Not so much added, but I think important to mention...
In anticipation of ARRL field day later this month, I decided to break out the radio go bags and make sure everything was up to snuff.
It wasn't!
Now I can spend a bit of time getting it up to speed.
It's important to check your gear from time to time. Are devices working and batteries charged? Do the clothes still fit or are they out of season? Is there anything you thought was there but isn't? Has food gone bad or water bottles leaked? Is there anything you could add/replace/eliminate?

Demon, what was not working on radios?
Agree about the need to always check on things and Electronics are brutal. It works, turn it off with big smile and then, poof, going nowhere fast. I am a big believer in redundancy because no matter the quality and care, things break.

For some reason, I can't get the laptop sound card to "hear" my qrp radio. Probably a setting somewhere that I haven't figured out.
I'm going to pick a day next week when I can set everything up on battery to test how long I can run.
I agree about redundancy, so I'm going to put a small cw translator in the kit as well.

thanks Denob . Radios are out of my wheelhouse but I agree with your issue likely being only a setting on the computer

A few months back I said I was awaiting the arrival of a “water

https://waterlilyturbine.com

A device from Newfoundland start up that is a mini windmill and water turbine. Designed for a camper to get power from wind or throw in a creek and charge up a small power stick. Well I get some decent winds here and for my environment, it’s a dud for wind power generation. Will try and test creek feature over the summer.

Due to weight, I wouldn’t see it being a practice back pack device. For a base or bug out camp with a creek or very high winds, I can see it working nicely.

Hi Clarence, I have seen the promo for this item.. would love a full report on it and how it works etc. Will watch for it, but do consider doing its own thread to follow along with.. Thanks FG

Will do farmgal

Finished packing a radio load out bag, well almost. Put everything into an old diaper bag backpack that I picked up at a thrift store for 9 bucks.
I was able to fit my battery & charge controler, a couple mre's and some water along with all my HT gear and QRP gear.
The only thing missing is a small tarp and some cordage for temporary shelter.
We are also taking another trip to one of our BOLs this weekend (it's a 24' camper parked semi permanent at a campground).
Hopefully we will have fuel, clothing, food, and water taken care of by Sunday.
As an experiment, I will be spending the majority of my summer there with the kids while Mrs Denob holds down the fort at home while joining us on weekends. The idea is to see how well we stand up to living in a small space.
I would also love to plan a weekend with the trailer somewhere else, just to see how long it takes to get it ready to move out and get it on the road.

2000 Litres worth or rainwater collection capability.

Snagged another 300 feet heavy duty outdoor power cords, hard hat, assorted really awesome tools including all metal hammers and saws and another two rain barrels.. I do love farm sales! Buy the box thinking I was buying the top one, ended up that it was a lot! o heck ya!

Added mods to my BOV, some fun some practical. I have a 4Runner, so there is nearly as many toys for it as there is for a jeep. but I have a mollie panel on the back of my one seat with some military pouches for gear. added a small PV charge pack with two USB ports, and a portable battery. Adding some metal panels over the back windows for a gear attachment point (on order anyways). I don’t have the BOV fully loaded because I’ve been moving stuff in prep to sell my other house ( which just sold, closes in less then a month, 24k in my pocket and long story, but 47k over what I paid). i need to get my gear back in there, and my Comms in the new BOV (CB, 70CM, 2M, 6M radios/antenna)

the house sale will mean i Will be taking $1000/month off my expenses, and I’ll be paying 3 years of debt off a lot sooner, adding money back to my safe, some to an RRSP, and I'm hoping this rifle i want is still available when i have the extra money. i'll be bulking up my food storage because the number of mouths i feed have increased. (partners daughter is coming to live with us)

i've got a new semi trash pump 2" discharge. i've wanted one for years. but with the water levels high and risking my well again, i'm going to get my water tanks up and running again. (tanks were drained when i was considering selling the farm).
i'll be putting up a bigger tank house for winter protection, and i'll be filling my 5x 1000L tanks in one place, and my 6000L tank in another. i'll be sucking the water right out of the top of my well. but the pump will also serve for fire suppression if needed (GOD forbid) from either the pond, well, or 6000L tank. i have a water pump station i used when my well was dry. it's and RV pump, filter, and lines that attach to a standard hose to move water from the tanks into the house, for use from my pressure tank, or to move water from one tank to another if need be. it's 12V run and solar keeps the battery topped up.

what's best is that i have all my preps back at the farm. new shelving set up to organize better and finally getting things set up as planned.

Entropy, I have a little case of "prepper envy" going on, reading your post...

Entropy, I have a little case of "prepper envy" going on, reading your post...

Lol I started when I was young and it was all I did for years. I made good money and had no debt for years. It was when my rental property started costing more then it was worth that things got bad. But my Preps were still there.

My “mentors” where decades ahead of me and I learned from there mistakes. I befefited from a large group of advanced preppers from the rubicon, and just have been doing things.

But i don’t play golf, or spend money on stuff like that, I don’t do my hobbies enough, no cable for years. More data from my internet has let me have Netflix for the first time the last two years. But most of what I did for years was Prep.

It was nice when the well was dry to have most of the stuff to set up the temp cisterns. (Needed 2x8, insulation and the pump. ) it sucked, but I learned a lot, and my prep lifestyle paid off.

Living out of our island cottage this summer has provided a lot of opportunity to work on some preps.

I have been using our TSC store zero gravity water filter we got on sale months back for drinking water and oral hygiene.

Looking forward to getting a decent (and cheaper) deep cycle battery and charge controller to use my 2x 100W coleman solar panels we bought some time ago. (any suggestions on cheaper battery/controllers are welcome!)

Today was father's day so I got a few new toys:

- water resistant note pad
- small 300 lumens flashlight for my EDC
- 4 pronged trident for spear fishing

Now set for vermiculture with a few pounds of red-wigglers at work...

Not very pepper-sexy, but cool anyway.

Living out of our island cottage this summer has provided a lot of opportunity to work on some preps.

I have been using our TSC store zero gravity water filter we got on sale months back for drinking water and oral hygiene.

Looking forward to getting a decent (and cheaper) deep cycle battery and charge controller to use my 2x 100W coleman solar panels we bought some time ago. (any suggestions on cheaper battery/controllers are welcome!)

Today was father's day so I got a few new toys:

- water resistant note pad
- small 300 lumens flashlight for my EDC
- 4 pronged trident for spear fishing

Congrats on trident! Still have my old scuba spear fishing gun from yesteryear. Was going to mention that in a post the other day but got caught up in things

SOLD! i sold my old rental property, i tried to sell a few years ago and couldn't sell for what i owed. a few weeks after renewing my mortgage for three years my friend/realtor contacting me saying " i think we can sell" i continued with the repairs and painting etc and i was hoping to sell and not take a loss (i had a 10K line of credit and selling and losing would still be a win for me) put it on the market 12 June, offers 14 Jun, sent back with a higher number 15 Jun, inspection the next day, closes 11 Jul all conditions met/signed off. OH and i'll be making over 20K which is awesome considering i thought i might lose . . . and breaking even was a big hope for. lol how the market changed.

this way pay off debt and put a lot more of my pay in my pocket, and actually let me take time of work . . . this fall will be more about preps then picking up OT.