Late starter humble prepping stash

[Podmonkey]

LifeStraw is gtg then? I see them promoted all the time on Amazon. I will pick one up.
What would be a good product for filtering quantities of water for storage in containers?

 

[fnfalguy]

We have used a Berkey in the house for about, 7+ years. We love it. Does a wonderful job on our high sulfur well water. Wouldn’t trade it for anything else. Can’t give any recommendations on a portable unit as I have zero experience with that.

 

[GOPerfect]

The Complete List of Long-Lasting Survival Foods + FREE Printable

Free printable survival food list. All of the long shelf life foods included!

crisisequipped.com

 

[livingston]

Can y'all give me suggestions for water filtration? Suggestions for a backpack and also for a bulkier household unit.

Berkey Water Filters - World Leader in Water Filtration

World's largest dealer of the famous Berkey Water Filter systems. Complete source of information about all Berkey Filter products including videos, specifications, reviews and manuals.

www.berkeyfilters.com

 

[BDinPutnam]

The Complete List of Long-Lasting Survival Foods + FREE Printable

Free printable survival food list. All of the long shelf life foods included!

crisisequipped.com

Feels very familiar. Great list.

A vacuum sealer is a great thing to have.

 

[E the massive]

Is it possible and feasible to put a plug on a NG forced air furnace power cable? I figure a small generator could power a furnace.

 

[fnfalguy]

For some longer term ingredients you can also looks at mredepot.com or safecastle.com


not a great time to be looking to add to long term storage but hopefully when things level out, items will be back in stock. We have really enjoyed their “military surplus” #10 cans (the gyro meat was scary good as was their chicken breasts). They also on occasion have the military dessert trays which are a nice item to put away. The carrot cake with frosting was also scary tasty. Both have fairly high shipping, but have sales with reduced or free shipping.

MRE Tray Pack Carrot Cake with Chocolate Icing

MRE Tray Pack Carrot Cake with Chocolate Icing

www.mredepot.com

Other companies we have ordered from and would do so again are:
harmony house
emergency essentials
ready store
LDS
honeyville

edited to add a few I forgot
augason farms
walmart & sams club online under emergency food storage (IIRC)

yeah, being self sufficient is a passion of mine. Has served us well on many occasions

 

[fnfalguy]

Also keep an eye out on amazon and Walmart for keystone meats. Our ready-to-eat meats make your family meals easier
from what I have seen, they have the most unadulturated product I have seen and it has a solid shelf life as well for the medium long storables. This can was picked up from amazon a month or so ago and is best by 6/8/25. Their ground beef makes good tacos, and we have also had their pork, turkey and beef chunks. All are good.

 

[Blimey]

Store what you eat, eat what you store.

We definitely do this. I badly overbought kidney beans some years ago but most of the stuff we definitely cycle through, even if slowly (e.g. powdered milk).

 

[Podmonkey]

Also keep an eye out on amazon and Walmart for keystone meats. Our ready-to-eat meats make your family meals easier
from what I have seen, they have the most unadulturated product I have seen and it has a solid shelf life as well for the medium long storables. This can was picked up from amazon a month or so ago and is best by 6/8/25. Their ground beef makes good tacos, and we have also had their pork, turkey and beef chunks. All are good.

View attachment 82293

Okay, now we're talking! I don't think I have seen them in my local Walmart but I will keep. An eye out.

 

[Depick]

Cool thread lots of great info. Scrolling through here has given me some good ideas on things I should add to my prep. Anyone use a vacuum sealer? I’ve been considering purchasing one to store meat longer.

 

[BDinPutnam]

Cool thread lots of great info. Scrolling through here has given me some good ideas on things I should add to my prep. Anyone use a vacuum sealer? I’ve been considering purchasing one to store meat longer.

Yep.

Actually great for buying dry stuff in bulk and then breaking it down into smaller long term packs. In fact I just baked a loaf of bread today with flour and yeast we bought in 2016. Not as economical as other long term dry storage but we like the ability to be more flexible with portions and storage options (just me and the wife).

Also use it to double seal my already well packed venison when it comes back from the butcher.

 

[Podmonkey]

Cool thread lots of great info. Scrolling through here has given me some good ideas on things I should add to my prep. Anyone use a vacuum sealer? I’ve been considering purchasing one to store meat longer.

I have been thinking of getting one for ammo storage. Vac pac three 10 round clips, stuff a 30 can can with em along with a strip Lula and voila, long term storage for field resupply.

 

[GOPerfect]

We definitely do this. I badly overbought kidney beans some years ago but most of the stuff we definitely cycle through, even if slowly (e.g. powdered milk).

Too often, people thinking down the road do this storing of food thing incorrectly. I know I did when I decided to begin down this path.

There are some really good YouTubers to watch, more bad ones. Gotta find the right people and the right type of videos.

Pre-packaged, 25 year food is great to have. But, one cannot be fully prepped if this is all they have.

Food in and food out. If you eat a decent amount of soup for example, buy soup. A couple extra cans each time you shop. If you never eat soup, why buy it for the preps.

Spices, people forget about spices all of the time. Salt, pepper, sugar and the like. Inexpensive to buy a couple extra bottles of the stuff.

Mix up the stored pantry. Someday, when you have nothing to do, write down, on a piece of paper, all of the foods that you eat on a somewhat regular basis. Figure out how much you eat and that is where preps should begin. Add extras as you go. I have my preps added into my monthly shopping budget. Not a lot, just enough to continue adding.

I came into a small amount of money late June and I am adding quite a bit over the next few months to what I have. Tomorrow, I am building some much needed shelves in the basement and I am going to reorganize the foodstuffs that I have.,

 

[GOPerfect]

Cool thread lots of great info. Scrolling through here has given me some good ideas on things I should add to my prep. Anyone use a vacuum sealer? I’ve been considering purchasing one to store meat longer.

As in frozen meat? I do not store a shit ton of frozen meats for the obvious reasons. We always have an ample supply, but I never go overboard.

 

[Podmonkey]

Too often, people thinking down the road do this storing of food thing incorrectly. I know I did when I decided to begin down this path.

There are some really good YouTubers to watch, more bad ones. Gotta find the right people and the right type of videos.

Pre-packaged, 25 year food is great to have. But, one cannot be fully prepped if this is all they have.

Food in and food out. If you eat a decent amount of soup for example, buy soup. A couple extra cans each time you shop. If you never eat soup, why buy it for the preps.

Spices, people forget about spices all of the time. Salt, pepper, sugar and the like. Inexpensive to buy a couple extra bottles of the stuff.

Mix up the stored pantry. Someday, when you have nothing to do, write down, on a piece of paper, all of the foods that you eat on a somewhat regular basis. Figure out how much you eat and that is where preps should begin. Add extras as you go. I have my preps added into my monthly shopping budget. Not a lot, just enough to continue adding.

I came into a small amount of money late June and I am adding quite a bit over the next few months to what I have. Tomorrow, I am building some much needed shelves in the basement and I am going to reorganize the foodstuffs that I have.,

..........But I do eat the 25 year stuff. How much do I eat? Typically I am on the Seefood diet. I figure in an emergency situation the best place to store food is in your stomach.

 

[Chevusa]

Cool thread lots of great info. Scrolling through here has given me some good ideas on things I should add to my prep. Anyone use a vacuum sealer? I’ve been considering purchasing one to store meat longer.

Do yourself a favor. Skip the "food saver" type machines and get a "chamber vac" machine. The bags are wayyyyyy cheaper and it works much better. It will allow you to vacuum seal liquids like soup and sauces and meats with juices. It removes air from a chamber then seals the bag. The food saver type just pull air out of the bag so they cannot do the same thing. They will suck up liquids and also have a hard time sealing through liquids.

 

[GOPerfect]

I will add one other thing....

Well, I am sure I will add more than one more thing, but....

When it comes to long term storage, one need not get fancy with expensive containers and packaging.

There are some great videos of how to store many things with containers that most Americans throw away everyday.

Two liter bottles for example, fill to the top with beans/pop corn and the such, toss in a couple of O2 packets, screw the lid on and wow, long term storage.

 

[BDinPutnam]

@GOPerfect I can't believe I am going to beat you to this one but:

COFFEE.

 

[fnfalguy]

The soda bottles (if you partake or have friends who do) make for great water storage. They are food grade and designed for handling pressurized liquids. Much cheaper than buying large amounts of water by the case. Fill them up from the tap and put them away. After a year or so, pour them out into the plants and refill.

 

[GOPerfect]

@GOPerfect I can't believe I am going to beat you to this one but:

COFFEE.

I have 5 large plastic and sealed cans of coffee. I also have a decent supply of K-cups.

There are so many people that look down the road but forget the little things like coffee, tea and cocoa.

 

[GOPerfect]

The soda bottles (if you partake or have friends who do) make for great water storage. They are food grade and designed for handling pressurized liquids. Much cheaper than buying large amounts of water by the case. Fill them up from the tap and put them away. After a year or so, pour them out into the plants and refill.

I drink Arizona tea, one gallon size containers, this is exactly what I do. I never waste the water, when "stale", I use it for other things. Like you said, watering plants and flowers, washing my truck. Great idea... Keep them a coming!

 

[GOPerfect]

Do yourself a favor. Skip the "food saver" type machines and get a "chamber vac" machine. The bags are wayyyyyy cheaper and it works much better. It will allow you to vacuum seal liquids like soup and sauces and meats with juices. It removes air from a chamber then seals the bag. The food saver type just pull air out of the bag so they cannot do the same thing. They will suck up liquids and also have a hard time sealing through liquids.

Great idea as long as the buyer can get past the cost of the machine. I may begin a bit of research on this. Thank you

 

[Chevusa]

Great idea as long as the buyer can get past the cost of the machine. I may begin a bit of research on this. Thank you

You can find them on eBay for around $400. The food saver machines cost $100 or more and you'll probably throw it away in a year or 2. They aren't the best quality. Plus their bags are quite expensive.

 

[Podmonkey]

They say you should familiarize yourself with the nearest water source in case of emergency so I just measured the distance to mine, Stony Creek River, at just under a mile. I should hike out there sometime to get a feel for the terrain.

 

[Blimey]

@GOPerfect I can't believe I am going to beat you to this one but:

COFFEE.

When covid was getting going i upped our kcup supply to about 300. About a 2-2.5 month supply . I've heard that the dehydrated stuff in a jar is good into the decades (and cheap as hell), though its taste is definitely emergency use only.

They say you should familiarize yourself with the nearest water source in case of emergency so I just measured the distance to mine, Stony Creek River, at just under a mile. I should hike out there sometime to get a feel for the terrain.

It may be closer. My sump pit i mentioned in another thread is a ready, year-round supply of water (unfortunately), but I can think of two major streams within a quarter mile of me that never run empty.

 

[Chevusa]

I'm not that far from Lake Erie. That probably won't run out.

 

[Podmonkey]

When covid was getting going i upped our kcup supply to about 300. About a 2-2.5 month supply . I've heard that the dehydrated stuff in a jar is good into the decades (and cheap as hell), though its taste is definitely emergency use only.
It may be closer. My sump pit i mentioned in another thread is a ready, year-round supply of water (unfortunately), but I can think of two major streams within a quarter mile of me that never run empty.

I live in a small town house, if there is sump somewhere I don't have access to it. There may well be smaller streams nearby but none that are obvious via satellite. I should go exploring perhaps.

 

[BDinPutnam]

Speaking of water... and finding it and transporting it...

Gasoline and water are similar in weight, about 8 lbs to the gallon. Just something to keep in mind. I know I mentioned it previously but it's something I think about often in prepping- what's (x) weigh, how much space does it take up, and how easy (or hard) is it to transport (and how would I transport it)?

Pod- do you have a balcony? How about a rain barrel?

 

[Bob]

Can y'all give me suggestions for water filtration? Suggestions for a backpack and also for a bulkier household unit.

Lifestraws are great, but look at the Sawyer products. If you treat it right, a Sawyer filter can last you a lifetime of backpacking. Put one on the top of a 40oz Smart Water bottle, and you can take water with you rather than having to suck it out of a puddle or stream. With the right fittings, you can even place one inline on a hydration bladder. They’re so much more versatile than a lifestraw for just a couple bucks more.