The Sunday Survival Buzz #140

Welcome to this week’s Sunday Survival Buzz with an update on my own preps and announcements from the Backdoor Survival blog.

Honesty counts, right?  This has not been the best of weeks for me personally.  Perhaps the hard drive failure before my trip was an omen because three days into my vacation, I experienced an additional hard drive failure in my backup computer.  Only a prepper would take two computers and an iPad on vacation, right?

Long story short, I was able to keep in touch but the process and the experience was stressful.  Coupled with news of Ebola stateside, the lack of credible information, and an unfulfilled compulsion to write and, well, I have been a mess and grumpy to boot.

So what about my preps?

I learned how to crochet!  It is not that the art of crochet is difficult, but up until now, my fingers did not get it.  I plan to make some hats and slippers with this new-found skill and plan to crochet as a past-time if we are ever grid down for an extended period of time.

Another prep this week is that on the way home from the airport, we stopped at Costco and stocked up on additional supplies including heavy duty trash bags, nitrile gloves, dog food, canned fruits, veggies,chili, and a giant tub of popcorn. It is rare that I am able to purchase prep items directly (as opposed to online) so I took advantage of the opportunity to shop in person.

That about covers it for me this week.  Now for some tips and announcements.

BACKDOOR SURVIVAL MAIL BAG & READER TIPS

This came in a few weeks ago from Margie.  Her point is well taken.

My husband and i have had an important “prepping” experience this month. He has been an avid runner for years and has kept in excellent condition. But along with that he has had a longtime heart murmur and has had mitral valve prolapse. Before you say he was crazy to run under those circumstance, please know that his doctors were fully aware of this information and because he is in such excellent shape, he has avoided serious consequences to these medical issues.

How does this relate to prepping?

Well, he had valve repair surgery nearly a month ago and we both learned the importance of each of us knowing the other’s “job” when it comes to getting and being prepared. No amount of flashlights or canned goods can replace being prepared to step in and take over if and when the need arises. Hubby is doing fine, recovering nicely, but is by no means out of the woods with his recovery. We are looking at 6 months to a year before he is back to “his old self” again.

I have a lot to learn in these coming months to fill his proverbial shoes. And we have both learned that being prepared is not just about gathering supplies, it is about knowing the day-to-day simple operations that keep you going and what to do when life throws you a curve ball.

Please remember this as you prepare. It will definitely payoff some day?

Thank you, Margie, for sharing your experience and your thoughts with us. Whether it is prepping skills or merely knowing how to balance the family checkbook, couples need to learn to backstop each other so one can do the job of another if and when it becomes necessary.

Everyone at Backdoor Survival sends good thoughts to you and your husband for a speedy recovery.

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Ranger Rick offered this tip in response to How to Safely Shelter In Place During a Pandemic

I use to design underground shelters for friends and one thing that helped considerable bringing in less contaminated air  was once the air intake was thru the window, I installed a 90* elbow turned down and glue to it an adapter to increase the size of the air intake from 2″ to 4″ or bigger.

You get the same air flow ,but at the mouth of the inlet being so much bigger, it did not have as much suction due to less vacuum at the inlet being 4 or 6 inches instead of 2 inches.

You can also add a cheesecloth or a K&N Air filter foam cover over the air inlet to aid in stopping unwanted particles in the air coming inside.

HEPA filter inside  the vacuum will be Plan B. :-}

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?

There is a robust search function in the right hand column of the BDS website under “Searching For Something”.  One of these days I will work on organizing my posts into better categories so that it is easy to find one of the 900 articles the Backdoor Survival archives.  But for now, use “Search” or the archive page (accessible from the menu bar).

CURRENT GIVEAWAYS

There is currently one active giveaway and it is a good one:  Summer/Fall 2014 Book Festival: Countdown to Preparedness + Giveaway.  You are going to love this book from Jim Cobb.  It is very task oriented and includes an easy-to-follow one year plan to preparedness.

PLUS THE WINNERS

This week I am announcing the winners of a number of different giveaways.  Hang on to your hats; there are a lot of them.

Sanctuary: A Postapocalyptic Novel plus two books in G. Michel Hopf’s New World Series -Donna C.
Shields Up with Spark Naturals + Fantastic Diffuser Giveaway – Haj and Tami L.
Survivor Max: Too Smart to Die – Brian M.
Mountain House Fall Giveaway - Buffy M., TeeCee and Gene S.
Collective Retribution – Valerie P., Johnny B., and Patricia.
The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch – Katherine C
Bishop’s Song – Merry B.

As always, winners have been notified by email have 48 hours to claim their prize or an alternate will be selected.

In addition, the following winners of the Preparedness Month Mega Giveaway have all been contacted and have claimed their prizes.   Thanks to everyone who participated!

1. Berkey–Lola B.
2. Sun Oven–Mikki O.
3.Kelly Kettle–Kathy B.
4. WonderMill–Leslie D.
5. Propur–Alice F.
6.1 Seventy Two Hour Kit–Ron D.
7. 1 Seventy Two Hour Kit–Jeff C.
8. Honey–Christy M.

ESSENTIAL OILS: ITEM OF THE WEEK

There is still time left to get in on the Item of the Week from Spark Naturals.

This week the Item of the Week is Eucalyptus Essential Oil.

Spark Naturals Eucalyptus essential oil comes from Eucalyptus radiata, which is more easily assimilated and less likely to irritate the skin than the common Eucalyptus globulus.

Along with anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties, Eucalyptus is believed to have diuretic, antiseptic, and analgesic properties. It has also historically been used to repel insects, promote post-burn healing, reduce fevers, alleviate urinary tract infections, and for cold sore and shingles care, sometimes in combination with Bergamot essential oil.

As always, you get an additional 10% when using coupon code BACKDOORSURVIVAL.  Flat rate shipping is $5.00 on your entire order within the continental US or free with a minimum order of $55.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Long term Backdoor Survival sponsor Solo Stove is wrapping up a Kickstarter Campaign for their new larger Solo Stove called the “Campfire”.  I normally make it a matter of policy not to promote Kickstarter campaigns but am making exception this time based upon the strength of the Solo Stove itself and the company’s generous sponsorship of this website.

I just became a backer of this project myself and promise to review the Campfire when it arrives.  You can check it out here (and don’t those roasted marshmallows look good??):

Solo Stove Campfire Kickstarter Project

THE FINAL WORD

Has anyone noticed how cold it has become in the Pacific Northwest?  Although leaves are still on the trees, it feels like winter and a few nights ago, we had a wind storm that blew everything in our backyard to heck and beyond.  For me this was a reminder that I need to double check my supplies to ensure I have what I will need if the power goes out, including batteries that are fully charged and the dead space in my freezer filled with frozen jugs of water.

So what about you – what did you do to prep this week?

Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye

If you enjoyed this article, consider voting for me daily at Top Prepper Websites!  In addition, SUBSCRIBE to email updates  and receive a free, downloadable copy of my e-book The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide.

Bargain Bin:  Below you will find links to some personal and BDS reader favorites and items from the current Amazon Top 10.

Tac Force TF-705BK Tactical Assisted Opening Folding Knife 4.5-Inch Closed: FAVORITE! This is a great knife that is currently priced at about $8.65 with free shipping.  Not only that, it is ranked as the #1 best seller at Amazon in both the camping and hunting knives categories.  The reviews raved about this knife so I bought one, used it, and and can recommend it.  See The Inexpensive Tac-Force Speedster Outdoor Knife.

Note:  the price can vary by color so if you are not particular, scroll through the colors and safe a couple of bucks.

Dorcy LED Wireless Motion Sensor Flood Lite: Don’t let the $20 price lead you to think this wireless flood light is wimpy. I have two of these and feel that these lights are worth double the price.  Using D-cell batteries, the Dorcy floodlight will light up a dark room or a dark stairway in an instant.  I can not recommend these enough.

LifeStraw Personal Water Filter:  The LifeStraw is considered the most advanced, compact, ultra light personal water filter available. It contains no chemicals or iodinated resin, no batteries and no moving parts to break or wear out.  It weighs only 2oz. making it perfect for the prepper. There is also a larger sized LifeStraw Family currently available with free shipping.

One Second After:  For many, the novel “One Second After” was a game changer that convinced them of the need to be prepared.  I did not realize until now that the price for the Kindle version was only $2.99.  If you have not read this book, you really should.

Morakniv Craftline Q Allround Fixed Blade Utility Knife: ANOTHER FAVORITE KNIFE! Also known as the Mora 511, this is now my favorite knife. It is made of Swedish steel and is super sharp.  Many Backdoor Survival have emailed me indicating this is now their favorite knife too. I paid $12 for this knife; it was worth $12 and of course is a steal at $8.07.

FordEx Group 300lm Mini Cree Led Flashlight:  FAVORITE! Here we go with another flashlight.  At the time of this writing, this one is only $3.80 with free shipping.  It is super mini sized, bright and waterproof.  Plus, it uses a single, standard AA sized battery. Pictured is one that I own in green but they come in basic black as well as some other colors.

Blocklite Ultra Bright 9V LED Flashlight: I now own six of these little gems. There is a similar flashlight called the Pak-Lite (which is more expensive) but it does not have a high-low switch like this one. Less than $10. These little flashlights just go and go, plus, they make good use of those re-purposed 9V alkaline batteries that you have recharged with your Maximal Power FC999 Universal Battery Charger.

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Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Top Sellers!

As we get down to the wire this month, I thought you might be interested in this month’s top sellers at Emergency Essentials.

The top ten items are listed below.  Not surprisingly, one year supplies are selling like hotcakes right now and I have learned from other food storage vendors that employees are working overtime to get orders out.

1. Mountain House® 6 Month Supply of Entrees (48 cans)     
2. Premium 2000 One Year Food Supply
3. Gourmet 2000 One Year Food Supply
4. Emergency Essentials® Diced Beef (Cooked and Grill Marked) – 24 oz 
5. Traditional 2000 One-Year Food Supply            
6. 1 Month Bucket Combo (3 Buckets)   
7. Premium 1600 One Year Food Supply
8. 4 Person 72 hour Food Bucket   
9. 6 Month Supply of Lunch and Dinner (60 cans)              
10. 320 Gallon Ultimate Water Reserve Combo

If you have prepping for awhile, purchasing a year supply of food may be overkill.  On the other hand, this may be the way to go for someone that is just starting out. My choice?  The #1 seller: a six month supply of entrees from Mountain House!

Shop the Emergency Essentials Monthly Specials

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Need something from Amazon (and who doesn’t)? I earn a small commission from purchases made when you begin your Amazon shopping experience here. You still get great Amazon service and the price is the same, no matter what.

Amazon has a feature called Shop Amazon – Most Wished For Items. This is an easy tool for finding products that people are ‘wishing” for and in this way you know what the top products are.  All you need to do is select the category from the left hand side of the screen.

The Amazon Top Most Wished For and Best Selling Outdoor Items
Emergency Preparedness Items from Amazon.com
Amazon Gift Cards

Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!

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Are You Interested in Essential Oils?

If you are just getting started in using essential oils for wellness purposes, I recommend the Health and Wellness Kit which includes all of my favorites or the Essential 4 Pack which includes Lavender, Lemon, Melaleuca (Tea Tree) and Peppermint.

Spark Naturals Health & Wellness Kit

Be sure to use the discount code “BACKDOORSURVIVAL” to receive a 10% discount.