What prepping thing have you done today?

[Kacie123]

I've just checked our fire alarm. Seems to work which is good! And I've finished packing our second emergency rucksack.

Just wondering what fellow preppers are up to

I so wish I had understood physics at school.

I don't think in the event of a power cut I would use either a kettle or a microwave on any backup power source. I know they can't be used with petrol generators because they're very high usage, I'm not sure about solar though.

anything that heats quickly and to a high temperature is high usage (although with a kettle it's high usage but for a very short period of time).

how much a battery can store is entirely dependent on the size of the battery.

To give you some feel for amounts of power, those small briefcase sized portable solar panels will typically charge a phone in a day (but that's a very rough idea since all depends on the size of the battery and the weather conditions plus how run down the phone is)

So would a suitcase sized solar panel, manage to charge a battery for ten minutes of the microwave? How big a battery would you require?

Not as far as I'm aware. They are more like trickle chargers. You'd need a larger array with a battery (plus then a way of connecting the battery to the microwave since most of the battery banks have usb connections.)

I'm not an expert on solar but have spent some time looking into it.

So I am better off in a power cut, with a gas camping fire, boiling a kettle outside?

yes or a generator. but for boiling a kettle a camping stove would probably be the cheapest way.

Thanks so much. I need to find one now.

Bought a one ring portable camping stove this morning. Bargain at £10 I thought. It's nice to know we can have hot food and drink in the event of a power cut.

Taken the Landrover in for an mot which it passed, all we need now is some snow

I had my little kettle delivered to go on my gas one ring stove.

LI am now returning one of the bug out bags we bought and planning to buy a hiking bag with a better frame.

I know it won't be a "proper" camouflage bug out bag sort of thing, but realistically it would be good to be able to carry them in a crisis and not instantly get a bad back.

And all this time on I'm STILL dithering on what kind of stove to buy! Don't really want gas bottles stored in flat, thinking maybe a Kelly Kettle would be best to boil some water outside and bring it back in...

Do you have a balcony you could use, Kacie?

I think some extra bits might have been delivered for my Storm Kettle today (Dh got for me for Christmas.)

Also realistically are you trying to.camouflage yourselves - do you have the clothes, face paint sticks and access to a place to hide in and the skills to hide successfully. No point blending into the forest if you live in the city after all.
Id go with comfortable and lots of pockets for your rucksack. Mines dark with a very bright rain cover so could be used to draw attention to myself if needed.

Yesterday had a short trip to a historic desert site. Was a great trip but showed up a lot of prepping weaknesses. I thought of taking my mini water filter and travel solar charger but decided to leave them behind as it we had a few bottles of water anyway. Come 4 o clock water was all finished and we were all dehydrated. We then went to very kind hosts who prepared amazing food for us but the water was super cloudy and dusty.. thankfully they produced a life-saving cooler full of pepsi, but lesson has been learned.

The car too was also woefully unprepared with spare oil/ water as we also discovered after mysterious problems emerged in the middle of nowhere.

I was at the Dollar Store the other day and they had quarts of whole, 2% and skim milk in shelf stable containers. I purchased two, and so glad I did. Today we got over a foot of snow, Dh had to take ds to school and back and they haven't plowed our street yet. So glad I didn't have to go out to get necessities!

Don't think we are in any danger of getting a foot of snow unfortunately but we have just added to the tins shelf in the food cupboard and also got a full pack of long life milk that's good until May next year

Need to remember to get another pack in a month or so and keep rotating things so they don't get wasted

Is it a petrol or diesel genny odfod ?

If diesel and there is anywhere nearby to get it you can run it on red diesel which is massively cheaper than pump fuel

If petrol check if it needs neat petrol if it is a 4 stroke engine or a petrol/oil mix if it is a 2 stroke engine using neat petrol in a 2 stroke will wreck it very quickly

If it is for once in a blue moon emergency only use then consider running it on Aspen2t fuel rather than petrol as it is premixed with the oil in it and has a five year shelf life so it won't go off either in the can or in the carb while the genny is sat unused for months at a time

Or aspen4t if it is a 4 stroke engine same long shelf life and doesn't go off and cause starting problems when left for months at a time between uses like normal petrol does

Well my prepping thing for today is filling one of the water bowsers I bought a month ago now that I have replaced the tap and seals, jet washed it out and made sure it is ok and I am happy to drink the water that comes out of it

Just need to get the other one done now although not as rushed as there is six weeks worth of water for the four of us in it now

I am starting back to thinking about this stuff again.

One thing that is on the horizon is a massive camping event for our Scout Troupe's 50th celebrations. So the Scouts will blag all the good equipment, leaving us Cubs with the dregs. And bad enough as that is, I have no tent of my own, or sleeping mat etc.

So I am making a list of things I should acquire for my own needs.

Have: Sleeping bag, knife, head torch, eating gear, camping chair(s) etc.

Need: Tent, sleeping mat.

Want: Lantern.

(Am I missing anything vital?)

In terms of the Cubs and main camp part, from my own house I am going to bring 2 large plastic jugs, a large chopping board, some extra cooking utensils (wooden spoons, serving spoon, 1 decent sharp knife), j cloths, tea towels (at least 5), roll of kitchen towels, first aid kit. Potentially 1 large pot and 1 frying pan. And my bowsaw.

But I am thinking about acquiring a kettle/teapot (metal), and maybe a few other bits of my stuff that I'll use in Cubs. And a decent plastic tub with a lid to keep things dry, as the camp is earlier than we normally go under canvas.