Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Probably one of the most interesting links Ive seen in regards to using shipping containers for shelters. While I wouldnt want to live in one, they certainly would make nice temporary emergency shelters if you stocked them right and made some modifications.

Of course, burying the thing into the side of a hill has alot of appeal…but some of these projects shown at the link look quite nice….esp. the ones that use multiple containers.

, looks like the sorta link youd enjoy.

Probably one of the most interesting links Ive seen in regards to using shipping containers for shelters. While I wouldnt want to live in one, they certainly would make nice temporary emergency shelters if you stocked them right and made some modifications.

Of course, burying the thing into the side of a hill has alot of appeal…but some of these projects shown at the link look quite nice….esp. the ones that use multiple containers.

bandicoot, looks like the sorta link youd enjoy.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Gun show in Kalispell this weekend. Not really much on the list of things to buy…at least, not gun-wise. In addition to thundertoys, gun shows also give me a chance to pick up surplus gear at good prices. Sleeping bags, tactical flashlights, winter shooting mitts, BDU's, etc, etc. In terms of gun stuff, Im curious to see if AR mags have come down any…I did an inventory a few weeks back and while Im probably better off than Joe Average in terms of AR mags, Im not at my personal minimum requirement per gun. (Ideally, I'd want fifty per gun.) I also need about four more mags for the FAL, a few more P35 mags, and if theyre cheap enough another few Glock mags. Really, nickel and dime stuff…in terms of firearms, Im pretty okay with what I have at the moment. There is stuff I want but its not urgent.
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Im taking a Red Cross first aid and CPR class next weekend with the girlfriend. Eight hours of french kissing a CPR doll. A tedious experience, to be sure…but a necessary one. Being the Zero is about more than just gear and stored food…theres skills and abilities to acquire. What else? Oh geez, its a long list…

vehicle maintenance/repair
bicycle maintenance/repair
welding
wiring
carpentry
metalwork
gardening
radio communications
electronics
cryptography
woodworking
plumbing
small unit tactics and leadership
rappelling
map reading
advanced first aid
etc etc etc (please dont comment with “You forgot…”, trust me, its a long list)
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Winter has hit one of its usual 'chinook' points….its the dead of winter and for a week or two its fifty degrees. Happens every year. Then we get used to it and nature pulls the rug out from under us with three weeks of subzero temperatures. However , I may take advantage of the weather to go shooting this weekend at some point. I still havent played with the CZ rifle as much as I would like.
=====
Was at CostCo yesterday and to my delight I discovered that the big packages of skinless,bonless chicken breast they sell now come as packages of several poly-bagged, heat sealed meat. This means I no longer have to individually vaccuum seal and repackage a dozen pieces of chickn. Nope, I can simply pull the individual packages out and freeze them. Very cool…makes my life a little easier. Not necessarily cheaper, but at least a little easier.

Gun show in Kalispell this weekend. Not really much on the list of things to buy…at least, not gun-wise. In addition to thundertoys, gun shows also give me a chance to pick up surplus gear at good prices. Sleeping bags, tactical flashlights, winter shooting mitts, BDU’s, etc, etc. In terms of gun stuff, Im curious to see if AR mags have come down any…I did an inventory a few weeks back and while Im probably better off than Joe Average in terms of AR mags, Im not at my personal minimum requirement per gun. (Ideally, I’d want fifty per gun.) I also need about four more mags for the FAL, a few more P35 mags, and if theyre cheap enough another few Glock mags. Really, nickel and dime stuff…in terms of firearms, Im pretty okay with what I have at the moment. There is stuff I want but its not urgent.
=====
Im taking a Red Cross first aid and CPR class next weekend with the girlfriend. Eight hours of french kissing a CPR doll. A tedious experience, to be sure…but a necessary one. Being the Zero is about more than just gear and stored food…theres skills and abilities to acquire. What else? Oh geez, its a long list…

vehicle maintenance/repair
bicycle maintenance/repair
welding
wiring
carpentry
metalwork
gardening
radio communications
electronics
cryptography
woodworking
plumbing
small unit tactics and leadership
rappelling
map reading
advanced first aid
etc etc etc (please dont comment with “You forgot…”, trust me, its a long list)
=====
Winter has hit one of its usual ‘chinook’ points….its the dead of winter and for a week or two its fifty degrees. Happens every year. Then we get used to it and nature pulls the rug out from under us with three weeks of subzero temperatures. However , I may take advantage of the weather to go shooting this weekend at some point. I still havent played with the CZ rifle as much as I would like.
=====
Was at CostCo yesterday and to my delight I discovered that the big packages of skinless,bonless chicken breast they sell now come as packages of several poly-bagged, heat sealed meat. This means I no longer have to individually vaccuum seal and repackage a dozen pieces of chickn. Nope, I can simply pull the individual packages out and freeze them. Very cool…makes my life a little easier. Not necessarily cheaper, but at least a little easier.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Freezing rain going on here in the Land O' Zero today. This is the sort of weather that really causes the winter chaos. Oh sure, you can talk about your blizzards and your -30 temps, but the real damages come from these ice storms. Power lines get heavy with ice and snap. Same for tress (which, naturally, land on powerlines that arent already down), and road conditions are just unbelievable.

Is the Zero worried? Is there fear in the Zero's heart? Is the Zero running down to the supermarket in a pacnicked state to buy milk and bread???
No. Of course not. I am the Zero and the Zero has prepared.

Kerosene in the heaters and lamps, vehicle will be parked away from overhead objects, constantlly updated weather map is playing on the desktop, plenty of food, and the Baygen radios are ready for use if the power fails. In short, I can just look at the weather map, shrug, and say “Hunh.”
=====
Did some geocaching the other day. I usually pack a bunch of zipties in my bag because they can come in handy for all sorts of things. In this case, they safety-wired the girlfriends YakTrax (foot-traction overshoe) to her boots so that if one came off in the snow it wouldnt get lost. Moral of the story: carry zipties. Find them in any hardware store, get several sizes, I carry about 20.
=====
Wonder if LJ has gotten the usericon image servers back up yet…..

Freezing rain going on here in the Land O’ Zero today. This is the sort of weather that really causes the winter chaos. Oh sure, you can talk about your blizzards and your -30 temps, but the real damages come from these ice storms. Power lines get heavy with ice and snap. Same for tress (which, naturally, land on powerlines that arent already down), and road conditions are just unbelievable.

Is the Zero worried? Is there fear in the Zero’s heart? Is the Zero running down to the supermarket in a pacnicked state to buy milk and bread???
No. Of course not. I am the Zero and the Zero has prepared.

Kerosene in the heaters and lamps, vehicle will be parked away from overhead objects, constantlly updated weather map is playing on the desktop, plenty of food, and the Baygen radios are ready for use if the power fails. In short, I can just look at the weather map, shrug, and say “Hunh.”
=====
Did some geocaching the other day. I usually pack a bunch of zipties in my bag because they can come in handy for all sorts of things. In this case, they safety-wired the girlfriends YakTrax (foot-traction overshoe) to her boots so that if one came off in the snow it wouldnt get lost. Moral of the story: carry zipties. Find them in any hardware store, get several sizes, I carry about 20.
=====
Wonder if LJ has gotten the usericon image servers back up yet…..

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Quiet today. It dumped about 4-5″~ of snow last night so theres not alot of noise outside right now. Im wearing my Sorels (pac boots, 'pacs') since the snow comes up about halfway to my knees and wearing regular boots without gaiters would be a wet drippy mess. The felt liners in the Sorels, when worn by themselves, make the most outstanding household slippers Ive ever worn. I may have to get a few extra liners just for the purpose of wearing them as slippers.
=====
Little ditty on the news abouta  company developing solar power technology that is five times more efficient than what is currently used. The article says current efficiancy is around 6% and this new stuff is around 30%..and its off a material that also works on non-visible light like infra-red so you could actually generate electricity from heat sources. Coolness. I really, really, really need to immerse myself into a study of these sorts of things..esp. just the fundamentals (watts, amps, volts, line drop, AC, DC, batteries, etc..)
=====
Im also reminded that another glaring deficiency in my abilities is my utter lack of knowledge when it comes to things automotive. Limited slip? Differential? Transfer case? Lift kit? May as well be speaking ebonics. I have certain ideas about what I want in a vehicle, then its just a matter of putting such a rig together. In an ideal world I'd take the thing apart completely so id know how everything works and relates to each other. In fact, one of the LMI is involved in such a project..he has a trapezoid of welded steel he calls his 'jeep'. Its just the frame. He's building it from the frame up and I really think that would be the way to go. Realistically though, what I'd probably wind up doing is buying an older vehicle (Ford, Toyota Land C., etc) and tweak it out. Thats what I love about some of these older 4-wheel drive vehicles that have a cult following – the aftermarket parts abound. Dual tanks? No sweat. Removeable doors and windshield? We can do that. Gas can rack? Piece of cake. Winch? Of course.
=====
Having used up all the lumber from an earlier shelving project/disassembly, the shelving project in the bunker has come to a halt. Most everything now has a place, but I want some better organization. For example, right now alot of stuff simply sits on the shelves in milk crates with labels attached to them…not a bad way to store things, actually, but Id prefer a more protective ontainer system. Ammo cans in various sizes are almost perfect except for their weight. The gamma-sealed buckets work very very well except their round shape and limited size have their own drawbacks.
=====
Remember the radio relay station from earlier this year that me and the girlfriend were looking at? I wonder what its like up there now with all that snow.

Quiet today. It dumped about 4-5″~ of snow last night so theres not alot of noise outside right now. Im wearing my Sorels (pac boots, ‘pacs’) since the snow comes up about halfway to my knees and wearing regular boots without gaiters would be a wet drippy mess. The felt liners in the Sorels, when worn by themselves, make the most outstanding household slippers Ive ever worn. I may have to get a few extra liners just for the purpose of wearing them as slippers.
=====
Little ditty on the news abouta  company developing solar power technology that is five times more efficient than what is currently used. The article says current efficiancy is around 6% and this new stuff is around 30%..and its off a material that also works on non-visible light like infra-red so you could actually generate electricity from heat sources. Coolness. I really, really, really need to immerse myself into a study of these sorts of things..esp. just the fundamentals (watts, amps, volts, line drop, AC, DC, batteries, etc..)
=====
Im also reminded that another glaring deficiency in my abilities is my utter lack of knowledge when it comes to things automotive. Limited slip? Differential? Transfer case? Lift kit? May as well be speaking ebonics. I have certain ideas about what I want in a vehicle, then its just a matter of putting such a rig together. In an ideal world I’d take the thing apart completely so id know how everything works and relates to each other. In fact, one of the LMI is involved in such a project..he has a trapezoid of welded steel he calls his ‘jeep’. Its just the frame. He’s building it from the frame up and I really think that would be the way to go. Realistically though, what I’d probably wind up doing is buying an older vehicle (Ford, Toyota Land C., etc) and tweak it out. Thats what I love about some of these older 4-wheel drive vehicles that have a cult following – the aftermarket parts abound. Dual tanks? No sweat. Removeable doors and windshield? We can do that. Gas can rack? Piece of cake. Winch? Of course.
=====
Having used up all the lumber from an earlier shelving project/disassembly, the shelving project in the bunker has come to a halt. Most everything now has a place, but I want some better organization. For example, right now alot of stuff simply sits on the shelves in milk crates with labels attached to them…not a bad way to store things, actually, but Id prefer a more protective ontainer system. Ammo cans in various sizes are almost perfect except for their weight. The gamma-sealed buckets work very very well except their round shape and limited size have their own drawbacks.
=====
Remember the radio relay station from earlier this year that me and the girlfriend were looking at? I wonder what its like up there now with all that snow.

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Wallet Busting Department:

Sportsmans Guide 'HQ' catalog (military surplus stuff) arrived today. They have black Mickey Mouse boots for $30/pair (!!!!!) and, interestingly, #10 cans of Mountain House freeze-drieds. The prices on the MH are only about $2 less than what you can get off of MH's website, and MH pays the shipping on orders over $50….so, unless you are a 'member' at Sportsmans Guide and get the additional 10% off, it probably isnt worth it. There were also a few other goodies in there, but the Mickey Mouse boots….grrrrrr….me want.

Wallet Busting Department:

Sportsmans Guide ‘HQ’ catalog (military surplus stuff) arrived today. They have black Mickey Mouse boots for $30/pair (!!!!!) and, interestingly, #10 cans of Mountain House freeze-drieds. The prices on the MH are only about $2 less than what you can get off of MH’s website, and MH pays the shipping on orders over $50….so, unless you are a ‘member’ at Sportsmans Guide and get the additional 10% off, it probably isnt worth it. There were also a few other goodies in there, but the Mickey Mouse boots….grrrrrr….me want.