Category Archives: Prepper Skills

Why Shouldn’t I Depend On The Internet For Prepping?

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I know this might sound really odd for someone who is blogging and producing YouTube videos about preparedness to say, but depending strictly on the internet is a game of chance for preppers and one we will regret if many of the disasters we are prepping for come to pass.

Why Shouldn’t I Depend on The Internet?

It’s Really Easy To Forget How Quickly We Can Lose These!

How often have we been right in the middle of the video on our laptops or trying to download a file and everything just stops? It’s almost a daily occurrence if we depend on wireless data connections and still fairly common if we are using a wired connection to a land line of some kind. These inconveniences can be aggravating, but we know it will start working again soon. All we have to do is reconnect or turn the router off and back on again. Problem solved, until it doesn’t work.

Much like all of the other infrastructure we take for granted, especially in highly developed countries, the internet is very susceptible to major catastrophes. Consider what it takes to actually use the internet. First you have to have a device with battery power or access to an outlet with power. You can probably get by with some solar charging for a little while, but when something gets the power lines, it can also get telecommunication lines as well, plus they all require power to operate too. No fear, you have wireless data service, but wait! The towers boosters are powered by electricity and that’s only if they are still standing after a massive disaster.

All of the problems mentioned in the paragraph above are potential issues in multiple scenarios, however there are even more issues with depending on the internet Consider countries such as North Korea where the government has blocked information and access to the internet to its citizens. I know I would hate to lose access to all my digitally stored knowledge because Uncle Sam flips the switch. Also there are issues that can damage electronics in general. Ever heard of an EMP? I’ll do a detailed post about them soon, but its basically a huge pulse of electromagnetic energy that can destroy electronic items. If you want to have a backup radio or other electronics survive a massive EMP, grab a Faraday bag or two by clicking the picture below. It’s also great to keep at least one of our digital storage devices in to protect the information stored on them.

I know that I recommend having a thumb drive with all of our documents and pictures on in my recent post on evacuation and that seems odd given my warnings here, however I am not worried about financial or insurance information if we are in a long term survival situation. The things we need to reference for daily survival don’t need to be just web based. We have become accustomed to asking “Siri” how much bleach to use to disinfect drinking water or what plants are edible. We are susceptible to taking our instant internet access to information for granted.

How Should I Store My Prepping Information?

There are a couple of reasonably good ways to keep up a library of knowledge with minimal chance of loss, however none are perfect. I’ll note here that the absolute best way to store our knowledge is in our memory, but this takes time and repetition of the material to remember. The best way to remember information is to use it in practical function on a regular basis. Forage for wild edibles each season. Distill and disinfect your own water on a regular basis. If you don’t have a garden, buy some fresh produce from the store or a farm stand and can some of it each harvest season. These are the ways we can retain the most information, however there’s not enough time in our days to mentally master all of the things we may need to know, so the following are backup and reference storage methods. If possible, we should try to have critical information stored both ways.

Digital Storage

I know I just mentioned the issues that are possible with electronics and internet based data, however if we plan ahead by storing a digital copy and some means to access the information in one of the EMP resistant bags or boxes like those I linked above, we have fast access to them as long as we can power the device on which they are read or stored. While few of us can swing the price of a laptop to leave in our safe in a Faraday Bag, most of us have at least one old smartphone that we have retired. Connect the the device to the internet via WiFi and download documents or use the scan or camera feature to take pictures of printed media for storage. Whatever device you choose should be able to be powered by a battery and should have a dedicated charging cord and 12 volt charging adapter stored in the bag with it. Click on the picture below for a multi function charging cord for your devices.

Storing Information in Written Form

There’s not much more reliable than the written word. We have knowledge that has been retained for centuries in libraries and archives and even further back if we consider hieroglyphics and cave paintings found throughout the world. Books do have a few drawbacks, however. When physical space is limited, books can be cumbersome to carry and do require a bit of care. I’d like to offer a couple of ideas to help streamline our physical prepping libraries to make sure we limit the exposure of our information to damage by water, fire, insects, or mold.

Consolidate Information: Most books contain much more non critical information than critical. By making a habit of photocopying sections of books with important information and clipping articles from magazines we can reduce the clutter and bulk of our information.

Print Online Information: Copyright laws exist to keep us from profiting off the works of others. I personally feel that by providing free access to the information on this blog via internet, that if you want to print off these articles for your personal use to store in a binder, you are welcome to. Some posts may have lots of technical information, where others may be a product review or broad discussion that really isn’t full of crucial information once a disaster has struck. Check other sites and message boards as well, but always verify that the information is legitimate before you trust your life and well being to it.

Paper Document Storage: Most of the research I have done on storing papers long term centers around storing a book collection. While protecting rare and valuable books is likely overkill for our storage needs, much of the advice is helpful. The enemies of paper are moisture, organisms, and mold. Getting paper wet obviously damages it. Rodents love paper because its easy for them to chew up for nesting material. Insects eat and nest on the paper and in the binding materials. High humidity can cause fungal growth on books. To limit these issues, store critical printed documents in plastic containers with some form of desiccant to remove the humidity. If you have a safe or vault that you can put in an area with a moderate temperature and humidity, placing the container inside can add an additional level of security from damage. You can also cache your information along with other supplies in waterproof storage tubes. These can be placed in multiple locations so you have several back up sources if your main storage location is damaged or compromised. Click the pictures below for desiccant material and waterproof storage tubes. Consider adding a thumb drive with your digital information in a Faraday bag to your caches as well!

Desiccant Packets:

Waterproof Storage Cache:

Books for Preppers

I will add book reviews on the site as I have an opportunity to read and review the information, but in the mean time, click the link below and take a look at the information contained in The Lost Ways book. You might find it useful and it’s a great deal!

Disclaimer: I am an Amazon affiliate and may make money off qualifying purchases.

What Should I Check on My Car Before A Road Trip?

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If you’ve ever broken down on an automobile trip, you know just how frustrating it can be, especially when it was completely preventable. This may seem to be a basic post, but I know how easily we can overlook the little things and while breaking down on a road trip is a real inconvenience, in a survival or evacuation situation, car trouble could be disastrous. Keeping our vehicles prepared isn’t as glamorous feeling as taking a trip to the range to run pistol drills, or going hiking with our bug out bag to test the gear, but we depend on our cars and trucks daily and hopefully we’ll never have to rely on our gun fighting or escape and evasion skills. In this post, I am focusing on the mechanical maintenance aspects of preparing our vehicles. To get read about other vehicle preparation considerations, click here for my Vehicle Preparedness category.

How Do I Check My Tires Before a Trip?

There are very few vehicle factors that can have as great an effect on our vehicle’s safety and performance as our tires. Not only do they grip the road and keep us from sliding and spinning, our tires can also let us know of other potential problems with our cars. Lets look at some of the things we need to check on our tires before any trip.

How Much Air Should Be in My Tires?

If ever there was an obvious tire problem, it is a flat, however there’s a pretty big difference from being completely flat and safely inflated. Rule of thumb methods of checking air have been around since pneumatic tires were invented. Kicking the side, pushing against the tire with a knee, and bumping tires with a hammer or small bat are all used, but none can replace a properly working air gauge. Simply unscrew the cap on the valve stem protruding from the wheel and press the gauge against the stem and read the gauge. In the United States. we generally use PSI (pounds per square inch) as our pressure unit for tires. Tire pressure information can be found in the owner’s manual, in the driver’s side door jamb, and most importantly, on the side wall of the tire. The sidewall pressure recommendation should mirror the owner’s manual or door jamb information. If not, you may have the incorrect size or load rated tire which can cause additional issues.

One other factor to consider with tire inflation is that air expands as it heats up so you want to check the pressure in your tires before you begin driving to be the most accurate. Also when the seasons change, you might find several PSI difference that you need to correct. If you don’t have a reliable tire gauge, click on the one below to get one.

When Should I Replace My Tires?

Here in the States we still use the imperial system of measurement based on the inch. For tire wear, we divide that in to 32’s of an inch. Different tire manufacturers may have specific minimum tread depths, however the legal minimum tread depth for tires in most cases is 2/32 of an inch (1.6mm). Now grab your nearest tape measure or ruler and take a look at that. It’s pretty near nothing! Just because they are technically legal, don’t assume that tires worn to 2/32 of an inch are safe on anything other than dry, smooth roads in perfect conditions.

Ideally, we would keep new tires on our vehicles all the time, but that is not realistic. So keep a close eye on the tread. Most tires have wear indicators which are higher sections of rubber in the tread that indicate the tire should be replaced once the rest of the tread matches the depth of the indicator rubber. Also, make sure that you check the depth all the way across the tire surface. An out of line vehicle can have good tread on the outside of the tread and towards the inner side wall be bare and dangerous. you can purchase a tread depth gauge here or use the “quarter method” to tell if you are getting close to needing new shoes for your ride. Take a look at the picture below from tirerack.com to see how to use the quarter to see if you have enough tread. If the tread reaches his head, it is close to 4/32’s of an inch deep.

What Can My Worn Tires Tell Me About My Car?

Tire wear lets us know multiple things about our tires and our vehicles as a whole. irregular wear indicates a possible suspension problem or an alignment issue. Sections of tire that appear higher or lower than the rest can indicate a tire damaged from being under or over inflated or, even worse, a tire that has become separated within. Another noticeable factor in some tire wear can be a vibration that increases with speed. If you notice any of these wear patterns or have any vibrations, have your tires checked immediately. I recently had to replace a tire that still had plenty of tread left because one of the steel belts within the tire broke and could have caused a blow out and loss of control.

What Do I Need To Check Under The Hood of My Car?

The standard answer for years to check the oil, coolant, and transmission fluid if you have an automatic transmission. Cars and trucks have evolved into sophisticated electronically controlled marvels of modern engineering, for better or worse. Getting under the hood of a late model vehicle can leave any of us cross-eyed over where things are so I’ll point out the general things to check and we can each consult our owner’s manual as to the location of the components.

How Do I Check My Engine Oil?

Oil is the life blood of our internal combustion engines. It degrades and becomes less effective over time and use so we must change it as well as the filter that removes any metal or impurities on a regular interval, usually somewhere between 3000-5000 miles for regular oils and higher for synthetics. While we leave the shop or quick oil change with fresh oil up to the fill mark, this doesn’t guarantee it will stay that way. As engines age, they can develop leaks, which we notice where we park sometimes. Also, as the components wear, the engine can begin to gradually burn some of the oil and in the case of a gasket failure, it can even leak into the coolant or vice versa. With this in mind a regular check on the oil level in between services is a good idea.

To check the oil, turn off the engine and give the oil a few minutes to pour back down through the engine to the oil pan. Remove the dipstick and wipe it clean then reinsert it and remove it to read the level. The oil should be between the low and high marks on the stick. If it is low, add the proper grade oil. If it is overfull, contact your mechanic. Engines that start “making oil” can have serious problems that can cause engine failure if they aren’t fixed.

How Do I Check My Transmission Fluid?

If you have an automatic transmission, you will likely have a separate dipstick for the fluid level, however some newer cars have a sealed transmission that can’t be checked. Consult the owner’s manual for details and how to accurately check the fluid. Most vehicles require that the engine be running and the shifter be in park or neutral. If the latter is the case, make sure you have someone to hold the brake and shift to neutral for you to check. Repeat the same remove-wipe-replace-remove then read steps as for the engine oil.

If you have a manual transmission, it will have a fill plug on the side that is usually only accessible from under the vehicle. For either transmission, look at the ground where you normally park for leaks to warn you of a potential problem.

Should I Check My Battery Before A Trip?

Most batteries today are “maintenance free” which usually means they are sealed and not meant to have water added to the cells. Because of the acid in the batteries, its not recommended to attempt to add water or chemicals to batteries unless you know exactly how, so for our purposes, battery maintenance will be limited to the outside shell of the battery and the terminal posts.

A good electrical connection is crucial for our vehicles to start and run and for the alternator to recharge the battery and maintain it. Look closely at the battery posts and cables. If they are becoming corroded or look to have a crusty looking material around the posts or cables, they need to be cleaned. You can use a regular wire brush but you can get one that much better for the job by clicking the picture below.

Once the posts and cables are clean, a mixture of baking soda and water can neutralize any corrosion or acid that has gotten on top of the battery and leave it clean and ready.

What Else Should I Check Before I Travel?

Antifreeze/Coolant: Our engine coolant prevents overheating as well as freezing in cold climates. Most cars and trucks have a plastic surge tank that we can see the coolant level through and it ranges from “cold” level to higher “hot” level because coolant will expand as it heats up. DO NOT OPEN THE COOLANT RESERVOIR OR RADIATOR CAP WHILE THE ENGINE IS HOT! The pressure can cause an overflow and severely burn you. It is also important to check the protection level of your coolant before cold weather sets in each year. You can buy a tester by clicking the picture below to make sure your coolant won’t freeze this winter.

Brake Fluid: Brake fluid is usually an indicator of our break wear. If it gradually gets lower over many thousand miles, it could simply be that our brakes are worn and it takes more fluid to fill the calipers, however brake fluid below the fill mark on a master cylinder with visible levels lets us know that we could have a leak or need to inspect our brakes for excessive wear. If you have a manual transmission, the clutch may have a similar master cylinder and fluid level as well.

Power Steering Fluid: Low power steering fluid can cause difficulty when steering, especially at low speeds and often causes a moaning or whining noise when the steering wheel is turned. The system recirculates the fluid repeatedly through the pump and lines so low power steering fluid is indicative of a leak.

Final Thoughts on Preparing Our Vehicles For A Trip

If we aren’t 100 percent sure of our abilities to inspect and perform an adequate check on our vehicle, I propose that we do two things. First, we should have a reputable garage, dealership, or quick oil change station that we trust inspect and maintain our vehicles at the regular service intervals that our owner’s manual recommends. Second, we should work to become more familiar with how and where to check all of the important components of our vehicles and how to perform some of the repairs commonly needed. You can start by learning the basics of changing a tire on my blog post here.

Disclosure: I am an Amazon affiliate and make money on qualifying purchases.