable gennie, but they are LOUD. So I am trading loosing central AC (and if necessary using a window unit to cool a couple of rooms, rather than the entire house) for quietness, and using less fuel (the bigger 220V units are gas hogs). During Sandy, obtaining fuel meant waiting in a gas line for hours.


----------



## kelmo (Aug 30, 2020)

I just saw this, great thread!

I take a private kickboxing lesson with my Daughters once a week! We will gradually get into edged weapons and firearms.

We also train for and do Spartan races.

kelmo


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## kelmo (Aug 30, 2020)

StarHalo said:


> ...Soviet...



You are giving away your age StarHalo!


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## kelmo (Aug 30, 2020)

I'm looking for a rifle(s) that shoots .38/.357 cartridges. This caliber of long gun provides plenty of punch within a 100 m envelope. There are a few on the market I am interested in. I want to have one ammo type for both pistol and rifle.

kelmo


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## scout24 (Aug 30, 2020)

Marlin 1894cs is my go-to, Kelmo. Goes well with my revolvers.


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## kelmo (Aug 30, 2020)

scout24 said:


> Marlin 1894cs is my go-to, Kelmo. Goes well with my revolvers.



Hey scout24, that was at the top of my list. Did you recently purchase yours? I've been reading about a lot of quality control issues Marlin has been having lately. I grew up shooting a Winchester 30-30 carbine. I'm pushing 60 and really don't tolerate the big recoils anymore... My second choice is the Ruger 77. 

kelmo


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## Poppy (Aug 31, 2020)

I fired a few hundred rounds through a Ruger 77 Sporter 30-06. Man-O-Man that was a shoulder punishing weapon!

That was in DCM Division of Civilian Marksmanship 300 yards iron sights competition, so I could qualify for a discounted surplus M1 Garand.


> The M1 rifle is a . 30 caliber, gas-operated, 8 shot clip-fed, semi-automatic rifle. It is 43.6 inches (1,107 mm) long and it weighs about *9.5 pounds* (*4.31 kg*).


The Garand, weighing almost 10 pounds, and being a semi-automatic with a heavy recoil spring, was a nightmare to carry, but a dream to shoot. Whereas the sporter was punishing to the shoulder, the Garand's recoil was more like someone gave your shoulder a good hard open hand shove. Being the baby I am, I put a rubber recoil pad on the butt stock on top of the durable steel plate 

I like the concept of having a rifle and pistol that will fire the same cartridge. My first gun was a shotgun, followed by a Ruger Security Six (357) which as you know will fire 38's or 357's. I bought a number of handguns in different calibers so that whatever ammunition is available, I'd have something that could shoot it. I bought a 44 mag. Ruger Super Redhawk, and then a 44 mag long arm, (I think it is a Ruger). I never did get around to firing it.

For giggles, I looked up the trajectory for 38/357 at 100 yards.
357 Magnum will drop less than an inch @ 50 yards and will have half the drop of a . 38 Special (five feet) @ 100 yards. Using a longer barrel like usually used for hunting a 180gr bullet will probably drop less than 4" @ 100 yards 

As I thought, shooting a 38 special at 100 yards is like lobbing a stone that far. haha


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## scout24 (Aug 31, 2020)

Kelmo- No, I've had it for a good number of years. I have no experience with the Ruger 77, but if Marlin's having issues, that may be a better choice.


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## Poppy (Aug 31, 2020)

Preparing for fall and winter.

Today was the first that the weather was predicted to have a high of 75 F.
Nice weather to check my gas drinking toys.

I noted last year a surging idle in the snow blower, and I found a disconnected thin hose. Thinking it may be causing a vacuum leak, I was determined to change it out this year.

Oh NO!!! F...ing squirrels! They ate my plastic gas cap! Oh yeah and put a hole in my fuel line!

I went to the Home Depot, and bought the wrong cap, and they were out of fuel line. I bought a in-line fuel filter (thinking that would add two inches to the line) and I'd be good. NO... life would not be that easy today! I needed to make a bend in the line where the filter would be, and it wouldn't fit anywhere else.

OK off to a commercial lawn mower supplier/ service shop. I got there just as they were closing up. The guy took one look at my cap, and laughed as he walked away from me saying... F...ing squirrels! 
I laughed out loud! And told him, that was EXACTLY what I said!

I had to take more things off, than should have been necessary to replace the fuel line, but it is what it is. eh?

I pulled the bowl off of the carb, cleaned it up good, got the float working as it should, things should be good. Put everything back together. Put some fuel in the tank, just to be sure, and it wouldn't start! Very weak spark, and then NO spark!

Thank God I have an electric starter and didn't pull my arm out trying to start it.

I guess tomorrow I'll be checking the ignition system, maybe Wednesday because I have a lot planned for tomorrow.

I didn't get to the leaf blower yet.


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## Poppy (Sep 10, 2020)

Regarding my snowblower repair:
I had to take too much stuff apart to get at the magneto, and pull it. But I did what had to be done.

I found a number of them online, Amazon and such, for $15-$20, and went to a local commercial shop that repairs commercial mowers. There a new magneto cost $55 but was told that it was OEM, not returnable, and that I could get cheaper stuff online. Wanting to get the snow blower job done, and wanting to keep this place in business, I bought it.

I jerked around with that darn thing for a couple of days on and off, and asked for help on a Bronco Forum, I hang at. I still couldn't get spark. I bought a new digital multi-meter because when my son took his tools up to his house recently, he took his Fluke, and my cheaper unit was also in his box.

So, with my newly purchased Auto Ranging, Digital Multi-meter, I tested the new coil, and it had/has an open circuit! BAD COIL!!!

I ordered one from Amazon, and with a delay in shipping, I finally picked it up at the post office yesterday.

Maybe I'll install it tomorrow.
Wish me luck.


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## Poppy (Sep 10, 2020)

I created a deep freezer Inventory sheet
If I thaw a frozen item I want to keep track - how long can it remain thawed before I have to use it. This solves that problem
Yesterday, I separated out 7 pounds of skinless boneless chicken breasts, filleted, and pounded them out, and bagged them 
three pieces each. I did the same for 2-3 pounds of skinless thighs, and 10 legs were broken into 3 separate bags. I labeled
each bag, with its Frozen date and sell by date. I then filled in my inventory sheet.
For example, I had 6 bags of breasts. I left the first 6 quantity boxes empty, and crossed out the remaining four. As I pull them out
I'll cross out one of the boxes. It's like counting on your fingers. 
I hope someone finds this useful.


Item DescriptionDate FrozenSell by dateBest by Date or Use # Days after thawedQuantity X out when used/removed⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜ ⬜


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## idleprocess (Sep 16, 2020)

Grabbed topographical maps for the region _(some 5 GB worth!)_. I'll print and laminate relevant ones.


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## scout24 (Sep 20, 2020)

Spent the better part of the day pulling out 95% of what was still in the garden. Dehydrating two machines worth of string beans right now. Moved two poblano pepper plants into the greenhouse, along with what's left of the lettuce. All the remaining green tomatos went in there to ripen as well. Moved the chicken coop to it's semi-permanent winter home next to the garden, they'll have a fenced in run by the end of the week.


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## Poppy (Sep 24, 2020)

Scout,
That's a lot of work, but since you are doing it, it must be fun. Certainly there is a feeling of achievement, and satisfaction upon completing of such tasks, and eventually when you sit down and eat them, whoohoo!

Also the feeling that you can be self sustained for a bit, without relying on the production of others, must also be gratifying.
Good for you! :thumbsup:


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## Poppy (Sep 28, 2020)

Thank goodness I am on Covid time, meaning that I have plenty of it!

I swapped a second magneto into my snow blower and then I got spark!
It would run on ether, but wasn't getting fuel from the tank.
I tried gumout to no avail, so I figured it would be easier to swap in a new $14 carburetor, then to pull the old one and fix it.
All the screws that would need to be removed were frozen in place (after 20 years). I needed to use WD-40 and an impact hammer to get the intake manifold off.
Fortunately after cleaning the carb, and adjusting the float, it starts and runs nicely. :thumbsup:

After dealing with all these issues, I decided to build a faraday cage to protect it.







Nah... just kidding. 

I want to keep those furry tailed rats from chewing on my fuel line, gas tank, or ignition wires.


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## Poppy (Oct 2, 2020)

Prepping for winter, and the coming snows, I trimmed a tree that had some branches resting on the roof.

I think next year, we'll do some more significant pruning.






I reached these with an electric pole saw chain saw.


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## scout24 (Oct 2, 2020)

Thanks, Poppy. Yes it's rewarding, and yes it's a bunch of work. Worth it though. Snow blower is on my list of things to go through this month. Don't forget your ethanol free fuel!


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## Poppy (Oct 2, 2020)

scout24,
I think all the gas stations around here only have ethanol blended fuel.

The Home Depot, and Lowes sells ethanol free fuel in 32OZ cans @ about $6 a quart! 

The owner's manual for the predator generator I just bought, said nothing about ethanol, but that one MUST use fuel stabilizer, or that would void the warranty. So I bought some Sta-Bil and will use it. 

From what I read, it appears that 2 cycle engines may be more adversely affected by water absorption of ethanol because the lubricating oils don't blend with the absorbed water. Yet, I think that if you keep the fuel container tightly capped, little moisture could get in to contaminate the fuel. 

My brother says that he has a few containers and, every few months, whatever hasn't been used, he pours into his car/truck and refills them with fresh gas.

Generally, that is what I have done over the years. I had a couple of one gallon and two gallon containers. For the most part, only one or two would have fuel in them, unless there was a pending storm. 

Do you run your machines on ethanol free gas, or just when you think you will be putting them away for a number of months?


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## Poppy (Oct 12, 2020)

Checked... 4 1/2 gallons of fuel for the gennie, and toped off some battery packs, and batteries.
We have the remnants of Hurricane delta coming through. Fortunately a bit less severe than originally predicted.


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## scout24 (Oct 12, 2020)

Poppy- I missed your question above until this morning. I find ethanol free worth the cost and difficulty to find. Even running every couple months, fuel sits in the carb and fuel lines. Seafoam treatment works well as a cleaner, but nothing beats not having ethanol in the first place. If you can drain your carb and clean out the float bowl for storage, that's probably the best plan if still using ethanol fuel.


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## peter yetman (Oct 14, 2020)

My prep was to buy and install a UPS.
We've finally moved into our new house, and as we only use the telephone line for internet access I've decided not to have one. There's a wireless internet mast on the top of a barn about a mile away in clear sight, so I've signed up with them. It's called ItsWisp - geddit?
Anyway, the mobile phone coverage is crap out here, so using something called a femtocell I can send all the phone calls over the internet.
Trouble is this all uses electricity, so if there's a power outage, we have no phone for emergencies. So I'm running it all off a UPS. Our power cuts are common but only usually last a couple of hours, I tested the UPS to give us 4 hours plus powering the antenna, router, femtocell and ethernet switch. 
I've always got the generator for longer cuts, but I must buy it a new starter battery and some wheels!

The whole house is wired with Cat6 cable, so I've put all the hardware in the loft and ended up with a minimalist office.
P


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## Poppy (Oct 16, 2020)

peter yetman said:


> My prep was to buy and install a UPS.
> We've finally moved into our new house, and as we only use the telephone line for internet access I've decided not to have one. There's a wireless internet mast on the top of a barn about a mile away in clear sight, so I've signed up with them. It's called ItsWisp - geddit?
> Anyway, the mobile phone coverage is crap out here, so using something called a femtocell I can send all the phone calls over the internet.
> Trouble is this all uses electricity, so if there's a power outage, we have no phone for emergencies. So I'm running it all off a UPS. Our power cuts are common but only usually last a couple of hours, I tested the UPS to give us 4 hours plus powering the antenna, router, femtocell and ethernet switch.
> ...


Peter,
That sound's like an awesome prep! :thumbsup:

In order for me to get my wifi up and running, I'd need to fire up the gennie. So I started thinking maybe a inverter would be good to have too!

Son of a gun... ryobi has a 150 watt inverter that can be powered by their 18V batteries. I have a few of those 18V batteries. Unfortunately even my 6Ah batteries are only 108 watts hours.

Do you have a break-down of how many watts each unit needs?

My friend has a kill-a-watt that I can borrow, I guess that would be a good idea to play with it for a day.


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## Poppy (Oct 20, 2020)

Whoa is me 

Leaves are starting to fall, and I went to my ride on lawn mower to scoop them up. Oh no... dead battery! No pull cord. I can't find my battery charger. My generator has a 12V output, but for some reason I thought that it didn't come with the necessary cable. There were warnings in the manual that it is an unregulated 12 volts and that you shouldn't use it to charge a battery. So I pulled the battery, carried it to my car, and with jumper cables let my alternator charge it for 20-30 minutes.

I was able to start the mower and pick up three garbage cans of leaves. Good job Poppy! 

When I tested the battery for voltage, it was FLAT DEAD, Zero volts! It came up to 12V after charging, but I didn't know if that was surface charge, and/or if it would hold a charge. SLAs don't do well if you fully discharge them. The next day I went out and checked the battery, it was at only 10 volts. Ah... not good. So I jump on the net for a new battery, that is well rated, at the best price, available locally. It seems that they are about $40 and negative ratings seem to say that they only last two winters, even with occasional topping off of the charge, if kept in an unheated garage or outside. My mower lives outdoors, and I looked all over for my charger. Winter is coming, so I don't really want to buy a new battery now (now that I'll only start the mower maybe three more times this season) I'd rather wait until after winter and get an extra year out of the battery.

Then it dawned on me to get one of those LiIon jump starter battery packs!







The 10 volt dead battery almost cranked the engine, but with this jump starter attached, it cranked nice and fast as it should.

Now if the battery in my generator goes dead, I can use this to start that too.

This should be good for I guess 5-10 years, @ $60 a good preppy investment.
It was a spur of the moment purchase, and I see that similar units are available for about $40, of course the quality of the battery may vary considerably.

Oh... yesterday I met my son and his girlfriend at a winery. It was a very pleasant afternoon. I told him about my ordeal, and not being able to find the charger despite looking high and low. She described it to me. It is in their closet. He forgot he had it, I had loaned it to him for his trolling motor battery. I think he sold the motor, so I should get the charger back later today.


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## peter yetman (Oct 23, 2020)

I'm amazed by those little jump starters. i used to borrow one from a mate to jump my old truck (RIP) and the power it delivered was really something. I may well have to get one of my own for this Winter, but we are in the unusual situation for us, of having two servicable vehicles between us. It's never been known before.

As to the power requirements of the phone and internet system, I used a very unscientific method as I couldn't find the power rating for each item.
I just looked at the power rating for each wall wart, added them together, knocked off a bit for headroom and ended up with a power figure. Then I did a runtime test which at least confirmed that I was in the correct ballpark.
I'm very much one for "suck it and see", and then worry if it doesn't work.
P


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## Poppy (Oct 30, 2020)

Thanks Peter, adding the wattage of the wall warts was clever.

When I got the charger from my son, I charged up the lawn mower battery for about 6 hours.
It has been holding a charge, so far I am lucky.

My prep for the day is:

Winter is coming here in the NE, and tonight the temps will drop to a predicted 27 F. 

I turned the water supply off to my outside faucets, and opened them, for them to drain. Yeah... don't need any frozen pipes.


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## idleprocess (Oct 30, 2020)

With the possibility of _excitement_ onward of Tuesday evening I've stocked up on staple grocery items to pad my usual buffer of essentials.


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## aginthelaw (Oct 30, 2020)

My wife is bringing in the last of the plants as we speak...


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## Poppy (Nov 1, 2020)

I guess sometimes prepping is just thinking about possible scenarios, and how to respond.

During Superstorm Sandy I had a 10HP gasoline thirsty generator. It was LOUD, but functional. I had a few gas cans, a full sized bronco with a forty gallon tank, a windstar with a 25 gallon tank, a crownvic with an 18 gallon tank, and whatever car my daughter had at the time. We had ample warning that the storm was coming so we topped them all off with fuel.

The beauty of the Fords at that time, is that they all had a Schrader valve (like a tire valve) on their fuel rail to use for diagnostic fuel pressure testing. I learned how to jump the fuel pump relay, put a tube on the Schrader valve, and use the in-tank fuel pump to fill my 2 gallon tanks for the generator.

I don't have the Bronco any more, nor the windstar. I now have a Grand Marquis.
I thought... let me see where the fuel pump relay is and how I would jump it.

I discovered that the system is different on this newer car. First of all the fuel pump is controlled by the PCM, and some sensors, Just jumpering the relay won't work. BUT Even more important, even if I could get the pump to work (which I can by jumping pins in the fuel pump driver module) There is NO Schrader valve! 

Some cars have an anti-theft screen in the tank so that no one can siphon, and steal fuel out of the tank.
So now I need to pick up a hose, or siphon kit to see if I can get the fuel out of my car if needed.

Tomorrow they are predicting 45 MPH winds that may take down some trees, and power lines.


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## scout24 (Nov 1, 2020)

Poppy- There is actually a check valve in the fuel neck of your Grand Marquis. Picture the whittler's project, a ball in a cage. It's for rollover accidents to keep the fuel in the tank. When upright, fuel flows past the caged ball. When inverted, it stops flow. Are you sure about the schrader valve? 2011 was the last year, and they're the same as my beloved Crown Vic's which had them until the end of production. If all else fails, a 1/4 OD hose will wiggle past the ball in the filler neck with some finesse to SLOWLY drain the tank. There's even a Ford part number for the tool. (Siphon hose) I know the earlier 4.6's were constant duty fuel pressure and just switched the pump on and off, I believe the later ones were variable duty cycle, hence the pcm being involved.

Edit- You can always remove either imput or output line from your fuel filter, located inbound of the frame rail just in front of the passenger rear tire and jump the pump out as you described. It would become a two person job, but you'd get fuel a lot faster than the siphon hose. The clips are fiddly, and plastic, but are cheap to replace if they break.


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## Poppy (Nov 1, 2020)

I know that my '99 crownvic had a schrader valve, I was told at the crownvic.net forum that the schrader valve was removed either 2005 or 2006. I guess I'll have to check.

Here is a part of the wiring diagram for my 2008 4.6 Grand Marquis.
It appears that if I jumper pin 5 to 4, and 2 to 3/ground of the fuel pump driver module, that the pump should run constantly.

There is a fuel pressure sensor in the fuel rail to give feedback to the PCM.

If I don't have a schrader valve, I would have to be VERY Motivated to get under the car to disconnect the fuel line to get gas out of her.
I assume that the disconnect tool is the same for my '90 bronco. I don't remember if I ever replaced the fuel filter for the '99 crown vic. Certainly not the 2008 Grand Marquis. If so... I have the tool.







This one might be more clear






And always... Thanks for your help!
poppy


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## Poppy (Nov 2, 2020)

scout,
Thanks for the information regarding a check valve.
1/4 OD tube for a siphon is also useful information.

I looked at a couple of pictures I had taken of my engine when I pulled the intake manifold, and didn't see a port, so...
I did a google search "where is the fuel pressure port on a 2008 Grand Marquis" and this popped up.

I guess there are slight variations in the Ford vs Mercury engines. I wouldn't think so, but here it is.


[h=1]Fuel pressure port on a 2008 Grand Marquis Lincoln mercury…[/h]
where is the fuel pressure port on a 2008 Grand Marquis Lincoln mercury


Share this conversation






Answered in 12 minutes by:
6/19/2011

Mercury Mechanic: Chris (aka- Moose)
Hello, I'm Chris.
I will do my best to answer your question fast and accurate using the info you have provided. Thanks for visiting Just Answer.

This model does not have a shrader valve to allow for testing the fuel pressure. It is done electronically with a scan tool bringing up the fuel pressure sensor whcih is on the injector rail to check the pressure. If you want to do it manually, you must disconnect the supply line to the injector rail and install a T section to allow fuel to continue flowing to the injectors but also to a test gauge.


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## Poppy (Nov 2, 2020)

Ah... I just had an "AHA!!!" moment.

I ran out to the car and took a picture of THIS!






It is where my fuel line connects to the easy to get at passenger side fuel rail!

So now if I can find the connector to the fuel pump driver module, I have a way to get the gas out of my tank.
I think it is behind the back seat in the trunk.


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## scout24 (Nov 2, 2020)

(Disclaimer: It's been a few years...  ) That's where we would "T" in with a fitting with schrader valve to put a gauge on the later model years, yes. I stopped working on them in 2015, my apologies for the goose chase...


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## Poppy (Nov 2, 2020)

scout24 said:


> (Disclaimer: It's been a few years...  ) That's where we would "T" in with a fitting with schrader valve to put a gauge on the later model years, yes. I stopped working on them in 2015, my apologies for the goose chase...


Oh NO Goose chase at all!!! Certainly there is no need for apologies!

If you hadn't made me re-check, I may never have come up with the thought of disconnecting the fuel line up top, instead of under the car at the fuel filter. In the rain or snow, it is much easier to work from the top than it would be under the car in the cold rain or snow, on my back! Been there and done that, And pray I never have to again!

Do you happen to know where the Fuel Pump Driver Module is located and how to access it? From the schematics it looks like it is behind the back seat in the trunk.


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## idleprocess (Nov 3, 2020)

Conducted the semi-annual _recharge-a-palooza_ today. ~60 / 90 low-self-discharge NiMH AA cells cycled successfully and a dozen-ish li-ion cells cycled. One li-ion cell was defective _(<2V open circuit voltage upon insertion - *yikes*)_, another NiMH cell required forced _resuscitation_ via a parallel adapter ... thus it goes.

I feel like I need a good ≥8-bay multi-chemistry charger rather than cycling through 3 - sometimes as many as 6 - different chargers. But then again it's the li-ions that I otherwise cycle monthly while the LSD NiMH are cycled far less often.


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## scout24 (Nov 3, 2020)

Idleprocess- I actually brought a pair of 18650's that live in my car bag inside over the weekend to discharge/recharge them. My last pair of AW black 2900ma protected cells. They seemingly do fine being neglected. 

Poppy- Instead of jumping anything out, perhaps just turn the ignition on with the line disconnected from the rail. The command to build pressure will be sent to the pump and fuel will flow with the pump trying to reach spec pressure thinking you're trying to start the car. No cranking, just key on...


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## Poppy (Nov 3, 2020)

Thanks scout,
That was my thought as well. 
This however this is the response I got at the crownvic.net site. 



fordoldfart said:


> The fuel pumps are controlled by the pcm via an FPDM basically a pulse width device vary the on off time of the pump through this module. Unless they see the engine rpms come as in cranking or running then it still only runs for just a couple of secs.



I suspect that this gent is right. 
Even with the older cars, the PCM only triggers/grounds the coil side of the fuel pump relay, for a couple of seconds, unless it sees a PIP signal. That's why I had to manually ground the coil side of the relay, or jumper it.

Thursday through Monday of this week we should be in very comfortable mid to high 60's. Perhaps I'll get under the hood and test it out.


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## Poppy (Nov 10, 2020)

And the best laid plans of mice and men! 

For the past three weeks, after charging the battery with the charger, the mower started a number of times. 
Today, I did a lot of start... run a little bit, stop and then start again. The baskets were filling with leaves pretty quickly, and I didn't want to get off of the unit while it was still running.

The battery died suddenly.

So I got out my little jump starter... it was at 97%.
It FAILED.
There are electronics in it that continued to tell me to connect the jumper cables. Although they were connected, it wasn't sending any juice to the battery.

I'll have to call for warranty tomorrow. I hope I didn't toss the receipt. I see that I didn't take a picture of it.



Poppy said:


> Whoa is me
> 
> Leaves are starting to fall, and I went to my ride on lawn mower to scoop them up. Oh no... dead battery! No pull cord. I can't find my battery charger. My generator has a 12V output, but for some reason I thought that it didn't come with the necessary cable. There were warnings in the manual that it is an unregulated 12 volts and that you shouldn't use it to charge a battery. So I pulled the battery, carried it to my car, and with jumper cables let my alternator charge it for 20-30 minutes.
> 
> ...


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## Chauncey Gardiner (Nov 13, 2020)

coffee


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## Poppy (Nov 18, 2020)

Winter is coming. 

I am getting ready to hunker down; preparing for more Covid isolation.

I have two gas cans that are not labeled regarding their capacity. I filled them up and now know, one is a 1 gallon, and the other a 2 gallon. I also have a new 2 1/2 gallon one that I had filled. I added 1 ml / gallon of marine Stabil to each. And I put a label on my bottle of Stabil ... 1 ml/gallon. The instructions are 1 oz per 10 gallons, so I had to do some math. Interestingly, they have a graduated cylinder on the container in both ml and oz. but only instructions for oz. I didn't recall the conversion, so I had to look it up. Without the internet during an outage, if the cell towers were also down, that would have left me head scratching.

I have two new, 5 gallon cans that I'll keep empty, unless it looks like they'll be needed.
I recall when Sandy hit, spare gas cans were unobtainable.

I topped off my car's fuel tank.


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## Monocrom (Nov 20, 2020)

Made a list of all the items needed to fill holes in my preps.
Will take care of the biggest ones by Christmas this year.
The rest can wait a bit.... I'm a very patient man.


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## bigburly912 (Nov 20, 2020)

I bought 10 more pounds of dried beans to seal up in Mylar bags. Need to buy a small multi-fuel cook stove as well.


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## Poppy (Nov 23, 2020)

I'm shipping a new carburetor to my brother, for his generator. I don't think he used it since Sandy 2012. It wouldn't start, and was leaking fuel. Easier to replace than rebuild.

Fortunately, he didn't have an outage, but was just prepping it for: "Just in case."

IMO, he was lucky. 

Personally, I've had enough instances of having to fix something in the worst of conditions, usually a combination of Cold, wet, rainy, windy, and/or snow; that I have learned to do a periodic check of equipment during mild weather. (Usually)


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## Owen (Nov 25, 2020)

I'm always prepping for my next off days or vacation.
Today, I started laying out my backpacking gear for a trip starting Dec. 1. Working 8 shifts in the intervening 5 days, so don't want to procrastinate. 
I had it all planned out to head out West for a glorious road trip of favorite/epic dayhikes and overnighters from NV and UT over to CO, but switched to one closer to home(Southeast) that's looking more like NC and KY with possible quickies in SC and the corner of VA.
Right now, there's not so much difference in the forecast between the temps at places like Kolob Canyons, or the Needles district of Canyonlands, and it's actually looking like it'll be colder in the NC mountains, so my stuff will hardly change. Southern gorges and mountaintops don't have the same otherworldly beauty as the high desert and its canyons, but at least KY has waterfalls to go with their arches, and I might be able to find some conditions inhumane enough for my liking in NC. 
Lord willing, my previously planned post-season trip will roll over into another pre-season one at the end of February(love cold, not crowds!), with mostly the same gear, so it's all good.

Most of my "prep" is deciding on gloves for the likely conditions, since the rest of my gear is long since dialed in, and that's really all I screw around with at this point. 
But it's a road trip, so...maybe all of them:wave:


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## Owen (Nov 28, 2020)

Maps! I love maps. The Avenza app for my phone often lets me download duplicates of my "real" maps. Super handy to be able to see, not just the map, but exactly where you are on that map. It's so accurate you can see which way you're facing, and walk right over to unmarked trails that are on the map, but overgrown due to lack of use.
In this case, it'll be doubly convenient, as I'll be doing some off-trail routes in an area I've never been before. I found some online sources that show GPS screenshots from things I want to see, so all I had to do was match up the terrain features with an actual map to pinpoint the locations of some "hidden" arches and waterfalls. That's good enough, but as long as my phone and app are working(always, so far), it's really nice to be able to track my progress at a glance when bushwhacking, and prominent terrain features aren't visible. It can really speed up the process by eliminating backtracking in places like gorges with series of drainages that all look alike, too.
I need the process to be speedy, as my time will be limited. The sooner I get where I'm going, the sooner I can leave...to go find the next awesome thing:thumbsup:


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## Owen (Nov 29, 2020)

I've been prepping, and didn't even know it:duh2:
As my departure coincides with a cold front, I've been watching forecast temps for the first couple of days drop.
I've also been sleeping on my semi-retired Exped Downmat UL7 the last few days(night shift) to test a patch job that I redid, as it still had a very slow leak. It's not leaking any more, but is "semi-retired" due to the fact that I sleep outrageously warm, and my 8oz lighter Synmat HyperLite has been good to go after testing it several times in the mid-teens. 
AND, last week, I got mittens for the first time in my life(except some eVent rain mitts) due to my hands becoming unusable in teens with 40mph wind in the NC mountains last December. Insulated shell with 300wt liners. Got them, but wasn't sure I'd really use them.
It's almost like I subconsciously planned this!:tinfoil:

Was looking at the forecasts, and realized the one for what will be my first or second night was showing temps for the nearest town. Well, that forecast is down to 12 and 19F, respectively, and I'll be on a mountaintop 3200ft higher than the town. With a lot more wind, too. Rule of thumb being -3.3F per 1000ft of elevation gain means subtracting 10F, but the reality is that I could easily see subzero temps up there, so...Downmat it is.
Think those mittens will come in handy, too!

I hardly looked at CPF for 7-8yrs, and had never seen this section. It was a cool idea, but hardly anyone posts here, and it could use some life.
Anybody else getting ready for some "adventuring and questing" this winter?


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## Poppy (Nov 29, 2020)

When I saw you posting about gloves, I was about to post: that I have a couple of pairs of three finger shooters mitts. They are more usable than full out mitts, because you still have use of your index finger and thumb. They are almost as warm as a full out mitten.
https://armysurpluswarehouse.com/trigger-finger-mittens/

Planning to go out in sub-zero conditions... you are a younger man than me!


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## scout24 (Nov 29, 2020)

Owen- No trail running for me this winter, but I am shopping for new inflatable sleeping mats. The two I had were from Eastern Mountain Sports, about 17 years old, and had both completely blown seams last time I went to use them. Like 2 feet of delaminated and split seams. Being insulated from the ground is important, so shopping I go!


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## bigburly912 (Nov 29, 2020)

I bought 50 more Mylar bags. Going with quart sized this time for easy storage


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## hsa (Nov 29, 2020)

Owen, what kind of mittens did you get? I'm always interested in glove and mitten reviews.


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## Owen (Nov 29, 2020)

Poppy said:


> Planning to go out in sub-zero conditions... you are a younger man than me!


I'm 49, but pretty young for my age. My primary care physician is an orthopedic surgeon who says I have to be at least 90, though, based on the amount of damage to my spine
Having a long rough spell is why I'm not bound for Utah, and sticking to short hikes where I can get back to my car in a day if I get crippled up again. 
Rain and temps lower than the teens are a lot easier to deal with when you're just out in it for a day or three, and not extended periods! I'm off for 9 days, and should get in 5-6 "bag nights", but 2 or 3 will be in motels. My friend calls it "gentleman hiking". That's me, all right

I like the liner on those gloves you got. These days, I'm not shooting with anything but a little point & shoot camera, or the one in my phone. The mittens I bought have liners with flip up pieces to free your fingertips, and the liners are the reason I got them.





scout24 said:


> Owen- No trail running for me this winter, but I am shopping for new inflatable sleeping mats.


I prefer the Expeds' baffle orientation to anything else, but YMMV. They're certainly not the cheapest around, but worth a look. I blew a baffle on a 5-6yr old Synmat Hyperlite, that it was a known issue of, a couple of months ago, and sent Exped an email with a picture. My pad was actually past it's 5yr warranty period, but I had a response in 9 minutes(!) offering me the newer, updated version as a replacement. No complaints here!


hsa, 
I bought the OR Meteor mitts on sale for $55. Mixed reviews online, but my friend has and likes them. Fortunately, that friend was with me when I couldn't feel my fingers any more in my little 100wt gloves, and the liners are what he handed me to warm them back up. I don't know one mitten from another, but they made a great first impression.


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## hsa (Nov 29, 2020)

Mylar bags. I couldn't make the connection. Had to google it. Pretty amazing. It's hell to get old.


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## Poppy (Nov 29, 2020)

Ran my generator for forty minutes today. It's hard to believe that it is already 3 months old!


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## bigburly912 (Nov 29, 2020)

hsa said:


> Mylar bags. I couldn't make the connection. Had to google it. Pretty amazing. It's hell to get old.



I use them for long term food storage. You just put an oxygen absorber in with whatever you are going to pack. Try to get as much air out as possible (or use a vacuum sealer) and seal it off with an iron. Easy


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## hsa (Nov 30, 2020)

Sounds like a great idea. Now I know. Thanks.


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## Monocrom (Dec 1, 2020)

bigburly912 said:


> I use them for long term food storage. You just put an oxygen absorber in with whatever you are going to pack. Try to get as much air out as possible (or use a vacuum sealer) and seal it off with an iron. Easy



Going to have to put those on my prep. list.


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## bigburly912 (Dec 1, 2020)

I get mine from packfresh but there are several options. Packfresh is just easy because eBay and they go ahead and put the bags and oxygen absorbers together.


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## Poppy (Dec 2, 2020)

I bought a 50' 12 gauge extension cord. For what? I don't know!

I needed it, just in case I need it.


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## Owen (Dec 2, 2020)

Haven't left on my road trip, yet. My first two destinations got nixed due to weather. #1, the trail I most wanted to do(Rim of the Gap between Caesar's Head and Jones Gap in SC) as part of a bigger loop got closed for the winter a few days ago. Destination #2(Hangover Mtn. in NC), ended up forecasting 4-8" of snow at the nearest town, up to 12" up high, and messed up roads, which are my biggest concern.
I always have a plan B, though, which is part of what prepping is about, IMO. I could have gone somewhere else, and still headed in the direction of my later destinations.
Which brings up another kind of prep for people with medical "problems", whether it be physically debilitating flareups for people like me, diabetics, people with severe allergies, etc.
I carry my normal prescription meds(muscle relaxers and nerve pain pills) to work, and everywhere else, in little screwtop pill carriers. Sometimes they're effective, sometimes ehhhh, and sometimes don't help at all. So I carry a little hoard of some "real" prescription painkillers in the event I get crippled up in the backcountry. Only have a few, and never touch them, as they're for worst case scenarios where it's too much to just tough it out-like if I'm days away from an exit point, say on a 7 day trip in the Rockies, or deep in the Canyonlands with lots of challenging terrain.
When I'm not hurting, it's hard to believe anything's wrong with me. When it's bad, I can't walk. Right now it's somewhere in between, but enough for me to wait and see how I feel tomorrow!
Anyway, I think some meds for people that need them are a good thing to plan ahead for. I keep mine in my first aid kit, that never gets opened unnecessarily, and stays with my backpacking gear.

I can still do rough trails and have fun like this, but the going is slow and painful. If anybody's bored enough, my friend makes videos of a lot of hikes, including 3(I think 3) we did last month. Here's one of my favorite dayhikes, though we did it as a short overnighter with a late start, and skipped my favorite part to check out an alternate route neither of us had done.
Through most of it, I'm moving in slow motion and getting stabbed in my hip whenever my left foot hits the ground, but you can't let every little thing stop you. 
Mark said that if we met other hikers he'd just tell them I had Tourette's 
Pretty sure some video got deleted for that reason
Regardless, most people seem like they're waiting until everything is perfect to go on "adventures". If everything's perfect, it's not really an adventure, though!


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## Poppy (Dec 2, 2020)

Nice video Owen.

I hope when you go out, it is with more than just you and Mark. I'd hate to be him and have to make the decision of possibly leaving you alone while going for help, or staying put with you and praying that help comes your way. The path you were on appeared to be well maintained, but wet and slippery. If you got hurt, it could be quite a problem.

Stay safe, and travel in threes.


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## Owen (Dec 2, 2020)

Poppy said:


> I hope when you go out, it is with more than just you and Mark. I'd hate to be him and have to make the decision of possibly leaving you alone while going for help, or staying put with you and praying that help comes your way. The path you were on appeared to be well maintained, but wet and slippery. If you got hurt, it could be quite a problem.
> 
> Stay safe, and travel in threes.


I can't even relate to that kind of fear.
This is what I do, and my back is only an occasional issue. I prefer rough terrain, and in the last decade have had someone with me for <20 of >400 nights.
There's no safety in numbers unless the people making up those numbers are competent, and competence is a rarity. 
Speaking of prep, though, I carry an inReach Mini, which I use to check in with my parents when outside cell service, and has an SOS function to call for rescue if I break a leg or something.
You can even exchange messages with rescuers, so they know what kind of pizza to bring and stuff


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## bigburly912 (Dec 2, 2020)

Owen said:


> I can't even relate to that kind of fear.
> This is what I do, and my back is only an occasional issue. I prefer rough terrain, and in the last decade have had someone with me for <20 of >400 nights.
> There's no safety in numbers unless the people making up those numbers are competent, and competence is a rarity.
> Speaking of prep, though, I carry an inReach Mini, which I use to check in with my parents when outside cell service, and has an SOS function to call for rescue if I break a leg or something.
> You can even exchange messages with rescuers, so they know what kind of pizza to bring and stuff



Smart smart man. The inreach mini is nice. Rescue pizza is even nicer.


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## Poppy (Dec 2, 2020)

bigburly912 said:


> Smart smart man. The inreach mini is nice. Rescue pizza is even nicer.


Agreed :thumbsup:


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## Poppy (Dec 2, 2020)

Just killing time, I tried to think of stuff I needed to buy so that I am more prepped.

I really couldn't think of anything. So I read through this thread from the beginning.

There are a lot of suggestions in here, but I am not going to start a garden, and don't have room for, nor a desire for chickens, or a small farm. 

I don't eat grains other than pasta, breads, and rice. If the SHTF we'd run out of breads, but I have flour, yeast and baking soda. 

I wonder what I might be missing.


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## scout24 (Dec 2, 2020)

How are you set for water purification? Do you have a large water heater? When was the last time you drained the bottom few gallons out of it to try to flush some sediment out? Maybe a few dozen packages of taco seasoning, boullion cubes, and something like Montreal steak seasoning? All make squirrel and groundhog more palatable... 😁


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## Poppy (Dec 2, 2020)

scout24 said:


> How are you set for water purification? Do you have a large water heater? When was the last time you drained the bottom few gallons out of it to try to flush some sediment out? Maybe a few dozen packages of taco seasoning, boullion cubes, and something like Montreal steak seasoning? All make squirrel and groundhog more palatable... 


Thanks for those suggestions.
Water Purification:
I have two sawyer water filters, and a filter straw (maybe two). 
We have natural gas, so I guess we would need an Earthquake to disrupt that.
Failing that we have two BBQ propane tanks, one in use, and a backup.
I have a bottle of iodine tablets and the other pills that remove the iodine taste.
We have gallons of bleach.

We are not on a well, and I have never drained the water tank.

Seasonings:
I am pretty well stocked, and am definitely fond of the Grill Master Blends.
I see that wanted to order a large 1 - 1.5 pound bottle of the SmokeHouse Maple, and never did.
I'll have to put that on my list! 







I just picked up a "Better Than Bouillon" roasted chicken base, but was disappointed that it should be refrigerated after opening. I have both chicken and beef bouillon. 
Other than a couple packages of taco kits, that includes the sauce packets, I don't have taco seasoning, but plenty of salt and pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.


And a large variety of smaller bottles of lesser used spices.







I do have a couple of virgin rat traps. yuk.

I have garbage bags, and two gallons of bug spray.
Trying to think back to the suggestions of the gent who bugged in during Katrina.

Ah yes... Sub_Umbra
I googled water epiphany
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?121453-An-Emergency-Water-Epiphany

I think I'll read through his thread again.
Very insightful.


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## Stress_Test (Dec 3, 2020)

Poppy said:


> The beauty of the Fords at that time, is that they all had a Schrader valve (like a tire valve) on their fuel rail to use for diagnostic fuel pressure testing. I learned how to jump the fuel pump relay, put a tube on the Schrader valve, and use the in-tank fuel pump to fill my 2 gallon tanks for the generator.
> 
> .................
> 
> ...




[For those who may not know....]


*WARNING!!* The fuel system on a fuel injected car operates at pressures around 60 psi, and most will retain at least some of that pressure even when shut off. 

Wear safety glasses (or better yet, goggles) and make sure there are no ignition sources in the area before attempting to open a fuel line. (no drop lights anywhere nearby!)

------------------


We used to do the relay jumper trick all the time to empty out a gas tank back when I worked at a dealership. There's a cheap tool for disconnecting fuel line connections that's easy to use. That was over 20 years ago, though, so on more recent vehicles I'm not sure how to make the pump run if jumping the relay doesn't work. Possibly a scanner/diagnostic tool has a way to turn on the pump.

If the pump was burned out, we had what we called a "gas hog", which was a roll-around fuel tank with a hand pump built into it on top. We'd stick the hose down in the gas tank and pump away manually. It sucked. In both senses of the word!!

In your case though, something like that would be fine since you probably won't be in that big a hurry. It'd be bad though if a 1/4" line was all you could get down the filler neck...


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## Poppy (Dec 5, 2020)

Stress_test
Thanks for the warning.
I'll make sure the engine is not hot, and I'll have a rag, and small container handy, should I ever disconnect it.

The driver module is located in the trunk behind the passenger side back seat. It is accessible from within the trunk. Unless I ran a long set of jumper wires, it would be a two man job to collect the fuel, jumper the pins in the module, and know when to unjumper the pins. 







I do have the collection of fuel line disconnect tools.


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## Owen (Dec 8, 2020)

I didn't do prep today, I benefited from it.
~20yrs ago, give or take a couple, my employer gifted everyone with Cobra "Jumpstarter/Powerpacks", that also have a built-in AC outlet, and a compressor with pressure gauge for airing up tires.

Mine has saved the day many times, for many people, and lives in whatever vehicle I'm driving.
Today, I had to drive over an hour to buy a new battery, as mine suddenly came up dead at an out of the way trailhead in a state park that is closed 'til Thursday. 
Not only did it start my car twice, and keep me from being stranded, but when I stopped for gas after getting a new battery, it had enough juice left to air up a lady's very low tire.
Great thing to have, and I can't believe it's still working after somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 decades.

It's (edit: an older version of, perhaps) this:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cobra-Po...-Air-Compressor-CJIC-550-Refurbished/46951621
I just looked at reviews of the "same" one on Amazon, and people were talking about USB ports 7yrs ago, so it's obviously evolved over time. Great thing to have!


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## Poppy (Dec 9, 2020)

That's incredible! 20 years?

Do you know what kind of battery is in there? SLAs in my experience are not good past 8 years, and for the most part five years if you are lucky. So I imagine that it must be some kind of lithium, but I didn't know that they were available that long ago.


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## Owen (Dec 9, 2020)

Never gave it a thought before.
Here's what it says inside:

SEALAKE 
Rechargeable Sealed Lead Acid Battery
FM1270 12V7Ah/20HR
CE M10309710
NINGBO SEALAKE STORAGE BATTERY CO., LTD.
WWW.SEALAKE.COM

A coworker commented on Facebook that it had been a good jump box, but his had died years ago. Guess I got lucky!


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## Owen (Dec 10, 2020)

Having read up a bit on SLAs, and their typical 5-8yr, and rare 12yr, rated lifespans, I'm looking at a modern replacement.
TACKLIFE's T8 lithium starter and 12V air compressor look pretty good<<<after some research, I'm looking at the "Audew" brand, which performs better in tests than the many others I've looked at. 
Sad how it's always hard to trust newer, demonstrably superior technologies due to gimmicky features and a general lack of construction quality automatically destroying any confidence I might otherwise have in a product, right from the start.


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## Poppy (Dec 11, 2020)

When you make a decision, please share your thoughts.
I bought one recently, and at first it worked great, a month later, not well, but that may have been MY problem, in that I had a crappy connection to the battery.

The company had since sent me a new one. I Haven't been able to test it out because in the mean time I charged my dead battery, AND discovered the loose battery cable.

One of these days, I'll disconnect the battery and try to start it from just the jump starter, but the weather is too cold now for playing around unnecessarily.


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## Owen (Dec 12, 2020)

I will, but the proof's in the pudding.
I don't put much stock in initial impressions, or first uses.
It took me almost 5yrs to put up a review of my favorite backpacking quilt, and over 6 for a tent:shrug:


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## scout24 (Dec 16, 2020)

Charged a few batteries today, pre positioned my generator. Ran my snow blower. Double checked my fuel storage. 1-2 feet of snow coming tonight, with some winds. I'm hoping it all goes smoothly.


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## Poppy (Dec 17, 2020)

Prepping paid off! 

We got about a foot of snow last night into this morning. Yesterday I brought three shovels from the shed to the back door.
I had worked on my snow-blower last month, and today, it started on the first pull! Yea!!!

scout24, 
I hope everything went well for you. 24 inches is no laughing matter.


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## scout24 (Dec 17, 2020)

Poppy- We wound up with 14", could have been worse. I spent all day outside between my house and my brother-in-law's place. Binghamton NY got 40"... Glad I don't live there!


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## bykfixer (Dec 18, 2020)

I like living at a location with no hurricane evacuation signs, at least a dozen feet above flood stage and predicted snowfalls of inches instead of feet. But five degrees colder and we too would be buried under snow from that one. West of me by about 30 minutes got a half a foot of snow while we got rain, rain and more rain. 

We prepped by filling gaps in the freezer with square bottles filled with water and a battery run at a hardware store in case power was out long enough to deplete rechargeables. I probably should put the fuel from gas tanks into my truck and refill with fresh. It's only about a year old and has 5x the reccomended dose of marine grade fuel stabilizer but still……it's a year old.


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## peter yetman (Dec 18, 2020)

You have a freezer with space in it?
Mrs Yeti, apart from being a Chef, I swear is related to squirrels, show her a freezer and it's full in a day. Stock, fruit, more stock and more stock. We've just had to throw away some stock to make room for the Xmas duck. 
I see more freezers in out future.

Actually, if you have some space, could I put some chocolate ice cream in there please?

P


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## Owen (Dec 19, 2020)

Doing my #1 most common form of prep for an overnighter next Tuesday-tracking weather for several potential destinations. As if weekdays in winter weren't enough to ensure solitude, I look for the lowest temps and "worst" conditions(rain/snow mix, etc). 
The best destinations also tend to be popular, and I prefer having them to myself, so it's become a year-round habit at places that are easily accessible. Especially this year. They're still very much deterred by bad weather, but people being away from work due to COVID brought on an increase in traffic at trailheads close to waterfalls and such. That's resulted in me checking out more remote, sometimes less desirable(but surprisingly awesome, in some cases!), wilderness areas in good weather, and waiting 'til it's going to rain the whole time to visit some of my favorites. Actually worked out pretty well this spring and summer, as my "weekend" coincided with rainy weather fairly consistently for a while. Yeah...hurray


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## Poppy (Dec 19, 2020)

peter yetman said:


> You have a freezer with space in it?
> Mrs Yeti, apart from being a Chef, I swear is related to squirrels, show her a freezer and it's full in a day. Stock, fruit, more stock and more stock. We've just had to throw away some stock to make room for the Xmas duck.
> I see more freezers in out future.
> 
> ...


Sorry peter, I don't have room for chocolate ice cream, but there IS a little room for cherry vanilla, butter pecan, or pistachio :wave:

I bought a 5 cu ft freezer at the end of August. At that time they were virtually unobtainable. I wanted a 7 cu ft unit, couldn't find one within 100 miles.

After you posted yesterday I checked and found there is a limited selection back in stock. They are reasonably priced, and don't cost too much to run all year. It only took us a couple of months to pretty much fill her up. I'm not big on making too much to eat, and freezing left-overs. If I was, the 5 cu ft unit might be too small, for us. On the other hand, when we moved late in July, we went from two refrigerator/freezers to one, and I threw out some items that were over a year old, to make room. So there's that old adage: "Nature abhors a vacuum."

Here's George Carlin's take on it.


https://youtu.be/MvgN5gCuLac


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## bykfixer (Dec 22, 2020)

Each morning I carry 12 pounds of liquids in my lunch cooler and some days I still run out. I decided to keep a 2.5 gallon jug of water in my truck each week and now carry about 6 pounds in my lunch cooler. But what to do with those empty jugs? 
When I was rasing 5 kids we needed a big ole freezer. Kids are grown now. Mucho spare room in the freezer now. I've been freezing quarts and half gallons for years as ice blocks for drinking water when melted. And it helps keep the freezer cold. When power goes out it also helps keep it cold. But quarts and half gallons thaw quicker than a big old 2.5 gallon ice block. So the first jug was filled with tap water and one big rectangle replaced several rounds ice blocks. The next one will go in the freezer and the one frozen now will go in the back of the fridge. 

What to do with future jugs? I'm not sure yet but I'll figure out something.


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## Owen (Jan 4, 2021)

Prep for night 1 of 2021 
Possibly night 2, too but I've got a feeling I'll be working my second off night.





I'm even taking my stove and a firestarter! Maybe...


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## Owen (Jan 11, 2021)

Owen said:


> Doing my #1 most common form of prep for an overnighter next Tuesday-tracking weather for several potential destinations. *As if weekdays in winter weren't enough to ensure solitude, I look for the lowest temps and "worst" conditions(rain/snow mix, etc).*


Or 22 river crossings
Or 36, if I have time to leave my loop, and go a few miles downstream and back to visit a waterfall.
They're rarely over knee deep...
Not totally set on that hike, but 3 of my 5 potential destinations for the next month or so have multiple water crossings, and a 4th has 2-3, so it's 80% that one pair of sandals or the other are going, and there's a 60% chance the wetsocks are, too.
I can do without soaking wet shoes when it's going into the low 20s.


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## Owen (Feb 14, 2021)

Different kind of prep
Weather's looking bad for the roads at the places I had in mind for hiking this week, at least on my off days, so keeping it close to home seems like a good idea.
I'd been wanting to visit some old haunts, and do some rappels, but usually have other things I want to do more. Rappels by themselves get boring quick, but I stopped rock climbing years ago, after messing up a tendon in my arm, and just never got back into it.
My Petzl Microcender(ascender that I use for solo toproping) was still attached to my harness, though. Then the shoes and chalk bag somehow snuck out of the gear tote, and a 200' dynamic joined my static lines, so I guess I have no choice... 
Not in shape for real climbing, and WAY out of practice, but maybe I'll go play on a beginner wall.
Getting this stuff out got me excited.
They say familiarity breeds contempt. I guess so, because what used to be commonplace feels like an adventure, now!




Gosh, I've got to practice some knots!

Ha! So much for that. Should have been prepping for people being off, calling off, and having vacation days, respectively, and working 32 hours straight instead:ironic:


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## Poppy (Feb 19, 2021)

Today I bought a indoor amplified digital TV antenna.






$30 supposedly good for 50 miles. I'm 25 miles from the Empire State building.

I set it up, near a East facing window, and I have 40 crystal clear channels!

When Super Storm Sandy hit, I had a generator, and for the first day, the cable box had programming. I guess that the cable company's power back up failed, and we didn't have cable anymore. It didn't strike me until later on that I could try a regular over the air free TV antenna. It worked! I only had a dozen channels, but some news is better than none.


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## Owen (Feb 26, 2021)

Plane tickets and rental car reservation. My December trip got cancelled, so I haven't been "home" since last February.
Excitement level: high and climbing


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## scout24 (Feb 26, 2021)

It was only frayed, but I replaced the pull cord on my eu2000i today. It was sunny and 40°, and I worked on the tailgate of my pickup truck. It's a solid hour and a half to do, the entire clamshell has to come apart. But it's done, meaning it won't snap when I need it to work. I'll be thrilled to get the same 20 years out of this cord as I did the first one, lol.


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## Poppy (Feb 27, 2021)

scout24 said:


> It was only frayed, but I replaced the pull cord on my eu2000i today. It was sunny and 40°, and I worked on the tailgate of my pickup truck. It's a solid hour and a half to do, the entire clamshell has to come apart. But it's done, meaning it won't snap when I need it to work. I'll be thrilled to get the same 20 years out of this cord as I did the first one, lol.


Preventative maintenance, that is the way to go! :thumbsup:

I didn't know how well my lawn mower's battery would survive the winter. I gave her, her 3 month, mid winter start, and pleasantly, she started right up. I let her run for about five minutes, to replace the fuel that was in the carburetor bowl.

I also had Costco replace the tires on my car with Michelins pumped with Nitrogen. Nitrogen doesn't change pressure as much as air does with temperature changes. At $200 to replace the tire pressure sensors, I decided to just continue to hide the low air pressure light on my dash with the piece of electrical tape that has been hiding it for a year.


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## Owen (Mar 1, 2021)

Oh, mercy. I thought the excitement level was high a few days ago, but those must have just been warning tremors. I was just babbling at my mother on the phone, and she offered to drop me off at the airport a day early:ironic:

I usually "prep", in spite of my stuff rarely changing, but can be packed for any kind of trip in about 10 minutes when it comes right down to it.
Totally staged pic this time, but knowing my memory, getting out all the things I don't normally pack did seem like a good idea.
After all, I don't often carry a bear canister or wag bags, or a sun hoody and microspikes, much less all at the same time. Or 6L of water-so much for "ultralight"!




And I have to go to work tonight? Ugh...


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## Poppy (Mar 1, 2021)

Preparing to go where knives are NOT allowed.
I took the utility blade out of my Gerber EAB that doubles as a money clip as my EDC.

Before:





and After:


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## scout24 (Mar 3, 2021)

I'm putting together a garbage can faraday cage. One of the six gallon galvanized Behrens brand cans. I need to store electronic stuff somewhere, may as well be in a protective enclosure. AM/FM/SW radio, small foldup solar panel, a small pile of Eneloops, a couple AA chargers, my backup Li-Ion charger, a few FRS radios, a Steri-pen water purifier, a handheld CB radio, a couple of flashlights, and a spare charge controller for my 25w fixed solar panel. Can is lined with plastic, and there's a few sellers of compressible conductive gaskets for the cans. Easy to carry and store, and theoretically safe storage.


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## Poppy (Mar 6, 2021)

You're more prepped than I, but might you consider adding a bag of desiccant in there?


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## scout24 (Mar 6, 2021)

Good idea on the dessicant. The can will be essentially sealed, if not 100% airtight. I'll see how much room I have left, lol.


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## Hooked on Fenix (Mar 6, 2021)

Got a Milwaukee top off inverter for blackouts.


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## Poppy (Mar 10, 2021)

Hooked on Fenix said:


> Got a Milwaukee top off inverter for blackouts.


Nice!

A week after I got my second shot, I hopped onto a plane to go visit my Dad who is a snow bird. He only had two power failure lights left of the few I had given him in the past. One wasn't working, except as a night light, and the other was not plugged into a wall outlet, because he likes to use it as a plug into the wall rechargeable flashlight. 

So Amazon to the rescue! Two replacements arrived yesterday. I threw the bad one out, and plugged a new one into the central room of the house (it has a nice open floor plan, so only one is needed), and I plugged the other one, out in the garage.


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## Owen (Mar 31, 2021)

Uh oh...
Getting a bit ahead of myself, but that's what prep is.
I quit mountain biking due to a bunch of degenerated discs, bulging discs, bone spurs, a cracked vertebrae, all that good stuff, but it's something I'm having a hard time doing without.
Maybe I can still do this if I avoid the rough trails, instead of seeking them out, and stick to the smoother, faster ones.
Only one way to find out...




Servicing the shock and fork are gonna be a big enough PITA, already, but I sold off a NIB drivetrain, some other parts, and a bunch of specialty tools a while back, and may end up buying most of that stuff all over again.
Mountain biking is non-stop adventure, though. It's like having your own roller coaster!


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## Owen (Jun 29, 2021)

This time of year, I start prepping for September. When the weather gets hot and miserable, and the waterfalls dry up, I switch gears to training hikes and bike rides, especially if the plans include the Rockies, and needing to be able to hammer all day for 6-7 days straight. 
Started planning potential routes to see if I can settle on a couple of vacation destinations for early and late September, and have just begun the physical prep in the last 3 days.

First world problems-familiar favorites with unfinished business vs. new destinations with more complex logistics, one of each?




I hate to get in a rut, but already had an epically beautiful itinerary in place for my next trip to the Uintas, where 70mph winds and extreme temps drove me and everyone else out of the mountains fall before last(plus I'm always "homesick" for Utah within 3wks of leaving), and an epically brutal one of little used routes and seldom seen places for a third trip to the Weminuche.
Maybe the fact that I just typed out that sentence answered the question!

Can't believe there was a time when I used to sell back unused vacation time. Pathetic...


There's one place I know I'm not going in the Weminuche, or in the meantime, either. They always try to interfere with my plans!


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## scout24 (Jun 29, 2021)

So, after heading to the doc late winter and being told I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and pre-diabetic high blood sugar, I was put on meds. I hate meds. Mid-spring I started getting on my treadmill again, and am up to doing a 5k every morning. (3.1mi) Down 25 pounds, and looking forward to the next blood workup at the doc. So, self-preservation as a prep. Highly recommended.


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## Poppy (Jul 1, 2021)

Good job scout24! Regular exercise is something that is definitely missing in my preps. It is something that I need to get going. I'd wager that with dropping 25 pounds, with exercise, that you'll be able to get off of those meds.

I gave away my 5K BTU air conditioner, but then considered that if power went out, I only have 120V generators. I decided to pick up a used 10K BTU window unit as a prep. I tested it, and my little 2K watt predator inverter gennie will start and run it. I have swing out casement windows (Not at all AC installation friendly). My central AC 240V is a little undersized, for the extreme heat wave we are having. So as an additional prep, I picked up a foam insulation board and did a quick and dirty installation. 

Now I am prepped with a quick and dirty emergency installation kit.  Just lie the unit on the floor, put the foam board in place, and slide the patio door over to it. I used a bungie cord to hold the door closed.







In a power outage situation, I can run this with my little gennie, and it should make the family room and dining room comfortable when the outside temps are into the mid 80's.


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## ledbetter (Jul 1, 2021)

Poppy said:


> Good job scout24! Regular exercise is something that is definitely missing in my preps. It is something that I need to get going. I'd wager that with dropping 25 pounds, with exercise, that you'll be able to get off of those meds.
> 
> Losing weight, regular exercise, and eating right are all great lifestyle choices to improve health but rx’s for chronic ailments for middle age or older people are highly effective for lengthening lifespan even if they come with some side effects. It’s pretty unlikely to ever get off of them, and it’s good to remember that we’re lucky to have these drugs. Of course, they can be expensive and some people aren’t the best patients so to each his own.


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## Owen (Jul 1, 2021)

scout24 said:


> So, self-preservation as a prep. Highly recommended.


Self-preservation would probably dictate not getting in that kind of shape to begin with, but it's great that you've stuck with it.
I could stand to drop 20 myself, though that'd be more about aesthetics than fitness.


My "epically brutal" trip plan has turned into something that's even more exciting(though a bit scary) to contemplate after discovering a known route through an area I would not have otherwise attempted to navigate, and adding it to the mix.
Lord willing that the weather cooperates and I don't aggravate a bunch of screwed up discs, I'll do it, just hope 12 more weeks of training will be enough that it won't be some test of manhood sufferfest kind of thing. Part of the appeal is that it's a huge challenge, but I do want to enjoy it, not just survive it. It's a vacation, after all!
On day 6 of training right now, and weight loss is not even a consideration at the moment, as I need fuel for energy and recovery while my body gets accustomed to such a drastically increased level of activity. That usually takes ~3wks. Trying to lower my bodyfat % at the same time would be counterproductive, so it can wait.
It used to take me 3wks to get back to 100%. Now it takes 3wks to be able to _start_ doing what I consider "real" workouts.
What I really need to lose is about 30 years:ironic:


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## Owen (Jul 3, 2021)

All up in the prep, right now! I love making lists, checking gear and tools, and researching for adventures, so have been going around with a big grin all morning.

The internet can be such an awesome resource. Not only did I find an overview of the "Weminuche Highline" earlier in the week, but last night I stumbled onto a Youtube video with 10 minutes devoted to the exact route(the only 1 of 3 that I had no real beta on) that I had added on to my existing trip plan. So much better than just staring at a topo with my imagination running wild!

AND, I volunteered to do some work that required a bunch of tools I seldom use any more, which always gets me excited for some reason.
So I've got a trunk full of favorite tools in my car, and NatGeo maps spread out in my living room floor.
Even threw in one of my Papaw's Starrett straight edges, just because using anything of his makes me smile.
That thing's probably 20yrs older than I am...


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## ledbetter (Jul 3, 2021)

Some wise person once said, “The key to happiness is looking forward to something.” And prepping for a trip definitely qualifies. My wife almost enjoys planning a trip as much as being on the vacation. So enjoying the process adds to the experience once you’re there. I have a hard time picking which flashlights to take! Look forward to seeing more pics.


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## Poppy (Jul 5, 2021)

Owen, listening to your stories and reading your preps, makes me smile 

Today, I started playing with my Kill A Watt, measuring the wattage demands of various things in the house.

One thing that surprised me was my gas fired clothes dryer. It only draws 200 watts running (spinning clothes) but takes an additional 400 watts for the igniter to heat up and ignite the gas, so that's a total of 600 watts. The igniter draws power intermittently.

Another thing that surprised me was my 5 cu ft chest freezer. It was new at the beginning of covid. It only draws 60 watts when it is actively cooling, and there is no surge.


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## Owen (Jul 6, 2021)

ledbetter said:


> Some wise person once said, “The key to happiness is looking forward to something.”


For sure. I feel sorry for people who don't have anything they're passionate about, and actively pursue. I was that way for a whole decade, and sure would like to have that time back! So many more places I could have been...



Poppy said:


> Owen, listening to your stories and reading your preps,makes me smile


Thanks. I try not to go on to the point of being tiresome, but do have an awful lot of enthusiasm these days!



btw, anyone prepping for a trip better be paying attention to the rental car shortage, and current prices. 
It varies a lot by location. I'm looking at $1230 in Salt Lake City if I go back to the Uintas, while the same car for the same dates is $598 in Seattle if I go check out the Cascades. Hmmm. Never been to Washington before...


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## Owen (Jul 12, 2021)

Though there's a cloud of uncertainty surrounding destinations for my first fall trip out West, due to current conditions and questions about rental car availability, I'm pretty much locked into a return trip to the most remote section of the Colorado Rockies for the second(perhaps only?) one in late September.
These are always 7 days/6 nights, and last time there was so much room left in my 58L pack, even on day 1, that I wondered if I couldn't have gotten away with my 38L. 




Now my shelter gets carried inside the pack, and the highly variable weather means a few items that I'd otherwise consider optional become somewhat mandatory, so I wasn't sure if the smaller pack would work.
Only one way to find out!




Had to use the removable toplid that I prefer to do without, but the 38L it is!
'Course if this ends up being my only "big trip", gets a few days added to it, and requires the bigger pack, that's also ok



A different kind of prep, but my habit of getting offtrail in sketchy places results in a rough life for the trekking poles. The recent death of a second lower shaft replacement resulted in the purchase of 4 more. 




That thing'll be getting some of the new scraped off it tomorrow


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## scout24 (Jul 14, 2021)

Owen said:


> Self-preservation would probably dictate not getting in that kind of shape to begin with, but it's great that you've stuck with it.
> I could stand to drop 20 myself, though that'd be more about aesthetics than fitness.



Your thoughts were noted. :ironic:


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## Owen (Jul 17, 2021)

Having to train on the exercise bike just to get the sit bones ready to train on the training bike took a bit longer, but has also been more enjoyable, than anticipated.
Today's prep was 90 minutes of nonstop spinning and sweating that ended with a smile and no discomfort, so I guess it's time to get the pre/mid/post ride supplements out, and see how 50 miles of "see where I stand" on a rail trail goes.
Quite slowly, I imagine, but just the prospect of getting out there and doing it makes me happy.
Mountain biking, sure, but I'm surprised by how much I'm looking forward to riding, period, even on pavement.


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## bignc (Jul 20, 2021)

Good job, Scout! Whether it’s staying in physical shape in the first place (either weight gain issues OR testosterone fueled overtraining and overuse injuries- and I’ve certainly done both) fighting unfavorable genes or other unforeseen problems, I am reading in many different places about MINDSET and it’s criticality as a component of survival. In fact, one of the knuckle-draggers I follow or listen to said guys with extra body fat complete Ranger School in more comfort than less fluffy peers but that successful completion of any body type seemed to be directly related to mindset- or psychopathy. 

So my plan is a little fluff, a little tough and a TON of crazy!


Owen, thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas and planning!


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## Owen (Jul 22, 2021)

Prepping the shelter with longer guylines, so it can be pitched higher for better ventilation.
I first bought a MLD Solomid XL strictly for occasional use as my "bomb shelter" in places where adverse conditions were common, after getting run out of the High Uintas by a forecast for 33-49mph winds with 75mph gusts. Can't say I'd stick around for that, even with a more wind-worthy shelter, but I wanted something that had a chance of surviving it if I ever got caught by surprise.
When my Tarptent Notch finally wore out, I bought the mesh inner for the MLD, and it became my general purpose shelter, too. Never got around to adding full-length guylines, though.





Someone actually asked me about this, recently-they were trying to clean the floor of their freestanding tent with a Shop-Vac
I shouldn't laugh too much, because I tried the same thing once upon a time...
Anyway, all you have to do is turn your inner/tent body inside out, and give it a shake.


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## Hooked on Fenix (Jul 26, 2021)

When I used to go backpacking, I went with an Integral Designs Bug Tent and a Silguides Tarp. Sometimes I’d go lighter if I brought a partner and replace the tarp with 2 Silponchos that I sewed velcro on one end of each (they attached together to make an 8 by 10 foot tarp).Anyway, with the Silguides Tarp and Bug Tent, I could use just the bug tent for warm or windy days, use the tarp for shade or a cooking shelter, or use the tarp as a bivy sack in bad weather. Don’t bring gear that has only one purpose, and plan for contingencies.


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## Owen (Jul 29, 2021)

Ramping things up with 8 weeks to go, unless I head back to UT before going to CO the last week of September.
I've gotten so inspired by binge-watching the 2019 Eco-Challenge in Fiji that I'm exercising between double shifts when I should be sleeping(doubt that'll last long!).
Y'all should watch that race. ALL of the people they focused on made me want to do more, and be better, at *everything* in my life, not just outdoor pursuits. Every single one of them...
I've also been watching Becca "Little Skittle"(who it turns out has been hiking with a friend of a friend of mine) on youtube as she does a SOBO thruhike of the CDT.
Beautiful young lady, and I want to get my god-daughter to watch her videos.
I wonder what the odds of meeting her are, as I'll be using the CDT to connect my loop in a couple of months, and maybe hiking out to The Window and Rio Grande Pyramid.
That would be so cool.

Training hike day before yesterday.




Ugh. Might ought to get my diet straight and drop that extra 20lbs if I'm gonna run around in tights

2hrs on the stationary bike yesterday before a double shift...




Then a training hike today after going home for a couple of hours.





Only doing right at 5 miles, due to time constraints and my Achilles deciding to stage some kind of protest, but increased the pace to 1:06:01 today, which means I'm jogging on gentler downhills and uphills.

Never thought I'd be buying running tights, but I got some UnderArmour ones on impulse, and have to say that I LOVE these things. The way I'm built and the way they're cut, I wouldn't be embarrassed to wear them alone, but so far I've been erring on the side of decency.
Mid 90s and heat index ~108, wonderfully comfortable. I don't feel hot, or even notice that I'm sweating. They're magical!

And, no, I'm not the least bit manic from sleep deprivation!


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## Owen (Aug 7, 2021)

Lots of prep today, between logistics, a workout, and a training hike.

I'm having a lot of uncharacteristic self-doubt about my CO trip plan, so have not only planned an alternate in case conditions don't allow it, but established two bailout points where I can get back to a trail if I've bitten off more than I can chew.

The shuttle for my trip will be the Durango-Silverton train that I last took in 2014. The "limo" service(blacked out Mercedes sedan-totally cracked me up arriving at a TH in that thing) I used in 2018 drops you off at a pass the highway goes over, and adds ~15 miles total of hiking to and from the road.
That was fine, and a necessity when the railroad was down for the count after a mudslide took out some track, but I love the train ride, and look forward to doing it again.



Now that's a sweet shuttle! The ride hasn't changed, but they're currently using an ugly yellow diesel engine for the run with stops for backpackers at a pair of wilderness access points.
The 1920s vintage steam one was super cool.

Really putting the hammer down on physical prep at 6wks out.
Down 5lbs in the last 12 days, but only started my "weight loss phase" 3 days ago. Lots of veggies, zero dairy or added sugar, massive calorie deficit, and the majority of my carb and protein intake centered around pre and post workout or training hikes. Figured I'd drop ~17 more before heading to CO. Maybe so, but that's still not top priority.
Whatever it takes to get me through the 50-75 mile bike rides and 30+ mile overnighters coming up...


"Tested" Oakley Prizm Trail Torch lenses on today's hike. You know you're into it when you get trail-specific glasses!




Wish I'd gotten the smaller version of these XL lenses(Oakley Flak 2.0 XL), but they do give better contrast than what I normally use.
Gear testing is my favorite kind of prep!


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## Poppy (Aug 7, 2021)

We had a loved member here, WoodsWalker, who sadly passed away. He often tested/demonstrated a variety of camping equipment. Your posts remind me of his.


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## Owen (Aug 9, 2021)

Sunday(after church, before double shift):
1hr Cybex Arc Trainer, max incline without knees going past parallel, level 100 of 100

An hour later, as I went to make my first round at work, my back decided it needed to have its first episode in months, and I could barely stand or walk.
I stopped for coffee ~8am, and by the time I got home, was getting around pretty well. By 9am, my legs were pumping when I was just standing in place, wanting to go, go, go, and by 9:30am I was starting my first lap of the local trails where I used to mountain bike a lot, and have a loop right at 5 miles.

Today: training hike; 10 miles in 2hr 40min
Not bad for someone who couldn't put weight on their left leg 2hrs before starting!

I've never really trained for hiking, except doing 6 miles of steep hills every morning for a few weeks before my first trip to Utah over a decade ago.
Visualizing the huge climbs I'll have to do on this CO trip while working out has turned into an addiction. I guess that's a good thing, given my objective.
Part of me wishes I had a whole 'nother year to get ready, but I'll try to keep making the most of the available time!


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## Owen (Aug 16, 2021)

Route planning/familiarization...










...and something a little different. If you're going to order a lot of stuff online, packing tape and materials are a good thing to have on hand. Wrong items sent, plus a DBPower li-ion jumpstarter(more prep!) with defective function switch going back.




Convenient that I taped this stuff up on the counter where my protein and some preworkouts I've been testing were. At least for me, that ENGNSHRED on the left is the absolute fire. Came off the Arc Trainer after pounding for an hour, and felt like I hadn't really done anything(!).
Definitely taking some of that stuff to the mountains. Climbing fuel!


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## Owen (Aug 20, 2021)

Just a little over 1hr on the bike, yesterday(since I came in 8hrs early for an unexpected double shift), and debating between 1.5hrs of Arc Trainer plus yard work or a 15 mile "training hike" after work.
edit: Or maybe just another hour on the bike before a nap. These COVID shots making people sick are gonna have me at 80hrs this week, when I was only expecting 56...

For some strange reason, I downloaded some maps for the High Uintas, and checked prices for flights and rental cars 2 weeks before leaving for CO. Rental car's dropped by $320...hmmm.

Water filtration "upgrade"; at least I hope it's an upgrade, and doesn't clog up. My friend switched from Sawyer to Katadyn BeFree a few years ago, and sent me one to try out. Having filled up his HydraPak Seeker water bag for him a couple of times when we went to CO together in 2018, I remembered how convenient its larger opening was compared the Evernew bags I use with the Sawyer Squeeze and Micro, and got a 2L version for the BeFree.


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## The-David (Aug 20, 2021)

I started riding my moutian bike to work 2 2 miles one way. I am almost to 100 miles sense I started!

Bought a lot of the speciality tools for working on bikes and have been learning about maintaining my own.


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## Owen (Aug 24, 2021)

My training hikes have all been under tree cover, and my Arc Trainer and stationary bike workouts all in an air conditioned gym or house. Today, I decided to cover up like I was hiking above treeline, and "train" in direct sunlight, leaving the riding mower in the basement, in favor of the small push mower that I use for under my deck, around shrubs and stuff.
92F/64% humidity(108F heat index again). 
4.5hrs, excluding 10min breaks whenever the mower ran out of gas, 1 preworkout, 2 intraworkouts, 4 electrolyte tabs, 3 bananas, and ~7L of water later, I weighed the exact same as at the start, and would have been hopping on the stationary bike for a while if it weren't already past my bedtime. 
Definitely taking the mixer cup and some powdered go juice to the mountains(maybe the High Uintas, after all, as well as the Rockies)!
I like it, the lawn mower thing. Much more like actual hiking, which being on a ridge with the yard slanting a bit in two directions also contributes to. Done weekly, it'd have little or no benefit on its own, just like a weekly hike with no other exercise, but a great sub for a shorter and more intense workout in a 5-6 day per week routine.
And it's a win-win since my grass got cut
Whether I do a long hike, or finally get the real bike out for an actual ride tomorrow, it's bound to be more pleasant than pushing that @#&! lawnmower around!


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## Owen (Aug 24, 2021)

The-David said:


> Bought a lot of the speciality tools for working on bikes and have been learning about maintaining my own.


I've got to get a new rear wheel if it turns out I'm able to mountain bike again, and mount up an old one with a 21mm IW rim in the meantime to try out. Not risking my back flaring up with backpacking trips right around the corner, but I'm hopeful about getting back into it. Most fun thing ever, IMO.

May regret selling off a new drivetrain for the mtb, and a bunch of tools, particularly the Park Tool rear derailleur hanger alignment gauge. Don't know what I was thinking selling that one, 'cause it's nice to have for any geared bike with a RD. 
I prefer singlespeed for mountain biking the Appalachian foothills around here, though.
Makes every ride a HIIT workout. Doesn't keep your feet tough for hiking(as I discovered the hard way!), but fitness certainly ceases to be an issue when you're hitting the trails 3-5x per week.


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## Poppy (Aug 24, 2021)

Last year, the first time I mowed the lawn at this house, I discovered that the deck of my push mower started to rot out, and the right rear wheel was tilted and dragging on the side of the housing. That coupled with really tough zoysia grass, made pushing the mower through, more of a work-out than I wanted.

So my prep for mowing the grass the rest of the summers was.... buy a riding mower!


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## Owen (Aug 24, 2021)

They're a time saver, for sure! I had always used a (larger)pushmower, which took ~3hrs, for the exercise. ~3yrs ago, I realized that I could mow my grass with a riding mower, AND get in a couple laps of the local mtb trail that I've been using for training hikes in almost the same amount of time, and it was a done deal!


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## Poppy (Aug 27, 2021)

That's a nice looking machine. I had to get a smaller one with a 30 inch cut to fit through the gate so I can do both front and back yards. Yesterday, it was so hot and humid, that I worked up a sweat, turning the steering wheel 

Last week, I saw my neighbor doing his lawn, he was drenched head to toe pushing his mower. He wasn't dogging it, so I think that he is appreciating the work-out. Yesterday, after doing my front lawn, I was tempted to do his front lawn, but didn't because I didn't want to be presumptive (thinking that I was being helpful).


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## Owen (Aug 28, 2021)

All I see in that pic is my Canfield Riot!
Want to get that thing back out so bad it's killing me.
Building it cost quite a bit more than twice as much as the Husqvarna did, and I haven't been able to bring myself to sell or part it out.

More of the same for physical prep, but now I've got plane and rental car reservations for Utah, plus train(wilderness access) tickets and hotel reservations coming and going for Colorado
Shelling out the dinero being my least favorite part of prep, but you've gotta pay to play...
Starting to get really fired up, now!


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## bykfixer (Aug 29, 2021)

My prep today was hydrate for the upcoming week of August heat south of the Mason/Dixon line. 

Nothing special, just make sure by Monday my output does not look like Mountain Dew, or gin but somewhere in between. Doc says straw color is best. I presume that to mean wheat straw, not the plastic bendy type. 

During the week foods with electrolites are on the menu to suppliment water and low-to-no sugar sports drinks.


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## idleprocess (Aug 31, 2021)

I'm re-evaluating the contents of my bug-out bag and car kits. Started today by discarding the ... _years_ ... expired bottled water within and replacing with fresh stock. The other contents will need additional consideration.

The _*bug-out bag*_ will be something I can grab if I expect to leave the house under uncertain conditions - either by vehicle or on foot and should have enough to sustain me for 3 days - more if I can procure consumables.

The _*car kits*_ will be for more mundane issues such as getting stuck somewhere, whatever roadside minor repairs I might attempt as a shade-tree-mechanic-in-training and possibly as a short-notice travel kit should I need to make a road trip to my aging parents' house *NOW *with but enough time to slap my work bag together then hit the road.

The present arrangement of both genre are kind of ... shopping list ... and have never been tested. The bug-out bag in particular is probably too heavy with some functional gaps in its contents.


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## Owen (Sep 6, 2021)

🎶🎺It's the Final Countdown!!🎺🎶🎸🥁 
Guess since I found my favorite little Windstopper gloves, I won't have to call this whole thing off, after all! 

28#, packed as if for CO with >10# food, 4.2# water. I'll actually be carrying at least 6-7# less in UT, as water is plentiful and it's split into 2 separate 3-4 day outings. 
Probably way overpacked on food, either way, but if my feet and back cooperate, both trips will be higher mileage and much more strenuous than usual, so I'm carrying an extra 1600cal per day to be on the safe side. 
There was some temptation to take my fair weather Hexamid tarp to shed weight. Decided the last two trips to the desert may have lulled me into a false sense of security, though. 
Besides, that would be kind of stupid, since I'm going back to the very place whose violent weather changes prompted me to buy the MLD Solomid XL for my "bomb shelter" to begin with🙄 
Still got it all in the 38L pack without needing the packlid!


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## Poppy (Sep 6, 2021)

A friend of mine hiked the Appalachian Trail AT and ended up getting most of his caloric intake from peanut butter and bread.


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## Owen (Sep 7, 2021)

Yep, and horrible as that is, the people eating mostly sweets on a thru are even worse off. 
That's something that gets less attention than it should, IMO. Sustaining unsustainable diet models deficient in macronutrients for months on end, and the repercussions of malnutrition, insulin resistance, and chronically elevated cortisol.
What's a shame is that even when they have a chance to every 3-5 days, thruhikers typically gorge on pizza and crap like that, rather than taking the opportunity to get some real food. 
It's pretty much a given that your diet is going to suck when you're struggling to get enough calories, though.


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## idleprocess (Sep 13, 2021)

Pulled the bugout bag and conducted inventory. Not as heavy as I thought _(with 2.8L of bottled water no less)_ at 32lb - sans some things that won't be going back - but still needs some re-engineering:

The survival rations had _just_ expired (since replaced)
The bottled water had _long_ expired (since replaced)
It seems that Polar Pure (crystalized iodine in a clever bottle) is no longer considered good water treatment - a shame since it has indefinite shelf life, but I've dealt with leakage from the bottle more than once now :/
I should consider clothing needs beyond skivvies, undershirt, socks
Outerwear should probably consist of more than a pretty basic rainsuit that will doubtlessly leave me as wet within as without should I have to do more than just ... stand ... in the rain
A Surefire G2 with extra cells and an extra lamp may well prove highly reliable, but the economy of operation less so
An extremely old-school Fenix 1xAA flashlight _(likely their first model - with a *Luxeon I*)_ might also be a tad uneconomical despite the tailcap mod that allows for low-high operation
I'm not going to bother with glowsticks going forward
The first aid kit is kinda cr_p and the medicinal contents surely expired
I should swap the fireplace lighter for multiple plain Bic lighters
_The Wirecutter_ has some reasonable ideas, but I think I'll be using _The Prepared's_ guide instead aiming for at least a level 2 loadout. Even before reading the site I had some ideas about priority bag systems, mostly centering around priorities when packing a car if I needed to escape the region for some reason _and bring the pets along_.


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## orbital (Sep 14, 2021)

+

Thought about the whole *bug out & prep* thing many times over the years in CPF.
Never thought it was my_ plan_.

If our grid & communications go down full stop & things change dramatically, worst case situation,,, I'm going to defend my home & everything I'v built over my lifetime.
This might sound like I'm trying to come across as a badass, I'm not.
Where the hell am I going to go?? Sit under a tree somewhere while a carload of loosers rip me off.
I'd never be able to sit there & think about it, it'd drive me nuts.

Then, I now have a house that's labeled as a easy target.. No f**ing way I would let that happen.

I have the means to fully defend & it be known I'm *very much* not an easy target. period.
(my friends would back me, as I'd back them)

_edit: fixed a couple typos'_


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## idleprocess (Sep 14, 2021)

orbital said:


> Thought about the whole *bug out & prep* thing many times over the years in CPF.
> Never thought it was my_ plan_.


It's not my main plan either. However there are numerous plausible scenarios where I might not have the choice. Ideally in any of those scenarios I've got at least day of warning that I need to leave - ideally _days_ of warning - to pack up the vehicle and vacate the region and the BOB is merely the first thing that gets loaded. But there's also the possibility that I won't have that much warning and must walk out limited to what I can carry.



orbital said:


> If our grid & communications go down full stop & things change dramatically, worst case situation,,, I'm going to defend my home & everything I'v built over my lifetime.


I don't know about your situation, but I live in a pretty typical patch of DFW suburbia : ⅛ acre lot, ~30' front setback ~20' between houses, partial wooden _shared_ privacy fences between lots. In isolation, my property is hardly _defensible_ if things get squiggly. 

Could the neighborhood band together if things go pear-shaped? Sure, but a reality of suburbia is isolation - people tend not to know each other very well _and like it that way_. In an era where 'preparedness' is seen as having a car charger for your phone and a AAA membership and knocks on the door are seen as suspicious at best it's apt to be difficult to organize my neighbors.

I can harden my property to discourage those inclined to burgle the premises during normal times - add sufficient points to the _time_ and _noise_ metrics so as to make the calculus _unfavorable_. The same methods would be advantageous for some scenarios where order has broken down as well. But there are serious limits when the threat of the _gendarmerie_ being summoned is empty and it's just me vs an organized group.


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## orbital (Sep 14, 2021)

+

I should add this, daily my 'prep' is trying to keep organized.

..although, almost obsessively now, I'm thinking about *energy*.


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## Poppy (Sep 14, 2021)

My general plan is to stay in place. But there are scenarios that it might be more prudent to leave. One in particular is a dirty bomb. Or a blown up nuclear reactor.

Considering:
1. that the winds generally blow from West to East, and South West to North East,
2. that I live about 10 miles west of NYC 
3. there is a nuclear plant about 60 miles South of me.
4. there are other nuclear plants maybe 30 miles from me but they are North East.

The prevailing winds should scatter radiation East of me, and I should be OK, but it might be prudent to "Go West my man!"


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## bignc (Sep 14, 2021)

With a family in tow or left at home, I usually focus on a Get Home Bag (always in the truck and supplemented by my laptop/ EDC bag) or a Stay home bag (out of town but with the whole family.) But, I do leave my actual backpacking pack full of alot of the camping items I rely on. In a "situation" I could repack the BOB with items from the GHB and EDC bag, add clothing items and food as needed and roll. 30 minutes? If it was a get out now scenario, I have the GHB in the truck already, and I can just grab my roll-out/ active shooter kit for my AR (s) and grab one or more firearm options. 

Recently, I have been completely refurbishing all of our entry level Trek and Specialized mountain bikes. They needed new tires and wheels and cables and seats and handlebars. $250 of stuff and they work as good as new. (nothing like Owen's stuff but good to get away or whatever.)


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## orbital (Sep 14, 2021)

+

Having a small portable gas generator, one that's easy to carry~move around~throw in the car/truck,
is not a terrible thing to own.

If I absolutely had to split, it would be in the car.

_______________________________________________>
Guessing you all know this already, thought I'd say it again


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## scout24 (Sep 14, 2021)

I'll add two cents: There's an old adage that says you only own what you can carry at a dead run. Having left the comfort of my home after waking from a deep sleep at 4:15am finding it on fire, I have to concur. It was literally 90 seconds from under the covers to standing in my driveway watching it go up in flames. Since that morning, I leave a bit more in my detached garage and both of our vehicles than I used to. Eggs, basket and all. A bag with the necessities for your envisioned situation tucked away outside of your dwelling is a very good plan regardless of your intentions. Life has a way of happening, like it or not. I still have the bulk of my "supplies" in my house, but have things ready to grab and go, as well as what's secured outside. Now's the time to inventory and update, we're coming into cooler weather so food shouldn't spoil as quickly. I leave a six pack of bottled water in my truck over the winter, never had one rupture. The bottles flex and expand with the freeze/thaw cycle. Try one or two in the freezer first but you should be good to go.


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## chaoss (Sep 14, 2021)

Cardio with a heavy load out, trying to prepare for anywhere-anytime.
Because you don’t get to choose either one.


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## Owen (Sep 19, 2021)

Last minute prep for my next trip. After having a lot of foot issues over the past week, and pretty much every step hurting for ~80 miles of hiking(that would have otherwise been as much as 114), I waited until 3 days out to finalize my flight and hotel reservations for the first and last days, coming and going, and buy food for the trip.

Airfare was only ~$70 higher than if I'd paid weeks ago, and the hotel said I was on whatever rewards program after staying there twice before, so my room was $60 cheaper than expected for the 2 nights. Ok!

New puffy that I've held off on buying for several years was delivered to my parents' house while I was gone, and they brought it when picking me up from the airport on Wednesday. 
New shoes arriving Monday, last available flight without paying a lot more flying out Tuesday morning, less than 3hrs after getting off work. Can't cut it much closer than that!
Good thing "barefoot" shoes don't need a breakin, and are good to go straight out of the box...
It's all come together really well.

Gotta love the Rockies. If I stick with plan A, I'll leave home at 699' elevation Tuesday, and be camped at 13,100' Wednesday😃


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## Poppy (Sep 19, 2021)

Owen,
Good luck with your trip. I hope you have fun.

I'm looking forward to your pictures.


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## Owen (Sep 19, 2021)

Thanks, I can't wait to take them. Probably just smartphone pics this time, no camera, since I'm likely going full weight weenie on this one.


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## vicv (Sep 19, 2021)

Played some red dead redemption 2 today. Working on my shooting skills and equestrianism


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## Poppy (Sep 19, 2021)

I used to shoot DCM matches 200 and 300 yards, iron sights. The last time I went shooting with my brother we used his scoped 308 at 500 yards. I squeezed off a shot and he called it 9:00 6 inches to the left. I held 6 inches to the right and squeezed off a shot. Bullseye!!!

I squeezed off another shot. Another Bullseye!!!

I'm done!
Don't you want to shoot anymore?
Nope... (thinking to myself, you know your going to pull the next one, quit while you are ahead.) No thanks... I don't want to make you feel bad.

Actually I have seen him shoot golf balls at 500 yards.


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## Poppy (Sep 22, 2021)

I tried my hand at pickling eggplant today.






I need to use a different recipe


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## Poppy (Sep 25, 2021)

I started my generators yesterday and let them run for a few minutes.

This weekend, I might lube and start my snow blower. I think I need to adjust the governor on it, because it wasn't running quite right last year. When I reinstalled the carburetor, last year, I may not have put the governor back in the correct spot, although I took a picture of it before hand.

I saw a youtube video of how to set it, and it seems easy enough.


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## scout24 (Sep 30, 2021)

Rotated my in-vehicle just-in-case morale boost and sustenance ammo can (critter proof...) today. 10 oatmeal packs, 4 chicken noodle soup packs, 6 granola bars, 8 hot chocolate packs, some sugar packs and powdered creamer packs. 10 instant coffee packs and 10 tea bags, too. MSR Pocket Rocket stove, 8oz fuel canister, metal cup, two sporks, bic lighter and a Sawyer Mini water filter. Fits under the seat of my truck, with other things that may come in handy if weather prevents travel and I'm out and about. I keep 4 16oz plastic water bottles down there too, they expand nicely when frozen and don't leak. Been carrying them for many winters. (Not the same ones, I do rotate.)


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## Poppy (Oct 9, 2021)

Winter is coming, and so is the prequel to "The Game of Thrones" 

1. I turned the pilot back ON for my furnace, no sense in waiting until we NEED heat, and have the thermocouple fail to keep the pilot supplied with gas.

2. I have a big bay window that allows many, many, solar BTUs to heat my house. In the Summer, I electrostatically stuck a mylar emergency blanket to the lower 2/3rds of it. The top 1/3rd was shaded by the roof overhang. That made a significant difference in helping to keep the house cool, especially when the AC unit was struggling in the multiple 94+ heat waves we had this summer. At any rate, last week we pulled the blanket off of the windows. They came right off, no mess what-so-ever. We'll certainly do it again next summer.


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## Booga (Oct 10, 2021)

I'm off to Scotland in a few weeks so really should test out my new tent (Lanshan 1) and make sure I can put it up, no parts are missing etc before I get there. We're planing on staying in mountain shelters but it's always wise to take a tent just in case they are really busy or the roof's blown off in a storm or something.

I've stocked up on sachets of dried vegetables which are great for adding to camping food to add some flavour. Lidl supermarket sell them but only in the one week a year that they have a whole extra ailse of Italian style food so I tend to buy a few packs to see me through the year. They have a pretty long shelf life.

I'm also thinking of buying a gas powered parabolic heater like this one:
https://www.camperite.co.uk/kampa-glow-1-parabolic-heater/
No I won't be using it in a tent, but in a stone shelter it could add a bit of heat. Does anyone have experience with them?


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## Poppy (Oct 10, 2021)

It says: _Perfect for *fishing bivvies and smaller tents* when mains hook up is not available and you need to take the chill out the air._

I imagine that it might be good to warm your hands, or face, but NOT a stone shelter.

You'd probably do better to use a single burner stove to heat soup or hot chocolate to heat yourself up on the inside.

I used a much bigger version in a unheated, (I am going to guess, 20' x 20' ) garage when it was 15 - 25 degrees F outside. It raised the temperature some, but it was still cold enough to continue to wear insulated coveralls.









Dyna-Glo Single Burner 15,000 BTU Radiant Tank Top Propane Portable Heater TT15000M - The Home Depot


The Dyna-Glo TT15000M Single Burner Tank Top Heater generates infrared radiant heat that warms people and objects rather than the air. It is a portable heating solution that is perfect for indoor (with



www.homedepot.com


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## Stefano (Oct 10, 2021)

Today I applied some household aluminum foil to the outside windows.
My bedroom faces north and is exposed to strong winds even though the glass is thick and thermal, the room is colder than the others.
This is just an experiment, I am not very satisfied because of the noise, with the internal window closed you can hardly hear it but the wind moves the aluminum.
I came up with this idea because I saw a video that the German government is releasing right now to prepare people for blackouts, in this video you can see an elderly woman with no electricity in the house lighting up by lighting candles, applying a space blanket on the windows and warm up with a candle placed inside a ceramic vase (strange message ... do they want to prepare us for something?)

I have a lot of space blankets but I have not sacrificed one of them for this, now I want to see tonight if the noise of the aluminum moving with the wind bothers me otherwise I will use a semi-transparent adhesive plastic that I could put on the outside of the glass or maybe the instead of aluminum.
The ambient thermometer in the room will tell me if these sheets are useful but I think so.


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## Poppy (Oct 10, 2021)

Cody Lundin wrote a book entitled 98.6 degrees, the art of keeping your *** alive. In it there is a chapter about using survival blankets and other types of insulation, newspapers etc for keeping warm in emergency situations. He does mention taping survival blankets to the walls, to reflect heat back in.


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## orbital (Oct 10, 2021)

+

Making some DC powered filament led lights {Really an individual light, but I'm going to make a few}
I'll power it @ 17V via a 4 cell lithium pack for my lamppost up by my garage. _If power is out_
*Always want light up there.*

Picked up some ceramic bases, some 'returned' 12V filament bulbs (someone couldn't figure them out)
solder on a connector for the 4-cell, bit if shrink tube & that's it.

Amp draw was a small question, but I'm confident its really low.. I will do a test run first checking voltage after say 6hr, then at 10hr.


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## Poppy (Oct 11, 2021)

Orbital,
Pictures please.


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## orbital (Oct 12, 2021)

+

Poppy, maybe I talked it up more than what it really is.
Basically it's lamp guts;;; but without the lamp or shade lol

bulk ceramic socket, led filament bulb, nothing special wires; but instead of going to AC, it'll be to DC.
The battery will be 10Ah @ 16V DC
I'll try to clean up the build & it'll be placed in my lamppost, probably hanging down (I'll take out the bulbs in there, cover the AC sockets & hang the DC light)
...waiting on some parts now.

If power is out, just need some light up there w/ a freestanding light,,,_ I really dig filament led bulbs_
(been running some outside for several years that are still going strong)


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## Poppy (Nov 2, 2021)

Winter is coming and tonight we have our first frost warning.
I have some ambition today, so my plans for today are:
1. disconnect and drain my garden hoses, 
2. turn off the water supply to the outside, and blow out the lines. (don't want frozen and split pipes like last year!)
3. tarp off the attic fan, and close the windows up there. (there are soffit vents and two additional vents at the peak, so there will be enough ventilation that condensation shouldn't be a problem)


Maybe, I'll clear the rain gutters, and rake up some leaves, although that'll be a bit of an exercise in futility, because there are MANY leaves that are still to fall. Still, I don't like it looking messy out there.


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## idleprocess (Nov 2, 2021)

Poppy said:


> Winter is coming


Until last February's freak storm, this used to just be the stuff of memes in Texas.



Poppy said:


> 1. disconnect and drain my garden hoses,
> 2. turn off the water supply to the outside, and blow out the lines. (don't want frozen and split pipes like last year!)


Probably about time for me to do this, although this will mostly amount to applying a frost cap since there's no consideration for winterization on outdoor spigots in this region.


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## Poppy (Nov 2, 2021)

Why does every project have to become a real Freaking project?

Well, I am glad that I decided to do this early, and not wait until it is 16 degrees out. My plumber put the shut off valve in the wrong spot, and I sprayed water all over the laundry room trying to connect my compressor. 

I tarped off the front of the fan duct, only to discover that it is not ducted to the outside, just near to a screen, about 4 inches away. I guess I have to properly duct it.

idleprocess, I've used frost caps, and they do help/work.


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## idleprocess (Nov 2, 2021)

Poppy said:


> idleprocess, I've used frost caps, and they do help/work.


Prevented damage to - but not the ultimate freezing of - my outdoor spigots this February. A little quality time with a heat gun thawed them out without further issue. I suspect that between the cheap nature of the products sold locally and the design of local structures favoring heat mitigation over cold protection that's about the best I can expect of the product _genre_, last February being a bit of a black swan event.


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## Poppy (Nov 6, 2021)

I tarped over the hole in the wall for the attic fan; that was much quicker than making a duct from the fan to the wall. Maybe come spring time... probably not.

One weather report said we are going to have a low of 32 degrees F last night, and another report predicted a low of 25F. Thankfully, my plumber came over last night and installed a valve in the feed line for the outside faucets. I think that when he did the job initially, he just got himself all turned around, and put the valve in the wrong spot. Certainly that has happened to me in the past.

So... 20 minutes, he was in and out. He used a squeeze on fitting, no need to solder. 1/2 inch propress ball valve.






When he was finished, I blew out the lines, and then pumped in RV antifreeze into the line that I had the problem with last winter into this spring. I let that drain out, so that if there is a low spot in the run of pipe, it will have antifreeze in it, and not water.

I slept better last night, not thinking about frozen water lines.


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## Poppy (Nov 7, 2021)

These quick connect air hose couplings are handy dandy connectors.






I had my plumber install one between the shut off valve and the outside faucets of my house, so I can connect my compressor to blow out the lines so I don't have a freezing issue. Like the pros blow out underground sprinkler systems.

I also cut the hose of my hand pump garden sprayer, and put a quick disconnect in it.





This way, I can connect the sprayer, (Filled with RV antifreeze) to the air purge connection to the outside faucets. Then I can pump the antifreeze into the line. 

I calculated for a 40 foot run of half inch pipe, it would take about 52 ounces of fluid. 
pi = 3.14 
r squared = .25 x .25 inches
1 foot = 12 inches
3.14*.25*.25*12 = 2.355 cubic inches per foot of run

1 inch cubed = 0.554 liquid ounces

2.355 * 0.554 = 1.30 ounces per foot of run.

40 * 1.30 = 52 ounces.


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## idleprocess (Nov 12, 2021)

Monthly generator test. Since there's no HVAC whatsoever running I just switched on pretty much all the 120V circuits save for the garbage disposal and washer then flipped on ECO.

Think I'll experiment with shutting one unit off in about 30 minutes and seeing how the system behaves; I don't expect much more than for the other unit to throttle up.

EDIT: The system _behaves as expected_. It runs the furnace + fan without complaint and a single generator shutting under moderate load did not trip the other generator. Short of knowing to listen for the sound, it wasn't very loud on the other side of the fence and all but indistinguishable from background halfway to the street.


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## Poppy (Nov 12, 2021)

I recall that sound was a particular concern for you. I am happy to hear that they are particularly quiet. Just a reminder... there is a particular video that demonstrates how directing the sound towards the ground with a piece of sheet rock, plywood, or door, makes a significant reduction of sound. 

I still haven't tested either of my two units under a real life situation test. It just seems that each time I want to do it, my daughter is out of the house, and her computer is always ON, often with files open.

Come to think of it, she'll be out of the house a good part of the day tomorrow, maybe I can get her to shut it down. I'm really interested to see how well my smaller unit will do.

LOL... with all your attention to detail, I hope that you get a chance to use it in real life!


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## idleprocess (Nov 19, 2021)

Texas folks:

Hearing some rumblings that the legislature, ERCOT, and the PUC's actions to address the failings of last winter amount to little more than press releases trumpeting ... vague plans to do better ... _and _that an assessment of the grid suggests that big chunks of critical infrastructure are in danger of failing again.

Strongly suggest preparation should such an event happen again, given apparent widespread inaction in the aftermath. It's far too late for the absurdity of a whole-house generator _(instantly backordered as of ~10 February)_, but the likes of portable generators, warm-weather gear, winterization materials for your house, and shelf-stable _sustenance_ are easily obtained.


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## Owen (Nov 20, 2021)

After testing the idea of using strictly powdered drink mixes(pre-workout, Carb-Ion, whey protein) on an overnight backpacking trip, yesterday and the day before, this evening's prep was buying FOOD for next week's road trip😒

I have to say that I felt great and performed just fine, but that stuff did nothing to curb my appetite. 
Started hungry, and stayed hungry the whole time.
I met some guy with a huge black lab while hiking out yesterday, and was having "dog is a fine meal" flashbacks from that movie The Patriot!

Was planning a more extensive road trip in the East, as my job finally shut down(which I've expected for 5yrs), and I won't be going back to work just yet.
I found myself unable to get excited about that plan, though.
Found out very recently that the shuttles aren't running at Zion NP from 11/29-12/22, and then this "memory" popped up on Facebook(twist my arm, why dontcha!!)...




..so just like that, I'm prepping for yet another Utah trip.
I used to call Zion my "home away from home"(don't even take a map), but have been avoiding SW UT for ~7yrs due to the increased visitation the area has seen, so it's long overdue.
NOW, I'm excited!🙃


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## aznsx (Nov 20, 2021)

Owen said:


> <<<Zion>>>



Ask me any time on any day where I'd rather be, and it's always the same one word answer. I too haven't been in far too long, but I hope we both get there again soon!!


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## Poppy (Nov 21, 2021)

Owen said:


> After testing the idea of using strictly powdered drink mixes(pre-workout, Carb-Ion, whey protein) on an overnight backpacking trip, yesterday and the day before, this evening's prep was buying FOOD for next week's road trip😒
> 
> I have to say that I felt great and performed just fine, but that stuff did nothing to curb my appetite.
> Started hungry, and stayed hungry the whole time.
> I met some guy with a huge black lab while hiking out yesterday, and was having "dog is a fine meal" flashbacks from that movie The Patriot!


LOL... I have a bag or two of powdered milk, and a couple quarts of parmalot stored. I hope I never have to resort to using them. 

I made a chicken casserole the other night, I'd bet that you would have traded your hiking stick for some.


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## KITROBASKIN (Nov 21, 2021)

Just recently we stocked up on raw, unsalted sunflower seeds and roasted, unsalted cashews (Trader Joe's) to go along with whole grain crackers; pretty shelf-stable and will stick to your ribs for quite a while, wherever one is. Added some jerky to our supply a month ago...

We have an amazing friend who likes to help people and gets around. He was given a case of MRE but is vegetarian, so we got it. Very interesting. Two of the 12 entrees were non-meat. Looks like 13 years old. About 2/3rds consumed now. No shortage of preservatives and packaging. Some of it was nasty (chocolate, raisins, creepy aftertaste powdered drinks) but the vanilla pudding was a synthetic marvel.


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## Owen (Nov 21, 2021)

aznsx said:


> Ask me any time on any day where I'd rather be, and it's always the same one word answer. I too haven't been in far too long, but I hope we both get there again soon!!


That place had me from day one. ~2008, I became acquainted with a photographer who lived in Las Vegas, and put up amazing photos from SW UT that I commented about wanting to see. That winter, she told me she was making a road trip the first week in March, and that I was welcome to join her. She gave me a tour of Vegas, the Hoover Dam, Red Rock, Zion, and Bryce.
I called my parents after we'd gone up on Angels Landing, and had it to ourselves in the snow, and told my mother "I am in love." She was like "What? You just met that woman!"🤣
"Oh...she's pretty great, too, but I'm in love with Zion!"

So began my love affair with UT. I went backpacking in other places out West like the Sierras and Rockies, but trips to Utah were a constant.
The week after my dad retired in 2012, it was my turn to give a guided tour, and I took him to Red Rock, Valley of Fire, Zion, and Bryce. Aside from one quickie overnighter while he rested up, I spent the whole time keeping him occupied with dayhikes(he even surprised me by doing Observation Point).
My parents had questioned why I kept going back to Utah, and the night after we left Zion, my dad looked at me, and said "Now I understand."
"Understand what?"
"Why you keep coming back here!"


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## Owen (Nov 24, 2021)

Zion is out, Canyonlands is in. 
Much as I'd love to go back to Zion, I found myself *planning the specific pictures I would take*, because I'm so familiar with everything there that I can close my eyes and practically envision every minute of my favorite hikes, and what I'll be seeing. 
Meanwhile, Canyonlands has an entire section I'm unfamiliar with, more adverse conditions, and several days' worth of new-to-me area to explore both on and off trail. THAT sounds more like an adventure!😃 
If things work out, I might be able to swing by Arches NP for sunset at Delicate Arch(have to go through Moab, anyway) on my way out, too!

That meant more prep, though-getting out the wetsocks and bear canister, and prioritizing sun protection. 
If I was fired up before, the excitement level is through the roof, now!


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## Owen (Nov 24, 2021)

btw, I got a nasty reminder about being too reliant on technology today, as my phone decided to freak out for a while(?).
My routes are so straightforward that I really can't get off course too much, but a physical map with locations of offtrail features marked on it will be a big help in finding them should the phone's navigational app decide to stop working.


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## Poppy (Dec 13, 2021)

Two years ago, the transmission of my snow blower froze/rusted. I had to disassemble some of it, oil it up, and use some hammer persuasion. Apparently I oiled too many things, including a friction wheel, and disc. Last year I replaced the carburetor. When I used the machine, the wheels didn't have the gription they should have, and something was wrong with throttle control.

Today, I was happy to have a beautiful day to work on it. A youtube video taught me how to adjust the governor, and I noted that the governor return spring didn't have enough umph to overcome a sticky throttle.

Some carb cleaner, followed by PBblaster, and governor adjustment and she starts first pull.
I also opened up the transmission housing, and sprayed the friction wheel, and plate with some fan belt dressing/treatment. I think it is working perfectly... snow time will tell.


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## Poppy (Jan 3, 2022)

Yesterday, I brought a 2 1/2 gallon gas can to the service station to fill it up. As I gave it to the attendant, our hands touched, His was freezing cold. Looking into my trunk, I saw a five pack of those cheap cotton poly gloves with the palmar surface dipped in latex. I gave him a pair. Not great, but better than nothing.

Later I joined my Elk brothers, at the lodge, where we cut logs for firewood. One brought his tracked backhoe, with a log gripper bucket. Boy oh boy... did he know how to operate that piece of machinery. Three chain saws, made pretty quick work of all we had to do. Unfortunately, the the guy with the splitter, didn't make it, so we had to go inside, and drink beer, and watch the Jets lose in the last 29 seconds of the game.


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## dc38 (Jan 3, 2022)

I prep for every day to be my last with this enlightening mantra: You exist to help others exist longer.


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## Poppy (Jan 7, 2022)

By time it stopped snowing this morning, we had 5 inches of snow.
Thanks to the prep work, on my snowblower, it worked beautifully! 

My nephew however learned the lesson of not checking his unit while it was still warm out. He had to use a shovel today.


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## kerneldrop (Jan 7, 2022)

I food prepped. Gotta eat mass to grow mass. 
7 meals a day requires a lot of prep


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## kerneldrop (Jan 7, 2022)

Owen said:


> After testing the idea of using strictly powdered drink mixes(pre-workout, Carb-Ion, whey protein) on an overnight backpacking trip, yesterday and the day before, this evening's prep was buying FOOD for next week's road trip😒
> 
> I have to say that I felt great and performed just fine, but that stuff did nothing to curb my appetite.
> Started hungry, and stayed hungry the whole time.



Whey digests in about 2 hours. Whey Isolate digests faster. Hydrolyzed Isolate even faster.
The mass gainers aren't bad...they'll usually fill you up the most.

Casein would be the slowest digesting of the powdered proteins. Milk is 80% casein and 20% whey. The liquid on top of cottage cheese is natural whey. 

When you get past the marketing, the whey shakes are best in the evening when you just can't put down food because you've already had a whole day of eating. Or you need something sweet. I look forward to my evening shakes.


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## Poppy (Jan 25, 2022)

We've been having sub-freezing temps on and off for a week now. My windshield washer spritzers stopped working. Sure enough, the fluid was partially frozen. I siphoned the liquid out of the reservoir, there was still some ice in there. I poured in about 16 ounces of 70% alcohol. Alcohol, will freeze at -2 F. So it should be a good ice melter.

By the time that I got an extension cord, and hair dryer out to the car, the alcohol had melted the ice in the reservoir, and managed to work its way up to the blocked line. Our outside temp was right at about 32 F at the time. I wanted to get some -20 F Rain-X, but it wasn't available in the two stores I checked, so I settled on -20F blue stuff.

Years ago, I had -20 blue stuff freeze on me, I hope I don't have a repeat of that.

So, my prep for the winter is to replace my washer fluid with winter grade washer fluid.


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## Poppy (Jan 28, 2022)

8 - 12 inches of snow tomorrow predicted, with 30 MPH wind gusts, with 0 F wind chill temps.

Our driveway is two cars wide, so I pulled one up farther than we usually park it, and I parked the other behind it, well off of the roadway. This way with the snow blower, I can easily clear one side, and then move the cars and get the other side.

I topped off my gas tank, and an empty two gallon container, for the snowblower, and/or the generator. I now have seven gallons on hand, and the one generator has half a tank. If we have an outage around here due to this storm, it is unlikely that it will be wide spread, and should be repaired rather quickly. Still one has to be prepared.

I should be able to run 40 hours continuously with what I have on hand, before pumping fuel out of my car, so that is another 18 gallons. Our other car has an almost full tank.


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## Poppy (Jan 29, 2022)

One of my preps really worked out today.
We have cable internet, and stream TV channels.
Today we got about 6 inches of snow, 8-20 F temps, and 35 MPH gusts.
Our internet went out for a few hours.
My preps included getting a amplified digital TV antennae.
We get about 40 channels with it in clear weather. Despite snowy conditions East of me, and where the signals were coming from, I still got a number of good channels.
When not watching TV because I was cooking, Pandora on my phone, and bluetoothed to my bose speaker, also worked as planned.

Since I have a generator, if we lose power and internet, we will still be comfortably entertained.

Life is good!


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## Lumen83 (Feb 6, 2022)

I've never had windshield washer fluid freeze. I live up further north of you where the winters are harsh, and we get a lot more snow. 3-4 feet in a storm isn't unusual once or twice a year, and anything under a foot is considered a dusting. We are a short drive from Canada and in higher elevation which really makes a difference. And we love everything about it. Last week, night time temps were between -20 and -25, which wasn't too bad because the wind was calm. I haven't bought any special washer fluid. Maybe its because the only kind they sell up here is designed to withstand extreme cold. I'm not sure. But I thought it was strange to hear that it could freeze down in New Jersey where the winters are comparatively mild. It sounds like you are getting a taste of the arctic for yourself down there this year. Good to hear that you know what to do with it and how to prepare.

Anyway, the reason I mention all of this is because it reminded me that what one group of people consider unusual, rare, disasterous, etc., other people live with on a daily basis. My friends in Southern states end up without power, stuck on roads that are full of pile ups, with schools and all businesses closed when theres a couple inches of snow. I don't think we close school up here or have much to talk about when we get a foot. A couple inches seems to be a daily occurrence. I remember multiple schools closed in MA because of a bear sighting in a neighborhood down there. Up here, bears walk through our yards all of the time. We run outside and throw things at them and bang pots and pans when we see them in the yard because they'll break into anything they can and destroy whatever they think has food in it.

The good thing about a prepper, is that its only those who are prepared that do well when the unusual or rare events strike for that particular area. If you're in the central east coast and you get an unusual cold snap, you are going to be okay if you are like yourself and realize that you need more cold hardy antifreeze or washer fluid, you need to keep things in the car like warm clothes, some mylar blankets, some food and water (water filled with electrolyte/salt tablets to prevent it from freezing at 32), etc. just in case you are caught in your car on 95 in a pile up and help isn't coming for a while, whereas the rest of your neighborhood is going to be in a complete panic and without any idea on how to go about their business under circumstances that others find completely normal. Heck, maybe even that many would consider mild.


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## idleprocess (Feb 7, 2022)

Lumen83 said:


> Anyway, the reason I mention all of this is because it reminded me that what one group of people consider unusual, rare, disasterous, etc., other people live with on a daily basis. My friends in Southern states end up without power, stuck on roads that are full of pile ups, with schools and all businesses closed when theres a couple inches of snow.


There is minimal infrastructure for dealing with the ~once annual accumulation of ice that most southern areas see. Municipalities tend to have sand spreaders that can be fit to dump trucks and a small stockpile of sand to help with major roads, will occasionally rent graders to remove stubborn ice accumulations, and some state transportation agencies have means of spreading preventative de-icing compounds on highways in advance of probable ice storms.

Snow removal _(a bit pointless since snow tends to sit atop a strata of hardened sleet)_ and salt-spreading equipment are all but nonexistent. I gather that many southern municipalities and states will go through the economic analysis every few years and always reach the same conclusion that as infrequently and briefly as it ices over, the present minimal _(by northern standards)_ strategy is all that can be justified.

The power grid in Texas has routinely _nearly_ collapsed under events less severe than in 2021 - something that's magnified by its near-complete isolation from the rest of the country. I'm sure the lack of a repeat performance during last week's major winter storm may be cited as a success of the minor reforms that happened in 2021's aftermath, however the storm wasn't exceptionally intense and likely not even a '10 year' storm like 2014, 2011, and a string of other near-collapses of the grid in the face of a winter storm.


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## Monocrom (Feb 10, 2022)

New Get Home Bag.
Vertx Gamut 2.0 with Premier body armor (highest rating version).
Not cheap! But definitely worth it. Certainly easier than the alternative.
Liberal amounts of baby powder + assistance in putting on a vest.
There's another brand that makes a thinner panel at the same rating.
Though oddly, the panel for the very same pack is smaller overall.


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## ledbetter (Feb 11, 2022)

Monocrom said:


> New Get Home Bag.
> Vertx Gamut 2.0 with Premier body armor (highest rating version).
> Not cheap! But definitely worth it. Certainly easier than the alternative.
> Liberal amounts of baby powder + assistance in putting on a vest.
> ...


Interesting products. So what’s the strategy with the protected backpack? Keep it on while fleeing trouble? Take it off to hold in front of you to confront somebody? Hold it like a shield with the left while returning fire with the right? All of the above?


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## kerneldrop (Feb 11, 2022)

Monocrom said:


> New Get Home Bag.
> Vertx Gamut 2.0 with Premier body armor (highest rating version).
> Not cheap! But definitely worth it. Certainly easier than the alternative.
> Liberal amounts of baby powder + assistance in putting on a vest.
> ...



Where do you take such a backpack?

I saw on a website it said "TSA approved." 
That's good stuff...while technically approved, they get antsy when body armor is on a carry on and end up auctioning it off with Microtech clones. 



ledbetter said:


> Hold it like a shield with the left while returning fire with the right?



Wonder what the hit:miss ratio is with one-handed firing. lol


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## ledbetter (Feb 11, 2022)

I don’t think TSA would even notice this, especially if piece was slid into laptop section of my goruck bag, or even just in a bag loose. Just a nylon covered pad. And though one hand firing is lousy without practice, bag could add stability if it wasn’t too heavy. Probably throw you off though. Even a flashlight hold under your shooting hand is a pain. So yeah, back to my question, how do you use this? Maybe best for hide in place scenarios or prone.


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## Poppy (Feb 11, 2022)

It could protect your back from "The Walking Dead" but zombies usually go for the neck anyway. LOL.

EDIT:
With all the current clamoring recently in the media about "gun violence" in NYC, if I had a night job there and had to walk the streets at night, I suppose that it could offer a modicum of protection from a stray bullet. If I worked security where I was particularly concerned about being a target, I'd go for a full vest.


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## idleprocess (Feb 11, 2022)

kerneldrop said:


> and end up auctioning it off with Microtech clones.


I LOL'ed. My coworkers on a conference call were confused. The cat was annoyed. The dog was mildly alarmed.


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## kerneldrop (Feb 11, 2022)

idleprocess said:


> I LOL'ed. My coworkers on a conference call were confused. The cat was annoyed. The dog was mildly alarmed.



We try to keep it lively.


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## Monocrom (Feb 11, 2022)

ledbetter said:


> Interesting products. So what’s the strategy with the protected backpack? Keep it on while fleeing trouble? Take it off to hold in front of you to confront somebody? Hold it like a shield with the left while returning fire with the right? All of the above?


Pretty much all of the above. Though rather than fleeing, you'd hit the dirt if shots rang out, and try to position it in front of your head for protection. No need to intentionally confront someone, but yes you can switch it up and wear it as an improvised chest rig for protection. The shield concept is spot-on though.

Will say I haven't flown with it and have no intentions to do so. So really couldn't answer the TSA question.


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## Poppy (Feb 23, 2022)

Experts are warning about possible cyber-attacks backed by Russia.

Considering that communications (including banking), water, gasoline, and maybe even natural gas supplies may be disrupted for a week or two, I'm going to review my preps.

I don't have enough water on hand to regularly flush the toilet, I don't know what I am going to do about that.
I'll fill the two empty 5 gallon gas tanks for the generator. That alone can last me a week of intermittent electricity.

Although I have water filters, for camping, I'll pick up an extra three cases of water, 40 bottles each.
Both of my BBQ 20 pound propane tanks are full.
I'll review how much cash I have on hand.

I've become reliant on google for information. If comms are down, that would not be good. I should make a hard copy, or at least a digital copy of info that I might need, locally instead of up in the cloud. Info, like, how much bleach to sterilize a gallon of water.


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## scout24 (Feb 23, 2022)

Poppy- if you have a bathtub, google "water bob" to add greatly to your on-site water storage in anticipation of an emergency. And don't forget you can drain your water heater. 👍


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## Flashlightmaster2021 (Feb 23, 2022)

Poppy said:


> Experts are warning about possible cyber-attacks backed by Russia.
> 
> Considering that communications (including banking), water, gasoline, and maybe even natural gas supplies may be disrupted for a week or two, I'm going to review my preps.
> 
> ...





Poppy said:


> Experts are warning about possible cyber-attacks backed by Russia.
> 
> Considering that communications (including banking), water, gasoline, and maybe even natural gas supplies may be disrupted for a week or two, I'm going to review my preps.
> 
> ...


Look no matter what happens everyone needs emegency food and water that last few months. I`m admit I don`t have that but I`m poor. 
We have food and some water but nothing stock pilled. Cash will be king and i don`t worry too much about these thing . Life will go on and always does. Yes have some food and water and flashlight and powerbanks. Just remember people survived with out all the tech we have.


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## Poppy (Feb 23, 2022)

scout24 said:


> Poppy- if you have a bathtub, google "water bob" to add greatly to your on-site water storage in anticipation of an emergency. And don't forget you can drain your water heater. 👍


Thanks scout we actually use our tub regularly. But while talking a shower it struck
Me that I have a lug a loo and lots of plastic bags. I don’t know if there will be any warning for a loss of water if there is I can line 6 garbage cans with plastic bags and fill them up


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## Poppy (Feb 23, 2022)

Flashlightmaster2021 said:


> Look no matter what happens everyone needs emegency food and water that last few months. I`m admit I don`t have that but I`m poor.
> We have food and some water but nothing stock pilled. Cash will be king and i don`t worry too much about these thing . Life will go on and always does. Yes have some food and water and flashlight and powerbanks. Just remember people survived with out all the tech we have.


@Flashlightmaster2021 and @The-David 
There is a legacy thread written by a member who has passed on, but he and the Mrs. Bugged IN during Hurricane Katrina, in New Orleans. Sub_Umbra He titled it "an emergency Water Epiphany".
IMO and others, it's a well worthwhile read.


https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/an-emergency-water-epiphany.121453/


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## Romanko (Feb 24, 2022)

Greetings from Kyiv. This is the backpack I have, 50 litres. I still hope there wont be need for evacuation. I've got lots of flashlights, but the main problem is that our family got no car.


https://militarist.ua/ua/catalog/armeyskoe-snaryazhenie/backpacks-bags/ryukzaki-sumki/m-tac-ryukzak-trooper-pack-black/


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## The-David (Feb 24, 2022)

Poppy said:


> @Flashlightmaster2021 and @The-David
> There is a legacy thread written by a member who has passed on, but he and the Mrs. Bugged IN during Hurricane Katrina, in New Orleans. Sub_Umbra He titled it "an emergency Water Epiphany".
> IMO and others, it's a well worthwhile read.
> 
> ...


I have spent a ton of time backpacking and camping. I have a bit of water storage, i went with water treatment systems rather than water storage. Here in the PNW there's a lot of surface water.


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## knucklegary (Feb 24, 2022)

Recycled food storage barrels (50gal poly) make excellent rain water catchment container. Set-up under downspouts. Great for watering plants, flushing toilets, etc..

California has tons of storm water runoff and most of it is lost into the Pacific ocean. Coming from a State that's prone to droughts doesn't make much sense


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## desert.snake (Feb 24, 2022)

knucklegary said:


> Recycled food storage barrels (50gal poly) make excellent rain water catchment container. Set-up under downspouts. Great for watering plants, flushing toilets, etc..
> 
> California has tons of storm water runoff and most of it is lost into the Pacific ocean. Coming from a State that's prone to droughts doesn't make much sense


But you still have to look at the laws, I remember that in some state a person was fined or arrested for collecting rainwater. True, this is unlikely to happen in an emergency, but some especially zealous workers continue to impose fines even in an emergency.

upd.
So I found it was Oregon, he collected a lot of water








Oregon Man in Possession of 13 Million Gallons of Illicit Rainwater Sentenced to Jail


An Oregon resident with three massive man-made ponds on his property is sentenced to 30 days in jail after being found guilty (again) of collecting rainwater wi




www.treehugger.com





But in general, I see that water collection is regulated in many places.


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## idleprocess (Feb 24, 2022)

desert.snake said:


> But in general, I see that water collection is regulated in many places.


In the United States this often has to do with _water rights_ and legal agreements such as the Colorado River Compact. Rain water ultimately feeds rivers, upon which there are claims on the flow with varying degrees of _seniority_. Collecting rain water could reduce the flow of water into rivers and thus impinge upon the water rights of those downstream.


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## knucklegary (Feb 24, 2022)

CA has officially given the okay for residential rain water catchment. Agriculture still needs to buy permits.


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## Poppy (Feb 24, 2022)

In my area, if a developer comes in and wants to develop property, he has to build in a water detention pond so that rain water is metered into the river system. In fact a neighbor of mine put in a in-ground swimming pool, and he was required to add a five hundred gallon detention area for rain water to make up for the loss of an area for rain water to become ground water.


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## Monocrom (Feb 24, 2022)

desert.snake said:


> But in general, I see that water collection is regulated in many places.


I remember that case. The first time he was arrested, released, later found guilty, and had to pay a heavy fine. A reporter asked if he'd continue collecting rainwater, and he said no way. Looks like he decided to do it again.

It's messed up because such laws were initially put into place against commercial business entities in that state, definitely not private citizens. But the laws are vague and corrupt individuals in power can certainly apply them to average citizens simply collecting rainwater. A disgustingly obscene abuse of power.

So yeah, check your local laws before collecting rainwater. Having been born into Communist Russia, I can tell you this.... Not even the most dedicated high-ranking Communist officials ever proclaimed that rainwater was property of the State. Ironic that such a diseased mentality exists in some parts of America, today.


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## ledbetter (Feb 24, 2022)

In the West, water is money and power, equal to land, gas, and oil.


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## aznsx (Feb 24, 2022)

I'd have about as much luck collecting sea shells as rain water here. I'm subject to (all too) frequent water outages here at my current small apt., so I keep a stash in the 'square' 3-gal jugs sold at the local 'water store' (a term that still makes me laugh). They're easily stashed in small places, and easily moved about to the point of use. When I bought them (dry), I got a strange look when I told them I didn't want them filled with their RO water! I'm quite OK with straight 'tap' water.


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## Poppy (Feb 27, 2022)

Today I googled "How much bleach to sterilize a gallon of water" and was presented with this:








Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water | US EPA


How to boil and disinfect water to kill most disease-causing microorganisms during emergency situations where regular water service has been interrupted and local authorities recommend using only bottled water, boiled water, or disinfected water.




www.epa.gov





I printed out the pertinent info. This way I will have it if cell phone and internet comms are down, and there is a disruption of water supply.

I bought an extra gallon of bleach today, and intend to get some contractor strength 50 gallon bags, to act as liners of garbage cans for water. Almost all of my trash cans have holes, if not large holes in them, so I want something heavy duty.


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## Hooked on Fenix (Mar 5, 2022)

If you’re going to learn how to purify water, you need to know what works and what doesn’t depending on what’s in the water. You may be dealing with bacteria, viruses, brain eating amoebas, chemicals, raw sewage, or nuclear radiation. Boiling water will kill anything in the water, but will leave chemicals, raw sewage, and will concentrate radiation (make it worse). Chlorine will kill bacteria, maybe viruses, but leaves everything in the water. Chlorine dioxide tablets work great for killing everything in the water but take up to 4 hours to kill viruses. Iodine kills bacteria, but can only be used a couple weeks before it starts messing up your thyroid. Use a vitamin c tablet to neutralize the taste of the iodine. The right amount of potassium permanganate can also be used to treat water. The advantage of that chemical is it can also be used to help treat infected wounds and to start fires. A decent hollow fiber filter like a Saywer Sweeze will filter out bacteria and Protozoa, but not chemicals. For Chemicals, you usually need a carbon filter. A U.V. light pen will kill bacteria and viruses, but leave everything still floating around in your water. A hollow fiber purifier (Lifestraw Mission, Lifestraw Community) should do a better job of getting everything out of the water. Know what you’re likely filtering beforehand and go a level or two up on the safety just in case. Remember, it’s your life at stake. Don’t die because you were too cheap to get something to save your life. Water filters are actually pretty cheap. Saywer Sweeze (the bare minimum I would suggest) costs $30. Lifestraw Mission Purifier costs $120.


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## Poppy (Mar 5, 2022)

Hooked on Fenix said:


> If you’re going to learn how to purify water, you need to know what works and what doesn’t depending on what’s in the water. You may be dealing with bacteria, viruses, brain eating amoebas, chemicals, raw sewage, or nuclear radiation. Boiling water will kill anything in the water, but will leave chemicals, raw sewage, and will concentrate radiation (make it worse). Chlorine will kill bacteria, maybe viruses, but leaves everything in the water. Chlorine dioxide tablets work great for killing everything in the water but take up to 4 hours to kill viruses. Iodine kills bacteria, but can only be used a couple weeks before it starts messing up your thyroid. Use a vitamin c tablet to neutralize the taste of the iodine. The right amount of potassium permanganate can also be used to treat water. The advantage of that chemical is it can also be used to help treat infected wounds and to start fires. A decent hollow fiber filter like a Saywer Sweeze will filter out bacteria and Protozoa, but not chemicals. For Chemicals, you usually need a carbon filter. A U.V. light pen will kill bacteria and viruses, but leave everything still floating around in your water. A hollow fiber purifier (Lifestraw Mission, Lifestraw Community) should do a better job of getting everything out of the water. Know what you’re likely filtering beforehand and go a level or two up on the safety just in case. Remember, it’s your life at stake. Don’t die because you were too cheap to get something to save your life. Water filters are actually pretty cheap. Saywer Sweeze (the bare minimum I would suggest) costs $30. Lifestraw Mission Purifier costs $120.


Nicely put!


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## Hooked on Fenix (Mar 5, 2022)

Forgot to mention, if you are using chlorine to purify water on a large scale, it’s best to use it in combination with a clarifier chemical. A clarifier binds to the sediment and debris in the water and sinks it to the bottom leaving the water clear (just don’t do this in a barrel with a spigot at the bottom). Use the chlorine, wait a while, then use the clarifier. Could take a day or two to purify a whole pool. The American Red Cross has been known to use this water purification method to purify entire Olympic sized swimming pools in other countries.


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## scout24 (Mar 7, 2022)

With the rise of $4.29 gas here and it being 65° here yesterday, I got my Yamaha TW200 out of winter storage. Aired up tires, checked oil, greased the swimgarm pivot, lubed the chain, checked lights and horn, and fired it up. Still needs a good cleaning and I'll dump the oil soon. 70-90mpg depending on how hard I push it, with a milk crate going on the back this week. It's not warm enough (and the roads are still bad) to ride yet but I'm getting ready. Couple weeks... Today is "run the generators" day.


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## Poppy (Mar 7, 2022)

scout24 said:


> With the rise of $4.29 gas here and it being 65° here yesterday, I got my Yamaha TW200 out of winter storage. Aired up tires, checked oil, greased the swimgarm pivot, lubed the chain, checked lights and horn, and fired it up. Still needs a good cleaning and I'll dump the oil soon. 70-90mpg depending on how hard I push it, with a milk crate going on the back this week. It's not warm enough (and the roads are still bad) to ride yet but I'm getting ready. Couple weeks... Today is "run the generators" day.


Yes @scout24 I'm starting to think that I made the wrong decision to NOT buy my Dad's Nissan Altima when it was offered to me. It gets 35-39 mpg. I'm sure that we will be seeing $5 a gallon by summer time.


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## scout24 (Mar 7, 2022)

I'm sure you're right. If not sooner. I get 15+/- mpg in my truck, Wife's Jeep does a little better. The small bike will be my saving grace here soon. Keeps the mileage down on the 4 wheeled stuff hopefully.

Edit- $4.39 at every station I passed this afternoon.


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## Poppy (Mar 7, 2022)

LOL isn't it crazy that drinking and driving is illegal, but in some states they can sell beer at gas stations!?


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## idleprocess (Mar 7, 2022)

Poppy said:


> LOL isn't it crazy that drinking and driving is illegal, but in some states they can sell beer at gas stations!?


No crazier than selling packaged alcohol at a grocery store or beer barn. 

Now fresh-mixed hurricanes and daiquiris served via a drive-thru window ... is a thing in Louisiana. I remember this place in the 80s looking little different than it is now selling both packaged fifths of liquor and mixed drinks in styrofoam cups taped shut _practically with a wink_ knowing full well that they were contributory towards the region's rich tradition of looking the other way when it came to DWI.


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## Hooked on Fenix (Mar 9, 2022)

My prep for today was buying a power failure light. My remaining two are getting old and with how things are now in the world and living in CA in a high fire area (we get “public safety power shut offs”), it’s not a matter of if we get blackouts, but when.


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## scout24 (Mar 13, 2022)

HoF- Which lights? Plugin, lanterns, etc? Curiosity. Always on the lookout for good gear...

More suited for the "Small radio" thread, but I had a Kaito Voyager V2 come in this past week. Inexpensive, doesn't seem super durable bit that wasn't a primary concern with it's intended use. May need to step up in price, but it's all varying degrees of redundancy at this point.


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## bykfixer (Mar 13, 2022)

I have one pretty similar as that K2 Scout, made by LifeGear. Since two is one I also have an "American Red Cross" made by EtonCorp. The solar part on the Eton one sucks but other than that is does ok.
Both have decent flashlights for times when all power is out and the light pollution is gone.


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## Hooked on Fenix (Mar 13, 2022)

scout24 said:


> HoF- Which lights? Plugin, lanterns, etc? Curiosity. Always on the lookout for good gear...
> 
> More suited for the "Small radio" thread, but I had a Kaito Voyager V2 come in this past week. Inexpensive, doesn't seem super durable bit that wasn't a primary concern with it's intended use. May need to step up in price, but it's all varying degrees of redundancy at this point.


This was just a $13 Sylvania plug in power failure light from Home Depot. 30 lumen nightlight (270 minutes)/60 lumen flashlight (150 minutes).


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## ampdude (Apr 27, 2022)

scout24 said:


> Hi all! If you're reading this, the title intrigued you. That's the idea. I wanted to start a thread where members could come for ideas, to document, to keep the idea on your radar if it's not already. Not just disaster/zombie/bugout prep, but camping/self sufficiency, etc. Got out in the garden and got dirty? Post it. Aired out your tent and inventoried gear? Post it. Ran your generator for it's quarterly exercise? Put it here. Added to your pantry? Got to the range? It belongs here. NO POLITICS please. I'm starting not quite from ground zero after spending the last 13 months rebuilding after a good 20 years of accumulating gear, knowledge, and supplies so your posts will act as motivation. Let's hear what you did today!
> 
> 
> StarHalo said:
> ...



This is a good point and something I've always found ironic. I'm very aware of my mortality these days, but in the past I wasn't so much.

I guess what's on your present mind tends to be where you focus your energies.


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## scout24 (Apr 28, 2022)

Interestingly, the second post in this thread was fitness related, and the 3rd post was nutrition related. Second by me, third by StarHalo. It's not all about zombies. But that's a catch-all for preparedness in general. If I'm ready for zombies, I'm probably ready for a blizzard. Or a hurricaine. Etc. And, fitness/nutrition is a worthy discussion point. (Signed up for my first half marathon which takes place at the end of May. Ooof...) But I'm still actively preparing for zombies too.


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## Monocrom (Apr 28, 2022)

Zombies?? They're mostly chilled out. 
Is it still appropriate to call them stoners or is there a new term that isn't offensive.


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## KITROBASKIN (Apr 28, 2022)

"Zombies" is a term some preppers and others use to denote an enemy that can be eliminated guilt-free. That is, not really human so ok to dispatch without prejudice. For some it is a cloak to describe what they are doing to become more lethal against potentially threatening humans. The discussion would probably include fortification against those who are after one's stuff.


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## idleprocess (Apr 28, 2022)

_If you're ready for zombies you're ready for anything_ as I've come across more than a few times. Of course _zombies_ is a more acceptable term than _TEOTWAWKI_ (the end of the world as we know it) and its other generally less savory variants.

There's a certain romanticism to planning for _zombies_ in that there are a _*heck*_ of a lot of corner cases that you need to plan for - most of which are not the kind of fare that makes it into gripping fiction around zombies. Exciting things like repelling the zombie hordes, dealing with the possibility of a member of the party being infected, and fighting bandits are given much screen time/wordcount while the grim realities of needing to cover the basics of survival - long term food/water/shelter/clothing/_basic_ security - are handwaved or given relatively little coverage.


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## Steve1 (Apr 28, 2022)

Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar. 2 teaspoons twice daily with small glass of water. DO Not DRINK RAW! Not only is it healthy for you it also helps with weight loss and helps keep it off depending on your diet. Definitely worth taking!


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## KITROBASKIN (Apr 29, 2022)

Yes for considering scenarios and preparing for them, including the mundane basics.

Curiously on CPF, techniques to handle personal hygiene and human waste products are blushingly absent.


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## idleprocess (Apr 29, 2022)

KITROBASKIN said:


> Curiously on CPF, techniques to handle personal hygiene and human waste products are blushingly absent.


The late Sub_Umbra's thread An Emergency Water Epiphany goes into some detail. His post history is worth looking over - at some point he detailed living through Katrina sheltering in place.


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## KITROBASKIN (Apr 29, 2022)

I did read his entire thread, and having grown up north of New Orleans appreciated his work. Perhaps someone will summarize his experience and practice. I think there are other factors with other situations that deserve discussion.


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## Monocrom (Apr 29, 2022)

KITROBASKIN said:


> Yes for considering scenarios and preparing for them, including the mundane basics.
> 
> Curiously on CPF, techniques to handle personal hygiene and human waste products are blushingly absent.


I'm guessing the old ways are going to be employed. 
Though while things are going well, few folks will be actively constructing Outhouses on their property.


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## Poppy (Apr 30, 2022)

idleprocess said:


> The late Sub_Umbra's thread An Emergency Water Epiphany goes into some detail. His post history is worth looking over - at some point he detailed living through Katrina sheltering in place.


Every once in a while (I guess every couple of years) I re-read his thread. It's a good primer for me to make sure I have many of my preps in order. One of the take-aways was to be prepared for insect infestation, and flies.


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## Poppy (May 15, 2022)

scout24 said:


> Spent part of the afternoon digging a small trench about 100' long from the underside of my deck out to Mrs. Scout's garden. Going to bury a garden hose for plant watering so I don't hit it with the mower and have to repair it again...


My prep today is to go through this thread to get me motivated to do some preps I may have missed.

@scout24
I am wondering how well putting a garden hose under ground worked out for you. I used to have a underground sprinkler system at a previous house, and although I paid a professional to blow the system out with air each year, pretty much each year he had to return to repair places where the hose froze and split.

One year, we had a sudden freeze, and I hadn't called him soon enough, and I had to blow it out myself. I then used a gallon or so of RV antifreeze, and pumped it into the system, and then blew that out. I then added another gallon, and left it.
In the following five years or so, I only had one split. A huge improvement.


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## Poppy (May 15, 2022)

Romanko said:


> Greetings from Kyiv. This is the backpack I have, 50 litres. I still hope there wont be need for evacuation. I've got lots of flashlights, but the main problem is that our family got no car.
> 
> 
> https://militarist.ua/ua/catalog/armeyskoe-snaryazhenie/backpacks-bags/ryukzaki-sumki/m-tac-ryukzak-trooper-pack-black/


@Romanko 
You wrote this on Feb 24, 2022, and day that will go down in infamy.
Are you still in Kyiv?
Are you comfortable to share your experiences?


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## scout24 (May 16, 2022)

Poppy- Knock on wood, I've had no problems with my buried hose since doing it. Working up to expectations.


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## bykfixer (May 17, 2022)

My prep for today was go to bed 2 hours early last night. That extra sleep was for mental rest as much as physical rest. 
Gotta get those zzzzzzz's in for mental health as well.


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## scout24 (May 21, 2022)

Did some cardio with my cardio this morning- Ran my first half marathon. A bit of endurance while moving may come in handy, and being in ok shape is never a bad thing. 👍


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## bykfixer (May 22, 2022)

One day at the office I had to visit as I entered the building a coworker who has me by some 20 years says as he went toward the stairs and I the elevator "you don't use the stairs?"…… I did not respond and entered the elevator. We met again at the top of the stairs and I replied "I have about 25,000 steps left on these knees and I'm saving them for when my @$$ is on fire or a bear is chasing me"…

I commend you Scout for taking on that challenge. Way to go!!

I used to walk some 10-15 miles a day at work walking beside a paver train. Often at night. Grab ticket from truck driver, write stuff on ticket, put ticket on clipboard on the paver machine. Park your truck a half mile past the paver. Walk beside paver until half mile past truck. Go get truck. Repeat. On the way to get the truck walk with the rollers for a time to ensure they roll it correctly. They pave 3 miles, I've walked 6. Then repeat with the pavement stripers who follow the paver to ensure they placed it correct. (dam I'm tired just reading that.)

Hence my comment to that older gentleman who has had an office job since high school. Yet he once weighed over 300 pounds and is now a svelt 155 so I commend him too.


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## KITROBASKIN (Jun 20, 2022)

Looks like monsoon season has come earlier than usual, but our drought looms over us all; trees are dying, some of the big ones.

Months have gone into planning for evacuation because of wildfire, and still not dialed in. I believe we have the three dogs and two rabbits evac. plan in better shape now. Yesterday I cut 16 foot utility panels into easier to handle units, and prowled around the homestead for suitable connectors. This is so after we flee, we can make an encampment away from the flames and keep the bowsers contained. 22 second video. Let me know if anyone saw before the camera went to it. You may need to click the play icon far upper right for sound:









New video by Kitrobaskin







photos.app.goo.gl


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## KITROBASKIN (Jun 21, 2022)

Cut utility panels from Tractor Supply are coupled into pairs for transport. I think they are made in Oklahoma.
Any ideas on what kind of tie-downs to attach cargo boxes? I have a couple ratchet straps that can go completely under and around the trailer, and if the panels are secured, one could use the panel wires themselves as hold-downs for other straps. Just wondering if members here have found some nifty strap systems.


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## Poppy (Jun 21, 2022)

KITROBASKIN said:


> Cut utility panels from Tractor Supply are coupled into pairs for transport. I think they are made in Oklahoma.
> Any ideas on what kind of tie-downs to attach cargo boxes? I have a couple ratchet straps that can go completely under and around the trailer, and if the panels are secured, one could use the panel wires themselves as hold-downs for other straps. Just wondering if members here have found some nifty strap systems.
> 
> View attachment 29219


I'll often use the "Trucker's hitch"



For a chicky little gadget, the nite itze figure nine is a quick and easy "no knots" knot.


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## Poppy (Jun 21, 2022)

A few weeks ago, we had a torrential rain. One of my leaders was clogged, and water overflowed the gutter adjacent to my patio. I watched as the water got deeper, as it crept closer to my patio doors. I have since cleared it of the blockage.

We had a rainy prediction for today, and tomorrow. This morning, I checked to make sure the leader was clear.

You know... an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.


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## bykfixer (Jun 24, 2022)

Years ago when I lived with my dad he had one gutter that the downspout would get clogged by debris from a neighbors maple tree. I took a sprinkler wand and turned it into a down spout clog remover by removing the sprinkler head and taping a steak knife beside the angled pipe at the top. 

The sprinkler wand is an alluminum tube about 6 feet long with a curve at the top that bends about 75 degrees. The angle allows you stand a few feet away from the over flowing gutter and poke a hole into the junk collected at the entry point of the down spout. 

When I moved away I built another one for his house using a doggy nail file for the stabber and took the original tool with me. While my neighbors look at me like I have 3 arms using the tool in a heavy rain they pay somebody to climb a ladder and do what my tool does. 

I used it just yesterday after a storm the previous day so that next time it rains the gutters won't overflow.


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## hsa (Jun 24, 2022)

@KITROBASKIN. That's one heck of a nice trailer.


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## Poppy (Jul 7, 2022)

hsa said:


> @KITROBASKIN. That's one heck of a nice trailer.


Yes, I had the same thought!

Tonight I am topping off a bunch of small power banks. My daughter will be on a cell phone intensive excursion, and she won't always have access to a wall wart. My larger bank, is just heavier than she wants to deal with.

It's nice to have options! 

edit: Once we were in Manhattan. We went for dinner at "Bubba Gumps", a cute place.
I carried a small battery bank, she did not. Both of our phones needed a recharge. I had charged mine with the battery bank. She didn't bring one.

So while we were eating, I had my phone by my side, and my bank recharging 20 feet away. She was without her phone, recharging 20 feet away behind the cash register.


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## bykfixer (Jul 8, 2022)

Powerbanks are your friend. When I work at night on roads there are usually accidents due to stupid drivers. In about 99% of the cases the driver has a cellular phone with a near dead battery. 

This is sort of a what did you prep/what did you do with your flashlight post.
Before sundown yesterday I drank extra liquid, like a half gallon after sweating about that much at work. Now keep in mind I had been replenishing all day as needed. At around dark I drank another quart of liquid and took an electrolite suppliment for todays sweatathon.
At about 12am, 2am, 3:30am and 4:30am I used a low output flashlight to see my path to the bathroom.


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## Poppy (Jul 8, 2022)

So silly!
For about $1.50 one can pick up a phone charger that plugs into the car's cigar lighter, or powerport. The cheap ones are not super reliable, so I always had a spare.

Later I bought a dash mounted one that I swapped out my cigar lighter port. It is always hot, so I don't need the accessory on for it to operate. 

I typically plug my phone in when ever I am in the car and bring it up to 80% capacity.


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## Monocrom (Jul 8, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> Powerbanks are your friend. When I work at night on roads there are usually accidents due to stupid drivers. In about 99% of the cases the driver has a cellular phone with a near dead battery.


Actually forgot about it. Bought not just a powerbank but a power station last year. Not all of them are big, bulky, heavy affairs. Smallest one I could find was the *Westinghouse iGen160s.* Limited capacity, of course. But very portable. Works well for my needs.


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## bykfixer (Jul 8, 2022)

Poppy said:


> So silly!
> For about $1.50 one can pick up a phone charger that plugs into the car's cigar lighter, or powerport. The cheap ones are not super reliable, so I always had a spare.
> 
> Later I bought a dash mounted one that I swapped out my cigar lighter port. It is always hot, so I don't need the accessory on for it to operate.
> ...


I keep a coily cord 12 volt accessory charger in my vehicle and use it when I need a quick charge. Any other time a usb port charges things nice and slow. But generally when I leave home for work my devices are charged up. I carry 3 phones. One supplied by the mother ship for business, one of my own choosing for personal and the 3rd is an unlocked one used soley for playing music via bluetooth. The latter lasts a week between charges since all antennas except bluetooth are turned off. 

Stashed in a cubby hole is a power bank with enough capacity to charge 2 phones from 25% just in case. 

I supplied the Mrs a 2x18650 lantern that can act as a power bank or road flare if need be in her vehicle. Plus she has cords galore.


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## orbital (Jul 17, 2022)

+

Having a portable battery jump starter,, like NOCO, HULKMAN or the many out there.
_You can also use a 4S lipo with some custom clamps. (I have a Hulkman , but I use my 4S almost exclusively for starting)_

= In an emergency when time & eliminating the 'hassle factor' is important,,,
A battery jumper is smart *Prep* for your car or even your *generator *


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## Poppy (Jul 20, 2022)

Today, I noticed that the low battery icon was blinking on my air conditioning thermostat. I swapped in a new pair of batteries. Fortunately I have a small stockpile of AA batteries.

If the AC went out because the power to the thermostat died, that would be really bad.


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## Stress_Test (Aug 16, 2022)

Poppy said:


> Today, I noticed that the low battery icon was blinking on my air conditioning thermostat. I swapped in a new pair of batteries. Fortunately I have a small stockpile of AA batteries.
> 
> If the AC went out because the power to the thermostat died, that would be really bad.



That actually happened in my apartment. First hot day of the summer, I go to click on the AC and, nadda, zilch. The LCD display was still on so I didn't think the batteries were dead. Checked with my multimeter (2xAAA) and they were low but not dead-dead. Nothing to lose, right? so I put 2 lithium AAA in there, then the AC fired right up again! Whew. 

But on the topic of prep, I spent the last couple days recharging all the cells I had that were drained, and running some through a discharge/recharge since they'd been sitting a while.

AA, AAA, Li-Ions, the works. Felt better to have everything charged up again. (though I've got something like a dozen each of lithium AA and cr123a, so it's not like I'd be hosed or anything without the rechargables).


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## scout24 (Aug 28, 2022)

So, I've spent a bit of time with a new-to-me product I haven't seen here on the forum before so I thought I'd share here.
Disclosure- I purchased this at full retail, and have nothing to do with the companies mentioned or any retailers that sell these items.
Most folks I know have battery powered tools of some sort, drills saws etc. Meaning you've got some battery packs hanging around. Most companies make lights that work with their battery packs. DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, etc.
I have a friend who lives in an area that has a large Amish contingent, and saw this in his kitchen the last time I visited and had to have one.
It's the EZ 360 lantern. There are a few different models to choose from, but this is what their local hardware store carries. It uses the above mentioned tool batteries (model specific) but has a removable/replaceable bulb with the common E26 base. Lantern is multi positional, can be run upside down or right side up. The bulb I chose is made by Maxxi Star and is 12-24v, 5000k and DIMMABLE! The claim is 2250 lumen on high, but I wanted it for the low power night light capabilities. It goes quite low, but is a bit finicky at the lowest levels. Kind of like some qtc lights, but once you find a super low you like it holds said level.
Lantern has low voltage protection, and is made in the USA. It's made for day in day out use in the Amish/ "Plain folk" communities, so it should hold up well. The bulb? Your guess is as good as mine but some google use should provide a bunch of choices as to color temp and wattage choices. ( this one is 15 watt, 5000k.) The hanging hook is removable, and the lantern stands 13" tall without it, 18" tall with it installed.
I wasn't spending DeWalt battery money on packs for this, so I bought no-name aftermarket packs on Amazon for 1/3 the price of OEM. They fit and function, and seem solid. If you have tool batteries already, or value a lantern you can roll your own as far as wattage and color temp, and want something made for day to day use, I think it deserves a long look. Runtime etc will obviously depend on the amp hours of your battery packs, output used, etc. Lantern alone is in the $50 range, this bulb cost me $22. On to the pics!


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## scout24 (Aug 28, 2022)




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## bykfixer (Aug 28, 2022)

That's pretty cool Scout


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## badtziscool (Aug 28, 2022)

Kind of hard to tell from the pics but is that passive cooling or active cooling with a fan in the center? At the top of the “bulb” there seems to be some venting holes that kind of imply active cooling but I kind of figure that would make it much more complicated and costly than the $22 you bought it for.


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## scout24 (Aug 28, 2022)

Thanks, bykfixer. Badtizcool- Passive cooling, a lot of thin lightweight cooling fins in the center and a decorative grill on top to let the heat out.


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## knucklegary (Aug 28, 2022)

Nicely made and designed. Well worth the ducats!


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## bykfixer (Aug 28, 2022)

Made in 🇱🇷 too?
Heck yeah!


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## orbital (Aug 28, 2022)

+

*Gold Star for Scout !!

great use of 20vdc







*


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## scalpel_ninja (Aug 28, 2022)

Neat! And it looks like something from Stark Industries.


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## scout24 (Sep 1, 2022)

Purchased an adapter to run my MSR pocket rocket isobutane (or any similar) stove off of a one pound green propane bottle. Flexibility of fuel sources is a good thing...


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## KITROBASKIN (Sep 4, 2022)

Respectfully
Thinking that was also a good idea about the flexibility of burning available propane in the Jetboil stove I was about to order, I called them and the polite customer rep said it is not a good idea. While it can be done, it would not be efficient and may have an adverse impact on the stove. It would be great if members here could post about their experiences using one pound propane canisters with their isobutane stoves.


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## scout24 (Sep 4, 2022)

Good info, thank you for sharing. I'll be putting a bottle or two through my stove this fall, I'll report back.


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## bykfixer (Sep 4, 2022)

Poppy said:


> Today, I noticed that the low battery icon was blinking on my air conditioning thermostat. I swapped in a new pair of batteries. Fortunately I have a small stockpile of AA batteries.
> 
> If the AC went out because the power to the thermostat died, that would be really bad.
> View attachment 29988


I have a 'programable' wall mounted thermostat that I don't program. Matter of fact I don't set the clock on it so that the time flashes. By leaving the clock flashing that grabs my attention as I walk past, causing me to take a quick glance at the battery meter. The battery meter only shows when the (4) triple a batteries get weak about every 90 days or so.
I've come home from work to a shock when walking through the front door thinking "yikes my ac (or heater) is busted" and breath a sigh of relief when the display on the thermostat was blank. "Phew!"


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## Stefano (Sep 5, 2022)

A little while ago I tested the operation of a portable photovoltaic system.
I had tested it a month ago when I bought it but later I realized that the solar panels I had received were not the right model. 
After the replacement I had not found the time (and the sun) to check the functioning of the new solar panels. 
Everything went well, despite a slight haze and the sun not peaked I got 75 W


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## KITROBASKIN (Sep 5, 2022)

That's great Stefano! For the sake of (less experienced with solar) readers, consider explaining what the panels' watt rating is, so they understand the actual output is going to be less because of wire and electronic loss, even if it is a clear day. Pictures are always welcome.


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## Stefano (Sep 5, 2022)

The panels are 120 W
These are the new panels, they are wired in parallel while the previous ones had a different aesthetic and were wired in series.

Translated into practice: with the previous panels I exposed half of them from the window (and the others remained in the shade) the charge did not occur or was negligible, with those in parallel even if I expose a portion to the sun the charge takes place (even if with less speed )
If for some reason I could not go out into the house or garden to recharge this is very important (my window does not allow you to expose the whole panel.

This Power Station also has a built-in torch with two levels and a flash but compared to previous models it has a throw light instead of flood.
It does not have a high capacity (there are models with higher capacity also equipped with wheels) but it weighs about 10 kg and is easily transportable.

Edit: It uses LifePO4 batteries and at 2500 cycles they should still have 80% of the initial capacity.
The heavier version which also has a higher capacity has batteries that at 3500 life cycles still have 80% (these are the manufacturer's claims)


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## Stefano (Sep 6, 2022)

Purchased an updated version of a pyrolytic cooker. 
I bought the same product many years ago to use it in case of SHTF. 
Now an identical but larger version with some improvements has come out on the market.
I have a small supply of gas for cooking but since the "black winter" is coming to Europe I thought of buying a second specimen for any eventuality.


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## Poppy (Sep 8, 2022)

I think it is time to start using up my emergency gas supply, and fill the cans with fresh gas. Ethanol free gas is not available here at the pump.

Two questions:

1. Which gas is better? Winter gas, or Summer gas?

2. When do they make the change over from summer to winter gas?


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## hsa (Sep 8, 2022)

Summer gas comes from ham and beans.
Winter gas comes from chili.
Intensify your search for ethanol free gasoline. It's what you need. Maybe check with the local drag strip for suggestions.


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## knucklegary (Sep 8, 2022)

Winter blend fires up your old jalopy easier in cold weather. 
Summer gas (why costs more) evaporates slower suppose to decrease ozone depletion, yeah right!

Personally I like Nitro blend 💥


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## Poppy (Sep 8, 2022)

I think that the dragsters run Trufuel in New Jersey.
@ $32 a gallon from the Home Depot, that's a non-starter for me.

I did a search for ethanol free gas last year, and there were no stations pumping it in New Jersey. The nearest was a station in Pennsylvania. One and a half hours away from me.


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## hsa (Sep 8, 2022)

They usually have it on or near a recreational lake. Ethanol is terrible in boats. Do you have any of those?
Marine Stabil 360 works for me in mowers but they only go for six months without running. That may be pushing it.


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## Poppy (Sep 8, 2022)

@hsa thanks for the thought. I just called the largest recreational lake around here, one that has a fuel dock, and they don't have it. He said that a Stewart's upstate NY has it and people trailer their boat up there, or use 5 gallon cans, etc.

I called and was told that the nearest county doesn't have it, and maybe the next county up. So now we are talking two hours away.

I guess I'll just keep my containers tightly closed, and rotate my stock yearly.


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## bykfixer (Sep 8, 2022)

Green stabil or Lucas will keep your fuel good for a year. I double the dose in my car that sits a lot. I use about a gallon of fuel in my trimmer every other year. I use (pre-mixed) pure fuel from Home Depot. A half gallon of it was $10 if I recall correct. But now that I mostly use a Ryobi 18 volt trimmer it may take 5 years to use it. I use green Lucas in that too. My mower goes about a year on 3 gallons of 89 octane so I stabilize that too. That way in the spring it's still good.

Farmers and bosters used green (marine grade) years before ethanol.

My prep for today actually took place yesterday. I wrote down 3 word sentences to use as crib notes for a meeting this morning by the contractor where I work, where I had to pass on some requirements the client I work for wanted me to state. Lay down the law as it were. Some meetings I forget some of the topics I wanted to discuss so this day I made sure each item was covered.


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## orbital (Sep 8, 2022)

+

Get a gallon, for anything you own & give some to family friends.

*than you have it!*



Amazon.com


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## scout24 (Sep 9, 2022)

Just a reminder that it's National Preparedness Month. If you have it, rotate it and maintain it. If you need it, get it now. Check and swap batteries in your smoke detectors, radios, and flashlights. Rotate fuel if you store it. Rotate water you stored, even if you treat it. (2 drops of plain bleach per quart, sealed container in a dark place works nicely.) Run your generators. Start your snowblowers now, it's a lot more fun to work on them now than when you need them... 😁


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## bykfixer (Sep 9, 2022)

Truth!!!!!!!!!


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## Stefano (Sep 9, 2022)

I wonder how many here have prepared by protecting the electronic material against a solar flare (Carrington event) or an electromagnetic attack.

I keep a good part of my lights, batteries, chargers, solar panels and charging cables protected in an alleged faraday cage, especially the flashlights from a few years ago that I no longer use. 
(no guarantee that it will work but better try first than repent later) 

How many here do this?
Or just the only one thinking about these extreme events?


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## Poppy (Sep 9, 2022)

I have a transistor radio wrapped in a static free mylar bag, and I put my snowblower in a faraday cage. Other than that I am not solar flare prepared.







Oh NO wait! 
That was to keep the squirrels away from chewing on its fuel line.


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## KITROBASKIN (Sep 9, 2022)

Galvanized steel garbage can with items inside wrapped in bubble wrap or plastic layers so as to not touch metal.


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## KITROBASKIN (Sep 10, 2022)

Maybe do this with our old Nissan truck but...From the blog section of beprepared.com:

*How to Repurpose Gasoline*Over time, gasoline degrades and loses some of its combustibility to fire an engine. This means it's no longer effective. 

But that doesn't mean it can't be used.

If you suspect your gasoline has gone bad, you can test it by smelling it or comparing its color to fresh gas. If the color is darker or smells sour, it has expired.

The good news is that you don't have to toss it. *You can simply repurpose it by adding fresh gas to it.*

The process of diluting the old gas with the fresh gas should get the engine firing again.

Bob Vila recommends, "For a small tank of 9 or 10 gallons that reads at least ¾ full, according to the fuel gauge, add a half-gallon of old gas to the tank. Use a proper 'jerry can' (a gas jug with pouring spout) to slowly pour the old gas into the tank. Eyeball the gas level as you fill it, and stop when the tank is filled to just below the tank mouth's safety flap. […] Similarly, you can add ¾ of a gallon of old gas to nearly full 12-gallon tanks, or a full gallon to 16-gallon tanks."

Stay safe by working with expired gasoline and fresh gasoline outdoors only.


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## Poppy (Sep 11, 2022)

@KITROBASKIN 
I find his explanation a little confusing. But if I did the math correctly, it seems like it's about a 16:1 fresh gas to Old gas ratio.


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## bykfixer (Sep 11, 2022)

I keep 4D Maglites and alkaline batteries around in case of solar flares/emp etc. Hope I never need to use them. I have some other classics too but the 4D lights were bought after watching a tv about life after a nuclear war.


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## Stefano (Sep 11, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> I keep 4D Maglites and alkaline batteries around in case of solar flares/emp etc. Hope I never need to use them. I have some other classics too but the 4D lights were bought after watching a tv about life after a nuclear war.


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## Stefano (Sep 11, 2022)

Stefano said:


> The panels are 120 W
> These are the new panels, they are wired in parallel while the previous ones had a different aesthetic and were wired in series.
> 
> Translated into practice: with the previous panels I exposed half of them from the window (and the others remained in the shade) the charge did not occur or was negligible, with those in parallel even if I expose a portion to the sun the charge takes place (even if with less speed )
> ...


I tried charging the Power station (at home) 
At 4 PM with a non-optimal angle of the sun and with the panels lying on a table near the window, only one illuminated by the sun (the others in the shade) 
I get only 5W This does not surprise me because given the season and the time I should keep that panel at 45 ° but it is not possible. 
I wanted to simulate an extreme charging scenario. 
Unfortunately with the panels folded (3 folded on themselves and one open) the refill is at zero as in the inversion of the previous panels. 
Maybe I didn't quite understand the manufacturer's claims. 
I will need this device tomorrow to save the contents of my refrigerator, due to maintenance work on the electricity grid up to 7 hours without energy.


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## KITROBASKIN (Sep 11, 2022)

Marketing hype that touts capabilities but does not convey reality for other conditions. Remember that the country of Germany is really big on solar and we know how cloudy that place can be. Hopefully you (Stefano) can get your panels arrayed in the most productive place.


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## KITROBASKIN (Sep 11, 2022)

Poppy said:


> @KITROBASKIN
> I find his explanation a little confusing. But if I did the math correctly, it seems like it's about a 16:1 fresh gas to Old gas ratio.


I found the COVID distance/duration guidelines triggering quarantine confusing but kind of understand the line needs to be drawn somewhere. Some of my old gas has the look and smell of shellac. No way that is going in a fuel tank. Proper disposal is difficult.


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## Stefano (Sep 11, 2022)

KITROBASKIN said:


> Marketing hype that touts capabilities but does not convey reality for other conditions. Remember that the country of Germany is really big on solar and we know how cloudy that place can be. Hopefully you (Stefano) can get your panels arrayed in the most productive place.


I was hoping that the new version would work (albeit with reduced power) even folded and with only one of the four panels exposed to the sun. 
Unfortunately, recharging that power station in the window is almost impossible, if I open the four panels entirely and exposing only 1 or 1/2 of them to the sun I get only 5 W. 
To recharge I have to go to the street, it is not a problem because the weight of it is about 10 kg - for this reason I did not buy the larger version (2000W inverter and 27 kg of weight) because I would have had problems moving it. 

Although I did not make a comparison on the same day these parallel wired solar panels are perhaps better than the ones I received first, they both have 120W but these with a different aesthetic and the big blue handle seem to have a 10/15% in more yield.


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## KITROBASKIN (Sep 11, 2022)

Stefano, I’m dealing with a used battery pack with bad cells; having to test all 48 in groups of 8, hoping to get something worth using.


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## KITROBASKIN (Sep 11, 2022)

Two 175 watt panels in series for this 24V setup. Remember battery State of charge dictates how much energy the charge controller will provide the batteries.


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## KITROBASKIN (Sep 11, 2022)

The all important load test:


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## KITROBASKIN (Sep 11, 2022)

That series of eight 38120’s Lithium Ferrous Phosphate (LFP) is running the tv and roku.


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## Stefano (Sep 11, 2022)

KITROBASKIN said:


> That series of eight 38120’s (LFP) is running the tv and roku.


What capacity do those eight batteries have?


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## KITROBASKIN (Sep 11, 2022)

Stefano said:


> What capacity do those eight batteries have?


Nominal 3.2 volts, rated 8Ah each cell.
Had to purchase a dongle to enable Bluetooth connection with the Victron inverter. The Victron SmartSolar charge controller has one built in. One can always purchase an actual display/interface for each. This system is not just a backup/emergency-flee a wildland fire (if there is enough time to load it up). The idea is to run the 24/7 items like Viasat satellite connection and son's aquarium with this, so that the home system inverter can be set to 'search' for loads, thus allowing sleep mode at night and when we are not at home. Working towards not needing a generator.


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## orbital (Sep 11, 2022)

+

I like all your mad scientist stuff* K..*

Are those panels above new or backup units? 200W?


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## aznsx (Sep 11, 2022)

I moved a steak from the freezer to the reefer last nite to thaw for tonite. I'm prepped.


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## bykfixer (Sep 11, 2022)

aznsx said:


> I moved a steak from the freezer to the reefer last nite to thaw for tonite. I'm prepped.


Heck yeah!!
While grilling 2 pork chops I figured there was space not being used so I tossed two hot dogs on part of the space and a baking potato. Now cooking the chops for 20 minutes meant the potato was nowhere near done but..the skin was nice and crispy, the hot dogs nice and scorched and lunch for tomorrow is already prepared. I'll nuke the potato tomorrow.


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## KITROBASKIN (Sep 11, 2022)

orbital said:


> +
> 
> I like all your mad scientist stuff* K..*
> 
> Are those panels above new or backup units? 200W?


New Renogy 175 watt rated. Labeled 12V and one panel will not charge a 24V battery bank. These smaller panels cost more per watt than the standard 72 cells.

Different manufacturers use different MC4 type solar panel connectors. Some require a special tool to disconnect. I used diagonal wire cutters to remove shrouds so I can use my hands to remove.

The beauty of these industrial Headway cells is that small lengths of all-thread can be used to link batteries, as well as bolts onto busbars and wire terminations. 

One third tested and so far maybe 8 cells are bad and hoping no more. I contacted batteryhookup about the problem. They responded quickly initially but the situation is worse. We will see how they respond.


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## orbital (Sep 11, 2022)

+

mc4 connectors can be overly tight, for some of my gear I don't connect them till they click into place.
If they're _mostly_ connected, you'll still 'complete the circuit' for charging.

Yesterday I made a Anderson to 2.5mm DC cable for my neighbor;; then mc4 ~ Anderson ~2.5mm DC (two separate cables)
so he can connect his powerbank to a panel he's looking into.

Figured I'd help him get started....

*A type of prep*


----------



## orbital (Sep 12, 2022)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

A 2.5mm DC connector is often called a *DC 5525*

or

5.5x2.5mm

_I label mine * 2.5* because they look almost identical as the common 2.1mm (inner pin diameter)_


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## scout24 (Sep 16, 2022)

Picking up another deep cycle battery today. Paired with a small inverter, I can keep stuff going at night without running my generator if need be...


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## Stefano (Sep 16, 2022)

Yesterday I bought another 15L water tank.
Also bought drill bits and many nails of various sizes if I had to improvise chicken coop in the small tool shed I have in the garden


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## orbital (Sep 16, 2022)

scout24 said:


> Picking up another deep cycle battery today. Paired with a small inverter, I can keep stuff going at night without running my generator if need be...


+

And something like this would charge that deep cell right back up at lowish cost.
>> Just need to make cables from your battery to controller.



Amazon.com






Amazon.com


----------



## Poppy (Sep 26, 2022)

I have a few of this style gas can. They would be easier to use if the nozzle is an inch or two longer. This would allow the nozzle to reach into our car's gas filler port more easily.







In prep for possible power outages, (now that we are full swing into hurricane season, and ofcourse the up coming winter with possible outages,) I want to freshen up my storage supply of fuel.

I bought a funnel, to aid in pouring gas from those cans into our cars, so that I can put fresh gas into the cans.

Also, I started and ran both generators for their seasonal prep.


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## Romanko (Sep 28, 2022)

Talked to my friend about possible blackouts because of missile attacks at power plants. Hi said that a led in his smartphone is enough. Also he has no power banks. Don't know what to say.


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## Stefano (Sep 28, 2022)

Romanko said:


> Talked to my friend about possible blackouts because of missile attacks at power plants. Hi said that a led in his smartphone is enough. Also he has no power banks. Don't know what to say.


This does not surprise me, I have seen hikers (with family) face the dark in the woods or mountains without a flashlight and replying "we have smartphones"
He may be looking for a missile attack app on his phone.


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## Poppy (Sep 28, 2022)

I’ve been stunned to see that many of the Ukrainian soldiers use their phone as a light.


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## bykfixer (Sep 28, 2022)

Millions of people using a cellular phone for a flashlight says they must be pretty good at being flashlights. 
Just sayin'. 
Now we here at CPF know better but the lenmings and sheeple don't.


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## KITROBASKIN (Oct 9, 2022)

Factors to consider:









Top 15 Prepping Mistakes and How to Fix Them


Learn from others' mistakes before it's too late!




beprepared.com


----------



## Hooked on Fenix (Oct 10, 2022)

I finished a small hydroponics system I built with a couple 2x4’s, some scrap aluminum from a broken greenhouse, some soda bottles, some aluminum tool boxes, and a 5 gallon Home Depot bucket. Used two large tool boxes as the higher end base and one large and one smaller tool box for the lower end base. Screwed two pieces of scrap aluminum to 2x4’s perpendicular to tool boxes to act as rails to hold soda bottles up (having one side lower than the other). I cut holes in soda bottles (1 1/8 inch in bottom with hole saw, 3/4 inch in cap with unibit, and 2 2 inch holes in side with razor knife and scissors). Then I connected the bottles together end to end by putting the top of the bottle through the hole I drilled in the bottom of another and reaching in the closest 2 inch hole with a cap and screwing it on tight. I did this for 7 bottles. I placed the bottles on the aluminum rails with 2 inch holes facing up. Then I Tech screwed a piece of tie wire to the rail, wrapped the wire around the bottle neck, then tech screwed it to the rail on the other side of the bottle. I did this for each bottle to act as a strap so they didn’t move or slide down. After running tubing for the water pump through the wire straps, I drilled a hole in the top bottle and inserted the tubing. I put the 4 watt submersible pump in a Home Depot bucket full of water and connected the tubing and plugged it in to power. I put 2 inch plant cups in the bottle holes and let the water run. Had to turn the bottles sideways some so the cups would be dipped in the water when the pump ran but not when it stopped. Then I added plants that had been started growing in rock wool cubes in the cups and put some type of clay balls over them. Added a type a and b liquid fertilizer to the water and a little PH Down. Hopefully all that work will yield some good food in the near future.


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## Romanko (Oct 10, 2022)

Looks like there were some hits at power plants. Right now I have electricity. But some parts of Kyiv hasn't (I've read in social media).


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## Poppy (Oct 19, 2022)

The low temps are dropping to the high 30's F. So yesterday I planned on draining my garden hoses. I didn't feel well, so I didn't get to it.

This morning there was frost on my windshield.

Today, I blew out and drained my hoses, and blew out the lines that go to the hoses. I then filled them with RV antifreeze. I use a 2 gallon bug sprayer, that I put an air hose connector onto the spray hose. Works well!


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## Poppy (Oct 20, 2022)

Romanko said:


> Looks like there were some hits at power plants. Right now I have electricity. But some parts of Kyiv hasn't (I've read in social media).


I'm really sorry to see what is going on in your country.
I hope that your country, and the rest of Europe can get through the winter without too much difficulty.


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## bykfixer (Nov 4, 2022)

Putin Sucks

My prep for today began last night when I drank extra water, knowing I'd be sweating today and if I didn't, muscle cramps would probably result.


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## orbital (Dec 13, 2022)

+

Been putting off looking at my snowblower,, haven't touched it since last season.

Pulled it out and topped off the gas;
connected the extension cord for the electric start, put on the choke and primed it 4~5 times.

It fired up instantly, not having to do the start sequence a couple of times,* it started instantly and idled smooth.*
The only reason I put off till today to run it, was being confidant the carb & fuel system wasn't a mess.

I only use non-ethanol gas for everything I own and your machinery will thank you. Having non-ethanol gas is the prep here.

Also, sprayed every possible friction point & friction surface with Tri-Flow,, went a bit nutso with it...🎯


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## Stress_Test (Dec 18, 2022)

So, there's some seriously cold weather on the way in my region. Looks like some parts of the US are already dealing with it, but it hasn't hit here yet. Forecast is for possible single-digit temps and windchill below zero! 

I know some of y'all might just call that a normal winter day but round here it's more like a once-every-ten-years event.

So, I've started jotting down a few notes for a to-do list before Friday. Stock up on food and water first, obviously, then, in no particular order:

1. Charge/condition the old spare car battery that I keep in the closet as a just-in-case.

2. Pick up some sand bags to put in the trunk of the car (for weight over the rear tires mainly, and also to spread on slick spots)

3. Install new windshield wiper blades on the car. The current ones are old and mostly just skip and squawk over the glass.

4. Top off the water level in the car battery if needed. Crazy as it seems for a 2007 car, it has an old-school, non-sealed battery with vent caps.

5. Smear some silicone lube or something on the car door weather strip seals, so the door doesn't freeze shut so solidly if we get snow / freezing rain.

6. Verify that my car 12-volt to A.C. adapter still works. That thing has sat in the glovebox for years without being used.

7. Take care of a couple things for my dad: buy him one of those thermal reflective tarps/blankets that's aluminized on one side (they work really well!). Check the tree branches and stuff round his place to make sure nothing's going to fall off and be in the way, and remove it now if so. Get him some sand and/or de-icer for the walkways, porch, etc. 

Not going to even mention lighting prep, because probably anyone registered on this forum already has enough emergency lighting to outlast everything else!

But chime in if there are any other good cold-weather preparations. (I live in an apartment unfortunately so I'm kinda limited on some things)


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## Monocrom (Dec 18, 2022)

Get a large bag of kitty litter to keep in the trunk. Helps with regaining traction if you get stuck. A telescoping snow-shovel is another good idea to help dig out if you're stuck. Based on #2 I'm guessing you have a rear-wheel drive car. Honestly, if you don't have to go out when the storm hits.... don't. Just not worth it. Call in sick, or use some PTO days. Main reason why, other drivers in your neck of the woods won't be prepared. They'll be out on the roads. Endangering your life and others, including their own while underestimating how bad it'll likely be. Heck, some folks think 4-wheel drive means they have 4-wheel stop too. Nope!


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## Stress_Test (Dec 18, 2022)

Yeah don't worry, if there's snow falling or on the way I try to get home soon as possible then don't go anywhere. A few times I've been at work when it started snowing heavily and they turned everybody loose at once. The drive home one time was pretty much terrifying. After that time, I plan to leave _before_ the roads start getting slick. 

Forgot about the snow shovel. I actually could've used one last year to help clean off the car and remove the piles of snow from around it before they re-froze overnight. 

On a side note.... man, I've just been searching the Lowes and Home Depot web sites to see what they actually have in the store. Would you believe they don't show to have any thermal blankets or snow shovels in stock?? The only thing they had were those cheapo single-use thin emergency mylar blankets. The brick-and-mortar stores have done a lot of bitching and whining about how people buy stuff on Amazon but for cryin out loud guys you have to actually STOCK useful stuff in your stores if you want people to shop there!! < grumble grumble >


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## Poppy (Dec 18, 2022)

Stress_Test said:


> So, there's some seriously cold weather on the way in my region. Looks like some parts of the US are already dealing with it, but it hasn't hit here yet. Forecast is for possible single-digit temps and windchill below zero!
> 
> I know some of y'all might just call that a normal winter day but round here it's more like a once-every-ten-years event.
> 
> ...


I like your list of preps!

During winter months I add a long handled shovel in my trunk.
In fact I didn't remove it this summer.
I also add a sleeping bag.
A length of 1/2 inch or 5/8 inch line/rope.

I always have a plastic coffee can/urinal that holds hand sanitizer, a partial roll of TP, some plastic bags, and gloves.
I keep a set of winter wear in the car, including: my old three season coat (it is a gortex shell, with a zip in fleece liner) with gloves in the pockets. A set of gortex insulated bibs, a fleece hat, and an extra fleece (or two) shirts.

I keep a spare set of dry socks, and some ultra thin plastic bags, (like the ones you can get in the grocery store to put vegetables in, or packaged meat). The thin bags can go over dry socks, and be used as a water proof liner inside my shoes.

I used to keep a bag of trail mix, but I haven't done that in a while.
I generally have 6-12 bottles of water. Even if they are frozen, when placed on the dash with the defrosters on, they eventually melt.

I never go below 1/4 tank of gas, but with impending poor weather, I top it off sooner, and stay above 1/2 tank.

If there is freezing rain, I don't go out.

I keep a charged battery pack in the glove compartment, and swapped my cigar lighter port with a hard wired two port USB output for charging my phone with, or without my ignition turned on.

I might still have a three wick canned candle in my SHTF sack (for heat)
I certainly have a couple of those $3 mylar sheets. And big black garbage bags.

My prep today was to apply some silicone grease to the weather stripping of my driver's car door, for the same reason that you stated. Moisture seeps in, and freezes, and makes it next to impossible to get the door opened. I'ved used WD40 in the past, but think that the grease will hold up longer.


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## Poppy (Dec 18, 2022)

Considering that you are looking at a possibility of single digit temps you may need to take precautions that some of us do each winter.

For example, you will need to protect your outside garden faucets from freezing:
google "outside water faucet weather shield"
It is also a good idea to shut the water off from the inside of your house, and drain the outside faucet.
If you have any water pipes going through an unheated space, you may want to apply "heat tape" and insulate around it.
I had a bathroom sink mounted on an external wall, and if the temps went below 16F its feed lines would freeze. If however, if I left the doors to the cabinet open, and allowed the water to drip, it wouldn't freeze. I later discovered that the wall was uninsulated and by injecting insulating foam, that solved the problem.


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## Stress_Test (Dec 18, 2022)

Thanks Poppy, that's a good list of info. I'm in an apartment so I only have to make sure I leave taps dripping, but my dad has a house with a crawl-space and outside water faucets, so I'll be sure to remind him. I think he foam-wrapped those the last time it got that cold but I can't remember. 

We did have the external wall water line problem in one of our rooms at work. No insulation in the wall, same as yours. Couple years back it got cold enough to freeze those pipes and crack them, then they flooded the room when the temps warmed up again. Big mess!

Anyway, I thought about the sleeping bag for the car, but a while back I stashed a tarp with a mylar / aluminized side on it in the trunk. I have previously tried it out to wrap up in, and it is really warm. I tried it on the bed as a layer between the bedsheet and the blanket, and the problem was that it traps moisture, so I woke up damp in the morning. It _was_ really warm to sleep under though! I think it might work if you just kind of loosely draped it over the top of everything else. If I was stuck and had to sit in the car a while, I think I'd do okay with the heavy coat I'd have, gloves, boots, and the tarp draped around me. 

I'll try to find one of the cheapo emergency blankets for my dad to have on hand. I was just thinking about if the power goes out mainly. I don't think he has much if any firewood to use, and at his age he gets cold easily. 

I've been keeping a couple of rope sizes in the trunk for a while just in case. Got 3/8", some 1/2" and 5/8". Thought that the 1/2 or 5/8 might be useful if I was just slightly stuck on a slick spot or grass or whatever and needed only a minor tow to get out. Or if there was a big tree limb in the way that was too big to lift, I might tie it to the car and drag it out of the way. Last year there actually was a great big limb that dropped into the street by my building, but shortly after, a pickup truck stopped and a huge guy got out and dragged that limb out of the road _by hand_. 

And on a slightly humorous note on towing: back in the Spring I was looking at tow strap options on Amazon, and happened to come across a big honkin Lift-All web sling (used to hoist stuff from a crane and so forth). I was familiar with that brand since that's what our guys use at work all the time.

This monster is a sewn loop 18ft long and 4 inch wide polyester, and the price was something absurdly low, like 20 bucks or something. (I suspect now maybe it was a pricing error)

It was probably one of the most silly impulse-buys I've ever made, but for that price I just couldn't resist!

It's been hanging in my closet but I think it's time to throw it in the car trunk now. That'll make a _heck _of a tow-strap! I still chuckle when I look at the thing. It could pick up my car plus two more just like it, and still be within the safe working limit!! LOL






.


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## KITROBASKIN (Dec 18, 2022)

Sometimes a full length broom comes in handy to sweep the snow off the hood and windshield of a vehicle. We also use a broom to sweep fresh snow from the walkways at home.


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## Poppy (Dec 18, 2022)

Stress_Test said:


> I'll try to find one of the cheapo emergency blankets for my dad to have on hand. I was just thinking about if the power goes out mainly. I don't think he has much if any firewood to use, and at his age he gets cold easily.


I'm assuming that he is all electric or he could use his stove for heat.
With that said, a single burner propane camping stove, might be in order.

A cup of hot chocolate, tea, or hot cup of soup, can help to take the chill off.


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## Stress_Test (Dec 18, 2022)

Poppy said:


> I'm assuming that he is all electric or he could use his stove for heat.
> With that said, a single burner propane camping stove, might be in order.
> 
> A cup of hot chocolate, tea, or hot cup of soup, can help to take the chill off.



The stove is electric, but the house heat is gas. That doesn't work with the power off, but then I remembered that his hot water heater is gas-powered. I think that stays on regardless of electricity, so he could always do hot water bottles and stuff like that.


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## Stress_Test (Dec 18, 2022)

Ooh, I forgot another thing to check that should've been obvious:

Check the anti-freeze in the car to make sure it's adequate for single-digit temps! It so rarely gets that cold around here that I never think about that normally, so long as the fluid is decently green!


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## orbital (Dec 21, 2022)

+

Yesterday I added air to my tires to compensate for the colder weather ahead*
Added 6 seconds of air to each tire because I already new my pressures, so they're about 33 front & 32 rear for winter (cold starting pressures)

Bought this compressor maybe 7 years ago for $109 & had to make/get the hose stuff separate... so about $140 total
It's made in Taiwan and works great






PC1010 - SENCO


PC1010




www.senco.com





*my guess is 4~5 pound difference from 80F to 0F


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## Poppy (Dec 22, 2022)

With wind chill temps dropping to -9 F. over the weekend, I went around the house to make sure that each of our windows are tightly closed. many have two clamps, and a few only had one clamped. That will conserve heat.

I have a couple 9' x 12' thin plastic painter's drop cloths. If the furnace can't keep up, I plan to use one to seal off the bay window in the living room. It is a little drafty, but the dog likes to sit in the bay window's sun during the day.


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## ilikeguns40 (Dec 23, 2022)

Charged all batteries last night. Getting generator setup so I can run my furnace off that in case power goes out


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## Rossymeister (Dec 23, 2022)

Topped up 18650s and Eneloops. Got the big buddy propane heater out of the garage and prepped. Its currently 0F degrees, we have rolling blackouts in neighboring counties. We have been lucky to not have any here just yet. Got the handheld transceivers charged up and ready to go.


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## Poppy (Dec 23, 2022)

What kind/brand of transceivers did you go with? and why?


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## Rossymeister (Dec 23, 2022)

Yaesu FT60r is my primary radio right now. I like it because i can use AA batteries in it if im not able to charge it. Ive been using it to monitor local power outages, water main breaks, and wrecks, traffic and road conditions. 

Somebody gave me a UV-82 earlier this year. I havent really messed with it much, since it was so hard to manually program.


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## Poppy (Dec 23, 2022)

Rossymeister said:


> Yaesu FT60r is my primary radio right now. I like it because i can use AA batteries in it if im not able to charge it. Ive been using it to monitor local power outages, water main breaks, and wrecks, traffic and road conditions.
> 
> Somebody gave me a UV-82 earlier this year. I havent really messed with it much, since it was so hard to manually program.


Is it more effective than using your cell phone?

As a prep, I'd like to be able to communicate with family members in a 50 mile radius, in a real SHTF scenario.


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## scout24 (Dec 23, 2022)

FT60r is a workhorse. Nice choice. Stay warm!


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## Rossymeister (Dec 23, 2022)

Poppy said:


> Is it more effective than using your cell phone?
> 
> As a prep, I'd like to be able to communicate with family members in a 50 mile radius, in a real SHTF scenario.



Eh, debateable! Dont really have any local live news stations living in a small town. Unless you count facebook or the local newspaper.


What type of radios do you have?


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## Poppy (Dec 23, 2022)

I have a CB radio with weather, a few FRS walkie talkies, and AM FM radios.
I have a digital antennae for my TV, and being only 10-15 miles from NYC as the crow flies, I get a bunch of stations.

But in a real SHTF situation, like if NYC got Nuked, I'd be a hurting puppy.


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## Rossymeister (Dec 24, 2022)

Awesome! I remember using cb back in the 90’s. Good memories!

Well we started the rolling blackouts this morning. Ive got APC UPS’s hooked up to the lights, tv and internet in 2 rooms. Im showing about 4.5 hours of runtime on each of them. If you ever have a chance to invest in a couple, i highly recommend it! 

Its currently 3F outside. Inside temp hasnt dropped much. Got the big buddy heater on standby if we need it.

Hope everyone stays safe out there.

Merry christmas everybody!


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## scout24 (Dec 24, 2022)

Poppy said:


> Is it more effective than using your cell phone?
> 
> As a prep, I'd like to be able to communicate with family members in a 50 mile radius, in a real SHTF scenario.


Poppy- FT60R is a 5 watt handheld 2 meter/70cm radio. Less effective than your CB with a decent antenna. 2m/70cm start to shine with 25 watt plus mobile or base stations, with good antennas as high as you can get them. But they're still limited talking radio-to-radio ("simplex") and do much better using existing repeaters if they still work. Repeater viability would be questionable at best in a real shtf scenario. I wouldn't, and don't, count on my local repeaters being up and running if things go sideways. Sattelite, homing pigeons, or smoke signals unless you want to get licensed, buy HF ham gear, and put up NVIS antennas to work the 80 meter band.


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## knucklegary (Dec 24, 2022)

The only issue I see with smoke signals, Poppy will need to go outside


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## ampdude (Dec 24, 2022)

Pocket hand warmers and a bottle of lock de-icer to start out with.


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## bykfixer (Dec 24, 2022)

Something I'm ashamed to admit I had not done already, check the foundation vents around my house. I found 3 open 😱.
They were not near pipes but it only took about an hour to notice the difference in how cold the floors felt in a positive way.


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## Poppy (Dec 24, 2022)

scout24 said:


> Poppy- FT60R is a 5 watt handheld 2 meter/70cm radio. Less effective than your CB with a decent antenna. 2m/70cm start to shine with 25 watt plus mobile or base stations, with good antennas as high as you can get them. But they're still limited talking radio-to-radio ("simplex") and do much better using existing repeaters if they still work. Repeater viability would be questionable at best in a real shtf scenario. I wouldn't, and don't, count on my local repeaters being up and running if things go sideways. Sattelite, homing pigeons, or smoke signals unless you want to get licensed, buy HF ham gear, and put up NVIS antennas to work the 80 meter band.


thanks scout24 for your interest, and sharing your knowledge.

I think I'll just put this idea on the back burner for a while.
To make this work, I'd need equipment not just for me, but each of 5 other family members. Satellite equipment and a service, just makes it cost prohibitive, unless there was a REAL SHTF scenario. Then I'd be wishing that I had it.

Even a HAM setup would require a roof top antennae etc. Although getting a license would not be a problem, I am sure that I would not use the equipment often enough as a hobby to justify the expense.


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## Rossymeister (Dec 25, 2022)

bykfixer said:


> Something I'm ashamed to admit I had not done already, check the foundation vents around my house. I found 3 open 😱.
> They were not near pipes but it only took about an hour to notice the difference in how cold the floors felt in a positive way.



Your not the only one that made that mistake. Just had a pipe burst about 3 hours ago in the house. Huge mess. No plumbers would answer the phone. Ended up calling a friend that we go to church with. Finally got everything fixed. Im soo thankful that i was able to get ahold of someone that was willing to help and had the parts on hand. 

Anybody else had similar problems?


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## bykfixer (Dec 25, 2022)

My prep for today was to leave the milk and cookies up high enough last night that the dog couldn't reach them.


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## Poppy (Dec 25, 2022)

Rossymeister said:


> Your not the only one that made that mistake. Just had a pipe burst about 3 hours ago in the house. Huge mess. No plumbers would answer the phone. Ended up calling a friend that we go to church with. Finally got everything fixed. Im soo thankful that i was able to get ahold of someone that was willing to help and had the parts on hand.
> 
> Anybody else had similar problems?


Our house is on a slab, and the water line to the side of the house garden hose spicket runs through the attic. Two years ago, while I was sunning along the Florida coastline, I got an emergency call and was sent pictures of water running from a ceiling light fixture.










Although I drained the lines, apparently there was a low spot that water didn't drain from. It froze and separated the line where an amature made a previous repair.







When I had it repaired, I had my plumber install a compressor air line valve, inline, so that I can blow out the line with compressed air. Similar to the way the pros blow out the sprinkler systems for winter.








For added security, I pump about a gallon of RV antifreeze into the line, after blowing it out, incase there is a low spot that doesn't get evacuated. I then blow the antifreeze out too. In case it gets cold enough for it to freeze.


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## Rossymeister (Dec 25, 2022)

Poppy that looks like quite a job. Your lucky you caught it early on.


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## Poppy (Dec 26, 2022)

Rossymeister said:


> Poppy that looks like quite a job. Your lucky you caught it early on.


Not early enough!

A 4x8 board of sheetrock on the ceiling, and a 8' length of stud space sheet rock on the wall was damaged, and needed to be replaced. Also the two beds in the room had cloth covered headboards that were stained, and the curtains too.

IIRC between the carpenter, and plumber, and replacing damaged items, it cost about $3000.

Its amazing how quickly things add up. Fortunately for the most part it was covered by insurance.


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## Poppy (Jan 2, 2023)

I started my snowblower, and oiled some moving parts.

I started both of my generators. Each took a little longer to start than I thought they should take, so I'm glad that I did it while the weather was relatively warm.

This time, I pulled the side panel off of the 3500 watt predator inverter generator, and drained the carburetor. There is a little drain valve, that feeds a drain tube, that goes out the bottom of the unit. I didn't see that in the owner's manual, but rather in a youtube video.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/J7jDCwvo62U

I didn't drain the whole tank, maybe I should have.


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## bykfixer (Friday at 5:51 AM)

Speaking of snowblowers I waxed my coal shovel over the weekend. Snow hardly sticks at all when wax has been applied. Some say cooking spray or WD40 works as a bond breaker but I used car wax one year and it worked so I'll stay with that method. The only thing the coal shovel is used for at my home is snow removal.


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## knucklegary (Friday at 10:37 AM)

We usually don't get too much snow at our elevation. However, during this (La Niña) precipitation year my area, so far, has reached over 12" of rainwater.

My prep this morning Petzl headlamp along with PK PL-2 clipped to ball cap. Also, wearing my vintage knee high Manta steel toe rubber boots while clearing debris from runoff drainage..
At 6am, a good way to work up appetite before breakfast.. More pineapple express in the forecast


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## scout24 (Yesterday at 7:14 PM)

From the account of one of the bigger scammers here on CPF. Amusing. (He did make nice lights, but walked away with a bunch of people's money...)


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## KITROBASKIN (Yesterday at 8:36 PM)

post content removed because of deleted post from probable scammer.


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## idleprocess (Yesterday at 8:51 PM)

scout24 said:


> From the account of one of the bigger scammers here on CPF. Amusing. (He did make nice lights, but walked away with a bunch of people's money...)





KITROBASKIN said:


> You talking about post #589 right before yours? Possible scammer?


It's been almost 10 years since the user's last post; suspect the account was hacked.


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## scout24 (Yesterday at 8:56 PM)

Yes I was. I found it amusing, after slinking out of here like a rat, to see the account being used to try to scam. For the uninformed, see "Mac's Customs." Great builds, then left in a hurry with a lot of money belonging to members...


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## SamKormak (Today at 6:50 AM)

scout24 said:


> Yes I was. I found it amusing, after slinking out of here like a rat, to see the account being used to try to scam. For the uninformed, see "Mac's Customs." Great builds, then left in a hurry with a lot of money belonging to members...


It's quite odd his account didn't even get banned after all of those shenanigans.


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## scout24 (Today at 7:23 AM)

His subforum, was left open for information purposes and so members could still post there. The account? Probably no danger of him coming back to use it based on how he left. CPF policy back in the day was "buyer beware" (rightly so.), they didn't get involved with disputes regarding monies or product between members. One of the reasons there was an accessible "Cheers and Jeers" section... And banning is questionably useful, it doesn't take much effort to create a new account.


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## Monocrom (Today at 12:20 PM)

{For anyone confused, a couple of posts were removed from the thread. Rightfully so, now that I think about it. But it makes the current post #589 look out of place.}


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