Since then, I have moved, built a new home, and done even more research. While my conclusions have not changed generally, my overall plan has. For the most part, I no longer see the need for two solutions. In my mind, there is now a single, universal solution that is the most efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable.

Remember that the specific task was to identify a solution for heating one’s home. I still believe that propane is the best fuel for portability and convenience. I still have my Little Buddy heater and several backup tanks. I even plan on getting a few more tanks. This is a great solution for working in the garage, shed, or greenhouse in the winter. I don’t however, plan on using this to heat my home—even part of my home.

Being prepared isn’t something you do; it’s something you are. It should be a way of life. Those that are best prepared are those that will be able to continue their usual routine with little inconvenience or challenge.This is the reason the concept of emergency food storage makes me cringe. Freeze-dried meals with a thirty-year shelve life is better than having nothing at all and I applaud those that have at least put something like this away, but what happens when the crap hits the fan and you dig these boxes out of the dark, dusty corner they have been sitting in? How are you going to prepare it? What are you going to cook it on? What about appetite fatigue? What happens when it runs out?

The same applies to heat. What happens when you run out of fuel? What happens if your heater breaks? This happened to me. Last time I pulled my Little Buddy out, it wouldn’t light. What happens when you loose your job and simply can’t pay your utility bill? What if you could heat a few thousand square feet instead of only a few hundred? What if you could do it for less money? How would you like to wake up the morning after a night the power went out and not know it until you tried to turn a light on?

The answer is wood. The application is important though; a fireplace won’t work. The appliance you want is a wood burning stove. It’s nothing new; this is how homes have been heated for centuries. You’ll remember in my original article that I mentioned wood was a good, long-term, sustainable solution, but moved past it rather quickly. This was short-sided due to a desire to find a solution that would allow me to continue to run all my modern appliances and ignorance to the performance and cleanliness of modern stoves. I have since decided that a self-sustainable full source is more important that maintaining modern appliances. While a wood stove won’t fuel a water heater, oven, or kitchen range, it will heat my entire home and the model I’m purchasing has a step-top cook-top for radiant and convection cooking. Old wood burning stoves were inefficient, dangerous, and bad on the environment but a lot has changed in the past several years. The EPA limited smoke emissions in the late 1980′s to 7.5 grams per hour, but modern, certified stoves emit as little as 1.9 grams of particulates per hour. They even use substantially less wood.

I plan on purchasing the Liberty Stove by Lopi. It puts out 74,000 BTUs per hour and can heat up to 2,500 square feet radiantly and by means of it’s built in convection air-flow alone. I’m going to install it in my basement next to a canning kitchen. This will allow me to heat my home and use it for cooking, today, tomorrow, during the next storm, or one second after. Another thing that I am going to do as I finish my basement is install a cold-air return above the stove in the ceiling. This will allow me (at least when the power is on) to run just my furnace’s blower and distribute the heat throughout my house via the ductwork, efficiently heating the entire structure (4,000 square feet). It’s not as convenient as a gas fireplace, but without a blower, gas fireplaces are only artwork; they don’t heat. Wood stoves are a little more work, but at least they work under any condition.

I plan on documenting the construction of my chimney and installation of the stove and including that in a follow-up article this summer.

After the break you’ll find a complete unboxing and review of the 7 liter Saratoga Jacks Thermal Cooker as well as an introduction to thermal cookers and why they matter to preppers.

Unboxing

First things first, here are some pictures documenting the unboxing process.

This is what is shipped to you, a fairly plain cardboard box with the shipping label, etc. attached.

Opening the box reveals a well packaged inner box cushioned by some foam peanuts.

Here is the inner box removed. It has a handle built into the box to facilitate removing the box from the packaging. It also makes a nice storage box for the cooker later on.

Saratoga Jacks has done a nice job in branding the box.

The full logo is on the side of the box.

Once the box is opened, there is an instruction sheet with some bad English translations. We’ve been told that a new set of instructions and a recipe book will be included in any cookers purchased in time for Christmas. The cooker is cradled by an upper and lower piece of Styrofoam to protect it while in the box.

Further protecting the finish on the cooker is a plastic bag.

Finally, the cooker is revealed. What you can’t see in these pictures is a sturdy fold down handle for carrying the cooker.

With the lid open, there is an pot lid and some foldable handles in evidence.

Removing the lid reveals a small pot inside a larger pot.

The small pot has been removed.

The thermal cooker with all the internal pots and lids removed.

What is a Thermal Cooker?

So, if you are like me you are wondering what a thermal cooker is and how does this fit into being a prepper? A thermal cooker is essentially a crock pot that does not use any electricty or fuel source to cook food. Given that cryptic explanation you might be asking yourself how this works. To illustrate this, let me explain how we recently cooked a nice dinner in our cooker. You might also want to review a post Jayce did several years ago on cooking oatmeal and cereals in a Thermos.

We started off by putting some rice in the small pot with some water. Next we put some chicken, chopped vegetables, potatoes and some stock and spices into the larger pot. Both pots were put on our gas stove and brought to a hard boil. After boiling for about 4 solid minutes we pulled both pots off the stove and placed them in the thermal cooker, sealing the lid.

Six hours later we opened up the cooker and had a nice, piping hot meal from straight from the cooker. The cooker is a highly insulated container which due to its insulation efficiency loses very little heat over time. When you place a partially cooked but hot meal into the cooker then seal it, the heat is contained in the cooker and the contents continue to cook due using the thermal mass of the meal itself.

Prepper Usage

From a prepper perspective this allows for a very efficient use of fuel. Rather than simmer something on the stove for hours you can instead minimize the amount of fuel consumed by putting the pots into the thermal cooker after a few minutes of heating. Your camping stove for example would be on for 5 minutes rather than for 40 minutes. We’ve also found that this is a great way to prepare food in advance to take along with us.

If we know we will be traveling for several hours we can prepare a meal in the thermal cooker and bring it along with us. After several hours, when it is time to eat, the meal has fully cooked without the need for continuous fuel use. This also removes the worry of leaving a crock pot on during the day while you are away. I don’t like to do this as it presents a possible fire hazard. A thermal cooker eliminates this concern for my family.

I don’t have direct experience with some other competing thermal cookers, but I do know that this product is made well from quality components. There are currently two sizes available, a 5.5 liter and a 7 liter model. In order to reduce heat loss to the air, you want to be sure to use the correct sized model for your needs. A partially filled cooker will not maintain heat with the same efficiency as a full cooker due to heat loss into the air gap above a partially full cooker.

The Thermal Cooker also makes for a nice cooler. In the same way that the cooker’s insulation seals in the heat, it can be used as a cooler to keep things cold for reasonably long periods of time. This provides a secondary usage for this tool and helps us to limit uni-tasker devices in our preps.

Critiques

The 5.5 liter model will cook a meal for 3-5 people while a 7 liter will hold a meal for 6-10 people. You’ll want to use the model that fits the size of the meal you are cooking. Sometimes it isn’t convenient to cook a larger meal just to fill a cooker, and I don’t want to have to buy two cookers to handle both small and large meals. To that end I hope that Saratoga Jacks comes up with an add on to the 7 liter model perhaps consisting of an insulated sleeve and a small pot that would allow you to efficiently cook a smaller meal in the larger cooker without needing to purchase a complete cooker.

Word of Caution

One additional note that perhaps doesn’t need to be said. The thermal cooker is NOT meant to be heated directly. You heat the inner pots OUTSIDE the cooker, then place the hot pots into the cooker. The cooker has plastic components which will melt should you attempt to put the cooker over a flame or other heat source. Heat the pots, not the cooker! :)

Conclusion

Overall my wife and I have both enjoyed using this new tool. It has the potential to save us money on gas and electric bills and can reduce fuel consumption in an emergency. If you are interested in this, give them a call. If there is enough interest we may try running a group buy as well to save our readers some cash on these cookers.. Please post a comment below and we can answer any questions you might have about this review.

Several of the stoves getting setup

Last weekend several of the UtahPreppers got together with some friends to begin doing some hands on tests to start preparing for winter. Recently several of us have acquired new stoves and we wanted to give a conduct some tests to compare how well they worked. For our first meet up we wanted to test a few stoves and other devices with the group. While we learned a lot we realized that we’ve got some more comprehensive tests to run through before we can highlight each of them adequately. But before we move along with the individual tests, we wanted to thank some of the people that helped make this first stove test so much fun and informative.

Volcano Grills

In terms of stoves, Volcano Grills is nothing new to longtime readers here. We’re all big fans of this product and it keeps getting better. Mark with Volcano Grills showed us a few changes that they’ve made to the stoves to improve them and gave us a few new ideas about things to try. We’ll be reporting some of the results and showing off a few things you will want to have for your stove.

EcoZoom Rocket Stoves

The principle of a rocket stove has become quite popular recently with various build it yourself plans and kits available online. While you can make various types yourself you may want a more well-made product to depend on for long term usage. EcoZoom Stoves let us use one of theirs and we’ll be letting you know how that worked.

FireBox Folding Stove

A local newcomer, we first met the creator of the FireBox Folding Stove at the self-reliance expo in Salt Lake City. It was great to see a local with a well-made product. We knew we’d have to put this thing through some tough tests to see if it lived up to the demo.

QuickStove

Another local the QuickStove is a Stove-in-a-Can concept that seemed right up our alley. It is a self-contained kit that allows for emergency cooking and storage in your 72-hour kit

Saratoga Jacks

One town over from our test site, the Saratoga Jacks folks didn’t have far to travel. They came with their thermal cookers that we’d been researching and let us have a little hands-on time.

They also provided us with a unit to run through its paces and conduct some longer term tests. For more info see Mike’s review of Saratoga Jack’s Thermal Cookers

Eden Valley Foods

Newcomers to the food storage market, Eden Valley Foods brought over a few samples and some great information regarding various food manufacturing and storage methods as well as information on how freeze fried food are manufactured, shipped and stored.

FoodStorageMadeEasy

Along with the UtahPreppers authors that made it to our event we also had Jodi from FoodStorageMadeEasy.net, some of our best local friends. Their site is a great resource for people overwhelmed with the idea of food storage and looking on how to get an easy entry into our world.

Coming Soon:

As we get review posts about each of these products ready we’ll update this page with links. You can also follow our RSS feed to get updates when they come out.

We’ll hopefully be having more group events soon, so don’t forget to let us know (contact us, or here in the comments) if you’re interested in coming out, or if you have something you’d like to see tested!

Goal 0 has been showcasing some of their portable solar products at Northern Utah Costco locations which is how we initially found out about their company. After talking with them about their products, company goals and outlook we quickly determined that this company produces products that fill a distinct gap in most of our current prepping equipment. Goal 0 currently has three distinct product lines of solar collecting and storage products, plus a catalog of accessories that will work with whichever product line you choose.

We’ve covered solar power a bit in the past. See Connor’s excellent article here. Generally though, we’ve found that determining what you need and what components are required to support your needs can be difficult. Most emergency power solutions provide their power capacity in Amp Hours while most devices we want to power use Watts. Determining how many Amps a device uses can be tricky as you need to determine both Peak Amps and the number of Amps to just keep running. A device like a Kill A Watt can help, but again this can still require some research and math.

Goal 0 solves this by using watt hour ratings on their devices. This makes your calculations as simple as saying a 60 Watt like bulb can be powered by a 180 Watt Hour device for 3 hours. No other complicated calculations are needed. Another benefit to this is that their power ratings are real world power ratings rather than “Peak” or “Theoretical” ratings. Often times manufacturers will display a peak rating as the power output for a unit. In practice however, the sustained output is much lower so with peak ratings you can sometimes end up buying something unsuited to your actual needs. This is particularly useful on their solar panels as their listed watt outputs and charge times are based on real world experience. Many other solar panels are rated at theoretical output or output before the final glass is attached. Neither provide an indication of what you might expect in everyday usage.

One consideration with Goal 0’s products that needs to be mentioned is that they are not generally meant to be whole home or large appliance power backups. Rather, they are meant to do things like provide emergency lighting, power laptops, cell phones, portable DVD players and other smaller but often essential electronic devices. Their current product offerings wont keep your freezer running, but they will allow you to see in the dark and use those electronic devices we have all become addicted to.

One of the key benefits to the Goal 0 products is that they are entirely Plug and Play. Everything “just works” since the components are designed with the system in mind. With other products I’ve found that determining what product to purchase to complete the system or how to attach it to the system has taken some research. Goal 0 has solved this issue. Each of their product lines provides power in the following formats: USB, 12 volt and 110/220 volt AC via inverter for powering plug in devices.

While all Goal 0 products are generally interchangeable with other Goal 0 products, there are some exceptions. Here is a quick summary of the three basic product lines that Goal 0 offers.

Elite

These are all in one light weight backpackable power sources that use lithium ion batteries for power. Per the Goal 0 web site, these are some of the uses: Day Use, Backpacking, Camping, Outdoor Outings, Hunting & Fishing, Photography, Expeditions, Extreme Activities

The power packs come in 50 watt hour and 120 watt hour portable power packs. Foldable flexible solar panels in 7 watt, 13.5 and 27 watts and a new product is a 4 AA or AAA battery pack that can be charged from a solar panel or one of the Sherpa power packs. Plus, the charger can be used to power a 12 volt or USB device using the AA or AAA batteries in it. AC power can be provided by a Elite specific add on inverter.

Escape

The Escape products are centered around an cylindrical power pack that provides 150 watt hours of power using a more traditional non LiOn battery. Hence, it is much heavier than the Elite kits. It features built in 12 volt, USB and AC outputs which provides for a one stop power source. For emergency purposes, this unit is typically meant to remain plugged into the wall where the charge controller keeps the battery at top performance. Should a power outage occur power is instantly available via the energy stored in the unit’s batter.
Per the Goal 0 web site, these are some of the uses: Day Use, Emergency Preparedness, Beach, Family Camping, Outdoor Outings

This range offers two different solar panel options, a 15 watt hard panel and a 30 watt foldable briefcase panel with built in stand.

Extreme

The Extreme range is built around large (and heavy) 350 watt hour battery packs that include Anderson Power Pole connectors which make them particularly handy for HAM radio power and for other devices that use these connections. The inverter for this system provides the USB, 12 volt and AC power outputs in this range. Per the Goal 0 web site, these are some of the uses: Emergency Preparedness, Cabin, RV, Photography, Expeditions, Hunting & Fishing, Base Camp, Field Hospital

The recommended solar panels for this series is a 30 watt solar panel.

**Note however that any Goal 0 solar panel can be used with any Goal 0 power pack. These seem to be only recommended panels based on the expected use for the unit. There is no reason you couldn’t use a foldable panel from the Elite range with a power pack from the Escape or Extreme range.

Accessories

The two main accessories I want to mention are the 12 volt Light-a-Life lights and the Estrella lights. Both are highly efficient 3 watt lights that put out an impressive amount of light and simply plug into the 12 volt output on any of the power units. Each light is also daisy chainable, meaning you can plug one light into the power source and then subsequent lights into the preceding light. Each light also features an independent power switch. This means you can turn off one light while the other lights remain on. This is a very nice feature as many other products are either all or nothing, or turning off one light means that all the other lights “downstream” from the power will also turn off. With this solution you have light where and when you need it.

The Light-a-Life lights are made to more or less replace a 45 watt light bulb. Each unit has a large number of white LED bulbs surrounded by a protective white plastic shroud that also serves to diffuse and distribute the light. An innovative sliding clip is attached to the power cord which allows you to hang each light and position it where you need it.

The Estrella light is also 3 watts, but uses a CREE LED bulb to produce a very powerful beam of light like a small spotlight. While the Light-a-Life lights are great for providing general lighting, around a camp for example, the Estrella would be perfect for areas where you need more direct light such as over a table or work area. These lights feature a flexible power cord that is meant to be used to help position the light and keep it in that position to put the light exactly where you want it. In practice however, I found that the light was heavier than the cord could support so it tended to droop.

We’ll use subsequent posts to allow our authors to describe what Goal 0 systems they purchased, why and what they think of them so far. As most of us purchased our systems before the New Year, we’ve had some time to use and get acquainted with both the good and the bad in each system.

I’ve contacted the Volcano Grills company and they have agreed to a group buy on the Volcano Collapsible Propane regularly $149.95 with 20 orders we can each receive a 20% discount on this amazing product. The group price will be $120.15. The deadline for this buy is April 15th (See details below). This is a great product; see the review post to make sure it’s something you want. Some of the stove’s highlights: it uses three types of fuel – propane, charcoal or wood. It is built to work with a regular 12″ dutch oven and collapses to 5″ for easy storage. The stove is also very efficient, it only needs 12 briquettes to cook one meal.

Now a bit of the background story on me and the stove. I’ve been gathering the necessary preparations for my own family and my thoughts have turned to cooking stoves and fuel. After doing a bit of research on this website I found Connor’s review of the Volcano Stove. After reading that I’m now fully convinced of the design and efficiency of this product and must have it.

I made several calls to a few local retailers and found the product to be out of stock nearly everywhere. Following Connor’s example, I decided to call Volcano Grill company and they are very friendly and willing to offer a group buy discount. The people at Volcano Grill tell me the recent popularity of this item has caused shortages everywhere. Most places are backordered 6 weeks and the places like Costco may not receive delivery even as late as this fall. I’m excited to receive a discount and share this with as many as possible.

So thank you Volcano Grill and Connor for helping out. Here are the details on the group buy.

• Product: Volcano Collapsible Propane Grill aka Volcano II
• Discount Price: $120.15, 20% off regular price with minimum of 20 paid orders
• Deadline: April 15th at 5pm
• How to Order: Send me an email at jon@jrbond.com with: full name, email address, phone number, and quantity desired. Once we have at least 20 stoves committed for purchase, I will then give you instructions on how/where to call in and place the order directly with the company.
• Order will be ready 2nd week in May
• Delivery Option: Pickup/Delivery Option: 1) Pickup your own order from the Springville office (preferred) 2) $12 shipping for northern Utah delivery

Please spread the word to your community and groups. Ask any questions below in the comments section. Thanks.

For several months I’ve been exploring different options for generating electricity in a TEOTWAWKI scenario. My initial search revolved mainly around gasoline generators, and I decided that I would get a Honda EU2000i. This is a great unit that can also be converted to accept not only gasoline, but propane and natural gas as well. This makes it a versatile unit worth considering if you have a source for any of these three fuels.

However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was not a good option for my needs. I ultimately decided not to buy the generator for a couple reasons. First, generators are loud. If you are in a crap-hit-the-fan scenario and are using your generator, then you are likely the only one in the area making that much noise. You will stand out and attract unwanted attention very easily. Second, the usefulness of this generator is directly dependent upon the source fuel. When your supply runs out, then the generator becomes a heavy paperweight. You could barter for additional fuel, sure—but in a dire emergency, the general supply of oil-based fuels will likely quickly deplete. Prompted by Wade’s post, I had been considering acquiring a propane tank for long-term emergency use. But even still, the usefulness of this item has a hard limit that acts as a barrier for utility.

Other options

For these reasons, I decided to divert my attention elsewhere. I briefly explored wind generators of various types, but ultimately felt that these weren’t a good option. Most of them are very bulky units made primarily to be affixed to your home or other unit (RV, boat, etc.). So, I began to look into solar power. I was lucky to have access to an acquaintance that answered all of my questions, and helped me determine what would be best for me. Along the way, I discovered a few important items that deserve consideration:

• We are very spoiled living on the grid. To produce the amount of electricity we consume on a daily basis would, if using alternative energy sources, require a significant investment.
• Many system solutions do not lend themselves to both integration in your home and portability. Meaning, you either set up solar panels (or a wind generator, or a propane tank, etc.) to feed directly into your home grid, or you instead build a portable system that will not be integrated. A “hybrid” system is possible, though not common. (Who wants to go up onto their roof every time they have to unmount a solar panel to take camping?)
• A modest investment in solar technology will not produce anywhere near the amount of electricity we regularly use. Thus, a smaller system would likely not be a wise option for integrating into your home, since it would not have much of an impact at all, and thus would not be worth spending the money on integrating.

My system

My decision was to get a portable system that would lend itself to bugging out, camping, or going mobile for whatever reason. Likewise, I could simply leave it in the backyard to be used at home as well. Here are the details on my configuration (recommended and built by an acquaintance of mine here in Utah valley; if interested, he can help you get a system you like as well):

Batteries

Obviously, the first need for any system is one or more batteries to store your generated electricity. The first battery in my system, and the base of the entire unit, is the Xantrex 1500
. This is a solid, durable package that contains a battery (well, three 17-amp batteries connected together in parallel) and inverter. Here’s part of the product description:

The XPower Powerpack 1500 is a portable power system that produces household electricity for products rated at 1500 watts or less. A clean and quiet alternative to a generator, the XPower Powerpack integrates a 60 Amp/hour AGM battery with a 1500-watt inverter and produces a 3000-watt surge. This system is built to run a range of appliances such as a standard size refrigerator and microwave oven, and office equipment such as a computer, monitor, and fax machine.

The XPower Powerpack 1500 consists of a battery pack that stores electrical energy, state-of-the-art electronics that convert 12 volts from the battery pack to household power, an AC power panel that contains two standard outlets, and a DC power panel that is used to run 12 volt products. These components are packaged into a rugged “cart” with a removable waist handle that allows XPower Powerpack 1500 to be wheeled from room-to-room or outdoors over rough terrain.

Xantrex battery (bottom unit) with cart attachment

For those who don’t know, AC outlets are the standard, three-prong type found in your home. An example of a DC outlet is your car cigarette lighter. So the unit comes with two AC outlets, and one DC outlet. Without needing any solar panels, you could simply plug this battery system into your home AC outlet and leave it connected—the trickle charger will ensure that the battery remains full at all times. If you needed to bug out, you could then grab the battery and go. However, once the battery runs out, and without a way to generate more juice, you’re out of luck. But for your basic weekend excursions where you need to charge camera batteries or power a lantern, it is a great option.

Xantrex AC outlets

Xantrex DC outlet

Note that the batteries in the Xantrex are AGM cells, so they don’t have the out-gassing problems that a wet car-type lead acid battery would have. This means that they can be safely kept inside your living area just fine, whether that’s a tent or a house.

In addition to the Xantrex, I got another battery to be able to store more juice. This one is a 55 Amp/hour AGM battery, which simply sits on top of the Xantrex unit and connects in parallel.

Second battery stored in battery box

An important lesson I’ve learned regarding lead acid batteries: in order to extend their life as long as possible, it is important that they not be depleted more than half their full capacity. If the batteries are used to their full capacity, the lead plates start to get eaten away, thereby reducing the lifespan of the battery itself. In some situations it might be necessary for you to use everything the battery can give, but where possible, it’s best to take care of your battery (by using it as sparingly as possible) so it can continue to take care of you.

Solar panels

Solar panels have dropped in price recently, so now is a good time to buy if you’re in the market for one (or more). I ended up purchasing two 64-watt US64 solar panels. These panels have no glass (unlike most) and are thus quite durable, have a “triple-junction” technology that allows for greater efficiency in generating electricity, and are connected in such a way (unlike many panels, oddly enough) such that if one cell group is shaded or blocked somehow, the rest of the cells are unaffected and continue to perform. Here’s a description:

The “triple-junction” technology used in the US64 uses three layers of semiconductor material so that the junctions are stacked on top of each other. The bottom cell absorbs the red light, the middle cell absorbs the green light and the top cell absorbs the blue light. This spectrum splitting capability is the key to higher efficiency in a smaller panel.

Under higher operating temperatures, solar panel performance changes. This depends on temperature, solar spectrum (light color) and related effects. The US-64 is less affected by temperature than monocrystalline or polycrystalline solar technologies. The result is up to 20% more delivered energy. The size will be slightly larger than a competitive panel of the same wattage but performance is much better in foggy or partially shaded conditions.

Eleven cells are connected in series to produce the required voltage for 12 volt battery charging. The cell assembly is laminated (sealed) in flexible and durable weather resistant polymers that provide long life and high reliability.

Two US64 solar panels attached to batteries

Another option I had previous considered was the Sunforce 60-Watt Solar panel assembly
. However, after reading reviews and upon the recommendation of my acquaintance, I decided that this (fairly popular) system would not be good for a few reasons: the panels are glass-covered and thus breakable; the panels only have a five year warranty (as opposed to the 20-year guarantee many other panels have); the included charge controller and electronics are not very weather-proof; and the panel’s chemistry is amorphous, which is often prone to breaking down after a number of years of continuous use.

So, US64 it was. Each of these (US64) 64-watt panels generates a maximum of 3.9 amps. With the two of them hooked together (128 watts, 7.8 amps), the system needs a charge controller to handle the higher load.

Charge controller

To handle the 7.8 amps (maximum) produced by my two panels, I got a Morningstar SS10 charge controller.

Charge controller attached to Xantrex cart

A charge controller is similar to the voltage regulator in your car. It regulates the voltage and current coming from the solar panels going into the battery. 12 volt solar panels can sometimes put out more than just 12 volts, so if there is no regulation the batteries will be damaged from overcharging.

If I were to add another 64-watt panel, then I would need a larger charge controller to handle the extra load, since my three 3.9 (max) amp panels would be putting out a maximum of 11.7 amps—more than the 10 amp controller would be able to handle.

Meter

Being the OC person that I am, I want to know that this system is working properly and efficiently. To that end, I also decided to purchase a Doc Wattson meter so that I can quickly see how well the system is doing both in terms of juice going from the panels to the battery, as well as how full the battery actually is.

Meter attached to measure generated electricity from panels

Cost

So, the obvious question for those still interested at this point is: “what did this system cost?” For the parts listed above, wires, connectors, and labor for this acquaintance of mine to build it all for me, the total came out to $1425. Here’s the breakdown:

• $400 – Xantrex 1500
• $150 – external 55 amp/hour AGM battery w/ cables
• $710 – Two US64 panels, wired and connected
• $65 – Morningstar SS10 charge controller
• $50 – cables/connectors
• $50 – labor

What’s it good for?

In order to know what you’ll be able to use on a similar system (or any system for that matter), it’s important to make a list of what items you’d be wanting to use (wheat grinder, portable heater, lights, refrigerator, well pump, battery charger, etc…) in a TEOTWAWKI scenario, and then measure how much power each device uses. The best method for obtaining this information is to purchase a Kill A Watt
. Using this compiled information, you would then have a much better idea of how many batteries and panels you would need to accommodate your electricity requirements.

My current setup is to be considered very minimal. Going to the halfway point for my batteries would give me around 50 amp/hours of juice. Running at 12 volts, this yields 600 watt/hours. So, on a single (halfway) battery charge, I could run a 100 watt light bulb for six hours, a 200 watt fan for three hours, or a 1200 watt space heater for half an hour. Here’s a calculator for making similar calculations. You can see how this system is optimal for light, intermittent use—any greater load requirements would necessitate a much larger system capacity. Also note that these calculations are not entirely accurate, because they do not take into account the loss of current through inversion (converting DC to AC). Also, the discharge of a battery is non-linear, so heavier loads will drain the battery’s amps much faster than a lighter and longer load would.

Conclusion

The thing I like about this system is that it’s rugged (solid battery pack cart system, no glass in panels) and portable. I don’t plan to use it very often, but I have it set aside for when I go car camping and if I were to ever need to bug out somewhere. I must admit, the geek in me gets a thrill out of watching the meter indicate that I’m using sunlight to power my gadgetry. Solar power FTW!

Clothing

This is another highly personal selection category.  The main thing to consider is that you have NO idea what type of situation you’re preparing for.  I suggest packing two separate crates for clothing.  The first should be  regular/warm weather clothes with the second containing winter clothes.  This way you won’t have to carry or dig through all the winter clothes unnecessarily.

Consider that during an evacuation you will likely be outside a lot, be doing much manual labor, could be schlepping through the woods, and may be doing industrial type cleanup.  You will want to have good sturdy clothes with you!  Also consider and prepare for different inclement weather.  It could be rainy, windy, sweltering hot, or freezing cold.

Also take your footwear into serious consideration.  You’ll need sturdy boots for clean-up and hiking and tennis shoes for around camp to give your feet a break from the boots.  You’ll also want to make sure you can keep your feet dry as much as possible.  I never met a camper who thought they had too many socks!

Cleaning Clothes

You’ll also want to make sure you have a method for washing out your clothes – especially if you end up outside a lot or doing disaster clean-up.  This is another area that you’ll want to pay careful attention to and make sure you Know Before You Go how to wash your clothes!  There are several techniques for doing this including using a scrub/washboard for cleaning hard dirt/stains, a plunger washer (plunger, 5 gallon bucket, water, laundry soap) for cleaning/rinsing and a clothes line and clothes pins for drying.

Bug Out and EDC Clothes

In a bug out situation, you can’t assume that you will have suitable clothes on when you bug out.  You should have at least 2, preferably more, changes of clothes in your BOB.  You’ll want to add and remove winter clothing considerations as the seasons change.  Gloves are always a critical component of a good BOB.

For EDC consideration, many serious preppers wouldn’t be caught wearing clothes that weren’t suitable for survival.  I personally only wear cargo or BDU style pants (in nice business dress colors), shirts which can conceal a firearm, sturdy boots and carry gloves and a beanie in my EDC bag.  Serious preppers are Ready for Anything Day in and Day out.  If this isn’t describing you, you may want to consider whether your accustomed daily attire is very fitting for an emergency situation and assess whether you want/need to make any changes.

Fuel

There are many, many techniques and tools for starting and maintaining fire – and to survive you MUST have this ability for heating yourself, cooking food and generating light.  I have been working on a post that covers many areas of fire starting, look for it soon.  Here, we will just briefly touch on several ways to start fire (create a flame) that you may include in your evacuation kit – remember, redundancy is your friend:

• BlastMatch
  or similar magnesium/flint combination
• Matches (waterproof)
• Lighter
• Magnifying Glass
• Steel Wool/9 volt battery

The type of fuel you pack in your Evacuation Kit will depend on what type of stove you have.  Make sure that you pack enough fuel to cook and heat for several days.  You may also be using battery powered light sources – if so you may consider stocking rechargeable batteries, a solar battery charger and solar panels.  We’ll have a post soon on this particular topic as well.

Fuel and EDC/BOB

Whereas in your Evacuation Kit you can pack a lot of fuel, your BOB and EDC kits will have much less to none.  For your Bug Out Bag, I suggest getting a compact backpacking stove and keeping the stove and one can of fuel in your BOB.  I also keep a Blast Match (pictured above), 2 lighters, matches and a flint/steel set in my BOB.

For EDC, I keep a BlastMatch and a lighter in my EDC Bag.  If you’re on the run with only your EDC and you need to cook or need heat, a fire is probably your best bet.  It would be wise to obtain the training and experience needed to be able to survive with just a fire.

Food Prep/Eating/Cleanup

I strongly recommend that you buy or build a good Chuck Box to keep all of your camping kitchen supplies in.  I will be following this series up with a full pictorial post and plans on how to build your own Chuck Box.  Not only does it serve to hold all your kitchen gear for your Evac Kit, but it helps keep it clean, organized and accessible.  Camping kitchen gear is famous for being lost, filthy or broken.

From experience, I suggest you pack more silverware and dishes than you think you need (not just one per person).  Make sure that you have a wash and a rinse basin along with sponges, a scouring pad and dish soap.   For you Evac Kit I would pack everything on our Master List for the kitchen.

BOB/EDC Food Preps

In your BOB you’ll want to pack a compact cooking set – the most important things are a pan to boil water in and a frying type pan.  With those two pans you can cook almost anything over a fire.  A wide metal plate, deep metal bowl, a metal mug and a spork type utensil are, in my experience, the best personal outdoor eating gear.  Mostly because they don’t take up much room, you can pack stuff inside them easily and when using them, you can put them over the fire to heat or boil their contents.  I keep a scouring pad with them as well for quick and easy cleaning.

For EDC, a spork and the previously mentioned Hydration Bladder and Straw Filter along with the assumed Pocket Knife will allow you to eat (it may not be the most convienent way to eat, but it’s convienent to carry).  Survival and Foraging skills will help you learn good methods for eathing without containers.

Books

The list has only a few books listed.  A proper emergency and survival book list would have to be it’s own never-ending list.  I’ve attempted to put some examples of categories of books that you might find useful in your Evacuation Kit, you’ll need to choose your favorites that you’ll want as both a reference and as reading material to pass potentially boring time.

I will say however that, if you’re religious, having your scriptures with you can help calm things and provide you with fine reading while you wait out the emergency.  I personally carry a very small set of scriptures in my EDC bag.

Personal Items

Some quick comments about this category:

• Toilet paper is something you really don’t want to be without.  Pack what you think you’re going to need, then add a roll or two.  Keep a roll in your BOB and at least some in your EDC.
• Tampons have their obvious uses, but they also make a great blood absorber.  If you’re in a situation where there’s a heavily bleeding wound, you can stuff a tampon in there to clot it off.
• Extra Glasses – if you missed it, here’s our post about getting quality, inexpensive glasses online.
• Contacts – if you wear contacts and if you don’t have a spare pair in your kit, make sure you put a spare contact case and some saline in there.  Chances are you’ll be wearing them when you bug out and will need to take them out.
• Hand Sanitizer – here’s our post on how to make your own hand sanitizer

Most of these items I keep in both my Evacuation Kit and my BOB, but other than TP, contact supplies, hand sanitizer and glasses, I don’t keep any of them in my EDC.

Basic Tool Kit

The tools listed will allow you to accomplish most of the common types of jobs you might run into in an evacuation.  I suggest putting together a toolbox that is specifically for your Evac Kit and loading it with tools NOT from your workbench, hopefully they’ll still be in there when it’s time to go.  Anything on the tool list that you feel you should take but don’t have doubles of, add to your “Don’t Forget List” and grab them on your way out. If you have a BOV, you can pre-load it with the hand tools like shovel and pick.

There are a few things on this list that make sense in a BOB and possibly in your EDC kit  – duct tape, Multitool, Hatchet, crow bar, wire cutters and a saw.  There may be others that make sense to you.  I keep duct tape in my EDC kit as well as a small crow bar.  I also have several of these tools in my Vehicle Kit.

Defense/Hunting

You may want some/none/all of the items in this category depending on your comfort levels and personal beliefs.  In an extended evacuation scenario, it may become necessary for you to provide food for you family by hunting.  It may also become necessary (witness New Orleans) to defend yourself from those who mean you harm.

Firearms

You’ll notice that the list includes all types of firearms: Rifles, shotguns and pistols.  If you don’t know much about guns but would like an introduction to what types of firearms you might need for different scenarios, you can read this Introduction to Firearms that I wrote a while ago.  Although you probably know what you’ll want to take (if you’re a gun owner), you may consider putting together a “Don’t Forget List” for firearms.  Be sure to grab as many magazines and ammunition as you feel you need and don’t forget your gun cleaning kit.

If you are inclined to prepare for a possible defensive situation, the other defensive items on this list will be useful for you.  I personally include my Battle Vest as part of my 72 Hour Kit and have it pre-packed so I can grab it on the run.

Click here for our next segment continuing the category review.  If you have anything to add about these categories, please do so in the comments!

In this post we’ll be discussing the items in the different categories on the Master List. If you haven’t seen the list yet, you can access it here.

As we go through these categories, keep in mind that your 72 hour kit will be more like packing for an extended hiking trip whereas your Evacuation Kit will be more like packing for an extended camping trip. Also keep in mind that redundancy and the ability to shed your larger kits and still be able to survive with your smaller kits is critically important. You may find yourself in a scenario where you have bugged out with your Evacuation Kit, but for whatever reason you have to ditch most of it and go on foot. Your G.O.O.D bag had better be able to support you while your on foot. Potentially, you could have to drop supplies all the way down to your EDC and be able to survive off the items in your pockets. Redundancy across your kits is paramount.

Pre-Planning

This is a topic we’ll cover in more detail in a later post, but it’s important to start off your evacuation planning by considering several scenarios – what you take with you is only one of the considerations!

Bug Out Vehicles

The first thing to know is, what vehicle(s) will you be evacuating in?  Your Bug Out Vehicle (BOV) is going to be a critical part of your successful evacuation since it’s what will get you there!  We’ll have an in depth post on this later in the series but you need to consider comfort for all those riding, gear storage, fuel capacity, reliability and so on.  If you are able, it’s a great idea to have a vehicle that you can hitch a trailer (camping or regular) to (or an RV).  This way you can pre-pack your gear into the trailer so everything is ready to go at a moments notice.  If you don’t currently have an adequate BOV, you may consider starting to save up for one and looking for good deals.

Timing

Getting out ahead of the crowds is an important part of evacuating.  You do NOT want to be in the situation pictured at the top of this post!  By planning ahead, pre-packing, pre-staging your gear in your trailer, etc. you can get a huge jump on the un-prepared masses and Get Out of Dodge before the traffic jams start.  Meet with your family, plan rally points, make sure everyone knows what will happen in an evacuation.

Bug Out Location (BOL)

Where are you going to go?  You might head to a friends place out of town or state.  You may head for the mountains.  Where you go is going to depend on lots of factors including what the emergency is that made you bug out.  Plan ahead and know where you can go.  Many preppers buy small (or large) parcels of land away from civilization and turn it into a retreat.  This may or may not mean building a cabin, building a storage facility, etc.  But having a retreat provides you with a location to get to and a place where you can pre-position some of your supplies.

You may end up going to a town just outside the danger zone and stay in a hotel or campsite there.  If you’re doing this, plan on having ways to look up phone numbers etc. so you can call ahead and find vacancies to reserve.  Of course, right outside the danger zone will probably be cramped and crazy.  You may want to head another 30 miles or so out.  With this plan, many preppers will pre-stage supplies in small storage units or at friends houses along the way.

Route Planning

Once you know where you’re going to go and you know your family rally points, plan out how to get there.  Consider typical traffic, where traffic jams may occur in an evacuation, types of roads, etc.  The best plan will avoid the masses as much as possible.  Try to figure out a route using uncommon roads to get out of town and hit the highway quickly.  If you can’t avoid high traffic areas, plan multiple optional routes to work around traffic so you can pick an alternate based on the situation.

Comfort

We’ll talk about entertainment later, but consider the comfort of the passengers in your BOV.  You don’t want kids packed unsafely in between storage crates in the back seat.  You’ll want to have games and books for the kids, some snacks, water, etc.  Consider how long a drive it is to your BOL and plan a trip kit accordingly.  Then be prepared for the 2,806 “Are we there yet?”.   You’ll want to keep them from getting bored but also from getting scared.  Also consider weather – if it’s hot you’ll want extra water, if it’s cold you’ll want extra blankets.  You’ll want to avoid wasting gas idling in a traffic jam just to run the heater/AC.

The List

Keep in mind (or re-read the second post in this series) that the purpose of this list is to make sure you’ve considered everything. You should be paring down the list to what you personally feel you need to have. And so, on to the Category review.

Food

The majority of the food types listed are dry, high in energy types of food.  Most of them are lightweight and will keep for extended periods of time.  Note that many of them require water to be added to them – you should keep this in mind when you are deciding your water requirements.  There is a variety of foods listed, these are suggested possibilities.  You should build a list of the foods you want to take with you and stock on those (don’t feel like you need to get each item on the list).

Your Evacuation Food Crate

The Canned foods on the list, which include the liquid foods like honey, should be stored in a box or crate (labeled ‘Food’) and made ready to go.  These are the heavier foods and you won’t want to carry them around in a BOB.  The fragile foods like crackers should also be stored in your food crate along with whatever amounts and types of other foods you feel you need to evacuate with.   Keep in mind that your Evac Kit is your top comfort level, you’re keeping stuff to make several meals on the road – you don’t have to be over-limiting in what you’re willing to pack.

Bug Out Bag Food Packet

The food you store in your BOB should be the highest in energy/protien that you can get.  You’ll want enough to have a few meals with and also several snacks.  Gum and Hard Tack candies are great for you BOB.  I personally keep several packets of Ramen Noodles and oatmeal in my BOB for meals along with a few MREs.  While your BOB will sustain you for a couple days, you’re likely going to need to supplement your food supply with hunting and foraging.   Make sure you have the skills and tools to do so.

EDC Food

In your EDC Kit, you should have high energy foods that you can eat on the run.  I recommend bouillon cubes for their high protein value along with some jerky and a protein bar or two.  A pack of gum and a few pieces of hard tack candy are nice as well.   If you are required to live off of your EDC Kit, you should have or develop foraging and hunting skills as well – you won’t be able to keep enough food to last you long.  Your EDC Kit should include any tools or items you will need for foraging and hunting.

If you’re planning to take a pet with you if you have to evacuate, don’t forget to store some food for several days for them as well!

Water

You won’t last long at all if you haven’t planned for water. Water preparation is one of the most important things in your Evacuation plans!  If you’re going to overkill anywhere, this is the category to do it in!

We’ve covered water preparedness at home, but for Evacuation it’s a bit of a different thing.  Depending on how many people you’re going to be supporting, I personally would start off with a couple 5-7  gallon jugs full of water that can be thrown in a trailer or truck during your evacuation loading.  You can store these full or empty – if you store them full be sure to rotate the water every 6 months (follow other guidelines for safe water storage as well).  The key here is to have something prepared so that in an evacuation you can grab your water and go.

You’ll also need to make sure you have ways of carrying water as you work down through the BOB and EDC Levels.  Water bottles, canteens and hydration bladders work well in your BOB.  It is also a good idea to keep several store bought bottled water bottles in your Vehicle Kit, Office Kit and Bug Out Bag.  An empty hydration bladder is very compact, I suggest keeping one rolled up in your EDC Kit as well.

Water Filters

There are lots of different water filters available and I would strongly recommend you have several of them in your preps.  I suggest keeping a really good and decent sized one in your Evacuation Food Kit so that when you’re throwing everything in the trailer you’ll know you have it. With this filter, keep in mind that the purpose of it is to refill those 5 gallon jugs – so make sure it’s easy and fast to use!

You also need to make sure you have a separate water filter in your Bug Out Bag.  The purpose of this water filter is to allow you to fill a container and take the container with you.  There are some great bottle filtration systems that allow you to fill your water bottle and it is filtered as you drink it.  I carry two of these in my personal BOB.

You’ll also want to keep a Straw Filter in your EDC gear.  These filters are ultra compact and let you drink from almost any water source.  The one pictured can also adapt to a hydration bladder.  If you’re on the move with only your EDC you’ve got to be able to consume water safely!

If you’re using a hydration bladder, there are inline filtration systems you can get that allow you to fill them from almost any source and filter them at consumption time.  (If you’re doing this, make sure you know which bladders have had unfiltered water in them and don’t use them for clean water!)

Hydration bladders can be stored/used independently or incorporated into day packs or backpacks where the drinking tube allows you to use them without removing them.  This makes them ideal for almost any of your Kits.

Fuel (Automotive)

If there is cause for evacuation, history has shown us repeatedly that fuel almost instantly become a rare commodity.  If you’re not already, become accustomed to keeping your vehicle, especially your Bug Out Vehicle (BOV), full of gas as frequently as possible.  Consider your half tank marker to be your empty marker and fill it back up!

If you have a 20 gallon tank on your car, store six 5 gallon cans full of gas at home.  This gives you 10 gallons to top off your tank with when you bug out (preferably you’ll be ahead of the game and be able to do this at the gas station and take that 10 gallons with you) and allows you to take a full tank of gas with you.  If you’re able to, consider storing even more cans of gas at home.  A good way to store this away from your house is to dig a trench at the back of your property, put the cans in it and cover the trench with plywood (to hide it, throw a little dirt over the plywood and incorporate a flower garden around it).  Be sure to use Sta-Bil to keep your gas from going bad.  We’ll have a post going into this in depth shortly.

Be sure you have a plan for carrying your gas with you in your BOV so that when you evacuate you’re able to grab the gas cans and go.  There are external carrying systems you can get for your vehicle, or you can just stow them in a trailer or the back of a truck.  Planning to store gas inside the vehicle you’re driving is a bad idea as there is a good chance that fumes can accumulate in the car making everyone sick.

It’s also a good idea to keep a siphon system or just a length of hose in your evacuation kit (and your Vehicle Kit).  In a pinch you may need to get fuel out of a different vehicle and into your BOV.

Shelter/Bedding

Your Bug Out Vehicle (BOV) might be an RV, Camp or other Trailer that you can sleep in – or it may be a little car that the last thing you’d never want to sleep in (a later post in this series will discuss BOVs). Either way, it is a very good idea to have a large tent that will comfortably house your family and much of your gear for several days in your Evacuation Kit.  You’ll also want to have a box or crate pre-packed with bedding (blankets, sleeping bags, pillows, etc) so you can just grab it and go.  Be sure to include tarps, ropes, tent stakes, etc in your Evac Kit.  Your shelter is a critical part of successful evacuation,  spend a bit of time and effort making sure it is all there and packed properly.

Bug Out Bag Shelters

Assuming you don’t have your Evac Kit shelter with you, your BOB should contain a backpacking tent and sleeping bag or, if you plan to rough it a bit, a tarp can serve just fine as a shelter.  If you’re using a tarp for a shelter, make sure you practice building different types of shelters with it – bugged out is not the time to learn!

For EDC, it’s a good idea to carry an Emergency (or Space) Blanket with you.  They are extremely compact and will give you something to wrap up in during the night.  It is a good idea to also learn survival skills that will allow you to create a shelter while on the run, and then carry the tools with you to do so.

In our next segment, we continue working through the categories in our master list.  If you have anything to add about these categories, please do so in the comments!