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Most people in rural areas have some kind of food store with canned goods. With things like Soylent and Huel, those can also be used. I had 6 months of Soylen

Most people in rural areas have some kind of food store with canned goods. With things like Soylent and Huel, those can also be used. I had 6 months of Soylent back in the day. 2 bags of Huel can last about 6 days and fits in a small bag — it is one of my hacks for backpacking. If you haven’t already, I recommend having a supply of canned beans, canned tuna, canned meats to preference, canned sardines, bulk rice (you can drop dry ice in a 5 gallon container and fill it with rice, then put silica packets on top, then seal it). With that, you can eat pretty good limited only by the duration being prepared for, and it is relatively cheap & space efficient. For water, buy a Sawyer filter. I like the squeeze. They are capable of removing most harmful organisms out of the water, are very portable, and would help a lot during a water supply issue. They do not filter chemicals or dissolved solids. I use mine when backpacking to drink out of just about every fresh water source you can imagine, and I use it when traveling to other countries with questionable water supplies. Also, do yourself a favor and buy a bidet seat. These will change your life. Not only is it more hygienic, it reduces the use of toilet paper significantly. In the event of disaster but water is still flowing, that is one less thing to think about. For warmth, have the layers available. A wool base layer can keep you warm in even the coldest climates. Do not use cotton; cotton is deadly when wet in cold. Wool insulates even when wet — this is commonly known but I have actually tested it with wool socks walking around in the Virgin river in Zion National Park during the height of winter, among other places. Also would want an insulated windbreaker that can be removed as needed. Warm clothing / blankets / etc is more reliable than a fuel source for heating in my opinion, because you could get snowed in and cut off from the fuel. These are not actions reserved for just preppers. I think everyone should have this kind of basic readiness on some level. No one in the US, for instance, has any excuse because it is all very very affordable, and also contribute positively to the environment in the case of a bidet seat. If I was in the position most of you are in (I have opted out of the housing market for ethical reasons), I’d also be powered mostly via solar and a 3 day reserve battery for the house. Expensive, but worth it. All my heating and cooling would be electrical and I would have an inductive stovetop. Everything electrified. It is a privilege to have that kind of prep but it has a dual purpose of not hurting the environment. When I am in the wild, I do not like to carry anything that is singular purpose. Everything must have multiple uses. This reduces waste and increases efficiency in many ways. Likewise, for disaster readiness, you need to tweak the way you live normally to be efficient during disaster. A bidet seat, for instance, is a good example. This makes your life more efficient, more comfortable, and reduces waste. Simultaneously, it functions much better during disaster. Food storage can also be done similarly. Store things you would actually eat but preserve well. Rotate the storage by actually using it; this lets you keep track of what is still good and integrates it into your diet realistically. Water filters can be used while hiking. Use them. Go on a hike and take a drink from your rivers or lakes. It is refreshing. If your rivers and lakes have dangerous chemicals dissolved in it because of human activity, don’t you think something should be done about that? Aim for at least dual purpose in things. Readiness should function without the survival aspect and flow into survival without friction.

ScoobleDoodle 4y ago
Are you suggesting the inductive stove top because it’s more energy efficient? Thank you for sharing all of these recommendations.
- bombcar 4y ago
  Inductive fails when power fails, however. If you have a gas furnace you should consider having a gas stove connected even if you rarely use it - it can provide heat if power fails. Remember that without power you have no exhaust fan and must ventilate appropriately. A kerosene heater is a great investment in colder areas, hardware store sealed kerosene will last nearly forever.
- survirtual 4y ago
  No, that is only if you have a solar setup and are efficient enough for offgrid independent electricity. It is a suggestion for people with money to do a setup that doesn’t compromise on modern luxury even in disaster. Given the population here, I figured there are people who can afford that kind of setup; it would be in the range of $75,000 to do properly but do it yourself (so cost of materials). Without that, the method for heating food I’d use is a propane stove. You can get a single burner for under $30. I always have 4, 5lbs propane canisters with me to cook while traveling. For a house, you can have a large propane tank.
mindslight 4y ago
> 3 day reserve battery for the house ... All my heating and cooling would be electrical I don't think you've run the numbers here, at all. Battery storage that can provide off-grid heat-pump heating for a single dead-of-winter design night is bordering on impractical. Creating a buffer that could last 3 whole days (4-5x the size) would be blatantly prohibitive. Batteries only make sense for daily cycling to deal with the dark. It's much less expensive and most likely less environmentally destructive to supply longer term backup electricity needs from a traditional generator and dino juice than to manufacture batteries just to have them sitting around basically unused. The sensible way to spend capital investment is on more insulation to make your heating load quite low to begin with (eg PassivHaus). Perhaps this dovetails into your thinking, but if so you should lead with and focus on that, as talking about supplying heating loads with batteries is just insane. edit: Also, how is it even possible to opt out of the housing market? The only ways I can think of: 1. Bundle up with warm clothing and sleep rough (moving on when needed) 2. Squat, in an unoccupied structure or even an occupied one without the knowledge of the other residents. 3. Build your own house and claim that you're at least not part of the economic market. But you would still need land to do that, which is the main problem with the housing market.

ScoobleDoodle 4y ago

Are you suggesting the inductive stove top because it’s more energy efficient? Thank you for sharing all of these recommendations.

bombcar 4y ago
Inductive fails when power fails, however. If you have a gas furnace you should consider having a gas stove connected even if you rarely use it - it can provide heat if power fails. Remember that without power you have no exhaust fan and must ventilate appropriately. A kerosene heater is a great investment in colder areas, hardware store sealed kerosene will last nearly forever.
survirtual 4y ago
No, that is only if you have a solar setup and are efficient enough for offgrid independent electricity. It is a suggestion for people with money to do a setup that doesn’t compromise on modern luxury even in disaster. Given the population here, I figured there are people who can afford that kind of setup; it would be in the range of $75,000 to do properly but do it yourself (so cost of materials). Without that, the method for heating food I’d use is a propane stove. You can get a single burner for under $30. I always have 4, 5lbs propane canisters with me to cook while traveling. For a house, you can have a large propane tank.

mindslight 4y ago

> 3 day reserve battery for the house ... All my heating and cooling would be electrical I don't think you've run the numbers here, at all. Battery storage that can provide off-grid heat-pump heating for a single dead-of-winter design night is bordering on impractical. Creating a buffer that could last 3 whole days (4-5x the size) would be blatantly prohibitive. Batteries only make sense for daily cycling to deal with the dark. It's much less expensive and most likely less environmentally destructive to supply longer term backup electricity needs from a traditional generator and dino juice than to manufacture batteries just to have them sitting around basically unused. The sensible way to spend capital investment is on more insulation to make your heating load quite low to begin with (eg PassivHaus). Perhaps this dovetails into your thinking, but if so you should lead with and focus on that, as talking about supplying heating loads with batteries is just insane. edit: Also, how is it even possible to opt out of the housing market? The only ways I can think of: 1. Bundle up with warm clothing and sleep rough (moving on when needed) 2. Squat, in an unoccupied structure or even an occupied one without the knowledge of the other residents. 3. Build your own house and claim that you're at least not part of the economic market. But you would still need land to do that, which is the main problem with the housing market.