So I told the girlfriend to pack cold weather gear ‘just in case’ in gets nippy while she’s at gun camp. No one ever listens to the Zero. Needless to say, when she was at the range being cold in her vest and long underwear she came to appreciate the fact that I had thoughtfully left a flectar parka and liner stuffed in a drybag in the truckbox. I cant pat myself on the back too hard though…it occurs to me if I really had my Zero on, I would have included gloves, hat and neck gaiter in that drybag too. I’ll correct that deficiency later and chalk it up to the learning curve.
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Part of being Cmdr. Zero is being the ultimate in smart shoppers. Its no secret that preparing for [insert calamity of choice here] requires more than a few trips to CostCo, REI, Home Depot and WalMart. How to keep it all straight? Well, you gotta have lists. And more lists. And even more lists. I keep a small notebook in my Bag O’ Tricks ™ that has lists taken off of various spreadsheets. Thus, if I find myself in ALbertson’s with an extra $10 in my pocket I can consult my lists, see whats needed, and pick it up. The nice thing is it alos gives me a handy place for price comparisons. For example, if im at Sportsmans Warehouse and I happen to notice they have Coleman propane lanterns on sale but I dont have any cash at the moment, I can jot down the price and compare next time Im at, say, CostCo. Amazing how much you save that way. Spreadsheets are the best thing for the preparedness minded since the MRE and LED flashlights. I have about a dozen spreadsheets devoted to firearms, ammo, food, clothing, first aid stuff, bug out items, off-site caches, etc, etc. Hey, why dont I throw up an example…here

This particular example is a list of all the goodies that go with my Model 10 .38. Everything fits in a large ammo can so it all is stored in one place ready to be transported on a moments notice. Watertight, airtight, and outta sight. (Please dont comment with ‘hey, you forgot…’ this isnt a complete list and parts of it were not posted for opsec.)

Nice thing is, I print out this list in its smallest readable font, tuck it into my notebook, and next time Im at the gun show I can see what I need or dont need. Saves me time and, more importantly, money.