Study up, the time to strengthen your skills is now. You'll be hard pressed to prepare while under duress. How fast can you execute your home evacuation plans? Where will you go? Can you treat traumatic injuries without looking at a book? Study up white man, we will need you. Your family will certainly need you
Off The Grid
Study up, the time to strengthen your skills is now. You'll be hard pressed to prepare while under duress. How fast can you execute your home evacuation plans? Where will you go? Can you treat traumatic injuries without looking at a book? Study up white man…
What about hardening your home? Fences don’t keep people out but they sure let you know when someone is willing to disregard a warning sign.
My house is insulated concrete forms and effectively bullet proof except for the windows. If shtf I’ll probably black out the windows on the front of the house so passers by don’t see lights after dark.
How can you defend your property? Once upon a time 15 years ago when I was married to a school teacher and lived in the city , she heard a pop out side while I was showering. 60 seconds later I was wet and naked holding a pistol on a 17 year old who thought it would be cute to decorate the front of our house with balloons for his teachers birthday. I slipped out the back of the house and flanked him.
What’s your plan? For example could you quickly get under your front porch and use it as a shooting position? What. About concrete planters outside that would be bullet proof?
My house is insulated concrete forms and effectively bullet proof except for the windows. If shtf I’ll probably black out the windows on the front of the house so passers by don’t see lights after dark.
How can you defend your property? Once upon a time 15 years ago when I was married to a school teacher and lived in the city , she heard a pop out side while I was showering. 60 seconds later I was wet and naked holding a pistol on a 17 year old who thought it would be cute to decorate the front of our house with balloons for his teachers birthday. I slipped out the back of the house and flanked him.
What’s your plan? For example could you quickly get under your front porch and use it as a shooting position? What. About concrete planters outside that would be bullet proof?
Forwarded from Between the Lines of Grift
some notes on defensive constructions
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Frostproof IBC container valve. A rather long drawn out video, but good idea. Basically you install a pass thru pipe thru the ball valve on the bottom. The passed thru pipe has a valve up inside the center of the IBC that is opened by a pull string. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2gHBx3pdIw
YouTube
Freeze resistant water tank for under $100 reduces daily water work load by 70%.
How to build a freeze resistant water tank that doesn't require power, operates in zero degree weather and costs under $100 in materials.
Skip to the material list: 2:55
Skip to the start of the build: 6:44
It can be adapted for any variety of animals with…
Skip to the material list: 2:55
Skip to the start of the build: 6:44
It can be adapted for any variety of animals with…
IBC water containers come in two varieties. The Euro S60x6 connector and the camlock variety. Google can help your find the 2" camlock connector / adapter "2" Female Part C Camlock 1" Hose Barb" .
If using IBC containers outdoors, be sure to cover or paint to reduce sunlight ingress. The water in these will grow algae like crazy. These also make good hot water storage mass in a green house. Try to find IBCs that contained food products such as brine or other food products. Avoid buying containers that had chemicals of unknown substances inside. Remember you will store water in these and the water will leach and residual chemicals.
Moderation in everything. Many getting started prepping tend to focus on guns. Balance folks. You need water, you need food, you may need to grow food which may include gardening and livestock. You need shelter. You will need heat. You will want electricity. You will need to defend your family and your resources.
I spoke to a friend in another city the other day. His idea of prepping is a few cases of water and some non-perishable food. A friend in Germany told me she advised her sister to stock up and the sister said "why, there's an Aldi store 50meters away".
So here's your quiz for the day....
Can you get water if the grid is down? Sure city water will stay on a few days until the tank on the hill is empty. If on a well, do you have a spare electric pump and switch? Do you have a way to get water out with no power at all? A well bucket is cheap and easy. SimplePump makes a nice hand pump.
How are your stores of food? Can you cook in grid down? Mac and cheese isn't doing you any good if you can't boil water. For the long haul do you have food with the nutrition your need? MREs for example will make you constipated and are high in energy but not good for long term nutrition.
Have you actually grown a garden? Don't count on the soil growing a good crop. Your first garden will fail. Don't wait until you need food to learn. Do you have shovels, rakes, gardening tools? Are the handles in good shape?
Do you have chickens, rabbits, goats? Cattle? Do you have the equipment to butcher these animals? How will you feed them when commercial pelletized food isn't available?
Most folks already have a house, so shelter is covered. If your plan is to bug out do you have shelter for your journey? Is your house visible for a road? Will it attract marauders?
Do you have a way to make it warm if the grid is down? What about the long run? Kerosene will eventually be unavailable. Do you have bar oil for your chainsaw? two stroke oil? An extra chain? Electric chainsaws are quite good these days. 80v Kobalt battery chainsaw is quite good and can run on "sunshine".
Do you have a way to make electricity? electricity holds the power to heat, cook food and provide water. Can you make electricity if the grid is down? What about the long haul? Eventually a gas powered generator will run out. Propane will be nearly impossible to get because it has to be pressurized to move. Natural gas will eventually run out if you are a city dweller.
Are you prepared to defend your family and resources? Desperate people do desperate things. If there are only two of you, 24hour watches are not practical. Do you have a dog? Small dogs are pointless, but medium sized breeds are great watch dogs and don't eat as much as larger breeds. Ideally a dog will wake you when something is amiss. Do all members of your party or family know how to shoot? Does your wife know where the safety is on the pistol?
It's not all about guns and macho bravado folks. Sure they have their place like any other tool. Just keep it in perspective.
I spoke to a friend in another city the other day. His idea of prepping is a few cases of water and some non-perishable food. A friend in Germany told me she advised her sister to stock up and the sister said "why, there's an Aldi store 50meters away".
So here's your quiz for the day....
Can you get water if the grid is down? Sure city water will stay on a few days until the tank on the hill is empty. If on a well, do you have a spare electric pump and switch? Do you have a way to get water out with no power at all? A well bucket is cheap and easy. SimplePump makes a nice hand pump.
How are your stores of food? Can you cook in grid down? Mac and cheese isn't doing you any good if you can't boil water. For the long haul do you have food with the nutrition your need? MREs for example will make you constipated and are high in energy but not good for long term nutrition.
Have you actually grown a garden? Don't count on the soil growing a good crop. Your first garden will fail. Don't wait until you need food to learn. Do you have shovels, rakes, gardening tools? Are the handles in good shape?
Do you have chickens, rabbits, goats? Cattle? Do you have the equipment to butcher these animals? How will you feed them when commercial pelletized food isn't available?
Most folks already have a house, so shelter is covered. If your plan is to bug out do you have shelter for your journey? Is your house visible for a road? Will it attract marauders?
Do you have a way to make it warm if the grid is down? What about the long run? Kerosene will eventually be unavailable. Do you have bar oil for your chainsaw? two stroke oil? An extra chain? Electric chainsaws are quite good these days. 80v Kobalt battery chainsaw is quite good and can run on "sunshine".
Do you have a way to make electricity? electricity holds the power to heat, cook food and provide water. Can you make electricity if the grid is down? What about the long haul? Eventually a gas powered generator will run out. Propane will be nearly impossible to get because it has to be pressurized to move. Natural gas will eventually run out if you are a city dweller.
Are you prepared to defend your family and resources? Desperate people do desperate things. If there are only two of you, 24hour watches are not practical. Do you have a dog? Small dogs are pointless, but medium sized breeds are great watch dogs and don't eat as much as larger breeds. Ideally a dog will wake you when something is amiss. Do all members of your party or family know how to shoot? Does your wife know where the safety is on the pistol?
It's not all about guns and macho bravado folks. Sure they have their place like any other tool. Just keep it in perspective.
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A cautionary tale for water storage. If you collect water from the roof for your critters, make sure that each cage / group of animals has a different storage tank. Make sure that if one water system gets a leak it won't drain everyone's water. Case in point.... our yard chicken decided to roost on top of the rabbit cages and he pulled a 5/16 water line off a barbed fitting that gravity feeds the rabbits. Went out to feed and found 50 gallon tank empty. If I had the chicken coop plumbed from teh same tank ,they'd have been out of water too.
Lesson learned.... my plan is to put IBC totes on the porch of the house and fill them from the gutters. That makes them higher than anything else in the yard. I'll put a tap in the tank about 3/4 full to run to the rabbits and another to the chickens water systems. When that tank is >3/4 full the over flow will top off the 55 gallon drums for rabbits and chickens. If one should leak out, I'll have 200 gallons on the porch to refill it once repairs are made. Plan on these sorts of mishaps and how you'll recover from them. Remember kids, it's not how it works when its working... it's how it works when it's broke! ...because it will break one day.
Lesson learned.... my plan is to put IBC totes on the porch of the house and fill them from the gutters. That makes them higher than anything else in the yard. I'll put a tap in the tank about 3/4 full to run to the rabbits and another to the chickens water systems. When that tank is >3/4 full the over flow will top off the 55 gallon drums for rabbits and chickens. If one should leak out, I'll have 200 gallons on the porch to refill it once repairs are made. Plan on these sorts of mishaps and how you'll recover from them. Remember kids, it's not how it works when its working... it's how it works when it's broke! ...because it will break one day.
Forwarded from Living off the Land
Sheep are useful animals providing meat, wool, and milk. They are easy to handle and valued for their docile nature. Sheep are social animals, and it is best to keep them in flocks. It takes about five sheep for sheep to display their natural flocking instinct. At the minimum, sheep should be kept in pairs.
Hair sheep are easier to take care of, as they don't have to be sheared or docked. Breeds like American Blackbellys and Katahdins are hair sheep. East Friesians and Icelandic sheep are good for dairy production, with Merino and Shetland sheep being good wool producers. Ewes are best, as Rams are larger, more aggressive, and sometimes need to be dehorned depending on breed.
Adequate fencing is needed to keep them in, Besides keeping sheep in, you need to be vigilant about keeping other animals out. Sheep are vulnerable to attacks from numerous predators. Woven wire fencing works well, The smaller squares are better because the sheep cannot get their heads stuck and small predators cannot crawl through
Hair sheep are easier to take care of, as they don't have to be sheared or docked. Breeds like American Blackbellys and Katahdins are hair sheep. East Friesians and Icelandic sheep are good for dairy production, with Merino and Shetland sheep being good wool producers. Ewes are best, as Rams are larger, more aggressive, and sometimes need to be dehorned depending on breed.
Adequate fencing is needed to keep them in, Besides keeping sheep in, you need to be vigilant about keeping other animals out. Sheep are vulnerable to attacks from numerous predators. Woven wire fencing works well, The smaller squares are better because the sheep cannot get their heads stuck and small predators cannot crawl through