How to Design a Gorgeous, Eco-Friendly Container Home

In the pursuit of sustainable living solutions, thousands of people throughout the world have turned to recycled shipping containers as viable options. If you’ve never considered this possibility before, then now may be the time to learn more about this growing trend. You don’t know what you’re missing!

The Rise of Container Homes

Over the past few years, the popularity of container homes has risen dramatically. They’ve gone from entirely strange to fairly common in certain parts of the world. In fact, a recent Woot study asked readers the following question: “Would you ever live in a house made of shipping containers?” More than 700 people responded and the overwhelming majority – 61.5 percent – said “Heck yeah. Those are cool.” Only 25.1 percent said they would never consider it.

The appeal of container homes is diverse. Price is obviously one of the primary benefits, with many homes coming in at less than $50,000 to build. However, it’s the sustainability and eco-friendliness of these recycled structures that most people prefer.

“This supply of used containers is unlikely to run out, as each year more than 500,000 shipping containers are abandoned,” says industry expert Tom Woods. “Add this growing supply to the already established several million abandoned containers lying across the world and you have a large supply to get building with.”

To many, the thought of a home built out of shipping containers conjures up images of cold, impersonal living spaces that are uncomfortable and impractical. However, the reality is much different. Just check out some of these shipping containers from around the world to see how advanced shipping container homes can be.

3 Eco-Friendly Container Home Design Tips

While recycling a shipping container and using it as the structure for your home is eco-friendly in and of itself, there are a number of ways you can make a container home even more sustainable.

Let’s check out some of the things people are doing.

• Insulation is a must. On its own, a shipping container is a very inefficient structure. In order to make it a sustainable solution, container homes have to be outfitted with adequate insulation, roofing, and flooring. Otherwise, homeowners end up wasting considerable amounts of energy. Eco-friendly insulation options include cotton, recycled newspaper, and even straw.

• Use solar panels. Many people that choose to build container homes are interested in living off the grid. In this case, solar panels on the roof can provide enough electricity for some of these structures. If nothing else, they can at least supplement a traditional utility set up.

• Collect rainwater. Since many people that own container homes also live off the land, there are a number of steps that can be taken to promote an environmentally friendly exterior. For example, it’s easy to set up a rainwater collection system to water the garden.

While the structure itself is sustainable, in order for the container home trend to really take off, it’s important that other eco-friendly practices are implemented. These are just three of many possibilities.

Container Homes: The Future of Sustainable Housing?

While it’s hard to call container homes anything but trendy in the global real estate market, it’s not difficult to imagine a future where they play an integral role in sustainable housing. The eco-friendly nature of these structures mean they’ll be around for many decades to come.

For those interested in building their own container homes, it’s important that you perform adequate research and understand the many complexities of these housing solutions. In order to do build one in a cost-effective and eco-friendly manner, very specific steps must be followed.

5 Survival Features to Include in Your Home Bunker

The perfect time to prepare for a disaster is when you’re building a home. When you control the design, you can add as many structural features as you want to protect yourself, including a bunker.

Bunkers are extremely useful if an emergency strikes. If a disaster or a violent attack strikes your home, you’ll be grateful you have a room that’s perfectly designed for survival and safety.

A bunker is only as good as the structure that holds it, however, as well as the features it comes with. If you want to make sure your emergency shelter will stand up to a catastrophe, here are six of the most important criteria to cover.

1. Position It Strategically in Your Home

Location is essential for the success of the room. Ideally, your bunker will be situated underground, either in your existing basement or to the side of your home. When it’s encased in the dirt, a bunker affords more encompassing protection from outside forces.

It should be very easy to access from your home. In certain scenarios, you might not be able to exit your house, and you’ll need to get into your safe place quickly and easily. If the location is not readily accessible, it’s not going to do you or your family much good in an emergency.

2. Make It Impenetrable 

The structure should be skillfully designed and constructed so that it can withstand both natural catastrophes and brute force attacks. Many bunkers are built of thick concrete, which is fairly difficult to penetrate.

Other bunkers have steel walls as their primary protection. Many DIY builders start with a cable car or steel crate as the basic form for their shelter because these structures are pretty strong and already built.

In addition, you should make sure it can withstand the elements, especially water. If your region has a flood, your bunker will need to be waterproof. Design the ceiling with an angle to encourage water to flow off it. A waterproof sheet or soil cover can also keep moisture from penetrating the room.

3. Include Passageways 

A worthwhile portion of a great bunker are passages that lead from your home to the contained space. They should be completely safe, with strong walls and no obstacles. They also should be wide enough for ease of access.

Ideally, the channels will have minimum support poles rather than bulky beams to minimize the risk of tripping when you move down the passage. You never know how fast you’ll have to run when the time comes, and you don’t want anyone to get injured along the way.

4. Watch Out for Obstacles 

As you’re building the structure, watch that you don’t run into underground water, gas pockets, water pipes, electric circuits, rocks, and any other obstructions that will affect the security and safe function of your bunker.

 Though you won’t be able to anticipate everything that may get in your way, you can avoid some issues by contacting the city about plumbing, electrical, and other information about the land under your property.

5. Fill It with Survival Items

The goal of any bunker is to keep yourself and loved ones safe and alive for the duration of an emergency. That includes filling it with survival items. Here are some of the things you’ll want:

• A 30-day supply of non-perishable food and water for every member of your family
• Two-way radio
• Flashlight, lantern, candles, and extra batteries
• Blankets and extra clothes
• Tools such as a pocket knife
• First-aid kit with manual
• Portable toilet
• Water purifying kit
• Hunting gear

These are some of the essential items you’ll want to keep in your shelter, but the list is not exhaustive. It can take a while to accumulate these items, however, so it’s best to start early and add the others as time passes and ideas occur to you.

Nature’s Nutrition 4 Wild Edibles, Their Nutrition and How to Find Them

If you’re lost in the woods without any food, how can you keep yourself from starving while waiting for help? Sometimes unlikely sources of food can be the most nutritious. These four wild edibles will give you all the nutrients you need to stay alive when scrounging.

Cattail Roots

Cattails are the survivalist’s best friend. Cattail roots have plenty of fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, manganese, and vitamins A, B, C, and K.

Cattails can be found in any wet, marshy area, including drainage ditches alongside the road. You can also dig up the roots in the winter. Clean the roots before boiling them. You can also harvest starch from them or grind them to make flour. Eating them raw won’t hurt, either, but it can give you a stomachache.

Stinging Nettles

A cup of stinging nettles has almost 40 calories and nearly half of your daily recommended dose of calcium. It also has so much iron that it’s sometimes used to treat iron deficiencies.

Nettles grow anywhere that grass or weeds can. Look for their slightly hairy, serrated leaves—just make sure you wear gloves before you touch them.

Don’t eat raw nettle leaves—it’ll hurt! Blanch or steam the leaves to remove their sting. You can also use their leaves to make a very nutritious tea.

Grasshoppers and Crickets

Grasshoppers and crickets have a surprising amount of protein and are tasty when fried in butter or oil. Though, according to a Bethesda, Maryland, pest control company, you’ll probably want to remove their wings and spiky legs before you fry them up. In just 100 grams, these bugs can contain up to 20 grams of protein. That’s almost as much as ground beef. They also contain lots of calcium, iron, and fat.

Crickets and grasshoppers can be found in tall grass. Just listen for their telltale chirping. Grasshoppers are more nutritious but can be trickier to catch because they can fly. You may need a quick, silent approach or a net to catch them.

Bee and Fly Larvae

Larvae taste good baked or fried and have life-sustaining protein, amino acids, and fat.

You’ll find bee larvae if you break open a beehive or honeycomb. Honeybee larvae will also be surrounded by honey and royal jelly, which can provide even more nutrients. Getting stung can sometimes be life-threatening, though, so think twice before raiding a hive. On the other hand, fly larvae can be found anywhere there is decomposing material or manure. Once they’re cleaned off, they’re ok to eat.

Surviving Off Your Back Yard

Nature has everything you need to forage for food as long as you know where to look. Keep an eye out for wild edibles and do some research to find which plants and insects are native in your area.

Preppers Personal Security Tips

A lot of people watch shows like Doomsday Preppers or T.V. series such as The Walking Dead and reach the inevitable conclusion that preppers are crazy and that emergencies and disasters are things that never happen in real life, not to them at least.

The fact of the matter is, preparedness goes well beyond Doomsday scenarios. In fact, “little things” such as getting ready for burglaries, having a well-equipped car and taking care of personal security are common sense, and they have nothing to do with asteroids, zombies or World War III.

In what follows I want to tackle the issue of personal security. If your spouse isn’t interested in preparedness, this is one of the issues you could mention without making yourself look crazy. Good people are victims of bad people each and every day… and this happens in first, second and third world countries alike.

Personal Security Tips for Preppers:

Step #1: Taking Care of the Little Things

I’m not going to bore you with stats about assaults, rape and street fights. You can find those online if you’re looking for a good scare, or if you need them to convince your spouse to listen to you. We all know that people are attacked every day and they don’t have to go to Afghanistan for it.

Everyone should have at least one self-defense item on them at all times. Now, I don’t know the laws where you live, so I’m just going to give you a list of things to choose from. I trust you will do your due diligence on what you can and cannot get:

• a handgun
• a folding knife
• a stun gun
• pepper/wasp spray
• a tactical pen
• a slingshot
• a credit card knife

In Australia and Europe you’ll even have a hard time with pepper spray… but don’t let this discourage you from finding alternatives.

Step #2: Taking it To the Next Level. Your Car

Once you have at least one item with you at all times, it’s time you consider your transportation vehicle. Even if you don’t use it that often, what will you do if you’re going someplace out of town and you’re suddenly ambushed by a group of people. It happened to me onceand luckily they were kids who started hitting the car with their fists, so driving off fast was enough.

Keeping the law in mind, let’s see what some of the things you could fit in your car’s trunk are:

• a rifle or a shotgun
• a snow shovel (hint: this is practically mandatory for emergency situations, no one can accuse you that it’s a weapon)
• a large knife
• an axe
• a machete
• baseball bats
• walking sticks

One of the things I bought for my car was a snow shovel. It can’t be considered a self-defense weapon because its purpose is to use it to get your vehicle out of snow and mud… but it can make a good back-up self-defense weapon in case I get attacked.

Step #3: Get a Dog

I’ve had dogs for the past 15 years and loved each and every one of them. All very loyal, though they didn’t get many chances to show it by defending me. There are plenty of breeds to choose from: German Shepherds, Dobermans, Rottweilers and even smaller ones such as beagles.

Step #4: Take Self-Defense Lessons

I should have put this at the top of the list but I realize a lot of people are lazy, and self-defense lessons take time, effort, patience and focus. Now, I’m no martial arts instructor but one thing I know is that if you don’t practice, you’re not going to get any results just by watching YouTube videos.

If you don’t have the time, consider ditching the gym for a month to try them. You’re going to get one heck of a cardio workout every time. Finding a self-defense class in your area is something that requires research, such as:

• talking to people who’ve already taken one
• watching YouTube videos with demos of each martial art to see what they look like and researching which ones are best for you
• not assuming that a more expensive class has a better instructor
• keeping in mind any medical issues you may have such as a bad back or bad knees
• and, last but not least, finding an instructor who’s passionate about what he does

Step #5: Convincing Your Family to Do It

If your family isn’t receptive to prepping or their own personal security and well-being, if you feel they might be reluctant to the above suggestions, you should probably think and plan beforehand what to say.

Let me help you out by giving you some suggestions on how you can approach them:

• Dig up old news of people being attacked in your town or city. This is very powerful proof that they can’t argue about.
• Read the stats I was talking about in the beginning of the article and let them know that, even if the odds are small, it’s still important to be prepared.
• Think what they are going to say and have comebacks. Some of their objections might be: “Oh, this will never happen to me!” or “Don’t worry, we live in a safe neighborhood!” or “I’m not going alone in unknown places at night so I don’t need this”.
• Lead and they might follow. If they see you taking action, they might be inspired and follow your lead.

Stay safe,

Dan F. Sullivan

Sleeping in the Wilderness

Camping or spending time in the wilderness is a lot of fun, but it’s not much fun if you can’t fall asleep. It’s always difficult when you’re dealing with a hard ground and a sleeping bag that’s ill equipped for the weather. That’s why, if you want to sleep well in the wild, you have to be prepared.

Additionally, you’ll want to understand the different stages of sleep. When you’re getting good sleep, you spend the majority of it in REM, which stands for rapid eye movement, an essential part of allowing your brain to recover after being awake all day. The trouble is that it’s difficult to get to this stage of sleep because disturbances like snoring, sounds in the background, and uncomfortable sleeping positions make reaching REM difficult.

When you’re camping, hunting, or trying to survive in the wild, you’re often faced with treacherous sleeping conditions that make it virtually impossible to achieve REM. Because you want to be on your best game, you need a good night’s rest in the wild.

Here are some suggestions on sleeping in the wilderness:

Use a Tent

Only go without shelter if you absolutely must. A tent is your first line of defense against sleep disruptions such as inclement weather, insects, and wildlife. Purchase a tent that’s just the right size for your needs. Tents are fairly compact and easy to carry, even if they add a little weight to your survival pack. In the end, you’ll be grateful for the protection.

Get the Right Bedding

You’ll also be much more comfortable if you have the right bedding. An inflatable pillow is always a good option, since it’s easy to pack and will support your head. However, be sure to get a pillow that dips in the center for optimum head support.

Furthermore, make sure your sleeping bag is conditioned for the elements. Sleeping bags are rated by degrees. It’s best to purchase a bag that’s guaranteed for sub zero temperatures, but one that’s also light enough to carry in your hiking pack.

Buy a Comfortable Pad or Mattress

Thick pads will keep you from feeling every rock and pine cone as you sleep. A thick pad can be difficult to carry, however, since it takes up a lot of room. At the very least, use a thin foam pad that will offer some protection from the ground beneath.

You might also consider an inflatable mattress. It won’t take up much room before your trip, and it’s easy to blow up once you get there. If you don’t want to bring along an air pump, invest in a self-inflating mattress.

Control Noise

Obviously, you can’t make owls stop hooting or keep squirrels from rustling tree branches, but you can mask these noises. Use a battery operated white noise machine to keep things peaceful inside the tent. Soft music can also help.

If you don’t have a noise machine or music player, then use a natural noise filter like the sound of a creek or a river. When you set up camp near running water, you’ll have a very difficult time hearing anything else, which will promote a great night’s sleep

How To Hang A Ridge-line

Krik of Black Owl Outdoors shows you the basics of hanging a ridge-line. Whether you use it for a clothes line or for a tarp shelter, knowing how to set up a secure ridge-line is an important skill to know. Especially if you need to hang your shelter relatively fast because a storm is coming or dark crept up faster than you thought.

Tying knots to secure ropes and go fishing is one thing a lot of people tend to over look. Not knowing how to tie a good knot can mean the difference in dinner and hypothermia.

To hang this ridge-line you need to know how to do a Siberian Hitch Knot to secure one end of the para-cord to the tree. Krik also has another short video showing you exactly how to tie this sort of knot. Please feel free to view that video here.

How To Hang A Ridge-line

How to Tie a Siberian Hitch (Video)

Krik of Black Owl Outdoors shows you how to tie a Siberian Hitch used to hang a ridge-line, which is a great quick release hitch perfect to use to secure a ridge-line for a tarp while you’re camping, backpacking, or just picnicking in the outdoors.

He goes step by step and slowly shows you how easy it is to accomplish. It may take a couple of tries but once you get it, it quickly becomes a favorite knot to be used.

There are many other types of knots out there that can be used. Several are mentioned in his comment section. I urge you to try different different ones until you find one that satisfies you. The Know How of Knot Tying shows great animation videos to teach you multiple knots.

How to Tie a Siberian Hitch

42 Experts Share Tips on How to Survive if Lost

Survivors Fortress, Conrad Novak has put together a very well organized article that shares 42 different peoples best 3 tips to know if you are ever lost in the woods and need to survive. He has kindly shared that with us and allowed APN to share it with you.

“Just the thought of being alone in the wilderness gives most people a panic attack. And while it is good to be aware of all the dangers of the wilderness, it is more crucial to think with a clear head so that you can survive any situation, such as getting lost.

Wilderness survival is a lesson that you need to think about and learn before you leave your home. You need to make sure that you think about every scenario that you creep up while you are out in the great wide open.

You need to learn how to get by with just the supplies you have in your survival gear until you reach civilization or a rescue team finds you. It is also paramount to learn about how you can find food and shelter, how to make sure that you drink safe water, how to signal your position for rescuers, and how to ask for help using sound and light.

These are all extremely critical as the human body is not built to live in the wilderness for a long period of time. You will need fire and shelter to keep you warm and protect you from the natural elements and wild animals. The terrific news is that there are wilderness survival tips that you can follow, with or without a survival gear, to make sure that you survive getting lost in the wilderness and come back to civilization safe and sound.

In this article 42 experts give you their best survival tips when you get lost in the outdoors so you can learn what the most important steps are to assess the situation, what you will need to do while waiting being rescued or what course of action to take in case that is not a possibility. Enjoy!”

Cheap Medical and Prepping Supplies

ThePatriotNurse shares with us how she shops for her medical prepping supplies, Wonder Woman and a few other things you may not have considered.  She walks us through Costo and shows us some of their best deals to get your medical supplies stored up fast. I have to say, she definitely makes shopping fun.

Medical supplies are very important to have in case of an emergency or bug out/in circumstance. Medicine can mean the difference when it comes to preventing or treating infection, fever, cough, acid reflux etc. Preventing a cough, allergies or vomiting can also mean not giving away your location should you need to remain quiet.

Medical training is also a very important thing to consider working towards. After all, what good are medical supplies if you don’t know how to use them?

Hope you enjoy ThePatriotNurse and shopping with her bubbly personality.