Prudent Prepping: Weekend Round Up

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Now we concentrate  on what to do in, and how to plan for, the long term via Prudent Prepping. 

REI-cap
Last week I mentioned I would be going to a Clearance Sale at the local REI. This is my report.

The notice of this round of Clearance Sales was much more low key and not as well publicized as before. Regardless, people still arrived early to buy quality items for a discounted price. And I do mean early, like the fellow who arrived at 5 a.m. and was first in line. The best I was able to do for getting in early was #20, which put me in the second group of 15 to be allowed into the Member Room to get access to the best bargains. 

But even with only 20 people before me, things were picked over by the time I got into the room. I was looking for a second sleeping bag and a 2-3 person tent (my Holy Grail). I managed to see several tents, but only as they were leaving the store in the arms of Mr. 5 a.m. -- along with several sleeping bags! I have no problem with that (well, maybe a little bit of a problem) but he did get there first. I do like the idea of having sales in the local store, instead of sending returns to a distant distribution center or an outlet store in some strip mall far away... I just wish I could score some deals!

Group Buy

I also want to bring up the WAPI group buy I mentioned in last week's blog post. Consider adding several to your gear as a way to purify water and conserve fuel at the same time... they're light, inexpensive, and foolproof.             

Recent Purchases

I needed to replace some band aids in my EDC mini 1st aid kit and while I was in CVS I saw this: WoundSeal for Cuts and Lacerations. From their website:

"Topical Powder that Stops Bleeding Instantly, even if you bleed easily. It seals and protects the wound. It comes with a handy Go-Pack so you can take it with you wherever you go!"

I do not have a full-on Trauma kit or even a small portion of one, but I a'm building my kits up bit by bit. Erin covers her various kits here (several links in this article) and Lokidude does the same with this and this being good samples. Everyone here has written about First Aid at one point, so look for those posts too.

I purchased the 4 pack which just fits into the box I have in my bag. Wound Seal is something I'm going to buy and add to all my kits, with the larger sizes being purchased to make things more economical and easy to divide between all my bags.

The Takeaway

• In the case of REI, the early bird gets the bargains.
• Always look for additions to first aid supplies. Items can be found everywhere.
• Use the resources at hand; your friends may have all the information you need!

Purchased This Week: 

• WoundSeal, 4 count box $7.99 from CVS. I bought 2. (Available at Amazon for $6.90). 

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!

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.

                                                                                                                    

Prudent Prepping: Summer Sale

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Now we concentrate  on what to do in, and how to plan for, the long term via Prudent Prepping.

Back in March, I wrote about making WAPI's available at a group buy price to BCP'ers. The original post is here, Erin's podcast review is here, and here's a quick recap:

"A Water Pasteurization Indicator (WAPI) is a simple thermometer that indicates when water has reached pasteurization temperature and is safe to drink."

As stated before, the group buy price is $6 each, including postage. If you buy 5 or more, they drop to $5 each!

To make this price possible, the units are ordered in lots of 100. Your friendly BCP bloggers have already committed to a good percentage of that total, so the target is easily reached. I am adding one to each of my To Be Shared portions of my prepping pantry.

Include a WAPI with each stove or heating source, and also every mess kit/cooking pot in your BOB/GHB!

If you are interested in this important addition to your water purification system, please leave a comment with how many you want to buy, either here on the blog or on the BCP Facebook page.

Other Sales

My fascination with REI has been well-documented here and here, and I'm setting myself up again for even more disappointment: the Concord, CA REI is having a weekend Clearance Sale this weekend of August 1-2. I plan on arriving very early to see if there might be any bargains that might fit into my tiny budget.

Wish me luck!

The Takeaway

• Safe drinking water is a priority, especially in disaster, hiking or outdoor survival situation 
• I'm a glutton for punishment for even thinking about attending a REI Sale.

Recap
Nothing was purchased this week in preparation for the sale this weekend 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!

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.

Prudent Prepping:BCP Group Buy?

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Now we concentrate  on what to do in, and how to plan for, the long term via Prudent Prepping.

BCP Group Buy

Water Pasteurization Indicator (WAPI)

What it does

A Water Pasteurization Indicator (WAPI) is a simple thermometer that indicates when water has reached pasteurization temperature and is safe to drink.

Since water pasteurizes at temperatures well below the boiling point of water, WAPIs save time when purifying water with solar, and save fuel when using traditional fuels.This has many applications for campers, hikers, those that live at altitude and for use in a survival mode, when fuel and time might be limited.

What it is

A simple assembly of tubing, wire, weights and a very special wax which Erin has reviewed here.

Total length is approx.1.5" and weight is about 5 grams -- small enough to fit into any emergency kit.

What we're doing 

This is the first (hopefully of many!) group buy to be presented to all of you. Our minimum purchase has to be 100 units, which means you can buy these for $6 each, or 5+ for $5 each, shipping included. 

This is a post to gauge interest, NOT to send money! Even if you have an address for some of us, we will have to work out those details after we see what the demand might be for this really useful tool.

If you are interested, please leave a comment here,or on our Facebook page, with how many you are interested in buying.