The First 72 Hours: The Buffet post

Part 8 (7.5?) of a continuing series on prepping for a disaster, with an emphasis on how and where to start while on a Blue Collar budget.

Multiple Topics

Future purchases

To add to the Sunday Slide-In post on REI closing out their equipment rental: yes, it is true, and all locations are closing out their rentals! However, not all locations are having what they (REI) are calling a Garage Sale on the same weekends, though. My store (Concord CA) has had their sales in the 1st weekend of the month, with people lining up at 7 AM to get into the store when it opens at 10! To eliminate a crush, employees are following a number system for admittance, so you can come back before 10 and not lose your spot. Rental equipment offered will be varied, with the 3 employees I spoke with not knowing or not willing to say what items might be on display this weekend.

Needless to say, I will be there very early in an attempt to fill some of my 'Want' list, along with the much more lengthy 'Need' items for my BCP goal.

On the List:

• A 3-Season sleeping bag. Having a spare is just good planning. My family all have bags, but someone could be away, have something damaged or have a friend in need. Down or synthetic, not picky.
• 2-3 person tent. Light weight, easy up, 3 season backpacking style. While I can show you how to do some nifty shelters with 4 mil plastic and duct tape, none of them are very portable or durable in the long run.
• 1-2 Day Hike sized  backpacks. These are to be used for Get Home Bags when further out than my 7 mile drive to and from work. Need to be roomy enough to hold 2-3 L of water, rain coat, change of underwear, socks, shirt, food and the transferred items in my Everyday Bag.
• A full-size backpack, to replace the very old and no longer waterproof one I have now. I carried in my truck, when covering most of N. California to the Oregon border, enough supplies to get me back to civilization, if not quite back home. 400+ miles is too far to hike but 20-50 is manageable. Has to be able to hold ~ 50lbs. of gear.
• Gore-Tex rain gear. I could use some replacement pants, since mine were destroyed in 1990.
• 1 or 2 sleeping mats. closed cell or preferably self-inflating type.

Current purchases

• Light My Fire 2.0 ferro rod. Sparks!!! $15.95 and tax at my favorite "Toy" store, run by The Crazy Russians .
• 8 cans of white Tuna, to be rotated into the stores. $8.08 from Sam's Club.
• "G" series Gatorade in a 72oz. (4lb 12oz!) can. This will make 36qt. for only $6.41!!  A Close-Out item in the Concord, CA Sam's store.
• Previously mentioned on the Blue Collar Prepping Facebook page, 4lbs of Iodized Table Salt. I had to go back and look to verify price- $0.98 for the commercial use box.

Please join us on Facebook if you haven't yet!

So to recap, last week's buys totaled a bit over $33.00, with the big purchase being a wanted item for the longer term plan.


Next Week

Finally, a look at my gear for Every Day Carry and Getting Home, along with what happened at REI.



As always, if you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!