H2O in a Hurry: Simple Strategies for Purifying Water

One thing no one wants to go without is water – clean and fresh H2O. Whether you’re out backpacking or in the midst of a disaster, access to clean water is imperative. Here’s how to make sure you’re never without.

Chemical Purification

Many chemical purification systems are used in industry, and in municipal water supplies. It’s a cheap way to purify water, but it’s not without its downsides.

Chlorine – Chlorine is a common and cheap chemical, but it’s extremely toxic. It doesn’t decrease physical or chemical contamination, but it does kill biologicals. It’s also implicated in increasing cholesterol levels, is a carcinogen, and is known to cause heart disease.

Bromine – Bromine is usually used in pools and spas. It’s a weak disinfectant, and doesn’t kill bacteria very well.

Iodine – Iodine is useful when camping, because it provides a campers with an easy way to treat water that’s cheap and effective. Best of all, it’s consistent. Biological contamination can be neutralized consistently. However, iodine does not remove chemical and physical contamination.

Hydrogen peroxide – HP is very effective at killing bacteria and viruses using oxygen. However, it can be highly toxic. It’s used mostly in emergency situations when no other water purification methods are available.

Silver – Silver is an effective bacteriocide, but it’s also a poison which can accumulate in the body.

Organic acids – Non-toxic organic acids should only be used in larger water plants. They are not suitable for home use.

Lime and alkaline agents – These agents are not typically used by consumers due to their extreme toxicity.

Ion exchange – Ion exchange is a process where sodium from salt is exchanged for calcium or magnesium. It uses a glauconite, precipitated synthetic organic resins, or gel zeolite, all of which softens the water. The end result is that minerals, metals, and chemical odors remain unaffected and the water is salty to drink.

Filtration Techniques

Filtration devices are a staple in many households and one of the best ways to treat contaminated water. While most filtration devices filter only limited chemical contaminants, some filter biological, physical contaminants, and radiological waste.

Slow sand – A one cubic meter block of slow sand will filter 2 liters per minute of water, but it is a poor medium for filtering bacteria.

Pressure sand – Pressure sand uses one cubic meter of sand which passes 40 gallons per minute. It must be back-washed daily to prevent clogging.

Diatomaceous earth – DE removes suspended particles at high and low flow rates, but it must be back-washed daily and is expensive to replace.

Porous stone – Porous stone and ceramic filters are small and expensive, and they typically will not filter chemical or biological contaminants. However, they are very good at filtering physical contaminants. These types of filters are often combined with other filter media to enhance the filtration properties since ceramic tends to be very sturdy material.

Charcoal – Charcoal is the best type of filter if you need to remove chemicals and lead, but it is easily clogged and must be used with sediment pre filter.

Reverse osmosis – RO machines use a membrane with microscopic holes that require 4 to 8 times the volume of water processed in order to remove contaminants. RO machines may or may not remove chemicals and bacteria, depending on the media and membranes used.

In the history of water purification, RO machines stand out because they were some of the most successful kinds of filtration devices ever made for physical contaminants.

Oxidation Strategies

Of the three main methods of purifying water, oxidation is the least understood and the most expensive.

Aeration – Aeration techniques sprays water into the air to raise the oxygen concentration in the water. It does break down odors, and balances dissolved gases, but it also takes a lot of space to do this, and it’s expensive. On top of that, it picks up contaminants from the air. So, it’s not recommended for home use.

Ozone – Ozone is a good bactericide, it uses highly charged oxygen molecules to kill bacteria on contact, and it oxidized other contaminants and flocculates iron, manganese, and other kinds of dissolved minerals. This is a good method for purification, but it’s also very expensive for most people to use.

Electronic purification – This method creates a super-oxygenated environment in the water which kills bacteria, viruses, and reduces surface tension, effectively treating all types of contamination. These types of systems tend to be for commercial operations, and their expense makes it cost-prohibitive for most consumers.

Survival Tips for Camping

The great outdoors is in fact great. It provides food, fresh air and a chance to unplug from technology and reconnect with nature. Sometimes, though, the great outdoors isn’t so great, turning your fun overnight hiking trip or weekend camping trip into a rough, wet, tiring experience. Here are 8 camping survival tips and tricks to make your experience a little more manageable and enjoyable.

1. Make fishhooks from a zipper or tab from an aluminum can.

Whether you’ve lost, broken, run out of or forgot to pack fishhooks, don’t fear. You can make one using a zipper or the tab off an aluminum can. Simply break off the loop on one side, pull it out to a 90-degree angle and then sharpen the exposed tip on a rock until it becomes a sharp point.

2. Use an aluminum can as a stove.

You can use a soda pop or beer can when you need a portable camping stove. First, you need to use your knife to cut a capital shaped I into one side of the can, with a vertical cut and a horizontal cut at the bottom and top. Next, you peel open the “window” you just created, place your fire starters inside the can and then light it for your very own portable, windproof cooking stove.

3. Use loose strands from your socks as fire starters.

If you or someone with you happens to be wearing cotton or wool socks, you can use any loose strands from said socks as fire starters if you can’t find any other fire-starting materials.

Just take your shoes off, pluck the strands from each sock and make a flammable tinder pile. Once you have your little pile, set it where you want your fire and throw a few sparks on it to start your needed fire.

4. Dry your boots out faster with fire-heated rocks.

Wet feet are the worst. Whenever your boots get wet, don’t just sit them by the campfire. That method takes way too long to thoroughly dry them out. Instead, gather up two or four large and dry non-porous rocks and place them on the edge of your campfire. Once the rocks are really hot, carefully place them into your shoes. Don’t use your hands unless you have thick gloves on, and really it’s best to use sticks or some kind of kitchen utensil to remove the rocks from the fire and place them in your shoes. This method may seem wacky, but it works at a quicker pace to thoroughly dry wet shoes from the inside and outside.

5. Use tarp to make an emergency rain shelter.

Never leave for an overnight camping trip without a tarp, even if the weather forecast says no rain. Storms can hit out of nowhere and ruin your night in the great outdoors. A tarp makes a great shelter against unexpected rain. Create your emergency rain shelter by staking one corner of the tarp facing the wind. Next, prop a pole up under the opposite corner, and then tie a strong line from the top of the pole to a ground stake. Next you want to tightly pull the remaining two corners and stake them into the ground. The end result is a half-pyramid shape rain shelter that provides good water drainage, can stand up against strong winds and keeps you dry.

6. Utilize a shower curtain to keep the floor of your tent dry overnight. 

If you don’t have enough tarps but have an old shower curtain at home, fold it up and bring it with you. Unfold it and place it underneath your tent to keep your tent’s floor dry (as well as you and your sleeping bag) during the night and early morning. In the morning, you can throw it out or lay it out in the sun to dry so you can reuse it later that night.

7. Keep pesky bugs away by throwing a stick of sage into your campfire.

It doesn’t matter how much you love nature—no one loves being eaten by mosquitos or having bugs flying around them and their food. If you forgot bug spray or ever run out, you can still keep those pesky bugs away from your campsite. Just find a stick of sage and throw it into your campfire. Bugs don’t like the sage scent that emits from your fire, making it an effective and natural way to keep bugs away.

8. Always pack the right camping supplies.

Last on our list, and arguably the most important, is to bring along essential camping supplies, including a knife, warm sleeping bag, energy-boosting snacks, extra water, extra clothes, first aid kit, a compass and an emergency shelter. These supplies can literally be a lifesaver. You may not end up using every item you pack, but it’s always better to be prepared for every worst-case camping scenario.

Maintaining A Steady Supply of Water

There is no more fundamental need than a steady supply of water. Without it, our bodies cannot survive more than a few days. Yet when natural disasters or other emergencies take place, municipal water is often one of the first victims. And large-scale terrorism is likely to target water distribution as a key element of infrastructure to disrupt.

So it’s critically important that we take whatever steps we can to ensure that we can maintain a safe and adequate supply of water under whatever circumstances may occur.

The most important things are to educate yourself and then to prepare. Make sure you understand the implications of line breaks. Understand how to handle a boil-water advisory. And then get your home and your family ready for how to handle a disruption in water.

As you plan for the very real possibility of a water outage, there are some major areas of concern you should address.

Starting Off Right

Water failures are rarely caused by damage at the distribution points or purification sites. It’s generally a result of line breakage. Earthquakes are notorious for creating ground shifts that twist pipes and break their joints apart.

But other failures are less sudden. A period of unusually wet weather can leave heavy soils shifting and moving, causing rocks and other buried objects to rub against water lines and create leaks that can ultimately become large enough to disrupt service.

The ideal water pipe is reinforced with a chrome carbide overlay that will resist this type of damage. If you don’t know whether your utility has built lines with such materials, try to find out and then urge them to make the change if necessary.

Maintaining Your Own

Inside your house is the most complex part of the water delivery process. The many fixtures and appliances requiring water create a maze of pipes that must be carefully monitored and maintained.

It does you no good to have a great municipal water system if your own system will fail you! Slow leaks in crawlspaces may never impact you until the pressure from your supplier drops. And other malfunctions may be okay until the system shuts down, then reactivates with a surge of pressure that finally breaks a joint or connection that had barely been hanging on.

Keep your own equipment in top running order so that outside disruptions won’t be made worse.

Conserve & Plan

Although our home’s water supply is pressurized in most uses, it’s still functional when we operate with stored water. Toilet tanks can be easily refilled with jugs or bottles that you keep on hand. Water can be heated and dumped into the tub for easy bathing. You can even do laundry with a stockpile of water.

You’ll get creative if your system shuts down, but you have to make sure that you have first stored that water. Hang on to used milk jugs, juice containers, water bottles, and any other sanitary vessel you can get, then fill them with water and store them safely. Other containers can be used for non-potable water for toilets and laundry.

Even the best municipal water system will experience a failure here and there. You must be prepared to operate on your own when it happens. If you make the proper plans, you can get through until repairs are made.

Dirt Cheap Survival Recipes

Many preppers conclude the economy in the U.S. will collapse gradually, rather than overnight due to some cataclysmic event. Either way, your ability to find and secure meals for you and your family becomes the difference between life and death for your family. So, how do you prepare to survive in a world where food is scarce, and money is tight?

Following a SHTF event, the only certainty will be unpredictability. Depending on the event, your location, and how long it takes for the country to recover your options for cooking and food storage will change. Practice making a variety of different cheap survival recipes so that no matter what type of situation you find yourself in, you are ready to put a meal together that will satisfy your family. Below are several different ideas for your survival meal arsenal:

Lessons from the homeless:

Chicken livers come in a carton and cost around $1.00. Boil with salt and pepper in either water or chicken broth. The beneficial thing about chicken livers is just a small amount with some whole grain bread, and a cup of milk will stave off hunger for several hours.

Pouches of instant potatoes are relatively inexpensive, typically under $1.00 at the local Walmart. Ramen Noodles are another very inexpensive food; you can buy six to 12 packages for under $2.00. Both are simple to cook as they require only boiling water. For variety, mix the instant potatoes with the ramen noodles to create a high- energy food called “ramen-bombs.”

Pasta is a great food staple to have on hand, and it can be used to create a variety of meals. Cook pasta and drain. Fry several eggs over medium and sprinkle with salt and pepper if you have it. Combine the eggs with the pasta and throw in cooked veggies, cheese, or meat. You can also mix cooked pasta with any salad dressing on hand and add fresh vegetables for a great pasta salad that will fill you up.

DIY Survival Recipes

If you are lucky and are thinking ahead, you will have the time and resources to create dirt cheap survival recipes to have on hand when SHTF. Sometimes, survival is about preparing to think or in this case, cook, outside the box.

You’ve probably made toast in a toaster at some point in your lifetime, but have you ever thought to try grilled bread? Use your barbecue grill or even a campfire with a grate. Grill the bread till it’s golden brown. And if you have cheese on hand, you can melt it between two pieces of bread and make a really tasty grilled cheese sandwich.

If you correctly store cornbread mix, you can make delicious johnnycakes or cornmeal hoe cakes in a skillet of cast iron over a campfire or even on the hot rocks of a fire. Add some syrup or sprinkle with sugar for an extra treat. If you must stay on the go, put leftovers in a zip lock bag so you can carry them with you as a snack on the road.

Native Americans relocated their camp several times a year as they followed the animal herds. They carried Pimikan, typically made from dried powdered meat such as elk, bison, moose, or deer, it was a portable food adopted by fur traders in later centuries who called it. Pemmican. Practice making this cheap survival food and add it to your stockpile. It needs no refrigeration and when properly made, can last for decades.

Lessons from Redneck Campers

Include corn in your garden, or in a pinch scavenge ears of corn from a roadside field, wrap in aluminum foil with some butter and cook in the coals of a fire. If you prefer a grilled taste, soak ears of corn in water and cook on a grate over the fire to grill it. You can cook with the husks on or remove before cooking depending on your preference.

Stock up on those Pillsbury cinnamon rolls or biscuits in a can. When the power goes out, simply wrap the dough around a stick, and pinch the ends so that it won’t fall off. Hold the stick over your BBQ grill or campfire until the dough is a golden brown. Slather with butter and enjoy a tasty treat that you can carry as you eat it.

Include heavy duty aluminum foil in your stockpile of supplies. When SHTF, lay out a large section of foil and add chunks of potatoes, onions, or whatever vegetables you have on hand. Top with a chunk of butter and a little salt and pepper and then wrap it all up and cook over hot coals or the BBQ grill.

When SHTF, you may have food available that you can cook but will need to think outside the box a little when it comes to cooking without your traditional stove or oven. Planning ahead and knowing how to make some of these cheap survival recipes will help sustain you and your family whether you bug in or are forced to bug out.

Alternative Backcountry Food Options

How To Make A Survival Bow In A Few Steps

You can never be too prepared for an emergency situation. However, it is in such cases that you wish you had some survival skills on your fingertips. The ability to craft a survival bow is one such skill that could easily determine your fate.

Unlike other traditional weapons, a bow is a crucial resource as it increases the distance between you and the target. Another advantage is that it employs stealth, another important factor in survival. You will love to know that the steps you will learn here will equip you with the knowledge to make a survival weapon. These steps combined with some bow hunting tips can come in handy when you least expect them.

Picking The Best Wood

The very first step in your procedure is selecting the right wood for your bow. The best pick should be sturdy but not rigid. Therefore, when it comes to choosing wood, your ideal choice would be from hardwood. Some examples include Osage orange, black locust, beech, hickory, maple, yew, and Ash among others. For those who may be challenged identifying their trees, here is a criterion you can apply to come up with the best choice.

Take a small twig the size of your pinky finger. Bend it to some extent and allow it to snap back. As you do this, observe how it responds. Is it quick or sluggish? Next, bend your twig into a c-shape and see if it breaks or it remains intact. Lastly, break it. You will know if it is of high quality by how it breaks. If it snaps easily in two, it is of poor quality. If it fails to break completely but instead kinks, it is an ideal choice.

Parts of Your Bow

Now that you know the wood to use for your bow, you need an outstanding piece of it to make your weapon. This piece of wood is known as the bow stave. A good bow stave should be;

• Straight
• At least 5 feet long and 2 inches thick
• Without side branches, knots or cracks

Next, you need to figure out the belly, back, and handle of your bow stave. How to do this;

• Set the stave on the ground upright and hold the top loosely with one hand
• Push the middle of the bow lightly and allow it to rotate revealing the slightly curved part
• The inner part of the curve makes the belly
• The outer part of the curve makes the back

To determine the handle, you need to find the center of the stave and mark three inches from each side of the midpoint. What you have in between is your bows handle.

Shaping Your Bow

This is the crucial stage where you give your bow stave its perfect curve. To do this set the bow on the ground, hold the top and push it slightly outwards. Your other arm can assist to push outwards from the belly side of the handle. You want to observe how the limbs bend. Start whittling away wood from the areas that do not bend easily while leaving the sectors that bend a lot intact. As you do this, remember that you are only working on the belly side.

Whittle away the wood slowly until the limbs are bending evenly. When you finish, your bent bow should assume the shape of a parabolic curve.

When you are satisfied with your bows curve, you need to carve small notches on the tips where you will tie the string. You do not want your bow cord sliding off when you aim. Therefore, cut a 45-degree notch not too deep on the top and bottom side of the limb ensuring not to touch the back.

Stringing Your Bow

Before you can add the bow cord, you need to find to find the ideal one as not any string can serve the purpose. Some good materials include; Rawhide, sinew, nylon rope, milkweed, dogbane, yucca, twine and nettle among others. You should know that any stiff synthetic cord will do the trick. An elastic cord will only interfere with your bow’s power. As you string the bow, ensure that you have at least five inches between your bow cord and the handle.

At this point, if you have some handy arrows and a few bow hunting tips, you can make your first kill. What’s more, with the best hunting rangefinder, you can easily spot and drop your target as you maintain your distance. Additionally, if you are not in a life-threatening condition, you can tiller your bow, check its draw power, sand the belly, or even apply some oil on it for longevity.

A ‘Tick’ Time Bomb to AvoidA ‘Tick’ Time Bomb to Avoid

Tick season is coming along quickly.

And based on populations of mice, which are major factors in the spread of the Lyme disease bacteria to ticks, scientists believe this coming season will be significant, especially in the Northeast. "The explanation is simple: Mice are highly efficient transmitters of Lyme," said researchers Felicia Keesing and Rick Ostfeld for NPR. "They infect up to 95 percent of ticks that feed on them. Mice are responsible for infecting the majority of ticks carrying Lyme in the Northeast. And ticks love mice."

The Northeast isn't alone, however, in its risk for an infectious season. The Midwest is also a high-risk area. In these two regions, the number of confirmed and probable Lyme disease cases more than doubled from 2001 to 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The black-legged ticks that carry Lyme can be hard to spot; they’re tiny and they like to hide out in hard-to-see spaces on the body — places like behind the ears, on the scalp, or around the ankles. The most important thing is to recognize your risk depending on where you live, work, and play, and to check your skin daily and your children's skin. Check your pets, too.

"The bacteria that causes Lyme is not transmitted instantly," said Amesh Adalja, an affiliated scholar with Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. "Tick attachment must be for 48 to 72 hours for transmission to occur, so daily inspection of one’s body is an effective means to prevent acquisition of Lyme disease."

Related: Superbug Concerns Keep Spreading

The virus can cause flu-like symptoms and arthritis, but severe long-term complications are common in those who are not treated quickly with antibiotics.

"There is currently no vaccine against Lyme disease — though there are active research programs working to develop one. So the chief means of preventing Lyme disease is the meticulous avoidance of tick bites," said Adalja.

You can minimize your risk by avoiding wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter, walking in the center of trails, and using repellents that contain 20 percent to 30 percent DEET, add health officials.

Grow Food in One Container All Year

Growing your own fruit and veg is a pursuit that is packed with advantages. Before you even eat the things, the action of nurturing these plants can be calming for the heart and soul, and offer a healthy sense of pride. Then there’s the nutritional benefits: knowing precisely what (if any) fertilizers and pesticides are on your veg, picking and eating them when they are perfectly ripe, and — if you have the room to grow them — you’ll probably end up eating more greens than usual. Even if you don’t have the room to grow food, it’s still possible to acknowledge your inner agriculturalist by maintaining a limited amount of seasonally appropriate produce in just one rotated pot.

With a good-sized pot (at least 45cm deep and wide), good compost and some trusty bamboo, you can soon master the hobby. The right watering patterns, fertilizer treatment and placement will vary from crop to crop. As the seasons turn and you switch one vegetable for the next, you will find that the transition process is also nuanced but achievable — great if you want to challenge yourself, or get the kids’ green fingers working.

To get started, try referring to this new info graphic which makes clear how simple this most natural of hobbies can be, and it won’t be long before you’re enjoying a rich and varied vegetable diet from just that one unassuming container. Bon appétit!

Info Graphic provided by Pound Place for your educational purposes.

Bountiful Preparedness Seminar April 25th

How To Successfully Grow Potatoes In Tires

Here’s a question that I get from potato lovers: “How can I grow potatoes in abundance in limited space?”

Growing potatoes in tires can be quite simple and here are my instructions how to do it and have a bumper crop. You get a chance to do some recycling and vertical gardening all together.

Depending on the size of the tires, I first wash them. If they are small enough for me to get them in my pickup truck, I’ll take them to a car wash and wash them under pressure
with soap then rinse with water. Inside the tire and outside as well, making sure the tread is free from road grim and grit.

You’ll want to set the tire away from an prevailing winds to keep their foliage from getting wind damage. Make sure the spot you select will be free of most foot traffic and out
of the way of activities to avoid the set-up from being knocked over. Press down any growth on the ground such as clover or grass, and lay a thick mat of saturated newspapers over the grass or area which you will be setting tire over. Over this, put down 2 nice layers of cardboard: one long ways, the other cross ways: you can cut the cardboard away AFTER you position the tires on top of the cardboard. The newspaper will soon deteriorate into the soil, but the cardboard hangs around for awhile, giving added protection against weeds and grass that would come up into the tire.

Whether or not you trim away the rim of the top tire is your decision. Some tires I do trim, others I do not. The bigger the tire is, the more likely I am to trim away the
sidewall up to its tread. (This is just my own way of doing things).

Wet the cardboard down really good then start stuffing newspapers, leaves, straw, corncobs, sawdust or whatever you have that will absorb moisture into the inner rim
of the tires so when rains come, the organic material will take up the excess moisture and hold it till the plants need it the most: moisture will “wick” away from the inner rim into the main tire container area.

Once the rim is packed with such materials you have on hand or can obtain at no cost to you or for little cost, crumble your topsoil, potting soil and cover the cardboard with 3 or 4 soil inches of this mixture, then seat your potato seeds into that mixture. I always add a dusting of hardwood ashes I’ve kept from the wood stove over the potatoes. Potash is very good for root crops.

Once your potatoes are in place, dusted with wood ash, cover with a layer (not pressed down) of straw, shredded newspapers, compost, or whatever mulch you’ll be using, then cover the top hole with a piece of glass, Plexiglas, or you can rig clear plastic over the top if you have nothing else to use. Glass and/or Plexiglas is ever so much easier on you the gardener, than using the plastic cover is. Because the bed must be watered weekly unless rainfall measures 1-inch. You never want the soil to dry out, and potatoes (sweet and Irish) need a lot of water to return you a bumper crop.

Irish potatoes need only 4-inches of top growth. When your tater vines/plants reach 6-inches tall, it’s time to add a 2-inch layer of mulch, and snug it up around the potato plant stems. When it’s time, add another tire on top of the first one. And just keep adding mulch, water, and tires until the stack grows 5-6 tires tall. You may need to drive a wooden stay on 2 or 3 sides of the tires so they won’t blow over when storms come, or when you brush against them, or dogs hit them while chasing a ball, or once night temps no longer offer a chance of frost, you can omit the glass top: if you have who might eat the tater vine, you can use an old window screen instead of the glass top. And when the temps get around or above 80 degrees, put a layer of newspaper around the upper edge of the top most tire: this will to deflect heat away from the tire and preserves inner moisture as well.

The first blooms that form, I pinch off. This pours more growth to the roots which is what you’ll harvest anyhow. The 2nd set of blooms, I allow to form and soon after the vines will begin to dry and become mulch. You can “dig” your taters by removing one tire at a time. If you’ll prepare another tire spot before unloading your tater tire, as soon as you remove one tire, you can roll it over on top of the cardboard spot you’ve just made beside your tater tire, and by the time your potatoes are all lying out on the ground, you’ll have another tater tower built ready to plant into again to make another crop of late fall taters to harvest just before a hard freeze hits your area…depending, of course, on just what area that is.

Mark your calendar...Bountiful Preparedness Seminar

Tami Girsberger, president and founder of preparemylife.com will speak on three strategies to prepare your family for any disaster situation, walk away, drive away and stay at home.

WHEN: April 25th

WHERE: South Davis Jr High School Cafeteria (298 West 2600 South)

TIME: 7:00-8:00PM

Homesteading Summit “movie trailer”…JUST RELEASED!

This “movie trailer” for the Homesteading Summit was JUST RELEASED!

It’s a pretty inspiring 50,000 ft view of what you can expect in the week ahead, watching the Mother Earth News Homesteading Summit!

This 100% online event is set to kick off this coming Monday, October 31st.

35+ speaker, over 7 full days.
Covering topics that include modern homesteading, growing your own food, raising healthy livestock, sustainable off-grid living, and so much more.
Watch the movie trailer above!

And when you’re ready:
Sign up to watch the Mother Earth News Homesteading Summit here: https://wdf87122.isrefer.com/go/menhs/APN/
Everyone is welcome, and it’s complete free!

But don’t delay, you wan’t to register before October 31st!

Self-Defense Skills You Need to Know

If you want to be truly prepared for any emergency situation, self-defense is an essential skill set. Preppers, in particular, need to know how to defend themselves during major emergencies, as they will typically be in possession of scarce resources that others will go to great lengths to get. Here are the four fundamental self-defense and combat skills that every prepper needs to know.

Using a Firearm

In a true emergency situation, having to use a firearm—such as a rifle from DSGARMS—for self-defense is always a possibility. Though everyone hopes it never comes to that, it is better to be prepared than to be caught off guard. For preppers in areas with wildlife, being able to use a firearm can also help with procuring food. Pick a firearm out and train with it extensively at a gun range. Also be sure to learn proper gun maintenance, as you’ll want your firearm to be in top firing shape should your life ever depend on it.

Basic Martial Arts Proficiency

If you find yourself in an unarmed combat situation, basic martial arts training could very well save your life. For the best in combat preparedness, skip karate and learn a martial art like Israeli Krav Maga or Russian Systema. Both of these martial arts were developed specifically for use in life-or-death modern combat and teach students to survive a fight by any means necessary.

Making a Cell Phone Trip Wire

If you end up in an urban survival situation, there’s a good chance you’ll need to secure a building or space. Installing real alarms may not be an option, but a simple hack with a cheap cell phone, some tape and a piece of paper can produce a functional intruder warning device. Just be sure to keep a spare prepaid phone handy, as you may have trouble finding one once an emergency situation is underway.

Disarming an Armed Opponent

A specialized subset of martial arts skills is the ability to disarm someone with a weapon. Though it’s tricky, knowing how to properly disarm an opponent could save your life in a real combat situation. The best way to develop this skill is to learn the basic techniques and then practice them with a training partner using rubber weapon replicas. With enough repetition, you’ll be able to deploy these techniques under pressure, giving you a good chance at success if you ever have to use them in real life.

Whether or not you end of facing war or famine, these are some very important skills that will definitely come in handy. Choose one of the above skills and try to learn it within the next month or two and you’ll be all the more prepared for any situation that might come

Solar Generators Vs Fuel Generators

In the past 10 years, many companies have tried to develop a new way of powering our lives. Most of them have placed their bets on solar energy. Sun provides so much energy in one minute that it can power the entire Earth for one year. Learning to harness that energy would bring so many changes, starting with the cost of electricity bills. But are solar generators the future, and can they replace fuel generators? Which one is better and provides more energy? Let us break it down and judge them based on their performances.

“Free energy”

The concept of free energy is pretty simple. Sun is there for a reason, and we might as well utilize some of its energy. There are plenty of reasons one should install solar panels: they will generate so much energy in the upcoming years that you will never have to pay for electricity again. Yes, they can be a bit expensive to start with, but the prices of solar panels are dropping every year and very soon they will be available even for the “common people”.

Solar generators rock!

These little wonders are very simple to use. Just place them somewhere safe, and let their photo-voltaic (PV) panels do all the work. The PV panels will transform the sunlight into electricity and send it to be stored inside the batteries to be used later. Once the batteries are full, the inverter will take direct electricity (DC) and convert it into alternative electricity (AC). If you are up camping in the wild, you can use these and get all the electricity needed for powering your favorite gadgets, charging your phone and even some more complicated devices. On top of all that, they are Eco-friendly and will not release any chemicals or gases. Your home value will skyrocket and if you ever decide to sell it, buyers will offer more only for the solar panels and generators.

Their performance compared to fuel generators

Yes, fuel generators are known to produce electricity a bit faster, but they require much more to start with. They require fuel to power the generators without which they are useless. In case you go out of fuel, you will also be left without electricity. Another downside of fuel generators is that they create a lot of pollution by releasing chemicals in the air. They are portable just like solar generators, but their function depends on having enough fuel to power them.

Preppers choose solar power

Since the technology is developing so fast, preppers can now safely rely solely on solar power. Designs such as goal zero yeti 400 generators have proven to be more than enough to power an entire house in case something “unexpected” happens. There is a chance that one day, something bad may happen to the world. It could be a nuclear strike, a zombie apocalypse or a virus outbreak. If that occurs, electricity will be almost unaffordable and the only remaining source of energy will be the Sun. So we might as well prepare?

Time to go solar

If you haven’t done it by now, do it as fast as you can. It will most likely be the most reliable source of energy in the near future and it will save you a lot of money if you invest now. With solar panels and grids set, you can become completely energy independent. Yes, there will be days when the clouds will cover the sky and you will collect less energy, but the Sun as we know it won’t leave us any time soon.

Verdict: fuel generators are old fashioned. Yes, they also collect and produce energy but free will always be better than the one you have to pay for.

Backup Power for Your Home

Blackouts are common occurrences. The emergence of major storms in the recent past has served to emphasize the importance of reliable home backup power . The storms can hit an entire region, disrupting power for millions of people and rendering families homeless even as temperatures drop to all-time low levels. You do not have to go through such hard times. Expertly installed a Standby Generator which automatically starts and takes over the powering of your crucial appliances. Note that reconstruction of power lines can take months or even years after such huge storms. With recent harsh climatic changes, grid-disabling natural calamities, with the potential of causing widespread power interruptions are common. Experts warn of dire power outages in the coming years. So, A standby generator is the best solution for the backup power of home automation.

Types of generators to consider

There are two main types of generators appropriate for this purpose, portable generator and stationary or standby model installed onsite.

Portable Generators

The most outstanding features are; it can easily be moved around, and costs less. Portable generators are not permanent; they are normally stored in garages and only put to use once in a while. They run on gas or propane that you may need to stock up in large quantities. Due to their power outputs (normally from 1500~8,500 W), they can only be used to power a limited number of appliances. Such appliances include a Television, a small refrigerator, and a few lights.

Standby Generator

Also known as stationary generators, these generators are installed permanently on a concrete pad in your backyard, and the installing should be handled by a certificated electrician. This type is at times referred to as home automation generator unit. The word automation denotes the fact the generators start and restore power for most of the whole house appliances spontaneously when the utility electric power goes out whether you’re home or not.

Furthermore, These units even run a self-diagnosis and alarm you whenever maintenance is needed. For some, you can even grasp the operating condition through a mobile app on your phone.

Additionally, This type of generator is run by natural gas or LP (Liquid propane), both of which are less risky to store than gasoline.

How can you shop for the ideal generator?

You need to first determining your power priorities. This will tell you what generator size you should buy. Generators are usually sold by wattage. The wattage of a generator determines the number (and sizes of appliances) you can operate at a go as well as how well and for how long. So, proceed as follows to find your best home backup generator.

• Put into consideration what matters most to you. Examples of essential appliances include a refrigerator (which consumes approximately 600 Watts), electric heaters (1500 watts), Window AC’s (1 Kilowatts), and personal computers (60 – 300 watts and sump pumps (from 750 to 1500 watts depending on size). Add to this list the appliances that you feel are essential to you and hence need to be powered during power blackouts. For appliances which power ratings are not indicated, use an online calculator at http://powerequipment.honda.com/generators/wattage-calculator
• Identify the outlets and electric switches that power the essential devices in your home. You will connect power from standby backup generator to this outlet. If you are well versed with electric connections, this activity will be a simple task-you simply flip switches with your friend in turn to establish the supply connection to your crucial appliances. Otherwise, an electrician can help you out for a small fee.
• Find out the reliability of the generator that meets your power demand needs. You definitely want a generator that will not overheat your appliances or falter when power demands are high. Take a look at what other previous users have to say about the generator before buying.

In conclusion, having a standby generator will permanently eliminate the hassles and inconveniences associated with frequent power blackouts. Except when the primary role of the generator is to power just a few electric appliances, a stationary generator is an ultimate solution. You definitely would want to power up all your electric appliances when a disaster strikes. So, invest in a huge generator and have it automated and enjoy your life to the fullest.

Survival Tips for Camping

The great outdoors is in fact great. It provides food, fresh air and a chance to unplug from technology and reconnect with nature. Sometimes, though, the great outdoors isn’t so great, turning your fun overnight hiking trip or weekend camping trip into a rough, wet, tiring experience. Here are 8 camping survival tips and tricks to make your experience a little more manageable and enjoyable.

1. Make fishhooks from a zipper or tab from an aluminum can.

Whether you’ve lost, broken, run out of or forgot to pack fishhooks, don’t fear. You can make one using a zipper or the tab off an aluminum can. Simply break off the loop on one side, pull it out to a 90-degree angle and then sharpen the exposed tip on a rock until it becomes a sharp point.

2. Use an aluminum can as a stove.

You can use a soda pop or beer can when you need a portable camping stove. First, you need to use your knife to cut a capital shaped I into one side of the can, with a vertical cut and a horizontal cut at the bottom and top. Next, you peel open the “window” you just created, place your fire starters inside the can and then light it for your very own portable, windproof cooking stove.

3. Use loose strands from your socks as fire starters.

If you or someone with you happens to be wearing cotton or wool socks, you can use any loose strands from said socks as fire starters if you can’t find any other fire-starting materials.

Just take your shoes off, pluck the strands from each sock and make a flammable tinder pile. Once you have your little pile, set it where you want your fire and throw a few sparks on it to start your needed fire.

4. Dry your boots out faster with fire-heated rocks.

Wet feet are the worst. Whenever your boots get wet, don’t just sit them by the campfire. That method takes way too long to thoroughly dry them out. Instead, gather up two or four large and dry non-porous rocks and place them on the edge of your campfire. Once the rocks are really hot, carefully place them into your shoes. Don’t use your hands unless you have thick gloves on, and really it’s best to use sticks or some kind of kitchen utensil to remove the rocks from the fire and place them in your shoes. This method may seem wacky, but it works at a quicker pace to thoroughly dry wet shoes from the inside and outside.

5. Use tarp to make an emergency rain shelter.

Never leave for an overnight camping trip without a tarp, even if the weather forecast says no rain. Storms can hit out of nowhere and ruin your night in the great outdoors. A tarp makes a great shelter against unexpected rain. Create your emergency rain shelter by staking one corner of the tarp facing the wind. Next, prop a pole up under the opposite corner, and then tie a strong line from the top of the pole to a ground stake. Next you want to tightly pull the remaining two corners and stake them into the ground. The end result is a half-pyramid shape rain shelter that provides good water drainage, can stand up against strong winds and keeps you dry.

6. Utilize a shower curtain to keep the floor of your tent dry overnight. 

If you don’t have enough tarps but have an old shower curtain at home, fold it up and bring it with you. Unfold it and place it underneath your tent to keep your tent’s floor dry (as well as you and your sleeping bag) during the night and early morning. In the morning, you can throw it out or lay it out in the sun to dry so you can reuse it later that night.

7. Keep pesky bugs away by throwing a stick of sage into your campfire.

It doesn’t matter how much you love nature—no one loves being eaten by mosquitos or having bugs flying around them and their food. If you forgot bug spray or ever run out, you can still keep those pesky bugs away from your campsite. Just find a stick of sage and throw it into your campfire. Bugs don’t like the sage scent that emits from your fire, making it an effective and natural way to keep bugs away.

8. Always pack the right camping supplies.

Last on our list, and arguably the most important, is to bring along essential camping supplies, including a knife, warm sleeping bag, energy-boosting snacks, extra water, extra clothes, first aid kit, a compass and an emergency shelter. These supplies can literally be a lifesaver. You may not end up using every item you pack, but it’s always better to be prepared for every worst-case camping scenario.