Fun exercise: shut off your water and electricity for 24 hours

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QuokkaNerd@reddit

Great idea! I lived in my van for 4 years, so I'm all set with the power/cooking/lights/water/entertainment stuff. And I agree that with no easily accessible big lights, one does tend to shift one's sleep schedule to a more natural rhythm.

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Spectres_N7@reddit

Water shutoff; provided you have a shutoff valve near your house, cause many places (USA) don't allow water to be shutoff at meter. You can be fined , if you're found out. Just saying. So, good luck. 😁

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Some_Protection_2796@reddit

Then how can you change a tap in your home without getting very wet?

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essentialpartmissing@reddit

Usually, there are smaller shut offs under the sink or for each toilet.

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Some_Protection_2796@reddit

Oh interesting how different places have different methods.

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etherlinkage@reddit

The city typically owns the meter/valve setup. You ask them to shut it off. Depends on jurisdiction.

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bardwick@reddit

Great exercise, good post.

Here's another one to add on to the "bug out bag" folks.

Reserve a campsite. Park 5 miles from it. Grab your BOB start walking. You'll realize you don't really need that 80lbs monstrosity, 2 hatchets, 6 knives, sewing kits, water is REALLY freaking heavy, maybe not so much with the cast iron skillet set, ropes, etc. Are your boots right for you.. Find out what you actually needed for those three days.

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dudertheduder@reddit

I think a normal change of clothes is often missed in a BOB... How often does someone run to the store, a few miles from home while wearing gym shorts and flip-flops? But with the decked out bug out bag in the trunk and no extra shoes. (I f** hate flip-flops and don't wear anything but close toed shoes but Americans love flip flops and Crocs, baby. Flip-flops and Crocs. It's what dad's crave.)

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Nearby_Ad5200@reddit

Great reply. I keep an old pair of running shoes in my vehicle. I'll never wear crocs. ;)

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ChefJeff77@reddit

I used to Never leave the house in crocs, sandals etc for this reason. This last year, working 50-60 hiur weeks, ive caught myself making short trips in my crocs, and I hate myself for it.

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Born-Jacket@reddit

Just keep a comfortable pair of shoes and socks in the trunk

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Brudegan@reddit

I have some lightweight goretex hiking boots in my car but always wear real shoes (not water proof) in which i can walk longer distances. I used to wear heavy leather boots when it was colder outside but found out the dont really last any longer than normal good quality shoes but are a lot heavier and not as comfortable as modern lighter shoes. But I prefer leather to goretex.

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JamesSmith1200@reddit

I go backing packing a few times a year. My backpacking bag doubles as my BOB.

Many people will also realize really quickly that they’re in bad shape and unable to walk 2 miles with their bag on flat ground… wait till you have to head into the mountains for some nice elevation gain with your pack on. Your legs will be cooked quickly.

I recommend looking into lightweight backpacking gear and checking out the ultralight hiking/camping Reddit groups. Great suggestions in there.

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series-hybrid@reddit

Consider a dolly with two wheels for the BOB to roll it instead of carrying it. That being said, I agree most people have too much in their BOB

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bardwick@reddit

I ditched the entire concept about 10 years ago. Realized that a BOB was a total waste with no use case...

Two bottles of water and a good pair of shoes.. I'm covered.

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Brudegan@reddit

I switched to an emergency bag to leave home, get home stuff in my car and EDC backpack when i use my bike for getting to work.

In the car i have a complete set of clothes while i only have a rain poncho and my normal EDC stuff in my backpack.

I dont really do the survival stuff as in living the fantasy anymore. Its either get home or get out out of it because i have to in case its on fire or something similar

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series-hybrid@reddit

I don't live far from work, so if there's a total meltdown of society while I'm at work, I can walk it. I doubt there would be an EMP, but if my cars electronics are fried, I'll be OK. For some people who work quite a ways, a walk home might require camping out once or twice.

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Few-Lawyer3707@reddit (OP)

Great idea, This is will be my next exercise. I'm bout to get humbled lol

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New-Temperature-4067@reddit

I did this once. Im never putting redundant shit in my 72h kit again, except for lighters.

Also. Once you've fucked for an hour with magnesium sticks you get so tired of them that you'll throw them away.

I learned that day that i dont need an axe. Or a machete. Or a magnesium stick.

A good knife and a lighter or 2 is all you need. 😅

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Karma111isabitch@reddit

Bought a hand axe, already own folding saws of various sizes. Still not sure what I would use that axe for - just don’t see myself as a wood chopper

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Brudegan@reddit

Same here. Imho the axes are for living the fantasy and bushcrafting. Didnt prevent me from buying one anyways. ;-)

If i really have cut wood a folding saw (less then 200g) is easy/safer to use and way more energy efficient. An axe would be around 1kg or more for the same performance. But i would use dead wood for a fire which i can just break when its thin enough.

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Brudegan@reddit

Unless you want to empty the lighter gas tank for one fire i would also take some form of tinder. I couldnt easily got a fire going on a sunny summer day with dried wood and a ferro rod. Cotton balls and vaseline did the trick. Thats why i put in my bag a small ziplock with cotton and vaseline plus two BIC lighters and a normal sized ferro rod as backup. I had some lighter flints and ferro rods break down for some reason i couldnt figure out. It felt like they where oxidizing (had some greyish powder on it). But it was only some of them despite stored in the same conditions.

But i fully agree on the rest of the stuff. Everything except a fixed knive and a multitool i took out. I even consider switching the fixed knife for a medium sized folding knife. If i wouldnt find the pliers on a multitool so useful i would take one of the large SAK knives with the locking blade instead of the multitool and knife. But im not sure yet.

I also skipped out a bit on the shelter stuff: a rain poncho and heat reflecting bivvy sack. The only problem i see when i have to set up shelter in heavy rain. As sleeping pad i use a slightly shortened folding foam pad which doubles as my backpack frame. An air filled sleeping pad is imho too easy to break.

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ErgoNomicNomad@reddit

Magnesium doesn't start fires, Flint rods do. They're pretty easy to use IMO, maybe look up some tips online? It's just like anything else, practice practice practice I suppose.

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New-Temperature-4067@reddit

Yes and for most people trying to start a fire with wet wood is hard enough. Especially in a stressful situation

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ErgoNomicNomad@reddit

I hope you understood that I meant that as a helpful response. You're right, doing anything under stress makes it 10x harder. That's why we train.

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Don_Q_Jote@reddit

Exactly right imo. I believe we don’t necessarily train away fear or stress, but we can learn how it affects us physically and mentally and learn to adapt. We perform better under stress for having practiced under stress

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New-Temperature-4067@reddit

I know, but i build my bags for simplicity. I highly recommend everyone doing the same and using tools they already know how to use (unless they are sufficiently trained of course).

I can carry a flint or magnesium rod but i wont actually use it. So i decided to remove it as its dead weight. Same with a 2nd and 3rd knife. I already have one in my edc/pocket and there is a bigger one in the bob.

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BrokenOS@reddit

ferrocerium or ferro rod not flint

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bardwick@reddit

So, here's my "dumb ass" anecdote.
Load up your vehicle AFTER you pull out of the garage... You may not have the clearance to get out :)

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osirisrebel@reddit

This is basically how I've taught my brothers to camp. Take what you think you need, set up in the yard, see what you have to come back for and what you didn't need. Make a list.

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Unlucky-Musician7425@reddit

Aka “The Hudson Bay Start”. Burke and Wills started their cross continent expedition like this.

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osirisrebel@reddit

I'll have to check it out.

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Unlucky-Musician7425@reddit

My mistake! It was actually the Lewis and Clark expedition that used this strategy. Burke and wills left in a disorganised hurry and decided to leave the piano and Chinese gong behind on their first camp!

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ruat_caelum@reddit

Thank good they took their mercury pills for their STDs so we could follow them by finding their shit holes years later.

https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/9vpdyb/til_members_of_lewis_clarks_expedition_took/

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ErinRedWolf@reddit

That is hilarious.

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osirisrebel@reddit

Okay, that didn't straighten things out at all, definitely gonna have to research it now.

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dogquote@reddit

I don't follow. Could you please explain in more detail?

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osirisrebel@reddit

Pack like you're going camping, but set up in your yard at home. Make a list of what you didn't actually need and what you had to run back to the house for.

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dogquote@reddit

Thank you!

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osirisrebel@reddit

No problem! It's usually literally the little things. Lights, chairs, entertainment, deodorant, just things you don't think about until you need it.

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Star_Boxer72@reddit

Appreciate your sharing. :)

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Ambitious_Cabinet_12@reddit

For the same people, see if you can actually walk 5 miles. I did a Freedom Ruck for the 4th of July 9 miles round trip. I did 4.5-5 miles just fine then after that my legs just decided to stop going. the second half basically took me double the first half. I also only had 10 pounds of water on me (5 liters) on a fairly flat on a roadway.

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v-irtual@reddit

Reserve a campsite. Park your car there. Have a FRIEND drop you 5 miles from it.

No need to walk all the damn way back, lol.

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therealtimwarren@reddit

Dunno why, but reminded me of this quote.

Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes!

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CapNBall1860@reddit

If you feel like punching someone in the face, stop and take a deep breath. The extra oxygen will help you punch harder.

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Yum-Yumby@reddit

After reading all these comments, I'm realizing how far behind I really am.

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Eradicate_The_ATF@reddit

A buddy and I used to do something kind of like this but instead of staying home I would head out to the desert/mountains and head to an old abandoned cabin that was built in the early 1900’s that still has an old wood burning stove. Mainly just had a camelbak of water, sleeping bag, 2 freeze dried meals, hatchet, skinning and caping knives, 10.5” 5.56 with 2 mags, Glock 10mm, and a bolt action 22lr. We would head out Friday after work and wouldn’t come home until Sunday night and lived off the land. There were plenty of blackberry and raspberry bushes, a small natural aquifer that we would replenish our water with, hot spring to soak in after hiking around all day and we hunted for our meals but had a couple freeze dried meals as a just in case. Usually for meals we would roast a couple squirrels or jackrabbits over a campfire, or if it was during hunting season we would get a few quail, dove or chukars. Best part was absolutely no cell service and all the wildlife that would come down to the aquifer and drink.

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Far-Respond-9283@reddit

Why you stop doing it?

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Eradicate_The_ATF@reddit

Chronic pain and trouble walking. Going in for my 4th surgery on the same hip next week so hoping by end of the year I’ll be back to hiking again.

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Far-Respond-9283@reddit

Oh, how sad. I hope everything go well for you. I like the story of you and your friend.🩵

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Eradicate_The_ATF@reddit

Thank you. I medically retired from the military and almost moved back to Texas but met my wife here and she owns a business here so we decided to stay and my friend moved back home to Oregon but he stills come to visit every now and then.

The first surgeon completely butchered my hip and the next tried to fix it but by the time the VA approved my referral it was too far gone. This new surgeon said he’s confident he can fix my hip so I’m counting down the days until I’m working out again and back in the mountains a couple times a week to hike.

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eightchcee@reddit

you don’t know how much water you use every day until you’re without running water…

that whole 1 gallon per person per day is an absolute joke. That is just enough to drink and possibly cook with. Definitely not enough for drinking, eating, hygiene, and flushing.

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Far-Respond-9283@reddit

Yup, that's why I never follow that rule.

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mapped_apples@reddit

I did a 5 day test recently. All water for drinking and cooking had to come from prep. All cooking had to be done with preps and without the stove. Learned I use about 1.5 gallons/day for drinking and cooking alone (not cleaning or washing my hands with that water). Great learning test.

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RuleBackground5624@reddit

I live off grid. We haul our water in 1050 gallons at a time. We are very careful with our water usage. At night we turn off everything. You learn fast living off grid what you can and can't do.

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80_percenter@reddit

Live on a well out in the country. We get this practice about once a month lol

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CarolinaAmy20@reddit

Kid you not... our kitchen faucet is out of commission, and it's a huge pain in the butt. It's shocking how many times you go to use water (especially in that one spot) for all kinds of things in one day.

I may have to try this exercise soon and try out the new generator. I know I need to get familiar with it before things get dicey.

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Terrorcuda17@reddit

Yeah. Just did 9 days at the beginning of April with no water and no electricity. I'm good lol.

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Hurricaneshand@reddit

Books wise get a Kindle. Don't need external light to read unlike a book and a single charge lasts a long time (weeks)

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Brudegan@reddit

I prefer my smartphone/ tablet for that. While they last longer its not as long as the early one. Nowadays they state lasting 2 weeks max but only when you use them 30min a day in airplane mode.

Imho Kindle readers (and also the app) really suck. I have around 1500 ebooks in my Kindle account. A Kindle ready cant even download the books without crashing and using the interface is very slow. In the app i have to download each book manually for it to work. After that it works...most of the time.

A completely free app like ReadEra can import 8000 epubs in like 60secs and handles them like a charm.

Other dedicated readers arent as bad as a Kindle but they usually also have slower hardware than modern smartphones.

Because of that and all the other uses a phone has i prefer my smartphone paired a small solar charger to counter the shorter battery life.

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Hurricaneshand@reddit

I personally would rather save battery on my smart phone rather than use it up reading when it can be done with much less power drain on the ereader.

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Vikingkrautm@reddit

If you're trying to hide, that blue light will give you away.

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Hurricaneshand@reddit

If you need to hide I don't think you should really be worried about reading a book at the time honestly

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Sewvivalist@reddit

This is waht I have. I've also been able to download all my prepper manuals, first aid books and things like that for future reference. 200+ books and manuals on one little device.

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ThanksS0muchY0@reddit

Do you just have the Amazon brand? I have no experience, but this is a great idea. I'm often in the middle of no where for work.

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Sewvivalist@reddit

u/Pineapplezork says here, Amazon is just one brand. Boox and Kobo are options. Personally, I also use a Supernote Nomad, it's a small digital notepad that also allows you to read and annotate PDFs.

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Pineapplezork@reddit

Amazon is convenient as an intro, but if you’re even slightly tech savy go for the boox or kobo instead.

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hooptysnoops@reddit

this is literally my plan. been saving up the .pdfs and have a solar charger. just need to find a kindle I like but I suppose my ipad would do in a pinch, just bulkier.

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Sewvivalist@reddit

There are a lot of eReaders available, check around. Plus, apps for the phone, but PDFs are kind of tiny on that.

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C-4isNOTurFriend@reddit

do you have a list of titles? always looking for knowledge

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Fletcherperson@reddit

And you can store documents like emergency survival guides and personal family plans in it for reference

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v-irtual@reddit

The problem with Kindle is the ability to add books to it - I believe it requires an internet connection, doesn't it?

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nahsonnn@reddit

I just pirate books, keeping kindle on airplane mode at all times. I still support my library by checking out physical books to boost their numbers.

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jazzbiscuit@reddit

It generally needs an internet connection to download the books, but I've got hundreds on mine and could do without a wifi connection for a very very long time. Added bonus - if you have the right kindle, you can max out your library card, download all of them at one time and then put it in airplane mode - the books don't vanish when your loan expires. I'm currently reading a library book that expired the end of May, and I made it through an entire 6 month deployment without loosing the library books I downloaded before I left. I use a PaperWhite for this approach - the Fire versions aren't as reliable for not deleting them after a couple weeks.

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badrelationswmoney@reddit

Does the kindle ever have to check in? If so that might make it useless after some time with no internet. Real books?

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jazzbiscuit@reddit

The newer Paperwhite didn't need to check in for the 6 months I was deployed. The original Paperwhite I had replaced with it still had library books on it from a couple years prior along with all my purchased Kindle books when I finally fired it back up to give to a friend. But, when we tested it out on an older Fire tablet, it got cranky after about 2-3 weeks and dumped the library books, but not the purchased/transferred Kindle books. I'd say the Fire still knows when the library books expire, and does't care if it's not a loan, but the Paperwhite just rolls with it. I'm not sure about the straight Kindle models.

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Hurricaneshand@reddit

Sure. Have plenty of books downloaded on it ahead of time is a good idea. Or you can always hot spot off of your phone Internet

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o793523@reddit

There are other e-readers that don't require books be delivered straight from Amazon and these e-readers should be more versatile in a grid down situation

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randopop21@reddit

Yes, Kobo for the win. You just plug it into a computer with a USB cord and it behaves like a USB stick. Just copy the books to your Kobo like you would a stick.

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whiskey_ribcage@reddit

True, but if a Kindle is your only option (they're plentiful on the secondhand market), you can load books manually from your computer and even jailbreak it to avoid most all of the Amazon stuff!

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dnhs47@reddit

A Kindle has storage space for hundreds of books, so download everything.

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Anonymo123@reddit

I have a few Kindles I've inherited and they just need wifi to download new books, after that it doesn't need wifi again.

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HappyCamperDancer@reddit

Kindle. You understand you don't actually OWN the books on a kindle, right? I mean, fine for light entertainment I guess, but in a real SHTF all Bezos has to do it cut off those books. Or the kindle just dies. (Had that happen a couple of times, all charged up and dead) they do age out.

Real books in a real home library for real need is the way to go. Not just the "how to homestead" or "There are no doctors" books, but for real reading entertainment too. Maybe a couple of musical songbooks? And if you have kids, maybe some text books. A few math books. History. Philosophy. Literature. Science. Maybe biology, chemistry and physics. Stories you can discuss around a fire.

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C-4isNOTurFriend@reddit

khan academy

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SuvorovNapoleon@reddit

Use Kobo, and pirate .epubs. Think that's problem solved. I also agree with getting hardcopies, just note that you can't carry too many of them with you, they have to be in place where you bug out/in.

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HappyCamperDancer@reddit

And most of us plan to bug-in, so a home library feels like gold. Hopefully bugging out is for only short term, not long term. I get the appeal of digital books, 1,000's of books in your hand, but it might not work out for the long term. It really isn't an either or. You can do both!

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iidxgold@reddit

You can load up books for free with Calibre that are non DRM, and it off the walled garden of stuff you "purchased" on their store. But to your original answer, no if a Kindle is without Internet, the books do not disappear if it's not connected to the server. If you're in a real shtf event, you're not going to have Internet anyway.

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BelleMakaiHawaii@reddit

Yeppers I have 4,000 books on my iPad

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Hurricaneshand@reddit

iPad being a great device in it's own right, but doesn't compete nearly as well with an ereader in battery life in case you lose power for longer periods

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BelleMakaiHawaii@reddit

This is true, but I also have many of the books on my phone also, we lived on small generator power for a year and a half before we installed solar

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the_lovely_otter@reddit

Ohhhh that's smart. That's so smart.

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Few-Lawyer3707@reddit (OP)

That's a great idea, thanks!

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Hurricaneshand@reddit

I was anti Kindle for a long time. My wife got me one for my birthday this year and it's great to take camping. No more worrying about depleting my headlamp charge to read in my hammock/tent at night and instead of one book I have a bunch saved I can pick and choose what I want to read. My library card also gives me access to checking out digital books as well so might be worth checking out in your area too.

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Wow_u_sure_r_dumb@reddit

I broke the screen on one pretty easily with one of the early ones. Are they more dependable these days?

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No-Notice565@reddit

protein intake felt somewhat low.

The low protein intake is what led me to home canning. Even the "chunky" line of branded canned soups only has 14g of protein in the entire can.

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Uhohtallyho@reddit

Beans! They last forever, are super easy to make, full of protein, cheap and really tasty if you know how to add spices.

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nakedonmygoat@reddit

I'm more of a lentil person. They cook faster, store just as well, and exceed many beans in fiber and protein.

Lentils vs Beans

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Uhohtallyho@reddit

This article is a little misleading but lentils are great as well.

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qpwoeiruty00@reddit

Beans are the best, and no canning required!

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nakedonmygoat@reddit

Lentils cook quicker though, and exceed many bean varieties in protein and fiber.

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qpwoeiruty00@reddit

They're great as well, love them too!

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sadetheruiner@reddit

Beans are the best staple, even better if you can grow them. Lots of protein, fiber and minerals.

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erik_salvia@reddit

I’m new to this, my dad had some stuff shelved a couple years ago but we haven’t put any effort into prepping so I started eating our reserves before it goes bad. There were a few cans of Armour brand chili with beans, 33g of protein per can. I put off eating them because I’m picky with chili from restaurants but it’s really good

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Few-Lawyer3707@reddit (OP)

Yeah it's crazy how little protein premade foods have. You don't realize till you have to live off of it and read the nutrition facts...

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Andalusian_Dawn@reddit

I have so many sardines and canned salmon. Also a bit of spam, lots of canned quail eggs, and that Keystine canned beef/chicken/pork that lasts for years that ypu can buy at Meijers.

Only in the last month did I realize I should have an extra can opener with them to actually open anything but the sardines.

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myself248@reddit

Instant breakfast protein shakes are halfway decent. And jerky is nice to have around.

The trick is, what happens if you eat nothing but stored food for a few days in a row? You don't even need the rest of the exercise for this, just pivot your diet for a few days and see how things go. Maybe you're totally fine. Maybe you need a ton more fiber. Maybe just the opposite.

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Karma111isabitch@reddit

Cheesecas protein source? The French don’t store it in a fridg

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Nufonewhodis4@reddit

Canning meat is surprisingly easy, tastes good, relatively cheap if you're using weekly sales meat, and you get to control the sodium

What's your favorite meat and prep method to can?

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sadetheruiner@reddit

I canned some pulled pork I made on the smoker, made a very garlic vinegar sauce. I ate the last can about a year after canning and it was great. Also tried lasagna once, that uh didn’t turn out well.

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Spectra_Butane@reddit

I love Pork Shoulder Roast. Chunked Raw packed with ¼ tsp salt. I can eat that RIGHT out of the jar, Juicy, Fatty, Yummy Meat, All Meat, No fillers.

And you cannot beat an standing $1:59 - $1.99 price, depending on where you live. I had gotten my canner because of a freezer seal issue. My plan was to make shelf stable my freezer meats till the freezer was empty. BUUUUUT...

A Big Name grocer was moving locations so had a bunch of sales, the competition had sales to counter, so instead of emptying my freezer, I filled my shelves with canned Pork Shoulder Roast (Pork Butt) , Beef Chuck Roast, Ground Beef, Spicy Pork Sausage, Chorizo, Chicken Breast chunks , Chicken thigh Chunks and whole Chicken Thighs. I've got several pounds of buckboard bacon out of this Pork Shoulder adventure, because I cut the meaty end from the bone and salted/smoked it, and canned the chunked meat from around the bone.

Then, lucky me, I found an inexpensive solution to the freezer door problem. So now that the sales are done, I don't feel I have to rush can anymore, and I STILL have a freezer full of previous sales meat to work on canning up.

Has anyone canned pork LOIN? It seems so lean for that.

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Nufonewhodis4@reddit

Oh man, another good use for pork butt! I make sausage, smoke, cure, and now got to start canning them haha

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emorymom@reddit

I just buy Keystone 28oz for regular consumption and have a fairly deep pantry of it. On sale $6-10 per can shipped for the 28oz is typical through the Walmart site.

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No-Notice565@reddit

Im by no means an expert, but I like the one jar meals from the Ball book. Specifically the "Chicken & Gravy Dinner" and the "Pot roast in a jar".

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Nufonewhodis4@reddit

That chicken and gravy sounds good. I've been sticking to plain meats mostly so I could add them to anything, but I think having some heat and go type meals would be good for my pantry

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vogut@reddit

Whey protein all the way

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OtherwiseAlbatross14@reddit

Chili generally has in the range of 23-29 per can. Some with no beans are over 30.

Great option for those that don't want to can themselves

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LilRed2023@reddit

I turn my lights off once a week and turn off all electronics. Last Friday I read a book and relaxed with my dog and my pig and just enjoyed the days of old. Cooked on a butane grill with some soup and made a peanut butter and jelly cracker sandwich. And had 3 bottles of water for drinking and half bottle for washing hands. I poop in a bucket with some saw dust and I pee in a big Apple cider jug. At the end of the time I go out and dig a foot deep hole and dump the waste. This is a good practice each week and I’ve really become humble and appreciate of the things I have that so many take for granted. We really do have it easy now days. But that could change at any moment.

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Star_Boxer72@reddit

I've been "gifted" opportunities like this when the power has been out for several days - thankfully in mild temperatures. My next step should be doing it on purpose when the temperature drops below zero. I imagine I'd discover a few more things that need to be fortified before any real damage is done.

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mckenner1122@reddit

I have found it easier to go without power when it is colder rather than hotter.

I can bundle up for warmth. Keep the family to a smaller, insulated area. Food preservation is less of a worry. Thaw good snow or ice for flushing toilets, washing up, etc. Burn trash (outside!) for extra heat and boiling water.

When it’s hot and humid? Oh everything sucks. Food rots in an eye blink. You can’t easily butcher anything. You will sweat and ache. Hell is trying to clean fish in 90° with 90% humidity, no electricity and no water unless you want to go all the way back to the lake.

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Star_Boxer72@reddit

u/mckenner1122, I had to wait a day to reply because I read a lot of condescension in your comment.

I live in interior Alaska. I promise you, being comfortable is not at the top of the list of priorities.

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mckenner1122@reddit

I meant no condescension at all. I was just sharing my personal experience.

I am fortunate to live where I have all four seasons. Our 'cold' is not near as brutal as your cold. Our 'hot' cannot compare to the heat in say, Texas. Unfortunately, like you, I have been 'gifted' opportunities to practice my preparation many times, as we live just rural enough to lose power at least once a year.

I should have clarified; for me and mine, it is easier for us to lose power when it is colder rather than hotter. Knowing now that you're 1000 + miles north, it is safe to assume your issues are different than mine.

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Star_Boxer72@reddit

Thanks for clarifying. I'm glad I waited to respond instead of going with my first, very snarky, instinct.

Have a good one.

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AfternoonNo346@reddit

My dehumidifier is high priority for backup power. Most of the summer, the house becomes uncomfortable after about half a day without running the dehumidifier. I can live without AC easier.

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Longjumping-Army-172@reddit

We just go camping...

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AffectionateSteak588@reddit

This is just camping but without any of the fun of being in nature lmfao

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HurryAmbitious9250@reddit

Great exercise realy.

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Sea_Staff59@reddit

I keep a deck of cards. I keep Gumby and pokey figurines from a childhood gives you something to look at to keep dies. I keep a harmonica and I have other things around my house that I can easily pick up from music. Keep you busy.

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QueerTree@reddit

We live rurally and when our power goes out we lose our well pump too (getting that upgraded is expensive but top of the priority list). We lose power often and it genuinely has helped me be more prepared for routine issues and feel like I have a sense of what a longer disruption could mean.

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AfternoonNo346@reddit

When you say upgrade is expensive, do you mean adding a manual pump? I was wondering about doing that. Fortunately I have a creek so it's not a huge priority.

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QueerTree@reddit

I also have a creek, so that’s always been my actual backup plan. We want to add tanks and stuff to the well line, a more complex system overall.

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Glad-Device-2586@reddit

This is a great ide ato simulate this! but, I thought everything would feel almost the same if you have the solar panel, right? I mean for the gadgets. I understand fridge is very energy-consuming. At least, we can still use stove to cook some instant food

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Fluffy_Job7367@reddit

I grew up in NM. No one in our family left in a car without 2 gallons of water. The way the world is getting hotter this is good advice for everyone. Food,.shelter, water.

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Blackcatsandicedtea@reddit

Trump did his thing where he goes off on a tangent the other day and said something about the grid or outages or something. Idk if it was just a senior moment or if he is privy to some information we don’t knew about cyber attacks and such. Made my arm hair stand on end. We are baking in Georgia right now. Losing A/C would kill so many seniors.

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Bradadonasaurus@reddit

The writing is kind of on the walls if you know where to read it. The aging grid is getting hammered by all these EV chargers, and high drain buildings.

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hearcomesyourman@reddit

and AI...

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GrillinFool@reddit

This is a cool exercise.

Have you thought about cooking smells? I read a book once about survival and that starving people will smell food cooking from miles away. Cooking outside is a bad idea. Cooking inside with the only air conditioning being the windows open is a bad idea.

Just something to consider.

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MrMcSparklePants@reddit

What’s the alternative though?

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GrillinFool@reddit

The alternative is not to send out a homing beacon for people to come looking for you.

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MrMcSparklePants@reddit

So become raw vegan?

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SuvorovNapoleon@reddit

Foods that can be eaten at room temperature (cereal and milk), foods that can be boiled and eaten indoors (brown rice).

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premar16@reddit

I have this spray that hunter use to mask human smells to make sure that animals don't sense them. It really does get rid of all scent in the area maybe try something like that if you are worried about smells. But honestly everyone has to to cook in order to live so you wont be the only person doing it. People have figured out to cook without electricity for centuries we would as a society figure it out again

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mckenner1122@reddit

Cosprepper fantasy.

If the power and water have been out for SO long that you have to legitimately, actually worry about “roving hoardes” of starving people making a bullet track to the smell of your BBQ then you’ve got much bigger problems.

Should OP choose to never cook? Only cook indoors without ventilation?

Come on…

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GrillinFool@reddit

Just relaying what i read. And this was backed up by the guy who wrote about his experience surviving war torn Bosnia. Can’t remember his name but his essay was profound. But yeah, go ahead and be the critic.

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BeneGezzeret@reddit

I could take away that you wouldn’t want to cook any longer than you absolutely had to on a very small ember and you would smother your fire after with something nasty maybe to kill any grease smells. Probably also not cook near your camp if things were so dire as that.

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mckenner1122@reddit

You’re right.

I am sorry.

I didn’t realize you were approaching this as if OP more likely to experience a situation identical to the war in Bosnia than to experience 72 hours without water or power in the USA. If that’s the scene you’re playing in, then making sure OP eats only cold beans from a can in the dark makes perfect sense.

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Few-Lawyer3707@reddit (OP)

Great point for sure. If I thought there was a potential hostile presence outside I never would have done that.

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GrillinFool@reddit

That’s the thing. If this were really happening it would draw potential hostile presence straight to you. Even more so if you eventually have to use a cook Fire. Ever light one until after dark.

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anti-zastava@reddit

You shouldn’t be downvoted. This is absolutely something to consider. I can smell my neighbors BBQ cooking even when I’m not starving.

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GrillinFool@reddit

The author of the book said to focus on foods that don’t require cooking. Not sure how that is possible. I’m thinking hot plate in the deepest part of my basement? Door closed?

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DroopyApostle@reddit

I have always wanting to test how I've prepared but couldn't find a reliable way. Guess this is it. I would try this out sometime. Thank you for sharing.

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Homely_Bonfire@reddit

For waste disposal (in cities and if you don't bug out of there) there is the option of getting water tight trash bags plus sawdust with a very sturdy trash can. Solids go in there, fluids could be disposed of into the closest catch basin in the streets. This could be viable for several weeks really, saves water and doesn't require too much funding. Sawdust should can be easily bought and stored for longer periods as long as you have a dry space to keep it in and a 10 lbs bag should probably last you for quite some time (I'm guessing that one "flushing" would need 250-400g of covering; meaning you could get by with that for something like 2 weeks)

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nakedonmygoat@reddit

I've been in no-electricity situations many times. Here's what I have:

Printed books. Funny ones. Reading about unpleasant things when you're stressed out isn't going to help.
Kindle. Same as above, but better for night so you can save your light sources.
Coffee table books with glossy pictures of nice places.
Hobby supplies.
Old MP3 player loaded with your favorite tunes.
Cards.
Board games, if you don't live alone.
Jigsaw puzzles.
Something to play DVDs on and some DVDs of funny movies or old sitcoms. You can get a DVD player with a screen and 6-hour battery life for $100 on Amazon.

As for no water, that's only happened to me once, due to a pipe breakage. For no water, you want baby wipes or camp wipes, dry shampoo, and a camp toilet with extra bags. It's a good idea to use cat litter in the toilet bags to absorb liquids and help with odor.

But overall, I'd say understanding the importance of morale is critical for whatever someone is prepping for. You can have everything you need for your body right at your fingertips, but it won't be enough if you're in despair or frustrated out of your wits.

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Nyarlathotep451@reddit

A number of hurricanes have done this for us. Three days is about the breaking point. We are better prepared after each storm. Not knowing when the power will come back is the hardest and when it does it may be on and off again for days. We learned a lot from the experience.

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premar16@reddit

Glad you learned from that. Many of us don't live in hurricane prone areas so have to figure out other ways to learn these things

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GauchiAss@reddit

Almost a normal winter day for us ! Our electricity prices skyrockets 22 days per year during winter and in exchange it's dirt cheap after 10pm and the rest of the year.

Which means heat pump gets turned off and we load the wood stove which also allows us to cook (depending on how much we load it the oven over the furnace stays at 100-200°C for a few hours)

While we have a bit of battery storage at home, the ultimate prep would be a new car with V2L and a 60-80kWh battery, this would just power up the basics in the house (freezer, light and USB devices) for long enough until the suns comes back to recharge batteries.

Also a good winter strategy if electricity is gone or too expensive (like if you have to rely on your off grid solar not producing much) : just store the fridge food in a room that isn't insulated/heated, it's probably at the same temperature.

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snakeoildriller@reddit

That's a good idea - don't think many people try that. Re the fridge/freezer - I'm unfortunate enough to have 2 of the same model that can't be run from a inverter power bank; I tested them, but we bought the fridges before all this blew up. Now I'm buying a 12V RV/portable compressor fridge that runs off 12V. Might be worth checking yours.

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mckenner1122@reddit

“All this” is what?

How many freezers did you have when Covid started?

How many freezers did you have when the Deepeater Horizon dumped 5 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico?

How many freezers did you have when the Twin Towers fell?

How many free did you have when the Murrah Building was bombed?

How many freezers did you have during the Gulf War?

I’m not picking on YOU but seriously… it’s never been good, or easy. We take every day as it comes.

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snakeoildriller@reddit

I'm in the UK, so for us, the Pandemic was the last big upheaval, and a significant power outage was not on the cards. However, with an increasing number of countries worldwide now looking to bomb the shit out of each other and both the UK and US with ageing and unmaintained power infrastructure I'd say that outages are now highly likely. Hence my concern...

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DreadnaughtHamster@reddit

Books will relieve boredom.

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xDIRTY_DANx@reddit

Is keeping the natural gas on considered cheating?

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Karma111isabitch@reddit

I suggest a Bluetti generator w panels

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gadget767@reddit

So you shut off your electricity for 24 hours. What happened to the food in your fridge? I didn’t see anything about backup power in your post.

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Unlikely-Ad3659@reddit

I often test my preps for extended periods.

Presently 10 weeks into living off exclusively foraged or stored food. And went without power 3 days, after the mains got cut off for 4 hours and I fired up the generator, so I tayed on generator power for a bit to give it a good workout.

No water is easy, I just turn a tap and I am on the rain water tank.

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TrekRider911@reddit

LPT: Tell wife and kids before you do it.

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Bradadonasaurus@reddit

The surprise makes it more fun.

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Far-Respond-9283@reddit

Not really.

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NotTooGoodBitch@reddit

Great post.

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sprout92@reddit

We lost power for 6 days last winter.

Power was the biggest issue, until I realized my truck has an outlet in the back and I have a solar charger.

Sadly, I live in Seattle, so solar only works sometimes.

I really need a generator...

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Dinglebutterball@reddit

Jokes on you. This happens to me every winter… sometimes for several weeks at a time.

water comes from well and tank sits even with the house… so no power, no water pressure to the house and no water into tank. We do have 6-10k+ gal plus on hand depending how low we let the tank get. Float turns pump on just above half empty and refills it.

Main generator runs off propane, and with intelligent use will last 60 days+ for heat, cooking, hot water, water pump and power. Backup generator runs off gas, is just big enough to run the well pump. Have 30-40 gal of gas on hand that gets used for chainsaws, dirt bikes, gator, and get rotated through storage so it doesn’t sit around too long.

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Kurtotall@reddit

Now try this in the winter.

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RelationRealistic@reddit

NO!

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Vegetable-Prune-8363@reddit

Look into USB powered Xmas/rope lighting. 25 feet of light is epic. Almost everything can supply USB power.

Outdoor solar lamps are also good to "bring inside" when dark.

Don't forget hot water tanks are normally full. 40+ gallons already inside your house. Would use it for flushing toilets first.

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kkinnison@reddit

you can do the same test without cutting them off by ... just not using them

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STB265@reddit

Add a small portable radio to your supplies so you can get info on what's happening. Also add a deck of cards to your supplies to help pass the time.

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reenmini@reddit

This post is hilarious to me as an electrician, because there are millions of people in the us with electrical panels where if they shut the main breaker off it might legitimately not come back on again.

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randomresearch1971@reddit

NooOoOO! Not ready yet! Not ready yet!🫣

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cacme@reddit

Nice! We do this randomly every few weeks. It's mostly to give us all a forced hiatus from being constantly connected but it's also to practice. Living through Helene exposed our relatively decent setup's weaknesses, and it's nice to get a refresher during different seasons/weather.

Also great for getting kids off devices and actively engaged in practicing prep skills, taking action in the moment, etc.

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Unfair-Sleep-3086@reddit

Learn how to make tempeh, great source of protein and easy to make

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esperts@reddit

compost toilet

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YonKro22@reddit

Did you end up reading anything did you have any books at all or were you reading the box ofmacaroni

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YonKro22@reddit

Next shut off your stove your butane stuff so you just have to eat things that are not heated up. And before that only do it when it's not raining or cold nothing you can't cook in the rain or cold. I'm suggesting that you do other things your water's not likely to go off in your house for quite a while even if the power goes off. Hot water yes. Also might try not going outside like there's some sort of heavy duty pollution or something in the air and you have to stay inside all day for a day or so

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series-hybrid@reddit

A small MP3 player with earbuds provides music with very few watts drawn.

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Aromatic-sparkles@reddit

Great idea. Reality is hard to argue against.

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DoscoJones@reddit

A Coleman camp stove can be your very best friend. Get yourself an old-school coffee percolator to keep it company.

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UngluedCoot@reddit

I wonder what my wife would say if I suggest this 😂

Good exercise. It made you aware of what a day without utilities could be.

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Haxial_XXIV@reddit

This was my first thought too. I want to try it but no chance

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Megan_Jay00@reddit

This is such a great idea but I have a husband that was sheltered his whole life and ignores these kinds of things + a toddler who does not play about being uncomfortable in the heat LOL

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myOEburner@reddit

We have been spending a lot of time at some remote off-grid cabins. They have 12v electrical and propane, but water is a serious thing. I can see value in rainwater harvesting.

A small solar setup to charge a battery that can be used over time to refresh LED bulbs and phones is a big deal. Nothing real serious, but a few lights and a phone/tablet are real QOL enhancers.

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FlashyImprovement5@reddit

I have recommended this for decades already and used to get grilled for it.

I actually recommend for city folk to just turn off the water one weekend and electricity the next before doing a weekend without both.

And I recommend doing this in summer AND then in the winter.

I can't tell you how many I have talked to that have had either their preps fail or someone didn't have what they thought they had. Like a local lady bought a house and was told that the furnace was electric with natural gas backup. I tried to explain that that wasn't a thing and she insisted that was what the "credible" realtor told her. Then her street had a two week electrical outage after someone wiped out poles and her children had to move in with Grandma. I've met people who had their propane heaters not light or their tank valves be defective and their kerosene stoves wick be installed wrong.

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MadeMeMeh@reddit

For those who dont know with pipes when you turn the water back on make sure you inspect your pipes especially at joints or where the angle changes. This is extra important if you have older pipes like the old copper pipes in many older homes like mine from the 60s.

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Some_Protection_2796@reddit

Brilliant. For the boredom try a pack of cards and a load of dice, grab a card games book and a dice game book. Together it's a huge amount of different games for something small. I don't think you can find anything with that amount of entertainment that only takes up that amount of space.

Enjoy.

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Any_Needleworker_273@reddit

Nope. Went 6 weeks with no water this year. I'm good on training exercises. Get back to me.

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Siafu_Soul@reddit

This is a great test! I'll have to do this some day.

As far as mental preps, I would recommend a small instrument. I have a harmonica that I don't know how to play, but I've learned the basics. The idea is that learning a new instrument takes A LOT of time.

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Lethalmouse1@reddit

Hmmm, seems like you have a blessed life of you don't have that happen randomly. Lol.

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AlphaDisconnect@reddit

Boredom. Mahjong. Bring friends. Cook and. Eat. Have some instruments. I call this not bugging in. I call this a buggy frigging party.

Coleman quad lamp. The old d cell one. And an extra set of batteries.

Ice in the fridge. Like 1 gallon water bottles. Wherever they can fit. I call it an ice battery. Maybe not perfect. But move the ice where needed.

Water. Fill your bathtub if you see it coming. Back of the toilet holds a gallon if it hits hard and fast. But I don't think your will die. You can use dirty water if it gets empty and you need to go.

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Traditional-Leader54@reddit

I can’t emphasize this enough if you’ve never experienced a blackout before.

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Sweet-Leadership-290@reddit

That's the best way I've found to test for holes in preps. We shut off everything crossing our property barrier (except for air and radiation) for 30 days about 7 years ago. Found several holes in our preps. Those have now been patched

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3rdgenerX@reddit

No problem

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ASUS_USUS_WEALLSUS@reddit

Boredom fix - get one of those android retro gaming devices that recharges via USB c easily and load it with all the emulators.

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Prestigious_Ad280@reddit

Try it for a week!

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Queasy-Flan2229@reddit

That's called living in Florida in hurricane season

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dogsdub@reddit

Or, or, live in a shitty country and the companies will cutt off the water, gas and electricity for you at random. You get to practice your preps as a surprise

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Eurosdollarsyens@reddit

How did you power your fridge and chest freezer?

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Few-Lawyer3707@reddit (OP)

I didn't. I went out and bought a ton of ice for them and then never opened them till the 24 hrs was done

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TrekRider911@reddit

We always keep a bag of ice in each freezer ahead of time. We loose a little space, but it'll keep the freezer cool if we loose power, doesn't require us to open the freezer to put new ice in, and we always have a bag ready to go for drinks for emergency pop-up parties in the backyard. :)

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Eurosdollarsyens@reddit

interesting! I recently got an ecoflow delta 2 and some solar panels to be able to run my fridge if the power is out extended. It really rounded off my preps in a way that brought me a lot of peace of mind. Really smart exercise.

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Few-Lawyer3707@reddit (OP)

Yeah I am considering the same. Beats going to the store and getting ice in an emergency lol

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Eurosdollarsyens@reddit

right, it may not even be possible to do in an emergency. Def something to consider!

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Honey_Cheese@reddit

Very cool idea. I’d love to try for 24 hours and then again for a long weekend. It would help me prep and force me to face my boredom without a phone.

For boredom - I would turn to books to read, paper crossword puzzles, writing, musical instrument, house projects, gardening.

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Few-Lawyer3707@reddit (OP)

I was bored out of my mind for a while until I decided to clean the basement a bit lol. Great tips, thanks.

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HarpersGhost@reddit

Cleaning is generally out because you need water for either the cleaning itself or because you now need a shower.

Source: I'm on a well in Florida and have lost power for several days, and each time i look around at everything that needs to be cleaned and end up sweaty and hot as hell.

But definitely get a small am/fm radio. Really helpful for noise, plus in a widespread emergency, it may be the only way to get info.

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Dadd_io@reddit

I have rooftop solar. I don't have a battery but my inverter can switch off grid and feed 2 KW of power maximum to an extension cord. I've used this to run my internet router and my laptop and new work when the power has gone out.

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NewCondition1231@reddit

24 hours? Do a solid week....7 days. No phone, no electricity, no water.

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Few-Lawyer3707@reddit (OP)

Goals! I will start with 48 hours then try a week one day.

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random-khajit@reddit

Yeah, the last 2 yrs in a row we've lost power for a week during august, county wide, including the cell towers. Since we have a well, the water is gone too.

Got a propane flat-top grill and a solar phone charger after that. Currently have about 2 dozen gallon milk jugs with water set aside for toilet flushing, quick wash offs, and houseplant watering. We have coolers and a gas powered generator thats enough to run the fridge long enough for it to maintain.

This is one reason why EVs do not appeal to me, at least i can bring more gas home than just what's in the tank. Last year we had to drive more than 30 minutes away to fill up, get cell reception, and more than that to find a hotel for 1 night so we could take a decent shower because everyone else in our area [except the Amish] did the same.

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roberttheiii@reddit

But I spent all this money to keep my water and power from shutting off...

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BakeDifferent668@reddit

Another interesting challenge is to try to go a whole day without using your dominant arm.

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Led_Zeppole_73@reddit

Oh I’ve had plenty of practice, end of grid here and rural. Nothing better than a 3 or 4 day outage in the dead of winter to keep you on your toes…

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BelleMakaiHawaii@reddit

Those “no sun for you, also no rain for you” for days in a row are hard here, no charging and no catchment

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davidm2232@reddit

My first preps were off grid power and backup water. I can't imagine sitting in a dark house with no TV

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rstevenb61@reddit

You could always turn off your hot water heater and drain some water. Mine holds 40 gallons.

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harbourhunter@reddit

forbidden oatmeal

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etherlinkage@reddit

Thank you for sharing this

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BelleMakaiHawaii@reddit

We went 1.5 years without electricity other than power banks and a small generator, we went two years without running water

We still fetch our water, and keep 300 gallons in tanks, and 40 gallons of separate drinking water, we have a solar bank with batteries, and a biodigester cooktop, along with an induction cooktop

What we want to add

Biotoilet, with biofuel tankless water heater Another solar bank with storage Freeze dryer Electric vehicle

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El-Em-Enn-Oh-Pee@reddit

Great drill. We did actually lose water and power for 2-3 days after a storm recently. I’ve been through some pretty severe outages in the last 10 years. I also RV, camp and backpack a lot so have a redundancy of gear for that. Comments on your comments:

Cooking- our kitchen has a propane stove with a bic lighter. 500# tank. Backup is a 2 burner coleman stove, a propane griddle and a propane grill. There’s not much you can’t cook with this setup. Backup to that are a couple of little backpacking stoves. Backup to that is a homemade cat food can alcohol stove lol. A 7500 W 120/240V trifuel generator (costco $899) kept fridge and 2 5cf (mostly) meat freezers going. I realize not everyone has their own electrician but my SO directly wired this into our breaker panel and it ran everything but the oven, clothes dryer, microwave and microwave. Don’t try this by yourself but you can have a safe switching system and plug installed into your breaker box. We had 17 gal of gas at the start of the outage and between the generator and chain saws running never ran out. Had it run out we would have switched to a somewhat mobile 400W solar setup. IMO it’s best to be able to run your fridge and freezer and consume what’s in there to start so generator is vital. These appliances don’t take a lot to run so even a smaller generator that you plug directly into the generator will work. We decided to buy a rolling 20ish gallon gas can with pump after this experience.

Water - the generator ran the well pump. We weren’t sure it could handle the hot water heater so left that off. Do you have any kind of rain catchment system? In your shoes that’s what I’d like to have unless I lived in a desert. A couple of big rain barrels would be clutch. We collected the cat litter containers with the screw top lids and those can be for nonpotable water for bathing and flushing. Cheap solution if someone has a cat. Also have a bucket sized composting toilet that I used to take on backroad camping tricks. With that you can avoid flushes. Short term you just collect and toss. Long term you have to know how to handle human waste ala the “Humanure Handbook.” Toilets take a lot of water.

Lighting. If you have a battery (like a Predator or Jackery 300W), some outdoor string lights are nice and help light the whole room. We keep 2 of these batteries maintained. They’re not that much $. Headlamps are good too.

Cell - charge on the 300W battery. If there are still satellites, starlink has a plan you just activate when you want it. This was very nice to get weather and community reports, movies and other entertainment. We use it in the RV normally. As a backup a handheld solar AND crank powered emergency radio is essential. We’d like to get a HAM.

Boredom - books, board and card games, outdoor games like croquet and corn hole. I like paper books but also keep some downloaded on my phone/iPad. Download your top 10 favorite movies. Beer and wine for the grown-ups if you’re into that. A couple of small battery or USB powered fans for air and white noise.

Honestly we were too busy cutting downed trees those 3 days to be bored and were totally exhausted once the sun went down. In the case where you’re needing to cut yourself out like we did, having both a small electric chainsaw and a larger gas chainsaw is very helpful - conserves gas on the smaller debris and electric chainsaw battery can be plugged in and recharged, used even if the gas runs out.

What you don’t realize is you might be working hard and generating a huge amount of very disgusting laundry. If you have a generator and water you can use the washer, not the dryer. If not, the bucket method would be pretty brutal. We didn’t have any drying line. Added that to the list.

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