Prepping for the coming Zombie Apocolypse

Brent Dowell

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Reno NV
I really can't believe we haven't had a generator yet. It's not unusual to have power outages here, but they rarely last for more than a few hours. But you never know.

Just thought it might make sense to pick up a little generator.

It's a gasser, but from what I've read is if you use the right preservative, and store the gas right, it can last up to 2 years.

I ordered a bunch of 5 gallon metal jerry cans, and I figure I'll keep them on a regular schedule of using one of the per month in the car, and cycling through them all to keep them fresh.

Also may have ordered some of those 'buckets-o-emergency' food from Costco as well.

I must be watching 'Doomsday Preppers' too much lately, but better to be have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

Time to start on the full scale trebuchet.

FWW-4542.jpg
 
Started digging a hole in the hill for another container yet? ;)

I need to drain and clean out the tank on my genny and try firing it up, has sat for a couple of year with the gas valve turned off. We have buried lines and a substation only a mile away, so things get back up and running pretty quick around here.
 
:D :thumb: That'll keep the freezer frozen anyway. My grandparents used one pretty close to that size for years to keep a fridge and freezer rolling. Only open them when the generator is running and they got by even in peak of summer on about 30m twice a day.

Time to start on the full scale trebuchet.

:rofl: They are kind of fun. I was "consulting engineer" (aka the deserved recipient of "would you please shutup already") on this one a friend built a few years back
trebuchet.jpg

The biggest flaw is probably fairly obvious - the pivot needs to be a LOT stronger, that is 3/4 all thread which wasn't nearly heavy duty enough. Some spacers on each side of the arm would probably have helped a bit.. but it should still have been bigger. Otherwise it chucked pumpkins like a champ.

Worst case once the gas gets to old you can load it up in the trubechet as an area effect weapon.

What I really want to make is an Onager (and a ballista - but seriously everyone wants to make a Ballista so I don't consider that that weird :D) - although torsion weapons scare me enough I may never actually do it (smarter as I get older or just more timid?). The failure modes tend to be a bit overly dramatic.
 
Watch the dates on the Costco stuff. Better grub, prices and longevity to be had. If you can make a subterranean vault (nothing fancy...just a pit) , 10ft deep...5'x5' to drop food and maybe a little water...it'll last a lot longer! On the good side...you sure aren't short of ammo, visibility or know-how!
 
:D :thumb: That'll keep the freezer frozen anyway. My grandparents used one pretty close to that size for years to keep a fridge and freezer rolling. Only open them when the generator is running and they got by even in peak of summer on about 30m twice a day.

That was my thinking. It's probably a little large for just the fridge and freezer, but need to be able run the well pump as well.



:rofl: They are kind of fun. I was "consulting engineer" (aka the deserved recipient of "would you please shutup already") on this one a friend built a few years back
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The biggest flaw is probably fairly obvious - the pivot needs to be a LOT stronger, that is 3/4 all thread which wasn't nearly heavy duty enough. Some spacers on each side of the arm would probably have helped a bit.. but it should still have been bigger. Otherwise it chucked pumpkins like a champ.

Worst case once the gas gets to old you can load it up in the trubechet as an area effect weapon.

What I really want to make is an Onager (and a ballista - but seriously everyone wants to make a Ballista so I don't consider that that weird :D) - although torsion weapons scare me enough I may never actually do it (smarter as I get older or just more timid?). The failure modes tend to be a bit overly dramatic.

Heck, messing with garage door springs scare me, so doing the whole hi tension twisted rope thing, well, Trebuchet!
 
Watch the dates on the Costco stuff. Better grub, prices and longevity to be had. If you can make a subterranean vault (nothing fancy...just a pit) , 10ft deep...5'x5' to drop food and maybe a little water...it'll last a lot longer! On the good side...you sure aren't short of ammo, visibility or know-how!

The 'buckets-o-freezedried' are truly the last resort. Got some gamma seal buckets, mylar bags, and oxygen absorbers and will be packing away some normal type food in quantity, you know, grains, pastas, staples, etc...

Also found these cool bag in a box things to store water in. Will be putting some of those away, just for grins too....
 
Heck, messing with garage door springs scare me, so doing the whole hi tension twisted rope thing, well, Trebuchet!

Not sure which is worse really those door springs bite worse than a pit bull.

Don't kid yourself though a trebuchet can still make your day a bad one especially a larger one (pictured is about a 16' arm if I remember correctly which is about the smallest I'd bother to build, it could toss mid size pumpkins about 300') - do setup a decent release system and be careful. Overbuild ALL of the bracing and figure out how to anchor it down well in many directions/places (it will rock and sway in unfortunate directions otherwise). On the one I used we'd crank it down and then clip on a safety cable, setup the trigger, load the sling and then release the winch. Once all that was done we'd triple check for clear, release the safety cable and then back waaaaay up to the side and pull the trigger release to let fly the pumpkins of war.

More practically (and perhaps on topic? :huh:) for food storage I'm a big believer in eating what you store so you:
  1. know you can stand it (although honestly you get hungry enough and a lot of "can stand it" goes straight out the window; fun facts the big grubs that live in cottonwood trees tasty nutty if you roast them a bit and ants have a delightful tang when mixed with honey or chocolate - I was a trial to my parents in so many ways in retrospect)
  2. know how to cook it (seen plenty of people stocking up on whole wheat kernels who said they were going to "make bread" oh yeah? - you ever ground enough to make bread by hand?)
  3. rotate stock
  4. Actually costs less.. regular food is usually cheaper than special food

We keep a fair bit of bulk food as part of the daily grind just because its CHEAP and its convenient cause we always have something in the house. We use a lot of 5 gallon buckets with Gamma Seal Lids (TM?) to keep it in - the gamma seals are the best things since ..well 5 gallon buckets really :D

For quick food we keep a few cases of sardines and peanut butter (plus other nuts in the freezer - vacuum sealed and frozen they last years, bought in bulk they're pretty cheap) and some crackers and a bit of trail mix type things.

A lot of the other dry goods are moderately energy intensive to cook (beans, wheat kernels, rice) but there are a few that aren't to bad. Bulgar for instance isn't that hard to make from wheat kernels (if you have a mill) - its essentially coarsely cracked wheat that's steamed and then dried; it can be rehydrated just by soaking and wheat is a relatively complete food (unless you're gluten intolerant). If you have time/water bean sprouts are a good low energy alternative way to prepare beans and lentils are faster to cook than beans so take a lot less energy to prepare. Hemp nuts or Chia seeds are both pretty high energy foods and are tasty in and of themselves and don't really need cooking. Quick oats are delicious with a few nuts or raisins and also make ok cookies in the interim.

Worst case I have about 200lbs of barley malt :D and last time I figured the wine/beer stored.. I could at least not care a whole lot for a few months.

Not that a couple dozen MRE's wouldn't be a good idea if you had to bail, but I'm personally not totally convinced they're better than a bag of nuts and a dozen cans of fish.

edit: I see you're already on board with the gamma seal lids :D :thumb:
 
The 'buckets-o-freezedried' are truly the last resort. Got some gamma seal buckets, mylar bags, and oxygen absorbers and will be packing away some normal type food in quantity, you know, grains, pastas, staples, etc...

Also found these cool bag in a box things to store water in. Will be putting some of those away, just for grins too....

I see you have staples on your list don't forget the diet food...Air nails.
 
edit: I see you're already on board with the gamma seal lids :D :thumb:

Yep!

Not quite sure a Trebuchet will ever really make it on my radar of project to complete, but I like to think about it from time to time.

At any rate, I already built one...


I'm definitely planning on using more than a few of the gamma seal buckets for malted barley. My latest brew I'm drinking now, I actually made with some very old malt that had been stored double wrapped in garbage bags inside a metal trash can. It converted and worked just fine.

I definitely plan on storing 'normal' food. The freeze dried buckets are just a total last resort.

I actually made a mistake when I ordered the gamma seal buckets with mylar bags and oxy absorbers. I sort of doubled the order, so I should be really, really set for gamma seal buckets. Fortunately, I've got 'Warehouse 13' to stockpile them in.:rofl:
 
Not quite sure a Trebuchet will ever really make it on my radar of project to complete, but I like to think about it from time to time.
At any rate, I already built one...

Awww its soo cuuute! :D In reality its probably a really good thing (for those around us) that we don't live closer together :rofl:

I'm definitely planning on using more than a few of the gamma seal buckets for malted barley. My latest brew I'm drinking now, I actually made with some very old malt that had been stored double wrapped in garbage bags inside a metal trash can. It converted and worked just fine.

Yep I've used some really old grain for a few "mix what you got" brews and even up to 5 years old its worked just fine. I tend to err on the heavier body and more "robust" beers for those to hide any possible staleness but haven't really noticed any. One of them (which was unfortunately a "whatever was on the shelf, not really tracked" beers) ended up as one of the best I'd made in a long time. I usually do the garbage bag inside the gamma sealed bucket just because its easier to get out.

I actually made a mistake when I ordered the gamma seal buckets with mylar bags and oxy absorbers. I sort of doubled the order, so I should be really, really set for gamma seal buckets. Fortunately, I've got 'Warehouse 13' to stockpile them in.:rofl:

:rofl: Don't worry they will find homes and uses... For example I think we have a lifetime supply of pickling salt (50 lbs juuust fit in 5 gallons.. its a lot of salt but doesn't go bad and was like 1/4 the price so... yeah salt.. we have it). All of our dogfood -> buckets with lids.. and so on...
 
Brent there is just one thing that bothers me about your location and what I see you have in supplies. WHERE is the water???? :)

Well, for starters, I'm going to use these.

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The Rest of the water will be down the well, which the generator will provide the power to pull out for us.

We'll also keep the pool filled, year round, to provide 'utility' water.
 
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