Slow times in Zeroland. My civillian life has alot going on so my life as Commander Zero is taking a backseat right now to whats going on elsewhere.
But, I still manage to get a few things done…..
Finally moved all the crap into the bunker that Ive just left laying around for the last few months. And it drove home the fact that I really need to get more shelving in the bunker. I also need to label the storage containers a bit better.
Still havent picked up any 26.5mm flares or smoke. Very bad. Who knows how long the cheap surplus stuff will be on the market. The bottleneck is this absurd $20 HazMat fee. I was hoping to stumble across some at a gun show but that isnt looking likely. What I’ll have to do is order enough of the things to make it worth the $20 fee.
Discovered that, apparently, a 10-round .40 S&W Glock magazine can be stuffed with 9mm ammo and used in my G19 with no problems. Interesting. Means that the concept of pre-ban/post-ban magazines is now a non-issue. I can 13 or so rounds in the .40 Glock mag and its perfectly legal since Im not ‘making or modifying’ a magazine into pre-ban configuration.
Must do some website work…been slacking in that regard.
labeling contents?
perfer using 3″ x 5″ cards, printing in large letters contents within, then attaching card to container with wide clear packaging tape. large letters easier to read in dim light when doing a fast search in emergency. as for shelving, am perfer to use 2″x 4″ with screws to construct very sturdy and strong shelfs, as collapse can only lead to frustration of self. Wildflower
The wanna-be LMIs like myself find the website to be a pretty handy tool, especially the reviews on gear and books.
Re: labeling contents?
Well, I’ve been giving it some thought because obviously if a system is implemented it has to be one that can be used ‘universally’ in the bunker and must therefore work.
One of the LMI uses color coded cards he makes up on his laser printer, he then laminates them and punches them with a hole and then affixes them to the object (usually an ammo can) using a ziptie. It works well enough, but I do not want the worry of boxes sliding around on shelves or in vehicles and these tags getting torn off.
What Im leaning towards doing is a system using color coded cards that will slip into clear plastic pockets on the front of all containers. There’d be an exact copy of that card *inside* the container as well. I think this would be the best compromise since it would allow an update/change to the contents list without too much muss or fuss. However, on objects whose contents won’t change, using clear tape over a color-coded card will probably be the way to go.
This is something I need to give more thought to.
Thanks….its been slow going getting aroudn to upadtes and whatnot. As things calm down at home, and summer gear-testing approaches, things’ll get updated a bit more…esp. since theres a few things Im dying to try out like the new Omnifuel stove…burns all fuels..even the stuff you buy in cannisters like butane and such. A true Road Warrior stove!
Short-term
Off subject, but…
What do you recommend in the way of food for short-term survival? Since I live in the DC area, my goal in the event of disaster would be to get me and my family out of town and be able to survive for a few weeks. I usually take MREs when I backpack for a few days.
Re: Short-term
How short term? If its only a couple days I probably wouldnt bother with food except for maybe some type of powerbar-type product.
Depends on a buncha things:
Length of time – Quantity of food
Cooking – Access to stove? Fuel? Or just what can be eaten ‘as is’?
Portability – Carrying on your back? In a vehcile?
Water – Will you have access to water for cooking?
Etc, etc, etc.
Probably MRE’s are easiest for a week or two, esp the self-heating ones. Freeze-drieds would be infinitely lighter but require water and fuel to cook. Dehydrated foods (fruit chips, jerky, etc) would be lighter than MRE’s and not require as much water as freeze-drieds.
Depends on your circumstance. If its going to be a week of vehicle travel with the possibility of foot travel, I’d probably go with MRE entrees and freezedried. If weight isnt a consideration, canned food like tuna, soups, chili, stew, ravioli, etc, etc, are great.
Think of the situation, what your limitations on water, fuel, weight, space, duration, etc will be and work from there.
Re: Short-term
Good points. Probably I would plan on at least a week. Since I have kids it would be impossible to travel ‘light’ – but it might be possible to travel lighter than super-heavy. In case of a serious evacuation, I would attempt to get everyone and everything needed into the van. However, if travel by car were not possible then it would probably be best to plan on staying put for at least a couple of weeks – maybe longer. Hmm. Now I’m starting to think of all the possible alternative – I should come up with several different scenarios and lay in the necessary supplies for each one. I pretty much just have the generics right now: Gas masks/suits for everyone, guns and ammo, first aid, some food, tents, that kind of thing.