Lighting

Sooner or later, the lights are gonna go out. Storm, giant meteor, nuclear holocaust.....you're going to need a source of light and I highly recommend these. I have had 3 these for several months and can't say enough about them.
Bright is an understatement. When you first turn it on, make sure you're not looking at it. From personal experience I can tell you you'll be seeing a big purple spot for about 10 minutes if you do.
Rechargeable and if you have an Android or Kindle, those chargers will work. The one they include is only about 12 inches long and kind of a pain because it's so short, but...

Long lasting. They come fully charged and it lasts. Full brightness will last for about 12 -14 hours. Lowest setting [ they say ] will last for 100, but realistically it's about 75. I don't know about you, but I think 75 hours is pretty damn good.
There are 3 different intensities so you don't have to go full power all the time and low power is plenty to see by in a power outage.
Great for working on cars. I've even used mine to go under the house and work on water lines. They have a magnetic base so you can stick them anywhere you have metal and also a built in hanger.
I use mine night fishing and just hang it from a tree limb.
Water proof. I've had them out in a misty/drizzle, but never a full downpour, but they did fine.
Best part is, they're very reasonably priced. $23.

www.amazon.com...=sr_1_5?crid=4C8GN24NVT3B&keywords=iodoo%2B10000mah%2B40 00lm%2Bflashlight%2Bportable%2Bled%2Bcamping%2Blantern&qid=1687364942&sprefix=IODOO%2B10000mAh%2B4000LM%2BFlashlight%2BPortable%2BLED%2BCamping%2BLant ern%2Caps%2C334&sr=8-5&th=1


I know right ? Good quality, long lasting and a fair price? Will wonders never cease.

a reply to: DAVID64

Which one did you get? There are 7 to choose from. The 30W is on sale today for $17.86

a reply to: DAVID64

For night fishing I like to use an old kerosene lantern to keep the mosquitos away.

But for anything else, that looks like a great unit!

That doesn't seem like a bad light to have. We have mostly lelectric lanterns and of course kerosine and white gas lamps in stock. I have been thinking of getting a solar charged dusk to dawn light for when the lights go out. The one I looked at was pretty pricey though, almost a hundred fifty bucks but I guess it does last all night from a daily charge, even if it is overcast.

It is kinda big because of the solar panel, I thought about just getting some solar panels and mounting them to the walls of the garages then getting solar lights with a battery to store the energy. We have three dusk to dawn lights on our property, replacing two with solar ones might be cost saving.r

Maybe putting a dusk to dawn solar light under the regular dusk to dawn light might be beneficial too, if the power goes out the other light will kick on then.

Doom pron is the bestest...

Nothing wrong with being prepared like spare toilet paper, condom or the slipping of a morning after pill in someones drink should be legal, or extra feminine hygiene products for new friends if you're female.

But here's basically why I quit worrying and learned to love the bomb... Zombies, let's face it; It's another way to say sheeple. In those movies etc. it's always about survival so it's run run run pack rat pack rat pack rat any and all supplies... Instead of saying; Go ahead and bite me and why not? It's another form of survival; In fact the smartest form of it as you can then live without all of that stuff but the clause seems to be a desire to make more zombies.

Ideology is just such a bite that is avoidable but the people already bitten sometimes unavoidable... debate is no different biting the zombie back with your zombie virus. aka dog eat dog.

Mass marketing loves some preppers... Like freeze dried 10 year steaks just add water and pay what you would at the store lb for lb not including your water in the price. So when people say there is food shortages? It's likely from the hoarding of it fearing an encounter from other zombies.

If politicians were fearless; They'd push legislation to reduce legislation instead of adding more only complicating everything into a bureaucracy that requires more panels, discussions and evidence... Meaning all they want is a pay check, stock tips and options for futures after they stall the office for however many years. In a crisis of consciousness that once behind that desk there is the realization that they and their party may actually be the problem; Not a solution to what wasn't broken. Meaning US political office of the two parties; Is really just Maxwells demon catching a Schrodinger cat... Nothing to see here also means nothing to fear.

a reply to: visitedbythem

Sorry it took so long to answer. Real life.

I got the 30W, basically the cheapest one there is.

Handy product and inexpensive. The flashing mode which is available on many new flashlights is an excellent tool for disorienting opponents in darkness. It takes several seconds for their vision to adjust giving you time to respond. A feature I felt worth pointing out.

question to all:
when the SHTF: how long do you expect to be living in survivalist mode?
asked another way: how long do you believe the "hiccup" of no-modern-amenities is going to last?
will modern industrial living restart after weeks, months, years?
or is the modern-world going down for the count?

less than 2 years (guessing at the shelf life of canned food and batteries)?
then yes, stock up on extra canned food, MRE's, batteries, bullets, etc. survive the temporary period of chaos.

more than 2 years?
make sure you have hard-copies of reference books like the "Foxfire" series (published in the 1970's, details about how to live off-the-grid as practiced by appalachean mountain folk. find some Amish friends.

the non-electric, no mass-production lifestyle, as practiced 200 years ago in the western world, and still by the Amish and some backwoods folk somewhere:
in my mind this constitutes a valid "civilization": not living in the stone-age. living in houses (some with glass windows), sufficient amenities to have small stores, local farms, artisan produced goods. even advanced enough for world-spanning trade via tall-ships.

this is just something to think about.
personally i don't trust batteries... they always die when needed most. and now the factories for more are on another continent. and if you can't get batteries from the factory, soon thereafter you won't be getting kerosene from the gas-station + refinery + oilfields.

any vegetable or animal oil will burn. learn how to make string for wicks. sunflower-seeds are reeeeeally oily fresh off the plant (press to remove oil). rendered woodchuck fat is another fine oil (doubles as a gun lubricant, recommended by old books). put any of these types of oil in a shallow bowl. insert wick-string. ignite (use tongs to temporarily pull a live coal from your fire). fiat lux: you now have a lamp. Not very bright, but used around the world for thousands of years.

a reply to: tnxoxodka

You ask the critical question: how long would a power grid down scenario last? If not restored within days or weeks it will probably be years - no telling how many, perhaps permanent. Foxfire books are partway there but learning how to live as aboriginal people in your area requires knowledge and practice, practice, practice. Twisting cordage, setting traps, making friction fire, fashioning tools from stone and bone, processing furs and leather, making clothing, medicinal and edible plants, building shelters, filtering potable water - every one of these skills is necessary in lieu of modern substitutes.
Reading books is a good start but without practice you are indulging in more self-delusion.

originally posted by: Asktheanimals
a reply to: tnxoxodka

You ask the critical question: how long would a power grid down scenario last? If not restored within days or weeks it will probably be years - no telling how many, perhaps permanent. Foxfire books are partway there but learning how to live as aboriginal people in your area requires knowledge and practice, practice, practice. Twisting cordage, setting traps, making friction fire, fashioning tools from stone and bone, processing furs and leather, making clothing, medicinal and edible plants, building shelters, filtering potable water - every one of these skills is necessary in lieu of modern substitutes.
Reading books is a good start but without practice you are indulging in more self-delusion.

I agree with tnxoxodka in having reference materials and also resourcing neighbors' knowledge or creating a small community because I know the people in my community can make soap, carpentry, livestock processing, farming, sewing etc. If we are lucky we may find a doctor or nurse nearby.

If ever the community found themselves having to solely live off the land then it won't be all trial and error, wasting precious resources, and/or expending too much energy on activities that are likely to not pan out (eliminate some guesswork) with survival in the wild and first aid and CPR reference materials.