Sewer disposal when the SHTF

Here is a TEST for you.  After this test, the importance of this topic will be obvious. 

Go 7 days without toilet paper or flushing your toilet.  How long before it is intolerable?

Or try to bring in water from a creek or swimming pool in a 5 gal pail for every toilet flush you do.

Now suppose that every time you go out for a pail of water, that your life is in danger from Looters.

Consider the rule:  when it is brown, flush it down; if it is yellow, let it mellow.

For many, it may be difficult to imagine how dark and violent the world can become.  City Survival could become dangerous, especially without a Neighborhood Watch Program.

But our focus here is on waste disposal, which is an often overlooked consideration.  Imagine what the neighborhood will be like when everyone starts dumping their poop in different places.  Is there a vacant lot, or empty space away from everyone and water sources for dumping waste? Perhaps a business dumpster, or even an abandoned business.

Burning some waste and burying the rest (got shovels?) in 8" deep catholes could be a solution, although the smoke from burning could draw undesirable attention to you, putting your life in danger especially if you don't have Security &/or Intruder Detection.  Even if you detect intruders, do your people have  Shooting Training, or even Gun Safety Training?


The US Department of Conservation offers the following:

Shallow holes for human waste

Dig a shallow hole for human waste; but not just any hole, anywhere. Choose an appropriate place to dig the hole.
How to do it:

• Keep human waste well away from waterways. Dig shallow holes at least 50 m from water, tracks and campsites.
• Select a site where other people are not likely to walk or camp, such as next to thick undergrowth or near fallen timber. If possible also dig your hole where it will receive plenty of sunlight. Heat from the sun helps decomposition.
• Use a trowel to dig a hole 150 - 200 mm deep (about the length of the trowel blade) and 100 -150 mm wide. Deposit your solid human waste. Then back fill the hole with dirt and disguise it with leaf litter or other natural materials.
• If camping in an area for more than one night, or if camping with a large group, agree on a single toilet place and dig a hole deep enough for the group for the length of your stay.

Toilet paper

• If you have to use paper, use only plain, unbleached, non-perfumed types.
• Use toilet paper sparingly.
• Do not burn toilet paper, as this can result in wildfires. Bury paper in your shallow hole or carry it out with you in a plastic bag. 
• Try using natural materials such as bark or leaf vegetation (non-prickly!) or snow instead. Natural ‘toilet paper’ is as sanitary as processed toilet paper and blends back easily into the environment.

While a topic of debate, using human waste, a.k.a. bio solids or night soil for fertilizer, has been done for centuries.  In the absence of commercial fertilizer (and pesticides), it may be necessary to use anything possible.  Human urine is sterile and contains Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium which are essential plant nutrients.

Your Neighborhood Watch Program could help organize a safe, sanitary latrine location a minimum of 200 feet away from water, trails, and campsites, in organic soil.  Your latrine should be about 12" deep and one foot long for each person that will be using it each day.  Then as the first one foot is used, the waste is covered and then the next foot is used.

By the middle of the 1800's cities, life in big cities was hazardous to your health.  The air was polluted, the streams were open sewers and the streets were covered in horse manure.  This led to disease and the death of many people.  We must manage waste to prevent this from reoccurring and a small amount of planning can help achieve this.

For additional information, see the following links:
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Top 10 List of Prepper info
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Hurricane Bug Out Bag

If you only have 5 minutes, be sure to grab these 6 things: 

1. Warm rain coat and layered clothing
2. Heavy duty resealable water jug (full); preferably metal that can be used for boiling water in.
3. Pocket Knife 
4.  Bic Lighter - light candles or fire.
5. Concentrated, dried packaged foods, peanut butter
6. Bottle of bleach to purify water - 2 drops of bleach per liter of water.  Let it sit 30 minutes.

If you have time to pack a Bug Out Bag, here are some suggestions.

1. Small tent
2. Survival blanket
3. Stainless steel bottle of water (2 liters)
4. Granola bars or MRE's
5. Fire tinder - cotton balls in petroleum jelly
6. Fire starter - 2 methods
7. Large fixed blade knife
8. Duct tape
9. High top water proof boots & extra socks.

Beyond this, look at the list of things that expert survivors take to live in the wild for long periods. 

For more information visit our related links below:

Blog Table of Contents

Hurricane 101 Review
Hurricanes

Alone Season 1 Pack List
Alone Season 2 Pack List
Alone Season 3 Pack List
Alone Season 4 Pack List
Alone Season 5 Pack List

Alone Winners Pack List
Alone Survival Plan

Naked & Afraid Survival Plan
Survive on a deserted island
Survival Pack (Security Patrol or Bug Out pack)
Wilderness Survival Pack (Video)
Wilderness Survival

Edible Wild Plants
Greenbriar (catbriar)
Cattails
Dandelion
Chickweed & Hackberries

Or click on a label below for similar topics.

MeMaw's Goulash

This is an economical dish that is easy to make in about 45 minutes; another good addition to our Pioneer Recipe series.

Ingredients:
1 - pound Hamburger
2 - 14.5 oz cans of Stewed tomatoes (or frozen)
1 - cup white rice
2 - cups elbow macaroni
12 - cups of water
Salt & Pepper

Steps:

1.  Brown Hamburger and drain thoroughly
2. Add Tomatoes and 12 cups of water, then bring to a rapid boil
3. Add rice and macaroni & stir
4. Cover and simmer on low fire for 20 minutes without opening the lid and do NOT stir
5. Open, stir, salt & pepper to taste then cook uncovered for 5 - 10 more minutes
6. Turn fire off, cover and let sit for 10 minutes

 This dish really goes good with MeMaw's famous corn bread or corn fritters.

Also see:
Complete Sustainable Living Plan
Acorn Flour Pancakes
Pemmican Recipe
Hardtack Recipe
Goulash
Texas Brisket
Corn Bread
Sour Dough Bread
Corn Fritters
Apple Cider Vinegar
More on making Vinegar
Backing Soda vs Yeast
Baking Soda uses
Best Foods to Store

For additional information see the following links:

Blog Table of Contents
Building your food stores the right way
Emergency Water Supply
Complete Sustainable Living Plan
See similar topics by clicking on the labels below

Immigration - MUST Watch

You MUST watch this Immigration Video.  If you have seen it before, watch it again, and share it with your friends.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPjzfGChGlE

For additional information see the following links: Blog Table of Contents;

Illegal Immigration Cost
Protecting America
Illegal Immigration Solution

Top 10 List of Prepper info
Top Rated Prepper Handbook Posts of all time
Top Rated Prepper Website

Immigration History

 

Here is a summery of US immigration history and evidence that it is repeating it's self, along with an obvious solution.

Immigration High Level Perspective (why immigration hurts countries that we take immigrants from)
Illegal Immigration Cost 

Protecting America

Illegal Immigration Solution

For additional information see the following links: 
Blog Table of Contents;

Top 10 List of Prepper info
Top Rated Prepper Handbook Posts of all time
Top Rated Prepper Website
 

Or click on a label below for similar topics.

 

Making Penicillin

Possibly save the life of your loved ones with home-made Antibiotics.

1. Put some bread in a plastic bag or container
2. Once it begins to form spores, break it up into small pieces
3. Mist it lightly with water and reseal it.
4. Remove it once the mold culture turns obviously green

As the mold begins to grow and develop it will take on white, blue and green stages. The green mold you see in the picture above illustrates this point. The green color is going to contain doses of penicillin. As you can see the green areas are where the mold has grown the largest, essentially where it has matured. Now that you have this green mold, you can actually begin to use it as treatment. There are a few ways to go about this.

Option A: Take the bread clumps, fill up a large cup full of them and add warm water (not boiling water). Mix together and consume. Repeat as necessary, essentially as daily doses of penicillin. It is important to note that while you are growing the mold, you are most likely growing other things. Not all of them helpful. And when you consume the bread will be getting both penicillin and that bad stuff. Yes, it will also taste terrible. Does the bad outweigh the good? In the scenario above, diarrhea or upset stomach are much less serious problems compared to a major infection. So it can be worth it. This remedy has been used for thousands of years in ancient cultures and has also been seen in many folk remedies around the United States for centuries.

Option B: Take your time and carefully separate nothing but the green mold from the bread. Clean the wound, take your ‘scrapings’  from the bread and topically apply them over the whole would. Dress lightly and repeat this process regularly.

An interesting fact I once learned studying Egyptology. Dating back to Imhotep, ancient doctors used to dress wounds with honey. Why is this? It is actually extremely hard for bacteria to grow on honey. If a wound is fresh and clean and infection free, you can apply honey to the area to preserve it from harmful bacteria. Believe it or not, medical grade honey bandages are still used in modern emergency rooms to this day. For home use simply cover the entire area in honey, and wrap the wound to both keep the honey in place and everything else away.

There are of course more advanced ways to make penicillin from bread and oranges that go beyond what I mentioned above. Perhaps if you have more time, more resources available at hand, you can indeed make potentially pharmaceutical grade penicillin using the same basic process I mentioned above. With the relatively low cost and the wide availability of penicillin in the healthcare marketplace today, this may not be practical. But find yourself in the middle of the zombie apocalypse, this information might just save your life. If you wish to know more advanced means of processing penicillin I recommend reading up on it further.

FULL DISCLOSURE:  I AM NOT A DOCTOR NOR PHARMACIST. 

To read the original article, click HERE

http://realfarmacy.com/homemade-penicillin/

For additional information see the following links:

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Top 10 List of Prepper info
Top Rated Prepper Handbook Posts of all time
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.338 Lapua on the Cheap

Customers often ask us (CTD) what the best long-range rifles are. This is a loaded question since most calibers have a niche they fill or job they do particularly well. In the world of long-range precision, the .338 Lapua has overtaken most of the other calibers in popularity. Despite the lower kinetic energy when compared to the .50 BMG, the .338 currently holds three places in the top 10 longest confirmed sniper kills. It fills the role of an anti-personnel and anti-material round nicely. Civilians and military alike have embraced this cartridge as a young legend, and it is only growing in popularity. However, the .338 Lapua has one distinct disadvantage—it is outlandishly expensive.

For the average shooter who takes their .270 or .308 to the range on weekends, the .338 Lapua is like a Ferrari Enzo. Without devoting a lot of time and resources, the cost of owning and maintaining a rifle in that caliber is too great for the payoff. However, being the stubborn sort, I figured there had to be a way to shoot the .338 while not having it rip a Grand Canyon-sized dent in your wallet.

The Gun

Savage 110 in .338 Lapua

We will start with the easy part. If you can find one in stock, Savage makes excellent quality bolt action .338 rifles for 1200 to 1500 bucks. I know that may seem like a fortune to pay for a bolt gun, but when you compare that price tag to some of the other custom .338 rifles on the market, you know you are getting a smoking deal. For example, Steyr’s SSG-08 rings in at around seven grand. With the Savage 110 or 111 Hunter, you get a detachable box magazine, muzzlebrake, AccuTrigger, Picatinny rail, and one darn accurate rifle.

.338 Lapua Hornady Custom Match BTHP

The Glass

Everyone says not to skimp on the glass. I agree. Like many things, when it comes to scopes you get what you pay for. One consideration to maintain is the .338 Lapua has a fair amount of recoil, much more than your .308. However, with that muzzle brake, the recoil won’t be out of control, but stay away from the bargain basement scopes since they tend to not hold up. An SWFA SS 10×42 scope for around $300 will hold up to the recoil and give you an outstanding mil-dot reticle. For a little over $400, you could grab a Vortex Viper. It gives you a BDC reticle and a stellar reputation for an outstanding scope. Don’t forget to pick up some quality scope rings either. I like the quick detachable models in steel or aluminum. The steel rings tend to be stronger, and since this is already a heavy rifle, you won’t notice the extra weight steel rings bring to the party.

The Ammo

This is by far going to be the most expensive part of running this rifle. If you are not reloading your ammunition, you’re wrong. Start reloading and learn what your rifle likes to eat. If you purchase regular factory ammunition, a box of 20 rounds can cost well over $100. But if you can reload that brass, you’re going to save a lot of money.

Even though getting into the .338 Lapua game can get expensive, it isn’t out of reach if you are determined to get it done. There are plenty of lower cost options to give you a leg up. Who knows, you may start to outshoot the less expensive components of your setup and start investing in some seriously heavy-duty gear.

Are you a .338 fan? What’s your longest range shot? Share your answers in the comment section.

Check Out These Related Articles

Tags: .338 Lapua, Firearms, Handloading and Reloading, Optics and Scopes, Rifles, Steyr SSG-08

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The mission of Cheaper Than Dirt!'s blog, "The Shooter's Log," is to provide information-not opinions-to our customers and the shooting community. We want you, our readers, to be able to make informed decisions. The information provided here does not represent the views of Cheaper Than Dirt!

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National Prepardness Month

QUESTION:  Why does our Government have a National Preparedness Month?

   ANSWER:  It makes good sense to be prepared. 

 

Preparing is simple.  There are a few basic things you need: 

1.  Water - 3 gallons for each person in the household.
2.  Food - have a weeks supply of the can goods and foods that you normally eat.
3. Gun - it is important that you can protect your food, water and more importantly your family. 

Here is a Beginners list of things to have.  A garden and some livestock is also good to have.

For additional information see the following links:

Blog Table of Contents 

Or click on a label below for similar topics.

Fall Garden

Fall garden planting starts in August, and can yield some good healthy food for gardeners. If you have never gardened, now is a good time to start your first Practice Garden.  The ability to Growing your own food from seed is a skill that can prove priceless.  

A few dollars worth of Survival Seeds could prove to be the best investment you have ever made.  Most households have a few yard tools, but if not, there are a few Budget Garden Preparations to consider buying.

Its not hard, just get started viewing some of our links here.  Start by reading our Practice Garden post; finish up by reading Budget Garden Preparations.

For additional information see the following links:

Blog Table of Contents 

 

Gardening Links
Gardening101 – Soil Basics
Green House for year-round food supply
Vegetable Planting Dates
 

Vegetable Days to Harvest Budget Garden Preparations 
Seeds for Survival
Preppers Garden
 

Food Shelf Life

Aquaponics Growing your own food from seed Practice Garden 

Also check out our Prepper Livestock series 

Or click on a label below for similar topics.

Ammunition Reloading: Getting Started

By Bob Campbell published on in Gun Gear, How To

I seem to be one of the few writers to extensively use handloads in testing. I have always done so, and will continue to do so. That’s mainly because handloads offer real economy, custom grade performance, and excellent accuracy potential. Best of all, getting started in handloading isn’t difficult. The NRA offers handloading classes; check the website for a class near you. An experienced friend is the best bet for easy pointers and learning the mechanics of reloading. There are also good books, including the ABCs of Handloading. Obtaining several handloading manuals is a must. There are also a few tools you’ll need to get started.

Gear is built around the loading press. You do not need a progressive press, especially when getting started. Start with a single stage press such as Lyman’s All America 8.

Choosing Equipment

Gear is built around the loading press. You do not need a progressive press to get started. Instead, a single stage press is all that is needed. The complication of a progressive press may come later. If you are loading for only a few calibers, the single stage press may be all you ever need.

You must obtain a good quality powder scale—no shortcuts here. A good quality balance beam scale has been the cornerstone of my loading for many years. Electronic scales are very nice to have if you can afford one. Mount the scale on a level surface and treat it like fine China!

A specific shell holder for each cartridge/caliber is needed to fit the press. Loading dies are specific to the caliber. You will need a set of dies, cartridge case lube (even for carbide dies, this makes things easier), powder funnel, powder measure, and again, loading manuals. It is ok to us your digits to lube a case, but a rolling pad is neater. A cartridge case cleaner and cartridge case trimmer may be on the list if the high volume bug gets you.

Obtaining several handloading manuals is a must.

You really need a loading block that holds the cartridges. I cannot imagine getting by without this. The powder measure is pre set by you to drop a specific amount of powder in the cartridge case. Be certain to check the settings from time to time against the powder scale.

Do not get into trouble with over charges! If there is any doubt, dump the powder back in the can and start over. While most loading presses have a means of priming the cartridge case during the loading cycle, I prefer a hand held tool. You will get a feel for the crunch as the primer seats. One of the best means of obtaining everything you need at a fair price is to purchase a loading kit with the press, measure, scale, and other needed items. This is a relative bargain and a neat way to get started.

Reloading

The mechanics are simple enough. With the loading apparatus set up, the first step is to resize the cartridge case. They swell a bit on firing and must be sized to the original diameter. This sizing eventually wears the cartridge case, but if you use standard pressure loads, and particularly with handgun brass, you may enjoy dozens of re-loads. The brass is resized, and the primer removed during the first step.

Do not get into trouble with over charges! If there is any doubt, dump the powder back in the can and start over.

The case is primed on the press or by a handheld tool. Next, with the three-stage pistol die, the case mouth is flared. Powder is added during this stage in some presses. Finally, the bullet is seated and crimped in place.

I also like to have a go no-go gauge to chamber the loaded cartridge in—just to be certain it will chamber in the firearm. A pistol barrel removed from the firearm or a revolver cylinder works as well. Be certain to check for proper chambering before you load a substantial amount of ammunition.

Bullet crimp differs, with the revolver generally getting a medium crimp for most loads and a heavy crimp for Magnum loads. The self-loader gets a taper crimp. Rifle cartridges generally use two stage dies. While simpler rifle cartridges demand greater leverage, a small single stage press isn’t ideal.

Handloading is enjoyable for its own sake and allows greater amounts of ammunition to be fired for the same budget, and also tweaking loads for the individual rifle or pistol. It is a worthwhile pursuit that is well worth your time.

Are you interested in learning to handload? Do you have a reloading tip? Share your question or answer in the comment section.

Bob Campbell is a former peace officer and published author with over 40 years combined shooting and police and security experience. Bob holds a degree in Criminal Justice. Bob is the author of the books, The Handgun in Personal Defense, Holsters for Combat and Concealed Carry, The 1911 Automatic Pistol, The Gun Digest Book of Personal Protection and Home Defense, The Shooter’s Guide to the 1911, The Hunter and the Hunted, and The Complete Illustrated Manual of Handgun Skills. His latest book is Dealing with the Great Ammo Shortage. He is also a regular contributor to Gun Tests, American Gunsmith, Small Arms Review, Gun Digest, Concealed Carry Magazine, Knife World, Women and Guns, Handloader and other publications. Bob is well-known for his firearm testing.

View all articles by Bob Campbell

Check Out These Related Articles

Tags: Handloading and Reloading, Hornady, Lyman, RCBS

Trackback from your site.

The mission of Cheaper Than Dirt!'s blog, "The Shooter's Log," is to provide information-not opinions-to our customers and the shooting community. We want you, our readers, to be able to make informed decisions. The information provided here does not represent the views of Cheaper Than Dirt!

For more information visit our related links below:


Blog Table of Contents

List of Top 10 Lists 

Top 10 Prepper Websites 

Top 10 Posts 

The right amount of Ammo