Autumn

Autumn

Thursday, June 27, 2013

On the Road as a Survivalist

She bugs me when I pack for a trip. Always, it's with the, "Really, do we need a thousand rounds of ammunition? Why do you need a coil of rope. What's with the small ax? Really, two jugs of water...."

And on, and on. But in reality she'd never climb into our SUV without all 'my stuff.' Smart lady I married.

I'm an old time survivalist. Been whacking away at this weird extreme hobby since before many of you were born. I'm a Mel Tappan kind of guy. As such I tend to over plan. If travel arraignments require a drive of over two hours I lean heavily on the side of safety.


For instance...I travel with three firearms, four if you count the wife's carry piece, all chambered for the same ammunition. This trip it's nine millimeter. My folding critter getter and two sidearms. Commonality of caliber is important.

I also pack both of our 'get home bags,' and a small and very light backpack tent with room for two. Two gallons of water, and of course, our med kit. Just makes sense to me. Hey, you never know when the critters will attack.

Our drive consist of hours along wilderness two lane highways, and cell signals, even in the best of conditions, are erratic to none existent. Vehicle breakdowns, are very bad. Lord forbid Allah decides an EMP attack should take place while I'm out of town.

We stay (vacation) on an island situated in the Gulf of Mexico. Storms, love this place. Just last evening we had winds exceeding forty knots. Power, kaput. This year I made changes to my gear requirements.

I brought along a new piece of equipment.

It a small lightweight folding solar panel by GoalZero. This isn't a paid endorsement so Google it. Anyway, mine is the Nomad 7. I also purchased a companion piece, the 'Switch 8 portable recharger. I highly recommend the set. With the Nomad one is able to charge cellphones, laptops, Kindle readers and those silly little pads, and it'll give your laptop a fifty percent boost. Not bad.

If you want portable recharge power one simply connects the Switch 8 to the Nomad. After the Switch is powered to capacity one is able to pack it separately for a quick portable power boost to your cell phone or pad. Neat.

I took both of these pictures this morning.  Above, note the shadow...well that's me blocking the sunlight...sigh.

Give it a try. The set is very affordable.

Stephen

   

28 comments:

  1. Always good to be prepared. You just never know.

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  2. You and I are simpatico man.I think I hurt my neck nodding.That panel is good.

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    1. Thanks, Bubba. Yes, the panel works well...when I have sunlight.

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  3. There was a time when we didn't leave on vacation unless Dad had a spare fuel pump, oil, etc. etc. plus about 100 lbs of tools in the trunk of the car. Drove Mom crazy, but these were the days before major interstates went where we were going.

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    1. Very true...my dad carried just shy of a garage.

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  4. I don't see a problem with anything you packed.

    We got the GoalZero Guide 10 with "adventure" kit (backup battery and various adapter plugs for all the multiple electronic devices) about a month ago. I also have a spare battery with adapters that can be charged from a USB port.

    You're a smart fellow.

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    1. Well, shucks, thanks. I like their products. Wife said, "New toy, huh..."

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  5. Now if we could just substitute Tappn's Burro for that car..... :-) Sorry, been a Zane Grey fan since I was a kid.

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  6. I have the same goal zero setup, love it and it's super compact. Just enough for batteries and tablets for us, 2-way's eat up the juice on trips.

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    1. I like it too...great minds think alike. Thanks, Max.

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  7. Reading this prompts a post up note to check my BOB. Since I'm no longer "road warrioring", need to rethink what is packed. Also need to check weapon laws (big change in CO 7/1).

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  8. Stephen,

    I would rather have all my bug out materials then to be some where and say damn, I should have brought that.
    Being prepared is just a way of life for most of us!

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  9. It's better to have and not need it, then to need it and not have it :)

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  10. A vacation can be totally ruined when you need something as simple as a screwdriver, to be back on your way, and all you have is dime and some rusty scissors you found in the trunk.

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    1. I never leave home without my trusty and rusty roll of bailing wire...

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  11. Haven't been w/o out BOBs for trips over 1 hour from home, for several years. Just have to adjust for hot vs cooler temps, especially since we rarely have freezing more than a few hours at a time.

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    1. Good for you, Pretty Lady...seems I preach to the choir.

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  12. Glad you posted about this today, Stephen. I had been debating with myself about a Goal Zero and now I know I am going to get one. Thank You!! I travel alone and think this would be a good thing to take along. And, yes, I pack the water, ghb, first aid kit etc. whenever I go.

    Now get off of this here computer and enjoy your vacation!! :)

    Blessings!

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    1. Excellent. You'll not regret it. As I type mine is hard at work putting a charge to my camera. Works like a charm. Thanks, Sweet Lady.

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  13. I keep my van well stocked. Heck, there's 30 pounds of rice in the thing now, plus two ways of cooking. Plenty of other food. Fishing pole. Tent, in case we have abandon the vehicle. Sleeping bags. Survival blankets, Many knives. Plenty of other stuff too.

    Savage .22/20 over and under, old style with wood stock. Plus all that other stuff.

    The boat's stocked up too. Boat has solar power, but still haven't sorted out the van. Keep a 12 V jumper batter and inverter in there for now.

    We were at an event that ran very late and everyone was hungry. We passed out some protein bars and everyone was feeling much better.

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  14. I have the same Goal Zero panel. Great piece of kit

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  15. Looked over at the panels. Not too expensive, but will have to save for them. Good to have on hand!
    Enjoy your vacation and take pics of all the fish you caught!

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