100 things that disappear

[vaporiser]

http://goldismoney.info/forums/showthread.php?t=2738

Now including #14-15 

#14. Mini heater head (Propane)

#15. Grain grinder (non-electric)

well the grain grinder saves you an awfull lot of work.
that was worth completing.
thanks.

[pdxbiker]

Great list - dramatically helps in ongoing prep. Every time I go to the store I include a few items on the list. The stuff like toilet paper, foil and propane are very cheap now and would be invaluable in barter later. I would much rather be able to trade away some tp instead of actual food or ammo. I have also made a habit of buying 1-2 five gallon gas cans everyweek, having them filled - fuel stabilizer added. While the total stockpile would not allow for 'The American Way of Life' indefinitely, it would allow me to bypass the gas lines that are certain to occur possibly as early as this summer.

[rdocr]

That is a great list, and the FIRST thing on it was part of my problem. I designed and built a Solar Electric system to solve this very problem.
It is described in a two volume set, Emergency Power With Solar Electricitythat includes the design, how to bulkd it, operation, mainternances, and other applications. (They also have cheap ebook editions now.)

Http://dfisasterpreparedness/ritchieunlimitedpublications.com/SolElPg.htm

Since I had this free electricity available, I decided to connect my office to this source. I use it every night when I write and it recharges every day- rain or shine , here in the Northwest.

It is still available for emergency use, but the daily use is free.

My initial paoblem was to come up with a system that was cost competitive with an MG set.

Well, I don't have engine maintenance, gas suppl;y problems, thievry ( it is on the roof), and I have 20 KW available to drive my pellet stove, well pump, some refrigeration, and all our house lights. The only disadvantage is that it is not something I can take with me, but there are too many pluses.

Incidentally, most urban/surban locations are restricted to storing only five gallons of gas on a residential property. That does not go far in an MG set.

Besides that, it makes an excellent backup power source for the computer. UPS.

I have been using it for seven years.

Ralph

[rdocr]

[quote
To piggy back on this - you also will want to be able to heat water b/c when a crisis hits, that's when the diseases will break out like wildfire and bathing, washing hands, and sterlizing water will be vital. 
[/quote]
Hot Water Cheap

My first solar water heater was an experiment to see if it was worth while. It was simple.

I took an old refrigerator, stripped it, and tilted it up against the sunny side of the house, at the approximate latitude of the location.

The I located an electric water heater tank that would fit in the box and cleaned and painted the bare metal tank black. I plugged all openings except one at the top and one at the bottom.

The tank wa suspended in the refer and pipes brought out through the box.

A piece of glass ( plastic now ) was fitted over the tank. On cold nights, the refer door was closed.

The water into the bottom was connected to the supply and the output went to a temporary fawcet.

When the sun was out, the tank water reached 140 degrees. That's a start for washing, etc, and it is a running start to boil water by using a lot less fuel to do it.

I have since refined our solar water heater: this was forty years ago. But this has been a good demonstration piece.

Now, it looks even better as a temporary hot water source.

Of course, water left in a hose with the sun shining on it will give you a cheap, but limited supply of hot water.

I use solar energy any way I can: space heating, water heating, food drier, cooker, water still, battery charger, electricity: It's in my books.

Ralph

[pdxbiker]

I've thought about painting copper coil black and placing some sheet metal behind it to use as a water heater. In the winter, when its raining, a woodstove would have to do.

[REDREAMER]

yes its called a 'wet back' in Australia........my parents used it as the 'booster' for their solar hot water system.....

works well

[rdocr]

I've thought about painting copper coil black and placing some sheet metal behind it to use as a water heater. In the winter, when its raining, a woodstove would have to do.

An uninsulate pipe loses about 1 degree F per foot, for a half-inch ID copper tubing. Larger sizes lose even more heat from their greater surface area. It is a very good argument for insulating your hot water plumbing, too..

 In this case, enclose your solar-heated pipe in a box with a window- You might also bend the sheet metal into a parabola and ficus the sun on the pipe. That helps a lot.

HA ! In California, "Wetback" is a dirty word. they come across the border like ants to a sugar treat.

Ralph

[tombo5671]

Wow, what a fantastic list!! Thanks!

[coney]

I'm going to add one thing to the list:

101. Hand-crank (and/or Solar Powered) radio flashlight.

If ever in an emergency, always have a portable radio.

[Captain Ron]

Cigarettes. 

These should be at the top of the list of preps.

Honestly, if you are an uberdoomer, or even a moderate doomer, this should be on your list of preps.  Regardless of whether or not you smoke.

Cigarettes will be gold.  I would advise everyone to stock up on at least five cartons, probably a $200 investment, depending on where you live  (could be much higher, as in NY and Canada and various European countries).

A cigarette may buy you a day's worth of physical labor in a post-apocalyptic Mad Max Rwanda future, even if the cigarette is old and mildewy and the filter is broken.  It might buy your toll across a bridge, or bribe your way out of a sticky situation, or make a valuable friend.  A cigarette may buy you a pound of soap.  It may buy you a pound of beef jerky.  If you are not a smoker, trust me on this.  If you are a smoker, you know what I'm talking about.

Best scene of the "Postman" movie, when Costner finds a carton of cigarettes in an abandoned gas station, and exclaims "I'm rich!"

If the shit really hits the fan, you can be sure that people will kill and be killed over cigarettes.  And cans of tuna, and dog food.

I really hope we're all wrong about all this PO crap.  Let's hope for a long slow grind, rather than a complete collapse.  Hell, even in the Great Depression, the poor could still smoke.

best/ cpt ron

[710]

Nicotine, as everyone knows, is an addictive substance.  The demand for cigarettes will be high because of this.

Did you also know that nicotine can have powerful anti-depressant and anti-anxiety effects?  The demand for cigarettes will be high where there is much to be depressed and anxious about.

Cigarettes should definitely be on your list.  Growing tobacco might also be a good idea.

[kimberley862]

It's funny that the issue of cigarettes has come up. I live in NY and a pack of cigarettes now goes for somewhere between $6 to $7 dollars. Being a smoker I switched to rolling my own. I buy tobacco in bulk and cigarette tubes in bulk. A pack of cigarettes now costs me roughly $1.25. But it's a pain in the ass.

My point is - part of my prep is vacuum sealing half of the tobacco I buy and store it along with boxes of cigarette tubes - not just for myself - but for bartering purposes as well. I've done the same thing with Vodka. Every time I buy a bottle I buy an extra because people are gonna get real grumpy and need to "escape" here and there - and I imagine I'd get some heavy "returns" on those "investments" 

[QuinteYankanucks]

Here is a list of the first 100 essential things to disappear in the Sarajevo conflict:

Essential doomer reading..

http://www.thepowerhour.com/news/items_disappearfirst.htm

The only thing I might be specific about on this list is that cooking oil should be olive oil because it lasts so much longer than vegetable oil.  (Doesn't go rancid as fast.)

[Silver Phoenix]

About big dogs:

If you want them for food: they are a form of energy sink - require lots of food and will not eat grass like sheep do.

You might need them for defense. Trust me people will be afraid of a dog more then of any cold weapon in your hand.

You can eat the dog of course if you run out of dog food (if you run out of human food you can eat the dog AND whatever's left of dog food). Makes me feel kinda bad saying that, but survival is survival.

This gives me another idea for a must have item (what number is this one? 103? right?): a "Beware of Dog" sign (whether you have a dog or not). A great 1-2 dollar zombie repellent system.

[Captain Ron]

Dogs are great in a moderate to mild breakdown of civilization. 

However, if things get totally Cormac McCarthy, a dog is a big loud liability with every bark advertising "Hey zombie hordes!  Over here!  My owner has enough food to keep me alive!  Come n' get it!  Woof!"

I prefer trained attack weasels.  Silent but deadly, and don't require much food.  However, a bitch to properly train to levels of sufficient lethality.

Killer rabbits are also nice.