Other than my pet peeve about calling 9/11 ‘Patriot Day’, I have nothing much to say about 9/11 here. This is because this particular blog isn’t about beating to death various political events. When I do touch on politics here its usually in the context of elections and how the results of those elections will affect the Average Joe’s ability to buy or have access to The Things He Needs. A lot of times it doesn’t seem like it, but I do try to stay on-topic. (Tinfoil hats aside, I do follow the news a little more closely on days like this…y’know, just in case.)
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I’ve started rotating out the stored gas from last year. I usually try to add it to at least half a tank of fresh gas just in case the stored gas has any issues. However, thus far there seems to be no problems using gas that has been stored for the last year using PRI-G. Once I’m done rotating out the stored gas I will be getting rid of my current plastic Blitz cans in favor of the Euro-style Jerry cans. One of my vendors has a pretty good deal on some used ones so I’m getting in two dozen. (Its also worth noting that some US manufacturers have now come out with a similar can.) I’ll keep a half dozen for myself but the rest will be sold locally to the LMI, if theyre interested. (I’m getting a good deal on them but their weight makes them uneconomical to ship…unless you live somewhere where they aren’t available at any price.) These cans have a couple properties Im interested in – first off, theyre metal so they should be less prone to expansion/contraction issues. However, I think that if you fill the can to leave very little headspace the expansion/contraction issues will be reduced since it’s the vapor, rather than the fuel, that seems to do all the volumetric fluctuations.
The cans are self venting when used with the correct spout. However, I usually just para-cord a longneck funnel to each can and not worry about the spigot. I’ll be getting a couple anyway just to try out.
(Sidetrack: the funnels should be closed off with plastic or something at either end to keep bugs, dirt and general crap out of the funnel so that when its time to use it you don’t wind up washing all that crap into your gas tank.)
The cans are also designed so that the handles can be grasped by two people, allowing a fast ‘bucket brigade’ method of transport.
Finally, the interiors are treated/lined to prevent rusting.
Oh..and theyre also a nifty shade of OD.
They should be here next week and I’ll have a more detailed post about them then.
Heres everything you wanna know about the Euro style cans
Same vendor is also selling surplussed 5-gal military water containers. I’ve also got a couple dozen of them on the way. Pics will follow when they arrive.
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Still futzing with the new shelving I set up. I worked up a spreadsheet to keep track of the various foodstuffs that are now stored in the basement. Someone pointed out to me that once you have the basic shelves you can buy extra shelving or support legs ‘ala carte’ from restaurant supply stores and many times these shelves can be had from restaurants that are going out of business. Theres a restaurant supply store here in town and I may wander over and see what they have.
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Went shooting the other day. Really, it was more just standing around with a gun in my hand and gabbing with friends. Nine times out of ten, when I want to really ‘practice’ I go to the range by myself. Its just faster and easier to practice weakhand drills, move-n-shoot drills, etc, by myself. I get to do stuff at my own pace and not worry about anyone else. I have decided, however, that I very much need a .22 LR conversion for the AR so I can practice cheaply and use the pistol clubs steel plates (which are usually forbidden for rifle practice because of damage). I’d love to set up a bunch of plates and do a move-n-shoot scenario with the AR.
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The weather here has done its usual trick of going from one season to the next with no intermediate stage. The 102 degree days have given way to 65 degree days (and 50 degree nights) practically overnight. Its going to be time to start dragging my cold weather gear out of storage soon. (As well as put the winter emergency gear in the truck.)
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Was up at CostCo yesterday and saw a nice Honda (w/ Briggs & Stratton engine) 7100 watt genny for sale. $895~. I’d love to have a generator for the house but it’s a rather big ticket item. Realistically, I only need it to run the freezer and refrigerator. But it sure would be nice to have. I”d put one on the wedding registry but it would detract from the .50 caliber fund and Im pretty sure I’ll be able to find generators a lot more easily than I can find .50 cal. Rifles. If I cant get a .50, my next choice is a .338 Lapua but Im holding out for the .50.
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Its been about, mmmmm, a year or so since I got my Leatherman Wave multitool. I can say, after having carried it every day since I got it, that it is an excellent product and I can recommend it without reservation. I need to buy an extra one or two to keep in the bunker but other than their cost I cant find anything to fault them with. It is absolutely a piece of Everyday Gear.
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That reminds me, hunting season approaches. I very much want to go out this year. I need to start planning in that direction.
Are you aware that LCI Industries sells the USGI 5 Gallon Water Jerry Cans for $15. These are new production, not surplus.
If your interested I’ll dig up the link. I bought a pair and they are a good deal for the money. They also USGI contract M-16 mags for about $12 apiece. (Green followers)
if all your worried about running is a fridge and freezer and maybe a few lights you dont need a generator anywhere near that size a 1500 or 2000 watt model would be more than sufficient.
Picking Your Brain
Do you have any recommendations for a base ration to store for a family of four? Food, supplies, and the ideal type of gun?
Just curious if we’re doing anything right. *shrug*
link please.
Some of the scuttlebutt about about our ‘troubles’ with Iran is about our possible blocking of all Iranian oil exports. Imagine the oil prices then.
Hmmm… the ones Im looking at getting are a bit cheaper than that and are free shipping but who knows…
If you’ll post a link, I’d like to go take a look.
Re: Picking Your Brain
I recommend ‘Crisis Preparedness Handbook: A Complete Guide to Home Storage and Physical Survival’ (Paperback) by Jack A. Spigarelli (Author) as an excellent place to get started. I’ve read pretty much every preparedness book on the market andthis one, thus far, makes the best sense.
The reader comments/ratings at the bottom of this page list other resources as well: http://www.amazon.com/Crisis-Preparedness-Handbook-Complete-Physical/dp/0936348070/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-0200387-7766247?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189614690&sr=8-1
The reason Im handing off a book to you rather than giving you a concrete “Ok, heres a list” reply is because everyones situation is different and, also, everyones idea of what their threat is and what they’ll need to be prepared for it is different as well. For example, theres people here who are preparing for a seven year stretch to beat The Rapture, others who are preparing for hurricanes, some who are preparing for a sharp economic downturn with its attendant societal disorder, and some who are just preparing for everything. Each one has different needs based on what they forsee as the threat. Factor in each one has a different family size/structure, different location, different mindset, etc and theres no real simple answer. There are broad guidelines, sure….”two weeks of food and water, a flashlight and some batteries” but that only goes so far. My suggestion is to read some of the books, esp. the Spigarelli book, and see how your own situation factors into what the books say. Then please feel free to barrage me (or anyone over on ) with questions.
For guns, well, theres a zillion options and almost all of it boils down to what youre comfortable with, what youre budget is, and what you envision needing it for. I would imagine that, assuming a person is familiar with the operation and firing of a handgun, any 9mm or .38/.357 would be a sound choice. Move up caliberwise if you dont have any recoil problems. Personally, I prefer the Glock for autos and the Smith & Wessons for revolvers. Ability, familiarity and skill are usually more important than the actual hardware. In short, almost any gun will do the trick if you know how to use it and have the resolve to do so. This is an interesting question though and I’lll have a long post about it later.
Re: Picking Your Brain
Thanks! I’ll make my requisite trip to half price books first, and if not, Amazon that title. I see what you’re saying re: one size (or list) does not fit all.
Here’s the link to LCI.
http://www.buylci.com/
They have free shipping, but also have a $50 minimum order policy for any order.
The prices are good, but the website SUCKS.
You don’t actually have to have an account to order from them, even though it kind of looks like you do.
The search function sucks. To find the M-16 mags look for “personal items” priced “Over $10.” I knew they were there, and that’s the only way I could find them. Searching for “magazines,” etc, didn’t work.
I ordered two USGI water cans and 3 USGI M-16 mags a couple months ago. Once I figured out how to navigate the website, everything went OK. The items arrived a few days later and they were new. The water cans were in a large box and the mags were dropped in there loose. They got a little scratched up, but there mags, there going to get scratched up anyway.
So Montana has two seasons.. winter and “burning.”
Four seasons, actually:
Early winter, mid winter, late winter and next winter