EDC Car Kits

We have recently been discussing what EDC means, EDC KeyRings, and 72 Hour BOB’s are.  In this article, we will be discussing what an EDC car kit means to us and to you.  We will also go over a few items that you should always have in your car and hopefully give some new ideas and perspective on the what and why’s of these items.

Now I have a small challenge for you!  Go out to your car and pull all the items out of your car. (Trunk too!) Then separate them into two piles.  The first pile being items you could use in an emergency/survival situation, and the second pile for items you can’t.  Are you beginning to realize that you might not be carrying items that you should be?  If you do have a lot of items that can help you or your family in a bad situation then hooray for you!!  Great job!!

Some basic items everyone should already have :

• First Aid Kit(s): I personally prefer my pre made kit, but some people would rather buy one.  The choice is yours.
• Tire repair kit: This might include; air inflate and sealant , fix a flat, tire iron, tire jack, gloves, and spare tire.
• Air Compressor
• Jumper Cables
• Water: At least a gallon.  We keep 3 gallons in our trunk.
• Window Scraper: For ice/Snow
• Tools: Screw drivers, oil, transmission fluid, antifreeze, adjustable wrench, slip joint pliers, Allen wrench set, tow line.
• Serpentine Belts
• Radiator Hose

Some things that you may not have thought of:

• Salt:Rock Salt is commonly used to melt snow and ice.  In our winter EDC car kit, we have a rubber made container full of rock salt.  There have been times when I was leaving work and there was ice in the parking lot (it slopes upwards to get out) and I can not get traction to drive off the lot.  This is the perfect time to have this in your vehicle.  As we all know, the winter can be dangerous and you never know when you might slide off the road, due to ice, and rock salt comes in very handy to be able to get going again.  How many of us have a hard time walking on ice to get to the door from your car?  This is another perfect example of a good time to have rock salt in your trunk.  It is much cheaper to have the salt then fall and end up in the emergency room.
• Emergency Items: Road flares, small or fold up shovel
• Tire Chains: If you live in an area where these are necessary.
• Seat Belt cutter: I leave mine in my glove box and I also have one on my key chain.
• Tin Cans & Tea Light Candles: These can be used if the snow/ice packs up around your tires and you do not have rock salt. Put the candle in the tin can and set it on either side of the tire to melt the snow/ice. (the can will get hot) If worse comes to worse, it can also be used as a heat source.

The following items I would recommend having in a sturdy backpack.  Most of these items are going to be in a 72 hour bug out bag, and, in fact, it is a 72 hour set up for your car.  For individual items, please have one for each family member, i.e. poncho, water bottle, space blanket etc.

Food and Water:

• Water purification tablets
• Filtration water bottle for each family member
• Several gallons of water or emergency water pouches
• Food/energy bars, powdered soups, camping meals, nuts, jerky or any other snack that will not go bad for a while in the trunk. Make sure to change these items out often to make sure.

Shelter and Element Protection:

tube tent

• space blanket
• Magnesium fire starter/striker and lighter
• Poncho with hood
• Emergency tube tent
• Wool Blanket/ Wool beanie/hat
• Change of clothes according to season
• Bandana
• Hand/Foot warmers

Communications and Lighting:

• Flashlight and extra batteries or a solar hand cranked powered light with an all weather radio and USB device charger.
• Glow sticks

Other items:

mess kit

• Emergency whistle
• Work gloves
• Survival Guide/ First Aid book
• Multipurpose tool/Swiss army knife
• Duct tape
• Deck of cards, note pad, pencils/pens, List of phone numbers
• Signal Mirror
• Pocket Stove
• Hygiene items: wet wipes, toilet paper, deodorant, toothbrush/paste, diapers if you have small kids.  (I buy travel size items for my 72 hour kits)
• Pre-Paid calling phone & card/ emergency cash
• 3 days of prescribed medication
• Compass/ local street map and state map
• Mess kit/utensils
• Walking shoes/socks

The important thing to remember is to plan for anything because anything can happen in/to your car.  You can break down on the highway and get help quickly or you can break down on a dirt road somewhere and end up walking 10-20 miles before you find civilization again.  Being prepared is always the best thing you can do for you and your family, so just do it. It will make you feel more secure knowing you have taken all the measures possible to get you home in an emergency.

Rise of The Earthships

Although ‘Earthships’ may sound like a spaceship from a sci-fi movie, the name is actually for a style of sustainable housing like those found in this small subdivision of homes in the middle of New Mexico. After seeing all the unutilized land that was being wasted on nuclear testing, architect Mike Reynolds decided to confront the legislature about doing some sort of experimental home designing. To his surprise, the local government granted Reynolds two acres, allowing him to create a series of innovative homes with absolutely no restrictions.

“The county comes and just sort of observes once in a while,” he stated to a reporter, showing a series of piles of what looked like trash. The neighborhood appears to be something out of a post-apocalyptic movie, showing strange homes scattered along the desert wasteland. “We use trash,” he said proudly, going on to say that the county even went as far as bringing old tires and bottles to help with construction.

Earthship: How To Build Your Own (Sponsored)

Every single home is completely self-sustaining, most of them made up of a strange combination of construction materials. For example, the walls are made with concrete and recycled bottles as well as tin cans. The architect claimed that although a lot of the designs are strong and durable, they wouldn’t be permitted outside the 2-acre zone. “It’s completely safe,” he stated, “It’s just not in their programming to approve something like this.”

In order for a neighborhood to survive in the desert, it needs electricity and water, both of which is offered by Earthships. The homes are covered in wired solar wraps, which are skinny sheets that are sprawled across the ceiling of each home, making for cheap living. Water, of course, is dependent on the amount of rain that falls, which isn’t much in New Mexico. Reynolds stated that in order to keep much of this rainfall, the neighborhood has created a town reservoir as well as greenhouse, which helps create hot water during the day.

Watch Kirsten Dirksens’s Video About Earthships Below

(click here if the video doesn’t display) This article first appeared on American Preppers Network and may be copied under the following creative commons license.  All links and images including the CC logo must remain intact.

12 Biological Weapons Survival Tips

With the advancement of technology nowadays, the threat of an attack with the use of biological weapons is rather imminent. With terrorists resorting to various methods to disrupt our social and economic system, one must think of ways to survive such an attack.

Biological Weapons Survival Tips: Holding On To Life

Once a person is infected or inhales infected air, death can come within the span of an hour or two or up to a number of days. Oftentimes, it may already be too late. Most especially if there is no known cure for a new biological agent terrorists might use. The first thing that may come to mind is the use of a gas mask. But for a lot of people, it may already be too late. What else can we do? Here are a few biological weapons survival tips that might save you and your loved ones.

1. Know The Works

In order to prepare for a biological weapons attack, one must know how it can be introduced to the environment or to the people. It may seem to be such a minute detail to think of but knowledge is power for many. Possible options are:

• Through air, food, and water
• Through people like terrorists infecting themselves or people fleeing the place with infections
• Clothes and ordinary day-to-day materials like your mail which may be previously exposed to a biological agent
• Animals, mosquitos, fleas and rodents

 2. Check Packages Or Letters

Anthrax was said to have been spread via snail mail. It is best you double check suspicious letters or packages for the following:

• From unknown senders especially if it’s from a foreign country
• Signs of crystallization, oil stains or blotches
• Having been marked as “personal”
• Words are not spelled right
• Having no return address or too much postage
• With powdery substance inside

 3. Build Your Own Survival Kit

There are different types of survival kits that could serve you for various disasters or emergencies. But you could also build your own survival kit that would fit into a biological weapons attack. Read on how to create your own survival kit.

 4. Get Your Shots of Flu Vaccine

You could only get those that have already been known to the medical world. Should there be any new strain of a biological weapon the flu shots would render useless. Yet, it is best to get one on a yearly basis for good measure.

 5. Be Up-To-Date On The News

Should there be any biological weapons attack the government, private organizations, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and the WHO (World Health Organization) would give the necessary information through national TV to the public to avoid the spreading of the disease. The internet would also most likely be flooded with the news.

 6. Coordinate With Local Emergency Response Units

Your local EMT’s will be working alongside the national government and private organizations on precautionary measures. Pay close attention and follow their instructions to the letter. These people are trained and know better than anyone else.

 7. Practice Good Handwashing Procedures

Practice good handwashing techniques every time you come in contact with people. Hand sanitizer or 70% alcohol will do. You can wash any sort of contamination right off. Or better yet, you can wear gloves for good measure.

 8. Shelter In

Move to the highest point of your home or building. Seal the gaps around your doors, windows, and vents with the use of duct tape and clear plastic covers. This will prevent any outside air which might be carrying biological agents from entering the house. An air filter machine can be used for converting outside air to clean breathable air inside your home.

 9. Decontaminate

Make sure you dispose of all your clothes, jewelry, and even contact lenses that may have been exposed to the biological elements before decontamination. Instead of the normal undressing, you should cut your garments to minimize the clothes touching your eyes, nose, mouth and skin. Seal it in a plastic bag and dispose of it. Then wash your body with soap and water or 10-to-1 water with bleach solution. Talcum powder can also be used if water is unavailable.

 10. Stay Isolated

Avoid major populated areas or the area where a possible biological weapon attack is probable. The odds of coming across someone who is infected is high since people from the affected area will be fleeing the site.

 11. Stock Up On Supplies

Build your food and water supplies to last for at least 6 months to a year. This will help you and your family from going out for supplies. This will, in turn, prevent you from making contact with people who might be infected. Most likely the food shelves will be emptied out in a couple of hours in the event of an attack. People will be panic buying to stock up on their own supplies.

 12. Secure A Bug-Out Location

Have a location far from your state that’s isolated in the woods. It should also have food and water supplies that could last you and your family for months. Put on a gas mask whenever you have to travel outside.

UST Base Tube Tarp 1.0 Reviews

A tarp tent is a wonderful addition to your bug out bag as it can be used in many different ways. A tarp tent is a tarpaulin, a plastic or nylon sheet, used in place of a tent. It is usually rigged with poles, tent pegs, and guy lines. Ultralight backpackers use tarp tents because they are easy to set up and lightweight compared to other backpacking shelters which makes for a more pleasant hike. Especially if you need a quick shelter when hit with a sudden downpour.

Recently I was looking for a good, reliable tarp/tent for my husband. We wanted something light, durable, and affordable. We decided, at the recommendation of others, on the UST Base Tube Tarp/tent 1.0. (Ultimate Survival Technologies) We have never been happier with a purchase.

UST Base Tube Tarp 1.0 Features and Specs:

• Ultra-light, compact, tubular tarp protects against foul weather
• Multi-use tube tarp can be used as a ground cloth or sleeping tent
• Reverses for reflective signaling surface
• Flame-retardant
• Sets up in minutes
• Compact and easy to transport
• Aluminized side provides thermal insulation and reflectivity for signaling
• Hidden zipper transforms the tarp into a tube-shaped sleeping tent, providing protection from the damp ground below and the elements above
• Can be used as a sleeping tent or all-weather tarp
• Complete instructions are included and also conveniently located on the exterior of the stuff sack
• Includes stuff sack, guy lines, and steel stakes
• Erected HxWxD: 39” x 84” x 35” (99 x 213 x 89cm)
• Packed HxWxD: 15” x 4” x 4” (381 x 102 x 102mm)
• Weight: 1lb 12 oz. (794g)

We did a lot of shopping around and found the UST Tube Tarp to be one of the most affordable, reliable and used ones out there. Before this was shown to me the only recommended tarps I found were $80 or more. That can really hit your pocket if you have 4 bug out bags to supply for. that was a nice change from expensive basic gear. Below are some wonderful review videos for you to check out and decide for yourself if this will be an addition to your bug out or camping gear. A list of products in the videos will be posted at the end of the article.

Navigation, Family Practices for Security, Experience, and Fun

Navigation, Family Practices for Security, Experience, and Fun

What if you had that one essential prepper/survival related item with you at all times that not only gave you security and peace of mind but was also family friendly, educational, entertaining, and fun? We all practice self-reliance in one form or another to some extent in various degrees. For many of us it can become mundane and the important reasons that got us started forgotten about. We become complaisant and lose interest more often than not because it does not include others, or we simply get bored.

 Outdoor activities are something I enjoy more than anything, especially with family. However, getting the family on board with an idea I may have can be akin to pulling teeth. The wife is usually fine, ready for a break from the house but not always excited. The kids generally want to run off with their friends or play video games. Now that I’ve found something that sparks their interest it’s all about what we will be doing next weekend? Where will we be going or can Jason and his brother come with us?

Besides my own interest in being outdoors it actually took three items to get everyone else’s attention in the family and make me pretty popular, a map, a compass, and a book. The latter I bought for myself but soon realized I had a little gold mine to share with the family. The book is titled “Prepper’s Survival Navigation” and can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Indie Bound, Books-a-Million by searching the title and author, Walter Glen Martin. The book may even be in your local book store.

You can’t have one without the other. You’re going to find that after you get the book you are going to want a compass and topographical map. Both the compass and the maps can generally found at a sporting goods store. The maps are also available in most book stores, forest service or State offices, or google on line through several places. A good compass will generally cost around $20.00.

Now it’s not just about learning to read a compass and a map, which I thought I already knew. The book goes into great detail about declination, shadows and stars, distance, landmarks, pace count, dead reckoning, traveling in low visibility with a navigator and point person. The book also covers survival when the unexpected may happen. Medical emergency, fire craft, emergency signaling, winter/cold survival, and building shelters.

Once you have the tools the fun will begin. The kids are eager to learn navigation and have a lot of fun while doing it. It’s a great confidence builder. We get to go to different places we may have avoided before because we were not familiar with the area and for the fear of getting lost. For me, I find peace of mind knowing that in this day and age with so much uncertainty going on around us that in time of disaster or when my kids are out by themselves they have the skills to survive and find their way home.

Best Batteries for Emergency Preparedness

Stock rechargeable batteries! This has long been dispensed as preparedness advice. The reasoning behind this advice is of course to have the ability to recharge the batteries for additional use once exhausted. If the stores are closed or you can’t get to them for more batteries at least you can rely on stash of rechargeable batteries. Depending on how the long the power is out, they may last you just long enough to get you by with a few modern conveniences like flashlights, headlamps and radios.

At present, there are four main types of rechargeable batteries that are commonly available for use in place of disposable batteries in electronic equipment. There is also larger Lead-Acid batteries (auto and RV) which are also rechargeable but for the purposes of this article I am only covering smaller consumer dry cell batteries.  Rechargeable batteries are not all equal, each has it’s own positives and negatives, so which kind should you get? Keep reading and I will break down the different types of batteries for you below!

Non-Technical Battery Lingo for Normal People: 

Voltage: Strength of power output of the battery. 1.5 volts is what disposable batteries commonly put out, so rechargeable batteries put out a little less, but are still within the range of what consumer battery appliances need.

mAh: Milliamps Hour (mAh) is important because it’s the easiest way to distinguish the capacity of a battery. The higher the mAh, the more power the battery stores and the longer it will last before needing to be recharged. The higher the number is usually better. Think of a car’s gas tank.  Voltage is how much gas is being used, and mAh is the size of the gas tank (source).

LSD: Low Self Discharge; they won’t lose much energy while sitting around unused. Which means long shelf-life.

Charging Cycles: When a battery is completely drained and then completely charged up to full,  or when a battery is partial drained and charged up to full that is one changing cycle. Batteries that can hold up to many changing cycles are usually preferred.

Sources for Chart
http://michaelbluejay.com/batteries  http://michaelbluejay.com/batteries/rechargeable.html  http://en.wikipedia.org/

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1. Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) Batteries

These batteries used to be the only type of rechargeable batteries available, NiCad batteries are harder to get now due to restrictions on poisonous cadmium that is used in their manufacturing. However, NiCad batteries are still in use for low-drain applications such as solar yard lights, remote controls, smoke detectors and emergency radios.

Overcharging Ni-Cd batteries can reduce cycle life (the number of times the battery can be charged).  Smart chargers know when the battery is full and stop charging.  Dumb chargers run on a timer and will almost always overcharge or fail to fill up the battery. You can charge whenever you like, but constantly draining them completely before charging actually shortens their life but on the same hand if you don’t, NiCd batteries have been known to suffer from a  “memory effect” which is when the battery remembers where it was last drained prior to recharging and from that time forward voltage drops as if the battery is going dead. In reality there is more power left to spare but voltage will drop as if the battery is going dead, while some manufacturers dispute this claim it remains widely reported. Occasional draining down to 1.0V is okay, and even recommended (source). A good brand of NiCd batteries you may recognize is Tenergy.

2. Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH) Batteries

The successors to Ni-Cd batteries, these commonly used and relatively inexpensive batteries are also the batteries that power some hybrid and electric vehicles. They can be relied on for most applications, but older batteries which have problems with self-discharge should never be used in smoke detectors as they can suddenly run out of power and leave you unprotected (source).

Remember that NiMH batteries come in two flavors: LSD and regular. LSD is “Low Self-Discharge”, which means long shelf-life (they won’t lose much energy while sitting around unused), vs. normal NiMH’s which go dead after a few months of sitting around. Given that, there’s not much incentive to get the normal NiMH’s, since they’re not any cheaper, and their capacity is only a little higher (2700 mAh for a normal NiMH vs. 2400 for a similarly-priced LSD NiMH). A good brand of Low Self-Discharge rechargeable battery is Eneloop, the Eneloop XXX batteries are one of the market’s best in capacity and charging cycles.

So how do you know whether a battery is the LSD kind or not? The easiest thing is to look for the good LSD-only brands: Eneloop and Imedion. You can also look for any of the marketing “code words” that indicate LSD, such as “Pre-charged” (since normal NiMH’s always require charging before use), “Ready to Use”, or “Hybrid” (source).

3. Nickel-Zinc (NiZn) Batteries

One of the newest types of rechargeable batteries for consumers, larger nickel-zinc battery systems have been known for over 100 years. Since 2000, development of a stabilized zinc electrode system has made this technology viable and competitive with other commercially available rechargeable battery systems. However because of their unique chemistry an voltage they require a special charger.

NiZn batteries are recommended for high-drain applications such as cameras, flashlights and outdoor equipment. The AA size NiZN batteries produce 1.6 volts which is higher than the voltage of disposable batteries as well as of NiMH batteries, which allows for better performance in motorized and light emitting equipment. However the main manufacturer of NiZn batteries discontinued production of them so they are no longer widely available. They also reportedly suffer from reliability problems, after only a few charging cycles the batteries self discharge considerably faster (source 1 and source 2).

4. Lithium Ion (Li-ion) Batteries

Li-ion batteries are sold as replacements for camera batteries, and they are also the most common batteries used in laptop computers, and some cell phones. Because they are easy to manufacture in different shapes, they are becoming the standard for use in personal electronics, and a built-in battery protection circuit keeps the battery operating safely preventing overcharge. They also store fairly well, therefore, having back-up battery packs for appliances that require them is not a bad idea. Unfortunately they are only available in the 3.6 voltage – accidentally using them in an appliance meant for standard batteries could easily fry the circuitry (source). Options for off-grid charging of lithium ion powered cameras, phones, GPS devices and tablets have expanded greatly in the past 4 years. Goal Zero’s solar recharging kit is one such highly recommended option that can be used to charge your USB capable devices and/or a pack of NiMH batteries. 

5. Rechargeable Alkaline Batteries (RAM)

Less common than other types of batteries, rechargeable alkaline batteries are similar to single-use alkaline batteries but have a chemical composition that allows them to be recharged. They are best used in low-drain applications, but once charged they are known to hold their charge for longer than other types of rechargeable batteries. If they were commonly manufactured and easy to find this would make them ideal to have available for backup or emergency use. However they have been basically pushed out of the market by the newer (LSD) NiMH batteries. RAM batteries also require a special charger as NiCd and NiMH chargers won’t work (source).

Battery Chargers for Emergency Preparedness

If storing batteries and not using them, you may want to periodically test them to make sure that they have not discharged. Dead batteries are of no help in an emergency.

Ideally you want a charger that will charge both NiCd and NiMH batteries so that you will have the option of using them in everyday life right now and also some stored away for emergencies. There are many nice smart chargers on the market that can safely charge both NiCd & NiMH batteries, and even recondition them for additional use when plugged into a source of AC power (click here to see a well rated charger that also reconditions batteries), however, when you narrow the field down to solar chargers your choices are considerably slim. A regular wall charger is still useful to have especially if you start incorporating rechargeable batteries into everyday life.  A solar charger is must for emergency preparedness as a battery charger that plugs into the wall wound be of little use in an event the grid goes down, therefore an alternative to that is solar power.

C. Crane makes an exceedingly affordable (under $30) and well rated a solar battery charger, that charges AA, AAA, C and D sized NiCd and NiMH batteries. While it is not a ‘smart charger’ the Solar 11 in 1 Battery Charger by C.Crane does have a very easy to read charge meter right on the front of it – a little vigilance is all that is required to make sure your batteries get a full charge. Another great charging option if you have the funds is the before mentioned Goal Zero Kit for AA and AAA batteries, which is actually a smart charger so you will not have to worry about over charging standard NiMH batteries (source). While Goal Zero will not endorse use of NiCd batteries with their product many reviewers have claimed the kit recharges them just as well. Since both these chargers are small in capacity my only advice is if you have the money, get two of them or in the case of Goal Zero to purchase an additional battery pack if necessary.

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The Great Solar Yard Light Question

Can I use my solar yard lights as a solar battery charger?

(c) Stephanie Dayle 2014

You may have noticed some solar yard lights come with a replaceable AA or AAA rechargeable battery. The lights with these standard sized rechargeable batteries have become coveted items in emergency preparedness for their potential use as a super cheap battery charger.

The AA or AAA  batteries that come in solar yard lights are typically NiCd batteries (some solar lights use NiMH batteries instead, but not many). NiCd batteries have different characteristics than the NiMH batteries and should not be used interchangeably in solar yard lights. Usually solar yard lights are specifically designed to recharge the size, type and capacity (mAh) of battery the lights originally came with. This is why the slightly lower capacity (600 mAh) NiCd “Moonrays”are usually recommended as replacement batteries for solar yard lights.

(c) Stephanie Dayle 2014

“Moonrays” are manufactured for solar yard lights with a slightly lower capacity which is better suited to the standard solar charge the lights usually give, so the batteries are not constantly under or over-charged. Always read the documentation that comes with your lights to see what type of batteries are needed; this well give you a better idea of what battery to keep on hand.

If the batteries you use for other appliances are compatible with your solar yard lights they do indeed make a handy recharger, but attempting to recharge a different type and/or capacity of battery could lead to over or undercharging issues (including overheating) unless you want to constantly test the battery all day to insure it gets a proper charge and is not damaged (source).

That being said, if I wanted to use solar lights to recharge batteries for use in other appliances I would go with the higher capacity Tenergy NiCd batteries (1000 mAh) and just be happy with whatever extra charge I got from the daylight over the Moonrays, knowing that they may end up always being slightly undercharged.

Rechargeable Battery Tip:

Battery spacers (pictured to the right) are a great way to turn small batteries like AAs into larger C or D size batteries so that you don’t have to buy all the battery sizes out there for emergency preparedness! Click here to find them.

While there is still much to learn about rechargeable energy choices I hope this helps answer some of the most common questions about rechargeable consumer batteries.