Be Prepared

[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by mugwump

I went through the car kits last weekend just to check everything out, replace old protein bars, etc. I was surprised to find that all four butane lighters had totally frozen strikers wheels, rendering them useless. Trying to break them free by running the striker along the pavement just abraded a flat spot on each wheel. These weren't Bics but were Costco specials. Took the striker assembly off of a couple of them but couldn't identify the problem. I always worried about leaks, not the striker.

Both of the AA Maglite Mini LEDs were dead as well, one with a leaked battery and the other with I assume the same problem but the end cap was seized to the point I couldn't get it off using a Leatherman.

To round things out, mice had chewed into one pack and eaten all of the energy bars.

I too, have found a mixed bag with the bulk cheapo lighters. I have also had the flints in the Spark-Lites dissolve into powder as well.

For the money, Maglites are better replaced with whatever cheap Chinese LED you can find on Amazon. Buy several and test them out before you put them in the kits. You can save on batteries and add a couple of spares with the change, if Surefires are not in the budget.

Mice are a bitch. Mason jars or Nalgene bottles, maybe?

TR

[(1VB)compforce]

Originally Posted by The Reaper

For the money, Maglites are better replaced with whatever cheap Chinese LED you can find on Amazon. Buy several and test them out before you put them in the kits. You can save on batteries and add a couple of spares with the change, if Surefires are not in the budget.

TR

I've had good luck with these. You can catch them on sale at home depot for $15. Four settings (low, high, strobe and off). Standard AAA batteries (3) for power. Hard metal case similar to maglite. I've got them everywhere in the house and car. I've had and used them for about 2 years now and haven't had a failure. At $5-7 per light, they are a good bargain. I'm linking to Amazon for the description, but they are cheaper to buy through local purchase.

http://smile.amazon.com/Duracell-Dur.../dp/B00D3Y3JEE

[mugwump]

Thanks for the recommendation. I have to pass on these because they don't use AA batteries. I made a hard and fast rule a while back: if it doesn't run on AAs I don't buy it. That extends to flashlights, scanners, handheld transceivers, etc. I still have only Surefires/CR123 as weapon lights because I haven't bought any lately. Any new ones would likely employ AAs.

AA batteries have made a quantum leap. Look at the new Energizer Ultimate Lithiums: lightweight, 15 year shelf life, 3-8 times the standard lithium run times (they say 9x) depending on the application, and a good discharge profile. They're currently expensive but prices are already coming down. For everyday use I have buckets of 2700 mAH rechargeables and the means to charge them when the nightlight won't work.

TR - yep, I tried out a couple of the Chinese 1 x AA flashlights that use the Cree seconds. Found one I liked and bought 20 when they were 3 bucks a pop. Haven't had a problem with the two I use regularly but it's always a Guangdong crapshoot. The car kits are going to get one of those to go along with the headlamp.

[Lighthouse]

Anyone know the guys running this? thinghttp://www.crisisapplicationgroup.com/

They say they are former QPs and offer some training. Seems interesting.

[Axe]

I'm in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, with travel often meaning driving on lowly traveled roads which go through long stretches of non-populated areas with a lot of areas that have no cell phone reception. I have put together for each member of my family a survival kit that will sustain life very comfortably for 2-3 days, regardless of temperature, and sustain life less comfortably for at least a week.

Cold weather gear is an important item to have available at least half of the year here. I vacuum seal cold weather clothing for storage in each family member's emergency bag, which stays in their vehicle year-round. The clothing takes up SIGNIFICANTLY less room vacuum sealed.

You have to be careful of the type of insulation the garment has if you are going to vacuum seal it, as some insulations can require 24 hours or more of time before the insulation regains its loft, particularly down.

Thinsulate works just fine for warmth right out of the vacuum seal packages, however.

In the survival bags for each family member, I have individual vacuum sealed bags with polypro tops and bottoms, fleece tops and bottoms, polypro balaclavas, thinsulate watch caps, thinsulate gloves, fleece and wool socks, and water and wind proof Frog Tog tops and bottoms.

Each family member also has an arctic weight Wiggy's sleeping bag, which is also vacuum sealed to reduce bulk, in their vehicle. Wiggy's offers vacuum sealing as an option when purchasing bags. The bulk of the bag is reduced by at least a factor of 5 when vacuum sealed. I have had good luck buying pre-owned vacuum sealed Wiggy's bags from Ebay, which saves some coin over buying new.

Between the cold weather clothing and the sleeping bag, each family member should be able to shelter in place and maintain adequate body warmth for extended periods of time in weather as cold as -60 F, colder by double than anything ever experienced here in the past 25 years.

Water storage in a climate with -20 t0 -30 degrees F for a few weeks at a time and months of temperatures below 32 F can be difficult. I have found that the SOS emergency water packets, which are 4.227 oz mylar water bags, maintain integrity down to -30 for prolonged periods, can be unfrozen fairly quickly if placed against the body, are small enough to allow them to be packed around larger items in a bag, or in
small void spaces in a vehicle, and are still usable after going through months of sitting inside of a hot car in the summer. Each family member's survival bag has at least 1/2 of a gallon of water in it.

Each bag also has the other requisite survival kit items: redundant firestarting methods, tinder, a good knife, a multitool, a folding camp saw, a small first aid kit, a water filtration unit with the instructions laminated to prevent against water damage, an MSR Dragonfly camp stove with instructions laminated, portable pot for cooking or snow melting for water, food (lifeboat rations/MRE's/Mountain House), whistle, signal mirror, mil-spec strobe light, road flares, etc.

The bags are a little too large and much too heavy to be considered humpable by any of my family members, but that doesn't matter and is partially by design, as the training I have given to each family member is to stay with their vehicle under all circumstances that allow it.

One additional item I have purchased for each family member is an emergency PLB for each person. They are supposed to be stored in the vehicle when not on their person, and be activated if no help has arrived in 18 hours. I have had an older ACR electronics PLB for a number of years and put it to use once, which saved my ass. The older models were on the bulky side, which made carrying it a little difficult.

The newer models have come way down on size and weight however. The ResQLink+ units, which include GPS locating to within meters of the device, 24 hour broadcast ability, and a built in strobe light, are now small and light enough to fit in any shirt pocket, and cost less than $250.

If James Kim, who along with his family ended up stranded in southern Oregon in 2006 and who died walking for help, had had a PLB in his posession, they could have had help inside of 2 hours and the whole saga and death of Mr. Kim would have been a non-event.

[Butch]

I didn't know NC was #3 in use of solar power. You Green Berets may or may not be tied in to that energy.


I searched but couldn't find much, probably cuz I'm dumb.

What is the best, most durable (waterproof), under $500 solar panel system for charging auto/12V batteries?

Thanks. Love y'all.

[PSM]

Originally Posted by Butch

I didn't know NC was #3 in use of solar power. You Green Berets may or may not be tied in to that energy.


I searched but couldn't find much, probably cuz I'm dumb.

What is the best, most durable (waterproof), under $500 solar panel system for charging auto/12V batteries?

Thanks. Love y'all.

Wow. For $500 you can power an RV. I have a $150 set up from Harbor Freight (may be more or less now) for our travel trailer. Again, it runs the whole trailer except the air conditioner. For just charging you are probably good under $100.

RV(dot)net is a good resource for information on stuff like this.

Pat

[eramnes]

It was the first snow of the year here today, so I did a test run of my Mr. Heater Big Buddy to make sure it was still functioning. Everything worked out OK except for the fan that's part of the system to help circulate heat.

The fan isn't required for it to work, but it's certainly a nice-to-have. I'd bought some C and D-cell size adapters from Eneloop that use Eneloop AA batteries to run, but the design of the positive terminal prevents them from working in the Mr. Heater. There's such a tiny contact on the positive side I'm not sure they would actually work in anything, but I have nothing else to try them in. I'd tried to standardize on rechargeable AA and AAA batteries so I was hoping for success but I'm glad that I tested it first.

Is the Powerex line the best choice for rechargeable D-cells? Also, are there any solar chargers that will work with these that aren't Harbor Freight specials? I haven't seen any solar chargers for the D-cells that look high-quality. Price is somewhat a factor but I am willing to pay for quality.

Also on the topic of rechargeable batteries, does anyone have any suggestions for rechargeable 123as? I bought a dozen "Watson" brand 3v rechargeable 123As and a couple spare chargers. They are only 400mAh so I wasn't expecting them to run a light or anything, but I put them in my MSR MIOX and they will not even run that when fully charged. The MIOX was the main plan for using them so it's disappointing. Most other rechargeable 123a batteries I can find are 3.7v which is not what the lithiums run at so I think they would cause damage.

Thanks for the great information in this thread so far!

[Old Dog New Trick]

Mugwumps (all)

Don't know if it's been said but, batteries and for that matter all things that can be ignition sources like a butane lighter should be wrapped in nylon tape (electrical tape) as a moisture barrier to prevent corrosion.

If you wrap lengthwise at least one battery in a flashlight it will prevent any electrical contact or accidental contact and drain on the batteries.

Same with a 'bic' lighter. Moisture and condensation are enemies to flint and metal.

I also wrap my magnesium fire starters in electrical tape - one to prevent wear, second to keep the striker from falling off.

As Reaper said food in a plastic container.

[dirtpro]

Just wanted to say another thank you to everyone who's contributed to this thread. I've been preparedness minded for awhile but you all have gotten me to think this over from a few new perspectives and I greatly appreciate it!

[PSM]

Lessons Learned – Eclipse 2017

Have a checklist, follow it, and check it at least 3 times. I had 2, one for personal items and one for provisions for the trailer. The trailer one was less important since this was a road-trip with plenty of opportunities to pick up stuff at Walmart. The personal check list is where I dropped the ball. I went over it twice, once as I packed the items and again before walking out the door. Both times I missed the GPSs. Big mistake! The Tahoe's navigation system also decided to go on strike shortly after we hit the road. To view the eclipse, I found a county road 26 miles north of Torrington, WY, that placed us a few hundred feet from the centerline of the eclipse. Without a GPS, finding it would be difficult. Difficult, but not impossible because I had my smart phone. Yep, but no service because of all the people. OK, back to basics. I knew the county road number: 24. But the roads were numbered as streets for some odd reason, there was no county number on any of them. I had to get a little more basic, I remembered the shape of the highway we were on and the fact that there was a long straight stretch with Co. Rd. 24 going off only to the right. Found it, went to the top of a slight rise about half a mile and found our perfect spot!

Don't pass up a chance to top off your fuel and carry more extra than you think you'll need, because you'll need it. We topped off (I thought) at Cheyenne before joining Highway 85 leading to our target location. Round trip from the service station was only 204 miles. Normally, pulling the trailer, we easily get 300 miles. On the return leg in bumper-to-bumper traffic, top speed about 10 MPH, at 142 miles we were down to ¾ tank. At Yoder, we pulled over at a traffic control point so I could put the gas from our jerry can into the car. This is the fuel for our gennie which I filled once and topped off once so I should have had at least 3 ½ gallons. But, when my wife first filled the gas can, she put the nozzle all of the way into the can and stopped when it cut off. So we probably only had 3 gallons to start with and it didn't get topped off in Cheyenne. So, at Yoder, we only had one gallon left. Not enough. A sheriff deputy told us that the fire department had planned ahead and had extra fuel available. They gave us enough to get the Pine Bluffs and saved the day.

Golf1Echo learned not to take a manual transmission vehicle when you are going to be faced with 75 miles of 10 MPH bumper-to-bumper traffic. The next morning, at our camp site, he kept walking around in clockwise circles.

I'm sure that there is more and if I remember it I'll add it later. The fuel situation is the important part. I was taught, when faced with an evacuation, to only take enough fuel to get you to an area out of danger where topping off will not effect your neighbors' ability to get fuel also. Doing this may well leave you stranded in a bad location. Double it. And, in rural areas, don't pass a gas station without topping off ALL of your fuel containers and generator, if you have one.

Pat

[Golf1echo]

Traveling up into Wy for the eclips was similar to an evacuation from a disaster as the powers that be had no control over the numbers nor had they made accommodations for the crowds ie porta potties ( there were literally no trees up where we went to view),no water stations, no aid stations, emergency vehicles had challenges responding, etc...With 580,000 people in Wy and an estimated 1,750,000 people descending on them their infrastructure was taxed. http://trib.com/news/state-and-regio...d97b23109.html

The benefits to driving a faster more full efficient vehicle were negated by the traffic between the stick shift and the turbo it made driving miserable in those conditions. Reminded me of the accordion of the early ruck runs and the front rotors will need to be turned or replaced now. Seeing a similar model vehicle with a blown clutch and it's occupants waiting for AAA was not comforting.

The adventure really made me think about fuel for a bug out situation. It took every bit of a full tank and some extra to get the 280 miles up to the viewing area and burned about three quarters of a tank traveling a fraction of that distance going back aprox. 50 miles. I was able to fuel up in Torrington on the way up however PSM was not going back as the Vol Firemen directed our traffic around the gas pumps. So I would have considered a couple of 5 gal tanks extra fuel before the event but to fill the tank it would have been 3-5 5 gal cans which I would consider a minimum now and the spout to fill with as well.

As mentioned the cellular signal was bizarre, while the phone would show one level signal the minute you sent a number it would drop off, fortunately we got in a couple of calls early and linked up well driving back we used radios.

Insightful adventure where the failures are poignant.

[PSM]

One more thing about carrying extra fuel, the CARB fuel cans made it difficult to add fuel from them. I had a long funnel that fit through the restricted filler neck hole . . . in the garage back home. We jury-rigged a funnel with a water bottle and hose that we use to add water to the trailer. I now have a proper funnel in the trailer and both vehicles.

Pat

(The firefighters below are adding extra fuel to the Tahoe. One is pumping and the other is holding the flip-up door open with a pen. I could have offered them my makeshift funnel but they were having so much fun. )

[BigJimCalhoun]

Following up on fuel, I live in the DFW area. As part of my job, I get a new car every 6 to 12 months. Yesterday was the swap out day and I got a new vehicle with 43 miles and basically no gas. When you drop below 40 miles remaining, our cars no longer show how many miles left to drive on the display, they just tell you go get gas. I drove maybe 12 miles looking for gas, but I didn't have enough gas to wait and get gas. I was thinking about PSM's thread above. Every station had either 30 cars in line, or has no gas left. I had to return the car and get my old one back as I returned my previous one with 7/8 of a tank.

The DFW area was in full scale panic mode yesterday, with Google phone alerts telling people to get gas, along with news reports showing 5 lanes x 15 deep at Costco. There were runs on food too. Some stations got replenished overnight but most I saw today still had no gas. Some people didn't come into work today because they had no gas.

[The Reaper]

Saw plenty of tankers refueling stations in West Texas today.

TR