Tag Archives: EDC

Backup Power You Can Carry With You – A Review

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As a prepper, I like things that are rechargeable. It minimizes the gear I have to store and carry. I especially like rechargeable batteries, with very little pre-planning you could continue charging and using them for a long period of time —  even during a collapse.

One of the primary rechargeable devices that I–and everyone else–carry is my phone. Most of the time keeping my iPhone 5S charged isn’t a big deal, I keep it plugged in if I’m in the car, at work, or in bed; in between those times it typically has plenty of battery life. But for the times I’m not around a standard outlet, I like to have a portable charger. Previously I used a New Trent i-Torch External Battery, but recently–after testing and evaluating–I’ve changed to Portable Power Solutions M110 External Battery.

External Battery compared to iPhone 5

External Battery compared to iPhone 5

The M110 External Battery is ruggedly built, it feels like I could drop it and it really wouldn’t care. It’s not much bigger than a deck of playing cards at 4″ x 2.8″ x 1″, weighing 10 ounces (a deck of cards is 3.5″ x 2.5″ x 5/8″). It nicely fits into a convenient pocket on my EDC bag (it even fits in my back pants pocket). It has enough power to completely recharge my iPhone, even if the phone’s dead, four times. The External Battery has an USB outlet so it’s easy to recharge; to completely recharge it takes about 10 hours.

Portable Power Solutions also has a 7W Foldable Solar Panel that pairs nicely with their External Battery. But the Solar Panel can also provide enough power to charge your cell phone, or even tablet, directly from the sun. It folds down to a convenient 7.5″ x 7.5″ x 1″ with a rugged cover that includes a pocket to store accessories. When in use, it folds out to 15 inches long and can easily be attached to your pack (it has eyelets for this purpose), or set down angled toward the sun.

portable power productsPortable Power Solutions’s final product is a 10K Solar Charger. It has the same lithium battery storage capacity as the M110 External Battery, and is about the same size (5.2″ x 3″ 0.8″, weighing 6.2 ounces). It’s a highbred, meaning it can both store power and be recharged by the sun — but it doesn’t do either thing as well as the two individual ones above. It has a small solar charger so it takes a long time to charge (36 hours). And though they still try to make it rugged, it does have a solar panel on it and needs to be handled with much more care. But it can, and does, do both jobs to the best of it’s capability.

Portable Power Solutions is veteran owed, and they’ve “been there”. All of their products are built to be heavy duty, durable, and weather resistant — they’re designed primarily for military guys to take to the field (who are notoriously hard on gear). I like the products and the company, and it’s definitely earned a spot in my everyday carry (EDC) and my Get Home Bag.

What if the Disaster was: No Money Available?

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We strive to be prepared for upcoming struggles and/or disasters — big and small. We talk about food, water, shelter, security, energy, and hygiene but we don’t seem to talk a lot about money.

Woman Having Credit Card DeclinedRecently a friend had her bank account frozen. Unbeknownst to her there had been a legal judgement against her and her bank account was to be garnished. She first became aware of this when she went to use a debit card and it was declined. She knew there was several thousand dollars in the account. When she checked her account status on line she found that her money was unavailable to her and the only explanation given was “We have been instructed by legal order to place a hold on these funds.”

Sure in this day and age of credit card visa-declinedcornucopia that many of us carry in our wallets, no big deal — just use another card. But that’s not the point, the point is HER money was unavailable to HER. No notice, no warning, nothing. Whether it was a legitimate or illegitimate reason doesn’t matter to her when she needed to access the money she had placed in the account from her paycheck. Hell, it could have even have been a mistake, but the money still wasn’t available.

I’ve written before that we know that we have basic needs, and that we need them everyday “…but most of us are dependent upon systems beyond our control to supply them for us. We also know that those systems have and will again fail. So if we know we need them why not plan ahead and have extra on hand…?”

Doesn’t this also apply to money we have in the banking system?

It could be a legal lien, a mistake, a bank failure, or even just a relatively long-term wide-spread power outage. Whatever. But if the money that you have in the bank isn’t available to you, it’s a big deal. Sure the problem will likely be resolved soon, within a few days or a week at most — can your family make it that long without access to your bank funds?

There will be those who argue that in a collapse money won’t even have value and won’t matter, and I agree that is true in a complete collapse. But we prepare for the most likely disasters first, and being unable to access your bank funds is more likely than an EMP going off and destroying all electronics and the electrical grid.

I’ve given some thought as to what our family can do (and in some situations already does) to prepare ourselves for this “disaster” / this short-term SHYF (shit-hits-YOUR-fan) situation:

  • have cashHave cash in a secure place at home. You’ve heard it before, but have enough cash readily on hand to cover your family’s expenses for at least one month, preferably three (with a goal of six).
  • Carry cash in your wallet. An extra $100 will allow you to maneuver around most short-term situations and allow you to get back home.
  • Carry more than one credit/debit card, and be sure they are from different financial institutions. Sometimes mistakes happen and credit cards get declined or just don’t work, if you need to use a card to pay have a back up just in case. (see Repetitive and Redundant x2)
  • Consider having small individual accounts for both you and your spouse with some extra money. That way if only one of you is targeted by a legal lien, or a mistake, there will still be banking funds available.

Plan ahead. We know we need, and use, money on a daily basis. Have a back-up plan for what to do if your normal routine fails.

 

Nuts & Bolts by Nick: Home Center EDC Kit

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by Nick Romaniello -

I spend an exceptionally large amount of time at hardware stores, and big-box home centers, acquiring materials for my work. I’m usually rushing through with a list of specifics but on occasion I have a chance to browse and consider items for use outside of the scope of my business. When looking through the eyes of a prepper, stores like Home Depot, Lowes, and True Value are a goldmine of survival and readiness gear. Big ticket items like generators and chain saws are obvious, but there is a wealth of smaller preps hidden throughout the shelves that won’t break the bank. If you haven’t had the chance, it’s well worth the time to visit your local home center and just explore the isles.

To put this idea into practice I decided to assemble a thorough, yet budget-minded, Every Day Carry (EDC) kit from items only available at the Home Depot I frequent. Here is what this kit contains:

  • A. First Aid Supplies: I purchased a small first aid kit, and then paired it down to what was practical for this kit.
  • B. Folding Knife: Any Boy Scout will tell you not to leave home without one of these.
  • C. Mini Multi Tool: Pliers, screwdrivers, wire cutters, file etc. Multi tools pack a lot of function into a small package. This mini multi tool came packaged together with the knife above and a full size multi tool on clearance for $5.
  • D. Carpenters Pencil: Thicker and more durable than a regular pencil, it could also be carved into a toggle for fishing or whittled into a pile of dry shavings for tinder.
  • E. Ball Point Pen: You never know when you will need to write something down.
  • F. Carabiner: Useful anytime something needs to be clipped to something else.
  • G. Hand Warmers: It’s January in Pittsburgh so can you blame me for throwing a couple of these into the kit? In the summer you can delete these to make room for a sweatband.
  • H. Paint Can Opener with Duct Tape: Paint can openers are usually free when you buy a can of paint and are handy for use as a miniature pry bar. The top is a bottle opener. Duct tape is wrapped around the middle for easy access.
  • I. LED Flashlight: This LED penlight outputs 23 lumens, far better than the 2 lumens of the comparable xenon bulb penlight. Plus the bulb never needs replacing.
  • J. Lighter: Fire good!
  • K. Picture Wire: 9 feet of 40lb wire can make some pretty strong improvised repairs and wont be affected by heat.
  • L. Masons Line: Basically a heavy duty braided twine that can become anything from a shoelace or a belt to emergency fishing line.
  • M. Mini Razorblades: Five of these come in a protective case for $.99 and weigh almost nothing. They would be useful for any extremely fine cutting tasks (particularly medically related) that the folding knife is too bulky for.

DSCF3221

The whole kit fits into a sturdy belt pouch and cost around $35.

DSCF3225

EDC is a personal matter and can range from keys and a wallet to handguns and survival knives; so don’t take this necessarily as what I think you should carry but rather as an example of some of the resources available from places you may not have previously considered. While specialized survival gear sites and catalogs are endlessly fun to look through, don’t forget the local hardware and building supply spots. There are plenty of wallet friendly options for the thrifty prepper. What can you find that will help you be prepared?

 

What We Did This Week To Prep 3/16/12

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Ryan, Chanse and I started building the greenhouse this week. This is the biggest construction project I’ve undertaken; I’ve never built anything that had to be framed before. I’m sort of a self-taught handyman, if something needs done I do it; if I haven’t done it before, I figure out how and then I do it (with varying degrees of success). I’ve acquired most of the needed tools, and that makes all the difference. Ryan is a great projects partner, he loves his woodshop class at school and they have taught him well. I found a good DIY greenhouse plan online, printed it out, and we’re following it step-by-step. So far we’ve got the base, side wall frames, and the top trusses built; they are all stacked neatly in the garage waiting for a (relatively) dry day to take them to the backyard and finish the assembly on-site. Once the structure is finished, we’ll cover it with some type of plastic; not sure exactly what yet, but we’ll probably use polycarb roofing panels (thanks for the suggestion Dave S.).

After my EDC post I realized it’d be nice if the kids could have some useful EDC items. Of course they can’t carry a knife, pepper spray, or a lighter – but they can carry a small flashlight and a whistle. I picked up a set for each of the kids, and asked them to carry it with them, along with their laminated phone contact card (also updated this week). I attached the girls’ set to a small carabiner so they could clip it onto their school backpacks; Ryan attached his to his set of keys. They won’t cover every conceivable disaster situation, but they could help: a flashlight in a dark room or a whistle when you can’t yell loud enough, are a start. Hopefully it’ll also begin to get them into a mind-frame of carrying items that will help them be prepared (to use in conjunction with the skills I’m trying to teach them). Ryan also carries a small roll of duct tape (we made them together one night watching TV) with his keys, band-aids and emergency cash in his wallet, and a pocket knife when he’s not at school.

One more, and hopefully the last, follow-up on Gerber EAB post. Finally, as everyone told me it would, the clip broke off. I had only carried it clipped to my pocket, every day, for about three months when it did. Fortunately, you say, I had extras on hand right? Sort of, they don’t go on well and two broke trying to get them on – before I gave up. Ironically, as I keep mine in the watch/change pocket of my jeans, it works just fine and actually now has a slimmer profile. If I ever buy a replacement one, I’ll just remove the clip. Final clip recommendation: Don’t plan on keeping it clipped to a pocket – the clip will break. The clip would work fine as a money clip (maybe that’s all the designers had in mind). But clip or not, it’s a handy, small, folding EDC utility knife that still has all of the benefits previously discussed. I love mine, carry it everyday, and would encourage anyone else to do the same.

What did you do? (Feel free to answer in the comments section.)

(Monday: A Walk In The Woods)

My Everyday Carry (EDC)

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But I Have One In My Bag…

Just as you can’t choose your disaster, you can’t choose where you will be when that disaster (big or small) strikes. Best case, you’re at home with all your preps (and your family). Not quite as good, but being in the car with your well stocked BOB* isn’t so bad. Even if you’re at work, with your smaller but well equipped get home bag (GHB), you’ve got a lot of what you need. But what if you can’t get to your supplies? You could be at dinner, or a movie, or shopping or whatever. What do you have with you?

Everyday carry (EDC) is as simple as it sounds. What you carry in your pockets and/or in your purse, everyday, all the time. Sure, if you’re wearing your coat you could carry more, or if you had your backpack you’d have more, if you weren’t dressed up you could carry more. Lots of IFs. But if you were to empty out your pockets/purse right now, what would you have?

Here is a list of items I believe you should consider carrying:

    • knife. As my grandfather used to say, “there are things that can very easily be done with a knife, that are very hard to do without one.” I believe a knife, even a small one, is invaluable to have. It’s a useful tool and it’s a defensive weapon.
    • flashlight. There are very small ones that are easy to carry. If suddenly you’re in the dark they make a bad situation no big deal.
    • lighter. The ability to make fire in an emergency, for warmth, light, or signal can make any disaster better.
    • multi-tool. They can contain: pliers, screwdrivers, knife, saw, can and bottle opener, scissors, and file. Leatherman did it first, but now there are many brands out there.
    • whistle. It gets everyone’s attention and carries a long way.
    • tape. 20 inches of duct tape rolls up to  the size of a chapstick. Used for impromptu repairs or bandages.
    • cordage. Some type of simple cord: parachute cord, tarred twine, even picture wire. Something that’s light and easy to carry, but strong. Yes, your shoelaces could be used in a pinch, but then you don’t have shoelaces…

Things you can/should easily keep in your wallet:

      • cash. If the power is out and/or ATMs and credit cards won’t work, cash will.
      • list of important phone numbers. If your cell phone doesn’t work, or is lost, how many of the numbers you may need to call have you memorized?
      • AAA card (or other roadside assistance). Of all your preps, this is one you will very likely use.
      • band-aids. They take very little space and you’ll be glad to have it when it’s needed.

Personal defense:

      • pepper spray. I’m a big advocate; it allows you to deter and get away from almost all confrontations.
      • kubotan. Or similar small impact weapon. Attached to your keys and held in your hand it is an effective weapon.
      • keys. Your keys themselves can serve as a weapon if necessary.
      • handgun. Carrying a firearm is a personal decision. I believe it’s a good one, if you have the right training and motivation. Check into your state’s concealed carry laws to find out what is required. But if you chose to carry a handgun I would still carry pepper spray, it gives you a less lethal form of self-defense.

Final one: Cell phone. We depend on our phones for many additional things: entertainment, internet, camera, flashlight, music, contact list, clock, notepad, etc. In a crisis, you need to save the battery. If your plan is to use the phone as a flashlight, a clock, or music/entertainment to pass the time – remember the battery is finite and you many not have a chance to charge it again soon.

All this being said, people can and do get carried away with their EDC (there are forums threads dedicated to it, including on TSPs). Think about what you want/need to have with you, and find a realistic way to carry it. Also remember the most important thing is the knowledge to use the items you have, and to improvise if you don’t. As Jack Spirko, of The Survival Podcast, said, “How you think is more important than what you know. What you know is more important that what you have. What you have is more important than what you don’t have.”

(Wednesday: Let Me Find Something To Write On)

*For my list of abbreviations and other information, open the above ‘Check Here…’ page tab.