Last couple of days we heard that advance auto parts, big lots and party city will be shutting down stores. Take advantage of the sales and discounts .

There have been several questions recently about how to keep drinking water in your car from freezing in the winter. I replied to at least one of them saying that I keep canned fruit in my car, mostly for food, but that I hadn't noticed any signs of it freezing and that it should provide at least some liquid. However, I had never actually tested to see what the freezing point actually was, so I decided to experiment.

I drained off about half a cup of the liquid from a can of pears in heavy syrup (these, to be specific: https://www.delmonte.com/products/fruits/pears/pear-halves). Heavy syrup is generally defined as a 2:1 ratio of sugar to water (e.g. 2 cups of sugar dissolved in 1 cup of water). I'm not sure if Del Monte strictly follows that convention. I placed the liquid in a clear plastic container and tried to freeze it at various temperatures. Here are the results:

So, the TLDR is that the freezing point of heavy pear syrup is around 10 F. Presumably heavy syrup for other canned fruits is similar. When I crack open a can of peaches I will test those and see if the freezing point is meaningfully different. And remember that even an unheated vehicle left outside will stay warmer inside than the minimum outside air temperatures. So canned fruit in heavy syrup will probably stay unfrozen in a vehicle even when it is 0 F outside.

Now, this obviously isn't a perfect solution. Heavy syrup is very sugary, and excess sugar can make you need to urinate more frequently. Personally, I find the heavy syrup from pears far more refreshing than the heavy syrup from peaches, which seems cloyingly sweet and thick. There also isn't that much liquid in a single can (maybe 2/3 to 3/4 cup in a 16 oz. can) and the liquid will spoil if you don't can it. But, in a pinch, it will give you at least a little liquid to drink.

After spending a ridiculous amount of money on Propane, I can't help but think what I would do if it became unavailable (or more likely, unaffordable).

A wood burning stove seems like the obvious choice for sustainability. I've never lived in a home that was heated this way. Would this be possible to install in a manufactured home? What are some pros and cons to heating your home this way?

Hello everyone. I recently bought a Berkey water filtration system. It is, I believe, the ~2 gallon (maybe 3 gallon?) filtration system. I installed the two filters after priming them as per the directions. I also installed 2 plugs for the other 2 holes that are in the top compartment so that all 4 holes were plugged. 2 had filters and 2 had plugs. I then did the red dye test after installation of said filters and the water was totally clear. I also made sure that the water was running through the correct channels.

My question is, how fast should my system be filtering water? My in-laws have this same system and it seems to take way longer for the water to filter than it does for my system. My system will filter 2 gallons in no more than 5-10 minutes. Although I have never timed their system, if I had to guess I would bet it takes at least an hour or so for their system to fully filter through the 2 gallons. Are my filters faulty? Is it faster because it is brand new? They’ve had their system for years. I just filled mine up for the first time tonight.

I really appreciate your answers and I look forward to seeing them. I apologize for the length of my post. I just wanted to be as clear as I possibly could. Thank you!

i have a few rifles, mags, PC and chest rig. i do have multi cam but i dont wear it. im just wondering how to go about prepping without looking like a military wannabe douchebag.

Thank you all for responding and giving me advice!

I am now starting to build my surival storage, first time here and desperately need info!

Gonna make it short... I have 30 of the heavy duty 27gal totes. If you were to fill up these totes for long term, what would you fill?

-5 totes for medical supplies (bandages, disinfectant, stitches, antibiotics, etc)

-5 totes for survival gear (flashlight, batteries, propane tank, gas mask, fire starters, etc)

-10 totes for food (50lb beans, 50lb rice, dried foods, etc)

-10 totes remaining, what would you fill it up?

Over next 6 months its time to rotate my supplies and got to thinking how would I fair a month on my prep plans? I want to buy nothing prepping for or during this challenge unless its neccessary/oops forgot that NEED. I already have supply of and use cash. When I go somewhere I can't find, I'm using my maps, it's been decades. Also am curious how much utilities charge when I don't actually use them. This challenge may sway me towards some lifestyle changes.

I'm semi retired alone in a small suburban home with a basement in the Northern US. I plan to shutoff water, electricity, gas to the house and fill my car's tank to start.

To figure/test out:

1. What month should I do this challenge?
2. How to handle basement electric sump pump?
3. How to handle 7cu chest freezer?

4 Do I even know how to shut my house down?

I have enough frozen & non perishable food. I plan to fill bathtub before shutting off water. I have 10 gallons of stored filtered water & my water heater holds 50 gallons that I've never tried to get water out of without water pressure. I already cook with a butane cooktop & have 20 butane canisters. I happen to have a spare car battery that I've never tried to power anything with. I have a case of 9hr emergency candles, 2 hurricane candle holders, a case of tea lights and clay pots. I have 4 buckets of compacted pine saw dust. I have full tyvek painter's suit, ductape, gloves, full face mask that I need to fasion filter for out of N95 mask inserts and I've never put it all on together.

I didn't think to prep N95 till 2019, but thanks reddit World News, I noticed preppers gently securing & did the same. Bought a case last year.

I'll probably shower at the gym once a week or two & go to a friend's property for a little/minimal target practice on weekend then clean each gun right after.

This is just a challenge, hopefully just for fun. I think I'll miss my bidet the most. Have you ever done this? What am I oblivious to?

Hey everyone, I have a 2019 Frontier crew cab wit a 5 ft bed, as well as a shell, camper, bed cap, whatever you'd like to call it.

Looks like this

My goal is to make some modifications to the cap itself (so I don't have to put any holes in/screw up my truck haha) to mount and carry some gear in. I'm not so much looking to trick out the bed of the truck into some tacticool overlander style rig, just trying to securely store some tools, fire extinguisher, FAK etc., while only putting modifications into the shell and not into the truck bed itself. I still haul lumber, firewood, and other misc bullshit that I would like to be able to do after removing the cap temporarily. I'm not aiming to build out some kind of SHTF vehicle, but a way to store gear and tools that could/would be used on a more regular basis, accidents on the road, disabled vehicles, medical emergencies, etc. Maybe some kind of grid rack or molle panel for the sides of the shell, something like that. Any ideas or input I'd appreciate it, thanks!

Not a prepper but figured if anyone will know it's either canning community or you guys.

Question regards safety of consuming (possibly) frozen - (possibly) refrozen industrially canned meat products (pet food to be specific).

Short background:

Me and my family take care of three stray cats that live near our home. They usually get one 14 ounce (400g) can of wet food per day evenly-ish divided between all three. Last week my mother bought two dozen of those cans but then either forgot about them or intentionaly decided to leave them in car for a while and then forgot about them - ultimately they were sitting there for six days. Thing is, during that time temperature in the night dipped below 32 degrees (0 C), quite possibly several times (we do have public meteo station near our home but it only stores records from last 72h - and during those 72h it got down to 21 degrees or -6 C at least once for half a night ; days were always above 38 degrees or 3 C ). I have no idea whether the food actually froze there or not cause I only found out about it (and subsequently took it out) yesterday when it was warm (41 degrees or 5 C) for pretty much whole day.

Main concern:

Now I wonder whether it will be safe to feed it to the cats if it the food actually froze or worse, froze and refroze during all the time it did spend in car parked outside. If it was one or two cans I would've thrown those away without hesitation but since it's 21 pounds (~10 kg) of food you probably understand why I don't want to that if there's a chance that I'm making too big of deal out of this. Main concern is of course botulism since it cannot be detected by smell. For what it's worth the food smells fine (opened one can at random).

Additional info:

- I was able to make dents in cans easily - they were cold but not hard though again, it wasn't cold outside when I brought them home
- The food was allowed to warm up in and to however much degrees is in my house (about 68 or 20 C)
- There was no bulging or visually broken seams on any of the cans before or after the above
- Took two random cans, squeezed them slightly under water making dents and no gas bubbles were produced
- If important the so called "analytical content" of the food by mass is as follows: protein 10%, fat 6%, ash 1.5%, crude fiber 0.5%, moisture 80%, calcium 0.3%, phosphorus 0.25%

A nuclear war would reduce the human population to very low level, comparable to the ones of the stone age on an economic level too. Many people here say that all animals would be turned into dust by hungry mobs. Let me ask you a question: did cavemen delete every single life form on earth? NO THEY DIDN'T! It's true that many species were killed by them, but they are vastly outnumbered by the species that survived. Mammals, trees, vegetables, fruits, birds and other edible stuff is still alive. Heck, with less hungry human mouths wild animals would even thrive in certain areas.

This is my current take: I think that a nuclear war would cause the extinction of the majority of animals in the targeted countries. You might find my opinion unreasonable but I believe even southern hemisphere megafauna such as elephants would survive since world leaders are not sadomasochistic enough to torture countries that have nothing to do with them. However, the northern hemisphere would be reduced to a giant steppe with sparse trees here and there, populated by rats, insects and boars because anything bigger than a deer would die of starvation. After some time, we should expect these animals to diversify and fill the niches of their dead neighbours, but how much time would it take?

I started prepping a few months ago for emergencies that last a few weeks to a few months. I bought a good amount of canned food that include pears, chicken noodle soups, fish and veggies. It fills up a card board box, I probably went a little over board but it was cheap. I keep it my garage which stays in the 60s down the 50s year round with no sun and lack of humidity.

I was wondering how far can you push past their expiration dates? If you can, how can you tell bad ones from good?

Let's assume what many people (and I guess some people here) is a worst case scenario: rapid collapse of civilisation, followed by a descent into 'survival of the fittest' - a 'Mad Max' type outcome. You have roving gangs or clans that seek to scoop up/find/hunt down the food and resources they need to live. If that happened, how feasible exactly is it to be on a remote farm? And by remote, I mean not visible. Not within sight of any main road. Totally sustainable. Known only to old people in the nearest community. Given that fuel would be limited, the internet down, and things like drones being limited in use, surely such a setup would be better than any bunker or at least on par with it?

Oh and this seems the only group I can ask such a question - nowhere else seems to 'get it'!

Long time lurker first time poster. I was going through some of our preps when I came across some Mayday brand (the yellow ones) “life boat ration” style emergency water packets (i.e. the little plastic pouches meant for non climate controlled long term storage) in an old go bag that I must have purchased in 2015 or so, marked as expired in 2020, much of that time and was spent in a non climate controlled garage that gets up to about 120-140 in the summer and down to maybe mid 40s in the winter (Fahrenheit). I saw some recent posts asking about real shelf life for these types of things so I thought I would open one up and try it for everyone’s reading pleasure.

Results: No odor, no discoloration, and a taste test revealed that it tasted a little plasticy but was definitely drinkable. So in this situation I feel good knowing these packets are good to use for at least a few years past their marked expiration, even in non climate controlled settings. I will post back if it causes any digestive issues from here!

I took some pictures but can’t share them in the post, can share in a comment. Manufactured July 2015 and marked expiration June 2020.

I also found an old Backpackers Pantry freeze dried entree from about the same time and I think there might be some “lifeboat style” food rations tucked away as well in the garage, I plan to do a similar trial with them soon as well.

I go through a lot of rice.

Twice a year I vacuum seal 40 pounds of rice in 1 pound increments, and over the next 6 months I eat the rice I sealed last year.

This weekend I did my usual 40 pounds and added a 25 pound bag of quinoa, also in 1 pound increments.

Any suggestions for what I should store next?

Popcorn? Oats? TVP?

I’ve got a deep pantry that will last me 12 months, but I want more fun foods.

Thanks!

This is the yearly reminder to stock more than you think you need. Even for Tuesday. I was surprised at how fast we ran through supplies.

1x finger + chef knife injury took 1.5boxes of non-stick pads, roll of tape, 2 rolls vet wrap and 1/2box rubber gloves. For a single finger!

2 x Upper Respiratory Infection with all the accoutrements. Between the 6 boxes of tissues, decongestants, Advil, to clearing the shelf of home canned soups, crackers and electrolytes, I am surprised that all the preps we stocked were nearly halved by one bout of the winter crud.

1 x ankle vs. pothole led to the only doctors visit. No break but 4 months recovery for the severe sprain. Great way to get out of chores.

I've learned quite a bit this last 2 weeks. We seem to plan thinking we will be somewhat able-bodied when dealing with issues. That's not always the case. Plan accordingly.

Cross train chores. Simplify. Get creative with options. Buy more bandages. Have a good laugh at the absurdity of it all.

EDIT: The various comments about the over use of supplies just goes to prove my point. It's very easy to underestimate whats needed. I certainly did.

In this case, 15 non-stick pads over 8 days is more than judicious for the type of finger injury sustained. And approximately 17-20 tissues per 24hrs for the wiping of noses, hacking and coughing up all sorts of things in hindsight is pretty low.

Don't let your assumptions about how things are supposed to be cloud how things actually are.

Not including things like game hunting. A concealable firearm that’s easier to shoot than a handgun

We had lever water pump and it's 560 feet deep but the ground water is 40 feet which is close to the ground in the surface of the earth, (had to say it like surface of the earth crust because it confuses which is above or below) I'm not quite sure if I should buy deep well water pump or shallow water pump, there are rare to no videos to YouTube about it other than explaining what head max and suction lift force, I wanna know if I should buy shallow water pump since deep well pump is expensive

My husband is a hardcore prepper and has been for many many many years… Researching online for gifts never really helps me because he has all the stuff you see on mainstream. Anyone have any awesome gift ideas please? Would prefer to keep below $3k if possible. Thanks in advance! -The Wifey

I want to create an emergency go-bag for my car, each equipped with enough food, water, and supplies to sustain two people for three days. The goal is to provide essentials for reaching safety or being rescued within that timeframe. These bags will remain in the car year-round, so all items must withstand extreme summer heat and cold winters. I also need to include supplies for my 60-pound dog. The bags should be comprehensive but lightweight. What should I pack? (can split into two bags if absolutely needed) Thanks in advance!

I’m looking for a compact simple one similar to the one mentioned In the title, while I’m at it I’m curious as to what brand should I buy tourniquet, chest seals, gauze, quick clot, etc from I’m very new to this so any help is appreciated

I am searching for recommendations for reliable masks for every day carry. Something that will fit my wifes purse, kids backpacks, fanny/waist packs, etc., that can handle cs gas and smoke. Something small enough to be easy to carry just in case they need to extricate themselves from an area where a protest or police action has popped up. I'd prefer full face but that's probably asking alot.

Thanks for any help.

Hello just a question im kind of broke right now...and im looking for a free way to get an free emergency backpack help will be very appreciative!

New to prepping and I’m about to start investing in things such as mylar bags, fire blankets, those outdoor warming blankets, potentially gas masks, etc but I don’t know where to start. Amazon is my go to but the quality with their merchandise can be inconsistent depending on the retailer, especially since a lot of Amazon sellers are international and coming from countries that rely on cheap labor. So any recommendations on retailers to get quality, authentic supplies would be helpful! I was eyeing PackFreshUSA to purchase mylar bags and oxygen absorbers but I’ve never heard of them prior to my research so just want to make sure I’m putting my money into real businesses with quality products! Doesn’t have to be super cheap, I’m okay with spending a good dime but not too expensive either!

Hello all!

So, I’ve read through a lot on food stores, and I probably have roughly one full week that I could stretch into two weeks in a true emergency. But I live in a city and have an apartment sized refrigerator and freezer. Frozen deep stores like some people run simply aren’t possible.

I know stuff like butter, milk, etc. will go bad quickly without power (we don’t have a backup generator). Plus, I live on the third floor of the building and a power cut would mean water pressure dries up pretty quick (we had a plumbing problem and lost water for 3ish days earlier this year).

Would it make sense to have some dried food stores (like Auguson Farms)?

Just moved back to the Midwest from Southern California. We had a bunch of smaller solar powered Christmas lights that obviously worked well there. Strung them up here and they have barely worked for a day. It got me thinking about when I wanted to get a solar generator and how that would be a miserable waste coming back here if I had to use it in the winter. We are getting so little direct sun that I can’t even get a strand of light bulbs to work that I can’t imagine having to use a solar backup and try to trickle charge it back up full- it would take days or weeks to get it back running. Very happy that I went with a dual fuel generator now instead of going with a solar generator with a trickle panel. Pretty “duh” thing and I’m sure it would be of use in the summer but it definitely won’t cut it in the winter. Just something to think about - different uses in different environments at different times of the year.

I have a daughter, 8.

We have no mom. Solo Dad.

Although she still has no need for pads/tampons yet, I want to be ready. I am an adult so I have pads/tampons in both my bathrooms. I have a professional Healthcare background, so I don't need a explanation.

My question is: how long are they shelf stable? Do they go bad? Is it best to start with cups or sponges? I'm asking for opinions.

Thx.

Edit I really appreciate the positive feedback and helpful replies. Y'all have reminded me why I participate in Reddit.

To all the odd negativity- grow up. Put hygiene products in your home. It's $15 bucks to be a good host. You spend more on your bar bill.

I have concerns that the pull tab style wouldn’t last as long, anybody know?

I need it to be light weight and durable any suggestions please

I have a hobby of canning and know that water storage can be meticulous. The thought of just canning the water came so I seeked out some sourses.

The method that I use is have the water go through a coutertop distiler, then I prep my jars and equipment, I pressure can so that can make SURE that everything is good.

I'm sure this method has its pros and cons, like having to add electrolights/liquid iv to make it drinkable for the long run, but it better for people that can't have bulk water storage, because they don't have the space or can't lift heavy loads. Either way I like having options.