Whether you’re taking a trip off the grid or preparing for an emergency, you’ll find the camping and survival articles you need to stay ready here. From topics like choosing the right prepper weapons to tips for dealing with severe weather, prepare for any potential disaster with advice shared by our experts.
Stockpiling seeds to use for your own needs and for those of your family is easy when you use the tips in this post. Whether you freeze them or dry them, use them for you or as a bartering option, seeds an excellent way to make sure you’re eating healthy foods, no matter what the circumstances.
No one wants to be in left the dark, so now is the time to think about getting an alternative light source or sources. Here are a few options you may want to consider—before the lights go out.
Preppers here are some simple tips to stockpile canned goods without breaking the bank. When you get a few cans at a time and pay close attention to nutritional value and expiration dates, you’re on your way to a well-stocked stash.
Staying safe in a crowd of people is essential and whether you carry a gun or a flashlight and pepper spray, getting home safe and sound is the goal. There are simple steps you can take, from knowing where the exits are to picking the right seating.
For 30 days, once a day, I have posted a how-to on prepping for severe winter weather. Breaking it up hopefully has made the task less onerous. After all winterizing a house can take more than one weekend and building an emergency kit for your car and home can take more than one paycheck. Some of you might have scoffed at some of the posts. Either way, I have attempted to cover all my bases from curing cabin fever to preventing carbon monoxide poisoning—universal concerns no matter what your region. On day 30, the final installment of “30 Days of Preparing for Severe Winter Weather,” I present to you all 29 posts.
There are very few chances us regular folks get to walk on water, so when ponds, lakes or rivers freeze over many take the opportunity to participate in fun activities such as ice skating, a friendly game of ice hockey, snowshoeing or ice fishing. But how do you know the ice is safe to walk over? There are a few general things to keep in mind when judging if frozen water is safe to walk over. Please remember, however, that ice is never 100 percent safe to walk on, so tread slowly, take every precaution you can and follow the following five rules of judging how safe ice is.
In January 2008, a Utah couple Thomas and Tamitha Garner, along with their dog Medusa, set out for a drive in a remote area of Southwest Utah to photograph wild horses in Modena Canyon. Before heading out, they alerted family members of their plans and stopped in Panaca, Nevada for gas and two boxes of granola bars. The couple ended up further down a road than they should have when a severe winter storm came through. Thomas says the snow got too high and he was unable to turn the truck around to get out. The Garner’s ordeal lasted 12 days. I want you to tell me; what did the Garners do right and what did the Garners do wrong?
Is snow safe to eat may sound like a ridiculous question, but it is a little more complicated than a simple answer yes or no.
Who hasn’t stuck their tongue out on a snowy day to catch a few fluffy snowflakes or broke an icicle off a tree and sucked on it? Appealing as snow looks—pristine, fluffy and like it would taste like whipped cream—it isn’t necessarily safe. Pollution and bacteria can mix with snow, even in remote mountainous regions. Though you should be more concerned with hypothermia rather than getting sick from eating contaminated snow, you can still use snow to hydrate yourself if caught ill prepared in a blizzard. However, you should melt snow first before eating it!
I don’t want to sound like an alarmist, but carbon monoxide really is a silent killer. You can’t smell it, taste it or see it. In fact, you might not even believe you feel it. You may disregard symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, weakness, chest pain and nausea as a cold or flu. However, carbon monoxide poisoning is extremely dangerous—even mild cases can cause permanent brain damage. Carbon monoxide poisoning happens all year round, however, cases increases in winter—particularly in December and January. One of the best ways to prevent CO poisoning is to buy a battery-powered carbon monoxide detector. It works just like your smoke alarm and will sound a loud alarm when dangerous levels of carbon monoxide are present. There are other ways to prevent CO poisoning, as well:
Though not a diagnosable condition, cabin fever is commonly used to describe the feelings of boredom, irritably, restlessness and claustrophobia one gets when cooped up inside for too long. Cabin fever may also come about if you spend too long in an isolated place—even you if you venture outside daily. It can also cause anxiety, excessive sleeping, anger, forgetfulness, anxiety, impatience, and stress. Severe winter weather can keep you from leaving the house. I will tell you that you need to add entertainment to your preparations to prevent and cure cabin fever.