46871

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

“Crisis Preparedness Handbook” by Spigarelli (ISBN 0-936438-07-0) arrived the other day. Thus far, its not bad. It isnt as broad and vague as many books but its nowhere near as detailed as, say, “Making The Best Of Basics”. Still and all, it seems a good book and one that I dont think I'll regret purchasing. About half the book is devoted to food storage and preperation which is good since too many books try to be too many things within the narrow confines of their covers…some (Passport To Survival, for example) try to get in a chapter on *everything* and wind up giving short shrift to other topics.
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The shelving project in the bunker continues. I got all the MRE's and freeze drieds in one place and that was a big plus. I need to make a rack to hold the 5-gallon buckets, though. I dont really care to just stack them on top of each other and I certainly want them off the floor. Simple frame made out of 2×4's oughtta do the trick. Also need to make one for the various water containers as well.
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One project I would very much like to do this year is to set up a solar panel on the bay window roof, run it to a charge controller in the basement and have a couple of batteries constantly being tricklecharged/topped off. Given my lack of knowledge on the subject im going to have to do a good bit of research and see what I can come up with. My biggest concern is that I want to use batteries that wont give off any gas when being charged. Thats limiting me to, I think, gel-type batteries. As I said, I need to do some more research. I want to have enough power to run a simple and small LED array of lights and power a two-way radio. Thats it. I was thinking something in the 75-100ah range. Research is called for.
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Its hard to believe but I am one gun away from completing my ideal battery of guns. I need to pick up a Ruger MkII at some point to fill in the '.22 pistol' niche and I can then pick up the redundant spares at my leisure. There are , however, a few guns I'd like to have but that are not critical…a Vaquero .44, a Beretta 21A in .22, a bolt action .223 and maybe a nice Marlin .22. But right now Id be very well served with the current inventory of thundertoys. Still need more ammo though.
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I see on the news that California motorists got stranded and had to sit in their cars for as longas 12 hours the other day. 12 hours? Bah. Talk to me when youve spent three days or so. I think right now theres at least that many days worth of gear in the vehicle right now. Getting stuck on a snowy road in the middle of nowhere would almost be a vacation given the sleeping bags, candle lantern, MRE's, etc, etc. that are packed away. Of course, being California Im sure none of these people had any gear with them for a prolonged stay.

“Crisis Preparedness Handbook” by Spigarelli (ISBN 0-936438-07-0) arrived the other day. Thus far, its not bad. It isnt as broad and vague as many books but its nowhere near as detailed as, say, “Making The Best Of Basics”. Still and all, it seems a good book and one that I dont think I’ll regret purchasing. About half the book is devoted to food storage and preperation which is good since too many books try to be too many things within the narrow confines of their covers…some (Passport To Survival, for example) try to get in a chapter on *everything* and wind up giving short shrift to other topics.
=====
The shelving project in the bunker continues. I got all the MRE’s and freeze drieds in one place and that was a big plus. I need to make a rack to hold the 5-gallon buckets, though. I dont really care to just stack them on top of each other and I certainly want them off the floor. Simple frame made out of 2×4’s oughtta do the trick. Also need to make one for the various water containers as well.
=====
One project I would very much like to do this year is to set up a solar panel on the bay window roof, run it to a charge controller in the basement and have a couple of batteries constantly being tricklecharged/topped off. Given my lack of knowledge on the subject im going to have to do a good bit of research and see what I can come up with. My biggest concern is that I want to use batteries that wont give off any gas when being charged. Thats limiting me to, I think, gel-type batteries. As I said, I need to do some more research. I want to have enough power to run a simple and small LED array of lights and power a two-way radio. Thats it. I was thinking something in the 75-100ah range. Research is called for.
=====
Its hard to believe but I am one gun away from completing my ideal battery of guns. I need to pick up a Ruger MkII at some point to fill in the ‘.22 pistol’ niche and I can then pick up the redundant spares at my leisure. There are , however, a few guns I’d like to have but that are not critical…a Vaquero .44, a Beretta 21A in .22, a bolt action .223 and maybe a nice Marlin .22. But right now Id be very well served with the current inventory of thundertoys. Still need more ammo though.
=====
I see on the news that California motorists got stranded and had to sit in their cars for as longas 12 hours the other day. 12 hours? Bah. Talk to me when youve spent three days or so. I think right now theres at least that many days worth of gear in the vehicle right now. Getting stuck on a snowy road in the middle of nowhere would almost be a vacation given the sleeping bags, candle lantern, MRE’s, etc, etc. that are packed away. Of course, being California Im sure none of these people had any gear with them for a prolonged stay.

46732

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Went down to the GunPimp today. He had a supressed Browning Buckmark that he let me try out in the backroom. Fun. Not sure what use Id have for one other than the occasional silent sentry removal, but still fun. Had a nice little Rem 100 AOW with a 14″ barrel. That was more useful in my opinion. More importantly, he had new manufacture Glock mags on hand that were not LEO marked. $25@ but he let me have one for $20 … Id like to go back and get some more. The Glocks in this household are all 9mm, and the 17 mag will fit all of them..the 17, 19 and 26. Thus we really need to only stock one type of Glock magazine.

Speaking of 9mm, I need to really get on the ball and load some ammo. The whole point of being copped up during winter is to reload ammo.
=====
Well, that and test winter gear…..

Went down to the GunPimp today. He had a supressed Browning Buckmark that he let me try out in the backroom. Fun. Not sure what use Id have for one other than the occasional silent sentry removal, but still fun. Had a nice little Rem 100 AOW with a 14″ barrel. That was more useful in my opinion. More importantly, he had new manufacture Glock mags on hand that were not LEO marked. $25@ but he let me have one for $20 … Id like to go back and get some more. The Glocks in this household are all 9mm, and the 17 mag will fit all of them..the 17, 19 and 26. Thus we really need to only stock one type of Glock magazine.

Speaking of 9mm, I need to really get on the ball and load some ammo. The whole point of being copped up during winter is to reload ammo.
=====
Well, that and test winter gear…..

46504

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

I was wondering about the various BTU output of fuels. Here you go:

Wood: 6,500 BTU (assumes 25% moisture in wood)
Coal: 8,500-15,500 BTU
Kerosene: 135,000 BTU
Gasoline: 125,000 BTU
Diesel: 138,000 BTU
Fuel oil: 140,000 BTU
LPG (propane): 91,500 BTU
LPG (butane): 103,000 BTU
Natural gas: 100,000 BTU
Alcohol: 65,000 BTU
Charcoal: 12,600 BTU

Its cheap, stable, long lasting and throws out a goodly amount of heat..all hail kerosene!

I was wondering about the various BTU output of fuels. Here you go:

Wood: 6,500 BTU (assumes 25% moisture in wood)
Coal: 8,500-15,500 BTU
Kerosene: 135,000 BTU
Gasoline: 125,000 BTU
Diesel: 138,000 BTU
Fuel oil: 140,000 BTU
LPG (propane): 91,500 BTU
LPG (butane): 103,000 BTU
Natural gas: 100,000 BTU
Alcohol: 65,000 BTU
Charcoal: 12,600 BTU

Its cheap, stable, long lasting and throws out a goodly amount of heat..all hail kerosene!

Website has been pretty static for a few months since I neglected to …uhm…yknow….pay the ISP. But thats all changed and theres a few new things in there if anyone is interested.

45905

Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.

Shelving project in the bunker is coming along. Fairly simple .. rip a sheet of plywood into 1' wide strips, dadoe each end, put in a top and bottom piece, line it with shelf standards and add a back piece to brace it. Piece o' cake. I've made three of them and will probably make two more. Efficient storage is the name of the game here.
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Winter is in full swing here and although it hasnt dropped below zero yet, it still gets pretty cold. The surplus flectar parka has been doing a great job and coupled with the thick watchcaps I picked up at WallyWorld I am quite comfy. For gloves im using the usual milsurp wool liners and trigger mitts. For the truly nasty stuff I have a pair of Outdoor Research goretex outer mitts…they have no insulation or anything but provide wind- and waterproof bonuses to whatever Im wearing.
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Had a bit of credit left on some Amazon gift certificates so I ordered up a new book on cottage water systems. Someday when I build the dream house it will have plumbing that will be just Too Damn Cool…. esp. when its configured to provide protection from forestfires.  Then again, since I envision my dream home will have a good bit of concrete to it, I wonder what exactly Im protecting from burning.
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Looking forward to playing some more with my new Omnifuel stove. Time it in regards to boiling a quart of water, etc, etc. Need to sit down with the exploded diagram and figure out what spare parts to order..extra jets and o-rings are a defintite yes.
=====
One of the things I want to acquire this year is the Nat'l Geographic software (although other companies offer it, Im sure) that prints topo maps. I'd love to be able to review maps on the computer, esp. against GPS coords. Next time Im up at REI I'll have to take a look. Theyd come in handy for geocaching adventures and would certainly be useful if I go camping this year.
=====
Probably should do alot more camping this year…give me a chance to rotate out some MRE's….

Shelving project in the bunker is coming along. Fairly simple .. rip a sheet of plywood into 1′ wide strips, dadoe each end, put in a top and bottom piece, line it with shelf standards and add a back piece to brace it. Piece o’ cake. I’ve made three of them and will probably make two more. Efficient storage is the name of the game here.
=====
Winter is in full swing here and although it hasnt dropped below zero yet, it still gets pretty cold. The surplus flectar parka has been doing a great job and coupled with the thick watchcaps I picked up at WallyWorld I am quite comfy. For gloves im using the usual milsurp wool liners and trigger mitts. For the truly nasty stuff I have a pair of Outdoor Research goretex outer mitts…they have no insulation or anything but provide wind- and waterproof bonuses to whatever Im wearing.
=====
Had a bit of credit left on some Amazon gift certificates so I ordered up a new book on cottage water systems. Someday when I build the dream house it will have plumbing that will be just Too Damn Cool…. esp. when its configured to provide protection from forestfires.  Then again, since I envision my dream home will have a good bit of concrete to it, I wonder what exactly Im protecting from burning.
=====
Looking forward to playing some more with my new Omnifuel stove. Time it in regards to boiling a quart of water, etc, etc. Need to sit down with the exploded diagram and figure out what spare parts to order..extra jets and o-rings are a defintite yes.
=====
One of the things I want to acquire this year is the Nat’l Geographic software (although other companies offer it, Im sure) that prints topo maps. I’d love to be able to review maps on the computer, esp. against GPS coords. Next time Im up at REI I’ll have to take a look. Theyd come in handy for geocaching adventures and would certainly be useful if I go camping this year.
=====
Probably should do alot more camping this year…give me a chance to rotate out some MRE’s….