PRepp'n on a dime

[David W. Harrison]

Well here it is folks, the thread I promised. =)


First water. Lot of folks like go out and but expensive water filtration stuff. You don't NEED these, but some are more compact or light weight. For water you can boil it or filter it or add chemicals to purify it. I recommend you do 2 out 3 everytime. Boiling is plenty eays and I think we all know how to do this, but please get the water to a ROLLING boil for 5 minutes, or longer. You can make a home built filter using sand, charcoal, some busckets and a few other cheap items. Check youtube for a video on this. plenty there for it. Next is chemicals. Walmart sells the little bottles of tablets. I think there are 50 tabs in each for like 3 $. or for the same 3$ you can go to the local dollar store and buy 3 gallons of NON SCENTED bleach. Couple drops of the bleach, shake and wait 30 minutes.

 

[Roninsensei]

Amen David preach on!! Finally someone said it!! You don't need all those fancy filters.. What did mankind do before filtration. lol Bleach+boil is king.

 

[old_anorak]

Exactly. I swear people are getting rich by telling those just starting to prep that they 'must' have certain things. Sometimes I think people have lost simple common sense.

 

[Roninsensei]

I don't think its sometimes, I think most time people don't have any!!! lol

 

[David W. Harrison]

Cheap food preps?

Rice and beans. You can put away a LOT of rice and dried beans for 100$. And wait for sales at grocery stores. I bought like 12 cartons of canned goods when they hit 39cents a can. Also pasta is cheap. Canned sghetti sauce too. Take some time, and a calculator and pad of paper and pencil to a store some day. Do some cost analysis and you will be surprised what you can do with just 100$ for food. It might not be gourmet, but it WILL keep you fed. Now thrick here is to also buy salt, pepper, garlic and a few other spices. I buy the 1$ jars of spices. They are cheap, but do the trick just fine. Bland food = bad. Flavorful = good!!

Also oatmeal is very cost effective. As is sugar, honey and cooking oil and flower. Take some and learn how to make some simple pan bread or biscuits from scratch. Peanut butter is also a good thing that is on the reasonable cost side.

1 Thing I do is when I get take out from a fast food joint I ask for condiments (mustard, ketchup, mayo, soy sauce etc, etc). They always give me too much. So I sue what I want, then save the rest. These are great for bug out bags, camping and lunch pails. They are also good for LTS useage. Think about it. They are sort of free condiments. Packed to stay fresh a long time, and individually packed. =) Same goes with napkins, plastic eating utinsels and such. What I don't use I keep stored. It adds up over time.

 

[rudyc]

will it be better to boil the water then add the bleach or bleach then boil?

edit: biol-boil

 

[Roninsensei]

Boil then bleach.

 

[David W. Harrison]

There is a formula for bleach to water ratio. I don't know it offhand. It is something like a capful of bleach to 1 gallon of water I think. But you can look it up easily enough if you want the info.

 

[David W. Harrison]

Next I will talk about bags as I see.

Now you can go and spend 100$ + on a fancy bag. Great if you can. But basically if all you need is something to carry your gear then think about either a school backpack or duffle/gym bag. THey may not be fancy, but can be used in a pinch if needed. I suggest you wait and find a good bag on sale somewhere or try thrift stores, garage sales or flea markets. I like a bag with an internal frame and padded waist belt. I found a nice little bag that fit this description from walmart for under 40$. I can also add a bladder to it. SO in a pinch just about any bag will do. This is something you can upgrade later too.

Hell a pillow case or sheet with stuff tossed inside and the four corners pulled together can do the job.

 

[David W. Harrison]

Next is clothing.

Lot of folks think you need fancy cammos. In MANY Cases this is exactly what you DONT want!! It will draw attention to you. People see cammo and think 'MILITARY IS HERE TO SAVE US!!'. good luck with that.
Some simple cotton clothes would be fine for most cases. But isuggest extra sets of undies and socks. 3 each plze. GOOD BOOTS. Not flip flops, sandals or even sneakers. BOOTS! there is a reason why EVERY military in the world issues BOOTS!!!
The ankle support offered by boots can mean the difference between an ankle break, and just a minor twist. Do you REALLY want to break your ankle when SHTF?
On socks I wear ONLY 80% or better merino wool. even in the summer. The wool naturally draws moisture AWAY from the skin of the foot thereby making the issue s with feet less. Happy feet = happier you. Any vet can attest to this.

Pants, cargo are fine, so are jeans. None of that so tight it looks painted on. Ladies, the SHTF. do you REALLY want to be showing off your ass to a bunch of guys when there is no law around anymore? Think about it. Baggy is ok here...a little baggy anyways.
Shirts are kinda.... weather depnedant. But a couple under shirts. and 1 longsleeve, little baggy is good. Baggy clothes make you look like you aint eaten in awhile. So people wont think you have food. Its a disguise as well as helping to conceal your handgun if needed. Think about it. You know the weather where you are. pack accordingly.

 

[Kobra]

The correct amount of bleach to use depends on the amount of water to be treated, from three to five drops for one liter of water all the way up to one to two teaspoons for 10 gallons of water.

Read more: Bleach to Water Ratio to Purify Safely | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8476645_bleach-water-ratio-purify-safely.html#ixzz2IAsXpDms​

 

[Kobra]

youtube dollar tree and even ebay are great resources, you can get great buys from ebay you just have to wait the country that owns our to ship the item to you. all our stuff is made there anyways just skip the middle man. hope i don't offend.

 

[Kobra]

Next I will talk about bags as I see.

Now you can go and spend 100$ + on a fancy bag. Great if you can. But basically if all you need is something to carry your gear then think about either a school backpack or duffle/gym bag. THey may not be fancy, but can be used in a pinch if needed. I suggest you wait and find a good bag on sale somewhere or try thrift stores, garage sales or flea markets. I like a bag with an internal frame and padded waist belt. I found a nice little bag that fit this description from walmart for under 40$. I can also add a bladder to it. SO in a pinch just about any bag will do. This is something you can upgrade later too.

Hell a pillow case or sheet with stuff tossed inside and the four corners pulled together can do the job.

I've just recently added kinda a redundancy roll, i bought a ergodyne tool roll bag and started putting repeat items in the tool roll, not heave rolls up and clicks together and has a handles. Remember 2 is 1 and one is none....if you don't understand go to the forrest and take one knife and just toss it into the middle of a lake.

 

[rudyc]

Next is clothing.


. Baggy is ok here...a little baggy anyways.
Shirts are kinda.... weather depnedant. But a couple under shirts. and 1 longsleeve, little baggy is good. Baggy clothes make you look like you aint eaten in awhile. So people wont think you have food. Its a disguise as well as helping to conceal your handgun if needed. Think about it. You know the weather where you are. pack accordingly.

plus in the cold weather, baggy clothing can be useful if you need to insulate yourself with balled up paper, leaves, etc

 

[inplainsiteprepper]

Exactly. I swear people are getting rich by telling those just starting to prep that they 'must' have certain things. Sometimes I think people have lost simple common sense.

simple and easy will always be better than complicated and expencive

 

[old_anorak]

Exactly, people have been keeping on with living for years without this falderal that moneymakers are tossing out.

 

[Warriorhealer22]

Next is clothing.

Lot of folks think you need fancy cammos. In MANY Cases this is exactly what you DONT want!! It will draw attention to you. People see cammo and think 'MILITARY IS HERE TO SAVE US!!'. good luck with that.
Some simple cotton clothes would be fine for most cases. But isuggest extra sets of undies and socks. 3 each plze. GOOD BOOTS. Not flip flops, sandals or even sneakers. BOOTS! there is a reason why EVERY military in the world issues BOOTS!!!
The ankle support offered by boots can mean the difference between an ankle break, and just a minor twist. Do you REALLY want to break your ankle when SHTF?
On socks I wear ONLY 80% or better merino wool. even in the summer. The wool naturally draws moisture AWAY from the skin of the foot thereby making the issue s with feet less. Happy feet = happier you. Any vet can attest to this.

Pants, cargo are fine, so are jeans. None of that so tight it looks painted on. Ladies, the SHTF. do you REALLY want to be showing off your ass to a bunch of guys when there is no law around anymore? Think about it. Baggy is ok here...a little baggy anyways.
Shirts are kinda.... weather depnedant. But a couple under shirts. and 1 longsleeve, little baggy is good. Baggy clothes make you look like you aint eaten in awhile. So people wont think you have food. Its a disguise as well as helping to conceal your handgun if needed. Think about it. You know the weather where you are. pack accordingly.

Camo is good to have, for the location you are in, for when its needed. but it shouldn't be the only survival clothes you have. they will have to be tough since you may be in them for some time. a sewing kit is good to have also, and learn to use it! A good wool sweater is a must have. Also a decent rain jacket can be used as a windbreaker and keep you warm

My favorite online place for deals on gear is Sportsmansguide.com

 

[Kenny Lee]

For 20 bucks I got a Frontier Pro water filter for my bug out bag. It filters up to 50 gallons and I can drink from it immediately. Although it is not cheaper than boiling water or bleach, it is also much faster in the form of a emergency bug out situation where both hydration and time is of the essence. If I am bugging out of a city or into the woods I need water asap, but for the long term these are good solutions, I approve of your message.

 

[bubbadreier]

I bought 4 of the life straws for $8.00 each. Filters up to 1000L each and filters down to 0.2 microns! Really really light as well, but I am going to check out this Frontier Pro!

 

[Clyde]

Amen David preach on!! Finally someone said it!! You don't need all those fancy filters.. What did mankind do before filtration. lol Bleach+boil is king.

Exactly. I swear people are getting rich by telling those just starting to prep that they 'must' have certain things. Sometimes I think people have lost simple common sense.

People just need to get back to the basics. the tried and true methods used by those who came long before us!

 

[Uncle Albert]

I like what you said about clothing and it made me think about how women want to flaunt it these days. The more skin showing the better. I don't stand in judgement of this but it did make me think about how lawless this country could become. Not many will still be protected under the powers of law enforcement. Physical crimes will once again reach the top of the charts. And I think that abuses against women will lead that scenario. We will go back to the days where protecting women will become a first priority and their freedoms will be diminished. Every woman I know will rebell against this. I can see this, "Look I need to get out of here and spend some time alone". I don't know, maybe I'm getting a little too far out there but my vision of the future is we're going back in time to when people lived off the land and they had only themselves for protection. When you never let anyone close to you out of your sight.

 

[Mike Quinn]

A good water filter is something I still need to find for my bob ,but there are so many to choose from

 

[old_anorak]

I tend to agree with you, Uncle Albert.

 

[Colt 1911]

A good water filter is something I still need to find for my bob ,but there are so many to choose from

katadyn http://www.amazon.com/Katadyn-80136...=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=13681276

 

[Colt 1911]

katadyn http://www.amazon.com/Katadyn-80136...=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=13681276

This is what i have and i have never been sick. It is very expensive and not very user friendly, but i have filtered some nasty water. Do your research, you want something down in the 0.2 or 0.3 microns. Like you said there is a lot to choose from. On are trips we boil water at camp for cooking and use the filter for drinking water. Also think about a life straw here is a link.

http://www.amazon.com/Vestergaard-F...F3TW4/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid

 

[Uncle Albert]

I tend to agree with you, Uncle Albert.

Thanks. I really hope it doesn't come to that though.

 

[rudyc]

A good water filter is something I still need to find for my bob ,but there are so many to choose from

what about this?

http://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-SP131-...368162058&sr=8-2&keywords=sawyer+water+filter

i havent tested it yet. i am going to in a few days. i left out a kiddy pool for a few days and looks like it is getting pretty narly looking. so i will try the katadyn filter and this filter to see which one seems to work better.

this says it has a 1 million gallon guarantee. but i am guessing that it is for clear water. such as streams, lakes, rivers....

 

[Mike Quinn]

I was in an outdoor shop yesterday looking at water filters, some of them are so expensive, think I will stick to straining it thru a sweaty sock and boiling it , but seriously no way am I paying hundreds of pounds for a water filter .

 

[Colt 1911]

what about this?

http://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-SP131-PointOne-Squeeze-Pouches/dp/B005EHPVQW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1368162058&sr=8-2&keywords=sawyer water filter

i havent tested it yet. i am going to in a few days. i left out a kiddy pool for a few days and looks like it is getting pretty narly looking. so i will try the katadyn filter and this filter to see which one seems to work better.

this says it has a 1 million gallon guarantee. but i am guessing that it is for clear water. such as streams, lakes, rivers....

Thats pretty cool, I like how it takes up no space, and only 3 oz

 

[Warriorhealer22]

for large scale filtering, you are better off building one. A small one for a bug out bag would be worth it though