Emergency Food: Buy In Bulk! Stack ‘Em Deep!

harvestright-26Freeze dried food pouches are the best option for long term emergency food preparation. We at Survival Kit Guide like Mountain House’s offering and suggest that you take a few moments to address your stash. Mountain House offers several packages depending on the volume of freeze dried food you and your family will require.

Just remember that buying the food doesn’t mean you’re finished; you’ll need water and a way to boil it in order to make your emergency meals. Along with your drinking water, make sure to include enough for your freeze dried preps, and stock up the fuel you need for the water boiling method of your choice. We recommend the Jet Boil system, as it is both easy to use and very convenient, and the propane refill canisters are affordable enough to stock up on as well.

Here’s a quick guide to figure out the amount of water you will need per pouch:

Pro Pak Entrees – 1 ½ cup boiling
Double Serve Entrees – 2 cups boiling (53171 1 ½ cups boiling) Continue reading

B.O.B. Shelter

Food, water, defense, and shelter– the “4 food groups” of preparedness. Traditional shelter may not be portable enough to fit in your bug out bag.  But resourceful preppers can build decent shelter from pack staples like paracord and a tarp.  We’ve narrowed it down to 3 basic shelter options.

Tarp Shelter
A makeshift tarp shelter is minimal, portable and generally effective for providing cover from the elements and keeping you dry. In order to take full advantage of a tarp’s ability, be sure to include some paracord and duct tape. The paracord will allow you to tie off the tarp to a tree or other structure to create a roof over your head and the duct tape will come in handy for repairs should your tarp become damaged. This method will at least provide you with a dry place to hunker down in and can be pulled out of or packed back into your BOB quickly. A tarp is also light and won’t take up valuable room inside your BOB. Continue reading

Bug-In Checklist: If Disaster Strikes…Are You Prepared?

Odds are that you have been in a situation where you were stuck indoors without power or water due to some sort of natural caused event. If you haven’t, I’d wager a bet that you will at some point. We take for granted the convenience of turning on a faucet, firing up the stove and cranking up the A/C or furnace. When the power goes out or the water stops flowing, we seldom worry that it won’t be restored in a matter of minutes or hours. Natural disasters seem to be happening all too often these days, but with a little forethought and preparation, you won’t be left dependant on others to stay safe and comfortable until things are restored.

Hurricanes, tornadoes, snow storms, flooding and fires are a part of nature and they don’t usually give you much warning and time to prepare. My wife and I recently went through 3 days and nights without public power and water supply and were unable to leave our home due to a large wildfire. Although I had prepared for a natural disaster of this nature, it still was a great learning experience and I’d like to share our story. Continue reading

The 10 Essential Groups of Supplies for Your Survival Kit

There’s many schools of though on what should go into a “bug out bag”.  It all comes down to personal preferences and also factors like location, family-status, short vs long-term, etc.  We compiled this list to serve as a starting point for a general 72-96 hour pack for one person.  If you have pets, check out this post on recommended list of items to pack for your cat or dog.  Please continue to do your own research and feel free to leave tips in the comments below.

The 10 Essential Supply groups for Bug Out Bags:

Military Advanced Expeditionary Assault Pack Backpack

  1. The Bag
  2. Water
  3. Fire & Cooking
  4. Food
  5. Shelter
  6. First Aid
  7. Tools
  8. Electronics
  9. Clothing
  10. Comfort Items

The Bag
Choose a decent sized assult or tactical camouflage backpack matching your local terrain.  If you can spend the extra money, look at the FDE brand, specifically the 5.11 Rush 72 Back Pack. Or if you’re on a budget try Riot Gear’s Military Advanced Expeditionary Assault Pack Backpack (pictured right).  Some must-have features to look for in a good bug-out bag: Bladder pocket, molle straps, weather proof.

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Disaster Preparedness for Your Dog or Cat

DO NOT LEAVE YOUR PETS BEHIND!
With just a little bit of planning and preparation, you’ll can be ready to evacuate your home AND take your furry friends along in the event of a disaster.

Here’s our list of essential items to stock for your dog or cat. Pack and store these items together in a secure, dry area like your garage. When disaster strikes you can just grab the crate, the pets and bug out!  We’ve also taken the time to recommend some quality products for most list items.

Mountainsmith Dog Pack

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