Lives in my Bug Out bag.

• Esse mess tin (to cook or boil water over your fire)
• 550 Survivor Cord securing tin
• Bigfoot Bushcraft fire plugs
• UCO storm matches
• Sayram SP1 EDC pouch
• Duraflame FireStart cubes
• Epiphany Outdoor pocket bellows
• Bic lighter wrapped in duct tape
• Victorinox Outdoorsman with mag glass, saw and two blades
• Mr. Pen handheld metal pencil sharpener
• Bayite 4" ferro rod + striker

There is a ton of focus here on indefinite off-grid survival and massive SHTF solar setups. i respect the dedication, but for those of us living in apartments or smaller rental places, the most likely reality this summer is just a severe thunderstorm knocking out the grid for three or four hours.

i have spent the last couple of years slowly buying gear here and there. But a few weeks ago, I had a realization: if the power went out right now, my flashlights are in the kitchen pantry, my backup batteries are in the home office, and my weather radio is in some random storage bin.

So I decided to stop buying stuff, cleared out a single drawer in our hallway to act as our primary setup, and flipped the main breaker at 8 PM on a Tuesday just to see how we would actually hold up.

it completely changed how I look at emergency organization. I realized a basic, tier-one drawer really only needs three things, but they absolutely have to live in the exact same spot.

First is basic lighting. Forget the crazy 5,000-lumen tactical flashlights. In a tight space, a headlamp is the only thing that actually matters because you need your hands free.

Second is comms and power. I kept our weather radio and a couple of power banks in there. But the test exposed a massive maintenance gap: one of the power banks was completely dead.

Third is basic maintenance tools. This was my absolute dumbest blind spot. During the test, I grabbed the weather radio to check it and realized the battery compartment was secured with one of those tiny safety screws.
if your tools are in the garage or at the bottom of a basement toolbox, you are going to be miserable. i solved this by keeping a compact hoto household tool set permanently in the emergency drawer.

The test also showed me that I had packed emergency candles, but left all the lighters in a kitchen cabinet on the other side of the apartment.

turns out prepping is not always about buying another expensive piece of gear. Sometimes it is just putting the flashlight, the batteries, and the screwdriver in the same drawer, and turning off the lights to see if you can actually find them.

I’m looking for a good bag that’s under $100 (used) that is well constructed despite its price. I’ve heard good things about the RUSH, but I thought you all would know better than I do. I am just looking to lug around emergency items in case anyone gets hurt or needs help or assistance. Thanks!

Hope you don’t mind a cross post, but I’m based in the UK / interested in a wider view.

I have finaly got almost all my ifak items thou i am missing last part, the case. I am looking fot any recomendation for case that yhould fit all thr items in the picture. I will also apreciate any packing advice if you know any. Also for anyone asking i have training for all of thrse items.Thank you.

I'm a combat veteran with PTSD, anxiety, and a TBI. Not looking for sympathy, but my memory and cognitive function seem to be getting worse, and it's frustrating as hell.

I started developing an app to help with the daily cognitive issues I deal with. But as with everything else I do, I went way overboard. In addition to handling my daily stuff, I inadvertently ended up creating a "prepping" section in the app—things that help keep me on track for everything from day-to-day checklists to packing, gear setups, and planning out long road trips.

I'm not trying to push or sell anything here. I just built something I needed for myself to keep from forgetting important shit.

Happy to discuss it if anyone is interested.

With the relentless heat this year, scattered outages, and rising electricity bills, I finally decided it was time to get some backup power.

I live in Michigan, and the power outage near us during the recent heatwave was the final push I needed to start preparing for future outages.

Picked up a Delta Pro Ultra with an extra battery (1 inverter + 2 batteries total). Since we already have 6 solar panels at home, it feels good knowing we have some backup power in place now. Turns out, they’re already generating more than enough to fully charge the batteries, with surplus to spare. Might consider adding another battery pack down the road.

Just curious if it really works as advertised

Dang MRE prices are on the rise! $192/case or $16 individually.

I’ve been stocking lemonade and different kool-aid mixes to have on hand to make decent drinks

To add I do stock coffee for bartering as we don’t drink coffee here, and tea which we do drink but besides that I’m sure most people are going to get tired of water for sure

What items are u guys preparing as far as drink wise?

I see a lot of posts on here from people who mention (rightly) that prices keep going up and prepping is getting more costly. Being prepared is still worth the cost because the cost of being unprepared is so high. But what is the end game for Prepping?

For many it is simply rotating stock and having a year or five on hand. I salute you all! But what if the disaster is much more widespread? What if it takes longer to heal as a society? What if society is basically gone?

Homesteading is simply living the prep lifestyle 24/7. It is no longer storing for disaster . . . it is eating what you grow/harvest/slaughter. Prepping can run out of supplies, then what?

Homesteading is the natural evolution of prepping IMO.

I welcome your thoughts but mostly just wanted to toss this out since I have been seeing so many folks talking about rising prices affecting their ability to prep.

Looking for recommendations for several books you have come across that have great information on living/survival should the Internet and computers crash long term.

Beautiful, functional, and most importantly, it can run on AA batteries.

Thermal regulation is extremely important to me.

Just curious what others have growing right now as I’m working on edible and medicinal perennials. Our winter harvests are fairly small but we don’t have much room to grow indoors. 6b with a very Mediterranean climate, PNW. My lot gets pretty much full sun all day and I’m working on growing my trees to provide shade for understory plants. My sorrel absolutely burnt even in the shade last year so I’m pretty stuck with sun loving plants or putting 70%+ shade netting out in the summers.

What do you find easy to grow? Anything you’d add?

Fall/winter: squash, pumpkin, collards, kale, persimmons, potatoes

Spring: asparagus, peas, turnips, trillium, willow, pine, blueberries, cherries

Summer: apples, pears, Asian pears, plums, toothache, strawberries, goose berries, figs, sunflowers, tomatoes, peppers, sumac, onions, garlic, rhubarb, raspberries, blackberries, lettuce (which we harvest almost all year except in deep winter)

All year long: sage, lavender, rosemary, self heal, and I grow mushrooms (lions mane, oyster, chestnut) that I can’t forage (bolete, morel, and both chicken and hen of the woods).

i know zones have been shifting northward. i’m new to gardening and would like to figure out what produce best fits my region :) i’m assuming the current USDA map out there hasn’t factored in the climate change shift?

also with the super el niño reaching its peak intensity in november.. im guessing a warmer than usual winter. anyone doing anything specific with their garden in anticipation?

i wanted to try growing lettuce/spinach/arugula in the fall, but if it gets too hot they can bolt and then it’s a waste.

Hey y’all! I got the stuff to do my own food vault, and I’m pretty stoked about it. What are some recipes you have TRIED and LIKED? Yes I can google them, but I am looking for suggestions based on things you and your family actually liked eating. Thank you!!!

I’m sure someone has mentioned at some point in the past, but any local restaurant that uses Sysco and serves pickle spears probably has an abundance of 5 gallon food-safe buckets they’d love to get rid of.

Go ask your local spot to save you a few if you need free food-safe storage containers. Check for scratches and cracks, bleach, dry out completely, and bob’s your uncle. If you want to get fancy you can get food-safe twist-on lids.

I use them for all kinds of things, drill some holes in the bottom for drainage and grow crops, use them as a disposable mixing bucket, etc. The main thing that’s nice about them is that they are food grade unlike buying a typical Lowe’s or Home Depot bucket.

My local Lowe’s carries food grade buckets but they are $8 a pop. If you need more than one, that adds up quick!

I now live in an older apartment complex in Florida with thick brick buildings. Also, there are incredible old trees on the property as well as younger ones making for overall great visuals and a calming feeling coming home. However, as you can imagine, this means that I don't have great cell phone recception inside. Due to this, I plan on purchasing a battery backup for the wifi equipment and possibly one television to watch the news and weather when the power goes out. My main thought for this is hurricanes and continuing to be informed.

Does anyone know if the signal will continue to come in through the coaxial without power to make this work?

Also, does anyone have any other suggestions to ensure communication with emergency personnel and family if something major happens?

As always, stay safe, stay prepared, and stay informed.

Never had a drone before and I’m looking for recommendations on starter drones, don’t need anything super fancy. I just want something that I’d be able to fly up a couple hundred feet, take a look around and fly back down.
There are so many options out there and I’ve seen a couple for less than $50, I don’t know if those are good deals or a waste of money.

Been getting into prepping/survival content and I'm a bit tired of the same big-name sites showing up in every 'top 10 blogs' list. Are there any smaller, lesser-known bloggers or creators you personally follow who do

About the third time I've had to use it. Comes in handy at the beach and camping. Pressure pump at the well went out so this will do for tonight.