What have you done this week to prep?

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

We found some pancake pre-mix. 10# very well sealed bag. Looks like great shelf life. Add water.......just water. Makes a very good pancake.
Anything that will taste good/easy to store/decent shelf life/easy to prepare seems like a good addition. We have good maple syrup on the shelf as well.
Sams club has this. Daily chef If memory serves.

I've looked into pancake mix for longish term storage. Everything I could find said it would go rancid in a year or so due to the vegetable oil in it. What's your take, CM? Anyone else feel free to chime in, too.

 

[churchmouse]

I've looked into pancake mix for longish term storage. Everything I could find said it would go rancid in a year or so due to the vegetable oil in it. What's your take, CM? Anyone else feel free to chime in, too.

As my wife and grandkids are pancake crazy we can smash through a 10# bag in fairly short order.
I think keeping 2 on the shelf would get us through most situations. Keep in rotation.
This mix does make some pretty good pancakes.

 

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

As my wife and grandkids are pancake crazy we can smash through a 10# bag in fairly short order.
I think keeping 2 on the shelf would get us through most situations. Keep in rotation.
This mix does make some pretty good pancakes.

Gotcha

 

[10-32]

Tuesday, the wife and I headed out to Turkey Run with our packs/GHB's with about 3 days worth of food (right about 6,000 calories), 2 liters of water, a poncho, Head lamp with 1 extra set of batteries, a map, compass, a small bottle of bug spray, a ferro rod, 2 packets of wet tinder, and a Sawyer in-line filter for the bladders in our pack. I also had a Back Packer's Tarp, 50' of Paracord, a Nalgene bottle and Steri Pen w/extra batteries. We wanted to see how we would handle a rougher hike with our packs but also wanted a chance to take in a bit of nature.

It definitely opened my eyes to how unprepared my body was to handle 3.5 miles over "Very Rugged" terrain and 2 miles over "Moderate" terrain. It took us about 6 hours to cover about 7 miles total. About half way through, we stopped for lunch and it felt so great to get those packs off our backs. Those things felt like they were gaining weight as the day went on.

We ate a little less than 1/2 of the food we had portioned out for day 1 but the wife had drank every bit of her water by the time we made it back to the car. I had aprox 1/2 a liter left. We're definitely going to have to learn to ration water a little better. I think part of the reason we consumed it so quickly was because we were surrounded by many, many small streams of crystal clear water with two ways to purify it and I had 4 gallons of water back at the car.

On the drive home, the wife and I decided we're going to start hitting Turkey Run and Eagle Creek on a regular basis for the rest of the summer. We can cover several miles on flat terrain quickly with out an issue but we both feel that we should of been able to finish those trails in much better time. I did start to look over our packs to try and eliminate some weight but I'm not really seeing anything I really want to remove from the my pack. A 18 mile trip home can easily turn into a 60 mile trip home due to work and I'd like to keep my pack ready for that.

I the end, I guess the lesson to pass on is, If you haven't already tried hiking the distance from work to home with your GHB OFF the paved path, strap on your pack and give it a try. You'll be surprised how quick that pack becomes a pain in the butt especially if you have a 18 mile hike ahead of you.

 

[Leadeye]

Planted more fruit trees now have six.

 

[goldtrigger]

Tilled and stated planting the garden

 

[Iroquois]

If you're a coffee drinker use those old coffee cans! I have a dozen or so filled with a paper lunch bag with about a Tbl Spoon of desicant in the top of each. All you need is air tight and controlled environment. I have ammo cans too but they cost a bit when you start thinking about storing large quantities. The only thing they are really really good for is having a handle and being able to toss them in the back of a Deuce and a half without worrying about them coming open. For local storage there are many options.

You misunderstand me, Tula packs 9mm in spam cans, like for the military. I can't think of a better way to store ammo long term. It did function all my 9mms but the Glock with the target spring kit. I guess I'll put the factory spring kit back in, as the primer strikes seem too light....

 

[Iroquois]

We did get the chicken run finished, now to get setup for rabbits.

 

[MohawkSlim]

I did 5.35 urban miles today over relatively gentle terrain (downtown Bloomington) to get the concrete feet beat up and mushy once more. Kept a nice leisurely pace of about 18min/mile and carried appx. 30lbs in my pack. Did it more to honor the fallen but I darn sure needed the workout too.

the wife had drank every bit of her water by the time we made it back to the car. I had aprox 1/2 a liter left. We're definitely going to have to learn to ration water a little better.

The trick to rationing water is staying hydrated 24/7. If you're going in thirsty you'll burn through water quick. Most of us don't drink enough water throughout the day so if you're going hiking make sure to force the water down in the day or two prior.

 

[10-32]

The trick to rationing water is staying hydrated 24/7. If you're going in thirsty you'll burn through water quick. Most of us don't drink enough water throughout the day so if you're going hiking make sure to force the water down in the day or two prior.

We both put down about a gallon of water a day since we've gotten away from soda for the most part. We have a glass or two of soda from time to time when we eat out but water and coffee is what we drink the most of. Part of the reason we did this was to see how far we could hike with our Get Home Bags if we had to in an emergency. "Forcing" the extra water down would of been "cheating" if you will, since you don't schedule emergencies into your daily life.

When you're covering terrain like we were pictured below, you're going to burn through more water and calories than your standard trail hike. The pictures don't compare to actually being there but they will give you a rough idea of what we crossed.

 

[MohawkSlim]

Looks like an awesome hike!

 

[teddy12b]

Since last post, pretty much did the usual. In addition to that one thing that's been really outside the normal realm has been what I'm calling my "survival garden". Keep in mind I've got my raised beds that are beautifully maintained and watered. This new "garden" was me filling the bed of my truck with some outstanding garden soil for $30. I spread that garden soil out in a small area in an open field that I had just mowed as shortly as I could have. Then I put in about 8 left over watermelon starts and then took one of those "Survival garden in a can" types and literally just spread it out and dumped the seeds all over that pile of dirt. This will not resemble a garden. If I'm lucky, it'll look like a small 12' x 20' jungle of edible goodness. I mainly wanted to get my watermelons going, but figured that while I was at it I should dump the survival garden seeds out while I was at it. While those seeds have a long shelf life, I think I bought it back in '09. We'll see how this works out, and if nothing else it'll be interesting to watch.

Only other thing I did outside the normal routine was soem dry firing outside in the dark last night. Moonlit night so it wasn't too bad, but every once in a while it's good to remind myself how much I love me some night sights.

 

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

Since last post, pretty much did the usual. In addition to that one thing that's been really outside the normal realm has been what I'm calling my "survival garden". Keep in mind I've got my raised beds that are beautifully maintained and watered. This new "garden" was me filling the bed of my truck with some outstanding garden soil for $30. I spread that garden soil out in a small area in an open field that I had just mowed as shortly as I could have. Then I put in about 8 left over watermelon starts and then took one of those "Survival garden in a can" types and literally just spread it out and dumped the seeds all over that pile of dirt. This will not resemble a garden. If I'm lucky, it'll look like a small 12' x 20' jungle of edible goodness. I mainly wanted to get my watermelons going, but figured that while I was at it I should dump the survival garden seeds out while I was at it. While those seeds have a long shelf life, I think I bought it back in '09. We'll see how this works out, and if nothing else it'll be interesting to watch.

Only other thing I did outside the normal routine was soem dry firing outside in the dark last night. Moonlit night so it wasn't too bad, but every once in a while it's good to remind myself how much I love me some night sights.

Share some pics with us when the jungle materializes. I'm interested in how this works out.

 

[teddy12b]

Share some pics with us when the jungle materializes. I'm interested in how this works out.

I will get some pictures up. I haven't taken any pictures of it yet and I need to. I also forgot to mention I threw a couple 5 gallons buckets of mulch loosely over the top of it hoping that'd help hold water and give some protection to the garden. This garden is a 1 hour dump dirt, throw seed, and go kind of garden so whatever I get from it is a bonus. I like the idea of being able to put in a garden from one pick up truck load and a short time. This won't be pretty, but I think it'll be fun to watch.

 

[mbills2223]

I stocked up on some more mags and ammo this week

 

[churchmouse]

We both put down about a gallon of water a day since we've gotten away from soda for the most part. We have a glass or two of soda from time to time when we eat out but water and coffee is what we drink the most of. Part of the reason we did this was to see how far we could hike with our Get Home Bags if we had to in an emergency. "Forcing" the extra water down would of been "cheating" if you will, since you don't schedule emergencies into your daily life.

When you're covering terrain like we were pictured below, you're going to burn through more water and calories than your standard trail hike. The pictures don't compare to actually being there but they will give you a rough idea of what we crossed





There was water along the way.....Purification??????

 

[littletommy]

We both put down about a gallon of water a day since we've gotten away from soda for the most part. We have a glass or two of soda from time to time when we eat out but water and coffee is what we drink the most of. Part of the reason we did this was to see how far we could hike with our Get Home Bags if we had to in an emergency. "Forcing" the extra water down would of been "cheating" if you will, since you don't schedule emergencies into your daily life.

When you're covering terrain like we were pictured below, you're going to burn through more water and calories than your standard trail hike. The pictures don't compare to actually being there but they will give you a rough idea of what we crossed





There was water along the way.....Purification??????

^^^^this^^^^
I carry a Sawyer mini and extra bags in all my packs.

 

[churchmouse]

I was not trying to be a wise guy.
If it was bug out practice these items should be in the bags.

 

[10-32]

I was not trying to be a wise guy.
If it was bug out practice these items should be in the bags.

I remember you from when we used to meet at Pet Paws in Plainfield and know that's not the type of person you are.

I had a Sawyer In-Line filter a.k.a. the mini filter in my pack inside a Nalgene bottle with a Steri Pen and extra batteries if I really needed it. I keep a bandana in there also to help filter out larger items in the water so the Sawyer filter won't clog as fast. Everyone in the house has a Sawyer filter in their bag but I still need to invest in a few more Steri Pens.

 

[10-32]

I keep all my water purification items along with all my fire starting items in this pouch in the outside of my GHB.