Thanks for the help Jack. Really for me right now I have a 2.5 ft by 6 ft by 8 ft closet. (Comes when you only have 1 prepper in the house) but I am prepping for 4. I also have BOB's packed and ready to go in another place. But thats about all the room I have. Plus your basic kitchen space 🙁 For me its not the how to use the space ( i have reorganized it about a dozen times and finally am happy with it, after building shelves, and moving to Mylar bags) but rather whats next? What are prepps that I should have beyond the basic food/water and basic survival gear? Obviously I want to keep adding to those basic preps too. But considering space is an issue what types of things should be my next preps. (I am newer to prepping, and have had to go slow due to lack of support)
What are prepps that I should have beyond the basic food/water and basic survival gear? Obviously I want to keep adding to those basic preps too. But considering space is an issue what types of things should be my next preps. (I am newer to prepping, and have had to go slow due to lack of support)
First Aid, Hygiene, communications and alternative power, security and entertainment.
To get some support try to sell the prepping as new hobbies to your family members. Instead of let's buy a CB radio for SHTF say something like let's get an Amateur radio license so we can talk to people on the other side of the city on the radio. 🙂
Funny that despite my family not really getting what prepping is I definitely had a prepper Christmas. Or as my dad called it, and outback camping christmas. LOL. Perfect in my books. So since I am an urban prepper does anyone have ideas on where I can practice some of my wilderness skills? Does my gear really work? Can I survive for 3 days ect. As a woman I don't feel safe going to a big park and just camping on my own / I know I still have a lot to learn. Thoughts????
Funny that despite my family not really getting what prepping is I definitely had a prepper Christmas. Or as my dad called it, and outback camping christmas. LOL. Perfect in my books. So since I am an urban prepper does anyone have ideas on where I can practice some of my wilderness skills? Does my gear really work? Can I survive for 3 days ect. As a woman I don't feel safe going to a big park and just camping on my own / I know I still have a lot to learn. Thoughts????
I live in Toronto. I'll admit I have a farm I retreat to every few months but if I were you, I would book as long a trip as possible canoeing in the woods, biking cross country, particularly Northbound through the wilderness. Do what you can.
I was thinking of canoeing the Mackenzie river at some point. Or biking cross country to Montreal, or the East coast. These are both endurance based wilderness endeavors. We're throwing in factors like carry weight, nutrition, distance/time management, supplies and tools needed, camp making and breaking by day, outdoor cooking, and some serious enduro skills, essentially the art of refugeeism AKA the bugout VIA land or water. You'll pick up a lot of skills on the way.
Funny that despite my family not really getting what prepping is I definitely had a prepper Christmas. Or as my dad called it, and outback camping christmas. LOL. Perfect in my books. So since I am an urban prepper does anyone have ideas on where I can practice some of my wilderness skills? Does my gear really work? Can I survive for 3 days ect. As a woman I don't feel safe going to a big park and just camping on my own / I know I still have a lot to learn. Thoughts????
Christ I just read you're a woman. I'll advertise the same thing I say to any woman. It's five things, boot knife, baton, kubaton, pepper spray, and physical conditioning(IE endurance, explosive power, speed). Learn how to use all of them.
Hi Singlecell,
Funny you should mention basic security items. I have those types of things, but still caution about going camping on my own in like Algonquin park or doing something like a bike trip that long. For logistics of a trip like that, would you camp side of the road or have per planned check ins?
Everything should be a progressive step towards something bigger. Jumping in head first gets you in all kinds of pickles. You have a few months before you can go camping. Start now learning what to buy and take your time before you buy. Read reviews on websites to see what the review scores are for that item and why. That knowledge will likely save you lots of grief and wasted money alone.
I'm guessing that you are considering taking the kids along with you when you wish to test your equipment. This is a good way to entice them but sometimes it's best to learn what your doing first and then teach them. I'd suggest meeting others who might be interested in camping with you and hopefully know something about the subject to make things easier.
Start reading online about the differences in sleeping bags. Insulation is an important factor but so is how they are sewn(baffles are best). Does the material breath as condensation collects in any bag. Adding a cotton blanket inside your bag makes them easier to wash instead. Find one of those cheap roll ups at Walmart for $10 and sew in some ties strings and loops(on both bag and blanket) to hold them in place. This trick just made that -10 bag a -20 bag and far easier to clean and air out. While Mummy bags are often warmer, they are harder to air out and can't be joined together to make a bigger bag or used as a bed comforter. The joining aspect is good with small kids camping.
Such things as this are steps that you could start today in preparation for that camping trip. Learning what each item does and which kind is better is just a start. It takes many trips outdoors to find what you truly use and what you don't use. If you don't use it, why bring it along?
If you bring the kids, expect that they will want to be continually entertained. Thus you might again want to wait until you have somewhat perfected camping so that you can make their first experience enjoyable enough they'll want repeat it. One bad experience and you'll have to force them to come along.
There is so much to learn but you don't have to start out with the best equipment. Those 3 room tents take alot longer to set up and you'll wreck a tent or 2 learning how to not wreck the zippers and trip on the flaps and ropes. Buy a simple 4 man dome tent with a fly for starters. This accommodates 2 people and their gear properly and is easy to set up and relocate(as you will learn why when the time comes) 😀 . Practice setting it up in the yard a few times so you can do it right when you go camping. Throw away the cheap frail pegs and buy some good ones right away will be a 1st step towards improvement.
Don't do the 4 day hikes backpacking until you really know what your doing.... and while your camping, play with the campfire as this is where you learn how they work and breath. See what lights fast and goes out compared to what burns slow and long. Learn how to control the temperature of the fire by applying wetter wood to lower it without killing it. Learn how to knock it down and make a base to cook on and try cooking on it. Most folks only use the little barbeques and have no such skills without the grills provided. It will amaze you how much you can learn from playing with fire if you just pay attention.
Hi Knuckle
Thank you for the feedback, and taking the kids into account. 🙂 I do camp a few times a year with the kids, but its much more glamping then backpacking, and honestly the skills are not the same, from propane stove cooking with almost a full kitchen, to just what you have in our bag. And you are so right about having to entertain the kids. Last year I bought a new family tent and it took me two hours to set it up just because they were wanting to run around and explore. 🙂
How do I transfer from family camping with a van packed full of supplied to back packing? Any good ideas on locations? Something thats tamer then a real outback, but not a KOA.
Once I have it down then I will try bring a kid along, not both until I am a pro. 🙂
As was mentioned before, take it one small step at a time. For instance, if you plan on taking your kids ice skating this winter, then bring along the supplies needed to heat water and make everyone some hot chocolate. Do little things like that to get used to the equipment and see what works and doesn't work.
I seem to be only able to advise you on the way things should have been regarding teaching the kids outdoor skills. Since I grew up in the bush and raised twins to age 17 in the city with another 10 before taking them to the country, they had too many urban ways. I started out with good intent when they were young, but their mother allowed them into bringing city games along sometimes and thus they learned bad habits. Once I had them living in bush country fulltime, they soon realized that other kids found them city stupid and then at least some country training commenced.
I've taught them how to fish and clean fish, camp and light fires. How to shoot though none would partake in the hunt other than to watch Dad kill and clean game, large or small. I never make them do such things, but marveled how they liked shooting , just not the aspect of killing supper. Seemed killing fish was okay though...go figure. They have all moved back to the city now and these days brag how good they are outdoors compared to all their friends. All do admit they wished they paid more attention to many other lessons such as mechanics as they now must figure such out on their own.
I don't remember where you live to suggest where to camp. I hate campgrounds but it seems the way things have to be done when you live in higher populated areas. The propane stoves are good to understand and be comfortable with but the campfire essentials should be practiced and passed down as many folks brag today but few city folks could even light one if pressed to. Things like teaching how to make kindling safely without cutting fingers off are lost as kids are not even allowed to play with knives in their youth anymore, don't mind hatchets and axes.
Even when camping with adults, there is a way to do things that make camping comfortable. I am not a drinker at all but learned early that a small mickey of Brandy passed between friends seems to take the bite off a cold night to make it seem more enjoyable without ruining a weekend. Too bad others then make it a 26 oz and soon things get out of balance. Seems many aspects of camping work in this manner. When you find a balance, you enjoy the camping. It could rain all weekend but if you prepared properly, you learn to overcome the gloom of the dreary day by playing cards and overeating with snacks and meals. With the kids along, I used to even bring board games and even my dart board as competition in such things creates distraction and entertainment all round. What I hated was the Game Boy coming along as it somehow made the kids miss all the other things they were used to too.
It's after the kids get past hard learned lessons like not airing out the sleeping bags after the 1st night and thus freezing the 2nd night (and all others suffering for their night's discomfort) that kids finally pay a bit more attention to that which you teach. I showed my kids many knots and their uses and none remember much as they haven't had to it seems. My kids likely know more than their city friends, but not near enough to be real useful outdoors. When they were younger, (under 10) I used to take the twins hiking on game trails and they'd follow blindly along without making note. Then I'd stop when I knew they would be confused and tell them to get us back out. Since they never watched their back trail, I'd follow where they led until they were tired and when they finally admitted they were lost, and thus humbled, teach them the lessons of watching as we traveled home. When they later got good at this game, I'd blindfold them and spin them around to make them think I was confusing them. The backtrail remains the same, but they then concluded they were great students as they could still get us out. Such games were the reason to play again later... When the kids grew older, such games didn't entertain them enough, but I hope they use these same tactics to train their own someday too.
All kids want to learn how to light fires. This is something you should teach and hopefully your there when they nearly get out of hand as we all need to learn that lesson along the way too. I taught my kids how to light fires in the winter and in drizzling rain, also in a good wind and how to put them out right too.
Seems both my sons have now lost friends due to the stupidity of youth and have grown to understand best that mistakes do kill. I listen to them nowadays as they tell me of stupid things done before that they managed to live through and I see they have some of my other traits in them too. Even the youngest is in his late 20's now and so this is when you can measure how much what you taught truly counted. They may not know all that I wished them to learn, but hopefully it put them on the path to acquiring more of this knowledge on their own. My final advice is to limit the access your kids have to television, XBox (or whatever) and make them do something else now and then instead. It was an learning obstacle for my kids and likely a far worse one today.
We were forced to get a storage unit. The cost sucks but we were drowning in kids toys gear. My 30 year old camper will be stocked up soon and ready to rock. I hate our apartment. But its cheap
As was mentioned before, take it one small step at a time. For instance, if you plan on taking your kids ice skating this winter, then bring along the supplies needed to heat water and make everyone some hot chocolate. Do little things like that to get used to the equipment and see what works and doesn't work.
OMG I love that idea. Would be fun for all of us. And a great way to practice too. 🙂
We were forced to get a storage unit. The cost sucks but we were drowning in kids toys gear. My 30 year old camper will be stocked up soon and ready to rock. I hate our apartment. But its cheap
Before you got the camper and where prepping in the apartment how did you store everything / make it work with kids?
Hi Knuckles,
Thank you so much for the advice, and sharing from your experiences. I am from the KW area, so any good starter places within an hour or two?
You are so right about kids becoming dead heads. They love their video games. I really try to keep them active other nights though with things like swimming lessons, muaty thai. The one thing that is amazing is that both my boys do love to camp, and both are pretty adventurous. I did one on one camping trips with them last year just at my cousins place, they loved it, but we also had easy access to modern ammenties. Same when we camp at my parents place. This year I want to get away from being able to use the potty, or have someone serve you dinner, and cook over a fire pit, and test out some gear. 🙂
Silly question, where does one learn things like how to clean a fish? I have gone fishing with my dad before, (I will not profess to be an expert at all) but he always just did the cleaning. Mans work ect ect....
Silly question, where does one learn things like how to clean a fish? I have gone fishing with my dad before, (I will not profess to be an expert at all) but he always just did the cleaning. Mans work ect ect....
Simple answer, first you need fish and a filleting knife. This means you must go fishing to progress to the next stage. Something else to get your kids into. When I first moved my family here into Lake of the Woods region, I bought them all decent fishing rods and took them fishing. Again, most folks won't like fishing until they manage to catch some. Then they get the bug like anything else. Thus I first got them addicted to fishing , then I taught them to clean the fish.
My wife is native but I used to call her an Urbanite Indian as she knew nothing when first moving here and it took years to wipe the city attitude off. 😆 Now she cleans fish faster and better than I do and fishes far more than I do too. There are various ways to clean fish but the differences are just in how get the meat off the bone. Some cut thru the ribs as they remove the fillet while others cut around the ribs while filleting. I prefer the 2nd method as that is how I was initially taught and so how I teach others. With Trout, I just gut them and remove the head and tail and leave the skin on. This method is good for both baking and smoking and only works on those fish with no scales. Pickerel are the best eating fish by far but are only pan fried and maybe battered. Bottom feeders like Cat fish and other fish with sucker mouths are best pickled or smoked.
Pickerel have only 1 set of ribs and so are easy to clean while Northern Pike have 2 sets and thus impossible to clean all of them out. Many folks don't want to eat them just because of the bones. There are 2 tricks for eating Northern... lay the fillet with the thin part towards you and break the meat away starting from the thin edge. This exposes the bones so you can pull them out easily. The second is to just grind up the fillets and make fish patties instead. The wife does this and adds spices too. Only Woosies cry about a few bones. Seems my daughter was the one who did that most while camping 😉 . Boys at least bite their tongues more.. 😆
Most fish are best pan fried while trout is best baked and Whitefish is best smoked. Smoked fish becomes "picking food". I bring this along camping and just put this on the table in the evening. Everyone picks at it bit by bit and it never lasts long. I always bring homemade jerky too and only admit to it's possession under threat of death. 😯 These things are also what makes camping separate from everyday life as cooking marshmellows once did as kids. Fried bread is another favourite. It's like bannock but deep fried in a pan instead. Seems such things always taste best in the outdoors. Since we dehydrate all that we can, it seems we always have what most of you would consider "prepper food" for camping. Therefore everything I make always has tons of color due to colorful bell peppers and spices galore.
BTW, fish sauce is expensive to buy but is easy to make.... Sour cream, a little green relish and a pinch of dill. Try it and you'll never buy another jar again.
