Tag Archives: Preparedness

Wilderness Survival Workshop

Posted by on June 23, 2012 No comments

Join us for a fun time of learning the basics of Wilderness Survival. This hands-on workshop will teach you basic skills and knowledge necessary to stay alive in the outdoors with a minimum of gear.

Topics to be covered are:

  • Psychology of survival – don’t panic
  • Shelter Basics
  • Basic fire making (no lighters or matches)
  • Food – finding food in the wild
  • Water – procuring water, purifying water and unusual water sources
  • Signaling – demonstrations on various ways to signal rescue including signal mirrors, signal fires, contrast and natural materials
  • Navigation – group hike on the trails with demos / discussions
  • Survival “kits”

Location: Godfrey’s Pond (meet up at the clubhouse) (Directions)

Date: Saturday, June 30th, 2012 Workshop: 10:00am to 4:00pm

Workshop Fee: $40.00 per person. Pre-registration preferred.
Registration is due by Friday, 6/29 but we will take walk-ins on Saturday provided there is room in the workshop.

Participants should bring: water/fluids, snack and /or bag lunch, comfortable outdoor clothing and hiking shoes, sun screen, insect repellent and rain gear. Also, bring your own emergency fire starter (no lighters or matches). If you do not have one, we will have a few available for sale at a discounted price. (not required, but recommended)

Minimum age is 12 years. But participants 14 or younger should be accompanied by parent or guardian. If you have questions or need more info, contact us in advance.

 Contact us to Register

SurvivalGuy

Hydrogen Peroxide

Posted by on January 3, 2012 No comments

Hydrogen Peroxide is a wondrous thing.  It has a wide variety of uses and is far less harmful than some of the other chemicals out there for the same purposes….

Here are some of the uses:

  •  As a mouthwash and gargle
  • In relaxing baths and foot baths
  • To sanitize toothbrushes, and dentures
  • As a produce wash, to keep fruits and veggies fresh longer
  • To disinfect compost pails, cutting boards, and scrub brushes
  • For washing carpets, floors, and windows
  • Stripping wood furniture, and cleaning wooden decks
  • Removing mold
  • To brighten laundry & remove stains
  • To clean out aquariums
  • To keep the water clean in fish farming
  • In gardening: As a plant fertilizer and plant spray
  • To clean swimming pools and spas, as an alternative to chlorine
  • Taxidermists use it to clean and whiten bones…..
  • It’s used in making cheese
  • Aseptic packaging (those weird little boxes that food comes in) are sprayed with it
  • It is used in products for whitening teeth, treating acne, and cleaning contact lenses
  • Oh, and it’s also great for cleaning cuts and skin infections! You know, like the brown bottles at the drug store….
    source: using-hydrogen-peroxide.com

The above isn’t even the complete list.  There are a great deal of uses for H2O2 (Hydrogen Peroxide).  This site is a great resource: using-hydrogen-peroxide.com

Beyond the standard drugstore brown bottles you can get Food grade Hydrogen Peroxide in varying dilutions.

The typical brown bottle is a 3% solution is the most common.  One thing to keep in mind is that not all ‘brown’ bottles are the same.  Some are safe for use as a gargle and related uses and some aren’t.  Make sure you read the label before using.

As with all of your preps, having hard copies of various information is a must: List of books related to Hydrogen Peroxide on Amazon

We have been using Hydrogen Peroxide in a spray bottle for everyday cleaning and are pleased.  If you look at the cost of standard chemical based cleanersvs. that of a standard brown bottle.  I payed $0.88 each  for a couple bottles the other day.

-Survivalguy

OPSEC and the Holidays

Posted by on December 28, 2011 No comments

One thing that is overlooked way to often is OPSEC  in everyday life.  Some people out there are quite good at it and others are oblivious (the majority of the sheeple).  Now is a perfect time to discuss OPSEC not

necessarily with respect to a disaster, but with respect to thieves.  I know this isn’t a pleasant topic to think about with Christmas being only a few days ago.  This however is one of the most overlooked times, when
it comes to OPSEC.  The week after Christmas is one of, if not the most opportune times for thieves to scope out neighborhoods.

The garbage day after Christmas has probably one of the highest amounts of trash put to the road.  So this in turn is a burglars paradise.  They can simply drive around and take notes of the new ‘toys’ people received over the holiday.  Don’t get me wrong, just because you get some new stuff doesn’t make you a target for thieves.

If you think about it though, putting boxes from things like computers, TV’s, tablets, etc. out for the weekly garbage is like putting out a shopping list for thieves.

Most people wouldn’t even think twice about putting out the boxes without cutting them up or even better yet reusing them for something else.

So what to do?  Well the first thing that comes to mind would be, make sure you are spending your money on things that fit into your survival and preparedness goals.  Now beyond that reuse the boxes for other things.  You could use the cardboard for

insulating where you have your supplies stored.  Cut-up the boxes so they are can fit in a recycling bin or garbage can if your area doesn’t recycle.  Depending on what you have you could possibly burn it in your wood stove.  And worst come to worst, you could take a trip to your local waste processing facility, this isn’t the best option, but is an option if you chose this.  Just remember to use good OPSEC when moving these items.

-Survivalguy

Global Warming – Extreme Weather

Posted by on December 23, 2011 No comments

Global warming is no longer the key phrase, now it’s referred to as climate change.  Which is obviously more accurate.  We have seen/experienced an increase in hurricanes, floods, heat waves, etc. over the past several years.  More recently was the October snow storm that crippled many places along the east coast.  According to some of the experts, this is basically the beginning, and it is going to get worse and more frequent.  This presents itself to a whole slew of issues.

Flood


How have you prepared?  If you have prepared to your area and weather you may need to expand or alter your plan for a long term scenario.  Some of you have prepared for everything and will be in pretty good shape, others that haven’t prepared as much may be in trouble.  So what to do? Evaluate your preps and your plan.  Try to determine how you need to adjust for your area.  Think about the weather in your area over the past several years, particularly the storms and other events that were the most severe.  The experts have said that climate changes lead to changes in the frequency and intensity.  So, i urge you to take these things into account with your preps, and make adjustments as necessary.  Remember, flooding isn’t the only thing to plan for, snow storms, power outages, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc.  These all can seriously infringe on your preps and your prep plan. 

the SurvivalGuy

Beware the Delivery Man

Posted by on December 11, 2011 No comments

Yes, you read that correctly, beware your delivery man.  If you order things on-line, you will want to exercise a level of caution (OPSEC).  The more you have delivered the more you will be noticed.  You will be noticed by both your delivery man and possibly your neighbors also.  Depending on what you are having delivered can have a significant impact on how much others observe.  If a package is labeled as ammunition and this isn’t a normal item for you, this may make others start to look at you a little differently.  If you get a shipment of grains and or other heavy or bulky items, it will be even more noticeable, especially  if they are sitting on your doorstep waiting for you to get home so you can take care of them.

Some companies are diligent about how packages are labeled, and others will label the boxes with the biggest advertising they can fit.  Others just don’t put any thought into it, and it is hit and miss.  This is a serious matter that isn’t always addressed.  The people that know you have preps and even worse those that know what you actually have is a significant risk to OPSEC.  The box won’t necessarily have it’s contents identified on the outside, but the company name may be blazed all over the outside.  With general merchandise companies this isn’t as much of an issue.  When it comes to companies that deal primarily with specific types of products, the less attention the packaging draws the better.

What to do?  I hope you are thinking now.  One option would be to use a mailbox service like theupsstore.com you have to check your local store for rates and services.  This would afford you the ability to have packages delivered to a physical location that isn’t your home.  This in turn gives you the security that your stuff won’t be stolen while waiting for your return and your neighbors won’t see the delivery truck leaving packages for you all the time.  This is probably the most secure option, although it lends itself to other security issues as well as the cost. In the event of a disaster, your neighbors won’t necessarily be pre-programmed to come pounding on your door because they have seen some of  your preps delivered…

Some things you can do to help maintain your security would be to have someone home when packages are due for delivery.  This isn’t an option for everyone, sometimes we just can’t get the time off work, as well as it could burn up a lot of vacation time if you had to take time off every time you had a delivery coming.  If you have a friend or neighbor that you trust or even better one that is a prepper also.  If you have someone at an alternate address (friend, family member) that is home during the day, that could receive packages for you.  Remember not to put these people in danger either.  If they are in an area that has nosy neighbors you could ultimately be putting them at risk for looting/theft.

You may also be able to talk with the delivery company, and have them hold your package for you to pick up in person.  This may be the most secure way.  Your local delivery man isn’t involved, your neighbors don’t see things being delivered, and you aren’t putting others at risk, receiving your items.  And most importantly, you are the only one aware of what is ‘going on’, thus helping to maintain OPSEC.

Don’t forget, to use caution when bringing your items into the house also, it’s best to do park in the garage and unload the car there.  You never know when you might have your own Gladys Kravitz.

Until next time,

the Survivalguy

 

Dehydrator

Posted by on November 29, 2011 No comments

I love our new dehydrator Nesco American Harvest FD-1018P 1000 Watt Food Dehydrator Kit.Since we received it we made 2 batches of beef jerky and currently have our second batch of fruit leather drying.

We decided on this model for a few reasons:

  • Made in the USA
  • 8 trays
  • 8 fruit leather trays
  • 8 sticky/small food screens
  • Price
These are only some of the reasons we went with this model, these are just some of the highlights.
This is a special edition model, it comes with 8 trays and screens.  The standard model Nesco Gardenmaster FD-1010 only has 4 trays and costs almost as much as the FD-1018P, so it was pretty much a no-brainer.   I considered the next model up Nesco GARDENMASTER FD-1020, but this unit doesn’t have the potential capacity.  I would however recommend getting a timer, my second batch of jerky was a bit over dried since I had to leave it running overnight.

Now an electric dehydrator isn’t ideal for a post apocalyptic world but, won’t be a total loss.  If you have one and have experience using it you will have the knowledge to dehydrate and what to dehydrate.  You can use the trays for other dehydrating methods.  You can ask the Prepwife, I don’t make purchases very lightly, I spent a good amount of time researching the pros and cons of this unit before deciding on this particular dehydrator: Nesco American Harvest FD-1018P 1000 Watt Food Dehydrator Kit.  I could keep writing on this topic for a while.  I am going to wrap it up for now. We will revisit this topic multiple times.  It is an important one for preparedness…

the Survivalguy

Coming Soon!

Posted by on December 11, 2010 No comments

Coming in January…Campfireshop.com’s first official Preparedness Group meeting.

We are located in Rochester, NY.  The meeting will be held at the end of January.   More details to follow….

If you are not located in our area, please feel free to contact us and we can help you start your own preparedness group.

How Prepared Are You?

Posted by on December 11, 2010 No comments

I think we can all agree that times are tough right now and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get any better.  We are all worried about what might happen next.  So I ask you… how prepared are you?

Imagine this for a second… it’s the middle of winter and you are upstairs in your bathroom and all of a sudden the lights go out.

  • Where is the flashlight?  Is there one in every room?  Do the batteries work?
  • How are you going to keep warm if the power never comes back on or doesn’t come back on for days?
  • How are you going to cook food if the power never comes back on  or doesn’t come back on for days?

So let’s assume you are like most people and you have no clue where the flashlight is… so you stumble out of the bathroom, down the hall, and down the stairs.  You feel around in the dark and finally find a candle but have no idea where the matches or a lighter is.

Panic starts to set in and you are wondering why the power still has not come back on.  You hear screams coming from upstairs and you remember that the kids were playing in their rooms.  Now the adrenaline is pumping as you search frantically for some way to get light.  You finally locate you cell phone which provides you with some light  You find the matches, more candles, and flashlights with batteries.  You call your neighbor and ask if they have prower.  You neighbor nervously tells you that the power is out in your whole state and they don’t know when it may come back on.  You swallow hard as you remember that you didn’t stop and get gas because it was cold out.  And your pantry is almost bare because you haven’t had time to get groceries.  Your neighbor tells you that stores are closing because they can’t keep the store warm or lite without power.

Now what?

This is just one possible scenario and it’s not that far fetched.

It’s time to pull yourself together and prepare you and your family for whatever may come.

I’m not referring to a doomsday scenario but simple preparedness for what ever may happen.  It could be the power going out for a few days or a devastating natural disaster, or something worse.  There are basic steps you can take to prepare your family for any emergency.

Stay tuned for more….