A major must-archive directory of off-grid 'how-to' information

[778 neighbour of some guy]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)

Posted by Selene (here)

Pardon me if I’m mistaken here, but doesn’t this excellent resource presuppose availability of an internet connection – and the power to run one under duress?

Quite a job, of course, but it would be a few hours well spent to save each linked web page of interest as a PDF and then archive it (or print it). (Some of them are PDFs already.) Similarly, YouTube videos can be archived using http://keepvid.com.

Many Avalonians will already have substantial amounts of self-help and other material archived. For any new members reading this, do take a look at the very valuable Interesting Free Books in PDF thread, where there's an immense amount of material in downloadable e-book form.

( TIP for all) A solar charger, e reader and cheap tablet will go a long way, store massive amounts of info and will be readily accessible at any time you might need it, don't forget a data cable for charging, they are also conveniently light, portable and packable, don't forget to store those gadgets and gizmo's in a waterproof bag, make sure they stay charged and updated, once a month will be fine.

[Ron Mauer Sr]

Bill, I am glad to see you start this thread. It is so important, IMHO, to help us get through whatever is coming our way. This is the reason that, years ago, I started my blog, Ideas For Self Sufficient Living During Financially Turbulent Times.

The more we prepare for adversity, the less effective the control freaks will be with whatever Hegalian plans they have to destroy freedom.

A plan to have clean water is critical. My understanding is 3 days without water and you are dysfunctional. After 4 or 5 days, only those in great shape will survive. So I hope that many will visit the water page and possibly find workable solutions for each individual situation.

Ron

[chocolate]

Some time ago I was thinking I can go with a bare minimum of a mini-laptop, external hard drive, and something like this http://waka-waka.com/products/
or
https://www.powertraveller.com/en/sh...able-chargers/

And water, of course.

[778 neighbour of some guy]

Posted by chocolate (here)
Some time ago I was thinking I can go with a bare minimum of a mini-laptop, external hard drive, and something like this http://waka-waka.com/products/
or
https://www.powertraveller.com/en/sh...able-chargers/

And water, of course.

I own a Waka Waka power and its ok for e readers a phone or a Steripen, but a tablet drains the Waka's internal battery and the Waka does need quite some time in direct sunlight to recharge to 75 percent, so far it IS an efficient solar charger for its size, but no holy grail, Bushnell makes the Powersync, something you might be interested in, Anker makes quite good external battery packs upto 15000 mah in a package the size of an average smartphone and also powers up tablets, for a very high capacity, cheap, light, very very portable and almost too good to be true 0.10 micron water filter buy a Sawyer squeeze ( 1 million gallon guaranteed), 99.99999999 % of bacteria and cryptosporidium and other nasty's get filtered out, very hard to find a better portable one on the market, they also came up with a Sawyer mini ( 100.000 gallons) you do the math at three liters a day, you can get one for about 60 dollars and a mini for about 30, just make sure you get two water bags for it, one for dirty and one for clean, the also fit on standard soda bottles, I have two Sawyer squeezes that 2 million gallons of water or about 7.5 million liters to share, for in euros less then 150, that's more then enough for a small village for a lifetime and to water a garden for a lifetime, very smart investment.

[Sidney]

This is truly the best compilation of how-to resources I have ever seen. Thank you Bill for taking the time and effort to put this together in one place. Much gratitude.

[Beren]

Thank you Bill for great resources!

[Bill Ryan]

-------

I've made a start at creating PDFs out of all the pages linked. (Rather: my computer has -- I used a combination of the Firefox Plugin DownThemAll and the application, free for 15 days w3capture.)

The result is a zip file, downloadable here. The pages are not all 100% perfect, but overall they're in really quite good shape for all practical purposes.

http://projectavalon.net/DIY_HOW-TO_Resource_PDFs_1.zip (69 Mb)

This contains all of these files as PDFs:

• Biosand filter slow sand filter picture.pdf
• Conserve Water With a Rain Barrel.pdf
• DIY Gravity Water Filter.pdf
• DIY Survival Gear - How to Make a Portable SODIS Device.pdf
• Drive your own freshwater well.pdf
• Easy DIY hand pump.pdf
• EMAS PVC Water Well Hand Pump.pdf
• Getting Started in Barrelponics.pdf
• Grow 100 lbs of Potatoes In 4 Square Feet.pdf
• Homemade Chicken Coop with Beer Can Shingles Was Built in 10 Hours for $40.pdf
• How to build a 50 Dollar Greenhouse.pdf
• How to Build a Backyard Greenhouse.pdf
• How to Build a Big Berkey Clone Water Filter.pdf
• How to Build a Potato Tower.pdf
• How to Build A Survival Fishing Kit That You Can Count On.pdf
• How to Build an Inertial Well Slow Pump for Grid Down Emergencies.pdf
• How to Build Your Own Hand Pump.pdf
• How to Clean Whole Fish.pdf
• How to Collect Rainwater - Plumbing Your Storage Barrels Together.pdf
• How to Conserve Personal Water In Extreme Heat.pdf
• How to Desalinate Water.pdf
• How to Disinfect Water With Household Bleach.pdf
• How to dramatically increase your food 162 storage.pdf
• How to drill a Well.pdf
• How to Eat a Pine Tree.pdf
• How to Get Radiation Out of Your Water.pdf
• How to Harvest, Store, Ship and Use Ice.pdf
• How to Make a Fish Spear.pdf
• How to Make a Homemade Water Filter.pdf
• How to make a PVC Greenhouse.pdf
• How to Make A Solar Still.pdf
• How to make an Arched GreenHouse.pdf
• How to Make Compost - Organic Gardening - MOTHER EARTH NEWS.pdf
• How to Make Compost | Survival Spot.pdf
• How to Make Fertilizer.pdf
• How to make your own Shooting Sticks.pdf
• How to Rig a Trot Line to Catch Fish in a Survival Situation.pdf
• How to Trap Fish.pdf
• How to Turn a Pallet into a Garden.pdf
• PVC greenhouse plans.pdf
• Rainwater Catchment System.pdf
• SODIS Method 1.pdf
• SODIS Method 2.pdf
• Solar Water Distiller.pdf
• Storing Survival Garden Seeds.pdf
• Ten Best Traps.pdf
• The Ultimate Sprouting Guide.pdf
• Trash Can Potatoes.pdf
• Water Purification - Calcium Hypochlorite - Pool Shock.pdf

[skippy]

Thanks Bill. Yesterday, following a thread started by Rocky, I watched again your interview with Charles, which was quite good, I must say. I listened with the same attention, amazement and fascination like 3 years earlier. Regarding this interview, how do you look back on the contents that Charles brought to the table, for example regarding the food chain?

[Camilo]

Thanks Bill, very useful information. I'll take some time to go over it.

[Roisin]

Thanks Bill! Very useful information! The kind of information we may have to print off and keep in a safe place should anything happen.

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by skippy (here)

for example regarding the food chain?

In my opinion, we have to understand that almost every major component of modern life has been weaponized. That includes the food chain itself. Strangling the food chain is certainly one of the easiest ways to kill off a very large number of people.

Besides the food chain (i.e. the control of the supply and availability of even highly nutritious food), here's what else has been weaponized:

• Food, soft drinks and water
• Our atmosphere and weather
• School education
• TV, music and modern culture
• Smart meters
• Pharmaceuticals
• Recreational drugs
• The vitamin and supplement industry (i.e. the regulation and restriction of)
• .. and the Internet itself.

Might be a good idea for a separate thread. (An important one, too!)

[pyrangello]

Another great source for all of this is a book by stan and holly deyo. Called " Dare to Prepare" 35 us dollars at www.standeyo.com , I've bought many of them and given them away to family and friends. Info to things like shelf life of food and many many medicines . Thanks for the lsit Bill, appreciate it very much .

[778 neighbour of some guy]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
-------

I've made a start at creating PDFs out of all the pages linked. (Rather: my computer has -- I used a combination of the Firefox Plugin DownThemAll and the application, free for 15 days w3capture.)

The result is a zip file, downloadable here. The pages are not all 100% perfect, but overall they're in really quite good shape for all practical purposes.

http://projectavalon.net/DIY_HOW-TO_Resource_PDFs_1.zip (69 Mb)

This contains all of these files as PDFs:

• Biosand filter slow sand filter picture.pdf
• Conserve Water With a Rain Barrel.pdf
• DIY Gravity Water Filter.pdf
• DIY Survival Gear - How to Make a Portable SODIS Device.pdf
• Drive your own freshwater well.pdf
• Easy DIY hand pump.pdf
• EMAS PVC Water Well Hand Pump.pdf
• Getting Started in Barrelponics.pdf
• Grow 100 lbs of Potatoes In 4 Square Feet.pdf
• Homemade Chicken Coop with Beer Can Shingles Was Built in 10 Hours for $40.pdf
• How to build a 50 Dollar Greenhouse.pdf
• How to Build a Backyard Greenhouse.pdf
• How to Build a Big Berkey Clone Water Filter.pdf
• How to Build a Potato Tower.pdf
• How to Build A Survival Fishing Kit That You Can Count On.pdf
• How to Build an Inertial Well Slow Pump for Grid Down Emergencies.pdf
• How to Build Your Own Hand Pump.pdf
• How to Clean Whole Fish.pdf
• How to Collect Rainwater - Plumbing Your Storage Barrels Together.pdf
• How to Conserve Personal Water In Extreme Heat.pdf
• How to Desalinate Water.pdf
• How to Disinfect Water With Household Bleach.pdf
• How to dramatically increase your food 162 storage.pdf
• How to drill a Well.pdf
• How to Eat a Pine Tree.pdf
• How to Get Radiation Out of Your Water.pdf
• How to Harvest, Store, Ship and Use Ice.pdf
• How to Make a Fish Spear.pdf
• How to Make a Homemade Water Filter.pdf
• How to make a PVC Greenhouse.pdf
• How to Make A Solar Still.pdf
• How to make an Arched GreenHouse.pdf
• How to Make Compost - Organic Gardening - MOTHER EARTH NEWS.pdf
• How to Make Compost | Survival Spot.pdf
• How to Make Fertilizer.pdf
• How to make your own Shooting Sticks.pdf
• How to Rig a Trot Line to Catch Fish in a Survival Situation.pdf
• How to Trap Fish.pdf
• How to Turn a Pallet into a Garden.pdf
• PVC greenhouse plans.pdf
• Rainwater Catchment System.pdf
• SODIS Method 1.pdf
• SODIS Method 2.pdf
• Solar Water Distiller.pdf
• Storing Survival Garden Seeds.pdf
• Ten Best Traps.pdf
• The Ultimate Sprouting Guide.pdf
• Trash Can Potatoes.pdf
• Water Purification - Calcium Hypochlorite - Pool Shock.pdf

Thank you Bill, downloaded and crammed into my e reader, miraculously an e reader seems to weigh exactly the same before and after downloading no matter how much you cram into it, weirrrrrrrrrrrd, couldn't drag my heavy bookshelves around for ten feet even if my life depended on it, people please, if you can afford it buy an e reader and a small solar charger. They are useful miracle gadgets.

[Dennis Leahy]

While the vast majority of humanity is oblivious, and while a percentage of Avelonians are posting, reading, and responding to issues (and non-issues) that are certainly not time-critical or imminent (I include myself, and include myself in the trajectory of the cold water I'm throwing), something wicked this way comes.

Do we actually think the murders of more than half a dozen prospective whistleblowers in banking/trading is just business as usual? The CEO of a "title company" (think mortgage scandal and derivatives which are usually bundled mortgages) "committed suicide" using a nail gun and shot himself "7 or 8 times" in the head and chest...and well, I doubt there is 1% of Avalonians that believe that "official story", and yet probably a vast majority of the GMO munching, fluoride guzzling, teevee addicts didn't raise an eyebrow.

My own track record for predicting the near-term outcome of the actions of the Global Rulers is abyssimal, and yet, I feel it strongly again: something wicked this way comes - and soon.

You "calm down" and "it's fear porn" folks can save your breath. This is nothing specific, nothing particularly tangible, and I already admitted that I have ridden these waves of ominous energy (several times in the past couple of years) without being slammed onto the shore. But, it is also ignorant to be lulled to sleep, and I am compelled to report my feelings.

Let that serve as a bump for this topic - even knowing that Courtney Brown's pre-announcement announcement (of something that will be ignored by 99.9% of humanity) will trump it in less than an hour.

[scanner]

This is a fantastic resource thread , thanks Bill and needs a bump , especially with the state of the World at this moment in time .

[Ron Mauer Sr]

Prepping for the timelines of our future involves pre-planning for whatever comes our way. In support of freedom, well being and joy for all who want it, I’m sharing presentation notes from my one hour talk given Sep 27 at a Preparedness Expo.

It is impossible for anyone I know to accurately predict the schedule, duration and depth of what is headed our way. Obviously some areas will be more comfortable than others. Knowledge of self sufficient skills and wisdom to choose the items we need to mitigate discomfort are something we all need.

Much diversity is expected for our various future experience and needs. Here is my best shot at an overview of what I need to learn or acquire. Hopefully the information will be ueseful to others, or at least, inspire your own brainstorms.

“Relax. Stay calm. Take action.” A quote from Bob Gaskin, USMC.

**** Presentation Notes ****

What are we prepping for? Let your intuition be your guide. Possible scenarios:

• Financial collapse: no banking, no credit cards, no government assistance programs. Changes could be slow or sudden.
• Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP): electronic devices no longer function (including modern automobiles and the electric grid). Could take years to recover.
• Civil unrest, civil war, War III (economic war is currently under way)
• False flag events
• Grocery stores closed, many people without food
• Weather events
• Earthquakes
• Fracking and ground water contamination. Where there is a pipeline, fracking may be only one well paid politician away.
• Quarantines, Ebola, marshal law. How long will your current provisions last?
• Wood may be the only plentiful fuel available for a while
• Schedule, duration and severity are unknown.

Help:

• Who will help you?
• Who will you help?
• What kind of help is available?
• Why is a community so valuable?

Priorities: Water, shelter and food

Water (If you don’t have clean water, in 3 days many will need nothing else)

• 3 days without clean water and only the athletic and healthy will be able to function, although function poorly.
• If you have access to a clean spring or well, you are very fortunate.
• Water access: manual pump or inexpensive well bucket? (video) (video)
• Filters: Big Berkey (video), Berkey Sport (video), Life Straw (video), etc. (Absolute Necessity)

Economics

• Barter: What has value during a collapse? Food? Precious metals? Barter items?
• If grocery stores are closed long term, who would trade a loaf of bread for a gold coin?
• Real Economic News – Jim Sinclair, Greg Hunter, Dr. Paul Craig Roberts
• Debt leads to slavery, by design.

Shelter Location

• Staying put or leaving? If leaving, better to be 6 hours early than 6 seconds too late.
• If you are bugging out, where are your bugout supplies? At your destination?
• Will you show up somewhere, asking for refuge without bringing your own food?
• Cities are a trap.

Shelter Type

• Building new? Off grid cabin? Walk-in basement with South facing glass?
• Camping trailer? Tiny house on wheels? Compare the investment.
• Small is good. No mortgage. Energy efficient.

Communities:

• Benefits – security, shared skill sets, support.
• Challenges – group decisions, how to handle dysfunctional behavior?
• Learn how to support each other. Maybe the reason why we are here.

Space heating options

• Woodstove (Absolute necessity)
• Stationary propane wall without electric blower: direct vent, outside vent, inside vent
• Mr. Heater Big Buddy 18,000 BTU (Unlike electricity, propane can be inexpensively stored.)
• Oil filled electric radiator (if electricity is available)

Food Production

• Small scale gardens: Square Foot Gardening (video), Earth Boxes (video), 5 gallon buckets (video) (video) (video), sprouting, (video) (video)
• Gardening learning curve is very long. Experienced help and a soil test are absolute necessities.
• Chickens
• Start composting now. Stock up on growing medium now.
• Stock up on non-hybrid seeds. Start saving seeds.
• Gardening tools – A garden trowel is the only tool required for a working Square Foot Garden, Earthbox or Global Bucket. No fuel required.

Stocking Up Food – Where to go shopping

• Local grocery store or favorite health food store. Purchase cans, dehydrated items. Fresh and frozen vegetables can be dehydrated at home.
• East Coast Food Storage (10 miles from Charlottesville, free group classes), BePrepared, Honeyville (Freeze dried and dehydrated foods and more.)
• Farmer’s Markets for fresh produce for dehydration or canning.
• Cosco
• Sam’s Club
• Don’t forget the dog

Preserving Food

• Refrigeration: propane, solar, electricity
• Food dehydration at home: Snackmaster, Excalibur 9 Tray
  • What foods can be dehydrated? All vegetables except lettuce, all fruit, lean meat.
  • Frozen foods do not require blanching or other preparation
  • No higher than 125 degrees F for vegetables to avoid “case hardening”
  • 12 hours usually enough time
  • It is impossible to over dry dehydrated foods
  • Dehydrating meat requires a significantly higher temperature
• NOTE: Preserving food by canning is an option but not addressed here. Many books are available.

Commercial Packaging

• Super Pails, 5 or 6 gallon (best value, buy local to save freight charge)
• #10 cans of ready to eat meals, veggies, fruits and more.
• Mylar bags

Home Packaging and repackaging larger containers once opened – container options

• Mason jars (inexpensive, heavy, subject to breakage)
• P.E.T.E. Jars (more expensive than Mason jars; no breakage; light weight)
• Food Saver bags are somewhat porous and require heat to reseal. Not a good option for long term storage, or for when electricity is not available.

Vacuum packing – repacking opened containers. The enemies of food storage are moisture, oxygen, heat and sunlight.

• Pump-N-Seal (video)
• Ziplock pump
• Oxygen absorbers
• Homemade check valves by Judy of the Woods
• Foodsaver (while electricity is available). CAUTION – Foodsaver bags are not for long term storage. There is a workaround by adding a Mylar bag.
• Jar sealers, wide mouth and regular (video) (video)

Cooking

• Outdoor fuels: wood, charcoal, solar. IMPORTANT – In a long term grid down situation, wood may be the only fuel available. All other fuels need to be stocked up before the SHTF.
• Indoor fuels: propane, alcohol, butane, Sterno
• Portable stoves
  • Firebox stove (video): multi-fuel, wood, charcoal, alcohol burner (video) compatible, Sterno
  • Volcano (video) wood, charcoal, propane. Very versatile. Excellent choice for use with a Dutch Oven.
  • Butane stove (video)
  • Kelly Kettle (video)
• Solar ovens (video)
• Saving energy, cooking in a Thermos or hot box
• Instructional videos: Tammy (Dehydrate2Store.com), Chef Tess
• Avoid food fatigue by using a variety of seasoning. Make the same food taste different.

Cookbooks for preppers

• Natural Meals In Minutes
• Country Beans (How to Cook Beans in 3 Minutes)
• The Prepper’s Cookbook
• Quick Wholesome Foods (video included)
• The Meals In A Jar Handbook: Gourmet Food Storage Made Easy by Stephanie Peterson (Chef Tess).
• The Ultimate Dehydrator Cook Box by Tammy Gangloff

Cook stove fuel options

• Outdoor fuels: wood, charcoal. IMPORTANT – In a long term grid down situation, wood may be the only fuel available. All other fuels need to be stocked up before the SHTF.
• Solar (Only on CLEAR days)
• Indoor fuels: propane, alcohol, butane, Sterno. IMPORTANT – Must be stocked before the SHTF.

Cooking accessories

• Coleman oven
• Dutch oven (video)
• Charcoal starter (video)

Fire starting

• Magnesium fire starters: Blast Match, Mora knife with fire steel
• Cotton balls and petroleum jelly (video)

Helping neighbors and travelers with inexpensive care packages. Just add boiling water, stir and wait.

• Rolled oats (oatmeal), raisins, dehydrated apples, dehydrated milk.
• Beans and rice. Precooked beans are faster.
• Dehydrated soups

Composting (or Sawdust) toilet (only needed if you have food and water)

• Water availability? If you are using a septic system, would you prefer to haul water? How far?
• Sawdust Toilet and compost bins
• Sunmar Non Electric (NE) composting toilet. Nice but expensive.
• Use sawdust or peat moss to cover deposits. Why? It will not stink.

Prepping on a tiny budget

• Hand tools for a garden.
• Seeds (not hybrid)
• Grocery store: soup, oatmeal, rice, beans, etc. Buy a little each trip to the store.
• Water filter

Communication

• Advance planning – family meet up – plans and contingency plans
• Cell phone risks: first to fail, EMP, charging, privacy issues, intentionally turned off
• Amateur radio, FRS, CB – last to fail. Solar charger is needed. In the U.S.A., get an Amateur Radio Technician license for local communication. If long distance communication (3 to 100 miles depending on terrain and line of sight) a more advanced license and a more expensive radio (HF) is required .

Solar Energy for the home

• Propane appliances: refrigerator, cook stove, space heating, clothes dryer
• Lifestye changes, lessons learned
• End of fossil fuel
• Lessons from Cuba Lessons learned from Cuba’s peak oil experience.

Hot water

• Solar: soda bottles, thermosiphoning batch heater
• Propane fueled turkey cooker

Preserving assets

• Nothing is safe while hidden in the home. Location diversity can be very important.
• Mylar bury bag for non-food items. Inside dimensions approximately 63″ x 11″, $14 at East Coast Food Storage.

Emergency lighting

• Solar powered patio lights. Bring inside at dark. Recharge outside during the day. Inexpensive solar powered lighting.
• Olive oil lamp kit. Spill safe. (video)

Health

• Stock up on soap, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, Clorox. During grid down, minor emergencies can rapidly become major emergencies.
• Sodium Chlorite (MMS) (video) (video)
• First aid kits and training
• Alternative Health Care
• Composting toilet
• When there is no toilet paper
• Clothes washing – plunger and bucket
• Where There is No Doctor, Where There is No Dentist

Transportation

• Where are you planning to go during a grid down situation? Traveling could be very dangerous.
• Do you have a bicycle for local travel?

Self defense

• Be part of a community (neighbors, family or tribe)
• Bear spray vs pepper spray (fog)
• Wasp and hornet killer (narrow stream)

Solutions

• Knowledge
  • Youtube, internet searches. Incredibly valuable resources.
  • Research – How does a poor Mexican live? What skill sets do they have that we don’t.
  • Discussions with friends.
  • Contact Bob Snow for free group tours of East Coast Food Storage. Smallest tour is 6 people. Best tour is 10 to 12 - max 17
  • East Coast Food Storage is planning free evening classes. Contact Bob Snow for the schedule.
• Security
  • Do not share information with people who are not in your trusted local community.
  • Nothing is safe from thieves if items are hidden inside your home.
  • Do not hide everything in one place.
• Community
  • Prepare to help your neighbors and your family.
  • Skill diversity is important. No one has all the skills and knowledge.
• Mental preparedness
  • Do not be dis-empowered by denial or fear.
  • If you must watch TV and read mainstream news, understand that the information is what someone wants you to believe.
  • “Relax. Stay calm. Take action.”, Bob Gaskin, formerly USMC

[Valle]

On this page you can listen to and control a short-wave receiver located at the amateur radio club
http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/

[Camilo]

Thanks Bill, very extense and practical.

[xbusymom]

Thanks for the info... got a copy of it to put on my site... http://www.yoglin.com/cl.html

and I thought of a way to condense and de-digitize it for the bugout bag...

-----scan in the pages of a book into your computer document, then print as "multiple pages per sheet"... and since the print will be extremely small... I got 2-3 magnifying glass sheets * from Amazon - here (plastic 8 1/2x11) to make my own DIY projector.

Abracadabra... condensed info and a portable way to view it without electricity.