Our guest for today's show was Ben Peterson, marketing manager at Blade HQ. We are lucky to have such an awesome knife store in our own backyard. We talked about how to choose the right EDC and survival knives. I hope that our discussion helps you to better choose the right knives for you.
My personal opinion is that Blade HQ has the best site for knife shopping online, period. They are also my go-to store for EDC flashlights.
3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food are usually the primary issues we concentrate on when preparing for an SHTF scenario. But, another issues that will also kill you just as fast is sickness and disease. Have you planned and prepared for how you will you'll stay clean and sanitary when there's no electricity or running water?
When I think of sanitation problems the first image that comes to my mind is a photo of people in India or other 3rd world countries bathing in the same water they drink, cook and clean with at the same place where they dispose of garbage.
What are we going to do when our running water stops and when trash collection ceases due to a natural disaster or other SHTF event? What are your plans to stay clean and healthy?
This week we talk about a few issues and ways to prepare for personal sanitation during the worst conditions. There just isn't enough time during our show to address even a fraction of what you need to know. I urge you to take time to research the issues and learn about what you can do to prepare.
One of the biggest mistakes I see in family's emergency preparedness supplies is that they store liquid bleach. Within about 6 months stored liquid bleach loses much of it effectiveness and then steadily degrades year after year until it essentially becomes a brine solution. Liquid bleach, chlorine, is an essential item for sanitation and water purification. For long term storage, rather that purchasing and rotating liquid bleach, store chlorine swimming pool tablets or calcium hypochlorite swimming pool shock in granular form. These forms of chlorine have a much longer shelf life and can be mixed with water, or vinegar and used for sanitation and purification.
Soap for personal hygiene and laundry is also an important item to stock up on. To keep it simple I have been stocking up on this multipurpose laundry bar soap and antibacterial bar hand soap. Keeping clean will require much more water than the minimum of 1 gallon per person per day that you may already have stored.
Other important things to consider:
Electric water pumps fill water tanks and run sewage pumps. If you live in an area where gravity operates the sewer system then you'll still be able to use your toilets, if not then don't count on being able to use them.
What will we do when we run out of toilet paper? Feminine products? How will we dispose of these products while we still have them?
How will we dispose of feces/urine?
How will you brush your teeth after the toothpaste runs out?
Do you have a supply of N95 masks and latex gloves?
As part of our continuation on SHFT sanitation we thought that we had better talk about Pandemics and what we can do to prepare.
First is knowledge. Ken's book is filled with the information you need to be aware of. He also discusses the various ways one can prepare for pandemics. According to history we are overdue for another Pandemic, a world wide event. We hear news of bird flu's, ebola, and superbugs on a regular basis. It's only a matter of time before it affects each of us.
An hour is never enough time. Get online and do your research and get prepared for the inevitable. Make pandemic preparedness supplies part of your EDC. At a minimum you should carry N95 masks and hand sanitizer.
Listen to our show each Wednesday at 9AM MST on K-Talk Media, KTKK, AM 630 in SLC, UT. You can also listen live with the app and online. In September we will be switching to a new schedule.
Yet another product that I stewed about
for some time before I decided that I had to have one. Why did I hesitate
you ask? Well, that is a bit of a complex question, for me at least.
First, I have lots of flashlights.
LOTS. Very few do I use regularly. So, when it comes to
adding yet another light to my arsenal of lights I... take my time. One
type of light that I have very few of is a lantern, a flood light. I have
generally focused on task oriented lights or particular lumens and features.
However, an area light has many uses and benefits as well, especially
when it come to use within the home, tent or camp trailer.
PUC light fully charged, plugged in and in flashlight mode.
Second, the Hybrid light PUC is not a traditional flashlight. Anything that does not look or work like a traditional version of itself immediately sets off warning signs and red lights in my mind. Warning! Gimmick! I'm not one to immediately jump on the bandwagon when it comes to breaking the mold. Because it doesn't always work out. However, this light design works well.
The Hybrid Light PUC lantern is rechargeable by a USB and it has a built in solar panel for charging as well. The light is also capable of charging a cell phone or other USB device which makes this much more than just a flashlight slash lantern. Devices that only charge via one of these methods makes them impractical. Keep it charged via the USB and use it often. On a camping trip or during an emergency it can charge by way of the solar panel. Pair this up with a K-Tor Pocket Socket, www.k-tor.com and you'll always be able to keep it charged. No additional batteries required. I like the sound of that!
PUC light expanded. PUC light fully charged.
Notice the two photos below. This is where the Hybrid Light PUC really excels. I turned all of the lights off in our home and walked around with the lantern, to simulate a power outage. I kept looking around to see if I had turned off all of the lights as there seemed to be more light than what this little lantern could provide. I was pleasantly surprised at its ability to comfortably fill our small home with light.
Being an experienced amateur photographer I did my best to match the exposure with what I felt was the actual output of the light being careful to not under nor over expose these shots. As you can see, on the high setting of approximately 75 lumens, and being diffused through the expanding according style translucent plastic material, the results of the diffused light was amazing and far better than I anticipated from this little powerhouse.
The PUC lantern has an internal 4000 mAh Lithium-Ion battery which means lots of hours of light as well as many years of reliable use. Lithium batteries can sit for years without losing their charge. This means that you can charge it and if you forget about it, it's likely to retain the charge and be ready when you need it. As you can see my youngest daughter enjoyed playing with it. During a power outage children can become fearful. Light can be comforting to children and the unique design qualities of this light make it more entertaining and versatile than just a simple flashlight.
On today's episode we talk about things that everyone can do to make their homes more secure. Hardening or fortifying your home can be as simple as adding longer screws to your front door hinges and deadbolt plates.
Hardening your home is the most effective and least expensive methods to keep criminals out. These methods include:
Replacing the short screws in your exterior door hinges and latch plates with longer (3") screws to tie them into the house framing which will make a tremendous difference in strengthening the door against kicking.
This is what happens when only short 3/4" screws are used. A door can easily kicked in. The door jam is the only thing keeping the bad people out. Not good.
Install beefier latch plates for the deadbolt and door knobs.
Ensure that your entry door hard wear is of good quality.
Install additional door locks like the door blocker lock.
These kinds of locks are best as the attached to the house framing and not the door.
Ensure that your entry door is either solid wood or steel with a steel frame, and not a wood frame.
This is what happens to a wood frame door when it is kicked in. It has metal on both sides of the door but the frame is wood, A steel frame door or solid wood door is much stronger.
Install security film on sliding glass doors and ground level windows to resist breaking.
How do you respond to a traumatic event? Do you freeze up or do you know exactly what needs to be done? Do you run and hide or do you jump in and help? Do you immediately hit the panic button and hope that someone comes to the rescue? Every emergency needs that one person who can stay calm, take charge and direct others.
Preparation, awareness and training will help you to prevail when it comes to the SHFT. Not only will you survive but you can also thrive.
The purpose of this site is to provide you with information about what I have learned, my experience, and what my motivations are as a Prepared Guy. I have always felt driven to be ready for any situation by something powerful deep inside me. Being prepared has always served me well. I feel compelled to help others do the same.
