Prepping Tip for Newbees

Just read on another forum a question about gas and diesel and how long they will stay good. Here is my suggestion from a person prepping all my life...over 60 years... do NOT plan on gas or diesel or even lamp oil. All of those things run out!

The only dependence I have is: First: water, Second: food, Third: Heat/cooking.

I have several ways to make potable water and containers to transport and make potable water in.

I have freeze dry food and dehydrated food to last until the seeds I plant and harvest is ready to make my own food. I have jars, caps and a pressure cooker to can that food so I have it for the winter. I can make a dehydrator out of wood and screen but until that time that is needed I have an electric one for food storage.


I have a wood stove insert for heat and cooking , a solar oven, a volcano stove for wood and propane(which will run out)and which I will use to pressure cook, and a Kelly Kettle for heating water with just sticks and grass.


I have a one/two man saw for felling trees and sawing into log lengths, wedges for felling trees, and several methods for splitting logs all not needing anything but you to do it.    

I have several carts to transport water, and all other needed items when there are no cars but, most importantly guns and ammo to defend what I have.

I am looking into my own chickens and bee hive but at this late age I need to make sure my college son would want to maintain that responsibility.

Good luck to all you new preppers!

I think you are missing something here...   in general gasoline engines only run on one type of fuel that must be refined in huge refineries.

Diesel on the other hand is VERY easy to make.  Also diesel powered engines tend to be tolerant to a much larger variety of fuels.   Cooking oils and just about another type of oil can be used in a pinch.

Jacksdad you are so correct. I do not want to be dependent on any fuel that will go away at some time. I am lucky and live around wood fuel so I plan all my heat, cooking and light on wood.   

I would have to start cutting and splitting ASAP if TSHTF because it takes 1.5 to 2 years to dry out. I try to keep at least 5 cords of wood at home in the fall. I use 2 cords of wood a year. But that is keeping my house at 55 degrees with gas forced air so I would use more if TSHTF.   I have been lax the past two years and have only 1.5 cords left this year. So this fall I will be getting 3 cords of pine and 1/4 cord of hickory (very expensive but burns hot and long}. Hickory is good for over night fire to stay warm and start up in the morning as soon as the sun is up.

We have no hickory in Colorado so that hickory would just be for comfort at first until all get use to a colder life.

I have a few candles for emergency needed light at night but life for me will go to bed at dark get up with the light.

I hope others will follow because if times get really bad people better not think fuel will be available. I admire people who have solar and/or wind because that will work but I don't have the ability or knowledge or space for solar.

Prep the best basic way you can it will make a difference in your life. I feel more secure and so does my son.

FluMom- I don't know if You have County extensions in Colorado but many State Universities Have free Ag classes. My wife just took a class on bees and we're looking at hives and equipment. Bees really help a garden and honey is a great substitute for sugar. You can also make candles from the wax. It's really a win, win, win for any prepper unless of course you're allergic to bee stings!

I keep bees and am a certified bee disease inspector, and the big worry with any disaster type scenario is the varroa mite. Everywhere in the world except Australia has varroa and hives need to be treated twice a year. You can get mite treatment with up to a 5 year use by date (and it really doesn't work after this time) but after that it's anyone's guess. If you are going to keep bees, get in a good supply of treatment.

I've got a few of the larger propane tanks, and the adapter to refill the smaller ones

Hi KiwiMum, yep I would do chickens but I am not now willing to have that kind of commitment. I have a 93 yr old mother who is in great shape now but you know how that can go one day great and then not well. I don't even eat or use 1/2 dozen eggs in a month...lol.

I would do chickens as a hobby when I am no longer working and I would only do 2-3 chickens at the most.

LOL, now as a survivalist I would think a rooster would be necessary to keep producing more chicks.   But I would have to learn all that is needed and I will do that if I decide to have chickens.

Thanks for the encouragement!

I'd be very cautious of keeping two roosters unless you keep two groups of hens, each group with one rooster. You can keep a whole group of roosters together so long as there isn't a female amongst them, or they will fight non stop. If you keep one group of hens with one rooster, and then a second rooster separately, the one on his own will develop all sorts of problems, as they are designed to live in groups. Two roosters in with hens will result in one becoming dominant, and the other living on the periphery of the group.

No it's not law here, but the starter crumble that newly hatched chicks have contains things that protect a chicken from certain diseases. Here's a link:

Not wild turkeys (they're very intelligent) but domestic turkeys are the dumbest animal no holds bar! They'll drown in a rain storm looking up! As far as separate flocks we have too many critters that love the taste of chicken here! We have coyotes, fox, raccoons, opossums, spotted skunks, stripped skunks, bobcats, cougars, ferrets, and 5 or 6 types of hawks that are all looking for a free dinner! There's no such thing as a free range chicken here! They're just free dinner!

Arirish, We've lost a few chickens to hawks, and as we're by the foothills to the Southern Alps, we have dozens of hawks. We've also lost some to feral cats. I lost two ducklings this year to something - it took them from under their mother. But no foxes or other large native mammalian predators here.

KiwiMum wrote: I keep bees and am a certified bee disease inspector, and the big worry with any disaster type scenario is the varroa mite. Everywhere in the world except Australia has varroa and hives need to be treated twice a year. You can get mite treatment with up to a 5 year use by date (and it really doesn't work after this time) but after that it's anyone's guess. If you are going to keep bees, get in a good supply of treatment.

We probably would do well but our neighbours wouldn't and that would cause us endless problems. None of them are ready for anything and all of them would view us as a foodbank. What none of them understand is we are not a commercial farm and we don't produce an excess. We only produce enough for ourselves. I couldn't support them but I doubt they'll understand that when the chips are down. And that is where the problems would begin.

Operational security Flumom. Google it. If your neighbors already know you prep and have supplies then they will eventually come for it when they get hungry and you have to sleep and go get water sometime. I hope you have plan B ready because it sounds like your plan A is already blown.

Flumom, have you got a huge stock pot? I plan to make stone soup using ours. Here's a link: