What to do with parts of MRE's you dont use/ Homemade MRE/ Contest!

OK,, so what do we do with the parts of the MRE's we don't use. Well I save them and break them down. I am going to redistribute them into new MRE accessory packs. Like adding a little bit extra sugar to them, etc. Also I have a pluthera  of cheese packs, drink packs, and food items that I haven't finished from past meals. Well I will use these and work them into some homemade MRE style packs. Yes,,, I will try to build a home made MRE, I need to first figure out what I need to put into one and then go from there,, Spam of course is a good one to add and if you have any other good ones let me know! Remember it must be close to the size of a current MRE. Tuna packs and Salmon packs are another good choice.. So Ideas are welcome! How about this.... Best idea will get 50ft of parachute cord,, authentic 550! So please give me some input and ideas.. I will build and try them out!!

Commercial Biosand Filter

So, saw a link for this company that produces slow sand water filters. Looks very very interesting and of course the science is very sound. One thing I noticed is they don't seem to have prices posted if you wish to purchase one. If your not a do it yourself-er, you might want to look into a few of these for your place. If things go south you can at least know that you can provide your family with a safe source of water. If you can afford several of these, you can have some for barter or set them up for the neighbors to use.

 http://www.hydraid.org/

Here is an other company that builds them

http://bluefuturefilters.com/home.html

anyways,, these filters are a time proven and science proven technology,, you should look into either purchasing one or building one for your family in case the shit does hit the fan! At least you will know there wont be any shit in your water...

Emergency blankets

So the other day I scored a box of these military emergency blankets. These things are awesome! Due to cedar season my wife has sent me to the couch. So I have been using one of these for a blanket at night when it has been cool or cold.It has me sweating most of the time I use it.. First thing is these are two layer blankets, they have an olive drab side and of course the shiny reflective side. They are also stitched quit well with a small pattern to help minimize any tearing. They also have grommets!!!  A huge bonus!!! Two of these stuffed into your ruck or BOB could mean a huge difference in survival situations when dealing with cold weather or hypothermia. One could be set up as a shelter half and the other you wrap around yourself or tie up like a bag and crawl into. The shelter half facing a fire would reflect a lot of heat back you and of course that means more warmth! If you can build a fire wall as well, well you would be might toasty!......

  Nice Olive drab color, great for keeping a low profile if needed. It is a bit noisy but being that it is essentially a foil material that is to be expected.

 Also note the grommet, great for using as a shelter half or fold in half tie and use as a sleeping bag. The stitch pattern keeps the two materials together and also helps act as a rip stop.

this folds out to a nice 3x6 size which makes it versatile, packable and very multi use.It has almost no weight at all. For you weight counters it comes in at 9 3/4 ounces.  It was a sunny day and I could feel the heat being reflected back up.... This blanket works really well..
You should see some of these at your local military surplus store if not start asking for them! This is undoubtedly a great addition to any kit!!!

Hand warmers pt2

Hand Warmers!

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This is a hand warmer I picked up at an estate sale,, for free! I love the large size of it and the fact that when I have used it it stayed hot for 14 hours! So something like this in a bug out kit isnt far out of the realm or in a cache at your bug out location. Of course when this one breaks down it is scrap metal unless I can find a new catalytic burner for it.  This one tossed in your jacket would be a great tool to keep your core warm. If you can keep the core warm you can of course stave off hypothermia, 

So if your garage or estate browsing and find these old ones and they look in good shape,, grab them if they are cheap!

 

Pic of a hand warmer I found at an estate raid/sale.

Kelly Kettles

If your looking for a great product that is multipurpose. Look at the Kelly Kettles, you can get a kit that will allow you to boil water as well as heat food at the same time. These kettles are very packable and are time and tradition proven. A great way to warm your self is from the inside out, a few packets of hot chocolate or dried soup can go a very long way to warm your inside and boost your moral.

The best part is you can get them going and keep them burning using twigs and small branches. Remember survival is a lazy mans game. You dont want to over exert yourself if you dont have to. it is easier to gather twigs and small branches and try to get and chop large pieces of wood. You want to stay warm in the cold and not sweat. Also you will want to exert yourself less in the summer to stay cool and avoid sweating to much as well. These are great for camping or even as a cache item or to have at a bug out location. The prices are affordable so if your in the market for something like this, send them some business.
http://www.kellykettleusa.com/

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