Yes, but don’t go higher than  stacks of three (stacks of two would be better if you have enough floor space) and of course put the lighter buckets on top if possible.

If you have a strong preference to stick with gasoline fuel, and you can store plenty of it safely and use fuel stabilizer to keep it fresh,  then stick with a gasoline only model. Otherwise get the tri-fuel model and take advantage of your ability to use propane instead of gasoline. If you only use propane, no need for fuel stabilizer, no need to periodically run fresh gasoline through the carburetor. Also if you have a big power outage in your area, the local gas station may not have power to pump gasoline, but you may still be able to get prefilled 20 lb bottles of propane.

Great question, and it’s been interesting to see how others think about this. For myself, I don’t have a big system, but maybe I have two principles I’ve found helpful. The main one is advice I think I read on this site, to keep within your budget while focusing first on what you need to survive 72 hours if things go sideways (especially in most-likely scenarios like big storms), then what you need for a week, then two weeks, etc. At this point I think I have my bases covered OK for many weeks, and at least one backup for many items. But I still like getting gear and want to get more than I can afford, so I’ve been trying to use another principle I only really thought of recently: only get something if it would provide kind of transformative capability. There’s a particular type of gear I really like and I want to get more of, but I realized that getting more of that gear wouldn’t change my situation much. I also realized that if I spend that same money on particular training for my kids that could be transformative for the family. So while I still kind of window-shop for that gear I like, and I’ve gotten a couple of small items recently that seemed very helpful for the price, I’ve also found some classes I want my kids to take and I’m trying to mostly wait for those classes to open up instead of buying more of that gear. (I’ve also been trying to use some of that “gear money” on more home repairs or paying down my mortgage a little faster.)

This device probably makes the most sense for people trying to use a solar oven to kill pathogens in (pasteurize) their water. That was the original purpose for the WAPI. See https://solarcooking.org/pasteurization/metcalf.htm for more on the science and history. If you use the device in a pot over a flame, try not to let the plastic touch the metal of the pot’s heating surface so the WAPI doesn’t melt. This is not as much of an issue in a solar cooker because the temperatures don’t get as high as when you have a flame.

Robert, I think most people interested in self defense probably should start with a “model mugging” style combatives course. In a few weekends you can learn enough basic moves and concepts that you might not need anything else. My mom did that, I did a men’s version. This is the most effective for the time spent. For boxing or Muay Thai or another striking focused martial art, I think you can learn the basics in about 6 months, enough to be valuable for self-defense in a stand-up situation.  Jiu jitsu or judo or another grappling martial art probably takes a couple of years to be effective. But at that point if you’re facing someone about your size and strength who just knows how to punch, you will probably be able to cover up as you rush in and take them down, etc.

Robert, I have studied a few martial arts including a little Brazilian jiu jitsu (BJJ). Mostly judo, some muay thai, and combatives. Yes I do think BJJ, judo and other forms of grappling can be great for self defense, partly because you can practice real techniques full force full speed against someone trying to do the same to you.  Watch MMA fights and see how often they end because one guy chokes out the other or gets an arm breaking lock instead of just throwing a knockout punch. However, gaining real effectiveness takes a while because of the importance of balance and timing subtleties. Striking and weapons techniques don’t take as long to learn for the basics but often with those it’s hard to achieve the same level of realistic training against a live opponent.

Yes, I liked sprouting best with green lentils:  https://www.trueleafmarket.com/collections/wholesale-sprouting-seed/products/green-lentils-organic-sprouting-seed?variant=4804897177641.  Also try garbanzo beans if they are not too expensive.

That video of the rabid fox spooked me.  Like a clip from a “fast zombie” movie, but scarier.

Carlotta thanks for this news summary. Regarding your statement that you don’t need cellular service to call 911, I think it might be more accurate to say that you don’t need a cellular subscription to make a 911 call. You still need your cellular signal to reach a local cell tower. Probably obvious to most folks but possibly a useful reminder to somebody heading into the wilderness away from cell towers.

If you have a car, consider buying an inverter to provide enough electric power from your car to run your freezer or other small appliances one at a time.  A pure sine wave inverter with at least 1000W or maybe 1500W peak output may be enough to power your fridge.  It also would likely be less expensive, easier to maintain, and quieter than a stand alone generator.

Stephanie thanks as always!

It’s pretty easy to eat unprocessed or minimally processed vegan food instead of meat.  For me, beans and rice are great as the main part of lunch.  

My quick read when I did a search online was that the nocebo effect for COVID vaccines was just supposedly about vaccine side effects.  

How many folks just buy 24 packs of cheap bottled water at the grocery store?  I have stacks of those and they seem to have worked ok for several years of storage without visible contamination.  (I am replacing them now after several years, partly because I noticed the water volume inside seems to be going down gradually over time. I think they are probably evaporating through the thin walls of the plastic bottles, very slowly.)

My biggest prep goal this year is catching up more on home maintenance that otherwise could lead to critical appliances failing at bad times, water damage, etc if we wait too long.

Instead of a compressor that requires electric power what about a bike floor pump?  I use a bike floor pump for my car tires when I notice pressure is low at home.  I also carry one in my car.  

Stephanie thanks for your work.  My heartfelt condolences.

Thanks for this timely coverage and advice!

I recently upgraded from the Leatherman Sidekick to the Wave+ for EDC.  I appreciate the improved blades, which was the main reason for my change.  A good surprise was that the Wave+ small bit driver screwdriver perfectly fit my eyeglass frame screw, which the Sidekick’s screwdrivers would not.  (Very helpful for field repair of eyeglasses or sunglasses.)  However a bad surprise was that the fancy Wave+ large bit driver was too wide, and the screwdriver attachment inside it too short, to reach one of the recessed screws in a kitchen appliance that I easily reached with the more basic and slender screwdriver in the Sidekick. 

The longest I’ve stored stabilized fuel is two years.  That was with summer blend fuel, to which I added a double dose of Sta-bil when I put it in storage.  (I usually put in a double dose in case I need to store fuel for two years instead of one year.  The directions on the bottle mention you can use a double dose to extend storage time to two years instead of one year.)  I didn’t notice any decrease in performance or starting ability.