preps

Canned Food Groups for Survival Storage

In addition to your consideration of our sponsors who offer excellent food supplies for long term storage, if you are stocking up your food pantry to withstand a period of ‘down time’ just in case you cannot get to the grocery store for awhile, or worse, for a disruption or collapse in the food supply distribution chain, consider adding some basic grocery-store canned foods from the following categories.

Keep in mind that when considering which canned foods to stock up on, you should be considering calories as well as a balance of food types. You should look for canned foods with a decent amount of calories while attempting to balance protein, vegetables, grains, and fruit. Note that some canned foods contain very few calories, which although great for a healthy diet, they may not bring you the best bang for your buck (survival preparedness is not necessarily ‘weight-watchers’…).

Canned Soups
Vegetables, veggies with meat, with grains, look for higher calorie soups.

Canned Meats
I know that Costco sells canned chicken and beef for example… there is quite a variety of canned meat sauces too, plus canned ham, etc…

Canned Tuna and/or Salmon
Even with the Mercury risk, once or twice a week consumption OK according to many reports.

Canned Stews
These usually have lots of calories and quite a variety of mixtures with vegetables.

Canned Beans
Brown rather than green will typically contain more calories.

Canned Pasta
With sauce – meat sauce – Ravioli, etc…

Canned Vegetables
Although somewhat low in calories, corn, carrots, etc… will offer a variety of flavor to add with your other foods.

Canned Fruits
For the sweet tooth, a good desert, and a healthy supplement to your diet.

Also, for optimum food rotation efficiency, it is always best to purchase what you normally eat, so that you will consume through your food storage over time, while replacing it with more of what you normally eat. This way, there would theoretically be no spoilage over time.

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55 Preparedness Items

Guest Post: by ‘Be informed’

There are many survival preparedness items that you can store now, and “forget” about, which you may need later during varying degrees of an emergency. The following are 55 suggested items that you can store and have ready. By no means is this intended to be all inclusive. It’s intended to get you thinking. In no particular order…

1. Toilet Paper, and other sanitation items such as feminine hygiene products, diapers for infants, etc. These are items that should be mass stored if possible.

2. Paper Towels. Too many uses to mention, store as many as you can.

3. Coffee Filters. For those drinkers of coffee of course, but these are excellent filters for many other purposes.

4. Trash Bags. All sizes. You can also store many free plastic grocery bags from the store every time you get them after shopping. Important for bagging up refuse and preventing disease.

5. Zip type Freezer Bags. Lot of uses.

6. Coolers, various sizes. If you have room, can be used to keep things cool or cold, but also used to keep items from freezing in very cold weather.

7. Shovels. All sizes from small garden type to those used for digging. Very important to have after a disaster.

8. Soaps and Cleansers. Sponges and other scratchy pads. You are likely not going to have a dishwasher after a disaster and you have to have some means of cleaning pots, pans, dishes.

9. Cotton Rounds. First aid uses, Excellent Fire-starter (mixed with Vaseline).

10. Paper to write on. This includes note pads, index cards.

11. Pens and Pencils, especially the click pencil type that don’t need a sharpener.

12. Rubber bands. This also includes hair bands. Used to keep items organized and from flying apart.

13. Tape. All kinds from duct, masking, electric, to scotch. Many uses.

14. Sewing Kits. Threads, needles, buttons, zippers, you are going to need them.

15. Matches. Keep them dry and store lots of them.

16. Salt. You won’t believe in certain areas how hard it is to get this necessary mineral for survival. Store as much as you can.

17. Aluminum Foil Wrap. Good for cooking and many other uses.

18. Candles. All sizes. Not only for light at night, but can be used to heat small items up in small cookware.

19. Can Opener. Without many of these you will have a bad time trying to get your canned food out.

20. Basic Tools. This includes hammers, screwdrivers, saws, axes, utility knives, scissors. Anything extra that you can store from your
tool chest.

21. Handyman’s Hardware Assortment. Assortment of screws, nuts and bolts, wire, nails, etc. Store in clear jars with lids or in original packages.

22. 5-Gallon Gas Can Containers. These can be used for gas or other fuels as well as for water that are durable. Obviously, never use for drinking water if they’ve ever been used for gas!

23. Round Magnifying Glass. Use to see small items (optical glass is best), or to start a fire if matches are wet or out of them.

24. Envelopes. All sizes for storage. Smaller for seeds you can get from the wild as one example. Tough postal envelopes are also good for storage after a disaster.

25. Boxes. You are really going to need this if you have to suddenly move somewhere quick for clothes and other items. Many grocery stores will give you free fruit boxes that are sturdy and have lids. Also large plastic boxes with lids.

26. Shoe Laces. Many people have shoes that are still wearable and need shoe laces. Shoe laces are also good for tying off material with other purposes.

27. Paper plates, plastic eating utensils, disposable drinking cups. IF you can store enough, excellent way to save your soap supplies by not having to wash the dishes.

28. Blankets, sheets, pillows, pillow cases. Just because you are in emergency does not mean you have to live like a refuge.

29. Towels. All sizes from hand to bath. You will be very grateful to be able to dry yourself off with something you are use to.

30. Fishing line and string. Lots of uses.

31. Nylon rope, cord, clothes lines. Do not be without.

32. Toothbrushes, dental needs, dental floss. Even without toothpaste you can still keep your teeth healthy.

33. Q-tips / Cotton Swabs. Not only personal use, but uses for fine detailed work.

34. Honey. Lasts practically forever and a good sweetener for many foods.

35. Trigger spray bottles. Use to disperse insect repellent as one of many uses.

36. First Aid Kit. Most items such as bandages, gauze, tweezers, nail clippers, scissors, wrapping tape, etc. can be stored without rotating. Keep more first aid supplies than you think, because they can get used up very quickly (extra gauze – 4×4′s, 2×2′s for changing dressings).

37. Firestarters or Newspaper. Yes, newspaper for starting fires, wrapping delicate items, insulation. Keep dry and preferably in sealed boxes.

38. Safety Pins. Fastening of almost anything that has broken. Bobby pins also good.

39. Sunglasses. You will really need to protect your eyes after an emergency, glare is something that people forget about if they have to be outdoors for extended periods of time.

40. Hats. One size fits all baseball type caps, scarfs, ski caps. A lot of heat is lost through an uncovered head, also sunburn.

41. Gloves. So important, from keeping hands warm to protecting your hands from hazards such as broken glass and much more.

42. Extra Clothes. Especially well-made rugged pants and other clothes that will wear well. Don’t forget the extra comfortable shoes, socks, underwear, warm jackets.

43. Small handheld Mirror. For signaling, but also for personal grooming.

44. Cloth grocery tote bags. Reusable. A very good way of collecting things and supplies such as food from the wild.

45. Stapler with plenty of staples. Also paper clips to seal off small items and fastening paper. Your package of survival seeds as for example.

46. Extension cords. You may actually still have electricity from some source such as a generator or solar panel system. Routing power to other appliances or tools can only be accomplished with an extension cord. Can be used as a substitute for light duty style rope also.

47. Brushes. From nail, paint, to hair brushes. One good use for a hair brush is removal of ticks, fleas, burrs, from clothing.

48. Tape Measure. Measurement tools, rulers, very important to know distances and measurements for building, etc.

49. Games. Boredom is awful, and a simple deck of cards, boardgames, something to take up time if confined after an emergency. Great for the kids too.

50. Survival Books. Anything that will give you information and instructions on survival, cooking, plant identification, map books. Your bookcase may not be around after a disaster, store information you will need someday.

51. Wind up clock. Your battery operated clocks and watches or other time telling instruments are someday not going to work. A wind up clock is better than using a sundial.

52. Plastic storage containers. Ziploc, Tupperware, Rubbermaid, anything that can air seal something. All sizes.

53. Sticky notes. Use to label what you have after the disaster. Secure it better with scotch tape if you want. Lots of uses. Leave notes for others.

54. Safe for your cash. Cash money may be the only way to buy anything immediately after a disaster. Good for holding silver and gold coins too.

55. Heavy duty tarps. Many sizes and inexpensive. Cannot emphasize how many uses these have, and can be folded up and stored in smaller spaces. Be sure to look for heavy duty.

There is no perfect list, and this list was not intended to be a complete list – in fact there are countless things missing which would take pages or volumes! Instead, I hope to only get you thinking about it for yourself. Start your own list!

I enjoy reading the lists of others, and have nearly ALWAYS found something new and useful to add to my own, never-ending list.

One idea when thinking of your ‘list’, is to think in categories. That’s mostly how I do it. For example, think of kitchen items and then list essentials in that category. Think of shelter, clothing, food and water, tools, sanitation, security, transportation, etc… think ‘categories’ and then narrow it down within the category.

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Shelf Reliance Harvest-72 Review

Shelf Reliance, a quality company that makes ‘Food Rotation Systems’ offer wonderful solutions to organizing and managing quantities of canned foods.

At home, once you cross a threshold of filling your normal nooks and cupboards with a bit of extra food storage, you will begin to store your excess foods in all sorts of places – from bins, to bags, boxes, stacks, here-and-there… anywhere you can.

Unless you are very organized, quickly you will lose track of exactly what you have, where it is, and which items are older than others. There are a number of solutions to this problem, and no one solution is exactly the ‘right one’. However, the recommendation is to find a solution which will allow you to see what you have, store foods efficiently, and rotate foods from oldest-to-newest.

I have just finished a product assembly and review of their Harvest Food Rotation System By Shelf Reliance, a unique heavy duty shelving system that automatically rotates canned foods.

I created the following video review of the Harvest-72, which I recommend that you watch if at all interested in an excellent method of storing canned foods.

The number-one takeaway from experiencing this product is this… ‘You get what you pay for’.

Your common sense tells you this, which you know to be true in most instances. When you pay a little for something, there is often a reason why it is so cheap. When you pay more for something, it is usually ‘better’. Sure, there are some exceptions, but usually this is true.

This shelving system is not cheap. However, it will last you a lifetime. No doubt.

The convenience of storing 350 – 400 cans of food in one place, and the efficiency of a first-in first-out system, will bring you to the next level when it comes to implementing the philosophy of ‘storing what you eat, and eating what you store’, a message I first heard a few years ago from Jack Spirko during one of his podcasts. If you abide by this simple rule, you will not waste your food storage supplies, while they simply sit and wait for a sufficient disaster…

What I like about the Shelf Reliance, Harvest-72

Heavy Duty framework and cross-member supports – will last a lifetime
Can-tracks which feed from top to bottom
Availability of various size can-tracks from #10 to smaller sizes
Adjustable width of can-tracks for various height cans
Having so many food cans in one place to see what you have
It encourages you to consume and rotate your food storage

Criticism

They recommend ‘no wheels’ on units taller than 42 inches, for safety (although they have not said so, it may be entirely due to the litigious nature of our society today). This unfortunately eliminates the ability to shift or move the unit once it becomes filled with cans, unless you improvise your own solution. Plan ahead for its final location. Be sure to plan and configure the can-track spacings first, while away from the wall and before you move it to its final location – this will allow you to attach the rear can-track straps before moving it against a wall.

Rating

I give this system an overall score of 4.5 of 5 stars, only because there is not an included method of moving the unit once it becomes filled with canned goods. I entirely endorse and recommend the product if it is something that suits your needs.

UPDATE: Although their installation manual includes a statement of no wheels on FRS units over 42″ tall, Shelf Reliance has just assured me that their current solution, Harvest Casters, is fine for the Harvest-72. They clarified that this solution is valid up to a 78″ height. Looks like they need an update for their installation manual

UPDATE: from Shelf Reliance,
The warning about not putting wheels on our shelving systems is outdated and is being removed from the instructions. It was written back when we sold individual wheels that attached to each of the four corners of the system. the Harvest Casters are one, solid unit that attaches to the bottom of the system and they are much more stable. They are approved for use on our 72″ models.

UPDATE: Given the new information regarding the caster solution, I know rate this unit 5 stars!

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50 Ways To Prepare For Survival

Guest Post: by ‘Be Informed’

As more catastrophes seem to be accelerating more and more people are becoming convinced that the collapse of society is only a matter of time. The true survivalist can feel that they are ready for the chaos, but without actually experiencing these extreme adversities firsthand are they?

In the military soldiers are conditioned and trained beforehand and made to be as prepared as possible for the real hardships on and off the battlefield. The survivalist can to be more mentally and physically prepared for the falling apart of civilization that so many survivalists and the general public feels is inevitable.

Self reliance also has to do with being ready for the sudden loss of everything we all have become way too accustomed to. Experiencing a type of mock realism can get you more mentally prepared for when society starts to quickly disintegrate around you. The following 50 tips (suggestions) should help you, ‘the survivalist’ cope better when things do start to fall apart.

1. See what it is like to go without the utilities such as electricity by turning them off for at least a couple of hours.

2. Go at least 24 hours without electronic conveniences; no computer, no television, no cell phone, etc. This will be a wake up call for many.

3. The internet will not be there after many catastrophes, become use to receiving information from other sources such as books.

4. Spend some nights using only candles and or battery operated lights to illuminate the darkness.

5. Start storing rainwater and start watering your plants and garden with it.

6. Try cooking some of your meals using a solar oven, barbecue, fire pit, something not dependent on the electric or gas companies.

7. Flush the toilet for one day or more using only water you have previously stored, or use a portable toilet.

8. Instead of throwing away a piece of damaged clothing, try to repair it, sew it, then wear it again.

9. Take any household item and write down every creative way you can use it.

10. Find other means of some of your trash disposal, something else rather than the city or county trash pick up services.

11. Have a fake imaginary illness and fictionally treat that sickness with only what you have available to you in your home.

12. Gather your family and even your friends together that feel like you do, and see what it like for all of you to be confined to a smaller space.

13. Use ‘other” means of cooling or heating your home for a few days that is of course safe.

14. Actually walk or bicycle to run some of your errands other than using a motor vehicle.

15. Start spending some very quiet time alone. You may have to be alone after ‘it’ happens.

16. Try using alternative means of bathing occasionally, like using one of those solar showers, or heating water over a fire to be used to bathe with.

17. See what ingenious gadget made from junk you can think of to make hard times easier.

18. Try washing dishes and clothes on occasion without using the dishwasher or washing machine, dry clothes on a clothes line.

19. Experiment by trying to purify dirty polluted water, without drinking it, and see how clean you can get it.

20. Scavenger hunt. Take some time and collect everything, not hazardous, you find on the ground and ask yourself, what can I do and use what I have?

21. Take along a pad of paper and write down everything you see at a park or recreation area. Observation skills will help you stay alive better after chaos breaks loose.

22. Try to locate someplace off the beaten path using only a paper map, compass, or landmarks.

23. Spend some days outdoors when the weather is miserable (not dangerous), like raining all day long, you may have to live this way in the future.

24. See how fast you can get your essentials together and ready to leave.

25. Try omitting the “professional” weather forecasts and get one of the those pocket weather forecaster that goes by the clouds and wind direction and make your own weather forecasts.

26. If you plan to stay where you are, thoroughly become familiar with every street, landmark, trees, houses, etc. within 2 miles of your home, walk the area often.

27. For awhile see what it is like to have only enough water and food to sustain you, only rations for a day or two.

28. Safety test your physical limits by seeing how far you can walk with a backpack of supplies.

29. You could be confined to a small area around your home, write down everything outside within eyesight you may have to eat to survive.

30. Start saving up every spare part; screws, springs, nails, etc. and fix something only using what you have stored.

31. Get use to eating “safe” outdoor plants, berries, edibles and acquire a taste only for them. Outdoor food is there for the pickings, you just have to know where to look. Also take classes on identifying safe plants to eat.

32. Eat at least one or more meal each week made from food that has not been processed.

33. Attempt to get supplies for free. This is good for your scrounging skills.

34. Go to garage sales, flea markets and try to pay for things by trading rather than using money. Sharpening your barter skills.

35. Start a trading system with other survival minded people. These are wonderful ways to practice post apocalyptic commerce.

36. Without endangering your safety, learn the ways that local homeless people get by with what they have and can find.

37. Go to your local supermarket and make a mental map of the store and where you can go as quickly as possible to get what you need when panic buying starts.

38. Find places to rapidly hide your food and supplies that are not already hidden. Desperate people will expect you give them everything you have, or will just take it from you.

39. Put together a safe room and spend some serious time there, only coming out to go to the bathroom.

40. Drive, walk, travel beforehand all your planned “escape routes” and calculate times to reach each place.

41. Have supplies ready, such as plywood to board up windows, to secure yourself from intruders that will try to break in.

42. Establish, made a list of human leeches around you that will take and give nothing in return and regard them as threats to your survival supplies.

43. Those with small children and pets, train them to go to a safe area by command. Even most animals are smart enough to listen.

44. Federal, state, local danger drills are way too infrequent for your mind to take hold. Make your emergency drills a daily or 3 times a week event.

45. Depending on your location write down in great detail what you can expect in various disastrous situations. This helps to prepare dealing with worst case scenarios.

46. Practice staying calm and thinking straight, breathing exercises, anything to keep you as collected during emergency situations.

47. Spend some nights sleeping outside, this can be in your backyard, camping trips, whatever to prepare you for when you are stuck outside.

48. Instead of using electronic devices, made a habit of using a piece of paper and a pen or pencil to write down things that are important and not important.

49. To avoid total boredom with this does happen learn to play various card and classic board games, anything that can entertain you and your family and friends that does not plug in.

50. Become a master of learning human idiosyncrasies (mannerisms), facial expressions, movements. This is invaluable when dealing with irrational and probably unsafe people after a calamity occurs.

The truly “ready” survivalist should be training themselves to be prepared to undergo things that are going to be vastly different and very difficult to adjust to and handle. By using some or all of these 50 prep tips now and before the aftermath of “the nightmare” that is coming, you will be more adapt to handling it. Add your personal preparation exercises to the 50 to make you even more mega disaster ready.
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Best Flashlight

There is hardly a doubt that a first prep item for most people is a flashlight, and most everyone already has at least one. If you are in the market for an additional flashlight, or wonder what is the best flashlight, we scoured one of the popular online retailers to discover the most reviewed, highly rated, best selling flashlights in various price categories.

There are many criteria and varying use-case scenarios which will affect your purchase decisions, but it is helpful to see which model flashights are selling the most, those with the highest reviews, and those in particular price ranges.

Many of us have quite a number of flashlights, each with their own specific purpose. Consider features like size, brightness, style, tactical, handheld, head-mount, free standing, bulb type, LED, battery type, lumens, reflector type, color, weatherproof, shockproof, etc…

BEST FLASHLIGHT UNDER $25

The best selling flashlight for $25 or less, rated with 4-Star reviews or better, overall
Dorcy 41-4750 180 Lumen High Flux LED Cyber Light Flashlight with Batteries

BEST FLASHLIGHT $25 – $50

The best selling flashlight between $25 – $50, rated with 4-Star reviews or better, overall
Cyclops CYC-9WS Thor-by-Sirius 9-Watt Rechargeable LED Spotlight

BEST FLASHLIGHT $50 – $100

The best selling flashlight between $55 – $100, rated with 4-Star reviews or better, overall
Fenix LD20 205 Lumen LED Flashlight

BEST FLASHLIGHT $100 – $200

The best selling flashlight between $100 – $200, rated with 4-Star reviews or better, overall
Fenix TK40 High Performance Cree LED Flashlight, Maximum 630 Lumens

BEST FLASHLIGHT ABOVE $200

The best selling flashlight over $200, rated with 4-Star reviews overall
Olight SR90 Intimidator 2,200 Lumens 30W Luminus SST-90 LED Flashlight Black

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