Anyone planning on buying a wind up FM radio?

@FedUpCelery Re: sleeping bags I am guessing a couple of things - if your heating is off they can help you keep warm or if you need to be evacuated to a rest centre than bringing a sleeping bag is useful.

We got evacuated once (a half built block of flat next door to us caught fire and we were evacuated in the middle of the night for safety reasons). We were put up in the local bus garage - sitting on a hard plastic chair in the draughty tea room of the bus garage for hours in our PJs was not a whole lot of fun!.

Sigh. No one's asking you to prep for an apocalypse, simply to keep a few things in so you can look after yourself for a few days while national resources focus on getting the infrastructure back up and looking after the most vulnerable.

They're planning for power outages and cyber attacks, not bombs.

I'm not doing any prepping at all. If WW3 breaks out I'm standing under the nearest bomb because I have no intention of living in a post apocalyptic world thank you. The only things I have stocked up is cat biscuits because the whinging if I had no food for the cats would be epic.
I went to Morrisons for a sandwich at lunchtime and the crowds were epic, people were running about with massive trollies full of food and loo roll - it's not even raining here in Somerset where I am.

I understand that. It’s just more stuff in the house and all adds up. It’s getting everyone to spend on various items.

And agree with pp on water, how frequently to use it. We bought some ages ago and it’s just been there that time.

And also buy lots of bottled water - at least 9 for a family of 5 - (5l bottles), which you must monitor and replace regularly.

Disclaimer, I don't know what the use by date is on a properly stored bottle of water.

Can I ask if there’s an obvious benefit that I haven’t seen in getting a wind up rather than battery radio. Of course I’d get a good supply of batteries in . ?

Unless its a Renault like mine the radio stopped working not long after I bought it 🙃 I never bothered getting it fixed because I can plug my phone into it to play music a wind up radio is a small cheap item takes up very little space ours doubles as a torch

Or if in a flat - straight in the bag and out the window. Don't turn your house into a biohazard.
This is like a Scene from Blackadder II.
Throwing crap out the window, why not just stick your bum outside the window and save on plastic.

We have one the younger kids are fascinated by it

We have cars and there are radios in those.

I don't understand the need for sleeping bags on the list too.
We have sleeping bags but they're the bulky sort you use when you drive to a campsite, they aren't hiking ones.
They haven't explained the need for sleeping bags that they are forseeing, so I'm perplexed.

We thought about the wind up radio but decided to stick with the battery powered DAB/FM/AM radios we already have. We buy bulk packs of batteries on Amazon.
On LBC last night, I think it was Simon Marks who had a couple of guests mention power banks. They sound pretty useful so I’ll have a look for one.

I have got 100s of tea candles. I bought a massive box from a charity shop for a fiver. I wonder how may would be needed to boil enough water for a cup of tea.

Im with you on this one. I worry about meds. Some are life saving. And they will run out as doctors are pretty strict about when you can renew so no stockpiling.

I don't think they are planning for war, at least not in the way you imagine. They're planning for infrastructure to be sabotaged. It's mind boggling that you think being asked to keep in a few days' food is "them" expecting you to do everything. This is partly of the planning, and from some of the responses here it's shockingly necessary.

As for them not telling you what they're doing, do you take any interest? Wes Streeting was talking about some of the measures only yesterday. There's the Planning and Infrastructure Act enacted last year, the Critical Undersea Infrastructure (CUI) Security white paper published this month, the National Resiliance Campaign, just a cursory Google would tell you loads.

What are you expecting to see?

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-health-advice-from-uk-cmos-during-a-national-power-outage/water-and-sanitation-scripts-for-broadcast-media

In a true national power cut where water goes off too and the sewage system doesn't work, yes, poo in a bag is basically it (or some variation).

Have you looked for it?

Their plans are published you know. Do you expect a minister to come to your house and talk you through it, line by line?

A war? Air-raid shelters?

Any war fought now that the UK was involved with would not feature local ballistics.

It would likely be cyber - at best - at worst - take your pick - either way - air-raid shelters and corned-beef would not help you.

We are exactly the same.

If the shit does go down - I'll bring the gin.

I have got a wind up grammar phone and some 30s Jazz records.

Find it interesting that the Government are putting out all these instructions to people, but not telling us exactly what they are doing to prepare. If they think there might be a war etc for example, are they planning on establishing any air-raid type places, or emergency centres. Are they planning to strengthen the fire services, or adding extra provisions for the NHS. Its all well and good them telling us to buy in some extra tinned food - but what's their plan! That's what I'd like to know.

Same with a wind up torch, I used to keep one in my boot. When I needed it, it was almost useless. Loads of winding for a very dull light.

I might look for one that works on usb because I have a solar battery pack that could run it.

Very short sighted. The reason you have 30 shops is because you have a huge population in the local catchment. That population will trip the shelves of those 30 shops in a matter of hours. What do you plan to do once the shops are empty and can’t be resupplied? How are you even going to get to the shops once the rioting and looting breaks out, which is what will happen in the major cities once the shelves are empty?

@HowLateItWasHowLate I am disabled. I couldn't manage shitting in a bag. And I have a small garden. Even if I could I am not shitting outside in front of neighbours.

I have a battery one. Somewhere.