General Preparedness
When you’re a prepper, shelving is an absolute NEED. Join us as we look back on our review of the Whalen Industrial Rack Shelf. We like giving throwbacks because looking back gives us the hindsight on how effective old tips and reviews were. Survivehive is very pleased to find that even with its age, the Whalen Industrial Rack Shelf does not disappoint.
We first got the industrial shelf from Costco for $130 (bear with us, at the time it was huge). It was a fairly simple assembly. The box came with four shelves and everything was pretty solid once it was all put together. The dimensions are 77” width and 24” in depth and 72” in height. So it’s fairly large.
This only means that it’ll be able to store more items. What came as a bit surprising are the wire shelves. While they do sit on the frame in a manner that keeps them still, it’ll be hard to put down anything that has little stub or little legs (like most small containers). However, beyond that, it’s actually all pretty above board.
After we put the shelf together, it was overall pretty sturdy and was able to handle a LOT of our prepper stuff: cans, tool boxes, and many other things. While the box it came it said that it would be able to hold up to 2000 pounds in weight, at the time, we didn’t test it. However, now, after years of usage, it can hold up a lot of things. The metal is still pretty intact—no massive rusting. But that can also be a result of the controlled environment.
From then to now, the Whalen industrial rack shelf is proving that it was a good buy. Personally, what a lot of us liked was that assembly was fairly straight forward. You just had to put stuff together and put it up. There wasn’t anything complicated about it. What we would suggest is to bring along a friend when you’re bringing your shelf purchase home. It’s heavy!
Good thing now is that you can have it delivered. Also, there are newer storage options that Whalen provides. So consumers now have bigger options for shelving. When you’re planning on becoming a legitimate prepper, don’t ever take shelving for granted. It will keep your stocks safe and will provide you with a better chance of properly inventorying your stuff.
Survivehive has emphasized again and again how disasters can happen at any given moment. With that in mind, tune in for some critical SHTF survival tips. If you aren’t aware, when preppers say SHTF—it pretty much means worst case scenario. So let’s say that disaster strikes, earthquakes, aliens, civil unrest, whatever—what do you do? Sometimes just thinking about it doesn’t help. You need to prepare. In order to be ready before stuff hits the fan, buckle up and take notes, it may just save your life.
When things are horribly bad, you must assume that everyone else has hostile intent. If you’re plump, that may suggest that you’re an easy mark and that it would be easy to pry your supplies off of you. Learn how to defend yourself.
This refers to your Bug-Out Bag. It should always be where you are—your car, your house, or your office. You never know when you’ll need it.
A disaster scenario may force you to live out in the wild for a few days. Don’t be helpless. Learn how to build a shelter, start a fire, and stay hidden. Stealth is important if you want to avoid unnecessary altercations.
If you’re in one, that’s the last place you want to be in. if you spot any signs of potential danger brewing, grab your BOB and get out. Go visit a relative somewhere who’s not in another city or go to your bug-out location.
Prepare at least 4. It’s not something that you can just Google Maps and be done with. It’s something that you need to time and test for efficacy. Time is a luxury you may not have. So it’s best to get out in the shortest amount of time possible—however, if that’s the route that most people take, AVOID IT. Use another route.
If you’ve ever seen Deep Impact, you’ll remember Elijah Wood darting in and out of traffic on a dirt bike. This is one of the best ways to get around as it is small, can handle rough terrain, and doesn’t take up much gas. Cars will only clog up major thoroughfares.
These are only some tips for worst case scenario events. Tune in for future articles that expound more on SHTF survival tips.
For anyone who loves going outdoors, it’s important to arm yourself with tools that you can use for a variety of purposes. The camping kettle is one such thing! We at Survivehive love to go out and enjoy the outdoors (when we’re not prepping).
When you’re out camping or just taking a break from the hustle and bustle of life, this doesn’t mean that you have to completely do without modern comforts. One of those is a camping kettle. Back in the earliest days of being out in the wilderness, there wasn’t much option other than lighting a big fire and hanging a cauldron over the flame. It wasn’t very easy to use and it often resulted in a lot of fires or burned food.
Today, there are better ways to get your morning coffee or get your camping cookout started without putting the surrounding nature in danger. This is why it was such a big deal when the first forms of the camping kettle came about. Let’s take a closer look at the many different uses of a camping kettle!
Many latter versions of the camping kettle (like the Kelly Kettle) combine everything—the roaring contained fire, the place where you heat water, and the place you cook. This meant that everything was safely contained. There would be no risk of a rogue wind coming in to blow embers into some dry grass. It saves of space in your carrying gear as well. As camping kettles are usually slim yet go upward, they don’t take that much space. They also offer you a lot in terms of the amount of water in can contain and the food it can cook.
Depending on the material of your camping kettle, you can even use it as a tent heater. Certain materials keep warm for longer periods of time (thank you, technology) and do not burn so it’s safe to put down within a tent. For the more modern camper, there is a tube and a pump that you can link to your hot kettle. You can then proceed to pump the warm air into the tent.
In the earliest days of camping, hot water was pretty much a dream. Hikers and mountaineers often end up huddling together to stay warm. However, with camping kettles in the picture, anyone you wants hot coco, hot coffee, or even a fresh batch of noodles or soup can have access to it.
While it’s in your bag, you can put things inside it. You can keep your tinder in there or your packets of food. It’s economical and practical. That way, you don’t have to scrounge around your gear to find everything food related. Even if it’s gotten a bit dark, having everything in the place that’s related to it is a smart move.
As you can see, there are a lot of many ways to make use of a camping kettle.
Today, Survivehive takes a much needed look back upon one of the best DIY projects we’ve ever come across: the DIY Wall-Hanging Canned Food Storage. This DIY project was brought to our attention in the earlier incarnations of our website. This incredible fellow and his wife had (then) recently moved into their new home. They realized that they had a gem on their hands pretty quickly. There was an unfinished, stud-exposed wall in one of the best storage places ever: under the stairs.
The couple was quick to realize that they could turn that space into a vertical canned food rotation system. The way they measured everything, they would have enough space for around 195 cans. They were kind enough to share their process with us. Here are the plans as told by the man himself.
The section size: 4’ x 76”
Now if you guys have any questions, feel free to hit us up at 910-326-0285.
When you’re a prepper, one of the things that are valued is storage. However, not every home comes with storage pre-built. In that case, the prepper has to make the decision of ordering a kit or making one themselves.
Most of the time, there is significant debate regarding the kind of shelter that a prepper uses. There are those that are fully immersed in the survivalism life that they consider anything that isn’t built by hand a mockery of the lifestyle. However, it is important to note that everyone has their own ways of doing things.
Just as anyone can choose to just build things themselves, others have the equal right to purchase pre-built kits that merely need a bit of assembly. Each option comes with its own benefits and pitfalls. Let’s take a closer look:
There are now available shelter kits that can be ordered from a store. These normally come in a variety of measurements so there’s a lot to choose from. It’s pretty much like ordering a whole house online, if it comes down to it. The kit then arrives after a certain amount of time and the buyer has the option to:
Here a few pros and cons to buying a shelter kit:
This is great news for preppers that aren’t very handy. This means that they get a place to store their stockpile without having to worry about doing the dirty work themselves.
If you’re interested in getting a lot of savings in, there are a lot of companies that sell shelter kits that go on massive sales. You just need to know when.
Settling is what happens when the material (usually wood) dries up and warps. This can create massive gaps on the flooring and the wall—even the ceiling. This means that your shelter isn’t doing its job so it’ll have to be fixed or replaced.
While in certain times of the year certain companies go on sale, on every other day of the year, shelter kits can be pretty pricey.
This is usually what a lot of extreme survivalists tend to do. When the goal is to be self-reliant, it makes no sense to have to order (relying) on an outside source for your personal safety. Here are some of the pros and cons:
Most preppers will use locally sourced material for their shelters. This means that they’ll be able to support local and spend significantly less than something that needs to be shipped in.
When you know what you’re doing, a built from the ground up shelter can last years without having to be repaired. Think of the underground bunker in Blast from the Past.
Building your own shelter is no small task. It is something that will require significant effort. You will need to ensure that your materials, tools, permits, and other documentations are all above board. The last thing you want is having the law come down on you about this.
A constant concern with preppers is food. When disaster strikes, it can be pretty hard to get—even at those times it may not be fresh or clean. This is where hydroponics comes in to save the day. We at Survivehive have writers who have their own hydroponic gardens growing at home. They’ve said that is certainly one of the best things that they’ve ever done for themselves and their families. Let’s find out why.
While not a particularly new way of growing food, hydroponics has recently been given quite a boost in popularity! This is the concept of growing food on an aquatic based setting. It’s pretty much like gardening except you cut out the soil and replace it with water.
A common misconception regarding hydroponics is that it is an overly complicated process which requires extensive attention or equipment. However, this is hardly the case. This is primarily why more and more preppers are turning toward hydroponics to building their own food source.
Farming takes up space that not a lot of us have access to. Even if you do have access to land, you’ll be at the mercy of the quality of your soil. This is why those who are heavily invested in agriculture have their soil for testing. This is done in order to determine what sorts of crops would be able to grow there successfully without any difficulty.
There are a lot of benefits to choosing hydroponics. Here are a few:
Farming traditionally takes up a lot of stretched out space. Plants need enough room to grow—if they’re too crowded, they end up dying. Hydroponics generally tends to use less space. Plants can even be grown in vertical columns without stifling the growing capability of the plants.
As hydroponics tends to be indoors, crops aren’t subject to weather or seasonal restrictions. You can continue to grow crops year round without any issue.
As soil-based farming has a lot of factors like soil quality, weeds, pests, and many others, plants consume a lot of energy trying to stay alive rather than just growing. Hydroponics provides a space where they get all the light, water, and nutrients that they’ll need. This means that all their energy is dedicated to growing and producing more crops.
Since you’re the one growing your food, you will know exactly what goes into them. No more fear about GMOs or pesticides that are harmful to your health.
One of the draining things about traditional gardening would be to clean out the soil for any undesirables. In hydroponic gardening, there’s a very slim chance of growing weeds. Even if you somehow do manage to find a weed, it’s very easy to pluck the whole thing out. No more struggling with deeply rooted weeds!
These are only some of the benefits of hydroponics. Smart preppers and homesteaders will realize that there is more to gain with hydroponics over the course of time. It also opens up the avenue for aquaponics!
As more and more people are now getting into the prepping lifestyle, more and more people are making newbie mistakes that can end up costing them a lot later on. Tune in to see the mistakes that you can easily avoid and how.
A lot of people seem to underestimate the dedication required to successfully prep for any emergency situations. We received a lot of questions regarding “did I do this right?” and a lot of the time we had to be the bearer of bad news. So in order to really help those that are getting into the whole prepper lifestyle, here are the newbie mistakes and how you can avoid them!
It takes more than just reading a blog or two to get the handle of prepping. The posts we’ve had so far barely scratch the surface of prepping. There’s the concept of homesteading and being completely self-reliant. There are those that are completely off the grid—which is a more extreme part of prepping.
In order to fully determine what kind of prepper you want to be, read up. There are a lot of available published resources on being a prepper. Right now, everyone is complacent because internet is a viable resource. However, it is important to remember that in times of disaster, communication lines can completely shut down—this includes internet connectivity. As such, it is better to have an actual survival book on hand in order to have a physical guide on what you can continue to work on.
One of the more common mistakes is making use of milk jugs for water storage. Let’s face it; most people would think to use milk jugs as well. It’s something that’s probably already in the house and it’s something that can store quite a bit of liquid.
What people may not realize is that in order for water to remain potable, it must be in good storing condition. A lot of people fail to consider that they might not have completely cleaned out the milk. This can mean that bacteria are now swimming in your drinking water. Also, as most milk jugs are simply made from plastic, they can degrade over time. If you’re going to be serious about being a prepper, it’s important to read up and make the effort to install a good water filtration system and proper water storage.
While stockpiling reserves IS important, there are other things that must be attended to as well. Prepping should go hand in hand with survivalism. As such, it is important to teach yourself necessary lifesaving skills. If you aren’t all that familiar with growing your own food, you should get started on that. If you aren’t familiar or fixing pipes, motors, and whatnot, you had best get started.
When the unthinkable happens, the last thing you’d want to think is “I should have done this when…”
Remember, failing to plan is pretty much planning to fail.
Food is everything—especially in emergency situations. Preppers have all sorts of food that they stock but which one works well for you? Today, we discuss how to avoid choosing the wrong food for you. One of the most important things in life (other than water) is food. It gives us energy to keep going and frankly it keeps us alive.
Whenever you go through other prepper websites, one of the things that are usually heavily discussed is the concept of food. There are several blogs and sites that will pitch their own picks for “prepper food” staples. However, there are a few tips you need to remember to properly avoid choosing the wrong kind of food for your stockpile.
One common mistake of newbie preppers is going with food that they haven’t tried before. Usually, the reason that they buy is it because another prepper has recommended it. However, what they don’t consider is that there are certain canned foods or dried food that may not pass the standards of your family.
If you’re not certain if something isn’t going to sit well with your family, you could:
If there are no other options for canned or dried food in your area and you do want to start stockpiling, it would best to help your family acclimatize to the flavor. What’s good about this is that while it may not be your family’s first choice now, it may be later. Or at least, it’ll be more palatable when there’s nothing else to eat.
Get your family around for a meeting. Decide what they would prefer to eat for a long duration if anything else is not available. From there, determine your options.
If it’s anything that you have to ship in, you have to consider the cost. This isn’t just something that you can pass of as “buy now to save later”. Prepping requires thinking for long-term. You cannot realistically justify a massive purchase of food that may go bad (if stocked improperly or other reasons). It would be in your best interest to select stockpile food that is locally sourced. Here are a few good reasons:
If there is anything that people need when it comes to food, it would be variety. Food fatigue is a fact of life and can severely damage your family’s morale during a hole-in. Try to rotate your rations in order to keep things fresh.
When food goes uneaten it’s a gargantuan waste. Not only is it a waste of money but it’s also a waste of space in your pantry. So with the tips above, try to see if the food you’re stockpiling is the right one for you and your family.
If you’re new to the world of preppers, you’ve probably heard the term “BOB” or “Bug-Out Bag” thrown around. Just what is it, though? That is what we’ll be looking into today. The concept of the bug out bag came from the thought of: “What if you needed to get away really fast?”
You never really know when you’ll need to get out of dodge because of political reasons, extended power outages, or sudden unforeseen natural disasters and other events. In any case, much like the survival kit, the bug-out bag is something that you need to have at the ready. When you’re building it, you need to consider certain things:
Having clear answers to the questions above will help you put together your bug-out bag better. The potential places where you can keep your bug-out bag are at home, in your car, or in your office (if you have a secured space). Finding out how much you can carry is a great indicator of what you can put in your bag.
What’s great about the bug-out bag (as well as other survival kit type) is that you can build them over time. It would be more financially responsible for you to do so. Having something that comes in handy shouldn’t be something that will ruin you financially. If you’re planning to pick a new addition to your bug-out bag every time you get paid, just be consistent. Don’t skip one paycheck where you don’t get something for your BOB. It might turn into a neglectful habit and you won’t get around to building it at all.
Your bug-out bag should ideally have something to help you survive for at least 72 hours. When you Google out other people’s BOB’s it’s easy to get overwhelmed. But if you’re just starting out, it would be important to stick to the basics. Here are some basic things that will come in handy in your BOB:
These are some of the basic things that you’ll find use for in your BOB. Of course, in order to pull it off harmoniously, you’ll need a solid bag to put them in. It’s important to shop around before you choose but usually, it’s best to go with outdoor bags. They’re weather resistant and built to be tough. Now, get started on your BOB!
It is true that any sort of disaster can happen in a blink of an eye. This is why it is critical to have a survival kit ready at all times. If you’re new to the idea, read on as we discuss the basic components. While it is never a pleasant thing to think of a disaster occurring, it is a very real fact of life. In this year alone, the sheer number of storms to form is more than the past couple of years put together.
When an emergency occurs in your area, the ideal place to be in is your home. However, when an emergency occurs even your home may not seem like an ideal place to stay. The power might be cut; the food supply might be low, and so many other things that you have not thought of previously.
In order to keep you and your family safe during such times, it is critical that you are prepared. This is where a survival kit comes in to save the day (or days). What a lot of people do not realize is that there are actually different survival kits that you need to make. Today, we’ll focus on a consumable survival kit.
This kit is for when you absolutely cannot leave your house. It could be due to flooding, being snowed in, or any other reason but the situation is still the same: inability to leave. In the event that you cannot leave the home, it is critical that you are able to have supplies to last you a minimum of three days.
This kit can also be placed in your vehicle or your office space. It should be wherever you spend at least more than 6 hours of your day. Prepare a waterproof box or plastic container for your consumables kit. This is what must be inside:
What you must remember when building this kit is that you have to account for everyone in your home. If it’s just you, then that’s fine. If you are living with your family, make sure that your box takes everyone into account.
Whenever you deal with something that comes with batteries, it is important to check your batteries around every three months or so. A good rule of thumb when it comes to packing away food, it is important to make sure that you have enough to last you more than three days. With that, it’s time to build your home survival kit! Best of luck!
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