Bucket List?

The humble 5-gallon bucket. Perhaps best known for industrial quantities of paint – or perhaps pickles – the 5-gallon bucket has been a mainstay of food storage for preppers everywhere. In fact, I find 8 will fit on each shelf of a standard 2’x4’ industrial shelf. That is a lot of storage. I also found last time I moved that they pack and carry very nicely in the back of a pick-up truck.

But today I want to review 3 very special buckets which play a key role in meeting basic human needs. First, access to drinking water is a key planning need. If you are not able to store adequate quantities of drinking water, you will need some means to filter or clean other sources. Running water through a basic cloth filter (bandanna) prior to boiling is generally considered the best option. However, you may not want to use up your fuel source to keep boiling the water. You can choose chemical treatments and the related taste issues, or consider some type of high level filter that traps micron level bacteria.

Here is where our first 2 buckets take a starring role today as a 2-bucket water filter. By acquiring a relatively inexpensive kit you can take 2 5-gallon buckets, drill a few holes, then screw in a spigot and filter. Instant inexpensive Berkey Water Filter replacement. You can put the whole unit together for less than $50 – unless you are a real die-hard Berkey fan and decide to install their black filters!

All kits I have seen come with a ceramic filter element which can be cleaned with a scotchbrite pad and is good for thousands of gallons. One unit should get your family through more disasters than they deserve to experience. Some of the filter units have a charcoal center. The charcoal is primarily to improve flavor. This part of the filter will wear out first but you will still be able to enjoy safe drinking water, perhaps with a bit more flavor?

If your filter does not come with a pre-filter (will look like a sock or perhaps a vacuum cleaner bag), make one with any kind of clean cloth – such as the bandanna mentioned earlier. In fact, make a coupe as these are easy to pull off to clean and will greatly extend the functional life of your ceramic filter. You should expect these filters to produce at least a gallon of fresh water each hour.

OK, that is 1 basic human need and 2 buckets. Our 3rd bucket is going to take care of the most neglected human need in most family survival plans: going to the bathroom!

Controlling human waste is critical for your family’s safety and hygiene. How long is your family going to survive by digging holes in the back yard each time they need to go to the bathroom – and what about security concerns with neighbors and others watching? Yes you could just sit on a bucket but there is no need to be that primitive!

Luggable Loo makes a decent toilet seat which fits right on the top of 5-gallon buckets. Not only is it relatively comfortable, it also has a lid to help control odors. The Luggable Loo only costs somewhere around $20. That is a good investment.

As long as we are being so civilized, go ahead and pick up some heavy plastic bags and BioGel. Make sure you are getting BioGel and not one of the similar sounding products sold for RV toilets. The BioGel actually takes urine and forms it into a gel so it does not slosh around. This keeps everything in place if you need to move the bucket and greatly helps control odors. The RV products are designed to control odors but keeps everything very liquid for flushing – a whole different purpose.

The Luggable Loo bucket is the perfect place to store several rolls of toilet paper and some hand cleaner along with your supply of waste bags and BioGel. So in one simple bucket you have everything stored away to address your family’s core hygiene needs.

FYI – prepping is not just for disasters. I found the Luggable Loo quite functional when the only toilet in my home needed a visit from a plumber who was not going to arrive soon enough. I recently heard another individual used his Luggable Loo after the pipes froze in his mountain cabin so there was no water to flush the toilet.

One last thought: people often say they don’t have storage space for prepping or can’t afford to prepare. These three buckets and all of the supplies stack nicely into a space just about 2’ high and 14” wide.  Certainly you can find a corner some place to stack these! Total cost for the entire water and waste combo is less than $100.

Perhaps a second “one last thought”: As long as you have found a corner to stash these three buckets, get a few more buckets with lids and start acquiring food that can be stored in them, or tools and lights, or blankets and jackets. Damn these buckets are convenient!

Looking at Vehicles

Back in November I made a post about transportation during disasters. At the time, I only concluded that a good pair of boots should be part of any travel plan.

Over the past month (you know – the period where there were no new posts!) I have been looking at and pondering the appropriateness of different vehicles. This endeavor actually has roots back in August when I was preparing for fire season and realized I had no effective means to evacuate the area with my supplies. Yes, that is when the Decision Matrix I posted on 12/28 started to take shape. That Matrix will be an ongoing work-in-progress as my insight grows.

That Decision Matrix begins with a question of Awareness or Warning. If you get some advance warning of a situation, you then can properly Evacuate. However, disasters such as earthquakes or industrial explosions provide no real warning. Your option is only to prepare for Escape after the disaster creates complete havoc in your area.

My trailer in use at the 2012 Overland Expo.

The "kitchen" box rode nicely on top for this trip.

My current means of transportation is a large BMW Dual Sport motorcycle with a trailer constructed out of a Dragon Missile Transport box. This was designed as an Escape Vehicle. It can clamber over various terrains (limited more by my skill as a rider than by the vehicle!) and negotiate paths through stalled lines of traffic due to its narrow wheelbase. The bike has a range of 200 miles on 5 gallons of gas. Strapping more fuel on the trailer quickly extends this range.

While this vehicle is probably the best all around option for escaping a congested area, it has limited capability to carry a lot of supplies. In addition, it does not function well as an emergency shelter!

What is the best vehicle to meet daily transportation needs, capable of easily loading and transporting a good mass of supplies (evacuation focus), can be lived in as needed, and can be relatively unobtrusive in appearance?

I have been thinking about NPR trucks for several years. There are so many of these on the road that there are tons of spare parts and nobody gives them a second look. However, they are too big for parking garages and stand out too much in many neighborhoods. I am also concerned that the tilting cab makes it very difficult to have direct access to the back storage area. In addition, the height of the bed is very high for loading (really want to take my motorcycle).

Last month I stumbled upon a converted school bus. It was 28’ long with a living/sleeping area in the front and the back set up as a “garage” for 5 dirt bikes. That is pretty cool. However, it was very old and the back door was too small for my cycle. Obvious parking issues too! But wow – like that rear garage concept. As my one son stated, any vehicle that can spit out another vehicle is always cool. Maybe we have watched the Batmobile convert to the Bat Cycle a few too many times?

After that I found a great vehicle – a 24’ step van. A step van is like the big square bread trucks or UPS trucks. They are very popular now with the food truck crowd. The nice thing about these vehicles is that they have strong suspensions for carrying heavy loads, a low floor for easier loading, and a very square shape which makes for simpler shelves and maximum storage potential. There is also completely open space between the lower sides and the frame rails where you can mount water tanks, solar battery banks, generators, and extra storage. The wide back doors also make for easy loading. Add a good ramp and you are good to go. But damn they look big sitting in a parking lot and heading down the highway. Still, I see a whole lot of potential here.

From there I looked at a box van. This one had a cube about 6’ high, 8’ long and perhaps 6’ wide. It was completely set up as a stealth camper. I loved it – even though it was still too high to fit in most parking garages it would easily fit in most parking spaces. Like the step van, there was plenty of protected space underneath for storage – in fact fresh water and grey water tanks were already in place. But where do I put the Bat Cycle?

Time to help someone move. I decided to rent a regular cargo van (good thing since it was raining!). Very discreet, reasonable gas mileage due to the shape (versus the big boxes I had been looking at), easy to load gear into, and good accessible shelter – though a bit tight. These are great all around vehicles though you may not want to plan to spend too much time living out of one due to the tight space. Perhaps adding a small “toy hauler” to this would make sense but I would like to avoid having to deal with a trailer.

So much to consider – and in the end there is no choice but to make major compromises. I haven’t even addressed the capability of 4-wheel-drive or what type of fuel system may be best. We will see where this ends up. Never was an actual Bat Truck!

Teaching / Learning; Sharing / Listening

Over the past several months I have been invited to groups where I have been a Presenter, Instructor, Participant, or Student. Strikes me that most people do not understand the roles they are to assume in these scenarios. Reminds me of a martial arts lesson from years ago where we were forced to take the role of leader to make us better followers; and forced to take the role of follower to become better leaders. Experiencing the opposite side of the relationship helps you understand the frustration that poorly oriented individuals create.

Let’s go back a couple months were I was asked to do a presentation on preparedness. The presentation ran over as participants felt a need to interrupt to add more ideas. Some of the additions were well founded – but problematic in keeping us on track. Others had no value to the group at all as a few participants wanted to share what they felt were amusing stories.

A few weeks later I was at a dinner with a group of preppers. As a sit down session, it became pretty clear that there were a few individuals who (quite arrogantly) tried to put down those around them to push their own viewpoints. What should have been good, open discussions and idea sharing became a bit limited. Most frustrating was catching little bits of comments a few seats down that sounded like they may be more valuable to your current status. Some of this was resolved as we exited the location by sharing emails and inviting follow-discussion with those you were not able to adequately listen to.

Last week I attended a self-defense class for preppers. I have a lot of training in this area but committed to approaching with an open mind and “empty cup.” The 2 leaders clearly had a planned agenda. 2 hours later I don’t believe they covered more than 15% of their material as the group kept interrupting to share their own information.

Yes, something can be learned from virtually anyone. Yes, some of the added comments had value and added a bit of clarity. However, the constant interruptions robbed the group of a better learning situation.

Several years ago there was a drive to understand and develop active listening skills in the business world. I am seeing the flip side of that in some of these meetings. Everyone wants to be seen as an expert. Everyone believes expressing their opinion is more important that allowing the group to learn a more complete lesson.

My suggestion is to set up sessions where each participant is given 10 minutes to present an idea or concept that they feel would be of value to the group. Everyone else listens and participates appropriately with the understanding they will have an opportunity to provide their own ideas in a respected structure. Any odd questions and request for more in-depth information can be handled in a more relaxed social structure immediately following the conclusion of all presentations. At that point each participant knows who has information that correlates to your current needs. Best of all, if one of the topics or presenters is completely out of line with your personal needs, you only need to politely wait 10 minutes for a new presenter.

Hmm, perhaps my suggestion above is out of line. In rereading this, I am trying to provide structure to cover the lack of respect and manners among participants. Somehow we must actually restore the sense of personal respect to others to overcome the sense of self-importance and arrogance that has permeated our society. Can we solve the problem instead of just controlling it with band aid processes? It begins with each of us being willing (and emotionally strong enough) to accept where we fail our roles and work to accept them. Note, I am not suggesting moving forward as sheep in assigned roles. I am saying we must be respectful of others providing opportunities to learn. We do not need to be arrogant fools in an attempt to prove we are not puppets.

There was one fortune cookie message that I have kept in mind for many years: “The smart man knows what he knows. The wise man knows what he doesn’t know.” Are you the smart man who is proud of his knowledge, or the wise man who understands there is always much more you can learn?

Having been a presenter, I have become a better learner. Having been an instructor, I have become a better participant. Where do you fail in filling a role?

Decision Matrix

I am committed to rebuilding and improving my current kits and supplies. In the past I have just gathered up all the things everyone believes should be in a kit and stuffed it all in various transport bags. In the end, I have a bunch of bags with lots of gear and will probably never have what I need with me when I actually need it. Time to rethink this whole process.

Back to my strategic planning background -- plan with the end in mind. OK, I can plan for the most likely scenarios. Can it be simpler?

In looking at all the possible disaster scenarios, I realized there really are a finite number of options. The real question is "Will you receive warning that a disaster is coming?" In Southern California, earthquakes are always unannounced. OK, we always know there is another one coming so we need to be prepared, but we don't get to watch them form on the weather radar with estimates of when we are going to get hit. I am keeping earthquakes in the No Warning category. Chemical spills, terrorist attacks, accidents, perhaps wind damage and home fires could be added to the No Warning list. Most other disasters we have some notice of.

The difference in Awareness/Warning is the difference in Evacuating versus Escaping. Evacuation allows more time, more orderliness, more thought. Escape just has to happen NOW! Grab what you can as you are running out the door.

Of course, you always have the option of Choose to be A Victim. That decision is usually made up front with a complete lack of planning and preparation -- but even the prepared may choose this route in the end.

In many cases, Shelter in Place is a preferred option. Note, if you are looking at a Localized Disaster, Shelter In Place may be with friends or family at their home.

I will be discussing these options in future posts. For now I wanted to get the concept of a Disaster Planning Matrix out there so we can begin building a structure to evaluate our own preparedness -- and it is posted in time to influence New Year's Resolutions!

Active Shooters

Yes, there have been too many shootings lately. Oh, let's not forget there was also a mass knifing and another person bludgeoned to death with a hammer on the same day as the school shooting that is getting all of the press.

While each and every one of these incidents are sad, we must be careful not to rush to blame the tools (guns) being used. Note the three examples I listed used three different "tools." What is universal is that there is something fundamentally wrong in the minds of the killers. Perhaps it is manufactured diseases, too much chemical treatment of illness, violent video games, or just poor upbringing. Perhaps this is how God plans to destroy the planet on December 21? Regardless of the conspiracy you choose to embrace, we will all need to remain vigilant.

Today I am sharing two videos that were emailed to me over the past 24 hours. The first was made in Houston for businesses to plan for an Active Shooter scenario. It is actually well done for the average individual.

Note near the beginning of the video you see part of the notice on the door that (in spite of Texas being concealed carry friendly) states this is a "no weapons" building. I will restrict my politicized comments on that to two thoughts:
(1) Nice to designate this building as a safe zone for bad guys, and
(2) Totally naive to believe any criminal is going to NOT carry weapons in because of that stupid sign.

Here is the link to this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VcSwejU2D0

Thank you to the folks at www.mysurvival101.com for sending this video out.

The next video is a bit different -- not as professional but still has good messages. Cindy and Jeff at SoulSurvivorX2 are a real couple in Florida who have been sharing their experience as they learn more about prepping a survival. Like most of us, they have learned from some mistakes and came back with new videos to show why earlier decisions may not have been the best. I enjoy the odd reality of this couple.

In this video, Cindy shares some basic awareness tips for anyone moving about in public. You can never be too safe in today's world...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOI_xtDS2lk

Systems Thinking

Today I attended the grand opening of a prepping/survival store and enjoyed a couple hours of conversation with complete strangers who share my passions. I am not claiming to be a genius – but I can admit to making mistakes and try to guide people so they don’t have to repeat my mistakes (there are always additional mistakes they can explore and call their own!).

The biggest mistake I see being made by people getting into prepping is that they are not thinking of systems that can share modules. It really hit today when a neat couple was discussing how they had picked up a bunch of ammo cans because they needed to transport 6 different calibers of ammo for their guns. What?

OK, I am not condemning this man because I have been there myself. You see gun A and decide to get it for whatever reason. Then a friend tells you to get gun B and you add that to your collection. An “expert” on You Tube says gun C is the best so you add that to your arsenal. Nothing matches and you have potential chaos.

Let’s also acknowledge that everyone believes the guns and gear they have is the best (please don’t ask us to admit we may not have made the best possible decision!). I don’t care what brand of gear you get – but I do suggest you think as a system. For instance, a full-size Glock handgun in .40 caliber can share ammo and magazines with a target version, compact version, and subcompact version. Add a KelTec Sub 2000 to the mix and you have a folding carbine that can use the same ammo and magazines. Now you have multiple firearms that share the same supplies. Life just got simpler!

For another example, let’s look at shotguns. My first shotgun was a Winchester 1300 set up for home defense. I found it at a good price and bought it. However, that is not a great hunting shotgun. I looked at the Remington 870 combo offer with switchable barrels which allows one shotgun to be optimized for hunting purposes and then reconfigured in about a minute for home defense. Cool concept. However, I also discovered the Winchester 1200 shares a lot of key components with my existing 1300. By getting a specific purpose hunting shotgun with interchangeable parts with my home defense shotgun, I am able to harvest parts from one to resolve many potential problems with another. If I were starting fresh today, I would probably buy 2 of the Remingtons so I would have the versatility and the spare parts. Either way, think system.

I gave two examples of systems thinking with firearms because that is the topic that got me started today. But you should apply systems thinking to all of your planning.

Over the past year I bought my first lightweight water filter – picked a unit from MSR because one of my sons has that unit and the parts would be interchangeable if one broke – systems thinking within the family structure. Beyond that issue, the MSR filter screws directly onto the top of my Guyout bottle for easy use. It also fits the Platypus that I carry on my motorcycle. It also fits the Outdoor Research bladder in my back pack water reservoir. Know what it doesn’t fit? My old Camelback! That bladder was about due for replacement anyway. Another MSR bladder will fit that carrier just fine. So all of my primary water transport containers are 100% compatible with the threads on my MSR water filter. Systems Thinking! It really is that simple.

Much like my discussion a few weeks back on selecting a power source where I will hardly purchase any item that does not use AA  batteries, I do not intend to acquire any additional water carrying options that do not share the same thread pattern as the water filter. I won’t be buying another Camelback!

Sometimes system thinking is easy and flexible – think of all the PALS/Molle gear that is now available. Everything can fit together in some manner and be updated as your needs change. I like the modularity.

Let’s not limit our systems thinking to prepping though. Many years ago I did a great deal of research and selected what I truly believed was the best all around cell phone for my business purposes. It worked great for all of my needs. However, since it was a niche phone, few accessories were available. I reflect on that experience when looking at new technology today. Sometimes the absolute best piece of gear may not be the one you should buy if the accessories you want will not be available.

Systems thinking. Use it everyday – especially in your prepping purchases! You will save lots of money AND chaos by applying a little thought up front.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Last Thursday was the day many families come together and become almost comatose from ingesting so much food. I however had the opportunity to join a crew working a 15 hour shift at a retail store preparing Black Friday specials on Thursday night. I knew the area restaurants would not be open during this time so I would need something to eat. Hmm, what should I take?

A few months ago I picked up this container of Survival Tabs Emergency Food Rations. I had seen these sitting on the store’s shelves before and was intrigued. The label says “The best possible nutrition in the smallest possible volume.” Basically, you eat 12 of these 7/8”x1/2” tablets a day for all of your basic nutritional needs during an emergency. There are 180 tablets in this container so you theoretically have 15 days of food needs. When I got the jar home I immediately repacked sets of 12 tablets into mylar bags which are just 3.5”x4.25”. Three of these small bags now travel in my Get Home Kit. Yes, I still have a pack of crackers, an MRE brownie and a Millennium Bar in the kit too – comfort food!

It is important to test emergency gear and supplies before they are needed – and I had been woefully neglectful in testing these; honestly, I wasn’t too excited to try them. Wednesday evening I tasted one. Hmm, not too bad, chews up well and has a faint malted milk ball flavor. Will they be filling enough?

Commitment time – I pack two mini baggies in my side pocket with 6 tablets in each. The thought was that every hour or so I would eat one and see if that gets me through the night. A pack of crackers were also in my pocket just in case I needed a little more filling (it was Thanksgiving!).

It was a busy shift. When I found myself starting to feel a little hungry I just reached in my pocket and chewed a Survival Tab. The first one was several hours into the shift since I made a point of eating before going. Guess what? In 15 hours I only ate 5 of the Tabs and I was feeling pretty good. Again, I did eat before the shift but I expected to be feeling much hungrier at this point. I am now comfortable carrying these in my kit for emergency rations – rations which take virtually no space!

I added this photo because the package stated that the container could be carried easily in a standard canteen pouch. In fact, there is a separate plastic bag folded inside the lid so you can dump the tablets in the bag while using the container to hold water! And yes, as you can see in the photo, the container does fit very nicely in the canteen pouch with the black lid just peeking out. I always appreciate a well thought out design. In this case, I like the packaging approach overall – even though I repackaged for my personal purpose – and the Tabs worked great for this experiment.

Maybe someday I will test them as the only food source over a couple days? No, I will need to supplement that with my nightly ice cream!