Prudent Prepping: The Big One, part the Latest

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

There has been quite a bit of shaking this last week in Southern California, and I believe it's past time to do a recap of basic prepping with a focus on earthquakes. I have been asked what is different with earthquake prepping compared to either tornadoes or hurricanes, and my answer is "Very little, other than earthquakes regularly collapse freeways and bridges." That gives a little bit of extra stress to getting around in California after a large quake. 
 
What Is This? 

http://scedc.caltech.edu/recent/

Here is an updated map of all the earthquakes in California for the last week, updated through July 9. Pretty scary, right? In fact, other than the magnitude 7, 6 and the high 5, it was an almost normal week. If you go to the source page here, you can see an enlarged version of the map for any spot in California where an earthquake has occurred by clicking on the squares shown. My part of California has been calm after the Napa quake (mentioned in this post) almost 5 years ago. Many people don't realize we have earthquakes every week, and unless there is actual property damage, they are barely felt.

The San Andreas Fault runs up to San Francisco, but a branch called the Hayward Fault travels through the East Bay.  Here is an animation of the Hayward Fault, which is not the fault responsible for the 1989 Bay Bridge collapse. This is the fault that will do the most damage near me, due to most of the cities being built on areas that were originally marshland.



Even with the (noted) exaggeration, the Oakland area of the map will be severely damaged in an earthquake. I live to the right side of the earthquake fault, near the mountain peak shown in the larger portion of the animation and to the far right side of the earthquake damage shown in the inset on the left.

It's expected that the three major major bridges will be damaged, including the reconstructed Bay Bridge. With freeways damaged as expected, food and water will be in short supply.

What To Do

Everyone should be reasonably aware of what to do, if you've been reading Blue Collar Prepping for any length of time, but if you haven't, this post has links to several authors and what they recommend. I really do suggest going to the Search box on the blog page and reading what everyone thinks is an important topic, especially Bug Out Bags, followed closely by First Aid kits. 

Where To Start
You already have what you need, but probably not enough. My friends already have plenty of rice and canned goods that, when combined with my stored food, should get 4 people through three weeks without a problem. What is a problem, however, will be getting enough water for three weeks, if water mains or the power is off for an extended time. I'm down to 28 gallons of water because I shared another seven-gallon can with a friend to get them started in prepping. 

I live within a mile of a spring and don't have any bridges to cross to get there and back. Even with getting water right from the source, we will be using a filter and possibly heating everything to the pasteurization point before use. My favorite filter brand is a Sawyer filter of some type. I have done tests of Sawyer filters here and here, and Chaplain Tim did a recap of a real-world study of Sawyer Filters and like how adaptable they are. (He also has an excellent series of posts on water sources, with this being most applicable to me. Go and read them all.)

Getting the water back is what our next priority, so this next month we are buying at least two more of these jugs:

Reliance Products Jumbo-Tainer 7 Gallon Jerry Can

I already have four of these, and while I don't stack them, they do nest together well.

https://amzn.to/2Jr7WbB

From the Amazon page:

• 7-gallon jumbo-tainer style rigid water container
• Combines the easy to carry shape of a traditional in a more contemporary style
• Features reliable tap style spigot and dual grip-through handles

I like the fact that the spout is replaceable* and at 7 gallons, it's light enough that most people can lift one. Pouring is easy when the air relief valve on the can (white button) is opened.

* We are ordering 2 replacement spouts along with the cans.

I've eased my friends into prepping and with the examples of the damage in Southern California, this is going to be an easy 'sell' towards prepping.

Recap

• Start with what you have. My tag line 'Some is Always Better Than None!' is in response to a blogger who wrote the polar opposite to that phrase.
• Make sure everyone is on the same page and committed to working together.
• Make your plans fit your group and location.
• Nothing was purchased this week.

Be safe in your travels, check in with your friends often and do what you can to be prepared.

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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.

Knife Basics: The Cutting Edge

Lokidude

Just a Little Getaway

Not all escape methods are big and in plain view.

Hybridlight Journey

One of my sources for inspiration for articles (what we like to call “blogfodder”) is a weekly newsletter called The Woodpile Report. The host of this newsletter goes by the name of Remus and, like me, is a man of varied interests. The topics tend to wander from great works of art to old cars to modern-day world events, but there is always something of interest for me in each issue. Remus doesn't archive any of his posts, so the old ones disappear as they get replaced by newer ones. This means that you'll have to save your own bookmarks of interest if you want to come back to it later.

Remus recently mentioned a flashlight that he'd picked up and how well it lived up to its advertising, so I decided to get one and try it out.

https://amzn.to/2XRgS1S

The Hybridlight Journey is a small, simple flashlight with a few features that make it a good candidate for a prepper's shopping list. Here's what I've found in the first week or so of use:

Waterproof

Made of hard plastic with a waterproof switch and sealed lens, it's listed as being waterproof to 1 meter in the instructions and 3 meters in the Amazon listing. I've held it underwater in a bucket for 15 minutes with no problems.

It Floats

This made the waterproof test a challenge. It does float and, being bright yellow, it would be easy to see if it fell out of a boat. They are also sold in black, camo, and red/white/blue colors.

Solar Charging Panel

About an inch wide and 4 inches long, this is a fairly small panel. It's covered with a thick, clear cover so it should keep working for a long time. I'm going to estimate it at about 100 mA output based on the size.

Simple Switch

Push once for a low beam (about 30 lumens, plenty of light for seeing where you're walking), push twice for high beam (160 lumens, good for lighting up a small area), push again to turn it off. Hold in the switch for 2 seconds to activate a slow (2 pulse/second) strobe.

Lightweight

It weighs 4.5 ounces (135 g) and fits in a pocket nicely. My work pants have a pliers pocket on the leg and I barely notice that it's there.

USB Ports

This is a nice feature. Unscrew the gasketed, waterproof cap on the tail end and you'll find a standard USB A port and a mini-A port. The standard port lets you use the flashlight to charge a cell phone or other device, while the mini-A port allows you to charge the flashlight from a common charger.

Rugged

The plastic case is sturdy and the cover over the solar panel is pretty thick. I've not intentionally dropped it, but it has met the ground a few times and it hasn't picked up any dings or scratches. Being lightweight, it isn't going to be prone to damage from falls.

Things I am testing

Long-Term Storage

Both Remus and the instructions mention that the battery will hold a charge for years. Remus has tested his for a year; the factory claims 7 years and still holding 90% charge. That, coupled with the claim that you can't overcharge the battery by using the solar panel, make this a good cache light.

Battery Life in Use

8 hours of battery life when using the high beam is confirmed: I left it on over night and it was still working when I got up about 8 hours later. The 30 hours on low beam is going to take a few days to set up and test. I mainly need to remember to check it every few hours towards the end.

Battery Capacity

The maker mention that it contains a Lithium-ion battery, but the capacity is listed variably as 2200 or 2400 mAhr. I'm going to test it by using it to charge a cell phone with a known battery to get a general idea of the capacity. Reading up on it, the manufacturer states that is has a 20% reserve set aside for the LED, so only about 1800 mAhr is available from the USB port.

Solar Charge Time

I set the flashlight on the dashboard of my pickup for a full 12 hours and it didn't register a full charge. This is going to take a few charge/discharge cycles to measure, and when working with a light that can last all night the discharge takes time.

Things that need improvement

It Rolls

I prefer having at least one flat side on a flashlight, so I can set it down and have it stay where I put it.

A Lanyard

I'd like to see a lanyard, or at least a way to attach one. There are time when I like to be able to secure my gear with a carabiner, and other times where I'm working with my hands and like to have a light available without digging in a pocket.

Charging Indicator

There is a simple red/green LED between the switch and the front cap. Red means charging, green means charged. The LED is set too deep into the case to be easily seen and could be a bit brighter.

Better Solar Panel Protection 

The cover is good, but the edges of the case could be raised a bit more to protect it from scratches. As it sits now, the cover is almost flush with the edges of the case, which leaves it vulnerable to damage.

All in all, I'm happy with the $30 that I spent on this light so far. The battery is not replaceable, so this is a throw-away light once the battery dies. It will likely end up in my parts bin when that happens, or I'll perform surgery on it with a hacksaw and some epoxy if I can find a battery that will fit.

Prudent Prepping:Plan C?

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

I know that most of us have a Plan A and then a Plan B, but how many of us have a Plan C?

Plan The Next
A family member is now on their Plan C after a trailer kept in a storage facility caught fire. There wasn't a lot kept in the trailer, but it did have extra supplies of food and clothing in case of a local disaster, like the expected big earthquake.

photo courtesy eastcountytoday.net

As you can see, the fire was visible from several miles away and burned several motor homes and trailers. Their biggest loss was the shelter and possible last-ditch bug out vehicle.

The plan in case of earthquakes was to:

1. Evaluate any damage to everyone's home.
2. Consolidate from most damaged to least damaged housing, if necessary.
3. Get to the trailer on surface streets (doable but tedious) with all the bug out gear, if everyone had severely damaged houses.

As you can see, that isn't happening now. It was quite a shock for them to go to the storage facility to put the current registration sticker on their trailer, only to see everything shown in the photo below. (The storage yard sent out a letter asking for a call back, but didn't try to call them.) Obviously it was quite a shock for them to roll in and see their property gone.

photo courtesy of www.patch.com

What Now?
That is a question still unanswered as of this week. Calls are being made to the insurance company and lists are being made of the things stored inside. As with most insurance claims, the paperwork seems endless and the money paid will probably be less than expected. 

This leads into the other part of prepping: keeping a good record of your stuff. Since this was a trailer that wasn't used often, there wasn't an accurate inventory of the contents. Many of the things lost were of little monetary value but did have some sentimental value. Even so, an accurate listing is important for situations just like this.  I didn't lose any property in the fire, but I have lost my Plan C as well. 

The Takeaway

• Always have a backup plan to the backup plan. The old cliche' "Two is one and one is none" does have some truth in it.
• Insure your gear and equipment properly.
• Keep an accurate listing of everything, even if it isn't high-value goods.
• Replacing a large quantity of gear all at once out-of-pocket hurts.

The Recap

• Store things in as good and as safe a place as possible.
• Don't rely on strangers to be as mindful of your possessions as you are.
• Plan for as big a disaster as you can afford.
• Expect your plans to change at the first sign of 'action'.

Nothing was purchased this week, but I am making a very thorough listing of all my gear starting last weekend.


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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.

Get A Grip: Knife Handle Basics

A truism of knives is that a knife without a sharp edge is no knife at all, and as true as that is, a knife without a place to hold it is equally useless. With that in mind, there are a whole lot of options regarding knife handles and reasons for choosing each. Today we'll take a look at the basic breakdown of a knife handle and give you the information you need to make educated choices about this part of your knife.

The two key elements of a knife handle are the tang and the scales. The tang is the metal portion of the handle that is connected to the blade. It ties the gripping part of the knife to the cutting part of the knife. Different kinds of tangs will affect the strength, weight, and balance of the knife.

The knives on the left and right are full tang knives: the metal in the handle runs top to bottom of the handle. This adds weight to the knife, but also contributes substantial strength. It also moves the balance of the blade toward the rear, making it a bit less forceful as a chopper, but far more delicate and controllable when slicing.

The Mora in the center is a hidden tang style of construction, with the tang contained entirely in the handle. It is lighter than a full tang, with a very comfortable handle, but isn't quite as strong and therefore unsuited for heavy batoning and chopping.

Scales are the gripping material of the handles. In the picture above, the knife on the left has rosewood scales, the center knife has a rubber and plastic handle, and the knife on the right has aluminum scales.

The natural rosewood handle scales are absolutely beautiful and traditional. Sadly, because of their smooth nature, they become very slippery when wet, such as with sweaty or bloody hands. While this knife is an entirely functional knife, these weaknesses limit its utility.

The rubber and plastic handle on the Mora in the center provide a very nice gripping surface. They can be damaged by chemicals, however, so be very careful using solvents or harsh substances around this knife. They are also the least aesthetically pleasing option, so if that is a consideration in your knife choice, be sure to keep that in mind.

Aluminum scales are virtually impervious to rust and chemicals. They make for an incredibly resilient tool. However, they are at least as slippery as the wooden scales, which necessitated the lanyard you can see at the end of the knife. This knife is my fishing/river/boating knife, because it will handle all of the abuse those environments dish out and keep coming back for more.

This picture gives a better view of a hidden tang on a Bowie knife project I'm currently working on. The knives are positioned such that the hand positions to use them are lined up. Notice how much shorter the tang on the Bowie is than the handles of the finished knives!

When I'm finished, there will be almost an inch of walnut beyond the end of that tang, giving a nice usable handle length while keeping the mass of the big blade down a bit.

Lokidude

Planning IS Prepping-Raspberries!!

Carpe diem can be prudent prepping.