Archive for the ‘Survival Supplies’ Category
The Berkey Guy Wants You to Have Preps You Can Trust In
May 24th, 2013 | 
Author: Our discussion wasn’t just an infomercial though. The Berkey Guy wants you to have preps you can trust in. Jeff’s been on my show before, but it’s been over a year and a half since he was on with me last time. It was high time to have him back.
Who is the Berkey Guy anyway?
Berkey Water Filtration Systems and other products for over 7 and a half years. On his site’s blog, they provide a lot of great information relating to Berkey Water Filtration systems and many other preparedness topics.
Jeff Gleason and his family personally use Berkey Water Filtration Systems and love using them daily. Whether you need Water Purification Systems for your Home, Office or Travel, they are here to help you. They have thousands of satisfied customers who love the Berkey Water Filtration Systems and other preparedness products. Jeff’s happy to answer any questions you have about which Berkey system you should use.
When you listen to my interview with Jeff, you’ll soon realize he’s conscientious, opinionated and, generally speaking, a straight shooter. As a family man who’s concerned about prepping for his household, he takes what he does seriously.
Jeff avoids hype and fear mongering and is a believer in scientific product testing. He’s not going to make sensational claims that can’t be supported. He wants to be in business for years to come, so he plans to keep offering you quality products to help you with your prepping.
It might interest you to know that the Berkey Guy was my first paid advertiser at DestinySurvival. He’s advertised here for nearly three years and just renewed his ad recently. I have you my esteemed reader to thank for that because you’ve clicked on the ad and bought enough products to justify Jeff’s ad expenditure here. So thank you very much.
What did we talk about?
Berkey Water Purification Systems
An excellent way to have good water is to use a water purification system, such as a Berkey system. They’ve been around for years and have proven their reliability. They come in different sizes to purify any amount from a quart to six gallons. No electricity is required because Berkeys are gravity fed. You’ll have a couple gallons of pure water in an hour or so.
Berkeys work great with sources of fresh water, including a lake or pond. But they don’t work for salty sea water. They’re not water softeners either. They’ll get rid of microbes and chemicals. However, Jeff doesn’t recommend using a Berkey on swimming pool water that’s been treated with several chemicals.
The black Berkey elements are specially designed to take out a wide variety of contaminants, including chemicals, heavy metals, bacteria, cysts and parasites. There are elements for getting rid of arsenic and fluoride as well.
Theoretically, a Berkey system might get rid of radiation particles attached to sediment, but Jeff can’t definitively say Berkeys get rid of radiation. He warns against sensationalized claims by other companies who say their products eliminate radiation. If you want to see lab testing with greater details about what Berkeys actually do, Jeff will be glad to provide you with that info.
Mountain House Foods and other Goodies
Both Mountain House and Berkey are companies who’ve been around a long time and have earned their good reputations. The Berkey Guy also offers heirloom seed packages, portable stoves for camping, the Global Sun Oven, books, and seveeral more items.
Jeff concluded our conversation with cautionary words. Preppers shouldn’t get caught up in the hype some companies pump out. He makes it a point to deal with reputable companies to offer products for your benefit.
Find Out More
My experience purchasing from Jeff’s company has been good. And what he said in our interview only reaffirms my recommendation to you that he’s someone you should buy from.
I’d love to know what you’re thinking. Have you purchased products from the Berkey Guy? Do you have a Berkey? Which one? How do you like it? Feel free to leave a comment below.
Put Your Own Storage Food in Your Survival Pantry
Food security 101, part 3: Why I love my vacuum sealer (and more)
By Rowena Aldridge
In parts one and two (Issues #138 and #139), we covered basics and homemade convenience foods. Now that you’ve become so proficient at making delicious, nutritious, and economical foods for your family, how in the world are you going to store it all? How will you keep it from losing quality and going bad?
I do this by making frequent use of my FoodSaver® vacuum sealer. It’s my BFF — best friend forever — when it comes to food storage.
Read the whole article here:
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/aldridge140.html
Excerpt used with permission of Backwoods Home Magazine.
http://www.backwoodshome.com 1-800-835-2418.
Get more info on building your survival pantry in The Prepper’s Cookbook
Which kitchen tool or gadget do you find most helpful for preparing and storing food? Leave a comment and help others build a survival pantry.
10 Must-Have Items for Your Bug-Out-Bag
Editor’s Note: There’s an abundance of info online and in books about what to include in a bug out bag. Nonetheless, people still have questions. Just the other day I saw an inquiry on Facebook about what to put in a bug out bag. With that in mind, I present the following helpful guidelines from the good people at Food Insurance. – John
Long term food storage plans help us stay prepared for self-survival after a man-made or natural disaster occurs. They’re even great during a financial crisis when you have limited funds to purchase fresh foods.
But, true emergency preparedness is also about short term survival after an evacuation. It’s during these times that you need to have an on-the-go, portable kit. Your kit needs to supply you and your family with the necessary essentials needed for 72 hours. These 3-day portable emergency kits are called Bug-Out-Bags.
Characteristics of a Good Bug-Out-Bag
- Easy-to-Tote – It must be portable, and easy to carry. Good ideas include backpacks, bags on wheels, or anything else that’s easy to tote.
- Lightweight – There’s no telling how far you may have to carry your bug-out-bag. During an evacuation, you may have to stand in lines, hike… who knows? You need your bug-out-bag to be as light as possible.
- Durable – Make sure you purchase a bug-out-bag made of high quality fabric. Who knows what type of weather and other conditions it will have to get you through? So, also make sure your straps, zippers and wheels are all in good working order.
10 Essentials Every Bug-Out-Bag Should Contain
Here are ten essential items that should be in every bug-out-bag.
- Water – Expert recommendation: one gallon of water, per person, per day. But, that is way too much weight to carry around during an evacuation. Here are some lightweight options for your emergency water supply:
- Water purifier
- Water filter straw
- Water bottle with filter
- Water pump with filter
- Non-Perishable Foods – Here are three of the most popular choices for emergency food storage:
- Canned Foods – Can eat right out of the can, but very heavy to carry around
- Dehydrated Foods – Very lightweight to tote, but require boiled water to prepare
- Freeze Dried Foods – Lightweight, convenient packaging, only need hot water to rehydrate
- First Aid Kit – To keep it lightweight, only pack the essentials:
- Antibiotics (just in case)
- Sam Splint
- Wound-closure strips
- Burn ointment
- Triple-antibiotic ointment
- OTC pain-killers
- OTC anti-inflammatory meds
- Suture kit
- Adhesive bandages
- 4. Clothing – You should have enough clean clothing for three days.
- 5. Shelter – Fly, tent, tarp, hammock with rain fly, large poncho, etc… to make emergency shelter.
- 6. Important Documents – This includes items such as copies of IDs, birth certificates, passports, important phone numbers and addresses, maps, etc…
- 7. Cash – You probably won’t be able to use your credit cards or debit cards after the crisis strikes.
- 8. Battery Operated Radio – Your radio may be your only way to stay connected with the rest of the world. Remember that cell phone services may be down.
- 9. Battery Operated Flashlight – Don’t be caught without it. The stress of being in the dark all night could actually make things even worse during a crisis.
- 10. Survival Kit – This should include:
- · Extra batteries
- · Whistle
- · Small folding knife
- · Compass
- Waterproof matches or refillable butane lighter
About the Author
This article was written by Chett Wright of FoodInsurance.com. Searching for a high quality 72-hour kit or bug-out-bag? Click here to visit Food Insurance and see their stock of emergency supplies.
Is there something you must have in your bug out bag that’s not mentioned above? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.
Posted in Survival Camping, Survival Gear, Survival Supplies | 
Tags: essential items for a bug out bag | 
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Let Pantry Paratus Help You Build Your Survival Pantry
For yesterday’s DestinySurvival Radio I interviewed Wilson to find out more about Pantry Paratus and bring them to your attention. Whether you’re new to prepping or have been at it a while, consider Pantry Paratus as a helpful resource.
What’s in a name? One of my first questions was where the name came from. We all know what a pantry is, but what about that word “paratus”? It so happens it’s latin for “ready” or “prepared”. By the way, paratus is pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable, which has the short a sound.
Who is Pantry Paratus? They’re a small family owned and operated company with a desire to see you and me think seriously about what our families are eating, where that food comes from, and how we can preserve any surplus we may have. The goal is to prepare our pantries for the lean times, whether you go through unemployment or we experience a catastrophic crash.
Wilson says customer service is important because they want you to be able to get the help you need. If you buy a pressure cooker at a big box store, that store likely won’t be able to answer your canning questions. Why not be in touch with people who can walk you through your journey?
With much knowledge lost over the generations, Pantry Paratus offers beginner kits and supplies for skills like canning, bread baking and cheese making. They also sell heirloom seeds and encourage you to grow your own food wherever you live.
What do you need to know for survival? Pantry Paratus puts their focus on four core competencies for homesteading.
- Water purification
- Bread baking
- Pressure canning
- Dehydrating
.
What about ready-made storage food? Have it in your survival pantgry, but be careful to buy food that doesn’t have GMO products in it. You don’t want to eat something in times of stress that would make you ill.
If you know how to grow or raise your own food, you’ll have an ongoing supply. You’ll also put greater value on what you produce yourself.
What about a traditional food diet? Wilson and Chaya are very careful about what their family eats. They avoid foods with long lists of ingredients no one can pronounce. They eat meat, so they’re not vegetarians. They also enjoy whole wheat bread with no worries about gluten or bad carbs.
What about special needs diets? If you’re diabetic or have other dietary concerns, the best thing is to avoid as much processed food as possible.
Find out more. Hear my interview with Wilson when you listen to DestinySurvival Radio for May 9, 2013. Check out what the company has to offer at www.pantryparatus.com.
For further reading… Two books you may find of interest are:
The Encyclopedia of Country Living, 40th Anniversary Edition
Nourishing Traditions
Your thoughts? I’d love to know what you have to say concerning what you’ve read here or what you’ve heard in my interview with Wilson. Share any comments you have with me and other readers.
Will You Be Ready to Barter When You Need To?
Let’s face it, preparing for every single situation you’ll encounter in an emergency or widespread cataclysm may be impossible. Bartering is inevitable especially when you need some things for survival. Discover more by clicking on the image below.
Almost Free Wood Burning Furnace and Hot Water Heater
Editor’s Note: Resourcefulness and creativity are admirable trates of self reliant preppers. The following article demonstrates that. It describes how you can make a wood burning furnace and hot water heater inexpensively. It comes courtesy of Drillcat.
Everyone needs and uses hot water everyday. With the high cost of electricity, propane and gas, this is getting costlier every day. Also for people with remote hunting cabins and prepper bug out retreats, people need a real, simple and easy way to have hot water.
There are hot water furnaces for sale. The problem is the cost of these starts at $7,000.00 and go to over 20k. Geting water hot is not this hard. Here below we have a simple way to get hot water. So simple it seems too simple. Get any old used gas hot water heater. The reason to use a used gas hot water heater is because it already has the smoke chimmy in the middle of it.
Remove all gas jets , etc., from the bottom of it. Then all that is needed is to add the fire box to the bottom, with a small door opening. What we used was an old truck rim for the fire box. (Dayton rim has no center.) Then we measured the top of the rim, measured the bottom of the gas water heater and cut a 1/4″ steel plate washer to fit. Then there’s just the simple step of welding the washer to the waterheater and to the fire box.
You will add some longer pipe on top to help it draw. Now by just keeping the yard clean from fallen limbs, you have hot water. If water is cold, and you start a new fire, it will have water hot enough to take a shower in 12 to 18 minutes. If you add a blower to the fire box you can have water hot in 3 to 5 minutes.
This set up means no more $42.00 propane bottles. No electricity is needed. It will work for out door camps, barns, and prepper bug out retreats. Nothing to break down. Simple. It DOES NEED TO BE OUT DOORS, and have a safe place where a fire can be used.
Places to get materials
- used gas water heater for free or almost free–junk yard. Any appliance store–they have them everyday when they sell new.
- Steel washer to fit fire box and hotwater heater–junk yard, steel supply.
- Used truck rim–junk yard, tire shop, or truck repair shop.
This set up wil make lots of free hot water. You can even insulate it and have water hotter longer. We didnt care because of free wood. No problem to light it when we needed it.
About Drillcat
Drillcat describes himself as a master well driller, water project missionary consultant, hands on drill training instructor, and author of Water Well Drilling Troubleshooting Guide. His book is normally available on Amazon.com, but was unavailable at the time of this writing.
www.Drillcat.com Was started 14 years ago by a group of volunteer’s who saw the need to help the average Joe, just the regular guy and regular family who want to pursue their dreams of self reliance. They offer free hands on drilling classes, water well drilling & troubleshooting books, and plain answers to people’s questions.
Over the years Drillcat Volunteer’s have seen many honest hard working families buying remote lots and acreages, but then they’re shocked to find out what an average water well costs. Drillcat offers them options from small used drilling rigs, to parts, plans and even rig rentals. There are many simple solutions. They try to give people options, and let them decide.
Find out more at www.drillcat.com.
Posted in Other Resources, Survival Supplies |
Tags: wood burning furnace, wood burning hot water heater |
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