Gear Reviews

In this article I list some of my favorite cooking and baking solutions for prepping, survival, and off the grid living. Have you thought about and prepared for cooking and baking when the grid goes down? What solutions did you come up with?

Zoom Versa Stove

The EcoZoom rocket stove is designed to burn wood, dried biomass (Plant materials and animal waste used as fuel) or charcoal making it a truly versatile means of cooking now and after the lights go out and other more conventional sources of fuel (like propane) are no longer available or need to be conserved for other uses.

My EcoZoom rocket stove has proven to be very heat efficient – bring a pan of water to a rolling boil in less than two minutes and frying an egg like nobody’s business. Having a means of cooking, when the power goes out should be self-explanatory. Having a cooking source that uses easy to find, renewable fuel is an extra bonus. The EcoZoom is a must have in the preppers, food cooking and processing tools kit.

Off-Grid Cooking Solution – EcoZoom Versa Rocket Stove Review

Check The Current Price on Amazon.com

Camping Stove

Having a standard camping type stove on hand for emergencies is one of those common sense things to do, and most folks in the country already have one or two of these for camping purposes.

If you don’t then go out and buy one now – a top-of-the-line model will put you back around $100 at current prices. And don’t forget to pick up some extra fuel canisters – put back at least 24 one pound canisters, or better yet get a hook-up that will allow the use of the larger 20 pound tanks. You can find these at most camping supply stores or at Amazon.com.

Check The Current Price on Amazon.com

Sun Oven

If you’re in an area that receives a sufficient amount of sunlight, then a solar-oven is a must have. With a solar-oven there is no need to store or scrounge for fuel, and as long as the sun is hot in the sky, you’ll have an unlimited “fuel” source to prepare food with.

The best brand and the one that I recommend is The All American Sun Oven – it’s best to get the package with the accessories included, to avoid having to buy these later.

Check The Current Price on Amazon.com

Folding Camp Grill 

This is another item, like the camping stove above that most folks in the country already have on hand, but it’s worth mentioning here. Every prepared prepper should have one of these, so if for some strange reason you don’t then go get one as soon as possible.

I bought mine at Walmart in the sporting goods department for under twenty-five dollars – they also have them at Amazon.com.

Check The Current Price on Amazon.com

Outdoor Grill / Smoker

This is another one of those items that will make like much easier, at least when it comes to preparing food after a disaster or a long-term grid down situation. I bought mine at Wal-Mart, in the lawn and garden department for fewer than one-hundred dollars – they also have them at Amazon.com.

Check The Current Price on Amazon.com

Extra Large Stew Pot

Even if you don’t anticipate having a large group to cook for you should still have at least one large stew pot, because you never know who or how many family members or close friends will show up at your door, and most of us don’t want to shoot them, so we will have to feed them. I have a Bayou Classic 7406, 6-Qt. Cast Iron Soup Pot with Cast Iron Lid, but I’m afraid that even this won’t be sufficient for my needs – I’m getting another one…

Check The Current Price on Amazon.com

Prepper Cooking: Must-Have Tools For TEOTWAWKI

The latest book offered by M. D. Creekmore is called The Prepper’s Guide to Surviving The End of the World as We Know. This useful guide quickly and easily covers the full range of essentials in stockpiling and equipment from water, food, and tools to medicine, communications, and weapons.

It’s a 176-page book that is chock full of really good advice about the most important areas. A big benefit of such an accessible book is to get a quick overview of essential preparedness so you can see where you might have gaps in your own setup.

No single book can cover everything in complete detail so this “primer” includes recommended reference books in each topic–all of which appear to be practical, useful books for rounding out your reference library.

Within his guidelines are a few nuggets of in-depth reviews, like his personal experience with hand grain grinders and animal traps. We were glad to see he got water purification issue right: he first recommends filters and only reluctantly chemicals.

I would probably have done the medical section a bit differently, but at least, he does mention natural and alternative remedies and sources. Most people forget about preparing for dental problems and he mentions some good options there.

His comprehensive coverage of what makes a good Bug Out Bag is worth the price of the book alone, and comes complete with pictures of the type of gear he uses to prepare for a quick exit.

This is an excellent guide for everyone. He adds a lot of practical, tactical advice to his lists which is very valuable even if you are advanced in your preparations. It is nice to “compare notes” with other experts. The book is rooted in practical advice and is quite motivating because of the concise way he cuts through the clutter of unknowns.

Read Customer Reviews on Amazon.com

Highly recommended – Joel Skousen – worldaffairsbrief.com/

By BCTruck – rebuild, repair, repurpose

Strange things are occurring all over the world. One of those strange things is that​ wood has grown tougher and far less tolerant to being split, as I’ve grown older. To combat this ever-increasing hardness, I decided to use my head and not my back. I did a lot of research concerning log splitters.

Mostly I concentrated on gasoline engine powered splitters in the 20 to 30-ton range. I scoured for sale ads in the paper and on craigslist. I put my own ad offering to trade a garden tractor for a splitter.

Finally, after months of trying to barter and wheel and deal my way into something I could get cheap, even if it needed repair, I realized I was going to have to buy new. I started looking at Lowes, Home Depot, Tractor Supply, and Harbor Freight.

What I found was that the prices were so high on these gas-powered splitters that I just couldn’t justify buying one, considering I was just heating my shop, in Louisiana. The ROI on something that costly would take many years to realize.

So, I started doing some research on electric splitters which were 1/4th the price of gas-powered ones. I read a lot of reviews and while most brands seemed to have the same amount of satisfied purchasers, I settled on one that,while wasn’t made here in the states (surprise surprise) The distributor/importer,kept a substantial amount of parts on hand and had great reviews by the folks who had the need for warranty or just wear and tear replacement parts.

That brand was “Earthquake” sold on Amazon. They only offer the five-ton splitter and though there are electric splitters that offer higher ton ratings, both the cost of the machine and demand for electricity increase as well. I mentioned to the manager that harbor freight had their 5 ton marked at $279, and the manager knocked 20 bucks off the $299.00 price tag.

So, I get up in the truck without making to many unmanly grunting noises (its 100 pounds). I get it home and unbox it and within a few minutes I had the handle bolted on and the wheels and metal shroud that goes around the operating lever bolted on as well. It comes already filled with hydraulic fluid, so I am ready to split wood.

I get it in my shop, find an extension cord, put a log on the splitter. Now I have to press a button on the motor, while simultaneously throwing the lever that operates the ram, ​​that pushes the log against the splitting wedge.

Success!!! This modern wood with advanced hardening technology just pops into small pieces like… well like a sharp wedge through firewood.

The instructions, ( I swear didn’t read them) I’ve heard, say that the limit in size of log you should be able to split is nine inches. Me, not being one to conform to instructions and rules, used a 12-inch log for the first test, and a 15-inch log for the second test. I’m totally blown away with the results.

Now I’ll list the pro’s and cons as I’ve found so far;

Pro’s ?

Very quiet machine. no gas, no oil, no engine maintenance, just an occasional check of the easily accessible hydraulic fluid level. Easily capable of splitting the hardest wood known to man ( I used white oak) in sizes that far exceed their puny recommendations.

No need to trailer it to a location, just pick it up and toss it in the truck, or ask for help if you’re a girly man.

Cons ?

It says that it requires 120 volts at 20 amps, and they mean it! I had to cut the fans that circulate my wood heat into the other side of my shop, off. When I went inside to get coffee,my wife said the house lights dimmed a few times. It pulls a lot of juice and unless you can provide that, it won’t work. I have a generator that will more than suffice if power becomes problematic.

I don’t like the fact that it requires two hands to operate the splitter. You have to press a button on the motor with one hand while operating a lever with the other hand. My devious mind is already thinking of ways I can circumvent this safety feature. “life on the edge” I always say.

Weight. This thing is freegin heavy! Like wood that is much harder to split,100 pounds is far heavier than it was in the 80,s and 90,s

That’s all folks. I feel good about this purchase and I think I’m gonna get a lot of use out of this thing in the future.

Click here to see it on Amazon, check price and read customer reviews

Over the last few decades, I have been more invested in long-term supplies for survival and prepping. After all the evidence shows that it is not a matter of if an event will occur but rather when. By event I mean; flooding, wildfire, home fire, windstorms, hurricanes, earthquakes, mudslides and even the dreaded fabled collapse of our current society. ¹ Now it should be noted that I have invested many thousands of dollars over the years in long-term storage foods, specifically Mountain House. I was contacted to review Mountain House brand foods and sent two packages of food recently. So this review is a mixture of paid and not, the latter being far greater in quantity.

Facts and data, regardless of what we want to believe facts and raw data is always what it is. It is only when we interpret these things that they become “evil or good”. My goal with the reviews I have done is simply to interpret the data and facts I have regarding products I use and either like or dislike.

Mountain House brand foods are hands down the best I have personally tested.

It should be noted that I have tasted and tested several other brands as well, from Wise through Augason Farms and have always come back to Mountain House foods for my personal and family use.

So why do I choose Mountain House foods for my family and self,

• Ease of preparation (each container is effectively its own serving or dinner dish just add hot or cold water and mix)
• All of their products are peanut free in fact, entirely nut free (except for coconut which is an ingredient in some meals)
• Mountain house offers a vegetarian menu as well!
• Each meal is set up to provide a maximum amount of beneficial calories for the ACTIVE individual, if you are eating these while hiking, camping, and “surviving” they will be quite healthy for you!
• Cost per meal is actually very good considering what it is you are buying and getting as a benefit!

What are the drawbacks of Mountain House foods and other similar freeze dried meals and long-term food options?

• High in carbohydrates, unless you are active I would not suggest eating these as a regular meal!
• Cost per meal is around 50% to 100% higher than meals you could prepare yourself depending on where you shop.

Why do I prefer Mountain House foods over the others, it is simple for me personally. Some of the others do not offer REAL MEAT in their meals, Mountain House does. Taste is also an extremely large concern as well as serving size and amount per sealed container.

I have a family of four with between 2 and 4 other people always joining us. Other manufacturers make much smaller size portions, Mountain House packages full meals for 2 – 4 people per package and the overall package size is still similar to the sizes offered by their competition. Taste of these is considerably better in my opinion than Wise foods for instance. While I carry spices and at a minimum salt and pepper, I prefer to not season my pre-packaged survival/ camping foods.

As with Augason Farms, the large cans of food from Mountain House must be used within a week to 2 weeks after opening. For myself this is never an issue as again, we have 4 – 8 people at all times in and around our house and or campsite! If you are an individual or person preparing for yourself and one other the smaller meal packages will be your best approach to long-term storage and use.

They are easy to use and work well for one or two people! I find that when camping (and yes I have tested and tasted many brands while camping and while at home) Mountain House individual meal packages work great for me and my daughter. We rarely need more in a single sitting meal. As we are relatively active, for instance, we have learned gold panning, trapping, shelter building and much more on our expeditions, higher carbohydrates do not pose a great issue. Again, I would not suggest eating these if you are sedentary (not extremely mobile or active).

Would I recommend these to my friends and family?

Absolutely and without reservations, I highly recommend purchasing one of their Classic Buckets for one person which will work great for two people for 36 to 48 hours if you stretch it. The bucket runs $77 on Amazon and I personally purchase one every 3 or 4 months to continue adding to my selection and replenish used materials. Use my personal approach as someone on a fixed income for prepping your homestead!

Also, be sure to take a close look at the “Recommendations Page” for M.D. Creekmore’s most recommended items and gear…

Free the mind and the body will follow!

¹ Letzter, R. (2016, August 29). This is what it looks like when society collapses. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/what-happens-society-collapses-2016-8

BJ Campbell. (2018, June 08). The Surprisingly Solid Mathematical Case of the Tin Foil Hat Gun Prepper. Retrieved from https://medium.com/s/story/the-surprisingly-solid-mathematical-case-of-the-tin-foil-hat-gun-prepper-15fce7d10437

by The Angry Prepper

Eberlestock’s Halftrack is a great bag (check the current price and availability at Amazon.com).  This bag is made of tough stuff  & is very dependable.  The Halftrack is a 50 Liter bag that weighs about 6lbs. & 12oz.  For starters, this bag has every feature I have ever looked for in a bag.  The first thing I noticed is the excessive amount MOLLE webbing on the outside of the bag.  There is a nice size compartment at the top of the bag.  Good for holding smaller items.  There is also MOLLE webbing on the top of that compartment.

There are compression straps on both sides of the bag.  There are two large side-mounted compartments on both sides of the bag.  They can be used to hold two 3-liter hydration systems or extra gear.  There are 2 smaller pockets called Catch-All pockets on both sides of the bag, located at the bottom with drawstring assist.  There are also 2 tunnel pockets behind the side-mounted compartment.  The tunnel pockets can be used to carry skis, long poles, Shotguns & other long equipment.

There is a flat pocket on the front of the bag.  You can put a book or two or hold paperwork.  The shoulder harness & straps are great. They are comfortable as they cinch & un-cinch with ease.  The shoulder harness is adjustable as well.  Providing you with better support to carrying your load.  Now, the waist belt is one of the many features into why I bought the bag.  It fits around my waist & it doesn’t cut into me.  The waist belt is very comfortable & stays on my hips.  There is MOLLE webbing on both sides of the waist belt as well.

The Halftrack is a front loader, which makes getting to your gear easier & avoids a lot of digging around in your bag.  There is MOLLE webbing inside the bag as well.  Another feature that I like is the fold-down shelf that separates the main chamber into an upper & lower chamber.  There is also a mesh flap in the rear of the main compartment.  It serves as a radio rack but for civilians, you can store more gear.

At the bottom of the bag, there is a lightweight pull out rain cover.  That covers the entire bag.  So, there are a total of 5 compartments with the Fold Down Shelf down, 6 compartments if you raise the Fold Down Shelf & 15 pockets throughout the bag.

This bag is tough & very comfortable.  The padding on the back of the bag is very comfortable. The design reduces sweating & allows for some air to the back. I would recommend the bag to anyone looking for a great tactical bag to use.  I do recommend tactical gear for civilian use because most tactical gears are tough as nails.

As A Bug Out Bag:

This is where this bag makes its mark.  As a Bug Out Bag, this bag holds a lot of gear. The bag’s features make storing & retrieving gear easy.  The front-loading feature is great because it reduces your having to dig through the bag to get an item out.  The 6 liters of water you can carry is another huge feature.

The two side-mounted compartments allow you to carry 1.5 gallons of water, which adds an additional 12 lbs. to the bag.  Instead of carrying water, you can also store gear in the side-mounted compartments.  If you pack the bag right, you can store 5 – 7 days worth of gear.  There are 12 smaller pockets on the inside of the bag alone, which allows you to store smaller items.  Smaller items such as extra ammo, 550 cord, emergency blankets, & paperwork.

Durability & Comfort:

To test out its durability & comfort.  I used the bag as an EDC & walked to work.   The walk is 3 miles.  I made sure I had the same amount of weight as my regular Bug Out Bag.  When walking with the bag I noticed that it stays square on the back & doesn’t shift around.

The shoulder harness plays a great role in carrying your Bug Out Gear.  With the harness being adjustable it makes carrying the load easier.  The shoulder straps don’t cut into you, no matter how much weight you put in.  I have thrown the bag around to test its durability.

It holds up well.  The strong stitching throughout the bag also holds together well.  The buckles are sturdy.  The clips are tough after repeated use.  It doesn’t keep rain out well so I suggest using the rain cover that comes with the bag.

MOLLE Webbing:

Using the MOLLE webbing on this bag, you can MOLLE all kinds of gear to it.  You can MOLLE medical pouches (which should put on the side or front of the bag), you can MOLLE water bottle pouches (which should be put on the waist belt for easy access), & you can MOLLE miscellaneous pouches for whatever you need them for.  The MOLLE webbing is stitched in strong & doesn’t tear away so easily.  You can also MOLLE  gear on the inside of the bag to make up more compartments, that will allow you to carry even more gear.

Practice:

The Halftrack is a great bag but you should always practice with whatever Bug Out Bag you own.  A Bug Out Bag is an extension of you.  This bag will save your life, it will feed you, keep you warm, & shelter you. You have to know how your bag will feel on your back after walking a certain distance.  By practicing ahead of time, you will have made all the necessary adjustments that were needed.  Get to know how it handles on your body.

Conclusion:

My opinion is that the Halftrack makes for a great Bug Out Bag.  Yes, there are others that are cheaper & can get the job the done.  But I would rather spend the money & have a dependable bag on my back then have a cheap bag that might disappoint.  The Halftrack is worth the money.  Remember, you get what you pay for & if you pay for this bag you will not be disappointed.

Note: This article was written a while ago when the Halftrack was my main Bug Out Bag.  I later made it my EDC then it became my wife’s Bug Out Bag (She now has her own fitted Bug Out Bag).  The Halftrack is now my work bag with my everyday essential items.  I now own the Eberlestock Skycrane two as my main Bug Out Bag, which I’ll have a review on soon.

by Dean C

A few months back, I had sold a few things of value and used that money to buy a Katadyn Vario water filter (click here to check availability and the current price at Amazon.com).  Since water is so important, and the items I sold had no real value to prepping, it was an easy decision.

I had been wanting a portable water filter for some time.  The Vario meets industry standards for reducing bacteria at 99.9999% efficiency, and protozoan cysts at 99.9%.  Now I’m not going to pretend I know much about these little buggies, I just know we don’t want em’.  I wanted to end up with a Katadyn due to company reputation, and that of Swiss-made products in general.  Thus far, I am quite pleased with the purchase.

The Vario is very lightweight and very easy to use.  Disassembly and reassembly for cleaning and filter cartridge replacement are very simple.  The main body of the filter breaks down into six main parts, and there are also the intake and output hoses.  At all critical breakdown points, there are o ring gaskets to help maintain the integrity of the filter.

Katadyn was also kind enough to include an extra set of o rings for replacement purposes, as well as a small tube of lubricant, and a small scouring pad for cleaning.

The Vario is the first microfilter with two different filtering modes, “longer life” and “faster flow”.  In longer life mode, water flows through a ceramic pre-filter disc before passing through the carbon core filter cartridge.  Faster flow mode bypasses the ceramic pre-filter and flows straight to the carbon cartridge, allowing a higher output rate.

It is recommended that faster flow mode only be used when water is already relatively clear.

Switching from one mode to another is as easy as taking the top housing off, turning the ceramic disc to line up with clearly indicated points, and replacing the top housing.  As with most filters, the ceramic pre-filter disc, the filter cartridge, and the carbon within the cartridge are all independently replaceable.  This will allow you to extend the life of the overall filter system.

At the end of the two feet of intake hose, there is a small strainer to keep large debris from getting into the pump assembly.  There is also a small weight to keep the hose in the water, and a small float to keep the strainer off the bottom of the pond/stream etc.. In murky or heavy sediment water, to extend cartridge life, it is recommended to wrap a coffee filter around the intake strainer and weight.

When possible, you could also put murky water in a bucket and wait for the sediment to settle before filtering.  The output hose will feed into whatever, or you can remove the bottom cap and the Vario will fit onto the tops of most standard sized water bottles.

The Vario retails for $89-$99 depending on where you get it.  The cartridges are good for 500 gallons, easily replaceable and retail for about $40.  Also, when water taste starts to decline, the carbon inside the cartridge can be easily replaced, and those pouches of carbon run about $12.

Now we all know that when TSHTF, water is going to be one of the most crucial factors to our survival, and we can only store so much.  Portability and affordability were my two deciding factors.  Yeah, it would be great to have a Big Berky, but in a bug out, it isn’t going to fit in a backpack.  The Vario, being two inches larger than a full can of beer, and weighing slightly less, leaves plenty of room in the backpack.

I’m very happy with the Vario, so cheers to clean water,(and the beer if you’re so inclined.)

Click here to check availability and the current price at Amazon.com