Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Prudent Prepping: Take-Out Post

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.

With Shelter-In-Place orders coming out or changing seemingly by the hour, many places are only doing pick-up orders or delivery. There isn't a Buffet anywhere that's open, so no posts like that from me. What's left is maybe a 2 Item to Go post.

Dr. Bronner's Soap
If you're a certain age, have done extended backpacking, or shop at natural food stores you have more than likely seen Dr. Bronner's soap. Besides making very nice, natural soaps, the good Dr. is (in)famous for the Wall o' Text labels on all of his products. While it is true that nature abhors a vacuum, it is also apparent Dr. Bronner hates blank space on his labels. No joke, this is an actual label!

Actual Label!

Here is a link to the actual text, if you think it's possible to get through it. I've heard it said that Vogon poetry is more easily understood than this label's message.

I first started using this soap years ago when camping, because it is very concentrated and a very small amount lasts a long time. I would take a 3 oz. bottle and it would last almost forever! I recently bought more soap in a larger size due to reports that soap is even more effective in breaking down the virus than detergent. The type I bought is unscented, so it is adapted to both personal use as well as cleaning dishes and surfaces that may be close to people who are sensitive to fragrances.

Weatherproof Match Comparison
In this post from March 11 I mentioned wanting to compare the on-sale matches to the UCO ones I have in my stored gear. I have the two items side by side now.
Take a look.

(L) UCO  (R) Diamond Weatherproof
It appears they have a very similar design, but I don't know if both are made in the same factory or not. Both are made with a tip that needs an abrasive strip to ignite and have a body that has a long-burning portion.

As a way to explain what these matches are and do, here is information from the UCO Amazon ad.
  • Includes 25 windproof and waterproof matches, 3 strikers and match case that can hold up to 40 matches
  • Matches are easy to light, will burn up to 15 seconds each and will relight after being submerged in water
  • Waterproof, durable ABS plastic case floats and keeps contents dry and protected; external, integrated, and replaceable striker for easy lighting
  • Extended length of match allows for added safety to keep from burning fingertips
  • Length of matches: 2.75 inches (7 cm); Kit weight: 1.7 oz. (48 g)
Now the Diamond matches are fractionally longer than what comes in the UCO case, so if I wanted to replace the originals, I would have to trim approximately 1/4" of to make them fit. Either way, I have more waterproof matches at an even better price!

Recap And Takeaway
  • I bought two 16 oz bottles of Dr. Bronner's 18 in 1 Hemp Baby Unscented soap through Amazon for $27.75 with Prime. Unfortunately, this is Out of Stock from this Seller. Check around if you are interested.
  • Waterproof matches are just one of the ways I have to start a fire and what I reach for first. If you want the UCO container, here is the Amazon link. The Diamond matches may still be on your local Home Depot's shelf, near the BBQ accessories.
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Just a reminder: if you plan on buying anything through Amazon, please consider using our referral link. When you do, a portion of the sale comes back here to help keep this site running!

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

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.

2 comments:

  1. This being said, Dr. Bronner's Peppermint is scented with only Peppermint oil- so it'd be a good bet if you wanted a generic daily driver soap for most things that smells and cleans really good. (Hint: I swear by this stuff...and it's better than a lot of the other products in the space.)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, and the waterproof matches? They're in my BoB. You want something that works without putting a lot of effort into making a fire (You should have a blast match, etc. just in case, but...) this is it.

    ReplyDelete

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