In a previous post I talked about disabilities and physical
limitations. I mentioned that due to my current circumstances, I was focusing on bug in rather than
bug out preps. However, since more options are always better, I started considering ways to make bugging out easier.
One of the things our lovely editrix has spoken of in the past is her deer cart for transporting items during a bug out situation. In fact, after I
submitted my above-mentioned post, she brought it to my attention again.
While this is an excellent choice in many situations, a two-wheeled cart doesn't offer sufficient stability for me given my balance issues. But as it turns out, I had purchased a four-wheeled folding cart from Costco in August of 2022 for under a hundred dollars for a completely unrelated purpose. As is usual with my preps this particular model no longer seems to be on the market, though there are similar items still available.
The cart in open configuration
The cart is somewhat bulky to store, but it folds and unfolds
readily with no tools required. The pull handle can be locked in both the collapsed
and extended positions, and can also be latched to the frame of the cart.
The cart in folded configuration
With a 300 lbs maximum load its carrying capacity is lower than Erin's deer cart, but it's likely more than sufficient for our needs. I've filled it with firearms and cans of ammo and pulled across the gravel parking lot
and ramps at a local shooting range, as well as packed it with boxes of books
maneuvering through a parking garage and convention center, and its performance was stellar in both
situations.
The cart can fit up to four large orange cats.
In conclusion, while bugging in may still be a better option for me under current circumstances, I now have a viable option in case bugging out on foot is required.
One of the "joys" of middle age is a loss of flexibility, strength and resilience, and a corresponding increase in aches, pains, and susceptibility to injury. One of the many ways this affects me is that I must carefully consider how much weight I can carry in a Bug Out or Get Home Bag without hurting myself.
Some heavy objects, like food, are a self-correcting problem in that my pack will get lighter as I consume them. Other items, like water and shelter, are too necessary for survival to remove from my pack. The real issue for me is when I get to the "Nice to have, but are they needed?" items, typically tools like a shovel, a saw, and an axe/hatchet.
The following is not so much This is how I solved my problem and more like These are my thoughts and I'd like to know what you think.
Cutting Wood
I don't foresee the need to cut down trees as part of my Bug Out or Get Home preps, just a need to harvest and process firewood. This means I can leave the axe at home. But what about a hatchet?
Unfortunately, at this point I can't justify the weight of a hatchet, especially since it's a tool where weight is needed to do the job properly. Instead I have decided to make do with my Cold Steel Kukri Machete, which has served me well for over a decade of hard use and which I've used to chop down saplings and limb larger trees for my mother's backyard garden. I know it will chop most anything I need it to chop, and it does a better job as a hatchet then a hatchet will as a machete when clearing brush -- which is a real need for me in this dense Florida undergrowth.
In case there's something I can't chop, I have a Corona Tools folding 10-inch saw which is sharp, lightweight (less than a pound), and quite compact. It will easily cut branches up to six inches thick, which is far more than I need it to do.
I think that between these two tools I have a solution for cutting anything which I will reasonably need cut during an emergency which doesn't involve me staying at home.
Moving Earth
This dilemma is a lot harder to solve than the previous one, and it has occupied my mind for a while now. The problem with camp shovels, aka entrenching tools, is that their decreased weight comes with a concurrent decrease in size in both length and width, meaning that I will be hunched over a lot and digging harder than I would with a longer, and heavier, but proper earth-moving tool.
In other words, my back is going to be killing me regardless; I just get to choose if I want it to hurt while traveling or while digging.
However, after an embarrassingly long time, I eventually came to this conclusion: I don't need a shovel at all. Much like with my wood cutters above, my earth moving needs will be minimal. I can't foresee myself needing to dig a pit; at most, I'll only need to dig small holes between six inches to a foot in depth (such as a cathole). I already have a tool designed for just such a purpose: a Hori Hori, which is also known as a gardening trowel.
This is a full-tang "knife" designed for digging, with a serrated edge good for sawing through roots. I can use it to dig fire pits and latrines, cover hot coals and ash with dirt, even forage for roots and tubers with it. I gave these out as gifts for Christmas 2017, and Lokidude reviewed it in this post.
While none of these will properly replace a shovel, an axe/hatchet, and a saw, the point of this post is that they don't need to replace anything. Instead, I just needed to re-frame my tool needs for my anticipated situations, and find something which addresses those needs while also sparing my aching back. If you find yourself in a similar dilemma, I recommend you do the same thing: stop asking yourself "How can I make X thing lighter/smaller" and start asking "Do I really need an X thing at all, or can I get by with reduced capability?"
David Blackard calls these "Buffet Posts": articles which are just collections of topics that by themselves aren't enough to warrant a full post. Throw enough of them together and what you get is something that's at least filling and hopefully tasty.
National Preparedness Month
September is, you guessed it, National Preparedness Month according to Congress and FEMA. I don't normally think to mention it, because to me and to most of our readers Emergency Preparedness is something we think about all the time, not just once a year. However, not everyone does that, which is why prepper are seen as odd sorts... at least until disaster strikes.
The resources on the site are pretty sparse as far you or I are concerned. But it's a good source of entry-level information for family and friends who are new to prepping, especially for those who think it's paranoid to prepare for emergencies. You can point at this website and say "Look, even the government says we should be prepared!"
Aches and Pains
I'm at that age now where I just wake up with spontaneous pains in various muscles and joints, and from what I can tell it seems like that's only going to get worse until I die. To that end I have added the following over-the-counter remedies to my preps, including my Get Home and Bug Out Bags, and I recommend you do the same if you're over 40 or prone to similar discomfort.
Voltaren is a topical NSAID pain reliever that until a few years ago was prescription only, and now can be bought in generic form as Diclofenac. While it can be used for most aches, I find that it works best on joints -- which is no surprise, as it was originally prescribed for arthritis pain.
For muscle soreness, I recommend Tiger Balm. It's your typical hot-then-cold pungent ointment that penetrates deeply and lasts for a long time, and it comes in a compact little jar because a little goes a long way. Just be sure to wash your hands thoroughly, because you definitely don't want this stuff in your eyes, nose, mouth, or crotch. It's greasy (which accounts for its stickiness and staying power) so scrub well.
Know When to Get Out
This last entry is a bit fast and loose with our "no politics" policy. I instituted that policy because I don't want this blog to be taken over by partisan shouting matches that aren't relevant to our mission. However, I feel that this rule can be skipped when talking about other countries, especially when there is a very important point to be made involving evacuation from a country that turns hostile towards you.
The following videos were made by an American who lived in China from 2008 to 2018, and they explain his concern over the growing hatred towards foreigners and increased police interest in him during that time, culminating with him fleeing the country and then his family joining him. Politically speaking, it is anti-Chinese government (but categorically NOT anti-Chinese people), but if I'm being perfectly honest I don't think I have many pro-CCP people reading this blog anyway, and even if I did, they aren't my target audience anyway.
This first video sets the premise for the others. I was amused at the beginning where he described everything he loved about close, crowded urban life in China, and I thought "That sounds horrible" and then he talks about visiting his parents in a small town and I thought "That sounds lovely," so there's clearly a difference in values at the start. His opinion changes towards the end, however, and it reminds me very much of people who start off thinking preppers are paranoid and then being very happy for their preparations when disaster finally strikes.
This second video explains why he felt he needed to leave, and why it had to be immediately. I will confess that this reminded me, far too much to be comfortable, of the stories my father told me of escaping the Nazis in 1942 by fleeing Austria for the safety of America.
It's important to note that he posted this video two years after escaping China, probably to protect those who helped him get out.
As you would expect, the next video is how his Chinese wife and child escaped and were reunited with him.
This final video shows that it's a good thing he got out when he did.
I know this is close to an hour of videos to watch, but I think there's important information here. Break them up and watch a video with your morning coffee over the next four days, if you can't watch them all at once, or do what I do and listen to them while doing household chores. The important thing is that you watch them and learn from them, especially if you live abroad.
I hope you enjoyed this "buffet" of posts; hopefully I'll have more coherent content for you next week.
The dust has settled and the First 72 Hourshave passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan viaPrudent Prepping.
The weather patterns changed last week, but they still aren't good for lowering the risk of nearby fires.
Getting Ready
Because her job involves running a care home, the Purple Pack Lady (PPL) is stocked up with supplies for the residents. I've almost convinced her to keep some supplies for us there too, along with copies of important papers and impossible to replace mementos.
I mentioned in last week's post that PPL is petite and carrying a bucket is easier than a storage box, so buckets are it. The use of my food-safe pails instead of regular 5 gallon buckets is bothering me, since there are no regular buckets to be had anywhere in North California. Short term, I'll be switching out food storage to totes.
On Tuesday, the National Weather Service upgraded a Fire Weather
Watch for the North and East Bay to a Red Flag Warning for the region.
The Red Flag Warning has been issued for the interior North Bay
Mountains and East Bay Hills and Diablo Range starting at 11 p.m.
Tuesday through Wednesday afternoon. Gusty winds up to 55 mph are
forecast out of the north and northeast, particularly in the northeast
Napa Mountains.
The winds coupled with extremely low humidity are combining for critical fire weather conditions across those regions.
This bit, and the fact that the next town over opened an emergency drop-in center, has me concerned that the power outages, planned or not, may affect us.
What's Being Done
I'm putting half my Mountain House pails and a case of water with PPL in the care home. The others here are doing what they think is necessary and sorting out where they might be going and where backups could be stored. The way to get out of this neighborhood has been discussed, both on foot with the really important stuff, and what to do and where to meet if there is time to carry more items to a car. Half of my camping gear is also going to the care home in a tote, so that if something happens at either location, some of the equipment will be safe. Our goal this year is to have a complete set of everything stored both places, so the "One Is None" monster won't bite us in the butt.
Recap and Takeaway
Pay attention to conditions in your region! The fire 50 miles away could affect power lines supplying you.
If at all possible, get everyone in your group on the same page for evacuation planning. It's not necessary for everyone to go the same place, but having everyone know where all the most important items for the others are stored is essential.
Nothing was purchased this week, but there is a list of things both of us want to buy soon.
* * *
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.
The dust has settled and the First 72 Hourshave passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan viaPrudent Prepping.
Yes, California is on fire again, but the fires aren't as close to me as in previous years. While that brings me a small amount of comfort, it still means major portions of this state is being destroyed. So here's a reminder to check your Go Bag and evacuation plans.
Gotta Go and (Maybe) Never Coming Back
That was what happened to a relative who was planning to retire soon to Northern California. He had a bit more warning than people in the town of Paradise had, but the results are the same.
While this wasn't their primary residence, it was where the family spent lots of time enjoying the beautiful scenery and the historic town. As you'd imagine he's not really interested in talking about what happened, but I'll try to get info later on how his evacuation went down.
I'm taking this as a reminder to my household to review all of our plans for getting safely out of our house.
What's First
There are two dogs here that will be tossed into the first car headed out. I have all my important items in a tote in my closet with a tag that says IMPORTANT. That's the first thing I'll grab, and if there's time the rest of the totes will be grabbed as they are stacked in order of importance.
A bit of good fortune is that Purple Pack Lady has her important papers at her place, and I'm going to ask to put duplicates of my papers there as my folks' place used to be my off-site storehouse. I'll also suggest she puts duplicates here, if she wants.
Update my paperwork and where I need to keep everything.
Consolidate everything into as small a package as possible. Having to Get Out Of Town or a burning building could mean a lot of people wanting to save things important to them.
Have everyone realize the importance of doing something to prepare for a disaster, and sharing where their important things are.
Recap And Takeaway
Follow through on your plans. I certainly am.
* * *
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.
The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.
California, or at least the urban portion I live in, is being shut down midnight tonight after many businesses were open a week, with salons and barber shops in San Francisco opening only yesterday. Other areas are less affected with reports (unverified) of rural counties telling Sacramento they are not complying with yo-yoing regulations. What does this have to do with me?
Recreational Area Closures
I was planning on taking a camping trip this coming weekend. I've uncovered most of my camping gear, since it is stored in separate totes from my tools and books; my sleeping bag, pad, tent and cooking supplies are together and ready to load. The last thing I needed was to buy several spools of new fishing line and pick up a license, and I was ready to go.
... Until this morning. The counties with 80% of the population are forced to take varying steps to try and contain the virus. The area I planned to visit is in a major county, but well away from the population centers affected by these regulations.
It doesn't really matter what your opinion is on what is or is not an effective virus control measure: the local rules stand and I'm home. Ah well, I'll make the best of the situation.
What's Next?
I'm using this week as a preparation/dry run for a Bug Out, if it comes to that. I have most of my gear stored here in my place and one other spot that is easy to get to and then back, and now I have to decide whether I will keep gear in both places or to only have everything here. I have duplicates of the most important items so I can actually follow the "Two Is One" rule for a change and not feel like I'm hurting my plans.
I also need to decide if it will be worth the investment to duplicate my longer term food supplies or not. After the recent smoke detector scare, I'm torn between the urge to carry even more supplies in my trunk and to keep things roomy and organize -- I believe I've confessed in the past to having a bit of a hoarding problem, and so I've made a conscious effort to keep things as small and compact as possible. Loading my trunk up with "Maybe, Sorta Useful" items that could be stored just as easily here violates my K.I.S.S. plans.
Recap And Takeaway
I'll say it again: have a plan and practice it, and be sure to have Plans B, C, D or however many you think necessary.
Nothing was purchased this week, but money is being set aside for future trips.
* * *
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.
The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.
It wasn't the wake-up call I wanted, but it definitely woke me up!
BeepBeep! Fire! Fire!
My smoke detector went off last night, complete with computer voice and flashing lights. There's nothing like coming out of a sound sleep to see the detector in my bedroom flashing and squawking. Since I don't have any habits that might set off a detector and I saw nothing burning, that meant it could only have been set off from outside my bedroom.
Which is on the second floor.
I have related my experience of being in a structure fire and how I plan to exit a 2nd story if there's a fire where I live, and last night I thought it might be the time. My housemates and I have practiced how to evacuate, but each time we did that it was done in the daylight. Last night, we were all looking at bailing out of a real burning building, at night, half awake but full of adrenaline. Fortunately, I was awake enough to feel the door -- it was cool -- and I then opened it carefully to check if things were really burning or if there was any smoke.
None. All Clear. None of us are sure why the alarms went off randomly, but they did. We even called our utility company once when the carbon monoxide alarm went off, only to find out that things were fine.
What Now?
I don't have a good answer today, since I got about 3 hours sleep, but my housemates and I are going to talk more this weekend on what happens if it's dark when the real emergency happens. After three cups of coffee this morning, it hit me that even though I've got important papers in a box ready to be dumped into a bag, what about some of the other things I have? I need to think about grabbing computers, firearms, and ammunition if there's time... but only after several nights of calm, relaxing sleep.
Recap And Takeaway
If you've read this blog for any length of time, you'll know that we all have written about bugging out and the importance of good planning. I know what happens when there isn't a good plan, so practice, practice, practice your plan so your actions are automatic. That way you will know what you have to do, even if you are half awake.
* * *
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.
As many of you may have noticed, I didn't post last week. The reason for that is the title of this post: I was in such pain that I couldn't think straight, and that pain lasted basically the entire weekend.
(Yes, insert joke about how a prepper really should have a backlog of posts ready to go for moments like this. I completely agree. The problem is finding the time to create such a backlog in the first place.)
According to the doctors, I have osteoarthritis in my lumbar region. I've had this for a while now; I can recall back as early as 2013 that my lower back would stiffen and almost lock up when I would be washing dishes at the sink, or when vacuuming the house. I chalked this up to getting older, gaining weight, and not being in the best shape I could be in. The problem is that it's gotten worse over the years, and now it's to the point where if I walk more than a hundred yards I can feel it stiffening up. Once I reach that point, I need to sit down and rest for a few minutes so that my back can relax. If I don't, the pain gets worse and worse until not only is my back screaming at me but it is also physically painful to lift my legs enough to walk. After walking the dogs last Friday I had to crawl to my chair from the front door.
As you can imagine, this condition puts rather a large dent in my prepping plans. The way it stands right now, if I have to walk any distance at all I'm likely to be screwed; if I have to walk (or run!) a significant distance to reach safety I have to hope that the adrenaline rush will carry me, and in any "long walk home" scenario my need to rest will slow me down and extend the time it takes to get there.
What's more, my back pain is also aggravated by having to lift heavy things. My Get Home Bag is still pretty heavy, so lifting the bag plus walking with it on my back it is currently a recipe for disaster. This is the main force driving me to lighten my GHB.
At this point there really isn't anything that can be done to fix my pain; we can only treat the symptoms. I was prescribed a topical gel to help reduce pain and inflammation, and was told to lose weight and do yoga for flexibility. I am... skeptical... about yoga, but that's been on hold and will continue to be on hold until this COVID-19 mess goes away. Losing weight is a goal of mine, and it's something that I've been working on for a while now, but I have absolutely no willpower when it comes to resisting evening snacks.
Here's how all of this relates to prepping:
Take care of your body. You only get one and it's with you your entire life.
If you have chronic or persistent pain in your back after doing X activity, see a doctor about it immediately. You want to get started treating it sooner rather than later.
If you're overweight, work to lose it. I'm not about to fat-shame anyone; I'm just stating the obvious that "The less weight your body is carrying, the less strain on it and the easier your life will be."
Maintain mobility. If I had to bug out on foot right now, I don't know how far I'd make it other than "not very far."
Make sure you can lift your pack and walk with it.
I don't know how disabled people prepare for evacuation, but I worry I may soon become one. If you're a disabled prepper, I'd love to hear your advice and stories. I'd also love to hear from you if you have overcome back problems.
Until then, I'm going to be hobbling around the neighborhood, trying to get my flexibility... back. (Pun intended.)
"Getting home or bugging out to a safe(r) spot" is one of the more common topics for prepper articles. Travel after a disaster or emergency has different challenges than a daily commute, so we try to look ahead and plan around those challenges: roads jammed with traffic after a hurricane; bridges closed or damaged by floods, earthquakes, or fire; civil disturbances that make travel through an area unwise; they, and a host of other conditions, could make you consider getting off the paved roads and finding another route to your destination. One option to explore is the railroads.
My father retired from one of the major US railroads after 30 years, so I was raised with an awareness of railroads and routes. I'm also old enough to remember going to the centennial celebration of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1969 held in the town where the eastern section began. Railroads have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.
Since the creation of Amtrak by Congress in 1970 ended private passenger rail service, the quantity and quality of passenger service has declined, and with the increase in Over The Road (OTR) trucking in the same time-frame, even the freight services are dying off. The total miles of rails have been shrinking for decades, but there are still a lot in place and many of the abandoned lines have been repurposed as biking/hiking trails. The most recent number I could find was from 2014 when we had about 137,000 miles of active track in the USA.
Can I get there from here?
There are a few online resources for rail maps, the best I've found so far are OpenRailwayMap and RailMapOnline. The first is an interactive map of the entire USA, while the second covers the western part of the US and most of Britain and Europe. Google of course will show rail lines on their maps, but the routes may be a bit hard to pick out from all of the clutter.
Abandoned tracks that have been converted to trails can be found at RailsToTrails.us and RailsToTrails.org (those are two different sites despite the similar names).
For local travel, keep an eye on your area's tracks and bridges. Things do change over time, and the railroads don't advertise those changes.
Why follow the rails?
Railroads maintain their own tracks and right-of-way (ROW), so well-traveled routes will be kept clear even if the local infrastructure is overwhelmed by a disaster. After the last few floods around me, the railroads were always able to open their lines before the roads were cleared.
Rails are easy to follow, even in the dark. Those two steel rails are pretty obvious once you get close to them. The ROW is usually covered with coarse rock and sprayed with a blend of chemicals that prevents any weeds from growing for a year, so they'll be easy to walk along.
Many tracks have a maintenance road that runs parallel to the rails. They're usually rough gravel roads, but they are smoother than the tracks and ties.
Railroads build their own bridges. If you have waterways to cross in your journey, knowing where an alternate bridge is may be helpful. Rail bridges are also built to handle a lot more weight than most normal traffic bridges and are usually better constructed.
What are the downsides?
Tracks and their ROW are private property. Legally, walking alongside the tracks is trespassing, and so state and federal laws apply. Did you know that the railroads have their own police forces?
Walking on the rails can be very dangerous. Trains don't stop quickly, and by the time the engineer sees a person on the tracks all he can do is call for an ambulance. I have a cousin who used to drive trains, and some of the things he saw still give him nightmares.
The coarse rock used around rails is not easy to walk on, so wear good boots with ankle support and watch your step. Bicycles and motorcycles with soft tires will do okay; four-wheeled vehicles may have to move slowly and watch for narrow spots in the ROW.
Don't be that guy and try to use a compass to figure out which way the tracks are running while standing on them. Those long steel tracks will definitely screw up a compass, so walk several yards away before trying to read one.
Tracks are often elevated above the local terrain, so walking along them will not be very stealthy. If you're trying to sneak, stay off the tracks and use the ROW.
As an alternate route after TSHTF, keep railroads in mind. Be safe and respect the danger of traveling where trains have the “right of weight”.
The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping. On our Facebook group (join us, we're even nicer in person!), our esteemed Founder and Editrix posted a Bloomberg article which stated that my local utility is planning to cut power to sections of California if and when there is an increased fire danger. I was asked what my immediate plans would be and I gave a quick answer, but that's not the only thing I'm doing. What To Do When The Lights Go Out The California utility doing the planning is Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), and as of last week it was found to be responsible for two of the recent and largest wildfires in CA recorded history. They have published a plan detailing exactly what is in store for areas most likely to be hit with a wildfire. The rather long PDF doesn't show where the power might be cut in a wildfire, instead listing all the things that may occur in the event of a wildfire. Think about that for a minute: with the location of several recent fires being in or near populated areas, this plan is good for any area served by PG&E. This makes sense when thinking where certain fires have started, such as the Camp fire (Paradise CA) and the Tubbs fire (Calistoga and Santa Rosa CA). I posted about another fire several years ago that might have been prevented if a plan like this was in place, but nothing is a sure thing when dealing with natural disasters. As long as I'm not in the direct path of a fire, losing power for one to possibly several days is not a problem. If there's the chance I'm going to be in a fire, all bets are off and a full Bug Out is in order. First Things First If I get the power outage warning, which PG&E said will be as much as two days before but possibly less, I'm heading to my parents' house to see how they are doing. They're both in reasonably good health for their age, but I want to be there to make sure everything is in good shape. My family traveled and camped when we were kids so there's still a lot of useful gear around, including a generator that's used to power my parents' travel trailer parked on a time-share campground. That generator is big enough to keep their freezer and refrigerator going, and by keeping the freezer closed and not opening the fridge, the generator should need to run for only four to six hours to maintain good temperatures. Based upon what my Dad tells me about the generator's gas usage, that's about a gallon of fuel for each 4-6 hour cycle.
Food My parents have food stored and ready to load into their truck to take to their trailer when it's camping season, so I'm not worried about their food supply.
Water This, however, is going to be a problem if power is out for longer that a few days, especially if it's in the middle of summer. I have enough water to keep everyone going, but not enough for comfort (such as bathing), so I need to convince my folks to buy some water jugs as a supplement to mine. I'll be giving them a Sawyer SP181 filter and showing them how to use it next month. I really like Sawyer filters (see my review of it here) because of how much water they'll filter and their ease of use. Shelter Fortunately this isn't likely to be a problem, since we are well away from the expected fire zones. If worst comes to worst, though, bugging out to their trailer could be a big problem as it is near the Redding-Red Bluff CA area that burned last year! The Recap
This is another example where proper planning will pay off in fewer headaches and much less excitement.
Nothing was purchased this week, but a Sawyer SP181 $49.99 from Amazon with Prime is going in my Shopping Cart.
* * *
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.
The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Follow along as I build a long term plan via Prudent Prepping.
My settling in is pretty much finished, but the unpacking and final positioning? Not so much. I've had a chance to walk around a little, looking over the neighborhood (and neighbors) to get a feel for this area. It's a bit busier than the old place with more traffic on the side streets, but lucky for me, I'm on a dead-end street. This is both a Good Thing and Bad Thing.
The Bug Out Plan
Now I have to figure things out all over again.
Where are the alternate routes out of this neighborhood?
What is the best possible place for me to park?
If the expected big earthquake hits, where is the closest water?
Who on the block might be the problem in normal times, let alone a disaster?
My friends both work, so planning won't be as simple as it was with the Master Chief. Previously, if something were to happen we would both know where things were, and moving them out would be simple even if I wasn't home. Now I've got to be certain that important papers and files get removed quickly, which means sharing their locations.
For me, that’s fairly simple; I have a file box with my papers, and a drawer with photos and mementos, to be dumped into the "grab and go" box when something collapses or is going to burn soon. Now I need to know what is important to my friends, and where to find everything.
After that, it gets a bit harder to Bug Out. With more time ,or no real threat of immediate loss, getting the balance of my preps out should only take 20 minutes and they'll fit easily into the trunk and back seat of my car. My friends, however, need to figure out their needs, how to store everything and where to keep it, so things can be rescued fast. This isn't an easy job, but at least they can see what I’ve done and how to get started. I’m tired, but it’s a good tired.
I need to get familiar with this area soon. Bad Things happen on their own schedule.
Personal plans need to be sorted out now. See above quote about Bad Things.
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My mother had knee replacement surgery 2 weeks ago, and so I've been helping take care of her and also doing a lot of her chores around the house while she recovers. Therefore, this post will not have a single topic; instead, it's what David calls a "buffet post".
Save Your Post-Surgery Medication
This advice does not apply to antibiotics; if you are prescribed an antibiotic then you must finish your entire course of medication unless your doctor says otherwise.
However, for everything else that is prescribed on an as-needed basis -- anti-nausea, anti-inflammatory, pain killers, etc -- keep them in your preps to have on hand for an emergency. For example, I am prone to kidney stones, and in 99% of all such cases the best treatment is to wait for the stone to pass into the bladder. However, the act of passage hurts immensely; my mother, who has had three children and one kidney stone, said that her stone hurt worse than any of her deliveries. The next time I have another kidney stone, instead of going to the ER I'll just take one of the oxycodones I was prescribed in 2017 after the dog attack and then try to sleep through the pain until it passes.
Don't throw your medication away once it's past its expiration date, either! That date simply means "After this point the medicine is no longer 100% effective." I don't know about you, but I'm just fine taking medicine with a 99% effectiveness. See this post for more details, but the short version is that you can easily get four or more years worth of storage out of medications.
Cultivate Additional Food Sources
Our back yard butts up against a forest, and my mother enjoys feeding the squirrels, raccoons and deer which live there. Not only are we encouraging the growth of an animal population which could feed us in an emergency, but we are also conditioning them to not fear humans.
Have a Plan to Move Disabled Family Members
If we had to evacuate right now, it would be a lot more complicated than normal. Not only is mom moving much more slowly, but she needs a walker. That factors into my bug out plans, because it means that any evacuation will take longer and will require space for her walker (thankfully, it's collapsible) in the car.
If we have to walk? Well, I have a deer cart and a chaise lounge cushion. It won't be fun for either of us, but if it'll cart a 500 lb deer out of the forest, it will easily carry a 120 pound woman and her BOB.
That's all for now. Hopefully I've have a more coherent post next week!
We’ve talked quite a bit in the past about bug out bags, bug out plans, and even bug out vehicles. Today, though, I want to offer up the notion of a bug out house.
Don't worry, I’m not seriously going to try and convince you that you can somehow move your entire house, and while having a second house that is distant enough from your primary residence to serve as a bug-out location would be great, no way is that blue collar. But what is blue collar, and almost as good as having that second house, is having some manner of RV or camper.
I will concede that large, fancy camping rigs are incredibly expensive, sometimes costing as much as a small house or even more. But a budget-minded individual who is a bit handy can acquire an older unit for the price of a teenager's first car. A rig like this will need some maintenance that newer units won’t yet need, and it won’t have all the top conveniences, but it will keep you warm (or cool, depending on season) and dry, and is considerably more comfortable than a tent.
Trailers obviously aren’t as quick to press into action as a simple grab-and-go bag. Depending on who we’re taking with us, and where we are when we get the call to go, it would take my family somewhere between one and two hours to get loaded up, hitched up, and on the road. My brother-in-law can have his trailer rolling in an hour or less, but his is a much smaller and simpler rig. However, the trade-off for that slower reaction time is that a trailer can be kept stocked with sundry nonperishable supplies and equipment that would be infeasible or impossible to carry in a bag.
Another complication with a camping rig is the need for a tow vehicle and fuel for same. I’ll go into the particulars of towing at a later time, since it's a valuable skill to know, but for now it's enough to say that all but the very smallest of cars can tow something. My best friend hauls his trailer with a Dodge Durango, I pull mine with an old Ford F150, and my last rig, which my brother-in-law now owns, could easily be pulled with a midsize car.
Finally, don’t discount the “recreational” part of the name. Recreation is vital to mental and emotional health, and maintaining your emotional well-being during an extended emergency is every bit as important as keeping up your physical health, and if you’re so lucky that you never need to bug out, you can still use your RV or camper to spend time outdoors, learning and practicing skills, and making lifelong memories. Many of my outdoors experiences growing up came while camping in Mom and Dad’s old rig, and the love I had for those experiences drove me to build more skills and learn more. These are the same skills I now pass on to the Scouts I teach, as well as to my friends’ children.
If you’re caught in an evacuation scenario like the Southeastern USA regularly gets with hurricanes, or the Midwest is currently seeing with rain and flooding, being able to hitch up a small house and leave within an hour or so grants a lot of flexibility. You don’t need a friend with an available bed, or a hotel room that may be in short supply, and you don’t have to figure out where to stash the family pet(s); all you need is a friendly parking lot or a bit of driveway at a friend’s home.
[Editor's note: Chaplain Tim has a series on converting and upgrading an RV ad a bug out vehicle here.] Lokidude
The final report lists 42 confirmed deaths and over 200 missing.
I only have one thing to say about this entire year's fires in California and the disasters around the country:
What Were They Thinking?
I can only talk about the situations here where I am, and this latest fire in Butte County follows the Oroville Dam disaster, so the Sheriff and the local people know how to handle mass evacuations. The Sheriff ordered an evacuation when the fire first reached the edge of the town, and while it took some time to burn into the center of town, people had time to leave.
I have close friends who live there and they lost everything, but they're safe. Why? Because they left when told to! They listened to the warnings and left as soon as they could. From what I understand, since basic items were already staged, my friends were able to get many sentimental items out with them.
What Can Be Done
Double and triple check your plan! Verify your designated meet-up spot and have a 2nd or even a 3rd in mind.
Know how to get out out of your neighborhood. Have all the routes memorized!
Have your BOBs ready, along with what is really important close by.
The bloggers who were here in 2015 picked our favorite or essential items in our own personal BOB or GHB and put them in a blog post. We've added several more people since then, and everyone has written about their own setup. The Discerning Shootist has several posts about gear, starting here with a definition of what all those initials mean.
If you want to spend time looking at what else is available to read, a look up "BOB" in the Blogger search box (upper left corner) on the Blue Collar Prepping page. There are 44 articles just with that term, and "Bug Out Bag" shows 74 and "GHB" lists 115! That is only the posts with those terms in the title or tags. Everyone has written about their gear, and I feel it is important to read what is different in each person's bag. Not only do you have different climates, there are enough differences in climates to make "What's In the Bag?" a fun rabbit hole!
I highly recommend a search by author name on our blog. You'll see we have many things in common, and some that might make the proverbial light bulb go off and trigger an AHA! moment.
The Recap and Takeaway
There are few heroes in a disaster, most people are better off to get out with their group.
Have A Plan. Hell, have 2 or 3! Just make sure your group is on the same page!
When the authorities say it's time to leave, leave. Right then.
Nothing was purchased this week, but if this latest round of fires starts those extra dollars burning a hole in your pocket (heh!), see below on how to keep us here!
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.
Erin Palette is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
