My EDC (EveryDay Carry)

edc-bagI realized the other day that I hadn’t done an EDC post yet, so here it is!  I do split EDC, meaning that some stuff I carry on my person but most of it I carry in my bag.  There are two reasons for this, one I sit at a computer all day and do not like to have my pockets filled with stuff.  I only wear cargo style pants so I always have plenty of pockets to drop things into as needed, but I don’t like to sit at my desk with anything in them.  Secondly, as a geek I carry my computer EVERYWHERE I go and I carry it in my EDC bag.  If you ever see the bag pictured on the right, it is probably following me like a monkey on my back.

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Some First-Aid Kit Examples

firstaidkitsFirst-Aid Kits are kind of a funny prepper item – there are SO many that you can just go buy that it doesn’t seem like a big deal.  Yet, countless people I know barely have a box of band-aids in their home.  Those who do go purchase a pre-made First-Aid Kit don’t typically pay much attention to it – it’s crossed of their ‘list’.  But day to day use of the only medical supplies in the house means that after a year or so the First-Aid Kit is severely depleted and nobody notices until there’s a need for it.

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Taking Stock

One of my secret, very un-prepper-like joys is getting the call from my wife on the way home, stating that I need to pick something up.

Making some stock
Making some stock

Who knows the reason, but usually that means I’m going to stop by Costco to pick up one of their roasted chickens.  Then again, we tend to pick up one of these pretty often.  Getting a whole chicken works out well, giving us several meals already largely prepared.

But whether you are like us, and just addicted to that rotisserie chicken, or you like to cook your own.  There lies the question of what do you do with the *rest* of the chicken that you don’t eat?

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Glenn Beck on the Worst Case

Glenn Beck had a show on Friday that is making quite the rounds among the preparedness blogs (among other places) for very good reasons.  He started out by bringing on several “experts” on various topics, after giving each one a potential “doomsday” type of scenario.  As he states, at time we need to think about what we are preparing for.  What is the worst that we think *could* happen, and what can we do to avoid it, or be prepared for it in our own lives.

These three videos give some of the highlights of the discussion (wish the whole show was up there).

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Building a Vehicle Emergency Kit

fa121807eYour Car Emergency Kit should be designed to accommodate a wide variety of potential Emergency Situations that may occur while you are in or near your vehicle. There are several categories that you should carefully consider when you are assembling your kit. The most important thing to remember is to not forget about it – an Emergency Kit is never something you just throw in the back and never think about again. You’ll want to maintain it and adapt it regularly for the season.

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Review: Front Sight Four Day Defensive Handgun Course

Gentlemen (and some of you ladies), prepare to drool. I’m still drooling.

Last night I returned from a four day defensive handgun training course at the Front Sight Training Institute near Pahrump, Nevada (read: the boonies of the Nevada desert). I’ve been waiting for this weekend for a few months now, and it was worth every penny (stay tuned for how you can attend a course with fewer pennies than you might think!).

The following is a review of my experience and some of my thoughts on Front Sight’s training in general.

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Shelf Reliance Recipe Contest

Do you have a favorite recipe for using your food storage?  Maybe a comfort food your family wouldn’t want to go without, or something that makes excellent use fo the basics?  Well here’s a good chance to show your stuff, and have a chance to win some *awesome* prizes.  Our friends at Shelf Reliance are having a recipe contest this month.

shelf_reliance_contest

There’s some seriously nice prizes too:

Entries can be emailed to [email protected].  For more information, such as the rules and details, go check out their page.

Also, go ahead and send along your favorite recipe to me, and we’ll post them up on the site here.  Of course, just watch out because I’ve got a few recipes up my sleeve, and I’m gunning for that #1 prize myself :)

Tax Refund Preparedness

We are coming to the time of the year that has become the second Xmas for many Americans.  And I purposely chose to write xmas because it has nothing to do with the real Christmas we should have celebrated so recently.  What I’m talking about is the look people get in their eyes as they get some portion of their taxes back from government.  To many people this is the only surplus of cash they will see during the whole year, and our business world thrives on the swing in spending this influx of cash creates.

So, if you are one of those looking at receiving a check from Uncle Sam in the next month or two, why not put a little more thought in how it can be used for preparing your family for the year ahead?  The following list of ideas might help stimulate your family in a way far better than buying some toy you’ve been looking at recently.  Each of the following is a simple idea, that will later be posts of their own with all the details you’ll want. Continue reading “Tax Refund Preparedness”

Utah Earthquake Education

My wife is from California, I’m from Washington.  We both grew up learning about the dangers of earthquakes, and the likelihood of them happening.  While she had far more experience with them actually happening than I did, I do remember having earthquake drills in school.  Learning to stay away from the windows, and what would help protect me from the roof falling in.  Living in Utah now, my son hasn’t had drills like that in his school, some might say because of the lower risk of earthquakes.  We’ve had family lessons on how to react in the case of an earthquake, among other emergencies, but what do other people have to say about earthquakes in Utah?  What would be the general populations reaction? Continue reading “Utah Earthquake Education”

Microwaves, Faraday Cages, and EMP Protection


photo credit: t-squared

One of the related risks to a nuclear attack is an EMP blast. Rather than detonating the nuke at ground level and thus destroying infrastructure and human life, the bomb is deployed in the atmosphere, and an EMP blast results. In the former scenario you’d be dead immediately; in the latter, many would die slow deaths, widespread panic would result, and terror would take a drastic toll—all because people wouldn’t have access to their machinery and gadgets that enable them to do all of their basic, day-to-day activities.

Just think about all the things you do on a daily basis that require electricity: turn on the sink to brush your teeth; get in the car to get groceries; withdraw cash from the ATM; refrigerate your food; use the internet to follow the news; call your parents; turn on the lights at night. All of these simple, daily tasks require the electricity we enjoy in abundance today.

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Learning From the Pioneers

1844_1877_1Many know that Utah was originally settled by Mormon Pioneers, I’m a descendant of those pioneers from 8 different family lines on my Mother’s side.  The Mormon Pioneers crossed the plains from Illinois to Utah in covered wagons, handcarts and many on foot.  Many of them buried family and loved ones under a pile of rocks on their way here.  It was a harrowing experience the like of which will hopefully never be repeated.

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Flash Alert: Clearance Sale at OutNBack

Out-N-Back in Orem will be having a huge 1 day clearance sale THIS Saturday!

Doors open at 9:00 AM.

Everything in the store will be a minimum 20% off with deals up to 90% off.

Snowboards 50% to 80% off

Winter Clothing 45% to 90% off

A flyer is available online here. (EDIT: removed as their site has been compromised)

I went to this sale last year and found some REAL DEALS!  If you don’t know, Out-N-Back is an outdoor gear retailer.