Friday, February 7, 2020

peev2c14part2


PEEv2c14part2
Bare Bones List
#3
Water Filter
Ah, the good old days of prepping when the only illumination was kerosene and the only water filters were from the Swiss. Bless them, but the cost of living atop that mountain is pretty high and anything you buy from them is rather expensive. There were poor boy workarounds for both, but only cheap when compared to the originals. Well, now we have proper affordable tools and while we might not save money in the long run, at least now we can have multiple tools for the price of one old one.
*
Anyone who cannot see why “one is none, two is one” is important never actually lived out in the field where crap breaks. They are the type that replace cotton laces with paracord and think they never need another backup because they upgraded. Crap breaks, despite your best intentions ( cough, expensive scope, cough ), crap gets stolen or crap is consumed in fires. Crap can be accidentally left behind when fleeing the enemy ( although, yes, I know if that is a shoelace you lost the boot as well. Surely you take my point )
*
Crap happens” is why you have a minimum back-up kit on your belt and in your pocket, in case something happens to your pack. Anyway, one of the best things to happen to preppers in a very long time is the Sawyer filter. Sweet Baby Jesus on a unicycle, $18 for tens of thousands of gallons of water. You cannot beat that deal with a sharp stick. When I was covering this before, the cheapest filter was $70, a Katadyn ceramic element and two five gallon plastic buckets, making your own Berky counter top filter.
*
Now, obviously, you can go cheaper. A used $2 pot from the thrift store will boil all water. A $10 WAPI ( water purification indicator, the wire in the water melting the wax to indicate pasteurization ) is half the price and literally lasts forever if not broken. The only problem is that while a filter can be used anytime, the other two cannot. Sometimes you cannot light a fire, either because wet wood or a nearby enemy. And the sun isn't always out to solar heat your water. I have all three, as should you ( as well as the homemade Berky, as well as powder bleach-but that I mostly plan on for medicinal uses ). But if you cannot, if budgets are too frayed, I would recommend a Sawyer.
*
#4
Rifle
I don't always talk about firearms, because Food Is First. And when I do cover guns I like to make the point that ammunition is far more important than guns. It is better to have a better supply of ammunition than it is to have a better gun. I would even call it normal to have five to ten times the cost in ammunition as the rifle ran you ( one TYPE of gun per ammunition stash. If you have duplicate guns, the ammo numbers stay steady ).
*
Many folks ignore stockpiling ammunition, assuming they are going to die quickly. To each his own, but I don't agree with that reasoning. Murphy's Law argues against it. But the important thing here is budget, not logistics or tactics. You cannot have a firearm on a budget that you want, only what you can afford. It saddens me greatly that Obammy's only anti-gun measure was accidental, embargoing Russia and cutting off the supply of Mosin-Nagants. Which was in the history of smokeless bolt guns one of the worst designs.
*
But it was so cheap it didn't matter. Now, alas, the days of $100 guns are pretty much over. You can still buy a $100 single shot rimfire or break open twelve gauge, but I would only view that as my “butter knife brigade” gun, a partisan gun only meant to get you far enough so that you can liberate an enemies weapon. They are cheaply built and you should plan around that. If that is all you can afford, well, want in one hand and crap in the other. As needs must. I wouldn't feel dirty and cheap, because even those guns are superior to archery or other primitive weapons-just know your limitations.
*
I wouldn't necessarily recommend a break open single shot rifle unless you are using them at short ranges. I like them, as they are one of the most basic long arms mechanically. They are the perfect apocalypse gun. They just suck at long range accuracy as the design makes them sloppy. But they are $250. You can get a bolt action rifle for $300, but they usually don't have iron sights. Bad move! You need back-up for glass, if even having glass is a good idea ( I only use them for rimfire, and have many back-up's ).
*
For $350 you can get a better bolt action, or, if you assemble one yourself from a Palmetto State kit, an AR-15. I don't necessarily think a semi is a good idea ( mine use a disabled gas tube to construct a bolt action, which has its own issues ) on a severe budget, but the one thing you can be assured of is that you'll never run out of spare parts for it. They are just as flimsy as your $100 guns, however. Of all the things an AR can do, survive rough handling indefinitely isn't one of them.
*
If you are going extra cheap, I would pick rimfire over a shotgun. Folks love the shotty for its ammunition variety, but that isn't going to be cheap. You'll have far less rounds on a budget. If you want a break open or bolt rifle, and are still severely constrained financially, I would choose a carbine round over a full size battle rifle round. You can buy the ammo one half to one third the price.
*
#5
Fire
I love the magnifying glass for long term fire starting. Long after your Bic's run out, long after your fresnel lens's is scratched or cracked when frozen, the sun will still be shining. Now, no, I do NOT only suggest glass as your sole fire starter. I do think some kind of fire starter will be very important forever, as YouTube primitive survival dudes might make friction bow fire starters look easy but it still takes too much work. In the very long run, magnifying glass is superior. You can start the fire on a sunny day and just keep it going if needed.
*
In the short term, you can have many different kinds of sparkers to assist you on cloudy days, so that a Forever Fire isn't necessary. Ferro rods are about a buck each. You can get a Zippo lighter, with ten cent each flints. I've been told the welders spark tool is superior in longevity. For about $10, you can get two magnifying glasses from the dollar store, two fresnel lenses, a welders sparker with back up flints, a ferro rod and a Bic or two. Fire should never be an issue.
*
We continue next time with #6 of the bare bones list.
( .Y. )
( today's related Amazon link click HERE )
*
Please support Bison by buying through the Amazon links here ( or from http://bisonprepper.com/2.html or www.bisonbulk.blogspot.com ). Or PayPal www.paypal.me/jimd303 

*** Unless you are in extreme poverty, spend a buck a month here, by the above donation methods ( I get 4% of the Amazon sale, so you need to buy $25 worth for me to get my $1 ) or mail me some cash/check/money order or buy a book ( web site for free books, Amazon to pay just as a donation vehicle ).
*** My e-mail is: jimd303@reagan.com My address is: James M Dakin, 181 W Bullion Rd #12, Elko NV 89801-4184 ***E-Mail me if you want your name added to the weekly e-newsletter subscriber list.
*** Pay your author-no one works for free. I’m nice enough to publish for barely above Mere Book Money, so do your part.*** junk land under a grand **  Lord Bison** my bio & biblio***my web site is www.bisonprepper.com *** Wal-Mart wheat***Amazon Author Page***Screw the NRA, join the GOA HERE
* By the by, all my writing is copyrighted. For the obtuse out there




21 comments:

  1. For fire, I would think about more than just the ignition source. Tinder and fuel needs for heating and cooking are not plentiful everywhere. Not an easy subject for an article since local conditions vary so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unless you are on the Bonneville salt flats, how do you not have fuel? And then, you have solar. The trick is to need VERY little.

      Delete
  2. Well, I don’t think most people are prepared for the fuel it takes cooking all meals by fire, making hot water for cleaning and hygiene, and heat for cold weather. Maybe you have it figured out, but most have not sustained themselves without oil age energy supports beyond occasional bouts of getting by without electricity, gas, or propane.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep, I hope you are able to hoard all that sagebrush.

      Delete
    2. It will be problematic. I've given it thought.

      Delete
  3. A quick thought.

    About fuel for fire, I know that people living in sunny areas have surprisingly good luck with solar ovens, even homemade ones using plans found on the internet. Even those living in more overcast areas can get great benefit.

    Once the fecal matter hits the oscillator, using the solar oven while continuing relentlessly to scrounge for every combustible fuel source available will likely be the best alternative, in much the same fashion that those with large solar arrays maintain a generator for use when needed.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Solar ovens are best used for set-it-and-(mostly)-forget-it cooking. You also want a right-now solar cooker, the equivalent of an instant solar stove. Buy this for instant solar cooking happiness.
    https://www.solarcooker-at-cantinawest.com/parabolic_solar_cooker_solar_burner.html
    Romans 14:11

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Check Amazon, naturally. Although soon to be Chinese shipping freeze. Six ports now shut down, just ONE of those ship 100,000 containers a day.

      Delete
    2. Romans 14:11, If you own this or have used a parabolic, what is your exerience with.
      I use a solar box oven but have considered a parabolic to add flexibility and speed, using a parabolic cooker for "stovetop" type of cooking.

      On fuel issue, haven't experienced first hand, but have read numerous sources talking about hours third-world women spend searching for wood farther and farther away from their village.
      The rocket stove's fuel economy is an asset once your surrounding area gets scavenged for easy wood.

      Delete
    3. Your comments are correct on scavenging for wood, but trust me, even the small stuff for rocket stove can and will quickly disappear. That stuff is needed for starting all fires, not just rocket stove ones.

      It works just like it says, the beam from the parabola focuses directly on the bottom of your pot or pan so it's just as hot as a normal electric or propane stove top. There are cautions you must use, such as soon as you remove your cooking vessel, rotate it out of alignment with the sun because it can catch things on fire.
      Romans 14:11

      Delete
  5. I love the sparkers. I also have several super cheap plastic fresnel lenses - tested 'em one campout and, at noon on a cloudless day they worked.

    Best choice? Flammenwerfer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Flammenwerfer elicit schadenfreude when your tank takes an incendiary bullet. Trauroger Panda :(

      Delete
    2. Imagine being the first guys on the receiving end of a flame thrower. "What's that kraut got?" "(*&# me! it's throwing fire!"

      Interesting that the modern Flame Thrower was invented by Firemen.

      Delete
    3. Interesting that a Molotov Cocktail is illegal to possess but a flamethrower is legal to own.

      Delete
  6. Save those dead Bics. The ferrocerium rod in 'em can be taken out and saved and used to start many fires later. They're made to work X number of cycles, but esp. in the case of crackheads who will light a lighter and keep it on for a while, the rod has many, many more lights in it than the butane will last for.

    Selco mentions a guy who worked how how to refill Bic type lighters and made a little business out of that, but a Bisonite collapse is more extreme than Yugoslavia was.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And salvaging/trash picking lighters is cheaper than a pack of flints.

      Delete
    2. I believe Selco *was* the guy who figured out how to refill butane lighters and did well with it, not to take anything away from your points.

      Delete
    3. Yes, a Bic can be converted into a Zippo.
      Pull the top cover off exposing the guts. Use a 1/8" drill bit to drill out the butane jet. Drill a 3/16" hole in the bottom. Use a sewing needle to run a thread up from the bottom through the 1/8" hole you drilled in the top. Tie the thread to a kite string and pull it up through the 1/8" hole. Then use the kite string to drag up a larger diameter string for the wick. Find a screw that is about 3/16" in diameter and wrap electrical tape around it and force threat is into the bottom of the Bic after you've filled it with fluid. You don't get more frugal than that.

      I see no reason why sensible people can't pick up a few Bics every time the go to the store. Buy them in multi packs for the best deal. The overall best deal is bulk packs of 50 on amazon.

      Welding strikers are zippos without fuel. They are no known for longevity. I have about 20 wore out ones in a drawer around here somewhere. Know what I use to light my torch? The Bic that's always in my pocket, as do all the pro welders. Go ask em.

      Delete
    4. It seems I was misinformed on the welding strikers then.

      Delete

COMMENTS HAVE BEEN CLOSED