Prepare: A Tale of Two Preppers

Prepper number one:

"Honey! I got to talk to you! I was just online on one of my forums. You know, DoomPreppers, and one of the veteran members, Skull of Liberty, told us something big is about to happen.

Skull was listening to the End of Freedom radio broadcast on his shortwave and they had a guy on there who used to be in the federal government and part of a highly secret organization.

He said the Chinese are getting millions of acres of farm land in the USA for the billions they loaned our government. The Chinese are setting up camps and rounding up Americans to work the land and they have a bunch of UN troops helping them! Skull of Liberty says the Chinese are working in concert with same underground aliens called the Grays and its all part of a New World Order with the global elite to eliminate the population according to the ancient runes of Zardoz.

Look, Skull says we need to get a retreat, a five year supply of food, some more guns, ammo and bug out! I got a bag packed for you and I am going to go clean out our bank account and buy a pallet of MRE from the surplus store. Get the kids! Fill water containers! Get in the car! We got to bug out of here!

Honey? Honey, where are you going? What do you mean? Skull of Liberty said so! He's one of the most respected members on DoomPreppers! Honey!"



Prepper number two:

"Hey, hon, can I talk to you for a second? Say, I read online at USA Today that the weather has affected the crops for this winter. They say the price of bread may jump to a couple of bucks by April. Also, gasoline down at the corner went up five cents a gallon since this morning. I am really worried how this is going to affect our budget.

I was thinking this might be a good time to get out our grocery list and make a special trip to Costco this afternoon. We might want to get flour, sugar and so forth now before the prices go up and make bread like we used to do. Also, there are a number of other things we don't have on the shelves that we all like to have, like dried fruit, oatmeal, beans. You know how much the kids like your homemade cookies.

What? Yeah I know we still have quite a bit of stuff put back already, but remember when we bought all that toilet paper and dog food in bulk? That sure helped when my hours were cut back last year. Now that we have some extra money, we should really stock up again, especially if the prices are going up. Why don't you take a look online and see for yourself? OK. Hey, let's fill up both cars before we go to Costco...."


Spend enough time online and it is easy to sound like person number one. However, to those around you, that may not be a good idea and it might be unnerving and not very convincing to those around you.

Just a little something to think about...

Prepare: Costco THRIVE Long Term Storage Foods

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the Family Emergency Food Kit at Costco which many readers did not know was available. I recently came across something even more interesting from Costco's website.

Costco now carries on their online store and perhaps in some retail stores, long term storage foods in bulk. These products are comparable to what Mountain House produces and what is sold by well known and respected outfits like Emergency Essentials and Nitro-Pak.

The brand name at Costco must be a store brand, THRIVE. It looks like many of the products we have heard or tried before. Here are the units and prices:

Shelf Reliance Thrive 6-month, 4 person food supply
Price - $1999.99 shipping and handling included.

Compare this to Nitro-Pak, 6-month food supply for ONE
Price - 1699.99

and Emergency Essentials, Premium One Year supply for ONE
Price - 1549.95

The pricing is better than these established companies for the most comparable products. Note that the Nitro-Pak products contain greater variety and often contain other accessories like water equipment not available from other suppliers.

Here's what is in the Costco THRIVE six-month food supply:

Grains

*
6 Cans of Instant White Rice (48 servings per can)
*
18 Cans of Hard White Winter Wheat (44 servings per can)
*
1 Wheat Grinder
*
6 Cans of Spaghetti (32 servings per can)

Vegetables

*
12 Cans of Potato Chunks (42 servings per can)
*
6 Cans of Freeze-Dried Sweet Corn (54 servings per can)
*
6 Cans of Freeze-Dried Peas (41 servings per can)
*
6 Cans of Freeze-Dried Onions (50 servings per can)
*
3 Cans of Freeze-Dried Cauliflower (43 servings per can)
*
3 Cans of Freeze-Dried Broccoli (47 servings per can)

Fruits

*
6 Cans of Organic Apple Slices (17 servings per can)
*
6 Cans of Freeze-Dried Strawberries (43 servings per can)
*
3 Cans of Freeze-Dried Blueberries (50 servings per can)
*
3 Cans of Freeze-Dried Raspberries (48 servings per can)

Dairy

*
6 Cans of Instant Milk (65 servings per can)
*
6 Cans of Chocolate Drink Mix (65 servings per can)
*
6 Cans of Cheese Blend (36 servings per can)

Proteins/Beans

*
The taste and texture of TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) is consistent with real meat, making it a great addition to vegetarian diets
*
12 Cans of Bacon TVP (54 servings per can)
*
6 Cans of Beef TVP (44 servings per can)
*
6 Cans of Chicken TVP (45 servings per can)
*
6 Cans of Pinto Beans (49 servings per can)
*
6 Cans of Lentils (52 servings per can)
*
6 Cans of Taco TVP (42 servings per can)
* 12 Cans of Whole Eggs (236 servings per can)

That is a lot of food and it includes a grain grinder (looks to be an upright, counter lock, plastic grinder of unknown manufacture).

There are smaller food blocks available as well with very reasonable prices.

Protein and Wheat pack, 273 servings, 6 #10 cans - 54.99
Vegetable Variety Pack, 277 servings, 6 #10 cans - 89.99
Starter Pack, 477 servings, 6 #10 cans - 84.99
Freeze Dried Fruit pack, 185 servings, - 129.99

All include shipping and handling.

#
Freeze-dried products have up to 20 year shelf life if unopened
#
Dehydrated products have up to 10 year shelf life if unopened

Here is my opinion:

Costco has many retail outlets, is a recognized and trusted name with millions of club members.
Club members and shoppers have demanded this type of product (that should be a sign to all).
The prices are very affordable.
I have not tried any of these yet, and there are no reviews, but if they are available in one of my nearby retail outlets, I know I am going to try them.
Finally, a cost affective way to get Long Term Storage foods, with shipping and handling included, and they look pretty good.

Also take a look at Nitro Pak long term storage foods - Ultimate Family Preparedness Pak

Prepare: Costco 72 Hour Family Emergency Kit

Anytime I hear that preparedness has gone mainstream I have to admit I am a bit happier. This means that more and more people are getting it. I wrote a bit about Costco, (the nirvana of preparedness shopping) and a new product they are featuring, the Emergency Food Kit.

Today, I take a look at a product which is not so good, the 72 Hour Family Emergency Kit. This is a one bag solution to most emergency problems, such as hurricane, earthquake, etc. Let's take a look at the product first before criticizing.

The 72 Hour Kit claims to be "First Aid & Essential Supplies For 4 People". There is a graph for the product online which shows that the supplies contained within are enough for 4 people for 3 days, for 2 for 6 and 1 for 12 days.

A list of the contents of the Kit:

# 1 High Visibility Red Heavy Duty Backpack
# 1 Deluxe 42-pc First Aid Kit
# 1 Dynamo Crank Flashlight/Radio/Cell Phone Charger/Locator Beacon (no batteries needed)
# 36 Water Pouches (4.227 oz. each)
# 4 Mainstay Food Bars (2400 calories each)
# 5-pk Emergency Candles
# 4 Emergency Mylar Blankets
# 1 Utility Knife

A high visibility red backpack is useful if one is lost in the woods, but out if one is attempting to evade others in a post-SHTF world. Just an observation..

The 42 pc First Aid Kit includes each item, such as a band aid, as a "pc." There is a selection of bandages, alcohol wipes, and a compress of some sort, but nothing for serious injuries. Also, I am not sure of the medicine selections.

There are some Mylar Blankets and a strange looking utility knife (plastic).

There are some high energy/calorie food bars and a bunch of 4 oz pouches of water.

Here is my beef with the 72 Hour Kit - Most of this can be assembled from individual pieces of higher quality. For instance, the multi tool could be a Gerber or a Leatherman. A better equipped first aid kit could come from the drug store or grocers. The Mylar blankets are available from the sporting goods store for a dollar or less in some cases.

The water containers, while "neat" because of the official lettering and containers, only contain 4 oz of water. I would rather have a number of reusable liter bottles and a good water filtration system.

While Mainstay bars are good, high calorie protein bars, dried fruits, nuts, vitamins, candy and jerky cost less and have more variety.

Is this 72 Hour Family Emergency Kit worth the $69.99 price? If you don't have anything and want something so you feel more secure, it is better than nothing. However, with a little thought, you can put together a better kit yourself with some careful shopping at most retailers.

Prepare: Costco Emergency Food Kit

I shop at Costco monthly and it has to be one of my favorite stores. If you are into preparing for the worse, Costco gives you a warm fuzzy feeling when you see all those stacks of canned goods, big bags of rice and multipacks of batteries.

For a review of Long Term Storage (LTS) food companies, click here

I have not seen this particular product at my Costco and I think I know the reason. We don't have hurricanes or earthquakes where I live and this product probably would not appeal to many who shop at my Costco - or so the management thinks. I believe they would be a big seller because so many unprepared people want to do "something".

So what is the Emergency Food Kit? Actually, it is a "Food for Health Emergency Food Kit" as Costco markets it. Inside the weatherproof bucket are 270 servings of food. Like what you ask?

# 25 Servings - Potato Soup
# 30 Servings - Corn Chowder
# 25 Servings - Cacciatore
# 25 Servings - Western Stew
# 30 Servings - Country Noodle
# 25 Servings - Rice Lentil
# 45 Servings - Whey Milk
# 40 Servings - Blueberry Pancake
# 30 Servings - Barley Vegetable

This sounds good, right? The only complaints I have seen online have come from people who have not purchased the actual product. Rather, they either read about it online or examined the product at the store. Reviews from buyers however, say plenty of good things about the food.

The Emergency Food Kit says it has a shelf life of 20 years when stored at optimal temperatures. This puts it along the same lines as Mountain House or Military meals.

The meal sizes are small (1 cup dry) and the calories are low. Most of the dishes have about 140 calories per serving with the pancakes having the highest caloric value of 220 calories. Please note that the product claim is 275 "servings" not days worth of food or even meals, but simply a serving. If you have a family, you know that growing child can eat two or more servings of a dish at a meal. Keep that in mind for reference with the Emergency Food Kit.

Buyers say the food quality is actually very good. Like most survival foods, they say the sodium content is higher than normal foods they eat, but that they enjoyed most of the food selections.

Also, with most long term storage foods, be aware of appetite fatigue. Buyers say the Emergency Food Kit combined with other long term storage foods would make a good meal plan.

Others suggest that buyers purchase multiple food kits rather than a single bucket for a family. Also, be warned that the food must be stored at a constant temperature. I would not store this in the back of the car during the summer for instance. Exposure to extreme temperatures lowers the shelf life of the food and may cause it to become inedible.

What is funny, is the manufacturers of the Food Kit or Costco have not suggested that the bucket can be reused as a toilet. They must not have had a survivalist designing the product.

How about cost? Costco has this bucket of food, with a shelf life of 20 years for the low price of $84.99. That's a good price for some LTS food which may be a good start for a food supply. If anything, the food can be used for camping or hunting trips.

Positives - affordable long term storage foods available at a mainstream retail store. That's pretty good in my book. I just wish they carried it at one of my Costco locations.

For more information about LTS foods, click here