Preparedness for when

[Deleted User]

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

It may be that you need one of the small camping stoves that run on gas cylinders. They were selling them off in Wilkos at the end of the summer for £10

£8-99 @ B&M, and they're the flattish metal box type, so very stable.

and you can sometimes get deals on the cannisters to run them on too.

4 for £3-99, also @ B&M.

220g per canister, so £4-54 per kg, which is about half the price per kg, than a 500g Coleman type canister.

and if you gear your food preps towards things that are either 'add hot water' or 'heat up only not cook' you should find that a cannister of gas goes quite a long way.

On the maximum heat setting, you should get about 2 hours of cooking, from one of these 220g canisters.

The only thing you need to watch is, being 100% butane (instead of a butane/propane mix), they don't operate below about 0 degrees C.

If using indoors (obviously by an open window, as stated above), you should be OK, unless there's a protracted power cut, during a very bad winter.

[Deleted User]

ragz wrote: »

My hastily packed BOB includes the following (advice/criticism welcome please)

Scrub round the saucepan (it's the wrong shape which wastes space) and get a nest of mess tins.



Fill the smaller one with items, before placing it inside the larger one, face to face.

You now have two cooking vessels, instead of one, occupying less space.

BTW. Make sure you get the ones with the steel wire (as opposed to aluminium) handles.

Something to drink out of... eat off.

Enamelled bowls would be my choice for eating off.

I say bowls rather than plates, because you can use bowls as plates, but not vice versa.

Also, metal is better than plastic because, if necessary, you can cook in them.

As for drinking vessels, got an insulted mug.

I know they're a shade heavier than, say, a GSI Cup, but, they'll keep your brew hot a lot longer.

If you throw out half of a brew, because it's gone cold, that's wasted fuel.

ALIBOBSY

mardatha wrote: »

I seem to be prepping for SHTF and zombie invasion by eating a lot of peanut butter oatcakes and drinking a lot of tea. I am sure this will help.

OOh peanut butter oatcakes? Do you have a recipe or are they from the shops?

Ali x

paidinchickens

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

You would rather starve?

No of course not but I know I will have nightmares about it being the only food in the cupboard.

paidinchickens

Just a quick word on Labour wanting to cap any fuel rises, most new tariffs have a "unless the government" clause in the small print. Npower put the price up in the middle of our fixed plan and then laughed at us for not reading the small print.

As we arranged over the phone they had to compensate us more than the rise as they did not send us any terms but we will be extra careful in the future.

PiC x

Tink_04

Ok im wanting to prepare for power outages throughout winter as we had a few last year but have a newborn this year or having to leave our house in an emergancy - im slightly overwhelmed by this thread as i rememberd it as more of a safty net but reading a few pages its a bit too much for me (lots of expensive equiotment that i have no where to keep or really want) im looking for tips on a smaller scale really (or id never sleep) i already have a good store cupboard, warm clothes blankets, rches/candles, important documents all in a file easliy grabbed, steralisingg tablets, car bag, car always at least half full or petrol. What else can i do without preparing for the whole "blackout" situation? (yes i watched, yes i was terrified) but i dont have the money or space to do these large scale things. Any tips for people like me with two kids small budget and no space?

[Deleted User]

You seem fairly well prepared Tink_04, at least as regards what you are prepping for, ie. power outages.

However, you haven't mentioned cooking.

On what will you cook, if there are power outages?

[Deleted User]

Some more food for the jaded palette located.

Asda Smart Price mild curry sauce.

23p for a 440g jar.

Tink_04

when we have had power cuts before if its fell over a meal time we have either had a chippy night or something cold, its not lasted longer that 24 hours before but i do worry about anythinng longer than that but as we live in an upstairs flat my options are limited!

[Deleted User]

A shortish (less than 24 hour) cut wouldn't have been a major problem before, but with a newborn, it's more problematic.

How about a small gas camping stove, if only to boil water, and make up a bottle?