What did you do to prepare today?

baords dyslexic · 13-06-2012 1:26pm

Picked up 3 70l holdall type bags, the lots of zips and straps type in the Waterford Poleberry Tesco half price or less shop for a tenner each. So tonight I should be well on my way to getting 3 bobs sorted out. Not that we don't have any aleady stuff packed rtg but I wanted 3 set up so we all have the basics packed in bags that aren't going to be raided for anything other than emergency use.

I might also type out a list and print it out of the contents of each bag and put it in a plasitic bag in the mess top pocket as I keep forgetting the stuff I have stached away

Also picked up 2 dry bags (a large and extra large) in TK MAX, what a dump of a place, but if all the stuff you want has been picked over, is missing the packaging and prices, the staff seem to take the easy option and pick a price out of the air which can mean you get a good deal

Edit> Doing some packing now and just notice the holdalls are 60l not 70l - just in case someone goes looking for them in Tesco Poleberry.

I'm also doing up a word doc contents list including anal bits like having boxes for date for next check and date checked (for batterys and later on pills) and will post a copy if it works out and doesn't make me sound like too much of a tit

mawk · 13-06-2012 10:15pm

kildare.17hmr wrote: »

Pics dude!!

i went with a cord handle instead of wood last minute. i had some glow in the dark cord that might just be useful in a tits up situation

2012-06-13%2B20.47.02.jpg

kildare.17hmr · 13-06-2012 10:20pm

How did ya make it? Is it one piece of stwel or did you pound a few together?

mawk · 14-06-2012 5:21pm

single piece of bar stock, i dont have skills or tools enough to fold new steel at home. simple enough project to knock out in an afternoon. rotary brush to take off any rust, cut to shape and then bench grind a rough edge. due to space constraints I ended up having to hand file a chunk of the mid section.
I put a finer edge on the blade by hand with files and a whetstone, and heat treated the blade to try keep it hard/sharp.

then a coat of paint and wound a cord handle, there is a method to doing that but google/youtube should help anyone interested.

it splits logs pretty damn well, but i havent tried cutting off branches yet

kildare.17hmr · 14-06-2012 5:30pm

Not bad for a first attempt and it looks well. Fair play! If it can chop logs im sure it will chop branches

baords dyslexic · 15-06-2012 5:10pm

Still packing 3 bug out bags, because I'm making them totally stand alone its harder than I thought so to keep the project going I bought 3 LED torches from the pound shop, 3 dayglow vests from Lidl and some more little lighters.

CamperMan · 16-06-2012 11:20am

CamperMan wrote: »

I have a few more of these if anyone else is interested

I still have some of these Russian gas masks for sale.. handy to have in your disaster survival kit..

Tabnabs · 21-06-2012 10:28am

I came across the term INCH bag yesterday and this could well add a whole new dimension to my preps.

INCH = I'm not coming home.

The standard BOB is set up for 72 hours when things are generally meant to settle down again, but if you have to keep going, have you covered that angle?

baords dyslexic · 21-06-2012 10:39am

Tabnabs wrote: »

I came across the term INCH bag yesterday and this could well add a whole new dimension to my preps.

INCH = I'm not coming home.

The standard BOB is set up for 72 hours when things are generally meant to settle down again, but if you have to keep going, have you covered that angle?

This is a problem I've been wrestling with, do you pack a BOB and INCH separately? I'm trying to do a 3 way pack, 1) BOB always packed not touched for anything else 2) INCH an extenstion (also kept packed) to BOB so in an INCH situation you take both BOB and INCH and 3) EDC gear which is car kit, camping gear and in my case dog walking kit which is all available for use on a regular basis leaving BOB and INCH ready for a real emergency - THATS THE THEORY, long what to go yet

I noticed some survivalists in more variable climates (us, do we vary much between winter rain and summer rain?) have a summer and winter extension to their main kit with warmer gear like thicker sleeping bags for the winter.

Doc Ruby · 21-06-2012 11:55am

A BOB becomes an INCH kit with the right choice of gear. My two (now three) belt pouches contain enough food and vitamins to comfortably get me through two weeks on the road, in the absence of any other sources of food, and there would no doubt be many other supplementary bits and pieces along the way. Water, I've four months minimum of purification stuff that will clean anything short of salt water. Shelter, included in the form of a tightly packed emergency blanket.

And that's just the stuff on my belt. Given the opportunity to strap on the maxpedition shoulder bag, large backpack with tent and sleeping bag packed under it, it would be very possible to survive almost indefinetely in the absence of any support.

A careful and planned out choice of gear should make the difference between INCH and BOB academic.

baords dyslexic · 21-06-2012 12:02pm

Doc Ruby wrote: »

A BOB becomes an INCH kit with the right choice of gear. My two (now three) belt pouches contain enough food and vitamins to comfortably get me through two weeks on the road, in the absence of any other sources of food, and there would no doubt be many other supplementary bits and pieces along the way. Water, I've four months minimum of purification stuff that will clean anything short of salt water. Shelter, included in the form of a tightly packed emergency blanket.

And that's just the stuff on my belt. Given the opportunity to strap on the maxpedition shoulder bag, large backpack with tent and sleeping bag packed under it, it would be very possible to survive almost indefinetely in the absence of any support.

A careful and planned out choice of gear should make the difference between INCH and BOB academic.

You are refering to packing for yourself? I'm thinking of packing for others so I have to set something up so I know whats in the bags hence specifically packing bags that are not used for anything other than an emergency, given about 4 minutes I can "arm" myself with enough gear to survive most eventuallites the dog walking bag covers a good few, the rest of the family can bring whatever else they want but at least I know they have a certain minimum requirements with my prepacked bobs.

Doc Ruby · 21-06-2012 12:09pm

Sure, the same principle should apply though. Things like lifeboat rations, water filters, and good quality portable shelters can drastically extend the useful lifetime of any BOB. There's no reason why a BOB can't turn into an INCH setup with little effort, as far as I can see.

bonniebede · 21-06-2012 1:07pm

Thanks Tabs an interesting idea.

I think my bob probably is meant to be close to an inch. Other than paper copies of some documents, which are all in one folder anyway, and which I (in theory) would have electronic copies of, i can't think of anything I would add.

I Can think of few reasons why i would want to go live in the wilderness permanently, and few places in ireland you could do it anyway, so I tend towards the bug out to rural location end of of things.

One type of scenario which is choosing quarintine in a pandemic would probably be the closest i can see myself coming to living isolated for a long time, but even there i would rather be barricaded in a house than off up the mountains somewhere.

with respect to weather gear mentioned by others, i tend towards carrying enough gear for a cold winter. If everything is layers, then it can be all the layers together or else the luxury of a change of clothes. Changes also a good thing if you get wet through, so even in summer it might be useful even necessary. I think making sure you are warm enough on a mountainside in cold wet summer weather is not that different than having enough gear for the winter, in ireland, given the climate.

Okay we have had a few weeks of snow and minus temps here and there, and of course more frequent snow up the mountains, but mostly that would come to knowing how to light a fire and having adequate shelter for the night? I'd be more worried about the sort of hypothermia kids get even on mild days when tired from exertion and stress, and the weather turns to chilly damp.

ShadowFox · 22-06-2012 8:36am

On the INCH V BOB I have my personal kit set up as
1) EDC (within walking of my home)
2) GHB (work or a day away)
3) BOB (3 days+ away from home)
4) INCH (all the above plus more cash / barter items in my bug out location)
You can only carry so much stuff Im looking into maybe asking like minded friends / family about putting a small shed on their property and storing extra items there so i can restock on my way to my bug out location

bonniebede · 24-06-2012 7:18pm

Put in a new compost bin...:)
Think i didn't get enough playing in the dirt as a child.:rolleyes:

ShadowFox · 25-06-2012 7:45pm

Thanks to bonniebede starting the survival library post ive been looking at all the survival e books and paper backs i have and thinking if i have to go bug out how would i carry them or if an emp solar flare went off and my ebook reader got fried how would i read them...... So i picked up a write in the rain journal and im taking what i think i might need from all of the books and writing them down in that then ill have a bulletproof survival manual that will be with me all the time

mawk · 25-06-2012 8:01pm

walk in the woods and made lunch on the aldi hexi stove. its not half bad!

baords dyslexic · 29-06-2012 12:45pm

Started getting "supplies" in for this comming winter, 20bags of coal (800kg), picked up at a decent price (2euro off a bag for picking them up myself) now stacked ready in the shed.

Must get on with collecting some more wood.

mawk · 29-06-2012 1:03pm

baords dyslexic wrote: »

Started getting "supplies" in for this comming winter, 20bags of coal (800kg), picked up at a decent price (2euro off a bag for picking them up myself) now stacked ready in the shed.

Must get on with collecting some more wood.

your poor back must not have appreciated carrying them all into the shed. is there much of a price difference in the coal from summer to winter?

baords dyslexic · 29-06-2012 1:34pm

mawk wrote: »

your poor back must not have appreciated carrying them all into the shed. is there much of a price difference in the coal from summer to winter?

No difference in prices summer/winter but I know the stuff I bought was stock that had been at the back of the warehouse since last winter so last years prices less 2euro a bag was only €14 a bag for Union Nuggats which is what we burn and works well in the cooker. Who knows what the euro will do to fuel prices this winter. Ideally we don't use much coal and about 16bags would do us a whole year, its just nice to have as a boost when its really cold and we want a load of hot water, otherwise we burn through the wood to quickly.

My back, not talking about it - maybe it will go away

Khannie · 30-06-2012 5:11pm

Took the kids out foraging for elderflowers. We got caught out in the rain. Learned a valuable lesson tbh. Managed to get shelter because it was near where I used to live so I knew a wooded spot.

Doc Ruby · 30-06-2012 8:17pm

Khannie wrote: »

Took the kids out foraging for elderflowers. We got caught out in the rain. Learned a valuable lesson tbh. Managed to get shelter because it was near where I used to live so I knew a wooded spot.

Knowing your local area well trumps all, in the end.

johngalway · 30-06-2012 9:30pm

Seeing as how I intend to "bug in" I got some plug plants out of Aldi and gathered some seaweed for my veg patch. All I need now is the razor wire and machine gun tower to protect it

Been doing a little reading on edible seaweeds also, but not tried any as yet.

mawk · 01-07-2012 3:08am

johngalway wrote: »

Seeing as how I intend to "bug in" I got some plug plants out of Aldi and gathered some seaweed for my veg patch. All I need now is the razor wire and machine gun tower to protect it

Been doing a little reading on edible seaweeds also, but not tried any as yet.

pretty much all of our seaweeds are edible. the only poisonous one looks like a fern. some aren't too palatable though. most of the kelps are tasty raw or cooked, especially fried into crisps. and bladder wrack is surprisingly good.

don't forget about shellfish either. easy, abundant and tasty

Doc Ruby · 01-07-2012 5:42am

mawk wrote: »

pretty much all of our seaweeds are edible. the only poisonous one looks like a fern.

Hold on there, you can get in real trouble real quick eating random flora. Have you got a link regarding Irish seaweeds?

johngalway · 01-07-2012 11:09am

Doc Ruby wrote: »

Hold on there, you can get in real trouble real quick eating random flora. Have you got a link regarding Irish seaweeds?

I think, going on memory from what I've read, there's only one weed that's not edible. But that one grows in deep water.

mawk · 01-07-2012 2:00pm

Doc Ruby wrote: »

Hold on there, you can get in real trouble real quick eating random flora. Have you got a link regarding Irish seaweeds?

well it claims as much in the front page of http://www.seaweed.ie/

and some other pages too. the "go on it's fine" ethos doesnt work so well on land.

but common sense applies, don't eat dead weed, collect away from towns, only harvest part of each plant etc

Doc Ruby · 01-07-2012 2:08pm

johngalway wrote: »

I think, going on memory from what I've read, there's only one weed that's not edible. But that one grows in deep water.

I'm a big fan of details when it comes to eating plants from the wild. These two for example produce sulphuric acid esters:

That's desmarestia ligulata and desmarestia viridis, desmarestia aculeata (witches hair) does the same. Also seaweeds are known to absorb heavy metals, radionucleotides and various other pollutants. So its a bad idea to harvest from areas close to places of heavy industry. Iodine sensitive people should stay far away from seaweed, as should those with thyroid problems.

While the proportion of edible seaweeds is higher than for other plant types, I'd still advise caution and the normal taste test routine unless you're very sure what you're eating.

Doc Ruby · 01-07-2012 3:05pm

http://www.seaweed.ie/

Seaweeds are found throughout the world's oceans and seas and none is known to be poisonous.

Except for the mouthful of sulphuric acid you get when you munch down on the above tasty treats.

http://beachwatchers.wsu.edu/ezidweb/seaweeds/Desmarestiaaculeata.htm

Desmarestia aculeata (Witch's hair) Desmarestia viridis (Stringy acid kelp or green acid kelp)

These brown seaweeds produce and store sulfuric acid. When plants are stressed they release acid breaking down their own tissues and the tissues of other seaweeds nearby. Seaweeds that look like patchy “camouflage material” may be the victims of stressed, acid leaking Desmarestia. Many species of seaweed in our area are edible (although some are more tasty than others) but Desmarestia is one seaweed to avoid.

These two species of brown seaweed grow in the low to upper subtidal area attached to rocks with a discoid holdfast. D. aculeata is wiry and dark brown whereas D. viridis (pictured above) is more hair or string-like and olive or brownish green. They are both profusely branched and both can reach lengths over 120 cm (4 feet) but here is an easy way to tell the two apart without the aid of a hand lens or microscope. If you examine the branching pattern of a few selected branches look to see if the side branching is opposite (two side branches form a “Y” coming out of the side of a main branch at the same horizontal level) or alternate (side branches stagger up the main branch). D. aculeata has alternate branching whereas D. viridis has opposite branching (see photographs).

Never ever trust some random website, test it yourself, although the guy does have credentials out the wing wang. I might send him an email to alert him or get clarification on what he thinks hes publishing.

EDIT: Anyone know of any bushcraft uses for sulphuric acid?

mawk · 01-07-2012 6:32pm

might be great for cleaning filthy mess tins?

What did you do to prepare today?

Comments