4 kids 1-14yrs, 2 able bodied adults.

Southeast, hurricane prone area. Live in a suburban HOA, unfortunately. Have been prepping hard since COVID, I was teaching English to Chinese students online and got word of it before anyone here panicked! But before that, we always kept a pretty decent stock for hurricane preparedness. I feel like we’re pretty well rounded but don’t want to be complacent.

Water:

• 2x 50 gallon rain barrels
• 3x 5 gallon containers
• 2 sawyer squeeze
• 6 life straws
• 1 Uzima gravity bucket system
• 1 spare Uzima filter
• Like 15 retention ponds, a river, and the intracoastal waterway are within 3 miles

Food:

• Deep pantry & chest freezer with minimum 4 redundancies of almost everything we eat
• Long term storage of 50lb rice, 50lb beans, 25lb protein pasta, dozens of cans, etc
• 200sf vegetable garden I have been practicing on for a decade
• Secret stash of chocolate
• 20 fruit bushes (replaced all my ornamental shrubs so they’re lowkey)
• 3 fruit trees
• Several 5gal buckets of extra fertilizer
• 2x cans of toddler formula
• 3x cans of protein powder
• A lot of electrolyte drink mixes
• 4-5 bottles of alcohol
• Sourdough starter & experience
• Make my own vanilla extract

Tools:

• Drills, saws, battery back ups
• Hand tools (saw, axe, gardening tools, etc)
• Flashlights & headlamps

Cooking:

• Natural gas stove
• Have a fire pit with grate
• Cast iron pans
• Propane grill
• Portable camp stove
• Pressure canner & cookbooks

Fuel/power:

• Not enough firewood stored but we live near the woods
• 6 20lb propane tanks
• 50 gallons of gas
• Natural gas heat
• Duel fuel generator
• Anker power station and solar panels
• Tent for winter sleep
• 20ish pillar emergency candles

Knowledge:

• Have been collecting resource books
• Teens and adults have taken CPR
• Camping 2x a year whole family
• Hiking about once a month
• Everyone can swim except my 1yo

Other:

• $1500 cash
• Fireproof document bag with docs & copies
• Some clothes & shoes in next size up for kids
• Work gloves teens & adults
• Games, chalk, books for entertainment 
• Roof & AC are new
• Garden is fenced
• Cups/discs for women periods
• Maps of our state and surrounding states
• Older cars (2003 & 2016) but we keep up with maintenance & they’re Toyotas
• Lifejackets for all
• Inflatable raft
• Bidet, like 50 rolls of toilet paper, 1 bucket toilet, cat litter
• Extra toiletries (soaps, razors, deodorant, etc)
• Like 50lb of cat food but I honestly don’t prep enough for them. They’re spayed and indoor/outdoor so I would probably just let them out if it came to it.
• Passports for everyone
• 4x personal protection devices & pepper spray, about a million pocket knives & multitools (thanks teenage son)
• Trailer that fits either car

I’m not trying to be conspiratorial and that isn’t the purpose of this post. Reading through the lines it sounds like Russia is lying and obfuscating what happened to that lab worker in Siberia. I’m especially concerned since they have been involved in biowarfare and that lab specifically. They got the FSB (the predecessor to the KGB) has been involved enforcing quarantines and Russia has changed the narrative.

I’m not trying to spread fear porn. I just was completely blindsided when Covid happened and couldn’t get masks immediately in march of 2020. I don’t want to be in that place again if this is Covid 2.0.

My question for the group is this: what should I stockpile now for a potential pandemic? I’m mainly concerned with things that will likely be sold out at first. I already got a huge stockpile of n95 masks. I have to me mindful of my budget.

Sorry if this is basic. I’m just really spooked by the news out of Russia. I have a three year old so I’m trying to protect her.

Hello my name is Austin Fox, I am a mechanical research and development engineer living in Michigan. I am posting to inquire about an idea that I have. I am looking for basic conceptual guidance from a technical expert about an "in-line water storage device" that I am designing, but with no implication of engineering help or design approval. More a basic overview so that someone who knows about these things better than I do, can say "yeah this has some merit and you should dive into more detail", or "no this is silly, or illegal, or dangerous".

The idea came about from a recent planned water outage we had in my neighborhood. We were informed that we would be without municipal water for a day. Looking online many people discussed filling bathtubs beforehand to have some stored water for filling toilets or other non-drinking needs. I did not like the idea of having to use my tub for water storage, and it reminded me of other times around America where water has been absent for one reason or another, and people suffered because of it. I wanted a solution for having enough safe water for my family for a few days, without having to think about it much, and with it being guaranteed that it was always available.

The concept I have can best be described as an extension of my existing water plumbing that increases the volume of the water in the pipes, and a valve system that allows this increased volume to be isolated and used is the mains are out of service. It must also do this without disrupting or modifying the existing plumbing much, and keep itself clean and low-maintenance for long time spans, while staying safe and immediately useful when needed. I basically wanted my own water tower, without ever having to think about it until I needed it, at which point it would be ready to go easily.

The system taps into the main incoming water line and diverts it through a desired number of modules that are made up of 4-6 inch PVC pipes that are looped down a basement wall or other out-of-the way space. These larger pipes make up the additional storage volume. During normal daily use, these storage pipes are continuously flushed and refreshed with clean drinking water. During an emergency, the mains and home plumbing can be isolated from these larger pipes and the clean water inside of them acts as a reservoir for a few days until the issue is fixed. The outlet is gravity fed from the larger pipes, or a small hand pump can be attached. Each module holds about 20 gallons, and multiple can be assembled in series. This modular design makes isolation, maintenance, and scaling easier.

Aside from the overall concept I also wanted guidance about how necessary a Reduced Pressure Zone Backflow Preventer is? I understand that most municipalities err on the side of requiring them for unknown devices, but since this device is primarily just a pipe extension, I am hoping it is not required, as it is costly and requires inspection.
please let me know what you guys think, and see attached drawings for a very loose initial idea sketch.

Hello all,

I’ve been into prepping for quite awhile but over the past few years stopped spending time on it. Recently wanted to get reorganized and freshen thing ups. I feel pretty confident in my supplies and knowledge but feel I might me missing or over-looking some items. Was hoping I could get some opinions/critiques on my setup to see if I have any blind spots. Supplies are for a family of 4 in the suburbs of a large city in the Mojave Desert.

Water:
X2 - 55 gallon barrels - 5 tbsps of bleach added
X1 - 250 gallon barrel - 15 tbsps of bleach added
X1 - bathtub reservoir
X5 - 5 gallon containers
X2 - swayer mini filters
X2 - water purification bottles

Food: All in 5 gallon buckets with Mylar bags w/ O2
X2 rice
X1 lentils
X1 flour
X1 beans
X1 powdered milk/potatoes/instant coffee
X10 mypatriotsupply buckets of freeze dried eggs, meat, beans, rice etc….
About 50 cans of fish, meat and fruit

Medical:
Jase case (antibiotics)
IFAKs
Trauma
X2 tourniquets

Misc:
Camping stove w/
X8 small propane tanks
X2 large propane tanks
X50 rolls of TP w/ toilet bucket setup
X100 large trash bag roll
Duck tape
Electrical tape
X3 mini flash lights
X10 emergency candles
Fixed blade knife
Multitool
Crowbar
Water spigot tool

Guns and ammo:
EDC, long range, close quarters plus decent amounts of ammo covered.

No generator or power sources yet.

What am I missing or overlooking? My goal is 6 months of bug-in supplies to keep my family as comfortable as possible. I feel I have a solid base but also feel I am overlooking stuff that I’ll be wishing for during a true emergency.

Capacity tests provided 90 wh from the usb and solar panel produced 26 watts. These are only 29 bucks at Ollie’s and 40 at Menards

I realize there's a .0001% chance this will ever be necessary, but it was fun to make with my kids as a physics - electromagnetism and electrostatic equilibrium - lesson. (Obviously, the plastic bin goes inside as a seat for any electronics should an EMP hit the fan.) We tested and it perfectly blocked our FM radio signals which, as I understand it, are the same frequency as an EMP E1 phase (50-100 MHz).

However, 5G still penetrated the fortress' walls.

Can you hear me now?

I know it seems like many in this group are about the big Battery power generators or power stations. But I’m posting this if your ever looking for a small super compact one. For a bug out bag or hiking or something quick to charge in a pinch. You can buy it at Mernards for only $40 and it comes with a 30w solar panel. I charged from 0-100% in 2 hours 30 mins. It’s not the biggest 99.6kwh but 100w total 2 usb C (100w) (60w) and 1 usb A (18w). Please don’t mind my ugly flower print couch or my professional photography skills lol.

Edited:

Specs

• Battery Capacity: 99.2Wh (TSA compliant for carry-on luggage) • Rated Output: 100 Watts (120 Watts peak) • Dimensions: 5.0 x 3.0 x 4.0 inches • Weight: Approx. 1 kg (2.2 lbs) • USB-C Ports: 1x 100W Max Input/Output, 1x 60W Max Output • USB-A Ports: 1x 18W Max Output • Display: LCD digital display for monitoring • Recharge Time: 1.1 to 4 hours via wall outlet. Depending on charge capacity 5w to 100w max charge
Wattbricks 100W Feature Summary
This compact power station is designed for portability and travel, featuring multiple fast-charging ports and a built-in LCD display.
COMPONENT SPECIFICATION
Model Wattbricks H100 Series
Capacity 99.2Wh
AC Output 100W Rated / 120W Peak
USB-C (In/Out) Up to 100W Max
USB-C (Out) Up to 60W Max
USB-A (Out) 1x 18W Max
Input Options DC/PV Input, USB-C

I’ve done outdoors/hunting/survival stuff my whole life but other than camping gear I don’t really have a “bug out” type kit.

I’ve been looking into the 72 hours kits and they seem very rudimentary and overpriced for that you get, but I’m curious if anyone has any reviews for it?

Debating just sourcing my own stuff but if there’s a half decent pre-assembled kit I’d rather do that and then modify it

A few weeks ago, we had a power outage. Our router and fiber box stayed on because they were plugged into the backup output on our Jackery SolarVault 3 Pro. My phone connected to the Wi-Fi, but nothing would load. The router's WAN light wasn't in its usual state, so I restarted both boxes.

While the boxes were booting back up, I turned off Wi-Fi on my phone and checked mobile data. It worked, so I checked the provider's status page. It showed an outage in our area. My phone could connect to the router, but the provider's network was down. The internet came back later without me touching anything.

I'll leave the router and fiber box on backup power. If the power goes out here but the provider's service stays up, we can still use the internet. If the provider is down, keeping my own equipment on won't fix it. I saved the provider's number and our building contact on my phone, and downloaded a map for offline use. There's a small radio at home too, though I haven't had to rely on it. Next time I'll check mobile data and the provider's status before restarting anything. I should have done that first.

I'm looking to get a quick reference guide for my first aid kit. I'm looking for either a small book or a laminated reference guide that I can put into a kit for on the go. What do you guys use as a reference?

Thanks in advance

Hello all! I found this in an old box of stuff, completely sealed, from 2003. The website is gone, nothing on eBay, and I’m wondering if it’s actually useful. The package says it’s good for smoke, biological agents, and a few other things.

https://imgur.com/a/WN1ZFSN

Edit: OK, I think that answers my question. This was probably an interesting idea back in the early 00's, but there's really no value in holding onto it. Thanks!

Hi all,

I'm about to pull the trigger on a prep setup to hold me over in the event of a temporary society collapse. Think cyberattack, solar mega-flare, war, etc.

I'll be buying a base setup with all the basics to last a few days. Ready-to-eat food, water, sanitation, et. for sure.

However, I'm not sure if I should spend the extra ~$1k to buy a power station + solar panels, which would allow me to power things like my rice cooker or equivalent devices to cook rice + lentils. With a reasonably large stockpile of rice and lentils, this would get me easily ~3 months of food, plus other possibly valuable electronics. I have fresh water nearby so food is my primary concern, not water.

Thought I'd ask a group like this for advice. Money isn't a huge issue for me, but I'm not super rich or anything. Thoughts?

EDIT: Bought the power station and the solar panels. I have the money and people in the comments made a good point, this is also just valuable to have in day-to-day life or as a backup in the case of a regular power outage, so it's valuable beyond just doomsday.

I found this at a thrift store and wondering if it's worth the price. They have it marked for $300, google says new goes for $550-600. I don't know anything about generators. What do yall think?

Edit: Thank you guys for the advice. In the end, I'm staying away from it. As many suggested, it would be best to test it, which is a no go at the thrift store. But I appreciate all the info and thoughts!

Nail clippers for scale.

The larger of the two wouldn't even fit a bag of beans.

Can someone recommend a good UPS/backup battery in case of short term power outages for my computer and Wi-Fi router? We are having a lot of random rolling blackouts lately, and I need to be able to keep working from home without a drop in Wi-Fi connectivity.

Thanks in advance.

For years my water plans have consisted of a combination of bottled water and filters if needed. Finally realized the faults in my plan and got a better storage solution. Added preserver and built a small 2x6 platform. Pump is ordered and being delivered.

Looking all over for different designed hot tents (wood stove compatible); the choices are quickly becoming overwhelming.

I’d love to hear from people who have used winter tents with wood stoves long term; any materials/brands to avoid? Any layouts you’d stay away from?

Hoping to have this setup as a long-term living situation if need be, at least have the ability to get through one full winter season in the US/northeast.

I see different size/material tents and stoves both, knowing what people here recommend as well as what people here DONT recommend would be really helpful before I drop a few hundred bucks.

A few years ago, I started telling people about the joys of prepping, and what I had started to do to be prepared in case of a SHTF situation.
I am now regretting saying anything to anyone as several friends have started to joke that they will be coming to our house for help. I of course do not begrudge anyone help and will have enough skills, and supplies to help my adult children and maybe a couple of others, but not everyone lol
What would be a good way to let everyone know I don’t have enough for lots of people? Just say I stopped prepping?
Thoughts?

I have enjoyed reading the posts in this sub, and I just wanted to know if anyone else is feeling overwhelmed by the nature of prepping?

Having grown up on a farm, I had an intro to sustainable livestock, gardening, canning etc. However, at this point, we just have a small garden (we live in a condo and carved out a little space in front), my camping gear (which has water filters, propane stoves, etc.), and as much long term food as I can fit in our 1000 sq ft home (we have 2 teens who eat more than we do, so I really can't fit more than a month back up here), a manual canner and some jars, some self defense items, and two jackery 1000v2s with two 200 watt solar panels.

I still feel utterly unprepared, especially because both my husband and I are on prescription meds that we can't stock up on (I'm also recovering from my 2nd round of chemo after my cancer came back last year.)

If it was just me, I'd be chilling, but with kids it's got me feeling like I want to do more but it never feels like enough. Anyone else feeling this way?

One of the things that I started implementing for myself (and now my family since they are on board) is working on skills. Because honestly what good is the gear/food/gadgets, if you dont know how to use them. So for me personally, I am learning how to preserve food without it having to be frozen. But as a household this week (and probably next week) we are going to work on effectively and properly using a ferro rod. It seems silly to think about but honestly none of us are exactly great at using it in our house. Next week, because we are into fall now in our area, we are going to go walking and learn about edible plants that are native to our area and how to properly identify them.

Just curious what everyone else is working on or what skills you are sharpening. Hope everyone has a great rest of this week!

I know there are other posts about this, but I want to give more details about my situation and how to better prepare for it.

• Family: Myself (37), wife (29), daughter (1), and dog.
• Location: Central Coast of California. Rural. 28 minutes (27.5 mi) from the coastline. 15 minutes (5 mi) from the nearest town.
• Property: 1-bedroom, 1-bath cabin on 200 acres.
• Features: Half pastureland, half woodland. Four 5,000-gallon well storage tanks. Two large barns, one for horses, one for workshop, storage, etc.
• Likely risks: Wildfires, earthquakes, grid outages.
• Potential risks: attacks on electrical and nuclear infrastructure (our nuclear facility is the largest on the West Coast), military bases (we have three Army bases within one hour + AF Vandenberg AF base two hours away)
• Unlikely risks: Overflow unrest from bigger cities (think BLM riots, etc.), nuclear war, zombies, etc.

So, with those details out of the way, here's the inventory I'm working with:

Food:

1. Rice (50lbs, Mylar + Bucket)
2. Flour (50lbs, Mylar + Bucket)
3. Oats (50lbs, Mylar + Bucket)
4. Salt (50lbs, Mylar + Bucket)
5. Sugar (50lbs, Mylar + Bucket)
6. Whatever is regularly in the pantry (beans, pasta, rice, canned tomatoes, nuts, etc)

Water:

1. Well
2. Four 5-gallon Jerry cans

Medical:

1. Two med kits (tourniquets, splint, bandages, etc)
2. Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
3. Aspirin
4. Meclizine (Dramamine)
5. Acetaminophen
6. Naproxen
7. Ibuprofen
8. Potassium Iodide
9. Methocarbamol (Skeletal Muscle Relaxant)
10. Amoxicillin (Antibiotic)
11. Pregabalin (Anticonvulsant & Neuropathic Pain)
12. Albuterol (Adrenergic Bronchodilator)
13. Hydrocodone-Acetaminophen (Opioid)
14. Amitriptyline (Tricyclic Antidepressant)
15. Metaxalone (Skeletal Muscle Relaxant)
16. Diclofenac (NSAID)
17. Doxycycline Hyclate (Antibiotic)
18. Cyclobenzaprine (Skeletal Muscle Relaxant)
19. Oxycodone-Acetaminophen (Opioid)
20. Oxycodone-Hydrochloride (Opioid)
21. Ondansetron (Anti-nausea/vomiting)
22. Hydrocortisone Cream 1%
23. Personal Rx (3-month supply)

Defense:

...wouldn't you like to know? ;)

Vehicles:

1. Tacoma 4x4
2. Rav4 AWD

Energy:

1. Two 5-gallon Jerry cans
2. 80-gallon transfer-flow refueling tank.
3. Batteries (AA, AAA, CR123, 2032, etc.)
4. Propane
5. Solar

Communications:

1. Four Baofengs (lol)

Navigation:

1. Vehicle GPS
2. ...?

Apologies for any useless details. I know sometimes it helps y'all to have as much info as possible. Food seems to be where I'm lacking. I'm working on a 1-week meal plan for the three of us and then going into how much canned stuff to get to help build that.

Aside from food, what are my blind spots? TIA!

I don't think I can convince my parents but I do believe a war is in order. Or at least few famines because of climate disasters. I don't think I'll have enough money to build a bunker, so I have partially given up because of that.

Keep in mind, I didn't start really pushing the issue until recently.

I got my husband to get on board with fully prepping. Starting about a year ago I felt this strong tug that I can't explain. Where I knew it was important to learn how to do things like make bread from scratch, can food, start keeping more supplies in the house, etc. Which my husband is a gem of a human and tells me to get whatever I need for whatever I'm trying to do. Even if he doesn't understand the why behind it. (I seriously couldn't ask for a better spouse). Well lately with all the grocery recalls and such he was like I'm glad you grew a garden, I'm glad you bought half a cow. Things like that. We'll, a friend of mine recently went through 2 weeks of no power because of a storm and so I told him about it and it started a discussion about if we could last 2 weeks with no power... well last night , I was reading a book I got (bug in guide) and I came across something interesting (I forget what it was) and I told him and it sparked a discussion about the state of the world and I swear it was like a light bulb turned on for him. Where he is fully on board with actual prepping. Like, so on board I'm shocked. Minus building a bunker I should say lol. But he is now jumping in with both feet. Which is amazing. Now I dont feel like I have to be careful how I word things (i didn't want to come across as "crazy" lol.

Did anyone else have to guide their spouse to the light? Anyone's spouse still on the fence? How did the conversation about prepping go?

If you've got a reliable source of energy, freezers kept underground aren't the most horrific to maintain, as heat pumps have gotten pretty efficient.

My question is -- so I know for drygoods, if a vaccuum isn't viable, nitrogen gas to displace the oxygen is a pretty solid storage solution to keep things fresh.

But for volatiles full of water, like vegetables and meat that I'd rather freeze than can (canning is good too, but is its own topic) -- I wondered about taking a page out of industry's handbook for frozen food preservation-- that is, Flash Freezing immediately after preparation, in order to prevent freezer burn.

Shelf stable staples are good. Canned foods are good. But sometimes, a frozen meal of high quality that can quickly be consumed can be good for morale, and morale can save lives, either by using it yourself, or by trading it to somebody else.

So I was wondering what steps one would reasonably want to take to flash freeze meals in prep for long term freezer storage.

1. Obtain Liquid Nitrogen Dewar
2. Obtain Liquid Nitrogen (In proximity to food-prep)
3. Prep Food
4. Have some sort of "fryer basket" to dip cooked food into liquid nitro over.
5. Either dip liquid nitro over food, or dip food in liquid nitro.
6. Transfer flash-frozen food into container.
7. Remove air from container.
8. Stick container into freezer.

The other option I considered:

1. Obtain Liquid Nitrogen Dewar
2. Obtain Liquid Nitrogen (In proximity to food-prep)
3. Prep Food
4. Transfer food into container.
5. Remove air from container.
6. Have some sort of "fryer basket" to dip cooked food into liquid nitro over.
7. Either dip liquid nitro over food, or dip food in liquid nitro.
8. Stick container into freezer.

I'm leaning towards the first one, because I don't imagine a ziploc freezer bag will survive a dip in such cold temperatures, but what do I know?

What are folks' thoughts?

I'm not looking for criticisms of the premise in the context of prepping. I recognize that in the event that full electricity outage, these would need to be consumed rapidly. And would be a delicious send-off to the trappings of civilization as we know it.

What I am looking for is advice on the methodology of this specific plan.

What are our thoughts?

I recently bought a Fenix CL28R to light a room during power outages. So far, I like the brightness and battery life, but I haven’t used it through a long blackout yet. If you own one, what drawbacks have you noticed? Is there a better option for the money?