Survival Storage: Prepping the Small Spaces in Our Lives.

Prepping in small spaces kind of sucks because you do not have much room. Well recently I have been meeting some folks online that live either in small homes or apartments that do not have much storage space and needed some ideas. So to kind of remedy this, I thought I would post my original post from Today's Survival Show on Apartment Prepping here on my blog.

Original Post:

I too live in an apartment, AND I am a prepper. I feel that when it comes to living in an apartment, prepping is essential because of the fact that you are limited. It is pretty tough to live in an apartment, but in reality, it is just learning to live in a small space. Small spaces are not just limited to apartments, some are living in houses smaller than an apartment.

One of the biggest limits is space and storage, but here is a chance to be creative! When looking for storage, think Under, In and Up.

Under as in spaces under your bed, tables like what Frazer mentioned or high legged chairs that you do not have to move.

For 'In' what comes to mind is of course rubbermaid tubs, but again get creative. Think 'hidden in plain sight'. Enclosed end tables with doors, entertainment centers, a wooden trunk serves as storage as well as a decorative coffee table (YAY for multi-function!) Benches that you can lift up the seat for storage. I have even seen an ENTIRE KITCHEN in an armoire!

Next is Up. All apartments have some sort of closet and cabinet system, unfortunately for preppers as well as everyone else, efficiency apartment cabinets are not very large or efficient so that means it would help to have more shelves. If your landlord does allow you to put things like that up on a wall, then great! Many do not how ever, but there is no reason that you cant have shelves. Bookcases, free standing shelves and utility cabinets work well. If you cant afford to buy or make any of those, then get milk crates. They work really well as low makeshift shelving when stacked on each other, I know, I use them as small bookshelves! Also, stack your rubber tubs. Another idea is a rolling cart that not only adds counter space, but also a couple of shelves underneath. There some out there that are not very expensive and have a nice butcher block top.

If ya need ideas, just google 'Small Space Living'. There are a ton of sites out there for it. This is one that I mentioned earlier: http://smallspaceliving.blogspot.com Sure it has not been updated in a while, but it still has some good articles.

If anyone has any other suggestions, please let me know.

Books n' Kits n' Reader's Knowledge!

Blogger Kim said...

BTW, that "lady stuff" can come in handy for a guy who might have a deep bloody gash that needs to be covered with something large...those pads come in handy for more than just what we women tend to need them for! Great job on your kit...I think I'll get mine out of the car this weekend and make sure I've got all that we need...you've mentioned quite a bit that I'm not sure I have...yikes!

Kim,

That is a very good suggestion, and also the cotton in the pads themselves also make for good fire tinder too in a pinch.

Yes, it is a very good idea to check your kits. I have heard that it is a good idea to check them about twice a year, namely spring and fall to replace and replenish things that have gone out of date or are used up. Maybe get in the idea of practicing with your kit and using it from time to time. I use mine to make my lunch sometimes.


Blogger Joshkie said...

If you haven't read it, "98.6 Degrees the Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive" by Cody Lundin is a really good book.

His website is here:
http://www.codylundin.com/degrees.html

Josh

Josh,

Actually I have both of Mr. Lundin's books, "98.6 Degrees" and "When All Hell Breaks Loose" and I am reading them. I currently have not posted any reviews of them yet as I am not finished with them. However, Cody's knowledge in primitive living so far seems outstanding. To me the guy seems to walk the walk and I have a lot of respect for him. I probably will do a full review on them as soon as I finish them, and there are a few things that I would like to try out from his 'When All Hell..' book. He has some interesting concepts I would like to try. But thank you for the recommendation and the link to his site! It is well worth the visit. Also, I think he has a Youtube channel under the name Abodudeman. Just recently that channel posted the informational interviews that showed Cody Lundin and also The Survival Mom Lisa Bedford for Newsweek Magazine on survival that they did a year ago! Plus there is a some other videos on his channel. It is worth a look!

Ravenwolf

Survival Gear: My Vehicle Kit

The beginnings of my vehicle kit. I am a little nervous in posting this. I had originally posted this over at Todays Survival Show Forums

Hyigene and First Aid

Three minor first aid kits for basic injuries, styptic pen, pain meds, soap (bar and liquid), hand sanitizer, tooth brush with toothpaste and *ahem* "extra lady stuff".

Food and Cooking

2 cans of soup, can of fruit, can of veggies, chocolate bars, small mess kit with plate, pan, pot, black cup, and a fork / spoon/ knife combo, Multi Spice kit, enamel cup, two cans of sterno, sterno folding stove, p-38 can opener, canteen, wineskin, plastic bags and potable aqua.

Heat and Light

Socks, light sticks, 5 bags of fire sticks, 2 lighters, 1 brick wetfire, blastmatch, box of matches, magnesium bar, emergency blanket, 2 candles, fatwood sticks, hand and foot wamers, drier lint.

Misc stuff:

2 pairs of gloves, duct tape, trash bags, sewing kit, bungee chords, rope, tri-folding shovel, tent stakes,pencils, compass, tissues.


Not shown:
bandanna
Wool Blanket
Cloth Blanket
Multitool
Tarp
bottled water
boots
shammy towel (for got to add it in the picture with my soap and stuff.)
toilet paper
Jumper cables
Mini survival kit with sabercut saw, whistle, signal mirror, wetfire tinder, second blast match
kitty litter *works like sand in snow.*
notebook
canvas bag that contains half of this stuff
second canvas bag for the rest
and most important, Myself!

I know that there are some other things that I should put in, like a flashlight, (I just realized that!) Notice that I put HUGE emphasis on heat. I live in Minnesota, and it gets BASTARD cold here, if you cant keep warm, then you are in trouble! The fire sticks and other stuff I have in case I have to leave my car, or if I will be there a while. Heck with this kit, I can camp for a while if I need to. My first 72 hr kit for my car. Mostly I intend to stay with my car though.

Most of this stuff I was able to get for under $10, and some I even got for a $1 or less, so building your own kit is not really that expensive. Just make sure that you make your personal kit relevant to you. I am a woman, so I added in some lady stuff. Plus how many other kits do you know have extra socks and boots? Sometimes that is a good thing to add in, especially if you live in very cold, or very damp places, the last thing you want is cold and / or wet feet. This is just somethings to think about when you make your own bag. I encourage you guys to do your research on this. However, this is my first bag, so it is a work in progress. I think so far so good.

Stuff to add:
Dry food
energy bars
flashlight
fishhooks
beef up my first aid kits, I know it is a good start, but it is just a start.

I am still alive!

Yes, I am still here! I have just been having some personal issues to deal with, however, i should be having some articles up in the next few days. I usually keep to posting an article a week, but with the holidays and all, I have been busy. As a little preview, I will have topics like 'what we can learn from animals' and more articles on dehydrating. So stay tuned!

Survival Food: Turkey tips!

Used to having a dry turkey? Try this! Turn the turkey upside down and stuff an onion in body cavity. Pre-heat the oven to 325. Cook it until the breast meat is at 165 degrees. Cook it uncovered. Then take it out and let the turkey 'rest' under tinfoil for about 15-20 minutes. The turkey turned out so moist it was delicious!

Merry Christmas!

Well, I am with my family celebrating the holidays. Just thought I would drop you all a note saying I hope all of you are having a good, safe, Christmas with all your families.

Survival Gear: Squishy Bowls Product Test

Well, finally I did a test on those Squishy Bowls that I had purchased a while ago and they have held up to my expectations! I tested them both in the microwave, and in the freezing cold. First test that I did was I put them out in the snow for about 9 hours or so. The temp when I started the test was at about 12 degrees fahrenheit and by the time the test was done, the temp dropped to 5 degrees. They were still just as pliable, maybe slightly stiff but almost as squishy as when I first set them out and they did not crack when I squished them. This was freezing cold temps. I am a northerner so this really impressed me.

Then I tested the bowls in the microwave to boil water. Again, this really exceeded my expectations. Water came to a boil nicely, but one piece of advice, do not handle these when hot with your bare hands. The bowls are dark colored and absorb heat, so be careful when handling them. The bowls them selves did nicely, no warping of any sort. Also, these are not meant to cook with so do not put them over any kind of open heat source, these are silicone after all. It seems that they are microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe (though I have yet to test that). So far this looks like it will be a valuable addition to my vehicle bag.

I know that this is expensive for $20, but I rather shell out the extra bucks for good quality gear. Again, four paws up!

Survival Mentality: Extra Bag Freedom.

I like the idea of having an 'Emergency Vehicle Bag' in my vehicle.

I mean, it feels good to be able to pull over at a park, open up my vehicle bag and cook a hot meal out the back of my vehicle when ever I please. Sure it might be only an MRE, but to me, that is freedom.

And also, practicing using your vehicle bag is not only perfection, but tasty too!

Survival Mentality: Pay it Forward

"Give a man a fish, and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime." -- English Proverb.

I saw this little program that the American Preppers Network has a few months back called Pay it Forward and thought I would mention it. What you do, is you go there and print out one of the Pay it Forward Bucks, as many as you want. And then when you do a good deed for someone, you hand them one of those bucks and ask them to do what it suggests. I like this idea, as it gets the word out about the site and about prepping in general. It has been a while since I heard about it, but I think this would be a good thing to pass around to others. Not a bad deal huh?

Ravenwolf

Survival Mentality: A Jar of Jelly

Nothing feels good like opening the fridge for a jar of jelly to add to your peanut butter sandwich, but feeling slightly disappointed when you find out you ran out, yet happy that you find another jar hidden in the very bottom of your extra storage bin later.

It is the simple things like that, that I love.

*NOTE TO SELF: Get or make some more jelly!

Ravenwolfen

Survival Mentality: The Prepper Life

Ben said...

How to make prepping an addition to your life and not your entire life. Making your life simpler via doing things for your self, but not being so pre-occupied with it that you can enjoy life and share with others.

Ben,

Thank you for your reply, and that is a good question! Honestly I had to think about this a while. The reason being is that the basics of prepping is normal for me. What I did with prepping was integrate it in my life, almost to the point that I really did not have to think about it too much. My family taught me those lessons because that is what they did. I don't think of prepping as a separate activity, it is a part of life.

For example, just today I went to the grocery store for a few items that I was running low on. I saw a good sale on a type of bread that I love that I was out of and it was a good deal, buy one get one free. Well I normally buy two loaves, but with the deal, I got two extra. The two loaves I keep out to use, and the rest I freeze for later. When I get home I sort the stuff that will get used soon from the stuff that I will put in extra storage right away. See some can goods that you normally eat, like a good sale on canned corn? Buy what you need, and then get a few extra on top of that and store it away. I do this on my grocery day and just add a little each time. Then I go do what I want. I just leave it at that. Over time I dont have to go to the grocery store as much, and since I live in Minnesota, I dont like driving in winter. Doing this cuts down on that.

In reality, prepping IS a lifestyle. I think for the longest time it was normal, at least with our grandparents and great grandparents. This was just what they did and did not have to talk about it. Right now I think some have to consiously think about it because we are not used to doing it. Many have become so used to having everything at our disposal, and that has made us a little slothful in a way. In this way it makes prepping a bit of a chore. Well there are ways to make it fun! Prepping is not only working with food, but also with skills. Some of these skills you can make into hobbies. Maybe try something new that you would not normally do and take pleasure in it. Get your family into it too. Costume making teaches sewing, and kids love cosplaying! I found a good forum that helps out with making costumes, which equals making your own clothes! Or get involved in First Aid or CPR, the Red Cross has excellent classes. I liked taking those classes when I was in girl scouts. Maybe turn off the T.V. and take the kids out camping. That is a good way to teach prepping skills, without making it a chore.

Can you guys out there think of more ideas like this for your family? I hope this is a good illustration, and that I did not ramble too much... heh.

Survival Gear: Squishy Bowls!

Just want to make a quick note, I got a new item in the mail! I recently purchased a set of Squishy Bowls (eighth item down if you click the link.) These are a set of silicone base bowls that you can fold down or squish flat for something like a pack as part of a kitchen kit. They seem really durable, are dishwasher safe and resistant to heat up to 400 degrees, though do not put them over a direct heat source. They come in a two pack. The one that I got squeezed in my hand is a 6oz cup, the other one is a 12oz bowl. I got a set of these for when I travel or hike.

The business I got this from is Canteen Shop for about $20. The company gets four paws up from me because of the speedy delivery, (I ordered them from the site on monday and got them on thursday!) AND they take PAYPAL!

BTW, Thank you for your ideas guys in the last article, I will take them under suggestion. If any of you have any more, let me know.

Reader ideas, suggestions for articles?

Hey guys, I am just kicking this out there. Is there anything that you guys would like me to write about, topics and such? I would like to know. I am an urban / apartment prepper so I think I am a little unique in that route. Also I am into learning new skills too. Maybe some more instructional articles on dehydrating or start canning?

If you guys have any ideas for articles on my blog, things that you would like to see me do, put them in the comments section. I would like to hear from you guys!

Survival Food: Liquid Gold

Honey is liquid gold. It has simple sugars, B and C vitamins, and it has medicinal values too. Add this to cuts and burns to keep from infection, use it as a 'liquid bandage' in a pinch. It has antimicrobial properties. But the best is that this is one food that NEVER GOES BAD! It has many literal uses for it, that I am really surprised that this is not really mentioned for survival bags. Thought I would mention this.

You can read where I found this info on here: Bees online

Survival Gear: Bag Balm

Hey guys, got another good multi-use item that I would recommend. Bag Balm! Originally used for irritated cow udders, this lanolin and petroleum based product is great for other uses. Not only does it work on cows, but it also works well on human skin too. It is excellent for dry chapped hands, stops skin irritation, helps speed minor wound care healing. Here is a USA Today Article that tells a little bit more on the history and uses of this stuff. I did not know that they used this stuff on the pads of the cadaver dogs at the World Trade Center Site.

Personally I used this on my own hands. It is a little greasy, but it really worked making my hands soft. I would suggest putting this on at night and letting it soak into your skin, it only takes a little bit to work. It is a good addition to the med cabinet.

Survival Food: Drink Mixes

Just thought I would do a quick little article about some things that I am currently storing as an alternative to soda pop. Need to get off that caffeine, and some of these drinks are good to carry in an emergency vehicle bag.

Teas: Yes, I drink a lot of tea. Most of the time I make a lot of my own herbal mixes for different reasons. Most are made for medicine when I am sick or just for plain enjoyment. Some though I do buy from the store and many are good and not so good. The best ones that I like are Biglows Tea and Native American Tea Company teas. Those two I find consistently taste the best. There are several downsides to this choice for drinks. 1. Many teas contain caffeine, and if you are in an area where water is scarce, you do not want to be losing more water than you take in. Caffeine makes you pee a lot. This is a good thing to keep in mind. 2. A good base of knowledge in herbs really helps, ESPECIALLY if you grow/harvest/forage/purchase in bulk whole leaf teas. It is good to know the effects and side affects of plants and how they affect you! You have to be very careful and know what you are doing. Boxed teas are for the most part ok, but if you plan to harvest wild plants, learn all that you can about them. You cannot make a mistake with something like this. I say this because some poisonous plants look a lot like safe plants out in the wild. It is a good idea to do a lot of reading from resources like Peterson's Field Guide to Edible and Medicinal Plants, get good instructional training. For me studying plants is a lot of fun, I enjoy it. But if you feel this is not the route for you, don't do it. In a survival situation, you cant afford to make mistakes.

Dry Milk: This is good for a lot of stuff, just to drink and to cook with. At $7 a box it easily is a bargain to buy than the gallon stuff if you drink or use a lot of it. There are also some individually wrapped packets that can be put in backpacks for on the go. Which I think it would be a good idea as it does contain protein. The only downside of this is it does taste like skim milk, otherwise it is not bad cold.

Gatorade Dry Mix: Yep, I drink Gatorade quite a bit. I get the big cans of it from walmart for a pretty decent price. Also it comes in individually wrapped packets for those on the go, I have seen them at places like REI. If anyone else knows where I can get those, let me know. It is good for sodium and electrolytes as well as flavoring water.

Emergen-C Packets: Good for adding vitamins to your drink, but not so good as a stand alone. It does have a lot of C in it as well as B vitamins. I do suggest adding it in with something else like juice to make it more palatable. They are a little pricey too, but still ok. This is carried by a lot of grocery, health food and drug stores.

Hot Chocolate: Again it is another option for flavoring water. You can buy them in canisters and individual packets. I just recently got some from Honeyville Farms hot chocolate with marhmallows, though I have not tried it out yet as I am still finishing off a canister of Nestle's Quick that I bought 6 years ago. The powders I find never really go bad. It works well as a nice morale booster. What better way to end the day fighting the massive zombie hoard, or living through a cold winters day than a nice cup of hot chocolate? **/joking** Kids would like this. This you can get most anywhere.

Kool-Aid and other brand mixes: This is my last choice for a drink mix, only because of several things. 1. A lot of them have Aspartame so READ LABELS. 2. Other chemicals like dyes and stuff. I am really odd when it comes to those things. If anything else though, this is still AN option for flavoring water. Many come in individual packets and whole canisters. Kool-aid even came out with a tablet form of mix like that of Alkaseltzer, just drop in the tablet. No need to add sugar and each of the tablets is individually wrapped too, so they do not take up much space. Kids love this, but I am not too keen on having this. Again, this you can get most anywhere.

That is all I have for the basics in drink mixes, if any of you out there have any suggestions, just put them in the comments area. I would like to hear your ideas and findings.

Survival Gear: Carts!

I am not sure if anyone has talked about carts on here, but I thought I would mention it. Since I live in an apartment, I needed a way to haul groceries and other items from my car fairly quickly. I well I got one several years ago for Christmas. That thing has helped like you would not believe. I have used it for hauling my laundry down to the laundromat, bringing home groceries, to hauling out garbage. In fact it came in handy when the apartment elevator broke down and I needed to use the stairs. That cart saved me several trips if I had to do it by hand, so instead of making 3-4 trips, It only took me 1. This one is close to the one that I have, from the same company, except it does not have a metal plate. Also there is an extra thick rubber-ish hooded liner that you can put in it. I have taken this cart to many stores and have never gotten a complaint. Overall it is well made, folds up very flat so it saves room and I use it all the time.

Do any of you use carts, trailers or wagons?

Goodies in the Mail!

Yesterday I got some goodies that I will be doing reviews on. One is 'One Man's Wilderness' by Sam Keith and Richard Proenneke, the other is '98 degrees: The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive' by Cody Lundin. Both I got on Amazon, plus I have some stuff on the way that I will be testing out. Thought I would let you guys know.

Survival Media: Dual Survival

Morning guys, it is WAY early for me to be up, but I cant sleep due to my back is sore, and I am not going to waste time doing nothing. Plus on top of that, I will be very busy this weekend and will not have time to put up another blog post till next week. Now on to the topic, Dual Survival.

I am not sure how I found out about this show, though I know it was from somewhere on the internet. Dual Survival is about two survival experts who have had opposite types of training in survival. The famous Cody Lundin, (author of 98 degrees, and When All Hell Breaks Loose,) is an expert in primitive survival skills and believes in working with nature. Dave Canterbury is trained in the military ways of survival, believing that nature is against you. Both of these men are put together in typical dangerous survival situations, with tools that everyday people are likely to have with them. One situation was if your car dies in a desert area, what do you do? Would you think about taking out the reflectors in the car headlights to help start a fire? They show what can be used for tools and how to improvise for the things you need. That is pretty typical for every show, but it is interesting how they go around doing things. Dave tries to rely on hunting for meat more, whereas Cody checks areas for wild plants and insects as a food base. They go over the basics of food, shelter, fire, water and security, and show the multiple ways that those can be obtained. These two really know their stuff.

Now, I must admit, when I first heard about the synopsis of the show, I thought that this was going to be an out and out "reality show" kind of bitchfest. From what I remember there was a little amount of that in the first episode, but after Cody made that amazing shelter in the first episode, there was a huge amount of respect between the two men. Sure there still some times that they pick on each other, but all in all it is not that bad. I have to admit, this a bit of a refreshing change from other shows.

The one gripe that I have about this show are They always point out that Cody walks around barefoot, We really do not need to be reminded about that so much.

Overall it is entertaining to watch.

Survival Gear: Flour Sack Cloth

Thought I would mention this to you guys. I know that many folks recommend a sort of large cloth like a bandanna for an emergency bag or a Bug Out Bag. Here is an alternative to the bandanna, flour sack cloth. The white piece of material under the camo colored bandanna in the picture above is flour sacking. It is pretty good because most flour sacking is a little bit bigger than a bandanna and can be used for a lot of things. Good flour sacking is really thick and durable, can soak up a bit of water, yet it dries pretty quickly. It can serve as a hat, a shirt if you have more than one and I have even heard of this material being made in to dresses during the Depression era. It can act as a bag too. I personally have been using really good sack cloth for years as dish drying towels. I have some that were given to me. Even the white color can act as a contrasting flag to signal for help in an emergency. I keep an eye out for this when I can and recently I had bought some from wal-mart for under $5 and some a little pricier at hardware stores. I know that there are some dollar store ones that are thin and cheap, but quality is best.

If any of you out there know where to get some more real quality sack cloth, let me know.

Flour Sacks for Clothes Article