Mountain House Review Part 2: Freeze Dried Food

Hello everyone! Here's part 2 of the Mountain House freeze Dried Food Pouch review. Apologies for the delay. The audio track for the original footage I recorded a few weeks ago was barely audible & I havent had the chance to re-record till today. so here goes:

The preparation for this is pretty straightforward. Boil water (3/4 cup for this one), pour in pouch after removing the oxygen pack, stir, and seal back up. Let it sit for about 10 minutes then serve.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this as far as flavor goes but it was surprisingly tasty - not in a stale, been sitting around forever kind of tasty. It was pretty good.

I've tasted three different entrees so far and I like all of them. This kind of food supply would be beneficial for campers / hikers / RVers / Van dwellers / road trippers or just to have around the house for general preparedness reasons. I would even recommend this for people / families that go on road trips. I know with my family, we get sick and tired of eating the same thing when traveling so I think I'm going to have to take a box of these for our next trip.
It definitely wouldn't hurt to have a few of these in your pantry. It doesn't take up much room at all and the price for each pouch is reasonable.

Disclosure: Nitro-Pak did supply a few of these for review but this is not a paid advertisement meaning I did not receive cash compensation to do this review. I try to be fair and objective with any reviews I do because I'm a consumer too. I like to seek out reviews before I commit to a product and I would want bloggers & vloggers out there to do the same that way I know for sure if the product is worth purchasing or not. There, now that's out of the way. =)

Many thanks to Nitro-Pak for the samples.

Mountain House Freeze Dried Food Review - Part 1

 

First off, many thanks to Nitro-Pak for sending over products for review.

Disclaimer: All opinions are 100% mine. For all reviews, I try my best to be objective and honest about my impression of the product.

***

I received a few sample packets to try out so I started with the chili Mac with Beef. Preparation was pretty straightforward. Remove oxygen absorber from the pouch, add hot water, seal the pouch, and leave it alone to cook for a few minutes.
Afterwards, simply stir and serve.

As I've mentioned on the vlog, I was mainly concerned about it being to salty. I watch my sodium intake for health reasons and I don't eat a lot of processed foods so I was expecting this to be way too salty for my palate. On the contrary, this particular flavor was actually pretty tasty and didn't taste too salty for me. So I'm hoping the rest of the pouches will be just as good.

Stay tuned for part 2 of this video review with accompanying blog post where I'll actually record the preparation of one of these pouches and conclude with my final thoughts.

Stay tuned.

CardSharp Credit Card Folding Knife (Budget EDC)

This is a quick look at the Cardshark folding knife. Purchased this for less than $10 on sale.

Some things I like about it:
Lightweight - weighs ~14gms
Fits perfectly in your wallet due to its credit card size dimensions.
Durable (so far) - I've carried this around in my wallet/pocket and so far no damage done to it.
Easy & safe to use - it has a lock for the blade so it doesn't accidentally flip on the open position. It turns into a knife in 4 motions - unlock safety, flip blade, fold smaller portion, fold large portion over that which clicks it into place.
Price (see above) - good for the budget conscious.

Some things I don't like about it:
There's only one actually - The final fold of the large portion to the smaller one doesn't always stay in place. After a couple of times, it pops open so you end up having to readjust your grip on the handle to keep it locked.

Here's a caveat: This knife might be awkward to handle for those who have really big hands.

For what it is, it's not too bad of an investment as far as having a knife with you for general purpose only.

IKEA Cook Set (Budget Camping Gear Under $10)

 

For this video I wanted to share this great find from IKEA - a stainless steel 4-piece of cookset that can easily be integrated into anyone's camping gear. As I've mentioned on the vid, we were originally there to purchase a bookshelf for our ever-growing collection of books (we found one for a great price by the way).

I also picked up a utensil caddy that I've seen in various DIY sites and vids used as a wood stove/ fire pit. Not bad for $5.99. They did have a shorter version of the same caddy but I went with the taller piece.

I've made it a habit to seek out items that may be used or repurposed as camping/outdoors gear whenever I'm at a shop. You just never know where you'll find something useful with a matching low cost to boot.

I'll be testing both items out hopefully soon to see how it holds up and will post the results here and on YouTube, of course.

Safety Survival Hacks (Infographic)

Click here for a larger image

Many thanks to Lee Flynn for the image!

Follow him at Twitter @foodstorage101

Dirt Cheap Preps: LED Clip-On Light

Hello everyone. Been awhile since I posted any new prep related vids or blog posts. Here's the latest one.

These LED clip-on lights are less than a couple of bucks a piece. I have several of them in stock. It's small enough to keep in your glove compartment or carry around with you but it's also good to have in stock since it doesn't take up too much space.

As an urban newbie prepper, I always talk about space being very limited. Each addition really has to be multifunctional or doesn't take up too much space.

For such a small little device, this LED clip-on light is not only versatile but also very bright. Usually when you buy clip-on things, the clip part fails because it doesn't have much of a grip.

These lights however are pretty secure once you clip them on to the brim of your hat or your shirt/jacket. The battery for it is just your standard watch batteries. Another positive with this particular item is that it pivots around so it is adjustable which give you a bit more flexibility.

I've used this light as a booklight as well. Although my prepper library is mostly digital, we do have a large collection of print books so on occasion this clips on nicely on a book cover.

It just goes to show you don't have to spend a whole lot of money to have some emergency temp lighting. Always good to diversify what you have.

A lot of my viewers in YouTube are budget conscious (as they should be) so I try to review things that they can easily pick up. Good rule to have for newbie preppers: keep things simple and budget friendly.

***

Site updates:

The tech editions of my YouTube channel have been a nice change of pace but I do have a lot of new articles/vids/reviews I'd like to put up. I have several prep vids already on standby. I actually have more equipment to review, specifically knives. There's also book reviews forthcoming.

As for the site itself: Some additional changes I was planning on implementing is put on hold for now for lack of time.

The site has reached over 50,000 views. Many thanks for all the support!

Prepper Profile Part 2

So here's a low-tech version of a mind mapper tool I often use for sorting out ideas.


You can watch part 1 here that way it makes more sense to you:
http://www.apocalypsehub.com/2012/02/whats-your-prepper-profile-check-out.html

This system helps me visualize my thought process for many things so I wanted to share how it relates to my preparedness efforts.

One of the challenges of being a city prepper is the lack of square footage available that can be dedicated for storage in general. So we have to put in a lot of consideration to what enters our home as far as supplies go. Every little inch of space matters and we have to be smart and creative about our approach.

I solve this issue by minimizing and using virtual space/cloud storage for documents and books.

Minimizing
Get rid of stuff you don't use or need. It's that simple. It's a very liberating thing to do, to have less stuff. When it comes to preparedness gear, generally I like to acquire multipurpose items that don't take up too much space. The pros of minimizing: sell items you don't need or use for extra cash and free up valuable space for things that you do need.

Virtual space
What I mean by this is using portable storage devices for ebooks (great for a digital library) as well as documents. This paperless method is great for when you're a bookworm like me or if you have a lot of files. There's no reason why you can't digitize your most important documents and store them in a an SD card, flash drive, or external hard drive which you can then store in a safe or a similar device. Those things are dirt cheap these days especially the SD cards and flash drives, you just have to know where to look.

The pros of virtual storage: Space saver. Just make sure that you have a back up file for your back ups. Don't place everything in one SD card for example. Ensure that if something happens to that then you'll still have those files stashed elsewhere.

This is great for your digital library as well. Especially in conjunction with a dropbox account. My PC also came with cloud storage access which I use all the time.

You can sign up for a Dropbox account here - http://db.tt/j4WzE4i   (It's FREE)



So I encourage you to use this flow chart type of organizing your projects. It's helped me quite a bit in sorting out my often scattered thoughts.

As always, happy prepping.

Food Preservation in the Event of the Zombie Apocalypse

Note: This is a guest post by Empress of Drac

You just got home from work and turn on the news only to hear the impossible - the zombie apocalypse is upon us and everyone must be ready for the worse. Cities are in despair, and citizens are banding together in order to increase their chances of survival. There is a massive shortage of food as the days go by, and these groups of survivors are looking for anyone who has a steady supply of nourishment. You sit and wait, hoping to see a group of nomads you can join, because you have exactly what they need.

            Thanks to a change in the way you chose to purchase your groceries, you are sitting on a large supply of freeze dried food. Thanks to the research you did; you know that the best food storage is the easiest food storage. Buying freeze dried foods is a great idea to both save money and have a healthy supply of food that will last a long time in an emergency.

While the world reels from the spoiling of huge amounts of food, you and other like-minded individuals have freeze dried foods can last up to 20 years while sealed and for up to 18 months when opened. Once the power went out, you had nourishment that would sustain you for a long time without the need for electricity to prepare it. This made freeze dried better than any other food alternatives. 

You also know that it only takes a little bit of water to reconstitute the freeze dried foods, so it won’t put too much of a dent in the ration of water you have. The foods are also packaged in the prime of their nutritional value, so once they are ready to eat; you are still getting all the vitamins and minerals that the foods would offer if they were fresh. Stocking up on freeze dried foods instead of store bought gives you a much better option to save money and provide comfort in the event of an emergency. Now that the zombie apocalypse has hit, it’s a good thing you made the switch; you can trade access to your food supply for the safety from the roving bands of humans.

Freeze dried foods can provide a healthy, cheaper alternative to purchasing foods in the grocery store. They can also provide the needed currency to save your life in the event of the zombie apocalypse. Either way, freeze dried foods are a good investment.

     

 

Book review: When All Hell Breaks Loose by Cody Lundin

With topics such as starting fires, purifying water, finding/catching/preparing food, first-aid, shelter, hygiene, proper burial among many other covered. It’s a very thorough book, topic-wise. It was almost too overwhelming for a noob to read. It’s my own fault for trying to read it from beginning to end as it were fiction. This is more of a reference book really and should be read as such.

I love that it’s written in a straight-forward manner that any average civilian could understand – you don’t have to be a hard-core survivalist to comprehend any of its content. His overall tone is pretty laid-back and fun which made it a quick and easy read for the most part. It’s peppered with humorous illustrations throughout as well (which was sometimes distracting). The best part about this guide is how it’s not focused on buying cool camping and survival gear. The projects he mentions are usually low-budget or no-budget at all (you may already have the materials in your home).

I came across Cody Lundin’s name after scanning for books to review for this site – he has a survival show (available on Netflix) which I’ve been meaning to watch. If I’m going to learn from someone, it might as well be from an expert who lives, breathes, and teaches this way of life.

Tons of info here for those seeking out a starting point. I actually read the e-book version of this which is perfectly fine, but I think this is one of those books that would be better off sitting in your shelf as a reference.

You’d probably get more enjoyment and use out of this if your preparedness and survivalist skillset is in the beginner or intermediate. Also good for the casual read.

Definitely a great addition to any prepper library. 4 out of 5 stars.

Harbor Freight Survival Knife (Gear Review & First Impressions)

Here's another first impressions type of review. This time it's for a survival knife I picked up at Harbor Freight.

It's definitely got the cool factor going on. It's a visually appealing knife, with a handle that has an alternating pattern/texture which improves the grip. I have small hands and it feels pretty comfortable holding on to this. It's a pretty hefty-sized knife with a sharp and serrated edge. the grip has a screw top that has a built in compass. That opens up to reveal a compartment pre-packed with a few basic supplies (fishing line, sewing kit, matchsticks, etc.). I like this feature since this will allow me to customize what's inside.

It also comes in a nylon sheath which looks pretty flimsy but as I've mentioned on the vid, it's better than nothing. All you crafty people out there can probably make your own sheath for this (or buy one).

The pros:
Price - very affordable, under $15
Build - seems solid and durable but I haven't put it through a field test yet so we'll see if it holds up.
Compartment - Nice little extra place to stash additional supplies, plus the cap has a compass

The Cons:
Sheath - flimsy material but for the price it's not bad at all
This product might be suitable to newbies (like me), casual dayhikers / campers.

Modifications I'm planning on doing to this:
I'll have to make a better paracord handle for it and use an O-ring and a carabiner to hook it up to the side. I saw someone who made that mod and I thought it was more functional than the single string paracord loop that it comes with.

A Chance to Win an Underground Shelter - SPIKE TV Casting Call

SPIKE TV IS GIVING YOU THE CHANCE TO WIN AN UNDERGROUND SHELTER FOR YOUR FAMILY

Are you a survivor? Are you prepared?

Nuclear war, terrorism, pole shifting, killer comets and tsunamis all have the potential to cause national or worldwide disaster. Some people think the Mayan Calendar predicts the end of the world on December 21, 2012.

If you've always wanted to secure lifetime access to a well-protected, underground shelter for you and your immediate family in case of a global emergency, then this is your chance.
SPIKE TV and Vivos Shelters (www.terravivos.com) are seeking a handful of lucky people to compete on a new TV show for the chance to own shares in a state-of-the-art, community underground shelter for up to 6 family members.

Producers are looking for outgoing, competitive PAIRS of immediate family members (husband and wife, father and son, siblings...) to represent their family household on national television in a series of fun and exciting challenges. This is your opportunity to PROVE that you have what it takes to join a community of people who can survive global disaster!
APPLY TODAY!

Send an email to LastFamilyCasting@gmail.com with the following:
1. Your name and the name of at least one family member who could be your teammate
2. Your phone numbers
3. Your city/state (same household or neighborhood preferred)
4. Recent photos of each of you
5. A brief explanation of why you want to win this show AND what skills you and your family can offer a community of survivors.

Deadline to apply is JUNE 20, 2012! Producers are waiting to hear from you!
* To compete on the show, you must be a legal U.S. resident and at least 18 years of age. (Note: Family members of any age are eligible for a place in the shelter. Conditions and restrictions for shelter co-ownership apply.) For more information, visit www.pilgrimstudios.com/casting/LastFamilyOnEarth

Budget Mess Kit

I've been on the look out for a basic mess kit for awhile now but I didn't want to spend too much on it. I was at a local store cruising the kitchenware section, and I found the mess kit displayed next to the lunchboxes, thermos, and water bottle section. It looked like a bento box (which I have a thing for - great way to pack your lunch by the way) so I had to check it out. I was surprised to see a dish nested inside the compartment as well as a handle that attaches to the exterior of it. For $5, it was a no-brainer.

What I like about it so far:
Stainless steel
price
the main compartment is deep, even with the dish inside, there's plenty of room to stash additional supplies (fire starter kit, pocket utensil, etc.)

What I didn't like:
It had a large brand sticker on the lid which was a pain to clean up (Goo Gone did the trick).

At the very end of the video, I mentioned that I was going to test this out on a gel chafing fuel with a rack on top of it to see if it works out or if I have to make modifications to the set up. Obviously, I don't plan on cooking elaborate meals with this, just basically warm up precooked food. I'll also test boil time for water just out of curiosity. I'll post the results here of course.

Lesson learned & also a good tip for those of you who are looking to expand your camping or preparedness gear: Don't always go to the obvious places to find what you're looking for. Having a keen eye and learning to see things as having multiple purposes can help you save a few bucks.

Casting: Looking for Single Survivalists & Preppers for TV Show

Received an email a couple of days ago from a casting agent/company who are currently looking for single survivalists and preppers for a show. Here are the details:

CASTING:
SURVIVALIST AND PREPPERS,WHO ARE SINGLE AND LOOKING TO DATE



DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THE END OF THE WORLD IS NEAR, YET YOU ARE STILL SEARCHING FOR SOMEONE TO FALL INLOVE WITH?


A Major television production company is casting single men and women who share the belief that the world is soon ending for a new major television series. We are in search of people who passionately believe in the world’s inevitable end, but are also single andlooking for someone to enjoy the rest of their time on earth with!  Please tell us your story.

Please email us with yourstory with a current photo of yourself along with a current contact telephonenumber and email address to Sean De Simone (http://seandesimonecasting.com/) at survivaldatecasting@gmail.com

Book Review: Prepper's Pocket Guide

My prepper library mostly consists of ebooks stashed away in an SD card and cloud storage. This is an absolute must for all of us urban preppers since storage space is somewhat lacking. Don’t get me wrong, print books are still my preferred material but we have to be selective about what we acquire at the moment.

The Prepper's Pocket Guide: 101 easy things you can do to ready your home for a disaster is ideal for new preppers since you can use it as a  quickie reference guide. The chapters are well organized and the information easily digested.  For the seasoned preppers the information in the book will definitely be too basic but for noobs like myself, it’s  a handy tool to keep on the shelf (it doesn’t take much room either). 

Topics include budget food stockpiling and storage, water, hygiene, bug out bag,  how to assemble an emergency dental kit (I actually need to do this), learn to make a gel pack (on my ‘need to try’ list), teaching children about prepping, etc.

I’m essentially going to be using this as a checklist of sorts.  It’s easy to miss the most obvious details at times and this helps me figure out what aspects of preparedness I need to devote more time on. It doesn’t go into a whole lot of depth, so if you’re looking for something that is loaded with details then this is not the book for you.

This book is ideal for: new preppers, younger readers, busy people (it’s a quick read!), and all of you book nerds who are always looking to expand your prepper home library.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars: Appropriate content for what it is – it’s a prepper pocket guide. Don’t expect an encyclopedia of knowledge. It’s a great pocket guide.  The design and layout of the book is also quite appealing.  An attention-grabbing cover, some b/w illustrations inside,  and fonts (yes, fonts are important) all work well together to make it into a cohesive package.

Note: I have a quickie video review of this which still needs to be edited. Will update this post with the video embed when it's ready. =)

Infographic: Healthcare Data Disaster Preparedness

I love infographics - here's a emergency disaster preparedness (healthcare data) related one for all our ApocHubbers (FYI that's what I call our readers) . Some food for thought.

Source: Dell

Thanks for the tip, Nina!

Dating Site for Survivalists and Preppers

Just when I think I've heard of everything...

Then someone sends me a link to a CNN article about a "Doomsday dating site."

Do you scare away potential partners when you bring them home and they see your stockpile stash?

Looking to share your bunker with that special someone?

Then this might just be the place for you -

It's called Surivalist Singles and so far it has a little over 2000 members.

Here's the CNN article about it.

and here's a screenshot of the actual site.

Rothco Medium Transport Pack - EDC Part 2 UPDATE

Here's the updated review on the Rothco Medium Transport Pack.

After about a month and a half of daily use, it's been holding up well. Better than expected, actually.
Keep in mind I have this thing packed to the brim with usually a very large and heavy textbook, a binder, my lunch, several other supplies in the front pockets, and even an android tablet every so often.

The more I use it, the more broken in it gets the better it is. The padded shoulder straps have been fantastic on keeping the support alongside with the multiple compression straps. I haven't had any back and shoulder pain, and as much as I walk around and take mass transportation it's managed to keep the stress off my feet.

The waterproof factor is just a bonus. I haven't had to really purchase additional MOLLE packs to go with this. I thought I was going to need to but right now this setup is sufficient.

So overall, I'm sticking with the original 3.5 star rating out of 5 for this product.

I use this mainly for: Everyday carry (EDC) school and work.
Location: Urban / City
Cost: $40 at a local army and navy store

I would imagine this pack would also be great for weekend trips, camping, and as a primary bug out bag.

Get yours now:

Sterno ActionStation Butane Stove: First Impressions

Just posted a vid of  the latest addition to our camping / prepping gear. It's the Sterno ActionStation Butane Stove.

I've been keeping an eye out for something like this for awhile now to use for picnics, camping, and for emergencies. As always, I had to reallly figure out if this was something we needed to add on the gear/supply list.

It had to be compact, easy to use, and durable among other things. It also had to be something we can use in other situations besides emergency (due to limited storage space).
We snagged this for right under $20. The butane canisters ended up being just a little bit over $5 for a pack of 5. Each canister is supposed to last about 2 hours in maximum heat and approximately 4 hours for minimum settings.

My first impressions

The pros:
It came with a hard plastic carrrying case.
It uses piezo ignition.
stainless steel - easy to clean and it looks good
adjustable settings
the price
light and easy to stash in a closet or carry around in the trunk of your car

The cons:
none found

I'm going to test it out and do a proper video review of it (keep an eye out for that).

It's a nice addition to any household and it doesn't take up a lot of space. Having this gives us more options for cooking or heating food during outdoor excursions.

Winter EDC (Everyday Carry) Clothing Basics

Clothing is just as essential as any cool gadget under the sun so I wanted to highlight some of the basics of my winter outdoor gear.

I like to keep things classic and simple. It needs to be comfortable, functional, and of course, look good. In general when I'm in the market for outerwear, I look for something that's durable with plenty of pockets. For shoes, I always go with comfort since I practically walk everywhere.

Keep in mind, my winter gear is based on my geographic location - the Northeast, in the city, where the temps can drop below freezing and we get the occasional snow/icestorm.

Here are a few essentials:

1. Vest (medium weight, waterproof) - very versatile addition to any wardrobe in my opinion. I actually use this all throughout spring and autumn seasons as well. Excellent for layering.
2. Army boots (lined, waterproof, non-skid soles) - always good to have a pair of high boots if you live in an area that gets accumulating snow. The lining definitely helps with the insulation.
3. Hiking boots (waterproof, non-skid soles) - better for trekking around the city, although a bit heavier and chunkier than I prefer.
4. knit hats - very affordable accessory, I have a good handful of these in different thicknesses and designs.
5. Heavy duty ski-gloves - very warm, weather-proof addition. These types of gloves usually come with a clip that you can use to secure on a carabiner on your coat or pack.
6. fingerless gloves - medium weight gloves that I use daily. Good for casual use. I have another pair that is more flexible - it can transform into a pair of mittens.
7. Scarf - another great accessory to have, very affordable, and it comes in various sizes.
8. NorthFace Hyvent parka - very warm. I have a 2nd pair in a different color. Plenty of pockets, hooded, with adjustable cuffs. I have other coats (wool blend - more formal, and a couple of leather ones 3/4 length)

Anther essential that I forgot to include in the vid are my thermal shirt and pants. Another excellent layering component. It provides an extra layer of warmth while keeping sweat and moisture away from your kin. And of course, you can't forget about a thicker blend of long socks.

Once you have the basics covered, it's easy to build upon that.

Meet the Preppers (on Animal Planet)

With all the talk about NatGeo's Doomsday Preppers, there's another show that I happened to catch the other night called Meet the Preppers.

This one's focus is just on one family, giving us a glimpse of their daily routine. Not sure if I watched the first episode or if I missed a few.

I thought it was a bit strange that it's on the Animal Planet channel, but whatever works. I was actually watching Pit Boss when it came on right after.

My first thought was: "Cool, another prepper show!"

So naturallly I watched the entire episode.

Interesting show, overall. I'm still on the fence on this one. For this episode, there's parts I liked more than others. I thought the drill with their prepper neighborhood group was a great idea.

The whole "let's kidnap our own kids to test their skills"  is a bit too extreme IMHO but in the end the way the two girls handled the drill was impressive.

Also when they were setting up the workshop / garage and organizing the supplies, I thought hanging up the guns in that manner seemed too exposed and way too easy for intruders to access it but that's just me.

So I'm probably going to set a reminder for the next episode and watch that too.

Anyone else catch it? What did you think?