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Lightweight Prepping
Lightweight Prepping
A Bit of Gentle Prepping
© Northern Raider 2012
Let’s face it more people are “just a bit†concerned about getting snowed in, having a nasty power cut, food running out because of a strike etc than they are about getting hit on the head by a falling stone Mayan calendar in 2012.
Many ordinary people are astute enough to realise just how vulnerable our social infrastructure is with its global logistics systems, extensive long distance supply network lack of investment or maintenance to its infrastructure. These folks will be willing to put a modest amount of effort into ensuring they can still function during these short term problems.
Some folks don’t want to become full blown preppers they just want to make some sensible precautions towards protecting their families in a crisis., This brief article I hope will help address some of the logistical issues.
What should the prepper lite family keep at home? I suggest
Food
2 weeks worth, including enough bread, butter cereals, milk and other normal everyday grocery supplies. Bread, butter and milk can all be frozen so 2 weeks supply is easily catered for, The rest should be made up from dried and canned goods, fresh food etc. Obviously if a power cut or blackout is the cause you eat all the fresh and fridge grub first. Providing you keep the door shut on the freezer the stuff inside should not begin to thaw for 24 hours. 500 tea bags or 2 large jars of coffee, sugar and instant or long life milk are highly recommended.
(Note if its winter and the power goes off it may be simpler to move the freezer stuff outdoors into the unheated shed or garage)
Water
A few gallons stashed away can make like much more bearable if the power or water supply goes off, it’s amazing what a cup of tea or coffee can do to alleviate stress in a blizzard or blackout, obviously the more water stored the better. Camping water containers that can be five or ten gallon sizes are only a few pounds each to buy.
A packet or two of water purification tables again is only a few pounds. A decent gravity fed water filter is possibly a luxury but could be a life saver, not cheap but a huge improvement on getting dysentery or typhoid.
Heat and Light
Candles are cheap and plentiful and useful in a power cut BUT should always be used inside CANDLE LANTERNS because of the stupidity of some tragic people who consistently manage to burn down their homes when badly sited candles fall or get knocked over.
Portable self contained cassette camping cookers can now be bought for under £20 pounds and a five pack of gas canisters fore under £10, this device can provide essential heating and cooking facilities in a storm, blizzard or power cut. ONLY USE IN WELL VENTILATED ROOMS WITH AN OPEN WINDOW. Don’t forget to pick up a few cheap BIC lighters and a kitchen sized box of matches.
Many families are now grasping just how expensive and vulnerable our energy systems have become in recent years and have taken the opportunity to rip out the old gas fire and to replace it with a modern wood / coal/ pellet burning stove. It could be something you may wish to consider because of its prepper value as a self contained independent heating system?
Torches and Batteries, Light sticks
Modern LED flashlights are a boon to campers, uniformed services, tradesmen and home owners, they are cheap, reliable, good on battery consumption and very durable, ideally each member of the household should have one, plus a few spares for covered the front door and the other the fuse box cupboard. LED Lanterns are gaining in popularity as an alternative to candles.
Chemical light sticks are safe, non toxic, non heat producing instant sources of safe useful light that can work for up to 12 hours once activated. A box of ten will never go amiss.
Communications
You definitely need a decent battery powered or solar and battery powered radio that covers as many frequency bands as possible to find out what goes on in the world at large, don’t forget spare batteries. Ideally the radio will consume the same size and type of batteries your flashlights use. Don’t waste your money on cheapo batteries from the pound shop get some decent quality batteries with a very long shelf life.
Some modern folks with PCs, Lap Tops, Note Pads, Cell phones and other internet connected devices are buying small self contained solar panel recharging kits to ensure if the power goes off they stay connected to the interwebnet thingy.
Don’t forget the list of essential phone numbers, Cops, Doctor, AA, Council offices, School, Work, Emergency Plumber and Electrician etc.
Sanitation and Hygiene
Clean dry towels, pack of 5 bars of soap, two bottles of hand cleaner, a bottle Dettox or Dettol, a bottle of surface cleaner, a gallon of bleach, 12 pack of loo roll, 12 pack kitchen roll, large roll of freezer bags, large roll of nappy bags, roll of HD bin bags.
Shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, feminine hygiene products, washing up liquid.
Sterile wipes and baby wipes all to make life bearable and tolerable in a crisis.
Don’t forget toothbrushes and floss!
You may want to push the budget out for a camping toilet and chemicals? Failing that if the water does go off for any length of time you will need a bucket , water proof bags, a large back of sawdust, some cheap disinfectant ( perfumed) and a shove to dispose of human waste. (Ideally female hygiene products should be burnt outdoors rather than buried)
Rest and Comfort
You will need clean warm clothes probably of the type popular with campers, hikers, travellers etc, and enough clean smalls, socks and undies to last 2 weeks. Don’t forget decent quality hiking or approach shoes for everyone and a set of water-proofs if you face the possibility of having to venture out in bad weather.
Consider a severe weather event like the winter of 2010 / 11 would you be wise in investing in quality sleeping bags for each member of the family?
You should have a decent shovel and yard brush, possibly a large bag of rock salt to help get around the outside of your house
Transport
Your vehicle can be your life saver if properly used and equipped or it can be your tomb, the choice lies solely with you.
If you venture out in winter without the essentials for yourself and your car then you deserve everything you get.
The car should be clean, it should have a full screen washer bottle with a 50/50 mix of water and screen cleaner in it. The tyres should be the correct pressure and if you live in the very north of the UK you really should have a set of chains or winter tyres.
Make sure the engine coolant / anti freeze is kept topped up when the car in serviced. Make sure the wiper blades will work in filthy weather and heavy snow.
Keep a folding shovel, bag of salt, can of de-icer, warning triangle, red chemical light sticks and preferable a sleeping bag or warm blanket in the boot.
You should have a warm fleece and water proof in the car, some sensible walking footwear, preferable a flashlight and charged up cell-phone, and a decent road atlas to plot alternative routes with. Many switched on folks also take a hot flask of their favourite beverage with them just in case.
None of the above is life changing expensive but it could be life saving useful?
How the F*** did I of all people manage to forget FIRE EXTINGUISHERS after last Septembers bloody fiasco in my living room?
Sheesh I'm definately going senile.
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