Lessons from Puerto Rico

I am copying this directly from "The Survival Mom" blog dated 27 Sept 2017 ( admin@thesurvivalmom.com ) , a very balanced and practical guide to realistic prepping.

I saved this as a PDF, hopefully for an easier download and save. Be wise and be prepared.
Puerto Rico... Recover?
Prayers for those impacted as well as their families, also for the leaders who have difficult decisions to make for the well-being of God's children there are always welcome, I'm sure.

Can you/I/we do more? Let me know what you think.

PRIORITY ONE: SAFE WATER

PRIORITY ONE - SAFE WATER

We are told to have at least 5 ways to start a fire in our READY KIT.
This is good advice, as fire will facilitate other important solutions, including pure water, safe-to-eat foodstuffs, comfort (both physical and psychological), and signalling, if and when appropriate.

That's great. But what if we come across water, questionable at best, and dangerous, most likely. (Treat ALL water as contaminated, regardless of how it looks, smells, and/or tastes.)

SO WHY 5 WAYS TO START FIRE, BUT ONLY ONE WAY TO PURIFY DRINKING WATER? 

I'm confused, too, so here's at least:

FIVE SOLUTIONS TO SAFE DRINKING WATER.

FRIENDS, PLEASE ... (DON'T WAIT FOR KATRINA TO HIT TO EXPERIMENT/BECOME FAMILIAR WITH ALL TECHNIQUES HERE LISTED.)

1. So, the first and probably most recognizable, is combined with the "FIRE PROTOCOL", i.e. BOILING.

• A great many resources recommend boiling for several minutes. 
• On the other hand, many experts in the field assert that once water achieves a rolling boil, it is, for all intents and purposes, free of dangerous contamination. As always, USE YOUR OWN JUDGEMENT. 

2.  Then comes MECHANICAL FILTRATION, i.e. microfiltering everything out, including cysts, bacteria, viruses and toxins. 

•  The high quality filter bottles (like the Katadyn MyBottle Purifier), capable of filtering 100 to 150 gallons are essentially ready to grab and go. They aren't CHEAP (inexpensive) but are "all in one". Replacement filters are available here lightweight and affordable, relatively speaking.

Full disclosure and personal opinion - For those just beginning to prepare for disaster, I do not personally recommend a full-blown filter unit, such as this [filter unit ] though an excellent, long-lasting filtration choice, The full filter units are as just as durable and more affordable in the long run, viewed as gallons filtered per filter.However, they are unforgiving when it comes to field maintenance, back flushing, and etc. That being said, if you have the required degree of self-discipline to perform such, they could definitely be right for you.

Be honest with yourself here - if you CAN'T or WON'T spend that time, you could put yourself and loved one's at greater risk.  

Therefore, IF you have the money, time and self-discipline to become thoroughly familiar with the use and maintenance of full scale filtration units, then by all means choose to do so. 

THE DETAILS:
The choice and use of personal filtration devices or systems, for the longest time, was a big, expensive deal. But the prices of perfectly effective filtering units have come way down. The perfect solution, which I have been  fortunate enough to, is CLEARANCE and ESTATE SALES. 

So far, I have the first 2 of these 3:

• Katydyn Micro, (now discontinued, now replaced by the Katadyn Mybottle, see above) a 1 liter, 2-stage unit that filters everything - viruses, bacteria, protozoans, & cysts. I happened upon this steal (reg. price $70) at an estate sale, in original packaging, thus never used, for $2! 

• The other, similar to the first, is good for 100 gallons before replacement of the filter is necessary (this was found in Clearance for $5!). The only difference between it and the Katydyn is the lack of a secondary, "taste" (Activated Charcoal) filter. In reality, once we reach this point in a disaster scenario, the "flavor" of the safe liquid of life is less important than its availability.
• A new player -  the Sawyer Mini Water Filter is literally blowing my mind right now. This is a true game-changer, and can easily replace the above mentioned units. It screws onto any water bottle or can be used as a straw and, with field maintenance, filters up to 100,000 gallons and retails for less than $25 !!!

          3. Finally, there's the STERIPEN PURIFICATION family. In contrast to any of the preceding, these don't filter but "corrupt/scramble" the DNA of any microorganisms present, preventing them from preceding, thereby halting the infective process before it even begins!

This is genius (I will have a separate post reviewing the STERIPEN) - it is truly amazing - Imagine being able to hike the Appalachian Trail and just drink WATER, where ever and whenever!  JUST MAKE SURE YOU DO IT RIGHT, follow the included instructions to a "T".

4. AND last, but by no means least, are the CHEMICAL DISINFECTANTS.
There are but 2 varieties of these, regardless of the names they go by. ESSENTIALLY, they are:

• CHLORINE BLEACH (unscented and NOT color-safe), which is what is in our tap water, anyway. Rather than simply copy and paste what is the most amazing set of directions, follow this link to CLOROX, and SAVE it, PRINT it, SHARE it.

• IODINE -  a little harder to find in it's basic form, but it is readily available (and safer), in kits like Potable Aqua and Aqua Mira. Available as DOSES, as in ""X" number of tablets treats "X" number of units of water." 

         When you merely look at cost per quart/liter, these kits may appear cost prohibitive at first to              some, but that is up to you and your budget/comfort level.

         USE CAUTION - Make sure you use the accurate dosage - explosive, projectile diarrhea from undertreated water is never safe, or fun.

AGAIN, FRIENDS, EXPERIMENT WITH THESE BEFORE THE EMERGENCY ARRIVES. That way, you'll be able to stock and be ready to use, your and your family's favorites.

Both of these chemical processes can leave an unfamiliar, perhaps less than desirable after taste in the now SAFE-to-drink-water. But don't worry - that actually means the processes are working!
Keep some Kool-Aid or the equivalent to cover the flavor, especially if you have hard to please children.

So, that's the BASICS OF EMERGENCY WATER PURIFICATION. Get familiar with these and use what best for you and your loved ones.

Which do you like?
Which do you want to learn more about?
Let me know in the comments below.

An Intro to Knives

“THAT’S NOT A KNIFE!” - AN INTRO TO KNIVES

In my honest opinion, an inordinate amount of attention is given to knife selection in Disaster Prep/Survival guides, especially online. Their importance can’t be dismissed, but merely having “the Perfect Blade” is not the secret to disaster survival.

How did I arrive at this point of view? Let me share my first contact with a true wilderness soul and the ‘knife lesson’ I learned that evening.

While still in high school, I worked at a major fried chicken franchise. This particular night, a young man, in his 20’s to early 30’s, the whole Grizzly Adams thing going on, came in, with his backpack in hand and ordered a small meal. (As anyone in the foodservice industry can tell you, near closing time, you get all types). After he finished, we were still without customers, and he was still hungry. We always had wings left, and as we were allowed to eat all the chicken we wanted, we decided to share some of ours, and learn more about our interesting visitor.

He was backpacking through the Gila Wilderness in Southern New Mexico and surrounding areas with only what he had on his back, literally. The movie “Rambo” had aired within the last few years, and Rambo-style “survival” knives were all the rage Here's an example. A popular style had a stainless steel blade and a hollow handle with a screw on cap welded to the shank. It held an assortment of “survival gear”, like fish hooks, monofilament line, a button compass, matches, and etc. They are cute, but honestly impractical due to construction issues. Anyway, you get the picture.

Excited to learn from a real-life, modern day mountain man, I asked him what kind of knife he carried. His answer changed my concept of wilderness survival training forever.

“If you don’t know how to survive in the wild, the kind of knife you carry won’t mean anything at all.”, he said. “Regardless of the knife you have, you’re not going to be chopping down trees or cutting firewood with it. There are some things it will be helpful for, but it will rarely mean the difference between success or failure.”

Then he pulled out his carry knife, a “150 year old [high carbon steel] folding Marlin spike". A random example High carbon steel is strong and tough, will take an edge easily and keep it. [Author’s Note: For 3 decades, I thought that the spike was a fish gaff, me being ignorant of all things boat related. I’ve only recently discovered that it is used to tie a Marlin Head Knot, essential for securing rigging on a sailboat]. “It does everything I need it to do,” he added.

The effect on me was profound. Rather than relying on “the perfect piece of equipment”, learn basic wilderness skills, using what you have available, and you’ll be better prepared for an extreme situation than someone who spends a week’s pay on something they don’t know how to use.

Now, I’m from the dab smack middle of the Midwest and I love edged steel. I carried my first pocket knife when I was ten, (a gift from my Father of one his) and have not been without one, in one form or the other, since.

After moving to the Desert Southwest at 16 years of age, I spent a month studying and comparing edged utility tools (remember this WAY pre-internet) before I finally settled on a carbon steel bolo machete, by Condor from El Salvador Here's the current model., $30 in 1982, , and I still have it. In fact, I’ve had it longer than my wife. It needs a new handle, and I lost it one winter in the back yard, and now has a heavy coating of rust. But a thorough cleaning, replacement handle, and a sharpening, and I’m ready to go.

I scour garage sales for the pocket knives many of the Collectors pass by - the older Fishing Knives, or Arkansas Toothpicks, brands like Imperial, Camillus, etc. Some examples of fish knives. They may be lacking a side cover or both (they were not secured well from the beginning) but the steel is amazing. They literally can be made surgery ready. I have one that I carry that is missing both sides, and measures less than ¼” thick, which is perfect for when you want to be discreet-ish.

There’s an old saying that “the clothes make the man”. That is up for serious debate on a different venue. BUT, in the final analysis, a knife doesn’t make a survivor, real-life wilderness skills do. Stay tuned for other, specific knife-centric discussions.

MY PERSONAL KIT

The Personal Kit should be just that, a bag or other container personalized to fit your basic needs, your strengths and weaknesses, as well as any specific needs, like medications, hydration, blood sugar control, etc.

This will be your go-to kit, the first thing you personally grab, even if you have a more thorough, extensive kit for the rest of the family. If you aren't safe, well and prepared, what good will you be to those around you?

Here's mine:

To the left is my main pack - it is a Lumbar Pack, with padded adjustable waist straps, secure side pockets for (2) 1 liter water bottles, outside mesh pocket, and additional adjustable cargo straps on the outside.



To the right are 2 additional add-ons, one containing a heavy duty plastic poncho, the other a pocket fishing kit I assembled from scratch. 

Each has a zipper top, and I have attached a small caribiner clip to each so they can be easily moved to other kits, if need be.

I will discuss the contents of each in greater detail in future posts.

But here's why these for me:
I have severe arthritis in my neck, shoulders, back, you know, the whole package. A conventional backpack would be roomier, yes, but the pain induced would be detrimental to my endurance, so I've chosen a well made and roomy lumbar pack.

So what kind would work best for you?

Coming Soon!

This blog will be designed to provide affordable, practical recommendations for preparing a Go Bag, Bug Out Bag, etc. 

Many of us are struggling to organize and collect necessary items, make sense of offerings seen all around, and strike a balance between having the necessities for life and having a overloaded donkey.

Check back soon!