Are you prepared? Trying to be more self sufficient

Happy National Preparedness month everybody!
I’m going to try and come up with a simple prepping post each week this month. I know this thread has been pretty dead the last little bit life has been busy. I’ll see what I can come up with and maybe it’ll help get us all motivated a bit to be ready for what may come this fall or any other time.
Hell if you guys can come up with something post it up I love learning more about this and yall can give some great info

 

Since September is when I feel like hurricane season really starts being serious, this is when I check my stored water.

I have a few scepter Jerry cans, a 10 liter in both of our cars, a 10 and a 20 in the shop with the camping gear and an older Rubbermaid 5 gallon. There is a tag on them that shows when they were last filled. If it is over a year old, I water the garden with it and refill from the tap. (edited to revise the size of those scepter cans. BTW, TSC has the 20 liter ones for the best price I have found, Bass Pro is only 2 bucks more.)

Whenever we see a deliver person in the neighborhood (Amazon, UPS, FEDEX, USPS) we try to pull a cold water out of the drink fridge and offer it. This is a nice thing to do for the delivery folks, makes them less likely to yeet our packages, and keeps the water bottles rotating out. We keep (2) 24 packs of bottles, writing the date on the plastic with sharpie when we buy them, and buying a new one when we open the second case. Otherwise we drink tap water - well, I have a tendancy to drink Walmart seltzer water, so there is always a couple of cases of that around.

Wavian Jerry fuel cans ideally get checked on the first of the month, but definitely in September. The oldest ethanol free can going into whatever vehicle needs fuel, and getting refilled with fresh E0.

I need to get out the generator and run it under load to clean the carb and get some new fuel in the tank.

 

Scheduled rotations are a smart way to ensure you have good water and fuel. Smart choices

 

Propane never needs to be rotated ;-)

 

Truth.

A Tri-fuel adapter for my genny is on my list of things I'd like to get.

I do have at least one spare 20 pound tank for our grill - which has a side burner that can easily be used with skillets and pans.

 

And you don't need to wait in gas pump lines with the ding dongs when a storm comes....

 

At the first sign of a storm, all our vehicles get filled. It's amazing how quick the young adult children show up if you tell them you are filling thier cars. Between the fuel in 4 cars, Jerry cans, a full tank in the genny, my small standalone solar power system, cooking on the grill, and what has been described as an unhealthy obsession with flashlights, I'm pretty sure I won't be in those fuel lines.

I still want the option to run the genny on LP, thanks for the reminder.

 

Nope that’s why I keep 3-4 extra tanks and don’t even use a regular gas grill. It’ll supply my big Beinkman double burner stove. I can can on it also

 

I cave dive, so I also have an unhealthy obsession flashlights. LOL

 

That's an unhealthy obsession on its own, haha.

 

Basic disaster preparedness says you should never let your car's gas tank get below half full, but it's so easy to just let it slide in the day to day.

I have a small generator to run the bare essentials (Honda 2200), so as long as I keep the 4Runner mostly full (which it's the least used vehicle at the moment so it's easy), that's a decent fuel supply that stays fresh as well. (I have a siphon pump to steal from the gas tank if needed).

 

Try using the siphon pump first. I have tried using mine on a couple of my vehicles, and both had factory installed anti-siphon devices. I could not reach the gas. Needed to drop the tank to replace the gas pump, and I tried to empty the tank first. No luck.

Same pump worked great when I needed to empty the lawnmower's tank, before taking it to the scrapyard.

 

I've seen it being talked about in another thread, but does anyone have a favorite resource for HOW TO USE trauma kit items for our non-medical friends? I know there are tons of Youtube videos, in-person trainings/classes, etc.

 

Getting hands on experience/repetition so you don't have to think about it in case the need ever arises is always good.

Check your area for a local CERT program, they offer lots of different free hands on training.

Also, depending where you are in the country, Fieldcraft Survival offers a number of different in person classes, plus free vids on their YouTube channel as well.

https://fieldcraftsurvival.com/

 

So my attempt at a light cover was a failure.


it worked great but the electrical tape I wrapped around the light to make it fit didn’t work well it was slipping apart and slowly working itself off and impeding on the lense area. I think the concept will work I just need to find a smaller cap that fits better. Or, maybe try gorilla tape

 

Electrical tape is kinda weird. I think glue melts too easy

 

Redid it when th Gorilla tape we will see

 

Many yrs ago when I was diving we did Devils Den and Blue grotto in Williston FL ….. FUCK that I would only make it 10/15 feet in and I would turn around and go 100 mph getting out. I cant even do wrecks that are wide open. I’ll stay in open water. and this was guided snorkeling and scuba diving tours as it is not open for public swimming.i have a buddy who does this shit where he has taken His tanks off to get through openings to get from one spring to another that’s 2000 ft away!NOPE not happening

 

LOL. I haven't been to Devil's Den in years, but I thought they had wired it with lights??? I know they teach open water recreational classes there.

I dive a closed circuit rebreather. Longer dives, but you still have to plan bailout and decompression gasses. I pretty much only dive caves these days. Diving in the ocean from a boat is a PITA.

 

New all in one brewing system. I rewired it for 220. Ran some water in it to see how long it takes to get to temp.