Preparedness for when

Paul_Varjak

pineapple wrote: »

I tried this in the back garden a couple of years back but gave up at 3am after repeatedly rolling downhill. That's when you realise a slight slope is not really a slight slope...

My bet is when I do try sleeping out in the garden that one of my cats will still want to get into the sleeping bag with me. I would not want to roll over the poor cat and into the garden pond at three in the morning!

pineapple

Paul_Varjak wrote: »

My bet is when I do try sleeping out in the garden that one of my cats will still want to get into the sleeping bag with me. I would not want to roll over the poor cat and into the garden pond at three in the morning!

Funny you should say that. The family dog was with me but I put her on the higher side so I broke her fall!

BessieBooBoo

maryb wrote: »

The Long Emergency by James Kunstler. If that doesn't make you a serious prepper, nothing will. Even, or especially, if you don't agree with his politics

Half Gone Jeremy Leggett.

Reinventing Collapse by Dmitry Orlov. He lived through the collapse of the Soviet Union and can see the signs of when and where it is going to happen again.

I've got Self Reliance by John Yeoman but find it a bit superficial on the practicalities.

John Harrison's books are good - they are more about thrifty living verging on self sufficiency, but very practical

Added to my list ta very much

BBB

BessieBooBoo

Paul_Varjak wrote: »

Being only able to walk with crutches, I won't be venturing far - it really is only in an emergency I will be sleeping out. I guess the crutches could be used as emergency poles if rigging up a tarp tent.

Just noticed that the Google spell-checker does not even recognise 'tarp' or 'bivvy' as abbreviated words!

Hello PV

Just an idle thought, but, if you have metal hollow crutches, could you put emergency stuff inside them?E.g. weather proof matches, tiny torch, flint, firestarting stuff, compass, obviously, not so the weight slows you down.... Or, whittle out a hollow in wooden ones? Dunno why this thought popped into my head... Please excuse me, must be something I've read; another idea good weapons to bash someone (zombie) with....



BBB

boultdj

pineapple wrote: »

Today Pineapple couldn't start her car. Out came a neighbour with some jump leads. Not just any jump leads but all singing, all dancing jump leads. You charge this nifty bit of kit at home and don't need to attach them to any other car. Pineapple never knew such a thing existed! A couple of minutes later she was on her way :T.
That said, she does have some ancient 'ordinary' jump leads somewhere, presented to her by an ex who wouldn't recognise a 'romantic gift' if it bit him on the nose .
So that's the next big item for the prep list. Because when you need them, there may not be another car nearby - or that stranger you approach for help might just turn out to be a zombie axe murderer :eek:.

Keep an eye out in your local paper, I got a jump start gadget that you plug into the fag lighter bit to charge your battery with, very handy for working late at night and your a woman on your own, you & gadget are safley locked inside the car rather than putting temptation in bad [or where I work drunk/amouros] people's way.

nuatha

pineapple wrote: »

I tried this in the back garden a couple of years back but gave up at 3am after repeatedly rolling downhill. That's when you realise a slight slope is not really a slight slope...

Sleep with your head at the top of the slope and feet downhill.
Though I'd avoid sleeping in a sloping pathway in heavy rain (they can turn into streams, as I found out)

Paul_Varjak wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback, there is so much to learn from others.

You're very welcome

I had already decided on getting a bivvy bag as well, just which one would depend on what other shelter system (if any) I would put in the bug-out bag.

Even a heavy duty 5'x7' Mylar emergency blanket (which I already have) can be used as an emergency tarp, giving both a groundsheet/three- sided windbreak and also act as a heat reflector if you have enough wood to build a fire nearby.

Being only able to walk with crutches, I won't be venturing far - it really is only in an emergency I will be sleeping out. I guess the crutches could be used as emergency poles if rigging up a tarp tent.

Just noticed that the Google spell-checker does not even recognise 'tarp' or 'bivvy' as abbreviated words!

Having just checked ebay, you can get a goretex bivvy bag for £25, you may get one for less at an ex-army store. The big problem with the plastic bags is that they retain moisture - a wet sleeping bag is not a good insulator.
Rigging a mylar sheet as a heat reflector is a good idea. I use paracord to rig tarp tents if there are trees around, and have used a drystone wall and loose stones when there wasn't.

The other thing I'd look at is some sort of sleeping pad, to go underneath you. It adds a little to the comfort and a lot to the insulation - being relatively old school I use karrimats, some folk swear by air beds or self inflating mats.

HTH

pineapple

boultdj wrote: »

Keep an eye out in your local paper, I got a jump start gadget that you plug into the fag lighter bit to charge your battery with, very handy for working late at night and your a woman on your own, you & gadget are safley locked inside the car rather than putting temptation in bad [or where I work drunk/amouros] people's way.

Cheers. This needs further investigation as neither me nor said car are getting any younger.
Dons Inspector Cluso hat and grabs magnifying glass... :search:

boultdj

pineapple wrote: »

Cheers. This needs further investigation as neither me nor said car are getting any younger.
Dons Inspector Cluso hat and grabs magnifying glass... :search:

There about £30 so not the cheapest option, think I'v also seen them in the sale's book's you get inside tv mags. The paper I got mine from was the county times, so covered a big area.

Paul_Varjak

pineapple wrote: »

Funny you should say that. The family dog was with me but I put her on the higher side so I broke her fall!

I was going to ask if you wanted to bug-out together for warmth, but I think I prefer hypothermia than being crushed to death by what is, presumably, a very large dog

Paul_Varjak

nuatha wrote: »

Having just checked ebay, you can get a goretex bivvy bag for £25, you may get one for less at an ex-army store. The big problem with the plastic bags is that they retain moisture - a wet sleeping bag is not a good insulator.
Rigging a mylar sheet as a heat reflector is a good idea. I use paracord to rig tarp tents if there are trees around, and have used a drystone wall and loose stones when there wasn't.

I have been looking at an Alpkit bivvy bag - breathable thought not as good as Goretex. I agree that plastic bags don't make the best bivvy bags; wetness, whether from rain or sweat can be a killer and I have decided to avoid cotton corduroys, lest I should be caught in an emergency situation wearing them.

The Alpkit bivvy bag is quite simple and may not be suitable in a full bug-lout situation without,say, a tarp for added protection. I guess the army goretex bivvy bags are better designed in this respect but I have not checked yet.

nuatha wrote: »

The other thing I'd look at is some sort of sleeping pad, to go underneath you. It adds a little to the comfort and a lot to the insulation - being relatively old school I use karrimats, some folk swear by air beds or self inflating mats.

HTH

I have already ordered a sleeping mat - a Thermarest Ridgecrest SOLite...

http://cascadedesigns.com/en/therm-a-rest/mattresses/trek-and-travel/ridge-rest-solite/product.

It is a 3-4 season mat

I decided against air beds and self inflating mats in case they puncture - you can also cut a closed-cell foam to size to fit inside a sleeping bag or bivvy; you cannot do that with the inflating type of course. They may not be as comfortable as inflating mats, but I sleep OK on hard floors (even without any mat) and they weigh less than the inflating type, but somewhat bulkier.

If there is room, I will line the bug-out bag with the Thermarest to give some stability to the frame-less bag, otherwise it can be attached to the outside of the bag.

I have a 6mm closed-cell sitting pad. I tried that outside at 0C on concrete the other day and was amazed by the almost instant warmth felt in my posterior. The Thermarest is 2.5x that thickness!

Being older and disabled, I do feel the cold in my feet so I found some 2.8 tog socks on Amazon that are brilliant; they will be used as sleeping socks.