Camping stoves and heat/light packs - Bug Out Bag Stuff

This may have been mentioned, but so far the lightest stove i've come across is actually the penny stove, and you can build one yourself for only a couple bucks. The quick version is the bottoms of two soda cans wedged inside eachother with some holes in the top. Add everclear or methyl alcohol and light.

You can find plans online (instructables and elsewhere) but i recommend the following suggestion if you make one. USE A FILLER MATERIAL. Stuff it with fiberglass (in the US its guaranteed additive free, i've heard issues with lead or other chemicals elsewhere). Otherwise your stove can shoot its top off, or in worst case explode. (i'm speaking from experience here)

Personally, I made mine from redbull cans. a tablespoon of everclear burns about 30 minutes. Not made for heating the house, but for weight concerns, its the lightest you'll get (can be as light as a couple of grams if you make it small) and if you use everclear as your fuel source, then you also have a disinfectant on hand that can be bartered for a pretty penny, allowing you to save space on first aid and bartering goods.

As a bonus, instead of sternos, i make long-lasting burners by rolling up a 1/2 inch thich stip of cardboard in to a coil, stuffing it in a used tuna can, and filling it with leftover wax from candles that didnt burn properly. Leave some cardboard to act as a wick at the top and zing! They last forever in the corner of the storeage room.

Recycle.

Originally posted by jibeho
I have used a wide variety of stoves over the years and always go back to my MSR Whisperlite because it can run on a variety of fuels readily available i.e. white gas, unleaded and jet fuel. For short backpacking trips I have used small and light alcohol stoves with good success and have made a couple of my own out of old soda cans.

As for the canister stoves... They are pretty cool but you are limited to only canister fuel and have to pack out your empties.

So, that leaves us with wood power for complete versatility. Wood stoves come in all shapes and sizes but for a base camp type of situation I have a growing interest in getting a Rocket Stove.

You can make one of these or buy one. They are used around the world for heating and cooking in all sorts of climates and environments.

www.rocketstove.org...

www.ecozoomstove.com...

I enjoy fabricating my own equipment but, this little eco zoom stove is certainly on my short list of must haves this spring. Just small twigs and splits of wood is all it takes to keep this thing burning hot and very efficient
www.thesurvivalistblog.net...

You know I love the great outdoors and there is nothing better than a good wood fire.
And if TSHTF and it is still possible to bug out into the bush, I would be the first to choose that option.
And if it is possible then to burn wood, its free readily available fuel.
Makes sense.

And in all my years of camping and hiking and bush bashing, and fishing, I have learned a lot about how to make a fire, in the rain or blowing cold, and how to use air tunnel effects to really get some heat going, like a blast furnace. How to build a fire near a rock cliff, to heat the rock, to stay warm at night.
All that wonderful outdoorsy stuff.

Somehow though, I have this funny feeling Armegeddon isn't going to be just another hiking adventure into the woods. As one poster said in this thread you have to consider fallout. And maybe lots of it. Maybe so much of it, you can't go outside. And maybe you won't be able to eat anything that gets rained on.

But other than that, you can cook with twigs. You don't even need a large fire. A tiny little fire and you can cook with it. And a hot rock will warm your sleeping bag or tent. But again, probably people will be everywhere in the bush, and have nothing. No preps at all. And want what you have. So hiding will be important. And not being noticed.

A few thoughts.

- Vaseline on cotton balls is better than Chapstick because the Vaseline works well in many situations that lip balm won't just because it's more spreadable

- I have the Brunton Optimus Crux. I haven't field tested it yet, but I did read that it was very efficient and hot compared to other similar stoves, hence my purchase.



- I am very intrigued by the rocket stoves. I am bad at fabrication, so I'll be saving pennies to get one of those.

- Due to this thread, I finally bought a candle lantern. Thanks for the inspiration.

- Also due to this thread, I'll be buying a mini-torch type lighter and making a light and heat bag.

Thanks!

reply to post by Rocketman7


Take that stove outside, in the snow and about a 20MPH wind, see if it works in the real outdoor conditions.
If it does, thats great. I hope it does. Does the wind blow it out? How much longer does it take when its 20-30 degrees vs inside?
If it works good for you...thats outstanding. I just found over the years that I like to heat things quicker and use less space in the pack with the stove I use.
I actually have 3 different stoves. A butane/propane mix stove...a duel feul stove and a multi fuel stove.
I like all 3 and they are all used in various outings...depending on if I am backpacking, camping, hunting, or fishing.
One other thought, with this being a survival forum, wouldn't you wanna limit the time the light from fire is present? I mean night vision or IR...you would be giving yourself away if your tring to hide...I have a stove that boils water in just 2-3 minutes, depending on wind and outside temps. Thats a liter of water!!!
I have no doubt that your stove works great for you...but when or if stealth is something you need, it might be good to have a good stove in your preps...if you never use it, barter with it...there is always someone that would like a new stove in a SHTF.

When you are thinking of heating food etc....if in a SHTF scenario, you will eventually end up carrying your gear on your back. Cars run out of gas and there won't be much, if any, available.

For my regular trips backpacking, I take a SnowPeak cannister stove. Used correctly and judiciously, one can make one of the larger cans of fuel last 2 weeks. Not bad. But again, in that scenario, such things won't be available, so in the end this stove would be worthless.

I do have an MSR Whisperlite International that will use basically any type of fuel available. It also works well for family usage, as well as a solo adventure. It does weigh about a pound though, in its entirety, and one should carry a few spare parts to keep it working well for you.

Alcohol stoves, while light and useful, in the wrong hands are dangerous. The alcohol you use, you cannot see when it's burning, so you could start a forest fire and not even realize it until it's much too late. Check backpacker's logs for great stove information. Those folks are definitely in the know, as they use them so much.

For light, etc, I have a really light solar charger that will recharge just about anything I need it to, including phones, ipods, radios, lights, etc....It's own battery holds enough of a charge to recharge an Iphone or Ipod to full charge from less than 10%, twice- yes, two full charges on my fully charged solar unit. Weight- less than 4 ounces. I use a headlamp for light, and a tiny music player/radio/weather news for recreation and news.

For communication, if I wanted to get really serious, a handheld amateur radio would be a great device to have. They can get out 25+ miles, depending on conditions of course, and the set up in the area you are in for antennas, etc. Weight for a handheld, less than 8 oz with rechargeable battery. (about 20 hour lifespan).

For a backpack, I have yet to find a pack that equals the ULA (Ultralight Equipment) I have. Simply made, sturdy and reasonably priced, it will easily carry whatever you need it to, and the one I have weighs in at 2lb 2 oz. I could carry 2+ weeks worth of supplies, if packed well. Osprey and Gregory also make great packs, with many choices out there, depending on one's needs. I'm sure there are many other good pack companies out there, this is just relating my own experiences.

Having worked with my gear for many years now, I have gotten my base weight- that being everything but consumables- food, fuel, water....under 10 lbs, and a bit over 10 lbs if I choose to carry a 0F rated sleeping bag. When it comes to having to carry everything you need to have on your back, lighter is definitely better, and much of the newer gear is light and definitely serviceable. My favorite sleeping bags are Western Mountaineering and Marmot. Western Mountaineering have great bags for bigger guys- up to 7 foot tall and custom orders. Mind you, these are both high end sleeping bag companies, so expect to shell out some hard earned cash for one of those.

The only place I have sacrificed weight for comfort is my sleeping pad, and I have an Exped Downmat 7 for really cold temps, and it weighs in at just over 2 lb- and you don't have to blow it up!! It also helps to extend the temp rating for your sleeping bag by keeping you much better insulated than many heavier pads do. Exped also makes an ultralight pad like the one Thermorest makes, with a temp rating of about 30F.

Your gear needs to be as light as you can get it, for the conditions you expect to face. As I said, eventually, we will all be walking at some point and carrying an 80lb pack just isn't going to allow you to move very quickly, should one need to. Fully loaded, my average weight is under 30 lbs, which enables me to move as quickly as I need to, and the ability to put more miles on per day.

Great thread OP, but in my own opinion and that of many backpackers, those solar emergency blankets aren't really good for much- maybe keeping the rain off of you should you need it. If you feel you need something in that department, they do make ponchos that cover you and your pack together, and you can also create an emergency shelter with it, should the need arise. Save your stove fuel for when you cannot find wood to create a fire and a magnesium fire starter stick or 2 are always a nice addition to any pack without adding alot of additional weight, or taking up valuable pack space. Another good fire starter are cotton balls soaked in vaseline.

For additional heat come bedtime, you can use a spillproof bottle, perhaps wrapped in a couple of plastic zip locks, with really warm water in it. By morning the water will have cooled and you can just stick it into your pack to drink during the day. A trash bag can be used to cover your pack in the rain, as well as keep the inside contents dry, and then be used too on the end of your sleeping bag, should you have problems with the foot of the bag getting damp. The trash compactor ones are sturdiest.

reply to post by saltdog


For the issue of stove fuel efficiency and wind, I made a simple tin foil wrap around that keeps the wind from knocking the fire out, yet lets it get enough air that things don't over heat. Also what helps when cooking in the woods, is to make a "pot cozy" that also serves as a hot pad. Put this around your pot after you take it off the fire, and let your food finish cooking with its own heat. That saves fuel too.

SK

I am glad that you were able to have an idea and use it for you to better your skills out in the woods...thats great.
I hope that all treads get people to think out side of the box...so to speak, to use what you have available..to better your situation and put what might be over looked things, to a good use...good on you for that.

I cant help but feel a little uncomfortable with the reliance on liquid fuel/gas cannister stove systems. This is a redundant method limited only by the fuel you can source/carry, plus you have to carry the extra weight around with you to power the thing. It just doesn't fit with the foolproof, simplicity is safe concept that underpins the survival methodology. I like this little stove. Emberlit stove

It can be used with any of the liquid fuel or candle systems for stealth camping situations where you want to be undetected, but its main fuel source is the one lying around on the ground everywhere you go.....wood. Check it out, it's great. Also, very light if you get the titanium model at just 5.45 oz , folds flat, cost $55.

Originally posted by Ox
reply to post by Rocketman7

 

If I was going with gas.. I'd go with one of these.
shop.jetboil.com...
And eat right out of the pot.. Clean it out by hand or any flowing water I could find.

Well thats what everyone uses for modern day weekend hiking, climbing or short trips because that is what the outfitters reccommend.

But that canister only lasts one hour. And when that one hour is past, if you don't have another canister, then your setup is pretty much useless.

So then in a bug out situation, where you are in a city maybe, or don't want to use wood because of smoke, maybe hiding in the back of a truck, or somewhere in doors, and can't just go buy more propane/butane canisters, is that one hour of cook time going to be enough?

If it takes 5 minutes to boil water, and you have to boil all your water, if it is maybe contaminated, then you have 12 x 5 minutes of boiling water. So lets assume you are by yourself, and you need 3 small meals a day, and or need to boil water, on severe rations, of your propane/butane canister, 12 / 3 = 4 days and you will no longer have a way to boil drinking water and or heat food.

Maybe thats enough for a normal emmergency. They say 3 days is what you should prepare for. And you can bring a spare propane/butane cyclinder or two.

So then compare that to the 8 hour Magic heat.

We will say for a liter of water.

So it takes 14 minutes to boil a liter of water. Lets say 15 to keep it even.

So then you have 8 hours, / 60 minutes, / 15 minutes. So 32 as opposed to 12 and it is smaller to pack.
So then I have at least 4 of those canned heat in my bag, so thats 32 X 4 thats = 128 times it will boil a liter of water. So then if I say I want to live well and not ration, so while you are rationing 3 sessions of cooking water boiling a day, I want 3 cups of coffee and 3 meals heated. Lets say, so to relax and enjoy the apocalypse I want 6 if I use all 6 times or not. So then 128 / 6 = about 21 days. Thats if I offer coffee to other people, and maybe use one of those sessions to take the chill off the tent in the morning by letting the thing burn for 15 minutes, or heat some water to wash with. I mean instead of 6 sessions with it for cooking I use 5 and wash with one.

And if I rationed? I could reduce that to 7 minutes boil time, and instead of liter, boil a cup of water, so then I have 8 hours of fuel, x 60 minutes per hour, 480 minutes x 4 cans, gives me 1,920 minutes of fire.
By 7 minutes per session = 1,920 / 7 = 274 cooking/water heating sessions. By 3 per day = 91 days.

So I have 3 months worth of using it for 7 minutes, 3 times a day. But thats hard rationing. So I could hypothetically hold out in a burned out basement for 3 months and still come out alive. But you need more water than 3 cups per day. But you won't die.

If you pack 4 propane butane cannisters, you will last 16 days. Maybe 20 if you reduce the amount of water to one cup from 2 cups. Since in the tests it took minimum 4 minutes to boil 2 cups of water.
I think I like the Magic heat better because I hate it when I run out of propane.

So if I wanted to prep for 6 months, I need 8 canned heat, rationed, or go for 10 to make it more bareable.
That seems like a lot, but then if you can leave for 6 months, during the apocalypse, the worst might be over during that time. And during that 6 months there might be times when I can use another source of fuel to extend my supply of canned heat.
If the world has the plague, and they are dying in droves, leaving town for 6 months is not a bad idea.And you might say yeah but what would you eat? But most people in the world today, live on rice and beans.
If you pack some rice and some beans and some trail mix and dried mix, you can fish and scrounge for the rest.
Its survival and 6 months is not too difficult to prep for.

Originally posted by CarpenterMatt
I cant help but feel a little uncomfortable with the reliance on liquid fuel/gas cannister stove systems. This is a redundant method limited only by the fuel you can source/carry, plus you have to carry the extra weight around with you to power the thing. It just doesn't fit with the foolproof, simplicity is safe concept that underpins the survival methodology. I like this little stove. Emberlit stove

It can be used with any of the liquid fuel or candle systems for stealth camping situations where you want to be undetected, but its main fuel source is the one lying around on the ground everywhere you go.....wood. Check it out, it's great. Also, very light if you get the titanium model at just 5.45 oz , folds flat, cost $55.

As I say, I love camping. I can start a fire in the pouring rain. Lichen that grows on trees here in the rain forest, will still be dry somewhere under a big tree in the branches and if not will dry quickly.
lichen

But you know finding dry wood here except in the summer is almost impossible. So anything you burn, except, little pieces of bark, off a tree, on the side of the tree that is sheltered from the rain, again, it has to be a big fir tree, then the bark is dry, and won't smoke much, and if the fire is just 6 inches square lets say, it probably won't be noticed. Just don't take it into your tent.

If it is raining and there is radioactive fallout, going out to get wood, is a bad idea. Camping Bear Gillis style can be fun. If you can eat bugs. There is a guy who has a show from Northern Ontario as well.
Les Stroud

Don't even consider trying to survive in Northen Ontario like up towards Hudson's Bay. If he didn't have beef jerky with him, he would be starving. He tried to eat some sort of plant from in a lake, and puked his guts out.
You know thats really surviving. He ran when he saw a moose. Terrified him. You aren't going to bring down a moose with a stick, or a home made in the bush bow and arrow, or a rock.
Other than that its you and the billions and billions of bugs that want to eat you. And they are too small to catch, and too small to eat, but they sure can bite. Being a minimalist here is not necessary.
And not wise either. Camping fun? A bit of wood smoke makes it more earthy. Toast those marshmallows.

During the holocaust, in Germany, some people lived in the sewers under the city, with the rats, to escape the gas chambers. Thats the will to live. With their children. No matter how bad it gets for you, remember they lived to tell about it.

Having said that that folding metal plate rig is what I need to replace that 14 oz tin pot support.




But you know since I have already committed to the Trangia pots and pans set, one pot/bowl and plate for me, one pot/plate for the best looking Jane of the Jungle who happens by of course, and so rather than rectangular metal plates, that weigh in at close to a pound, and get covered in soot, a circular collapsing metal mesh thingy that fits inside a pot/bowl would be perfect.

If I can find such a thing. But it has to double as a wind shield so not full mesh.

You see this is what I need right here maybe...

pot stand

Consider the following...

Imagine if there was an outbreak of zombies. Every person who is biotten by a zombie, bites, say, 20 others.

By 5 day, the pattern would be clear, and the President, now in a fortified bunker would be advised that theonly way to stop its spread is to nuke infected cities.

By day 6, he would do so.

The same is true for any spreading catastrophy. So, if a spreading catastrophy occurs, you have just 5 days to get clear of the main urban areas and after 6 days, everything COULD be contaminated with radiation.

So, defending against radiation is THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT MATTER for which ONLY a geigercounter will do. And, if you concentrate on getting "food", you're dead as it would have been netter if you had not eaten.

But if you do buy a geigercounter and have somewhere to go, even if you have no food, as the only dude on the block with one, you can always, as a last resort, trade you using your geigercounter for food.

Originally posted by SweetKarma
When you are thinking of heating food etc....if in a SHTF scenario, you will eventually end up carrying your gear on your back. Cars run out of gas and there won't be much, if any, available.

For my regular trips backpacking, I take a SnowPeak cannister stove. Used correctly and judiciously, one can make one of the larger cans of fuel last 2 weeks. Not bad. But again, in that scenario, such things won't be available, so in the end this stove would be worthless.
...
Your gear needs to be as light as you can get it, for the conditions you expect to face. As I said, eventually, we will all be walking at some point and carrying an 80lb pack just isn't going to allow you to move very quickly, should one need to. Fully loaded, my average weight is under 30 lbs, which enables me to move as quickly as I need to, and the ability to put more miles on per day.

Lots of great tips in that post.

I have the same gear basically because I shop at the high end outfitters. Except that at this point, I am more concerned about having everything, than the weight. You are convinced that at some point you will be walking, but I think not. If you go walking, then you will get irradiated.
1000 nuclear reactors in the Northern Hemisphere plus cooling pools. So the rain will be like poison death.
Everything will be radioactive for some time. You have a better chance of survival, if you can get to some shelter.
Or, if you are really lucky, get out of town in a camper.
Get somewhere where you know there is a deep well. Like an old abandoned farmhouse even if it had a deep well. Or even in the back of a truck like a 5 ton. Or stay at home, or in the basement, if your house or apartment building does not burn.

If it was just an economic depression and people had to wander like the dirty thirties, then simple camping skills will make your life easier for sure.

So what I am thinking is I will have a light weight scenario pack, and a heavy duty throw in a vehicle pack plan.
Right now I am thinking throw it all in a vehicle. The population here is 300,000 Everyone who wanted to could drive out of the city. Even in the worst panic scenario, in 2 days.

So I have a lot of gear that I would want to take with me. To drive into the hills with, to live well for at least 6 months.
And enjoy it basically. Ham radio gear everything. Several light weight pc computer setups like notepad and pc tablets and lots of info and entertainment on disk.

So then its just a matter of maybe getting the stuff 2 or 3 blocks, at most in the worst case scenario, and to the parking lot behind the apartment to my van at best.

So guess what I found? The perfect thing for me. Then it turned out they were the perfect thing for everyone else, because they sold out of them at all their stores!
So finally new stock is starting to arrive.
Not a hay cart pulled by a donkey or me

But I can strap my 80 pound bug out bag, onto that rig and wheel that down the road like immigrant refugee.
And fill that with my electronic equipment, cameras, radios, and other tech gear.

Originally posted by ballisticmousse
Consider the following...

Imagine if there was an outbreak of zombies. Every person who is biotten by a zombie, bites, say, 20 others.

By 5 day, the pattern would be clear, and the President, now in a fortified bunker would be advised that theonly way to stop its spread is to nuke infected cities.

By day 6, he would do so.

The same is true for any spreading catastrophy. So, if a spreading catastrophy occurs, you have just 5 days to get clear of the main urban areas and after 6 days, everything COULD be contaminated with radiation.

So, defending against radiation is THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT MATTER for which ONLY a geigercounter will do. And, if you concentrate on getting "food", you're dead as it would have been netter if you had not eaten.

But if you do buy a geigercounter and have somewhere to go, even if you have no food, as the only dude on the block with one, you can always, as a last resort, trade you using your geigercounter for food.

I am with you on this one. This is the one I am training for.
(rubbing hands)

Fortunately for me, I live in Canada, so I am already half way to the middle of nowhere.
And on an island. Although a big one, at least its an island.

In a city, and maybe that might be smart too, if you can't go outside and everyone else has turned into a zombie. I might need to get out of town fast, get to the hills, 20 miles away will do it, to a small mountain nearby. So that my radio equiment will span the globe.
say anywhere above Leechtown google map link.

So I am out of the city fire zone, and up in the fresh air. But I don't have shelter. So if everyone is a zombie, then maybe I need to look for an empty building up there outside the city somewhere or stay in the van, and build a tarp shelter, use the tent, be near water. Radiation is the problem. So really if the world turned to zombies, I need to find an empty place to be. Hot wire a boat, go to the Gulf Islands, look for a seasonal dwelling, that is empty.
Dangerous though because you might get shot if it isn't empty, so you better look like a park ranger and approach yelling is anyone alive in there? I have come to help you and evacuate you to safety!
Right? So bullhorn is a good idea.
But if you can't get a geiger counter, maybe at least get a radiation badge that tells how much radiation you have been exposed to.
And for sure, any kind of hazmat suit is a necessity. Like the funny orange coveralls in this thread.
Here they are again for 20 bucks.
Extreme Survivor Thermal Protective Suit

Or something better if you can afford it. If not, then a heavy rain coat and pants but you need to not get any fallout on you. And don't bring it into your house or vehicle. And thats not easy.

Ideal scenario? If the truck mechanic shop around the corner, just finished an oil change on an almost new Brinks Truck. Bing! Crack the champagne. Bring on the zombies of doom.

Interesting comments on here...but from reading...I am alittle confused on how long your bugging out? What I mean is, a bug out bag is to go from A to B. It shouldn't take months...it (a bug out bag) is for up to about 72 hours by definition. With that being the case, a fueled stove would be good with even 1 canister...maybe 2 if you wanted to live the life of Riley while bugging out. I don't personally expect to be, but thats me.
I kinda figure you would wanna be moving and maybe not even have a stove, just pack extra water and keep moving...after all your fleeing for your life... right? So you would stop and have 3 meals a day?
I am just curious as to what kind of event your expecting?

If your going to live in the woods, the homemade stove your talking about would be fine...if that works for you...but a bug out...I personally wouldn't wanna stop unless I had to...I would wanna get to my bug out location(BOL). There for I would not be overly concerned about cooking...there are power bars, trail mix, and jerky that should see you through your travels to your location.

Originally posted by saltdog
Interesting comments on here...but from reading...I am alittle confused on how long your bugging out? What I mean is, a bug out bag is to go from A to B. It shouldn't take months...it (a bug out bag) is for up to about 72 hours by definition. With that being the case, a fueled stove would be good with even 1 canister...maybe 2 if you wanted to live the life of Riley while bugging out. I don't personally expect to be, but thats me.
I kinda figure you would wanna be moving and maybe not even have a stove, just pack extra water and keep moving...after all your fleeing for your life... right? So you would stop and have 3 meals a day?
I am just curious as to what kind of event your expecting?

If your going to live in the woods, the homemade stove your talking about would be fine...if that works for you...but a bug out...I personally wouldn't wanna stop unless I had to...I would wanna get to my bug out location(BOL). There for I would not be overly concerned about cooking...there are power bars, trail mix, and jerky that should see you through your travels to your location.

Well you know its difficult to plan for the unkown.

So if you plan for the worst, zombies, then you will be prepared for anything less.

And the same goes for duration. If you plan to survive 6 months, with what you have, then you will survive anything less than that too.

If it is just a minor event, Where I live we don't have any fear at all about revolution, or martial law, or any scenario regarding the military or government as the enemy of the people.
The military, both of them are in Afghanistan, and the politicians will be hiding out in their secret dens of iniquity, with their secret mistresses.
And few people have guns or carry guns. No one basically carries a gun here except the police.

So if its not something real bad, then its not going to be difficult to survive 3 days if you throw a few things in a bag, from the kitchen cupboard. And have some bottled water. 3 days? WHo doesn't have 3 days worth of food in their kitchen cupboard?

So you need to evacuate, then ok, a small bag with some essentials that almost everyone has around the house anyways. Flashlight, batteries, candles, blanket, bandaids, dry noodles for snacks, you can survive 3 days. No, the problem is the real disaster scenarios. The ones that change the world. Those are the big die-offs.
And they happen. Not to everyone everywhere usually but they happen all the time in different places.

Rwanda, Germany, the holocaust, the pandemic flu of 1919, Hiroshima and Japan, it was Armeggeddon for Iraq, if not for us here.

But as I say, hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. And keep in mind, you can always take your stuff and go camping with it! Thats what I plan to do. Even if the world doesn't end. Rugged hiking and outdoors fun activities.

Not sure if anyone has brought up much about solar energy yet, but seeing as this is a bug out bag thread, what's the likelihood of attaching a small solar panel to the top flap of a hiking bag and using it to charge batteries? I don't want to go into the end of civilization without a flashlight and my music.

reply to post by Dystopiaphiliac


If it is a true SHTF, I would suggest you get use to life without depending on electronics.
They break easy, and with bugging out, your going to be hard on your things..if you have a crank radio or a winding flashlight...that could be ok...but depending on what has happened...you might not have any electronic that work...so the GPS, PDF files, computer, radio's, cars, generators...and anything else you can think of...might be useless....several say an EMP could do that...who knows...I personally just wanna be able to do as much as possible without the crutch of electricity.

reply to post by Rocketman7


hey we have an idea, a plan and a way to get it done...there are several ways to get a job completed...they all have the same result, than they are all right.
I know most SHTF are local or regional...but the ones that I am prepping for are global..the rest to me are just life.
What I mean, is if you live on the coast, hurricanes are expected, in the midwest its tornado's and flooding, west coast is earthquakes...its a part of life in the region that your in.
I see a SHTF like an economic colapse or even a nuclear strike on US soil as a very possible SHTF.
Short of that or say martial law..which will have all kinds of mass caos...its just the life we live....you emprovise, adapt, and overcome.