Gear Review

[LMonty]

Lets use this thread to review items that we have used and tried out> write a short review, than give a thumbs up, thumbs down, and indicate if you consider it an essential prep item; and if necessary, why. If its a thumbs down, and you know a better alternative, than tell us about it.

Please include approximate price (and currency used, ie, USD). If possible and appropriate, import a picture of the item. If you purchased it online and got a good deal, add a link, please.

I'll start it off.

ITEM: Brinkman LED Headlight
Purchased from: Walmart, last year, approx 8 USD.
Review: Essential Thumbs UP!!!

Purchased one for both my husband and I about 1 year ago. These are great! Can be worn right on your head, or on a hat (where its more comfortable for thos eof us who dont like th efeel of soemthing on your firehead). Has a single red LED which is wonderful at night- works great while fishing, and doesnt mess up your night vision. The double white LED is good for chores- I often wear it in the garden, when working out there at night (slugs beware!) or harvesting something quick for whatever I'm cooking. Ive used it camping- can't be beat. I wouldnt want to do without it. I still have the same 3 AAA energizer batteries in it that I started with. Very battery friendly, good if you need to make the most of the ones you store- LEDs need much less power than any other light Ive tried.

[St Michael]

Re: Gear Review

First, a WARNING:

Remember that CO (carbon monoxide) is a real danger if using any type of outdoor or camping stove or oven or gas or charcoal grill when INDOORS during any kind of emergency.

Make sure your room is well-ventilated and that you have working carbon monoxide detectors!

Now that we covered that...

One of the lowest carbon monoxide emitters is alcohol-fueled stoves and heaters. Alcohol fuel burns very clean.

Consider the Origo alcohol stoves and heaters. They can often be found on Ebay, and they are safely used in many sailboats and ocean-going pleasure craft. They are NOT pressurized, and the design is very simple and easy to keep up. There's really nothing to go wrong with these simple units.

On a budget, the surplus Swiss Army alcohol stove/mess kit is a superb bargain. You can also get just the Swiss alcohol burner itself without the mess kit dirt cheap. These can be used --WITH CARE-- for emergency heating and cooking. I have several of these packed away with our camping gear. Using the alcohol stove set up with the mess kit, I can get two cups of water boiling in just a couple minutes. Some folks use a small clay pot, used upside-down on the mess kit frame, as a heat radiator with this small stove. That should produce enough BTUs to keep a small room from dropping below freezing.

For fuel, I try to find the yellow 12 fl.oz HEET Gas-line Antifreeze bottles on clearance at the end of the winter. Sometimes they will sell them from $.25 to $1 each on clearance.

See this link for more info on various alcohol fuels: http://zenstoves.net/Stoves.htm#Fuels

and this one for a good general description of home-made alcohol stoves:

http://zenstoves.net/Stoves.htm

An old Coleman or Sears duel fuel campstove can easily be converted to using the Swiss alcohol burners by removing the duel-fuel apparatus. I found an old Sears camp stove at a yard sale for $15, and it now serves as our alcohol stove.

[Evelyn]

Re: Gear Review

Hi, all. I'm bumping this old thread because I'd very much appreciate people's opinions on some basic emergency gear. I'm most interested in positive and negative experiences with hand-cranked radios and lanterns, as well as self-powered flashlights/headlamps. I'd also be glad to hear about people's experiences with small (5 to 7 gallons) water storage devices, as well as anything else people care to share.

I'm in the market for a hand-cranked radio because my sturdy old Freeplay broke when I wound it up to test it a few days ago. The radio really was old, and I understand that the more recent models don't have the same design problem. Anyone out there have a Freeplay? Prefer another brand?

Thanks for any and all info.

Evelyn

[brad5055]

Re: Gear Review

The problem with most hand-cranked items is that they're designed for very temporary emergency use rather than long term durability. For that reason, I've largely focused on rechargeable battery devices. In that case, you want to use NiMH batteries rather than traditional NiCads since they don't degrade as quickly. Brunton makes a nice portable solar charger that is suitable for smaller battery sizes, and also directly charges cell phones, etc.

In terms of water, I've had a lot of trouble with smaller storage containers leaking for the same reason -- designed for short terms storage rather than long term. For this reason, I switched to rain barrels connected directly to gutters and fitted with overflow valves as a primary source. You, of course, have to filter and treat the water, but the nice thing about them is that they're designed for outdoor storage and refill themselves without a lot of effort on your part.

This may already be information you have, but wanted to reply for what it is worth.

[Chuckwks]

Re: Gear Review

An excellent water storage source is something called the WaterBOB, that you can buy online for about $20, will hold 100 gallons and fits in your bathtub. You won't be using the bathtub if the water is contaminated anyway, so this gives you a source of good water for an extended time.

[Science Teacher]

Re: Gear Review

I second the use of the water bob. Just google it for more info.

I have 2 of them. That's 200 gal. of water to keep on hand if the utilities shut down.

I also recommend a Kelly Kettle for outdoor use. You can cook with it or heat your water for coffee. It is very fast working. Easy fuel even works on twigs, charcoal. It starts up with a big woosh, so use it in an open area.

[kiwibird]

Re: Gear Review

Shaking torches are great! Get a smaller one - the large ones take too much effort to recharge the battery. They have a range of about 150 feet and if you get a clear one (there are red ones available too) they give off somewhat of an ambient light too! Not enough to read with but enough to see around you ok! They retail for around NZ$20 (US$15ish)
They are available in New Zealand at "Nature Discovery" stores - but I am sure they will be available at camping stores and marine chandlers. (By the way marine chandlers have just about everything you need to kit yourself out for self sufficiency).

[Evelyn]

Re: Gear Review

Thanks to all of you! Since I made my last post, I've ordered and received three Freeplay items: the Indigo (lantern), the EyeMax WB 2009 (AM/FM/weather radio with flashlight), and the Companion (small integrated radio/flashlight/cell phone charger). I just got these, and will post reviews after I've had a chance to play with and test them.

I've been thinking about the WaterBOB. It seems like pretty cheap insurance, and I'll probably buy one. However, as I'm an apartment dweller with only one bathtub, it strikes me as something to be used only under truly dire conditions or in short-term emergencies.

This leads me to the larger question of how much an apartment dweller can or should prepare for. Obviously I need to prep, and am doing so, but I am also thinking about the practical limits of "sheltering in place" given my circumstances. I haven't come to any conclusions yet, but I think it's important to have an idea in advance of where I would draw the line--and where on earth I'd go if I had to leave.

[peter m]

Re: Gear Review

I'm in the market for a hand-cranked radio because my sturdy old Freeplay broke

I have a Midland ER102 emergency crank weather alert radio. Runs on 3 AA batteries or from ac adaptor and aslo has hand crank. Needs to be cranked up a lot of turns to run even a short time so i just rely on AA batteries which can run up to a week used 1-2 hrs a day. I use it for short outings at beach,parks, exercise, cycling, take it everywhere as i like listening to Am radio. Will even charge cell phones with included adaptors. also has neat LED flashlight and siren. about 7 " x 6" x 2" size, small and compact. Have had mine for 8 months without any compalints except for inordinate no. of cranking turns needed to charge radio. Seems durable enough- i have dropped it several times and still works fine. Also water/weather resistant to a limited degree.

Priced around $40.00-$50.00 at online dealers.

[appleblossom]

Re: Gear Review

We've got a hand-cranked radio that is mostly "thumbs up" although I've never owned any other crank radio so I can't offer much of a comparison. But it's an Eton Fr-300. We spent $50 USD on it, same price as Amazon has:

http://www.amazon.com/Eton-FR300-Emergency-Crank-Radio/dp/B000FTHBLW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1249199123&sr=8-4

It's got FM and AM, plus a weather band and 2 TV bands, an emergency light and siren (loud). Also has a cellphone charger which I have never tried. My only complaint about it is that the internal rechargeable battery seems to have given up the ghost after less than 2 years. Now if you crank our radio vigorously for 5 minutes you get about 5 minutes of power, instead of the 1 hour of play time when we first got it. But the unit also works fine off of direct-crank power, so you can bypass a bad battery, by sitting and slowly cranking it. you can listen to the radio until your arm gets tired.

[appleblossom]

Re: Gear Review

This leads me to the larger question of how much an apartment dweller can or should prepare for. Obviously I need to prep, and am doing so, but I am also thinking about the practical limits of "sheltering in place" given my circumstances. I haven't come to any conclusions yet, but I think it's important to have an idea in advance of where I would draw the line--and where on earth I'd go if I had to leave.

I went through Katrina in a second floor apartment, and I can tell you as an apartment dweller water is your achilles heel. Powered water is the first thing to fail in a large-scale urban disaster, and the second thing to go is the sewage (I am very sorry for you if you are on the first floor). Get creative, is all I can tell you. When I was in New Orleans I lived in an apartment complex with a swimming pool, and that turned out to be a very useful source of emergency wash water, which helped me preserve my drinking water. Hygiene is what uses the most of your water storage. We drink a gallon a day but use much more than that trying to keep clean. Store paper plates and cups and disposable cutlery, and baby wipes, and that will cut down on a lot of your washing. it will also generate a lot of trash, so make sure you store some trash bags too.