Right On Target!

The last few months I've been slacking when it comes to blog writing. I've been swamped with work, foster care preparations and doing some fun prepper projects in my free time. Today's post will bring you my newest toy. It's not perfect, but it's pretty darn awesome! I got the idea from Wilderness Outfitters.  In short, Wilderness Outfitters is a survivalist educator and has the coolest tools of the trade. You have to spend a little time on his youtube page to get a glimpse of the greatness!

After seeing one of his videos on a sling shot that shoots arrows, I decided to build my own.  I'll link his original video below, then his updated video followed by an image of my own creation. I think I did pretty good.

His original Video:

So since this video he has made some pretty wicked awesome adjustments.  My slingshot bow uses a whisker biscuit as found on a compound bow and I used zip ties to connect it. The problem I found is that it's not as rigid as I would like it to be and the whisker biscuit doesn't stay inside the mount very well. I'll be using some gorilla glue to hopefully lock it down and make it stay where I intended it to stay.

For your viewing pleasure here's his updated "slingbow"

So without further hesitation, here's my sling shot bow!  Not bad if I do say so myself.

Sling shot = 12.00
Heavy replacement band = 7.00
Whisker Biscuit = 18.00
Zip ties = .50

All in, I spent 37.50 for a 40lb draw strength slingshot bow. Additionally I spent about 6.00 to grab 3 target practice arrows When it comes to actual hunting, I'm going to get some really nice arrows. I'll research them prior to posting on here.

All said and done, its been a fun build. It took about 10 minutes to rig up, and I've spent about a half hour on target practice. I need more time!!!  I can hit my grouping within about 18 inches of each other but hope to get it within 4 inches over the next few months. Most likely I'll starve prior to actually succeed at hunting with my new toy, but with practice maybe I'll survive. In the mean time I'll keep working on my food storage, my garden, and my other preps. 

Until next time, keep on prepping.

Wake Up People!

What is it going to take to get people to really wake up and realize the importance of having an EDC (Every Day Carry) or BOB (Bug Out Bag, or 72-96 hr kit) readily available at all times. I'm in the practice of carrying mine everywhere. I keep at least one in my car. As a Realtor I know that if something happens, I've got an 80% chance I have at least one additional person with me when the $%#* hits the fan. Am I crazy or is everyone else crazy? I think having a kit of some kind is an absolute necessity.

My wife and I each have our EDC bags in our car at all times. They are equipped with at least 48 hours worth of food, emergency blankets, water, and first aid kits. There are more items, but those are the absolute necessities. Whenever I travel more than 30 minutes from home I carry my 96 hr kit too, that way if I have a client or have a long way to travel home, I've got resources. So why am I ranting?

We just went on a family trip to Disney Land and Huntington Beach. I had with me my 96 hr Kit. We had my wife and I, her sister and her husband and their kid in our car (no bag of their own), and three of her other brothers, a sister in law, two other kids and her parents in the following two cars. All combined we had 1.5 emergency bags. One of my brother in laws carried an emergency kit in his truck and a solar powered generator along with a few items, so we'll count that.

My concern is this. What if we had an emergency? What about the earthquakes? We experienced a minor one while we were sleeping the second night. It was around 12:53 in the morning about 100 miles north, but on the 13th floor of a high rise, I felt it. Thankfully it wasn't big and wasn't local. Had we had a 6.0 or higher, there would have been major damage nearly all throughout the LA area. Yes, Disneyland would have been an even wilder trip than expected. So what if? Well, I'm the only one with a decent bag, and my entire extended family would have all been screwed. Yeah, I said it. I'm not sharing my single bag across that many people. It's not feasible. Especially when I reminded all of them to bring their bags, twice.








Thankfully we had an uneventful trip and nobody had to worry about using their bags. I just wish people would take things more seriously and take care of their own needs rather than carrying a hope that someone would take care of them. I urge everyone who is reading this post to get their kits together. CARRY them with you, at least in your cars. Mine is always nearby or on me. At work I have a small kit in my work bag, and the EDC in my car which is within 100 yards while I am working. I'm not perfect, but I'm not going to relax and hope someone will save me. It's just not a reality. Public services take at least 72 hours to get things going again after an event. That's why 72 hour kits are so important and why mine is 96 hours. I don't want to have to hope. Neither should you.

Why a 72 hr kit and what to pack it with

Every Prepper/Survivalist and every Regular Joe needs to have a 72 hour kit. It's a requirement in today's information and high tech age. Yet, I still talk to so many people everyday who just don't have one. They don't have a home kit, a car kit or a travel kit of any kind to help them get through a disaster. The other problem is the perspective thanks to Hollywood and CNN where a disaster has to be world ending catastrophic to be considered a disaster. This just isn't true. Take a look at the water contamination in West Virginia back in Mid January 2014. It was a chemical spill that cut off all drinking water for hundreds of thousands of residents. Ladies and Gentlemen, that's a huge catastrophe.

Another example is the recent snowstorm in Alabama. Just a few inches of snow coupled with freezing temperatures took out a huge section of the population in a matter of minutes leaving them stranded, freezing, hungry and many times in tears. One story was of a Neurosurgeon who had to walk 6 miles in the freezing cold storm to perform a life saving surgery. Unlike him, most of the other stranded individuals just tried to hunker down and hope for help. The truth is that help didn't come quick enough for most.   "At least a dozen deaths have been blamed on the storm, including five traffic fatalities in Alabama."   To me this is sickening. Many of these deaths, as well as countless injuries could have been avoided simply by having a 72 hour kit or something like it. So this blog post is dedicated to creating your own pack. I'll list my ingredients as well as go over some best practices I've found and resources I've found from the experts out there.

My 72 hour kit... (more like 96 hours for two)

I have a smaller pack than I'd like, but I chose this one because it has really comfortable shoulder straps added webbing and most importantly a waist belt. I tried a bag from Emergency Essentials 72 hr kit and it felt awkward at best. Same thing for Thrive's 72 hr Kit. So I took the best of what came in my Thrive kit and moved it over to this bag.  It's the start of what I refer to as my EPIC survival kit. It's more than 72 hours, more like 96 hours when I added everything together. When the crap hits the fan, I'd like to make sure I have more rather than less. I keep this bag at home for the most part and carry my sprint pack primarily. However, when I travel more than 45 minutes from home this bad boy comes with me. Combined, I have more than enough food in the two packs to last me 4-5 days or more if I need to go sparingly.




Let's start off with a list of what I found most necessary where I live. I'm at an elevation of about a mile above sea level and we have all four seasons in all their glory and terror. So I packed not just enough for me, but enough to get myself and one other person through a few days if necessary.

Ingredients:
1. Aforementioned Bag
2. FEMA handbook (great resource for disaster prep and plans after an "event"
3. Work Gloves (2 count)
4. Glow Sticks (3 count)
5. Poncho's (2 count)
6. Headlamps (2 count)
7. Sanitation Kit with soap, tooth paste, 2 brushes, comb, nail clippers and shampoo
8. Toilet Paper and wet wipes
9. First Aid Kit (complete with bandaids, ace bandages, pain pills, stitch kit, sling and first aid field guide.
10. Duct Tape (50 ft)
11. 550 Paracord (100 ft)
12. Spork utility set (spoon, fork knife in one)
13. Extra paper
14. Extra carabaners (2-3)
15. AM/FM Radio (hand cranked)
16. Emergency Blanket (2 count)
17. MRE's (4 count, aprox 1,250 cal each)
18. MRE Deserts (3 count)
19. SOS Ration Energy Bars (2 count, 3600 calories each)
20. Water box's (12 count, 10 oz each)
21. Nalgene 2 Qt Bottle of Water)
22. MSR Water filtration pump
23. Survival Straw (filters up to 240 Gallons)
24. Swiss Army Knife with can opener
25. Flint and Steele and water proof match set
26. Hand Sanitizer, Hand Soap and washclothes
27. Marmot Shell Coat with hood
28. Change of clothes (two pairs of wool socks, cargo pants, t-shirt, and fleece jacket)
29. Air Filter/Face Masks (2 count)
30. Back up water bladder (100 oz)
31. Shovel/Pick w/ compass
32. portable sola recharging pack with 4 AA rechargeable batteries
33. Emergency Tent
34. 10x10 Tarp
35. Emergency sleeping bag (wife has one in her kit too)

Additionally to this list, my wife has her own bag with a lot of repetition including food, water (200 oz), feminine hygiene products (this is essential!!!), additional cleaning supplies and her own change of clothing and additional blankets, headlamps, gloves, and a pack of playing cards and coloring books with crayons. She also carries our topographical maps and bug-out instructions in case of zombies. Okay so we don't believe in zombies, but we wanted nice water proof maps so we can make our way to family to make sure they are okay (both of our parents are older and would need assistance).

At the end of the day, having something is better than nothing. I have researched a lot of different packs and there are thousands of items that you may prefer in your location. However, if you don't have a bag, you are endangering yourself and your entire family. I recommend creating a small pack for each child as well as pets so if a disaster does hit your area, you will be able to hold out as long as necessary for life to return to normal. According to the experts, that means 72 hours.



What other items do you have in your pack?
Do you think my pack is crazy or genius?

Please leave comments below to help out our readers.

Thanks,

A little Rockin and Rollin Earth Quake Style

What are the chances of actual prepper or SHTF situations such as zombies, earthquakes, floods, fires, end of days scenarios, nuclear strike, EMP’s? You name it there’s a theoretical scenario for it. I don’t subscribe to all the theories out there, but the budding prepper in me tells me to get as ready as possible for what could actually happen first, then go to the theories. I live in Utah, along the Wasatch fault. So in my prepper ways I have begun studying the realities.

Today’s blog post is all about the earthquake scenario in Salt Lake City.  As a resource, I’ll be citing the University of Utah SEIS site.

 Do we need to worry only about large earthquakes causing damage?
No. A moderate-sized earthquake that occurs under an urbanized area can cause major damage.

Magnitude 5.5 - 6.5 earthquakes occur somewhere in Utah on the average of once every 7 years.

Estimates of damage from a "direct hit" to one of the Wasatch Front's major metropolitan areas reach $2.3 billion for a magnitude 6.5 earthquake, and more than $830 million for a magnitude 5.5 earthquake.

Since 1850, at least 15 independent earthquakes of magnitude 5.5 and larger have occurred in the Utah region.

Recent magnitude 5.0 and larger earthquakes in the Utah region include:

Local Date         Magnitude        Location   

Jan. 29, 1989         5.4       16 miles SE of Salina

Aug. 14, 1988         5.3       Central Emery County  

Mar. 27, 1975         6.0       Pocatello Valley (North border)

Oct. 14, 1967         5.2       Marysvale     

Aug. 16, 1966         5.6       Utah-Nevada Border    

Sep.  5, 1962         5.2       Salt Lake Valley      

Aug. 30, 1962         5.7       Cache Valley

http://www.seis.utah.edu/qfacts/utfaq.shtml#uq1

Based on this information, we seem to be due an earthquake in Utah. It’s been 25 years since the last big one. So in all likelihood, it could be on its way. Do I think it will happen soon? I honestly don’t know, but I’m doing what I can to get ready. In all likelihood it will happen while we are all sleeping, but if it happens while I’m out and about, I have to get home to my family. Prepper’s believe that there are bug-out situations and bug-in situations. Depending on the severity of an earthquake, bugging-in is likely the right approach to this.  Before I continue on strategies and prep, here are some interesting things I found on Utah Earthquakes:

 How often do earthquakes occur in Utah? 
About 700 earthquakes (including aftershocks) are located in the Utah region each year. Approximately 2% of the earthquakes are felt. An average of about 13 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or larger occur in the region every year. Earthquakes can occur anywhere in the state of Utah.

 How many earthquakes occur in the Wasatch Front region? 
About 500 earthquakes are located in the Wasatch Front region each year. About 60% of the earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 and larger in Utah occur in the Wasatch Front region.

 When was the last earthquake? 
Worldwide: In the last minute, somewhere in the world.
Utah: Within the past 24 hours, somewhere in the state.
(The last large earthquake in Utah occurred on the Wasatch fault north of Nephi about 400 years ago.)

http://www.seis.utah.edu/qfacts/utfaq.shtml#uq1

The fault we have here in Utah is a vertical type of fault, it’s more of the standard fault, but when compared to say, San Andreas, it’s going to move up and down, rather than horizontally like those poor guys in California. My years in the O.C. taught me to just hang on and enjoy the ride. Now that I’m here in Utah and may some day get a 6.0 or higher earthquake, I need to get my family ready. The reality is that gas and electric grids will be down. Local services will be deployed to clean up, security, rescue and getting the grid back as quick as possible. In Utah, the local cities have set up a S.A.F.E network that stands for Schools Aid Families in Emergencies. We are told to get our emergency kits and head to the schools. I urge my readers to get familiar with their local area earthquake plans. Check out Utah’s plan at http://www.slcgov.com/em

The number one recommendation is to have 72 hour kits on hand for everyone in your family.  We have standard kits for our family, but I’m making them a little more robust in the coming weeks. That way we can bug-in if need be. I also recommend that with your 72 hour kits, get a portable toilet and/or extra gallons of water for your toilet in case it still flushes.  SLC offers this additional list for emergency and safety prep http://www.slcdocs.com/em/96HourKit.pdf.

Well, until next time, keep planning for the worst and hoping for the best.

Sprint Pack

What on earth is a Sprint Pack? 

You may call it something else, but basically I made it up. I have a 72 hour pack, a generic one for two. My 72 hour kit is about to be expanded to a bug out bag, but that will come in another post. I am also in the process of redoing my wife's 72 hour pack. In fact I went through it tonight and noticed she had emergency water packs that were 8 years old and 3 years past their expiration dates not to mention expired food rations.  Ugh.... Come on babe! We had a good laugh about it.

So basically I'm redoing her pack and over the last week and a half have been establishing my sprint pack. Today I snapped pictures and wrote this blog post.

Sprint Pack Defined: It is a small light pack that goes with you everywhere you go. It's always in the car when I'm driving around town. So if/when the Crap Hits the Fan you can grab and sprint home.

To the right and below are some pictures of my Sprint Pack. It's a glorified fanny-pack with a shoulder strap and room for two side mount water bottles.


Here's the entire layout of what's in this bag. I need to pick up two Nalgene water bottles to add to it for additional water storage, but
here's the minimum list and there's room to spare.

Ingredients:

• Water Proof Medical Kit w/instructions
• Toilet Paper (waterproof)
• Two (2) MRE's (2,000 calories each)
• Two (2) MRE dessert packs (410 calories each)
• Four (4) Emergency Water Packs
• 100 ft. of Para-cord
• Spork Knife combo
• Toenail/Fingernail Clipper
• Buck Knife
• Multiplier tool 
• Work Gloves
• Head Lamp
• Duck Tape
• Emergency Blanket
• Emergency Poncho
• Cash ($50-100 in small bills)
• Survival Kit (waterproof)
• compass
• water proof matches
• area maps
• water purification tablets
• sewing kit
• hand sanitizer
• can opener
• emergency blanket
• fish hooks and line
• wire
• emergency whistle
• duct tape
• safety pins
• 15 ft of rope

This was a fun pack to put together. I'm sure its worth around 80 bucks, but will be priceless when I need it. I also have some all terrain cross trainers to change into as well as a jacket/coat depending on the weather and a change of clothes in the car. I dress semi-dressy for the type of work I do. I hope I never have to use this pack, but it brings a great sense of peace just knowing I have it with me at all times.

How it all started for me

Peppers seemed weird to me, until I became one. Now I'm a low level novice. How'd that happen?

Back in September 2013, I read a series of books by Christopher Stuart called the great and terrible. Awesome series! But just one problem, I got hooked. I grew up learning about the last days as read in the Bible. Revelations is chuck full of warnings and calamity, and the daily news seems to back it all up. So then I hit up season three of Doomsday Preppers and that just fueled the fire even more. I don't own any guns, unless my BB gun counts. I have had rifle training, shotgun training and handgun training but never felt a need, until now, to get one. I also feel an even stronger need to get a years supply of food and essentials going. I've got about 3 months worth, but that isn't even close, so it's time to make a change. This blog will be dedicated to outlining Prepper plans, tricks I come across and links to cool resources. Hopefully this becomes as educational for you as it will be for me.

Thanks for reading and check back soon.