Posts by Shaylor | ShadowFox

You may think you have a gun or two at home and you know how to use it. That makes you feel pretty good about protecting your home in an emergency. Not that we don’t think having a gun and being prepared to use it is a good idea. But there is more to think about than just pointing and shooting.

The biggest scare for us is protecting our home and family in the event of a real emergency. We feel prepared, and we don’t mind sharing our resources with other people that we can trust, but we don’t want our resources and our careful planning to be taken away from us because we can’t protect what we’ve got. We’ve been thinking about ways to “get tactical” with our home protection, and that means thinking of the home and property as a “war zone.”

Look at your home and property the way a military unit would. When a military unit is protecting an area, each solider knows what he or she is responsible for. Each person has a job to do and an area that they are covering. Consider assigning your family and your trusted friends a “sector” to guard. Physically mark out boundaries with some marker, such as a planter, stake, or rocks, if need be. The sectors should not overlap in the sense that you don’t want one person covering sector A inadvertently shooting at someone who is guarding sector B. Each “guard” should be able to focus on their section and not worry about looking over their shoulder. Make diagrams if you feel that you need to so that each person knows what “Wedge” of the property they are responsible for.

Evaluate your view from inside and outside. Go around to each window and door of your house and carefully evaluate what you can see, what a person looking at your house can see, and what things such as trees might be blocking your view.

Think about how your view will be different in night time. You likely won’t see someone coming. You could consider putting out some early warning devices, automatic lights, or traps that you can conceal and not activate until the event of an emergency. You don’t want everyone on your street to know that you have an automatic light that comes on just when someone reaches the tree 40 feet from the left flank of the home, do you?

Pace out the distances to sheds or other outbuildings on your property so you can tell your team how far to go in a certain direction, if need be.

Thinking about traps? Consider key points of attack from the attackers point of view. If there’s a key tree you know provides cover for someone approaching the front door, consider where an appropriate place for a trap or early warning device might be in that area. Make sure you put this information on the sketches for your guards.

Create a barricade location. You may choose to keep a separate firearm or other weapon in your barricade location. If it’s a room, stock this area with some basic supplies. Your barricade location could be a general “safe room” which is protected by a solid core door and a deadbolt on the inside. Large heavy furniture in the room can provide cover, or you could invest in some kind of hard-core closet door that can’t be easily brought down. This way, the room looks fairly “normal” to outsiders but you know it provides a high degree of protection. Inside the closet should be some way to communicate with the rest of your team or with authorities if that is possible. This is also an excellent way to protect yourself in the event of a home invasion.

Outside your home, consider a good fence. A sturdy fence that people can’t see through, but you can, can go along way to deter any sort of invasion. Chain link is also good, because it’s sturdy but you can see threats coming.

Reinforce your windows and doors. Specially designed bars or braces can go in some windows and sliding glass doors. Hurricane shutters can be closed off in the event of bad weather or any other threat.

Also, consider a good guard dog. We’re not in favor of dogs that menace the entire neighborhood, but a well-trained dog that knows its boundaries and will respond to your commands can scare off many potential threats. If you have a dog, make sure you consider your dog’s needs in your preparation plan and have extra food, water, medication, etc on hand for your companion animal.

The Polaris RZR is the ultimate vehicle for riders who want performance and agility. Use one of these babies for hunting season, as a bug-out vehicle or just for a joyride.

The RZR S 570 EPS is a new entry into the Polaris Sport category. Starting at $13,000, the 570 engine features 4 valves and a dual overhead cam design. The front and rear dual A-Arm suspension system with a rear stabilizer bar creates a stable 60-inch stance for performance on the trail that can handle anything. Power steering, of course, along with customizable features such as high-tech audio and storage. Add an in-helmet headset for instance, and LED light bars.

The RZR is available in several different versions, including an S 900, S 900 EPS (electronic power steering) and S 1000 EPS depending on the engine choice. Each one is available in a different color. Explore the Polaris 2017 RZR line-up.

Image of RZR S 1000 EPS courtesy of Polaris.com.

I’ve talked to people who aren’t preppers who feel that in the event of an environmental or social disaster, the city is the best place to be. There are differing opinions on this, of course, and it is likely that any city is where resources will be concentrated to get things back on-line. However, in the city there are also hundreds of thousands of other issues to contend with. We’re talking about other people.

Some people enjoy living in apartments while others feel that they may have no choice because of the relative affordability of apartments. Whatever your case is, emergency preparedness for apartment dwellers definitely takes some unique planning. Here are some things to think about to help you be prepared as possible if you are an apartment dweller.

Think about saving space.

No matter where you live, you should have the minimum recommended 72-hour supply of food and water. Since your space is limited, invest in water in cube-shaped jugs that can be stacked. These space-saving water jugs are cubes that can be stacked to save space. Store your food in 5 gallon buckets that can be stacked, or choose the high-calorie ration bars that also stack and that don’t take up much space.

Stock up.

Try to make sure that you’re never without some basic items such as toilet paper and toiletries, trash bags, paper plates and things like batteries. It’s a good feeling to know that what you have on hand will not quickly run out. We’re not talking about hoarding items here, because space is a consideration, but it’s best to not say to yourself, ‘Oh, I’ll get more next time I go to the store.” Always make sure you have back-ups by buying a second item whenever you start using the first one.

What will you do if the plumbing doesn’t work?

Hygiene will be a problem in any situation, but particularly in a building with potentially hundreds of other people when the plumbing and sewer system is no longer functional.

Can you keep others out?

Are your doors and windows secure? Do you have ammunition? If you don’t have firearms do you have other weapons that are accessible? The biggest problem will be defending your turf if you decide to stick it out and stay.

Know your neighbors.

Scope out your neighbors and see if there are other people in the building you might get along with and be able to share resources with. Sometimes in an apartment situation you want to be left alone, but if there is one other compatible person there, you can get by much easier than you might if you were alone. See what gear they have, what you might be able to borrow, and also what you might be able to let them use. Can you get to their apartment without going through the main entrance? Even better. If you find a trusted neighbor, perhaps the two of you should go in on a pair of walkie talkies so you can communicate in an emergency.

Get to know the handyman.

Maybe you never gave much thought to the guy who keeps the place in order because you don’t have a leaky roof or stove that needs fixed. Emergency planning might be a good reason to strike up a conversation. If you can make friends, he or she is likely to have resources at their disposal that you would not know about, such as access to storage sheds that could be safe places, access to the water tanks, keys to empty apartments, and things like that. Who knows, maybe that handyman or superintendent is a prepper too.

Can you get out?

You may want to stay in your apartment as long as you can. But when the time comes that you want to leave, will you just walk down the stairwell? Consider ways that you might get out through your window, such as having a fire escape ladder that you can hang from the sill.

Where will you go?

If you live in the city, consider where you will go if you truly do have to leave. If you have friends or family that live in a place that might be safer, make sure to let them know that you will head to their place in the event of an emergency. You don’t want to get shot by your Aunt Martha because you’re banging on her door at 3 in the morning and she isn’t expecting you.

What’s nearby?

If there’s a school, hospital or police station nearby, make note. That could be a safe destination until you can figure out what else to do.

Stock up your car.

You likely have a trunk where you can keep emergency supplies. Make sure you keep a car kit in case something happens while you’re out of town or at work, and keep some extra items in there such as a change of clothes, along with a backpack or other way to carry them.

Emergency preparedness for apartment dwellers is not terribly different than what people who live in suburban homes might do, with the exception that apartment dwellers probably won’t have an escape pod in their backyard or a shed full of 30-year shelf life food. With less space and neighbors all in the same situation being the primary issues with emergency preparedness in apartments, look around your neighborhood and see how you can make the most of your particular situation. Leave your advice for others in the comments.

Lansky Sharpeners has released a knife sharpener that will replace every other knife sharpener you may already have. The new QuadSharp Knife Sharpener [$19] is a portable blade sharpener that will let you maintain your knives in the field. The sharpener features the same four angles as the legendary Lansky Controlled-Angle System. Angles are set to 17, 20, 25 and 30 degrees.

With a built-in ceramic polishing benchstone, the QuadSharp is a fully functional, stand-alone sharpening solution that is small and highly portable. Sharpen your regular blade, serrated or filet knives in only three to four strokes. The unit is made of metal for long-lasting durability and is 100% compatible with all Lansky Kits and accessories. Purchase the QuadSharp for $19.

Check out the new 2017 model of the Polaris ACE 500 ATV.

Now featuring the 33 HP 500cc ProStar EFI engine, the new 2017 Polaris ACE 500 is more powerful than the company’s previous model. The 2017 redesign offers riders 10% more leg room and a gallon of storage space right in the dash.

Controls are familiar to any automobile driver, and the design allows users to sit down and step out easily. All wheel drive too. This model starts at a pocket-friendly $7,000. Check out the 2017 line-up and new model of the Polaris ACE 500.

Images courtesy of Polaris.com

While storms that spawn tornadoes are thought of as being primarily a spring thing, because the majority of tornadoes occur from April through June. But the reality is that tornadoes can happen at any time of year. In fact, an F-2 tornado just ripped through an industrial park in Windsor, Ontario, Canada on August 25. If you live in a tornado zone, then how to survive a tornado is something you probably grew up preparing for. People visiting a tornado-prone area or just driving through, however, may not know what to do.

And, just because you don’t live in “tornado alley” is no reason to be complacent–tornadoes have touched down in all 50 states. In 2012, twin tornadoes touched down in Brooklyn and Queens in New York in September, with winds of about 70 mph. An F-4 tornado occurred at 10,000 feet in northwest Wyoming on July 21, 1987. Although that was a rare meteorological event, never assume that just because you’re at a high altitude that you don’t need to be aware of the weather. Tornadoes can occur whenever and wherever conditions are right.

Tornado ratings

Modern measurements use a system called the Enhanced Fujita Scale for rating the intensity of tornadoes. The scale is named after Dr. Ted Fujita, a storm scientist at the University of Chicago who developed the sale in 1971. The scale ranges from F-0 to F-5, with 5 being the most severe storm. Approximate wind speeds for each category range from 65 to 85 mph for F-0 to greater than 200 mph for F-5.

Damage That Can Be Expected
According to Weather.com, the following chart summarizes the damage that can be expected from a tornado at each level of intensity.

F-0
Wind speeds: 65 to 85 mph
Typical Observations: Light damage. Peels surface off some roofs; some damage to gutters or siding; branches broken off trees; shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

F-1
Wind speeds: 86 to 110 mph.
Typical Observations: Moderate damage. Roofs severely stripped; mobile homes overturned or badly damaged; loss of exterior doors; windows and other glass broken.

F-2
Wind speeds: 111 to 135 mph.
Typical Observations: Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-constructed houses; foundations of frame homes shifted; mobile homes completely destroyed; large trees snapped or uprooted; light-object missiles generated; cars lifted off ground.

F-3
Wind speeds:136 to 165 mph.
Typical Observations: Severe damage. Entire stories of well-constructed houses destroyed; severe damage to large buildings such as shopping malls; trains overturned; trees debarked; heavy cars lifted off the ground and thrown; structures with weak foundations blown away some distance.

F-4
Wind speeds: 166 to 200 mph.
Typical Observations: Devastating damage. Whole frame houses Well-constructed houses and whole frame houses completely leveled; cars thrown and small missiles generated.

F-5
Wind speeds: more than 200 mph.
Typical Observations: Incredible damage. Strong frame houses leveled off foundations and swept away; automobile-sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100 m (109 yd); high-rise buildings have significant structural deformation; incredible phenomena will occur.

Characteristics

About 1,200 tornadoes hit the United States each year. The energy of a tornado is concentrated in a relatively small area perhaps only a hundred yards across. In the U.S. tornadoes are most common in the central plains of North America, east of the Rocky Mountains and west of the Appalachian Mountains. They also occur in other parts of the world. They usually occur during the late afternoon and early evening. Winds that reach 300 mph can rip homes to shreds and even strip asphalt from pavement, pick up cars like toy blocks and send dangerous objects like tree limbs flying through the air. Tornadoes can only be predicted to a limited extent. People describe the sound of a tornado as that of a very loud train or jet engine.

Tornadoes can occur whenever the surface temperature is much warmer than the air higher up. Warm air near the surface rises and carries with it condensation, which leads to clouds and thunderstorms. If the winds are right, a tornado is possible.

How to Survive a Tornado — *Wall cloud. Public domain photo by Brad Smull, NOAA Photo Library*

Learn how to recognize the cloud formations and weather conditions that are likely to lead to tornadoes. These are wall clouds, although a wall cloud is not always present. You may also not be able to see a wall cloud depending on your angle of view. A wall cloud is a cloud that forms below a thunderstorm cloud and abruptly lowers. A funnel cloud often extends from the base of a cloud and looks like a rotating cone. If the funnel cloud touches the ground it becomes a tornado. However, some tornadoes may not have a funnel cloud.

Tornado Watches and Tornado Warnings

A “tornado watch” means severe, tornado-producing weather is possible over a period of a few hours. You need to be alert, and be prepared to seek shelter if tornadoes happen or a warning is issued. A “tornado warning” means that a tornado has been spotted, or that Doppler radar shows a thunderstorm circulation which can spawn a tornado. When a tornado warning is issued for your area, seek safe shelter immediately.

How to Survive a Tornado

Tornadoes travel at around 10 to 20 mph, even if their wind speed is much greater than that. Outrunning on one foot is not possible, but in a car, if you have advance warning that it’s coming, you have a chance. Try and gauge the tornado’s movement and direction and drive away only if you’re sure the tornado is not coming towards you. Drive away at a right angle to the direction the tornado is moving–in other words, in a direction that puts the most distance between you and the tornado.

If you’re stuck in a car, the Red Cross recommends getting off the road, parking the car, and slouching down low in your seat while still keeping your seat belt on. Lean away from the windows and cover your head with something to keep broken glass off you.

Seek strong shelter or at least take some cover like covering yourself with a mattress or a sturdy desk. The biggest danger is flying debris. If you’re in a house or building with a basement, go there. Some buildings may have storm shelters. Use them. If you aren’t sure where to go, go to an interior room or bathroom, far from windows. Crouch, covering your head and face.

If you’re outside, like flat on the ground or in a ditch. Try to pick a spot away from trees and buildings. If you’re driving, consider getting out of your car and running to safe place, because a twister can easily pick up a car and throw it like it’s nothing. Trying to get under and overpass or bridge is not a good idea, either. A tornado could collapse the bridge.

Tie your shoes, save your life? Your safety when it comes to the shoes you put on everyday is not something that people typically worry about too much. If the shoes are sturdy and comfortable is usually as far as thoughts go toward survival. But a new product from Imminent Threat Solutions makes getting dressed in the morning a whole lot more interesting.

The ITS Tactical Kevlar Escape Laces are the first 100% kevlar shoelaces ever on the market. Other laces are only reinforced with kevlar fibers. Because they’re made with the same material used in bulletproof vests, they won’t fray, ravel or break and they’re fireproof too, in case you’re a welder or firefighter. Best of all, due to their high heat resistance they can serve as a friction saw to cut through plastic zipties. These laces are also an interesting way to keep an extra length of emergency cord on hand. Coming in 54, 60, and 72 inch measurements, these laces promise to deliver 360 pounds of tensile strength that is virtually unbreakable.

Hey, even if you’re not worried about using them to escape being held hostage, you can use them in your skateboard shoes and never worry about snapping your laces ever again. Pretty affordable too at only $11. Last time we checked, the website said they were out of stock, but will hopefully be available again soon.

We received a package of two travel towels by Snugpak, along with some other cool items that we are currently reviewing. We were excited to get the towels because, even though towels are not the sexiest or most necessary survival or preparedness item, lightweight quick dry travel towels are an essential that you shouldn’t travel without, in my opinion.

They sent us a Snugpak Hands and Face Travel Towel in the 24-by-32-inch size (62 by 80 centimeters) and the Head to Toe Travel Towel in the 47-by-49-inch size (120 by 125 centimeters). We found both sizes to be ample. The Head to Toe towel was more than big enough to cover a larger size body and was soft and comfortable to use. The Hands and Face Towel was actually bigger than my bathmat and I think it would make a fine towel to travel with unless you really wanted the larger size of the Head to Toe Towel.

After showering, I used the larger towel and with just one pass of the towel it soaked up all the moisture on my skin and the towel didn’t feel wet in the slightest. My one complaint, which isn’t really a complaint, is that these microfiber towels don’t feel like using a regular towel. They are much softer and not as nubby as a traditional bath towel, so if you really want that familiarity and comfortable feeling of using your home towels, this is going to be a bit different.

Safety orange is not my color, but luckily both of the towels are also available in Coyote (brown) and Olive (green). The towels are lightweight and each one has a loop buckle on the corner that comes apart to allow you to hang it from a hook, your backpack or any sort of line. They also each come in their own sacks. I appreciated that the sacks had air holes and zippers. The larger towel also had air holes in its bag but it also had a solid bag that could enclose the towel in case you had to pack it away wet.

Even if it does get soaking wet, it won’t stay that way for long. The microfiber technology is able to absorb 7 times more water than its weight and 3 times more water than a cotton travel towel of the same size. Even though it absorbs a lot of water, it can easily be wrung out with a twist and a squeeze to the point that it barely feels wet.

One cool thing about the Snugpak towels is that they are made using Silvadur Technology that binds silver molecules (silver ions) microscopically to the travel towel surface. This makes the material antibacterial and antimicrobial to discourage the growth of bacteria and the presence of any odors, if you are in a situation where the temperatures are hot and you can’t get to a washing facility. I didn’t use the towels every day for long enough to notice any smell building up but I did use both towels for three days in a row and the towels seemed as fresh as when they were opened from the brand new package.

One other thing to mention is the weight of the towels. Dry, the larger towel and bag weighs only 13 ounces (360 grams) and the smaller towel with bag weighs a mere 4 ounces (120 grams). Next time I travel, one of these lightweight quick dry travel towels is definitely going with me. Get the towels from SnugpakUSa.com for $15 for the hands and face towel and $25 for the head-to-toe towel.

Image courtesy of SnugpakUSA.com

What makes the most sense? Buying a generator that requires gasoline or electricity, or buying a generator that provides electricity by harnessing the free energy from the sun? Well…it’s not that simple is it?

Solar has advantages, for sure, but the gear is expensive, fragile and not very portable. It doesn’t work if it’s not sunny. Gas generators work. They are also noisy and in a real SHTF situation you may not have access to gas or electricity when you need it.

What’s a person to do?

Here are some key things to consider when you’re choosing your generator, along with some generators, both solar and gas powered, that we like.

Determine your power needs.

Are you trying to power your fridges and freezers or just run a light in the evenings? Lightbulbs are typically 60 watts, while a fridge needs 700 watts to run. Running all of the items in a typical American home, from lights to microwave ovens, is around 6,000 watts. Select a generator that meets your minimum requirements.

Running watts versus starting watts.

Following the law of inertia, if an electrical appliance is already running it takes less energy to keep it running that it does to start it once it’s stopped running. Running watts are what is needed to continually run your appliances while starting watts are needed to start motor-driven appliances. If you want to keep your freezer running, figure out its starting wattage and use that number to determine a generator that can meet it.

Look at rated power rather than maximum power.

Maximum power is the maximum output a generator can produce but it can’t keep this up for very long. Rated power is the power a generator can make over a longer time period, and is the number you should be looking at. It’s never as high as the max output.

Do you need a stationary or portable generator?

Stationary generators cost more but start automatically when the power goes out, so starting watts may be less of a concern. They are also more expensive, but they put out a greater wattage. Portable generators can be moved around or transported in a car. They are typically less expensive as well as less powerful. Maybe the right combination is one of each!

Solar generators we like:

We’ve used other Goal Zero products before and have to trust their Yeti solar generators. The Goal Zero Yeti 1250 Solar Generator produces up to 1250 watts per hour before needing to be recharged. It can recharge from solar panels, wall outlets, or car batteries, at different rates. This wattage is enough to power most appliances as well as small devices such as phone.

Be Prepared Solar offers a solar generator that harnesses the sun’s power for up to 5,000 watts (remember that max power output we talked about earlier?) and 2,500 running watts. No noise or fumes, so it can be used even in enclosed spaces, which is why we love solar for city dwellers.

Gas generators we like:

The Briggs and Stratton P2000 is portable and weighs only 50 pounds. It produces 1600 running watts and runs at only 59 decibels, which is less than a typical vacuum cleaner.

The Yamaha EF2000iS is under $1,000 dollars and weighs 44.1 pounds. It is said to run up to 10.5 hours on a tank of gas and can power anything up to 2,000 watts. IT’s quieter than the Briggs and Stratton at 51.5 decibels and can be hooked up to another EF2000iS for 3,600 watts of power.

We bet you love your generator. Or maybe you don’t. Maybe you wish you had thought it through more before buying the one you did. Tell us what you love or don’t love about your generator.

When the SHTF, ways to communicate in an emergency with your family and your close friends will be a high priority. Communication infrastructure is also the one aspect of the grid that’s all but sure to fail, thanks to the general public’s reliance on digital electronic devices such as phones and computers for our connection.

The first step to planning is to develop an emergency communication plan and tell your family what it is. Even people who feel they are prepared with gear at home and in their car will admit that their kids or their spouse aren’t as clear on the emergency plan as they should be. Tell everyone what the plan is and practice if necessary.

If you, your spouse and your kids are all in separate parts of town when a disaster strikes, it is likely that everyone will be heading in different directions in a panic unless they know what to do. Read our post on creating an emergency communication plan with your family.

Beyond that, here are four ways that you can still keep lines of communication open if the electrical and cell phone grid goes down.

1. Walkie Talkies

Really check the distance capabilities of walkie talkies before you buy them. Most of the limits put forth by manufacturers don’t account for trees and buildings. That said, good two-way radios, or “walkie talkies,” can work well for near distances such as half mile for FRS (Family Radio Service) radios. GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) devices generally transmit at higher power levels and can expand your reach by a few more miles. Multiple channels are a good feature to investigate. Good versions will also have an emergency button allowing you to transmit an SOS or use Morse code if need be. If your walkie talkies need batteries, keep back-ups at the ready.

2. CB Radio

Depending on who you ask, CB radios are either making a comeback or they’re as dead as 8-track players. Either way, they are useful in an emergency and unlike hams (see below) do not require a license. Complete systems are affordable and pretty simple. They can also operate on your car’s electrical system or a small battery. Range can be up to 15 miles, although smaller antennas will reduce this.

3. Ham Radio

Ham radio operators must take a test and earn a license, however, when the power lines go down and there is no more radio communication, this is a reliable means to communicate. Basic ham radios can be operated with a couple batteries and an antenna. If you’re planning on using ham radio for an emergency, you might be tempted to skip getting the license. Don’t skip it, because the knowledge you gain from taking the test and going through the process will show you how to operate your radio under many conditions.

Why is it called “ham radio?” It’s an old name that originally started as an insult. Now we know that hams, or amateur radio operators, are a key line of communication in emergency situations. Just look into how much ham radio operators helped out during the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

4. Delorme InReach SE Satellite Messenger
Satellite phones use 100% satellite technology rather than cell phone tower connections. This makes them a stable choice for when the grid goes down. However, they need a clear spot to “see” the sky in order to provide the most accurate GPS signal. It is not reliable in a covered are such as deep woods, in a building or a cave, for instance.

We like this sat phone because unlike others, this one can reliably receive messages while others are one-way outgoing only. It does cost more than others, though.

5. goTenna

The goTenna is a digital radio and app combo that allows you to use your smartphone to send and receive messages individually and in groups, and share your GPS location even when you don’t have cell service. Download the app and wirelessly pair your iOS or Android device and send texts or share a location while offline.

It can be used to communicate with other nearby people who also have goTenna, anywhere on the planet, according to the product’s literature. It can also openly broadcast to any other goTennas within range. It charges via a micro-USB charging port, which makes it compatible with other hand-crank or solar chargers which charge similarly.

What’s your strategy for how to communicate in an emergency when there’s no infrastructure?