Beginner Prepper for 2

[Valliam13]

So my husband and I want to prep. Should we be buying 2 of EVERYTHING or maybe like he have the 3 day pack since he works away from home and I hold the full on pack since I work from home? I don't know what would be best.

[W.Lynn]

Start with figuring out what is most likely to cause problems for you. Power outages during wind storms every fall? Flashlights, lanterns, glowsticks, etc. All utilities fail during winter storms? Different set of problems for most of us, but tarps, buckets, shelf-stable foods might help. Need anything special? You might want the exact tool for turning off the gas, or the water, etc.

[Valliam13]

Well hurricanes mostly as we sit through Hermine. hahaha. We aren't far enough north so other than a few downed power lines and tree limbs, it's all just water and some wind.

We were thinking about want AA wrote about on the home page so we may truly need a BOB sooner rather than later.

[WhiteBear620]

I think for Get Home Bags, you both should have one. You may work from home, but what if you're in the other town over or visiting family out of town, ect. ?
You've got an advantage when it comes to BOBs in that you can kind of split up the load, maybe only one of you carries the sleeping bag because you can either share it or one sleeps while the other pulls watch (because if it's bad enough that you're using your BOB that may not be a bad idea).
You could also do this with other items, maybe one of your carries the pump water filter but both of you have a lifestraw in your packs; one of you carries one of the canister stove but the other has an Esbit. This way you can spread the weight and bulk around but still have capability just in case you guys get separated for some reason and have to meet up later.

[hsehntr98]

Those are some good suggestions WB. I wouldn't have thought of doing that, we just loaded both bags almost the same although I think mine has more stuff in it because I do most of the traveling now. Thanks for the ideas.

[W.Lynn]

Most of us have spent enough time outdoors to think about the rule of threes, redundancy saves lives. I recently gave my husband a set of boot & shoe laces that have small ferro rods for ends, and where some fancy shoes might have a decorator plate of some kind down at the first eyelets, these included a metal plate that could be used for a striker. He loved them. Of course they're made of paracord.

You might see on some forums, or in some of the more preachy books, the simple idea that "2 is 1, 1 is none." Things break, things get lost, things get stolen or confiscated (which I still consider stealing.) So make sure you have alternatives.

Instead of arguing matches vs lighters, have both, and a ferro rod, and learn some primitive fire starting besides, because it's hard to steal knowledge.

Multiple light sources, different types. If you might forget to check batteries, make sure you have some kind of other light, there are currently reusable glow-sticks on the market, and a couple brands of solar-lights similar to the ones you can stick in your yard - but in an inflatable vinyl form. Deflate it, fold it up, not much space taken and you can tie it outside of your pack to charge up while hiking.

Think in threes, and alternatives, and outside the box, and maybe a few other ways.

And pack some flip-flops or moccasins in your pack so you can let your boots dry while you cook, filter & boil water, or other camp chores, your feet will thank you.

[Valliam13]

YAY for FlippyFloppies!! I'm a FL girl so anything not on my feet is good.. LOL. I'm not an outdoorsy type person. My idea of roughing it is Motel 6. I've never been camping although I was in brownies when I was little and went to a week long camp one summer where we stayed in cabins and it was all nature. That was fun back then (and I mean BACK then).

[W.Lynn]

Thin, light, and store flat - I tend to get ant bites, so I like moccasins, but anything that keeps you from cutting open your foot on trash or a sharp rock is better than nothing.

[KyDave59]

My problem has always been that I want to pack too much stuff in a pack. That's not a big problem if it's just going to be riding around in the truck with me. But, when the NEMP/CME happens, and the truck turns into a useless piece of junk, and I have to start carrying the pack, it very well may be too heavy for me (Hey, I am in my mid-50s, and don't have anywhere near the strength nor stamina that I used to have.). So, I'll have to start going through it and discarding things. But, at least I'll have the choice on what to keep and what to discard.

Having said that, it's good to have alternatives. With regards to the lighter and matches scenario, it's good to have both (Heck, I even have an auto-ignite Propane torch in the truck, for those hard to light situations, but I really doubt that I'll be dragging that around with me in the pack if I have to abandon the truck.).

The most important thing you can have is something you can't put in a pack; It's knowledge. And, the way you get knowledge is by training. So, take your pack out, if only for an afternoon, and see what you can and can't accomplish with it. One of the things you may learn, early on, is that "This d*mned thing is too heavy!". But, that's good information. :-) Take it on a hike. Start short, and gradually increase your range. Take a break and open the pack up and see what is useful. Go to different places, different environments, where you have different needs. Consider what if it's raining (It rains way too much in Florida, and in Kentucky, too, for that matter.). Did you include a plastic poncho or rain jacket? What if the sun is shining? Did you include sunscreen? How about a hat? Not only is sunburn painful, it can also be medically dangerous.

Dave

Dave

[BlueWolf]

I like the idea of the short hikes with a new pack. There are several small parks around me that I can walk through and my fat butt not get too overwhelmed to check out my load configuration. As I work 20+ miles from home and have to cross two rivers to get home, my bag has to support me for at least an overnight hike home. I don't include any cooking gear, but multiple water carrying containers and filter options, change of clothes, and basic weather/nav/comm/med gear. Matching pack for my wife in her car as she works a few miles from me (in the right direction to get home!) so I don't have to worry about carrying too much extra gear to meet her needs.

[KyDave59]

I like the idea of using Chlorine bleach (e.g,. Clorox or Purex) to purify water, after filtration, of course. Thus, I've stockpiled several gallons of Clorox at home, and have a small bottle in the truck.

http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthfiles/hfile49b.stm

http://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/EmergencyPreparednessandResponse/Factsheets/WaterPurification

My uncle lived on a farm without commercial water, so he would collect rain water, or use well water (which contained quite a bit of Hydrogen Sulfide, giving it that "rotten egg" smell; It was safe to drink, if you could get past the smell.). To prevent water borne diseases, he would treat the water with Clorox. He did that for 20+ years, until the county finally got a water line out to his place. He's still going strong.

[redman2006]

Where do you get moccasins now days? Not the slippers sold at a shoe store, but some that would actually work for camp or even hiking? My ability at leather craft would leave me better off bare foot I am afraid, but it is something I should learn.

[Valliam13]

I keep trying to get a job at my husband's work but he tells me I don't want to work in that circus. I just want to see him more often. So he would probably need the majority of stuff as I'm usually never farther than 5 miles from home.

Would it make better sense to carry multiple platypus bags instead of 1 platypus and a few canteens??

[kickstand]

I like the idea of using Chlorine bleach (e.g,. Clorox or Purex) to purify water, after filtration, of course. Thus, I've stockpiled several gallons of Clorox at home, and have a small bottle in the truck.

http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthfiles/hfile49b.stm

http://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/EmergencyPreparednessandResponse/Factsheets/WaterPurification

...

Don't forget that liquid bleach breaks down. As I understand it, it really starts loosing effectiveness after about a year or so. Of course, storage location and method effect how rapidly it turns to salt and water.

[WhiteBear620]

Where do you get moccasins now days? Not the slippers sold at a shoe store, but some that would actually work for camp or even hiking? My ability at leather craft would leave me better off bare foot I am afraid, but it is something I should learn.

Here's a traditional moccasin company, price is a little steep. I'm trying to go back to barefoot (I have flat feet), so I use something a little more modern

https://www.amazon.com/TF-BK30-KG_300-Tesla-Running-Minimalist-Barefoot/dp/B01F1KAZVC/ref=sr_1_1?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1472947642&sr=1-1&nodeID=7141123011&keywords=tesla+shoes

I can fit these shoes in my pocket if I needed to, very flexible and lightweight.