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| From Guam Prepper Network |
Hope everyone has a safe and joyous holiday. Merry Christmas and Happy New year!
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Another new series to the blog, book reviews. This first book, I hope to be the first of many, in my library.
I am not a professional journalist or critic, and I am definitely not the best at putting my thoughts into words. At best, I can let you know if I enjoyed the book and if I would recommend it. I will not try to analyze the writers stlye or pretend to have any literary knowledge.
Patriots was a good experience for me. The story was interesting because of how closely it relates to what is happening in the world right now. I found myself searching for my notebook and pen many times, because there is so much good information woven into the story.
If you are completely new to prepping, this book will provide a lot of good info for you to start thinking about your preps. If you're not new, then it could have you thinking about your setups and maybe improve them. If nothing else it'll provide a few hours of good reading.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Hey guys, I wanted to start a new series where I introduce a tip on anything related to survial or preparedness. This week's tip is nothing fancy, and a lot of you might already know of it. It's one of those things that give you a "palm-to-the face" moment, because it's just so simple, you wonder why you never thought of it before. Flat rolling - I'm not sure if it is called something else, but I call it flat rolling. What it is, is taking a roll of duct, gorilla or what ever kind of tape that you have and transfering it, to make it smaller and more compact and easier to store.
Items needed:
Tape
Congratulations, you now have a smaller and more compact roll of tape. What prep will you add with all that extra room you have now?
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
In an earlier post I mentioned an Every Day Carry Bag (EDC), and you may have already heard of the Bug Out Bag (BOB) , Go Bag, Get Out Of Dodge Bag (GOOD), or the Get Home Bag (GHB). There are many great resources that explain the BOB or GOOD bags in great detail. You can even find examples of bags and their contents. These bags are for situations in which you are forced from your home and have to leave in a hurry. My theory behind an EDC/GHB is similar to a bug out bag, except that its purpose is to get you to your family and where your Go Bag is or home to your long term preps. My bag is also and everyday carry bag, meaning I always carry it with me, every where I go. If not with me it'll be in my vehicle that I'm using at the time, never more than a couple of minutes away.
There are many "kits" or bags that are sold already assembled for you. These would be a great start, but I would suggest building your own bag with gear that you know and trust. Won't do you any good to start learning how to use something when you need it, or have a piece of gear break down on you because of poor quality. I suggest starting with a good quality bag. For good, quality bags that will take a beating a surplus military ruck or military style packs such as Camelbak, or Maxpedition would be a great pack. But for those that don't want to stand out and blend in there are also packs out there designed for hiking and camping that are of good quality, suck as Kelty, Oakley, or JanSport.
The contents of your bag depends on you and your situation. I don't have to pack for cold weather here on a tropical island, but I better have some rain gear, bug repellent and sunscreen handy. Keeping in mind that this bag is designed to get you home, it should contain just the right amount of essentials to do just that. Depending on how far you often travel everyday from home is what you should be planning for. If you had to walk on foot from where you work, how far and how long would it take you? Using this distance as a guide will give you a good idea on how much food and water you will need. What routes will you use to get home? If things are bag, you'd probably would want to stay away from main roads. Will you encounter any bodies of water? If you do, think about waterproofing your gear. A good cheap way is to stick everything that can't get wet into ziplock bags or if you can afford it a good dry bag, such as SealLine. Ultimately the contents of your bag will be determined by weight, size of the gear, price, and priority.
Weight - If you don't mind humping around a 80lb. bag be my guest, but your bag should allow you to move quickly, and over great distances comfortably. You'll also be carrying this every day, if it's too heavy you just might "forget" it at the house a lot of the time.
Size of the items - If you have a piece of gear that is shaped weird and is hard to pack in your bag without it taking up too much room, it better be worth the wasted space.
Price - You get what you pay for. It's better for it to hurt the first time you buy a piece of gear, than for it to hurt you when it fails and again when you have to purchase a better one. If this is not a problem for you, then I want you to know that I accept donations.
Priority - Your gear can be separated into three piles: Essential gear you can't do without, gear you think you need, and stuff you'd like to have. Be truthful with yourself when you do this, it might save you from a back or shoulder ache and a few blisters later. Basically all the gear you really need would be in the first essential pile. Everything else would be just added weight.
So, if you can afford it, don't mind carrying it, can fit in your bag and will help get you back home, then its a winner. The gear that you eventually choose to pack in your bag will fall into one of several basic categories: food, water, health, shelter/clothing, and tools. When choosing and packing gear remember a common saying, "One is none, two is one". Due to Murphy's Law your gear will either fail, get lost, or will be destroyed. So plan in some redundancies or back-ups, it might save your life.
The bag I chose had to be black and non-tactical looking. For everyday carry it could blend in and if SHTF, I hopefully wouldn't draw any attention or worse become a target. It had to be of good quality and rugged, to stand up to everyday use and field use if necessary. Medium sized, with ample compartments for storage and organization. Large enough to carry everything essential, but not too big to move quickly and comfortably. Fortunately I had a Jansport bag that I bought before, that fit all my criteria.
This is an example of my EDC, which I try to add to whenever I can. I just bought a little bottle of alcohol that I added to my little first aid kit. I think a 99 cent prep is better than no prep at all. Let me know what you think, I welcome any input. I'd love to hear and see what you carry. Take Care. "Prepare. Survive. Live."
Monday, December 5, 2011
First off let me apologize to those who read the blog, if any, for not posting on a regular basis. I'm in the process of moving into the new house and don't have a dedicated internet connection at the moment. So for right now my smart phone is what I have to work with.
Fortunately Black Friday has come and gone for us on Guam without any incidents to report about. But for those in the mainland it was a different story. This article in the PDN gives examples of what people looking for bargains can do to eachother. One story received more attention then most, even though it wasn't the worst of them. A lady in a LA Wal-Mart apparently pepper sprayed other shoppers to get an advantage over other shoppers. The stories that got my attention were those of shoppers getting robbed at gun point and even shot for their purchases in the parking lot.
A search on Google for "Black Friday Mayhem" will give you millions of examples of what people have done just to shop for items on sale. Just imagine when SHTF and simple items such as food and toilet paper start becoming scarce, what your average citizen will do to get it. Now keep that in mind and think about your current situation. Right now, if SHTF are you prepared? Or would you have to go out and risk meeting these people? A think even further down the road, when stores have been long out of supplies and people are starving. Is your home safe and secure? Do you have means of protecting you and your family? I'm not trying to scare anyone, that is not my goal. My goal is to get anyone I can reach to into a preparedness mindset, even if it's just one person. So use Black Friday as a wake up call or a reminder of how bad things will get when the Shit Hits The Fan. Take care everyone. Prepare. Survive. Live.
Fortunately Black Friday has come and gone for us on Guam without any incidents to report about. But for those in the mainland it was a different story. This article in the PDN gives examples of what people looking for bargains can do to eachother. One story received more attention then most, even though it wasn't the worst of them. A lady in a LA Wal-Mart apparently pepper sprayed other shoppers to get an advantage over other shoppers. The stories that got my attention were those of shoppers getting robbed at gun point and even shot for their purchases in the parking lot.
A search on Google for "Black Friday Mayhem" will give you millions of examples of what people have done just to shop for items on sale. Just imagine when SHTF and simple items such as food and toilet paper start becoming scarce, what your average citizen will do to get it. Now keep that in mind and think about your current situation. Right now, if SHTF are you prepared? Or would you have to go out and risk meeting these people? A think even further down the road, when stores have been long out of supplies and people are starving. Is your home safe and secure? Do you have means of protecting you and your family? I'm not trying to scare anyone, that is not my goal. My goal is to get anyone I can reach to into a preparedness mindset, even if it's just one person. So use Black Friday as a wake up call or a reminder of how bad things will get when the Shit Hits The Fan. Take care everyone. Prepare. Survive. Live.
Monday, November 28, 2011
I am constantly thinking about ways that I can make my house harder to get into. I've joked about getting a moat installed around my house, and if money wasn't a problem, I would seriously look into it. Unfortunately money is a problem, so I have to find ways to make my house more secure that are affordable. I wanted to share a few things that I've done that are cheap and easy to do. Keep in mind that i'm not a handy man either, so if I can do it anyone can.
Visibility: If you can see inside your house, that means criminals can too. So they can easily spot something they want just by strolling by. An easy way of fixing this would be by putting up some curtains. Not only does it block visibility, it also blocks out heat and sunlight, which will help save you money on power. Another option is tinting your windows, but costs a bit more. Don't leave valuables outside. If you have hedges or bushes, trim them to cut down on hiding places.
Locks: They won't help if you don't actually use them. I know a guy that complains about getting his stuff stolen, but he also leaves his stuff laying around and his car unlocked with the windows down. For your doors you can install a tougher deadbolt, and one that you can rekey. You will also want to strengthen the doorjamb, because its the jamb that fails when the door is kicked in. You can purchase these kick plates that have 3 inch screws instead of a 3/4 inch screw. Here is an example of a larger plate with the longer screws.
You can add some security to your windows too. The most common one is placing a wooden or metal bar in the inner window sliding track. This is effective, but does not secure the outer window. To address this you can drill through both the inner and outer window and place a nail or screw through them. If you want a more polished look your can purchase a patio door pin at your local hardware store. Here is an example of a few i've installed.
Another measure to add to your window is to place some screws on the upper tracks of both windows. These prevent the windows from being pried up and out.
Some additional tips that will make your house a harder target:
-Motion sensored lights.
-Dogs. It does not have to be a large breed, but a large breed will not only be a good deterent, but will be also protect your family if it needed to. Most criminals are deterred just by the sound a dog present.
-Timers. Timers for lights are a great way to prevent your house from appearing empty. You also also put tv's and radios on timers, to give the allusion of activity.
Guam Prepper Network Videos
If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share, they would be greatly appreciated. Take care everyone. Prepare. Survive. Live.
Visibility: If you can see inside your house, that means criminals can too. So they can easily spot something they want just by strolling by. An easy way of fixing this would be by putting up some curtains. Not only does it block visibility, it also blocks out heat and sunlight, which will help save you money on power. Another option is tinting your windows, but costs a bit more. Don't leave valuables outside. If you have hedges or bushes, trim them to cut down on hiding places.
Locks: They won't help if you don't actually use them. I know a guy that complains about getting his stuff stolen, but he also leaves his stuff laying around and his car unlocked with the windows down. For your doors you can install a tougher deadbolt, and one that you can rekey. You will also want to strengthen the doorjamb, because its the jamb that fails when the door is kicked in. You can purchase these kick plates that have 3 inch screws instead of a 3/4 inch screw. Here is an example of a larger plate with the longer screws.
You can add some security to your windows too. The most common one is placing a wooden or metal bar in the inner window sliding track. This is effective, but does not secure the outer window. To address this you can drill through both the inner and outer window and place a nail or screw through them. If you want a more polished look your can purchase a patio door pin at your local hardware store. Here is an example of a few i've installed.
Another measure to add to your window is to place some screws on the upper tracks of both windows. These prevent the windows from being pried up and out.
Some additional tips that will make your house a harder target:
-Motion sensored lights.
-Dogs. It does not have to be a large breed, but a large breed will not only be a good deterent, but will be also protect your family if it needed to. Most criminals are deterred just by the sound a dog present.
-Timers. Timers for lights are a great way to prevent your house from appearing empty. You also also put tv's and radios on timers, to give the allusion of activity.
Guam Prepper Network Videos
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| From Guam Prepper Network |
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| From Guam Prepper Network |
If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share, they would be greatly appreciated. Take care everyone. Prepare. Survive. Live.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
I recently came across a video about preppers on youtube. A lot of people disagree on how the people in it were potrayed. They feel like they made them look like paranoid, extremist hoarders. Putting aside how it was edited and what they were made to look like. I felt it was a good look at how others are doing in their journey to become prepared. It also made me aware of just how far behind I am in my own preparedness. I know that I'll never have an underground bunker, but i'll strive to have enough food, water and the means to protect my family.
National Geographic: Doomsday Preppers
National Geographic: Doomsday Preppers
Thursday, November 3, 2011
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