The Case for the Instant Pot

In the past couple years, a kitchen implement called the Instant Pot has taken America by storm. Its primary function is as an automatic pressure cooker, but that's just where the fun starts; it can also function as a slow cooker, rice cooker, or vegetable steamer. In addition, the Instant Pot makes yogurt or certain cheeses quite easily. With so many features, I contend that the Instant Pot is a valuable item in the prepper kitchen.

Pressure cooking allows you to easily make tough cuts of meat tasty and appealing. It can salvage freezer burned cuts of meat, bringing them back to a nutritious and delicious state, and slow cooking gives cheap meat an excellent taste and texture. All of these qualities are very helpful to the prepper wallet.

Pressure cooking also drastically reduces the time to cook meals. We made lasagna in ours last night, with a cook time of roughly 30 minutes; normal cooking time is 60-90 minutes, depending on size. Both time and money are things which exist in short supply, and it saves both.

Vegetables are loaded with nutrients, but so many of the common ways to cook them leach away all the best nutrition. Steaming is one of the least damaging ways to cook vegetables, and an Instant Pot makes that easy and fast as well.

My favorite Instant Pot trick is one of the newest I've learned: making yogurt. I've loved yogurt since I was a kid, but it can turn into an expensive habit, and now I can make my own for a fraction of the cost of buying it in the store. Even better, homemade yogurt is probiotic, meaning it encourages healthy bacteria growth in the digestive tract. This sounds boring, but it's important for good health, and that's a critical thing to maintain.

Now to the big sticky question: we're all about being budget friendly here, so what's the damage from this tool getting all of my love? While they often sell upwards of $150, smaller models cost as little as $60, and can often be found for less on sale. This is still not cheap by any means, but it's definitely affordable and well worth the cost. In the near future, I'll share some recipes that demonstrate dramatic enough savings that the cost of an Instant Pot amortizes very quickly.

Make healthy food faster, prevent food waste, and save money: a prepper wins all around.

Lokidude

Food Storage in 2020

In the past I’ve talked about using grocery store sales as a good way to prep food storage. But a sale price really isn’t a savings if it’s something you don’t eat!





Godspeed to you all.

Repacking My Get Home Bag

Not actually Erin.

Picture by KJ Photography

& is used with permission.

A while ago (I don't remember exactly when) I came to the conclusion that my definitions of Bug Out Bag and Get Home Bag differed in practice from those of other people. I realized that my GHB was effectively a BOB (three days' worth of food, for example) because unlike my city-bound prepper brethren, if I ever have to walk home due to a disaster I will likely be in the next county over, if not further, due to the semi-rural nature of where I live.

So that explains some things, such as why I have so many tools in my GHB -- if I'm walking home across a good chunk of the state, I will encounter environments that range from solidly urban to rural swamps and everything in between. It also explains why my actual BOB is much more of an INCH (I'm Not Coming Home) bag: if my GHB is thus, then my BOB needs to be moreso.

A good way to state this is that I'm an overachiever when it comes to evacuation bags. A less flattering, though no less untrue, version is to state that I chronically overpack. Either way you phrase this it's a problem, as in addition to being overweight and underfit I have also been struggling with chronic back pain since late 2017, and the last thing I need in a disaster where I have to walk for miles is to throw out my back on the first day.

One of my resolutions for this year was to reduce the weight of my GHB (my BOB is less of an issue due to owning a deer cart). I have only somewhat succeeded in that goal, as the bag itself weighs about 33 pounds and it really ought to be 20 pounds or less. I have removed most of the heavy items, including nearly all of the tools, although as a compromise to myself I've simply moved them into a separate and easily-grabbed bag. My thinking is that I can bring them along in a car so that I have them if I need them, but if I need to walk home I can easy jettison them. 

My bag is still pretty darn heavy, though, and the biggest offender is water. I have a three liter Camelbak in my GHB, and that equals 6.6 pounds of weight. Without that weight my pack is a much more manageable 26.4 pounds... but this is Florida, and while water is abundant it's also incredibly hot here most of the year. The average human needs a minimum of one gallon of water per day, more if in hot weather or while engaged in hard work, and walking back home can certainly count as that in some environments. I can't just hope to find water, I have to bring it with me. 

Food only weighs a pound, and I can't really get it much lower than that and still have the calories needed to travel. The rest is shelter (a poncho with grommets that can become a tarp), paracord, a bivvy sack, spare socks and underwear, fire starting equipment, a metal cup for boiling water, etc... in other words, things which are pretty necessary and which I can't in good conscience jettison.  I could possibly distribute some of the items elsewhere on my body to lighten the load (for example, put the knife on my belt) but I don't know if that would make a significant difference or not. 

At any rate, please consider this post my official notification that I intend to slim down my GHB, with a goal of getting it to at least 30 pounds by the end of the month. Then I'll put it on and go for a one-mile hike and see how my back holds up under that load. 

Superglue for Repairs

Our illustrious editrix Erin asked me about the potential dangers of using superglue to repair an item that would come into contact with drinking water, which is something that may come up if you're using your gear for a while in rough conditions. Things break, and knowing how to safely repair them is important.

CAUTION: chemistry ahead!

Cyanoacrylic glues (there are a few different formulas) may sound like they would be poisonous due to the part of their name which sounds like “cyanide”. This is incorrect; the actual root of the cyan- prefix is merely the Greek word for blue (kyanos), because many blue dyes contain some form of cyanide salt. Cyanide (CN-) is a naturally-occurring anion that reacts with other materials and forms numerous different molecules that form the cyano group, not all of which are dangerous.

Most people know that CN- was used in various gas-chambers over the years, but it was actually Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN) that did the killing. The spy movie cyanide capsules were Potassium or Sodium Cyanide (KCN or NaCN), which are very toxic and would also create HCN when it reacted with the acid in a person's stomach. The reaction with acid is how most capital punishment gas chambers were set up: a container of acid under the prisoner's chair would have a bag of KCN or NaCN lowered into it by remote control, forming a strong cloud of HCN gas inside the sealed room. HCN kills by blocking the use of oxygen inside the body and it was used as a battlefield chemical weapon in WW1. The Zyklon B used in the gas chambers of Nazi concentration camps was a liquid form of HCN absorbed into diatomaceous earth, HCN melts at 8° F and boils at 78° F, so it will vaporize at room temperature.

Once dry, cyanoacrylic glue doesn't have any of those dangers. Before I even looked up the specifics, I was able to assure Erin that superglue was food-safe because I've known several people that used it to repair broken dentures over the years with no ill effect. The “liquid sutures” that you see used to bind the edges of minor cuts are nothing more than cyanoacrylic glue. I have used it on myself and various animals, and it does a good job of sealing skin to skin - ask any kid who has superglued his fingers together how strong the bond is. Idiots will concentrate liquid cyanoacrylic glue in a container and “huff” it for the nearly-lethal “high” they will get as their bodies starve for oxygen, but once dried it is safe.

Looking into the subject a bit deeper, I found that surgeons in the 1960's used it to close wounds on internal organs like the liver, but it wasn't FDA certified for that use until recently because the patent had expired and nobody wanted to spend the millions of dollars that the testing would have required. Cyanoacrylic glue is considered non-toxic, with a rather high LD50* of 5 grams per kilogram of body weight. Compared to NaCN and KCN with a LD50 of 5-10 mg/kg, cyanoacrylic glue is literally a thousand times less toxic.

* LD50 is a common measure of toxicity. It stands for Lethal Dose for 50% of the test population. If you were to give 100 rats that weigh 1 kg each a dose of 5 g of cyanoacrylic glue, you could expect half of them to die from the dose. Various small mammals are used in such testing, and the results extrapolated based on body weight. It's not an exact measure, but it gives a baseline to measure toxicity. For example, a 100 kg human would require 100 times the dose that a 1 kg rat would. That means that the average American adult would have to ingest about a pound (~500 g) of superglue before hitting the 50/50 lethal dose. Since the glue is sold in packages measured in grams, you'd need a couple of hundred tubes just to get to that 50/50 dose.

There is however a type of repair that you don't want to use superglue for, and that is anything which will get heated. This will cause the glue to break down, releasing a small amount of HCN gas. The failure of the repair will probably be more of a hazard than the minor amount of toxic gas released, but it is still a hazard. 

Prudent Prepping: Mixing Right

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

I had a very nice holiday season, staying close to home and spending time with family and friends. This was a good thing for me, since in my last post I wrote about how sick I had been and some of what I did to get better. I don't want to be that sick again for a long time.

I now have the one electrolyte mix mentioned in that post, and I sourced two more from a local health food store. The Dr. Price's mix was an easy choice, since it was recommended by a friend. What else did I get?

The Contenders
One disclaimer: I did mention that Gatorade was going to be in my taste test, but it's not because I wasn't able to find the powder on the shelf locally.

Trace Minerals Electrolyte Stamina Power Pak
I wanted to try the same flavor from every company, but Trace in lemon lime was not on the shelf, so orange had to do.

https://amzn.to/2sZvLSq

From the Amazon ad:

Why Power Pak?
These nutrients will help you maintain proper fluid balance to reduce muscle cramps, optimize energy levels, and protect your immune system so you can function at your best.So play harder, endure longer and feel replenished with Electrolyte Stamina Power Pak.

Provides 18 Vitamins and Minerals
Antioxidants - Vitamin C, Selenium, Zinc, and Manganese are powerful antioxidants that support and protect your immune system and help seek out and destroy roaming free radicals.*B Vitamins – Help maintain energy and support metabolism.*

Electrolytes – Potassium, Sodium, Calcium, and Magnesium are essential electrolytes that help your body maintain hydration, prevent muscle cramps, and maintain energy and stamina.* It also includes an electrolyte concentrate of full spectrum trace minerals from seawater.

BodyTech Electrolyte Fizz
This brand did have a Lemon Lime flavor on the shelf.

From the Vitamin Shoppe ad (This is a Vitamin Shoppe house brand, advertised also on Amazon):

https://amzn.to/2T2F0ff

• 1200 mg of Vitamin C
• All major Electrolytes
• Trace Minerals & Elements
• Antioxidants
• No sucralose

Electrolyte Fizz is convenient, on-the-go refreshment that provides valuable, endurance-supporting nutrients, including:

• Potassium, Magnesium, Chloride and Sodium
• Vitamin C (an essential antioxidant)
• ConcenTrace, a special electrolyte trace mineral blend

Revitalize and recharge your body's natural energy sources with Electrolyte Fizz.
ConcenTrace is a registered trademark of Trace Minerals Research.

The Taste Test
I followed the directions for the correct amount of water listed on each packet.

• Dr. Price's: Does not fizz and mixed well. Flavor is very similar to Gatorade. The recommended amount of water is 16 oz., several times that of the others!
• Bodytech: Fizzes and takes a while to de-fizz. There are some particles in the bottom of the glass that did not dissolve. This also has a similar taste to Gatorade, but since it fizzes there is a little chalky aftertaste. Recommended amount of water is 4-6 oz.
• Trace Minerals: Fizzes a small amount. Did not completely dissolve but has less residue than Bodytech. The orange flavor made it hard to taste compare easily, but it also has a little chalky aftertaste. Recommended amount of water is 3-4 oz.!

The Results
I'm okay with any of these packets, but I do think I'll be keeping the Dr. Price's, because it has no sugar (even if it is sweetened with Stevia) and leaves no residue in the glass. The others are so low in added sugar to be a non-issue, but Dr. Price's wins for me just because it mixes well.

Recap and Takeaway

• I'm sold on Dr. Price's, but any of these will do.
• The test packets were purchased from my local Vitamin Shoppe but are available from Amazon. I highly recommend taste testing them for yourself.
• Nothing else was purchased this week.

* * *

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.

String (Saw) Theory

There's a limitless number of cutting tools in the world; many are common and well known, while others are far less known even if they're the best tool for the job.

Cable saws have been a thing for as long as I have memories. Some have been decent, and many have been complete garbage. In the 1980s and 90s they were part of the Rambo cool-guy survivalist hardware despite being terrible. More expensive models from major tool manufacturers hold up and perform well. Despite the quality of the products offered, the principle is sound and friction saws have a place, though it's more limited than most sellers would have you believe. While they can cut through something like a tree branch, it's a slow process, but where they really shine is cutting soft materials with bad access... and you don't even need a commercial cable saw to do it.

A couple of weeks ago at work, we had a PVC conduit in the ground that we needed to cut. It had wire in it that we couldn't damage, and the conduit was in a place where we couldn't get a normal saw around it to finish the cut. Fortunately, I had a roll of string in my tool bag. String easily ran where a saw blade couldn't, and it's also sensitive enough that I could feel the wires before I damaged them.

The process for making this cut is fairly straightforward.

1. I used a saw blade to start a groove in the parts of the pipe I could reach. This kept the string cutting right where I wanted it to. This groove isn't necessary, but it makes the process cleaner and more accurate. With or without the groove, the rest of the process remains the same. 
2. Run your string around the material to be cut in a single pass. You want to concentrate all the friction in a single line. 
3. Put one hand on either end of the string and pull back and forth with long, smooth strokes. Slow and smooth is the best technique, as fast jerking strokes will wear out and break your string before you complete the cut.
4. As you cut through the material, work the string so that the cutting portion moves along the desired cut line. This will give you an even cut, which is especially important if you're trying not to damage the interior or contents.

A good cable saw has a place in your tools, but a length of string can do much of the same work for free. Make long, smooth strokes, and you'll cut right to the heart of your task.

Lokidude

Minimalist EDC for Air for Ocean Travel

A little is all you really need, and you’d be surprised what you can carry aboard a plane or a ship!




Godspeed to you all.