What did you do today to prep?

[Oathkeeper1775]

Thinking about a Mossberg patriot, but trying to decide between .308, .300win, .338win.
.308- already a caliber I have, good for stocking ammo.
.300win & .338win I have no need for, is a scratch I'd like to itch for no logical reason. Of those two, .338 is leading, mostly because more power!

On the flip side, I could save the $$$ for later... decisions, decisions.

The older gents at the range point to a .300 WM for more power at longer ranges...

Edit; charts

 

[Pete F]

When Bimart had a sale on Winchester XPR rifles, I had a choice of 300 WM, 30-06 and .270. I wanted something with a little more range than my .308's, so I chose the .270 - surprised? It has good range and power with the 130 grain bullet. I had wanted one since I shot my friends gun. Light recoil and great hunting rifle for NA game and ammo is reasonable. Total price after $100 rebate - $258. I should be able to do some long range reloads with some of the new bullets out there. Of course if there had been a .338 win, it may have been a different story even though they kick like a mule and ammo is expensive, as much or more than my .375 Winchester ammo when I can find it.

 

[fredball]

I just ordered 1ooo rds of federal 55gr 249.00 after mail in rebate free shipping
Palmetto has it

 

[The Heretic]

 

[Mark W.]

My son went in the Navy. That next summer I turned his bedroom into a tiny spare bedroom and a Library for the wife. She has her books and sewing/cross stich stuff in there. She loves it.

 

[Burt Gummer]

Installed a couple of very simple internal audio/vid cameras in the house. They run on an 8-hour continuous loop (there are motion only models also).

Rarely does even the best security cameras help you when you are gone - on the outside of your home. Perps see the cams, wear hoodies, hide their faces, kick your door in ... and then! That is when they chat it up, use their names, show their faces, etc -when they are INSIDE your home.

Used to own a small security firm, learned this trick. For $26 and just the effort of plugging the thing in, it is a no brainer. Damn good and cheap surveillance.

<broken link removed>

 

[HB of CJ]

Objective ... Experienced ... Point Of View ...

Some more Sterno or canned heat for the various and large/small BOB. Hot food is important in the cold wet wintertime. Seemed we used up a sizable percentage of the old stuff.

Also some more cheap very thin stainless steel camping cups and sauce pans. The old very cheap very thin camping cookware quickly wear out from rare use. Leak from the heat.

All it takes is ONE TIME to boil something dry. Then the cup cracks. Cheap. Junk. Did I mention garbage? Experience learned the easy way because we were just testing. Paranoid.

We would be in the market for some thicker more durable stainless steel camp cook ware. Something that does not leak from just cooking/boiling up hot meals in the winter time.

Any specific suggestions? AT this point we have found out through hard experience that that cheapo W/W camp ware does not last worth a shiet. Junk. We would be willing to pay more.

 

[Camelfilter]

Objective ... Experienced ... Point Of View ...

Some more Sterno or canned heat for the various and large/small BOB. Hot food is important in the cold wet wintertime. Seemed we used up a sizable percentage of the old stuff.

Also some more cheap very thin stainless steel camping cups and sauce pans. The old very cheap very thin camping cookware quickly wear out from rare use. Leak from the heat.

All it takes is ONE TIME to boil something dry. Then the cup cracks. Cheap. Junk. Did I mention garbage? Experience learned the easy way because we were just testing. Paranoid.

We would be in the market for some thicker more durable stainless steel camp cook ware. Something that does not leak from just cooking/boiling up hot meals in the winter time.

Any specific suggestions? AT this point we have found out through hard experience that that cheapo W/W camp ware does not last worth a shiet. Junk. We would be willing to pay more.

Used to be Walmart small oil pot was the ultralight hiker standby kit. I honestly forgot which one. Sorry!

However, if u find which one, or the suitable similar one today, remember you can also fashion up a simple insulator for it. Use reflectex bubble wrap style insulation & aluminum ducting/insulation tape.

Used to make insulated "coozies" for almost all of our camp kitchen stuff out of it. Some has lasted litterally years worth of daily use (see gladware coozie idea bellow...).

Second to putting the pot directly into a "coozie" (doing so is really hard on them), can't simmer etc. Make "coozies" for plastic gladware type bowls. Super super handy for the "just ad hot water" type meal prep.

The left over reflectex insulation is handy for all manor of every day insulation around the house as well. Particularly shoring up window AC units etc.

Today, our camp pots are about all titanium ones, various. Not worthwhile if bought new fir just random use or "putting up", but if you can pick them up used- very worthwhile.

 

[Oathkeeper1775]

Dry weather-low fire danger = forestry operations; aka killing Maple trees and clearing Fields of Fire...

 

[Texas-1836]

I went to the Puyallup gun show, and while I didn't get anything of note to prep, the wife and I got a few more hours of listening time in on a book series that I VERY highly recommend....

View attachment 406666
We are on book 2.."One Year After" and book 3 "The Final Day", is on deck.
Extremely good reads(or listen if you go the Audible route like us)..
Gives valuable insight into what can/will happen if we are struck by EMP's or otherwise loose power for an extended period of time.
We've been making excuses to take extended drives so we can have a good long listen.

This book series is why there are now firearms in my house.
Two years ago there was only a WWII P-38 in the safe.
Then the wife read "One Second After"
Now the house defense and food stuffs are taken care of.
In fact, I can pretty much justify any ammo or firearm purchase.

 

[mtm68]

Picked up a case of protein pucks (myproteinpuck.com) that are paleo friendl; no sugar added unlike most commercial protein bars. Made in Spokane.

 

[WillametteWill]

I travel...a lot. This isn't as much about "today" as my movement toward self reliance while on the road. Have family in Cali where I work quite a bit (and bring all the money up north!) so I now have a GHB for my vehicle, at least to get me back home to family. On my longer trips to areas without support, it's more difficult but now almost always accompanied by firearms, knife and some very basic supplies that TSA allows. I definitely have a different perspective about being stranded somewhere and try to improve my odds as much as possible. Hopefully more to follow on this topic.

 

[HB of CJ]

Earthquake Planning ... Aftermath ...

We are continuously rethinking the scenario after the big Cascadian, (sp?) Earthquake. SW OR USA. About 42N, 123W. Wood framed 2 story structure build in 1979. Well built. Got through the 26" of wet snow without a grown. No damage. How well will out home get through all the shaking?

How well will it get through the aftermath post earthquake environment? Resulting fires? Wildfires? Neighborhood fires spreading? Earthquake damage? Will we be able to stay or will we have to eventually or immediately get out of the house? All unknown questions. Planning?

Stay or leave. Makes a big difference in planning and logistics. Even the local you-rent-your-space storage facilities are now suspect. Wood frame construction. They might burn up. Then what if all our survival goodies go up in smoke? Or the facility becomes non accessible?

Summertime uncontrolled and uncontrollable forest wildfires come to mind. Wintertime house fires slowly spreading home to home consuming entire city blocks. Post earthquake. Zero infrastructure working yet. Complete and total temporary anarchy. All possible weather conditions.

How do we stash and secure our stuff? Right now the big multiple vehicle bug out bags are inside the baby SUV cars. Not very secure. Car break ins or thefts come to mind. Then what do we do? Has anybody come up with a physical possession SHTF goodies security plan that works?

Right now we are thinking a small one axle two wheeled towing trailer for use behind the Suzuki Suicide baby jeep. It will have to be a small trailer. We have noted that from time to time U-Haul sells their surplus dinky tiny pull trailers. Perhaps one could be bought cheap and used?

Dunno. Any ideas anybody?

 

[Camelfilter]

Earthquake Planning ... Aftermath ...

We are continuously rethinking the scenario after the big Cascadian, (sp?) Earthquake. SW OR USA. About 42N, 123W. Wood framed 2 story structure build in 1979. Well built. Got through the 26" of wet snow without a grown. No damage. How well will out home get through all the shaking?

How well will it get through the aftermath post earthquake environment? Resulting fires? Wildfires? Neighborhood fires spreading? Earthquake damage? Will we be able to stay or will we have to eventually or immediately get out of the house? All unknown questions. Planning?

Stay or leave. Makes a big difference in planning and logistics. Even the local you-rent-your-space storage facilities are now suspect. Wood frame construction. They might burn up. Then what if all our survival goodies go up in smoke? Or the facility becomes non accessible?

Summertime uncontrolled and uncontrollable forest wildfires come to mind. Wintertime house fires slowly spreading home to home consuming entire city blocks. Post earthquake. Zero infrastructure working yet. Complete and total temporary anarchy. All possible weather conditions.

How do we stash and secure our stuff? Right now the big multiple vehicle bug out bags are inside the baby SUV cars. Not very secure. Car break ins or thefts come to mind. Then what do we do? Has anybody come up with a physical possession SHTF goodies security plan that works?

Right now we are thinking a small one axle two wheeled towing trailer for use behind the Suzuki Suicide baby jeep. It will have to be a small trailer. We have noted that from time to time U-Haul sells their surplus dinky tiny pull trailers. Perhaps one could be bought cheap and used?

Dunno. Any ideas anybody?

? Used surplus military Jeep sized trailer, if the Suzuki can tow one. Can be configured a bunch of different ways, including putting a hard top on the stowage area (moderately secure storage), with tie down options on top of that. Etc.

Upside-full size wheels. Can even go as far as axle swapping (if need be) to match the tow rigs wheels/lug pattern. Gives swappable spares.

 

[GOG]

There's lots to think about HB of CJ. I'm just up the road a ways from you and face the same scenarios that you do.
I did buy earthquake insurance last year, but like everything else in life, it's a crapshoot.

This place is intended to be my last home and retreat so if I have to leave it will not be good. The bugout stuff is ready to go, but "camping" will be my last choice.

As far as what I'm doing today to prep is I'm sharpening every knife I can find around the place. Yesterday I loaded mags. Does toting in firewood count?

 

[Oathkeeper1775]

Winter approaches; have to keep the driveway open for family, deliveries, and First Responders..

Bought some metal and supplies to extend my 4 foot UTV snow blade into a 5 foot snow blade, and add a 3" rubber strip on the bottom (repurposed conveyor belt).

Bought a spare 13 pound spool of gasless wire.

 

[Angie]

This book series is why there are now firearms in my house.
Two years ago there was only a WWII P-38 in the safe.
Then the wife read "One Second After"
Now the house defense and food stuffs are taken care of.
In fact, I can pretty much justify any ammo or firearm purchase.

This was a turning point for us also. Thankfully, my husband and son read it also.

 

[Pete F]

Ordered a couple of LifeStraws and extra AR magazines from Cheaper than Dirt. I have been wanting the LifeStraws for a while for our car emergency bags. Both are on sale and free shipping over $50.

 

[CountryGent]

Ordered a couple of LifeStraws

We've got those stashed too (e.g., in both vehicles, in the BoBs, etc.). Our primary water filtration system is a Big Berkey, but I figure the portable units can't hurt.

 

[Caveman Jim]

You can also get gallon cans of alcohol at the hardware store. I am not sure if it is cheaper than Walmart's isopropyl, but you can buy denatured alcohol which is mostly ethanol with methanol added to make it poisonous. All alcohols are not the same and each has qualities that make them suitable for different applications.

HEET is some of the purest alcohol there is (about 99%). I use it with lanolin to make my case lube.