Retreat Owner Profiles

…stocking powder, primers and bullets when I could just buy more cartridges. I realize everyone doesn’t think this way. Comm: Full HF setup (General class operator), can listen to virtually any freq. Duplicity in all types of comm. TA-1s and 312s Fuel and power: Off grid since late 1999. 1,680 watt solar array with 12KW diesel genset backup. 20 Trojan L16’s for my battery bank, Trace 4024 Inverter. Elevated water tank for water pressure holds 4-6 days water before it must be re-filled. Well pump can be powered from battery bank or from genset. Passive solar does most of the heating needed during winter days. Waterford stove used for supplemental wood heating. 5 cords kept on hand at all times (takes less than 1 per year to heat down here). LP provides gas for oven and water heater. Over did it on fuel storage for genset. Some may spoil by…




Home Water Storage on a Budget, by KC Seven

…system for ~only bathing and showers, could also promote Legionnaires’ disease, which obviously creates an unacceptable risk. The bacteria enters the person through the lungs in fine drops of contaminated water. Do your research first. Two links to >start: 1. Legionella (Legionnaires’ Disease and Pontiac Fever) from CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2. Wikipedia article about: Legionnaires’ disease. ********** Water systems treat water for a reason; there are more risks than just Legionnaires’ Disease. … Where I live the tap water is polluted with farm chemicals. [I use a gravity fed water filter system kept in the refrigerator.] KC Seven I used to be a radio announcer… Telesilla of Argos Water! Water! Water! Such an important topic, and an excellent article too. We have stored water in Aqua-Tainers, and those have worked really well. They’re “squared off” and so easy to tuck into corners or along a back…




A Few Thoughts on Water Storage, by N.P.

…expect that will be followed by groups of survivors banding together. I think it is vital to have water that will last until you make it through the first and most extremely violent/volatile periods of time. The safest way would be to have a sufficient volume of water stored where you will be (for many of us, likely) barricaded in our homes. Further, in prepping for other situations, such as localized problems that might include a terrorist attack, storm, power outage, or blizzard, a water supply is a good thing to have. Different Water Storage Containers Used for Water Storage I’ll just cut to the chase and say I think you need to get a large tank to store water in. I’ve seen a large variety of water storage solutions, and honestly I just don’t like most of them. A lot of the reasons I don’t like them are because…




Lessons Learned From a Decade of Food Storage, by Sandi

…am curious, what was your food storage area like? Was it a steady temperature or did it fluctuate? Any moisture problems? Thanks for sharing! JGinTex Thank you for a “real world” report on food storage. My “to do” list just got an item added to it. I hope mine fared at least as well. Nurse kim Would love more info on commercial dehydrated survival food (the stuff advertised to last 25 year’s), as I am considering making a substantial purchase soon. 1. From the article, it looks like you didn’t purchase dehydrated food storage. Or did I miss something? Anyone else able to weigh in on how well those items have lasted? 2. Has anyone done taste tests on different foods? I.e. who has the best tasting eggs? Who makes the best stroganoff? 3. Which has worked better for people: buying individual ingredients, or buying entrees? 4. I’ve noticed that…




Apartment Dweller Prepping- Part 1, by AKM295

…stacked compared to water in a milk jug-like container. The built in feature with storing water in this manner is that in the lead up to a move, they can be rotated in and used for drinking water before the move. You can keep a few on hand to stay hydrated during a crosstown move and restock as you get settled into your new place. Extra Source for Household and Sanitation Water For those with a tub in their living situation, a bathtub water container, like a Water Bob, is also a great option when you have a bit of advanced notice to your particular emergency. I have used it when the apartment I lived in had a tub. When the apartment didn’t, it packs away extremely easily, making it easy to move with. Simply fill it and use if needed. These bathtub shaped water bladders can hold a ton…




Convince Your Loved Ones To Prepare–Even When They’re Kicking and Screaming, by Patriot Chick

…important item in a survival plan. The following are methods to keep stored water safe for drinking: Chlorine bleach (make certain it contains a 5.25% solution of sodium hypochlorite without soap, additives, or phosphates). The ratio is 1/8 teaspoon of chlorine bleach for each gallon of water. 2% Tincture of Iodine requires 12 drops for each gallon of water. Warning: pregnant women, those suffering with thyroid disease, and those who have had an allergic reaction to iodine should consult a  physician before use. Once you’ve stored a few weeks worth of water, you’re work isn’t done. You must scout for a water source in your area for the time when you run out of stored water or set up a water containment system if your climate supports one. This should be done right away, before a crisis. In an emergency, even a stagnant pond can provide safe drinking water, provided…




Budget Food and Sundries Storage – Pt. 1, by Pete Thorsen

…– – combine rice with double the amount of water (example ½ cup rice and 1 cup water), boil for fifteen minutes, let stand without heat for five minutes, then eat. There is a product called Minute rice or Quick rice. This is precooked and then dehydrated rice. Just add an equal amount of boiling water to the rice, let stand for a minute and eat. Quicker and easier but this product does not store as long as regular rice but is still a viable option to keep on hand or in your bug out bag (BOB). Remember that rice can be eaten by itself (as incomplete nutrition) or countless things can be combined with it. Many people buy ‘oxygen absorber packets’ to put in their sealed LTS food to make it last even longer. Some also include water absorbing desiccant packs. Either or both of these will likely lengthen…




Surviving in an Urban Environment- Part 6, by J.M.

…nightstand or display table. It’s also possible to build a simple “library table” behind your couch with a few boards and some stain, and store items under it. Storage Locker Some apartments provide a storage locker that you can use to store boxes and other large items. Just make sure you don’t store anything too valuable in them. Also, get your supplies into your apartment as soon as possible after a disaster. Since many of them are made of simple chain-link fencing and everyone can see what you’re storing, you should consider putting weather-tight storage bins or water containers inside of big cardboard boxes and write innocuous labels on them like “clothes”, “bedding”, or “books”. Tiny Houses Since the tiny house movement has taken off, people have come up with tons of useful and unique ways to expand their storage. Just search for “tiny house storage” on the web for…




Staff Article: Rotation, Rotation, Rotation! – Effective Food Storage Strategies, by L.K.O.

…the key-holder(s) exercise restraint themselves! 🙂 7) Size: Pre-packaged foods (rather than bulk items) typically require significantly more space and have correspondingly greater impact on both your budget and the environment, due to the higher packaging to usable content ratio. Use smaller containers for actively used items in the fridge and pantry, and use larger containers for longer-term storage to optimize efficient use of space. Proper containers The impetus for this article arose recently when visiting a friend and discovering their food storage and water storage had been seriously compromised, rendering almost all of their garage-stored food and water useless, and in fact, potentially quite hazardous. It actually provided an optimum rodent sanctuary for several years! Water– hundreds of bottles for this home storage system– was stored in (mostly) plastic 1-liter soda bottles that rats had no problem gnawing through (their water problem solved), and other food stuffs (powdered milk,…




Three Letters Re: Food Storage Extremes – Avoiding the Expensive Pitfalls

…few tasty meals! And as for stocking up on bottled water, why do stocking up on bottled water and having a water purifier have to be mutually exclusive? We just added another 24 gallons of bottled water to our storage last week and have enough water on hand for two people for a month if the tap were to run dry. The one thing that John L. doesn’t mention is that water purifiers only work if you have water to purify! When my wife and I moved into our house last fall, there was a glitch in transferring the water service into our name so we were without running water for almost two days. I was very happy to have bottled water on hand! And something else I noticed was that John L.’s reference to “five-gallon pails of anything” mentions a couple things that nobody except restaurants buys in five-gallon…




Homestead Fuel Storage and Rotation, by NC Bluedog

…etc.). Our storage capacity consists of a 100 gallon “belly” tank on the generator and a 275 gallon fuel oil tank (i.e. heating oil tank) set up beside the generator shack. This leads to the problem of low use during normal times, where longevity is of concern, and problems with fuel transfer between the tanks. Diesel fuel, being lightly refined, has a relatively long storage life (5-10 years reported) if properly cared for. This includes relatively stable temperature, commercial fuel preservative/algaecide (I prefer Pri-D) and above all else keeping it dry. Again, underground storage would provide the stable temperature, but rocky soil and US EPA regulations have precluded me from doing that. Water is the big problem. Humidity condensing inside the tank collects in the bottom under the diesel fuel (oil-water layer) and provides a nice environment for oil eating micro-organisms. These little bugs make acid (anaerobic metabolism or vinegar…




Self-Storage Spaces as Caches, by Ryan in British Columbia

…tents, propane, camp stove, clothing, blankets, stabilized gas, some water, batteries, flashlights, candles, a water filter, rope, knives, chlorine powder, lighters, and a radio. I’ve also been considering whiskey for barter if space and weight don’t make it prohibitive. A Word About Water: It is difficult to cache enough water to survive for long, so keep more at home, along with a water filter. People can’t carry much water very far, so I will have a minimal amount of water in my caches. Without access to a replenishing water source [and a water filter, if needed], we will not survive for long, but we all know that already–thanks to Jim. Try to have access to a replenishing water source, or buy a hand-cranked reverse osmosis filter if on the coast, as I did. This avoids so much work if the SHTF, and you can concentrate on food, shelter and security….




The Joy of Canning, By DDR

…on storage space. There are several companies on the internet that offer reusable lids for your jars. I have used a few of these and have found them to be very effective. They’re expensive, but they will save you money in the long-run, and they would certainly be good to have on hand in the event of TEOTWAWKI or any other national shortage of supplies. (HJL Adds: You can also reuse the lids when just using the canning jar for dry storage, or short term storage in the refrigerator. We will often use a Mason jar lid attachment with our vacuum sealer for dry goods. As a result, we hardly ever throw the lids away. New flats are always used for canning, but we save the old for general use.) Water Bath Canning Kettle A water bath canner is a large, enamelware pot with a lid and an inside rack….




JWR’s View: Storage Space Planning for Your Stuff

…bear trap for a human foot. (Don’t ask me how I know that factoid.) More recently, I’ve supplemented my KeepBoxes with some similarly sturdy but much more water resistant Homz brand heavy duty brand black plastic totes with removable yellow lids. These stack particularly well, and are fairly vermin proof. They are classed as water resistant, but not waterproof. The only improvement would be if they made them in all flat olive drab. Ammo Storage space planning Nearly all of our ammo is stored in USGI mil-surp ammo cans that range from the classic “.30 Caliber” size, all the way up to the whoppin’ big 20mm Vulcan ammo can size. We use the latter mostly for storing shotgun shells and 26.5mm flares. Our current favorite ammo can is what is commonly called a “Tall .50“. I’ve found that this is one of the most versatile sizes for rifle and pistol…




What’s For Dinner?- Part 1, by J.R.

…be content to eat whatever they have. This article is not focused on correcting a person’s normalcy bias. I will, however, address the other two widely held beliefs I have observed among friends, family, and mere acquaintances and as one who taught food storage classes over the years. When it comes to food storage, I have observed that most people fall into one of two camps. The first is composed of people who store primarily the long-term basics of grains, beans, oils, salt, and sugar—a plan that resembles to varying degrees what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) has counseled their members to store. It is the most economical way to stockpile the minimum emergency storage. The second group is comprised of people who store primarily what I call the “expanded storage”. This storage provides much more variety and therefore requires more attention to record-keeping and rotation….