PREPARING FOR THE EARTHQUAKE THAT WILL HIT METRO MANILA

[hyder0926]

I read in reviews that Kovea stove and cookset is a great buy.

saw a store in 168 Mall in divi carrying camping stuff. if i have more time it will be great to source out stuff from there. but im not sure about the quality though.

[summersong]

Yup, my mora is 3/4 tang, but it's one of my favorite all-around utility/camping knives. It's also my lender while camping -- kahit mabungi ng humiram ok lang -- unlike one of my hardier (but pricier) knives. Hehe

I have vacillated whether to get a sese blade or not since I first heard about it only a few years ago,  and I rarely hear of very dependable locally-made blades, but it seems favorable naman ang reviews. Might get one or two soon to try out.

I carry an MSR stove sa BOB. No issues naman through my years of camping. However, for the purposes of bugging out I made sure na I have food na hindi kailangang lutuin or water to boil for the expected time to reach my BOL. I might not have space or time to cook, and para low-key na rin in my case; it makes you stand out in an urban setting to be using such a gadget while the hordes around you have nothing to cook with or eat for that matter.

[akthung]

Yup, my mora is...

its good. but im sure you'd agree na iba pa din ang full tang, although that 3/4 tang is a big jump from the normal. at one point i wanted one...still do if i can splurge on it.

i've known the Sese brothers for many years, in fact when i was first offered the blades, i didnt buy LOL. hindi naman sila nangulit but we were more into other stuff than camping, hiking and preparedness. until one day i met one of their friends who cleared a huge area full of very old kakawate using the sese blades and he didnt encounter any problem or edge issues. this prompted me to get one.

i later learned that Dr Ar had frequented many smiths. he had tested a lot of them giving them various knife projects, and eventually chose to do business with those he felt could make knives according to his specs and at the same time be honest with their work.

The blades are differential heat treated.  ball bearing steel 52100 and 5160 spring steel are commonly used. the older the steel the better.

yes they do look "local" but the quality of HT is good. they're mean to be working blades so hindi na pinapolish ng husto. extra cost lang din. many are happy because the blades perform very well for the price.

yes i agree with you regarding food. when shtf, the really fit ones can suck it out for 3 days on water alone. i've seen my friends make their own food so, kung 1-2 araw lang naman para ka lang nag fasting, pwede din naman eat at a bare minimum. but coffee or tea can be a comfort.

[Heatherette]

I saw Kovea in Base Kamp Trinoma. Ok sana kaso ang bulky for me.

Like sis summersong, yung mga dala kong food di na rin kelangan initin. Pati water as much as possible ayoko rin mag-boil that's why I have a Sawyer Mini for that.

Thank you akthung for the Century Tuna Paella idea! I got 2 cans na to replaced my 2 cans of plain Century Tuna lang haha

Hindi pa rin ako decided sa mess kit ko talaga. I received a lot of recommendations sa isang FB group for preppers na na-invite ni sis momentum for me

Still juggling between alcohol stove like Trangia or mag-stick nalang ako sa Esbit. Since ang primary purpose ko naman eh pang-boil lang kung saka sakali. I plan to bug in when SHTF. Kung mag-bug out man ako, I have my canned goods. Sana lang di ako umabot na mag-bug out ako at magluto talaga. So ayan ang dilemma ko sa cookset ko haha

[akthung]

I saw Kovea in Base Kamp Trinoma. Ok sana kaso ang bulky for me.

Like sis summersong, yung mga dala kong food di na rin kelangan initin. Pati water as much as possible ayoko rin mag-boil that's why I have a Sawyer Mini for that.

Thank you akthung for the Century Tuna Paella idea! I got 2 cans na to replaced my 2 cans of plain Century Tuna lang haha

Hindi pa rin ako decided sa mess kit ko talaga. I received a lot of recommendations sa isang FB group for preppers na na-invite ni sis momentum for me

Still juggling between alcohol stove like Trangia or mag-stick nalang ako sa Esbit. Since ang primary purpose ko naman eh pang-boil lang kung saka sakali. I plan to bug in when SHTF. Kung mag-bug out man ako, I have my canned goods. Sana lang di ako umabot na mag-bug out ako at magluto talaga. So ayan ang dilemma ko sa cookset ko haha

if mapapansin mo, maraming opinions doon, you'll still have to find what u like or what works for you, the good thing is there are LOTS of options dahil sari saring tao.

yung Billy Can approach ni Clive is also good. its popular sa Australia.

but if you can't decide, there's always the Vargo brand, yung 2 in 1 nila. pwedeng alcohol, pwedeng esbit. you can always check the reviews.

mayron nga yung pwede mong lagyan ng sticks tapos may charger pa. lol but its too big.

[Heatherette]

^Nakakatuwa nga yung mga usapan sa groups. Tapusin ko muna yung Go Bag ko at ihuhuli ko na yung mess kit. Meron din Esbit na foldable stove. Triangle ang shape niya then meron plate for the Esbit then pwede mo rin patungan ng alcohol stove. Yung triangle shaped na yun windscreen na rin.

Major kulang ko nalang yung flashlight. Still waiting for Tactical Asia to stock up on Nitecore na gusto ko. Water purification tablets, compass, magnifying glass and eyeglass repair kit.

I got myself a 1L Nalgene bottle din pala.

[summersong]

^ Try Velocitor, he also has some Nitecores in stock. He has an FB page.

yes they do look "local" but the quality of HT is good. they're mean to be working blades so hindi na pinapolish ng husto. extra cost lang din. many are happy because the blades perform very well for the price.

Yes, that's exactly what I'm looking for, locally-made dependable workhorses. I've never been impressed with most of the fancy, shiny, tactical-looking knives na nagkalat that are cheap pero unreliable.

[Heatherette]

^Thank you for the suggestion sis. I checked his website kaso wala yung gusto ko.

I want a Nitecore MT2A. Any owners here? Kaya ko siya napili kasi 345 lumen na than yung original choice ko na Fenix E25 na 260 lumen with a small price difference. Pasok sa budget ko kasi yan haha

[akthung]

^ Try Velocitor, he also has some Nitecores in stock. He has an FB page.

Yes, that's exactly what I'm looking for, locally-made dependable workhorses. I've never been impressed with most of the fancy, shiny, tactical-looking knives na nagkalat that are cheap pero unreliable.

ako din. kaya nagpadala ako ng mga Sese Blade to Australia.

Gulat nga ako sa interview ni Jeff Randall, kasi he prefers a machete/bolo over his own Esee knives.

I went on an ESEE spree before, i bought the Izula II, 4, 6 and the Junglas.

when i tested the 4, hindi ko trip yung performance. hinahanap ko pa din yung local blades natin. Tsaka mas preferred ko yung convex edge. I didn't bother na with the 6 and the Junglas. Pero i'll keep it for redundancy. The Izula naman I like kahit V edge, because its small and maganda naman tang niya.

tsaka hindi pag iinteresan gaano yung local blades. hehe

[hyder0926]

is maglite flashlight any good?
is whetstone solar dynamo camping lantern any good?

where to buy locally made hammocks?

[akthung]

magpul flashlights are so old school. i dont trust their bulbs.

now they have lights using LEDs. i don't know how they perform.

for disaster preparedness, i'd rather focus on a light that can run on AA batteries. that's the most common.

having a good tactical light is important too but if they run on CR123s, you'll have a hard time finding spares. also, i experienced a scenario where i had to run a strong flashlight for more than 2 hours.

--- the flashlight will heat up, and you need spare CR123 batts.  an operator i know once told me to bring 2 sets of CR123s as spares, it was only during this incident i understood why i had to have 2 sets.

***

whetstone solar dynamo...the surest way is to try it.

hammocks, siguro in military stores like those in pampanga or beside crame.

my friends and I use hammocks that we make ourselves which is lightyears away from the above mentioned. they are comparable to the $400 hammocks online but at a fraction of the price.

[hyder0926]

thanks Akthung. un whetstone kase crank style lang sya at no batteries needed.

will have a friend buy for me sa US. sakit lang sa brains kase need invest for the impt stuff. will post reviews here once i get them.

try ko din siguro sa divi hanap ng hammock when i visit divi soon. nawala un sa isip ko last time i was there. saw flashlights there pero made in china so i was doubtful.

[akthung]

mukhang maganda specs nung light. for 2 minutes na crank oras na binilang.

naisip ko lang ..dami na gadget ngayon. pano maisaksak lahat sa bag or kotse. hehe

[hyder0926]

hehe great point. the challenge for me is how to carry the bug out bag..

im still taking baby steps in the BOB preparation and talking to my family about our emergency plan.
prepping also made me realize that i need to be physically strong to carry my BOB and walk with it..

so i also need to work on that aspect. my friend said she has a 7 day BOB but when she attempted to put it on her back she fell down with her bag. that's the worrisome part.

[akthung]

sis, may nag share noon from Tacloban.  bottom line is she had to ditch her bag in order to save herself.

so one issue is being able to hike with it. the other issue being able to run.

what i learned from the sese brothers is this:

live with whats in your pack

survive with whats on your waist

and fight with what's in your pockets.


i know this was taken from basic soldiery but it can be applied to preparedness.

so aside from one's pack, meron dapat kit on sa waist (fanny pack) or Chest (chest rig).

then meron maliit na survival pack sa pants. either in a small tin or maxped bag or mga items nakatago sa pants, shirt or shoes.

to lessen one's reliance on items, one needs to increase his skills and knowledge. this is the ideal -- to be a macgyver. so kung kahit san ka mapadpad, may common sense ka to make do with things around you, and also to preserve whatever tools you have left.

[remilicious]

Have an emergency bag full of medicines, extra clothes, canned food, flashlight, etc. at home which you can use. Also have a whistle with you all the time can help if an earthquake happens or any other calamities or danger.

Medyo off topic pero napaparanoid ba kayo whenever nasa taas kayo ng building na baka magkaearthquake? Nagkaphobia ata ako kasi sometimes ganyan ako. Ugh nakakainis yung feeling kasi di ako makampante. Usually kapag nakaramdam ako ng earthquake kahit mahina, days after ganyan nararamdaman ko. Siguro kasi yung 1990s earthquake naaalala ko kahit bata pa ako noon tapos meron din time nasa 8th floor ako natapos naramdaman namin nagsway yung building kaya until now napaparanoid ako. Wah how do I get rid of this?

[Heatherette]

Re: Get Home Bag

My situation: I moved out of our house which is where we also have our office where I work. My current home is like 30 mins from the office/former home.

Do I still need a get home bag? haha

If yes, what do I need to bring? Kasi diba less than the Go Bag yun but what are the contents considering ganun ang setup ko.

Any advice would be appreciated!

[akthung]

Just use your creativity sis. Ano environment mo? Ano pwede mangyari? Pag nagkagulo how easy to go home? Is that a 30 minute drive or a 30 minute walk? If its 30 min by drive or commute how long will it take you to walk home? If its on a stormy day and you need to walk home? Gabi? May bridge ka bang tatawiran? Pano kung bumagsak? What to do next.   Its up to you.

[summersong]

^^ One consideration is if you still have access to your old home. Do other family members still live there? If things go awry, which place will be safer, your old home or your new one? You may opt to stash some supplies in your old home as well as keep a GHB in your office/vehicle. Never hurts to keep your eggs in several baskets. If you choose to assemble a GHB, base it on how long it will take you to walk to your home. Best if you test out your GHB in real life as well.

[Heatherette]

Yes, some family members still live there. Both are safe to live in. Condo kasi yung akin and it's a 30 minute drive from office/old home. I already have a Go Bag sa condo. Tapos ngayon naisip ko gagawa din ba ako para mag-iwan sa office/old home. Although may dinadala na ko pero di kasing level ng Get Home Bag cause I bring toiletries, power bank, snacks, etc...

May EDC din akong dala. Andun yung knife, firestarter, emergency blanket, meds (not as extensive as what I have in my Go Bag), whistle, etc... then meron pa kong EDC keychain.