'Preppers Recommendations' thread

[RainbowZebraWarrior]

Been on the Preppers board for years. Stuff comes up on individual threads all the time like wind up radios / reliable brand of power bank etc. It's really handy, especially when people can vouch for a product. Don't think we've ever had a place to 'store' all such recommendations though, so thought I'd start such a place. Even better if anyone spots any special offers.

I'll start with a couple of favourites of mine. Discovered two pouch foods lately that are really good value for money.

1. Sold by Waitrose - Tadka Dal. Currently on offer for £1 (usually £1.90) Really delicious, authentic and a nice heat to it. Perfect for storing. Usually has about 1.5 years shelf life on it. I stick a couple in with each weekly shop.

1. 'Look what we found' Chilli Con Carne and Bolognese pouches (think there are others too) I usually pick these up for around £1.39 which is significantly cheaper than the £4 Wayfarers charge for their 'camping pouches'

Tin Can Cook by Jack Monroe. I know she can be a Marmite person. Don't care. This is about useful stuff. Corned beef chilli recipe in that is awesome.

That Dahl looks pretty tasty!

I would second the Soul TarkacDalh. They also supply a chickpea pouch which personally I don't rate

@bellinisurge

Tin Can Cook by Jack Monroe. I know she can be a Marmite person. Don't care. This is about useful stuff. Corned beef chilli recipe in that is awesome.

Good call @bellinisurge I hate mince, so cook all traditionally mince dishes with corned beef. I used to own a café and my Corned Beef Lasagne was legendary.

Also agree this is about usefulness. I guess that's part of being a prepper. We put stereotypes and petty dislikes aside.

I have bought a Horizon Rocket Stove as we struggled to cook when there was a storm and as we live by woodland we have plenty of sticks to fuel it. I can’t vouch for it yet but did see rocket stoves recommended here (we have a fire pit but it’s less efficient).

Thanks for the Dahl tip, sounds really helpful even just for nights I’m tired to cook.

@GestationalDiabetes

I have bought a Horizon Rocket Stove as we struggled to cook when there was a storm and as we live by woodland we have plenty of sticks to fuel it. I can’t vouch for it yet but did see rocket stoves recommended here (we have a fire pit but it’s less efficient).

Thanks for the Dahl tip, sounds really helpful even just for nights I’m tired to cook.

We've just got one of those and it looks great. The first one we had we made out of scrap tin and whatnot and that works well, but is heavy. Brings a big pan of water up to the boil in seven minutes and doesn't use much wood.

Anyone else got a composting toilet for just in case?

We haven't got a composting toilet in case we can't go outside. We've ordered a bucket loo which you line with a plastic bag and then scatter cheap cat litter over the waste. It has a lid to keep smells at bay and you can change the bag every few days depending upon how many people are using it.

Our composting toilet is in the shed. We're the only property on our drain and it's ancient and blocks easily. We're better at keeping it clear these days, but there have been times when drain blockages made that toilet a godsend. We have a large amount of sawdust from a joiner friend and that's handy.

I found a bucket loo at an army surplus a few years ago and couldn't resist.

A wonderbag - www.wonderbagworld.com/

And a ghillie kettle - www.ghillie-kettle.co.uk/

I bought both for camping and hiking but have found them both infinitely useful.

I’ve boiled water in the kettle using cardboard I can’t compost or reuse as well as twigs, dry leaves and grass from the garden.

And the wonderbag was fabulous for keeping food and milk cold on a recent trip.

Low tech is often the most appropriate tech.

I’ve got a ghillie kettle too and trialled it last week. Boiling hot water in minutes burning just old cereal boxes! 😍

Crikey! I'm getting a wonderbag. That's an absolute no brainer.

Re: ghillie kettle. Also sounds like a no brainer. Which one did you go for - hard adonised, silver adonised or Aluminium? @EveningOverRooftops and @EdgeOfSeventeenAndThreeQuarter

I just got the aluminium (cheapest???) as I hope it’d be the lightest and if I’m stuffing it in a backpack I want it to be as light as possible.

It’s absolutely fucking magical. I didn’t expect it to boil so fast at all.

The wonder bag look good. It's a variation on hay box cooking, which was used in the olden days: www.woodland-ways.co.uk/blog/outdoor-cooking/making-and-using-a-hay-box-to-cook-in/

We've tried a hay box and it works well.

Just the basic one as it’ll be in the back of a car, the garden or allotment and I went for the larger size. Thinking having a brew AND enough to fill a hot water bottle would be fab if I’m without power or heating.

Yes the wonderbag is essentially a hay box but more practical for modern kitchens.

The medium wonderbag just fits my 28cm John Lewis cast iron casserole dish for those wanting to buy one and measure up.

I’m mostly enjoying being able to cook perfect rice with it too!

Perfect rice would be good, that's for sure.

I just mentioned the hay box idea because some people have stuff lying about (looking at DP who keeps things 'just in case'). We used straw and a lined cardboard box instead of hay and a wooden box, just to see how it worked. I'd done stew, so heated it and packed it in the box to take with us when we were working outdoors and it worked very well.

I love the Wonderbag and wish I could justify one as our costs seem to go up and up.
I wonder whether I can improvise something at all similar but probably not!

Yes you could probably improvise or make one. You just need to make sure the air space is filled with insulation around the pot. That’s the key there.

I’ve made insulating jackets for water bottles that work well so it’s perfectly doable.

I finally bought a Kelly Kettle 3 years ago - I got the full kit with pot stand and mini grill to go on it as well as the kettle. I haven't used it a huge amount due to lack of getting out and about, but have cooked my own dinner on it in the garden a couple of times, and made 1 round of tea for Leaders on Cub camp (lack of time to "play" with it more, and we bring a gas burco for the gallons of tea we drink).

It is very effective just with twigs, if you can find pine cones or short thicker pieces of wood even better. (Pine cones did leave a small bit of residue inside the chimney but I was able to scrub it off with some elbow grease).

Having the pot stand and grill are handy to cook as well as boil water (or instead of water). I've used pots, tin foil packets, (both are fine when it is still flaming) and loose on the grill as if I was BBQing once wood was embers (no more flames).

Gather your fuel before you start as you can go through a surprising amount getting properly started (although if you have some thicker bits, once they are glowing well, it will last a reasonable while).

For a make your own haybox, do you think a duvet as insulation inside a cool box would work?

cous cous
peanut butter
crackers
tinned fruit
textured vegetable protein
dried veg flakes

collapsible water containers
wind up radio
torches
more torches
camping stove
more torches
batteries

camping kettle

Does anyone else dry mushrooms? We buy them reduced and dry them in the airing cupboard. Useful to have around.

@allindignatio give it a go and see what happens No reason why it shouldn't work, but no idea to what extent.

@Justanotherobserver

Does anyone else dry mushrooms? We buy them reduced and dry them in the airing cupboard. Useful to have around.

Yes I do. And things like reduced celery, garlic, chillies and herbs and blitz them up for meat rubs and seasonings.

I dehydrate courgettes when I’m rolling in the buggers and add them to soups and stews on the winter.

@Justanotherobserver

Does anyone else dry mushrooms? We buy them reduced and dry them in the airing cupboard. Useful to have around.

Yes we forage for mushrooms (Dad been doing it all his life, so knows his stuff) we dry above the aga then jar them up. We did have one jar go mouldy once so I recommend these little oxygen sachets.

We also dry our chillies as we are usually overwhelmed by them by late summer. I pickle the Jakapenõ ones. Make jam and chutney with whatever else (including the ubiquitous cougettes)