Rural survival in case of severe cold weather this winter.

just want to make a topic on how to prepare for a severe cold winter in case it happens, we have got the warning now its time to act on it instead of waiting for it to happen. would like people to list things to have in the home and ways to get around when stuck out in rural areas, and basicly how to get threw the cold spell.

first i think its important to have food suply, obviously out door vegatable gardens are going to suffer so i think look up the internet now and see what food can be grown indoors and have enough grown in advance so you will have a constant suply.

for transport i would invest in a cheap 4x4 and some snow/winter tyres if feesable, i would have a lot of safety and equipment in this in case you get stuck in snow and food and water suply for up to 2 days.

i will add more and try make a propper list as i get time to do so. if you think of anything please add it someone will benifit from your knolladge

More realistically... Let us pretend your on a limited budget and that you have no control over plows and electricity outages. You did goto the store and stock up on kerosene right? You also had the forsight to hit up thrift stores for some cheap but large mirrors so you could point them at your house to help heat in the day... and your not leaving your doors open are you? no your closing them to keep the heat in thats right. And you remembered to have some rain water on the side to use as gray water for the toilets or general gray waters purposes right?

And you know you can melt the snow for more gray water.

Lets see, you have your roman noodles, some good books, some mood relaxers, mp3 player, alright your set for a rural winter but wait, You hurt your ankle. You remember basic first aid right?

This is an interesting topic. I grew up in a rural north-country location although I've been living in a very different environment for decades now. Anyway, what else could I possibly add...in addition to what's alredy been said some thoughts come to mind: Generator, batteries, blankets, firearms, iodine, cans and can-opener, board games, paper and pens, shortwave radio...I'm sure there's more...have good footwear and a footwear repair kit. Look into learning showshoeing or cross-country skiing.

I suppose this is for people that don't live in rural areas, because if you do...and you ain't ready yet, dude, it's too late.

By now, if you live in a rural area...you need 6 months of dry, cured firewood, already have your garden crops canned, dried, froze, and preserved. Put plastic over the windows for insulation, have a good stock of basics...dried beans, bullion cubes, sugar, coffee, tea...down south anyway, flour, corn bread, etc.

If you live in a rural area, you already have flashlights, batterries...hopefully all same size for lights and radios, more plastic tarps, duct tape, and hay..lots of hay.

In the garden...you shouls have turnip-kale-mustard greens, collards, rutabagas, cabbages, onions...all cold weather crops...also lettuces and carrrots.
Also, for really cold weather...use PVC or wire fencing to make hoops to cover with plastic to make little green houses to cover your plantings.

Quilts, blankets, matches, lighter fluid...sometimes the wood gets damp.... and books, games, seed and chuicken catalogs for next year...and have your work shop ready so you can make repairs for next season or fix those things you find broken this winter.

Good Luck.

reply to post by scoobyrob


SNOWSHOES!
Candles

There are ‘n’ numbers of foods, which have the capacity to deliver you the heat in winters. Root vegetables and winter veggies like carrots, potatoes and sweet potatoes, and hearty winter greens like kale and cabbage tend to keep you warm in winter.

Vegetables cooked with grains and vegetables also keep you warm in winters as they are most easily digested, emitting the heat to keep your body warm. Apart from vegetables there are certain spices that keep your body warm like ginger, garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, cloves, cumin, coriander, fennel, dill seed and anise seed, mustard seeds and peppercorn.
[/quote]

Avoid cold drinks as much as possible. Try to replace your soft drinks with hot drinks such as tea and coffee.

Self Powered Flashlights and Self Powered Radios

Hello there started a thread yesterday on a similar topic.

Looking into the possibility of improving traction on tyres, but doing it on a budget like yourself.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

the most important item you gotta have is a firearm....once you have it, you can get anything you need from your neighbors, if you know what I mean

One thing that I think often gets overlooked is warm clothing to keep you defrosted when the temperatures drop. Multiple sets of thermal underwear(also known as long-johns to some folks) are a must, as well as thinsulate insulated boots (avoid steel toe boots!) and heavy wool socks. Headwear is a given but another thing to consider is some kind of face covering to keep the wind off your face when you are outside. Another piece of gear that I really like having when its cold is a fleece neck gaiter to keep the wind from going down my neck, its done wonders to help keep me warm during hunting season.

Originally posted by Big Raging Loner
Hello there started a thread yesterday on a similar topic.

Looking into the possibility of improving traction on tyres, but doing it on a budget like yourself.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

thanks for the heads up

merge topics??

For really cold areas, forget greenhouse gardens. Too cold, even root vegies and Kale will freeze and become inedible. Have extra water of some kind stored indoors, it takes buckets of snow to melt down to a disappointingly little amount of water. Wrap/insulate your water pipes, and get a hot water heater insulator blanket. Bales of hay piled on the colder and/or windy side of the house also helps insulate.

A propane camp stove is handy if the power goes out.

If rural, someone around should have a tractor to use for clearing snow. A quad also works well with a snow blade as long as you don't let the snow get too deep. Or a snow blade for an older 4 wheel drive is good.

If you have a snowmobile, and live in an area where they are legal to drive around on, you can still make it to the store. Just make sure the groceries are wrapped in an insulating blanket so they're not frozen solid by the time you get home.

Snow Shovels: Get your snow shovels BEFORE you need them. Ever try to buy a snow shovel once the weather stations announce an impending snow storm?

Roof snow rake... deep snow can collapse a building and its safer to remove the snow from the ground.

Gas burners and spare propane/natural gas. Can be used to cook without electricity and in a dire emergency can be used to heat one room. Cooking, heating water, hot drinks etc.

Heavy insulated curtains to bolster the plastic sealing your windows.

Hang heavy blankets over the doorways of unneeded rooms to conserve heat. Before the weather hits go around the house with expanding foam or caulk and seal up any places that the air can get in.

Manual can opener and plenty of canned food. Water - we have a swimming pool that never freezes solid, so we can use that water for everything non potable. Potable water in jugs, bottles or water bags - enough for drinking, cooking and doing dishes. Water can be heated on propane/gas burners, or a turkey cooker for larger amounts of water.

Extra boots, extra thermal socks, long johns, extra clothing, hats, gloves, and extra coats. If they get wet they won't keep you warm. For the kids - extra footed one piece pajamas. Those things are WARM!

Hurricane lamps and spare oil. The oil is cheap. We use the metal lamps with glass globe. Just be careful to place them safely away from combustibles, children and pets.

Battery box - can be used to power portable devices (cell phones, portable DVD player, etc).

Twelve years ago I lived in Virginia's Shannadoah Valley at the very peak of the state. We would get snowed in
for two weeks at a time, with really small children. Patience and Preparedness is what you need. Stack firewood
and kindling near the outsidedoor cover with a tarp. Have some dry wood in a basket and/or the fireplace set up to use. Newspapers, pine cones, and pine straw make great firestarters. Have water stored up in empty rinsed out bleach bottles, so if you loose your electricity, well, and heating you can drink something besides soda and milk. Buy canned food at Aldis in quantity, have hot cocoa mix, candy, cookies, frozen hot dogs ready. Set aside a book or magazine pile for entertainment. Check your first aid kit/book to make sure you have the basics
suppied. A really good yard shovel from the serious shovel selection at Lowes, the same as a horse manure shovel, these will last till the wood rots. Buy salt to put on the sidewalks and door entrances. I swear thinking about all this reminds me of why I finally ended up in South Carolina where we have seen snow only one day in six years! The snow only lasted fifteen hours before it was all gone! Living in the rural areas where it snows deep and fast means pneumonia to me. Have patience stay in side and stay warm....Best regards.

reply to post by Flakey

And you know you can melt the snow for more gray water.

You will be better off if you can find ice to melt instead of snow. Once I was without water for four days in the middle of winter due to a water main break. I was trying to melt enough snow to flush the toilets with, I gotta tell you, you need a lot of buckets! We would melt a 5 gallon bucket full of snow to get just 2 inches of water in the bottom of the bucket.

This is a list from Wis.D.O.T. (DMV)
They put the list up every November or so.
I've used this as a stepping stone for what goes in the wife's minivan.
All of it and more goes into the coffee can, however, in her case, and mine, I always make sure she has some boots back there, too.
I'll never understand the footwear choice of some people in the middle of winter in Wisconsin.

You easily can equip your vehicle with essential survival gear for winter. Here's what you'll need:

* A 2 or 3 pound metal coffee can (punch 3 holes at the top of can, equal distance apart). You'll be storing the other items inside the can.

* 60-inch length of twine or heavy string (cut into 3 equal pieces - used to suspend can).

* 3 large safety pins (tie string to safety pins and pin to car roof interior to suspend can over candle).

* 1 candle 2" diameter (place on lid under suspended can for melting snow).

* 1 pocket knife, reasonably sharp (or substitute with scissors).

* 3 pieces of bright cloth 2" wide x 36" long (tie to antenna or door handle).

* Several packets of soup, hot chocolate, tea, bouillon cubes, etc. (mixed into melted snow to provide warmth and nutrition).

* Plastic spoon.

* 1 small package of peanuts and/or a couple protein/energy bars, some dried fruit (such as dried cranberries, which come in nicely sealed snack packs), and even a little chocolate, to provide you with some energy or comfort in stressful times.

* 1 pair of socks and 1 pair of gloves or glove liners, depending on what will fit in the can (cotton is not recommended because it provides no insulation when wet).

* 2 packages of book matches.

* 1 sun shield blanket or 2 large green or black plastic leaf bags (to reflect body heat).

* 1 pen light and batteries (keep separate).

When complete, place stocking cap over kit and carry in passenger compartment of car.
If you have a 3 pound can, you will still have additional room for band-aids, aspirin, small radio, etc.
If there is still room left, increase the quantity of any of the above items or improvise items you feel might be necessary.

Other items you may want to keep in the vehicle:

* A charged cell phone.
* Large plastic garbage bag.
* Pencil stub and paper.
* Plastic whistle.
You may want to keep the survival kit in the passenger compartment in case you go into a ditch and can't get to or open the trunk.

Link to WisDot

Edit to add: I meant to post this in Big Raging Loners thread, but it ended up here.
Still good info, though.

reply to post by scoobyrob

For cold weather get a good name brand snowmobile suit.
I use mainly military extreme cold weather clothes. I like them
Bunny boots with the air valve on the sides. My feet get
cold first. A must have is a good military sleeping bag. Blankets
are no good when is -20 below and no heat.
In 1997 I got caught in a 4 day snow storm. No power, no heat, no water, no candles.
I am thankful for that Army sleeping bag. During the day to warm up. I sat in
my pickup truck with the heater on, and read some books.
After that I learned my lesson, and got prepared.

Well, overnight we had our first foot of snow. Much of both the USA and Canada in the middle of a weather bomb. 26 tornadoes counted in the US yesterday, more expected.

Winter is here a little bit early. I hope we're all prepared......