# 3 day dry run this weekend!



## missDaniMF (Jul 9, 2012)

Hi all, we're doing a 3 day dry run this weekend. Looking forward to learning a lot from it. no power, which means no water here (well) and only using gas reserves if vehicle transportation is needed. wish is luck, should be fun!


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

Have fun ! Please post lessons learned so we can all benefit from your experience!


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## missDaniMF (Jul 9, 2012)

Of corse! But no communications till Sunday evening after the run, this should be interesting with our 3&4 year old, lol better to know now though than in the heat of an actual event


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

Good luck, looking forward to the lessons learned report! :congrat:


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Good luck, if things go well it should be a nice weekend, if not you will learn things to work on.


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## missDaniMF (Jul 9, 2012)

Well... Lessons learned 

-We need a new drain plug for our rubs, the plan was to use filled tubs for flushing toilets... Hours after they were filled they were drained empty by a slow leak.
-Candles!!! Realized we need lots more!
-a cooking grate will be helpful for cooking over the open fireplace indoors. 
-French press coffee maker is a life saver 
-4 adults and 2 toddlers and 3 dogs went through 6 gallons of water a day (which isn't bad!) surprisingly 
-keeping a large stock pot on the woodstove for hot/warm water was helpful
-stocking up on more led flashlights and batteries is on our list
-labeling everyone's drinking cup for each day and also community eating helps minimize the amount of dishes needing to be washed and keeping the washtub a and gray water dirtiness at a minimum
(Side notes) making sure everyone knows the skills that need to be done, we learned my brother and his wife are not so good at chopping wood. and baking bread.
we will be having a monthly skill building weekend and bi monthly dry run for. While to work out the rest of our hurdles. 
Overall was a fun, and great learning experience. We're looking forward to eventually becoming a much more smooth running day to day operation of tasks that would need to be accomplished.
also board games, card games, and family reading and involvement of the kids in all tasks were great at keeping them occupied and from boredom


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

Hope it was fun for all! What I found, when we had a weeklong power outage and the kids didn't have their electronics, was to get the involved in everything. They thought it was so much fun to cook by candles and hurricane lamps!


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

Awesome. Thanks for posting. All the skills people think they have rarely match up with reality. My example for the weekend was doing a 20 mile ghb march. My lessons learned were I need to do this more often as my dogs were barkin last night! In a true bug out sit Im gonna have to keep mileage down at first and work up over time. Surprisingly feet are ok today but i would have been useless if I had to move last night. Love to hear people practicing


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## ContinualHarvest (Feb 19, 2012)

CrackbottomLouis said:


> Awesome. Thanks for posting. All the skills people think they have rarely match up with reality. My example for the weekend was doing a 20 mile ghb march. My lessons learned were I need to do this more often as my dogs were barkin last night! In a true bug out sit Im gonna have to keep mileage down at first and work up over time. Surprisingly feet are ok today but i would have been useless if I had to move last night. Love to hear people practicing


I section hiked parts of the Appalachian Trail not too long ago. 35lb pack and other supplies carried. We walked roughly 15 miles per day over fairly rugged terrain. Figured walking fairly concealed trails like that would be better than traveling along open roads with roving bands of scared and desperate people.

A lof of major cities now have bike paths and hiking trails that connect towns and boroughs together. Might be a good idea to look some up.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Wow, thanks for sharing, I think those are all great lessons. 
I know everyone says the tub for water but I think If you can find any sort of containers you are a lot safer and the tub is so useful.
I find the same thing with water use, the numbers I have seen other places are really high compared to when we have carried water for ourselves. A spray bottle filled with vinegar and another one filled with alcohol can save a ton of water in cleaning.
I hear a lot of people say tea light candles aren't worth it but we like them for getting a lot of candle light for the price and they are easy to burn safely.


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## missDaniMF (Jul 9, 2012)

Our tea lights lasted about 3 1/2 hours. So you go through them nightly. but our soy wax candles last forever. And they're cheep enough if you diy instead of buy. 
thanks for the spray bottle tip! I'll be writing that one down.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Yeah most of them are made to burn only a few hours, some are up to 5. I like that you don't have to keep track of how much they burn though, or bother putting them out, If I spend a buck for a bag of a hundred tea lights it is easy to see how many nights I would have a (small) source of light.
Of course beeswax are by far my favorite, our family loves the smell, and our bees give us an endless supply.


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## hilljen (Nov 28, 2012)

Regarding the tub and the candles, if you know an emergency is coming and really need that extra reservoir of water, you can seal the tub. Scrub around the stopper well, then light a candle and drip hot wax over top of the stopper and for about an inch beyond the edge of the stopper. So long as no one bumps it dipping out water, that makes a good seal that will keep the water in. When time comes to remove it, use a plastic knife and carefully loosen the edges. If it's not too warm, it usually just pops off of the surface of the tub. Then I take the stopper to the refrigerator freezer for a few minutes, so the wax flakes easily off of the stopper. Otherwise, you can scrape it by hand or even simmer it in hot water to remove the wax.

I used to do this a lot when we lived in Florida and a hurricane was coming. It seemed that as soon as the flooding reached a certain point, the water lines would be breached and contaminated and they would shut the water off. HTH


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## Paltik (Nov 20, 2012)

Consider getting Water Bobs for the tub. They're large plastic reservoirs that you put in the tub when you fill it; they keep the water clean and guard against leaks.


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

ContinualHarvest said:


> I section hiked parts of the Appalachian Trail not too long ago. 35lb pack and other supplies carried. We walked roughly 15 miles per day over fairly rugged terrain. Figured walking fairly concealed trails like that would be better than traveling along open roads with roving bands of scared and desperate people.
> 
> A lof of major cities now have bike paths and hiking trails that connect towns and boroughs together. Might be a good idea to look some up.


I was on the silver comet trail. It goes from ga to alabama. Good bike trail. The appalachian trail is great. Did it when I was younger. Still hit southeast sections for a couple days at a time. Some really nice spots round there. Rarely do 20 miles in a day though. 12 is my usual goal.


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

A great place to train kids is either Elk Horn Park (Floyd Co. KY) or Breaks Interstate Park (VA/KY state lines). Easy trails that are marked with tons of primitive camping. We hiked for 10 miles one day with my son (he was 6) and had tons of fun. We saw wildlife and even a bear den. He complained like all kids do and we had to rest a few times but it was a great experience. He had a small backpack with water, snacks and whatever trinkets he picked up he wanted to keep.


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## webeable (Aug 29, 2012)

Or just backpack the Grand Canyon.


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## missDaniMF (Jul 9, 2012)

Thanks for the wax tip hilljen. 

we don't plan on bugging out, as we live in a very rural area so a lot of the skills we need to brush up on are off grid skills. Thankful we have a well and septic, and heat our home with wood.


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## LongRider (May 8, 2012)

missDaniMF said:


> Thanks for the wax tip hilljen.
> 
> we don't plan on bugging out, as we live in a very rural area so a lot of the skills we need to brush up on are off grid skills. Thankful we have a well and septic, and heat our home with wood.


We are fortunate in a way as we get snowed in up to a couple months each year and lose power for a month or so. That allows us to evaluate where we are at. If I may the Water Bob from Cheaper Than Dirt for under $20. suggested earlier is a good idea to have on hand as it does allow you to store a 100 gallons of water in a sealed container so it does not get exposed to airborne and other "bathroom" contaminants. Plus it comes with a hand pump that makes it easy to get water when you need it. Better yet as you have a well is to have a back up generator (ours runs off of propane) and a hand pump back to your back up.

Another thing you may consider is the next time out is, eat ONLY food that you have grown, harvested, hunted or caught canned dried, preserved and stored. Nothing store bought. Two things that will help you with. One is expose you to a true off grid diet and two help you compare your consumption rate with how much you have actually been able to produce. As an example if we are off grid for a month and we consume a 3.5 quarts of canned tomatoes. That gives me a basis for how many cans of tomatoes we need for the year. Which in turn tells me what the bare minimum number of tomatoes I need to grow.

An aside we consider being snowed in off grid our reward time, for our efforts throughout the year. When we can sit back play board games, walks in the woods enjoying the winter silence, watching movies or just the fire burning.


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## ArizonaJake (Dec 17, 2012)

I have done quite a lot of backpacking and it sure is a good way to get a feel for how much you really can carry and if you do more than a day hike you find out quick what you don't need. I live in the dessert so I'm presented with unique situations as are all of us so a standard pack isn't really so standard.


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

We were forced into a three day dry, or should I say a really wet heavy snow, run. Previously heavy rains saturating the ground, heavy wet snow on trees equal uprooted trees which broke power and phone lines. Got power back yesterday early evening, phone this afternoon. I got to try out our generator for the first time, ran it for four hours to cool the two refrigerators back to normal. Actually we could have just took out all of the perishables and put them in the snow. I'm going to have to figure a secure system to keep animals out but it did bring up a minor shortcoming in our preparedness, what to do to keep from loosing valuable frozen food stuffs. Chest freezers keep things good for many days as long as the lid is sealed down good. We did try out some freeze dried foods, green beans and carrots, they were outstanding in quality and fresh taste. Overall we felt pretty good about our preparations and the experience has given us the realization that we want to put in a solar power system and not rely on a gasoline powered generator that even with light loads goes through more fuel than makes me comfortable.


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## hdb90 (May 1, 2012)

Great topic. We went through a week long power outage this summer. We found that we were running our generator primarily for the freezer and fridge. We are trying to can more things to free up the freezer. Our neighbors each have springs on their properties, that we don't have. Under the right circumstances I'm sure they would allow us to build a spring house.


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

hdb90 said:


> Great topic. We went through a week long power outage this summer. We found that we were running our generator primarily for the freezer and fridge. We are trying to can more things to free up the freezer. Our neighbors each have springs on their properties, that we don't have. Under the right circumstances I'm sure they would allow us to build a spring house.


 Are they using the springs for their home water systems? If not tell them that you'll help develop them if you can share some of the water, that is if it's enough of a flow supply to make it worthwhile. Otherwise just building a spring house can be used instead of refrigeration if it's done right.


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## hdb90 (May 1, 2012)

Viking said:


> Are they using the springs for their home water systems? If not tell them that you'll help develop them if you can share some of the water, that is if it's enough of a flow supply to make it worthwhile. Otherwise just building a spring house can be used instead of refrigeration if it's done right.


No they do not use the spring for their water supply. We have talked at different times about the use of the spring. So they have been primed to the idea. Another neighbor of ours had their spring developed so you could get a drink from it. They had a small roof over it with a cup hanging from a nail. Best tasting cold water I ever had. A freind of theirs would stop out from town. Whenever he got a drink he complained about the water having no taste. I guess he enjoyed the taste of clorine.


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## dixiemama (Nov 28, 2012)

We usually have a week or 2 of no power during the winter due to iffy transformers and power company slow to respond. Last time, I cooked entirely by oil lamps and candles. This year if it happens, same thing, just won't be taking the four wheeler to the next county (only 2 miles on back roads) where they had power for groceries. Plus, I can break in some new camp kitchen gear on the fire pit!


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

missDaniMF said:


> Also board games, card games, and family reading and involvement of the kids in all tasks were great at keeping them occupied and from boredom


Get a Carrom Board. 
They are about $30 (almost free at yard sales) and you can do 100's of things on them. However, you also need the rings, balls, dice, checkers, etc. to do all of them, so stock up on game pieces!!!! Also many decks of cards 



cowboyhermit said:


> Yeah most of them are made to burn only a few hours, If I spend a buck for a bag of a hundred tea lights....


How do you manage that? I have never seen 100 qty for only a buck.

My best candles have been "Catholic" candles in tall glass jars, I used to get them for less than a dollar but most places they cost more than a dollar now. They burn 80-90 hours if not in drafty area.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Those were ridiculously cheap, they still have the tags, got them at a chain of stores closing. Realistically though I have seen them on sale at canadian tire or ikea for not much more. The votive candles are much better for burning for a long time but I have a catholic background so I always feel a bit odd when burning them, no reason for it though. Haven't seen them for a buck around here though, maybe too many Catholic's.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

cowboyhermit said:


> but I have a catholic background so I always feel a bit odd when burning them, no reason for it though. Haven't seen them for a buck around here though


Get the plain ones with no pictures applied. The paper pictures are very hard to peel off.

I have bought them (many moons ago) for about 70 cents but they cost twice that now! Still a good deal. Also, always hit the stores after Christmas to get good candle prices.

God knows your heart, and Jesus will always love you more than you can imagine, even when you peel his likeness off of a candle.

He is much more concerned with how you treat other people than how you treat inanimate objects.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Never meant to imply that it was bad to use these candles, the God I know would certainly not be concerned with that.
That's a good point, I should try to find some at this time of year because I do really like candles, they store forever.
But really I have a bucket of beeswax that has been sitting for a long time so I should probably get on that first, easy to say that I have it stored but if things were bad making candles might be more difficult.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Ya know, the wicks that come on the candles are usually about 2 inches too long, so I always "top them off" with melted wax. It's a great end (or a new beginning!) to a nearly expired candle.


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## LongRider (May 8, 2012)

A week before Christmas it dumped an unheard of three feet of snow. We postponed Christmas with our daughter at 23 she can not afford to miss any work or classes. Power has been off and on. My wife stayed at the casino so she could get to work. I stayed snowed in with the critters.

Last night we did Christmas our daughter walked the last mile and half to the house through the snow. Had the goose and ham in oven an hour away from dinner being done and the power went out. Thank God we do not rely on gas for our power and well. Having a couple thousand gallons of propane on hand is comforting to say the least. Has dinner by lamp light, exchanged gifts by fire light and than ended the evening with a DVD. Life is tough in the sticks


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