What did you do to prepare today?

eirator

Certainly looks like a well featured first aid kit, for the money it looks a little better value and spec than the Lidl/Aldi car first aid kits that retail for about a tenner.

btw if you need to replace any bandages/dressings its normally cheaper to buy another cheap kit than buy more than a couple of the bandages/dressing in a chemists.

Deise Musashi

A CPR mask/vent aid/Laerdale mask.
I would recommend doing a first aid course to go with having the kit.
Your local Red Cross, St. John's, Order of Malta or adult education place should do an occupational first aid course or equivalent.
I usually restock from Flashpoint medical or S P Services, or a vet supply place...

Well done on becoming more ready for the unknown unknowns. Will you carry the FAK on you, in a bag, in the car or fixed location ( kitchen? ).

Cliona99

Thanks for all the tips and encouragement!

(a vet suppliers? Seriously?)

I'm going to keep this kit in the car because it's a smaller, neater equivalent of my medicine press at home. I'll get some more bandages/wipes etc. for the press though.

I'm up to date on first aid. I finally did a course after being on a bus when a child started choking, nobody knew what to do. Hopefully I won't need any of it, but great skills to have.

eirator

Cliona99 wrote: »

...

(a vet suppliers? Seriously?)

...

I carry a couple of V-Flex cohesive bandages and dressings, they are for horses but you get about 4 times the bandage for half the price and the dressings are massive again very cheap just the thing for a really large wound that nothing in your average first aid kit would start to cover. I originally got them so I had something in case the dogs did something stupid out on a walk (one impaled itself on a fence once chasing a rabbit - vet patched him up OK) but I'd happily use them on a human or myself if need be.

drvr

Don't buy First Aid supplies from a chemist shop. Buy them from one of the commercial suppliers
Critical Healthcare / Flashpoint Medical etc. Suppplies cost a fraction of the price . ( less than a euro for a Triangular bandage versus 3 euro +/- in a chemist)
The one First Aid item I carry everywhere are Nitrile gloves (on a keyring pouch).

Tabnabs

Also if visiting the UK, buy own brand painkillers from ASDA, Tesco etc. for a fraction of the price of the brand named versions.

drvr

Cheaper meds in the north too. both OTC and prescription.
Try the supermarkets for OTC stuff (paracetamol / ibuprofen / aspirin)

eirator

Tabnabs wrote: »

Also if visiting the UK, buy own brand painkillers from ASDA, Tesco etc. for a fraction of the price of the brand named versions.

Last time I bought generic paracetamol in a discount store in the UK (just over a month ago) it was 13 pence for a box of 24.

But unless you find a checkout operator that doesn't know the law then its the same as here and you can only buy a max of 24 tablets.

Cliona99

eirator wrote: »

I carry a couple of V-Flex cohesive bandages and dressings, they are for horses but you get about 4 times the bandage for half the price and the dressings are massive again very cheap just the thing for a really large wound that nothing in your average first aid kit would start to cover. I originally got them so I had something in case the dogs did something stupid out on a walk (one impaled itself on a fence once chasing a rabbit - vet patched him up OK) but I'd happily use them on a human or myself if need be.

Thanks very much! My littlest dog tripped on a barbed wire fence a while back and ripped open her chest- these bandages would've come in handy. (She was fine after the vet too).

Tabnabs

eirator wrote: »

Last time I bought generic paracetamol in a discount store in the UK (just over a month ago) it was 13 pence for a box of 24.

But unless you find a checkout operator that doesn't know the law then its the same as here and you can only buy a max of 24 tablets.

What if you go to the self service till, does it stop the transaction going through?

eirator

Tabnabs wrote: »

What if you go to the self service till, does it stop the transaction going through?

I went to the same shop in the UK (no self service tills) 2 days following and on the first day I was only allowed to buy one pack but the second time they didn't stop me with 4 so obviously nothing on that system that alerts them to the regulations but easy enough to put a "Operator intervention required" msg on the screen if 2 lots of paracetamol go through on any self service till just like alcohol.

eirator

Cliona99 wrote: »

Thanks very much! My littlest dog tripped on a barbed wire fence a while back and ripped open her chest- these bandages would've come in handy. (She was fine after the vet too).

The dressings are very big (by first aid kit standards) 20cm x 40cm and 4 would take up the same space as one of those first aid kits you bought.

Different brand but lot of info on using the dressings here http://www.vetpro.co.nz/Products/Robinson+Range/Animalintex/How+to+use+Animalintex.html .

mawk

I buy my otc meds by the tub (200-500s) from the states. with shipping they are usually 10-15 euro and good quality. Ebay or amazon

silentrust

eirator wrote: »

Last time I bought generic paracetamol in a discount store in the UK (just over a month ago) it was 13 pence for a box of 24.

But unless you find a checkout operator that doesn't know the law then its the same as here and you can only buy a max of 24 tablets.

Presumably this is to stop people doing anything too desperate to themselves? Interestingly enough the rural part of England I hail from doesn't restrict the amount of painkillers you can buy but I've seen restrictions in pharmacies in the cities.

My biggest concern is antibiotics. Managed to order some designed for fish tanks last year but they weren't cheap - around 38 for a bottle of 25 tablets.

Sadly there doesn't seem to be any other way to obtain them legally in Ireland!

aaakev

Antibiotics for fish tanks are widely used by prepping folk, i think the are pretty much the same thing and you can buy them in any pet shop

silentrust

aaakev wrote: »

Antibiotics for fish tanks are widely used by prepping folk, i think the are pretty much the same thing and you can buy them in any pet shop

I asked the vendor and he said this was Amoixicllin, no different to what any you might be prescribed by your Doctor or Dentist. I asked a friend of mine who's a GP, she told me that the risk of an adverse reaction was slightly higher than those designed specifically for human beings but naturally not nearly as great as the chance of developing an infection without them!

I have also been messaged by a forum user who says it is relatively easy to manufacture penicillin by leaving cubes of bread to get mouldy. I've made a note of this but have decided against trying to make any as apparently the resulting mixture stinks to high heaven!

thehippychippy

Not so much what I did today, but got back Sunday from one of the MacTire bushcraft course. Fits in here due to covering fire lighting, edible plants, medicinal plants, knots, and general outdoor living. Brilliant weekend and really looking forward to the next one( this weekend!)
On a side note. Break down assist is a very good idea on your car insurance. 123 did a great job of getting me to Mayo 4 hours late, As opposed to sitting on the m6 outside ballinasloe untill my bro could get a car trailer and not getting to Mayo at all!!

eirator

silentrust wrote: »

I asked the vendor and he said this was Amoixicllin, no different to what any you might be prescribed by your Doctor or Dentist. I asked a friend of mine who's a GP, she told me that the risk of an adverse reaction was slightly higher than those designed specifically for human beings but naturally not nearly as great as the chance of developing an infection without them!

I have also been messaged by a forum user who says it is relatively easy to manufacture penicillin by leaving cubes of bread to get mouldy. I've made a note of this but have decided against trying to make any as apparently the resulting mixture stinks to high heaven!

Don't forget not all antibiotics are good for every infection

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/158481.php

What conditions are treated with amoxicillin?

Amoxicillin is prescribed to treat infections due to specific strains of common bacteria such as Streptococci, E. coli, Staphylococcus, H. pylori, P. mirabilis, H. influenzae, N. gonorrhoeae, and S. pneumoniae. These bacteria cause the following diseases:
Infections of the middle ear, nose and throat
Infections of the tonsils, throat, and larynx (laryngitis)
Infections of the bronchi (bronchitis) and lungs (pneumonia)
Urinary tract infections
Infections of the skin
Gonorrhea

eirator

Finally got around to sorting out the down pipe on the side of the extension so now have a decent water butt set up (s/h 220l drum) and now making a wooden lid for it. Next plan is to put an overflow on it and then join up 2 other drums. The water collected will only be for plant watering and manual toilet flushing.

The water comes off a good clean roof but I'm still thinking of adding a small settlement tank/filter to one side, probably just a big deep sink type u bend made of drain pipe and fittings - expensive but I already have a load of pipe and half the fittings.

Better get back out before the mornings gone.

mawk

I was doing some digging and having to get through a ton of roots, I now have a shovel with an edge filed on to it. Quite sharp, saves a lot of effort

silentrust

Finally got around to assembling the mini greenhouse to place all my potted herbs - also turned some tomatoes we'd grown into a purée by boiling them and mixing them with a little vinegar and (store bought) garlic -a good base for plenty of recipes and can keep for ages.

Danpad

silentrust wrote: »

Finally got around to assembling the mini greenhouse to place all my potted herbs - also turned some tomatoes we'd grown into a purée by boiling them and mixing them with a little vinegar and (store bought) garlic -a good base for plenty of recipes and can keep for ages.

...am copying this tip immediately.

eirator

OK so I'm not sure if the water butt was such a good idea or at least if the plan was executed as well as it could have been. We had a little bit of rain in the night and I now have water butt full to overflowing. Great you might say but thinking it would be a little slower to fill - I was expecting it to be at most half full this morning - I didn't add an overflow so that's on today's list.

Its actually going to be quite complicated as by the looks of it I need to put a 2 inch overflow on it to keep up with the amount of water the roof collects and I can't find a cheap 2 inch tank connector anywhere locally. Connecting up the other barrels can be done with much cheaper 3/4 or 1 inch fittings.

silentrust

Danpad wrote: »

...am copying this tip immediately.

Very flattering Danpad thank you. We made cross cuts in the tomatoes and boiled them in order to easily remove the skins. You don't have to do this but I prefer a nice smooth purée.

Then you can run them through a food processor (I have one of the "stick" varieties as they're very handy for making soap too).

Once that's done purists like to boil it again and add vinegar, salt and sugar (naturally these all help to preserve food) but I just added a couple of teaspoons of vinegar and decanted everything into a sterilised jam jar. I did this once before and kept the purée in the fridge for over a month before using the last of it and it tasted fine.

Of course if anyone is more experienced with this sort of thing and wants to share their tips, please feel free!

ShadowFox

silentrust wrote: »

Very flattering Danpad thank you. We made cross cuts in the tomatoes and boiled them in order to easily remove the skins. You don't have to do this but I prefer a nice smooth purée.

Then you can run them through a food processor (I have one of the "stick" varieties as they're very handy for making soap too).

Once that's done purists like to boil it again and add vinegar, salt and sugar (naturally these all help to preserve food) but I just added a couple of teaspoons of vinegar and decanted everything into a sterilised jam jar. I did this once before and kept the purée in the fridge for over a month before using the last of it and it tasted fine.

Of course if anyone is more experienced with this sort of thing and wants to share their tips, please feel free!

I read somewhere (cant find the link) that if you heat the jar in boiling water before you put the lid on it reseals it to air tight so no need for the fridge your press will do

dan dan

ShadowFox wrote: »

I read somewhere (cant find the link) that if you heat the jar in boiling water before you put the lid on it reseals it to air tight so no need for the fridge your press will do

Gentlemen. You are greatly to be admired for your work and ingenuity. Saving,preparing and producing your own provisions. However, When the SHTF. Shops and food outlets of all sorts,eg. containers on the docks. are exausted, the starving mob,will see you as the greedy basket. who mopped up all of their food. How dare you !.
The organised gangs who have discovered a whole new line in blackmarket produce will see you as their suppliers. Your life or indeed your families lives will not be seen by these business men as more valuable than their profit margins.
Be prepared to dig in . by all means. guage the situation as it unfolds,and be prepared to get out fast. Sometimes a good run is better than a bad stand.
Fill your head with knowledge,you may be parted from your BOB. Think of burying dry goods, at intervals on your route out. You become a light travelling grey man. not worth bothering with.
It all depends on how the situation unfolds. Being prepared,means not a strategy but a series of them.

mawk

That was dramatic

aaakev

dan dan wrote: »

Gentlemen. You are greatly to be admired for your work and ingenuity. Saving,preparing and producing your own provisions. However, When the SHTF. Shops and food outlets of all sorts,eg. containers on the docks. are exausted, the starving mob,will see you as the greedy basket. who mopped up all of their food. How dare you !.
The organised gangs who have discovered a whole new line in blackmarket produce will see you as their suppliers. Your life or indeed your families lives will not be seen by these business men as more valuable than their profit margins.
Be prepared to dig in . by all means. guage the situation as it unfolds,and be prepared to get out fast. Sometimes a good run is better than a bad stand.
Fill your head with knowledge,you may be parted from your BOB. Think of burying dry goods, at intervals on your route out. You become a light travelling grey man. not worth bothering with.
It all depends on how the situation unfolds. Being prepared,means not a strategy but a series of them.

Thats where the preps we shall not speak of come into play knowing how to defend yourself will play a huge part if anything ever happened like you said above or even on a random night out

Markcheese

Ah christ, is it "the road" we're planning for ..... Think I'd rather be ignorant and short lived....
There are loads of books available on canning jarring and preserving food..
Apples, tomatoes, pears, peppers , cucumbers courgette,even cabbage... Can all be easily stored , if you have the right jars and a little expierience

silentrust

aaakev wrote: »

Thats where the preps we shall not speak of come into play knowing how to defend yourself will play a huge part if anything ever happened like you said above or even on a random night out

OK, this is a topic which comes up fairly often when apparently hardened survivalists examine my strategy and are surprised that I seem to have neglected assault weapons, armoured vehicles and "getting out of Dodge."

In the first instance, I want to say I think this kind of mach posturing about everyone's favourite machine gun and "living off the land" is one of the main things which discourages more women from not getting involved in Survivalism because they, like me, just find it rather boring and short sighted.

Those of you who followed my posts will know I grow my own food, nourished by kitchen scraps and rain water. Long term I hope to expand my garden to the roof, keep chickens and even manufacture biodiesel to be self sufficient. This isn't really relevant, you all have your own strategy and we're here to exchange ideas.

There is always going to be the risk that post-collapse, come the flood, zombies or whatever that our careful preparations will make us a more lucrative target to less well prepared thieves. This is true for some moustachioed redneck with a bandolier of bullets across his chest, as it is for me hidden in my house.

I have spoken to any number of self-styled survival "experts" who have done a few months of Bushcraft courses and think they can live "off the land" with just their hunting knife and machine gun for company - they don't realise that it won't be like the movies where they'll have the run off a forest to themselves. They'll be competing for hunting ground, fishing rights and so on with other heavily armed meatheads who didn't take proper precautions because they believed their ability to kill others would get them through the lean times.

Starting a firefight with someone is a surefire way to end up getting yourself killed in one. Barelling over a post-apocalyptic landscape in a jury-rigged RV is hundreds of times more likely to attract the wrong sort of attention than me hunkered down growing herbs and fruit. (Where do these people think they're going to travel to anyway?)

But hey, I'm a nice guy. If you guys want to riddle one another with bullet holes while squabbling over the last few cans of tuna, be my guest. I am going to rely on my anonymity, good physical security and homesteading to see my family and I through.

Of course if I do ever feel the need to have a bearskin clad sniper on my roof 24 hours a day, I imagine he or she would consider this a small price to pay for living in the only place where there are three meals a day and hot water for miles around but I honestly think they'd be a waste of good food.