/r/preppers

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Learning and sharing information to aid in emergency preparedness as it relates to both natural and man-made disasters. Discussion for those preparing to weather day-to-day disasters as well as catastrophic events. Insurance for tough times.

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What we will be discussing:

A place to share information on emergency preparedness as it relates to disasters both natural and man-made.

Would you survive in the event of economic, political and social collapse? What natural disasters such as tornadoes, earthquakes or hurricanes are prevalent in your area? What can you do? What should you be doing now? What do you need to know/have?

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/r/preppers

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10

Are there any portable water-proof power supplies?

I was thinking about the flooding mayhem in Florida due to the 2 recent hurricanes, and I was wondering if someone knows if they've already invented power supplies that can cope with that kind of environmental catastrophe (mainly the flooding aspect), or if it's still necessary to take precautions to keep the current generation from getting wet.

3 Comments
2024/10/23
11:56 UTC

2

Hunting

Sorry for the questions, ive never heard off prepping before the weekend where someone was in my house and opened up my pantry store and ask if i was a pepper as i have a rotating food stock store in my house and some basic stuff but looking to expand my outdoors knowledge and equipment. My question is what do uk people use as hunt weapons I have a crossbow (maby soon be illegal) and a sling (working on aim and power) but wondering what other people have

8 Comments
2024/10/23
11:21 UTC

0

Tool kit for scavenging

It’s time for me to ask you Redditors what kinds of tools I should include in a little kit for scavenging, NOT building/constructing things. It doesn’t have to be an all-inclusive toolkit, it just needs to be versatile, reliable, and effective. I get most tools from Lowes, Home Depot, and Walmart; sometimes NAPA or Oreilly’s. If you have any ideas on what I can add, I appreciate the help. Thanks!

I currently have:

Work gloves.

Folding razor blade knife.

Estwing straight-claw framing hammer. I prefer a hammer with a long handle and a lightweight head.

Screwdriver with 2 Phillips head (large and small) and 2 flat-head (large and small). It is not a ratcheting screwdriver.

Husky 15-in-1 painter’s tool.

Walmart slip-joint pliers, 8” OAL. I don’t want to go smaller.

Walmart needle nose pliers, 8” OAL. I don’t want to go smaller.

Walmart 16’ tape measure.

Coast headlamp XPH30R 1200 Lumen USB-C Rechargeable Dual Power Headlamp with Twist Focus Beam and Magnetic Base https://a.co/d/iaGPJST.

Walmart palm-size LED work light. Probably a couple hundred lumens. 3 brightness levels: high, medium, low. 3 or 4 AA batteries.

Sharpie permanent marker, black, fat with chisel tip.

Sharpie permanent marker, black, round/pointed tip.

Carpenter’s pencil.

Rite-in-Rain 3x5” notepad.

Zip ties, assorted sizes and colors.

Electrical tape, black, small roll.

Electrical tape, red, small roll.

Gorilla duct tape, grey, small roll.

I am considering:

A drywall hammer to replace the striaght-claw hammer. Example: ESTWING Drywall Hammer - 14 oz Wall Board Tool with Milled Face & Shock Reduction Grip - E3-11 https://a.co/d/3D75zQX.

Harbor Freight Braun 500 Lumen LED rechargeable work light.

A small prybar about 8 - 10” OAL, either screwdriver-like or crowbar-like.

Electrical (insulated) pliers to replace all of my uninsulated pliers.

Including a second pair of slip-joint pliers. For use if I want to disconnect a pipe of some kind.

Spark plug socket with extension and ratchet.

Wera 05073661002 Kraftform Kompakt 27 RA Slotted Ratcheting Screwdriver, 1/4" Head, MULTI https://a.co/d/bbhd8yT.

TOOLAN: 8-In-1 Multi Blades Hand Saw, Drywall Cutter Saw. Hacksaw. Long Blade Hand Saw, Jab Saw, For Cutting Drywall, Sheetrock, Wood, Metel, Plastic, Plywood. Blade Quick Change Mechanism. https://a.co/d/8BzalRP.

Assorted saw blades for the Toolan hand saw.

CRAFTSMAN Retrieval Telescope Tool, Automotive (CMMT98316) https://a.co/d/9SYOHmV.

Voltage Tester, no-contact, pocket/pen. Either: Klein Tools NCVT1P 50 - 1000V AC https://a.co/d/c9KaNlZ; or Fluke 90 - 1000V AC https://a.co/d/hc8qVqx.

UNI-T UT210e Mini Digital Clamp Meter https://a.co/d/imyOT9v.

Klein Tools 11048 Dual Wire Stripper Cutter for Solid Wire, Made in USA https://a.co/d/gzYRsCJ.

Ratchet straps. Example: AUGO 4 Pack - 15 FT, 2200 LB https://a.co/d/brf5PQc.

Locking pliers, curved jaw, 2 pliers. Example: Vise Grip 7-Inch Curved Jaw Locking Pliers with Cutter (VGP7WR) https://a.co/d/8TYMrxR.

Wire/side cutters.

Cable cutters.

18 Comments
2024/10/23
10:42 UTC

2

What can I make online where I can use from time to time or before it's too late? Such as downloading an offline map

I downloaded a section of a google map and thankfully I did because the location had no signal, saved me a couple of $$$.

I also thankfully made a forum account a year before they stopped accepting new sign ups and I visit that forum from time to time to get info and check on friends, I've been a member for over 10 years! This reddit app is also something to online-prep? I guess if that's the word? Because I realize you need to have a dated and semi active account to be able to post or even ask questions. My city's subreddit does not accept any account that is only 1 month old for example. And it used to be super lax to create accounts without having the need for an email address long time ago.

I also made a social media group (facebook) where I only maintained it for a few months, and now it's grown to over 5k members. I use it to announce my non profit's events and its helped a ton in terms of exposure, I didn't even think about it or knew that the group I made is still running, I only ever spent 2 hours of my life setting it up, another I guess 10 hours of my entire life inviting or posting stuff then leaving it alone. I have a friend who signed up to a bunch of apps and forums, and was grandfathered in before that app/company became too big and started charging crazy subscriptions. I'm waiting for black friday to sign up for an online storing site because I feel like they'll explode in popular in the next years and that their fee will turn into subscription based.

It seems like information will always be the new oil and it feels like anyone can obtain or get it. So before that online favorite something goes berserk, which or what can I do or get "online" wise for prep?? I'll give another one, I have flashdrive of all my favorite pdf and ebooks, I just hook it up to my kindle and when our power goes broke, I saw myself spending better time reading. What can we totally get that's online or register for that is in our reach now before it's too late?

4 Comments
2024/10/23
03:20 UTC

2

Resupplying cattle animals in shtf

my cousin is an end of the world, "the sky is falling" type of guy, he's got a pretty decent flock of animals for food and the sort, but where do people plan on getting new breeding animals once the stores are all gone? If your breeding female dies do you just wander the woods and hope to find a new rabbit or cow?

19 Comments
2024/10/23
02:37 UTC

6

Freeze dried and dehydrated dog food

So at my work we have freeze dried and dehydrated dog food. We have a line that is really good quality but a bunch will “expire”, now I’m assuming because of how it’s stored it would be totally fine for another 10 years if I take it out and put it in plastic tubs. What do you guys think????

Also it makes about 40lbs per container with the dehydrated food, there is about 10 that will expire.

32 Comments
2024/10/23
00:48 UTC

14

Determining most probable event

Outside of natural disasters and weather events, how do you prioritize what events to plan for? I’m in a suburb decently far outside the main city, and I feel like most scenarios are equally likely, however it would be logical to tailor a set up around what is truly most probable.

Hope y’all are doing well!

14 Comments
2024/10/23
00:45 UTC

2

Power station like Anker C1000 but without app control?

I'm looking for a power station in the size range of the Anker C1000 but I without features looked behind an "app". I want one that I can control everything on the unit in the event that my phone is unavailable. I hate the idea of a SHTF scenario and I need to change some setting on my power station. An example of this would be if I left the Anker C1000 capped at charging at 200w and forgot to change it back to 1000w and then SHTF and I'm stuck with a charging at 200w.

I also don't like how they can just update the firmware on the C1000 next time I connect to the app and change something about it.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

10 Comments
2024/10/23
00:32 UTC

38

How many bag types do we need to prep?

I have been reading and watching tons of videos on prepping. There seem to be a number of bag types, listed below, which have me in some confusion. How many of these do you actively prep for? We are a family of 4, with spouse and 2 kids (senior teen and 9-year old)

  1. 72-hour Emergency kit for home emergencies (like a buggin-in bag)
  2. Bug out bags for each member of the family, assuming we need to leave the house
  3. Power Outage kit, which is somewhat similar to the 72-hour kit, but focus is more on managing a short-term power outage
  4. Vehicle EDC kit, focused on managing a mild to moderate SHTF scenario but staying with the vehicle
  5. Get Home bags (GHB), potentially in vehicles and can overlap with the V-EDC kit, but also has provision for hiking back home.
  6. The V-EDC and GHB bags have urban and rural variations, depending on AO
  7. Medical kits form part of each of the above and also vary significantly in terms of what is included
31 Comments
2024/10/23
00:04 UTC

25

What books or other tangible sources are nice to have on hand?

Was just thinking about the case of a power or internet outage, or worse, a solar flare that can fry all electronics.

What are good books or other tangible sources to have on hand?

I’m thinking a few how-to books and an atlas may be an advantage to have.

What are some cool books that are helpful in case of no internet?

27 Comments
2024/10/22
23:53 UTC

2

Need Power

Upping my game a little. Grabbed this 300 watt Jacket on sale from Amazon. Going to get a 100 w solar panel around Christmas. Probably won’t get a Jackery. Going to store them in a metal can with hvac tape on all openings.

6 Comments
2024/10/22
22:05 UTC

0

What are the probabilities of different catastrophes?

My team just finished an exercise looking at the probabilities of different catastrophes. You can find it here. I thought it might be of interest to /r/preppers. I'm also curious whether you can think of events not on this list that would fall in the 2%-10% chance a decade range.

Here are our best guesses:

CalamityProbability > 1M deaths in a year of the next 10Rangeestimate
War23%18% to 40%Forecaster aggregate
Natural pandemic22%10% to 30%Forecaster aggregate
The unexpected21%15% to 30%Forecaster aggregate
WW3 specifically12%5% to 40%Forecaster aggregate
AI10%1% to 40%Forecaster aggregate
Unintentional biochem2.4%0.8% to 10%Forecaster aggregate
Biological weapons2.2%2% to 2.5%Forecaster aggregate
Climate change2.5%1% to 5%Forecaster aggregate
Volcanoes1%0.2% to 2%Best model
US civil war0.92%0.05% to 3%Forecaster aggregate
Financial crisis0.59%0.2% to 2%Forecaster aggregate
Solar storm0.2%0.00066% to 0.71%Best model
Simulation shutdown0.13%0.001% to 3%Forecaster aggregate
Asteroid impact0.02%-Best model
Alien invasion0.00014%0.00000025% to 0.1%Forecaster aggregate
Vacuum decay, weird physics<~1e-8-Best model

A subjective range might be the range for war

Type of estimate: Geometric mean of forecaster probabilities

Probabilities: 20%, 20%, 40%, 25%, 21.5%,

Range: 20% to 40%

Aggregate: 25%

Forecaster comments:

For context, Ukraine war is ~200k deaths over 2 years. WW1 and WW2 were 10M to 100M deaths


Baserate: WW1 and WW2 for last century are already massive wars, giving baserate of 2/100 years. Specific spots: 15% for China/Taiwan leading to a conflict. But it doesn't necessarily lead to 1M deaths. Say ~40% that it does
For reference, the Ukraine war hasn't reached 1M/year. I think I was previously higher, but have down based on vibes, and on accounting for 1M/year being a fairly high threshold.


ASI ~40% within 10 years, in that case maybe ~60% due to destabilization. Might be hard to classify instances of misaligned takeover. If no ASI, maybe ~25% idk


20% on China-Taiwan, and 5% on something else.


Rwandan 1994 genocide was ~800k over 100 days


Based on data from 1400 to 2000, the probability of a death rate at least as high in any of the next 10 years if the current year has a lower death rate is 21.5 %.


A more objective model might be the one for volcanoes:

Type of estimate: Best model.

Range: 0.2% to 2% per decade.

Historical baserate: Some large historical eruptions over the last several thousand years which are relevant here, taken from this Wikipedia list are: Mount Tambora, 1815, Krakatoa, 1883, Santa María, 1902, 1808, unknown, ~1665, Papua New Guinea, Huaynaputina, 1600, Quilotoa, ~1280, Paektu, 946, unknown, 536 (may have inspired Fimbulwinter), Vesuvius, 76 AD, etc.

It's kind of tricky to turn these eruptions into a baserate, because a) most of these probably didn't cause 1M deaths (though the 536 eruption probably did), b) the world was less populated then than it is now, c) death tolls usually report only immediate deaths in the region, but we may also care about deaths due to famine, d) the historical record is much spottier before, say, 1800, e) the biggest volcanic eruptions were before 1800, f) the very biggest are probably prehistorical

We could proceed in a variety of ways. First, we could directly make a judgment call, and say there have been between 3 and 10 eruptions over the last 2000 years that, if they happen now, would kill a million people. That's a 0.15% to 0.5% chance per year, or 1.5% to 5% per decade.

Second, we can look at the last eruption that might kill 1M people if happened today. That might be the 1815 Tambora eruption. Per Laplace's rule of succession, you would have a 1/(2024-1815) = 0.00478 = 0.478% chance of such an eruption happening a year, or around a 4.7% chance of happening a decade. Say it would then have a 10% to 50% of killing over 1M people. That's then 0.47% to 2.35% chance of killing over 1M over a decade.

Third, we could take the frequency of eruptions of a certain magnitude—e.g., a volcanic eruption index of 6 or 7, and attempt to estimate whether one such explosion would kill over a million people. However, this gets a bit messy.

VEI 6 eruptions happen every 50 to 100 years. The share of the Earth that would be urban enough for this to have a large death toll is around 0.3% of the whole of Earth's surface, or about 1% of the land. Even if you have an eruption near an urban agglomeration, you could still evacuate it beforehand, but say there is a 5% to 25% that you don't get enough advance warning or otherwise can't. Multiplying these numbers through results in a 0.0066% to 0.038% of a VEI 6 eruption directly killing over 1M people over the next decade. The intuition is that large urban agglomerations are a small share of total land area, and elsewhere you can't get enough density to directly cause a large enough death toll.

Let's sanity check that by looking at a list of large cities around volcanoes: Tokyo, Mexico City, Manila, Jakarta, Naples and Seattle are the most prominent examples, and let's multiply that by a factor of 1.5 to 5, so say, 9 to 30 volcanoes within ~100km of dense enough urban areas (this includes both cities in that list that have more than one volcano, and additional cities with a density above 1M people in a 100km radius that I'm forgetting about). There are on the order of 500 to 1.5K volcanoes, so we might estimate the change of the next VEI 6 explosion hitting within 100km of a very large city as (9 to 30)/(500 to 1500) = 0.84% to 4.29%. This includes our previous estimate of ~1% of urban areas.

VEI 7 eruptions happen every 500 to 1,000 years. Their frequency is lower but their reach is wider; say they'd have a 2% to 5% chance of large effects reaching an urban agglomeration, a 10% to 50% of doing so fast enough that resident's can't evacuate. Irrespective of whether they are very near to an urban area or not, say they'd have a 5% to 30% of causing wide-ranging turmoil and disruption over a larger area, leading to 1M deaths that way. This gives us a 0.077% 0.46% chance per decade of killing over 1M people.

Adding these gives us a (0.0066% 0.038%) + (0.077% 0.46%), or 0.094% to 0.48% chance per decade. Most of the risk comes not from the risk of an eruption being near a city, but from the uncertain damage of very large but very infrequent eruptions.

This is 5x to 35x smaller than our previous estimate of 1.5% to 5% per decade, but it feels more grounded. In particular, after considering just how large the Earth is, and how infrequent large eruptions are, the upper end of our initial 1.5% to 5% range seems too high. Specifically there probably haven't been 10 historical eruptions over the last 2K years that, if they happened now, would kill over 1M people. The interval might be more like 0 to 4, corresponding to an estimate of 0% to 2% per decade. Looking at our VEI estimates, we could, as a judgment call, stretch our final estimate to 0.2% to 2% per decade.

Reasons to update upwards: The world in general is much more dense now, particularly around Indonesia, which has many volcanoes.

Reasons to update downwards: No volcanic eruption has killed close to 1M people in recent memory, we are better at both forecasting and at damage mitigation now than we have ever been, volcanic risk is easy to explain. One mechanism volcanoes caused death in the past is through famine, but we are producing much more food today.

It might be illustrative to contrast this with an estimate from The Precipice: ~1 in 10K for the next 100 years, or ~0.001% for a decade. This might be so much lower because Ord is looking at Supervolcanoes (VEI >8), which are historically much rarer. In contrast here we are looking at eruptions with VEI of 6-7. Note that a one in a millennium eruption together with a once in a century plague, like the Plague of Justinian still wasn't enough to cause existential risk (humans aren't extinct yet), though the ensuing little ice age could arguably be categorized as a catastrophic risk.

See also: Supervolcanoes tail risk has been exaggerated?.

21 Comments
2024/10/22
21:52 UTC

183

Just inherited 139k at 22, what should I do?

So l am going to pay off student debt and credit card debt which should be about 10k ish total, and get my car fixed up, but after that what should I do?

Should I buy some cool guns and ammo and food and water?

I am going to be starting working in tech soon and make a decent income; so should I just save it all in a savings bank or invest it into something like a SP5000?

Or will none of that matter if SHTF? Should I take it out in cash?

I don't really want to buy anything at the moment besides maybe a trip to Thailand before I start working or before the world ends and we can’t travel outside to USA.

Edit: I live with mom in house in suburbs and we have another house in the mountains up north.

417 Comments
2024/10/22
21:25 UTC

14

Knife

Was wondering if anyone can recommend a survival knife and a multi tool knife, of good quality and thats uk legal. And maby why you recommended the knife

Thanks everyone for the ideas and knowledge. Will check out your recommendations. Maby not the butter knife tho 😂

29 Comments
2024/10/22
20:31 UTC

0

My Reason for Prepping is the Worst

I am curious to see which reason for prepping is the most likely to happen and the worst case scenario. If anything my recent fascination with prepping stems from one reason, gain of function research. I do not know how this has not happened yet, but basically if a single individual wanted to increase the spreadability and lethality of viruses or other pathogens to level that could kill most humans they could. A version of this has already happened with a virus in recent history where they “accidentally” released a deadly virus to the populace and spread globally. Now if some one increased the capability of let’s say measles to another level it could recreate a situation similar to Europeans visiting the Americas where 95% of the native population died. If you have your own reason please share them, but because of how easy it is for one highly educated person to hate the world and develop a weapon of mass destruction by themselves takes the cake for me. This gets even worse with the invention of AI as now all you need is a virus editing CRISPR kit, jailbreaking, and enough hate to end civilization.

85 Comments
2024/10/22
19:59 UTC

12

bugout bag for Seoul/Korea

So I just moved to South Korea and a recent fire alarm in my building made me realize I need to prep for shit again. My thinking is that either I need to get to the US Embassy (20km aprox) or major port (60km aprox) incase of any major shit so probably a 2day urban hike at the longest after likely taking shelter for a day in the subway where they have dedicated shelters here. Aside from the basic checklist for a bug out bag what would I need in everyone’s opinion? Assuming I would need radiation stuff but beyond that any recommendations for specific stuff for my situation? TIA

13 Comments
2024/10/22
18:22 UTC

17

GPS locator for family

I may be asking for the wrong thing. Different approaches are totally welcome.

I’d like to have a backup (outside of cellphone) way that my wife could send me her location if SHTF. I’d prefer to always tell her “stay somewhere safe, and I’ll come to you.”

I’ve seen in even very minor emergencies how the cell network can go to shit with being overloaded.

What’s the solution here? Both of us have GPS devices that can send messages? If that’s the right path, which would you recommend? *I’d really prefer to avoid paying any subscriptions if possible.

38 Comments
2024/10/22
17:46 UTC

0

Add a Bird's Beak Paring Knife with a blunted tip to your First Aid / Wound Kit for Cutting Tape

There are multiple reasons why: Edit: I forgot to say that this is for applying the tape, not removing.

  1. Unlike a scissors, a knife does not get hung up on the adhesive of the tape since it is cutting only from the nonadhesive side of the tape.

  2. The concave edge and blunt tip make it safe to cut next to the skin

  3. The curve of the bird's beak edge makes it more effective for cutting* compared to a straight edge.

  4. The curved spine is useful for burnishing the edges of the tape so they stick to the skin better and are more resistant to inadvertent peeling.

  5. And in a pinch, it could be used as an amputation knife https://oldoperatingtheatre.com/make-method-manoeuvre-the-design-function-of-18th-century-falciform-amputation-knives/ /jk

*Curved cutting edges work well because they cut at an angle instead of trying to brute force push their way through a material. Most curved edges are convex, but concave curved edges like sickles, scythes, billhooks (and the weapons that they were adapted into), and even straight blades with a section of recurve edge work by the same principle

10 Comments
2024/10/22
17:24 UTC

0

Prepping for information blackouts with Starlink

I think we may start having information blackouts, via internet providers going down either through foreign or government influence.

Tell me if I am wrong but would starlink be a good backup? Considering most of their infrastructure is in orbit, yes I know they still have ground stations. Also, the person in charge maybe less likely to follow government ordered shutdowns.

42 Comments
2024/10/22
16:48 UTC

14

How do you store your fuel?

Has anyone used this fuel caddy before or something similar? What do you think of it?

I have a few questions about this method, tell me what you think. I plan to have one for Gas and one for Kerosene. I do use Stabil in my gas if it sits for a while, but I plan to use this fuel regularly.

Can they just be stored in the corner of my garage?

It has a ground clamp. That only needs to be used when actively pumping fuel, right?

Is it safe to transport in the bed of a truck? I plan to strap in in the bed of my truck up against the cab. Then I would back up to a hill side and use ramps to bring it out of the bed of the truck and roll it ~ 25' across a gravel driveway.

Is it not worth transporting this much fuel often and just have this sit as emergency only and cycle out as needed? Or is it not that dangerous.

I may be overthinking this, but I really don't want to make any mistakes working with fuel, so please let me hear your feedback!

9 Comments
2024/10/22
16:46 UTC

3

Cold water storage tank at 60F: safe from bacteria etc?

I'm planning to replace my current 50-gallon conventional electric water heater with a hybrid heat pump model, for the electricity savings.

The current one is located in the laundry room, but I want to install the new one in the garage, to keep noise away from the living space. The current tank is in good shape, so I'm thinking of leaving it in the laundry room and repurposing it as a cold water storage tank, to have an extra 50 gallons of cold water for emergencies/outages/general preparedness.

The average incoming water temperature is around 60 degrees F. I could pipe it inline ahead of kitchen and laundry room cold water supply, so cold water is constantly flushed through daily. Would this keep it safe from bacteria build-up?

I looked up legionella. Recommendations are temperature above 140F or below 68F, and no standing/still water. So it seems like my plan would meet those criteria at face value.

I assume the anode rod would continue to offer protection, and therefore still need periodic replacement. Any other maintenance or concerns with cold water storage tanks?

18 Comments
2024/10/22
15:47 UTC

7

Keto friendly canned veggies?

After the recent hurricanes, I've recognized that my no-power food supply is seriously lacking in the veggie department.

While frozen veggies are great, they require electricity and we rot fresh veggies from time to time just living life.

Canned meat is easy to keep on hand, but nearly ALL the canned vegetables have added sugar, and we've been keto for years. There's maybe one or two options at local stores, tomatoes and green beans, not enough for a week or two.

I don't have time to can myself, anyone know of a brand or source for keto friendly canned veggies?

27 Comments
2024/10/22
14:49 UTC

96

I have a tickborne illness that makes me allergic to meat/dairy. Any good vegetarian food kits??

I'm looking to buy a hefty kit or in bulk, but not finding anything great. Any suggestions?? I've got lots of dried beans and chili, but need other options and protein.

Might be good for some of you to keep in mind! Here in the Midwest and some other states in the northeast, alpha gal syndrome is becoming more and more common, and you may not be able to consume what you've prepped if you get bitten. Be sure and prep some vegetarian supplies!

Edit...so I can do dairy and carrageenan, but it's best to avoid, as it still has an effect to some degree; but not as severe for me, luckily.

67 Comments
2024/10/22
12:45 UTC

16

EDC stuff falls out of pockets

I carry a Wurkkos light clipped in my left front pocket and a folding knife clipped in the right.

When I get into my truck they often fall out and slip down into hard to reach places and I don’t even realize they’re missing until I reach for one later.

Any tips for keeping EDC more securely in my pockets?

Thanks!

Edit: Lots of good suggestions here! Thanks team!

39 Comments
2024/10/22
11:09 UTC

0

The problem of batteries.

It doesn't matter if you have all the solar panels in the world your batteries will die.

Every gardget that uses AA, AAA, D or any type of batter will be useless within 10 years if lucky.

I found a video on making AAA batteries, if you can stockpile those chemicals, you'd have those gadgets running for as long as the chemicals last you.

As for bigger batteries that power cars, bigger electronics, batteries for solar grids... There is no solution outside finding Nickel Iron batteries which would last you decades, closer to 100 years but how many of you know this? Many here are just using the stands lead ones or worse the lithium ones.

I feel this subject is so important it needs it's own subreddit or something

58 Comments
2024/10/22
05:46 UTC

497

Do you Have all of Wikipedia on a USB?

"As of 16 October 2024, the size of the current version of all articles compressed is about 24.09 GB without media."

It seems to me, it would be extremely useful in event of an emergency. For example:

Snake bites

Home made Anti-biotics (DO NOT DO THIS UNLESS IT IS LIFE OR DEATH. IT IS SUPER EASY TO MESS UP)

Information on every type of gun

You won't know what you'll need if bad things happen. This is an easy way to prepare for the worst. On top of this, it is easy to distribute, and extremely valuable. Especially given that most people wont have thought about this.

Oh, you need something to trade for food? How about all of the information?

126 Comments
2024/10/22
01:03 UTC

142

Minor pepper had a good night despite blackout

I am a minor prepper. Specifically, I mostly cook my own food, I have a decent vegetable garden, and I sometimes go camping, so I usually have about 2 months worth of supplies at any given time based on my lifestyle, not as much on actively prepping. I don't have a generator or large amounts of supplies like many in this forum.

All of that said, someone took out an electric pole with their car the other night and thousands of people in my city lost their electricity for a day. I very comfortably enjoyed cooking on my grill, using my camping lanterns and fireplace for light, and running my devices off of batteries and a small solar unit.

I went against the advice of some on this forum and shared the wealth by loaning lanterns, batteries, flashlights, and food to neighbors because I believe community is important during a crisis (big or small).

All of that said, just my minimal amount of prepping made the day very comfortable. It reinforced that being prepped is a good idea. It is just a matter of how much you want to be prepared versus the associated costs of time, money, and worry.

33 Comments
2024/10/22
00:57 UTC

10

Handpump for well with water level only 22ft down?

Hia. I'm new to this stuff and currently live on a small "farm". I don't farm for a living and just moved to my place down the road from my parents farm where they have more of a gentleman's farm, but I do have the land and equipment to grow my own food and land to hunt

water seems to be my last big NEED. my well was dug last year and I'm looking for a way to pump water from it in the scenario where electricity ain't available/generators run out of gas.

The pumps I see online by Flojak are like $1000 and seem unnecessary for my situation. I have a well that goes 180ft down, the pump sitting at 120ft, and water level at 22ft. I get 35 gpm so a hand pump down, say, 30ft seems like more than enough for me.

If I'm only pumping 30-50ft down, do I really need a $1000 pump? Are there cheaper $200-400 hand pumps available that will work well enough to get drinking/cleaning water up? I figure I would only need like 3-5gpm max in a doomsday situation

any advice is appreciated as I'm still completely new to all of this. thanks

28 Comments
2024/10/21
22:21 UTC

31

unknowingly prepping so new I guess, tips welcome.

Hey all.

So after reading some postst about starting out , I think I already did.. Little introduction. I’m Belgian , 34m licensed arms holder (can’t carry can keep at home.). Wife , 1y/o , parents living 1 mintute on foot away.

When I go to the store I automatically buy the same food and use the older cans/tins/glass for renew date. I stock up on pasta/2rice 20kg bags/deepfreezed mashed potato’s.

Canned/tinned/glass soup/veggies/dessert/ , “real” meals like ravioli or stews, a lot of canned fish as protein source.

Overload of babyfood (formula.) but she meanly eats solids now.

I got a 4stroke generator and unlimited access to gas so how much should I store in case “anything 🤷🏻‍♂️”.

My mean issue is water I guess , how much L should i always keep in house for a months worth (currently I always have 80l or sippwel’s.).

I I’m a European licensed firearm owner and own. Unbranded Italian 1911 45acp. Walther p22. Fn hiper 9mm. Lever action .308 (Henry we believe.) .44 stubbie the wife can handle.

Loads of knifes/tools/camping gas coockibg gear.

Sooooo my question. As I’m already sort of prepped for about a mounts worth I wanna get at it good,

Any tips for structure etc ?.

Thx in advance.

15 Comments
2024/10/21
22:13 UTC

17

Jase Case Medical Kits

I’m about to finally pull the trigger and order a kit, one adult one child. Is adding the epi pen for $319 worth it? Is it valuable to have one and worth the expense?! Adult kit with add on of ivermectin and epi came to $797!!

76 Comments
2024/10/21
20:56 UTC

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