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Letter Re: Advice on Stocking Up on Batteries
Sir;
I was wondering: How many batteries should I store for all my radios, flashlights,
smoke detectors, and so forth? I'm also planning to get night vision goggles,
soon. I assume rechargeables, right? If so, what kind [of rechargeables], and
who has
the
best prices? - T.E.
in
Memphis.
JWR Replies: I recommend buying mainly nickel metal hydride
(NiMH) batteries. Stock up plenty of them, including some extras for
barter and charity. Unlike the older Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) technology, NiMHs
do not have
a "memory" effect.
(The diminished capacity because of the memory effect has always been one
of the greatest drawbacks to NiCds batteries.) The best of the breed are the latest Low Self Discharge (LSD) variants, such as the Sanyo Eneloop.
One discount supplier with a
very good selection that I can enthusiastically recommend is All-Battery.com.
They
also have great prices on "throw away" batteries, such a lithium CR-123s.
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Where Was Moses When the Lights Went Out? by Chuck Fenwick, Medical Corps
The power grid is down… maybe forever
There are hundreds of scenarios which can cause the loss of electrical grid power.
These include everything from a faulty relay to a strategic EMP strike
that would precede a full scale nuclear war. There are, however, several inexpensive
things which can be done in preparedness that could make the difference between
life
and death. Before explaining, “exactly what to do”, there are a few
simple rules to keep in mind.
1) If you die, it’s your fault.
2) If you don’t have the gear, you will probably need it.
3) Be flexible. No battle plan survives first contact [with the enemy]
My wife and I live on 40 acres in southeastern Ohio near its border with West
Virginia . Our nearest neighbor is a mile away, so being prepared for emergencies
comes with the territory. Even though we have incoming electricity from rural
electric, it is not to be counted on and is notoriously intermittent. From the
beginning we installed solar panels, batteries and a generator as a primary energy
source with the co-op being the backup. Recently I took the solar panels and
inverters off line to upgrade the system. The job took a week and sure enough
[soon after
I disassembled the alternate power system] the
co-op
grid went down.
I decided that it was a good time to test out my emergency lighting by firing
up a kerosene lamp. I have propane lanterns, but I wanted to use the lamps to
see how well they function. I filled the lamp with some spiffy blue fuel and
lit the wick. After a few minutes the wick turned to ash. I looked at the label
of the spiffy blue odorless lamp oil and found that it was odorless because it
was
not kerosene. It was paraffin. I tried several different things to make it “wick” properly,
but the result was that eventually the wick would burn up. Great, my spiffy blue
fuel didn’t work. Doom on you Wal-Mart.
Well, I had flashlights and those propane lanterns, but I wanted to use something
cheap, like a candle. That’s right, [I had] no candles. Doom on you, Chuck.
Finally the electricity came back on and I turned off my propane lantern and
made a shopping list. I bought real K1 kerosene and 244 count 15 hour votive
candles with more matches and a package of butane lighters. I even tested the
15 hour candles and [determined that yes,] they really burn for 15 hours so I
now
have
3,645
hours
of
votive candle light available.
Light
Candles.
Buy some. Then buy some more. Store them with matches and/or butane lighters.
Any candle will do, however, votive candles are cheap when bought in boxes of
12 or more. 36 count, 15-hour votive candles will provide over 500 hours of light.
You can even cook with them and they do provide a little heat.
The good: Candles are cheap, EMP-proof, with a little effort a low tech society
can make them, they won't tip them over and spill fuel, their shelf-life is indefinite
and they are the most portable of all lights. They are EMP proof.
The bad: Their light (lumens) is low; they are useless in wind and rain unless
they are confined. Use caution. Candles are an open flame and
can start a fire. Stored in dampness, they are not waterproof because the wick
can absorb
moisture. [JWR Adds: Also, in the aftermath of an earthquake
or landslide, open flames are a bad idea because gas lines may have been broken.
My top choice for household emergency candles are Catholic devotional jar candles.
There are cylindrical glass jars, about 11 inches tall and 2.5 inches in diameter.
Like other votive candles, their candle wax is formulated for long burning. (A
formulation that is high in stearic acid.) Watch for these on sale at discount
stores. The paper labels can quickly and easily be removed by immersing them
in
water for an hour.]
Kerosene lanterns and lamps.
Lamps are the next step up from candles and should be in everyone’s home.
Most have a ribbon-like wick and some have two wicks. Others have a shaped burner
which will greatly magnify the burn surface, producing more light. They have
been used successfully for over a hundred years and some, like the Aladdin are
quite decorative and burn brightly.
Kerosene (K1)
A lamp uses fuel. The better fuel is Kerosene. Pure kerosene has a strong odor,
but refined kerosene like K1 has less odor and still wicks properly and burns
brightly. Another fuel is the odorless paraffin lamp fuel. It does not wick (climb
the wick from the reservoir) properly unless the reservoir is at least half full.
The good: Kerosene lamps are an excellent reading light compared to a candle.
They are fairly portable depending on the way they are designed, and are reasonably
inexpensive to operate. They are EMP proof.
The bad: Most are quite fragile because of the glass used in making the globe
or chimney. They can also spill their fuel creating a fire hazard.
Lanterns
Lanterns burn brightly because they have a mantle (something akin to a little
silk sock) which when lit produces a bright white light. Used mainly for camping
they are either powered by white gas or unleaded gas. Another type uses propane
gas that comes in a screw-on cylinder. The Coleman North Star has a much longer
mantle which produces more light and uses less fuel. It is a good idea to have
at least one of each type of lantern. [JWR Adds: The Aladdin
brand mantle lantern burns kerosene. All mantle lamps have very fragile mantles,
which are little more than a meshwork of ash after they have been burned for
the first time. Don't use mantle lanterns in any application where they will
be subjected to jarring or heavy vibration.]
The good: They are extremely bright, efficient and inexpensive. They are EMP
proof.
The bad: The liquid fuel has a limited shelf-life and if spilled is dangerous.
The propane fuel is explosive if it leaks. The lanterns are quite noisy making
an escaping air sound.
Flashlights
Flashlights come in numerous sizes, shapes and brightness. Some can be recharged
from an outlet, some require replacement batteries. There are even wind-up and
shake-up powered flashlights. A flashlight is absolutely essential for the home,
car or when camping. Two notable hand-held lights are the MagLite and the Surefire.
The MagLite most used is the one like a policeman carries. It has a large adjustable
beam and the MagLite bulb has a long life span. The Surefire comes in several
sizes too, but the Surefire L2 Digital LumaMax LED is surprisingly bright. The
L2 uses lithium batteries which have a shelf-life of several years.
The good: Flashlights are a time-tested life saver.
The bad: Good flashlights can be expensive and battery replacement can be costly.
The LumaMax is not EMP proof.
PS: There are dozens of different types of flashlights. There are headlamps and
lights that attach to the belt. Some are made for mounting on the barrel of a
gun and ones that divers use. I only named two different types. There are stores
on the Internet that specialize in flashlights. Do some research and choose a
couple of different types that would suit you and your lifestyle. - Chuck Fenwick, Medical Corps
« Letter Re: Choosing a State for Relocation |Main| Note from JWR: »
Letter Re: Biodiesel, Retreat Vehicle Fuel Flexibility, and Power Generation
Hello Jim,
I am a prepper who is trying to do so on a very tight budget (wife, four
kids, and two jobs just to make ends meet-you get the idea). Here are some
random ideas that others might find useful.
1) Try drying your own fruits and vegetables for food storage. Whether homegrown
or bought. This can be done inexpensively and dried food takes up very little
storage space.
2) Consider making your own biodiesel. I am in the early stages of doing this
myself. It's not that hard. Just pay attention to detail and do it right. Besides
saving a lot of money now this will also allow you to build up a large amount
of fuel storage for vehicle and generator use inexpensively. This will become
much more critical as fuel prices skyrocket in the future.
3) You need a diesel vehicle to use the biodiesel in. In addition to a diesel
truck, think about getting an older Mercedes Benz diesel car for an everyday
driver
and
second BOV.
Don't laugh. The W123 chassis cars, specifically the 240D and 300D models made
from 1977 to 1985 are built like tanks, lots of space and they are fairly
simple
to
work
on. I am not mechanical at all and plan on doing all the work on mine. DieselGiant.com
has great pictorials and do-it-yourself DVDs
to help you. These cars have no computers
so they should be EMP-proof.
4) If you have a high quality roto-tiller such as a Troy-Bilt or BCS brand (and
you should if your serious about food production) it could be used to earn money/barter.
If things get really hard gardening will make a dramatic comeback. Most people
don't have tillers and there should be a good market tilling ground for people.
Assuming you have enough fuel/spare parts this could make you indispensable in
a small town.
5) A recent [SurvivalBlog] post talked about a vehicle as an improvised generator.
While
probably somewhat inefficient in terms of fuel consumption versus electricity
produced
it
sounds perfect for someone on a budget.
I have two questions: Will running
the inverter straight from the battery prematurely wear out the starter battery
in
the car or should the inverter be wired directly to the battery cables? Will
using this set up overwork the alternator and cause early failure?
Some Useful Web Sites:
UtahBiodieselSupply.com
B100Supply.com
MercedesShop.com
DieselGiant.com
Look at the eBay Motors listings
if you want to see what these Mercedes vehicles look
like.
This is just my little contribution to the blog and I hope others find it
useful., - Jeff S.
JWR Replies: I recommend having at least one diesel tractor,
one utility pickup or quad,
and one diesel car at every retreat. Although they are fairly scarce,
in my experience, a pre-1986 Mercedes
diesel
300D series station wagon (on the W123 chassis) is worth
looking for. These share a common drive train with the much more common 300D
series four-door
sedans,
so parts are
readily
available.
Ready
Made Resources (one of our most loyal advertisers) offers an affordable
small-scale biodiesel making
system. The recent spike in diesel prices will give you a big advantage in
bargaining for a price when buying any diesel vehicle.
In answer to your questions: As long as the engine is left running at low
to moderate
RPMs,
then using a vehicle's alternator as a power source--for either DC loads,
and/or to run a small 120 VAC inverter--will
not cause excessive wear and tear on your battery or alternator. You may have
to rig a manually-controlled set-throttle. Just keep in mind the usual safety
precautions, such as carbon monoxide venting, and making sure that the transmission
lever does not get bumped into "drive". To conserve your precious fuel, it
is probably best to buy a bank of deep cycle ("golf cart") type batteries
that you can charge whenever you run the engine.
Rather than using jumper cable clamps, for safety it is
best
to attached heavy gauge battery cable and terminal
lugs, Use a detachable high-amperage-rated 12 VDC polarity-protected "Pigtail" block
connector, in parallel with your vehicle battery
cables. That way you can quickly disconnect
and still be able drive
your vehicle without a time-consuming cable un-bolting procedure.
Ideally, your
battery
bank will
be the heart of
an
alternative
power system that will
also--as
your
budget eventually
allows--include
some
photovoltaic
panels. (This
online primer is a good starting point.) As previously mentioned, in SurvivalBlog,
for 12 VDC devices "downstream" from your battery bank that draw 30 amps or less,
I
recommend
standardizing
with Anderson
Power Pole connectors rather than flimsy cigarette lighter plugs and jacks.
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Three Letters Re: Use of Force in Retreat Security--Planning for Rules of Engagement
Note from JWR: The discussion of use of force in retreat
security (and "Less Than Lethal" means) has elicited large number of e-mails
from readers. For the sake of brevity, and since so many letters covered the
same ground, the following are just three of them. The first of these is from
"FerFAL". He is SurvivalBlog's volunteer correspondent in Argentina.
Hi James,
I’m glad to see that you are advising people to have non
lethal weapons [in addition to guns] and (when the situation allows it) deterrent
approaches when dealing with trespassers.
Some situations require immediate lethal action, but that does not mean you’ll
never require non lethal solutions on occasions. Life isn’t always black
and white. On the contrary, most of the time it’s a plethora of shades
of gray.
This is awful common in these parts, I’ve often seen people fire warning
shots, fired a few myself on occasions when visiting my friend’s farm.
On one occasion it was just kids stealing some fire wood. A few .22 LR shots
sent
them away.
Not long ago we saw some poachers well within my friend’s land, too close
to the house. I shot a couple of .44 Magnum rounds and they got the message,
changed direction immediately.
People, as James warns, this is a last resort, or almost last resort alterative.
Be careful of the legal consequences! Over here it is common practice but it’s
still serious business, be ready to explain the cause for such action.
I keep a couple of Less Than Lethal rubber pellet 12 ga shells in my Mossberg's
500 stock shell holder, ready in case I need a Less Than Lethal alternative.
As you explain, it portrays
you as a humane person that cared enough to at least have the non lethal alternative,
even if lethal action was required afterwards.
Another word of caution, "Less Than Lethal" 12 ga ammo [such
as rubber pellets and beanbag rounds] can be
lethal. The one I have is military ammo designed for riots and clearly states
that it can
be lethal if shot directly
at the target at less than 10 meters.
The knock down power of these rounds, even against healthy, robust adults is
pretty impressive.
God bless you and your family during these special days, take care. - FerFAL
Dear Jim:
As a proud 10Cent Challenge subscriber, I know that the recent subject of Levels
of Force could be argued back and forth for a long time. What may help all
your subscribers and readers are articles on the defensive use of firearms
by Massad Ayoob. I found them at FindArticles.com, for example, and any internet
search should come up with them. He gives excellent practical advice on gun
situations, what to do, not do, as well as what to say and not say. The reader
in Maine who fired a warning shot would know this is never done by law enforcement,
too much liability. If one is involved in a shooting, tell law enforcement
something like "...I was afraid for my life (or another's) and had to
fire my weapon to save a life, I want to clear this up as much as you do but
I need to speak to an attorney first..." and then SHUT UP,
which is exactly what they would do in the same circumstance.
People need to know the use of a gun is serious, life is not a movie, and shooting
people, even those that deserve it, is not glorious. Folks will come back and
get revenge, either with a civil or criminal complaint or violent ambush at
a later date.
Living here close to the Mexican border, being once mugged at knife point by
three illegal aliens (for $1.30 in my pocket), working all hours in these mean
streets, I have never had to pull a gun on anyone, thank goodness, and survived
many altercations none the worse for wear. My job with the power company for
the last 30 years has me on occasion cut electrical service for non-payment
at the pole or junction box when the tech's cannot cut it at the meter because
of access, dogs, etc. Having encountered angry biker gangs, meth labs, and
all other sorts of bad people and bad situations, the use of a gun has always
been kept as a last resort. My truck has reverse to get away from most problems
and luckily I'm paid by the hour and not by how much work I do. (-:
The point is pulling a gun will get you in a lot of trouble, shooting a warning
shot will get you arrested, shooting someone may very well cost you everything
you have worked for up to now in your life. Your home, retreat, guns, food
reserves, retirement account, everything. I would definitely shoot if my life
or another's life were in danger, but that is indeed very rare and most situations
can be avoided with a little education, forethought and by setting aside one's
ego. Take Care and God Bless. - Cactus Jim
James;
I'm assuming that many patrons of this blog who read and digested the
two letters referred to in the subject line have never served on active duty
in
a combat arms branch and/or never served as a law enforcement officer. Because
of those two letters, many are possibly over thinking self defense reactions
to would be criminals/trespassers/thieves? The effect on law abiding citizens
who choose to possess firearms for defense is that they subconsciously and
automatically hesitate to defend themselves because of all the legal discussion
and, 'it happened to me' type cautionary statements. Police officers are guilty
of the same thing because of legal double talk (i.e: I don't want to get sued
so I better wait as long as possible to ...a real disaster for us cops since
it's either our lives or possible jail time). In order to clear the air, as
I believe many readers are confused and probably have reached out to the closest
friend or co-worker they trust for clarification. What and when to do something
is not complicated. I hope to eliminate the ubiquitous 'what if' in so many
people's minds (including cops, former military who have returned to civilian
living).
OBTW: I have been serving as a law enforcement officer for 18 years, and I
served five years active duty with the US Army. Most of my army experience
was as
an Airborne Ranger and served in the Middle East for 13 months. No, I don't
know
everything
about
the subject but have spent the majority of my working life considering all
these issues pre 9-11 and post-9-11.
1. The cops are not your friends (see: letter by Gary B in Maine who shot off
a warning shot with a 12 gauge). Cops are for one thing: to prosecute you.
That's it. They are resources for the state's attorney, period. Sure, the other
guy may be guilty, but until proven guilty, you are right there with bad guy
facing charges involving firearms. Not good, especially with so many anti-Second
Amendment types in office. So, in such scenarios, do you spill your guts to
the first
cop who shows up while other guy tells lies because as a criminal
he knows what to say?
2. If you are threatened, you're threatened. What else is there to know? (a
threat is a situation where you 'feared for your life or feared serious bodily
injury'. Using lethal force because somebody stole/attempted to steal your
XYZ isn't justification for lethal force. However, read on...). If
threatened,
then immediately go to the next level and take care of business at that level.
Make sure you can articulate that you were threatened. If
in doubt as to how to articulate that, just do an Internet search engine on
lethal force. As an
18 year officer, I tell you that if someone refuses to obey a legal and clear
command to do something, they are resisting (and they know it). Because a subject
resists, I know that I am permitted to take it to the next level. Said bad
guy will continue to resist until you do something about it. If you don't do
something that gives you the upper hand, he's got the upper hand. Better to
maintain the upper hand and act from that position versus from the other. Waiting
spells potential disaster. As a citizen just trying to protect themselves and
their retreat, if it comes to that, it isn't any different. In my mind the
big difference is if you/me were in a survival times situation, are you really
expecting some cops to respond? They'll probably be more concerned with their
own property, family, neighborhood, garden plot, et cetera.
3. The more training you have, the more your confidence will rise.
4. Sending your dogs after an intruder(s) who have entered your property is
stupid. If your dogs were trained for such things, the intruders wouldn't have
intruded. Sending an aggressive untrained barking dog into the the field/yard
where you feel intruders pose a threat (a real threat, after all, you have
the guns, night vision, IR floodlights, ....) is an great way to get them killed.
If the dogs barked while they were in the house, you were alerted. So why send
them out? They did their job, [now] you do yours. If you have trained dogs
in protection (and related skills), that's a different scenario. Most people
don't have that kind of dog. If bad guy kills one or all of your dogs, now
you have a less
secure retreat than you did before. The only 'threat' to fear,
is the one who poses a 'real threat'. He'll take those dogs out if they aren't
trained to threaten him. - Flhspete
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Four Letters Re: Use of Force in Retreat Security--Planning for Rules of Engagement
James:
First, thank-you for posting my question on SurvivalBlog. Second, thank-you
for posting your thoughts. They are well thought out and very well presented.
Your response sparked an additional couple of thoughts:
Dogs have been man's early warning and engagement system since the dawn of
history. A barking dog tells the potential visitor that he lost any advantage
of stealth and that he is facing a team. Two barking dogs are even better.
Dogs over 50 pounds also represent a physical threat.
The second thought is to split the axis (axes?) of confrontation.
Killing flies by clapping one's hands over them is a great parlor trick. Flies,
and other vermin, have very highly developed strategies for dealing with threats
that come from one direction. That is why they are almost impossible to slap
with one hand. However, it is comical how they lock-up when confronted with
a threat from two directions. You actually have to slow down your "clap" so
they can become airborne. They are almost paralyzed.
Confronting men with evil intent from a single direction does not present them
with much of a dilemma. They would level their arms and start shooting. Good-bye
lights, good-bye dogs, good-bye people who are down range, good-bye to people
and objects in unhardened buildings.
I think the ideal situation would be to have a couple sets of flood or spot
lights pointing inward from different corners of the garden/stock corral/asset
to be protected. Then release the dogs from one point (another family member
would very helpful here) and post-up with a shotgun at a good strategic point
that is
in a different
position than where the dogs were released from. Lights, dog, shotgun should
push the bad-guys down a reasonable line of retreat. That is, it should push
them toward the road or where their vehicles are. Most opportunist will gladly
bail out if they are not cornered.
A couple of key points:
-I don't want to paralyze the intruders, just like I don't want the flies to
freeze.
-I want them to leave if they are opportunist.
-If they do not leave, then they reveal evil intent or extreme stupidity
-The overload of stimuli gives me strategic advantage
Thanks, - Joe and Ellen
JWR Replies: If you want to throw attackers off balance,
there is nothing quite like the flash and sound of explosions on multiple flanks.
Some Tannerite might prove useful.
Spotlights and floodlights are very vulnerable
to rifle fire. If you are using them to distract, then only turn
them on for about five seconds each. If you mount any floodlights on your
occupied structures, then use only the IR variety, which only give off
a very
faint
glow
to the unaided
eye.
There are a variety of fireworks that can be used to create distractions
or diversions. Keep in mind that many fireworks can be set up to be ignited
electrically, using model rocket igniters (such as Estes "Solar Igniters"),
which are available from most hobby shops. The flash and sound of M-80 firecrackers
(aka "cherry bombs") is not too much unlike the sound of rifle fire.
For the full psyops effect, don't discount the effectiveness of voices or
music on amplified loudspeakers to un-nerve your opponents. At the risk of
sounding trite, might I suggest a little Johnny
Cash or some Credence?
Jim,
I just read the letter regarding use of force. Since I'm a cop, in Colorado,
and a trainer of lethal and non-lethal force - it might help to know that the
use of force model is moving away from the
escalation principle and towards the 'toolbox' principle. You pull the appropriate
tool out of the box for the job at hand. For instance, in many many areas of
the country an officer need no longer justify his actions concerning use of
force by explaining the escalation from the typical 'command voice' to use
of potentially lethal force.
Accompanying this is a simplified assessment of the threat at hand. With alarming
results, police officers are trained to expect the
worse case, take action to neutralize it and de-escalate their use of force,
rather than use the stair step
approach to using greater and greater force. It revolves around the Saucier
v. Katz supreme court decision. Wherein "The Court plainly stated that
while uses of force by police occur that are clearly excessive or clearly appropriate,
a gray area remains in between. The Court went on to say that when an officer's
use of force falls within this gray area, deference must be paid to the officer
and qualified immunity granted." There are essentially three other court
cases that apply in determining whether an officer used excessive force - but
Katz is the most applicable to the question of how we train
police officers in deciding what force to use, it was a precursor to the 'toolbox'
approach.
One of the pivotal elements of determining in what constitutes excessive force
for anybody is what they perceived at the time of
the threat, and what training they had in recognizing a threat. Pre
9/11 a box cutter was just a simple slicing weapon, now it's considered a 'terrorist
threat'
to possess
one under the right
circumstances. [JWR Adds: In the aftermath of any use of
force, do not hesitate to admit that you were frightened. If you can honestly
say "I was very scared!", and "I was afraid that he was trying to kill
me!",
then do so, repeatedly, for the record. This may
carry considerable weight at a later date, if you ever have to go to trial--either
criminal, or civil.]
Rather than concentrate on the use of force of any kind, I would recommend
people seek training that helps them recognize threats of all kinds and more
importantly how to articulate their perception of the threat. It's
true that most people who misuse force, in my experience, could probably have
avoided
criminal prosecution if they had just known/learned how to articulate their
assessment of the threat. The examples are endless really, I won't go into
illustration here.
While a multi-generational SHTF situation
is in your opinion unlikely, I must point out that our mere technological advancements
do not preclude this, I
think it simply makes us more complacent because of our perception of the layers
of social and technological protection we believe insulate us from it. Rome
probably believed itself the pinnacle of modern civilization, I would imagine
that the fall that preceded the Dark Ages had it's own 'it will never get that
bad' detractors also.
I have a different view of things. I'm pretty certain that the three
people running through my orchard armed with knives were shouting, "Kill
them!" and
not there to cut fruit. In Colorado, for instance, our 'Make My Day Law' from
which the Castle Doctrine seems to have sprung, states that deadly force may
be used when a person believes that the person about to commit the
illegal entry is there to commit any level of harm to the
occupants of a dwelling - and most importantly, it takes away the burden of
proof from
the citizen to
substantiate why they believed it.
Less-lethal (no such thing as non-lethal (pepper spray has [on rare occasions]
killed, Tasers too, beanbag rounds improperly used are 'deadly', etc.) force
being
available
the most important thing to remember about their deployment is that no
police force ever deploys less-lethal force unless another officer
is ready to use lethal force
if the
less-lethal does not stop the threat. If you're in a tussle
and the taser is what you use, then it's what you use - but if two officers
(or more) are confronting someone and a Taser is deployed - one officer is
designated [as] the backup in case lethal force is needed. - Jim H
JWR Replies: The Castle Doctrine actually got its start in
Florida. Since then, many states including Alabama, Alaska, Arizona,
Georgia,
Indiana,
Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma,
South Carolina,
South
Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas have adopted similar laws. It is not surprising
that the majority of the states are in the South or the West, where individualism
and respect for property rights are part of the culture.
Jim,
About 15 years ago, I bought a house on 70 acres that was rural, but not remote.
As I worked on the place, painting and getting it ready for me to move in,
I was distressed that every time I went to the house, the door had been kicked
in. Replacing the trim got to be an irritation so on Halloween, 1993, I drove
down to my house and found the lights on. As I gunned the truck and drove
over the front lawn, I saw two people run from my house. I got out with my
Winchester Model 12 and yelled, "You get the hell out of here and don't
come back or I will kill you" and blew off a round of 12 gauge in the
ground.
I searched my house and found a six pack of beer, some wine coolers and a blanket.
Apparently, some kids were using my house for their love nest. I slept at the
house that night in case someone were to come back and burn down the house.
At about 11:30 pm, there was a knock at the door. Two County Sheriff's deputies
were there with the lights flashing. I invited them in and said, "There
is the wine and beer, there is the blanket." Things then took a turn.
"So you fired a warning shot," he asked?
"Yes", I said.
"So you shot at them?" he probed
"That isn't what I said." And then they jumped me, threw me on the
floor and handcuffed me. I was dragged to the cruiser where I was strapped
into the
back seat. "We got him," the County Mountie crowed to the neighbors
assembled at the end of my 250 yard driveway. I was taken to the county jail
where I was booked for reckless conduct with a firearm, a felony here in Maine.
For the next two years, I was in legal hassles with the County. The District
Attorney didn't want to press charges. The Sheriff's Department didn't want
to back down. And I was wondering what country did I live in where the victim
could
become the criminal so fast. It all worked out in the end. But I would counsel
your readers to think twice about firing shots. I know this about myself, I
will
pull the
trigger. I just know better when to do it. The thing about it was
that for the next 12 years that I lived there. No one came down my driveway
uninvited,
and
nothing
was ever disturbed in my house, garden or barn. - Gary B., in Maine
Jim,
My sincere thanks for your response to Joe and Ellen's letter on "Rules
of Engagement." Most of the so-called preparedness experts out there talk only about "guns,
guns, guns." (Well, 'cept for the "I'd never own a gun" uber-naive
liberal-granola crowd.) Your are absolutely right about using less-than-lethal
means, when [it is] safe and practicable. It sure beats getting your *ss sued
off.
by some ambulance-chasing
lawyer. You truly are the survivalist voice of reason, following in the footsteps
of Mel Tappan.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge in SurvivalBlog, Jim. I often feel like
I'm getting free consulting. Oh, BTW, I'm re-upping my 10
Cent
Challenge subscription for another two years! - C.T.M.
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Letter Re: Sizing a Retreat AC Power Generator
Hello Jim and SurvivalBlog Readers:
I have enjoyed reading the vast knowledge shared on this topic and the awakening
you have brought to us about our fragile economy! How can one put a price on
a wake up call?,… well, it’s easy, renew your 10
Cent Challenge! Admit it, your year is probably up, but the education is
still coming to you!
I have not seen any talk on your site about a "miniature" diesel
genset. My thought is that while the large Lister type genset's are proven
to last, ... their will be a time when running something with a much lower
noise signature, vibration signature, and fuel consumption will be necessary
to survive. It seems foolish to fire up 5KW,10KW,
25KW, etc... Watts of power, when you may only need enough to run your furnace
and the freezer. Fire up the big boy for pumping water and what not once a
week, and pump as much as you can into storage containers. Not to mention that
diesel engines last longer when left running, not starting and stopping all
the time. Whereas the gas unit would not know the difference.
My thought is this,. at today's price of diesel, one could afford to buy a
1,000 or 2,000 watt Honda portable unit with the savings of storing 200 stabilized
gallons of gasoline vs. diesel. The Honda units are totally amazing! Almost silent running,
easy to start, easy to throw into the vehicle, and the 1,000 watt unit will
easily run a freezer and furnace for a day on less than a gallon of gasoline.
Use your head and run the generator only as needed, (10 minutes or so several
times a day to keep the freezer going), and you just greatly extended the days
in which you will have portable power. Since the freezer is so important, it
will be worth considering super insulating your freezer when not running.
In a post-SHTF scenario
where we would be very vulnerable early on, and while gasoline is fresh, we
could consider using the little guy first, expend your gasoline fuel supply,
barter off the genset after that, then use caution and go with your primary
Lister type genset. At the rate of one gallon of gasoline per day, you would
have 200 days of run time before even really counting on your diesel genset.
Use your head and run the gasoline genset 6-10 times a day for shorter duration,
and you could have 400 days of gasoline portable power.
Given the cost of gasoline versus diesel, it appears that you would obtain
more kilowatt hours per dollar in this scenario. It seems like the big genset
could be very valuable in offering you the ability to weld, etc... at a time
when
most will have already been wearing out their big gensets and consuming their
fuel. Here you sit with everything fresh and ready to go. Might make a fine
job opportunity to be able to [arc] weld, run 220 VAC equipment,
etcetera, all many moons after the onset of TEOTWAWKI.
I know this thought defies what has been discussed, but a few hundred gallons
of gasoline stored almost pays for the Honda generator in savings over buying
diesel [fuel] at today's prices. Thought I would put it out there for thought,
of course, run the figures with an expert to make sure you are not starving
the electric motors which would prematurely burn out the appliance.
All the best! - The Wanderer
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Characteristics of a General Purpose Survival Flashlight by W. in Washington
Let there be light. We take it for granted these days, but in the woods on a dark
night, during a power outage, or--most importantly--in a long-term survival
situation, you'll quickly learn just how important light is, and how important
it is to choose your illumination tools wisely.
My purpose here is not to recommend specific lights. There are web sites that
can better help you make that decision. I'll include a few links at the end
to get you started. What I want to do is offer my opinions about what
I think makes for a good survival light. Other people will have other opinions.
While I don't consider myself a flashlight expert, I own over 20 of them and
have put a lot of thought into using flashlights in long-term survival scenarios.
Following are what I consider the most important criteria in evaluating a survival
flashlight (not necessarily in order of importance).
1. Small and lightweight is better
Bigger flashlights are usually bigger (or longer) because they hold more or
larger batteries than smaller flashlights, which usually translates into increased
light output. On the other hand, they're also heavier and more unwieldy than
their smaller cousins, and do not necessarily enjoy a longer runtime than lights
using fewer or smaller batteries. Ideally, a survival light uses just one or
two batteries, and is small and lightweight enough comfortably carry in your
shirt or front pants pocket. This gives you more carry options and makes carrying
the light for long periods of time more comfortable.
2. Uses a common battery size
Currently, the most common flashlight battery sizes are AAA, AA, and D cells.
Very few lights use 9-volt batteries (though there are some that would make
decent back-ups, such as the PALight or PakLite), while most D-cell lights
are too big and/or heavy for consistent, comfortable carry. That leaves AA-
or AAA-cell lights as the most logical choices. Using a common battery size
is important for obvious reasons. Many new battery types and sizes have hit
the market in the last few years, and while these are (slowly) gaining in popularity,
they're still not as common as AAs and AAAs. They also tend to be more expensive.
Remember, we're talking about serious, long-term,
dedicated survival lights, not the fancy whiz-bang or cheap-o flashlight you
keep by your bedside, in your glove box, or take car camping. Depending on
the severity and duration of the survival scenario, it will probably be easier
to either purchase or barter for AA and AAA batteries than the newer, more
exotic sizes. In fact, if possible, it might be wise to standardize all your survival-related
electronics so that they use AA and/or AAA batteries.
3. Uses a variety of battery types
It's important that survival flashlights be able to function whether using
alkaline, lithium, or rechargeable batteries--especially rechargeables (along
with a portable solar recharging system), since you could be facing a long-term survival situation. Each type has its own particular
advantages and disadvantages. Most lights will function using all three types,
though some manufacturers don't include lithium primaries in their list of recommendations. That doesn't mean lithium batteries
will harm your light, but don't assume there won't be a problem using any type
of battery that the manufacturer doesn't specifically recommend. Find out exactly
what batteries your survival light can tolerate before you purchase it, or
test the batteries in your light before you have to rely on them.
4. Fewer batteries is better
Obviously, the fewer the batteries needed to operate the light . . . the fewer
batteries you'll need to operate the light. This is a good thing in a survival
situation, even better in a long-term survival situation. Your two-cell light
may get a total runtime of 60 hours compared to just 40 hours for my one-cell
light. But I'll get a total of 80 hours using two batteries compared to your
60 hours. Of course, comparisons like this don't always apply: run times vary
greatly between different manufacturers and models depending on the type of
light source and the electronics employed. Still, as a rule, a survival light should use no more than two batteries, preferably just
one. Currently, there are many one-cell AA lights on the market that not only produce a lot of light (for their size), but also enjoy excellent
run times. Twenty-plus hours of usable light is not uncommon, and even longer
run times can be found. There are also a few 1xAAA lights available that might
make adequate primary or excellent back-up survival lights.
5. Simple to operate
There are lots of fancy lights out there that sport multiple output levels,
including SOS and strobe modes. Some are even computer-programmable. While
that's not a bad thing in itself, when it comes to survival lights (as with
most survival gear), simple is usually better. A light with just one medium-intensity
level will usually suffice, or perhaps a two-level light with low and high
output levels. In
the end, it doesn't matter how many light levels or modes your light offers,
just so that it's dirt simple and intuitive to operate.
6. Reliable operation mechanism
" Twisty" or "clickie," that is the question. Which is more
reliable? There is no definitive answer, because operation reliability depends
more on the quality of the light (and its constituent parts) than on the particular mode of operation. And even a good company can turn out the occasional
bad light. I've heard of $200+ Surefire lights having clickie malfunctions. I've also heard of twisty lights failing because the circuit
board was displaced after repeated use, or by using too much torque while tightening
the bezel. Most clickies have the on-off mechanism on the rear of the light, while some have it on the side (e.g., Maglite).
Most twisties are operated by turning the bezel (head) or tail cap. And there
are also hybrid models utilizing both twisty and clickie operations. If at
all possible, obtain spare clickie mechanisms and/or twisty bezels (depending
on the type of light) to use as replacement parts. [JWR Adds: Changing
a MagLite "clickie" switch assembly require the use of an Allen (hex)
wrench. Thankfully, MagLite sells large maintenance & repair spare parts
sets at a very low price, considering the number of parts included in the sets.
I have been told that they sell these parts sets at near their cost, to keep
their biggest customers (such as police and fire departments) happy and loyal
to the brand.]
7. Well constructed
Look for lights where the bulb is reasonably protected within the bezel, that
are shock resistant and water resistant/proof, and that won't accidentally
turn on while in your pocket or backpack. Clickies are most prone to accidental
activation. This can usually be prevented by rotating the bezel or tail cap
(depending on which end the batteries are inserted into) counterclockwise while
the light is on until the power cuts out, then clicking the clickie button
off.
8. LED versus
incandescent
No contest here. A flashlight that uses an incandescent (or similar type) bulb
is simply not a primary survival light. Period. If the bulb itself can burn
out or malfunction due to shock (broken element), then you don't want to trust
your life to its operation. While light emitting diode (LED) "bulbs" technically
don't last forever, a 5,000- to 10,000-hour use life is close enough to "forever" for
survival purposes. And no, LED bulbs are not impervious to shock, but they're
a heck of a lot tougher than other bulb types. Over the last few years LED
technology has improved exponentially, to the point where they now favorably
compare to or out-perform most other lights in almost every category, including
output (brightness). There are still brighter bulb types out there, but the
newest and brightest LEDs are more than bright enough to meet virtually every
basic need you'll have for a flashlight. The older Nichia brand LEDs, still
commonly found on store racks (it takes time for new technology to trickle
down to the retail level) emit a slightly bluish tint. Many people find this
tint objectionable, though it's really a matter of aesthetics. I still rely
on a relatively dim Nichia LED as my primary survival light (a CMG Infinity
Ultra, now redesigned and marketed under the Gerber name), and am more than
willing to put up with the bluish tint due to its superb runtime (80+ hours
of usable light on just 1 AA battery). My current back-up survival light (an
old Arc-P 1xAAA) is also a Nichia. Other people are not so forgiving of the
tint. Not to worry. The newer generation LEDs (e.g., the so-called Cree lights,
and others are on the way) boast a lily white tint--or maybe even whiter than
lilies. The bottom line is, go with LED technology.
9. Good compromise between output and run time
Other than the "LED versus incandescent" issue (which is actually
a non-issue), this is arguably the most important criterion, and it's what
separates most lights from true survival lights. Look for a run time of at
least seven hours to 50% output (which would probably translate into
8-12 total hours of usable light). This is the minimum that
you should settle for. The longer the run time, the better. Let's make sure
you understand that last point. The longer the run time, the better. Don't
get hung up on the whole output (i.e., how bright it is) thing. Super-bright "tactical" lights
are great for impressing your friends, but will usually suck batteries dry
much more quickly than less powerful lights (although improving LED technology
continues to give us brighter lights and better run times.). Also, the darker
your environment, the less light you need to see well enough. Brighter lights
can actually be a disadvantage, because they more readily attract unwanted
attention, and can also impair your night vision more than moderate-output
lights. These are important considerations in a survival scenario. Again, we're
talking about survival lights here, not tactical (super bright) lights. While
it might make sense to also take along a super-bright light for "tactical" use
(e.g., disorienting or disrupting the night vision of a potential threat),
in most cases these lights will not meet the necessary criteria to qualify as true survival lights. And to repeat: the darker your environment,
the less light you'll need to perform most essential tasks.
11. Quality of light beam
What this refers to is the illumination pattern, or beam characteristic, of
the light. It's sometimes referred to as "spill." For survival lights,
a wide spill beam is usually preferable to a tight, bright spot beam.
While the former won't illuminate specific objects as well, it provides illumination
to a wider area, facilitating a broader picture and better peripheral vision.
The latter will illuminate specific objects or smaller areas much better, and
will have greater (longer) "throw," but will also tend to draw your
line of sight inward, so that you focus more on what's illuminated in the spot
beam than on what may be around it. Tight, bright beams are also more detrimental
to night vision than wider, dimmer spill beams. A few lights seek a compromise
between the two, claiming to offer both a bright center beam as well as decent
spill. Some are more successful at accomplishing this than others. Personally,
I prefer lights that do one thing or the other over those that take a "Swiss
Army Knife" approach to illumination, though you may feel otherwise.
If you happen to choose to also carry a more powerful "tactical" light,
just in case it's needed, you'll probably prefer that it have a bright, fairly
narrow beam. But for a general purpose survival light, you want a wider, more
diffuse beam, allowing you take in more visual information at one time.
12. Lanyard hole
The lanyard hole is just that--a hole [or loop] in the light [body or tail
cap] through which you can attach a lanyard (cord) or a split ring, to which
the lanyard can be attached (I prefer this setup). The lanyard can then be
tied around your wrist, for example, or through a belt loop to prevent the
loss of your light. Instead of a hole, some lights employ other means for lanyard
attachment, and some have no dedicated lanyard attachment at all--except, perhaps,
a (removable or screwed-into-place) pocket clip under which you could thread
a cord. Unless you choose to forgo the lanyard and attach your light to a key
ring along with other needed items (which I advise against, though that might
be a viable option for a small back-up light), Always use a lanyard and secure it to your person, your
clothing, or your gear, even when not in use. Your survival light is an essential,
life-saving, possibly irreplaceable tool, but it will do you no good if you
lose it. To be honest, I don't think I'd buy a light for serious survival
that did not feature a dedicated, foolproof lanyard attachment, preferably
a hole through some portion of the body.
13. Pocket clip
Most smaller lights these days come with pocket clips. They are usually detachable
(slide-on, slide-off), and are useful for securing the light to the inside
of a pocket, or for clipping it to your clothes, gear, or hat brim while performing
tasks that require both hands. (I would always use a lanyard in addition to
the clip). Pocket clips are nice to have. If your light doesn't come with one,
it would be worthwhile to find a clip from some other source (such as another
light of the same diameter) that fits snugly around your survival flashlight.
14. Can stand on its tail
This is not an essential criterion, and I certainly wouldn't reject a light
simply because it isn't designed to stand upright on its tail end (and FWIW,
my current primary survival light doesn't), but lights that can do so add an
additional level of functionality. They are especially useful when you desire
ambient (rather than direct) light, such as when reading or dressing in your
tent. Of course, you can always prop your light up or clip it to something
to get the same effect, but it's not quite as handy.
15. Caring for your light
Other than lubing the bezel and/or tail cap threads with an appropriate wet
or dry lubricant, and avoiding cross-threading when attaching the bezel and/or
tail cap, flashlight maintenance is pretty simple. Don't put the battery(ies)
in backwards, keep it dry, don't drop it, etc. I'd suggest keeping your survival
light empty of batteries until needed. Otherwise, keep lithiums in there. Alkalines
can leak and ruin your light.
Q: What about headlamps? Can these be used as survival lights?
A: Very handy items to have. The light shines right where you look. Including
smack dab into the face of the person you're looking at. Maybe it's just me,
but I don't much care for light in my eyes when I'm trying to preserve my night
vision. They might also make a handy head-shot target for hostiles. Let's put
it this way. While most small flashlights can usually be rigged to serve as
makeshift headlamps (with the aid of a pocket clip or headband, for example),
most headlamps cannot readily be used in the same manner as one might use a
flashlight. Headlamps could possibly serve as back-up survival lights (if they
use only one or two batteries), but I would not recommend them as primary survival
lights. A flashlight will, in most instances, prove more versatile.
Resources
1. The best flashlight resource on the Web is Candle
Power Forums
. Lots of traffic and more info about flashlights than most people would ever
need to know. Also a good source for obtaining custom lights.
2. One of the better flashlight review sites is FlashlightReviews.com.
It's no longer updated regularly, but many of the lights still being sold are
reviewed at the site.
JWR Adds: I agree with W's recommendation to get white LED
flashlights. Here at Rawles
Ranch, we mainly use the older late 1990s-vintage C. Crane Company blue-white
LED lights that are compatible with NiMH rechargeable
AA batteries. I realize that many SurvivalBlog readers have a lot invested
in incandescent bulb flashlights. Rather than selling them at a loss, keep
in mind that LED
replacement heads now available for most or the major brands including
MagLite and SureFire. OBTW, if you decide to transition to LEDs, save
those original incandescent light bulb components. You never know
when someday you may need a lot of light--for example for
impromptu surgery out in the field. The other exception is truly SHTF tactical
use. While I do not advocate using a visible light flashlight
or rail-mounted weapon light where you are up against and armed opponent. (Since
they provide your opponent with a convenient point of aim.) They are fine for
shooting marauding bears, but almost suicidal when confronting two-legged predators.
However, I do advocate using the same lights with
an infrared (IR) filter installed, in situations where you have night
vision goggles (or a Starlight
scope) and you have a high level of confidence that your opponent does
not. This will give you a tremendous tactical advantage in low-light fighting.
In these circumstances, for short periods of time you will want all
the light that you can get! For this purpose, I keep the original
incandescent light heads for my Surefire lights handy. I also keep a 50 piece
box of the standard Panasonic brand CR-123 lithium batteries in my refrigerator,
as a "tactical reserve." These have a 10+ year shelf life. Our current
box, (which, BTW, was generously donated by a reader in lieu of a 10
Cent Challenge subscription payment), won't expire until 2018.
Regarding lanyards, I recommend using a long, stout lanyard that is a full
loop, preferably with a ball-shaped spring button slider. I mainly use olive
drab paracord.
The longer the better, for the sake of versatility. If the lanyard is too short,
then there is not enough slack to loop the flashlight through (in a Girth
Hitch--a.k.a. Lanyard Knot) to be able to hang a light from a branch, belt
loop, tent d-ring, or other object.
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Letter Re: Sizing a Retreat AC Power Generator
Jim -
Great blog! I wanted to point out an important calculation everyone missed
- internal combustion engines produce less power at higher elevation. Generators
are (of course) rated at sea level. It's important to de-rate generator capacity
by 3.5% per 1,000 feet of elevation or your generator will be undersized.
(A 5,000 "label watt" generator is [effectively] only a 4,000 watt
generator where I live at 6,000 feet.) Density altitude on a warm summer
day can
easily be
2,000 feet higher than that. My rule of thumb: after sizing for load, size
generously for elevation or you'll be buying twice. Hope this helps everyone...
Other food for thought: You don't need to run all your big loads simultaneously.
If the grid stays down, it'll be a blessing just to have refrigeration - it
doesn't need to be like today where we run everything at once while blow-drying
the dog! There's no reason you can't shut off the freezer if you need the well
pump. The simplest transfer switch allows you to control power to various loads,
and this allows you to use a smaller generator to accomplish everything. My
genset is home built using a Listeroid (Lister clone) diesel engine and generator
head purchased separately. This generator (significantly oversized to run a
MIG welder,
lathe, mill or compressor/plasma cutter combo) cost me less than $3,000 including
truck freight and welding up a stout steel frame (probably
$4,500 now, given the weak dollar, steel prices and current shipping rates).
Based on decades of British Empire experience with these beasts in third world
countries, I expect it will give 30,000-to-50,000 hours of service with minimal
maintenance. It gingerly sips fuel and is easily operated on biodiesel or waste
vegetable
oil without modification.
Regards, - Fred H.
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Four Letters Re: Sizing a Retreat AC Power Generator
Mr. Rawles:
I saw that you recently posted my question to the blog, so I thought I'd update
you. I ran the tests again and got what I believe to be a more accurate assessments.
My second test showed the refrigerator consuming right at 2.7 KWH (2,700 watts)
over a 24 hour period for an average of 112.5 watts-per-hour. Now mind you,
that includes all the hours we were asleep and so no one was opening the door,
using up ice, etc.. During hours of heavy usage it was using about 150 watts-per-hour.
Test #2 for the chest freezer yielded the following results: KWH usage for
the full 24 hours came to 1.02 KWH or 1,020 watts. This is an average of 42.5
watts-per-hour. Mind you, this freezer basically only gets opened once per
day when we take out whatever we're defrosting for dinner. All in all, I'm
pretty happy with those results.
The next step is to test our other refrigerator and our upright freezer and
to calculate the Amp Hours required (how many deep cycle batteries I'll need)
to build my
homemade UPS system.
FYI, I found a really good deal the other day on a 4 KW emergency gasoline
genset, and went ahead and bought it. My next big purchase will be a
tri-fuel conversion
kit from US Carburetion, so I can run her on propane. I know you guys usually
endorse diesel as a primary genset/retreat fuel, but I really like the stability
and shelf-life of propane - in my area, I can rent a 300-gallon tank (I own
two 100-gallon cylinder tanks) from the propane provider for around $50 per
year and fill it a little at a time as opposed to making an expensive all-at-once
fuel purchase. My logic there being that I can dump a little in each month,
so that it'll be full when I actually need it to be. - JSC in West Virginia
- A "10 Cent Challenge" Subscriber
Dear JWR:
I was catching up on SurvivalBlog this weekend and noted the article on generator
set sizing. The main issue here is that there is a significant difference
in the average electrical
energy consumption of an appliance and its peak usage. This issue is compounded
by electrical devices such as motors which are not purely resistive (i.e. inductive
load) and thus have up to 3 times the energy demand to start as opposed to
running. This is commonly referred to as “starting current” verses “running
current”. When sizing an electrical generator, one needs not only to
calculate the total energy consumption of all electrical appliances one anticipates
to be running simultaneously, but also to cover the starting current for the
item with the heaviest draw. Most electrical motors are labeled with their
electrical current needs, commonly listed as starting or peak current and continuous
current. In regard to an appliance which doesn’t list this information
(such as a refrigerator), the owner needs to use his Kill-A-Watt [meter] to
determine the current used while running (typically 3-5 amps) and multiply
this by 3
to get a good estimate of the starting current demands.
The process should be to add up the total draw for all the appliances, and
then double the highest one and add that also to the total. This will give
a rough estimate of the peak current draw, in Amps. To convert
Amps to Watts, one simply needs to multiply by the operating voltage (typically
120 or 240
Volts). This assumes that no more than one heavy draw appliance starts at the
same time, but to cover all the starting currents would require a much larger
generator.
Several years back, during an ice storm, we were living off of an emergency
generator rated at 5,000 Watts (6,200 peak Watts ). One should disregard the “peak” rating
of typical portable emergency generators since they are uniformly overrated
(I have noticed that recently, peak rating is what is listed, look for the “continuous
rating”). Our water heater (a purely resistive load, hence no “starting
current”) consumed 4,500 Watts. In order to take a hot shower, we needed
to turn off all other circuits and allow the water to heat up. After an hour,
the water heater was disconnected to allow the well pump to be operated to
provide water through the water heater to the shower. This constant switching
of loads was a real nightmare.
As a caveat, typical consumer portable electrical generators are not up the
rigors of continuous use. Their fuel economy is atrocious; our 5 KW unit uses
about 5 gallons of gas in an 8 hour period. They are also typically powered
by the equivalent of an air-cooled lawnmower engine. Consider taking your lawnmower
into heavy wet grass and mowing continuously for 200 hours. After a week of
trying to keep this loud and hungry beast fed, thankfully the power came back
on-line. We went with a diesel powered 15KW unit which would even cover the
arc welding unit and it uses about 1/4 gallon of fuel per hour during typical
household test uses. The gas generator seemed to use virtually the same amount
of fuel regardless of the load, but the diesel unit just sips fuel when it
is just loafing along, with consumption roughly linear with the load.
When choosing a generator for long term use, I would make several recommendations:
First, if you pump water or want to run a welder or air conditioning unit,
you will need at least 10 KW and 120/240VAC capability.
Second, get a unit with double windings so it can run at 1,800 rpm instead
of 3,600 rpm (to make up 60 Hz AC power). This vastly improves fuel economy
and
noise level as well as longevity.
Third, the unit needs to be water cooled. While some air cooled units are built
for longevity, they are the exception.
Fourth, think of fuel storage requiring long-term stability. This effectively
rules out gasoline, and leaves us with NG/LPG or diesel.
While electrical generators are very useful and highly recommended, their Achilles’ Heel
is fuel availability. We store adequate diesel fuel to run the generator full
time for approximately two months use, which would extend to one year or more
with limited part-time use, but it is still a finite resource. They can be
useful
as a bridge for short duration (till the power comes back on or we learn to
live without). Except in the hottest climates, running a refrigerator or freezer
a couple of hours twice a day is adequate with limited door opening. Once the
foodstuffs in the freezer and refrigerator are used up, you will still need
a manual pump for your water well in TEOTWAWKI.
Hope this helps, - NC BlueDog
Sir,
The Kill-A-Watt meter
is a great tool but [KSC] really didn’t give
it a chance to work. If you want to find out how much power your refrigerator uses
over
the course of the day leave it plugged into the meter for a few days at the
minimum.
Most watt meters have the option to see how much power is currently being used
by whatever is plugged into it. You’ll want to look at that while the
appliance is cycled on. The refrigerators and freezers that I’ve dealt with
generally don’t use more than about 150 – 200 watts while running,
figure they use about three times that during startup.
In your situation, figure 600 watts startup power, times four appliances would
be around 2,400 watts. I’m guessing that there will be other things that
you will want to run also (lights, grain mill, battery charger etc.) so you
may want
to go with a 3,500 watt generator but as long as you aren’t looking to
power your whole house from top to bottom with it you don’t really need
a huge generator. - MercCom
Jim-
Here's a helpful
site for figuring power requirements.
By the way, we all have useful generators sitting in our garages--in our car
and/or truck. An inverter will let you tap that power. COSTCO has a 1,000 watt
inverter for $65. If you use good sense in using power, and keep your vehicle
tank(s) full, you can ride through a temporary power failure. Not bad for $65.
But you also will have to buy or make up a pair of cables that will clip to
your battery. The provided cables have useless terminals (closed end type)
for the battery end of the cables. - Bob B.
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Letter Re: The "Invention Nation" Documentary Television Series
Jim,
I don't know if this has been posted here or not. I have finished watching
a series on the Science Channel called "Invention Nation".
The show primarily feature inventors who are inventing ways to "go green".
Many of these inventions and ideas fit in perfectly with being self-sufficient.
Some of the topics are; used cooking oil for diesel engines, solar power technology,
passive solar for heating homes and water, bicycle generators, etc... The series
will rerun starting in March and may be worth a look for the preparedness minded. See
the Invention Nation web site. Thanks to you and your family for all you
do. - Randy G.
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Letter Re: Sizing a Retreat AC Power Generator
Mr. Rawles:
In attempting to size an emergency generator for my home, I have run across
some interesting questions that I hope you and/or your other readers will be
able to help me with. I lived through the blizzards of the 1990s here in the
southern West Virginia coal camps, and I will never forget us and all of our
neighbors being without power and unable to get out of our own driveways for
23+ days in 1993.
It marked the very beginnings of my awakening to the necessity of being properly
prepared. With that in mind, I am attempting to set my home up with the ability
to keep a bare minimum level of electrical appliances running in the case of
a long-term outage; namely 2 refrigerators w/ freezers, a chest freezer, and
an upright freezer (all just a few years old, so fairly energy efficient).
I am gauging the power being used by these appliances using
a Kill-A-Watt.
And, honestly, I'm afraid that I am doing something wrong. My number seem awfully
low.
The first test I ran was on my chest freezer; after two hours of measurement,
the freezer had consumed just 0.05 KWH or 50 watts of power at 25 watts per
hour. I was surprised, but not terribly because the lid was not opened during
the span of the test.
Next, I tested the refrigerator in my kitchen. It is a an Energy Star compliant
Whirlpool brand 25.55 cu. ft. model with water and ice in the door. As a result
of the chest freezer coming in lower than I expected, I purposely skewed the
refrigerator experiment with the hopes of over-estimating the true usage. To
that end, I was sure to be a bad boy and do things such as holding the door
open and staring in like a goober for five minutes. I also refilled the dog's
water bowl from the door (forcing the pump into action) and virtually emptied
the ice bin as crushed ice through the door (a big cup of ice water is yum!)
to force the ice maker to have to run and make more. But, even with all that,
my two hour test yielded a cumulative KWH usage of just 0.13. A measly 130
watts at 65 watts per hour.
Researching this online, I'm finding sites that estimate the typical household
fridge uses between 150-250 watts per hour with peaks upward of 700+ watts.
Am I doing really well on efficiency or am I missing something? I'll wait to
hear back before I run the remaining tests. Thanks! - JSC
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Letter Re: My Preparedness Plans Just Took an Unexpected Turn »
Letter Re: AA Cells and Mobile Power
There was a discussion about batteries a few days back on SurvivalBlog. The
writer advocated using AA NiMH cells almost exclusively, with adapters for devices requiring C and D cells. While
I do agree that this is a good approach for some devices, there is certainly
some merit to having full size 10 Amp Hour (10,000 MAH) batteries in high [current]
draw or long term use devices. Not only is capacity
significantly higher on larger cells, but the maximum safe current draw is
higher too.
Good NiMH C cells have 2-to-3 times the capacity of AA cells, and NiMH D cells
have 4-to-5 times the capacity of AA cells. They can be charged in a reasonable
timeframe on a good quality charger like the MAHA MH-C801D. If you shop carefully
you can find 10AH NiMH low self discharge D cells for around $10 each (As an
example, see Overstock.com). Thanks, - BR
JWR Replies: I recommend that SurvivalBlog readers be very
careful when shopping for size C and D NiCD and NiMH batteries. Many of the
batteries on the market have no more capacity than a size AA. (With those,
essentially you are getting the same "guts" used in a size AA cell,
but just in a bigger "can.") Look carefully and the MaH ratings before
you buy! Also, be sure to buy only brands (such as Sanyo's
ENELOOP) that have "Low Self Discharge" (LSD) rates.
« Letter Re: SHOT Show Report |Main| Three Letters Re: Frozen Livestock Water Tank Woes »
Letter Re: Homemade and Expedient Vegetable Oil Lamps
Sir,
I clicked on this link from your site, JOTW
- Home Made Vegetable Oil Lamp. This got me to thinking about something
I read about and tried once, some
years ago. Take a tangerine, and using a knife, cut the nub off of the top,
to expose the fruit, and using a spoon, separate the fruit from the peel and
the segments from each other, leaving the sting like " pith " that
runs from top to bottom, down the center of the segments, connected to the
bottom. After letting the thing dry a bit, the pith is cut a bit to act as
a free standing " wick ", a bit of olive, vegetable, or corn oil
is put in, leaving about 1/4" of the pith above the oil to light. If it
soaks up the oil enough, the lamp can be made to last quite a while for survival
needs.
If you go to the extreme in a survival situation, a lamp could be fashioned
from natural clay like the ones seen in the Middle East that have been made
the same way since biblical times. . Many thanks to Hawaiian K.
for the link. I like to try some of these type preparedness do-it-yourself
projects from time to time to learn a new skill that may help me and my family
some
bad day.
-
Dim Tim
« Letter Re: Best Items to Store for Barter and Charity? |Main| Note from JWR: »
From the SurvivalBlog Archives: Start With a "List of Lists"
Start your retreat stocking effort by first composing a List of Lists, then
draft prioritized lists for each subject, on separate sheets of paper. (Or
in a spreadsheet if you are a techno-nerd like me. Just be sure to print out
a hard copy for use when the power grid goes down!) It is important to tailor
your lists to suit your particular geography, climate, and population density
as well as your peculiar needs and likes/dislikes. Someone setting up a retreat
in a coastal area is likely to have a far different list than someone living
in the Rockies.
As I often mention in my lectures and radio interviews, a great way to create
truly commonsense preparedness lists is to take a three-day weekend TEOTWAWKI Weekend Experiment” with your family. When you come home from work on
Friday evening, turn off your main circuit breaker, turn off your gas main
(or propane tank), and shut your main water valve (or turn off your well pump.)
Spend that weekend in primitive conditions. Practice using only your storage
food, preparing it on a wood stove (or camping stove.)
A “TEOTWAWKI Weekend Experiment” will surprise you. Things that
you take for granted will suddenly become labor intensive. False assumptions
will be shattered. Your family will grow closer and more confident. Most importantly,
some of the most thorough lists that you will ever make will be those written
by candlelight.
Your List of Lists should include: (Sorry that this post
is in outline form, but it would take a full length book to discus all of
the following in great detail)
Water List
Food Storage List
Food Preparation List
Personal List
First Aid /Minor Surgery List
Nuke Defense List
Biological Warfare Defense List
Gardening List
Hygiene List/Sanitation List
Hunting/Fishing/Trapping List
Power/Lighting/Batteries List
Fuels List
Firefighting List
Tactical Living List
Security-General
Security-Firearms
Communications/Monitoring List
Tools List
Sundries List
Survival Bookshelf List
Barter and Charity List
JWR’s Specific Recommendations For Developing Your Lists:
Water List
House downspout conversion sheet metal work and barrels. (BTW, this is another
good reason to upgrade your retreat to a fireproof metal roof.)
Drawing water from open sources. Buy extra containers. Don’t buy big
barrels, since five gallon food grade buckets are the largest size that most
people can handle without back strain.
For transporting water if and when gas is too precious to waste, buy a couple
of heavy duty two wheel garden carts--convert the wheels to foam filled "no
flats" tires. (BTW, you will find lots of other uses for those carts around
your retreat, such as hauling hay, firewood, manure, fertilizer, et cetera.)
Treating water. Buy plain Clorox hypochlorite bleach. A little goes a long
way. Buy some extra half-gallon bottles for barter and charity. If you can
afford it, buy a “Big Berky” British Berkefeld ceramic water filter.
(Available from Ready
Made Resources and several other Internet vendors. Even if you have pure
spring water at your retreat, you never know where you may end up, and a good
filter could be a lifesaver.)
Food Storage List
See my post tomorrow which will be devoted to food storage. Also see the recent
letter from David in Israel on this subject.
Food Preparation List
Having more people under your roof will necessitate having an oversize skillet
and a huge stew pot. BTW, you will want to buy several huge kettles, because
odds are you will have to heat water on your wood stove for bathing, dish washing,
and clothes washing. You will also need even more kettles, barrels, and 5 or
6 gallon PVC buckets--for water hauling, rendering, soap making, and dying.
They will also make great barter or charity items. (To quote my mentor Dr.
Gary North: “Nails: buy a barrel of them. Barrels: Buy a barrel of them!”)
Don’t overlook skinning knives, gut-buckets, gambrels, and meat saws.
Personal List
(Make a separate personal list for each family member and individual expected
to arrive at your retreat.)
Spare glasses.
Prescription and nonprescription medications.
Birth control.
Keep dentistry up to date.
Any elective surgery that you've been postponing
Work off that gut.
Stay in shape.
Back strength and health—particularly important, given the heavy manual
tasks required for self-sufficiency.
Educate yourself on survival topics, and practice them. For example, even if
you don’t presently live at your retreat, you should plant a vegetable
garden every year. It is better to learn through experience and make mistakes
now, when the loss of crop is an annoyance rather than a crucial event.
“Comfort” items to help get through high stress times. (Books, games,
CDs, chocolates, etc.)
First Aid /Minor Surgery List
When tailoring this list, consider your neighborhood going for many months
without power, extensive use of open flames, and sentries standing picket
shifts exposed in the elements. Then consider axes, chainsaws and tractors
being wielded by newbies, and a greater likelihood of gunshot wounds. With
all of this, add the possibility of no access to doctors or high tech medical
diagnostic equipment. Put a strong emphasis on burn treatment first aid supplies.
Don’t overlook do-it-yourself dentistry! (Oil of cloves, temporary
filling kit, extraction tools, et cetera.) Buy a full minor surgery outfit
(inexpensive Pakistani stainless steel instruments), even if you don’t
know how to use them all yet. You may have to learn, or you will have the
opportunity to put them in the hands of someone experienced who needs them.)
This is going to be a big list!
Chem/Nuke Defense List
Dosimeter and rate meter, and charger, radiac meter (hand held Geiger counter),
rolls of sheet plastic (for isolating airflow to air filter inlets and for
covering window frames in the event that windows are broken due to blast effects),
duct tape, HEPA filters (ands spares) for your shelter. Potassium iodate (KI)
tablets to prevent thyroid damage.(See my recent post on that subject.) Outdoor
shower rig for just outside your shelter entrance.
Biological Warfare Defense List
Disinfectants
Hand Sanitizer
Sneeze masks
Colloidal silver generator and spare supplies (distilled water and .999 fine
silver rod.)
Natural antibiotics (Echinacea, Tea Tree oil, …)
Gardening List
One important item for your gardening list is the construction of a very tall
deer-proof and rabbit-proof fence. Under current circumstances, a raid by deer
on your garden is probably just an inconvenience. After the balloon goes up,
it could mean the difference between eating well, and starvation.
Top Soil/Amendments/Fertilizers.
Tools+ spares for barter/charity
Long-term storage non hybrid (open pollinated) seed. (Non-hybrid “heirloom” seed
assortments tailors to different climate zones are available from The
Ark Institute
Herbs: Get started with medicinal herbs such as aloe vera (for burns), echinacea
(purple cone flower), valerian, et cetera.
Hygiene/Sanitation List
Sacks of powdered lime for the outhouse. Buy plenty!
TP in quantity (Stores well if kept dry and away from vermin and it is lightweight,
but it is very bulky. This is a good item to store in the attic. See my novel
about stocking up on used phone books for use as TP.
Soap in quantity (hand soap, dish soap, laundry soap, cleansers, etc.)
Bottled lye for soap making.
Ladies’ supplies.
Toothpaste (or powder).
Floss.
Fluoride rinse. (Unless you have health objections to the use of fluoride.)
Sunscreen.
Livestock List:
Hoof rasp, hoof nippers, hoof pick, horse brushes, hand sheep shears, styptic,
carding combs, goat milking stand, teat dip, udder wash, Bag Balm, elastrator
and bands, SWOT fly repellent, nail clippers (various sizes), Copper-tox, leads,
leashes, collars, halters, hay hooks, hay fork, manure shovel, feed buckets,
bulk grain and C-O-B sweet feed (store in galvanized trash cans with tight
fitting lids to keep the mice out), various tack and saddles, tack repair tools,
et cetera. If your region has selenium deficient soil (ask your local Agricultural
extension office) then be sure to get selenium-fortified salt blocks rather
than plain white salt blocks--at least for those that you are going to set
aside strictly for your livestock.
Hunting/Fishing/Trapping List
“Buckshot” Bruce Hemming has produced an excellent series of videos
on trapping and making improvised traps. (He also sells traps and scents at very
reasonable prices.)
Night vision gear, spares, maintenance, and battery charging
Salt. Post-TEOTWAWKI, don’t “go hunting.” That would be a
waste of effort. Have the game come to you. Buy 20 or more salt blocks. They
will also make very valuable barter items.
Sell your fly fishing gear (all but perhaps a few flies) and buy practical
spin casting equipment.
Extra tackle may be useful for barter, but probably only in a very long term
Crunch.
Buy some frog gigs if you have bullfrogs in your area. Buy some crawfish traps
if you have crawfish in your area.
Learn how to rig trot lines and make fish traps for non-labor intensive fishing WTSHTF.
Power/Lighting/Batteries List
One proviso: In the event of a “grid
down” situation, if you are the only family in the area with power,
it could turn your house into a “come loot me” beacon at night.
At the same time, your house lighting will ruin the night vision of your LP/OP pickets.
Make plans and buy materials in advance for making blackout screens or fully
opaque curtains for your windows.
When possible, buy nickel metal hydride batteries. (Unlike the older nickel
cadmium technology, these have no adverse charge level “memory” effect.)
If your home has propane appliances, get a “tri-fuel” generator--with
a carburetor that is selectable between gasoline, propane, and natural gas.
If you heat your home with home heating oil, then get a diesel-burning generator.
(And plan on getting at least one diesel burning pickup and/or tractor). In
a pinch, you can run your diesel generator and diesel vehicles on home heating
oil.
Kerosene lamps; plenty of extra wicks, mantles, and chimneys. (These will also
make great barter items.)
Greater detail on do-it-yourself power will be included in my forthcoming blog
posts.
Fuels List
Buy the biggest propane, home heating oil, gas, or diesel tanks that your local
ordinances permit and that you can afford. Always keep them at least two-thirds
full. For privacy concerns, ballistic impact concerns, and fire concerns,
underground tanks are best if you local water table allows it. In any case,
do not buy an aboveground fuel tank that would visible from any public road
or navigable waterway. Buy plenty of extra fuel for barter. Don’t overlook
buying plenty of kerosene. (For barter, you will want some in one or two
gallon cans.) Stock up on firewood or coal. (See my previous blog posts.)
Get the best quality chainsaw you can afford. I prefer Stihls and Husqavarnas.
If you can afford it, buy two of the same model. Buy extra chains, critical
spare parts, and plenty of two-cycle oil. (Two-cycle oil will be great for
barter!) Get a pair of Kevlar chainsaw safety chaps. They are expensive but
they might save yourself a trip to the emergency room. Always wear gloves,
goggles, and ear-muffs. Wear a logger’s helmet when felling. Have someone
who is well experienced teach you how to re-sharpen chains. BTW, don’t
cut up your wood into rounds near any rocks or you will destroy a chain in
a hurry.
Firefighting List
Now that you have all of those flammables on hand (see the previous list) and
the prospect of looters shooting tracer ammo or throwing Molotov cocktails
at your house, think in terms of fire fighting from start to finish without
the aid of a fire department. Even without looters to consider, you should
be ready for uncontrolled brush or residential fires, as well as the greater
fire risk associated with greenhorns who have just arrived at your retreat
working with wood stoves and kerosene lamps!
Upgrade your retreat with a fireproof metal roof.
2” water line from your gravity-fed storage tank (to provide large water
volume for firefighting)
Fire fighting rig with an adjustable stream/mist head.
Smoke and CO detectors.
Tactical Living List
Adjust your wardrobe buying toward sturdy earth-tone clothing. (Frequent your
local thrift store and buy extras for retreat newcomers, charity, and barter.)
Dyes. Stock up on some boxes of green and brown cloth dye. Buy some extra for
barter. With dye, you can turn most light colored clothes into semi-tactical
clothing on short notice.
Two-inch wide burlap strip material in green and brown. This burlap is available
in large spools from Gun Parts Corp. Even if you don’t have time now,
stock up so that you can make camouflage ghillie
suits post-TEOTWAWKI.
Save those wine corks! (Burned cork makes quick and cheap face camouflage.)
Cold weather and foul weather gear—buy plenty, since you will be doing
more outdoor chores, hunting, and standing guard duty.
Don’t overlook ponchos and gaiters.
Mosquito repellent.
Synthetic double-bag (modular) sleeping bags for each person at the retreat,
plus a couple of spares. The Wiggy’s
brand Flexible Temperature Range Sleep System (FTRSS)
made by Wiggy's of Grand Junction, Colorado is highly recommended.
Night vision gear + IR floodlights for your retreat house
Subdued flashlights and penlights.
Noise, light, and litter discipline. (More on this in future posts--or perhaps
a reader would like to send a brief article on this subject)
Security-General: Locks, intrusion detection/alarm systems, exterior obstacles
(fences, gates, 5/8” diameter (or larger) locking road cables, rosebush
plantings, “decorative” ponds (moats), ballistic protection (personal
and residential), anti-vehicular ditches/berms, anti-vehicular concrete “planter
boxes”, razor wire, etc.)
Starlight electronic light amplification scopes are critical tools for retreat
security.
A Starlight scope (or goggles, or a monocular) literally amplifies low ambient
light by up to 100,000 times, turning nighttime darkness into daylight--albeit
a green and fuzzy view. Starlight light amplification technology was first
developed during the Vietnam War. Late issue Third Generation (also called
or “Third Gen” or “Gen 3”) starlight scopes can cost
up to $3,500 each. Rebuilt first gen (early 1970s technology scopes can often
be had for as little as $500. Russian-made monoculars (with lousy optics) can
be had for under $100. One Russian model that uses a piezoelectric generator
instead of batteries is the best of this low-cost breed. These are best used
as backups (in case your expensive American made scopes fail. They should not
be purchased for use as your primary night vision devices unless you are on
a very restrictive budget. (They are better than nothing.) Buy the best starlight
scopes, goggles, and monoculars you can afford. They may be life-savers! If
you can afford to buy only one, make it a weapon sight such as an AN/PVS-4,
with a Gen 2 (or better) tube. Make sure to specify that that the tube is new
or “low hours”, has a high “line pair” count, and minimal
scintillation. It is important to buy your Starlight gear from a reputable
dealer. The market is crowded with rip-off artists and scammers. One dealer
that I trust, is Al Glanze (spoken “Glan-zee”) who runs STANO
Components, Inc. in Silver City, Nevada. Note: In a subsequent
blog posts I will discuss the relationship and implications to IR illuminators
and tritium sights.
Range cards and sector sketches.
If you live in the boonies, piece together nine of the USGS 15-minute maps,
with your retreat property on the center map. Mount that map on an oversize
map board. Draw in the property lines and owner names of all of your surrounding
neighbor’s parcels (in pencil) in at least a five mile radius. (Get boundary
line and current owner name info from your County Recorder’s office.)
Study and memorize both the terrain and the neighbors’ names. Make a
phone number/e-mail list that corresponds to all of the names marked on the
map, plus city and county office contact numbers for quick reference and tack
it up right next to the map board. Cover the whole map sheet with a sheet of
heavy-duty acetate, so you can mark it up just like a military commander’s
map board. (This may sound a bit “over the top”, but remember,
you are planning for the worst case. It will also help you get to know your
neighbors: When you are introduced by name to one of them when in town, you
will be able to say, “Oh, don’t you live about two miles up the
road between the Jones place and the Smith’s ranch?” They will
be impressed, and you will seem like an instant “old timer.”
Security-Firearms List
Guns, ammunition, web gear, eye and ear protection, cleaning equipment,
carrying cases, scopes, magazines, spare parts, gunsmithing tools, targets
and target
frames, et cetera. Each rifle and pistol should have at least six top quality
(original military contract or original manufacturer) full capacity spare magazines.
Note: Considerable detail on firearms and optics selection, training, use,
and logistic support are covered in the SurvivalBlog archives and FAQs.
Communications/Monitoring List
When selecting radios buy only models that will run on 12 volt DC power or
rechargeable nickel metal hydride battery packs (that can be recharged from
your retreat’s 12 VDC power system without having to use an inverter.)
As a secondary purchasing goal, buy spare radios of each type if you can afford
them. Keep your spares in sealed metal boxes to protect them from EMP.
If you live in a far inland region, I recommend buying two or more 12 VDC marine
band radios. These frequencies will probably not be monitored in your region,
leaving you an essentially private band to use. (But never assume that any
two-way radio communications are secure!)
Note: More detail on survival communications gear selection, training, use,
security/cryptography measures, antennas, EMP protection, and logistical support
will be covered in forthcoming blog posts.
Tools List
Gardening tools.
Auto mechanics tools.
Welding.
Bolt cutters--the indispensable “universal key.”
Woodworking tools.
Gunsmithing tools.
Emphasis on hand powered tools.
Hand or treadle powered grinding wheel.
Don’t forget to buy plenty of extra work gloves (in earth tone colors).
Sundries List:
Systematically list the things that you use on a regular basis, or that you
might need if the local hardware store were to ever disappear: wire of various
gauges, duct tape, reinforced strapping tape, chain, nails, nuts and bolts,
weather stripping, abrasives, twine, white glue, cyanoacrylate glue, et cetera.
Book/Reference List
You should probably have nearly every book on my Bookshelf
page. For some, you will want to have two or three copies, such as Carla
Emery’s "Encyclopedia of Country Living". This is because these books
are so valuable and indispensable that you won’t want to risk lending
out your only copy.
Barter and Charity List
For your barter list, acquire primarily items that are durable, non-perishable,
and either in small packages or that are easily divisible. Concentrate on
the items that other people are likely to overlook or have in short supply.
Some of my favorites are ammunition. [The late] Jeff Cooper referred to it
as “ballistic
wampum.” WTSHTF, ammo will be worth nearly its weight in silver.
Store all of your ammo in military surplus ammo cans (with seals that are
still soft) and it will store for decades. Stick to common calibers, get
plenty of .22 LR (most
high velocity hollow points) plus at least ten boxes of the local favorite
deer hunting cartridge, even if you don’t own
a rifle chambered for this cartridge. (Ask your local sporting goods shop
about their top selling chamberings). Also buy at least ten boxes of the
local police department’s standard pistol cartridge, again even if
you don’t own a pistol chambered for this cartridge.
Ladies supplies.
Salt (Buy lots of cattle blocks and 1 pound canisters of iodized table salt.)
(Stores indefinitely if kept dry.)
Two cycle engine oil (for chain saw gas mixing. Gas may still be available
after a collapse, but two-cycle oil will probably be like liquid gold!)
Gas stabilizer.
Diesel antibacterial additive.
50-pound sacks of lime (for outhouses).
1 oz. bottles of military rifle bore cleaner and Break Free (or similar) lubricant.
Waterproof dufflebags in earth tone colors (whitewater rafting "dry bags").
Thermal socks.
Semi-waterproof matches (from military rations.)
Military web gear (lots of folks will suddenly need pistol belts, holsters,
magazine pouches, et cetera.)
Pre-1965 silver dimes.
1-gallon cans of kerosene.
Rolls of olive drab parachute cord.
Rolls of olive-drab duct tape.
Spools of monofilament fishing line.
Rolls of 10 mil "Visqueen", sheet plastic (for replacing windows,
isolating airspaces for nuke scenarios, etc.)
I also respect the opinion of one gentleman with whom I've corresponded, who
recommended the following:
Strike anywhere matches. (Dip the heads in paraffin to make them waterproof.)
Playing cards.
Cooking spices. (Do a web search for reasonably priced bulk spices.)
Rope & string.
Sewing supplies.
Candle wax and wicking.
Lastly, any supplies necessary for operating a home-based business. Some that
you might consider are: leather crafting, small appliance repair, gun repair,
locksmithing, et cetera. Every family should have at least one home-based business
(preferably two!) that they can depend on in the event of an economic collapse.
Stock up on additional items to dispense to refugees as charity.
Note: See the Barter Faire chapter in my novel "Patriots" for
lengthy lists of potential barter items.
« Odds 'n Sods: |Main| Note from JWR: »
Prepare or Die, by J. Britely
Throughout my life I have been
caught unprepared several times and while nothing seriously bad happened, it
easily could have. I have been
lost hiking. My car has broken
down in very bad
neighborhoods - twice. I have
been close enough to riots
that I feared they would spread to my neighborhood, been in earthquakes, been
too close to wildfires, been stuck in a blizzard,
and have been without power and water for several days after a hurricane. I managed to get myself out of
each situation, I thanked God, and tried to learn from my mistakes. I could have avoided these situations
or made them much less unsafe and worrisome if I had been more aware and
prepared. I have also tried to
learn from the mistakes of others
so as to not learn everything the hard way. One group I assisted was a two hour drive into the
mountains, out of gas, wearing tee shirts, and had empty water bottles (at
least they kept them) (I have made each of those mistakes but not all at the
same time).
I aspire to be more prepared the
next time. My preparedness
includes many different aspects.
In my opinion, the most important thing I have done is to learn as much
as possible about what to expect and how to deal with those situations. The other important thing that gives me
some piece of mind is that I carry
and stock away water, food, ammo, books, and other tools and equipment that
should help me survive a bad situation.
Be prepared!
The other inspiration for my
preparations is my family. Seeing
my family suffer from lack of water or food would be very hard for me,
especially if some easy and cheap preparations could have made a big
difference. Recently, a few
friends and family have asked me about my preparations and how they might
prepare. I didn't have a good
short answer because I have spent years learning and stocking away. I thought of myself as more of a
student than a teacher in this area, but now I think I do know enough to give
some basic advice and refer them to good sources for more. Hopefully, they (and you) can learn
from my mistakes without having to waste time, energy and money on things that
don't work. Of course, I haven't
been through every situation or disaster but I have made it through a few tough
spots without losing my head. My
advice is based upon what I know to work and also what sounds like it would
work with the minimum fuss. I
always prefer the cheap, easy, home-made solution, but
sometimes it is worth the cost to get a quality item that is just too hard to
improvise or where the manufactured solution is much better (such as a
knife). Keep it simple stupid
(KISS) when you can. With
persistence you can get a lot done $20 at a time.
The purpose of this document is
to give an overview of preparedness and the first steps to take. I focus more on the why than the what
so that you can tailor your preparedness to your own situation and budget. I will also cite the best sources I
have found for more information.
There is a lot of information out there in books, classes, web sites,
and forums. Most of it is good but it is also really repetitious and
overwhelming. This document is
only about 15 pages printed out (you are printing important information (not
necessarily this) aren't you - since in an emergency you may not have power and
need to take the information with you).
I try to keep my important preparedness documents in an expandable file
folder with a tie inside a plastic crate.
What are you preparing for?
No one really knows what will be
the next survival situation they will face or how it will play out (will it get
worse before it gets better?). It
could be getting lost hiking, the car getting two flats in the middle of the
desert, a hurricane, a home invasion, an earthquake, or a terrorist
attack. You must assess your own
situation and determine what you need to prepare for. Of course some preparations will be useful in many
situations including everyday life, and these are the best type.
In order to get an idea of what
to prepare for, look at the types of situations that you or people similar to
you have been through. Also,
assess where you live or spend a lot of time such as work and vacation. We need to learn from the past but
without fighting the last war.
I like hiking and being
outdoors, so for me learning how
not to get lost and how to stay alive in the outdoors are high
priorities. These skills may also
come in handy if I need to walk to safety during a terrorist attack because all
of the roads and public transportation are closed. Living in your house without power or water isn't too
different from camping
except for the nice roof over your head and all of your stuff. I have also taken a first
aid class. It is pretty
limited in coverage but still useful in a variety of situations.
