E-Mail 'The Survivalist's Odds 'n Sods:' To A Friend

6 Comments

1. Re: Purifying Water

   I think a lot about water because we’re in such a dry area. An excellent article I just recently ran into expands on the issue with a lot of detail in a very easy to read form with links within to purifying water also. The title is “Water Purification Tablets: How Do They Work + Best Products Review.” My favorite choice in tablets would be AquaMira Chlorine Dioxide Tablets – with cold water you’ll need 4 hours for cysts, if the water is 21 degrees centigrade (68 degrees F) you’ll need 30 minutes and the shelf life is 3-4 years because each tablet is separately packaged. One tablet per quart of water.

   Also excellent is AquaTabs which is choline dioxide tablets, one tablet for 2 quarts of water but the shelf life is 1 year and it’s used by WHO, Nato and the Red Cross among others and it takes 30 minutes. Iodine tastes awful and besides pregnant women and others with thyroid issues should not be taking it.

   I’d also have my personal water filter but the above two are my down and dirty, grab your medal WWII style canteen and go too redundancy option.

   A comment about boiling water for those who think it’s next to perfect. It requires fuel which you may not have or can’t really be used because of opec. It will not remove minerals, solids, many chemicals (because of molecular weight) or metals. And the time varies with elevation just like canning food does. I’d personally rather go with clarification and purification with a .02 filter – personal or gravity – than the hassle of boiling. YMMV.

   Dirty water has to be filtered because it will negate the effectiveness of many purification systems – solar and sodis come to mind – besides the fact that it can mess up your filter medium fast.

   What do you do when all you have is muddy water? It’s not all going to be cleared by just letting it set. So, I discovered how to handle that. It was on this site several years ago but hard (for me) to understand but I’ve since discovered a YouTube video which explains how to do it. It’s called “How To Treat Silty River Water With “Alum.”

   That’s Aluminum Sulfate and it was used most prominently years ago to crisp pickles. It’s available at …nuts.com…$2.99 a pound, food grade and the cheapest price around.
   It will clarify gallons and gallons of water. You make a solution first and then use a small portion of that in your water. Directions are in the video.

   Lastly, tapping trees is interesting. I hadn’t gotten around yet getting a tapping set yet but the one linked looks great. Remember, there are 7-8 types of trees that you can tap. You have to be in an area that dips below freezing and then rises above freezing during the day to be most effective. DO NOT forget that this is fine to drink but it is essentially sugar water and has to be refrigerated to stay good. Setting the collection container in snow is good of course.

   I have lots of redundancy in water clarification and purification because it’s so dry where I am. I wouldn’t hesitate to use flood waters under certain conditions.

2. Re Venezuela

   Since 2001, Bush’s ‘War on Terror’ has cost $744 million per day. Imagine the good will the United States would gain if it took 10% of that cost and dropped $74 million of food every day on Venezuela from ‘The People of America’.

   Remember ‘Good Will’? Remember America?

   1. It would do absolutely no good, because the tyrannical socialist government would seize it.

3. I live near the retreat property mentioned. My Daughter plays Spring City in her softball league!
   This is a beautiful part of the country, the people here are warm, welcoming, and God fearing. The church is such a large part of the local communities, that my daughter’s softball team does not practice on Weds (church day!), and before each game, both teams meet at the pitcher’s mound, hold hands, and offer a prayer for a safe competition and good sportsmanship.
   It may not be the redoubt, but this is a part of America, at least what it used to be like.

4. Re: Bellows A collapsible stainless steel blow tube may not be as powerful as the battery powered bellows, but it can direct the air stream where needed without requiring the user to intake smoke, weighs less, takes up less space, and works if you do. $9.99 from Amazon, less elsewhere https://tinyurl.com/y8lpd2br

5. You have to be a little careful with it, but the shaft of a bent or otherwise damaged aluminum arrow makes an excellent blow tube for use with a small campfire. Those of us into archery may have several on hand!

Comments are closed.